A/N This was supposed to be uploaded before midnight, whoops.

Anyway. Hope you like it! Please feel free to leave a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Party

Jackie was so tempted to claim sick, and stay home, but her refusal to go to the party would have raised eyebrows to anyone, not in the know. Especially given that Jackie had spoken to grandma on the phone the day before and she'd been perfectly fine.

So, with gritted teeth and a smile plastered on her face, her mother and Jack walked across the pond Jack was wearing his human disguise, looking older with a beard and brown eyes and brown hair, shoes that he seldom wore were on his feet. Around Jack's wrist was his staff which had been shrunk down and turned into a bracelet.

Jack being there made Jackie smile. Seeing him there instead of with Katherine made her stomach feel less sick. He'd chosen Sophie and, she was still first in his priorities.

Jackie held Jack's hand, if Jack found it odd that she was seeking his hand he said nothing, just holding her hand tighter in his other hand were half the gifts that Sophie had bought for the extended family, and Sophie held the other half.

Jack had been to the Bennett Christmas party the year before. Grandma had insisted that Sophie bring him over when it was revealed that Jack had 'moved back to town.'

She was quiet during the party, only speaking softly to Uncle Jamie and Auntie Isabelle.

Not that anyone was surprised, even after Jackie was accepted by the guardians she was still often seen by her lonesome. With there being such an age difference between her and the second youngest person at the party, (Her 1st cousin once removed Jessica was 23 years old) there really wasn't anything for her to do.

And she was no longer 'cute' enough to be fawned over, so it meant that she was left to her own devices.

Or mostly. Jack seemed to have spoken to Jamie about her mental state because neither her uncle nor her newly acquired aunt seemed to be content to leave her to her own devices. When she wasn't under the watchful eye of her mother or father (clearly worried, she was going to run off – which was so unfair she hadn't done that since she was 10. And the last time had been to save Uncle Jamie and Auntie Isabelle's marriage… one could give her a little credit.)

Besides running off would serve no purpose she had no idea how to get to Sarah, and no one had an idea where Krampus could be (or at least she was assuming the moon had no idea, given to her knowledge the moon had yet to give them a hint). So, running off would do her no good.

But neither did staying at this party.

She'd just told Jamie for the 100th time that she was fine, and didn't need any coddling, and they'd just turned away when she felt someone else sit beside her on the couch.

"Hey," Jackie turned her head to see Jessica (her youngest first cousin once removed – not Sarah's mother).

"Hi."

"Bored?" Jessica asked with a smile.

Jackie shook her head, "No." she said. "I just don't feel like socializing."

"Ahh." Jessica said, "I remember being 13. I didn't want to socialize with anyone either."

Jackie looked at Jessica she couldn't explain all her issues (Jessica was too old to believe in The Guardians but, maybe, Jessica would have some insight on some of the smaller issues?), "It's different. Things are just difficult right now. I found something out today and it… it's selfish but…" Jackie looked down.

"But it doesn't stop you from hurting?" Jessica said.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jessica asked.

Jackie hesitated for a moment before she found herself spilling. "I found out today that Sarah made a new friend and didn't tell me about it. We found out through a… third party." Jackie said.

"It always hurts when that happens," Jessica said.

"I knew Sarah was spending more and more time alone." Jackie said, "So I shouldn't be surprised, she has been rejecting a few offers to spend time with me, but I figured that if she'd made a new friend, she would have told me. But She didn't tell me about Jane… or come to think of it her being closer to Will was a surprise too…"

"These her new friends?"

"Will isn't really a 'new' friend," Jackie said. "Will is a boy who grew up in her father's village, Sarah would play with him a lot when Sarah's family visited. But I hadn't known that they'd grown closer till Will just showed up for Halloween one day." Talking about Will like this was making her stomach hurt, Will was captured and possibly in pain; it surprised her how much resentment she was holding over a boy who had done his best to make her best friend smile.

"And this 'new' friend?" Jessica asked.

"I didn't know Sarah knew her at all. And I didn't even find out about her from Sarah. Someone else had to tell me… and it's just…"

Jessica didn't need her to finish. "Is Jane a bad friend?"

"I don't know!" Jackie said. "She… cares about Sarah…" Jackie paused for a moment thinking.

"I think." Jackie looked down. "I'm not mad Sarah made a new friend. I'm mad because Sarah was hanging out with her and told me nothing." Then Jackie laughed, "But then again, I'm learning how little Sarah actually tells me."

"What do you mean?"

"Sarah didn't tell me she felt overshadowed, she didn't tell me that a lot of people were jealous of her at her father's town because she was m- I mean – the mayor's granddaughter. She didn't tell me about Jane. She didn't tell me that she and Will had gotten closer."

"You feel like she's told you nothing."

Jackie looked down. "It's dumb. Sarah's allowed to not have to tell me every single secret."

"She is." Jessica agreed, and Jackie dipped her head down further. "But you're allowed to be angry. It hurts knowing that your friend kept all this from you."

"So, what should I do?"

Jessica looked up at the ceiling. "Talk to her," Jessica said. Jackie opened her mouth to argue, but Jessica cut her off. "No. I mean it. These festering emotions won't do anything for you. Talk to Sarah about how left out you feel."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Jessica asked.

"It just isn't"

"Are you worried?"

"Yes."

"About what?"

Jackie looked down pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees. And muttered something into them.

Jessica nudged her a little, "I didn't catch that, Jackie."

"Because I drove her away!" Jackie shouted tears in her eyes. "She was going through a tough time a couple of years ago, and I did nothing. I abandoned her when she needed me the most… so how can I tell her how I feel when…"

Jessica stood and hugged her. "Did you really abandon her?"

"She went through something horrible." Jackie said, "And I wasn't there. And when she came back, she… withdrew. She wasn't seeing anyone so I…"

"You left her alone," Jessica said. "Jackie that isn't your fault. You can only help someone who wants help."

"Maybe I should have…"

Jessica looked at her. "Listen, you did the best you could. It's not fair that you blame yourself when Sarah was refusing to let you."

"Other people didn't give up, she let those people in." Jackie said.

Jessica stopped. "I can't talk about Sarah's reasoning for letting them in, or why their methods worked but yours didn't but that still doesn't mean it's your fault. I don't have all the answers.

So, I still stand by what I said earlier. You and she need a long candid conversation over where you land. It's the only way to make these feelings manageable."

Jackie stared at her cousin before leaning against her. "Thank you."

"No problem."

A/N: So what did you all think of Sophie's youngest cousin helping Jackie out? Let me know what you all thought!