"Mr. Spencer, it's good to see you up and about again. How're you feeling?"
Shawn is a week out of the hospital and enjoying his first visit back to the station. He has weaned himself off of his pain meds, is stocking up on clothing that matches his sling, and embellishing his story with each retelling (mostly when Gus isn’t around, as he tends to interject things like “What? Shawn, you did not take down a Navy SEAL team by yourself!”, thus ruining his dramatic moments).
"Thanks, Chief, it's good to be up again. And you'd be amazed how nice people are when you're wearing a sling. I could definitely get used to this!"
Vick smiles indulgently, which is something else he's getting used to; only his dad has resisted humoring his every whim since being released from the hospital, and he's got years of experience in that anyway.
"Well, let's hope the opportunity doesn't present itself too often."
He grins as she settles down to business:
"Let me cut to the chase: the reason I've asked you here is because of something that caught my eye in Detective Lassiter's report."
"Is he trying to say he didn't call me Detective? Because he totally did. That's not just the blood loss talking."
She gives him a look that he knows well (he mentally refers to it as 'Number Four: Mildly Annoyed But Still Mostly Amused' and has seen it from any number of authority figures over the years) and continues as though he hadn't spoken,
"It says here that you fired Detective Lassiter’s weapon left handed, from the hood of a car travelling at highway speeds. And that you managed to hit target every time."
Shawn doesn't say anything, and she watches him closely. She can almost see him debating whether to respond as a smart ass or with self-deprecation. In the end he just glances away, almost mumbling,
"Well, you know, adrenaline's a crazy thing."
"Yes," she agrees, "but then so is skill. Isn't it?"
Garth Longmore'd had enough skill to shoot him clean through the flesh of his shoulder, and Shawn had skill enough to shoot a truck radiator through a grill at close to seventy miles per hour. Skill was, in fact, a crazy thing. Which leaves Shawn for once without a ready answer, especially when Vick continues:
"And I wondered if you might like to put that skill to some use."
"What," he frowns, "like a skeet shoot or something?"
If anyone were to ask, later, he would blame this answer on the combination of lingering weakness from blood loss and pain medication. Not that anyone would ask, but it was always good to have an excuse ready.
"No. I thought you might want to start carrying a firearm. I would authorize the permit, and I know we'd all prefer it if you had some way to defend yourself in these situations."
Shawn doesn't ask who 'we' is, because he thinks it might involve the unholy alliance of his father and Lassiter, and the thought of the two of them worried about him enough to advocate he carry a weapon is too much to contemplate.
"Aw, c'mon, Chief, how many of 'these situations' could I possibly find myself in?"
She gives him a look that clearly asks if he's kidding, because, okay, maybe he finds himself in 'these situations' more than the general population at large. But he also, and he's really proud of this, manages to talk his way out of them more often than not.
"My mouth is really my weapon of choice, Chief," he manages, "and as Lassie can attest, it's practically lethal."
Vick regards him for a long moment, and he glances casually around the office so she won't see the plea in his eyes. He's not a cop, he'll never be a cop, and he desperately never wants the responsibility of taking or saving lives to come down to a weapon in his hand. And he knows that the moment he starts carrying a gun, the moment other peoples’ lives depend on him, that’s when Psych stops being fun and becomes something else altogether. And as soon as that happens, it’s over. She could understand that, couldn't she? She's got to understand that.
"All right," she says finally, "well, the offer will remain open should you ever change your mind. In the meantime, you're welcome to use the department firing range whenever you feel the urge to...refresh your skills."
Shawn pointedly does not let out a sigh of relief, but it's a close thing. He covers it by bouncing energetically to his feet,
"Thanks, Chief! And if you do ever need someone for a skeet shoot..."
"We'll keep you in mind."
She returns her attention to the endless paperwork on her desk, but he just can't let it go:
"He mentioned that he called me Detective, right?"
She raises an eyebrow but doesn't answer. Not in words, anyway, though her eyes are dancing.
"He DID! I'm gonna need a notarized copy of that report, Chief. I'm gonna frame it. Hang it up in the office. Maybe laminate a copy for my wallet."
"Good-bye, Mr. Spencer," she says pointedly.
"See ya, Chief," he opens her office door and calls across the room, "The Chief says it’s okay, Lassie, you can be the official president of the Detective Shawn Spencer Fan Club! C'mon, I'll let you take me to lunch so we can make up a secret handshake!"
Karen keeps her focus on her paperwork, and if it's suddenly much more amusing than usual, well, that's just a coincidence.
Story Notes:
Post "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark"; extremely short, something I haven't seen in fic but which would NOT get out of my brain. My first Psych fic, so hopefully it's not completely OOC.
Also, I’m from Texas where the law is kind of “You have a gun? Awesome”; I know nothing about California gun laws and couldn’t be bothered to Google for what’s essentially a throw-away line.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Also, I’m from Texas where the law is kind of “You have a gun? Awesome”; I know nothing about California gun laws and couldn’t be bothered to Google for what’s essentially a throw-away line.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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