A/N: Thank you to @LostGirl2423 for finding Blaire's face claim for me! Elizabeth Olsen is perfect for Blaire! <3 POV switches a couple times in the chapter so look out for that! 

𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮...

Blaire

Blaire.. What the actual hell are you doing? Why do you insist on making this much more awkward..

I couldn't believe I had all but demanded Mr. Jones to email me, exactly why he was on my facebook in the first place. I should have just let it go, and let it end before anything got too crazy.
"Nancy Drew! Why are you walking so bloody fast?" Will asked as he caught up to me on my walk home from school.
"Will Scarlet, if you call me Nancy Drew one more time I'll falcon punch you to the moon." I sighed.
"Noted." He chuckled. "I forgot to tell you, I did do some digging." He said.
"And?" I asked and turned around walking backwards.
"Well.. its not exactly great news love." Will frowned.
"My fathers in prison, and my mother is missing. I think I can handle it." I shrugged.
"Your father, he owed a lot of not great people.. A lot of money. Apparently he was into the drug scene."
I shook my head.
"No way. My dad was very vocal about his distaste for drugs. He taught youth boxing to kids who were trying to find a safer outlet. He did a lot of work to try and get drugs off the streets and out of peoples hands." I said.
"Well maybe after you came along he changed." Will shrugged.
"Where is your source Scarlet? I need more than hearsay." I said.
"I know someone, who knows someone and that is all I'm willing to give you right now. You don't understand the danger that hides in the shadows over there Blaire. All I'm saying is it's not looking good. If your dad owed a lot of money, what better way to get it, than to get insurance money from burning his own business to the ground?"
"He didn't do it." I said. "I Know he didn't and until you give me names.. I can't trust it." I added.
"Well, then I guess you're just going to have to trust me then." Will shrugged.

We walked into town square, and there was a really obnoxious sounding giggle to the left of us. I looked over and saw Anastasia, the girl who I instantly loathed in Algebra this morning. She was looking at Will, and then to me and laughing with her friends.
"The fuck is her problem?" I said and started walking that way.
Will caught my arm.
"Lets just go Blaire." He said.
"No, I want to know what's so funny." I said.
"Blaire!" Will said catching me off guard with the seriousness in his tone. I looked at him, there was something really sad in his eyes. "Please can we just go?" He asked.
"Okay.." I nodded and looked back at Anastasia who was waving at us and pouting at Will only to laugh again with her friends.
"Come on.." Will said. I followed Will, fighting off every urge to run back and slap the shit out of Anastasia.
"What was that all about?" I asked.
"Nothing important." Will shrugged.
"Well thats some bullshit." I sighed.
"She's just not worth the energy is all." Will said. His eyes were down and he looked really defeated.
"Come on." I said and grabbed his hand pulling him along with me.
"Blaire where are we going?" Will asked.
"To get ice cream." I said.
"Why?" Will asked.
"Because, you look like you could use some and if you don't let me take you to get ice cream I'm going to punch that blonde demon so hard in the face she'll look like a pug." I said. "Which could possibly be an improvement."
Will smirked. "You know for someone, who isn't my friend, you're quite friend like." He said. "I'd even say we are besties." Will added and did jazz hands for that extra Scarlet flare.
"Don't make me vomit, Scarlet. I'll lose my appetite. I sighed and opened the door to the small ice cream shop just off the square.

The blonde lady working behind the counter smiled at us.
"Hi there, you're a new face. I know just about everyone in town but I haven't seen you."
"Ingrid this is Blaire. She just moved here a couple weeks ago. She's Emma's cousin." Will said.
I wiggled my fingers in a hello.
"Well, Blaire what can I get for you?" Ingrid asked.
"Uhm...double scoop of cookie dough on a waffle cone..and whatever Will wants." I said.
"You know my usual." Will said.
"Got it." Ingrid smiled.

We waited for our ice cream for a couple minutes and then I paid and we left the shop.
"So..what's the deal with Anastasia? I asked.
"She was a mistake, and that's about all there is to it." Will said.
"I don't know if I believe that." I said. "Come on.. I told you about my dad being in Prison and I don't tell anyone that.."
Will sighed.
"Ana and I used to be a thing.. A big thing. Ana was like me, she wasn't born to the lavish life she lives now and at one point I honestly thought it was just going to be me, and her against the world and then her mother married up and and suddenly, I was not good enough for her. With the money, came the popularity, and you can't hold onto popularity with someone like me around so..well you know." Will shrugged.
"I'm..really sorry Will." I said. "God What an awful bitch, you should have let me punch her. Its one thing to call it quits its another to mock someone the way she was mocking you.."
"She aint worth it love, trust me." Will said and gave me a sad smile.
I sighed. "If you say so." I said. My phone started ringing in my pocket and I took it out to look at it.
"Oh..I have to take this. It's my dad." I said.
"Gotcha, I need to head home anyways, I'll see you later Blaire. Thanks for the Ice cream...and the talk." Will smiled.

"You're welcome." I said and we went separate ways. I answered the phone as I turned onto my street.
"Hey Dad." I said.
"Hey sweetheart." Dad replied. "Is this a better time?"
"Yeah, I'm out of school now. Walking to the house." I replied.
"Good, Glad I got the time differences right this time." Dad chuckled. "How are you doing?"
"Fine I guess." I said. "No change here really."

A lot had changed, I just was not about to tell my dad I drove my drunk history teacher home, after he drunk dialed me through facebook messenger.
"What about you? Any changes?" I asked.
"Actually.. Thats what I was calling to talk to you about. I had a meeting with my lawyer today and I'm getting out."
I dropped my ice cream in my hand and it landed ice cream first on my shoe.
"Oh fuck a duck.." I grumbled and hopped up the porch steps.
"I'm sorry.. What?" Dad laughed.
"I dropped my ice cream on my shoes...Sorry. You're what?" I asked.
"I'm getting out Blaire, they don't have enough evidence to keep me here and with your mom still missing, they can't prove I had anything to do with her disappearance. So They're letting me go. Which means..."
I opened the front door and was greeted by Wilby who started licking the melting cookie dough ice cream off my shoe.
"I can come home!" I grinned.
"Yup! I'm getting all the details worked out asap so we can get you a flight back to Oregon. It should be by the end of the week. I need you to put your uncle Dave on the phone so I can talk to him."
"Okay!" I beamed and wrestled my foot away from Wilby and hurried into the living room.
"Blaire we need to ta-" David started but I thrust my phone at him.
"Its Dad! He needs to talk to you." I smiled
"Okay but we still need to talk abou-"
"I have to go pack." I said.
"Wait.. pack? James? What does she mean pack?" David asked as I hurried up the stairs.

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I wasn't exactly sure when I'd be leaving, but I had already started packing the things I knew I wouldn't need in the next day or so. I heard a light tapping on the door frame and looked up. David was standing in the doorway watching me.
"You talk to him?" I asked.
"I did." David nodded and handed me my phone. "You've got like 40 text messages in a row from your friend Kass. She's...not very patient is she?" David chuckled.
"You have no idea." I said and started looking through them, smiling and laughing.
"Blaire.. Can we slow down and talk about this for just a sec?" David asked and sat down on my bed.
"What's there to talk about?" I asked and found more things to put in my bag.
"Look, I'm thrilled to finally see you show some sort of emotion other than anger, or distaste. In Fact I think that's the first smile, I've seen on your face that you actually mean and I don't want to take that from you, but I want you to be cautious." David said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
David sighed.
"I obviously don't have the final say here, but I don't think you should pack up and go back to Oregon. Not yet."
I turned around and looked at him and scoffed.
"Why not? My Dad is getting out."
"Well yes, but the situation you are going back to, is still happening. Your mother is still missing, and your father is still being investigated. I've been in this line of work long enough, I know how this works...and I just don't want you getting hurt."

"What do you mean you know how this works?" I asked and crossed my arms.
"I just know, that just because he's out now doesn't mean he will stay out. If they want him for this bad enough they will get him Blaire."
"Unbelievable. You think he has something to do with this. You think he hurt her." I seethed. "He's your brother! How could you think he could do something like this?"
"Blaire, I never said I did. I'm just saying that this case is still unfolding and I don't want you caught in the crossfires." David said putting his hands out defensively.
"I'm already in them! Its MY mother missing and MY father being blamed for it. Am I just supposed to leave my dad there all alone to fight this?" I asked. "And my mom.. I should be there helping find her!"
"I talked about that with him and He said he was leaving it up to you to decide. If you want to go back I'm not stopping you. I'm just trying to tell you I don't think its a good idea. He will be out this evening, and you'll be able to call him with your choice but I really just want you to think about it."
"I already know what I'm doing." I shrugged.
David nodded.
"If you've made up your mind, then you've made it up." He said and gave me a sad smile. "I'll leave you to it. I'll let you know when dinner is ready." He added and left the room.

I sighed and sat down in my computer chair, for a split second I was second guessing it, until Kass sent me another message.

Kass:
We have so much binging to do when you get back!

The excited bats in my stomach kicked back on.
I'm going home.

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There was an awkward silence at the dinner table.
"So.. I talked with my dad again. He got me a flight for Wednesday morning.. If someone can bring me to the airport..that would be cool." I said
"I'm sure we can work that out." David nodded and gave me a smile. I expected him to be upset, so the smile caught me off guard. I looked down at my plate of barely touched food.
"I actually have some things to do for school tomorrow.. So I'm just going to go do that." I said.
"Are you sure? You didn't eat breakfast and you've hardly touched your dinner." Mary-Margaret said.
"Yeah. I'm sure. If I get hungry later I'll throw something in the microwave." I said and stood up talking my plate to the sink. I turned back around and Emma was just rolling her eyes at me.
"If you have something to say to me Emma just say it." I said and crossed my arms.
"Whats the point? You don't listen." Emma scoffed.
"Girls..." David sighed. "Not right now."
"Whatever.." I mumbled and walked up the stairs to my room. I shut the door, and walked over to my desk and plopped down in my computer chair spinning it around. The sooner Wednesday got here the better, then their lives could go back to normal, and mine could at least start.

My computer beeped at me, and I looked at the screen at the new email notification. I smirked. It was from K. Jones. I eagerly clicked the email.

Miss Nolan,
I believe you are the only one who has not emailed me your topic for your report, as I requested everyone do this afternoon. Just checking in to make sure you haven't forgotten.

K. Jones.

I sighed. I was hoping for his answer as to why he had been on my facebook in the first place. However considering I was leaving Wednesday maybe it was best to just let it go.. But before I left, I did feel it was necessary to tell him what I knew about his wife but it wasn't something that I could do through email. It had to be in person.

Mr. Jones,

Or I guess since you won't be my teacher after tomorrow, I can call you Killian. :P I haven't sent you an email regarding my topic choice, as it won't be necessary. I'm leaving Storybrooke Wednesday morning to go back to Oregon.
It was fun though.

B.

I sat refreshing the page like a hopeless moron waiting for a reply until I got one.

Blaire,

I'm sorry to see you go. Honestly... I expected we'd have you a little longer at least. Humor me and tell me what your topic was going to be and I'll tell you what I was doing on your facebook.

Mr. Jones. (Not Killian. Nice try.)

I smirked and shook my head.

Mr. Jones,

A for effort right? Anyways... I didn't actually have one planned yet when I got the call from my Dad this afternoon so I don't have one to give you and Honestly, I was kidding about wanting to know why you were on my facebook.. And I think its best, all things considered we just let it go before the already thin ice cracks. However... I do have something unrelated I really need to talk to you in person about tomorrow. Will you be in your classroom for lunch break?

B.

It was only a few seconds before the next reply came through.

Aye, I'll be there.

And that was it. Now I had to think about how exactly I was going to word what I had to say and I only had 17 hours to do it.

Killian

I slowly closed my laptop and sat back in my chair thinking. Why did it bother me so much that Blaire was leaving? Perhaps this was a good thing, like she suggested in her email, there had been a very thin layer of ice spread underneath us. Between the emails, and what happened last weekend I was letting Blaire Nolan, entirely too close and it was embarrassing that she was the one, who was trying to get a hold of the situation and not myself. I was supposed to be the one with her best interest, not her with mine and hers.

Perhaps I dodged a bullet, by not telling her that since I met her, I hadn't been able to get her out of my bloody head, and that was why I was on her facebook, I was trying to figure out what made Blaire Nolan...Blaire Nolan. I wanted to know her, not just the smart ass comments and half smiles she gave me in the classroom, or the middle fingers she was very proud of outside the classroom.

I put my head in my hands and groaned. Leave it to the student, to knock the teacher back into his place. My behavior was incredibly inappropriate lately, but I just couldn't seem to stop myself. I'd spent the last few years feeling miserable, trapped and Blaire Nolan gave me a light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of her sassy little smirk and the fact that she was leaving and I would have nothing left but the misery I've felt hurt me more than anyone could know.
Just step away from the laptop Jones before you pour your heart out, and lose your job. She's 17 for Christ sake. You've known her for all of a couple weeks.
But it felt like so much more. I wondered exactly what she needed to talk to me about if not, my reasoning for practically stalking her, what could have been that important to tell me before she leaves for good?

"Killian what are you still doing in here?" Milah sighed as she leaned in the doorway to my home office.
"I had to send out a reminder email to my students who hadn't sent me their topics yet." I mumbled. "Why?"
"Did you forget?" Milah scoffed. I spun around in the chair.
"Forget what Milah?" I asked.
"Its our anniversary Killian." Milah scowled. "We had reservations."
"Oh.. we're celebrating that this year?" I asked. "You see last year, I made reservations, and waited for you for two bloody hours, and you claimed to forget too."
"Killian, I'm trying here Okay?" Milah said with misty eyes. "I haven't been the best wife but I'm trying."
I sighed.
"I'm sorry Milah... just let me shower and get ready." I said.
"Okay." She said softly and kissed me on the cheek.
A simple gesture that used to send me over the moon, made me feel like I just got punched in the gut, There was next to no passion behind it, it just felt empty. I..felt empty. I glanced back at my laptop before standing up and dragging myself to go get ready.
"Let me go smoke real quick and I'll get ready." I said and made my way upstairs, and out to the upper balcony outside of our room.
I lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing looking up.

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Blaire

I sat in my spot on the roof, with a lit cigarette in one hand and my phone in the other texting Kass. I sent a quick text and set the phone down and looked out at the houses. It was then, that I realized from where I sat, I actually had a good view of Killian's house which was nearly on the other side of the neighborhood its just his house was kinda large. It almost looked like a castle from over here. I could see lights on in the upstairs part of the house and I found myself wondering what exactly he was doing at this moment. I squinted as I saw movement on the upstairs balcony.
"No way.." I mumbled and grabbed my phone and turned the camera on zooming in as far as I could go, to see a very grainy and pixelated Killian standing on his Balcony, with a cigarette. I chuckled and looked down at the cigarette in my hand thinking it seemed like a demented lifetime movie, instead of two people staring at the moon from different places, we were smoking.
"Alright then I guess." I mumbled.

I heard the window behind me open and I looked behind me at David climbing out.
"I really wish you would not sit up here, its dangerous." He said and looked at the cigarette in my hand. "That too." He sighed.
I put it out and put the remainder of it back in the box with the others.
"What brings you to my little spot of roof?" I asked.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing." David said.
"I'm fine." I nodded.
David sighed.
"Look, I know you've made up your mind...but I just want you to know that it can be changed its not too late if you have even a glimpse of a second thought..and even if you don't, if you go back to Oregon Wednesday I want you to know that my door is always open for you Blaire..you always have a home here if you want it."
I looked at him, he honestly looked really worried, and sad.
"Thanks.." I said and gave him a half smile. "I just think its where I need to be. I need to be there to help him find her." I said.
"I Understand Blaire." David smiled and leaned in and kissed the top of my head. I swallowed thickly feeling tears prick at my eyes for some reason.
"Now seriously, get off the roof." He chuckled

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"You're really leaving tomorrow then?" Will asked and sat down next to me on the front steps of the school.
"Yeah.." I said.
"Way to bum me out Nancy Drew." Will chuckled.
"Sorry Scarlet." I said and picked at my fingernail polish anxiously.
"What about the mystery of the O'Malley's arson. Who's going to solve that?" Will asked with a smirk.
"I don't know. Right now I really need to focus on my mom. If shes out there.. I have to find her WIll." I sighed.
"I get it. I do, I'm glad you get to go home with your dad again. Maybe...you could come skip lunch with me and tell O'Malley the good news?" Will asked.
"I can't actually, I have something else I need to do during lunch.. Just some loose ends to tie up before I leave." I explained. "Maybe just tell him for me? I have enough goodbyes to say and I kind of suck at them."
"You've barely been in town a month what loose ends could you possibly have?" Will asked.
"I'd rather not get into it." I said.
"Alright then.. Well I'll see you for art at least right?" Will asked.
"Yeah I'll be there." I nodded and sighed as the first bell rang. "See you later." I said.

~

Most of the day went by in a blur, a lot faster than I hoped it would. My stomach was in knots by the time lunch rolled around and there was just an overwhelming sense of doom that had come out of nowhere. I couldn't shake it and what I had to tell Killian wasn't even that big of a deal so I wasn't sure what it was all about.

I was however worried that he was going to be angry with me, for bringing it up, or maybe he wouldn't believe me. Why should he? I was just a student, who happened to hear his wife having a phone call with someone in the bathroom, a phone call she didn't want her husband knowing about that was for sure. But.. he barely knew me. And she was his wife. I'd be skeptical if the roles were reversed too.

Every step I took towards Killians classroom, made my heart thump harder in my chest. I stood in front of the door for what felt like eternity. I swallowed hard and reached out for the knob.
"Blaire!" I heard my name being called but was confused at the voice. I turned my head and raised an eyebrow.
"David?" I asked. What was he doing here? David walked to me.
"I..need you to come with me Blaire." He said and put his hand on my shoulder. There was something horrible about the look in his eyes. There was a deep sadness, that was soul crushing to me somehow.
"Why? What..whats wrong?" I asked shaking my head.
"Just.. come with me, I've already checked you out. Its best we get out of here first." He frowned.
I shook my head. I did not want to be blindsided by anything. I did not like surprises.
"No.. Just tell me David." I said. "Why are you here?" I asked.
"Blaire.. Honey.." David sighed heavily, and his slate blue eyes grew misty. "Your mother was found this morning."
"What?" I asked. "Why would we need to leave David, thats Great!" I said, though my heart dropping into my stomach was a clear sign of the denial I was in right now.
"Blaire.." He frowned and a tear slipped from his eye. "Your mother's body was found this morning." He said.