"There is absolutely no rest for the wicked," Santana muttered mostly to herself as she yawned. Now that her bar was practically brand new, she had spent most of the early morning redoing all of her wards. And now she needed to do inventory.

It was going to be a long day, and Mike still hadn't arrived to start doing prep for the party that would be taking place tonight. She normally didn't rent out her bar for events but there had been a lot of zeros in the check that Sebastian had waved at her. If Charlie was going to work for Titan, then she wanted to know its executives, she wanted to know the people that Charlie worked for. She knew a few of them, and they seemed like good people. But more importantly she really wanted to know what they were going to do with all those children.

Mike and Brittany had immediately talked about maybe adopting one, but she was afraid it was too big a step for them. It would be difficult placing them into care with various magic-touched, the threat of the Templar's loomed and she knew plenty of magic-touched who sympathised but were not ready to get involved with Templar business, or wanted to take care of a child who would have special needs, and would probably need expensive therapy.

Charlie on the other hand, seemed rather attached to the boy that she called Oliver, and she spent most of her free time playing with him and the other children, while she recovered from her ordeal. No one was putting her in the field anytime soon so she had plenty of free time. She had been there a few times, and she knew that Charlie did have a maternal instinct, she would make a good parent. There was something soft and warm when Charlie dealt with children.

Santana sighed her mind focusing on Charlie for a moment, and despite the fact that she wanted to remain neutral a smile crossed her face, and she shook her head as she looked at her phone. She pauses for a moment, she would like to pretend that she was getting used to Charlie sending her messages every hour or so, but the truth was that she looked forward to them. And the truth confused her. Mentally, she was certain that trying to be in a relationship with Charlie would be an experience, but her heart was insisting that the experience would be worth it. She wasn't even sure what a relationship with Charlie would look like. She wasn't sure if Charlie had sexual urges, or if that was off the table, and she was worried about what other intense emotions would do to Charlie's psyche. Being in a relationship with Charlie would be everything but normal.

She couldn't go into this relationship blindly and she couldn't expect Charlie to act like a normal adult either. Still she found herself wanting to test the waters with Charlie.

The soft jingle of her store door opening causes Santana to look up, half-expecting Mike, or her delivery guy to be there with a new keg, what she didn't expect was a tall blonde woman who had a large cross pattée on a red and white t-shirt with some military pants. It registers after a second that she's looking at a Templar and she sighed, and turned to her. "Is it in the Templar handbook that you have to be white and blonde?" Santana asks her voice dripping with sarcasm as she straightens her back and stands her ground immediately. "And not to be rude, but I'm pretty sure I've made it clear that we don't serve or want Templar's on the premises. So whatever you're trying to sell I really do need you to go fuck yourself, preferably with a rusty chainsaw."

At this the woman's lip curl upward for a moment, as if she was amused by the insult before she takes a seat on one of the bar stools. "I can see why my niece likes you. You're funny."

It takes Santana a moment to piece it together and she frowns. "Charlie isn't here, and once again I think she's made it pretty clear that she wants very little to do with the family that had her put in a cage and experimented on. Or are you here to tell some sob story about how you didn't want any part of it."

This time the lady smiles, "What I know, is that she killed nearly a hundred Templars in her little rescue mission and as such she needs to answer to the Templar's for her actions. Personally this would work out best for you if you cooperated. But I think we both know that you won't. Magic-touched stick together after all."

Santana raised a brow, "Why in the world would I help you?"

"Well, I can think of several reasons. You seem to be the only one that can control her, and you care deeply for your friends—I honestly can't remember their names. An Asian and a blonde—well we have them in custody. Unauthorized magic use and we're looking into the Asian for a break in that happened a few years ago. I'm sure we'll find a million more things that will stick with a bit of effort."

Santana's back went rigid, that certainly explained why Mike was so late. "If you hurt them—"

"Look, I'll be honest kidnapping random people isn't really my thing, but we needed leverage. I would have taken you but the old man said that if we harmed you she might actually kill every last Templar in hopes of getting you back. So we found leverage on you, and if you don't agree to that. We'll send in the people that are currently watching your parents. We'll pick up everyone that is close to you until you agree to help us. It's completely up to you whether we are kind to our guests or if we're cruel. And you've seen what we did to the children, what we did to Charlie. I don't think they're as durable."

"And you think Charlie's reaction will be any different when she realizes that you took her friends? Mike was the first person to actually play with her, they played tag. He helped teach her how to use magic. And even if Charlie wasn't attached to him, I am. I'm attached to Mike, I like Mike and you taking him from me hurts me and Charlie will not like that." Santana places her tablet down and crosses her arms over her chest. "I also think you've misunderstood something. I don't control Charlie. She listens to me because she thinks I know what's best and she trusts me. She does not blindly follow me, otherwise she wouldn't be working for Titan; she'd be here, costing me thousands of dollars in food every week." But either the woman doesn't believe her or she simply doesn't care and Santana scowls. "What exactly do you propose?"

Cassandra smiles, "A simple trade. Charlie for your friends."

She had never personally thought that intelligent people joined the Templars, they were after all nothing more than jack booted thugs in her opinion. But Charlie had all but mastered teleportation in a way that Mike wished he could, and she knew that Charlie could do other magic just by thinking of it. Even if Charlie handed herself over to them, the Templars wouldn't be able to hold her for very long. "Fine. But so we understand, because of what you did to her, Charlie has no problem killing. The only reason she hasn't slaughtered most of you is because I insisted that killing you would force her hand. That doesn't seem to be the case now. And while I won't encourage her I also won't give her shit if she makes a point by killing several of you." Santana lies. She didn't want the Templars to be the reason that Charlie lost the last bit of her innocence.

"She won't be killing anyone. You don't get your friends back until we've got her properly contained. You might think that all you need to do is call Titan and they'll handle it but I promise you that it won't end well for them." Cassandra says calmly. She smiles again after a moment. "Two hours."

"Two hours until what? You start cutting off body parts and sending them to me?" Santana said as she picked up her phone. She texts Charlie quickly. Hoping that Charlie was smart enough to take her message to Sebastian before just showing up like—Santana closes her eyes she can feel the familiar pull of magic and she can't help but roll her eyes. Of course Charlie would come running. She should have typed a longer message that told her to inform someone. Because she didn't think for a moment that this would lead to anything good. Charlie still wasn't anywhere near a hundred percent, and she suspected the Templars knew that. So she did the only other thing she could think of which was to text Sebastian.

The woman looks up as the door to the kitchen opens and Charlie steps out, still struggling to button up a shirt that still had a price tag on it, and she turns to look at Santana. "Really?"

Charlie looks up and narrows her eyes at the Templar, immediately raising her hand only for Santana to step in front of her. "They've taken Mike and Brittany Charlie, they said that they wanted to trade them for you." Santana flinches when she sees the hurt flash through Charlie's eyes. "I don't want to trade anybody, certainly not you—"

"Okay," Charlie said with a shrug.

"Okay?" Santana echoes, and blinks when Charlie nods.

"I'll go with them if they give back Brittany and Mike," Charlie says. "Quinn told Sebastian that the Templar's might try something anyway. But when I get back I really want those mac and cheese bites, with that special sauce."

Santana smiles, Charlie was so certain that she was going to come back that she opens her mouth to respond when the Templar interrupts. "You aren't coming back, you will be tried, you will be found guilty and we will execute you."

Charlie scratched her cheek and looked at her, before shrugging. "And what about the people who hurt me? Are they going to be punished? Or the ones that did experiments on children? Are they going to be tried as well?"

Cassandra bristled at the question, "We did what we did to protect people, of course they won't be charged."

Santana saw red, Charlie was rather calm all things considered, but it was the cavalier way that this bitch suggested that the general public needed to be protected from Charlie, and people like them. She owned a bar, she had put her revolution days behind her when she realized it would only get her friends killed. Charlie had done more world wide than anyone to change people's perceptions. And yet she knew that the Templars could and would twist the story to fit their narrative. "Bullshit—" strong arms were suddenly around her and she turns to look at Charlie.

"It'll be okay I promise."

There was a reassuring note in Charlie's voice, but she can't help the pit in her stomach. She didn't expect the Templars to play by the rules and what was to stop them from killing Charlie regardless? Or doing much much worse. She'd seen the state of those children. "If you come back you can take me out to dinner," Santana says after a moment studying Charlie. She sees more confusion in Charlie's eyes and she sighs, "A date, you can take me out on a date."

Charlie still seems confused for a moment before she smiles wide, as it finally clicks. "I promise I won't dump you in the Hudson."

Santana lets out a laugh that releases some of the tension she'd been feeling. Brittany, Mike, and Sebastian everyone had informed her that she needed to trust Charlie. That Charlie didn't just do things without thinking. This felt like Charlie was doing this without thinking, and even the bitch had a pleased smile on her face. "Mike and Brittany."

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders and pulled a thick pair of cuffs with deep runes etched all over them and slid them across the bar to Charlie. "Fine but you must put these on first."

Charlie looked at the cuffs and picked them, her eyes widening when the runes begin to glow. She's about to put them on when Santana places a hand on her arm. "Mike and Brittany first. You keep your word, they do not."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, they seemed to be playing ball and her father had given her rather strict instructions that she was to avoid needless bloodshed. "Very well."