Forgiveness

Genre: Family, Friendship

Pairings: All background

Main characters: Rosie, Julian

"Jules," Rosie whispered loudly.

She lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The dim light that was slowly morphing Christmas Eve into Christmas morning through her bedroom window at 221A Baker Street illuminated the room just enough for her to see the shadowy form of Julian Bailey sleeping on an air mattress on her floor as she rolled over onto her side.

Rosie heaved a heavy, tired sigh.

Julian was snoring.

"JULIAN ANDREW!" she finally said loudly.

She knew her dad was prone to snoring as well so Mummy Alex wasn't likely to be faring any better. Jules' parents were sleeping downstairs in 221B. With Ciana being so little, however, though she was bunking with Greer, Uncle Phillip and Auntie Jackie were in the basement flat with Auntie Molly and Uncle Greg, in 221C. The only ones suffering, or so Rosie thought, were her and Mummy Alex.

With a start that Rosie barely saw in the dim light, Julian awoke fully. Rosie heard him take a deep breath, then let it out.

"You were doing it, Jules," Rosie casually pointed out.

"Doing WHAT, Rosa," Julian replied, still only half awake.

"YOU know. IT," she said, pulling her blankets closer to herself.

"Rosa," he said, sounding exhausted. "You know you're my best friend, and I LOVE you and I'm going to marry you someday… but I haven't the FAINTEST idea what you're talking about," Julian finally replied. He yawned, wanting nothing more than to be allowed to fall asleep again.

"You were SNORING, you silly goose!" she accused, sitting up in her bed. She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her cheek on her knee.

"Rosamund Mary Watson, I do NOT snore. I have NEVER snored, and one day when we're grown up and married you'll find that out for yourself, every single night."

Julian winced as he heard Rosa sigh heavily and loudly in frustration. For as much as he loved her, girls at any age at times were simply impossible, and his beloved Rosa was no exception.

"Anyway, we both know Father Christmas won't come if we're awake. Please Rosa, I'm so tired…" he pleaded. "Christmas morning is in a few hours and…" he cut himself off with another big yawn.

In the moment of relative silence in Rosie's bedroom, while Rosie tried to think of something to say to back up her accusation, and Julian's inability to suppress his exhausted yawning, they both heard it.

A loud, unmistakable, unavoidable, heartfelt snore.

A snore that could only have come from the tail up.

And it was indeed coming from Rosie's bedroom, although it was painfully clear to Rosie Watson that it was NOT coming from her best friend, after all.

"Oh, no," Rosie whispered, as she brought her hands up to cover her face, utterly embarassed. "I'm so sorry Jules, can you EVER forgive me for that horrid accusation?" She sounded truly ashamed. Julian rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and crawled off his bed on the floor.

"Rosa, you know I ALWAYS forgive you, our quarrels are never serious. That's why YOU always forgive ME too," he said softly, as he stood and took the few steps over to her bed. He sat on the edge carefully, then swung his legs over, sitting next to her with his legs drawn up as well.

"I honestly thought Maisie was with Auntie Sally and Uncle Sherlock. She snores TERRIBLY. Uncle Sherlock says it's because she's a beagle, and beagles are hounds, and hounds have special noses. I didn't even realize she'd gotten into my bedroom." She covered her face, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Aw, my Rosa, we ALL make mistakes. Daddy says that's part of being human." He turned just enough to wrap his arms around his best friend. While she was in his embrace, he whispered to her, "Are you as tired as I am, Rosa?"

Rosie nodded, whispering back, "I'm knackered, Jules. I just want to sleep and sleep and sleep… well until morning anyway."

Julian sighed happily, releasing her, wanting badly to kiss her cheek in loving reassurance, but not quite bold enough, or OLD enough yet, to dare it. After all, he reflected later, they had YEARS to get to that.

Crawling off Rosie's bed, he considered returning to his makeshift cot on the floor, but instead first, with a smile and a wink to Rosie, went over to the slumbering hound on the floor, gently nudging her awake and ushering her wordlessly out the door. Only then did he settle back onto his air mattress, gratefully wrapping himself up in the warm blankets.

"Happy Christmas, Rosa," he said softly, as he began to nod off.

Rosie smiled in the dark of her room, as she gazed down at Julian's silhouette on the floor. Settling back under her covers, she tucked herself in, as she contentedly replied, "Happy Christmas, Jules."