"Were you trying to find something to hold over her head?"

It's such a simple question and yet she's thrown for a loop, once it leaves Rachel's mouth and she's left staring at her twin's soulmate like she'd grown another head. "Of course not."

Rachel hums in response to that, Charlie had answered that far to quickly. "Charlie, you know I'm not going to judge you right? Like that's Quinn's job and Quinn isn't here so you can be honest with me. This is a safe space, and I promise I won't tell Quinn that you came to me for advice instead of her. You know how she gets."

Charlie snorted, Rachel had always been pushy. "I wanted to win. I think at the end of it, I just wanted to win. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, I didn't want her to leave, I just—she makes me feel worthless half the time. Like I'm not good enough to be standing near her. And there's this voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me she only likes me because she's supposed to like me. You're this massive Broadway Star Rachel, and you could have treated Quinn like some stalker, I mean it was touch and go there for a while. But you didn't, you gave Quinn a chance you were kind to her, when quite frankly I would have gotten a restraining order."

Rachel laughed, Charlie was being facetious, Quinn had only come to ten of her performances, sure they were back. "Quinn figured it out before I did, and there was alway going to be people who insisted that I was their soulmate, it's difficult being a celebrity. But I was aging, finally aging after nearly two decades, I was aging. You Fabray's seem to enjoy being with older women."

"You're only 57 Rachel," Charlie sighed. "Santana's been around for centuries, just waiting for me. I mean it explains why she's so cynical, but—"

"She was cruel to you and you don't trust her."

"She told me the truth about dad, I knew about his surgery before it happened. She came to me and told me. She didn't have to, Santana's a fantastic surgeon, and even if the worst had happened. Dad eats like 2000 calories a meal. I wouldn't blame her, he was in shitty shape to begin with. I trust her."

"In a professional sense, but do you trust her not to hurt you again?"

Charlie was quiet for a moment before shaking her head, "No. She's being really nice now and she's really trying but—"

"But?" Rachel prods.

"I was ready two years ago, to give her another chance. I was ready two years ago to settle down and she left. I've gotten used to Santana's tone, and I realize that I'll never measure up to her professionally. I know she's a hardass when it comes to work, and that's fair, I think I would be too if lives were on the line and I thought teaching was a good idea. I mean she crossed the line, but I've put a lot of that behind me. More or less."

"More or less?" Rachel repeats, "Charlie you're looking at this like it's some zero sum game, and you're being competitive. You haven't handled anything. Santana chipped away at your confidence, she made you feel like you were worth nothing. You don't just get over that, and you being weirdly competitive with her is only proof that you haven't dealt with it. You trying to find ways to hurt her and chip away at her confidence is not healthy."

"That's not it," Charlie frowned, looking at Rachel. She was more or less over Santana treating her like shit, Santana treated all her residents like shit, to varying degrees. She just got the worst of it, the reality was that Santana should probably never teach, or mentor anyone ever again. "I'm angry that she left. She couldn't even last six months of me pushing her away, the moment that it got tough she left Rachel. She ran away, I survived under her hell for 7 years. I spent seven years being bullied and picked at, I spent seven years crying every other day because she just wouldn't leave me alone, she was relentless. Finding a fault in everything that I did, humiliating me in front of my colleagues. Giving me the shittiest assignments! And the moment that we became equals professionally, sure she had seniority but we had the same position, and I didn't have to take her shit, she ran away because it got too hard. She's the one that did this, she's the one that treated me badly, Rachel, all I did was not accept her apology. I thought I could finally trust her after six months, and she was gone, because she couldn't handle it. Our relationship will never be easy because of her, and it got difficult and she ran. She did it last night too."

Rachel reaches for Charlie's hand touching it, "Breathe. Charlie you need to breathe. Deep breaths," she said in a calm manner as Charlie does what she says.

Charlie takes a deep breath and rubs at her eyes. "She's going to run again and I think I'm just over it. I think I'm just over her."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't be here if you were over her. You wouldn't have invited her over last night if you were over her. You're here for my advice on what to do—"

"Actually I came for Quinn's advice on what to do but she's not here so—"

"Which is why I think that everything you told me you need to tell her," Rachel continues as if Charlie hadn't spoken up. "You two aren't communicating, you're both holding onto perceived slights, and thinking the worst of each other. So go to her place and tell her everything you told me. You're soulmates and you're right it should be easier. But you're both guilty of not making this easy."

Charlie "I do really like her."

"I know," Rachel said, patting Charlie's hand again. "Text her and this time don't get drunk around her. Just have that conversation and be honest with her, and tell her you really want this to really want to be with her and I'm sure you'll get your happy ending."

Charlie let out a sigh she knew that Rachel was right, she knew that, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She gets up and rubs the back of her neck, "I should probably start with an apology," Charlie bites her lip, and maybe flowers. She wasn't sure if Santana liked flowers but maybe she should get her flowers. She'd been an ass last night and she wanted another chance.