Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Full House characters.

Sibling Rivalries and Reveries

Tired of being the youngest, Michelle thinks no one else understands---do they?

This isn't fair was the only thought racing through six-year-old Michelle Tanner's head. "Why am I the only one who has to get in trouble?" The walls of her bedroom didn't answer. Her older sister, Stephanie, had ratted her out for messing around with a kitchen knife---one of those that could cut a kid's finger off if they weren't careful. As a result, her dad had sent her to her room and by doing so, prevented her from going to the mall with Stephanie and their eldest sister, DJ. She just sat there and sulked, completely unaware of the passersby. One such was her uncle.

"Hey Munchkin," he greeted. "What're you doing up here all by yourself?"

"I got in trouble and now I can't go to the mall with Stephanie and DJ."

"What'd you do?" He asked, leaning against the doorway. She kept her eyes down.

"I made myself a sandwich…" Jesse was shocked.

"Yu got in trouble for making a sandwich? I'm gonna have to take this up with Danny, 'cause---"

"…And I tried to cut it with a knife, the big kind that you guys use. Stephanie saw me and tattled…now I'm stuck in here for another ten whole minutes!" She was on the verge of tears, now. "Why do I have to be the littlest? It's no fun and they're always getting you in trouble!" Jesse grinned and sat down on the bed, next to the girl.

"Well, sometimes it's not too fun, but being the youngest can have its benefits, too."

"What're benefits?"

"Y'know…rewards, perks," he explained.

"Oh…how do you know?"

"'Cause I have---'cause I had a big sister…your mommy."

"Like what kind of perks?" He racked his brains for a good tale to tell.

"Okay, here's a good example. I'm a speed demon---always loved being around anything that went 'vroom,' you know? Well, one day when I was 10, I was in the car with my mom and she went back in the house to get something---left the car running. And so, I thought it might be fun to see if I could drive the thing. I had my feet on the pedals, hand on the emergency brake, I was ready to go---then Pam came out. Man, she got 'em out there in record time! I didn't even know what was goin' on until I was in my room and couldn't sit down for at least an hour." The man was, by now, lost in his nostalgia. "Yeah, she really got me good." Michelle was confused.

"If your sister got you in trouble, where's the ben-i-fit in that?" Jesse laughed.

"Well, I guess she did it 'cause she didn't want me to get hurt…kinda how Steph might've squealed on you 'cause she knew that knives were dangerous. Maybe the benefit in being the youngest is that you always have someone who's looking out for you."

"It's still unfair, though."

"Yeah, but---" Jesse's lecture was cut short by another intruder: Stephanie.

"Hi, you guys," she said. "How's it going?"

"It's going," answered Jesse. "I was just telling Shorty that having a big sister isn't such a bad gig after all." Suddenly, it hit him. "Hey, Steph, why don't you tell Michelle here about the time DJ tried out for that Oat Boats cereal commercial?"

"Okay. DJ tried out for a cereal commercial a couple years back."

"Where was I?" Michelle demanded.

"You were just a baby. So DJ tried out for this commercial and I got the part instead."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah. At first, DJ wasn't too happy about it, but then she decided to help me with the lines, to help me to be the best I could be."

"Why?" I thought she was mad at you."

"She was, but then she decided to help because that's what big sisters do, they help you." Michelle let her anger show again.

"You helped me get in trouble! Yeah, thanks for the help!"

"No," Stephanie protested, "I did it because I love you and I didn't want you to cut yourself with that knife---I never meant to get you in trouble."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks, I guess." After the hug that followed, Jesse inquired,

"Did you have a good time shopping, Stephanie?" The girl shook her head.

"We haven't gone yet---we've been waiting for Michelle," No sooner had the words left her lips, the timer went off; ten minutes was up. "Come on." Satisfied with all this, Michelle climbed off the bed and went to spend some quality time with her big sisters.