Disclaimer: Nope, still own nothing. Still trying to convince the government to give me the rights to Hawaii, but no soap. Hey, what does that phrase mean anyway?
Rick's office, King Kamehameha Club
Rick handed Julie a glass of water. Her hands shook so much that he covered them for her while she took a few sips. "Damn it!" she finally cried, angrily starting to push Rick away. He only grabbed her wrists and soothingly rubbed them. She inhaled slowly and tried again.
"Ok now?" he asked gently. She nodded, then shook her head. Rick gently pushed her hair away from her forehead. To his shock, she leaned over and placed her head in the crook of his neck.
Magnum moved from his position at the window. Higgins sat at Rick's desk. TC was next to Julie, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Ready to explain?" Magnum asked, sharper than he intended. Rick didn't blame him, though. He was holding Magnum's baby sister in his arms, after all.
Julie nodded and moved away, to Rick's dismay. "What do you want to know?"
Letting out a mirthless laugh, Magnum shot out his questions. "For one, who are those two guys? Why are they chasing you? Why did you out of the blue decide to come to Hawaii and see me? Why are you carrying around about 1000 bucks in cash on you?"
"Well, they weren't the IRS- you looked through my purse?" Julie demanded. "That's my personal property, Thomas Henry Magnum! Who gave you permission to-"
"Can you blame me? You won't tell me anything, Julz, how else was I supposed to find out?"
"Huh, let me think- by asking me?" Julie shouted over his voice. She almost stood up, but Rick grabbed her arm. He glared at Magnum, who glared back evenly.
"Hey, cool it!" Rick snapped at Magnum. "Can't you see she's still in shock?"
"Oh, don't you take her side, just because you're-"
"Don't you dare say another word, Thomas, I'm warning you!"
"What are you going to do, kick me out? If I go, she goes!"
"So that's how it's gonna be, after all that we've been through?"
"Damn right! She's my sister, and I won't let a creep like you-"
"BOYS!" Julie shouted. "Enough!"
Both Rick and Magnum mumbled, "Sorry, Julie," and settled back down. They reminded Julie forcefully of two little boys being busted by Mom.
Higgins finally spoke, after an awkward silence. "Julie, dear, we don't want anything to happen to you," Higgins paused, shuddering eloquently, "God forbid, so can you please explain why two ruffians would be after a young lady such as yourself?" He leaned on his cane, sincerity vibrating off of him.
She sighed, pushing back her hair. "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Oh, please tell me you didn't burn your campus to the ground again," Magnum groaned, burying his face in his hands. Rick and TC looked at Julie. You burned down your school? Rick mouthed to her.
Julie tried to smile. "I wish." She pressed her closed hands to her mouth thoughtfully. "You know how I've been trying to finish my graduate classes early?" Magnum nodded. When he saw Rick and TC's confused expressions, he briefly explained.
"Julie's been at college in Chicago for the past few years, trying to finish her Bachelor's in English." Magnum paused. "She's written a few short stories for a few magazines, based on what I told her about my cases. You know that writer, Judith Finch?"
Rick's eyes widened. "That's you?" Julie nodded, embarrassed. She rarely told anyone her pen name. She mentally considered how she should kill Tom for spilling her secret.
"I thought they sounded like us!" TC exclaimed, snapping his fingers together.
"I thought they were brilliantly written," Higgins observed. Julie shot him a grateful look.
"Anyway, back to what you were saying?" Magnum said, frowning at Julie. Julie groaned. "And yes," Magnum spoke before she could argue, "you have to tell me."
"Well… two days ago, I was doing research for my thesis, in the library. I lost track of time, so it was dark when I left, and on the way back, I saw something I wasn't supposed to see."
"What was it?" Rick asked quietly.
"Mob execution." Julie rubbed her eyes. "A beheading."
Higgins's sharp inhalation did not escape anyone notice.
"And they identified me," Julie added; "I heard the next day, through the grapevine, that some Italian guys in black suits with violin cases were asking about me."
Magnum nodded. "So you withdrew a ton of case, bought a plane ticket, and ran like hell."
"Basically." Julie smiled weakly. "I thought Hawaii would be far enough, and I knew if things got rough you'd take care of me. I'm sorry, Tom," she finished. "I wanted to tell you, but…"
"You were trying to protect me," he finished for her. "I'm sorry, too, Julie, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."
She nodded in acceptance. "I'll just head off somewhere else," she started to say.
"You can't now," Rick argued. "They'll probably be watching the airports and boat docks, and we can't use helicopter because they've identified the only pilot we can trust," he nodded at TC. "Besides, they've ID'ed all of us and know we probably know what happened."
Groaning, Julie buried her face in her hands. "I didn't want anyone else to get involved in my mess."
"Too late," TC said. "We were involved the moment we found out who you are. If you're Thomas's sister, you're family." He patted her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Julz, we're not going to let them get you."
"She'll probably be safest at Robin's Nest; the security there is impenetrable, thanks to Magnum's additions and Zeus and Apollo," Higgins suggested, startling Magnum with the unexpected compliment. "They obviously know where she is and think so, since they didn't try anything last night."
"Or she can stay here," Rick suggested. "That way, nothing'll happen on the roads on the way back."
"I am not leaving my little sister here to live with you, Rick," Magnum said clearly.
"It's just a security check!"
"Like hell it is!" Magnum shot back.
Rick glared at him until Julie touched his shoulder. Her eyes pleaded with him to not cause a fight. Rick backed off, but he still looked mad.
"They won't try anything to a Ferrari," Julie assured them. "It's too flashy, people will notice. Besides, they're probably skittish for the rest of today and getting chewed out by their boss."
"I agree with Julie," Higgins said. "Magnum and I shall escort Julie back to the house, and she shall remain there."
"Under house arrest!" Magnum added, giving her a warning look.
At Julie's indignant look, Rick spoke up. "Thomas, she should be fine as long as she's in a crowd and with one of us." He turned to Julie. "You're welcome at the King Kamehameha as often as you want, as my guest." Julie smiled at him gratefully, bringing his world into a lovely rosy-colored tint.
"Please, spare me the saccharine acts," Higgins sighed.
"What?" Julie asked, looking puzzled.
"Never mind."
Evening, Robin's Nest
Magnum flipped a burger expertly, earning himself cheers from his audience: TC, Rick and Julie. Higgins had already retired to the house, since the run on the beach aggravated his ankle.
Julie had stopped shaking and now looked completely relaxed.
My love must be a kind of blind love
I can't see anyone but you
Every once in a while, Magnum would signal for Rick and TC to distract her while he checked on Zeus and Apollo's patrol, who Higgins had offered as bodyguards for the night.
The last time he did it, Rick leaned over and chucked Julie under the chin, making her toss her head back and laugh.
I kept noticing that Julie seemed a little brighter when Rick was around. Her smile was warmer, her eyes sparkled…
I couldn't figure out for the life of me what she saw in Rick. Julie usually dated clean-cut crew boys who played tennis and wore tuxedos, the type our father approved of. She didn't date them because she was fond of them; she wanted so desperately to get Dad's approval somehow. So she found guys that had connections, money, and position. The type of men who made great alliances or mergers and who treated women either like an empty-headed clothes rack or inferior beings.
Rick had shaggy hair, probably didn't know what a racket was unless a noise, hated dressing up in "penguin suits," and previously owned a drug club. But Julie didn't know that yet. I feared not only would Rick get hurt, but she'd get seriously burned.
Still, I had never seen her happier, not since Mom's death.
"How do you want your burger, Julz?" Magnum called.
Julie looked up from where Rick had challenged her to Black Jack. "Um, medium rare!" she called before returning to her cards.
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear
Two minutes later, Rick startled everyone by letting out a, "NO!" when Julie triumphantly showed her hit of twenty. He looked over at Magnum while she shuffled the cards. "Did you teach her how to play cards, Thomas?"
"Nope, Mom taught us both. I think we owed her our inheritances by the time we could beat her," Magnum answered, carrying over the tray of burgers.
Rick chuckled as Julie expertly dealt the deck. "You're full of surprises, you know that?" he asked her.
She smiled coyly. "Oh, I'm just getting started with the surprises."
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
Arching an eyebrow, Rick asked, "Is that a challenge?"
Leaning over, Julie winked at him. "It's a promise."
TC whistled at her before piling his hamburger high with toppings. After finishing their hand, Julie and Rick joined him and Magnum. Julie, Rick noticed, pick and chose her additives to her own burger. Everything about her table manners reminded him of those fussy old ladies that came to the club with the rest of their blue-haired friends.
Every few minutes, however, she would jump when she heard a twig snap, only to relax when Zeus or Apollo trotted over to the table to check on them. The men had a sneaky suspicion that half of Julie's hamburger ended up in the dogs' stomachs.
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
After they finished eating, Rick and Julie went on a walk near the tidal pool. When they were gone, TC leaned over to Magnum.
"So what do you think of Lover Boy there?" he asked, sticking a thumb in Rick's direction. Magnum shrugged. "You mean it doesn't bother you that Rick 'the Ladies' Man' Wright is seriously pursuing your sister?"
"Who Julie spends her time with isn't my problem. She won't let it." Magnum watched Rick offer to hold Julie's shoes for her. "Besides, I have a feeling that this time it's different. He usually doesn't put this much effort into a relationship."
TC shook his head. "I dunno, Thomas; not to offend you or anything, but I don't think Julie's enough to make him change."
"I don't think so, either. And I don't think he's enough to make her change."
"Her? What's wrong with her?"
"C'mon, you haven't noticed that she flirts with every guy she meets? How else do you think she got Higgins in the palm of her hand? She learned it from me!"
"From you?" TC busted out laughing. In fact, he had to lean against the table, he guffawed so hard.
You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
A huge wave splashed Julie, soaking her from head to toe. Rick laughed at her, only to run when she threw a handful of wet sand at him.
They chased each other like two little children for a while: every few times, Julie would let him catch her for a moment before sliding out of his arms and taking off down the beach. Each time, she shot him a smile over her shoulder before running again.
Rick couldn't complain. He treasured the moments, savoring them as much as he could.
Julie soon slowed to a stop and looked out over the water.
"How can something as common as a night sky be so beautiful?" she asked dreamily.
"It knew you were coming, so it cooked up something spectacular."
She laughed self-consciously at Rick's reply. "Everything seems so much bigger and grander here."
"That's Hawaii in a nutshell," he said. His eyes, however, were not looking at the sky. Julie seemed to sense that, because she looked over to find his eyes on her.
"We'd better head back," she said abruptly. She reached over for her shoes and took off.
Confused, Rick watched her go. "Now what did I do?"
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
Author's Note: I Only Have Eyes for You by the Flamingoes. Review now, and I'll give chocolate cookies!