Hi. I'm so glad to be here again. Sorry it took me longer to publish a new chapter - like I said last time a lot of work before Christmas and then my sudden illness prevented me from doing it. But I'm back here - exactly one year after the first publication of this story. I hope you still like reading it and you'll stay with me:) Now, have a nice time with the new chapter.

Chapter 27

They walked quietly through a long corridor, their guns ready to use, checking every room they were passing by. So far they found no one. However, there was a strong indication that someone was here not long ago – they saw a couple of plastic water bottles and some leftovers lying on the filthy floor. They moved on and soon came across a metal door.

Katsumoto still had hope of finding his friends even though what he had just seen told him something completely different. What happened next seemed to be in slow motion – the fully armed SWAT team storming through the door, filling the room with the numerous beams of their rifles' tactical flashlights. It looked quite eerie.

The moment Gordon entered the room, one of the police officers turned on the light and they could finally see what there was or rather what wasn't. The room was practically empty except for a small mattress placed on the floor in the corner. He felt such intense disappointment, it was as if his chest was being crushed. No, it couldn't be happening. He had a feeling they were on to something, that Magnum and Higgins would be waiting for them on the other side of that door but it wasn't happening. He was really devastated. Then he thought that the worst thing would be to tell his friends, who were waiting outside with so much hope, that he failed, that he didn't bring them back. And then he noticed two bottles, one of them was empty, the other still had some liquid inside. He slowly approached it, took out a nitrile glove from his pocket and crouched down to gently pick it up and give it later to the technicians.

Although he didn't find his friends, he couldn't give up yet and decided to sweep the whole place one more time. Predictably, it didn't change anything and beside those water bottles, there were no clues at all. Gordon knew that was it and no matter how long he stalled, he would have to face his friends and share this awful news with them. He took a deep breath before stepping out of the bunker and into the light.

The first thing he noticed was Kumu, Rick and TC standing still in the same spot he had left them not long ago. The looks of hope they were so evidently wearing on their faces, made the words he was going to use even harder to utter. Slowly, he walked in their direction, his eyes never leaving theirs.

One look at Katsumoto and Kumu was hit with a strong feeling that he wouldn't have anything good to say. The way he moved at this moment, not as surely of himself as he usually did, as well as his serious face and pursed lips, made her think that the information he had wasn't pleasant. Her imagination instantly started to run wild, flooding the poor woman with different pictures, like Gordon saying that something awful had happened to Thomas and Juliet and they would never see them again. Those words would break her heart.

Kumu, Rick and TC held their breaths when the detective finally approached them.

"Guys, I need to tell you something." Katsumoto started but suddenly stopped, trying to find the appropriate words.

"What is it, man?" Rick asked with fear. If their friend had problems with expressing himself, it could mean only one thing – the situation was serious, even more than it already was.

"Well,… Magnum and Higgins, they're…"

"Don't." Kumu suddenly spoke up, startling the men.

"What?" Gordon asked really surprised.

"Kumu, is everything all right?" TC noticed that she visibly paled.

She started shaking her head. "Please, don't say they're… gone." She whispered and her eyes filled with tears at once.

"But… they are gone." Katsumoto said without thinking and instantly wished he had used other words, looking back at the reaction of his friends who gasped and froze.

"No," he quickly tried to explain, "I mean yes, they're gone but not in the final sense."

"What? What do you mean by that?" Rick asked.

"What I'm trying to say is that they aren't inside. We explored the whole area thoroughly, no one is there." He said and hung his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Gordie, it's not your fault. Do you think TM and Higgy were here?"

"Well, to me it seems to be the place where they were being held. We found a mattress and some water bottles but of course it's nothing sure until everything is checked by the technicians." The detective replied.

"I guess that once again we're going to sit on the waiting bench." TC muttered to himself and all friends nodded at that, being aware of the fact that time wasn't on their side and again they felt that nasty feeling of utter helplessness.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the island.

Silence. Deathly silence. That was Juliet's first thought at that very moment. Another thing she had noticed was the feeling of icy coldness engulfing her body. She felt as if she was being held in a kind of a cocoon, making her unable to see or hear anything from the outside world. Her limbs seemed so heavy she didn't have the strength to even lift a finger, let alone open her eyes. Although it may have looked like a time of tranquility and some people would use it to relax, Juliet felt uneasy and strange. Somehow she knew it wasn't right and something wrong was going on with her. She just didn't know what.

She was trying to gather her thoughts when suddenly she sensed that she could move her fingers – she opened them and then closed, making a fist. She had a strange sensation of hundreds of tiny needles sticking in her body, starting in fingers and toes, and moving upwards, spreading everywhere. It was a lot like that feeling when your leg has fallen asleep – at first you don't feel it at all and then you're greeted with a painful tingling.

Juliet was slowly waking up and with each passing second, her body was finally coming back to normal functioning. What instantly came to her mind was that she was lying on something soft and very comfortable, it was definitely a bed. She snuggled deeper in the freshly smelling pillow and sighed with contentment. She was finally home and she felt like she had just woken up from a bad dream. She stretched lazily and considered staying in bed a bit longer but in the end she decided that she would get up.

Her hand went to the bedside table to get her phone and check the time but to her surprise she didn't find it. It obviously wasn't there and that was the place where she always left it. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was met with a very unfamiliar view. It was a bit dark and her body felt weak but even without getting up, she could easily make out the expensive pieces of furniture and all the decorations that made this room look quite posh.

What's happening? Where am I and how did I get here? Those questions bombarded Juliet's mind at once.

Her mind was empty. She tried to focus on thinking but failed. She tried not to panic and remain calm but that feeling was getting stronger. She took a few deep breaths to put it aside. When it seemed to help and she finally started to feel better, something came to her. Vivid pictures flashed before her eyes, it was as if someone was showing her a movie. It was the evening in La Mariana with her friends gathered there, having good fun just before Christmas and then she was back at home but instead of feeling peaceful and relaxed, she was surprised by a sudden pain inflicted by an unknown assailant. She was fighting as hard as she could but it just wouldn't stop and then she finally gave up and a sudden blackness surrounded her. The next picture she saw was the thing that shook her to the core – it was her partner dying on the floor.

And suddenly, it all came back to her. It was as if the gate to her memory had been unlocked in a mysterious way and she was aware of all the things that had happened to them both since that evening in La Mariana.

At this moment Juliet Higgins somehow found enormous strength and managed to sit up.

"Magnum!" She cried out and started to look around frantically. She was terrified at the thought that something could have happened to him.

Luckily, she didn't have to look for him for very long because it turned out that he was on the other side of the same king-size bed she had just woken up on. She let out a deep breath of relief and moved closer to him. He was lying on his side, facing away from her so she wasn't sure if he was okay. Very gently, she turned him over to his back and quickly checked for his vitals. For a moment there, she froze when she tried to see if he was breathing. She still had in mind that terrifying picture of Magnum being choked by the man that turned up so suddenly and then her trying to bring Thomas' lifeless body back to life.

This time, however, he was breathing and although his pulse wasn't very fast, it was there and she was glad CPR wouldn't be needed like before.

"Magnum." She murmured and gently shook his arms.

She waited, hoping for any kind of reaction, even a small one but there was none. Juliet gently caressed his cheek and bent to whisper softly to his ear.

"Thomas, please wake up. I really need you here."

She kept doing that for a long moment before her partner finally started moving, first his hand and arm, then his head which made Higgins utterly happy. However, her happiness didn't last long as she suddenly noticed something wasn't right. At first, she thought that she had been imagining things but now she could clearly see that Magnum's body was shaking more violently with each passing second. Was he having a seizure? Was he badly hurt? She was terrified. What was happening to him?

"Magnum, open your eyes."

Maybe it was the fact that her tone of voice suddenly changed and became more urgent with a hint of fright that made the man finally open his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and then he saw Juliet. She met his gaze and smiled with deep relief. She studied his face carefully, trying to vaguely estimate his state – he seemed groggy and she wasn't really sure if he knew what was happening around him.

"Thomas, can you hear me?" She asked full of fear.

A few seconds had passed before he replied with nodding his head.

"How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"N…no…" His quiet response came out. "No… Nothing more… than before." He finished through his chattering teeth. "Cold."

She was glad he was conscious and now she knew he wasn't having a seizure. He said that in such a weak voice she almost didn't hear him. Without any hesitation she lay down, snuggling to him, trying to share as much body warmth as possible to help him. She also covered both of them with a blanket. Although she felt slightly cold too but it wasn't as terrible as Magnum experiencing it. She rubbed her partner's arms to make his blood circulate better and reach his hands faster. It took long minutes before it started working.

The violent shivers finally ceased and soon Juliet heard Magnum whisper.

"What happened, Higgy?"

She smiled as she knew it was a sign that he was slowly getting better.

"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember is that Nick came and started talking about how he had become a military and then joined the other side. Everything after that remains blurred and I can't recall anything else. What about you? Any memories?"

"Nope." Magnum stated. "The most possible explanation is that we were drugged again."

"Yeah." Juliet agreed and then quickly added. "The water."

"And I started to warm up to Nick. I know I shouldn't have and despite my experience I thought there was something to the man that indicated that he just wasn't like the rest of those kidnappers. Now, I feel like a fool." He told her, shame evident in his voice.

"Hey, don't say that!" Juliet protested at once and propped on her elbow to meet her partner's eyes. "Thomas, you're not a fool. I know you and what charmed me about you was that you had a special trait, this special gift."

When she noticed his quizzical look, she explained. "You're good at reading people and your gut was telling you right. So if you feel that there's something good in Nick, it's probably true. Just trust yourself."

He gave her a grateful smile. "It's good to hear that you think I'm charming."

"Now, you're trying to turn this around on me, I said your trait of character charmed me." Juliet replied, gladly taking part in their playful banter.

"Since my trait charmed you, so it's me that charmed you, ergo I'm charming." He stated.

Now he was acting like his usual self, this was Magnum she loved so much.

Juliet chuckled at his words and shook her head. "I'm glad you're better now." She said and suddenly bent her head and gave him a quick sweet kiss on the lips.

This gesture of hers completely surprised him but it definitely made his blood rush in his veins. Was it just his imagination or has it just become extremely hot in the room? It was still hard to believe that such a small touch could be so powerful yet so gentle. He instantly felt the need to feel her soft lips against his.

"Sorry for doing that. I couldn't resist it." Higgins told him quietly and although there wasn't much light in the room, he could swear she was blushing then.

He waited no longer and moved himself up to capture her lips in a passionate kiss that lasted much longer than the previous one. When it ended, Magnum dropped back on the pillow, panting heavily like he had just finished running a marathon. It was obvious he was still weak and his strength didn't come back.

"Magnum, are you okay?" Juliet asked him with deep concern.

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I'm fine and don't be sorry. I really missed the feeling of your lips, you know?"

If she could get any redder, her cheeks would become crimson red at the time.

"Mhm, I think you felt it quite recently when you stopped breathing." She started saying it lightly but then when she recalled that grave situation, she instantly became serious.

"That one was a kiss of life and I must tell you that I'm very grateful for that." He replied.

"I'm grateful you're okay."

Thomas smiled at her and then he added. "Now that we know we were given drugged water, the question is: where are we and what is this place?"

"Well…" Juliet said and sat up to look around. "I don't know but I must admit this bed is much more comfortable than the previous one and it's quite fancy in here, it's almost like a hotel or at least a fine guest house."

"What are we waiting for? Let's see this place, shall we?" The man replied and sat up too.

"Whoa, Magnum, wait. You could barely open your eyes just a moment ago. Are you sure you're up for this? I can do this myself." The woman stated, obviously worried about her partner.

"Yes, I'm fine, Higgy." Thomas answered her and quickly decided to change the subject. "We'd better do the recon till we can and till no one is here."

Juliet thought for a short while. She knew he was right and that his idea was very reasonable considering their situation but on the other hand she was deeply concerned about Magnum's well-being and she was afraid that moving around when he seemed so weak would aggravate his injuries and could cause too much risk.

Finally, with a heavy heart, the woman sighed and said, "Okay, Magnum, but as soon as you feel it's too much for you, tell me about it and I'll get you back to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied and grinned mischievously at her. "I'll do whatever it takes to please you."

"I seriously doubt that." Higgins murmured and then she added with a tone of defeat in her voice. "Come on, partner. If you want to tour this room, why don't we start at once and see if there's any possibly to set ourselves free and get out of this place?"

He nodded at her and raised heavily up from the bed. Seeing that, Juliet knew that it couldn't mean anything good. But she also knew how stubborn that man next to her could be and after those years that she had known him, she learnt that when it came to his health and ability to work, it was no use fighting him.

When Thomas finally stood up next to the bed, he realized that she remained sitting so he looked her way and found her engrossed deeply in her thoughts.

"Higgy, are you coming?" He asked and his voice brought her back to reality.

She met his eyes, then gave him an apologetic smile and soon joined him. Working as PIs, when on a case, they usually moved around a suspect's house or another place quite swiftly, not wasting any precious time on some irrelevant things when they had to find some evidence or any other leads. This time, however, their aim was to find any possible way of getting out of there safely and beside that, Magnum had a real problem with his mobility.

The first thing they tried was the door. The fact that it was locked was no surprise at all and both Magnum and Higgins knew there was a strong possibility of that. Standing at the door, they tried to hear any sounds coming from the house but unfortunately there were none. Then they went to check whether there was any possibility that they could use one of the windows to escape, however, soon it turned out that planning the escape this way would be no more than a waste of time. There were several metal bars installed in each window and it was evident that neither Magnum nor Higgins could force them or squeeze in between them so they had to cross that one out.

When they looked through the window, although it was getting dark, they easily noticed that this time they weren't in the middle of a wild rainforest but it was a more civilized area. The house they were being held in now was probably a villa. Since they were on the second floor, they could see the enormous garden with a perfectly cut grass.

Finally, they focused on the rest of the room. As Juliet had already noticed, it was quite spacious and posh. It was completely different from the place where they had spent the last couple of days. Beside the king-size bed there were also two arm chairs with a small coffee table standing in the corner of the room. On the other wall there was an enormous picture of a landscape with some ruins of an old castle, framed in gold and under it there was a fireplace with a decorative marble mantelpiece.

Judging by the size of it and the interior decorations, the person who lived here and who at the same time was probably the mysterious boss, must have been quite wealthy and thus powerful. Juliet kept wondering about the identity of this person but still didn't come up with any names.

"Any idea where we are?" Magnum's question brought Juliet back from her musings.

She shook her head and before she could answer his question, they heard some voices and then suddenly a key was turned and the door opened.

Thank you for reading and all your reviews you've written so far. I don't know when the next update will be but I'll do my best for it to be as soon as possible. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it'll be even better than the previous one and we'll have plenty of time for writing and reading fanfiction.