Being an intern at the Northern Illinois State Department sucked. She had gotten lucky with her last internship, even though she suspected that they had all been kind to her because of her mother's position. But here, no one gave a shit that she was the daughter of an assistant district attorney. She knew better than to complain, Frannie would just remind her that she wanted to be a public servant, which was infuriating. So, she made sure to get her work done and she hadn't messed up any of the coffee orders since the first day. Everyone had to pay their dues, she got that, no one said she had to like it.

She sighs as she looks at the brief that she'd been going over for the past hour, and sighs. It looked perfect, but she needed to take a small break and check it over once more, before sending it back to the lawyer who had requested she do this. She rubs her eyes looks up to spot Jesse St. James poking his head inside to take a look at the other intern, their eyes meet for a moment and he motions for her to follow him. She immediately gets up after making sure she had saved and locked her computer and quickly moves towards him.

"Lopez was it?"

"Yes sir," Santana said as respectfully as she could. Resisting the urge to frown, Jesse St. Jackass was the worst of the worst as far as she was concerned. He was far more interested in turning this into a political career.

"You were the kidnapped girl, weren't you?"

Santana bristled but nodded, she wasn't exactly thrilled that she was reliving her high school experience but telling him off was career suicide. "I was."

"Then you can empathize. I need you take notes on this meeting, a fifteen-year-old was kidnapped and now has this crazy story about how she was locked in a cell with around fifty other teenagers and get this she was rescued by some vigilante with super powers."

Santana nearly tripped, "What?"

Jesse nodded, "I can understand your disbelief, I personally think that she's making it up, she was probably with her boyfriend or whatever and was gone for a week or two and is making this up to get out of trouble. The only reason we're dealing with it is because she was in Iowa of all places. She was a minor when she was taken. I got assigned to the case."

Santana nodded wordlessly as Jesse opened the door to the conference room for her and she steps inside, and she swallows as she looks at the father and mother, her eyes fall onto the small diminutive Asian who was sitting in between her parents. It was like a flashback to when she had come back and she swallows and flashes the girl a small smile. What had they done to her? Maybe if she had spoken up back then, this wouldn't have happened to her.

"Santana this is Mr. and Mrs. Kazatori, and this is Dottie Kazatori," Jesse said introducing them quickly. "Santana is an intern who is here to take notes. I assure you we are taking all this very seriously. I've read over the police report and I've read over your statement and we're going to need more information if we want to find out who did this to you, and why the other teenagers who were 'kidnapped' haven't come forward."

"My daughter isn't a liar!"

Jesse flicked his eyes towards the father for a moment, noting the thick accent. "I'm not accusing her of lying, but we need to get to the bottom of this, and if there were a bunch of teenagers that were kidnapped, our office would be flooded. I've called several other districts to see if there are any other teenagers coming forward but there aren't. So, we need to get to the bottom of—"

"She said not to go to the cops." Dottie said quietly.

"She? This vigilante with super powers?" At this Jesse scoffed loudly. "There are no such things."

Santana began to write down everything Dottie said, trying to keep her hand from shaking as she wrote. Jesse expected perfection. And even if she wanted to ask questions, she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't a lawyer yet and getting involved or trying to take over the case was a terrible idea.

Jesse flipped through the file that he had, "According to the original police report you went missing in late January and you were gone for nearly three weeks."

Santana nearly snapped the pen, that had been around the time that she had begun to feel ill, and it had progressively gotten worse.

"And you were rescued February 17th?" Dottie nodded.

The day after she had seen Charlie. This was no coincidence. She had felt better soon after that.

"She killed them, all the scientists that were there all the guards that were there. She killed them. Then she freed us and told us to not say anything." Dottie said quickly, her voice shaky as she shivered. She licked her lips, "The scientists they hurt us, I'm not upset that they're dead. They were going to kill us."

"Bodies?" Jesse frowned. "There was no mention of bodies."

Charlie wasn't an idiot. She didn't leave bodies behind.

"I don't know what happened, when I took the police back to where we were found there was nothing there. It had been a prison, I'm telling the truth. They thought I was lying."

"An entire prison doesn't just disappear," Jesse said looking at Dottie's parents, and giving them a look of disbelief. "Not in a day or a week."

"Our daughter isn't a liar—" Mr. Kazatori said beginning to stand up as tears began to stream down Dottie's face, but he looked away.

Santana moved putting her pen down, causing Jesse to turn to look at her. "I'm going to take her to get some air," she said looking at him and then flicking her eyes to the crying girl in the chair. Jesse cringed and nodded. When Dottie's mother moved to help, "It's okay, we're in a secure location. And we'll just be in the bathroom," she said gently as she helped Dottie to her feet.

"I'm not making it up," Dottie hiccupped as Santana led her away from the conference room.

Santana bit the inside of her cheek, Dottie had come forward which meant she couldn't be trusted with this secret at all. Charlie's words had come back to haunt her, and she suddenly understood Charlie's paranoia. "I believe you," Santana said as she grabbed a box of Kleenex off someone's desk as they entered the bathroom. She sighs and offers a few sheets to her. "I believe you. I was—kidnapped as well."

Dottie sniffles and blows her nose. "You were?"

Santana nods, "They call me the kidnapped girl. It was difficult, I was taken for two months."

"Were you rescued by a masked superhero?"

"Superheroes don't kill," Santana corrected, though she could understand Dottie's fascination and hero-worship. But the last thing she needed was a crazed miniature Asian going on a killing spree. "I managed to escape. I want you to know, with the proper therapy and the right people surrounding you, things will get better. Look at me."

Dottie nodded and moved to hug Santana who stiffened but allowed it. "Did they ever catch the person who kidnapped you?"

"No," Santana said. "But that doesn't mean that we won't get justice for you or for me." Santana says patting Dottie on the back.

~O~

Santana glanced at her phone once more making sure it was off. She had told Frannie that she was going to a friend's apartment, and Frannie hadn't really asked any questions about it. She felt guilty about lying but telling her that she needed to see Charlie would only cause a fight. Besides she only needed a few questions answered. Charlie had promised to never lie to her, that obviously meant that she wasn't going to share the information with her, and it pissed her off.

She steps off the elevator, feeling the familiar sensation of their bond pulling her closer to Charlie. She turns to where Charlie's apartment is located and makes a beeline towards it, noting that the door was slightly ajar. Charlie had felt her presence and made it easier for her to get inside. She takes a step inside and spots Charlie standing in her kitchen standing over a pot that was boiling. "You cook?"

Charlie shrugged, "Part of my therapy," Charlie informed her.

"Cooking is part of your therapy?"

"I need to learn to build things or whatever, I stopped paying attention. But Sam insists that organic grass-fed food will make me feel better and is healthier for me. I don't know why I listen to him, organic chicken tastes like chicken to me, it just costs five dollars more. I think it's a scam." Charlie responds as she dumps the chicken onto the pan. "Why are you here? Your girlfriend not doing it for you sexually?"

"Don't be a dick Charlie, she's amazing in bed," Santana sniped at Charlie, who only flashed her an amused knowing smile. Like she was aware that Frannie wasn't her in bed. And she wasn't but the sex was fine. She takes a seat one of the bar stools and watches Charlie cooking it did smell rather good for someone who generally preferred to eat out.

"Still haven't answered the question of why you're here, you live with your parents and I imagine your girlfriend brings you food on occasion, so I know you're not here for a free meal." Charlie said even as she brought out two plates and began to plate the fettuccine with broccoli and chicken alfredo sauce. She grabs the pepper and cracks a bit on top before pushing a plate towards Santana. "Why are you here?" she repeats again, as she grabs two forks.

Santana picked up her fork and twirled the fettuccine around it, "I know more children were taken." She watches Charlie's reaction carefully. Wondering if Charlie was going to deny it and lie about it.

Charlie hummed as she moved her plate next to Santana. "How did you find out?"

"I should be the one asking the questions—this is surprisingly good by the way." Santana said after taking a bite. "One of the girls that you rescued came in with her parents. I don't think they believe her. Her entire story is unbelievable, and I think all the other teens are keeping their mouth shut. It's cruel don't you think?"

"The alternative being?" Charlie asks.

"Charlie—"

"I told her to keep her mouth shut Santana, you think I wasn't aware that this was a possible problem?" Charlie said as she grabs a napkin and dabs her lips.

Santana narrowed her eyes, "If you had bothered to run this by me I could have helped, and we could have planned something."

"You were dying, I acted."

"And now a girl that I know you don't care about is hurting in ways that you can't believe to understand. And the story is out, whether you like it or not even if no one believes her, lawyers talk. And Jesse has a big mouth, it will be one of those crazy stories. A crazy story that will spread, and eventually someone will hear about it. Someone who works for those people and then—" Santana frowned, letting the words speak for themselves.

"Trust me Santana I can handle it."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Will you knock it of with the machismo bullshit?"

"Machismo?" Charlie repeats.

"I'm guessing you were shot last time. All it takes is one well aimed bullet, a misstep and you're dead. You're dead. And you think that they'll go easy on you? That they won't try and figure out a way to stop you to disrupt your abilities? And then they'll take you in and if you thought what happened was bad before? They'll slice you open to see how you fucking tick. They're monsters, they're fucking monsters. I saw myself in Dottie. I saw myself and she's still traumatized and she's not even certain herself if she's telling the truth. She's all alone, and you don't give a shit."

"No, I told her not to open her mouth. I told her to not go to the authorities, but she did, and there were consequences for her not listening to me. What do you want me to do Santana?"

"Not keep shit like this from me? We're supposed to be a team Charlie."

"Since when? You broke up with me, you don't talk to me, we only talk when you're pissed off that I did something, even though what I do is no longer your concern. And in case you missed it, I killed everyone else in that damn building, and I don't feel guilty."

The words stun her, and Santana drops her fork, "When did killing become so easy for you?"

"About the time that your life was threatened because of what they were doing to the void." Charlie answered truthfully. "I will do anything to protect you and the people I love, and I know that scares you. Truthfully, I was just going to stop them and destroy their research, but then I heard the screams. I saw the teenagers and I saw red. So, I punished them. All of them, it would have been better if I had stopped, I could have asked them questions, but I didn't. I killed every last one of them, and I saved those teenagers, and I know that I did the right thing."

"That's not justice, you should have called the authorities. They would have saved those children and we could have had real justice. Who the fuck made you judge jury and executioner Charlie?"

"I saved your life, I saved those children's lives at the expense of some shitty scientists who got off on torturing children. That was us. They were doing it again. Cops they have rules, ones that I'm not bound by. I did the right thing, and I'm sorry that you can't see it because you feel sorry for those sad fucks." Charlie put down her fork. "This is why we broke up Santana."

"We broke up because you don't value human life, or the rule of law." Santana frowned. "I'm working to make a difference and you're just going around killing people." It was an argument that they had needed to have for years, and now was the time.

Charlie narrowed her eyes, "I valued your life. That's why I went to do what I did. I saved you, and if you want me to feel remorse for that, then you've lost your mind. Besides, what if it had been your parents? Or your new girlfriend who was in danger? Who was being held by those sick fucks? Would you let the police handle it or would you do it yourself? The thing is I know you well enough to know that you would do it yourself or ask me to do it for you, and I'm okay with that. I'm okay with you being all filled with optimism about the law, it's good to believe in your chosen profession."

"Because you can't live by your own god damn rules Charlie. You can't cheat, steal and kill. Those are wrong. You can't be a vigilante, you just can't." Santana snapped and ran a hand through her hair, letting the awkward silence fill the air.

"I'm not broken Santana, and I'm not evil either," Charlie said after a moment. "I'm also not going around doing stupid vigilante shit like stopping crime. Was there another way? Perhaps, but I'm going to stand by my actions."

"Fine," Santana sighs she had tried to argue ethics with Charlie but that clearly wasn't working. "What are you going to do about Dottie?"

Charlie was quiet for a moment, "Is this important to you?"

"Yes. Because right now I see you as a monster and I need you to do things that remind me that you have a heart," Santana replies.

"Give me her address, I'll think of something."