Rachel was a woman on a mission as she made a beeline through the hallways of McKinley, only stopping when she spotted Charlie at her locker with Quinn, both of them were chatting with each other. It's enough to give her pause for a moment as she looks at the two of them, she hadn't seen or heard from them throughout the holidays. It would have hurt if she hadn't been with Shelby nearly every day working on her abilities. "Charlie, Quinn, I hope you had a lovely break."

Both twins turn to look at her, "How was your break? Did you spend it with Shelby?" Quinn pressed immediately.

"I did, but after our first meeting I decided to take Charlie's advice—at least for now. I spent nearly every day over the break practicing my abilities with Shelby, and you'll be pleased to know that my powers have expanded. While I'm not as proficient with my abilities as Shelby is, it's only been two weeks. I plan on keeping up the meetings with her until she teaches me everything she knows."

Charlie smiled, "Well I can't wait to see what you learned—"

"Are you sure she's going to teach you everything she knows? When you're both still competing?" Quinn interrupts with a frown.

Rachel hesitated, "Shelby doesn't think of McKinley as a threat, she said as much. McKinley doesn't have nearly the resources of the bigger schools, we don't have a support team, we have the bare minimum of students on our team. She is not worried, because the moment Charlie graduates McKinley will go back to oblivion. I plan to prove her wrong, but she does have a point. McKinley's entire offense and defense is built around you Charlie and if anything or anyone were to take you out we don't belong with the big schools. I spent the past few days reading the rulebook as well as taking extensive notes on where every member of the team can improve. I plan to make a presentation at lunch in front of Figgins and Beiste, your support and presence will give my words weight Charlie."

Charlie made a face, "I have to give up my lunch?"

"Not all of it, and you can still eat. I just need you to nod every now and again and—" Rachel trails off as she realizes that Charlie's attention has shifted, and is now focused on a one Santana Lopez who is sporting a new shorter haircut and pants that looked like they were painted on. Rachel stared as Santana walked by, but gets pulled out of it the moment the door to Charlie's locker slams closed, and Charlie immediately takes off after Santana. Her eyes practically glued to Santana's ass. Rachel rolls her eyes, and turns to Quinn. "Can you—?"

"Don't worry I'll make sure that she gets to where you need her on time."

"Thanks Quinn."

Quinn adjusts her bag on her shoulder, ready to head to her first class and make sure that Charlie didn't find a closet and a willing partner, but she stops and hesitates. "I think—" Quinn pauses when Rachel turns to her and shrugs her shoulders, she wasn't actually sure she wanted Rachel and Marley to know about one another. And Charlie had said that it wasn't her duty to fix all of Marley's problems or Rachel's for that matter.

"You think?" Rachel prompts.

Quinn blinks, thinking quickly to come up with a believable lie. "I think that Shelby's wrong. I know my sister better than anyone else, and she saw potential in you guys. I think she truly believes that if you all put in the effort, then you'll all become named-heroes."

Rachel flashes Quinn a grateful smile, Quinn had always been her biggest cheerleader. "Thanks Quinn."

Quinn nodded and immediately turned and headed to class, unaware of Rachel's lingering gaze. Maybe she should talk to Marley about maybe offering up their club's services to McKinley. Charlie might think that too many heroes relied on support items, but their team needed all the help it could get.

~ O ~

"We were discussing, that it may be best to perhaps extend the team," Figgins reminded Shannon, wiping at his brow nervously. "Blaine Anderson does fulfill the residency requirements that I required, and the Anderson's have been in Lima for years, they're a staple of this community. If it wasn't for Cooper getting a job at Dalton, I'm certain that Blaine would have made the team."

Shannon studied the young man in front of her, clean cut, he certainly had the look to be a top hero, even if he lacked the height. Still his association with Dalton Academy was troubling, "Everyone on the team with the exception of Charlie tried out, and the only reason Charlie got an exception is because she already has a provisional hero license. You do not, and I honestly don't care if you were coming from a nationally ranked team. To be a member of this team, you need not only to impress me and our captain, you also need to earn the respect of the rest of the team. Given your previous affiliation that might be difficult."

"I know I can be an asset to this team if given the opportunity and the chance, Coach Beiste. Dalton has made it to sectionals multiple times." Blaine said, hoping that his voice projected a confidence he certainly didn't feel. Kurt had told him about the test to get on the team, and to face Charlie in any form seemed like a fool's errand. Only one team had managed to beat her, and he very much doubted that as a level 3, he could beat a level 5. He just needed to impress her. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get on the team."

Shannon paused for a moment, "Including a drug test?"

Blaine's face reddened, "I never once took drugs—"

"Of course he will, if you need random drug tests to be done, then he'll do it." Cooper spoke up from where he was leaning against a wall watching the interrogation.

Shannon shifted her gaze towards Cooper, she didn't trust him. There was something sleazy about him, and under his watch Dalton had imploded. "I only want the one. I believe in trust and I believe in second chances. However, if there is even a hint that you are on something, then you will be suspended off the team pending an investigation, and if I find out that you have—"

"You will be expelled from McKinley, we have a zero tolerance policy that has just been instituted," Figgins interrupts. McKinley didn't have the money to appeal the decision that was handed down to Dalton. It certainly was a gamble, but he had faith that it would pay off.

Nodding at Figgin's announcement, Shannon flicked her gaze to Blaine. "Come to practice today, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

It was a dismissal, and Blaine immediately stood up nodding. He hadn't expected it to be so quick, but it made sense. Sectionals were coming soon and if he did make the team, they needed time to integrate him into the team. Before he can say anything there is a sharp knock on the door.

"That must be Ms. Berry, with her suggestions," Figgins sighed. "Did you read the email she sent us, it was quite lengthy, in fact it included a powerpoint presentation that was nearly 100 slides long. I stopped reading after the fifth slide," he admits.

Shannon didn't say anything immediately, as she got up to usher Blaine and Cooper out, opening the door. She's surprised to see Charlie standing with Rachel, carrying her lunch. If there was one thing that she knew about her captain, it was that Charlie took her food seriously, and lunch was her favorite time of the day. "Rachel. Charlie." Shannon steps back allowing both Cooper and Blaine to pass by them. She motions for Rachel and Charlie to enter, but pauses when she notices Charlie's back stiffen slightly as Blaine walks by her. Still Shannon motions for Rachel and Charlie to have a seat before she takes her seat at her desk beside Figgins. "Rachel I've read some of your proposals and—"

"Who's that kid? The one that just walked out." Charlie interrupts.

"Blaine Anderson, he's the newest student at McKinley. Just transferred in from Dalton, he was on the Warbler's before it got disbanded. He'll be trying out later today, after practice." Shannon responds. "His brother Cooper wants to be my assistant Coach, but I have yet to make a decision on that." Beiste studies Charlie carefully, Charlie never took interest in people. "Why?"

Charlie shrugged suddenly, losing interest in Blaine, "His bioelectric field was—for lack of a better term—efficient, I've never seen anything quite like it. I can't tell whether he's strong or not, but he does shine a bit brighter than most, I could certainly pick him out in a crowd of students if I wanted."

"Blaine is a combat specialist, a martial arts specialist. He was originally classified as having peak human abilities, but none of that explains his innate knowledge of martial arts. Aikido, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Sambo—you name it he can do it. He just understands martial art, and even though he has never taken a single class, he's capable of beating the best. He was part of Dalton's team, he was chosen to compete against us in the second round. Finn, Artie and Tina managed to subdue him, but I'm certain he allowed it because he felt guilty about the drug use."

Rachel paused before smiling, she hadn't been sure that Beiste had read her email, there had been no response, other than the confirmation of this meeting. "Well, that was one of the many issues which I wanted to discuss with you. Despite desperately wanting to be a main player on this team, it has come to my attention that my mother doesn't consider McKinley to be a real threat—she barely considers us a team. We lack what many nationally ranked teams have. We barely have enough members on our team, Vocal Adrenaline has nearly thirty members on their team, and that's not including the support team that they have. They also have state of the art facilities as well for training."

"Rachel, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, you must realize that we barely have enough of a budget to send the team down to Huston for sectionals, I don't even know what we're going to do if we make it to nationals which are being held in New York this year."

"Money is not our biggest problem," Charlie points out. "Fundraisers, corporate sponsorships, hell worst case scenario I can cut down on airfare by selling my soul to the devil—so long as she's not in labor." She opens her lunch box, and pulls out a sandwich.

Rachel nodded, she had thought Charlie was going to be a silent participant, but it seemed that she was mistaken. "Charlie's right, we lack the facilities to properly train, and while we've managed to get by with a bit of help from Charlie's grandparents, we barely have a functioning gym. We lack basic infrastructure, team members and more importantly we fundamentally lack a support team. Given the test scores at McKinley—"

"Which have gone up!" Figgins interrupts.

Rachel raised a brow, everyone knew that the scores had gone up because of the twins. They scored so high they dragged McKinley up a few points. "Given the test scores at McKinley, and the fact that I doubt it's in the budget to hire a supervisor who can cultivate young minds."

"The point Rachel." Shannon said cutting to the chase.

"Fundraisers or sponsors can be used to fundraise for a proper facility, but short of us using an AI construction company that will take time. We need to focus on getting a support team, and to do that I believe that we should make an agreement with one of the schools for normal individuals, and create an affiliation or make them our sister school. It's in the rulebooks that is allowed. We need to think of the future."

"Rachel, I have seen far too many heroes depend on tools created by support engineers, depending on a tool instead of your own skill is a recipe for disaster—"

"I understand the dangers, but Sam still has no control of his abilities, Artie is someone who could benefit from support as well, I'm certain I could benefit as well. I agree that you're right and we shouldn't rely on tools, but we need help now." Rachel argued, looking at Charlie to back her up, but the youngest Fabray seemed more content in eating her sandwich. "Charlie."

Charlie sighed, she just wanted to enjoy her sandwich. She looked between both Rachel and Beiste, "We need the facilities, and even if we were to find the funding of an AI construction firm, that's still time that we don't have. I don't think anyone should rely on support items in general, but having a support team might at least solve our facilities problem, at least for the time being."

Rachel smiled triumphantly, turning to look at both Figgins and Beiste. "As I was saying—"

"You still haven't told us where we're going to find this mythical team," Beiste interrupts. "In case you haven't realized this is Lima."

"You also haven't mentioned how much it's going to cost us," Figgins adds. "You're asking for an affiliation to another school, a normal school Rachel. They don't have our budget and our budget is already stretched thin."

Rachel hesitated, between the training with her mother, the holidays and spending time with her fathers she hadn't been able to find the information. This wasn't New York, or LA where there were hundreds of schools to choose from, and probably far better education, even if they could find an affiliate school that didn't mean that they'd be useful.

"Lima High has a support club," Charlie speaks up pulling out her phone. "I mean it's a club, and from what I hear they aren't exactly well funded, but I know their skills—no that's not quite true—I know that the skill of one of the members is at the very least adequate."

"Is she trustworthy?" Rachel questions immediately.

"Well she wouldn't let me sneak into a nude art model class, and she gave me a black eye this Christmas so I'm getting mixed messages."

Figgins and Beiste exchanged looks as Rachel's jaw dropped. "Charlie—are you really entrusting your team to someone that you had—" Rachel shifted her gaze to both Figgins and Beiste, before turning back to Charlie. "— relations with?"

Charlie looked up from her sandwich, a puzzled look on her face. "Relations—" Charlie immediately scoffed, when she put two and two together. "I didn't sleep with her, Rachel. Marley is Quinn's girlfriend."

Rachel frowned, she had known that Quinn was seeing someone, but she hadn't been aware that it had been upgraded to girlfriend status. It certainly explained why Quinn was keeping her distance.

Beiste let out a relieved sigh, she had thought that there was going to be a problem. "I'm glad you're not cheating on Santana, Charlie. She's an integral member of this team—"

"Santana and I are sleeping together, we're not a couple," Charlie corrects in a bored tone. Santana was ignoring her for reasons that were beyond her. "You don't need to worry about it, coach it won't affect team dynamics. Santana doesn't even like me."

Beiste opened her mouth to say something, anything but she can't formulate a proper response so she decides to just leave it alone. She would just need to have faith it didn't blow up in her face.

~ O ~

"So is JBI right and McKinley's power couple over?"

Santana paused, and looked across the table from Lauren who was taking a seat across from her. She was tempted to leave, but bailing on the team wasn't a good look. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Lauren, or anyone for that matter. Her body hurt. Everything hurt and it was already taxing to pretend that everything was normal. "What are you talking about?"

Tina flashed a pleased smile at Laurenl, she'd been dying to ask Santana about her new look and the news on JBI's blog. But Santana looked like she was ready to murder someone, and she really didn't want that person to be her. "JBI said the reason for your new look is because you broke up with Charlie for well—you know."

Lauren smirked, "For fucking any girl with a pulse," she finished for Tina, clarifying the rumors. "I always knew you could do better Lopez. It was probably why she was all over you this morning."

Santana tilted her head, she wasn't sure she liked the team in her business. "Charlie and I never dated, she's always been free to do whatever and whoever she wants. I wanted a change, so I got a change. There's nothing really more to it." Santana raised a brow daring anyone to contradict her. When they don't she flashes them a smile. "So how was everyone's holiday? Did any of you do the training that Beiste asked you to do?"

"Wait I thought that was a suggestion!" Finn said, looking horrified. "Who gives homework over Christmas break?" He looks around the table, "I spent the entire break playing video games. My mom is dating Kurt's dad—we did Christmas with them."

"I didn't do it either," Kitty admits with a shrug.

"Either did I, I had to babysit my siblings, for most of the break," Sam admits. "I took them to the park but it was cold, so I couldn't stay long. It's not like I could practice in our apartment."

"I practiced," Tina admits. "At least I did the power training exercise that Beiste recommended."

"Same," Artie shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to sign up for a gym either, and even if I did my mom didn't have time to take me."

Lauren nodded, "I was busy, went to go see family. I have no idea why Beiste even assigned us the training, most of us can't drive, and don't have the money for a gym membership. When is Beiste going to realize that we're not all the wonder twins. Don't they have a fancy compound or something? Where are we supposed to get something like that? I mean you train at their fancy compound don't you?"

Santana stared at Lauren, the two of them had tangled in the past but since Charlie and Quinn had arrived it seemed that her insecurity had morphed into a twisted obsessive jealousy. Charlie had been rather hands off, but the situation was toxic and it needed to be excised. "Not over the break I didn't. And I only go on the weekends. I spent the entire break training, I found the time."

"How come you get to train at her compound?" Matt Rutherford asked, frowning.

"It's a house, with a garage that was converted into a gym. This is hardly a compound," Santana said, underselling the Fabray's expansive property. Neither of the twins flaunted their wealth, and she didn't want Zizes painting them as the bad guys. "If you want an invite, ask one of the twins. The only reason I got an invite to their place is because her mom wanted us to play nice or something."

Lauren scowls. "Seriously—"

"Isn't that the guy we faced at regionals?" Artie asked, adjusting his glasses and pointing to Blaine, who was with Kurt and Mercedes.

Santana turned to follow Artie's gaze, glad that he had interrupted Lauren. "What's he doing here?" Santana asks, raising a brow.

~ O ~

Shelby flinched as she heard a rather dull crunch followed by a scream of pain and agony, as Cassandra decimated her team. It was the same brutal efficiency that Cassandra had been known for when she was still a professional hero. There were no wasted movements, Cassandra didn't stop to check if any of her students were okay. She just kept moving, putting down anyone who dared to get in her way.

What was more impressive is that Cassandra hadn't used her abilities once. And though the feat was impressive, it was also terrifying. Cassandra hadn't broken a sweat, and if she had to wonder what this was doing to the psyche of her students. They had put in the work, they had suffered long hours at the gym, suffered through brutal practices, she was sure Jesse hadn't had a carb in over three years, since he'd join the team. But for one person to simply wreck them like this, to show that no matter how hard they worked, no matter what they did they would never reach the top of the mountain. It had to be the worst thing in the world. They hadn't even managed to put a scratch on Cassandra.

Another dull crunch, another scream of pain, and the sound of another body hitting the ground har, before Cassandra finally stopped moving and looked around at the carnage that she had caused. Cassandra's lips curl into one of disgust, before she finally turns to Shelby.

"So?" Shelby asks, keeping her gaze firmly on Cassandra.

"Weak. You made it to Nationals with this team?" Cassandra scoffs, and moves stepping over bodies to the bench, where she grabs a towel and wipes the blood from her knuckles, and checks her nails. "It certainly explains why the recruits they send my way are absolute garbage."

Shelby flicked her eyes to her team, and winced when she noticed that Cassandra had knocked out a few of his teeth. "But?" she prompts.

Cassandra looked at her, "You don't seriously think that your team can defeat Charlie—even on a bad day do you?"

"You're her aunt, she must have a weakness that you know of." Shelby reasoned.

Cassandra let out a harsh laugh, "The last time we tangled Shelby, she came out the victor. It didn't even last long."

Shelby was quiet for a moment processing Cassandra's words. She frowns in disbelief, she'd seen Cassandra in her prime, the thought that Charlie had handled Cassandra like Cassandra had handled Vocal Adrenaline didn't compute. She'd witnessed the display, she'd felt the raw power, and it hadn't left her in awe like Cassandra's. She wasn't scared of Charlie Fabray's power, Cassandra's power on the other hand— "When was the last time you saw the inside of a gym? When was the last time you trained?"

Cassandra scowled, "What?"

Shelby frowned, deciding to choose her words very carefully. "According to this ridiculous blog that Jesse follows, Charlie trains everyday. She doesn't do drugs, she doesn't drink her weight in booze every night. I'm sure she has her vices, but Cassandra when was the last time you seriously trained? When you took something seriously?"

There was a loud crack, as the ground underneath Cassandra's feet cracked. "You sound like my mother."

"I'm not trying to sound like anyone. I'm making an observation," Shelby said standing her ground. There was no point in attempting to turn back now. "Charlie's powers are impressive, but are you really telling me if you were in your prime you couldn't wreck her like you wrecked my team?"

"My mother has sharpened and honed Charlie's skills since she was a child. She's spent the past sixteen years spoiling her, giving her the affection she craves, creating a perfect little soldier, who doesn't have any fun. She indulges in Charlie's vices, and brushes them aside. Charlie does whatever she says when she says it. I was always a disappointment, and my mother let me know it. But now she has the perfect soldier."

There was a bitterness in her voice, and Shelby swallows, "So prove her wrong. Enough time has passed Cassandra, you could still make a comeback. You're a level 5 and enough time has passed that most people have forgotten your epic blowout, just get a public relations firm."

Cassandra laughed, the thought amused her, but if she could steal what her mother had declared as Charlie's it might actually make her feel better. "You're going to need to start from the beginning with them, they're that weak," she juts her thumb to Vocal Adrenaline.

Shelby raised a brow, and turned to look at her team. The groaning had stopped and she supposed she should call some healers to get them back into fighting shape. "Will you help?"

Cassandra smiled, "You wanted to know what Charlie's weakness is, her team. You don't need to beat her, to beat McKinley."

~ O ~

"I don't know why we're both here, you should have just let me come so I could tell the man no." Lawrence grumbled as he opened the door for his wife, holding it open for her. "You know as well as I do that this is a shakedown."

"When your grandchild's principal calls and asks to see you, it's still good manners to go." Artemis points out, a smile flitting across her features as Lawrence pouts. "There fundraising, and I think they suspect that we may be considerably more wealthy than most other families in the area."

"It's your money."

"Ours," Artemis corrects. "It's our money, and there is nothing more important to me than the health and well-being of my grandchildren. I imagine that's the pitch that they're going to give us that this will somehow benefit the twins."

"I don't see them calling up Greg and Rose and asking them for money," Lawrence mutters even as he reaches for her hand.

"Greg and Rose live in Arizona, dear and Judy's still upset about the tattoos." Artemis reminded him as they made their way to Figgins office. "You're still upset because they became the favorite grandparents that day."

"It's not a competition," Lawrence retorts sullenly. "They treat me like I'm an old man now!" He pauses and looks at his wife, and scowls when she gives him a patient look. "I'm old, and wise, they should listen to me more!"

Artemis pats his hand as they finally arrive at Figgins office, "I am curious why they need the money. We should hear them out before we determine whether it's worth it or not. Besides once we finish here, Charlie will be finishing up with practice, and Quinn should be around somewhere, perhaps you can take them out for hot chocolate. Just like old times."

Lawrence huffed, but smiled at the thought. "Fine," he says in a huffy tone.

~ O ~

Personally, Charlie couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt uncertain in a fight. Had she underestimated Blaine's skills? Or had she overestimated her own? Even without the use of her abilities, she was still generally the strongest person in the room, unless she was dealing with a member of her family.

Every day, without fail she woke up at some ungodly hour to train. It didn't matter if it was raining, snowing, hailing, or if it was unbearably hot, she pushed herself to the limit. It was what was expected of her, it was what was required to be the best.

Charlie takes a step back, and immediately brings her hands up to parry Blaine's attempt at a front kick. She manages to shove his leg away and before she can finally launch her counter attack, Blaine suddenly spins around on his heel, and she hears the sound before she feels the pain, stars exploding in her vision as she's knocked off balance. She wasn't quite sure what part of the body Blaine had used to launch his attack, but she hadn't seen it coming.

It wasn't nearly enough to knock her out, but it was enough to rock her to the very core and she immediately retreated, trying to put distance between her and Blaine so she could mentally regroup. Perhaps it had been rather arrogant to assume that her normal skill was good enough to beat Blaine's martial arts intuition or however he had described his powers.

Blaine didn't hesitate, he couldn't afford to give Charlie any reprieve as he closed the gap. He didn't care that he noticed a trail of blood leaking from Charlie's ear, where his elbow had made contact. He immediately switches up his stance as Charlie raises her hands to protect her face, and tries to duck and weave out of the way. He throws a right jab, which Charlie manages to stumble away from, but he had hoped that she would as he brings his knee up with force, connecting with Charlie's chin. The hit is solid and Charlie's head snaps back.

Before he can land a follow-up strike, Beiste is between them, her arm shoving him back as Charlie's body crumples. Blaine stares in shock, as he and the rest of the team, who is deathly silent, realize what Beiste had realized seconds earlier: Charlie was out.

Charlie Fabray had just been knocked out.