A/N: Hooray for more feels crushing! :D Here's the next chapter, and this time you get more of Gus! Tell me what you think. :)

Back at the Psych office, Gus dialed Shawn's number several times with news of a new case, but his best friend didn't answer. After a few hours he couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Hadn't Shawn said he was just going to pop in to check on Juliet? How long could that possibly take?

Shawn didn't usually ignore him like this. Something was wrong. (Besides, Shawn did have his car.) He had to go investigate!

Oh... wait. SHAWN! My car! So now he's left me stranded! That's just brilliant…

Somehow Gus just didn't quite fancy a ride on Shawn's motorcycle. He didn't exactly want to try Shawn's other old standby either. Asking Henry for a ride without him would just feel too weird.

He sighed and set off walking, unable to be bothered at this point. He would just have to locate his friend (and his car) the old fashioned way.

When Gus finally found Shawn a few hours later, he was shocked to see that he was slumped over looking broken in the driver's seat of the Blueberry which was parked in front of a little coffee shop. For a moment, he was sure he was dead. (It wasn't as if such things never happened to him, after all…)

"Shawn!" Gus cried, frantically, slapping the windows with his palms, "SHAWN!"

His friend slowly looked up and rolled down the window, looking so lifeless and confused that Gus scarcely recognized him.

"Gus…" he whispered, "What do I do?"

"What's going on?!" Gus asked, "You look awful! What happened to you Shawn?"

"Jules…" he sighed, wincing.

"Did she break up with you?" Gus guessed. They had seemed okay just that morning, hadn't they…?

"Not exactly," Shawn laughed, bitterly, "Well maybe. It's actually worse… No, better… Actually, I don't really know what happened."

"Well what could have?" Gus asked, still rather confused, "Unless, you know, you told her the truth about being psychic… Or you watched that awful, inaccurate excuse for a movie "Alpha and Omega" with her… Or accidentally proposed to someone else… Or…"

Shawn didn't laugh, or even defend the animated film, which Gus took as a very bad sign. "Gus," he interrupted him in a deadpan, "She adopted a sixteen year old daughter."

Gus gasped. "WHAT?! You have got to be kidding me!"

"She didn't even tell me…" Shawn continued, voice rising slightly in annoyance.

"You're not kidding?" Gus repeated.

"Of course not, Gus!" Shawn cried, "Would I really lie about something like that to my oldest and blackest friend?! We didn't even get to name her Starfish…"

"I-I don't quite know what to say…" Gus admitted, "I'm sorry. But I thought honesty was super important to Juliet?"

"It is," Shawn agreed, darkly, "But apparently not as important as protecting Lily from being forced to have someone like me as a father."

"She really said that?" Gus asked, shocked and appalled.

"Yes- well… No," Shawn admitted, "Not in exactly that fashion. She actually said I wasn't ready for the responsibility. Can you believe it?!"

Gus winced. "Well…"

Shawn stared at him, open mouthed. "GUS!" he whined, "You're supposed to be on my side here!"

"I am on your side," Gus promised, "But… I suppose that I can see where she's coming from."

Shawn let out an exasperated little sigh.

Gus just shook his head. "So… what are you going to do?"

Shawn shrugged, "What can I do? She obviously doesn't want me involved…"

"Well…" Gus said, softly, "Do you want to be involved?"

Shawn frowned, but after a moment replied, "Of course, Gus. I don't like this kid business, but I simply can't give Jules up."

Gus took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be an easy situation for anyone, "Even if it means, you know… growing up a little?"

Shawn stared right back at him, a fiery determination in his eyes. "Gus, I'm not sure if I'm parent material or not, but there's no way I can give up on Jules. Even if it means changing everything that I am, I at least have to try."

Gus gave him a concerned look. "You don't have to give yourself up and change everything just to be a parent, Shawn."

Shawn gave a short, humorless laugh. "Who are we kidding, Gus? I'm not that kind of guy."

Gus just stared at him for a moment, before saying, "Well, father or not, you're my best friend, and I don't want to lose that."

"Of course not, Gus!" Shawn cried, "Don't be a lethargic duckling! I'm not going to have to change everything! It's just… most of me."

Gus winced, unable to bear the thought of how badly Shawn was thinking of himself when he was usually so self-assured. It was clear that this was having a seriously huge effect on him.

"I'm not Peter Pan, Gus…" Shawn said, quietly, "Someday I have to grow up."

"So… what does this 'growing up' entail?" Gus asked with an ominous sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I don't know," Shawn sighed, "What do girls think grown up is?! I guess I'll have to help with Lily, get a job… get a car… Be," he shuddered, "Responsible…"

"Are you sure you can?" Gus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll do whatever it takes…" he replied, "The question is, does Jules even want me involved?"