AFTER

"I just can't get it out of my head," Lassiter admitted furiously, slapping the closed case file on Chief Vick's desk before turning around to face his partner again.

"I don't know what you mean," O'Hara lied instantly.

"Come off it, O'Hara," the detective told her. "I know you've been thinking about him and that stupid exam too."

His partner shrugged, letting the facade fall. She was just as upset as he was about this. "I mean, it's hard not to when you're being showed up by someone else."

"I bet he cheated," Lassiter said, frowning deeply and gritting his teeth. "There's no way someone could get a 100 on the exam."

"Or," O'Hara attempted to bring sense to her partner. "He could just be honest and have studied really hard for that. He did know how to use radio code correctly, remember?"

"We can't have underestimated him that much, can we?" They looked at each other, not wanting to answer that one.

"Detectives," a new voice greeted them and Chief Vick entered her office, nodding at them. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, we were just dropping off the case file," O'Hara said dismissively and glanced at Lassiter. He didn't move - neither did she. They were really going to do this, weren't they?

Chief Vick nodded and sat down behind her desk, reaching for a few papers. It took her a second to notice that both her detectives were still standing in her office. "Is there something else?" she asked.

Lassiter glanced at his partner before answering. "Well, chief, actually we were wondering whether Spencer was telling the truth..." Chief Vick raised an eyebrow, dangerously. "...about that exam score," the detective finished uneasily. O'Hara bit her lip.

The chief stood once again and looked at the both of them strictly. "Detectives," she started. "I demand you stop about this exam, do you hear me? It is only distracting you from your cases and I can't have that happen to my best detectives. Is that clear?"

"Of course, chief," O'Hara agreed and took a step back towards the door.

Chief Vick stopped her by holding up a hand. "I'm not done yet. If I hear about any escapades like today again," she continued. "You are going to get an official reprimand and a new partner - as a try-out!" O'Hara's mouth dropped open. Lassiter looked just as upset as she felt, which in turn made her feel a little bit better.

"Of course, chief," the head detective agreed eventually.

The chief nodded then sat back down. "Sit down," she said and pointed at the chairs in front of her desk. The detectives followed her instructions in a matter of seconds.

"Now," Chief Vick started. "I do understand perfectly well how surprised and, yes, shocked you are about the relevation of Mr. Spencer's test score. However, I can't say that you should be. After all, you have been working with him for some time now, don't you?"

Lassiter grimaced at that. "Yes, chief."

"Here's the thing," she continued. "Sometimes it is better to do a full background check on someone, instead of only seeing his criminal record. I'm sure you know what I mean." The chief leaned forward on her desk. "Mr. Spencer possesses more skills than he lets on and you should keep that in mind in the future, detectives. Same goes for Mr. Guster, of course. My predecessor, John Fenich and I, actually had a talk about him once."

Lassiter and O'Hara glanced at each other, eyebrows raised in interest. They wondered where this might go and where the chief had gotten her information - this was not something one would find in a file.

Chief Vick switched from staring down her detectives to rummaging through her desk. "Chief Fenich was raving about the son of Henry Spencer, an old friend of his. According to him, the boy was born a detective. Henry would sometimes bring him down to the station and he would leave everyone stunned by his talent. Already at a very you age - around ten I think - various officers would ask for his insight on cases."

Surprise was etched on the expressions of the two detectives, mixed with awe. O'Hara herself certainly did not expect Shawn to have such an history and to be that capable. Her partner was just blinking, trying to understand everything the chief said.

"The reason I am telling you this, detectives," the chief continued. "There's a lot more sense behind Mr. Spencer's actions than he wants us to believe. He and Mr. Guster are both incredibly intelligent, you can count on that fact. Mr. Spencer was trained to be an officer from a very young age; he knows our book way better than we thought before. His exam is proof. So, in the future, you might want to try not to dismiss everything they say very soon. Alright?"

"Understood, chief," O'Hara said, politely ignoring the thick stack of papers Chief Vick had brought out of her drawers to sit neatly on top of the desk. Even though she saw the name Shawn Spencer scribbled right on top of it, she would ignore it.

"I agree," Lassiter said and nodded at the chief who looked at him, giving O'Hara the chance to sneak another glance at the paper. A big, fat 100 right on top caught her eye and she swallowed hardly, kind of scared by the depths they found the character of their part-time psychic consultant to have.

"Goodbye, detectives." Chief Vick took her jacket and put it on, her eyes not leaving the remaining forms of her employees. "Don't stay too long, you've deserved an evening to yourself."

So what if she left them alone in her office, the D.E.T. Shawn Spencer took over fifteen years ago sitting proudly on her desk. She figured it was the best way to make them understand - and nobody had to know she searched for that exact test a few hours ago in order to look through it herself.

Nobody had to know.

("Oh, my god, Carlton, this is the exact test I took, I swear!"

"This is unbelievable. What is his source, goddamnit?"

"Carlton, he even got question 63A right! Can you believe this guy? With a score like that he could've made head detective in his first year at the station!"

"If he finds out he will never let us live this down."

"You're right. We should hide it."

"Right."

"Right."

"Okay! Yes, let's look at question 87D. I remember it being a hard one.")