Shawn Spencer paced in the white, medicine-reeking hallway, heart pounding in his chest and blood roaring in his ears. He wiped his hand on his forehead, wiping off sweat for what felt like the millionth time that day, and he kept sending glances to the hospital room. He had read over the room number so many times now it was forever ingrained in his head, repeating and repeating. He sighed nervously, plopping down into the floral-patterned chair, tapping his foot. He rested his elbows on his knees and scratched his chin, hunched down. His mind was moving a thousand miles per hour. Will she be okay? Will this go well? What if-... His racing thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A distinct, high pitched noise came from the room and his heart lifted with him as he stood. "Mr. Spencer-O'Hara?" the doctor leaving the hospital room addressed him. "Yeah..?" Shawn replied, heart thumping more and more. "You can see them now." Them. That word stuck in his head as he pushed by the doctor, his breath hitching as he saw the sight before him.
His wife, his beautiful Juliet, was holding a little crying bundle - their daughter. Shawn covered his mouth with his hand, trying his best to stop himself from sobbing from the sudden joy that rushed through him. Juliet looked up at him with tired eyes, but a smile curled up the corner of her lips as she cradled their baby gently. Stella Madeline Spencer-O'Hara, He walked slowly up to them, feet feeling so light, yet so heavy as if he were balancing on a tightrope. His hand, almost as if by instinct, interlocked with his wife's fingers, and he looked at the now-quieted newborn in her arms. He reached out his free hand and gently touched Stella's face, eyes watery. Gosh, he was being so sentimental and.. and.... He was a father! He puffed out his cheeks, contorting his face in an attempt to hold back his tears.
He was distracted from the touching moment by a small snicker from Jules, and he gave a fake-glare. "What?" he asked, pulling his hand away from his new daughter to rub his eyes. "You look so funny when you try not to cry..." she said, voice quiet and exhausted. A small smile spread on Shawn's face and he pecked Juliet on her forehead, giving her hand a squeeze and watching his new child drift to sleep. Although she'd needed a caesection, and it'd given him quite a scare, it was all okay now, and although the way his life'd be soon was uncertain, there was one thing he knew for sure. This was definitely, definitely the start of his most dangerous, most challenging adventure yet.

Juliet was awoken by the sound of wailing from the crib in the corner of her bedroom. She groaned, opening her heavy eyelids and laying there for a few seconds, listening to the crying little girl. She slowly rose up, rubbing her tired eyes and blinking her vision clear. She exhaled, scooting off of her bed and hobbling wearily towards the little crib. Once she got to the railing, she looked down at Stella, who was wailing at the top of her lungs, fussing her arms and legs. "Shh, shh," she soothed, lifting her daughter and cradling her in her arms, rocking her side-to-side. When that didn't help, Juliet let out a loud growl of annoyance, then shut her eyes and sighed, before trying to calm down the screaming baby.
She walked back over to the bed and shook her sleeping husband's shoulder. "Shawn, Shawn wake up!" she hissed.
"Wha- huh? Where's the fire?" he said, alert, as he sat up quickly. "Oh, what's up, Jules?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Ahem!" she coughed, gesturing with her head to the whining little girl in her arms.
"Oh, yeah, okay..." he said, yawning before taking Stella and slowly swinging her side-to-side in his arms. The girl quieted quickly, and Juliet's mouth hung open and shock filled her eyes. "How on Earth did-" she didn't finish her sentence, interrupted by an involuntary yawn. She gave up on finishing her sentence and returned to bed with a glare. "I hate you sometimes, Shawn," she grunted, although her voice seemed lighthearted and it was clear she didn't mean it, as she kissed him as she settled back into bed. "I love you too, Jules."

Juliet opened her eyes, morning sunlight glaring back at her as she woke. The sheets of her bed were soft and warm, a stark difference to the chilly, air-conditioned room around her. She yawned and nuzzled back into her pillow, wanting more sleep. After about ten seconds, though, she was awakened again by Stella's crying. She groaned and covered her ears with the soft, fluffy pillow, trying to block out the now-grating noise. When the cushion did next to nothing to help, she rolled over and shook Shawn, who was mumbling about something in his sleep.

He stirred slightly, but not that much. "Mmm, five more minutes Jules," he mumbled, shifting away from her. She rolled her eyes, scooting closer and shaking him again. Nothing. She sighed and sat up, shivering as she left the bubble of warmth. Juliet glanced down at her husband and scowled. How on Earth he was sleeping through this was beyond her, but he was definitely dealing with Stella this time. She smirked, an idea popping into her mind. A smirk danced on her lips and she ripped the blanket off of him.
His eyes immediately popped open, surprise shown brightly in them. He scrambled back for the blanket, but Juliet had already taken it for herself and wrapped it around her sitting form. Enveloped in warmth, she smiled and sighed. "Jules, how dare you remove me from the land of warmth and sleep! I was having the best dream," he said indignantly before furrowing his brow and leaping onto Juliet, trying to steal the comforter back.

They fought over it for a few moments, feigning anger, before Juliet paused from putting Shawn in a mini-chokehold and looked over at the crib, where Stella was still fussing. "Hey, Shawn, could you-" "Yeah," he said, slipping from her arms and walking tiredly over to the crib. "Guess it's breakfast time, huh?" he said cheerfully as he lifted his newborn daughter up. She noted it, getting off the newly disheveled bed.

As they were making their way to the kitchen and Shawn was carrying Stella, Juliet saw a huge, goofy yet touching smile on his face as he looked down at his daughter's grey eyes. With a content sigh Juliet entered the kitchen and took Stella gently from Shawn to feed her. After she'd dealt with her finally quiet baby, Juliet went to change her. Finally, after all was done, she put Stella back in her crib. She placed a kiss on Stella's head and returned to the kitchen to find Shawn making some eggs. He looked over and greeted her with a smile, turning off the burner and scooping some eggs, still sizzling, onto a plate for her. He poured some Froot Loops into a bowl and leaned over to the fridge to get some milk.

Juliet sat down at the table, yawning. She pulled over a case file she'd talked one of the officers into bringing by. Even though Karen had insisted on her not working over her maternal leave, she wanted to anyway. She began to read through the file, reading about a double homicide that had happened in some apartment complex.

She was interrupted from her reading by Shawn, who was setting a plate of eggs and fresh fruit and a bowl of cereal in front of her. "Here you go, m'lady," he said, pantomiming tipping a hat. "If you ever do that again you'll be changing all of Stella's diapers," she replied, pulling the food towards her and picking up the silverware he'd set out while she was upstairs. He scoffed and sat down, digging into his own food. "What's up with the files? Aren't you supposed to be resting? You know, chilling out, taking care of your baby, watching Shark Week."

"Well, it's just- Joseph thinks it's a murder-suicide, but I... I don't think it is. Something about it isn't sitting right with me," she explained, tapping the counter with her nails. "Here, let me see?" Shawn offered, reaching for the casefile. "Alright, give it a go. You do have a knack for seeing things I don't," she replied, passing it to him. "Hmm, you know how the neighbor said he heard arguing during the night, then gunshots?" "Mhm?" "Well, he lied."

Shawn then went on to explain how there was a package that had a half-ripped off 'open immediately' on it, and how packages weren't delivered that late at night. Juliet was amazed yet again. Even if he wasn't psychic, he clearly had an eye for detail. She leaned over the table and met his lips. "Mmm, what would I do without you, Shawn?"

Juliet was drawn out of the realm of dreams by the white light filling the room, which was quiet all except for the faint breathing of Stella from her crib. She stretched, spreading out over the empty bed. Empty? She sat up, looking at Shawn's side, which was empty. Probably just making breakfast. Her feet were heavy below her as she trudged out of bed and over to Stella's crib. The little baby had her eyes closed, sleeping soundly. Juliet smiled affectionately at her, still kind of processing the fact that this was her daughter, her little girl!

After she'd gotten dressed, Juliet made her way out into the kitchen, expecting to find Shawn throwing cereal in the air and trying to catch them in his mouth. "Shawn?" she asked as she entered, but the kitchen was empty. "Shawn?" No reply. "Hello?" Still no noises, no familiar voice shouting her name back. He was never up this early. She glanced over at the clock and saw the time, surprised at the number read on their clock. 12:00 p.m.? Juliet's mouth dropped open. She shook her head and walked over to the table. It was empty all except for- "Huh." There was a note on the far side of the table on a ripped piece of notebook paper.
Chief called me in for case! Be back later. -Shawn. P.S. You look so cute when you're asleep! She smiled. He was on a case, no need to worry. Juliet stretched and opened the fridge, scanning the food inside thoughtfully. May as well make break- er, lunch. As she removed the peanut butter, jelly, and bread she heard a familiar cry coming from the bedroom. She set down the ingredients and jogged back into the bedroom, swooping over to the crib. "It's okay, Stella!" she exclaimed, picking her up. "You must be hungry," she said to her in a cutesy voice. She walked back into the kitchen and held Stella with one arm as she half-wrestled with the purple-and-green high chair she'd bought a few months before Stella was born. It clicked open, and she set the baby gently in it.
She smiled at her, and Stella's dark grey eyes twinkled. Stella screwed up her face as if trying to do something, and her mouth made an 'o' shape. Slowly, that 'o' seemed as if it were becoming a smile, but she stopped partway. Juliet frowned, disappointed, but still somewhat impressed at the baby's attempt to smile. Just as Juliet was about to stand up and get her a bottle of milk, Stella's tongue stuck out, and she blew a raspberry.

A wide grin spread across Juliet's face, and she felt excitement course through her. Stella was imitating what Shawn had done last night; he'd blown a raspberry at her and made some funny faces in an attempt to get her to laugh for the first time. He hadn't availed, however, and only got a few amused coos from Stella. Right! Shawn! Juliet quickly set a bottle down on the counter and took her phone out of her pocket and pressed speed dial.

The phone rang a few times before picking up. "Hey Jules!" he sounded out of breath as he spoke. "Hi, Shawn," she replied. "What's up, how's it goin' back at 'la casa'? How's- How's that little m-unchkin of ours?" Okay, yeah, he was definitely out of breath. "It's all good here... Um, Shawn, are- are you okay? You sound out of breath," she asked, worry gnawing at her gut. "Huh? Oh, yeah, that. Uh, funny story- I'm kinda in an alley. Running from these guys-" he replied with a quiet, nervous chuckle.
Juliet's heart begin to pound. "Oh my god, Shawn, did you and Gus call in back-up?" she asked, panic threatening to overcome her. What would she do without him? What would Stella do? She tried to keep away those thoughts. "Uh, I told my dad I was going to a Little Caesar's about a block from where I- I am, does tha-at count?" he panted. "Absolutely not! Hold on, just, find a safe place to hide or something! I'm gonna call Karen! Where are you?" she nearly yelled into the phone, pulling up her contacts. "I'm downtown, next to that old garage." "Alright, just hold on," Juliet said urgently, clicking on the Chief's contact.
The phone rang a few times, feeling like hours despite only being a few seconds. "Karen Vick," the Chief of Police's voice on the other end introduced. "Karen! I-I called Shawn to see how he was and he's in trouble, he needs backup!" she proceeded to explain where he was, worry enveloping her. "Okay, I have our best on their way. Check up on him, ok?" "Alright!" Juliet changed back to Shawn's call. "Shawn! Are you okay?!" she demanded, feeling her heartbeat in her now-clammy fingertips.
"Yeah," he was whispering now. "I found a good hiding spot in a dumpster." "Shawn! There's completely uneaten Thai take-out in here!" a different, yet still very familiar voice said in the background. "Ew, dude, are you seriously gonna eat something from the trash?" "Well, I wouldn't be so hungry if someone had let me go to Tacotopia before we went after these guys," Gus said, muffled. Juliet smiled slightly. The two men were in danger, yet they still had time to argue over food. Of course, the next thing Gus said had fear coursing more through her blood. "This could be my last meal, Shawn!" "Gus! Jules is on the phone, don't say stuff like that," Shawn hissed at him. Suddenly, she heard a new sound on the phone. Sirens! Police sirens! Relief flooded her mind and she let out a sigh. "You guys alright, backup there yet?" Of course, she knew it had, but she still felt she needed to make sure. "Yep! All good here, Jules. I'll talk to ya later, gotta do the rap-up now. Big, fat kisses!" A smile spread on her face. "Big, fat kisses," she breathed, hanging up and leaning against the chair.

When Shawn came home 23 minutes (she counted) later, she hugged him so tight she was almost certain she probably bruised something. "I was so worried that something would happen to you, Shawn... You know how I said yesterday I wouldn't know what to do without you?" Shawn smiled softly. "Yeah." "I really meant it. I have no idea how I'd raise Stella on my own and stay head detective. Heck, I don't even know if I'd be able to even be on the force without thinking about you all the-" she was interrupted by Shawn leaning in close.

"I'm not gonna go anywhere, I promise."

Sounds echoed all around Stella, filling her curious ears. She was sat on a soft, squishy surface, and a world of long, green tendrils surrounded her. Mommy and Daddy were over on a white surface next to the green. They seemed to be talking to one another about something Stella couldn't understand. She looked up to see blue stretching on forever, white fluff dotting the color. She looked back down to see a dark-skinned man chasing a furry, weird-looking person, circling around in the green. Mommy and Daddy had to see this! She pointed at them and exclaimed as an attempt to get her parent's attention.
They didn't move! She tried again, louder this time. Mommy and Daddy looked over at her and smiled, but the furry person seemed to actually notice her and was running towards her. She was scared; the person was much bigger than her and racing right towards her! Stella let out a little yell and got on her belly, crawling away as fast as she could. She felt her hand touch the green land. It was cold and rough, each little spike flimsy. Knowing the evil, fuzzy man was close on her heels, she crawled as fast as she could through the damp yard, headed towards safety, towards Mommy.

She looked behind her to see the stumbling person walking towards her, long tongue lolling out. She squeaked and crawled faster, she was almost there! She felt a hard, rough surface below her palm and giggled in success, seeing the white surface Mommy and Daddy were on. Above her they towered, looking back down at her. Mommy leaned down and picked her up, making her feel just as tall as the grown-ups. She looked down at the silly fuzz-man and stuck her tongue up in an 'I-win-you-lose' gesture, and blew with her tongue making a funny 'thhhhhh' noise. She was safe from 'doggy' - as Mommy was calling the crawling person - at last!

Life was no fair for Lilly Lassiter. She wasn't allowed to stay up past 9 like all the other kids. She didn't have a phone like all the other kids. Sure, she was only 7, but she was a big girl! She could handle a phone. Plus, Mom and Dad had yelled at her for not doing her homework. Homework was boring! School was boring. Life was boring! She wished she had an exciting life like Dad's, chasing bad guys and taking down gangs, but her life was boring and she was too little to do anything cool.
She'd tried to go into the field with her dad but had to stay put with Detective McNab. She was so tired of being little. She bet that Uncle Shawn would've let her come with, 'cause he was much cooler that her dad. Gosh, Dad had taught her all these things about how to be a cop and yet never let her do them. She knew what all the police codes meant, but for what? To impress kids at her school?

So she was running away. She would get on a bus all the way to San Francisco and live with Auntie Juliet and Uncle Shawn. Dad said that Shawn was annoying and an embarassment to policework, but whenever she'd gotten to see him he was fun, unlike her dad. Mom would miss her but she was meant to do this! She stuffed a change of clothes into her Bubble Guppies backpack and placed her favorite stuffed animal in it. She pulled it on and stepped out of her room to come face to face with Dad, who was looking at her with a frown. "Lilly Nora Lassiter, what on Earth are you doing?" he said in his 'interrogation voice'. "Uhm, I was just going for... A walk. Yeah, a walk!" His frown didn't go away, and he looked what felt like right into her soul. "Fine! I was going to move in with Auntie Juliet and Uncle Shawn! You and Mommy never let me do anything fun or dangerous. I wanna get to deal with bad guys like you, instead of playing pretend," she explained pathetically.
Dad smiled. "Well, Mommy's favorite shirt is missing. How about we go find out where it is, Detective Lilly?" Lilly set down her stuff. Okay, maybe life at home wasn't so boring. Especially when she's the detective.

Hot summer air hugged Shawn, warming him and causing a small amount of sweat to drizzle down his back, the sun searing his face and hair. The smell of barbecue filled the air, mingling with the fresh scent of dew-drops and grass. Gus was chasing around his dog, Dawson, which he'd gotten after he'd decided if he continued living alone, depression would undoubtedly, eventually find its way into his shiny, cocoa-colored head. The brown mutt ran around him, tail whipping quickly from one haunch to the other. On a picnic blanket sat Stella, dressed in a little sundress and matching flats, which Juliet had insisted on buying for her.

Her gray eyes, slowly seeming to be becoming hazel like his, danced from one part of the yard to another, and over to him. It was unsurprising to him that she was already so intuitive, with his and Juliet's awesome detective skills combined, it was a given she'd have an eye for detail. Her gaze met his briefly and she smiled, clapping her tiny hands briefly. Shawn was honestly still breathing in the fact that this was his daughter! Her blonde hair reflected sunlight as she cast a shocked look at Gus and Dawson, and she lifted an excited finger to point.

Shawn bit back a chuckle, instead settling for a grin, and turned to his beautiful Jules. She was distracted by her burger, clearly enjoying barbecue bliss, but she still seemed to, in her magical Jules way, know his eyes were on her, and her crystal blue met his hazel. A smile turned her lips upward, and she set her burger back down on her plate. "This is really good. Like, really, really good. Here, try some!" she enthused, passing him the food. The aroma of the meaty goodness flooded his nostrils and he hungrily took a bite. Oh my God, it was good. Really, really good. He nodded and said a muffled agreement, looking over to see Stella pointing at Dawson and squealing excitedly, an adorable little grin on her face as she giggled.

Suddenly, Dawson began to lumber playfully toward her. Shawn knew he was just a gentle giant and wouldn't really hurt a fly. And so he was greatly amused when Stella let out a little shriek and began crawling towards him and Jules, headed straight for the latter. He gave his wife a mischievous look, feeling the smirk upturn a corner of his mouth. He took the food from her as she picked up Stella. That's when it really hit him. She was his, she was Jules'. She looked like a combination of the two of them, with peach-fuzz flaxen hair and bright, stone-colored eyes. This was his life now, and it was honest-to-God, his Heaven. Working cases with Gus and Jules again, being with his beautiful, smart, amazing wife and his adorable little daughter. Shawn's Heaven, their Heaven to share together.

Carlton Lassiter drove down the bright road, recently chopped grass flittering to the other side from the left. The engine of his Fusion hummed beneath him, or so he wished. No, today he was instead driving Marlowe’s crappy minivan, or ‘The Mom Mobile’ as Lily affectionately called it. The aforementioned girl sat behind him, kicking his seat impatiently. He glanced up at the rear-view mirror, where Lilly’s reflection was glancing out the window, gears in her head clearly turning, evident by her unfocused yet thoughtful yellow-brown eyes. Her blonde hair was ablaze in the sunlight, and she looked like a mini-Marlowe.

He focused back on the suburban street stretched out in front of him. “Lily, could you please stop kicking my seat?” He said, rubbing his forehead and letting out a sigh. He had picked up Lily at her day camp after a fire in the cafeteria’s kitchen. It was apparently small, and he saw no reason for them to make all the kids go home and all their parents pick them up and leave their very important jobs. Like chief of police. But no, they had to release all the kids early because of a tiny stove fire that lasted one minute. It’s not that he didn’t trust Brannigan to run the station without him, he just didn’t like to miss things.

“Oh, sorry Dad. I was just thinking,” Lily said wistfully, resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on the windowsill. “About what, exactly?” Carlton inquired, tapping the steering wheel as he made his way to the turn that would lead to his neighborhood. “Oh, you know, camp, friends,” Lily said nonchalantly, “Where babies come from…” Carlton nearly choked on his own spit. Oh god, no, please may it not be- “Speaking of, where do babies come from? ‘Cause, you know, some of the middle schoolers were there and they said that they knew but they never said! It’s stupid, right Dad?” She ranted.

“Uh-umm…” Carlton felt a bead of sweat form on his neck. He was definitely not anticipating having to answer this question for the next few years at least. Not many things scared Carlton Lassiter, and he’d go as far to say nothing scared him. But that would be a lie. His main fear – his only fear – was having to answer this question. Lily was so innocent, and there was no way. He had to have heard that wrong! “Dad? You alive up there?” Lily asked, leaning forward in her car seat. “’Cause you seem dead. And that’s not good ‘cause I don’t think Detective McNab is ready to be head detective when Brannigan takes your spot.”

“No, Lilly, I’m fine… So, uh, how about school, huh? You’re going into second grade in a month, isn’t that exciting?” Carlton asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject. “Dad, I asked you a question,” Lilly said with a roll of her eyes. Carlton was almost home; if he could make it there before Lilly pestered him into insanity and back, he could ask Marlowe to answer for him. “What’s that, Lilly?” he asked, playing dumb. “I couldn’t hear you.” “Dad!” Lilly hissed. “Tell me where they come from!” Lilly demanded. He sighed, dipping his head in defeat.

“So, when a man and a woman care deeply about each-other and decide they want children, they-“ Carlton paused, and felt a grin spread on his face as he pulled into the driveway. “Well?” Lilly asked, impatiently kicking her foot again. “Go ask your mom if you want an answer,” Carlton said, exhaling with relief as the garage door whirred open.

“Ugh, fine!” Lilly growled, unbuckling her seat belt, stepping out of the car and running inside, calling for her mom. Ah, yes. Carlton was safe from having to have ‘the talk’ with Lilly. For now, that is.