Russell had never actually learned what it took to run a household, it had always been Judy's domain, they had never needed the money, they were both trust fund children but for whatever reason Judy had never once asked for any help other than when the twins were babies. Once they had realized just how powerful the children were, he had moved into protection mode, traveling the country buying off politicians making a difference in the laws so his children could grow up as normal as possible. He had never once thought Judy didn't pull her own weight, all of his kids had massive appetites, and Judy had made sure that they were well fed, well dressed, clean, and on time.

Maybe it would have been easier if the children needed him, but by this time next year he knew there was a very good chance that he wouldn't see any of his children again for years. If he was lucky they would call, and come visit every now and again, but family events like Christmas and Thanksgiving, there was no chance that they would come home when they would be starting families of their own. So even though it hurt, and even though he desperately missed a wife that he had treated horribly, he wanted to make this Christmas special. So hiring a decorating company, and having them decorate their LA mansion from top to bottom with Christmas decorations had cost him a pretty penny, but the house looked like it had just come out of a magazine. Judy would have been proud. Now all that was needed was for Quinn to make it snow, and Charlie to keep the lights running at night, and it would be perfect. Perfect for Mikey's first Christmas. He had made sure to babyproof the house on Frannie's request and now he was just waiting for Brittany and Frannie to arrive.

He turns when he hears someone bounding down the stairs and smiles at Quinn, "Where's your sister, I'm trying to make bacon wrapped cherries."

Quinn glanced at the mess on the island and raised a brow, "Those are not the right cherries." She doesn't mean for the comment to be as cutting as it is, and almost immediately she feels the guilt hit her in the pit of her stomach as his shoulders slump. He was trying desperately to keep this family together. "They're supposed to be the candied cherries, Charlie totally dipped the moment we arrived so I have no idea where she is but I can text her to go out and buy some?"

"I'll just use the app to get what we need, and I'm not sure if Charlie knows the correct brand to get." Russell said reaching for his phone, cooking was not his strength, and he had looked up recipes on the internet. Hoping to find something similar. "Do you want to tell me why you and Charlie are fighting?"

"We're not fighting, if we were fighting we would have leveled half the city. In about ten minutes," Quinn corrects her father quickly. "We've come to an agreement, she's going to Summit, I'm headed to Yale, we're learning how to live without being wildly codependent. If anything you should applaud us."

Russell hesitated for a moment, "You two have done things separately for ages, you with your art, Charlie with her training. You spent most of last summer apart and you didn't seem to mind it. So try again."

"Charlie realized that I was overcompensating because there's a part of me that blames her for this. She could have saved them, at least she could have saved mom, but she made the wrong choice. Santana giving Charlie an ultimatum doesn't bother me, to me I really don't see why Brittany thinks that they're meant to be. I'm there on the ground, Charlie and Santana fight all the time, and if they aren't fighting they are either fucking or dry humping each other. None of that makes a decent relationship, and Charlie chose Santana for even one brief moment, because for whatever reason she's convinced that she loves that toxic mess."

"Everyone has to learn to live with their decisions in life, and I'm sure that that decision haunts her. But the fact is, we all hold some blame here, Cassandra—Cassandra was our family's sin. A dirty secret that quite frankly we mistreated, I'm not excusing Cassandra's behavior Quinn but none of us saw this coming and perhaps we should have."

Quinn grunted, "Cassandra was a menace that we should have dealt with ages ago, grandma's failure to do what needed to be done led to this. Charlie being idealistic and naive is probably what set Cassandra off in the first place, you're right at the end of the day Cassandra takes the lion share of the blame here, but I can't help how I feel. And Cassandra isn't the person I have to see every damn day."

"Fair, and while I don't feel like celebrating truly, it is Mikey's first Christmas, could you do something about all the green and make it a winter wonderland?"

Quinn nodded, once upon a time this was how she made her money for the year. All the rich neighbors would pay her to turn their LA mansions into winter wonderlands, she wasn't in the mood to deal with that this year. "Should I make an ice-sleigh complete with the reindeers and fatman too?"

"Sounds good, anything else that I need?"

"I've never once been shopping with mom, and I don't know what she kept in the pantry. Talk to Charlie if anyone knows food it's her. And while I'm mad at her, I think it's important to note that she's on a health kick, the last time that happened Dani and her broke up. That lasted like 3 days, I'm not sure how long this has lasted. She says she's tired of eating out."

"I'll mention it to Linda, and how are your—"

"They're going fine. I'm apparently going through a normal grief process, I mean Linda is a masterclass in therapy, we're working through my many issues relatively quickly."

Russell nodded, he couldn't force Brittany and Frannie to go to therapy, but he was glad that he could make the twins go, if that was his only contribution then he would be happy.

~ O ~

Brooding was an utter waste of time. She would never understood heroes who did it, they were probably using it as a way for a good photo-op, or perhaps it was part of the conspiracy that people who brooded were attractive. Their time would be better served practicing their skills. Which was exactly what she was doing at this moment as she continued to play with her abilities. Her eyes ached, but she couldn't stop now, focusing on the numbers, and the physics of it all helped clear her mind. She stops moving her hands when a shadow blocks her sun and she frowns. "What do you want, Shelly? It's not a good look for a teenager to get a restraining order on an elderly man. People will think you're obsessed with me and it's creepy cause you're like 250 years older than me."

"I'm not that old." The Utopian responds.

"I'm not particularly in the mood to fight, with that in mind, if you force me to defend myself I'm not sure I care enough to fight you while still keeping you alive. That's not a threat, I just I don't really give a damn today."

"Hm." The Utopian grunted studying her for a moment, he had just been doing a rare patrol, when he had spotted her. Well he had spotted the electricity, "Finally feeling the weight of your actions?"

"You tried to murder a teenager, you really shouldn't be coming at me with any sense of moral superiority," Charlie retorted.

"I'm not, and I'm not here to kill you. That was— ill-advised, and against my code, but I was outvoted."

Charlie finally looked up at him, "Homelander is allowed to go around being America's sweetheart, the younger version of you, but we all know that he's a terrible psychotic hero. The big bald guy who wears that stupid helmet—"

"Gladiator."

"Right—or that psycho Praetorian, he's done far worse to people then anything that Cassandra did, she begged for a chance—"

"Her substance abuse. You're a teenager, and it's not as if I'm against giving people a second chance but she had never earned it. She could never stay clean enough, would you trust that person to have all her wits about her in a time of crisis. Your age is why your word carries no weight, and your idealism needs to make way for pragmatism."

Charlie stopped for a moment and suddenly the electricity that she'd been manipulating suddenly dissipates and she reaches for her sunglasses and removes them revealing her eyes. "Again you tried to kill me. You'd be dead if I wasn't an idealist, and it's not as if you weren't an idealist once upon a time. The code that the Union of Justice was built on, I believed in that. You don't govern and you don't kill."

"With you as the exception—"

"You're political, you've appeared beside presidents, you pump money into bills that you want passed. You don't have to govern when the people you stand by get to be in positions of power and they govern from that position and they have your tacit approval. You are governing, at least some of your members are and you're turning a blind eye to it, so long as they don't run for office. And if they do, then they've got an in with various members of congress. You might not make policy, but you are guilty of putting your thumb on your scale and that's not remaining neutral."

Sheldon Sampson, tilted his head. "Social media has made it nearly impossible to remain neutral—"

"Which is a problem. There are some things that should be so outrageous that you should speak out on. Genocide, war, the fact that people in your organizations are psychopaths who beat people within an inch of their lives, but as long as they don't die they're not breaking your code."

"You can't let the perfect be the enemy of good here—"

"I understand getting into a fight and hitting a bit harder than you're supposed to. I do, I get that things run hot, but holy shit. Your guys are permanently crippling people, and putting them in traction. They are getting off on the brutality and the power that they hold over others, and you do nothing to stop it. I don't respect you because you're slipping Shelly, and you let it get to this point."

Sheldon inhales deeply, the glowing eyes, "You have your grandfather's eyes."

"So my grandmother said," Charlie responds easily, people had been telling her that for years and she really had no idea what they meant. They never said it to Quinn and they were identical twins.

"Do you wish to rule?"

"God no, all that paperwork, but the world will know what I stand for and what I won't stand for. And your big fancy chair as the head of the American Hero's association—well that will be me. And with my power and will I will reform the system that you've let get so out of hand."

"You're going to need some big wins under your belt before they'll trust you to lead them."

Charlie scoffs, "I'm going to let you keep it warm for me for now, I have way too much shit going on right now. Though you should start preparing for your retirement."

Sheldon let out a laugh, "Perhaps you should talk to my kids, so they can see how they're supposed to carry themselves. When you're ready for the seat it's yours, I could use a vacation."

Charlie opens a portal as she gets to her feet ready to walk through it and pauses, "Your brother—resents you."

"Perhaps, but he's harmless."

"Is he? I mean I thought my aunt was relatively harmless." Charlie reminds him before stepping through the portal."

~ O ~

"Dad wants to know what you want for dinner, Brittany and Mike are in the mood for Thai, I could go for some Thai food, but it's completely up to you."

Frannie tilted her head as she bounced Mikey in her arms, she had been showing him her old stomping grounds where her grandmother and grandfather had trained her. Where they had all been trained. Her eyes sweep over Quinn for a moment, "Thai's fine."

Quinn hesitated for a moment, before deciding that dinner could wait, "Do you think I should do more snow? He seems fascinated with it."

Frannie shrugs her shoulders, "He's crawling Quinn, any more snow and he'll get buried. I'm more disappointed that mom's not here, the food, the candy, the traditions—I was excited to share this with him. The snowball fights, the fighting that breaks out every year over gingerbread houses. The crappy Christmas movies, and Brittany still insisting on attempting to catch Santa Clause."

"I don't know why we can't still do our traditions, we can certainly change them a bit for Mikey's sake. I don't think now is a good time for me and Charlie to be having a snowball fight, so maybe a snowman competition, dad judges? He can stay up with Brittany and see if they can catch Santa Clause. I don't know who we're going to get to be Santa Clause this year, grandad and grandma are gone, but we can figure it out," Quinn offers.

"I mean I suppose we can see if dad can wear it, he's certainly got the belly, and—" Frannie tilted her head, "—get him a fake beard, and a suit and we should be good. Just need to hide him from Britt and Michel."

"Are we under attack?"

"No, it's just weird to feel a portal opening up near me, I mean it's nice that I'm not solely responsible for getting people to where they need to go, but I'm glad she's finally remembering that she can portal, and she's making it second nature."

Quinn grunted and turned back to the house, "Well at least there's that—"

"For all the training that I do, when shit hits the fan—I panicked, my mind went to protecting Mikey and removing him from the situation, I made mistakes. Charlie wasn't there, you weren't there, and I was. I know how to keep myself alive, I know how to fucking survive, but when Cassandra turned on him I just—all that training, everything and in that moment, I just knew that I needed to save him. It's why USC has let me out of my contract early, part of it is because they want to have people graduate. I took the payout, Dad asked me to help out, not sure that I can live in that house but Lima has decent apartments and if you two are around I have free babysitting."

"It's Lima. They have a mall. Like not even a very good mall."

"Quinn the good thing about my powers is that I can be anywhere and everywhere whenever I want, besides, I think this is the time that we need to get stronger as a family not fracture. Without Grandma protecting us, they're going to start paying attention to our family, which is also the reason that I'm here. They will turn their attention to Michel, which is why I need Charlie and you around. He still can't use any abilities, but Brittany did say that what she did might wear off any day now."

Quinn shuddered, an infant that could teleport anywhere and everywhere, was more than a handful. Having both Charlie and Frannie there would at least keep him safe. "What about his father?"

"I've talked to him and given what happened when I was pregnant, we've come to the conclusion that he has mostly my abilities, and since he can't teleport or open portals—well Michel's safety is important to the both of us and we agree that he'd be safer where there are two people who can portal, and I need to make sure that Charlie can use my abilities decently."

Quinn grunted, "Remember when I got mad at you and Brittany for not using your abilities for more, for taking on the responsibility—I'm sorry I was being judgemental. It's crushing. And as angry as I am with Charlie, I'm furious with myself. This family doesn't have others fight their battles, if I wanted her dead I should have done it instead of demanding that Charlie do it. It's easier to blame her than to take the responsibility."

"It's one thing to ask her to kill monsters, it's another thing to ask her to kill people. It's another thing to ask her to murder someone that she once respected. And asking her to kill a member of this family—well Charlie's wired to protect the people she cares about, and unfortunately she still cares for Cassandra. That's where the guilt is coming from."

The patio door opens and Brittany sticks her head out, "That's where you two are, Charlie's making dinner. Dad's still ordering Thai, but did you know that she had knife skills like that? Mike's become her sous chef, which is super hot."

"Wait. She can cook?"

"Well I mean, mom made her do all the prep work and Charlie is super interested in food. I mean if she had a hidden skill it's probably that," Quinn shrugs her shoulders. "I mean I used to trick her into getting into trouble and mom would make her sit and peel potatoes—Marley did mention that Charlie once made her a meal and it was really good. I mean it's Marley and she thinks peanut butter and banana slices are like high dining so let's not hold our breath."

Brittany rolled her eyes, "That actually sounds delicious—especially if you grill it—" Brittany grins and immediately pulls back into the house.

Frannie glances at Quinn, "Well let's see what unhealthy monstrosity Charlie's cooking for dinner."

"She's on a health kick. I saw her eating a poke, without being prompted, so who knows," Quinn said as she opened the sliding door for Frannie.