Chapter Text
Wolf waited there on the backyard for a long time listening to grunting and the sounds of chains clashing against one another. A long drawn out moment. He held the 'save the date' paper in his hands looking down upon it then turned away and faces him.
"You are ruinous."
"Right back."
"And your best friend still wants you at his wedding.". He smacked the paper into the man's chest then gazed up.
Shawn saw his name on the paper.
Shawn Spencer, you are formally invited to the wedding of Burton Guster and Charlene Charlamagne..
Shawn got only a laugh out at the wedding invite feeling his eyes become stingy. Emotions drawn out of him. Tears landing on to the paper then falling down the photograph of the pair posed nicely with the twins. Happy and bright smiles as he cupped the side of his face.
Gus... still wanting him there.
"Your father tried to kill a man today."
Shawn looked up facing him for a moment still wearing smile.
"What did you think was going to happen?" Shawn asked.
"Not go ape shit for starters." Wolf said.
"My dad loves me." Shawn recalled. "Way too much."
"And he got shot for it over his troubles." Shawn's smile started to fade. "He will pull through." Shawn fell down to his knees gazing up at him. "Like I said, ruinous."
The paper in his hands trembling.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could make him cancel the missing person's file?"
Shawn was really quiet for a long time thinking about it a moment. Thinking how often they got into danger and nearly killed in the old days. Doing that, again? With a baby in the way? Kids? A wife? William Guster was right. Shawn was nothing but trouble.
"Would be perfect without Gus dying." Shawn admitted, looking up toward him.
Wolf smiled down upon the younger meal squinting in the sunlight resting on him.
"It would be." Wolf agreed, slowly.
An ideal world where doing their childhood dreams wasn't on their mind. Surviving out after the rescue. Settling down and kick perfectly boring lives. Firefighting that wasn't as dangerous as being detectives. But being boring wasn't Shawn Spencer. Boring was Burton Guster.
"There is something you need to see." He lifted his gaze up toward the men putting the ear bud into his ear and a familiar one in the fake psychic's ear. "Blindfold him."
Wolf turned away as Shawn was blindfolded.
From afar were four hunched over figures hidden behind a long tree branch with greenery glaring on disdain at the events playing out.
One limo drive later, the blindfold was removed. His vision adjusted in the darkness leaning forward squinting searching for a figure to grasp on to as his disoriented vision became stabilized. Making out four figures hidden in the darkness. Two of them were notably women and the other two had really short hair.
The lights flicked on revealing Marlowe, Lassiter, himself, and O'Hara. Lassiter was in a white suit. Marlowe in a long and pure white dress. His younger counterpart didn't wear a jacket but O'Hara did. The dark jacket rested on her shoulders and all she wore on her face was hate aimed right at him.
Shawn Spencer after living seven years of deceit in her orbit.
"Baby, it is going to be okay." Lassiter's eyes rested on Marlowe.
"I hate you, Shawn Spencer." O'Hara's words carried venom.
"It isn't my fault that we are in the same room after an hour."
"You have crossed so many bad guys..."
"All of them in jail, Jules."
"Pretty sure that is a correct observation." Lassiter butted into the conversation.
"You are a liar and a charlatan who's bound to have bad enemies with clients."
"They are ordinary people who don't abduct people walking alongside the road in the rain."
His face fell as it quickly became apparent what Wolf was going to do.
"No, No, No, No, No." Shawn was shooting out that word rapid fire shaking his head.
Wolf's footsteps echoed in the air walking into the spotlight.
"It is only a matter of time before the department suffers the consequences!"
"O'Hara, don't say anything that will jeopardize our lives. Setting off a kidnapper is never a good idea!" Lassiter shot back
"Our lives on the line because of your investigation methods! Because of your ill will! Someone who doesn't deserve our cooperation! Your lies!"
That actually hurt his heart shaking his head remembering the text messages.
"Jules..."
"Are the people you sent away actually guilty?"
"O'Hara, did you hit your head or did you forget how many times those two almost got killed?"
Lassiter's words gripping him from the edge so tightly from falling into the dark. Hugging his soul so tight so warmly and full of nothing but platonic love for a very dear friend. Someone keeping him from sinking into the dark and shattering into millions of pieces countering the voices.
Gus talking glowingly about the department. Gus taking the twins on a tour of their old stomping grounds. Lassiter being there giving corrections and the twins laughing in a storm and giggles. A warm lovely picture. O'Hara doing paperwork listening from afar. People willingly to go after him despite The Act.
"Don't you dare break her!" Shawn shouted.
"Funny, given you already broke the heart of a good detective." Wolf stated.
Shawn, three years younger, looked up, facing Wolf
"Hey, I am the psychic!" Shawn shot back.
Wolf looked down upon the younger psychic.
"Did I read your mind?" Wolf asked.
The three years younger fake psychic looked up facing him wearing a terrible glare.
"The reason why I couldn't take your offer... Throwing him and her out. To use as a meat shield." He looked up facing the darkened room. "This is why."
Shawn's jaw was hanging staring at the man.
"You .... You... you.. the spirits say you have done this before." Shawn said, softly.
"No denial about it."
"YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE!" Shawn blew up in rage.
"Oh my sweet lady of justice." Lassiter said.
"Older, still same circumstance, man in his fifties, woman in her forties. So scorned. Hurt. Heartbroken."
"Carlton?" Marlowe looked scared.
"The department is looking for us right as he speaks, I was on the middle of a phone call with the chief when we were abducted."
He looked back and forth.
"It's really awful on the heart." He looked back up facing the window. "Not as delightful as.."
"As what?"
Wolf smiled along with a wince at the delightful music to his ears.
"Do not do it! do not! Do not! You could've picked their wedding night and instead kicked the worst night of his life!"
"Two teens losing their future, Shawn Spencer." Wolf replied.
"You'll ruin her!" Shawn plead from a above.
Wolf cast a delighted smile upon the younger man.
"You.. are.. ruinous, Shawn Spencer." Wolf said.
"Told you!" O'Hara shouted.
Shawn turned his attention toward O'Hara processing it all as his older counterpart found a morbid reason to laugh.
"There is just one problem, Detective O'Hara; I have never met this guy in my entire life." Shawn revealed.
"Why should I believe a single word out of your mouth about him?" O'hara was deeply skeptical.
The much younger man faced the detective with his mouth in a complete oh staring back at her.
"Kill Lassie. You know you want to do it! Get it over with!"
Wolf looked over toward the head detective.
"Get it over with already..."
Wolf walked around playing it over his mind going over changing his plans and going into another identical reality just to do it all over.
"I mean it!"
"If you kill Detective Lassiter on his wedding night then I will have the authority to kill you where you stand!" O'Hara shouted.
"Means we'll have to do it all over again." Wolf said in a sing song voice waving the gun in his hand.
"I DON'T CARE!" Shawn roared.
"One of us has to care about that detail." Wolf remarked.
Lassiter's blue eyes shot in the direction of the young detective who was going to make it extremely hostile to the fake psychic. Worse than how he did it in the beginning.
"Don't listen to her!" Wolf looked over toward o'Hara. "O'Hara, stand down."
"No, I mean it." O'Hara snapped back.
"O'Hara, there is a outstanding career ahead of you. I just happened to have my best day in the entire world," he looked up toward the bright spotlight ahead giving it some thoughts. "minus is this..." Face his wife then turned attention toward the younger detective wearing a smile. "I have had a wonderful career."
O'Hara was busy shaking head as the fake psychic from above was torn apart seeing the heartbreaking scene of wedding they sent and acceptance clashing against denial and bargaining. He saw his counterpart looking back and forth with his jaw hanging open gobsmacked without Gus and so very scared.
"Detective Lassiter would never accept that option of killing her. Get it done and over with. There's only so much you can torment them in this moment without a camera recording it for a torment upon the entire department what you are totally not interested in."
"Done and over with."
"Or, or, or his wife!"
"Playing the old favorites game.."
Wolf cast a delighted smile upon the younger man and walked around the room slipping his gun away and replacing it for a long blade that had elaborate fancy decoration like a old fashioned saber.
"Don't make it any more worse." Was the warning.
"Hmmm.. perhaps it would be better to see a middle aged one than the one on your mind!"
"The state of California is going to kill you." Marlowe warned.
He stood in front of each and every one of them weighing his options stroking then gently with the blade wearing a nice trail of blood. As if their skins were simply canvas. Hearing the shriek of the older fake psychic as the blade touched the side of the younger man's face.
He lifted the remote then clicked it drawing attention to up.
Lassiter's jaw dropped watching the slightly older version of the fake psychic struggling in his binds screaming one phrase over and over. Flanked by two attractive muscular men. The fake psychic from below could see it in big caps as well.
"DON'T YOU DARE BREAK HER!"
Young hazel eyes drifted over toward him.
"What did you do to Gus." A question that was simple and effective as O'Hara kept gazing back and forth at the stunning resemblance.
"Rather not answer that question."
"Answer the question." Lassiter demanded.
"It's hard to forget a man begging to die first and instead just being finished off and his best friend not joining him."
Wolf looked up facing the man from above as the younger man became silenced.
"Don't even break her!"
"Do you know the reality we were in a while ago used to have a Shawn Spencer? Of course you did you watch the news. Well used to."
He continued walking around and talking and taking and talking.
"Well.. I ...that world instead of choosing your favorite irritable Detective you chose...." A simple shrug. "Unwise."
Having the blade against the palm of his hand.
"Engaged. Then broken by Death. She was still heartbroken... The funny thing is even after all that chaos you bring, different and all. She would want you back. You are different. She isn't wrong."
Slowly it dawned on the head detective what he was doing. It was torture in the highest degree of emotion and psychological. Well tailored and planned. His eyes swept over toward O'Hara who didn't seem to agree with the assessment that she would want him back in her life.
Blue eyes slept over in the direction of the fake younger psychic whose gaze resting on her full thought that was heavy. Thinking of what she would be like before she had discovered the truth if he had been taken and gone. Maybe there was a silver lining in this. The pain not as great and lingering on her mind not known of not knowing where he was.
The head detective read the fake psychic really well.
"You aren't that Shawn Spencer. So why would you want to claim that life?"
They all watched him lower his head.
"Your business is banned for working with the department, your favorite detective is demoted, your best friend is engaged with two children and a child on the way.."
The young man was gazing back and forth.
"I should have told you this detail on ago but it wouldn't have been as fun I had breaking you."
Lassiter watched Wolf continue the pacing considering strongly who to take out with a long blade.
"So why would you want to playing that lie with all that knowledge?"
O'Hara stared at the younger Shawn for a long time made up of resentment and hurt.
"It isn't as fun as you thought it would be convincing your loved ones you are you when the business is failing and there is no revenue coming in."
Lassiter struggled in his binds seeking for an out.
"And even if there is a business to come back to all you do is run back into the same problem and everyone is dead again and I mean everyone in the police department like the last time." Wolf snapped his fingers. "Different setting, different players, same outcome."
The fake older psychic looked up toward him now silent.
Wolf turned away weighing who to kill as Lassiter looked up watching an incredible series of events unfold from above. Rage fueling the fake psychic who had that look to kill him.
Breaking free of his restraints then in rather fast motion taking care of the men with the long metal cord hooked on to a iron ball and choking out the other. The glass shattering throwing himself and the ball of heavy weight out landing to the floor. This action drawing the attention of the captor turning his attention away watching him get up then whack him with an iron ball.
"No!"
Wolf fell then the older Shawn threw the iron ball right at O'Hara's chair legs knocking her down to her side.
Wolf got back up with a groan as the fake psychic goes off the remaining pieces of the chair and untie her wrist from the arm rest.
"Spencer!" Lassiter shouted.
He turned away then finish the man smacking his head with the iron ball over and moved splattering his face in blood and staining his hands over until the man that ceased to be groaning.
O'hara lifted the dress up and searched for a gun.
"He already took your gun, detective." He grabbed her by the shoulders looking at her in a way that was so different from the way that her Shawn did. Serious and urgent. "Don't let him take your peace of mind."
His face was covered in blood between panting.
"Go!" Shoving out of the way. "Before he shows up and makes you watch one of them die!"
"No--"
"There's more odds coming back with a beat cop than standing on your own, O'Hara."
He fell down to his knees once she had left the building.
"Sorry, Detective." Was the apology. "I can't stop him from doing what he wants."
Lassiter looked over toward the younger man at the implication.
"How many times?" Lassiter asked.
"He's going to appear in a minute and then he's going to make me watch next time and I... " He hung his head burying his hands into his face with a sob at the darkness ahead. "Won't be able to stop him."
Shawn looked on ahead as Wolf reappeared with a gun and aimed at the younger man's direction that he stood in front of.
"I should have done this instead of using a knife just threaten to go the extra mile." Wolf said.
The pop went off faster before he could step aside.
"Spencer!" Lassiter shouted.
Shawn fell to the floor on his side over another pop.
He came back to. Head aching a bit. The lights flickering on revealing figures as before but older. This was going to hurt him so much. An entire alternate universe where they got into each others orbits later in life.
Twenty years or so after Shawn left Santa Barbara. That's his best guess. The circumstances behind his absence from Santa Barbara had to be different maybe his mom told him that she left him instead of his dad leaving her. It's the only thing that made sense for being away for so long. A workaholic father who aggressively trained him and the mother who got tired of making dinner to a empty house without him. An entire world where Henry was was made detective long ago.
He wanted to believe this to find reason and logic. Reality similar to that idea how to exist and it probably did and he came back at less than 20 years later.
"Baby, it is going to be okay."
"I hate you, Shawn Spencer."
"It isn't my fault that we are in the same room after an hour."
"You have crossed so many bad guys..."
"All of them in jail, Jules."
"Pretty sure that is a correct observation."
"You are a liar and a charlatan who's bound to have bad enemies with clients."
"They are ordinary people who don't abduct people walking alongside the road in the rain."
He looked up unable to speak feeling the sting of the voice restraint around his neck.
Wolf's footsteps echoed in the air walking into the spotlight.
"It is only a matter of time before the department suffers the consequences!"
Shawn sobbed lowering his head.
"O'Hara, don't say anything that will jeopardize our lives. Setting off a kidnapper is never a good idea!"
"Our lives on the line because of your investigation methods! Because of your ill will! Someone who doesn't deserve our cooperation! Your lies!"
He listened on and until the light came on in the small room revealing him in the dead center having a seat to the entire play being performed. His eyes were tearing up hurt and busted and ripped open. He watch the various expressions of shock appeal on the faces. He screwed it up so bad.
He knew after this that they were going right back to the same prior one do it right. Doing all over again he knew it in his heart.
He can only scream silently "I'm sorry..I am so sorry. Please don't break her."
He screamed washing the man left his gun aiming at his older counterpart and multiple rounds were fired into his frame. The lights went off and the gun was lowered then Wolf walked away leaving the sounds today to behind in a metaphorical sense. Gus.. what was the point of not bringing him into the scene?
Because Wolf wanted them all on edge not knowing what was going on.
He was a liar and a charlatan who lived dangerously.
He screamed for a long time until he could not.
The latches are flipped and the large device was taken off his neck that sound returning the only thing he can make was whimpers and sniffles.
Everything was back the way it has been the first time around.
Young and bright and hurt. And she was forever ruined from finding out he wasn't a psychic. Everything was ruined.
Wolf used fists on the younger fake psychic in-between the same dialogue. Taking joy in the deed that was being performed between his screams to not break her. Someone who was hacking and coughing and spitting out between the punches. Battered, scraped, swelling, and stained. He watched himself and killed. Even watched her gasp so loudly leaning forward at the sudden yank of a life after the same dialogue.
It took a long moment for the whole thing sinking into her over the scream of the head detective. As if the wall that supported her emotional well being cracked at her regettratable last words. More hurt than she was. So much pain and sorrow for the fake psychic. Because he cared about him a lot and it was surprisingly consistent. What was the point in coming back if he was going to close Psych and lose Gus once again? Leaving him hanging out there even after getting freed and finding his new purpose as they drifted apart again. What was the point in coming back to all that?
They are all knocked out a moment later.
"I got a surgeon on call and they are never ever going to think he lived after this incident." Wolf supplied.
Silent tears fell down his face as his face became ugly then he was lifted and carried back to the limo.
Quiet girly tears were shed in the limo on the drive back. Broken. Ruinous. He was ruinous.