'Breaking news—I personally can't believe what I'm witnessing right now and I'm sure many of you at home feel the same. The Regents and a group of vampires have just come on the scene and they appear to be making their way to the quarantine. This seems to be a show of force that we haven't seen from the vampires in quite some time. More details keep coming out—but we still don't have answers as to why a quarantine was set up or on whose authority was the quarantine put in place. What we do know, we have footage of there being several injured civilians still in the quarantine.'

Santana watches with rapt attention, even if she feels a bit lost. Ghouls? She'd never heard of them before, and while she knew that the Regents and all the vampires in Ohio were apart of something called the Red Court she was unsure, what that meant. She could only imagine that the Black Court was the polar opposite, the true bad guys. "Come on."

'Unfortunately, because of the quarantine we aren't going to get close to the action for you but perhaps we can have a rare interview with one of the Regents—' There was a pause in the broadcast as screaming was heard from inside the cordon.

Santana shivered and wrapped the blanket around herself tighter, that sounded like human screams. There had been a predatory glint in both Quinn and Charlie's eyes.

'Holy—over there, over there make sure you get that.'

The camera immediately whips to the side, to an image of a vampire—she was certain it was Rick, grabbing what appeared to be a human by the throat. Santana winces as the human begins to struggle in his grasp, spitting and yelling—but there was something off about him. Maybe it was the fact that he appeared sickly, with grey nearly translucent skin, and when he bared his teeth at the vampire it looked similar to when Charlie or Quinn bared their teeth at her. "What the fuck is that?" Was that what Quinn had meant by a ghoul.

There's a flash of silver on the screen and the body suddenly drops to the ground. It takes her a second before she realizes that the other vampire is simply holding a head in his hand. It's the most horrific thing that she's ever seen, and there once again is Charlie flicking the darkish blood off her sword. The camera suddenly zooms in on Charlie's face and it's only then that Santana can actually see that Charlie's eyes are glowing and her pupils had morphed becoming more cat-like.

'Your eminence a word?'

Even with the panic that she's feeling, she bites her lip in amusement at the thought of Charlie making wild gestures on television and trying to get the people to understand her. For a moment, Charlie seems to return to normal and smile, her fangs out and she can practically hear the cameraman gulp. The news anchor doesn't seem particularly thrilled at the idea but approaches Charlie only to be stopped by a police officer stopping him from getting to close.

'We as citizens just want to know—holy fucking shit!'

The camera smashes against the ground and Santana can hear a shuffling sound and through the broken lens see feet moving before a body drops in front of the camera, the life leaving his eyes. She shivers and winces when she hears gunfire.

'Charlie now isn't the time to slack off, we still haven't the vampire from the black court and we don't have time for games. I mean I can smell him, rot and death but that's probably the ghouls.' There's a pause before the camera picks up Quinn's voice again, an exasperated tone was evident in her voice. 'I'm not being sexist—yes I know that it could be a woman—will you knock it off and focus? We've got more pressing concerns than your fake outrage about whether it's a woman or not. Ghouls are nothing, quite frankly it would be smarter to purge this entire area and continue—yes, I know we can't. But finding the vampire from the black court takes precedent, they could simply create more ghouls all over the city.'

Santana doesn't need to know that Charlie is making wild and quick gestures to Quinn. She had spent enough time around both of them to know that they were being serious.

'You're right we should split up, you finish up cleaning up here and I'll find the damn vampire.'

Santana smiled even though the situation was one gigantic clusterfuck, she could already see Charlie throwing a massive temper tantrum over this, and she could hear Quinn's next words even before she said them.

'Unless you want to go after the vampire, you're going to need to speak up Charlie—oh you don't? Well good, you're stuck on clean up then. Try not to get distracted by shiny things.'

It felt weirdly safe. She hated herself for feeling that way. Humans with friends and neighbors and family were out there dying on the streets and here she was cuddled up on a comfortable sofa with a warm blanket around her, completely isolated from the danger outside.

~O~

She wakes up a few hours later. Her neck is sore from falling asleep in a weird position, but she's warm and can't make herself move. She's famished and she must have slept for hours because the sun is already up. But the twins had given her strict instructions about staying in her room. She should have insisted on something to eat, and normally she would call Blaine and pester him to prepare her something but she didn't want to deal with his bitchiness this early in the morning. He was probably asleep anyway or resting.

Now that she thought about it Charlie and Quinn seemed to operate in the day more so than they did at night. They didn't smell like that gross sunscreen that the rest of the vampires had to wear either. Charlie had said that they were different from other vampires but she had never given it much thought to begin with. It was something worth asking whenever she saw them again. She wasn't quite sure if they'd tell her but it was something to think about.

She slowly makes her way to her door and opens it and takes a peek down the hallway, the kitchen wasn't far and Quinn always kept a fresh basket of fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. Maybe she could grab a few and bring it back to her room with some water. It would last her until they came back and then she could finally ask them all the questions that she had. Sam had said that she needed to get to know them better and she wanted to.

She passes Charlie's recreation room on her way and pauses, there was noise coming from it and she takes a peek inside. There sitting on the couch and staring at the television, with a glass filled with a dark red liquid was Charlie. Santana watched but Charlie didn't move or flinch, it was like she was a statue.

"I'm glad that you're back," Santana offers and flinches when Charlie turns to her. She had seen Quinn in a bad mood and that had scared her shitless but Charlie had never actually looked at her like she was prey before, with the glowing green eyes and the cat-like pupils. Santana swallows, but keeps her gaze on Charlie and it takes her a moment to return to normal and flash her that easy going smile of hers. It's not quite enough to get her to relax, she had forgotten that they were apex predators. She wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Charlie nods at her and brings the glass to her lips and takes a measured sip.

"Is Quinn—?"

Charlie shakes her head immediately and makes a face, puffing out her cheeks like a child.

Santana glances around but there's no one else around, "I'm sure Quinn will be safe if you're worried about—" Charlie snorts at this and Santana shakes her head. "Okay, you're not worried about Quinn you just wanted to hunt the big bad with her?" Charlie nods at this assessment. It was probably close enough and Santana moves closer to Charlie and takes a seat on the couch. Breakfast would have to wait. Charlie never gave straight answers but she was at least willing to entertain questions, so she would just stare at her until she got what she wanted.

However, if Charlie seemed to notice her staring at her or was bothered by it she didn't let it show as she took another sip of her drink and turned her attention back to the television.

Finally giving up after a minute, Santana turns her body to face Charlie. "I had some questions for you." Charlie turns and gives her an amused look and she quickly realizes that even if Charlie was inclined to answer the questions, she didn't understand what Charlie's attempts to wave her hands around in the air like a lunatic. "Right let me get a pen and some paper—" she feels the breeze when she blinks and there is Charlie with a legal pad and a marker. Charlie was in the mood to talk which was good. "Okay—what happened last night? What's a ghoul? I'm guessing vampires of the black court are bad? But why? What makes you different? You said that you were different and I saw you do that weird shadow thing yesterday, what other powers do you have? How can you walk in the sunlight, I mean you don't smell like sunscreen—what are you?"

Charlie flashes Santana a dull look and scribbles down on the page. 'I'm a vampire.' She picks up the glass again and waves it a bit in Santana's face. 'This is blood.'

Santana flushed, "Okay, that's a stupid question but the others aren't. And it's not even that stupid, you said you were different from the other vampires. I thought you meant that you were pro-human or you liked humans or whatever. I didn't think you meant that you were different." Charlie only smiles at that statement and she knows that she isn't going to get a straight answer.

'There are different types of vampires, sort of like there are different types of cats or dogs, or shifter.'

"Oh. I'd never really thought of that before." Santana pauses as she tries to absorb the new information. "Does that mean you're more powerful?"

Charlie shrugs and lazily scrawls, 'Sure.'

"That's not exactly helpful." Santana rolls her eyes at Charlie's smirk. "So, what makes you different?" She repeats her earlier question.

'Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?'

"Not really." Santana answers.

'Quinn and I are unique even by vampire standards, we still don't quite understand it ourselves.'

"So, then the black court are your enemies?" Santana guesses.

Charlie nods at this statement and goes back to writing on the legal pad. 'For the most part the black court is comprised of a different type of vampire than the red court. The only way that we are similar is that we all require blood for sustenance. The vampires of the black court are more violent and far crueller. There are many physiologic similarities and differences, different powers, as well as a different set of beliefs. They can't under any circumstances be out in the sun even with the special screen that my brethren need. They are the ones that can create thralls and ghouls and they are the ones that you should be afraid of. They are the reason the South fell.'

"I've heard of ghouls and thralls before, but no one has been able to explain what they are." Santana notes, her question implied. She's not sure how long Charlie will indulge her in this little Q&A session and she feels like her curiosity may be insatiable.

'Ghouls are nothing more than mindless beasts that feed on the flesh. They were once humans before the black court got their hands on them. They have no emotion they have no feeling, they are simply mindless killing machines. I'm not even sure that the vampires of the black court can control them. A thrall on the other hand is far more dangerous. Humans that are under the control of a vampire. In the beginning, they are easy to control but as the control continues they become just as violent as a ghoul without the flesh eating. They are also impossible to detect until they lose their minds completely.'

"Because they don't smell different from a normal human?" Charlie nods at this statement and Santana frowns. The thought of having her will ripped away from her scared her more than anything else. "And there's a vampire from the black court in your area?"

'We don't know. We believe there is or there was. Quinn is still on the hunt but she should be back soon.'

Santana bites her lip, "I don't have anything to be worried about then?" Charlie shakes her head. "What about my parents? Are they safe?" Charlie frowns and then shrugs. "Can I see them? Am I allowed to?"

"Ask Sam to take you," Quinn said with a wave of her hand. "I found nothing and I checked everywhere." Quinn relaxed when Charlie moved behind her and began to rub her back. "Mm, thank you. I needed that."

Santana flushes and immediately averts her gaze, she shouldn't be watching this. "Thanks—I'll just go and get something to eat." She glances at Charlie and Quinn for a moment, but they clearly weren't paying attention to her anymore. She didn't want to stare or she wouldn't be able to stop staring as they shared what really was a private moment.

~O~

Her visit with her parents had been wildly uneventful. They had been happy to see her, though Sam's presence made them uneasy. It only seemed to highlight the fact that she was their prisoner. They had been super grateful for the fresh fruit that she had managed to take from Quinn's garden though. She was certain that Quinn would be annoyed, but her parents had never had an orange before. It was odd all the luxury items that she had slowly grown accustomed to her parents couldn't even afford. Maybe if she asked Quinn they could send some things to her parents. The Regents didn't seem to be hurting for anything. If she had to wear another silly outfit for Charlie's amusement it would be worth it. "You never told me that they were together."

"I didn't think you needed to know?"

"Asshole." Santana mutters under her breath.

Sam smirks but turns to her. "Would it have changed anything?"

"Of course, it would have." She says, even though she knows that's a lie. What would it have changed? Nothing really. But it would have made her feel less like an outsider, like maybe for once she might have some control over this disaster that was now her life.

"Right." Sam scoffs disbelievingly. "You would have found out eventually, they do very little to hide it. It's not my story to tell, and also it's none of your business."

But Santana isn't about to be blown off so easily. "You don't think I deserved some sort of heads up? So, that I at least don't make an ass of myself?"

"I'm sure you're more than capable of making an ass out of yourself without my help." He quips in reply. "But frankly, I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out. Like I said, they aren't exactly subtle. How did you figure it out anyway?"

Santana makes a face and flushes for a moment, as the memory of Quinn on top of Charlie struck her yet again. "I walked in on them—it was an accident. I didn't—"

"And Quinn didn't threaten to turn you into a throw rug?"

"No—she did kick me out and then I thought I was going to die the next day but they just pretended it never happened. But I mean today after Quinn got back they got physical with one another in front of me—I don't get it. They are vampires. They aren't ugly vampires either, there are plenty of humans that are into that and shifters as well—I'm sure if they wanted to they could find vampires if they wanted too."

Sam chuckled mostly to himself, "Who said that they didn't fuck other people?"

Santana crinkled her nose, "You mean they—with you?"

This time it was Sam's turn to flush, "No, I was their pet and even if they did why is that surprising? I'm a good-looking dude! I get women!"

"Sure, you do." Santana says shaking her head. They weren't friends but Sam was probably the only person who understood what it was like to be in her exact situation, it led to a feeling of kinship. "I just—surprised is all. I mean if they have so many potential partners then why bother?"

"Because no one is going to love Charlie more than Quinn and vice versa. They are vampires, and they are family, they have lived through horrors together. They might bicker and they might even argue over what the right path is but underneath all that they both know that they can not betray the other. That's not to say that they haven't loved other people. But when you're an immortal vampire, loving a mortal is fleeting at best."

"But they can turn other people, can't they?"

Sam shrugged, "They can turn humans, and from what I understand the last time that happened well—I don't like to gossip about them but it didn't go well."

"Oh."

Sam nods and turns to her, "They're not the same as other vampires—"

"They keep saying that but I don't know what that means apart from the fact that they have powers that no one else seems to have."

"Yeah and they feel human emotion, it's not something that most vampires do. Not exactly—it's hard to explain. I don't think I could, but I don't think that their humanity has been lost like other vampires in the Red Court, the older you get the less human you are. But they're one of the oldest and they haven't forgotten what it was like to be human." Sam glances out the window when they stop. "Shit."

"What?" Santana says trying to get a peek outside. But all she sees are various fancy cars. "What's going on?"

Sam forced a fake smile onto his face. "Nothing, but I have to get back to work. After last night, there is so much paperwork it's unbelievable. Well, I'll be seeing you Santana—"

Santana reached out to grab his arm. "Are you serious? What do I need to know if I'm going to walk back in there? Are they in a bad mood?"

Sam sighed, and Santana could see the debate raging behind his eyes. "The Red Court has arrived, or at least they are beginning to arrive. With an attack from the Black Court, of course they would decide to check in. Which means more work for me, it also means that you need to keep close to one of the Regents, or Blaine. I know you don't get along but Baine will keep you safe."

Santana frowns, "Aren't they supposed to be the good guys?" She was sure that Charlie had mentioned something like that. Then again Charlie rarely gave her any definitive information.

Sam sighs and scratches his head, "Look, this is something that you're going to make up your mind about. I'm not going to tell you how to think, I'm just going to tell you to be careful. The best thing would be to stick as close to Charlie as possible."

"Why not Quinn?"

"Quinn—well Quinn's going to be extremely busy." Sam responded cryptically. "Now I really need to get back to work Santana. Try not to cause an incident."

If there was one thing that Santana was beginning to hate more than anything was the fact that no one gave her a straight answer. "Fine whatever, I'm going inside." She opens the door to the car and shivers, it's still freezing outside as she makes her way to the front door of the Regents mansion. There were a multitude of cars out in the driveway but no one seems to be paying her any attention as she pushes the giant doors open.

The entrance is a bustle of people that she doesn't quite recognize. She's made it a mission to know each and every one of the vampires that are under Charlie and Quinn. She had too, she hadn't been there long to know that different vampires had varying factions that they belonged too. With Hunter, dead Josh Coleman had taken over his faction. She made a personal note to stay out of their way. But from the smell there were vampires that she didn't recognize. Some of which turned to look at her in a way that made her look uncomfortable. But no one approached her. She quickly makes her way up the stairs so she can make a beeline to her room when she hears some soft piano music.

She's never even seen a piano up here before, but she hasn't truly explored all the rooms in the mansion yet. She didn't want to run afoul to a vampire who would do her harm. But she couldn't help herself, the door was open and it was a room she hadn't yet seen. She takes a peek inside to see a short woman playing the grand piano. The music is enchanting and Santana can't help but watch entranced as her fingers glide over the piano keys. But just as soon as she's getting comfortable leaning against the door frame the music stops and the woman turns to look at her.

The woman tilts her head and turns to stare at Santana who immediately takes a step back when she flashes her fangs. "Quinn always did have wonderful taste in art, and if I know my wife she would only send me the best blood. You smell absolutely delightful, I bet you taste even better. I do hope that she enjoys my gift to her."