"Wow, Jules!" Shawn chuckled as he slipped his sunglasses over his brilliant green eyes, "your smile's so bright I gotta wear shades! Got a hot date tonight?"

"Oh, uh, no, Shawn," she paused trying to tone down her hundred-watt smile; "my mom and dad are coming in tonight to visit. I guess… well, my family's amazing! I've really missed them, and I'm really excited for them to see how well I'm doing out here. They've always had high hopes for me, and now I have reason for them to. "

Before Shawn could respond Chief Vick walked into the room, "Oh! Chief! I was looking for you! I had a vision last night!"

Their voices trailed away as the chief shut the door to her office. All Juliet could do was shake her head and smile.

The next morning Shawn turned to see Juliet walking up the stairs of the Santa Barbara Police Department building. To the average person nothing looked out of place. She wore a slight smile along with her navy suit, her hair pulled into a clip at the back of her head, but to Shawn he saw the smile was forced. Her eyes didn't reflect her lips, her shoulders were ever so slightly hunched, her gait slightly slower than normal. He walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her upper arm.

"I sense your visit didn't go as planned."

"You could say that."

Shawn could hear two people walking up the stairs, Juliet's posture changed. He "sensed" an idea was forming in her pretty little mind.

"Just play along with me, Shawn, please," she whispered, "I'll explain everything later."

Juliet whipped around; a hopeful smile graced her features, as she pulled Shawn to the couple approaching from the stairs.

"Mom, Dad," Juliet settled herself in the crook of Shawn's right arm and hugged him, "This is my boyfriend, and the SBPD resident psychic, Shawn Spencer. "

"Oh, ah, well, hello, Mr. and Mrs. O'Hara," Shawn stammered, he looked down at Juliet and gave her a what-are-you-doing smile, looked up and continued, "I've heard so much about you."

"All good I hope," Mr. O'Hara smiled as he shook Shawn's hand.

"So you're a psychic, Mr. Spencer?" Juliet's mother asked skeptically.

Shawn took that as his queue. He quickly noticed she was wearing a rose pin, a French Lace rose to be precise, her hands looked well worked and calloused, but not rough, she even smelled floral. "Your garden is beautiful Mrs. O'Hara, especially the roses. Your French Lace roses. They're your favorite."

Mrs. O'Hara physically took a small step back and looked at him incredulously, "We only planted those last year. I never told Juliet about them…" she trailed off.

Spencer caught the reflection of Lassiter off a window, a scowl on the man's face, "Hey, Lassi! What's up?" Shawn smiled and spun around, "Have you met Jules parents yet?"

"Well, hello, Mr. O'Hara, Mrs. O'Hara!" Lassiter donned a smile, "I don't mean to interrupt, but your daughter and I have to finish up a case. Come on O'Hara!"

"Carlton! My parents are in town. I just came by to pick up something I accidentally left last night. You can finish the paperwork on your own," she replied, incredulous. Juliet turned to Shawn once Carlton had mildly fumed and the returned to his office, "We're going to go to Bougainvillea for lunch. You want to join us?"

"Jules, it's your parents first full day here. I'm sure they want to spend some time alone with you."

"No, really, it's alright, Mr. Spencer," Juliet's Father answered, "We'd like to get to know you better."

"Alright, but please, Mr. Spencer is my father. Call me Shawn."

Elaine and Ian O'Hara sat with their daughter and Shawn Spencer in Juliet's living room sharing stories of Juliet over a pot of coffee.

"Really, Jules? You crashed a car into the stairs in your garage?" Shawn laughed

"Well, I didn't run it into the stairs, per se, more down them," Juliet let out an embarrassed giggle.

"We and most of the neighbors came running out. You would of thought, the way she was screaming, that the car had run over her," Elaine O'Hara continued.

"Gimme a break! I was only 17," Juliet pleaded, "I thought that you guys would kill me."

"Believe it or not," her father continued," there wasn't a scratch on the car, she was standing in the driveway, and the cinder blocks that acted as the retaining wall weren't even mortared so there was no real damage."

"Thank you, Dad!"

"We still wouldn't let her drive for a week," Elaine chastened.

"God only knows how she made it through her teenage years without having any accidents," Ian interjected. Juliet, flustered, huffed and threw her hands in the air.

"If any of my kids ever did that I'd probably never let them drive again," Shawn smirked.

Juliet's phone started chiming the theme song of COPS. Shawn raised an eyebrow at her taste in ring tones. "Sorry, guys, I've gotta take this."

Shawn's gaze followed her into the kitchen and the room went silent for a beat, "you have kids, Shawn?" Ian asked warily.

"Well, no, but I do see them in my future," Shawn smiled assuaging the elder man's fears. He saw Elaine give her husband "that" look and grimaced. Juliet might not forgive him for that comment.

To Shawn's relief Juliet hurried back through the kitchen door, "Sorry, Mom, Dad, but we just got a huge hit on a case we've been working and we have to go down to the station for a few hours. I love you; we'll be back around dinner time. I was thinking we could go to the Fish House if that sounds good to you."

"Sure sweetie, no problem," Elaine stood up and gave her daughter a hug and kiss and then to both Shawn and Juliet's surprise did the same to Shawn, "See you guys tonight!"

"Okay, now that I've spent the entire afternoon with your parents; why did I spend the entire afternoon with you parents?" Shawn questioned as soon as they were both buckled in the front seats of Juliet's car, "Oh, and by the way they really want grandchildren."

Juliet gave Shawn a quizzical sideways look as she pulled out onto the street heading north.

"Whoa, where are we headed, Jules? The stations to the south."

"I know. The call was just a telemarketer, Shawn. We need to pow-wow. I only told them we were going there so we could have some time alone," Juliet caught the pseudo-shocked look on Shawn's face and then revised, "to talk, Shawn, time alone to talk."

"So…"

Juliet shook her head, "So, what?"

"Why did I just spend the past four hours being quietly scrutinized by Mr. and Mrs. Ian O'Hara, My dear?" Shawn winked.

"You call me Dear again and I'll pin you down and pull each of your nose hairs out one- by- one!"

"Sorry, love-muffin."

"SHAWN!"

"Geesh! Okay, Okay, Ju-"he looked at her face and then thought twice about her threat, "-yoolie."

Juliet smiled sternly at him, "Okay, back on topic. It was an act of desperation, Shawn. I thought that with all my recent achievements and self-improvements my parents wouldn't be able to find anything to criticize me on, but not two hours after they landed and we returned to my house they started in on my relationship, or lack thereof. My mother realized I have nothing belonging to someone else in my house and decided to start "asking" me if I was happy, obviously regarding my relationship status. Finally, at one point I straight out lied saying that I did indeed have a boyfriend and if he wasn't too busy she might get to meet him. I didn't really have you in mind. I didn't have anybody in mind actually, but when you came up to me this morning I knew you were the solution to my "problem" per se,"

"Well, Jules, I'm flattered," Shawn smiled.

"There's one problem, though."

"What's that?"

"They're here for two weeks."

Shawn sat quietly for a moment, making Juliet nervous.

"Shawn"

"I'm in!" Shawn agreed one of his patent smiles growing across his face.

"I owe, you, Shawn." Juliet smiled as she pulled into the parking lot outside of Shawn's apartment, "Big!"

Shawn and Juliet had spent three hours in Shawn's apartment talking about how to handle the coming two weeks. Shawn was now collecting a few small things he could discreetly place in Juliet's house, a shirt in her drawers, a toothbrush, a picture of himself, things that would inconspicuously fit in her purse, or in the case of the shirt, on Shawn, which they would place later in places most likely not seen by her parents.

"We can get away with no on knowing we're dating. I'll just tell my parents that if they knew we might not be able to work together anymore, and we don't want to take that chance until we know this relationship is going to work," Juliet decided

"I'm gonna have to tell Gus something. He knows we haven't been dating for the last six weeks," Shawn stated, "Selective amnesia? You hit me over the head with an ice sculpture and I forgot!"

Juliet gave him her you've-got-to-be-kidding-right-? face.

"Voodoo curse?"

"Shawn, how about the truth?"

"Man, I know I could totally pull off the Voodoo curse thing," Shawn tromped around the room as a zombie for a minute.

Juliet shook her head and laughed.

Shawn felt his chest tighten when he saw her smile. Shawn realized he had made her smile, and that made him smile, then, just as quickly, he threw on his best pout, "I'll talk to him tomorrow." He let out an exaggerated sigh.

Juliet's stomach audibly growled, "Well, we should get back to my house and pick my parents up, I'm starving!" She stood up and stretched, "you like fish, right?"

"Love 'em."

The waiter set down a new root beer for Shawn and then collected the salad plates.

Ian chuckled, "Oh, Shawn, when Juliet was a toddler she had an imaginary friend, named Ernie, she used to keep him in her pocket and she would talk to him. We'd hear her rambling on and on sometimes and laughing. Well one day, my mother came to visit and she was playing with Julie, well, all of a sudden we hear our little Julie start screaming. I thought she'd fallen and broken a bone or something, well, anyway, we come running into the living room and there my poor mom is just sitting there on the floor, Juliet on her lap, and my mom looks dumbfounded.

I asked her what happened and she has no clue. Juliet runs over to me and I ask her what happened and all I can make out is something about Ernie. Elaine gets her to calm down a little and tries to ask her again. Finally she blurts out, "Nana stepped on Ernie!" and Juliet starts sobbing again. My poor mom. You should have seen the look on her face. She didn't know whether to cry with Julie or laugh," Ian reminisced.

"I loved Ernie!" Juliet tried to sound sad, but all hope of that was lost when she burst out laughing.

"I had an imaginary friend when I was little, his name was Poco, he was a jalapeño, but he shriveled up and started to smell, so I threw him out," the other three started to laugh again, "What? I did!"

A minute later the group's dinners arrived and they settled down a bit. "Oh, Julie, speaking of old friends, did you know that Wanda and her daughter Tara live just outside Santa Barbara now?"

Juliet had a mouthful of food so she shook her head no.

"Yeah, Tara's getting married the Friday before we leave. Your father and I said we'd be there. I know she'd love to see you too. The two of you should come with us," Elaine smiled warmly at Shawn.

Juliet nearly choked on her shrimp and Shawn stopped mid-chew and gulped down the large bit of steak he'd been masticating.

"Mom, I'm not sure, I mean – " Juliet stammered

"Oh, come on, Jules! It could be fun. It'd give me a reason to dust off my dancing shoes!" Shawn said as he made a dusting gesture.

"Well, I-"

"I already put three down on our R.S.V.P. all I'd have to do is give her a call and tell her to expect one more. Please, Julie, she'll be so excited to see you," Elaine coaxed.

"Oh, alright!"

"Great! I'll call her tomorrow," Elaine smiled.

Ian and Elaine spent the rest of their time over dinner and dessert catching Juliet up on things that had happened since Juliet moved to Santa Barbara from Miami; births, graduations, retirements, deaths. All laughed or cried, and generally had a good time. When they were finished and paid up the two couples started lazily walking back to Juliet's car.

"Oh, come on now, you two! I'm not naïve. I know you two've done much more than just look at each other since you've started dating. I promise, Shawn, I won't kill you for touching my daughter," Elaine uttered candidly.

The faces of the younger two grew bright red. Both started stammering trying to come up with an explanation, and then finally gave up. Shawn wrapped his arm around Juliet's shoulders as he felt her dainty arm encircle his waist. She felt good in his arms. He had forgotten that simple touches can be almost as pleasurable as the most intimate if you're with the right person.

Shawn mentally shook himself, 'Whoa there, Shawn! All this is a lie to make her parents happy. A farce! Just like your so-called "psychic abilities". And who are you anyway to think you could ever have a relationship longer than a week! You screw everything up and you know you can't do that to her. She's too good a friend. Remember this is all a lie. All a lie!'

The ride back to Juliet's house was a quiet one. Not an awkward quiet, just quiet. Once Juliet had parked the car, cut off the ignition, and all were out of the car Juliet handed the keys to her father, "Go on in, Mom and Dad. I'll just be a minute."

Ian took the keys in one hand and his wife's in the other as Elaine gave Shawn a hug, "It was really nice to meet you, Shawn."

"The pleasure was all mine, Elaine," Shawn hugged back and then proffered his hand to Ian who said nothing, but shook the younger mans' hand and smiled. Then the elder couple turned and retreated to the house.

Once Juliet was certain her parents were out of earshot she spoke, "Thank you, Shawn. I know this was probably really uncomfortable for you."

"Nah," Shawn placed his hands on Juliet's slender shoulders and smiled, "anything for a friend."

"Well, anyways, Thanks." Juliet started to turn around, but Shawn stopped her.

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me!"

"Shawn, I-"

"They're watching," he chuckled. Juliet peered out the corner of her eye and saw they, indeed, were watching.

Juliet sighed insightfully, "That's so them! It wouldn't surprise me if they started flashing the porch light at me."

Shawn chuckled then lowered his head and gently met her soft, sweet lips for a moment. Juliet felt her breath catch in her throat and a warm feeling began to kindle in her chest. She stepped back slightly, her hand on his chest, their foreheads touching, "I should, uh, go… now."

Shawn leaned back against her car, "yeah."

Juliet started back to her building then turned, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow"