A/N – Post season one finale. One of the shortest stories I've ever written, but it came to me full blown.

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Silhouette

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Juliet Higgins stood in the shadows, her arms crossed. She leaned up against one of the trees and watched the solitary man standing on the beach, staring out to sea. He'd been standing there like a statue for over an hour, not moving a muscle, something she wasn't used to from him. He always seemed to be in motion when he wasn't sleeping. She wanted to comfort him, but something about his stance said he wouldn't appreciate it. She sighed. She knew about love and loss. Magnum, however, had experienced betrayal and pain in between the love and the loss. It had been three days since they had brought Hannah's body home from Myanmar. He laughed, he joked, but his eyes didn't hold the same sparkle. She'd watched him rocking Hannah's body in the middle of that dirt road, kissing her forehead and holding back tears. The woman hadn't deserved it. Even now, Juliet wasn't sure if she took the bullet meant for Thomas because she actually did love him or to atone for all the hideous things that she had done to him and his three best friends. If she were to hazard a guess, it would be the latter. Especially based on the fact that her last words to him had been 'I'm sorry' and not 'I love you'. Then again, maybe she was just cynical.

She still couldn't imagine doing the things Hannah had done. Not to Richard, or anyone else for that matter, even if it were for her father or someone else she loved, no matter what the circumstances. She knew in her bones; her father would have disowned her if she'd done even half the things the other woman had done to bring her own father home. It wasn't admirable, it wasn't tragic, it was downright despicable. Hannah had said she hadn't had a choice, but there was always a choice. Something she had a feeling T.C. and Rick would agree with. Unfortunately, Magnum had a soft spot for anyone in trouble, including his ex, no matter how badly she'd hurt him. It had gotten him into trouble more times than she could count in the short time she'd known him. This time may even have lost him the trust and friendship of Detective Katsumoto.

She continued to watch him as the sun set, setting the sky on fire with oranges, reds and yellows, with some purple thrown in for good measure. He slowly became a dark silhouette, standing out against the brilliant night sky. Without consciously thinking about it, she pulled out her phone and took a quiet picture of him. Looking at the screen, she could almost feel the heartache pulsing from it. She'd never show him this, never show it to anyone, should probably delete it, but couldn't bring herself to do so. There was just something so poignant about it.

A few minutes later, she heard the pounding of paws heading from the main house down towards the beach. She straightened, worried about his reaction. She knew the dogs wouldn't attack him without a specific order from her to do so, but he didn't know that. She expected him to turn tail and run, the dogs on his heels as they often were. Instead, he didn't move. The dogs slowed down as if confused by the unexpected response of their favorite prey. They reached him and he still hadn't reacted, hadn't taken his eyes off the horizon. Shockingly, Zeus calmly sat on his left side and Apollo found a spot to his right. Both dogs were now silhouetted against the sky, their pointy ears standing out in stark relief against the colors mother nature was throwing at them. Almost without volition, she snapped another picture. Another one that would be for her eyes only.

She waited to see what he would do about the dogs. When several minutes passed, she had just about decided he wouldn't do a thing and then his hands began to move. Both at the same time, both at the same slow pace. He placed a hand on the head of each dog and neither objected to the gentle touch. It was almost like they could sense his sadness and put aside their natural inclination to harass him. The two Dobermans were more sensitive than people would think. She took another picture almost against her will. This one made him appear less lonely. The three pictures were almost like a progression back to the land of the living.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon and the sky darkened. Still, none of the four moved. It wasn't until the darkness was total that he seemed to shake himself out of his reverie. He patted both dogs softly and turned. His footsteps were slow as he made his way towards the guest house, the dogs padding quietly along behind him. Still, she had a feeling that things would be back to normal between those three by tomorrow. She stepped a little further back into the shadows as he approached, trying to hide her presence, not knowing if he would take it the way she meant. She wasn't here to spy on him, she only wanted to watch over him, make sure he was safe. She knew he wouldn't do anything stupid, he hadn't survived over eighteen months as a prisoner without a strong desire to live. She just felt an inexplicable need to be where he was. He passed her hiding spot and she thought she was safe until she heard him say quietly. "Thank you, Juliet." He disappeared into the night as she stared after him. He surprised her sometimes. She smiled a little and made her own way home.

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A/N2 – I heartily disliked Hannah and I'm glad that story line is over. Can't wait for the next season to see how things play out. I'm hoping they don't keep Katsumoto and Magnum at odds. I rather the detective's reluctant and somewhat puzzled response to him.