A/N: I know it's been like a month since my last update and for that I'm sorry! I am happy that I have finally finished this story though! I feel like I've been working on it forever. As usual, please excuse any OOC fluffiness. It appears that fluff is all that I'm capable of writing :) Enjoy!
As the workday drew to a "Welcome back, Higgins," Katsumoto greeted as she trudged into the precinct the following Monday. She had NOT been excited to come into work this morning; especially after the two weeks of heaven that she had just experienced with Thomas. She knew the fantasy of not working and spending all of her time with Magnum and her other new friends was not a reality and that she would have to face the real world eventually, but that didn't stop her from wishing that she was cuddling in bed with a certain someone instead of getting ready be to be assigned some new cases. A part of her had missed some of her colleagues though, and Gordon had always been a friendly face to break up the monotony.
"Good to see you, Gordon," she replied with a smile. "I hope I haven't missed anything too hectic whilst I've been on holiday."
"Nothing too major. Just more of the same old things: a couple of drug busts, three homicides, and one kidnapping. Did you have a nice few weeks off though? You really deserved it."
A huge smile emerged on Juliet's face as she thought of how truly wonderful the past few weeks had been, "Yes, it was some of the most fun I've had in my life."
Katsumoto gave her a little smile, "You met someone didn't you?"
"Why would you think that?" Juliet chuckled.
"You just have a certain glow now; the type of glow that follows someone who is newly in love."
Higgins grinned at her feet at that comment. As crazy as it felt, she truly believed that she had fallen in love with Thomas Magnum over the course of two weeks. Even though she had not told Thomas that she loved him yet, a small part of her was still hesitant about falling so quickly and wondered if she was being too rash, but she had never felt this way about anyone else before. He had treated her with more kindness and affection than she had ever known.
"I may have found someone… but I have also made some new friends as well and seen and experienced some island culture. It felt really good to take some time for myself and not have to worry about cases or catching criminals for a few weeks."
Gordon clapped lightly a few times, "I'm proud of you, Juliet. I think you are finally finding your stride here in Hawaii and I'm really happy for you."
"Thank you, Gordon. I truly appreciate that."
"Hey, Juliet! Nice to see you!" A voice had called to her from down the hallway.
When Higgins looked up, she saw Officer Tani Rey strolling towards her. Juliet smiled and gave her a little wave, "Hello Tani, how have you been?"
"I've been doing really well. It's been a little busy though. I heard you took some time off. Did you have a nice vacation?"
"I did, it was very rejuvenating." Juliet replied.
"How's Thomas doing? He must be more amazing than any of us thought based on the day-dreaming look on your face."
That comment took Juliet aback. She thought she had been so careful with making sure no one from work saw her with Magnum!
"Thomas? Who's that?" Juliet stuttered, trying to play dumb.
"Oh come on, Higgins. Thomas Magnum? I saw the two of you at Kamekona's a month back while his case was still ongoing and you looked smitten then. I'm not judging, though. He's pretty hot and he actually seems like a decent guy. Besides, I wasn't going to tell on you, especially when I'm trying to keep my own relationship on the down-low."
Juliet raised her eyebrows, "You and Junior are together aren't you? I had a feeling about you two… look, I know that I can't technically be punished now for my relationship with Thomas, but I'd still prefer that no one around here found out about it."
Tani smiled, "Your secret is safe with me, Higgins. And for what it's worth, I actually think you guys are cute together. He'll stay out of trouble now that he's with you and he seems like more of a cinnamon roll than anything else. Can I count on you to keep my secret if I keep yours?"
"My lips are sealed," said Juliet confidently, picking up a stack of papers from the fax machine.
"Awesome," Tani smiled. "You know, we should hang out sometime after work or something! There's not many people around here to have girl time with and you seem like you're actually a fun person under that tough, British, persona."
Juliet laughed a little, "I'd quite like that actually. I made some new friends during my time off, but they're Thomas' buddies from the military. I'm in need of some girlfriends as well."
Tani's phone began to ring and she started back down the hall again, "Sounds like a plan. I still have your number from when we were working on that art theft case, so let's get in touch later this week to plan where we can go. See you later!" she called, hurrying off.
Juliet smiled at herself once more, Gordon was right. Her life in Hawaii was finally starting to take shape.
As the workday drew to a close, the butterflies rapidly grew in Juliet's stomach. Thomas had been sending her texts all day to check in with her at work and to tell her how excited he was to see her that evening.
As she bid Gordon goodnight and hurried out to her car, Thomas texted her a picture of a delicious looking lasagna that he had prepared for them to enjoy upon her arrival at his apartment.
When Thomas opened his door she melted into his arms, basking in the warm, welcoming feeling of feeling totally safe and loved that radiated when she was with Thomas.
"Where's my kiss?" Thomas asked playfully, "I've had to go all day long without one."
Juliet stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. "You smell wonderful," she whispered in his ear, "I was counting the hours left in the day before I could see you again."
Thomas kissed her neck briefly before looking at her lovingly. "If you were my partner you wouldn't have to wait all day to see me."
"If I was your partner we would never get any work done!" She laughed, pushing him away playfully to take a closer look at the lasagna which had filled the entire apartment with an amazing smell.
"Thank you for cooking,Thomas. Everything smells lovely."
"Anything for my favorite girl. Especially after a day of hard work and crime fighting!" He replied happily, slicing a piece of the lasagna for her.
Juliet ate quickly because she was so hungry and Thomas had done a phenomenal job with dinner; he had even made some snickerdoodle cookies for dessert. They had then retired to the couch to watch some TV.
"That was the best lasagna I've ever had, Thomas. Thank you so much again for dinner and a nice, relaxing evening."
She looked at her watch, "I really must be heading home now, though. I need to shower and look at a few papers before I head off to bed."
Thomas' smile faltered a little bit, "Can't you stay here tonight? You can shower and all of that stuff here."
"I wish I could but I don't have any more changes of clothes here, and I would have to wake up much too early tomorrow morning to run home and grab my things. I'm sorry, Thomas. We will have sleepovers this whole weekend, I promise."
Thomas looked down at his feet and spoke quietly, "I understand, Juliet. I guess it's just the fact that we've spent every night of this past week together and I've gotten used to falling asleep while holding you. I just wish we didn't have to say goodbye at night."
Juliet had the same wish, but every part of her was screaming that it was way too soon for them to live together full-time. They had only been an official couple for two weeks! Juliet knew that they probably should be taking things more slowly than they had been, no matter how much she missed him during the day and how hard she was falling for him.
She pulled Thomas into her arms and hugged him tight. Thomas immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and nestled his nose in the crook of her neck.
"Goodnight, Thomas. I will text you tonight once I'm home and ready to go to sleep and I will call you tomorrow. What's that saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?"
Thomas gave her a little smile, "Yes, that's it. I know it will be true for me."
They held each other for a minute more before pulling back slowly. Thomas caught her chin with his fingertips and guided her lips to his so they could kiss.
The rational side of Juliet knew they needed to slow things down; but good lord, Thomas wasn't making it easy on her. The temptation to just stay with him for the rest of the night was strong as he kissed her deeply and played with her blonde curls.
He pulled back before kissing her one last time, "Sweet dreams, Juliet. Goodnight."
Juliet was extra groggy at work the next morning. She had tossed and turned all night, discovering she missed sleeping with Thomas just as much as he missed sleeping with her.
Her thoughts were quickly diverted because of a new homicide case that was dumped on her desk by Sergeant Masters, which led to a long afternoon that consisted of interviewing witnesses and members of the victim's family. It was after nine by the time she finally got back home.
When she looked at her phone and saw a few text messages from Thomas, she felt bad about not responding to him all day. She knew that he was aware that she was busy, but she didn't want him to believe that she was too busy to talk with him.
{Hello Thomas, sorry I have missed your messages. I am just now getting home after a long day. I will call you in the morning. Goodnight.}
Thomas responded back quickly with a few kiss emojis and a heart, making her heart happy.
She had promised Tani a girl's night on Friday, but she also wanted to make sure she spent as much time with Thomas over the weekend as she possibly could.
An idea struck her and she decided to message Tani with her plan to get the best of both worlds for the upcoming weekend.
{ Hi! This is Juliet. Would you like to have our girl's night on Friday at a cute tiki bar called La Mariana? I am friends with the owner and could probably get us some drinks on the house! Let me know if that sounds ok to you.}
This way, she could spend time with Tani and probably also run into Thomas since he practically lived at La Mariana.
A few minutes later, Tani responded:
{Sure that sounds cool! I've heard about that place but I've never been! I was thinking of inviting my friend who works at the ME's office as well… her name is Noelani. You'll really like her!}
Juliet felt a little nervous at the mention of someone else joining them, but she reminded herself that she had come so far over the past month in terms of meeting new people and making friends, so she reassured herself that everything would be fine.
{Sounds lovely. Let's plan to meet there around 7.}
When Friday finally rolled around, Juliet was drained from her first week back at work. She had almost forgotten how demanding and time consuming being a detective was. She and Tani had chatted briefly in the precinct that afternoon to finalize their plans for the evening at La Mariana, and Juliet finished up the last of her paperwork around 5 o'clock before heading home to change and put some makeup on.
On Wednesday, she had told Thomas about her Friday night plans and he had been happy to hear that she was making more friends, especially through work. He had asked her if it was ok if he dropped by at some point to say hi before hanging out with Rick and TC at the bar. When she had told him 'Of Course!', he laughed and said he just didn't want to embarrass her in front of her coworkers.
"Tani already knows about us, Thomas. She has promised to be discreet. And besides, I am not embarrassed about us!" She had assured him.
Juliet smiled at herself in the mirror as she thought about Thomas and how he had said that he hadn't wanted to embarrass her. A couple of months ago, being with him certainly would have made her feel ashamed and she would've never entertained the thought of having Thomas Magnum as her boyfriend.
But now that she had gotten to know him and saw who he really was, she couldn't be prouder to be with him, and she was now fully confident that she was in love with him. She made a promise to herself that she would finally confess her feelings to him completely this weekend.
"Over here, Tani!" Juliet called from a table in the corner.
Tani hurried over to the table and sat down, "What a week am I right? You came back to a shitstorm of crazy cases!"
"Indeed I did. I feel like I've spent more time at my desk this past week than during the rest of my time with the department all together."
Just then, another woman approached their table a little shyly.
"Noelani!" Tani exclaimed excitedly, "So glad you could join us! This is Juliet Higgins. She's the detective who I worked together with on that big art theft case about a month back. Juliet, this is Noelani Cuhna, the Honolulu County medical examiner."
"Hi Juliet," Noelani said, shaking her hand, "It's so nice to meet you! Tani said you're an awesome detective and she had a good time working with you on the Candler case. I don't know about you, but other than Tani I'm seriously lacking in my number of girlfriends that I can go out with! I'm so glad we could all meet up tonight!"
"Pleased to meet you as well, Noelani. We're very similar because prior to about a month ago, I had no friends at all. I'm very fortunate to know the owner of this cute little tiki bar though. I believe that I can get us the best service possible and some free drinks as well!"
Juliet looked around and spotted Rick behind the bar and waved him over to their table. Rick gave her a huge smile and then semi-jogged over to them.
"Hey Jules! These must be your lovely new friends from work! Welcome ladies!" He said suavely, "I'm Rick and I just bought this place a couple months back. It's the last original tiki bar on the island!"
"Cool," Tani laughed. "Juliet mentioned something about some complimentary drinks? Or maybe a friendly discount?"
"Juuuules!" Rick whined, "If I keep giving out all of these free things I'm gonna be put out of business!
"Oh come on now, Rick! You gave me a few drinks on the house last week. What harm could a round of cocktails for a group of hard-working women in law enforcement do?" Juliet asked innocently.
"Alright, alright," Rick laughed, giving in. "But only because you've been making Thomas happier than he's ever been since you came into his life. Are Mai Tai's ok for you all? They are the signature drink of La Mariana after all!"
Juliet looked at the other women who nodded their approval before turning abc to Rick, "That sounds perfect, Rick. Thanks so much."
As Rick hurried off to get their drinks, Noelani commented on what he had said, "So, who was that 'Thomas' that he was talking about? Is he your boyfriend?"
Juliet blushed and looked at Tani quickly. "She's cool, Higgins. She can keep the secret."
Juliet sighed and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "Yes. He is my boyfriend. We actually met during that case that Tani and I worked on. He was-I can't believe I'm admitting this- a suspect in that case."
Noelani laughed, "Wow! That's crazy! So how did you realize you had feelings for him? He didn't actually get charged, did he?"
"No, no!" Juliet replied quickly, "He's a great man, he was just caught up in a tricky situation. I guess I had some incklings of my feelings early on, but it wasn't till after the case was finally closed when we actually started seeing each other. First as friends and then it grew into more- rather quickly, actually."
Juliet was beet red and she looked down at her hands in her lap.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Juliet! Love can find you when you least expect it! I'm still waiting to get swept off of my feet," Noelani said. "Maybe I'm in the wrong profession! Tani met Junior on the job because they've been working together and you were able to find someone there as well; however unconventional it might've been. There aren't any cute guys in the ME's office!"
"All in due time girl! Like you said, love can find you when you're least expecting it!" Tani added. "So tell us more about Thomas, Juliet! How wonderful is he? You've had the complete look of love at work so I know everything must be going well!"
"He's the best man I've ever met," Juliet gushed. She just couldn't help but beam whenever she started talking about him.
"He's just so kind and caring and he does whatever he can to make me happy. He cooks for me, he's a fantastic cuddler, and he is extremely supportive of me. He was in the military as well, and he's also introduced me to his best friends from the service; Rick being one of them. His other friend,TC, is probably around here somewhere. They practically live at this establishment."
Just then, a waiter had returned to their table to drop off their drinks and take their orders for a few appetizers to share. The three new friends then launched into a long, vivid discussion about work, island life, and hobbies.
Juliet talked about her love of hiking, and how Thomas had asked her to be his girlfriend on a picnic during their Rainbow Falls hike.
"That's too romantic!" Tani squealed. "He really is the man of your dreams isn't he?"
"Yes," Juliet replied quietly. "I had really thought that I would never find anyone like him. I had already accepted the fact that I was going to be single for the rest of my life. It almost feels too good to be true. I-I really love him."
"It's really sweet to see talk about him. We can tell that you really do love him. Have you told him yet?" Noelani asked.
"No, not yet. We haven't been together for very long, and I'm worried that telling him this soon may scare him off."
"I think you should go for it," Tani said, smirking at Juliet. "I think you won't be disappointed."
"Who should go for what?" A voice asked behind her. Juliet turned around to see Thomas smiling at her.
She immediately flushed crimson and stuttered as she tried to greet him, "H-hello, Thomas. What a pleasant surprise."
"You know how much time I spend here, Higgy! You knew you'd run into me here on your girls night!" He chuckled. "Nice to see you again, Officer Rey! And who is your other new friend?"
"This is Noelani Cuhna. She's the medical examiner for Honolulu County."
"Nice to meet you, Noelani! I trust you've heard all good things about me from my stunning girlfriend," he teased.
"We've heard plenty, Magnum," Tani laughed, "Where's your little heist buddy? What was his name- Jin?"
Thomas pouted dramatically, "He's not my buddy! Never was! And he's partially the reason why I almost went to jail!"
"Now, now, Thomas. It's ok, darling. That's all over now!" Juliet giggled, grabbing his hand softly.
Her touch and words seemed to calm him down, and Thomas declared that he was going to say hi to TC at the bar and get a beer.
"Wow," Noelani whispered.
"What?"
"He IS your dream man! Not to mention he's incredibly hot! You're a lucky girl, Juliet! Does he have a single twin or something for me?"
"He is rather easy on the eyes isn't he?" Juliet replied, watching Thomas joke with his buddies as he took a sip of his beer.
"You may as well tell him how you feel," Tani added. "I'm almost 100% sure that he feels the same way."
"You might get your chance sooner than you thought! He's heading back over here," said Noelani.
"Can I talk to you on the patio real quick?" Thomas asked shyly.
"Sure," Juliet smiled, getting up to follow Thomas. Both Tani and Noelani gave her big smiles as she took his hand to walk outside.
As soon as they were on the patio and had found a secluded spot, Juliet was about to ask him why he had wanted to speak with her alone, but she was quickly pulled into Thomas' arms and kissed firmly.
"I've *kiss* missed *kiss* you *kiss* so much *kiss* this week," he breathed out between kisses.
"I've missed you too, Thomas," she chuckled as he pulled her closer.
"I'm hoping that we can spend some quality time together this weekend. Do you think we could go hiking again or do something else outside? The weather is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow," Thomas asked as he swayed them gently and nuzzled her nose.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Thomas. It would be a great chance for us to talk some more about us and where our relationship is heading."
Thomas raised his eyebrows and chuckled lightly, "I hope that's a good thing, because my feelings for you have just been getting stronger and stronger everyday."
"It's a great thing! I just have some things that I'd like to tell you about how I've been feeling lately."
"What's wrong with telling me now?" He smiled, looking into her eyes. "I'd love to hear how you feel."
Juliet swallowed and looked at her feet. Should she really tell him now? She was in the middle of a night out with her new girlfriends! And despite them encouraging her to share her feelings with him, she didn't want her confession to feel rushed; but the way Thomas was looking at her just made her feel at ease in telling him there and now.
"I-I love you, Thomas," she said quietly. "I've known for a little while now, but I've just been afraid to tell you since everything is still so new. The way you make me feel, it's- it's the most special feeling I've ever had," she confessed before closing the small space between them to kiss him gently.
Thomas responded to her kiss immediately, leaning up against the side of the building with her while running his hands around her waist and just under the hem of her top.
Her breath hitched as she felt his warm hands caressing her waist as one of his thumbs rubbed a small circle across her belly button.
"I love you so much, Juliet," he murmured against her lips. "I've been bursting to tell you but I didn't want to scare you away. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me though. Now I can say 'I love you' whenever I want!"
He kissed her a little more before whispering, "Do you think we could go home soon? I want to cuddle with you. I've really missed that this week since we've been apart."
A pleasant feeling of warmth rushed over Juliet as she looked at her watch, "It's closing in on 11:30, and I've had quite a long week. Surely the girls will understand if I call it a night now," she smiled.
"Are you sure?" Thomas asked, "I know what I said, but I don't want to make you feel as if you need to leave because of me."
Juliet pecked his lips once more, "I'm sure, Thomas. I'm exhausted, and falling asleep with you is the only thing I'd like to be doing later. I've had a great night with Tani and Noelani. Let me go inside and let them know that I'm tired and I'm going to be calling it a night."
Just then, as if on cue, Tani and Noelani walked out on the patio.
"No need, Jules. We figured you two were still out here chatting! We're both heading home too. It's been a tiring week for all of us. Junior is picking me up here in a few minutes," Tani explained.
"I loved this place Juliet! We thanked your friend Rick again for the free drinks! We definitely need to come back here again. The food was pretty good too! It was great to meet you!" Noelani said with glee, hugging Juliet quickly.
"Yea La Mariana is great! Love the vibe. It was good to see you again, Magnum. I'm glad you've gotten your act together. Getting busted by HPD seems to have paid off pretty nicely for you," Tani laughed, glancing between Thomas and Juliet.
"I actually think that it's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Thomas smiled, gazing directly into Juliet's eyes.
Juliet returned his smile and blushed a little as he wrapped his arm around her.
Junior pulled up in his car and Juliet hugged Tani goodbye, thanking her again for introducing her to Noelani and having the idea for the girl's night in the first place.
Noelani said her final goodbye as well and headed to her car, leaving Thomas and Juliet standing on the patio alone.
"Are you ready to go home?" Thomas whispered, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
Juliet turned her face towards his in their embrace, "More than ready, my love."
Thomas pressed a light kiss to her neck, "Not that we've declared our love for each other, does that mean you'll change your mind on becoming my partner?"
Juliet laughed a little and threaded her fingers through his that were resting on her belly, "You may have stolen my heart, but it'll take a little more time for me to think about that proposition."
"That's not a no," Thomas smiled.
"No. No it is not," Juliet replied, smiling before leaning in for another kiss.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading this story! I truly hoped you enjoyed my first attempt at writing something multi-chaptered. I think for the near future I am going to stick to more one-shots though since I don't have to update them *sweats*. Anyways, please let me know any final thoughts that you may have about this story and anything that you'd like to see from me in the future... Thanks again for reading! It seriously means the world!