Hello "Magnum PI" fans! It's actually three weeks till season 5. I can't wait! While waiting for Feb. 19, here's something you can occupy yourselves with:) Hope you like it.

Chapter 3

When the light went on, Juliet and Magnum dropped their hands they were still holding and covered their eyes, trying to shield them from the sudden brightness. Although the light was on, they still couldn't see much for some time. When her eyes finally grew accustomed to those conditions, Juliet dropped her hands and quickly looked at her partner, trying to estimate the state he was in.

First of all, he looked pale and didn't move to sit up which meant that the mysterious illness was still there. Apart from that, his face was bruised and as she figured out from his earlier reaction, his ribs must have suffered too.

On the other hand, Magnum had similar thoughts about her and despite not feeling very well, he wanted to make sure she was all right. Looking at her, he didn't notice any signs of the fight ending bad for her so he hoped she wasn't injured then.

"Thomas, how are you feeling?" Juliet asked, touching his cheek lovingly.

"Hey, I've already told you I'm…" He started saying but was interrupted when the door abruptly opened with a loud noise, startling them.

"Well, well, well. Look at you two. Isn't that sweet? How nice to see that you've finally woken up. It took you four hours to come round." Nick, the leader of the masked men, stated with a mocking smile on his face.

He stepped inside, the other two men were standing behind him.

"Who are you?" Juliet asked.

"That is something you don't really need to know." The man replied.

"What do you want from us?" This time it was Magnum who tried to get some answers. Slowly, he sat up, putting a lot of effort into it.

Nick looked at the PI and grinned. "Don't worry, you'll find that out soon. In the meantime, relax and take a rest. I see you need it right now, don't you think?"

Thomas didn't say anything, just didn't take his eyes off that man. They were both staring at each other for a long moment when Juliet spoke up.

"Can you untie us at least?"

Nick hesitated, weighing his options. He knew there was always a risk when those being held would want to take the opportunity to free themselves. However, in this situation with Magnum's current state, he wasn't any threat, it was his partner Nick was rather worried about. After taking everything into consideration, he decided to relieve their discomfort a little and agreed to Juliet's request.

He turned to Burt. "Go on, untie them. Start with her." He pointed to Higgins.

"Just don't do anything stupid." He warned her.

Burt approached her, already holding a knife in his hand. After what she had done to him, he wished he could use that weapon on her instead of cutting her lose.

Juliet tried to play calm but on the inside she was almost dancing with happiness. It may have been their only chance and she was very determined to seize the opportunity and promised herself that she would do everything she could to get them out of this alive. Therefore, she observed the man who came closer to her very carefully. Most of all, she noticed his vengeful look he sent her as soon as he crouched beside her. She had a feeling that meant nothing good. Then, very reluctantly he cut the rope that was around her wrists. She felt a great relief and at once she massaged her hands that went completely numb after so many hours of being tied.

For a moment there, the man was looking at what she was doing and then he moved to free her legs. As soon as he left his eyes off her face, she prepared herself for the attack and waited for the perfect moment. It seemed to her that time slowed down and everything happened like in slow motion. When the knife's blade finally touched the rope and cut it, she focused all her strength on her next move. In one swift motion, she used her leg to kick the man right in his groin.

Burt was utterly surprised. He never expected that she would attack him like that. Her sudden movement threw him away groaning in unbearable pain. He also dropped his knife, which was something Juliet was hoping for so she threw herself at it immediately, grabbed it and when she stood up, being prepared to fight the other two men, she stopped at the horrifying sight that greeted her.

The leader was standing there, holding a gun in his outstretched hand and pointing it at Magnum.

"I asked you nicely not to do anything stupid and you didn't listen. Now, he will suffer because of you." He told her, caught the PI and lifted him up. Thomas was barely standing on his legs and it was obvious that he was in much pain.

"No!" Juliet shouted. Her heart was racing wildly and she felt a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. She was terrified, she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to her partner because of her. She met his eyes for a short moment. Although pain reflected in them, she could also see something else there. She knew that right at this moment he didn't care about himself and that he would like her to try fighting those men but deep down in her heart she felt that she had no choice but to surrender and save his life.

"Then drop the knife or I'll shoot your boyfriend here." Nick said calmly. "Do it now!" He raised his voice when she seemed to be hesitating.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my partner and best friend." Juliet replied quietly and threw the knife which landed on the floor near Nick's feet.

"Good decision, Juliet. Can I call you that?" The man smiled at her. "Maybe you actually believe that but you know the saying – 'Actions speak louder than words'. We've been following you for a couple of days now and from what I've seen is that you really care about him." He stated and then dropped Magnum to the floor.

Thomas groaned at the sudden impact and the new wave of pain that arose after that. Juliet fell to her knees and sat by his side.

Nick crouched on the other side and cut the PI's ties. "Here you are." He said generously. "You know, I have to admit that I really admire you, Juliet, for your bravery and your will to fight." He added and then glanced at Burt who was still on the floor.

"Get up now. Let's leave them for the night."

Burt seemed like he didn't hear him, his face was showing pain and deep anger. He noticed the knife lying near him and grabbed it.

"I'll kill you." He whispered, looking straight at Juliet.

"Burt…" Nick warned him.

"I don't care what the boss said, I'll kill you." He said through gritted teeth and clenched his fingers on the knife's grip.

"Stop it right now!" Nick raised his voice, grabbed his hand with the sharp weapon and squeezed it so hard that he finally gave up.

Burt stood up, glanced at Higgins, sending her a death glare and then stormed out of the room.

"I apologize for him but what you did was quite painful, wouldn't you agree?" Nick said.

"Yes, well I intended it to be that way." Juliet replied politely and a wry grin crossed her face.

Nick smiled. "You're good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. I'll leave you two alone." He told them and went to the door but then suddenly turned. "I almost forgot – you were drugged with the newest high-end anesthetic. However, there may be some unpleasant side effects – namely excessive feeling of body coldness and quite painful headaches. You're probably already suffering from them. Especially you, Magnum since you got the double dose." He said, addressing Thomas. "But don't worry, it'll wear off eventually. I have something that may help you a little. Here." He stated and tossed them a thin blanket. "That mattress over there is to serve as a bed. Unfortunately, it's not very big. Plans change, you know. The light will go off in fifteen minutes. You may want to check your partner's injuries." He told Juliet. "Sleep well. We'll see tomorrow." That was all he said before he left, the heavy metal door was shut behind him and they were left alone.

Juliet looked at Magnum. "Thomas…" She whispered.

"Don't." He shook his head. "It's not your fault." She heard her own words she had used when comforting him not long ago.

"How are you feeling? And please tell me the truth this time." She stated.

He let out a deep breath because he knew he couldn't conceal his state anymore. "I still feel weak and my ribs hurt a bit." He said quietly. "But I'm sure it's nothing grave." He added quickly.

"You don't know that. Let's first see that. There's not much time left." Juliet said and moved to lift his shirt to check for herself. It's been bugging her since he had reacted that way.

As soon as his bare chest was revealed, she turned pale and drew in a sudden breath.

Magnum noticed the change in her face at once. "What is it?"

"Thomas, you're covered in bruises. It's definitely not 'nothing'." She murmured and very gently touched him there to check if the ribs weren't broken.

He gritted his teeth not to cry out in pain. After a moment, which to Magnum seemed like an eternity, she stopped and finally met his eyes.

"I'm sorry I inflicted you more pain but I had to do that. I don't think any of your ribs are broken but what you've got here doesn't look good and I'm sure it hurts like hell. It'll take a lot of time to heal. But what I worry about as much is the information that man gave us. Tell me honestly, have you got any of these side effects?"

"That coldness and headache?" The PI asked, trying to sound as much casual as he could. "Maybe a little." He shrugged his shoulders and unfortunately, right then another wave of cold hit him. This time it was even worse than before. In a split second he felt as if all his blood drained from his limbs and he thought he was going to start chattering his teeth. That was so strange. What's more, a splitting headache appeared too. He tried to fight all of that but he knew that it was a lost battle and soon he found out he was right.

Juliet didn't believe her partner one bit and when she saw he started shaking like he was sitting in a freezer, she knew she needed to take some action.

"Okay, stop those lies. Is it bad?"

He didn't say anything, just nodded his head.

"All right, let's get you on that mattress. Do you think you'll make it there?" She asked, hoping he still had enough energy to help her do that.

He glanced at the wall in the far corner of the room where the mattress was lying.

"Yeah." He replied so quietly she wasn't sure she heard him but he was already moving in that direction.

She hoped they'd make it before their kidnappers turn off the light. Her mind and her MI6 experience was telling her that since they haven't got much time, she should search the room and try to look for any possible way out of there but her heart was telling her that Magnum's well-being was much more important so she followed it.

They finally reached their destination and she helped him lie there slowly. She took the blanket that was left near them and draped it gently over her partner.

"Still cold?" She asked with deep concern and when he nodded in reply, she checked his forehead which was still icy cold. She thrown at that and put the thin cover up to his neck.

"I'm sorry, Thomas. I wish I had some cure and could help you somehow." She told him, her voice full of deep regret.

"Don't worry. It won't be that bad." He said quietly and noticed her feeble attempt at tiny smile.

"Do you think you'll manage to get some sleep? Are you comfortable enough?"

"Juliet, will you stop fussing over me? For all I know the side effects will pass and those bruises will heal…," he paused when he saw what kind of look she gave him, "…eventually." He let out a long breath.

Knowing his partner so well, Magnum was aware that it would be very hard to convince her not to worry about him.

"Higgy, what I mean is that considering how serious this situation is, you shouldn't focus on me, there are much more important issues, for example where we are and how we can get out of here."

But you are important to me, even more than my life. She thought, however she wasn't ready to say it out loud yet. Instead, she nodded her head. She knew what Magnum has just said sounded quite reasonable, it was so unlike him. He was always completely opposite – a passionate hothead, "first do then think", driving her crazy since day one. He really must have been desperate if he was using such arguments.

"All right but let me tell you that using your way of thinking, when we know how to get out of here, you'll definitely need your strength back either to fight our captors or to run for freedom so don't tell me to forget about your bad condition because your well-being is very important here." She stated and was surprised that her words left him speechless for a moment.

"So, coming back to the question – Do you think you'll manage to get some sleep now?"

"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a charming smile.

"Goodnight, Magnum." She said and rolled her eyes at him.

"Higgy, what do you think you're doing?" Thomas asked her.

"I'm going to sleep, we need to start fresh tomorrow. We don't know what those men's plans are for us." She replied, sitting on the floor, obviously planning on sleeping there.

"No way, you're not going to stay there for the whole night." He knew it was a very bad idea, especially with that coldness she would soon be feeling, if she wasn't suffering from it already.

"Magnum, I'll be fine."

"No." He stated. "You see, I think your well-being is as much important as mine." He said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Magnum, are you kidding me? I won't let you sleep on the floor with all your injuries."

"Then join me here."

Now she was completely dumbfounded by his offer.

"Magnum, can't you see this mattress is for one person only?"

"No, if I move a bit, there will be plenty of room." He said. "See? It'll fit us both. It's as wide as a couch."

She stared at him with disbelief. That was for sure one of his craziest ideas. She could tell that if she agreed to it, he would feel uncomfortable due to his aching ribs, with two people on such small surface.

Thomas noticed her long hesitation which would mean only one thing – that she was to decline his offer so he decided to use reason as his last resort.

"Come on, Higgy. You'll see it's not that bad as it seems." He stated and then he took the risk and added quietly. "Besides, I could really use some body heat right now."

He didn't even have to put much acting into it as he looked pale and his shaking, after a short break, came back, this time even stronger and with double force.

The moment she heard those words, she knew she had no choice but to agree to it, although she was aware that he was doing this for her rather than for himself.

"All right. You've won but that was quite low." She said, squinting her eyes at him. She would have probably hesitated longer but then the first real wave of cold hit her. She shifted closer, trying to lie down on a narrow part of the mattress.

He grinned at her. "I know but it worked, right?"

She just sighed heavily but didn't respond to that. As a careful observer, Magnum noticed that she settled down in a way that she was partly lying on the floor anyway.

"Hey, no cheating. Luckily, my eyes haven't been injured and I can see that you don't occupy the whole place that's been offered to you." He said and she moved a little.

"C'mere. I won't bite you, I promise." He added with a friendly grin and an inviting gesture.

He practically helped her to lie in his arms and she finally lay close to him, being extremely cautious not to hurt him. At that time the light went off, meaning those fifteen minutes they were given have already passed.

"Sweet dreams!" They heard a muffled shout followed by a sudden loud bang on the metal door and a creepy laugh slowly fading once the man walked away.

"And we're blind again. It was nice of him though, don't you think?" Magnum stated, suddenly making Juliet burst out laughing. As soon as he joined her, the pain returned and he hissed involuntarily.

She instantly felt something wasn't right. "Are you okay? How are your ribs?" She asked quietly.

"I'll live. The pain is bearable as long as I'm not laughing."

"I'll remember not to make you laugh." Juliet declared.

"Thanks. What about you, Higgy? Any feeling of cold or headache?" He asked with care.

"Actually, to tell the truth… I think the first wave may have just hit me." She replied weakly and her whole body shivered. She said that very reluctantly as she wasn't used to reveal her weaknesses.

"Let's take care of that, okay?" Magnum said, pulling her closer and covering her with part of the blanket.

"Now, is it better?" He asked softly.

Juliet smiled and nodded her head. "Yes. Thank you, Thomas."

"Anytime, partner." He replied and somehow she had a feeling he was smiling too.

"Let's get some sleep now. Something tells me we'll need our heads sharp and clear tomorrow." Magnum whispered.

"Goodnight, Thomas." She said, closing her eyes and falling asleep almost instantly feeling his warm embrace.

"Goodnight, Juliet." He murmured.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky and for a long time he couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts were what was keeping him up, he surrendered to them, going back and analyzing all the events of the whole day, one by one. Finally, after some time his eyelids became heavy and since it was pitch dark in the room, he didn't even notice when his tired body made him give in and succumb to sleep.

Want to know where they are and what happens to our favorite PIs? Come back Feb. 12, just one week before the new episode. Thanks for reading, a special thank you goes to Guest, Golia and brbl56 for their reviews. Feel free to give any comment.