Hold On

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.