A/N: Ok, so I know that I speak for basically all of the fandom when I say that 3x13 was THE CUTEST EPISODE EVER. We got so much amazing content between all of the adorable scenes with the baby, Miggy staring at each other with such love, and both of them telling the other that they would be amazing parents :) I cranked this little thing out yesterday in between rewatching the episode and the end scene over and over again. The next chapter of Wilderness is a little over halfway done, but my muse was full on the whole "Miggy with a baby" thing, so I just rolled with it. I hope you enjoy this bucket of fluff, and as always please let me know what you think :)

"We'd better go upstairs," said Juliet with a nod of her head, "This one's mother will be waiting for him."

Thomas agreed and smiled as he picked up Roberto II's new home. He couldn't remember the last time his heart had felt so full after a long day of work. They had solved their missing truffle case, taken care of little Hiapo and found his mom, and to top everything off, Higgy had gifted him with a new pet mouse.

As they were beginning to head upstairs, Magnum's phone rang, causing him to pause, "It's Kumu."

Juliet turned to face him, still cradling the baby close in her arms.

"Hey, Kumu…. Yes, Higgy and I have him right now. We were just heading upstairs to meet you guys in the living room… oh…. Really? They can't make it until tomorrow?"

Juliet shot him a puzzled look and he held a finger up to indicate that he would explain everything in a moment.

"Yea, yea, we can watch him tonight….. Ok, Kumu, thanks so much."

"What wrong?" Juliet inquired, "Can Hiapo's mother and her parents not pick him up?"

"Kumu said that she just finished up with Luana and dropped her off at her parent's hotel. Apparently she begged Kumu to have us watch him for the night so she could have a chance to explain everything to her parents and make plans for how they are going to take care of him going forward. She promised Kumu that they will all be over to get him in the morning, but in the meantime Kumu said that she is going to stop at one of her cousin's houses on the way home and pick up a pack-and-play that he can sleep in for the night."

Juliet sighed deeply, rubbing circles on the infant's back, "Well, I suppose that it would be wise for Luana and her parents to discuss how they will care for Hiapo moving forward; not to mention that it will be much easier to talk rationally without worrying about if the little one is going to start crying or not."

Thomas raised his eyebrows, "You're not upset that we have to watch him overnight?"

"Not particularly. It's just one night, Magnum, I think we can manage. Surely you don't mind the way you've been fawning over him all day."

"Of course I don't mind!" He laughed, "This just means that I get some more time with my new best friend!"

"In that case, come along, Magnum. Grab the bag of things we bought for him and we'll head over to the guest house."

Juliet turned back around and began to ascend the stairs once more, smiling to herself. Truth be told, she was quite happy that they would be getting to spend some extra time with the baby. Over the course of the day, she had grown quite fond of him, and her heart warmed everytime the little one found comfort in her voice or by being in her arms. She had never really felt what most people considered to be 'maternal instincts' before, but spending the day with little Hiapo had slowly brought out a side of her that had been buried under years of strict career focus and barely spending any time around children.

Another wave of happiness washed over her as they were walking through the living room as the baby's tiny fist grabbed onto the collar of her dress tightly while he slept. It pleased her greatly to know that the little one felt so secure with her.

Thomas quickly gathered Hiapo's diapers, bottle, and everything else they had purchased for him into the large diaper bag, slinging it over his shoulder, "Why don't you go and grab some of the things that you'll need for the night and meet us at the guest house? If you clip Hiapo into his car seat I'll bring him down there with me."

Higgins nodded, feeling a twinge of sadness at the loss of the warm, sleepy bundle in her arms as she got him ensconced into the car seat, a bit of drool escaping his tiny mouth. He really was quite an adorable baby.

Fifteen minutes later, Juliet walked into the guest house with her own overnight bag to find an interesting scene. Thomas had what appeared to be Disney Junior on the TV in the living room as he sat on the floor, dangling a rubber chicken in front of Hiapo's crying face.

"What happened?" She asked quickly, "When you brought him over here he was sound asleep! And he clearly despises that idiotic excuse for a toy that you're waving at him!"

"He was asleep! He woke up five minutes after we got here and started wailing. He's dry and his last bottle was only an hour ago, so I'm not sure what his deal is. I put the TV on and found this chicken to try to cheer him up. Maybe he just missed you."

Juliet put her bag by the couch and crouched down next to Magnum, offering the infant a beaming smile, "Hello, love! There's no need to be upset. I promise you won't have to deal with that chicken any longer! Come now, cheer up!"

She rubbed Hiapo's belly soothingly, and to her delight the baby started to giggle, "See, Magnum, he doesn't need some loud and obnoxious toy, just a smile and a reassuring word and he's good as new!"

Magnum smiled at her, "He really likes you, Higgy, and I know you were reluctant to admit it earlier, but I know that you're loving being able to play 'mommy'!"

Juliet rolled her eyes at him but didn't deny his claim; she knew she would be lying if she did. Just then, they heard a brief knock on the door before it opened, revealing Kumu carrying the promised pack-and-play.

"I'm really sorry for the short notice about keeping Hiapo overnight. Luana just seemed so desperate to have some time alone to talk things over with her parents; and well, the two of you have done so well with him that I figured just one night would be alright."

"We're happy to help Kumu. This little guy has really made an impact on us; especially Higgy."

Juliet blushed as she met Kumu's knowing gaze, "I knew you would soften up! How could you not around such a precious munchkin!"

"Yes, yes, it's all very mushy! My hardened shell has been cracked!" She joked, standing up to grab a bag from Kumu's hand.

"My cousin also included a few stuffed animals, clothes and pacifiers for him. Her children are in elementary school now so she was happy to donate them. Do you two need anything else before I turn in for the night?"

"I think we've got it, Kumu. Thanks so much for the extra goodies!" Magnum called to her as she waved goodbye and headed back towards the main house.

Juliet took one of the pacifiers from the bag and held it within reach of Hiapo, who gladly accepted it into his mouth. Now fully satisfied, the infant turned his attention to the animated characters on the television.

"So," Magnum began, "Now that the little man is all taken care of, how about figuring out something for dinner? I'm starving!"

"Alright," she agreed, "Maybe ordering delivery would be easiest? Unless you have something simple that you'd like to cook?"

"I can make us some spaghetti and meatballs," he suggested, "Does that sound ok?"

"That's fine with me. I could help you if you'd-"

Juliet was mid-sentence when a loud flatulence filled the room, and a smelly one at that.

"Sheesh! That's gotta be the worst one of the day!" Thomas exclaimed, plugging his nose and practically running towards the kitchen.

It was particularly ripe, and when Juliet took the infant out of his car seat, she could see that his diaper was loaded.

"This one is all on you," Magnum insisted, beginning to get the ingredients for their dinner out from the fridge and cupboard, "We all know that I did my fair share of diaper duty today!"

Juliet sighed but went over to gather a diaper and some wipes from the bag, noticing a bit of dirt smudged on the baby's leg once she had collected them.

"I may as well just give him a bath. He's got some dirt on him and he was carted all around the island today. Besides, given the smell coming off of him right now he desperately needs it."

Magnum chuckled as he got the pasta water boiling, "Have fun with bathtime, Higgy. Oh, but use my bathroom sink. He's way too small to fit in the tub!"

"I am well aware, Magnum! I am well versed in child safety, thank you very much!" She called as she grabbed the baby soap they had purchased as well before heading upstairs.

Using a small towel to cushion Hiapo's head as she lay him in the bathroom sink, Juliet made sure that the water was lukewarm before allowing it to begin to run over the baby, causing a happy smile to spread over his face. Before today, she had viewed bathing an infant as even more of a Herculean task than infiltrating the Russian Secret Police, but as Hiapo giggled as she cleaned him with the sweet smelling baby wash, she couldn't remember feeling more happy and carefree. She played a little game of peek-a-boo with him as she rinsed him off, remembering how much he had enjoyed the game over Facetime earlier, before drying him off and getting him situated with a clean diaper and a warm, cozy onesie that Kumu had brought over.

When she and Hiapo headed back downstairs, she could smell the delicious scent of Italian food that Thomas was serving onto some plates, "Just in time! Since we don't have a high chair, I think it would be better if we ate on the couch so Hiapo doesn't get lonely in his carseat."

"Whilst I normally frown upon eating on furniture, I will make an exception in this case," Juliet laughed.

They spent dinner chatting about their day and the possibilities of getting another case from the insurance company who had hired them, before shifting the discussion to Luana and Hiapo's future.

"I can't imagine being a parent at her age," Higgins sighed, "When I was 20 I was knee deep in university studies. I was still finding who I was. The poor girl must feel so alone."

"Hopefully her parents will be understanding and supportive about the whole thing," Thomas added, "It's one thing to be a parent at that age with family support and a partner, but trying to do it all alone is just a lot for anyone to handle. Depending on how things go with them tonight, we could try to smooth things over between them when they all come over tomorrow."

"Agreed," she said, looking over at Hiapo as he dozed, "This little one deserves the best life possible."

After Thomas had cleared their plates, he suggested putting a movie on.

"Nothing too heavy," Higgins insisted, "I don't want any loud crashes or embellished gunshots waking him up. He's perfectly calm and asleep. No reason we should change that."

Magnum nodded and suggested Life as We Know It, "It's a pretty low stress movie about two unlikely people having to take care of a baby together. It's perfect for our situation!"

"I've never seen or heard of it, but put it on."

They sat about a cushion apart on the couch, finally allowing themselves to relax and unwind from their day as the movie played on. Juliet was starting to doze off a little before she was awakened by the sounds of Hiapo starting to fuss. Magnum checked his diaper and saw that it was still fine before giving him a part of a bottle, but the baby just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

Juliet sooted over next to him and held out her arms, "Here, let me try."

Thomas gently placed Hiapo in Juliet's arms and she began to sing a short English nursery rhyme to get him back to sleep:

Round and round the garden

Like a teddy bear

One step, two step

Sleep is drawing near

"Those aren't the same lyrics you used earlier," Thomas chuckled.

"Yes, well I doctored them a little to fit the theme of falling asleep; and it clearly worked," she smiled, pleased with her calming abilities as she saw the little boy begin to nod off again in her arms. Instead of placing him back in his car seat or in the pack-and-play, she was content to hold him for a least a little while longer. She sat back on the plush cushion, now sitting just inches away from Thomas who had his arm resting across the back of the couch, dangerously close to her shoulders.

Despite the film still running, Juliet could feel herself beginning to fall asleep thanks to their exhausting day, Hiapo's steady breaths and warmth against her, and Magnum's calming presence right beside her. Before she knew it, she felt something firm and warm underneath her cheek, and upon cracking her eyes open the slightest bit, she realized she was leaning on Magnum's shoulder.

"Sorry," she mumbled quietly, moving to sit back up before the arm that Thomas had been resting on the back of the couch moved down an inch to wrap around her shoulders and pull her close to him again.

"Don't apologize, Higgy, you and the little one need some rest. You're welcome to stay right there if that's comfortable enough," he whispered.

"You should rest as well, Thomas. I will deny ever saying this, but you really did a great job today and a good deal of work," she murmured.

"I think that's a great idea. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you think I'm amazing," he laughed quietly, basking in the feeling of having Higgins and baby Hiapo comfortably resting against him.

He knew that Hiapo would be going back to his family the next day, but Thomas couldn't help but picture a scene like this with Higgy and their own child in the future. Everything just felt so calm and domestic, the new 'family' pet was in his own little house up on the counter, baby things were scattered all over the living room, and the 'family' itself was all snuggled together on the couch watching a movie. To anyone who saw them right now, that's what it would look like; just a young family spending some quality time with each other. He relished in the ideas floating through his mind about their potential future together: getting married, finding out they were expecting, and welcoming children into their lively ohana. Kids who would no doubt be spoiled rotten by their Grandma Kumu and their Uncles TC and Rick. There was no doubt in his mind now that Juliet would be a wonderful mother, and watching her sing and comfort the baby over the course of the day had increased his growing feelings for her tenfold.

Thomas' last thought before sleep claimed him was of all of them having a glorious day on the beach, feeling so happy as he and Higgy played and laughed with their future children.

Kumu just had to check on them before she went to bed. She had no doubt that Thomas and Juliet were capable of watching little Hiapo overnight, but she just wanted to make sure they didn't need anything else last minute to make sure they and baby had a good night's rest.

As Kumu approached the guest house, she could see the living room through the windows of the enormous French doors since the curtains were still open, and the sight that she saw before her warmed her heart immensely.

Thomas, Juliet, and Hiapo were all cuddled together on the couch; one of Thomas' arms was around Juliet's shoulders, holding her and the baby close as she leaned on him, while his other hand rested on top of both of Juliet's on Hiapo's back. And, as if things couldn't get any cuter, they were all sound asleep.

A knowing smile grew across Kumu's face. It was true that she had told Luana earlier that they weren't a couple, but the truth was she had been secretly rooting for them to become one for years. The older woman could see the deep love they had for each other, even if it was hidden under bickering and sarcasm a lot of the time. She knew that one day, they would wake up and decide that there was absolutely no one else they would rather spend their lives with than each other, and today was a crucial stepping point, if not the point of that goal. Taking in another glance of the little 'family' one last time, Kumu headed back to the main house and to bed, satisfied that tomorrow would be a new beginning not only for Hiapo, but for Thomas and Juliet as well.