The sharp knock at the door forces Santana to look up from the book that she had borrowed from the Regents library. She swallows and studies the door, she'd only been here for three days and there hadn't been anyone who had ever knocked on her door before. The Regents basically left her to do her own thing, and a part of her liked to believe that the Regents would tire of her and just let her go. However, the fact that for the entire time that she had been here Quinn had prepared a healthy meal for her, that usually consisted of fresh fruit and eggs and other opulent foods that she never could have dreamed of, meant that her hopes were merely a fantasy.

All the fresh food in the world, wasn't enough to make her forget that she was in the middle of enemy territory, and that there were many vampires that wished for what she could only imagine was a very painful death, which was why she had taken to only moving around during the mornings when the vast majority of the vampires were sleeping. Which was why she didn't get up to open the door. "Who is it?" She calls out finally.

"Blaine."

Santana swallows, she hadn't seen much of Blaine since the first night, and if he was here it probably meant that the Regents had summoned her. She slides off the bed and walks to the door, hesitating for one more moment before opening it. He didn't exactly look thrilled to be there, but her eyes quickly fall to the small thin box that's in his hand. "What's that?"

"The Regents would like to apologize that this wasn't ready sooner," Blaine responds popping open the black box. "It was finished this morning and finally delivered. It should give you the freedom to move around the mansion without fear. You may—" Blaine made a face at the thought, "Leave the grounds occasionally, so long as you return. If you make them come look for you then I assume you will lose that privilege. Because I assure you that they will find you."

Santana sputtered at the sight. She had been expecting this, at some level. The Regents couldn't always be by her side and though most of the fangers in the area were terrified to cross them, there had to be some form of a physical reminder that she was under their protection. On some level, she understood that. It didn't mean she had to like it. "You've got to be kidding." She manages.

"I assure you, I'm not." He tugs down on his tightly tailored shirt and holds out the short necklace. It's thick metal with intricately woven threads that resemble branches, weaving toward a dark onyx stone. Quinn had handed him the design herself and instructed him to make sure it was lightweight and comfortable to wear and he hadn't disappointed. Although it's designed to fit flush against the neck, it's padded with a soft felt material that he had tested out himself to make sure he didn't end up on the Regent's bad side. To have such exquisite work done on such a short time frame was a testament to the iron-clad control the Regents retained over the area.

"They want me to wear a collar."

"They want you to wear something that will remind even the most rebellious of vampires that you are under their protection. It's really for your own safety." Blaine corrected. It looked very much like a choker than an actual collar and he assumed that it had more to do with Quinn's influence than Charlie's. It's not that Charlie's weren't good, but it did look more like a typical collar with a very intricate design on the pendant.

"I'm not—"

"You are." Blaine interrupts quickly tiring of this back and forth. "As you will be joining them during the day. It's one thing to be angry at our kind, it's another entirely to shut your mind off and ignore all the good that we do. You were part of a terrorist cell, one that killed innocent civilians, and the Regents spared you, perhaps as some sort of social experiment, perhaps because they realize that there is something missing that needs to be addressed, but this is your punishment and rehabilitation, to see if you can be rehabilitated."

Santana gritted her teeth, "And if I refuse?"

Blaine closed his eyes and sighed, both Quinn and Charlie had assumed that this was going to happen. They had left it to him to figure it out. "Well, I suppose you can refuse, you'd have to be stuck in this room indefinitely."

Santana looks around the room, she had grabbed some books, she had food brought to her, and yes it was boring and lonely but it was better than wearing that stupid collar. "I—"

"Of course, you'll be offending both of the Regents, and perhaps they'll get bored with you, and you'll be allowed to leave." Blaine continues watching as Santana mulls it over.

"I don't see any downside to that." Santana says after a moment, she could go back home and be with her family.

"Of course, you don't," Blaine shrugs placing the collar down on the desk in her room. He turns to leave the room, pausing at the door and stopping, "I suppose I'm duty bound to tell you that the only reason you're still alive right now is through their mercy, and once they no longer feel the urge to protect you—" he trails off and shrugs.

Santana swallowed but refused to back down, "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's not. It's best to have all the information before you make a stupid decision. Clint holds you personally responsible for the death of his sire, he's been waiting for an opportunity. If you think that Hunter was a sadistic psychopath, then just imagine what his progeny is like. Not to mention Coleman wants to punish you. The only reason you're still there is because of them. The only reason your parents are safe is because of them."

Santana shivered, she didn't even realize that Hunter had sired other vampires. It's something to think about, Hunter had practically promised that he'd go after her family after he was done with her. If Clint was anything like his sire, then she'd have a problem on her hands. "I'm not a pet, I'm a human, I'm sentient—I'm a person." She insists after a moment, and tries to keep her face neutral when Blaine turns to look at her. She winces inwardly when he flashes her a knowing smile. They both knew she'd wear the damn thing.

Blaine shook his head, "Lady Charlie has requested your presence for a few of her meetings today. I will come and fetch you when it's time."

"What? Why—" But Blaine had already left her alone in the room. She stares at the empty hallway for a moment before closing the door. She puts her back to the door and slides down onto the floor and stares at the stupid collar that was just sitting there. What was she going to have to give up to survive?

~O~

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when Blaine ushered her in through back doors to the Regent's meeting. She glances around the room, noting the dozens of various shifter leaders, many of which seemed to be ignoring her existence as they argued with themselves.

"Santana," Blaine muttered quietly, guiding her to an empty seat beside Charlie. The Regent turned to her and flashed a giant smile motioning towards her neck.

Santana flushed, still a bit self conscious about the whole thing. She felt ridiculous in the stupid collar, like she had given up a piece of herself just to survive. "This doesn't mean—"

Blaine smiled and practically shoved Santana into the chair, when some of the shifters began to notice her presence. This was not going to go over well, and he was sure someone would be offended. "Is there anything else that you request, my Ladyship?"

Charlie shook her head and reached over to pat Santana on the head before leaning back, ready to start the proceedings. Blaine takes his cue and stands before the waiting crowd. "This meeting with Regent Charlie Fabray is now in session. Mr. Hummel? You are first on the agenda to discuss new business for the first district."

A man nods and shuffles his paperwork before clearing his throat. "Tax revenues from the business sector are down. However, we believe with the new contract that was signed with the Regents for the infrastructure development, we can see a 1.25 percent increase over the next three years."

Charlie gestures to the man who looks at her blankly.

"I'm sorry?" He tries.

Charlie repeats the motions slowly, her eyes narrowing in what Santana can only guess is impatience.

Mr. Stanley seems to read the Regent's irritation as well. "Yes, well we from the first district are very grateful for the Regents' generosity. I'll take that into consideration." It was a bold-faced attempt to salvage his dignity without upsetting the Regent.

Santana studied the Regent quietly, watching as Charlie made wild gestures and frowned slightly looking at the shifters, wondering why they simply hadn't asked her to write it down. Or asked for a translator, Quinn couldn't be only person in the area that could understand her twin. It seemed silly to her and she could see the shifters getting a bit irritated.

"The simple fact of the matter is that we don't have enough revenue to pay for all of the programs we currently have. We're going to need to slash the budget in order to break even and the only unnecessary expense I can see on the books is the fact that we fund human schools with taxpayer money. No other province does that and we simply can't afford to let the cattle bleed us dry." A smarmy shifter stands up in the back. Based on the way Charlie's brow narrowed, Santana was pretty sure that she wasn't the only one that took issue with his conclusion.

Santana recognized the asshole. Josh Coleman had been one of Hunter's cohorts and frankly she wishes that Will and Artie had tried to take out both Hunter and Josh if they were going to cause an actual civil disruption. But it seemed their incompetence would continue to haunt her.

Josh continues not noting the danger he's in as he stands up, "The fact of the matter is, they aren't worth the effort. They demand protection, and yet they complain about our methods. They leach off the system, the vast majority of them are low-skilled workers. They don't need an education for that—"

"Why?" Santana speaks up. She can practically feel Blaine's eyes bulge out of her head but she doesn't care. Her life couldn't get much worse.

He laughs condescendingly, like he didn't expect to be challenged at all. "I know you're getting used to being a pet, so I'm happy to explain it for you. The humans continue to revolt, which means that more money needs to be spent controlling and corralling rogue groups. Allowing them to be educated only makes this problem worse because they think that they're worth more than the blood they produce to keep our society alive. Eliminating education for humans allows us to tighten our control and secure our districts."

Most of the group murmurs their assent. Santana scowls, "Eliminating education isn't going to solve it—" Josh goes to interrupt but Charlie holds up her hand and effectively cuts him off. She motions for Santana to continue and Santana takes a deep breath, "If you really want to solve the problem then you need to start fixing the problems, doing a form of outreach. Stop treating us like third-class citizens."

"Your ladyship, you can already see what an educated populace will do, they have already started to question our authority. Terrorism is rampant and from what I understand the Red Court—" Josh stumbled back when Charlie bared her fangs at him. "I meant no offense, all I meant to say was—"

Blaine immediately moves to Charlie, unsure of whether she was going to attack or not, "Maybe we should take a short recess?" He suggests. Charlie gestures wildly but he's not as versed as Quinn at reading what Charlie wants. He blinks when Charlie turns on him and makes a sharp cutting gesture with her hand. He wasn't Quinn but even he knew what that meant. "This session is over—" almost immediately there was a roar from the politicians, which was quickly silenced by Charlie standing up slamming her hand against the table which cracks from the force and baring her fangs again. Blaine adjusted his suit and looked at the crowd. "If you'll all follow me, I'll escort you out of the building. I suggest rethinking the budget and finding out what you can cut that doesn't cut education."

Santana hops back at the splintered wood and watches as Charlie sits back down and crosses her legs. She's unsure if she was supposed to go with Blaine as he led the delegates out of the room, or stay with Charlie but—she had questions and someone, in their rush to get away from Charlie, had left their belongings, a notepad and pens. She gets up and goes for it, feeling Charlie's eyes tracking her from where she sat.

She eyes Charlie for a moment, glad to see that her fangs are beginning to recede. It's only then that she's aware that she had no idea how she was supposed to refer to Charlie, let alone what would set her off. Would simply asking her to write it down offend her? There was so much she didn't quite understand or know what to do. "I'm not sure if this is going to offend you, I don't want to do that. So, I—will you write down what you want to say?"

Charlie studied the notepad and then flicked her eyes to Santana for a moment as if debating whether she should before be holding her hand out, taking the notepad and pen from her.

Santana watches as Charlie's pen flies across the paper, and bites her lip, expecting something poignant, though her face falls when Charlie draws nothing more than a smiley face. She bites her lip as Charlie shows her the picture, it wasn't a very good smiley face, but she wasn't about to say that. "Why didn't you kill me?"

Charlie studies Santana for a moment, before writing something down quickly on the notepad and turning it around so Santana could see it. 'You're the first person to ask me to use a notepad.'

"I am smarter than most people." Santana retorts.

'True.'

"But don't think I noticed you're avoiding the question.

'Simple. I was bored.'

Santana stared at the writing and then looked up at Charlie to make sure that this wasn't some sarcastic comment. "You saved me because you were bored?"

'Yes.'

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that. "My life, it isn't some sort of joke. It's my life." She snaps. "You think, you're better than me because you're some vampire? You've been alive for, what, a hundred years?"

Charlie tilts her head and shakes her head after a moment before turning to the paper. 'A little longer than a hundred years. Also, my sister and I are not exactly like every other type of vampire.'

Santana narrows her eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

'Many things. If it makes you feel better, my sister and I are far better than other vampires. Many of them are young and blood-thirsty, and I have little to no patience when it comes to playing the game. Power, isn't everything it's cracked up to be.'

Her brows furrow at the statement and she studies Charlie carefully. "Wait, how old are you exactly?"

'It's generally considered bad manners to ask anyone their age, especially a vampire. As for your question? I don't remember. What I do know is that history labelled that period the Crusades. I've seen the rise and fall of nations, I've watched humans fight—I've lived through countless wars. It's a constant, it's the nature of life.'

Santana's eyes widened at this, that meant that Charlie and Quinn were at least a few centuries. She had heard that the older that the vampire was the more powerful they were—it certainly explained why the rest of the vampires around them didn't attempt to try and overthrow them. But she wasn't going to let that scare her, she was going to speak her mind even if it got her killed. "Everyone has a reason for fighting, and sometimes they're good reasons. They're important reasons, like fighting for our freedom. To be seen and heard. Humans aren't pets, we're not cattle, we aren't your playthings. And for as long as you continue to treat us like we are, the more—"

Blaine clears his throat causing Santana to whip around to look at him, there was an annoyed look on his face. "Your Ladyship—" Blaine glances at Santana uneasily.

Charlie studied Santana for a moment and then scribbled something down on the notepad flipping it over before turning to Blaine and gesturing to him to continue.

"Ma'am, your sister would like me to remind you that given recent events things—" Blaine sighed when Charlie waved him off. "Yes, well you do have other appointments to get too. Might I suggest not antagonizing everyone in the room this time? They were not pleased with your suggestion."

Charlie shrugged in response as she got up and headed towards the door, stopping for a moment and pointing at the notepad when Santana finally looks at her. She flashes that smile before turning and walking out, Blaine hot on her heels.

Santana waits for a moment before reaching for the notepad so she could read what Charlie had written.

'I've watched humanity for years, I've seen good things and I've seen terrible things, the best and the worst of humanity. I never once thought or had the inkling that humanity was unimportant.'

Santana stares at the words and looks up only to find herself alone in the room. Sam had been right this had been an opportunity to have their ear, and she had to suspect that Charlie had another reason to keep her alive.