A/N: I know I have other stuff I should be working on, but this wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it. It takes place the summer after Melina, Jesse, and Dominic graduate. They haven't gone off to college yet.
Also, for anyone who hasn't ready A New Beginning, or doesn't remember who is who, if you go to my tumblr page and click on "fanfiction stuff", you will find my master post of all of my fanfiction stuff, including family trees (which will also be updated soon). As always, I hope you enjoy and please review :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
"Why are you scowling?"
Looking up, Aiden was only slightly surprised to see that Marina had taken a seat next to him on the steps outside of his parents' house.
"Do I have to have a reason?" he countered.
"No, except for the fact that I know you were looking at Tasha and Fabian."
"If she wants to drool after him, she can go right ahead."
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel? You aren't going to get her to go out with you from over here."
"She doesn't see me that way."
"You've been telling yourself that for months. I think you're just scared."
"Scared of what?" Aiden questioned.
"Of falling in love. You saw how quickly Alec fell in love with Melina and it scares you to think you could do the same."
"Plus there's this little thing called admitting to my best friend that I don't think of Tasha as my little sister anymore."
"Melina and I can handle him. Don't worry about it. He's your best friend; he just wants you to be happy. You deserve to be happy, Aiden."
"I am happy."
"You're happier here than you were in New York, I'll give you that, but I know you want more than that. You just got your own place, which is great by the way, but if you want Tasha, don't sit here and torture yourself. Go after her. She thinks you still see her as a little kid. She wants to stay around here for college, so you can't give me the excuse of she'll be gone in a few months."
"I'll think about it."
"Well, that's better than nothing," Marina said with a sigh as she stood. "Maybe you should brush up on your dance skills, too."
A few weeks later, as he was getting ready to go to a summer party Holly and Dominic had invited him to, Aiden heard a knock on his apartment door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find only Melina, Holly, and Marina there.
"Where are Alec, Dominic, and Edmund?" he wondered as he let his friends into the apartment.
"They got recruited to help with some last-minute set-up. We were sent to make sure you got there on time. Alec said you were helping your dad with something and it took longer than you expected," Melina explained.
"What's the other reason you're all here?" Aiden asked as he shut the door.
"We wanted to talk to you about Tasha," Marina replied.
"Of course you did. Look, clearly Natasha is into that Fabian guy, and when it comes to winning a girl's heart over another guy, I'm always on the losing end. I'll spare myself the pain, if it's all the same to you."
"She doesn't really like him," Holly revealed. "Not romantically, anyway. He's her old dance partner, they're just good friends. They don't see each other like that."
"I'm not discussing this any further. Give me ten minutes and then we can go," Aiden said before he walked back down the hall to his room.
"That went well," Holly commented with a sigh.
"Stop tugging, you look great," Kurt told his friend, grabbing her hands to make her stop tugging at her dress.
"You look very pretty, Tasha," Tatiana agreed. "I'm sure Aiden will agree."
"I should have known a boy was involved…and a cute one at that."
"He doesn't see me that way," Tasha said with a sigh. "I have to get over him."
"That's not what Mari says," Tatiana reminded her older sister.
"Mari doesn't know everything."
"Just have fun tonight, okay?" Kurt added. "Holly, Rachel, Dominic, and Jesse organized this for all of us to have some fun together before we get too busy getting ready for the start of the new school year. I might even let you borrow Blaine for a dance."
"I feel so honored," Tasha joked, making Kurt and Tatiana laugh.
"Come on, you know Mama will want pictures," Tatiana reminded her.
"It's just a party with friends."
"That may be, but Mama just got a new camera. She'd never turn down an opportunity to use it."
"Ugh."
Come on, shake your body baby,
do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you've tried it
Do the conga beat
Everybody gather 'round now
let your body feel the heat.
Don't you worry if you can't dance
let the music move your feet.
It's the rhythm of the island
and like sugarcane, so sweet.
If you want to do the conga
you've got to listen to the beat.
As she heard Santana begin her chosen song, Tasha walked over to her friend and tugged on his hands.
"Dance with me," she requested.
"What's in it for me?" Fabian wondered with a laugh.
"We haven't really danced together in a while. For old times' sake. Please?"
"Fine. For old times' sake…just don't step on my feet."
Tasha laughed as she let Fabian lead her out onto the dance floor. As they began to dance, she didn't notice the foursome who had entered the St. James backyard.
"Why does Aiden look so mad?" Rachel asked her cousin, noticing the way the older boy was frowning as he watched Tasha and Fabian.
"He and Tasha are refusing to acknowledge that the other could have feelings for them," Holly answered. "It's actually kind of annoying."
"Does Aiden dance?"
"He used to. I don't know how much he remembers. Why?"
"I have an idea."
"Go talk to Marina about it. She's your fellow matchmaker. I'm going to get Alec to dance with me so you two can discuss your plan."
"Thanks."
"If you two can get them to stop being idiots, I will be grateful."
"I'll talk to Marina."
"Hi, Rachel," Marina greeted as she spotted the petite brunette walking up to her.
"Hi, Marina," Rachel returned with a smile. "Holly said I should talk to you."
"Talk to me about what?"
"The reason she is distracting Alec right now."
"Ah, that. Are you here to help me?"
"I can try. I have an idea."
"I'm all ears."
As Rachel filled Marina in on her idea, she also kept an eye on Aiden. He was talking with Edmund and Dominic right now, but she had a feeling that was to keep occupied until the song was over.
"I think it could work. I'll talk to Edmund in a few minutes. I think I need to talk to my twin first."
"Shouldn't Aiden be the one to do that?" Rachel wondered. "They're best friends."
"Aiden won't because he's convinced he can get over his feelings. You and I both know when you feel that strongly about someone that you don't just get over it."
"That's true. Good luck."
"Thanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."
"Me, too."
As she and Jesse were dancing to a song that Kurt and Blaine were currently singing, Rachel wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. She had been thinking about the conversation she'd had with Marina a short while ago, about how when you know you've found the one, those feelings don't just go away.
"Rach, are you okay?" Jesse asked softly.
"I think so," Rachel replied. "I was just thinking about something Marina said."
"Which is…?"
"We were talking about Aiden and Tasha, how they won't admit what they're feeling for each other, and she commented that when you feel that strongly about someone, those feelings don't just go away."
"It's true," Jesse agreed. "It's also scary as hell when you first realize it."
"If you were in Alec's place, how do you think you'd feel?"
Jesse was silent for a moment as he thought about his girlfriend's question.
"I'd probably want to deny it at first, but then I'd get over it because they make each other happy and I wouldn't want to lose either of them," he answered.
"I hope that's what Alec decides."
"Tasha is his sister and Aiden is his best friend. He loves them both. He'll figure out a way to be okay with it. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Rach."
"Sing with me?" Rachel requested once Kurt and Blaine had finished their song.
"Always," Jesse replied, following her to the small stage Joel and Leroy had set up for them.
"I need to talk to you," Marina informed her brother as she walked up to the spot where he and Melina were standing.
"Now?" Alec questioned.
"Yes, now."
"You should go," Melina told her boyfriend. "It sounds like it's important."
Alec sighed, bending to press a kiss to her cheek before following his sister over to a nearby corner.
"What's so important that it couldn't wait?" he demanded as soon as they had stopped walking.
"Aiden and Tasha are in love with each other," Marina blurted, deciding giving him the straightforward truth would be best.
"You're delusional," Alec replied. "They see each other as brother and sister."
"Not anymore."
"When did this change?"
"I'm not really sure," Marina answered. "I think it was a gradual thing. You know they had been spending more time together and talking more over the last few months."
"Couldn't he have found someone else to fall in love with?"
"Says the one who is in love with one of Tasha's best friends."
"I didn't know she and Tasha were friends when I met her."
"That doesn't matter. She was Tasha's friend by the time you started pursuing her. Tasha supported you, we all did. You're her big brother, she loves you; she wants your approval, your support. Aiden is your best friend, and I know you two are practically like brothers, so he is probably looking for the same thing. You want them both to be happy, don't you?"
"Do you even have to ask that question?" Alec retorted, sending his twin an annoyed look.
"Don't get smart with me," Marina told him, sending him an annoyed look of her own.
"Don't ask stupid questions."
"Tasha and Aiden are family. Семья, Alec."
"I know. Mama and Aunt Katya will be happy. Granted they both stop being stubborn long enough to admit how they feel."
"That's the spirit," Marina said with a smile, linking her arm through Alec's and walking back to the party with him.
"May I have this dance?" Edmund asked Tasha, holding out his hand for her.
Tasha laughed as she placed her hand in Edmund's.
"Is this okay with my sister?" she asked.
"Considering she just convinced Aiden to dance with her, I'd say she's perfectly fine with it. Besides, I thought we were family."
"We are."
"Marina would probably say we should practice for our future wedding."
"Are you planning to marry her?" Tasha wondered. "I promise I won't say anything to her, no matter what your answer is."
"I'd like to someday," Edmund answered. "How would you feel about becoming my sister-in-law?"
"I think I could handle that," Tasha answered with a smile as she and Edmund began to dance.
"Where'd Natasha's friend go?" Aiden asked as he and Marina danced to the song Jesse and Rachel were singing.
"He had to leave," Marina answered as she attempted to figure out how to navigate the conversation she wanted to have with Aiden. "Why do you care, anyway? I thought you didn't like Tasha that way."
"I don't…to both."
"You're lying."
"I am not."
"Aiden, knock it off already. Your walls don't work with me and I'm pretty sure they are only working with Tasha because she wants them to."
"I don't want to have this conversation right now."
"Well, too bad, because we're having it. I already yelled at my actual brother tonight; please don't make me yell at my surrogate one, too."
"Why did you yell at Alec?"
"Because I told him that you and Tasha are in love with each other."
"I'm not in love with Natasha," Aiden denied automatically.
"I beg to differ," Marina replied calmly.
"It's not like she'd ever take me seriously anyway, even if I did tell her."
"You really need to stop tearing yourself down. I know you've gone through a lot of crappy stuff, and being really happy again is going to take time, but you need to know that even if you do annoy us sometimes, we do love you."
"I didn't know you were so sentimental," Aiden joked.
Marina laughed as she hugged her friend.
"I knew your sense of humor was still in there somewhere."
"So…how did Alec take the news?"
"Aiden and Marina seem deep in conversation," Tasha observed.
"Marina likes to talk, remember?" Edmund reminded her.
"She, Aiden, and Alec always were pretty close. I'm just used to seeing Aiden and Alec together or Alec and Marina together. Sometimes I forget Aiden and Marina are friends, too."
"I remember the first time I met Aiden. I was so jealous. He knew all of these things about her that I didn't, they had things about their childhood together that they would reference and I'd have no idea what they were talking about. I thought he liked Marina."
"He doesn't think of any of us as anything more than surrogate sisters."
"As Marina likes to say, I beg to differ."
"What makes you say that?" Tasha wondered.
"The way he looks at you. It's kind of cute, actually. I think part of the draw of moving back home and taking the job with Hiram is that it would bring you two closer. You'd be living in the same town again; he might just stand a chance now," Edmund answered.
"He looks at me the same way he looks at Marina and Tatiana."
"No, he doesn't. Marina is his other best friend, Tatiana is his little sister, but you…you're special to him for a different reason. He might have looked at you similar to Tatiana before, but somewhere along the line, it changed."
"He'll get over it. I'll get over it."
"That's what I thought about Marina. She was my roommate, she was off-limits."
"What made you change your mind?" Tasha asked.
"Alec, actually," Edmund revealed. "He called me on it and reminded me that Marina wasn't going to wait around forever."
"Speaking of my older brother, I doubt he would like his best friend dating his little sister."
"Marina talked to him. I have no idea what she said, but I think Melina said something, too."
"She probably did," Tasha agreed. "He'll listen to Lina at the very least because he's crazy about her."
"Look, I'm not going to push you the way Marina is probably pushing Aiden, but if he is the one you want, you should go for it. Alec might take some time to get used to it, but he'll come around eventually."
"I'll take it into consideration."
As Blaine began the next song, another slow one, Edmund pressed a kiss to Tasha's cheek before walking over to Marina and Aiden.
"Sorry, Aiden, I'm taking my girlfriend back," he said jokingly as he tapped the other boy on the shoulder.
"She talks too much anyway," Aiden replied with a laugh, purposely ignoring Marina's look of mock-hurt.
"Did you have fun talking to Aiden?" Edmund asked as he slid his arms around Marina's waist.
"I did," Marina confirmed. "Did you and Tasha have fun dancing together?"
"We did. I'm happy to be dancing with you again, though."
"Me, too."
"You didn't happen to play matchmaker this evening, did you?" Jesse inquired as he and Rachel danced together.
"I might have a little bit. I simply asked Marina and Edmund to help encourage Tasha and Aiden. I'm not pushing them together, I promise," Rachel replied. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad at you, Rach. I was simply wondering if you had anything to do with Aiden and Tasha finally acknowledging that the other is here."
"Not directly. They need to talk, so that's a good first step."
"You haven't seen my grandma or sister sneaking around with a camera in hand, have you?" Jesse wondered, opting to change the subject.
"Not that I saw or heard about," Rachel answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering. I wouldn't put it past either of them to do it."
"I did see a few disposable cameras lying around. I don't remember buying those."
"Something tells me all of the parents/family members were in on that idea."
Rachel smiled as she nodded in agreement.
"Probably."
"Are you just going to ignore me all night?" Tasha demanded as she walked up to Aiden, who was currently sitting on a bench on the edge of the party space.
"No," Aiden replied. "Sit."
"This isn't some kind of trick, is it?"
"No trick. I swear."
Sending Aiden an unsure look, Tasha did as he requested.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately after glancing at his face.
"I need to tell you something," Aiden began. "No matter how you feel about it, it's going to change our relationship."
"Aiden, you're scaring me. What's going on?"
"I was jealous of Fabian tonight."
"That's what you wanted to tell me?" Tasha asked incredulously, not realizing that Aiden hadn't finished talking. "Of all the stupid things to scare me with."
"You know what, just forget I said anything," Aiden said before he stood and began to walk away.
Realizing that she had somehow hurt Aiden's feelings, Tasha immediately went after him.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she approached Aiden's new hiding spot.
"Yeah, me, too," Aiden replied.
"You know, if you're just going to stand here and sulk, you can leave. I don't care if this isn't my party to kick you out of. You're being grumpy and moody, and it's ruining the mood."
"You're right; I shouldn't have come here tonight."
Tasha sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she opened them and spoke again.
"You said you had something to tell me…so tell me."
"If you hate me for what I'm about to do, I'll understand," Aiden told her, leaning down to brush his lips with hers before she could say anything else.
"I don't hate you," Tasha whispered a few moments later.
"You don't?"
"No, I don't."
"Why not?"
"Because you answered the question I was too afraid to ask."
"Now you're the one being cryptic. You're going to have to spell it out for me, Natasha."
"I wanted to know how you felt about me…if I was always going to be nothing more than a sister to you. Now I know the answer. I think."
"I love you…and I don't mean in a brother-sister type of way. I was jealous of Fabian tonight because I wanted to be the one dancing with you."
"I love you, too…and not in a sister-brother type of way, either," Tasha said softly, leaning up to press her lips to Aiden's, and smiling into the kiss when she felt him wrap his arms around her waist.
"What are you so giddy about?" Dominic asked as he walked up to his girlfriend.
"Aiden and Tasha are together now," Holly answered, her grin never leaving her face as she watched the new couple dance together.
"Rachel and Marina's plan worked, I take it."
"Of course it did."
"She'll get to keep her perfect matchmaking record, then," Dominic joked.
Holly laughed as she nodded in agreement.
"She'll be happy, I'm sure. I tried to tell Tasha that letting Rachel interfere wasn't going to end up badly, but she didn't want to listen."
"She doesn't necessarily interfere…she just knows how to give people that extra push they need."
"She definitely does," Holly agreed. "Now, I believe you owe me a dance."
"How about you convince your cousin to play something more upbeat first?" Dominic asked as he took Holly's hand and began to lead her out onto the makeshift dance floor.
"I already talked to her about it."
"Of course you did."
Song: "Conga" by Gloria Estefan
Translation:
Семья = family
