Points of View

Genre: Family; Friendship

Pairings: Rosie and Julian pre-pairing friendship; others background

Main characters: Greg, Rosie, Julian in mentioning

Greg kept silent as he rode Goldie, letting the Palomino mostly lead them to where they were going.

Next to him, on Pepper, the sprited but currently patient thoroughbred, Rosie rode in uncomfortable silence.

Pepper huffed now and then, giving hints to his rider. Rosie had long since learned to heed hints from her steed, but this time, however, she was simply feeling stubborn.

"So… Little Lass…" Greg finally broke the silence. "You and Julian have had a bit of a row…"

Rosie huffed audibly, frustrated in both her anger towards her best friend, and her frustration at said anger. She simply wasn't used to such a disagreement with Jules, and it was setting her on edge.

"Not sure I understand exactly what it's all about, you see," Greg continued, casually, "though, I do know the details. But it would seem to make sense to me that if it were… oh, say… myself and Auntie Molly… we might find a way to meet in the middle as it were…"

"We're NOT you and Auntie Molly, Uncle," Rosie finally said, her mouth a tight line.

"You may as well be, Little Lass," Greg smiled cautiously. "See, there are certain people who are just meant to be together… Myself and Auntie Molly for example. Now we've had our share of arguments over the years, but we've always managed to see each other's points of view, and one way or another, it's always set us to rights again. Uncle Sherlock and Auntie Sally… and your Mum and Dad, for small example, have always felt this way too. Now you and Julian, you may be too young yet to actually date and officially become a couple, but everyone knows that's just a matter of time. You're old souls, nothing can change that, or ruin it, dear girl."

"I just don't understand why he can't see that I'm RIGHT though, Uncle. He's SO stubborn!" Rosie heaved a frustrated sigh, as her hands dropped. Absently, she fiddled with Pepper's mane, twisting the coarse hairs gently in her fingers.

Greg laughed at this, causing Rosie to look up sharply and scowl fiercely at her beloved Uncle.

"It's NOT FUNNY!" she said angrily, firing blue eyed daggers at him. At this, Pepper grunted and snorted, as if in agreement with his favourite rider.

Greg took a deep breath and let it out audibly. "No, Little Lass, of course it isn't. Julian isn't stubborn, he's Irish. He can't help it! And YOU, my girl, are a Watson Morstan hybrid. You might as well be Irish yourself! And as for YOU," he said with amusement, re-directing his comment to Peppercorn, "You just keep your horsey opinions to yourself, you big grand old sod!"

Rosie's scowl grew even deeper, as her mouth downturned into a frown. Greg smiled at her warmly. "Look, Rosamund… it's like this… I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm not saying Julian is either. It's just that sometimes things might be looked at from different angles. Truth can sometimes be a matter of perspective. Take a ceiling fan for example. I recall one time when Johnnie and Scott had an argument over which direction it was turning. Scottie insisted it was clockwise, and John insisted it was counter-clockwise. But they were each looking at it from different points of view. When I looked at it from Scott's way of thinking, he was right. Then I looked at it from Johnnie's, and you know what Little Lass?"

Rosie sighed, beginning to understand quite clearly what Greg was saying. "Johnnie was right too?"

"Yes," Greg laughed softly. "They were BOTH right, and when they each took the time to look at that stupid ceiling fan the way the other one was, then they could see it too."

"So… you think Jules and I just need to take the time to examine each other's points of view?"

"Yes, I do actually," Greg said thoughtfully, as he brought Goldie around to begin their ride back to the stables. "Now I happen to know what your row was about, and I also happen to know from Julian talking to me about this very thing what HIS point of view is. Believe me Little Lass, he's no happier being on the outs with YOU than you are being on the outs with HIM, so he's willing to look at it from your angle. I know you don't need to be told this Rosie, but that boy loves you fiercely."

Rosie smiled shyly at this, knowing how true it was. "Yeah," she said. She glanced down at Pepper's sleek neck and his twitching ears, smiling mostly to herself. "He's going to marry me someday…"

Greg allowed a few moments to pass while he sensed Rosie's mood beginning to shift, allowing her feelings for her best friend once again take front and centre stage in her thoughts. Finally, he spoke again.

"HOWEVER," he continued, as he navigated Goldie around a fallen tree, "I'm afraid I've got some good news and bad news both…"

Rosie, her mood lightened again between Uncle Greg's advice, the unnecessary affirmation that Julian loved her, and the calming effect Pepper always managed to have on her, finally turned her smile to him. "No, no don't tell me Uncle. Let me guess… the good news is, I'm right. The bad news is, Julian is also right…"

"Beautiful and wise, my girl," Greg chuckled. "Yes. From a neutral standpoint having viewed the problem from all angles, as any good copper should… you are both right, in my professional police detective's opinion," he winked.

"Do you think he'll forgive me for being such a stubborn little prat?" Rosie asked suddenly, sounding worried. Next to her, Greg cleared his throat.

"Reckon so, but only if you forgive HIM for being a stubborn little git." He raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Rosie.

As they rode in reflective silence, the patient equines they were mounted upon huffed and whinnied softly in mutual agreement.