So I've finally gotten back to writing. The story will be AU in some places. Just thought that that should be made clear. This story idea just struck me and I'm going to start writing the chapters. As I'm still working on sharpening my writing skills though, I'm afraid that the story won't be amazing in terms of grammar or flow. That being said, onto the story.

UPDATE AS OF 6/21/18: I'm going back and re-writing this story, and I'm going to try and flesh out Blaire's character a little more so things are definitely going to be a little different.

BLAIRE

Blaire's cheek pressed against the cool, glass window of her Uncle Charlie's police cruiser as dull green eyes stared at the landscape rushing passed them. The rain sloshed up against the side of the car, as they hit a particularly deep pothole filled with water and Blaire shivered. It was the first reaction she had given since Charlie had picked her up from the airport. This move had been a long time coming, she knew, but that didn't mean it had been easier and while she loved Bella, it wasn't like she was looking forward to living with her now mopey cousin. Uncle Charlie had made sure to keep his sister, Blaire's mother, updated on the situation with Bella and it had sounded like she had been getting better.

But, all that progress was immediately down the drain apparently. Her best friend, had gotten a girlfriend and was no longer given her his entire attention. Of course, Bella still had her boyfriend, Edward, who had re-entered the picture (not that Uncle Charlie was happy about that) but Bella also wanted to have best friend around too. Blaire swallowed nervously, as her eyes locked onto the familiar, quaint house that belonged to her uncle. She felt bad for Bella, she did and she could even empathize with her a little bit, but she also thought that Bella needed a wake-up call. Clearly all of the support wasn't working for her, and maybe they needed to give Bella a cold, hard dose of reality. Of course, Blaire wouldn't suggest that to anyone, let alone her Uncle Charlie, who was so obviously devoted to Bella because she didn't want to upset him or accidentally hurt Bella's feelings. She thought Bella needed a wake-up call but that didn't mean that she was going to act like a bitch about it either. Blaire opened the door, the cool rain soothing her skin which had become slightly warm from sitting in the cruiser.

"I've got your stuff, Blaire. You can go on in," Charlie said, going to the trunk where he had put her stuff.

"Thanks," Blaire murmured, her voice quiet as she headed up the front steps and then slipped inside the house.

It looked the same as it had the last time she was here. Except, it looked more lived in. Charlie tugged Blaire's suitcases into the house, and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he mentioned that Bella was probably in her room, moping over her fractured friendship with her best friend, Jacob Black. Blaire only shook her head, electing not to comment as she grabbed her bags and headed upstairs and to the room that sat directly across the hall from Bella's. Bella just needs to let him, go, Blaire thought. She couldn't understand why her cousin wouldn't let Jacob go. What she felt for Edward would always outnumber what she felt for Jacob, and she couldn't understand how Bella hadn't quite realized that.

Whatever, it's not my place to say anything, Blaire thought. You're here to be supportive of your cousin, Blaire, not super judgmental. Besides, maybe she's dealing with other crap that you don't know about. Of course, it was hard for Blaire not to be judgy. Bella hadn't exactly endeared herself to Blaire, once she had learned how Bella had reacted after her cousin and Edward had broken up. According to Charlie, Bella had been like a zombie and it had shaken her uncle. But things will change and get better now, Blaire thought. Hopefully, she amended.

"Bella," Blaire called after putting her stuff in her room. As she had expected, her cousin hadn't answered her. "Bella," she called again, rapping on her cousin's bedroom door.

The door slowly swung open, revealing Bella looking absolutely miserable. Dark half-moons hung underneath her eyes, but otherwise she looked like the same dreary Bella that Blaire knew and loved.

"Blaire," Bella said, her chocolate colored eyes showing her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Uncle Charlie tell you?" Blaire leaned her hip against the doorframe. "I'm living with you guys for now."

"Why?" The question slipped from Bella's lips seemingly before her cousin was aware of it, and Blaire smiled a little when a red flush crawled up her cousin's features, painting her cheeks a dark red. "Sorry," Bella apologized, ducking her head and looking abashed.

"It's not a big deal," Blaire airily answered. "I just needed a change, I guess."

Life is just a cycle of ongoing changes.

Bella nodded, "I can understand that."

"Um, I think we're going out to eat in a little bit," Blaire murmured, inching her way toward the stairs.

Bella nodded, mumbling that she would be right there before she closed her door and retreated to her room. Shaking her head, Blaire dismissed her cousin's odd behavior and joined Charlie in the living room. Blaire leaned over the back of the couch, her eyes locked on the ball game that Charlie was watching. Footsteps thunked down the stairs, and Blaire twisted her head, seeing Bella standing at the foot of the stairs her gaze locked on the two of them.

"I thought we were going out to eat," Bella questioned. "Are you two coming?"

Blaire grinned as Charlie hurriedly answered her, saying that they were coming. But she didn't miss the questioning look he shot her when Bella's back was turned. Blaire only shrugged as she followed Bella out of the house, Charlie trailing behind them.

See, things are already changing for the better, Blaire thought. At least Bella's getting out of the house and isn't moping in her room, anymore. Personally, she couldn't wait for the other changes that Forks would bring to her life.

~8~

Her first month in Forks was quite lackluster. Her second month wasn't any better, really. However since that dinner two months ago, things had changed drastically. Bella's mood was steadily improving, which was a little puzzling for Blaire since she knew that Jacob and Bella still weren't speaking. But she wasn't going to question Bella's newfound good mood, lest she somehow scare it away. Of course, Blaire completely doubted that Bella's good mood would last after tonight. Uncle Charlie was inviting some of his friends over for dinner, and by friends, he really means his girlfriend and her kids. Of course, the kids had also invited some of their friends, and one of said friends was the infamous Jacob Black. Not that Bella knew that of course, and Uncle Charlie had made sure to swear Blaire to secrecy, so she wasn't going to tell Bella. She couldn't help but feel, however, that it would somehow blow up in their faces.

At least attending school next week will take my mind off of Bella if her mood does another one-eighty, Blaire thought, walking down the stairs. "What're we having for supper, Uncle Charlie?"

"None of your business," he grumbled. Blaire raised her brows and he sighed. "Bella's gone to the store to pick stuff up."

"At least you attempted to cook," she offered. Charlie just stared at his niece looking vaguely irritated. "If it makes you feel any better, cooking isn't exactly my strong suit either?"

At that her uncle smiled, and Blaire was sure that he was recalling the same incident that she was. She had been a little younger than she was now, and had been attempting to cook supper for her family when things took a turn for the worst. Her first and last cooking attempt, had ended in a call to the fire department. It was something that had not endeared her to her step-father, but it had endlessly amused her mother who still would tease her about it. The front door creaked open and Bella stepped in, her thin arms laden with grocery bags.

"Is all of this food for us," Bella asked. "It seems like it might be a bit too much Cha-Dad," she corrected herself.

"That's because it's not all for us," Blaire said gleefully, watching as Uncle Charlie blanched. "Uncle Charlie's invited over a friend," her voice rose suggestively on the word friend. "What's her name Uncle Charlie?"

"Sue Clearwater," Charlie mumbled, looking none too thrilled to be discussing it at this particular moment in time, and it made Blaire feel marginally bad. "You were supposed to keep it a secret, Blaire."

"Until when?" Blaire tilted her head to the side, "When she knocked on the door?"

"That would have been nice, yes," Uncle Charlie grumbled.

"Uncle Charlie!"

He just narrowed his eyes at her and turned back to Bella who had been staring between the two with confusion. She watched as Charlie pulled Bella gently to the side as he explained about the dinner and just who was also going to be involved. As Blaire had suspected, Bella did not take it well at all. Bella was flushed red and angry as she argued with Charlie, pleading with him to uninvite Jacob. She said she didn't care if Seth or Leah came or if they invited other friends, but she didn't want Jacob to be at the house. Blaire's brows rose, Guess they still aren't friends, yet. Charlie sighed, saying something to Bella that Blaire couldn't hear, but whatever he said didn't make the situation better as Bella huffed and stormed up the stairs, mumbling that she wasn't hungry. The door to her room slammed seconds later.

"That could have gone better," Blaire said, rather unhelpfully.

"You are not helping the situation Blaire," Charlie growled. "Just, go watch TV or something."

"Roger, Chief," she said sarcastically.

As she retreated into the living room she felt a little bad about what had happened between Charlie and Bella. Part of the blame, she could admit, definitely fell on her for not handling the situation with more tact. But, she didn't think Bella needed to be so sensitive to the situation either. It was better to get it over with now, instead of when the guests had actually arrived because that would only mean more embarrassment for both Bella and Charlie. Blaire honestly felt that she had been doing the two of them a favor, but Uncle Charlie didn't see it the same way that she did. Perhaps she had overstepped some boundary, and she should probably apologize for that. But she'd apologize after Charlie had cooled down. She winced as a few dishes clashed roughly together. The doorbell rang and she heard Charlie curse under his breath, as he hurried to the door and left their guests in.

Blaire twisted around on the couch to stare at their new arrivals, her eyes taking note of their tall stature, except for the older woman who was significantly shorter than the three teens that accompanied her. The oldest woman must be Sue, Blaire guessed, and the girl must be her daughter Leah. So one of the boys is Jacob and the other is Seth, Blaire determined. The girl, who could be none other than Leah Clearwater, had a severe, thunderous look on her face and looked none too happy to be at the Swan residence. Although when Sue gave her a look, the girl's features softened and she made an effort to appear nicer.

"This is my niece, Blaire," Charlie said, gesturing to the teenage girl who was sitting on the couch and she waved lamely. "Blaire this is Sue Clearwater, her children Leah and Seth, and their friend Jacob Black." He gestured to each one individually when he spoke their names and Blaire nodded, committing their names and features to memory.

Jacob Black, was the taller of the two boys, and Blaire would be the first to admit that he was undeniably handsome. While the second boy, Seth, was still extremely good-looking but in more of a cute way. Her eyes met Jacob's and he gave her a nod, before his eyes flickered to the stairs an expression she couldn't name crossing his features. If she had to give it a name though, she'd say that he looked melancholic and despondent. He must really miss Bella, she thought. They were best friends I guess, so it makes sense about why he would miss her. Blaire's eyes flickered over to Seth who had been watching Jacob carefully. Almost as if he had sensed her gaze on him, Seth turned to look at her. His jaw dropped a little and a flush crawled up Blaire's cheeks, as he stared at her like he was a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. His gaze held something akin to adoration in it, and it made her the slightest bit uncomfortable. After all, they had just met.

Jacob looked knowingly between the two of them, before grabbing Seth's arm and leading him over to the living room. Jacob plopped onto the couch beside Blaire, leaving a seat open for Seth to sit in-between them.

"Hi," Jacob said. "I'm Jacob Black."

"I know," Blaire mumbled. "Uncle Charlie introduced you guys." Her eyes widened as she realized how standoffish that sounded. "I'm Blaire," she offered.

"I'm Seth," Seth piped up, a silly grin on his face when Blaire stared at him. "What? We were all introducing ourselves, weren't we?"

"Perhaps," Blaire said coyly. "You're friends with Bella, aren't you?"

"Were, might be a better word to use," Jacob answered sourly. "Her boyfriend came back and all of us at the Res, are apparently chopped liver to her. But when her boyfriend's not around, suddenly we are good enough for her."

Blaire hummed, "Well, Bella's always been a little complicated I guess, Black. And I was under the impression that she wasn't hanging around La Push anymore, because you got a girlfriend and she was feeling like she wasn't as important anymore."

"Bella's not that self-centered," Jacob glowered at her.

Blaire shrugged, "I'm just saying, that's what my impression was. There's no need to get so sour." She turned her attention to Seth who looked thrilled she was paying him attention, not that Blaire noticed. "Is he always this ornery?"

"Only when it comes to Bella, apparently," Seth sighed, a whine escaping his lips when Jacob cuffed him on the head. "See?"

"Why don't the two of you just make up," Blaire questioned. "Wait, don't answer that. It's none of my business. But, it's obvious that you guys miss each other."

Jacob mumbled something under his breath, earning a glare from Seth and a confused look from Blaire who had no idea what he said. But she wasn't going to ask. She had a feeling that Jacob wouldn't tell her. Why would he? They had just met and it seemed that he didn't really like her anyways.

"Do you and Bella not get along," Seth asked.

Blaire shrugged, again. "It's not that we don't get along. It's that are personalities are pretty different, and it's been a long time since we've actually seen each other so the dynamic is pretty weird. We have to get used to being around each other again." She smiled a little, "I love Bella. She's my cousin. But I'm also not going to turn a blind eye to her faults or any stupid stuff she does."

"Makes sense," Seth murmured, ducking as Jacob attempted to hit him again. "Sounds like a sibling relationship." He smiled crookedly, "What you just said sounds like something that my sister Leah would say about me."

"Only because you're always doing stupid shit," Jacob grumbled.

Seth shot him a look, "Lies."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."
"Guys," Blaire interrupted them, her eyes narrowing. "Agree to disagree, okay? Jacob thinks Seth does stupid shit, but Seth does not think he does stupid shit. Just agree to disagree instead of arguing back and forth like five-year-olds."

"Someone's feisty," Jacob teased, and Seth glared at him before turning his attention back to Blaire who was glaring at Jacob venomously.

It wasn't long before they were called to dinner, and Blaire huffed as she strode past Jacob and Seth her eyes alight with irritation. She didn't see how Seth glared at Jacob, hissing something in a low breath that she couldn't hear. Blaire took her normal seat at the table, sighing a little as Seth sat on her left and Leah, his sister, sat on her right. Sue, was sitting closest to Charlie, and Jacob sat on the other side of Seth, leaving a space open between him and Charlie in case Bella would join them. But Blaire knew she wouldn't. If there was one thing her cousin was good at, it was being stubborn.

Dinner was a quiet and relatively awkward affair. Most of the talking, was done by Sue or Charlie despite their attempts to engage the other teenagers in conversation. Jacob's responses were always short and to the point, and Leah didn't even verbally respond. She just grunted, nodded or shook her head. Seth, for his part, did try but there wasn't much for those three to talk about when Charlie and Sue both already knew everything about him. Sue, more so than Charlie of course.

"So Blaire, what grade are you in," Sue asked curiously, raising her spoon of mashed potatoes to her mouth.

Blaire paused in drizzling more gravy over her mashed potatoes. "I'm a year younger than Bella."

"So, you're in the same grade as Seth," Sue said with a small smile.

"Must be," Blaire murmured, continuing to pour gravy onto her mashed potatoes. She set the gravy boat to the side, and reached forward, grabbing some ham off of the plate in front of her. "Unfortunately, I'll be attending school in Forks rather than La Push. So, he won't be one of my classmates."

"You'll be fine Blaire," Charlie sighed. "You'll know Bella."

"Bella's great and all, and I love her, but she won't be a classmate of mine," Blaire answered. "Besides, Uncle Charlie, you and I both know that Bella will be preoccupied with her boyfriend."

Charlie grumbled something under his breath and Blaire smirked, ducking her head as she began to eat her food. At least that little comment had sufficiently distracted her uncle and Sue, who was inquiring politely about Bella's boyfriend. Although, from the look in Sue's eyes, Blaire would wager that Sue already knew who Bella's boyfriend was. The rest of the dinner was silent, save for the conversation happening between Sue and Charlie. Once dinner was over, Blaire helped Sue and Charlie to clean up while Jacob and Seth went into the living room and Leah headed to the front door, clearly ready to leave.

"It was nice meeting you Blaire," Sue said, as she shouted for the boys. "Hope to see you again, sometime soon."

"Yeah," Blaire replied lamely. "It was nice meeting you too."

Charlie saw them outside, with Blaire immediately retreating to her room. Seth and Jacob were weird. Leah was weird too but it wasn't as obvious as with the two boys, who clearly weren't masters of subtlety. It didn't help that all three of them were unnaturally warm and unnaturally tall. Blaire flopped down on her bed. Seriously, what was in the waters of La Push? Maybe she didn't want to know.

As she slowly dozed off, she couldn't get the image of Seth's brown eyes out of her mind. He was cute - insanely cute.