Hold On

Hello everyone! Here I am again. It's been about four months since my last fan fiction. When I finally finished that, I wondered how long I will last without writing and you know the answer now. A short time ago, while watching TV, I came across "Magnum P.I.", a reboot of a TV show which was very popular back in the '80s. At first, I watched it out of curiosity since I remembered the original series with Tom Selleck. Soon, I saw the potential that lay in the story and the relationships shown there. One day an idea came to me and it kept nagging me and just wouldn't leave me alone so I realized then that I had no choice but start writing again. I hope you'll like it and I would like to apologize for any language or plot line mistakes I'm likely to make.

The title of this story comes from a song "Hold On" by Michael Bublé. When I heard it, I knew it would fit my story perfectly.

It's set around season 2 so neither Ethan nor Lia are mentioned here.

Now, have a nice reading and don't forget to tell me what are your thoughts about it.

Disclaimer: "Magnum P.I." doesn't belong to me. I'm just borrowing all those characters and the cars:)

Chapter 1

"Hey, Higgy, will you finally tell me?" Thomas Magnum asked his friend and working partner, Juliet Higgins.

They were in La Mariana, celebrating the closure of their latest case. It was a typical one, like many others before, which involved following the client's husband while he was supposed to be on a working trip and proving that he was cheating on her. They both dealt with it quite easily and quickly, and what's important there were no guns needed, no risking their lives, no violence and amazingly no asking for their friends' – Rick and TC's help. It was almost too good to be true. Well, actually there was a bit of violence – the moment the husband realized he was being caught red-handed, he obviously got quite mad and gave Magnum a powerful punch on the nose. So in the end, it turned out to be rather painfully earned money for the P.I.

But at least they got the money, the real money – not some chicken or a goat or any other live stock which Magnum used to take so that was a real success. When Juliet became his partner, she promised herself that she would look into his finances and make sure he accepted cash only. However, she had to admit that she wasn't always so successful in that matter as she would like to be. Still, she kept hoping that with her strong will and persistence, Magnum would finally start making decent money while using his remarkable detective skills.

Yes, Juliet Higgins was aware of how good a P.I. Thomas Magnum was, not only due to his military background, outstanding bravery and great perseverance while being a POW but also his need to help people no matter what, which often meant risking his own life. She learned this very soon after Magnum had showed up one day as a security consultant and moved into the guest house at Robin's Nest. Of course, she wouldn't make it known to him. No, she preferred not to share her thoughts on that matter. She rather tried to motivate him in other way, hence their constant banter which she had to admit she really liked and wouldn't imagine her day without their teasing each other.

Now, hearing his question, she decided to do the thing she liked so much.

"What?" She glanced at him, making a puzzled face and pretending not to know what it was that he wanted.

"Oh, come on. You know what I mean." He surely didn't intend to give up.

They slowly made their way to the bar where they were to pick up the drinks they and their friends ordered. Juliet smiled. Yes, she knew perfectly well what he meant by that but why not tease him a little more?

"It's a week until Christmas. A week… Seven days." He continued.

"Yes, I think I know how many days there are in a week. It's a wide-known fact, even in Britain." She replied looking at him and then she took one of the trays and headed to their table.

Seeing that, Magnum grabbed the other tray and quickly spun around, almost knocking down all the drinks. In a second, he was back at her side.

"But you know what it means, right?" He asked with hope in his voice.

"No, I have no idea." She said and finally stopped by their favorite table, just in front of the little stage.

She started handing the drinks to their friends – there were Rick, TC, Shammy and Kumu. They also invited Katsumoto and Jin but they couldn't make it.

"It's such a short time to buy the presents and I will gladly help you with that if you finally tell me whose name you drew." Magnum stated, relating to the fact that the previous week, when they all gathered in La Mariana, Rick suggested doing Secret Santa. They all agreed and soon they drew the names, promising not to reveal them to anyone.

Juliet squinted her eyes at him. "Magnum, if you really think I'll tell you whose Secret Santa I am, you must be dreaming."

He already asked her this question a couple of times before and knowing Magnum, it probably wouldn't be the last time.

"You know, it's not that easy to find a perfect present for someone." He kept on going, not much affected by her answer.

Rick, TC, Shammy and Kumu just sat there, looking at the pair in front of them and listening to their typical kind of conversation. Seeing their friends every day, they were used to such situations. From the first moment Kumu witnessed those two interact with each other, she saw the sparks flying. The rest of their friends noticed the strong attraction between them as well. They were happy for them, however they knew that for the time being both Juliet and Thomas were in denial and would never ever tell the other one that they felt something more than just friendship. Well, maybe one day they would finally see it.

"I don't need your help in this matter so would you be so kind and stop asking me this question time after time?" Juliet replied.

Rick, TC, Shammy and Kumu looked at each other and smiled knowingly. It was true that Secret Santa was Rick's suggestion but it was Kumu's idea to set Juliet and Thomas together. Neither Rick nor TC knew how that woman managed to make the pair draw each other's names. Anyway, the most important thing was that those two were each other's Secret Santas and didn't know about it. Kumu couldn't even imagine what would happen to her if they found out about her plotting.

"Oh man, it's a lost cause, she won't tell you. You'd better admit your failure, brother." TC stated with a broad smile on his face.

"Thank you, TC. Finally, someone who makes some sense here." Juliet said and sat down next to him.

"I won't give up. You know I'm a good P.I., I'll find out who that is." Magnum told her with confidence, taking a seat opposite her.

"Good luck with that." Now it was Rick who whispered, however not very quiet as everybody could hear him.

Magnum shot him a look.

"What? You know that, don't you? When it comes to Higgy, since she's a former MI6 agent, you won't get anything out of her, unless she wants to share it with you." Rick explained.

Well, that was right and Thomas knew who Juliet Higgins used to be. He secretly admired her for what she must have gone through during her numerous undercover missions and how much she sacrificed for this job, especially her future with Richard whom she loved so much and suddenly lost when a man she trusted killed him.

All those Magnum's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Shammy's clearing his throat in order to catch Thomas's attention.

"Magnum, are you all right? Did you hear what I said?" Juliet asked him, sounding quite concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine but I didn't get what you said, sorry. Can you repeat that, please?" He replied. All of them wondered what made him suddenly so distracted.

This answer didn't surprise Juliet. She knew that when he had something on his mind, he tended to focus on it and stopped paying attention to anything else.

She sighed. "I said that after some consideration, you may be right."

Her reply confused him greatly. "What? You have actually just admitted that I was right?" He couldn't believe that.

"Well…, you will find out the answer…" she paused for a moment to get a better effect, "on the Christmas Day when we'll give the presents to each other." She finished, making everyone laugh with her.

"Oh, very funny, Higgins. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" He stated.

She shrugged her shoulders and a big soft smile appeared on her face.

"And whose side are you on? I thought you were my friends." Magnum told the rest of the gang sitting by the table.

"Of course, we are your friends, man. We just love it when you do this face." Rick said between laughs.

"Yeah, yeah… I'll remember that when you want something from me next time, Orville." Thomas huffed.

To tell the truth, he didn't mind their talking like that one bit. He joked with Rick and TC all the time so he was used to it. The same went with Higgins, very quickly their teasing became something like an everyday ritual.

"Like the money you own all of us here?" TC asked but everybody knew it was actually a rhetorical question.

They burst out laughing, this time even Magnum joined them.

"Okay, now enough talking about Secret Santa although I must admit that I haven't bought anything yet but I plan to go shopping this weekend and I hope I'll finally find something." Shammy spoke.

"Yes, so I would like to make a toast." Juliet said and raised her glass. "To friends on whom we can always count in good or bad times and who so easily became our family."

"To the family! To Ohana!" They all followed Juliet's gesture and shouted happily, clinking their glasses together.

They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing at some funny military adventures the guys shared back from the old days. Then Rick suggested playing karaoke so since it was almost Christmas, they started singing Christmas songs, first individually and then as a whole group. There were quite a lot of people in La Mariana so the gang had a crowd of spectators who cheered loudly after every performance.

Just as the friends were in the middle of singing "Sleigh Ride", suddenly a man, looking like a typical tourist with a camera hanging on his neck, stormed inside and asked for help. He said that his friend felt dizzy and all of a sudden fainted. They all quickly left the stage and went outside with the frightened man. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it seemed and it wasn't necessary to perform CPR. Soon the man came round, he didn't want anyone to call 911 and since he claimed he felt much better, both men said goodbye and quickly left for their hotel.

Magnum, together with his friends, went back inside and continued their singing. Soon after that, Kumu decided to call it a night and left to go home. TC followed her suit, explaining sadly that he had plenty of clients the next day so as a pilot he needed his sleep and since Shammy worked with him at the Island Hoppers as a mechanic, he went with him too.

Since almost all their friends were gone for the night, Thomas and Juliet settled at the bar while Rick busied himself with serving drinks to his clients. Sitting there, Magnum was observing Juliet talk to Rick and then laugh at something he said. Her laughter sounded so carefree. In their job as PIs she had to be focused and on alert due to different threats they sometimes got to face. It was necessary for her to be tough just like in her previous job as an MI6 agent. However, in those rare moments when they all went out to La Mariana or have a poker night at Robin's Nest's wine cellar, she could finally let her guard down and relax just like she really deserved it. He loved it when she seemed so happy then.

Well, he knew that he had some feelings for her, he realized that quite some time ago but he was doing everything to let them lie deep inside of him. Why was he fighting them? First of all, he knew that both of them had experienced a great feeling before and lost it – he with Hannah and Juliet with Richard and it was still painful for them, besides he didn't want to risk losing their partnership and most of all her friendship in case something between them went wrong. But there was one more thing preventing him from taking the first step, namely whenever he thought he was ready to risk everything and talk to her about his feelings, a sudden voice appeared in his head and it sounded as reasonable as only Higgins could be – Wait. How do you know if she feels the same about you? What if she doesn't?

And that was it. So no matter how courageous in combat Thomas Magnum had been, when it came to this woman, he sucked big time. He sighed in his thoughts, not seeing any good solution in that matter and without realizing it, he took a glass and drank the liquid inside in one gulp.

At that moment, Juliet stopped laughing as she noticed the change in her partner. First he was all jolly and now he seemed unusually quiet with a distant look on his face. She was also surprised at what he had just done.

"Penny for your thought." She said but obviously he was too far away with his mind to hear her.

She touched him gently on the arm. Her gesture finally caught his attention and his eyes focused on her.

"What? Did you say anything?"

"Magnum, are you all right? Apparently, you seem to be somewhere else."

He noticed she was really concerned and he felt so badly whenever she worried about him.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied. "I was just thinking." He added and quickly cursed himself for doing so because knowing her, he imagined what kind of question she was going to ask next and he guessed right.

"Well, Magnum, would you mind telling me what important thoughts occupy your mind?"

Now, that was a million dollar question and he felt he just couldn't give her the answer.

At once Juliet noticed a slight change in his face and his hesitation. "You know, you don't have to tell me if it's too personal, it's fine by me…" She said with caution, the last thing she wanted was to hurt him with her prying questions.

His well-being meant a lot to her. To tell the truth, she kept realizing that day after day Thomas Magnum was becoming more and more important to her, no matter what stupid or dangerous things he did. And although she was trying to deny this feeling with all her might, it just wouldn't go away. However, knowing from her experience of finding love at the workplace, she was afraid of giving it a go again because she knew that everything they've achieved so far – their partnership and friendship was at stake here. And Juliet Higgins knew how hard it was to lose someone you loved so she tried to avoid it and not complicate everything unnecessarily.

She was brought back to reality when she heard Magnum speak.

"No, it's okay." He was pondering fast how much he should tell her. "I was thinking about how time changed things since I came here and how those I met became so important to me."

Well, it wasn't actually a lie, it was partly true. Thomas was quite proud of himself that he managed to get away with this.

"Mhmm…" Juliet murmured, squinting her eyes at him, making him freeze for a moment.

She couldn't read his mind, could she? No, of course not but her scrutinizing look could surely suggest something like that.

"Actually, I'm of the same opinion. When I came here, I didn't have any friends. Frankly speaking, I was quite lonely, although after my previous job I should be used to that and then with the passing time I found so many of them – Kumu, Rick, TC, Shammy, Katsumoto, even Jin." She said, not breaking her eye contact with Thomas and evidently waiting for his reaction which happened quite fast.

At first, she recognized relief, which she wasn't quite sure why, and then surprise appeared. And that kind of reaction she expected.

"I think you forgot someone." Magnum suggested with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Oh yes. Thank you, Magnum. How could I forget about the lads? Zeus and Apollo became so close to me too."

"What? No, I didn't mean them."

"Did you mean anyone else? Who?" She asked, doing her best to keep her face straight.

"How about me? You named Jin and those two Cerberus dogs, and you forgot to mention me?" He said and there was something in his voice and his eyes that she started having regrets about coming up with something like that in the first place. Was he really hurt?

"Thomas, I was joking. You know I would name you at the top of my friends list, right?" When he didn't reply, she quickly added. "I'm really sorry if I hurt you."

After a few seconds of heavy silence, there came a reply. "Nah, I was joking too. I think I know you, partner." He stated and burst out laughing, leaving Juliet dumbfounded.

How was it possible? She couldn't believe that she fell for it so easily. Touché, she thought, he beat me at my own game. And then she joined him in his laughter.

Rick was mopping the floor after a client spilt his drink when he heard his two friends laughing and apparently having a great time. He stopped for a moment and glanced at them. To him it was so obvious that they belonged together, he saw it every time they were in the same room, whether they were arguing about a case or about Magnum getting another parking ticket. Lately, during the evenings when all of them met, Rick noticed Magnum steal a glance at Juliet when she wasn't looking and what's even more interesting, she did the same. That's when he got the idea to hook them together and then talked to TC, Shammy and Kumu. So now the plan was set into motion and it was up to Thomas and Juliet if they decided to act on it and follow their hearts. Rick sighed heavily, he really hoped they would choose right. He shook his head and got back to his work.

Meanwhile, both Juliet and Thomas finally controlled their laughter. Suddenly, the woman became quite serious.

"What you were thinking about must have been very important to you." She stated, surprising him.

"Yes, it was. Why do you think so?"

"Because it obviously occupied your mind so much that you drank my drink instead of yours." She said with a genuine smile on her face.

"What? No, that's impossible!" Magnum's eyes grew big when he looked at the counter and saw that his glass was still full and standing on the same spot he had put it on.

"Yes, it is." She told him, nodding her head and shaking the now empty glass. "But don't worry, it was taking me too long to drink it anyway."

"I'm so sorry, Higgy." He apologized sincerely and came up with an offer at once. "I'll buy you another one."

"Thank you but I've had enough of those and…" Juliet said and felt a sudden need to yawn so she covered her mouth with her hand, "I think I should head home now."

She got off the stool and turned to Magnum. "Are you coming or are you staying here a little longer?"

Thomas pondered for a moment. He wasn't that sleepy but the idea of paying for an Uber or walking to Robin's Nest at night didn't seem to be very appealing. However, he wasn't able to say a word as Rick spoke behind the bar.

"Go on, man. Don't even think about staying here and helping me clean this mess." He said sarcastically, while drying the glasses.

"Brother, I love you, I really do and you know I would do anything to help you but I need to be a real gentleman here and guide this lady home." Magnum replied while pointing to Higgins.

"What? I definitely don't need anyone to guide me home when I've got the Ferrari." She protested.

"I think you do. You just may not know it yet." Magnum said.

Juliet and Rick looked at each other at the same time. They both thought that it was Magnum's most stupid excuse for a free ride home. They shook their heads.

"I wish you paid your debts like a gentleman too." Rick told him.

"Don't worry. I can assure you that the moment I finally have some money, I'll remember about you." Magnum said with a smile and then turned to Juliet. "Shall we go?"

"Okay but I don't need your escort." She said under her breath and then turned to their friend. "Bye, Rick. It was a lovely evening."

"Yeah, bye, brother." Thomas added before they both left.

"Bye." Rick replied. He knew there was a very slim chance that Magnum would actually pay him back but he had a feeling that maybe there was a fair chance of something else, something much more important than all the money in the world – a chance of happiness which both Thomas and Juliet deserved. He just hoped that his gut feeling was right and they would finally notice what others around them could easily see. He breathed out heavily and finished cleaning the counter.

At the same time outside, the PIs walked to the car. Juliet went ahead and straight for the driver's door.

"Higgy, are you sure you wanna drive? I know you had only soft drinks tonight but you seem quite tired and sleepy." Thomas told her, "If you want, just say a word and I'll gladly take your place."

The woman didn't have to say anything, she just shot him a harsh look.

"All right," he raised his hands in surrender, "just don't tell me I didn't offer you that."

She opened the door and sat behind the wheel. Magnum hopped in.

"Remember to fasten your seatbelt." She said, glancing sideways and then she turned on the ignition and the ferrari's engine came to life with a loud roar.

Magnum shook his head. Nothing changes with this woman. He thought and buckled up.

For a moment, they sat there in perfect silence, the only sounds being those of the high-end sports car. But then the man felt he could try his luck again and ask Higgins the question one last time.

"So, Higgy, are you really sure, like a hundred per cent sure that you don't want to share with me who gets your Secret Santa gift?"

Juliet's eyebrows shot when she heard that and she looked at him briefly, at the same time trying to focus on the road.

"Magnum, are you kidding me? I thought you're finally over it." She tried to meet his eyes but he turned his head away from her and was looking through the window.

"I told you I won't tell you. Please, just stop asking this question." She stated and was waiting for his response, maybe another kind of persuasion or even an apology, anything but there was none. He didn't say anything else and remained silent for the rest of their ride.

Great, now he acts like an offended child. She thought and let out a deep breath. Sometimes Thomas Magnum acted like a 5 year old, but she had to admit that at other times, when the situation called for it, his need to help people and his dedication really made him look like a true hero. Those thoughts kept her mind occupied so much that she didn't realize they were being followed by a dark van. For a moment she even noticed the lights in the rearview mirror but then they soon disappeared.

The short ride over, Juliet stopped at the gate to open it with a remote control, drove inside and parked on the driveway.

"Okay, Magnum. We're home." She said and turned off the ignition.

She was totally surprised when he remained silent.

"Are you still upset with me?" She tried again but he still didn't respond and what's more, he didn't even move a bit.

"So much for a gentleman's escort." Juliet murmured. "Magnum?" Still nothing. "Magnum!" She raised her voice and shook his arm vigorously.

The man sat as before, completely deaf to all her trying. She got out of the car immediately and sprinted to the other side. She opened the passenger's door and saw that his eyes were closed.

"Thomas, are you all right?" She asked and moved closer to check his pulse. Luckily, the rhythm was steady but quite slow. She put her hand gently to his forehead and noticed that it was cold, in fact his whole body felt cold. Her warm touch finally made him come round as he moved his head and his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Mhmm…"

"Magnum, we're home. How are you feeling?" Juliet asked, visibly worried for her partner.

After a long moment, he finally replied, his voice sounding very weak and hoarse. "Dizzy. What… happened?"

It was evident that focusing on speaking was a problem for him.

"We were driving home talking and suddenly you turned away and felt silent. I thought you felt upset and just didn't want to continue our conversation." Juliet explained.

At once he shook his head. "No, I wasn't. You… were angry… with me. I'm sorry, Higgy." He apologized and finally was able to have his eyes opened for more than just a few seconds and he focused them on her.

"No, don't think about it right now." She said quietly.

"What's wrong with me?" He pondered.

Good question. Juliet thought.

"Honestly, I don't know." She replied.

"I didn't drink that much, did I?" He stated and she smiled a little.

"No, you didn't. Maybe it was something that you ate?" She suggested but she didn't quite believe it herself.

"Don't think so. Rick may not be a perfect cook but I trust him with my life. He's rather cautious when it comes to serving his customers. Besides, the others are okay."

"We don't know that yet. Once we're inside, I'll call and check on them." She said and hesitated for a moment. "There's just one thing we have to do now."

"What is it?" He asked, feeling that even speaking made him feel weak.

"We need to get you out of here. Do you feel you're up to this?"

He didn't answer her immediately and closed his eyes again so she got scared that he felt unconscious.

"Magnum, listen to me. I really need your help here. I won't do it by myself. Will you help me, please? You said you're a gentleman and right now I could use one." She tried to motivate him in every way possible.

It really worked as he gave a short, amused laugh.

"Why do you need a gentleman? We both know you're definitely not a typical damsel in distress." He spoke and opened his eyes, sending that cocky smile of his she loved so much but never admitted to it.

Juliet chucked at that. Even in such state Thomas Magnum remained his typical self.

"Thomas, you have to get out of the car and move inside. And although I went through different missions, I know I won't be able to carry you there. Okay?"

She heard him sigh. "Okay. I'll do my best, partner." He said and tried to push himself up and get out of the passenger's seat.

Although he put a lot of effort into it, if it wasn't for Higgins help, he would probably stay in the car for the night. Somehow she pushed him upright and he had to lean on her heavily as he felt that he definitely couldn't stand on his own. Step by step, they slowly made their way to the main house.

"We're not going to the guest house?" He asked.

"No, you're staying here tonight. We don't know what's wrong with you and I think you shouldn't be alone right now."

"You know what would Jin say to that?" Thomas said with a smile.

"No, Magnum and I don't want to know but I've got a feeling I'm going to find that out anyway." Juliet stated.

"He'd say you're doing this because you deeply care about me and I'm so irresistible that you subconsciously don't want to leave my side." He murmured and suddenly stumbled on the way to the nearest couch.

Luckily, Juliet managed to help him catch his balance again and escorted him there.

"In your dreams, Magnum. Honestly, I think you spend too much time with Jin." She stated and gently eased her friend into the coach, settling him there.

Not surprisingly, they were both exhausted by their short walk.

"Are you okay?" Juliet asked him.

"Yeah, never been better." He said with slight sarcasm. "I could ask you the same question." He added, seeing how she was standing there, panting for breath.

"I'm fine considering the fact that it wasn't me who had to be dragged here. Wait a moment, Magnum, I'll go and get something to cover you with. Then I'll make you something hot to drink." She stated and went to the study to pick up a blanket she left there the other day.

"Take your time. It's not like I'm going anywhere." He said under his breath.

His head felt so heavy. He wondered what was wrong with him but nothing really came to his mind. He was too tired to think, soon his eyelids started to shut and he fell asleep almost immediately, completely unaware of the fateful events that were about to happen and that could change everything.

Well, that was a little long for a first chapter, don't you think? Actually, that's one of the longest chapters I've ever written in all of my stories. I hope you didn't get bored and now you'll find the strength to share your thoughts with me.

I'm not sure when I'm going to post the next chapter as for now it's only partly written but I'll try to do it as soon as possible.

I wish you, my dear readers, all the best in this new year. May your days be filled with happiness, love, health and of course something good to read:) Bye.