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Rick & T.C
Rick sighed as he looked at the three paddle boards with their paddle sticks lying on the sand. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thomas had forgotten about their plans yet again, but Rick had hoped that living with Higgins would have helped with the man’s punctuality issues.
“I think it’s fair to say that he isn’t late but just basically forgot about us,” T.C advanced and Rick was inclined to agree with him.
« You know what? I’m tired of him treating us like that, as if we are less important than what he is actually doing, so I say we go to Robin’s Nest and we tell him off. »
T.C nodded knowing already that it was better not to disagree with his friend when he was as determined as he was right now and helped him load the paddling gear in his minivan before they headed to Robin’s Nest.
T.C quickly punched in the gate code and waited for it to open to drive inside the property. The two friends walked towards the guesthouse until T.C stopped Rick.
« Wait! Should we knock before going in? »
« The French doors are open all the way; it’s basically an invitation, » Rick said with a shrug.
However, the scene that greeted them as soon as they stepped outside made them freeze with expressions akin to deers caught in the headlights.
Magnum, clad in his grey bathrobe, was feeding Higgins, wearing only Magnum’s blue shirt, a forkful of pancakes.
« What the heck! » Rick exclaimed.
The couple in front of them was startled and looked at them with similar surprised expressions while he heard T.C chuckle next to him.
« Guys, is there something you would like to share with the class? » The chopper pilot asked them, with a smirk adorning his face.
Thomas put the fork back on his empty plate and turned towards his friends, wearing a sheepish expression.
« Hey! » He cleared his throat. « Well, as you can see, Higgins and I are…. together now, for lack of a better word. »
Higgins seemed amused by Magnum’s discomfort but still laid her hand on his arm to support him while he broke the news to his friends.
« That’s great! » T.C raved. « You finally gave him a chance just like I told you when you were hesitating to marry him. How long has this been going on? »
« Two hours, » Juliet answered candidly.
« Wow, thank God we didn’t come here sooner, » Rick chuckled as he settled in the armchair, intending to stay here for a while.
He noticed that Thomas and Juliet were whispering things to each other, probably trying to find ways to get rid of them and the blond man smirked as he already planned a little bit of payback against the married couple. T.C was gesturing to him that they should go and give them some privacy but he was having too much fun.
« I know I forgot about paddling, but as you can see, I’m a little busy here, » Magnum told his friends with a hesitating tone, not quite comfortable at demanding them to leave. « Can we reschedule? »
Just as T.C was about to agree, Rick intervened.
« Oh, what are you busy with? » He asked in a fake innocent tone.
Thomas looked at Juliet for support but she merely hid her mirth in her own plate of pancakes.
« Do I need to spell it out for you? » Magnum asked him incredulously.
Rick grinned at him as he leaned his elbows on his spread knees and clasped his hands together.
« Maybe you do. »
Hearing his answer, Juliet got up from the bar stool and made sure the hem of Thomas’ shirt was still covering the essential before turning to them. Rick understood why Magnum was a bit afraid of her; even wearing only a male shirt, she still carried an authoritative posture.
« Look guys, I’m sure Magnum is sorry for forgetting to inform you that he wouldn’t be able to meet you this morning, but we were engaged in other activities that didn’t allow us to check on our phones so if you would be kind enough to give us a little bit of privacy, we would really appreciate it. If you’re worried about Thomas’ daily session of physical activity, don’t worry I’ve got it covered. After all, we have years of catching up to do. »
She turned towards her husband who was now smirking and Rick shook his head.
‘Whipped!’
« Alright, we’ll go, but I want to hear Thomas’ apologies first, » Rick declared as he got up from his seat.
« I’m sorry I missed our paddle session while I was making love to my wife. »
He didn’t sound sorry at all but Rick would let him bask in his sex afterglow a little longer. After all, he was glad his friends finally found each other; it didn’t mean he would stop teasing them any time soon, though.
« I hope you are. Call us when you’re off that honeymoon phase, ok? »
T.C and him stepped outside the guesthouse to get back to the minivan. He turned towards his friend.
« You should have agreed to marry her. Did you see how hot she looked? »
T.C slapped his arm.
« Don’t be crass, that’s so beneath you. »
Rick shrugged; maybe his jealousy was showing after all. He was happy for his friends but a small part of him longed for what they had found with each other.
XXXXXXXXXX
Kumu
Kumu was pulling slightly on her right ear lobe. She was convinced she was still wearing both of her earrings when she had come up after their poker game in the wine cellar but, when she had looked at her reflection in her dressing table mirror, one of them was missing.
She sighed as she walked slowly downstairs to retrace her steps, aiming the flashlight from her phone at the ground to try and find her beloved earring. The jewel had belonged to her mother and she held it very dear to her heart; she would be very pained if she were to lose it permanently.
As she focused on her meticulous search, she didn’t hear the voices until she had reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Let’s have a toast, Mrs Magnum.”
Kumu recognized Thomas’ voice and she assumed he was accompanied by his better half since she heard two glasses clink.
“To our first week as a real couple,” Juliet said.
Kumu’s head turned quickly in surprise towards the wine cellar where she imagined the apparently very married couple was.
It looked like someone finally listened to her advice if what she was hearing was any indication.
“You have no idea how I love being your husband.”
Juliet laughed and Kumu was pleased to say that she had never heard the young woman laugh like that before - light and melodious.
“And I’m so proud to be your wife.”
Magnum chuckled.
“You find that funny?” Higgins asked, in a pinched voice and Kumu was certain the young woman was now crossing her arms on her chest.
‘Oh, Thomas….’, the older woman thought.
“When you think about where we started and where we are now, it is kinda funny, don’t you think?”
‘Nice catch, young man.’
“It’s true that no one would have put a dime on us falling in love when we met,” Juliet told him in a light tone.
Kumu’s eyes widened as she remembered the bet she and Robin had going on. When he had announced to her that Magnum would stay in the guesthouse and that sparks would probably fly between him and Juliet, Kumu hadn’t believed him at first but within the first month of playing referee between them, she had to admit he had been right.
One time on the phone, as they were discussing their favorite P.I duo, they decided to make things interesting and bet a few bucks on when their bickering would finally leave room to their true feelings for each other. Of course, the intel of the fake wedding gave Kumu a precious advantage as she advanced her initial date by a few months; no way them living together in that tiny guesthouse wouldn’t speed up the process.
She silently chuckled as she thought of the ten dollars Robin owed her when her phone slipped from her hands and landed on the floor, loudly, betraying her position to the young couple.
“Kumu?” Juliet asked.
Of course, she was the only one who could be around since everyone had left Robin’s Nest. She walked around the flight of stairs to make herself known; she would have made a truly terrible spy.
“Don’t mind me, you two; I’m just looking for my earring.”
She decided not to let them know she had heard anything that had transpired between them.
“Do you want help with that?” Thomas asked her.
“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you.”
“Nonsense, we will help,” Juliet declared.
They were both such sweethearts; Kumu was ecstatic they had finally seen what was right in front of them.
After a few minutes of scouring the whole floor with their phones’ flashlight they finally located the missing piece of jewelry under the open stairs.
“Thank you, both of you! You’re truly angels.”
They both smiled at her and she could see how their smiles were a tad brighter than usual. She put her earring back in its place and bid them both goodnight before climbing back the stairs to leave them a bit of privacy.
She decided she wouldn’t mention their bet to Robin; if they were keeping their relationship as a secret for now, she would respect their decision and wait for them to announce the big news to their Ohana.
XXXXXXXXXX
Katsumoto
Detective Gordon Katsumoto fastened the Velcro tape on the sides of his bulletproof vest, keeping his head down, his gaze trained on his shoes while he reviewed the plan to raid that warehouse in his mind.
The Detective always treated each case like it was personal to him, as if the victim was somehow related to him, and he didn’t stop until he found the truth about what happened to help bring closure to their loved ones.
However, today’s case literally hit close to home.
He should be used to it by now, Thomas Magnum was the epitome of a danger magnet and yet, when he lifted his head and his eyes landed on the hunched figure of Juliet Higgins, Gordon could feel the same amount of worry as she did.
She had called him early this morning - 6AM early - in a frantic state because Thomas didn’t come home after what was supposed to be a routine night stakeout.
She had tried to locate his phone but it was deactivated so she turned on the Ferrari's GPS from a distance and immediately went to its location to see what was holding Magnum back.
When she arrived there, she saw the red car but no sign of Thomas, however, as soon as she came close to the Ferrari she noticed small drops of blood, indicating there had been a struggle.
That was when she called Katsumoto.
After a few hours of digging on the background of the man Thomas had been surveilling, they had found a possible hiding spot in a warehouse where he used to do illegal business. It had been hard to find because at that time he had merely been an associate and not the main suspect so he was never tied to the place.
It was Higgins who found that last clue and, for her sake, Katsumoto hoped they would find Magnum alive. She was already feeling guilty about leaving him alone during that stakeout even though he had been the one claiming it wasn’t a two-man job and told her to stay home.
He saw her advance on him, looking as determined as ever.
“I want to be part of the raiding team, Gordy,” she advanced in a sure voice, leaving him no room to refuse.
However, it would be a cold day in Hell before Katsumoto would let someone close to the victim participate in an operation like this one.
He sighed, knowing she would most likely disobey him, but he had to put his foot down because he didn’t want to risk the lives of both his friends; one was already hard to focus on.
“Higgins, we’ll get him back to you. I promise we’ll do everything we can to do that but I can’t let you come with us, not in the state you’re in. I don't want to have to worry about you in there,” he explained in a low, soothing voice, trying to reassure her as much as he was reassuring himself.
Once inside the warehouse, he didn’t realize how much he had been holding his breath until he saw the battered - but still very much alive - body of Magnum and released all the air trapped in his lungs.
He was so relieved this idiot was not dead; no matter what Katsumoto said, he still appreciated the P.I’s company. Also, he was glad Higgins wouldn’t beat him to death.
He didn’t know what was happening behind the closed doors of their fake marriage but the Detective was convinced their relationship was no longer only a friendship.
He witnessed the moment Juliet caught sight of Magnum coming out of the warehouse where he had been held for almost 24 hours, her shoulders slumped in relief and a wide smile stretched the lips that she had been biting off in worry mere seconds before.
She ran to him and wrapped herself around him for a desperate hug. He held on to her as tightly as she was holding him when she kissed him on the lips, mindful of his cuts and bruises that were scattered on his face. She brushed the loose strand of dark hair from his forehead before pressing her forehead to his.
Katsumoto understood that their relationship had definitely evolved and it looked like this PDA wasn’t for appearances only.
One side of his lips lifted up in a half smile as he turned away from the embracing couple and ripped his bulletproof vest off of his body. He was glad he had been proved wrong for once; he didn’t like playing Devil’s advocate when he gave Higgins that piece of advice against their wedding but he was a cop and he believed in being honest.
He should have known these two would finally fall in love with each other; both were equally annoying so this marriage was a match made in Heaven.
He watched the man responsible for Magnum’s capture being pushed in a patrol car by an Officer; time to put his mind back to work.
He couldn’t wait to make this man talk.
XXXXXXXXXX
Robin
Robin smiled as he caught sight of T.C’s chopper in the air. The man was incorrigible; he had told T.C he didn’t need to come pick him up to fly him to Robin’s Nest from the air field and yet, here he was.
The writer was still very glad to see the smiling face of his friend as he climbed next to him.
“Hey, Robin! How was your flight?”
“Very smooth, thanks for asking, T.C. How have you been?”
“I’m doing good; business is booming and my association with Rick is going very well so I can’t complain.”
“That’s very good to hear. It’s been a while since I came to check on everyone.”
T.C chuckled.
“Oh yeah, a lot has happened since the last time you came to visit.”
“Really? Does it have anything to do with Juliet’s visa and how she managed to stay in Hawaii?”
"Something like that," T. C laughed.
Robin had been informed of Juliet's issues with her immigration status and especially her own solution to stay in Hawaii. He shook his head in amusement; it wasn’t like she couldn’t have called him for help but apparently marrying Magnum had been her preferred strategy and he wouldn’t argue with that.
“And you won’t tell me more about it, I assume?” Robin asked the chopper pilot.
“And ruin the surprise? No, thank you,” T.C answered between two chuckles. “Besides, you’ll have your answer during the BBQ Magnum wants us to have for lunch.”
“Magnum is in charge of the food? Oh, my…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of things once we arrive with Rick,” T.C said as the helicopter began its descent.
It was still early in the morning when the chopper landed in the middle of the estate's lawn so no one was there to greet the writer; Magnum was probably on his surfski in the middle of the ocean and, since Zeus and Apollo were running towards him, Juliet was most definitely in the midst of her usual morning session of Yoga.
Kumu had warned him that she would be at the cultural center but Robin relished in the silence as he walked towards the main house, one dog on each side. He would take the time to settle in his room and maybe take a nap to try and battle the jet lag before it settled.
Around noon and after a warm shower, Robin finally emerged, feeling like a new man. He paused to pet the dogs who were both licking his hands; he guessed he had been missed around here.
When his eyes landed on Magnum's back, who was tending to the BBQ prep a few yards down in the garden, he smiled. He had missed the people living here as much as his dogs had missed him. He watched as Juliet walked behind Magnum and the writer’s eyes widened slightly when the young woman encircled the dark-haired man’s waist from behind and pushed herself on her tiptoes to press a kiss against the back of his neck.
Okay, maybe he needed to come visit more often after all.
Suddenly, he felt a presence next to him.
"How come you didn't tell me I owed you 10 dollars?" He asked Kumu as he gestured to the embracing couple.
"I guess I wanted to gloat in person," the Hawaiian woman teased him.
He fished a bill from his pocket and handed it to her.
"It’s not really fair since you had the intel of that fake marriage first hand. How long has it been going on?"
"A few months, but if you ask me, this had been simmering since they met."
Robin laughed.
"Those two always had the potential to create sparks between them - whether good or bad ones."
Kumu smiled.
"Let's hope they will only live through the good ones from now on."
“After all they have been through, they both deserve it.”
Robin had known them individually when they were at their lowest, and even if he had never met two people that were as different as they were, he had always been convinced they would be perfect for each other. Their story was so interesting he should write a book about them. Maybe in the next White Knight opus, his hero would meet a gorgeous and bossy MI6 agent.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jin
Jin whistled cheerfully as he arrived at la Mariana, catching Rick’s gaze from behind the bar before heading straight to the owner to order a beer.
They exchanged a few teasing words as per usual and, after a tough negotiation, Jin finally relented in paying for his drink with US dollars and not with the Indian rupees he managed to get his hand on for his latest quite legitimate business. He had gotten a tip that secondary currencies’ worth was going to skyrocket in the next few months so, of course he already exchanged quite a few green bills to gain as much profit as possible.
He was fairly confident about the outcome of his new business but the problem was that now he had no American currency left to purchase anything more than that beer.
He turned around from the bar, leaving a dismayed Rick behind him and noticed his favorite P.I duo sitting at a table nearby.
He hadn’t seen them, and especially Magnum, since that night when he had tried to shake the status quo between them and almost ended up being punched for it.
People didn’t believe it when he said it but Jin loved love. He loved being in love and wanted everyone to feel the same so when he had learned about the idea of a fake wedding between Magnum and Higgins he had not been happy about it.
He was convinced these two belonged together and were just too stubborn to see it. He actually took great pleasure in acting much crazier than usual just to see them agree with each other for once, even if it was to scold him.
He was relieved Magnum’s act of jealousy didn’t lastly impact his relationship with Higgins; the last thing Jin wanted was to ruin what the two of them had - whatever that was. He had been the first one to be surprised about Magnum’s potent reaction to his words because usually everyone brushed him off when he said something. He must have hit right where it hurt.
He sat next to Higgins who was already next to Magnum.
« How are my favorite lovers? » Jin asked with a smirk.
He noticed that Magnum’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder; they were still so diligent in showing PDA in public.
‘It almost looked like they actually enjoyed it,’ he thought sarcastically.
Magnum threw him a dark glare so Jin knew he was still mad at him for his previous behavior. After all, it wasn’t Jin’s fault that Magnum had been struck by the green-eyed monster at the sight of Higgins having a conversation with the bartender.
« We’re good, Jin. How are you? » Juliet answered him.
At least someone was talking to him.
« I’m doing great! I have a new business. Want to hear about it? »
« No! » They replied at unison.
‘Okay, fair enough,’ he thought. ‘Maybe it was best for them not to know.’
« What’s new for you? » The short man asked them.
« Well, there’s actually something we want to announce, » Higgins answered.
« Oh, that sounds exciting. What is it? »
« We’re together. »
Jin blinked and waited for the actual new information, looking at Higgins, then Magnum but after long seconds in silence, he understood there would be no other « news ».
« Yeah, of course you’re together, » Jin told them loudly in case someone around would overhear, already aware of their fake wedding situation.
He winked at them conspicuously.
« No, Jin. We are together, » Magnum insisted as if he didn’t understand what his wife had said.
« Yeah, yeah, I know. »
Wink.
« We weren’t really together before but now we are, » Magnum enunciated slowly.
« Sure, it’s brand new information to me. »
Wink.
Higgins rolled her eyes.
« Oh, for Heaven’s sake! »
She turned towards Magnum, grabbed his face between her palms before she pulled him to her for an intense kiss - tongue included - and Jin had to admit they were not holding back in order to maintain their cover. He was almost impressed.
When they broke apart, breathless, and looked at him with matching raised eyebrows, Jin decided to have a little bit of fun at their expense.
“So? What else is new? I’ve seen you kiss like that a dozen times for your cover already.”
Magnum scoffed.
“We’re not going to have sex in front of you to make you believe us.”
Jin’s lips stretched in a wide and mischievous grin.
“Why not? I’m sure the three of us would have a lot of fun. I love to watch.”
“Ugh, you’re disgusting Jin,” Higgins groaned.
The look of disapproval on both of their faces was hilarious but Jin thought he had played enough, especially since he didn’t want to actually get punched. He was sure Higgins had a mean hook.
“I’m kidding, guys! I think that’s great and I’m very happy for both of you,” Jin told them before turning away from them. “We have to celebrate! Next round’s on me!” He yelled at all the other patrons present in the bar.
« No, it’s not! You only have rupees! » Rick yelled back from the bar.
XXXXXXXXXX
Margot
Margot Harris was waiting in line at her favorite ice cream parlor from the mall. When she had a bad day at work she usually ended up here to unwind before going home because nothing cheered her up like eating ice cream.
She loved her job; nothing brought her as much joy as helping people in difficult situations and, working in Immigration, she had seen her fair share of misery.
However, she also witnessed how people could take advantage of the system on a regular basis and fake weddings in order to obtain a green card were common nowadays. Lately, it seemed all of her cases were making her lose faith in true love and Margot Harris was one could call an incurable romantic.
She sat on a bench to enjoy her mint-chocolate chip ice cream when she noticed them.
Mr & Mrs Magnum.
Mr Magnum was just as handsome as she remembered as she observed the couple walk hand in hand.
The way they were looking at each other warmed Margot’s heart and suddenly she remembered that not all of her cases consisted of people trying to deceive Immigration for a green card.
She had been wary when their file arrived on her desk at first because, on paper, their situation raised all the red flags in the immigration agent’s head, but as soon as she met them, she knew these two were truly in love with each other.
They entered a store and the young woman’s lips stretched into a smile. She hadn’t noticed before because Mr Magnum was hiding his wife from view with his bulk but now it was clear as day; Mrs Magnum was pregnant and they were shopping for baby furniture.
She had been right to trust her judgement about those two and grant Mrs Magnum a green card. She witnessed Mr Magnum showing his wife a stuffed tiger before feigning to attack her, making her roll her eyes at her husband as she rubbed her large belly, wearing an affectionate smile.
There was no doubt about the love and intimacy they shared as spouses but it also looked like they shared a strong friendship and the young woman had witnessed enough couples in her work to know that these two were meant to last.
Margot finished her ice cream and got up to leave, her heart feeling lighter at the thought that she had helped create a beautiful family.