…And here's my take on a little New Year's fic, this works with the Christmas Chapter or as a stand alone. Enjoy!


Louder Than The Words Before You

"They're gonna wonder where we are eventually, T.C. knows we wanted to check out the warehouse…" he reasons, giving his partner an apologetic look before he checks his phone again (it's still dead, just like it was two minutes ago).

"Unless they're busy ringing in the new year…" Juliet argues. The case, an insurance investigation, was routine (boring even). All they had to do was to get photo evidence of the presumably stolen merchandise. An easy task, in and out in five minutes… At least until one of the perps had to complicate things by coming back early. Thinking on his feet, Magnum had pulled her into an empty storage room, realizing too late that the heavy door only opened from the outside…

"Why do these things never work when you need them too…" he groans. They had spent the first 52 minutes waiting for the coast to clear, while the next 37 were lost to multiple failed attempts at getting that damn door to budge.

"They usually do, the key is to charge them," she replies, rolling her eyes.

"Really? I thought the key is not to leave them in the car," he shoots back, but he can't keep himself from smiling when he sees the rueful look in her eyes – they both screwed up and know it.

"At least they can still track yours, so it's not completely useless," he reassures her, before he takes a seat on the floor. "Come on, we might as well get comfortable," he pats the space to his right, inviting her to join him.

She leans back against the wall and slides down next to him. "This is pathetic…"

"Don't hold back…" he laughs.

"We're trapped in a storage room, Thomas."

"With a very well reinforced door," he reminds her.

"We could try the vent again?" She suggests, knowing that it's too small to fit through. They tried. Twice.

"It's not gonna get bigger," he replies, absentmindedly checking his watch.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 11.05," he sighs. "I told Lia I'd meet her at 10..."

"She'll understand," she gives him a little nudge.

"Of course she will, she always does…" he looks down, trying to hide his expression – but his tone gives him away.

"Is this about Christmas?" She asks.

"No, I mean…I…" he hesitates, inwardly scolding himself for slipping up while they're trapped in a confined space. But he also knows that she cares too much to let it go. He has always said that she had walls; prided himself on being able to break them down slowly – but now, when it comes to his own? When she's the one doing the breaking? He's not sure how to proceed.

"Remember the talk we had a few weeks ago? About you and Ethan?"

"Don't deflect."

"I'm not, I was just thinking about what I said to you," he explains.

"You mean your famous unsolicited advice?" She teases.

"Yes," he clears his throat. "Love isn't something you talk yourself into, or out of..."

"…it either is or it isn't," she recalls his words, but then confusion sets in. "Wait, are you saying you're not…" she stops herself, not wanting to jump to conclusions. Especially not the kind that make her feel like there's a…

"I don't know," he interrupts her train of thought.

"You haven't been together that long," she encourages him.

"Long enough to wonder why being apart on New Year's Eve doesn't feel like a bigger deal," he explains.

"You both have pretty unpredictable schedules, and she knows how much you care about our work. Isn't that a good thing?"

He takes a deep breath, and then surprises her with a laugh. "Do you realize what you're doing?"

"Oh," the rueful smile comes out again when it dawns on her that she had been making the same excuses for her own relationship just a few weeks ago. "There are admittedly some parallels, but Ethan and I aren't Lia and you."

He just nods.

"Talk to her. You're pretty good at getting through to people Thomas, but you have to let them in, too. Tell her what you want, and then you'll figure out if it is or isn't. That's supposed to be the easy part, right?

"Right..." He agrees, "Thats some pretty good advice," he bumps his shoulder against hers.

"You have your moments," she laughs.

"While the topic is on the table, how are you holding up? I meant to ask sooner, but I figured you'd come to me."

"Thank you, but I'm ok. Ethan and I had a good thing, but I don't want to miss out on a chance at something great," she turns her head to meet his gaze.

His heart skips a beat, and he feels like another proverbial wall just came down.

He's about to say something when they hear familiar voices calling their names, and moments later they're being rescued (and ridiculed) by Rick and T.C..

"The great detectives, outsmarted by a door," T.C. jokes.

"It's practically a vault," Juliet pouts, defending their honor.

"I'm just glad you found us," Magnum ads. "I thought we'd be stuck here until next year."

"We got worried when you didn't show up and we couldn't reach you, so we tracked your phones, well Higgy's phone. And when we saw that it was still at the warehouse, we decided to check up on you," Rick elaborates.

"Oh and we told Lia, you had to follow up with the client. We didn't want her to worry before we knew more," T.C. explains.

"Thanks, was she disappointed?" Magnum asks, catching Juliet study his expression and giving him a comforting look when T.C. replies that Lia understood.

"Come on," Rick chimes in. "We might still make it in time for the countdown."

"You ok?" Juliet asks as they follow Rick and T.C. outside.

"Mhm, I was just thinking, maybe we both deserve a chance at something great."


Happy New Year! Thoughts and ideas are always welcome.

Love,

Laura