I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

As the summary says, this is a rewrite of my first story, Two Dead Guys and a Girl. I was bit by the rewrite bug awhile back and since today marks one year since I first posted the original story I thought it would be the right time to start posting the rewrite. I'll be posting updates once a week.

There are no major plot changes. I mostly polished what was there and added a few new scenes. I also fleshed out Nikki's character better in preparation for the sequel I'm still working on. I hope those you read the original like this updated version just as much.

This first chapter is short but I promise the others will be longer. Think of it of a teaser for next week's update.

Enjoy!

Santa Barbara, 1992

Fifteen year old Shawn Spencer slouched in a chair outside the principal's office. His jean clad legs were stretched out in front of him, while his arms were crossed over a Whitesnake t-shirt. His hazel eyes gazed around the outer office from under tousled brown hair.

He saw the secretary fiddling with her wedding ring and noticed her red-rimmed eyes. He wondered if she was fighting with her husband again. Judging by the pile of used tissues in the trash can, it must have been serious. He remembered her looking at a receipt the last time he had been called down here. A quick glance had shown it was for a midday meal for two people, paid in cash. She would have been in school at the time, so it was likely her husband's receipt. Putting all the clues together, he guessed she had finally confronted her husband about the affair.

He leaned his head back against the wall, listening for any sounds coming from the inner office. His father was in there right now, talking with the principal. He didn't see what the big deal was. No one had gotten hurt and the scorch marks were barely visible.

"He did what?" his father yelled, his voice easily penetrating the thin walls. Shawn sighed dejectedly. He and Gus had been planning on crashing Stacey Cremer's party this weekend. Her parents were out of town and it would be a good warm up for the bigger party in a couple weeks.

Of course, his dad wouldn't have let him go either way. His plan had been to sneak out after his parents went to bed. Now his dad would be keeping a closer watch on him, torpedoing that plan.

Henry Spencer exited the office, fuming. He was still dressed in his work attire of a suit and tie, holster visible through the open jacket. His face was red, the color reaching up his forehead and through his thinning blond hair. "Let's go, Shawn," he said sharply.

Shawn levered himself out of the chair and followed the angry form of his father out the door.

The car ride home was tense and uncomfortable. Henry stayed silent until he had parked the car in the driveway. "What the hell were you thinking?" he asked furiously, turning to look at Shawn. "Someone could have gotten seriously hurt."

"But they didn't," Shawn countered. "It was only supposed to be a small reaction. I had Gus double check everything. He said it would be fine." He wasn't quite sure what had gone wrong, only that the 'small reaction' had turned into a 'small fire.' He had put it out before it spread anywhere but instead of being praised for his heroics he was denounced as a villain. Gus shouting it was his fault certainly hadn't helped any.

"Don't blame Gus. You're smart enough to have known better," Henry said testily. "Your little stunt just got you suspended for a week." He got out of the car, then bent back down to look at Shawn. "And grounded for a month."

"A month!?" Shawn gasped. Andrea Stohl's party was in two weeks. He had finally managed to score an invitation after weeks of persistent nagging. If he didn't show up, he was destined to be a social outcast for the rest of high school. He scrambled out of the car. "Dad, that's not fair! It was just a little prank."

"Life isn't fair," Henry said shortly. "It's about time you learned that." He turned and headed into the house.

"You're just trying to ruin my life," Shawn yelled after him. He stood there angrily for a moment before following his dad inside. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"I'm your father," Henry said. "It's my job to make sure you turn into a responsible adult."

"Like you?" Shawn said scornfully. "Maybe I don't want to be a cop. Maybe I don't care that the secretary's husband is cheating on her. Maybe I just want to be a normal, irresponsible kid."

"You can't be a kid forever," his dad said. "You have to grow up sometime."

"Maybe I don't want to grow up," Shawn said petulantly. He ran up the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him.