Hello Magnum P.I. fans! How are you doing? I hope you have some free time because today you're getting quite a lot to read. I just hope you won't get bored:) So make a cup of good tea, coffee or anything else you like, make yourself comfortable and have a nice reading.

Chapter 16

Luckily, the rest of the day was uneventful. They didn't get anything to eat for lunch. However, to Juliet a much more important thing than having no food, was the fact that Burt didn't visit them. She was afraid that once he heard about Magnum trying to escape and attacking one of the kidnappers, Burt would burst here at once and try to kill her partner. And she swore that no matter what, she wouldn't let that happen.

Juliet let out a breath of relief when quite late in the evening the door opened and it was Nick who stood there.

"I've brought you some food." The man stated and put the tray down near the door.

"You've came alone. Where are your friends?" Thomas asked with a cocky grin but one look at Nick's face and he was sure something must have happened and he had a feeling it wasn't anything pleasant.

"They aren't my friends." Nick snorted angrily. "They're just soldiers under my command."

There was something in his voice that caught the PI's attention. Was it a feeling of loneliness or was he just imagining things? He shook his head, trying to focus on what the man was telling them.

"You know, when Burt came back and found out what had happened… Let me just say he wasn't very happy about it."

"I guess he really wanted to come here and talk to me." Thomas said with sarcasm.

"Indeed, Mr. Magnum. You're absolutely right." Nick agreed.

"And you talked him out of it."

Nick smiled bitterly at that. "Well, you may say that if you consider getting quite physical a way of persuading someone not to come in contact with both of you for the time being."

Thomas and Juliet looked at him quite surprised. Nick's words and actions seemed to become more… human and that was something completely unlike how a typical kidnapper would act. To tell the truth, they didn't know what to think about it. Their eyes met for a brief moment, it was as if they knew what the other was thinking, no words were needed. Then they turned back to Nick.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be much long now. Have a good night." Nick stated and he disappeared behind the door.

"Is it just me or he's acting weird?" Juliet spoke and gazed at her partner who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Magnum, are you all right?" She asked and gently touched his arm.

It took a few seconds before he looked at her and responded. "Yeah, I've just had the same thought."

"You know what they say – great minds think alike." Higgins said and sent him a radiant smile.

A small grin appeared on his face however she felt somehow that it wasn't quite cheery.

"Do you think it's just an act? I wonder if he's doing the whole thing on purpose to lull us and prevent us from escaping from here." Juliet said.

Magnum shrugged. "I don't know. You may be right although when he mentioned the fact that he had lost someone he cared about, I had a feeling he was telling the truth."

"Yes, it was quite touching, I must say." Juliet said.

Especially when he gave Magnum the advice concerning me. She thought but didn't say that out loud.

At that moment Thomas gazed at her and the look of intensity in his eyes told her there was every likelihood that he was remembering the same thing.

She swallowed hard and when she felt the heat flooding her cheeks, she hoped her partner wouldn't notice that so she started speaking without meeting his eyes. "I guess, we'll see that but we'd better be careful when it comes to that man. Kidnappers shouldn't be trusted. No matter how trustworthy they seem."

Magnum smiled inwardly. Being a good PI he was, he instantly saw the sudden change in Higgins and her cute rosy cheeks were a clear evidence of her thoughts. However, he didn't make a comment on it because he didn't want to embarrass his partner even more.

Instead, he spoke, "Let's eat the food, shall we? I'm starving. What about you?"

Juliet finally found the courage to gaze at Thomas and her face was lit by a grateful smile.

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad we were given anything at all. I feared that they would let us starve to death."

Magnum laughed not only at her words but also because he was happy at the fact that she visibly relaxed, her nervousness long gone.

They ate in comfortable silence and then lied down together. Although they tried hard, sleep just wasn't coming. Magnum's thoughts kept coming back to that day's events, namely his unsuccessful attempt at escaping. He was still blaming himself for failing and jeopardizing their chance of going back home.

At the same time Higgins' mind was flooded with growing fear for her partner's life. She couldn't stop thinking about that moment when the men brought him in unconscious, making her fear the worst.

After what seemed like hours, the partners' bodies and minds relaxed and sleep finally overtook them.

The next day came and to Thomas and Juliet it seemed like it came and gone. Actually nothing happened then and it was the first day when no heartbreaking events took place – which meant mostly that Magnum wasn't involved in any fight and he was safe for the time being which meant a lot to Juliet.

During the whole day they saw only Nick who brought them food. He surprised them even more than before as he was becoming less and less talkative with every visit. In the end he didn't even react to Magnum's wry words the way he used to. He seemed to be focused on something else.

In the evening Nick came in as usual with their dinner. He looked upset and quite nervous. Both Thomas and Juliet wondered what was on his mind and what was happening behind that metal door.

"Wow." Magnum said when he noticed what they got this time. "Two candy bars. I wonder what you'll bring us for dessert tomorrow. A chocolate cake perhaps?"

Nick met his eyes and sent him a sharp look. "I wouldn't count on it." He said under his breath.

"That's a shame cause you know, if you worked on the menu and improve the standard of accommodation, you could open a hotel in this place. I'm sure people… would line up in queues… to get here."

"Magnum, what is it?" Juliet asked her partner as soon as she noticed he was acting strange.

"Shh… Do you hear that?" He told her and suddenly stood up from the mattress.

For a moment there, he was looking like a madman when he started walking around the room, pricking his ears to hear this mysterious sound.

The woman stood up too and shook her head. "I can't hear anything." She whispered but Thomas kept listening.

"Magnum…" She said and gently touched his arm.

"There it is again." He stated and quickly moved toward the wall Juliet had climbed the previous day. He looked up.

At that second, she thought she actually heard something. At first it was a distant thrumming sound, not very recognizable but then as it was getting closer, it changed into a more of a beating sound.

The PI smiled and glanced at her. "Higgy, I know what that is. I could recognize it anywhere – it's a chopper."

"Do you think it's TC?" Higgins asked him quietly, her voice full of hope.

Right then Nick stepped in. "Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you. It's definitely not your friend."

"So who is it?" Juliet asked.

"It's my boss. He came a bit earlier than I'd thought, something must have happened."

His reply made her start feeling fear for her partner's fate, however she decided not to show it neither to Nick nor to Magnum. She was snapped out of her reverie by Thomas' words.

"Great. We'll finally meet this mysterious man. I wonder who he is and what he wants."

Nick looked at him and sighed. "If I were you, I wouldn't be so eager to meet him. Remember that you weren't included in his plan."

"Right," Magnum agreed reluctantly but then he added, "but I'm optimistic. I'm sure your boss and I will work something out." While saying that he locked eyes with his partner who seemed not to be very convinced about that.

"You can believe in whatever you want but we both know the highly probable thing that may happen here and I guess it won't be pleasant." Nick stated, making Juliet's face pale visibly.

"Have a good night." The man said quietly and with the last look at the pair, he went out and closed the door.

Luckily, he didn't turn off the light right away. For a very long moment, silence fell between the partners as they were processing the information they had just been given. Higgins started pacing the floor nervously, moving away from Thomas. Soon the man heard her talking to herself.

"There's only one thing to do, we have to escape right now."

"Higgy…" Magnum spoke in a low voice.

"I can pretend something happened to me and once they come inside, we can attack them." She kept saying.

"Higgy…" Thomas tried again but she acted as if she hadn't heard him. She was so focused on planning their sudden escape that she didn't notice when her partner approached her and stood behind her.

"Juliet, please stop." He spoke softly and very gently touched her arm so as not to scare her.

The moment she felt his warm hand, she froze and after a few seconds spun around, not meeting his eyes.

"Wait for a moment." He told her. "We both know that at this time it's no use trying to escape – we stand no chance against the kidnappers, especially now that the boss arrived cause I don't think he would come here alone. Which means it's very likely that he's got a couple of armed men with him."

He noticed that she still wasn't looking at him so he carefully lifted her chin. "Hey. Higgy, look at me. Tell me, what's wrong?"

Finally, she gazed at him and what he saw in her eyes, made his heart stop.

"We have to escape right now." She whispered almost inaudibly.

"Why?" Thomas asked wondering why knowing about their very slim chances at success, she was willing to risk her life.

She remained silent for a long moment before she replied, "Because I can't let them hurt you." She dropped her gaze again and then added even quieter, "I can't lose you, Magnum."

Having heard her confession, he went speechless. She would risk everything just to save his life. To tell the truth, he was ready for a similar sacrifice when it came to saving her life.

Thomas smiled a bit. "Oh, Higgy. C'mere." He told her and gently drew her close.

Without hesitation Juliet let him envelop her in a hug and soon she was clinging to her partner as if her life depended on it and as if she was afraid that should she let him go, he would disappear.

"Don't worry. You won't lose me. I'm not going anywhere." He said softly while slowly caressing her back.

"How can you be so sure?" He heard her murmur, still holding him tight.

He sighed. That was a difficult question. Taking their tough situation into account, nothing was really sure. The kidnappers could come here with their guns anytime and kill him on the spot. And as for the boss, Magnum had no idea who that man was and what his plans were. It was a great unknown when it came to his decision concerning the PI who shouldn't be there in the first place. So far Thomas was lucky – the kidnappers didn't kill him at Robin's Nest although they could easily do it by taking advantage of his weakness after having that drink or later when they were brought here.

He just hoped that luck would stay with him and after all they would manage to escape somehow. He didn't answer Juliet's question right away, he moved to the mattress and helped her lie down.

"Listen, I know it looks really bad and we can't be sure of anything right now but there's one thing you can be sure about." He said.

"What is it?" She looked at him and asked, curious about his answer.

"I won't stop until I'll find a way for us to go home."

"And you'll try not to get yourself killed in the process." Higgins added at once.

He chuckled at that.

"Promise?" It was evident she wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"Okay." Magnum said between laughs. "I promise."

"Good." She stated and felt as if a heavy burden was lifted off her chest.

"Now, it's my turn. Can you promise me one thing?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Promise me that you'll have some sleep now." He told her.

"I promise." She replied and smiled.

At that moment the light finally went off.

"They have perfect timing, don't you think?" Magnum stated and Juliet giggled.

Then both partners fell into comfortable silence. Just as Magnum thought his partner fell asleep, he heard her speak quietly.

"Thomas, how did you do it?"

His first thought was that he was already dreaming or simply imagining things. He didn't know what was on her mind but it must have been something important since it prevented her from resting.

"Hmm?"

"How did you manage to survive in that camp where you were held? You know, Rick once told me a little about it during Amanda Sako case when we were out there, trying to find that spot she was being held in."

Yes, he remembered that day perfectly. He sympathized with the girl at once because he knew firsthand how hard it was when someone was holding you against your will and constantly threatening to hurt you or what's even worse to kill you. That was something no one should ever go through. Magnum didn't know how much Rick had told her then but he felt that an honest answer was the only option here. His partner certainly deserved it.

He sighed deeply. "When we were captured by the Taliban, the first thing I felt was fear but it wasn't fear for me but for my friends' lives." He said and then added very quietly. "And there was also fear that I may never see Hannah again."

After that he fell silent. It was evident that talking about this, was still really painful for him.

"I'm sorry for asking about that, Magnum." Juliet apologized and gently placed her hand on his chest, over his steadily beating heart. "I should have known it would bring back those painful memories and you definitely don't need them right now."

"No, don't be sorry. It's a part of my life and it's no use trying to avoid it." He replied.

"But you don't have to talk about it. I shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place." She murmured.

Thomas wished the light was still on and he could see Higgins' face. Her voice was full of deep regret and he of all people knew perfectly well what it felt like. The feeling was quite familiar to him therefore he wanted to spare her this unpleasant experience.

"Hey, I told you not to be sorry. And as for bringing back the memories, it's not you to blame but rather this place or our kidnapping."

"Which happened because of me." He heard her say quietly, even more remorse sounding in her voice.

"Higgy, we've already talked about it – it's not your fault. Besides, it was you who said that we should stop apologizing here." He tried to reason with her.

She didn't say anything at that but at the same moment a small shy grin appeared on her face.

"Now, that's much better when you smile." He stated which really surprised her.

"Magnum, how did you know I was smiling?" She asked, wondering if he could see in the darkness better than she did.

"Because I know you quite well." He told her truthfully without any hesitation. "I don't want to sound boastful but many people say I'm an excellent private investigator, you know? I can easily predict your reactions." He stated and she could bet he was smiling when saying that.

"Oh, really? I wonder if being such a good PI, you would predict something like this." She replied and moved up propping on her elbow.

Then she found his face in this vast darkness and placed her palm in his cheek. She knew that with the light on, it would be easier but she decided that the absence of light wouldn't stop her from teasing the great PI. Magnum swallowed hard. Although he couldn't see her, her sudden delicate touch made his heart skip a bit.

Meanwhile, Juliet moved her head closer and wanting to prolong this moment, she hovered over her partner for a few more seconds before she let her lips touch his in the softest and most gentle kiss he had ever experienced. It was so light and sensible, it seemed like a touch of a butterfly's wings. Just as Thomas started to respond to her sensual caress, she broke the kiss and withdrew, obviously leaving him with a sense of disappointment.

Then she murmured softly. "Now, tell me – what can you say about that response?" She smiled winningly and waited for his answer.

"Wow." At first that was all he said and then he added, "I must admit that I wasn't expecting something like that, for sure." He chuckled but then his tone grew more serious. "That was incredible. I've never felt something like that before."

Magnum wouldn't be himself if he didn't add playfully. "I definitely wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Magnum!" Juliet hissed and smacked him lightly on his arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" He protested weakly between laughs.

"Oh, you know it perfectly well." She replied. "Now, I can guess what you're doing now."

"Really? Tell me, please." Magnum stated, playing along.

"You're smiling like a Cheshire cat."

"I could never understand why you British use that thing so often."

"It's an idiom, Magnum and it's quite popular. I guess I just like the sound of it. When I was a young girl, I loved reading 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. It seemed like whenever I was reading that book, I was being transferred to a colorful and crazy world without all those everyday problems and dark days." She told him and finally laid her head next to him. He instantly drew her closer and they stayed like that in comfortable silence.

Juliet has already started drifting to sleep when Thomas suddenly spoke up. "We had each other."

His voice was so faint that she wasn't quite sure whether he had said anything or it was just a dream.

"Huh?" Now her reaction resembled his from a moment ago.

"I've just realized that you didn't get the answer to your question. So here it is – I wouldhave never survived that hellish place without my friends or I should rather call them brothers. Rick, TC and Nuzo helped me not only physically, taking care of my numerous wounds but also they didn't let me lose myself in the darkness. They saved me, Higgy. When I realized Hannah had betrayed us, I went through a shock. As a soldier, being captured by the enemy was hard for me but finding out that the woman I loved and wanted to marry, turned out to be someone who was capable of such a thing… it just broke my heart. It was too much for me." He told her and for the first time he was glad they were surrounded by total darkness and his partner wouldn't see a lonely tear escaping his eye.

It took him a few seconds before he continued. "I guess if it wasn't for those men, I'm not sure you would be talking to me right now. Every day each one of them wasn't letting me give up on myself. They helped me realize that although I felt betrayed and so empty, it was still worth living. So one day in that camp in Korengal, it came to me that my misery wasn't worth it and I completely changed my way of thinking. I finally started listening to Rick, TC and Nuzo. I was so lucky to be there with them. They saw me in my weakest time and they saved me so I decided then that I was going to do everything in my might to save them and get us out of there."

"And as I recall correctly, you said you did."

"Oh, you remember my conversation with Amanda."

"Yes and I remember that you paid the price for constantly messing with the guards and then being held in the solitary quite often for a long stretches of time." She pointed out.

"Yes but the most important thing is we survived that awful time and managed to escape because we had each other and no matter how hard it got, we knew that we weren't alone." Magnum said.

"Thomas, you're not alone here either." Higgins whispered and he felt her loving caress on his face. "I'm here with you and for you. I'm sure we'll get through this… together."

He smiled at her words and reveled in her soft, delicate touch.

"Thank you, Juliet."

"You're welcome." She murmured, snuggling closer to him.

He knew that now he could finally forget about the place they were currently in, at least for the time being, and let his body relax, quickly falling into much needed sleep.

How do you feel about it? You know you can always write a word or two. It's a great thing for a writer to get readers' feedback. So don't hesitate to do it, it won't take long;) For the next two chapters we're going to stick to the rescue team to see if they're any closer to finding their friends. See you next time.