Hi again! It took me almost a month to write another chapter, but the good news is that I was writing every day and didn't take any longer breaks as I know breaks aren't very good to my writing. You had to wait so long for this and today you're getting one of the longest chapters in this story. I hope you'll have a nice time reading.

Chapter 30

The door opened and they were greeted by Nick, standing on the other side and waiting for them.

"Come on, I'll take you back to your room." He said and moved aside to pass them through.

During their walk, Nick noticed that Magnum and Juliet were quiet, obviously both lost in their thoughts. Something wasn't right. The talk with the boss must have caused this tension that was almost visible between them.

"How was the dinner? Did you like the food?" Nick asked, trying to defuse the situation.

"Yeah, it was very tasty." That was all Magnum said.

Nick didn't try anymore. He knew that they should discuss whatever they had learned during the dinner and what was on their minds. The sooner the better.

They finally reached their room and Nick let them in. Juliet went inside and stopped by the window, her back turned to Magnum. The PI exchanged looks with Nick whose face showed real concern. He started caring for those two but he realized that in this situation he couldn't help them, they had to do it on their own. So he just whispered 'Good luck' and with that he left the room.

Magnum sighed deeply. As soon as the door closed, he decided to talk to his partner and he had a feeling that this conversation wouldn't be easy.

"Higgy." He said softly and took a few steps towards her but was instantly stopped by her reply.

"No." She said quietly, so quietly that he could barely hear her. "Please, don't."

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked.

She shook her head. "I can't talk about it right now."

The whole time she remained in her spot, her face still away from him. He couldn't see her so he found it difficult to guess how she was feeling at the moment but judging by her trembling voice, she was close to tears. He was surprised when he heard her say the words.

"It's quite late. This time you can be the first to use the bathroom."

Magnum wanted so much to take her in his arms, let her talk, maybe even cry and show her how much he supported her. Instead of doing that, he was standing there uselessly, looking at the back of her head, doing everything he could not to reach to her and act against her will. It took a couple of minutes, although it seemed like hours, before he let out a long breath and finally moved. He went to the chest of drawers which was nearby and took out some pants and a t-shirt, and with one last look at Juliet, he went inside the bathroom.

After that she hanged her head low. She felt awful. She knew her partner would soon be back so she quickly tried to find something to wear for the night. The first thing she came upon was a black silk nightgown but she instantly decided against it cause it wasn't time or place for such attire. She chose a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts, thinking it would be much better and more comfortable.

A few minutes later Magnum emerged from the bathroom.

"It's all yours." He said.

Higgins didn't wait any longer and with a short 'Thanks' she quickly brushed past him and disappeared behind the door.

Now that she was alone, she couldn't hold back any more. Everything came crushing on her, all those feelings she had to suppress while facing Peter resurfaced and were really overwhelming her. Tears started streaming down her cheeks and she sunk to the floor, crying soundlessly. It was all too much for her – first the deep shock after finding out who was holding them and then the realization that soon she'd be facing a tragic choice – Burns' wife and son for Magnum's life. It would be a very tough decision to make and she knew that unfortunately whatever she chose, it would end badly for someone anyway.

What's even worse, she treated her partner so badly. He wanted to talk, to help her and all she did was to shut him out, after everything they'd been through, she distanced herself instead of trusting him and letting him be there for her. She was so angry at herself, she kept asking herself how she could act like this. She loved Thomas, yet she really hurt him. She behaved like it was his fault while it was her to blame.

She knew that she shouldn't stay in the bathroom for too long because she didn't want to make Magnum worry about her even more so very slowly she stood up from the floor and instantly wished she didn't look in the mirror. Who she saw there, scared her greatly. It was like the person who was looking back at her was someone she didn't really know at all. It wasn't only about how awfully she looked with her puffy eyes, red nose and cheeks all wet from tears but also the fact that she usually didn't get so emotional. Well, let's face the truth – she very rarely got that emotional, even in the toughest cases while working for MI6. But she understood that when love came your way, it surely changed your perspective.

Juliet had really no idea how she was going to act the next day when the time would come and she feared the worst. She was pretty sure what Magnum was thinking about it but this wouldn't be his decision. She let out a deep breath.

She knew it was time to go out and face her partner. She splashed her face with cold water a couple of times and wiped it carefully with a fluffy tower. Once again she looked in the mirror. This time she seemed a bit better but it was just outside, on the inside she remained scared for Magnum's life but not wanting to worry him, she decided to finally get to grips with her feelings. She quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and pushed the door open.

She found the room dimly lit. Magnum must have turned off the big chandelier and chose a small bed-side lamp instead. He was lying in the middle of the bed. He was deeply in thought but when he heard her come back, he looked at her and easily noticed that those red puffy eyes proved that she must have been crying. He had no idea what to do. He was afraid that Burns' words triggered Juliet's bad memories connected with Richard's death. Magnum hoped that he would be able to help her somehow.

Juliet made a few steps towards the bed and then stopped. For a few seconds they stared at each other. Magnum thought he saw some hesitation in her eyes but soon it was gone.

"Hey." She spoke quietly.

"Hey." He replied, not really knowing what to expect from her. He was ready to move aside cause he was sure that she would need her space but a moment later he was surprised by what she did next. With a little apprehension his partner climbed on the bed and moved right to his side. She laid her head close to his and gently put her hand on his chest. His instant reply was his arm going around her, bringing her even closer to him. He heard her deep sigh. It was unbelievable that when they no longer had to sleep on that tiny mattress and had a king size bed at their disposal, they stuck together and still felt the need to feel each other's presence.

They stayed like this for a few moments before Juliet spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry, Thomas."

"It's okay."

"No," she shook her head, "I really shouldn't have acted like that and got too emotional."

"Hey, you've been in a lot of stress recently, your reaction is normal." Magnum said.

"There's no explanation for that. You were worried about me and wanted to help me, and I didn't let you. I distanced myself instead. Now I know it was the most stupid thing I could do."

"Please, don't say that."

"But it's true. I hurt you and I'm so sorry for that." Juliet told him with her voice full of remorse.

"You shouldn't be. If someone is to blame, it's definitely Burns. It's him who set you off and by bringing back the past, he apparently evoked some bad memories." Magnum said, stating the obvious.

She didn't say anything for some time, analyzing her partner's words. Finally, she took a deep breath and replied.

"Maybe you're right. It wasn't easy to hear when he mentioned those things, you know? And… I want to tell you about it."

This statement really surprised Magnum.

"Higgy, you don't have to do this if it's too painful for you." He said.

"No, I have a feeling that I need to tell you."

"Okay." It was all he said and waited for her to start.

She obviously needed some time before she began.

"I met Burns in Thailand. I had been working as an MI6 operative for a few years then and my bosses told me I'd have a successful career. At that time my work was the most important thing for me and I put all my heart in it. One day I was given a special assignment – there was a wealthy and powerful man who they knew had dark dealings – the thing was they couldn't find any proof for that and thus even if he was arrested, they wouldn't be able to accuse him of anything and he would surely walk free. You already know who that man was."

"Oh, I'm guessing it was Peter Burns." Magnum replied.

Juliet confirmed it at once. "Exactly. A lot of agents worked on this case but putting Burns behind bars seemed to be a real mission impossible."

"Until you came into picture…" Thomas said.

His words made a tiny grin appear on her face.

"Yeah, he had a house in Thailand so I went there, posing as someone who used to work for some criminal groups. I offered to help him deal with his problem with the law enforcement."

Thomas' face showed how much that surprised him.

"How so?" He wondered.

"Well, I told Burns that for a certain amount of money, I could use my connections in the police to make them stop snooping around and find someone else guilty of all the felonies he had been accused of." She replied.

"Did he buy it?"

"Yes, I spent a couple of months working on it. Very slowly, he started to trust me as we contacted quite often."

"Did you two...? You know." Magnum asked quietly, although he wasn't sure if it wasn't too personal to ask.

"No," she assured him, "nothing happened between us, even though sometimes I had a feeling he may have thought about it but all in all our relationship was strictly professional. So, anyway I gained his trust and I even managed to visit him in his house."

"That's when you met Burns' wife." Thomas guessed.

"Yeah, I saw how badly he treated her. He told us today that he loved his family but love is never about violence and constant fear or total dependence on the other person with every aspect of your life. That woman couldn't even leave her house without her husband's permission. I could easily see that she and her son were literally imprisoned there. This plus Burns' outbursts of anger which happened quite often made their life a nightmare."

"You sympathized with them and decided to help them." Magnum stated.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, Higgy. I know that you wouldn't let anyone get hurt like this." He explained.

She smiled at his words.

"Sounds like someone else I know." Juliet turned her head to look at her partner. "Remember your first case as a PI here?"

Magnum chuckled. Of course he remembered that so well. It was a very similar situation when he helped a woman who left her house and escaped from her abusive and powerful husband.

"See? We're not very different." He said. "That's why we're such good partners and we can really rely on each other."

Higgins felt a stab of pain. Today, when she pushed him away, she wasn't a good partner.

"Thomas…" She wanted to say more but her partner interrupted her.

"Don't even think about apologizing again. I thought we had already agreed that we would stop saying 'I'm sorry'."

Juliet chuckled and snuggled closer to him. This gesture was instantly followed by Magnum's automatic response as he started to gently stroke her arm.

"Okay, I'll try to remember that." She murmured.

"Good, I'll make sure you do that." He replied.

He knew that it was eating Juliet inside and their conversation now made her feel calmer. They fell silent for a few minutes, holding each other and simply enjoying the moment.

"Do you know what surprised me the most?" Juliet spoke suddenly.

"What?"

"At first, Burns' wife acted like it was normal, she didn't complain about his acting towards her or their son and she didn't even want to hear about my offer of help."

"Because despite everything, she loved her husband." Magnum said.

"Yeah. I tried so hard to talk some sense into her but it seemed useless. I really doubted she would ever change her mind. However, one day Burns came home drunk and as usual got angry at her. In his haze he grabbed their son, Dominic and pushed him hard into the wall. The boy hurt his head and lost consciousness. This event finally opened her eyes and she finally came to me seeking help. So I organized everything. She left the house, holding Dominic and a small handbag. She was so glad she would finally be free that before her escape, she found her husband's documents that were hidden somewhere deep in the house and gave them to me although I never asked her to do it. We finally had the evidence to lock Burns away." Higgins sighed deeply. "And you know the rest." She added in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, I can only imagine how mad he must have been then and I think we both know what he'll do to her if he finds her." Her partner stated.

The woman knew all too well what he had meant and to tell the truth she was afraid of it.

"Thomas…" She whispered and sat up to look at him in the eye.

"Shh…" He replied and gently placed his finger on her lips. "Don't say anything else. Tomorrow, when Burns wants you to reveal the information about his wife and son, don't give it to him. No matter what, you have to protect them."

When Juliet heard him, she felt weak and started shaking her head frantically.

"Yes, Higgy, you know it's the only thing to do." He explained.

She grabbed his hand that was still blocking her mouth and held it in both her hands.

"No, you heard Burns – if I don't tell him, he'll hurt you and I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you because of me." She said, her eyes shining with welling up tears.

"Higgy, I know it's stronger than you – you simply can't let an innocent woman get hurt." Magnum reasoned with her and then added something that made her feel even worse. "Promise me that you'll focus on that woman's well-being and not mine."

"I can't. You can't make me promise something like that."

"And yet I'm asking you of that because I know I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to that woman because of me." He was aware that using her own words here would make the power of his request even stronger.

He was right. It was visibly so hard to her. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks and she looked really devastated. Magnum wasn't surprised by her reaction because if the roles were reversed, he had no idea what he would do in such a tough situation.

"Hey, c'mere." He told her softly and gathered her in his arms.

Her whole body was trembling and it took her a few minutes before she finally calmed down and her breath evened out. Very slowly he leaned back on the bed and, not loosing his grip on her for a second, he brought his partner down with him.

"Are you better now?" He finally asked, wondering what her reply would be.

She sniffled. "A bit." Came out her words which were muffled because her face was snuggled deep in his chest.

"Good." He murmured, gently caressing her back. "But you know that we haven't finished our conversation yet?"

She didn't reply, only nodded her head.

"So, how is it going to be? Will you do as I ask?"

At first he was met with heavy silence and he thought he would need to persuade his partner even more but then she suddenly spoke.

"Okay." Juliet muttered so quietly that he wasn't really sure if she actually had said that.

"Excuse me? I thought I've heard a word starting with 'o'." Thomas told her.

She huffed. "I said I'd do it." This time her voice was louder and could easily be heard.

"Wow, I can't believe it. It's probably the first time you've ever listened to my request." He stated.

"I want you to know that I'm doing it under protest." She said shortly.

"Doesn't matter. The most important thing is that this day has finally come. Let me enjoy this." He replied.

It was evident he was just toying with her which was always the best way to ease the tension. Higgins knew that of course but she gladly played along anyway.

She smacked him on the chest. Her gesture wasn't too painful for him but it wouldn't hurt to complain a bit, right?

"Hey! Remember about my injuries." Thomas protested.

"Stop whining about that. I know you feel better now." She scolded him.

"Oh…"

"Don't go there." She instantly cut him off.

He laughed wholeheartedly at her warning and decided not to continue. He thought that changing the subject would be a good idea now so he spoke.

"You know, there's one thing thought I got really surprised today."

"Oh, what is it?" The woman asked.

"It's the fact that it's almost Christmas."

Of all the things he could say at that moment, that was the one Juliet least expected. Now it was her who laughed out loud. What a lovely sound that was to Magnum. He was glad he made her feel better.

"I really love Christmas – all those Christmas songs, decorations, all the joy and happiness, even the last-minute preparations." Magnum said.

Juliet smiled at that.

"I remember that when I was a young boy and my dad was still alive, when December came, there was always lots of music, dance and food. We had parties with all the neighbors where we had piñatas and watched the fireworks. My mom used to prepare plenty of different food and believe it or not – I helped her with it." Thomas told her.

"What?" Higgins asked with surprise.

"Yeah and what's even more surprising, I really liked it and according to my mom I was really good at it." He added.

"Well, she was naturally biased towards you." Juliet pointed out.

"Just wait. I'll show you what I can when we get back home."

"Good. I can't wait to see that." She murmured, enjoying their teasing.

They fell silent for a moment. It felt so good to go back to their normal interaction.

"When my dad died, I was still quite young and my mother did everything she could to make Christmas look and feel the same as it had before. She tried so hard but to me it just wasn't the same anymore. And it wasn't really her fault, you know? Every year, when I was growing up, it was getting harder. Now I know that I was just thinking about myself, I was so focused on my own pain of the loss of my father that I didn't think about my mother and what she must have been feeling when she lost her loving husband and had to raise a son on her own. I know I shouldn't have given her such a hard time." He said and sighed heavily.

"Thomas, I'm sure she knew how you were feeling at that time and she loved you very much." Higgins told him softly.

"Yeah, I loved her too." He replied quietly.

For a long moment they didn't say a word. Juliet closed her eyes and slowly started to drift off to sleep when suddenly she heard.

"So what about you?"

She had no idea what was on her partner's mind.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You and Christmas." He explained. "I wonder what your celebrations looked like."

She snorted. "Well, there's not much to tell. When I was little and had my mom and dad at my side, everything seemed perfect, Christmas was always festive and joyful, with lots of presents. Then everything started to go wrong, my parents fought a lot and very soon dad left us and my little perfect world suddenly changed. First, I blamed my mother for that, then myself. I was so angry. I couldn't get along with mom so she decided the best thing for me would be to send me to a boarding school. She barely visited me there and I didn't go home much to see her either." She sighed. "When it comes to Christmas, she completely stopped celebrating it with me. I always stayed at school then in the almost empty building. It felt surreal at first but I got used to it with time."

"Wow," Magnum said, "you must have felt very lonely, with no one by your side."

"You know, looking back from the perspective, I think that being there surprisingly helped me a lot."

"Really? How so?" He asked.

"I had to learn how to be tough, to be a warrior." She explained. "I couldn't just sit there and cry because someone didn't understand me and my complicated situation and made fun of me. Thanks to that I could become such a good MI6 agent."

"And the best partner I could ever imagine." The PI added.

Juliet chuckled at that and propped up on her elbow. "Oh, thank you, Thomas."

"Hey, you don't have to thank me. It's the absolute truth."

"Nevertheless, thank you for admitting that. A couple of years ago, when we've just met, I would've said that it must have cost you a lot to say such a thing." She said with a smirk.

"Well, luckily, we're in the present now and my reply can look like this…" He murmured and moved up a bit to capture her soft lips.

Juliet quickly responded to his gesture and kissed him back. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in those strong emotions that surrounded her at that moment. It was getting more intense with each passing second and who knows where it would lead them when suddenly there was a loud bang on the door and a loud voice shouted.

"Hey there! That's it for today. Turn off the light!"

The PIs instantly broke the kiss.

"Ugh. What a perfect timing." Magnum grunted, making Juliet laugh with amusement.

When he sent her a look, she covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile.

"It's not funny." He told her.

At first, she shook her head with a solemn look on her face but then she nodded her head and burst out laughing.

"Oh yes, it is. Come on, Thomas. Don't be mad." She said and lay down her head on his chest.

He wasn't very happy about it but eventually he moved to turn off the light on the bedside table and then he got back to her, gently stroking her back.

Higgins sighed with contentment. It felt so good to be in Magnum's arms, despite all the circumstances. A couple of minutes had passed before she spoke again quietly.

"You know, Magnum, I need to admit something."

"What is it?"

"Remember when you asked me what I would do when we got back home?"

"Yeah, how could I forget that yoga of yours?" Magnum replied, at the same time wondering what she was about to say.

"There's one more thing I'd like to do – that is to talk to my dad, just to hear his voice, try to calm him if he's worried about me… like I always do." She said and although it was dark and he didn't see her, Thomas knew she was smiling at the thought. He really hoped they would make it out of there alive and his partner would have a chance to contact her father.

"Although I didn't really celebrate Christmas with my mother, I have some pretty good memories from the time when my dad was around. I remember we wrote letters to Santa, decorated Christmas tree and also the times when he told me Christmas bedtime stories. My dad loved singing Christmas songs and he sang them whenever he could, making us laugh and his favorite was this one." She said and suddenly started singing.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on
Our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

"Wow." Magnum whispered with deep admiration. "I knew you were good at singing cause I heard you during our karaoke nights but that was… amazing."

Higgins smiled. "Thank you." She said and buried her head deeper in his chest. She was glad it was dark and he couldn't see her red cheeks. She closed her eyes and since they stopped talking, she was slowly starting to doze off when suddenly the clock struck midnight and her partner whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Juliet."

"Merry Christmas, Thomas." Came out her sleepy reply.

Magnum smiled. Lying like this with Higgy in his arms on a Christmas Day felt so homey even though it could be his last Christmas. Of course he'd rather spend it with her at Robin's Nest among all their friends, the way they had planned it but he was grateful that at least they were still together and Burns hasn't split them yet. Magnum's thoughts also went to Rick, TC and the rest of their friends who, he was sure, were trying to find a way to get them back, instead of preparing the Christmas dinner they were all supposed to attend to.

Thomas sighed. Nothing went as planned and he didn't know what would happen that day. However, the one thing he was sure about – he now knew what would be his Secret Santa gift to his partner and he would do everything to give it to her.

With that thought, he finally closed his eyes and let his mind and body get the much needed rest.

Thanks for reading. I also want to thank Dsnygal - I like happy endings too and I'm going to get this story to the end (hopefully sooner than later).

That's it for now. I hope you liked this chapter and in case you have a bit of a spare time, please review:) See you soon.