Victor Von Doom was not a subservient man, he was a man of great ambition and drive. His small country Latveria, which was sandwiched between Hungary, Romania and Serbia. It was considered a poor nation, but he certainly tried his best, but if he could somehow gain the attention of the new Empress, perhaps she would be willing to listen to his ideas and give them more fertile land. Which was why the moment that he had heard that Her Imperial Majesty Charlie had arrived and was sitting in his booth, he had made a beeline towards the special VIP box that he had made certain was ready for her Majesty to attend. Perhaps he could spend time discussing his people and economy.

"It's Victor Von Doom," Tina whispers loudly to Charlie as he enters the room and she looks up from the document she was reading to look at him.

"Your majesty, I am pleased that you decided to join us for the finale of this competition—"

"I expected that this competition would be far more grand, but I must admit there is a certain charm to being a rural country such as this. It's a shame that when my grandmother broke the Soviets, she wasn't more generous with the land. But it is what you make of it, I mean one would think that such an important event being held in such a small country would mean that you would take full advantage of it and make sure things went smoothly. And yet—" Charlie trailed off.

"And yet? Is there something you find displeasing?" Victor asks, frowning ever so slightly.

"The Wankadans, everyone is aware that there is tension between myself and T'Challa, perhaps you didn't know being the ruler of a rural nation that most couldn't point to on a map, and no one taking you seriously on the international stage. You allowed them to sponsor a masked figure to win a date with me, Empress of this planet. One would think that you'd have the good sense to run a background check on everyone. A known traitor entering the games would be considered scandalous."

"A known—" Victor trails off and immediately turns to look down at the event, where the screens were playing highlights from the White Tiger's wins. Each had been brutal with little fanfare, and she was now the favorite to win. "Forgive me your majesty."

"If you wish to join the international scene, then it must be your business to follow up on every rumor and to befriend other nations that share your goals. But despite your security failure, perhaps it is time to start giving smaller nations a chance to distinguish themselves."

"Your Majesty—"

"I shall think of an appropriate reward Victor, as for the traitor I will handle everything. You are to pretend that nothing is wrong."

"Of course," Victor smiled, gratefully. His life had flashed before his eyes when he had learned about the traitor, but despite the rumors he hadn't been killed. "I may be lacking in many ways but I wish to learn from you, in a short time you have revitalized a few economies. Cut through corruption—"

"No one likes a kiss ass Victor, you are dismissed."

"Of course," Victor said bowing and wincing as he turned and left the room, pausing for a moment at the door and glancing back as Charlie lifted her empty glass and a woman appeared and filled her glass with a blood red wine. She was here to make a statement, it read in her clothes, in the air. People would be talking about this event for years and they'd hopefully remember that it was he who made it happen.

"Have you decided what you're going to do when she wins?" Lena asks, leaning over.

Charlie takes a sip and crosses her legs, "There are people who paid good money to be here, they deserve their money's worth. Besides, the media has finally stopped referring to me as the Mad Dog, I imagine murdering the winner would be bad form. I am capable of having dinner with someone."

"When was the last time you went on a date?" Kara questions with a scoff.

"I have dinner with you against my will because you have this mistaken belief that I'm lonely. I have told you to leave many times but you insist. I honestly have zero idea why I put up with your lack of etiquette."

"Because if you killed me then you would actually be alone," Kara retorts. "I brighten your day."

"You are a loud annoyance that I put up with," Charlie grouses, draining her glass.

"I mean it is odd that you got dressed up for this," Tina mutters under her breath, glancing away when Charlie turns to look at her.

A displeased look crossed Charlie's face, and there was a very visible tick in her jaw. "I enjoy spending time alone, it helps stop the utterly useless prattle that I constantly have to hear. As for loneliness, do you honestly think that discussing my emotional state is wise?" When she doesn't hear an answer she turns and looks at the three women in the room, "Get out."

"Seriously?" Kara questions but when Charlie's eyes glow as she turns to her she quickly motions for Lena and Tina to follow her. She should have suspected that Charlie would be moody. "Alright, we're leaving."

Charlie doesn't say anything, instead she merely pours herself a glass of wine and takes a sip, she should have attendants, but she didn't trust most people, and watching her grandmother's old attendants shiver and shake before her like she was some monster—well she was, but she was a civilized monster. Every monstrous deed that she did was at the behest of her grandmother or a family member. As the youngest she was an afterthought, a spare, and she had craved their love and approval. But with each kill, and the horror that came with the brutality that she had shown.

The Mad Dog of the Royal family, no one dared call her that to her face, but she knew it was whispered behind her back. Everyone, betting and gossiping about when she was going to snap and start murdering people. Impulsive and brash, she and Kara had been sent on missions. Putting dissidents, killing political figures, everywhere she went someone died, all deaths ordered by her grandmother or a member of her family. And in the end, they betrayed her. She could still remember being forced to kneel, her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment, as a list of crimes was read out, and the jeering of the General Assembly.

She was to be exiled alone, into the Hell Dimension, and in the moment, she had felt it a profound loneliness. But she hadn't begged for any special treatment, she hadn't wept at her fate, she had merely accepted it. And yet—Santana had shown up as she was to be exiled with the few Furies who she had under her command, and had basically forced her way into exile with her.

She hadn't been lonely after that, and for the first time she had people who she had trusted. Santana had been at the very top of that list. She truly couldn't care less who most people slept with, but Santana was hers. Santana had always been hers. It was why she had allowed her to gather power, it was why she supported her to become head of the Furies. She knew it would lead to discontent, but Santana had proven her loyalty a million times over which was why she didn't understand why she had betrayed her.

She had played it over in her mind several times, Kara had the ridiculous belief that Santana was jealous and that's why she had acted out, but that didn't make any sense. The other women were simply bodies for her, a way to help with the boredom. It wasn't as if Santana could spend her days naked in her bed, she had a job to do. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to keep Santana naked in her bed for days, but she was always running off to actually do her job, which most of the other Fury's had been openly hostile and resentful of.

It was something that Santana had needed to handle herself, but with Kara, Dani and Illyana, Santana had been one of the weaker captains that she had. That had changed after their jaunt to the hell dimension. There was only so much she could do, the weakest of the four becoming her right hand. It was sacrilege in a world where all that truly mattered was strength. The problem was Kara was an idiot, Dani was overly ambitious, and Illyana was indifferent. Santana had been loyal, Santana had jumped into hell for her.

So it made no sense why she would go and have sex with a bunch of people. She was hers, and while it was true she didn't give a fuck if the women in her harem were having sex with other people, so long as they remained available for her, she had always been clear to Santana that didn't extend to her. She wasn't going to have a threesome with Kara and Santana, or let others see her the way she saw her when she was naked and vulnerable.

When she thought about it her heart burned with unadulterated rage. And her impulse whenever she got like this was to destroy whatever it was that made her feel like this, it had taken all her willpower to not turn that on Santana, but she had turned that den of perversion into a massive crater in the ground.

"These two women need no introduction, they have knocked, submitted, and well incinerated their way to the finals! All in hopes of winning a date with Her Imperial Majesty, who has decided to join us so that she can get a better look. Will either of these women impress her Majesty? They've certainly captured the hearts and minds of the people, but none of that matters if they can't capture her Majesty's heart."

Charlie rolled her eyes and poured herself another drink, she wasn't capable of love. She couldn't be what Kara and Lena were, her position didn't allow for it. Her grandmother was supposed to choose a match for her when she had turned 21, but she had been exiled when she was 19, and now her grandmother was dead. Which meant that she had to deal with everyone attempting to try and grab power by handing over their daughters. It was disgusting, any sane parent wouldn't want their child married to someone like her.

~ O ~

"The Empress is here."

Santana froze and turned to look at Okoye. "What? I didn't think she'd—she looked into me."

"Perhaps, but it is the finals, and she's probably also just showing up because she feels that she needs to." General Okoye points out. "If your heart has been shaken by this—"

"It hasn't. My resolve has always been to be by her side, and I'm sure she's aware that it's me. Nothing gets past her, she probably knows that I used Illyana to get to hell, and she's probably looked into how long I was there. Time moves differently there. I've probably just piqued her interest, it's an opportunity that I intend to make the most of. "

"Well, good luck."

"T'Challa needs to clear the air with her, if you're doing all this in hopes that I can change her mind. That I can buy you some reprieve from the constant attacks—I can't and I won't. Even if she were to accept me back , I haven't earned the right to speak on these affairs, and honestly I've been gone for a year. The information and the situation have clearly changed. But what hasn't is that they have yet to actually talk, and there is no point in lying she can see through them."

"And as General and head of King T'Challa's security I refuse to let him be put in a dangerous situation. She is still impulsive and volatile."

"If she wanted him dead, he would be dead. If she wanted me dead I'd be dead, she's never had any problem in killing people, she's very good at that. She also doesn't really care if it causes a war, you will lose. So you denying T'Challa a chance to explain himself is increasing the tension and we're not yet at a point of no return. Have her promise that she won't kill him, and she probably won't."

"Probably, you want me to—"

"There are people around General, unless he does something incredibly egregious he will leave this place alive."

General Okoye frowned, "I will pass these words onto King T'Challa."

"You do that," Santana said, deciding to simply focus on her task ahead. General Antiope of the Amazons wouldn't be a problem for flames, but that didn't mean she could shift her focus any further. She had one goal in mind, and to do that she needed to take it step by step.

~ O ~

"Your Imperial Majesty, perhaps it is time that we finally had that discussion."

Charlie paused for a moment and pulled away from the door, she had been about to literally punch Kara through a wall if she had shown up, but for it to be King T'Challa alone. "What is it that they say about cats and curiosity?"

A wry smile crosses T'Challa's face. "May I join you?"

Charlie made a face even as she moved back to her seat, "Aligning yourself with a known traitor is certainly a bold move, but don't think that I've been unaware of your meetings with the fish people and the Amazons. Did you truly believe that Namor of all people would be able to defeat me?"

"Your general hostility to my people—"

"T'Challa, you are not a stupid man, you are the King who demanded that I be exiled, I assure you my issues with Wakanda rest solely with you. I want regime change. Perhaps you should go into exile. Perhaps I should make your son a boy king."

Anger flashed across T'Challa's face, as a smug superiority grin crossed Charlie's face. "There are very few people who know about his existence, I wanted him to be just a boy."

"We are royals T'Challa, there is no just letting the boy be. He is a political figure, and he is your heir. Did you think that I wouldn't notice that you were raising him in Haiti? Do you think that will keep him safe from my grasp?" Charlie's grin is almost demonic as she watches the panic in his eyes. "If I wanted your son dead he'd be dead. But I am not in the business of killing children to make a point. People are very protective over their children, at least good parents. And you seem like a decent father, so at least you have that going for you."

T'Challa calms himself, attacking her would ensure that his country would die, and he would not allow that. "Exile was not the betrayal that you think it was. I was weaker then, and getting involved in Imperial matters has always been a suicide mission. My betrayal was not announcing that you were innocent of the charges laid against you."

Charlie froze and looked at him, the lights in the room brightening before they shattered, "What?"

"Your mother and your sisters wanted to make an example out of you, they wanted to execute you. Your grandmother was willing to consider it. They were afraid of you, so I suggested exile as a way to grant your freedom. Every person that you killed, everyone that you tortured for information that was at their behest. You are not innocent, but you did as you were ordered by the Empress, and as such your loyalty should not be rewarded with death but with exile. Your grandmother took my suggestion, and you were sentenced to the hell dimension. Wakanda is loyal to the Imperial family, your grandmother could have colonized us. She resisted urges from her family to colonize us, and quite frankly it's not like you honestly cared one way or another. It was in our best interest to support you. Your sister Frannie would have executed the royal family for our vibranium. We were never able to place what your sister Brittany would do, but we do know that your twin would have followed in Frannie's footsteps. She wanted to eliminate all monarchies. You were not—openly hostile towards Wakanda until you returned, and perhaps this conversation is long overdue. My sin was not speaking up about your innocence. But at great personal cost to me and my kingdom I suggested exile. If that requires my death then so be it."

Charlie is quiet for a brief moment, as she processes the new information. "And what should I do with this information? Even if that is true that doesn't absolve you of plotting against me T'Challa. It certainly doesn't absolve you of your cowardice. If you want me to speak up against the barbarians at the gate, who are all eager to get their hands on your vibranium and to depose your family, then you will need to abdicate, whether the Queen Mother, or your sister, or someone else. I don't care who it is but those are my requirements."

"And the attacks against our outreach and attempts and all attempts to get their hands on their vibranium will cease?"

"Of course. I have no idea why they need Wakandan vibranium, when there are pockets under the ocean, and in antarctica. By the way, saying this out loud will cause the price of vibranium to plummet, and your country will no longer be the sole producer of vibranium. You still have time to diversify your economy."

T'Challa's eyes widened, and he let out a laugh of disbelief, "My crown is a small price to pay, but even if the other countries have access to it, they won't have Wakandan scientists who have been working with vibranium for centuries."

Charlie lets out a rough amused laugh, "You've always been a very shrewd man, I'll take that into consideration. But don't think that my consideration absolves Wakanda for harboring a known traitor."

"She is very devoted to you."

Charlie scowled at T'Challa, and he took that moment to bow and take his leave and she glanced down as the fight was about to take place, "I'm aware of how devoted she is to me, but that doesn't mean she didn't betray me."

~ O ~

General Antiope was good. It was the centuries of practice, and experience that had made it hard to pin her down, remaining just out of reach for as long as possible and countering every one of her attempts to try and pin her down and submit her or knock her out. She had managed to capitalize on the smallest of mistakes, and in that moment she had managed to pin her down and her hands had lit up to simply end the fight. Before she could strike and end the fight the white flag was raised, and the crowd had booed, disappointed that it hadn't ended with her turning yet another competitor to Ash.

Still she had immediately retreated, returning to her starting corner and she simply waited. The hard part would be starting soon, getting through some bodies would be easier than dealing with Charlie's mood. It wouldn't just be a storm, it would be a category five hurricane if Charlie wasn't ready to deal with her, but it was a risk she was willing to try and survive.

The chatter amongst the crowd is deafening before there is just silence as Charlie appears above the crowds, dressed in dark blue and gold, with a half cape draped over her left shoulder. Her hair was slicked back and she was wearing light makeup. The descent is slow, it's more of a glide downwards till she hits the middle of the stage, her eyes glowing in an eerie way as she lands.

"I suppose now is the moment that I say something," Charlie stated her voice echoing around the arena despite her having no microphone, but her words were clear. "Every fight is a war, and the only thing that I ask my people is that they bring me victory. And to do that one must survive, you do not have to be the most cunning, you don't have to be the most intelligent, or even the most powerful you just need the will and the luck to survive. It is how I lived my life while I was exiled, and that is how I plan to lead this planet against our enemies. This event was a microcosm of my beliefs and there were certainly one person who embodied my beliefs. Victory is all that matters and we have our winner," Charlie said, finally turning to look at Santana who drops to her knee in front of her. Charlie stares for a moment at the side of her lip twitching as she struggles to keep her face neutral. "Congratulations White Tiger."

Santana reaches for the back of her mask to reveal herself, "Your Majesty—"

"Perhaps it's best to leave the mask on for the mystique it brings," Charlie says in a tone that makes it sound like a suggestion but her eyes indicate that it was anything but.

"Your Majesty," Santana replies immediately, letting her hand fall.

"Whether or not this date bears any fruit, I encourage you to keep fighting, you are all my precious citizens and I stand at the gate, vigilant. And if a war breaks out there will only be overwhelming victory. I swear on my name." Charlie says, making the bold claim to roar to the crowd. She smiles as she soaks in the adoration and the adulation before she turns and studies Santana once more before grabbing her arm and lifting it for the crowd who roars in approval.

Santana bit her lip, "Your Majesty—"

"Does this look like the place," Charlie interrupts though her lips don't move. "Inform Kara of where you are and I will have a portal open tomorrow for dinner." Charlie says as she drops Santana's arm and begins to float before she takes off breaking the sound barrier and rattling everyone in the arena who start cheering and chanting.

The force of Charlie's takeoff sends many people flying and she's no exception, she only made that much noise and did that much damage when she was frustrated or annoyed. Still as she looks at the sky she can't help but laugh, she wasn't dead yet. Maybe she really did still have a chance, even if she could never be Charlie's Queen, she'd take anything to be by her side again.

~ O ~

"I'm against this, I don't think you deserve her. But she hasn't been fun since you left, so I decided to help so she can go back to normal and she can go back to being fun. I got you a dress. I'm sure she'd approve of it."

"Perhaps you should get your eye checked, that's dental floss," Santana responds after sparing it a quick glance.

"Santana, I assure you that if you wear this she'll forget at least for a few moments why she's upset with you. Sleep with her, profess your damn love and loyalty to her, and let her go back to normal."

Santana groaned, it was clear that Charlie was still upset with her since she had sent Kara to annoy the shit out of her, "If I were to wear that, she'd take your only good eye and then laugh at you as you bumped into things."

"Fine, don't listen to my advice, she enjoyed the shit out of this dress when Lena was wearing it." Kara grumbled.

Tina appears causing Santana to jump and glare at her, "Look, I'm not supposed to be here, but I needed to make sure that both of you idiots didn't fuck this up. I need to get paid, and I need a long vacation. This whole mess started because you decided to show off what Charlie sees as hers, and share your body which Charlie also views as hers. Charlie is incapable of sharing with anyone other than Kara, and even then she's really bad at sharing. May I suggest you cover yourself up from head to toe."

"Cover myself—" Santana pinched the bridge of her nose, "You too?"

"Santana. It's been a year, you got to go on a vacation, I got fired, and I stuck around because someone needs to be responsible, and stop Kara from trying to influence her majesty into war!"

"At least it would be something to do! She's been all weird since that one betrayed her, and she doesn't have the Fury's because she got annoyed with all the bitching going on. All she does is train, and take care of her hell pests that keep trying to use me as a chew toy!"

Santana took a deep breath, none of this was helping. "I know what I'm going to wear, I already have it pressed and everything. I know what she likes."

"Right, and yet you were the one that was exiled," Kara muttered under her breath. "Well its your funeral, I'm not going to save your life when you inevitably fuck up again."

"As if you didn't take a sick thrill when she decided to exile me," Santana answers as she disappears into the bathroom and starts to get dressed.

"Of course I did, I enjoyed seeing you fall off the fucking pedastal that she put you on. Now she sees you as an utter disappointment, which is how she feels about most people. Even if you manage to seduce her again, even if you promise to never so much as look at anyone, she's not going to be who you want her to be. She's not going to be monogamous, she's not going to stop drinking and she's not going to stop being dangerous."

Santana adjusts the buttons, making sure that they were straight, Charlie always did like fucking her while she was in her dress uniform. She steps out of the bathroom, and glances at the time. "Did she say when we were having dinner?"

"When she feels like dealing with you? I mean you understand that this isn't some real date, she's doing this because you won a competition. It's like those kids who are mayor for a day or whatever, they're not really the mayor. Also there are no more Fury's so I have zero idea why you're wearing your uniform." Kara points out.

"I'm hoping to remind her that my one fuck up shouldn't define my career or my loyalty, yes it was a big fuck up but—I deserve a second chance."

"Deserve is not the word I'd use," Tina muttered. "You fucked up, own that fuck up you don't deserve anything from her. Kara gets away with shit because her Majesty thinks that Kara has a mental defect, and she's forgiving because she understands that Kara really can't help herself and well she doesn't want to be ableist."

"Wait—what?"

Tina ignored Kara's outrage. "She holds us to a much higher standard than Kara, so we aren't guaranteed forgiveness, I'm still on her shitlist which is why she sends me to Russia despite the fact I'm no longer on her payroll. And that was to protect you so quite frankly you owe me. Do whatever it takes for her to forgive you and you know that she has a cruel streak."

Santana shivered and she swallowed, she loved Charlie's cruel streak well sexually, she hadn't enjoyed being labeled a traitor and kicked out. "I know how to handle her."

Tina and Kara exchange looks, just as a portal opens. "Well good luck," Tina says as she blinks out of view.

"Like I said, I'm not going to save you if it all goes to hell," Kara reminds her and slaps her on the back. "I promise not to listen."

Santana eyed the portal and ignored Kara, Charlie had ways of shutting Kara's hearing off, maybe she should suggest that so they could have a private conversation. With a deep breath she enters the portal feeling how cold it is as she enters the most formal of formal dining rooms that Charlie had. Charlie was already seated with a drink in her hand, her plate was in front of her and there were candles. Someone had at least made an attempt to make this romantic, even though she was seated at the opposite end of the very large table, the furthest she could be seated away from Charlie. She recognized this place, she was certain that they'd had sex here before, and she glances at the middle of the long dining table.

"You were promised dinner." Charlie informs her without looking at her, instead looking at her half filled glass.

"Is that it?"

"You're a known traitor, the fact that I'm even—" Charlie paused and raised a brow when Santana kneels. "I imagine you've gotten used to being in that position. Well, whatever makes you comfortable." Charlie said, leaning back in her chair.