"It seems your mother is very upset with me," Artemis said as she bounced Mikey who giggled and stuffed his hands in his mouth in excitement. A wry smile crosses Artemis's face as she rubs Mikey's chubby cheeks. Her very first great grandchild. "I don't quite know what I did wrong this time."

Frannie stopped pacing and slowly turned to look at her grandmother, "Did you even think about what the consequences would be for making her this powerful?"

"Your grandfather and I gave her and the three of you all the tools that she would need to be successful. Charlie's the only one who trained consistently, who picked your grandfather's brain until there was very little he could teach her and then took all that information and became who she is. I didn't make Charlie, your mother and father did that."

"Don't be cute, it's unbecoming," Frannie snaps at her grandmother.

Artemis smiles and gently lets go of Mikey who begins to float and he screams in delight, "Then what about your part in all of this?" Artemis asks, "I don't mind taking Cassandra's blame, I don't even mind taking your anger Frannie, but you were perfectly capable of taking care of that alien beast on your own. Your abilities are not bound to this planet. You forced Charlie into that fight she didn't want and now you're upset that she rose to the occasion."

"I have a son."

"I know how your abilities work," Artemis replies with ease. "You never needed to actually be within vicinity to activate your abilities, and while I understand that you brushed off any other criticism with just where were you supposed to drop him that wouldn't cause an international incident, you could have thrown him into a distant star or near a blackhole, but you didn't."

"And what about you?" Frannie accuses.

"What about me? I'm not pretending that I couldn't have done anything, but by the time that you opened the portal the fight was already over. And what exactly did you expect me to do? I can't generate black holes in the middle of New York City, the loss of life would be catastrophic. We all have our choices to make Frannie."

"I don't think you understand the danger here, Charlie's powerful and quite possibly more powerful than all of us combined, and you want to just let it go? She lost her shit at the Combine—"

"And yet no one was hurt. Charlie understands restraint far better than any of you give her credit for. Was Santana Lopez hurt? Did Charlie strike her?"

"No but—"

"Charlie's heart has always been gentle, and she's always been kind. Sure she can be arrogant, and condescending, but she is a member of this family after all and we have our moments."

Frannie inhaled, "And you aren't worried about Cassandra's influence? The two of them have been getting closer."

"I've already dealt with the situation, and I assure you that there are many people who are worried about Cassandra's influence on Charlie."

~ O ~

"I'm proud of you."

Cassandra glanced up at Shelby, a puzzled look on her face. "Because I can dress myself? Should I be worried about how shockingly low your expectations are for me?"

Shelby rolled her eyes at Cassandra's sarcasm, "That's not it and you know it, I'm proud that you're a positive influence on your niece, I'm proud that you were there for her. The old Cassandra would have tormented her, she certainly wouldn't have dropped everything she could to help."

Cassandra was quiet for a moment before she shrugged and worked on putting on her boots, "The kid and I are similar in some ways. A product of the demented mind of Artemis July. The pressure of being a hero is immense, and I know that Charlie doesn't really care for the celebrity of it all, but there won't be getting out of it. There is no one harder on herself than Charlie, but if she makes a mistake, that's going to be amplified. She's going to have stalkers, she's going to have crazed fans. People writing about her constantly, weirdos who will have sights waiting till she turns 18. She needs to have a system in place. Especially if she intends to skip higher education."

Shelby nods, "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have a system in place right now? The media has been sniffing around wondering if you're going to be a hero again. I can't be your entire world Cass, we're going to fight, we're going to have our issues and I need to know that you'll be okay even if we're not okay."

Cassandra was quiet, "I'm in a few programs, it's what I do during my lunch break, I'm doing the work Shelby."

"I know you are, but you're right those things are still rough to deal with, and with your history your mistakes will be magnified. This is especially true when it comes to your relationship with Charlie."

"Even if I get my license back, it's not like I can just open my own firm. I'd have to find one to join, one that can absorb the insurance rates of hiring me. I plan to use that time to rehab my image, and by the time Charlie's ready to open her own firm, which hopefully is after she graduates from Summit, I can jump ship and we can work together."

Shelby paused, the old Cassandra would have certainly just rushed into this, Cassandra had thought this through and was making plans. She had made an effort to change, and she knew how difficult it was to do that. To be better, but Cassandra hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. There was no casual drug use, sure she still occasionally found something stashed away, but the amount of dust on those things, had probably meant that Cassandra had probably stashed it and forgotten where she'd put it or that she even had it all. "Well you helping out has started to change the public's perception of you. You've gotten a lot of thank you mail from the people you and Charlie evacuated."

Cassandra nodded, with that and hopefully her niece could make it to testify for her she'd be able to get her license reinstated. She would have asked her father to make a statement, but she doubted her mother would allow him to, and she really did just want him to spend the rest of his years in peace. She didn't have that many friends willing to stake their reputations and careers on her, she had burned far too many bridges over the years, but maybe after this she would look into trying to repair those relationships like she had with Charlie. Maybe she should try and get to know Brittany and Quinn a bit better and foster a relationship with them. Judy was already slowly starting to come around so maybe with a bit more effort she could turn the tables on her mother.

~ O ~

Dr. Linda Martin crossed her legs, while keeping her gaze focused on the teenager in front of her, for the past five minutes, Charlie Fabray hadn't said anything of importance. Instead the teenager had just mumbled the answers to the questionnaire, when she had prompted her. And now the teenager was just staring at her in a way that would have been unnerving if she hadn't been subjected to the same treatment a million times from her rather demonic best friend. "Do you want to tell me why you're here?" Linda decides, hoping that her question would cause the teenager to open up.

Charlie shrugged her shoulders, not quite sure what to say, she found the whole thing rather unsettling. The thought of telling some random adult how she felt, when she wasn't quite sure herself how she felt. "I thought I didn't have to say anything if I didn't want to?"

"You don't. I just find it odd that someone who the world is calling the first level 6, is sitting on my couch, with a look that says that you'd rather be anywhere than here. I mean I can't imagine someone forcing you to do anything you don't want to do."

"You clearly haven't met my mother," Charlie muttered.

Linda smiled, "I'm glad you love your mom so much that you're willing to put up with a 90 minute therapy session."

Charlie raised a brow, "I didn't say that."

"So you don't love your mom?"

"I didn't say that either!" Charlie shoots the woman a suspicious look. She wasn't sure that she appreciated someone messing with her mind, and this felt like a mind game that she wanted no part of. "My childhood was fine, I mean my parents are divorced because my dad is a really bad husband, and can't keep it in his pants. My mother didn't divorce him and instead proceeded to have 3 more children with him, despite knowing. I have no idea why she chose to stay with him. She's known for years that he can't keep it in his pants. But she did and I really don't know why she chose that the last time my father cheated that was it, but she did and they're officially divorced."

"And yet?" Linda presses.

Charlie narrowed her eyes defensively. "I love my mom, doesn't mean I don't think she's an idiot for staying with him. She didn't need to stay for us."

"Was your father a good dad?"

"I love my parents."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Doesn't it?"

"People love their parents even when they were really bad parents. They seek validation from them, they do things that they wouldn't otherwise do in a desperate attempt to be loved by them," Linda pushes back, and tilts her head as she sees something spark in Charlie's eyes. "Was your father a good dad?"

"He protected us—he still protects us. The only reason that I haven't been dragged into some lab somewhere is because he listened when I told him that I didn't want to be tested again. He's not perfect and he really can't dress himself, and he loves my mom so much that it's kind of sad that he's desperate for her affection even though they're divorced, but he is a good dad. Not a perfect one."

Mother issues would certainly be a change of pace, but it didn't seem like Charlie had those issues either. At least she hoped and prayed that she didn't have those issues. "And your mother?"

"I love my mother. Even if she is too overprotective, she's a good mom."

Linda's brow twitched, there was something to unpack there, but it was clear that Charlie's current issues had very little to do with her parents. "Well as a mother, I can tell you that we worry. When I got pregnant I had the bright idea to bubble wrap the fans." When Charlie gives her a quizzical look. "His father could fly and I was worried about that. You know his name is Charlie."

"You didn't name a baby after me did you? People are doing that these days. It's weird."

"He's five years old, so that would be rather impressive. No, he was named after a dear friend that was murdered." Linda says, watching carefully as Charlie's face immediately changed. There was a hint of shame on her face, and she softened ever so slightly. "Parents always have their reasons for being overprotective. And given your chosen career, I imagine your mother can't help but think of the worst." Linda smiles and leans forward; it was time to circle back now that she had gotten Charlie to open up. "So let's get back to my original question, why are you here? You could walk out that door right now and I wouldn't be able to stop you neither could your mother, she might be disappointed but she'd probably let it go."

Charlie's brow furrowed before deciding on the only reason that she could think of. "I lost control, I got upset and I lost control. That can't happen again, so teach me some exercises that I can go through so it doesn't happen again."

Linda's brow twitches again, this felt eerily familiar to a former patient of hers. "Okay there's a lot to unpack, but we have time, can you tell me what happened? Why did you lose control? And what do you mean by; lose control?"

~ O ~

Lawrence opened the door and grinned, "Santana! It's good to see you again. How was the Combine?"

Santana immediately made a face, it hadn't gone well, her numbers had been absolutely horrible, and while she had still come out in second, it wasn't like she had burned the place down and had gotten the scouts talking. "I'm sure Frannie told you how I failed miserably. She probably isn't attempting to recruit me any more," Santana admits.

"Did Frannie tell you that she had no interest in you?"

"No but she did say that she was disappointed in my performance. I mean she wasn't wrong, I wasn't at my best. I need to get better. Which is why I'm here, I have a few weeks before school and I need a boost. I know there are no shortcuts, but you must know something that I could do. Sam and Tina mentioned you'd been training everyone who didn't get an invite to a combine, and I saw that Sam's no longer a disaster. So maybe you can—work a miracle?" Santana swallows, hoping that Lawrence wouldn't bring up her falling out with his favorite grandkid.

"Where was your focus, Frannie is an excellent teacher. I mean I have to say that because she's my oldest granddaughter, and I taught her most of what I know. But if anyone was able to draw out your potential, it was Frannie. Where was your head this summer?"

"On your dumbass granddaughter," Santana muttered under her breath. She flushed when Lawrence snorted, "I was distracted. I mean Charlie knows exactly what I can and can't do, and she just seems to know how to explain it in a way that makes sense. And that's kind of why I came over, to apologize and then ask her for help. I just need more power."

"That's not it. I mean yes raw firepower is good, but that's not how you get stronger, which is probably what Frannie was trying to convey poorly. The reason that Dani was beating you is because she learned it from this family. Understanding your abilities on a fundamental level. I mean Dani was naturally predisposed to that, but it's still fundamental. Your fire must become an extension of your very being. You shouldn't even need to think about it, it should just snap into place. It stops your conscious brain from interfering. Once you master that when your growth becomes a bit more exponential, and unlike Dani you don't have as low of a ceiling."

Santana sat up, "How do I do that?"

Lawrence shrugged. "I don't know, this isn't something that everyone can do, and everyone does it differently. I can't tell you how to feel an extension of yourself, only you can do that. I imagine Frannie was attempting to coach you through it but it's not exactly something that we can teach people. But I know you can, you've done it before or at least you started it."

"When did I do that?"

Lawrence smiled and patted Santana's shoulder, "That's cheating."

Santana narrowed her eyes, "Seriously?"

"Santana, you and my granddaughter are fighting. I understand that Charlie's hands aren't clean either but I'm her grandfather, and now more than anything she needs to know that her family has her back. So fix your situation with Charlie, I don't care if you two date, or if you two decide that you hate each other. I just need you both to come to an understanding. You'll be working together, and I can't have whatever is going on between the two of you affecting the rest of the team. They've worked hard."

Santana deflated, "I mean I came here to apologize, my parents wouldn't give me an obscene amount of money to buy Charlie some food but I figured—if I apologized and promised to make her some food at some point she'd forgive me, and we could finally talk. But she's been blowing me off all summer and then she just—I missed her and she was just there trying to sleep with this girl right there. I got jealous and I got angry and then she just started to look past me and I lost it. She wouldn't spar with me seriously. In that purely annoying way of hers that makes me better." Things had gotten out of hand, but Charlie just generally took whatever she dished out until she eventually ran out of steam.

"You don't need to bribe her, you two just need to understand one another. But for the time being Santana, you need to give her some space. What happened in New York, what she was exposed to in New York she needs to figure that out. She'll be fine."

"We haven't talked—" Santana frowned, she had assumed that Charlie had been busy but they hadn't spoken she had thought the worst. The guilt ate at her for a moment before she sighs, "Can you tell Charlie that I stopped by, and that we really need to talk."

Lawrence nodded. "Of course."

~ O ~

"You attacked Charlotte Flair, and injured her after the events in New York. This wasn't the first time that you've attempted to throw hands with her. Why should we believe that you've changed, when you were recently arrested and still have charges pending for your last attack with Charlotte Flair? It's not a right to have your hero's license."

Cassandra July stood up straight and eyed the man who had spoken, "Charlotte Flair, your golden girl tried to kill my niece, once during Nationals, the second time after she gave the order to send a teenager to fight a level 5 threat, because she was too weak to. I sent a warning shot to her the first time, the second time I kicked her ass because she was a coward. A coward that endangered a member of my family, the only member of my family outside of my father who has faith in me, so damn right I kicked her ass. Unless the commission means to tell me that they handed down a suitable punishment for both actions?" Cassandra said, throwing it right back in their faces.

"Charlotte Flair is a hero—"

"She's a coward. And I stand by my actions. I am however sorry for my other actions, the reason I lost my licence to begin with. Attacking a reporter was not the right move, and I am sorry for the fact that I put him in the hospital. I should have controlled myself better. My reputation was earned, and I fucked up multiple times. But I've recertified, I passed all the required certifications for my license to be restored and my mark was in the top 1%. I showed that I still have it when I rushed to save my niece. I mean I got my ass kicked, but I stepped up when there was no one else. My intervention saved three lives and it gave the rest of the 4 Horsewomen time to retreat. I'm asking—begging for another chance."

Carmen Thibideaux frowned, she was very much aware that Cassandra was being called the hero that New York needed, while Charlotte's stock had taken a massive hit. They had grilled her for over forty minutes but there hadn't been a single outburst. Cassandra had done the work, and she had shown up. The issue that faced the commission wasn't whether Cassandra was worthy or not, she had proven that a few weeks ago. "Lets talk about your niece."

"What about her?"

"You just said that she was one of the few members of your family who believed in you, but you were allowed to have people speak at your hearing and the only person you've presented is your live-in girlfriend. You've claimed that you've changed but you've not presented any real evidence to prove it. Shelby Corcoran isn't a hero in good standing, and while Charlie is not yet an official hero, she's registered and is in good standing."

Cassandra gritted her teeth, Charlie had said she was going to be there, but it wouldn't be the first time her family had disappointed her. "I mean she's—" the doors to the closed meeting and Charlie strolls in, looking rather sheepish. "Did you get lost?"

"No."

Cassandra raises a brow.

"Alright a little lost. This isn't LA, I know how to fly around in LA?" Charlie muttered under her breath. Frannie hadn't returned her calls so she had asked her father for help.

"Do you?" Cassandra challenges.

"No, flying sucks. I don't know why I have to do it," Charlie retorts with a smile. "Sorry I'm late."

Cassandra shrugged, not wanting to admit that she had been worried. But it seemed like it was only Charlie, maybe she should have asked her father to show up. He certainly would have even if her mother didn't like it. He had always shown up. "They want to ask you some questions about me."

Charlie nodded and took a breath, doing the calming exercise that Dr. Linda had given her before she waves at Carmen forcing a smile onto her face. She could do this, she had promised her aunt that she would do this.

Cassandra glanced at Charlie for a moment, "But it just means enough that you came, honestly you don't have to answer any questions if you don't want to."

Charlie takes another deep breath and looks at the Commission, "What do you want to know?"

~ O ~

"So we're in agreement?"

Carmen sighed, "I don't think we have a choice in the matter. As much as I dislike doing Artemis's bidding here, she isn't wrong. Cassandra will not be a positive influence on Charlie's life. Quick to anger, quick to fight, she was the most sadistic hero that we had. Multiple lawsuits from villains and henchmen, sure many of them got thrown out, but some of what she did was cruel. I understand that she addressed her past, but she can't blame it on the alcohol and drugs. Because that's also not something we want in her life. We have no choice but to deny the safety of there might not be anyone who can stop Charlie."

"The public is going to ask questions."

"Let them, all we need to do is convince the media to remind them of just who Cassandra July is, there is more than enough tape about just what a violent sociopath she is. Just play her greatest hits, Charlie is far too powerful and far too valuable to have her go down the wrong path."