Soothing Siblings, Undiluted by Diffidence

Author: ebb in and away

Rating: T (see warning)

Spoilers: Up until now (very few, but the ones that are there are somewhat large).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee.

Warning!: There are some situations in here that might possibly be triggers. If you might possibly have any, please DO NOT READ THIS. I don't want anybody to be hurt or upset. There are mentions of bullying. If you have issues with swearing, you might want to skip this story. If you have problems with two people of the same sex being in a relationship, you may want to skip this story.

Author's Note: So, I realize that this one is really short, but it just kinda…happened after reading the reviews of the previous chapter. I'm hoping to do a Christmas chapter before we actually reach Christmas day, but I don't know if I will manage it or not. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this most recent chapter!

Ch. 26

Nick and Beatrice's parents were good ones, they really were, but they were gone a lot for work. They didn't know that Beatrice was making a lot of progress with her flashbacks; they also didn't know that Wes was capable of bringing her out of flashbacks. Instead of knowing the favorite colors and foods of their children, they worked hard, expanding the family fortune exponentially and ensuring that, if they so chose, Nick and Beatrice would never have to work a day in their lives. However, Nick and Beatrice wished that they could see their parents more often, especially since Nick would be going off to college next fall. Still, seeing their parents at Nick's birthday party (something that hadn't happened for about eight years) was a surprise.

"I thought that you were both in California for work."

Nick stepped forward, dragging Beatrice with him. He hugged his mother first, then shook his father's hand. Beatrice hugged both of her parents, quickly grabbing Nick's hand afterwards.

"We thought that we should be here for your last birthday before you leave for college, so we wrapped up some deals early and flew home."

"Mom, Dad, I have a friend here that I would like for you to meet."

Beatrice released her brother's hand, walking over to Kurt and grabbing his hand. As Beatrice pulled Kurt forward, Nick smiled at his parents.

"This is Kurt Hummel, Blaine's boyfriend and a former Warbler. Kurt, these are my parents, Douglas and Bianca."

As Kurt shook their hands, Beatrice rejoined her brother. The group sat back down, after bringing in chairs so everybody could sit on furniture. The only presents that he hadn't unwrapped yet were from Beatrice and his parents, so Nick decided to open the one from his parents first.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad, but why have you given me a wedding invitation with my name on it?"

Beatrice looked horrified, and the rest of the group was squirming uncomfortably, most of them knowing why he had been given the invitation when he didn't even have a steady girlfriend. Nick's mother smiled sweetly at him.

"Darling, you were getting along with Rose so well at the party, and you had a date with her shortly afterwards, so your father and I decided to meet with her parents and set up your marriage."

Nick looked ill. Beatrice, on the other hand, looked nothing short of enraged.

"How dare you! You should have talked to him before you even considered meeting with the poor girl's parents! The date that they went on ended with an agreement to remain friends, not lovers! They are not romantically compatible."

Beatrice took a breath, now standing before her parents.

"You have to sever the arrangement."

Nick gaped at his sister, as did their parents.

"Sweetheart, I know that you are upset, but pulling out of an agreement is not beneficial for those involved. The family pulling out must pay the other family for their time, and arranged marriages have helped feelings develop into love before."

Many of the boys in the room shrank back in their seats upon seeing Beatrice's now expressionless face.

"Use the money that you give me as an allowance to pay them back. I will not allow my brother to be forced into a marriage that may very well cause him misery."

Silence fell heavily over the room as Beatrice glared at her parents, daring them to go against what she had requested.

Douglas and Bianca were truly good parents. They had worked hard for years, making business deals and taking steps to ensure the comfort and safety of their children. They also understood why Beatrice was so upset at the thought of Nick being in an arranged marriage. Bianca held her arms out to her children.

"Come here, my dears."

Nick reluctantly approached his mother, standing beside his sister. The siblings were pulled into a hug.

"If you do not wish to marry Rose, you will not be forced to. We only want you both to be happy."

Douglas spoke up, feeling that it was necessary to make something quite clear to his children.

"We will not be using Beatrice's allowance to pay Rose's family. We will smooth things over with her and her family, then come home to properly celebrate Nick's birthday next weekend."

Douglas couldn't help the warm feeling that rushed through him upon seeing his children so happy about him and his wife coming home the next weekend. Bianca smiled as she took her husband's hand.

"Now, Nick, be a darling and open your present from your sister."

Nick grinned as he pulled Beatrice back over to their seats on the couch. He carefully unwrapped his gift, and nearly dropped it when he realized what it was.

While Nick was growing up, the time that he didn't spend raising Beatrice was spent learning about photography. He read book after book about it, looked for information online; and he had watched several movies on the subject. However, he never told his parents about this particular interest, never told Jeff that he wanted to look into being a professional photographer one day. The only person who knew about this particular dream was Beatrice, who had patiently sat through every video, listened to every fact that her brother blurted out about a particular camera or lens.

Nick lifted the camera out of the large box carefully, not wanting to break the precious item.

"How...?"

Beatrice smiled.

"I saved up a bit each month from my allowance after my tenth birthday. I wanted to get you a good camera, not an everyday one."

Nick gently put the camera back into the box before placing the box on the floor. He then turned to his sister and pulled her into a hug, refusing to let go for a solid minute.

After several hours of games, cutting the birthday cake (which, thankfully, did not explode this year), and eating dinner, the boys went either back to Dalton or to their own homes. As Nick and Beatrice went up the stairs, Nick took a picture of his sister. He had decided to make sure that the first photo that he took with a professional camera was of his sister, and as he went to bed beside her that night, he knew that he had succeeded in his plan.