What's Good for the Goose

Genre: Family; Humour; Mild Romance

Pairings: Rosie and Julian

Main characters: Rosie and Julian (early teens)

Rosie Watson tried her damndest to glare at her best friend, but found herself only met with the laughing green Irish eyes of Julian Bailey.

"WHAT is so bloody funny, Julian Andrew Bailey?"

Julian knew he was in trouble when his Rosa called him by his full given Christian name. Suppressing the smirk, and the irresistible urge to just kiss her already, Julian took a deep breath, and composed himself as best he could.

"Well, my darling Rosa… you're always calling me a silly goose…"

"Well you ARE, you bloody git," Rosie huffed, though the amused gleam in Julian's eyes was starting to wear her down.

"TECHNICALLY, I'm NOT a silly goose. If ANYONE is a silly goose, it's YOU, Love," Julian said, now unable to hold back the unfortunately timed chuckle.

"ME? Why you bloody Irish prat, I ought to…" she said, just as Julian finally summoned the courage to kiss her, for real, for the very first time.

"You see," Julian said, breaking away from the quick little spontaneous kiss, "technically YOU are the silly goose. I, my beautiful Rosa, am just a silly old gander."

Rosie, a bit taken aback from the gesture, and still absorbing the fact that her best friend had finally kissed her for the first time for real – a moment she'd secretly dreamed about for quite some time now, if she were honest about it – simply paused.

"Oh, whatever," she finally giggled. "It's semantics, like Uncle Sherlock would say. I still love you anyway, if you still love me?"

Julian grinned, and quietly draped an arm around her. "Of course I still love you, Rosa, silly little goose. I've always loved you, I always will. Did you know geese mate for life, love?"

"Actually, I did know that, now that you mention it," Rosie said, as Julian guided them to the couch. "I don't think I did when I first started calling you that though. Oh, we were so young, Jules…"

"We're STILL young, Rosa," Julian laughed. "I think our mothers would faint that we've just kissed for real. Our dads would probably lock us up or something…"

"Or, our dads would lift a pint and congratulate us on finally getting on with it. There's young, and then there's just being stubborn."

"Geese are stubborn, did you know that, Rosa? Why I once heard in Saskatchewan, I think it was Mr. McTavish told of his car being chased by a mean old goose, or maybe it was her ornery gander, and all he did was stop long enough to let a few goslings and their mother safely cross the road from one pond to the one across the way…"

"I've heard of that," Rosie said, as she settled against Julian. "Canadian geese are an irony. Canadians are just so NICE. Their geese are just… oh I can't say it. It's too…"

"They're assholes, Rosa. Don't mince words on my behalf, love, and you shouldn't anyway. You're a Watson. Your dad has never been known to mince his words for anyone at any time. I'm a stubborn little Irishman like you said," Julian laughed heartily. "We're not as young as we used to be, and not as old as we're going to be, but we're always just right for who we are, and we're 13 years old now. We are growing up, whether anyone likes it or not. And I am old enough to kiss you like I just did."

"And I suppose then, I'm old enough to kiss you back… like I just did. Oh what's the saying…? Rosie asked, with contentment that Julian hadn't quite noticed before.

Julian thought a moment, then tightened his arm around Rosie. Kissing her temple with a newfound bravery, he said softly, "I believe what you're thinking goes something like, what's good for the goose is good for the gander."

"Geese are SO stubborn. Maybe in our case, that's a good thing?" Rosie pondered, as she settled against him.

"A VERY good thing, love," Julian said softly, as he tightened an arm around her. "They are stubborn enough to migrate thousands of miles together, then come home six months later and start it all over again. And do this year after year after year. And they make goslings too in the meantime. I hope our little gosling is just as stubborn and determined as we are."

Rosie paused at this, letting it sink in. Then, with a crooked grin to herself, finally responded.

"Only ONE little gosling? I know she's years away yet but only one?"

"I'm being modest, Rosa. A goose only has so much patience to spare, after all," Julian laughed. "Not only with her goslings, but with her gander most of all."

Rosie rose her eyebrow at this, before shaking her head. He was right, of course. Julian was always right. But then again, so was she, when she thought about it. It was really only a matter of meeting in the middle.

What was good for the goose, after all, was good for the gander, she thought.