A Siblings Advice

I know you Dot, don't forget that

So this one is loosely linked to my other one-shot book (Its in the little things- home and away) so there will be a slight cross over here I guess. As always, this is pure fiction, based on the bits we have seen through youtube and social media. Enjoy guys!

Mark's POV:

As soon as Dotty and Joseph stepped up to the door, I could tell there was something bothering my Dot and once Rina was suitably fussing over Joe, she snuck off and buried herself in my chest for a long awaited "Dad Dot" cuddle. Knowing better than to speak to her now, I leave her be and enjoy the moment of silence until she is ready to talk. "Dad? Can we go to the garden? I've missed our little heart to hearts, I said to Joseph earlier that it is was I missed the most and I know mum will want to corner Joe anyway." Glancing over her head at my wife, we give each other the nod as I lead Dot off to the bottom garden and Rina guides Joseph into the kitchen, leaving Mel and Andrew to their own devices. "So Dot, what is going through that busy brain of yours now, is it Joe? He still treating you right?" I begin, knowing the answer already, by the soft smile on her face. From birth, our Dot has been easy to read, she really does wear her heart on her sleeve and her emotions on her face; it's one of the strongest things about her but it means when she hurts, she falls hard. Having been down this tightrope a few times before, never wanting to see my only daughter that way again, I know we will work through whatever is troubling her and she will bounce back to her bubbly self once again.

"Oh Dad, he's amazing as always, I really can't fault him at all. We have had the most amazing time with Buzz and Mel but I just couldn't wait to get home and see you and mum obviously. I think it's just the pressure of having Joe here this time- I've never done the whole "Bring your boyfriend to Christmas" before, especially not when he is from the other side of the world. Oh Dad...have I done the right thing?" She sighs, head in hands as tears threaten to spill from her soft eyes. Reaching across the table, taking her hand in mines as I have often done before, I can only smile fondly at my youngest child; the small girl who often carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, who was so fiercely independent but was now so deeply in love, that her own happiness was interlocked with that of her boyfriends. "Dot, I can't tell you the answer to that, only you can. Or well, Joe can but that's different story. But I can tell you this, I have never seen you like this before. They way you trust him, work with him, exist with him? You really are each other's world and that boy would do anything for you. It's been a long time since I spent the first Christmas with your mother's family but I do know how nerve wracking it is, so if he is acting a bit "off", the poor guy is probably just scared." I finish, noticing that she is visibly more relaxed than before and spying Brendan creeping up behind us and launching himself at her. "Dianne Buswell in the flesh! How's life little sis!"

Brendan's POV:

Seeing Dianne with her back to me, lost in conversation with Dad, I HAVE to take this opportunity and sneak up on her, possibly prank the prankster. "Dianne Buswell in the flesh! How's life little sis!" Taking note of dad's serious expression, I know to tone it down a bit, pulling her into a tight hug as I appreciate the fact that my baby sister is back in our home town. "Right Dot, i'll leave you with Bren, maybe have a chat with him about how you are feeling? He has been there before too." Dad mutters, as I take his seat opposite her. "So, what are we chatting about then Dot?" I start, settling down in our seats and stealing a biscuit, figuring that i'm in for a lengthy chat. Despite the fact that there is a few years between us and Buzz is actually her partner, Dianne and I have always been very close, she often turns to me for advice when she needs it- and I wouldn't have it any other way. It'll be a strange Christmas this year, with all of the siblings being in a couple for once, Joe's first Christmas with us too. " Bren, I dunno, i'm just worrying that Joe doesn't want to be here and that i'm a horrible girlfriend for taking him away from his family for a special time of the year. Did you feel like this when you brought Anna back for the first time? You two have been together forever! It's all so new for Joseph and I, even though we've been together for a year and a bit." I can tell this is stressing her out a bit, I feel like it's time for a big brother chat.

"Di, tell me this. Do you love him? Like honestly, do you really really love him?" Raising an eyebrow, i await her reply. I've always been an excellent judge of character and Dot is someone you can read like a book. Her face is brushed with a soft rosy glow, her cheeks pulled up into a bright smile and her famous fairy dimple gracing her face. "I'm convinced he's the one bro, I can't explain it. It's in the little things; he brings me coffee every morning, handed over with a kiss. When we sleep, he always keeps a hand on me, whether its on my waist, hand, arm, he always holds me. If we are apart or if we have some form of event on, he leaves me a note that I can keep with me, a little reminder of how much he loves me because he knows I struggle when we aren't together. He is just so caring, so thoughtful, so kind all the time- when i'm ill, or on my period or just feeling really rough, he just knows exactly what I need before I even tell him." Seeing her like this, i'd be inclined to agree with her and I've not even met the guy yet so this will definitely be an interesting Christmas to say the least. I remember the first Christmas Anna and I spent together with my family but it seems like a lifetime ago now, after a wedding and two kids. This year, we welcome not only Joe but we are sharing with Andrew and Mel and for the first time in history, the Buswell children will be together, under one roof and with our partners.

"Look Dot, look at me. I know you Dot, don't forget that, so if you think that Joe is nervous, then he probably is but not because he doesn't feel the say way, it's because he has been thrown in to the Buswell family at the most chaotic time of the year. It'll just take him a few days to settle into our way of working and if you feel like this, tell him. I guarantee he is feeling similar, wanting to ensure that he is doing everything he can for you because that's what i'm like even now. So finish up here and go and give that man of yours a cuddle before Mia and Billy floor the pair of you. And Dianne? I know i'm not the soppy brother, but i'm really happy for you and Joseph. You deserve the love and the way he spoils you, you deserve to feel like a princess, not just because you're my little sister, but because you work so hard and always have. Now go, i'll tidy up here. Save your man from mum." I chuckle, tidying up the plates of biscuits mum had clearly sent, as well as the coffee mugs and smiling to myself as I watched my tiny sister dance her way up the path, like she did as a child.

As I said, i'm not the soppy brother...but I will always be proud of her.