"I just don't understand why we're doing this. McKinley isn't a ranked school, they don't have the facilities to host us. I mean sure they have Charlie, but every team knows that's the only reason that anyone has even heard of a team like the Titans," Elliott whispered, glancing over his shoulder to where Charlie was seated munching on a breakfast sandwich. "Unless—"

Dani follow's Elliott's gaze for a second and rolls her eyes, "It's not like I didn't try to get her to come back, but for whatever reason she's grown fond of McKinley," Charlie had never been the soft or sentimental type, so she had no idea what had caused the change.

"It could be one of two things."

Dani turns to look at Adam who shrugs, "Well?" She prompts.

"Pity, or someone in McKinley has a golden pussy. It's Charlie. I doubt Ohio has better food. I mean it's Charlie, she's always been a bit—simple," Elliott spoke up, raising his voice just a bit. If Charlie was paying attention she probably would have heard him.

Dani frowned and was about to snap at him , when a portal opened up in the quad, causing her to turn as the Titans began to file out of the portal. Immediately forcing a smile onto her face, Dani breaks away from her group to greet Santana who had exited the portal first. "Welcome to Pacific Valley Academy—"

"Quinn what the fuck are you doing here?" Charlie asked, suddenly appearing beside Dani, as she looked at Quinn who was wearing Titan colors.

Quinn flicked Charlie's phone at her, "Next time you decide to run away from Frannie don't forget your phone. Oh, and I made the team." Quinn glances at Santana and smirks, "Wasn't that difficult."

For a split second there was an uptick in heat, before Santana managed to reign it in. "Your sister is trying to spend time with Marley who is now a part of the team," Santana said, selling Quinn out in a heartbeat. She could only deal with one Fabray on this team and Charlie was the least irritating Fabray.

Charlie flicked her eyes between Santana and Quinn, before touching Santana's shoulder and leaning in. "Quinn is the worst possible matchup for you," Charlie whispers. "Next time kick her in the shin. She's got a low pain tolerance and I'm pretty sure that will make her tap out."

Santana snorted and looked at Quinn scowling at her, even as she flinches at the weight Charlie is putting on her shoulder. She had taken her frustrations out on some poor unsuspecting asshole in fight club last night. But it had been a fight and her body ached. "She can't be—"

Charlie silenced Santana with a wave of her hand before she grinned at Quinn who flinched and took a step back. "Finally we can start training every day together. I'll wake you up when I wake up, don't worry after a couple of weeks your body will get used to it and you'll start waking up at 4 am all the time. We'll have to spar at least three times a week to—I get my old sparring buddy back! And grandma can—"

"Ugh, gross. I'm only an alternate," Quinn reminds Charlie immediately.

"Exactly you'll have to step in if anyone gets hurt. Sam will probably get hurt, I think we need to get him a helmet. And if Sam's hurt you're going to have to step in, which means you can't just go absolute zero and call it a day, I'm pretty sure that will disqualify us. We're stronger than everyone else here, which means we have to work harder to control ourselves so we don't accidentally kill them. So yes if you're on the team you're going to be doing exactly what I'm doing every single day, and you know I don't skip a day." Charlie said the smile on her face fading as she spoke.

"I just want to spend time with my girlfriend," Quinn grumbled.

Charlie blinked, and looked at Marley, and waved to her before looking back at Quinn. "So spend time with Marley. I mean if you join the team you certainly won't have any time to spend time with Marley, you'll be training practically nonstop, until nationals."

Quinn grimaced, she had no doubt that Charlie was serious. "Fine. You win."

"But Quinn, I really want you on the team," Charlie says in her flat tone.

Quinn shuddered again, "Yeah forget it," Quinn said with a shake of her head. "But I'm staying."

"Do what you want Quinn," Charlie said dismissively before looking at Santana, and flashing her an amused smile.

Elliott nudged Dani, "Found the golden pussy," he says smirking when Dani glares at him.

"Shut up Elliott," Dani hissed at him, flashing a smile when Charlie looked over at her. Charlie had promised that she wouldn't with anyone but her.

~ O ~

Marley winced as Quinn approached her, there was a scowl on her face, and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. "Your sister is awful?" Marley offers hoping that it makes Quinn feel a bit better. She personally hadn't been expecting Charlie to deal with the situation so quickly, she thought she'd at least have a few more days of spending time with Quinn while she was supposed to be working.

Quinn puffed out her cheeks and tried to straighten up, she didn't want to let Marley see her pouting. "She is, I mean I should have known that the moment Santana complained to her Charlie would do something about it. But—" Quinn glances at her twin who had lost interest in the team and had gone back to eating what appeared to be a breakfast sandwich, "She's not wrong—my grandparents aren't aware that I joined the team, if they knew they'd insist on restarting my training. Right now I'm doing the absolute minimum, with my emotional control and that takes up at least an hour in the evenings. If I were to join the team my grandparents might start treating me like they do Charlie. And I won't have any time to spend with you."

"You didn't have to join the team for me Quinn," Marley sighs, "It was sweet, but really this is a time management problem. You know how I get when I'm trying to figure everything out."

Quinn frowned, she didn't want Marley blaming herself, this was a really good opportunity. "I know, I just want to have lunch with you. But now that Charlie's back I imagine she'll let me sit at your special table. As if I haven't been eating with them all the time anyway." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Rachel said approaching them, she couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about, and as the two of them look at her she flushes feeling self conscious under Quinn's scrutinizing gaze. "I overheard what you were talking about and while I do understand Santana's point—"

"Since when were you and Santana best friends?" Quinn huffed, in an annoyed tone.

"We're not. I think we've just come to an unspoken agreement," Rachel responds, hesitating for a moment before deciding to simply say what was on her mind. "I was just going to suggest that instead of trying to be a part of the alternates, you join the support team."

Marley frowned, "Quinn's not an engineer—"

"No, she isn't." Rachel quickly agrees. "But I know for a fact that Quinn has an encyclopedic knowledge of abilities. Maybe not as much as Charlie, who lives and breathes this stuff, but it's impressive and quite frankly you should have that knowledge to help you guys when you're designing stuff. And you can use Quinn's abilities to help craft things," Rachel offered.

Marley paused, Quinn had never seemed interested in talking about abilities, and she can't help but to turn to Quinn who was mulling over Rachel's suggestions. "You have an encyclopedic knowledge of abilities?"

Quinn shrugged. "You've met my family and my grandfather. Discussions about abilities were common at the dinner table. I mean Frannie, aunt Cass, and my father have problematic views when it comes to abilities. So hearing people dissecting abilities and their uses, and how they can be used is something I just know a lot about I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert in the subject."

Marley blinked and looked over at Sam and pointed at him, "So you understand how his abilities work? Like we're not sure how to help him because we don't really get what his ability is."

Quinn flicked her attention over to Sam who was hanging back with the other freshmen, "Sam? Yeah, he releases thermo-chemical energy and releases it from his skin, causing that explosive thrust that you see. I mean it's a shame that he can only do it from his hands and feets, which is probably why he ends up crashing head first into things, but I mean it is a strong ability. It's a problem he has absolutely zero control over it, he'd probably be one of the strongest members of the team if he learned how to master his ability."

"Thermo-chemical energy," Marley muses and turns to Roderick.

Roderick nods his head, "He needs to be able to control it, I mean all he's doing is basically propelling himself forward and crashing into things. He'd be better off if we helped with his mobility, and found a way for him to fire it off at will."

"Did you bring your sketchpad?" Marley asks, turning to Jane. She grins when Jane raises her sketchbook and she turns back to Quinn and immediately wraps an arm around her arms and tugs her towards the support team. "Come on, we've got work to do."

Quinn blinked, surprised by Marley taking charge and turns to look at Rachel who flashes her a smile, "Thanks," Quinn mouths at her and turns her attention back to the support team who seemed excited.

Rachel flashes Quinn a smile and watches her for a moment before turning back to the team, she catches Santana staring at her, and shrugs. Quinn felt left out, she understood that, and now that she had something to do the two of them wouldn't be butting heads—hopefully.

~ O ~

"Charlie—"

Charlie pulled her bottle of water away from her lips and turned to look up at Shannon, "I'm sure they told you that I've been banned from using my abilities here. You destroy one training facility and it apparently becomes your entire identity," Charlie mused as she leans back, and studies the facility that her grandparents had practically paid for.

Shannon paused, and looked at the facilities. They were impressive, but given that PVA was one of the more expensive schools in the country, she wasn't truly surprised that they could afford a massive training facility like this. "They did mention it," Shannon responds after a moment. She is quiet for a few moments, "Figgins made the wrong call."

"Figgins only cares about the budget and for McKinley to become a nationally ranked team so his budget increases," Charlie replies, leaning back. "I'm not thinking of quitting, if that's what you're worried about. I want to test my mettle against the Queen. I've been suspended before, I don't take it personally," Charlie said dismissively.

"Still, it was the wrong call. The moment that you get back things are going to change. Santana and Rachel both stepped up, the team has grown under them. You're going to need to step up Charlie."

"You forced me onto the team, because you needed a ringer," Charlie reminded Shannon. "We both know that I don't actually need to be at McKinley, PVA will take me back in a heartbeat. Carmel is the same any nationally ranked team would take me. I won't even have to train them, or spend an inordinate amount of time helping a nationally ranked team." Charlie turned to look at Shannon, her eyes narrowing. "I've put off my own training to help them, to make them better. If they don't put in the work then I don't see why this is my fault."

Shannon studied Charlie, she had heard there was a quiet intensity to her, but she had never witnessed it, the usual warmth in her eyes was gone and there was just a chilly look. "I'm not blaming you, and I know you do more for this team than people give you credit for, but you hold yourself above them. Like you're better than them."

"I am better than them," Charlie reminds Shannon. "I'm not being arrogant, it's just a fact."

"That's not what I meant, no one is denying your skill, or your power. What I'm concerned about is that you hold yourself above everyone else. I don't think it's arrogance, but one day you're going to step up and be a hero, the hero. I truly believe that you can be a hero for the people Charlie. But to do that you need to remember you're one of them."

"They don't treat me like I am," Charlie points out as she takes a stand, her eyes falling on Dani who was arguing with Santana.

Shannon paused for a moment, "What did you do for the past two week? I mean you had all this spare time—"

"I trained."

"And?" Shannon asks looking at Charlie.

Charlie pauses for a moment, before rolling her eyes. "I had sex," her lips quirk upward when Shannon coughs. "You asked. I do know how to have fun."

Shannon looked at Charlie, "I fished."

"What?"

"I also hunted, you know like a nil," Shannon continues. "I carve, I'm not any good at it. I have things I do that aren't centered around being a hero. Being a hero it isn't my entire identity Charlie."

"I have hobbies, I cook, I enjoy watching cartoons, I enjoy playing with my dogs who I haven't seen in two weeks, I like to watch crappy movies. All people see is my power, they see how different I am. They see how much I train, they think that's all I do, and they think that's all I am." Charlie says before standing up, she shoots a look at Beiste before deciding to see what Dani and Santana were going on about.

~ O ~

"What do you mean Charlie can't participate, she's the captain," Santana snapped at Dani scowling at her.

"She destroyed a 7 million dollar facility for shits and giggles when she was fourteen. She's not even supposed to be here, I'm already breaking the rules so she can attend but our coach, our headmaster, various teachers, and the PTA are against Charlie using her abilities in the facility," Dani pointed out. "If you guys actually had facilities then we could have done this at McKinley, but you don't. If you can't abide by those rules, then you and your team can leave," Dani crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at Charlie who was heading towards them.

"This is supposed to be a team practice," Santana insisted.

"Relying on Charlie to make you look good?" Dani scoffed. "I thought that this experience was supposed to be beneficial to both teams. We both know Charlie isn't going to get anything out of this, just like we both know that the only reason that you're a contender is because of Charlie."

"I'm seriously flattered that I have two women fighting over me," Charlie interrupts, causing both Santana and Dani to turn and glare at her. Charlie grins, glad her distraction worked. "War games, it's the perfect test of skill and power. Eleven people vs eleven people. Loser buys dinner."

Santana rolled her eyes, even though her lips quirked upward. "I may not like her, but even I wouldn't wish attempting to feed you on anyone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie puffs.

"She means that you're a bottomless pit, and if anyone tried to feed you we'd go bankrupt," Dani answered and looked over at Santana, who snorts when Charlie's cheeks puff out. "War games isn't the worst idea you've ever had."

"Worst idea—all my ideas are genius!" Charlie grumbles not liking how this was going.

"Didn't you destroy a seven million facility?" Santana questions crossing her arms over her chest. She exchanges a look with Dani, she can't help but smile when Dani laughs at Charlie's expense.

Charlie narrowed her eyes as she looked between Santna and Dani, and pointed at the two of them. "Whatever this is. Stop it, I don't like it."

"Well if you don't like it, now we're friends for life," Dani said, wrapping an arm around Santana's. Charlie looked like she was going to have a coronary. She turns to Santana, "So we start in ten?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Santana agrees, smirking at how uncomfortable Charlie looked. She decides that ignoring Charlie for now was the best option moving forward and moves to go and talk to the rest of the team.

Charlie blinked as she watched both Santana and Dani walk away from her, she wasn't quite sure what she felt, but she knew that the two of them talking was not going to be good for her. She had clearly made a mistake in introducing the two of them. "Fuck," she mumbled under her breath as she ran a hand through her hair.

~ O ~

"I was under the opinion that this was a team exercise," Rachel pointed out glancing at Charlie who was busy pouting. "I don't think it's fair that Charlie can't compete."

Santana glanced at Charlie who was floating behind her. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to the team, clapping her hands together to get their attention. "Because this isn't about winning, this is about gathering information, and proving that we can hang with the ranked schools. They don't take us seriously, because we aren't a threat to them unless Charlie's here. Guess what, I'm sick and tired of people looking down at us because we don't have a seven million dollar facility that gets destroyed by Wreck-it-Smurfette over there," Santana points to Charlie who looks offended at her characterization. "This is the strongest McKinley's been in years, so let's show these elitist jackasses that we'll be seeing them at nationals."

"Wreck-it—" Charlie sputtered.

Santana ignored Charlie and focused on Blaine, she could still see the hesitation on his face. "Blaine, I know people have been questioning whether you truly belong on this team or not. But you earned your spot, you followed the rules and tried your hardest to get on the team. It wasn't your fault that Wreck-it-Smurfette over there decided that she wanted to test her sparring skills. This is your chance to cement being on this team," Santana said briskly looking at him. "To be a leader on this team. So none of this holding back bullshit, go as hard as you did when you were fighting Charlie."

"I am not—" Charlie tries to interrupt again.

"Rachel, don't use any of your new abilities, we don't want that getting out before sectionals, so I know it sucks but hold yourself back. Finn—" Santana turns to look at Finn who immediately stands up, he was the tallest person on the team and she hesitates, he lacked the intelligence to be an effective leader, but he was a decent powerhouse. "Since Lauren is no longer on the team we need a wrecking ball, harden your skin and punch kick, and beat down everyone around you. Just keep moving, don't let them stop you. Tina, I need you to do recon, they know about you so I'm sure they have some sort of plan so I need you to be careful. Artie, think big, think strong and agile, and I think five of them. I need you to team up with Kitty, each one of her clones should have backup. Matt, you're going to be playing defense, don't let them throw any of us in their prison. Keep an eye on the action and help out when you can. Jake, you're going to be defending Matt, they're going to try and take him out and I need you to put a stop to that." Santana takes a deep breath and flicks her eyes to both Sam and Ryder, unsure of how to use them. Sam could barely use his abilities at all, and was the weakest member of the team. Ryder's elemental shapeshifting ability was cool, but she had no idea how she could use it at this moment.

"Ryder, you need to be as hard as tungsten, you and Finn should be the wrecking crew right now," Charlie spoke up causing the rest of the team to turn to her. She looks unperturbed by the attention, "Lauren is gone, so we need to replace her and both you and Finn could do some damage if you worked together."

Santana nodded, Finn by himself wouldn't be strong enough, she had no fucking clue what Tungsten was, but she was going to have to trust Charlie's judgement. "And what about Sam?"

Charlie turned her gaze to Sam who buckled under gaze, she had hoped that he would have figured out his abilities by now, but he lacked control and that made him a danger to the rest of the team. "He should be with you," Charlie decides after a second looking at Santana.

"Me?" Santana questions, furrowing her brow. Sam would simply slow her down, she understood that Charlie considered Sam to be strong, but he couldn't use his abilities and he ended up being a liability more often than not.

"If anyone can help Sam figure out his abilities it's you," Charlie shrugged her shoulders, and finally stopped floating and dropped in front of Sam and pats him on the back. "You can do this. You are my sidekick after all."

Santana rolled her eyes, she really had no idea why Charlie insisted that Sam Evans was her sidekick. "The goal of today is to keep moving, and to pick your battles. We are prepared for them, we've all done the homework. So let's kick their asses."

Charlie pats Sam on the head before floating off, she would have to watch from the sidelines.

Santana exhales slowly and turns so she can focus on Dani who is quickly going over battle plans with her team. Even if the goal was to gather information, she really didn't want to loseto PVA, she doubted that they could win without Charlie's keen battlesense, but she would be pleased with a tie. A tie would be unacceptable for a team like PVA. It would be her win. "You have your positions and your orders," Santana says with finality as she rotates her shoulder.