Aria (a psych fanfiction)

Chapter 17

ARIA HAS FORTY FIVE MINUTES LEFT TO LIVE

Somehow, in all the confusion that followed, Shawn and Juliet ended up in the Chief's office alone. The blinds were open, the door unlocked, but...still.

Alone.

"She's alive."

Juliet shook her head with a pained look on her face, placing a gentle hand on Shawn's arm. "Shawn, I know this is hard, but - "

"No." His tone was firm, unyielding. "She's not dead, okay? You and Gus told me once, no body, no crime."

"Shawn, the video is pretty conclusive evidence. The gunshot, the scre - "

"We didn't see it, all right? It could be fake! I'm not..." He let out a deep breath. "I can't just give up that easily, Jules."

"I don't expect you to just give up, Shawn," she said quietly. "None of us do." He shook his head in response, causing her to sigh. "I'll go tell Gus where you are."

"Wait."

She stopped just before the door, turning around to see Shawn stand up, scrunching up his face in concentration. "What?"

"Clues. They were clues, Jules. The thing about picking cherries, we never - we never did that. I don't even know if you can pick cherries in Santa Barbara. And the lane..." He looked up. "Forty twenty seven."

"Shawn, you're not making any sense."

"What she said to Lassie. 'Mocha cookie crumble, only forty twenty seven?' Okay, I know it's digging deep, but even Starbucks isn't that expensive."

Her eyes lit up as she finally caught on. "It's an address! Forty twenty seven - "

"Cherry Lane," he finished, nodding. "Can you check it?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." She paused once more before exiting the office. "But...Shawn..."

"Yes?"

"Don't - don't get your hopes up." She was relieved when he nodded again. "I'll be right back."

Aria was still crying long after He turned the camera off. She refused to look at Him, instead choosing to curl up on the bed with her face to the wall, her hands cradled against her chest. She was grateful for the burst of fresh air that entered the room when he opened the door to leave, that was for sure. Must be in a shed or something.

That was hard, saying all of those things while He was watching, but it made her feel slightly better. It was true, all of it. She had resigned herself to the fact that she'd most likely never see any of them again, and it was good to be able to say goodbye. Hard, but cathartic, in a way.

There is one possibility. She tried not to dwell on it too much. False hope, she had learned, was a vicious enemy, one that was best avoided.

But still, she couldn't help but hope. After all, hope was all she had left.

RUN SHAWN RUN! DON'T LET HER DIE!