AN: Thank you for your reviews.


Puck glanced at Charlie and winced she'd been riding his and the rest of the crews ass all day, insisting that they did things right. "Charlie—we get it. It's where your daughter lives. We're busting our asses and we know how important this is to you—so take a walk before they shoot you with a nail gun." Puck said tugging on Charlie's arm. She had been getting her hands into everything, inspecting everything cleaning up so the place didn't look like a war zone. "We've done this a million time."

"Yeah but—" Charlie began only to notice how most of her men were now looking at her, some were amused, others were annoyed. She rubbed her hands maybe she was being too much of a busybody. She sighed and was about to apologize when her phone rang and she immediately picked it up glancing at the name on the screen. "I've got to take this—please don't screw around with the nail gun."

"Answer your phone," Puck said pushing her out the house. "I'll hold down the fort." He shakes his head as he shoves Charlie down the three steps on the porch and closes the door. She was being a worry wart, they were fine and all the guys knew how important this was to her. They would do the best damn job they could.

Charlie glares at the door as she answers her phone, "Frannie."

'So we're clear Beth didn't back your story up. On the off chance that you were telling the truth I checked your story out with Rachel. I had to drag it out of her though. It was surprising, I was almost certain that she was terrified of me. I'll have to work on that.' Frannie's voice came through and Charlie could hear her lean back in her chair.

Charlie shifted and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. She didn't blame Frannie for making sure that the story was real, she hadn't spoken to her oldest sister in years. "So—about that loan? I'll pay you back—you know I'm good for it. It might take a while but I promise to pay you back every cent Frannie."

'Of course you will. That being said, all I can give you right now is five thousand dollars. Dad keeps an eye on all our trust funds to see how we're spending it. I can't just take out a huge amount without it alerting him, and I'm not going to dip into my savings for you.'

Charlie swallowed, "Frannie I'm going to need a bit more money—at minimum twenty thousand dollars. I know it's a lot but—"

'Charlie, the most I can get you is another nine thousand in two weeks. You want my advice, take the damn drug test, and get the money that you need. Apparently being a parent means making some sacrifices and if you needing money means dropping your pants in front of someone and peeing into a cup then just do it. Dad's going to find out anyway.'

Charlie sighed, "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Frannie was quiet for a moment and tapped her fingers on her desk. 'I'm trying to help you. What would you do in my very expensive shoes? Look dad is going to find out about Bela, I'm certainly going the route of plausible deniability here but you know they're going to be furious with you. No, I think mom might actually murder you. I do hope I get front row seats for that.'

Charlie ran a hand through her hair. "Thanks Frannie."

'I'll wire you the money into your account in about an hour.' Frannie informed Charlie and paused for a moment running her finger along her crystal candy dish in her office taking one of the imported chocolates and popping it into her mouth. 'You know, I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart, If I find out that you bought drugs with this money. Well—'

Charlie took a seat on the porch for a moment, her lips quirked upwards. "Frannie—we both know you don't have a heart."

'I know. Really I'm only doing this because it will piss off Quinn that her dear and darling twin came to me instead of her. But—I suppose I'd like to meet your parasite—she is potty trained, can talk, and isn't some sticky brat?'

"She's ten Frannie, I'm pretty sure she's potty trained." Charlie said with a smile. "She's a good kid, Santana did a really good job with her." Charlie glances back at the door, where she can hear the hammering and the saws and all the subcontractors that she had hired for this job laughing. "Thanks Frannie. If you ever need a renovation, I'll do it and I won't charge you for my time." Charlie exhales as she ends the call. Well that's one thing that she has. She really didn't want to have to go to Quinn to get some money. She'd ask questions, and lecture her.


Brittany had been taking quite a bit of time off work, to make sure that Santana was okay. It was something that touched her, Brittany was truly her best friend in the world and even though she didn't quite like being babied, she enjoyed the company. Even if she was terrified that they were going to fire Brittany for all the time she had taken off. But she needed Brittany, she needed someone especially after what had happened last night with the flooding.

Santana sighed sitting in perfect quiet with Brittany just taking her strength for a moment, while Brittany played angry birds on her phone. "Last night—for a second—just a split second, I thought saw the woman I fell in love with last night." Santana said quietly. She heard the sound of birds crashing into wood and stone structures and she could feel blue eyes focus on her. She didn't personally know why she had brought it up, probably because Charlie had taken over her house and was fixing the damage. Or perhaps it was because she was furious at the smug grin on Bela's face, the insinuation that she needed Charlie to save her. As it was she doubted, strongly that she was ever going to hear the end of it.

Brittany exited the game and adjusted herself on the comfortable chair that she had stolen from someone's office and dragged into Santana's. She liked to spin in the office chairs. "Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Brittany asked. She had never met Charlie and Santana, well the few times she did talk about Bela's other mother. She had noticed something there, unresolved emotions.

Santana thought about the question as she worked on a client's file quietly for a moment. "I don't fucking know," Santana admitted rubbing her face. She looked around before sighing. "I don't know," she repeats again. The whole thing was utterly confusing. "It's like she's a shell of who she used to be—and I don't think that's a good thing. But Charlie—well it's totally different now. Like the Charlie I remember—fancy suits. Expensive shoes and watches, and cars. She would never be caught dead with an old beat up truck." Santana said finally getting her thoughts out. "I mean—the confident smile is gone and I think—I scare her. This is the person who never needed my approval and just did what she wanted all the time. Confidence was something she had in spades, and that's gone." Santana frowned for a moment. "Like she broke and someone put her together all wrong." Santana picks up a pen and taps it against her mahogany desk.

Brittany spun around in her chair and hummed taking all that in before responding. "Do you want her to be that person that you fell in love with again?" Brittany asked with a frown. If that was the case then Bela was going to be sorely disappointed that Operation Praying Mantis was never going to work.

Santana let out a laugh at this, as some nostalgia filled her. Did she miss the old Charlie? That was a loaded question. "We were supposed to be this power couple. Charlie was supposed to take over Wall Street having earned her first billion by now. She was always good with numbers and predicting where the markets were going to turn. I—well I was supposed to be in front of the Supreme Court." She smiles at the thought, at the time it was what she had wanted more than anything. To be that couple but the smile fades after a moment. "At the time I wanted to be that person. Maybe I put a bit too much pressure on Charlie, pushing her to make that first billion, to do be the absolute best." Santana sighs. "To be ruthless when it called for it. And she was, ruthless that is. I wanted that dream with her so badly."

Brittany nods this really wasn't looking good for Operation Praying Mantis. "So what about now? Do you still want that?"

Santana smiles, "Of course not. I don't need a billion dollars in investments, I don't need to argue in front of the Supreme Court to let me know that I'm good at my job. I mean apart from the whole cancer thing, I love my life. I have you, I have friends and family—and Bela. If Bela had been born into that life she would have been spoiled and neglected, and she'd grow up to be one of those irritating little assholes that used affluenza as a defense. Maybe if Charlie was this Charlie, things would have been different." Santana shrugs it was what it was there was nothing she could do about the past.

"You two are connected, even if you don't want to be, through Bela. You both created her, and from what Bela says and even you have said she's been nothing but good to Bela. Even if she has no idea how to be a parent. If she's not that person anymore I don't see what the big deal is. You just finished saying how much she's changed? Like what would the old Charlie have done if she found out that she had a daughter for ten years?"

Santana closed her eyes for a moment and shivered. "There would have been a massive war over Isabela. It would have been a brutal custody battle. She would have had the full might of the Fabray name behind her, demanding that she have custody. With my current condition—my diagnosis, no judge would simply just let it go. Of course it wouldn't be to get to know Bela, that wouldn't be why Charlie was fighting for custody. It would have been for the sole purpose to hurt me for leaving her. Once Charlie won, my guess is that she'd send her to some fancy boarding school. Or she would have gotten her a nanny. If Bela was lucky, she'd see Charlie once a month. And if she didn't see Charlie, she'd definitely see Charlie during Fabray family events, where Bela would need to be this perfect daughter. Because being some screw-up isn't actually an option. And Bela would end up being the perfect Fabray. So we're clear—it wasn't just Charlie I ran away from, I didn't want Bela raised as a Fabray."

"I thought you said Quinn was your best friend? Well now I'm your best friend and I'm totally a better friend than she is," Brittany said with a huff.

"She was and Quinn—she's a good friend to have. Yeah she married a hobbit—but Rachel, is the person who keeps Quinn grounded. All the Fabray's are damaged. Frannie is a sociopath. Quinn is, well, she lacks empathy sometimes, Charlie—well she ended up as a drug addict." Santana shrugged it was the truth. Russel and Judy were hardly going to win any parent of the year awards. Even if they truly believed that they were good parents. There was more to life than just having a good job and a big bank account. "Truthfully Brittany, there's a little part of me that is waiting for it to happen."

Brittany hummed in response, maybe Bela did have a point and this would be good for Santana. "Except that hasn't happened yet. Instead you have your ex-girlfriend fixing your house and redoing your basement, for free."

Santana sighed, "I know, and as far as I know Quinn's kept her promise to keep it a secret. I got the impression that Charlie isn't exactly in the inner circle anymore. I'm running out of reasons to not let Bela spend some time with her. She showed up, even if I didn't really want to call her. The drug thing—Rachel trusts her with Beth and from what I have seen she's not on drugs anymore." Santana took a sip of her water and closed her eyes for a moment. "What do you think I should do? Bela isn't going to drop this and now that Charlie does know about her, I can't insist that they stay apart. Bela's only going to continue to act out and Charlie doesn't quite know how to handle Bela yet. I made sure that I never spoke ill of Charlie in front of Bela. But I've been as honest as I could be, and Charlie's not mincing it with Bela either. So what should I do?"

Brittany frowned ever so slightly. "Bela is ten, and I think you should make a choice. If you're going to allow Charlie to be in her life, then you need to be careful and make sure you watch them and help Charlie become Bela's parent instead of her friend. If you're going to choose to keep them apart, then you're going to need to be firm with Bela. She's ten Santana, she doesn't understand not really. Charlie is fun, and nice to her and buys her stuff when she asks and comes to the rescue. You're both going to need to explain to her why this isn't going to work. So she doesn't end up hating Charlie or resenting you." Brittany shrugged, it was the best answer she could give. She couldn't tell Santana how to raise her daughter or even how to deal with Charlie, she just wanted Santana to be happy. "I think that you need to talk to Charlie regardless and have a conversation with her."

Santana sighs and nods, "I don't really have any choice in the matter." Santana sighed and closed her eyes again letting the exhaustion take her for a bit. Just a quick nap and she'd finish her work for the day. She just wanted to protect Bela, to protect her daughter, and she was too tired to fight with Charlie.


"I'll get it," Quinn called out to Rachel as she went to the door. It was already relatively late and she had just finished putting Beth to bed. Even though her daughter claimed that she was too old for stories, she occasionally still liked to get them from her. She'd never get to old for bedtime stories. She frowned ever so slightly when she saw her twin standing outside her apartment door fidgeting with a manila folder. She hesitates for a moment and looks at Charlie for a long moment through the peephole before finally opening it. "Charlie?" Her sister doesn't really smile at her and makes no attempt to enter her apartment even when she steps aside.

"I need thirty thousand dollars," Charlie says as she pushes the folder into Quinn's hands. Peeing in front of a stranger had been difficult, even after she had finished a few cans of soda as well and still, the whole experience had been humiliating.

Quinn took the folder and frowned, "You know the rules Charlie—"

"I took the test and passed, it's in the file." Charlie interrupted. "I put my bank details there, I just—I sort of need the money right away." Charlie said taking a step back. She really just wanted to head back down to Philadelphia so she could get to work. If she worked all night she might be able to put a dent in what they had to. She rubbed the back of her neck, Puck was doing some of his best work.

Quinn frowned and opened the test and flicked her eyes at Charlie for a moment as she glanced through the test. All of the results read negative. She smiles at Charlie, "What do you need the money for?" Quinn asks, thirty thousand dollars was a lot of money.

Charlie eyed Quinn, for a moment she wasn't surprised at the question. "It doesn't matter Quinn, I passed the test. I don't have to fill out a form." Charlie says not wanting to get Quinn involved, it wasn't any of her business. "I have some—business to attend to. Could you get this done as soon as possible?" Charlie asks her twin.

Quinn blinked, slightly surprised that Charlie hadn't told her exactly what she was doing. Charlie didn't just stop what she was doing and ask for that much money. It was a lot of money. "Look if you're in some sort of trouble—or you have a bookie or something—"

"No! I just need the money. It's not for drugs. It's not for some gambling debts. I don't have to tell you what I'm doing with it. That was never part of the deal and—I don't want to," Charlie says after a moment. "It's not any of your business."

"Is that what you're going to say to dad when he asks?" Quinn snaps at Charlie. "I'm trying to help you."

"Then have dad follow me again, like he did last time. I don't need your help Quinn. Not anymore." Charlie rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "I really have to be places tonight, so thanks I guess for putting the money in my account. Um—say hi to Rachel for me." Charlie said pulling away from Quinn's door. She had a two hour drive back to Santana's house and it was already late.

"Don't make me call Frannie," Quinn threatened taking a step into the hallway. It was what they did, before getting their parents involved. Sides needed to be drawn and if anyone could make Charlie do what she wanted, it was Frannie.

"Go ahead," Charlie said with a shrug. "I've got to go Quinn," she said as she walked away. Maybe if she moved quickly she could still get to Lowes.

Quinn scowled, Frannie would be able to drag it out of Charlie. With a huff she grabbed her phone and dialed Frannie's number. She didn't care if she was being petty, she was used to her twin bucking whenever she demanded something, and it was a lot of money. Charlie might be into gambling and if that was the case—well she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with that information. "Frannie," Quinn says after her sister picks up.

'Quinn, I hope this is important. I talked to you last week, and this is far too much interaction for me.' First Charlie, now Quinn. She hoped that this wasn't becoming some sort of pattern. Perhaps she should just block their numbers, but that seemed like far too much work.

"Charlie just asked for thirty thousand dollars! She won't tell me what it's for and I think it might be for some bookie." Quinn said ignoring Frannie's usual griping. This was important.

'Oh, so she finally took the drug test? I'm glad that she listened to my advice.' Frannie said smirking when she was met with silence from Quinn's side. 'Just give her the money Quinn. Is that all?'

Quinn blinked and stared at the phone since when did Charlie and Frannie talk. Frannie didn't really like dealing with them. "Since when do you—? You know what she needs the money for!" Quinn said accusingly. "Since when do you talk to Charlie? You hate her!"

'I hate everyone equally.' Frannie corrected. 'Yes I do know what she needs the money for. No I'm not going to tell you. It's privileged.' Frannie waited for a moment listening to Quinn sputter, a smirk slowly appearing on her face, as she went for the kill. 'The better question is why didn't she come to you to borrow money? Another interesting question is: why she listened to me instead of you about taking the test? So I'm going to let you figure that out. I mean I'd love to say that I'd like to stay and chat, but that would be a lie.' Frannie said ending the call and tossing her phone onto the nightstand. She flicked her eyes back down to the person she was straddling.

Joe flashed Frannie an amused smile, "You know Frannie, it's rude to answer the phone when we're having sex," he says there's a teasing note in his voice as he lays back down. He wasn't at all upset by this, it was just Frannie.

Frannie rolled her eyes. "Shut-up," she murmured feeling him buck his hips upward ever so slightly, causing her to shiver hard.


AN: See you tomorrow. Oh and this story is 31 chapters not 30. I found a missing chapter that I had labelled wrong, when I saved, damn beautiful pain. So you get one more day of story. YEY.