Chapter Text
Thomas Magnum was gazing at the towering, majestic, and sparkling Christmas tree in the living area of the main house. The memories and traditions during the holidays at Robin’s Nest that had been created over the years always made him reflect on how unbelievably blessed and appreciative he was. His partner in work and more importantly, in life, Juliet, always had to help keep him on track this time of year. Thomas was prone to reminiscing and getting caught up in the sentimentality of the season where as Higgins was constantly trying to keep him focused and on task. They had an estate to run, their PI business to manage, their family baseball camp to maintain…. oh, and two growing and very active children to raise. Juliet needed all hands on deck to get ready for the holidays so she had to become a bit more directive than usual to get things accomplished.
But Magnum was a little more distracted than usual this year. This Christmas marked an anniversary of sorts…. It had been ten years since Thomas had embarked on the most important mission of his life. That fateful night when he fell off of a ladder while helping decorate the Christmas tree, was a pivotal moment that forever changed the trajectory of his entire life. That was the night that his dear departed brother Nuzo visited him to lead them on a journey. Their mission was to visit Thomas’s life in the past, present and view a very eye opening glimpse into his future. They even took a quick look at what life might have looked like if Thomas Magnum had never been born.
So many life altering events stemmed from that one night. With Nuzo’s help, Magnum was prompted to face his repressed feelings, take a risk and pursue a future with Higgins…. which thankfully payed off. They married shortly after that and soon were blessed with the two most amazing little humans on the planet…. Sebastian and Isabella. Thomas was overwhelmed as he reflected back on all of the life-altering gifts that night with Nuzo had brought to him thru the years. In addition to the creation of his little family…. the other magical outcome was his new, special connection to Nuzo.
Bells. The night of their mission, Nuzo shared that whenever Thomas heard a bell ring…. It was his way of letting Magnum know he was still there keeping a watchful eye on things. A ringing bell always made Thomas smile…. even if it wasn’t related to Nuzo every time. Magnum experienced a sense of calm when he felt he was sharing a special moment with Nuzo. If Thomas heard a bell ring, he automatically looked around to see if it was some sort of signal from his friend. He loved those times…. it made him feel so connected to Nuzo.
But as the years had passed…. Thomas didn’t seem to hear as many ringing bells as he used to. He wasn’t sure if it was because there were truly less bells ringing….or maybe he wasn’t noticing them like he did before. Life was so busy now……that was probably it….. but he still longed for that Nuzo link. Every once in a while it would hit him that he was missing his friend …. but as quick as the thought would cross his mind…. there was something that would take his attention away just as fast.
The Magnum family was busy getting ready for the big day…. Thomas, Juliet and Kumu were handling all of the estate details….while Sebastian (who was almost 8 now), and Isabella (who was almost 6 now), were handling all of the necessary preparations for what they considered the most important part of the holiday…. Santa’s arrival.
Sebastian was directing….. well…. more like bossing around his little sister. (Wonder where he got that characteristic from ?) He was very specific as to how they would prepare food for Santa and his reindeer and where exactly it should be placed so that Santa could easily find it. But Isabella had her own plans for Santa’s visit. Although she looked at her brother intently while he tried to give her specific instructions…. she had come up with her own ideas and was simply biding her time before she could implement her plans. (As Nuzo had stated once before…. she was truly a chip off the ole’ Magnum).
“Alright then… are we in agreement Isabella ? The 8 carrots for the reindeer should be placed in the burlap bag so Santa can easily grab it on his way back to the sleigh…and the cookies and milk will be right there on the plate so he can consume them before he leaves for his next stop.” Sebastian said.
“I think we should put his milk in an insulated mug with a lid so he can take it with him. And the cookies have to be higher up…. Zeus and Apollo ate them last year …. don’t you remember Sebastian?” Isabella responded to her brother who was standing in front of her with his hands securely fastened on his hips and his head slightly tilted to the side.
“I intend to make sure that the lads will be outside tonight ….. they won’t get to his cookies….I still think my plan is the best, Isabella”
“Oh… so the lads will be outside and scare the poor reindeer… is that what you want Sebastian? I think my plan is the more sensible one.” Isabella smirked at her brother.
“ Fine !!” Sebastian dramatically threw his arms up in the air. “I give up… you are going to ruin Christmas. Just remember that… you will be the one responsible when Santa is confused and frustrated and decides just to go without leaving our gifts.”
About that time Higgins and Kumu walked back in the room. “What’s going on in here…. we can hear you all the way in the kitchen !” Higgins told them.
“Actually…. They sound an awful lot like you and Thomas bickering,” giggled Kumu. “They obviously learned from the best,” she said as she walked back out of the room laughing.
Higgins rolled her eyes and tried to mediate for her children. But they were both stubborn, neither wanting to give in to the other sibling. Sebastian had had enough… he stormed away from them both and headed out to the lawn.
“Where are you going Sebastian?” Juliet asked him
“To the beach mother… I’m going to practice in the surf-ski”
“Well alright…. just make sure you stay on the beach and not go in the water without your father”
“Mother… I am perfectly able to take the surf-ski out in the ocean without supervision”
“Sebastian….We have discussed this…. You are not ready yet. Stay on the beach please”
“I am so tired of everyone thinking that my plans and actions are not well thought out. Isabella is determined to ruin Christmas because she won’t listen to my action plan for Santa’s visit and you think I can’t handle the surf-ski on my own.” And then he lowered his head in frustration and whispered,” I wish someone would listen and trust me for once.”
“Alright Sebastian, go on and head to the beach… as soon as your father is free, I will send him down to join you,” Higgins said.
“Now Miss Isabella… can you and Kumu please start on the popcorn string for the tree ?”
About 10 minutes went by and Magnum came back into the room.
“Thomas…. Sebastian is down at the beach playing in the surf-ski…. I told him you would join him once you returned. Can you go spend some time with him ? He’s feeling a bit defeated since he isn’t getting way today. I think it’s all of the excitement around the Christmas festivities.”
“Ok… I’ll there now”
“Isabella… you and Kumu are doing a splendid job on the popcorn ! May I join you two for a bit ?”
After a few minutes had gone by…. the laughter that was accompanying the popcorn stringing was interrupted by Higgins’s phone ringing.
“Higgy…. I’m down at the beach…. The surf-ski is gone …. and there’s no sign of Sebastian”