It's amazing how much shorter this story is once I went through and made a few changes. I'm more satisfied with this one than the last one, funny enough, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. Anyway, this is the end of this. No more Young Royals. I'm closing the chapter on this story. Thank you to whoever came back.

D19


Eva led Detective Forbes to the car she shared with Santana and got into the backseat. Forbes slid in after her, and he pulled his gun out, resting it on his lap. "Talk," he demanded.

"Calm down, Detective."

"I am not interested in any type of deals you want to make. You and your counterparts are going to prison, and that is the end of it. I can move on with my life and get back to protecting the good people of this town without you hovering around."

Eva cocked an eyebrow and said, "Need I remind you that it was you and your wife that led me back here. I was content never coming back to Lima as long as I lived."

"You have to pay for your crimes," he said.

"I've been paying for crimes since the moment I was born, Detective. I've lost family members and friends to this world, and I do not plan on losing any more. I brought you out here to talk about your wife and tell you that she had no intention of bringing you that flash drive. Though, I guess by the somewhat sluggish manner of your gait, you already know that."

"Just tell me what you want," he said, removing the safety from his weapon.

"Your wife and I met at the location of my old house. She wore some kind of camera that recorded me in a precarious position and the transmission ended in that lovely building right there. I would rather not have the police putting a bolo out on me for protecting my family. I want that video, and once I have it, we're gone. Again."

"Wait, you think I'm just going to let you vanish underground? No way. You and the entire Collective are not getting away that easily."

Eva hummed. "I'm sorry, but this is bothering me. How are you still alive?"

Detective Forbes jerked his head and frowned. There was a moment Eva believed he wouldn't say anything, but she could see it in his eyes. Behind the anger, he was hurt. He was betrayed by the woman he loved. "I drink the same wine. I know what that wine taste like down to the molecular level. Every scent, every sip, and every swirl against the glass is engrained in my memory," he said. "So, last night, when she passed me the glass, I took one sip and knew something was wrong. I had to play along, or she would've killed me straight out. I drank enough to get sick, pretended to pass out, and this morning, I was too weak to do anything more than hold my breath and hope she thought I was dead. It obviously worked, or she was too distracted to realize I was faking. When she left, I crawled to the bathroom, forced myself to puke, and drank enough water to hopefully flush my system. Then I came straight here."

Eva couldn't understand why he was still following her manifesto. Then again, Eva would do the same if it was Santana. She guessed love blinded people to their partner's faults… or their insanity. "Did either one of you stop to think that my disappearance after the death of her brother was not because I was running? I was not hiding to avoid a murder charge. I was hiding to protect my family, to take on a hands-off role that would allow me to get married and start a family, but certain people didn't let me do that."

"Certain people?" he asked.

"I had an enemy embedded so deep in my life that I allowed myself to get captured. I was on the verge of death, but I have a very stubborn fiancée and equally stubborn friends who would not let that happen. I was hurt, Forbes. I was not coming back here. That experience taught me that I am not my father, either father, and I am not capable of doing this for a long time. Once I finish here, I'm giving the crown to someone who can."

"You want to retire from the Collective?" he asked, shocked.

"No, I want to be a silent partner and do my own thing," she corrected.

"That's the same thing."

"Whatever. Are you on board or not?"

"You can't possibly expect me to let you get away with what you've done," he exclaimed. "You've murdered innocent-

"No, every person that I've personally had a hand in harming deserved it in one way or another," she interrupted.

"Your organization-

"Might be run by me, but it is led by individuals with their own agenda and their own purpose. I cannot monitor thousands of people every day. Some people slip up, and that's just the truth of the matter. I have not actively pulled the trigger."

"But you gave them the gun."

"What they do with that gun is up to them," she shrugged. "Just like you. You're a cop. You're given a gun, a taser, and a badge. You're sworn to protect and serve, but let's not sit here and pretend every cop in that building follows that oath down to the last letter. Humanity is flawed, Detective. You would think in your line of work you would understand that better than anybody, but I'll take it a little further just in case you're still not convinced. Your wife was out of the family business. She was going to law school and planning on becoming a lawyer, put a different spin on her family name, but the moment she discovered her brother was dead, she was dragged back into it. She became the woman that her father always wanted her to be. The woman you love and the woman you married are two very different people, Detective."

There was tense silence in the car after Eva's words. Even Santana held her breath. After a moment, Detective Forbes re-applied the safety to his weapon and holstered it, folding his arms as he sat back in the car. She could see he was still defensive, but she hoped he could see she wasn't interested in causing him any harm.

"What do you want?" he asked tiredly.

"I want you to go into that building and pretend like you never met me. I will gladly leave you and yours alone. My business is no longer your business. I will never come back to this town, never look your way, and never make your life harder than it needs to be. But if you so much as research my name, I will know about it and the deal is off. You will find a woman who is who she says she is, have a bunch of babies, and live a happy life until you retire. Have the life you deserve, Detective, because that's what I'm planning to do."

He stared at her for a long time, searching, and she held his gaze without problem. She meant what she said. He rubbed his jaw and opened the car door. "Give me ten minutes," he said. He got out of the car and jogged back to the station. Eva made eye contact with Santana in the rear view mirror, and they both shrugged. Eva crawled back into the passenger seat, barely managing not to kick Santana in the face, and she let out a shaky breath.

"Did you mean any of what you said to him?"

"Every word," Eva whispered. "Every single word."

Santana leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You're much more than either of your fathers, Eva. You are your own person, and that person is more beautiful than I ever imagined or anticipated. As dark and twisted as you are, the light inside of you shines brighter than any star."

"You don't have to sweet-talk me, you know? I've already agreed to marry you."

Santana rolled her eyes and leaned back. "And this is exactly why we don't have sweet moments. You always ruin them," she said.

Eva snorted and crawled over the armrest, kissing Santana's neck. "I love you too," she murmured. They shared a small smile, and for precisely ten minutes, Eva and Santana went back and forth on whether they should make a run for it, but Eva convinced Santana to have a little faith. Sure enough, Forbes came back, alone, and he leaned down against the passenger side window. He passed along a flash-drive to Eva.

"Consider this a sign of good faith. The Cyber division was all too happy to pass that along to a higher-up."

"How do I know this is the real video?" she asked.

"I would think you would recognize yourself holding a gun to my wife," he said. Eva looked at him and he waved her off. "I'll get over it. Now, get out of here. If I ever see you in Ohio again, I'm having you arrested and placed under the prison. We on the same page?"

"If my name pops up in any system in Ohio, I'll slice you in pieces and spread you across the world. Are we on the same page?"

"Crystal," he said. He stood up, placing his hands in his pockets and taking a step back. Eva took that as their sign to go, and she rolled up her window. Santana honked her horn twice, and they pulled off ahead of Puck and Jake, who were equally disappointed they couldn't do their carbon monoxide plan. She glanced out the side mirror, watching him still on the street, and she clicked her tongue against her teeth. "He would've been a great ally to have," she muttered.

"Before or after he had us arrested?"

Eva laughed and pulled out her phone to call Taylor. It took a few rings, but he eventually answered. He grunted out a greeting.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"It's hard to answer a phone when you're trying to tie up a live animal."

"Shit. What happened?"

"Fucking bitch dislocated her thumbs and tried to make a run for it. Now, get your ass over here before I put a bullet in her. Quinn be damned."

"Where are you?"

"Got as far as a motel a few miles outside of town. You'll recognize it by the mold on the main sign. Xavier, Quinn, and the others are on their way."

"Be there in fifteen."


Taylor yanked open the door. Eva held up a brown bag and said, "We stopped and got you a little something for your troubles."

"It better be the good shit."

"Always."

Taylor moved aside and let them in. Well, just Santana and Eva. Puck, Brittany, and Jake had no interest in watching. Quincy and Reyes were with them, and the group decided to go down to the diner a few streets over until everything was over. Xavier and Quinn stood in the far corner of the room, purposely facing away from Liz. Taylor closed the door and locked it. He perched on the edge of the nearby dresser with his gift.

Eva walked over to where Liz was tied to a chair by the sheets from the bed. She bent over and took great pleasure in removing the pillowcase from the woman's throat. Liz then attempted to scream but a quick hit to the throat ended that. While the woman choked, Quinn stepped forward and asked if she could take over. Eva shrugged and went to where Taylor sat. Santana squeezed Quinn's shoulder before joining Eva. Liz rocked back and forth in the chair, slamming the legs on the carpet, and Quinn bent down, looking her in the eyes. "Why?" she asked softly. "Why do this? Any of this?"

"I had no choice. I wanted to protect my family. Eva is no good for you," Liz panted.

"Oh yeah? Then what about the pictures you let Russell take of me? How you let Dad believe all this time that you were kidnapped when you willingly ran away with Russell?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We saw the fucking tapes, Mom," Quinn seethed.

"Baby, you have to understand. Back then, Russell was a good man. Your Dad was rarely home and he promised me a good life. You know? But… he changed. He-

"Was a monster," Quinn finished. "Through and through. Yet you stayed with him. You knew what he was doing to me, and you did nothing."

"He was a good man," Liz cried. "He just- he just loved you differently, that's all."

"Then why let Dad kill him?"

"Because when your Dad showed up, I realized this was my second chance," she confessed softly. "And Russell was planning on killing him first. He followed you one night, saw you with him, and he made me choose. I- I had to choose."

"When did you contact Forbes?" Xavier asked wearily.

"Once you made the decision to go to Russia," she sighed. "I knew that it was too much. I couldn't keep doing this. So. I made a deal to spare you guys. I just wanted to protect my family."

"You're the reason this family was broken," Quinn said flatly. She stood up and stared down at her mother. "I can't do it. Dad, can we go?"

Xavier immediately grabbed Quinn and led her from the room. As he left, he glanced at Eva and nodded. Once they were gone, Eva found a little figurine on the nightstand and walked over to it. She grabbed it and made her way back to where Liz continued to cry and make unnecessary noise. She smashed the figurine against the side of the woman's head until she was half-conscious.

"Can you-

Taylor grunted and reached into his pocket. He handed her a knife and Santana rolled her eyes at them. Eva flicked the knife out and placed the figurine on the bed and used her index finger to bend back Liz's head. She placed the pillowcase back in her mouth and smacked her a few times, bringing the woman back to consciousness. When her eyes fluttered open, Eva smiled and placed the tip of the blade at the woman's throat.

"You might not have killed anyone, but you will take the blame for my mother."

Digging the tip of the blade into her neck, Liz's screams were almost loud enough to get through the cloth. Eva dragged the knife down the woman's skin, making sure to go deeper the lower she went. Nothing mattered to her. Not the warm blood pouring onto her hand. Not the near-hysterical movements of Liz as she tried to move away from the blade. Not the disgust of her actions. Nothing. All she could imagine was her Daddy hovering behind her, correcting her hand movements, or her Papa standing behind her Daddy, scolding him for not letting her do it on her own. She even thought of Sue, remembering when the woman held her through the nights when she couldn't sleep.

Eva got down to Liz's stomach, the woman long dead, and she removed the blade. She then jabbed it into the woman's chest, twisting the blade sharply to the right. She yanked Liz's head back, looking into lifeless eyes as she dug the knife in deeper. For a moment, Eva could see her reflection in Liz's gaze. She removed the blade and took a step back. Soft hands removed the knife from her grip and led her to the restroom. In the mirror, Eva watched as Santana rinsed the blood from her forearms and hands.

"It's a good thing your DNA was erased from the system, and that I had the state of mind to tell Jake to scrub the cameras here," Santana said. "Do you feel better?"

Eva let a smile ghost over her lips before she said, "A little."

"Why not a lot?"

"Quinn."

"She understands, and you know she won't be mad. But I wouldn't be surprised if her and X go on a little vacation once we leave."

Eva nodded and leaned back into her lover. Santana kissed her ear and continued washing off the blood. Eva, and her family, were finally physically, emotionally, and mentally done with Lima. Then she thought about it. "Wait, what about what Sue pulled with the school?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter. Let's just get the fuck out of here."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Somewhere warm. Let's set up the wedding there too."

"You ready for that?"

Eva looked Santana in the eyes through the mirror and said, "With my whole heart."


Eva crossed her legs and watched Santana help Brittany across the shore. She was still having some problems with her leg. Puck, Quincy, and Sam were in the water, tossing a football around. Xavier, Reyes, and Taylor were at the cabana grilling food for dinner. A glint from the sun bounced off her ring, and she smiled. Their wedding was in a few days, and they were getting a head start on their prolonged vacation. Alexandria was in Italy. Something about tying up loose ends, and Eva deleted the notification where she was informed Angel Giovanni was murdered while out on the family yacht. Puck and Brittany found out Brittany was eight weeks pregnant, something that made the situation with Forbes a lot more serious, and as soon as that announcement was made, Jake quietly gave them the heads up that he was officially joining the Blood Serpents as a consultant.

Xavier and Quinn were still healing over Liz, and Eva knew it would take a long time before they bounced back from it. But she had hope for them. Her phone dinged and looked down, seeing a message from her favorite police officer. Forbes mysteriously reached out after he realized how far Marisol's deceit when, and he came to view the world without his rose-colored glasses. Two weeks after Lima, he found a way to contact Eva through the Dark Web. Jake brought it to her attention, and she had no idea how Forbes even managed to find her. Nonetheless, Eva bit the bullet. After making sure he wasn't trying to set her up, they started a tentative business relationship.

No leads on cold case. No DNA. No camera. The Mysterious Death of a Lima Mother and Wife.

Eva's laughter bubbled from her chest as she saw the article. She deleted the message and reclined back in her chair. She took a sip of her drink and chuckled to herself. Santana glanced back at her and waved. Eva bit her lip and put down her drink. She shrugged off her swim robe and ran through the sand. She jumped into Santana's arms and tackled her back into the water. Brittany watched with a fond smile, her hand on her stomach, and Eva squealed as Sam picked her up. He carried her out into the waves while Santana pretended to chase them. He threw her in the water and Santana was waiting for her once she broke the surface. "Hi, baby," she teased.

"Traitor," she huffed.

"How can you say that about your wife?"

"Not my wife, yet," she said.

Santana wrapped her arms around her. "Three days until you're officially and legally mine."

"I was yours the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Think we owe Puck some kind of gift for setting up that surprise party?" she whispered.

"I bought him a house for his growing family. It's in Seattle, and he'll be taking a paperwork heavy role for the time being."

"You do have a heart."

Eva snaked her hands down to Santana's bikini bottom and slipped her hand inside. Before she could do anything more, Sam came over and splashed water at them. Santana groaned and splashed him back. A water war ensued, and Eva hid behind Quincy for the most part. Sure, she missed her people, especially Sue and Stone because she wanted them to be with her, but she knew they were all looking down at her with the same exasperated smiles they wore when they were alive.

And that was enough for her.

For now, at least.