Russell sighed looking at the mountain of paperwork that he had arranged on the table, all of them were various contracts and endorsements that he needed to run by his daughter. He was still on the hunt for a business manager that could manage not only his daughter, but what was becoming her vast fortune. If his daughter had joined a firm, then all of this would have been taken care of as part of her dues to the company but since Charlie refused to link up with any existing hero, he was forced to look elsewhere.

Just as he's about to get up to check to see what was taking so long, the doorbell rings and he sighs and gets up. Hopefully it was Jeri with a team of lawyers ready to start going through all the contracts, but instead of Jeri it's just Santana. "Now really isn't a good time Santana—"

"Because she's not home? Or because she's avoiding me and is asking you to do her dirty work?" Santana interrupts.

"Because she needs to make decisions about her career, and we've got a team of lawyers coming over to explain contracts and endorsement deals with her, and I need to explain the terms of her trust to her. And I'm pretty sure she hasn't touched any of the homework that Quinn's brought home for her, so I need to make sure she does that."

Santana stared at him for a moment, "Well I need to talk to her for a bit and promises were made to tutor me in calculus, so I'm going to head up to her room and I'll get her to do whatever you need to do, after we talk. She's less likely to make a break for it, if I go to her then if you do."

Russell opens his mouth to protest but he quickly realizes that she has a point, "Fine," he says, stepping out of the way. "But, you should keep the door open."

"We broke up."

"That's exactly why you should keep the door open," Russell responds easily.

Santana rolls her eyes but immediately makes a beeline to Charlie's room, she's not sure what she expects to see when she knocks on the door and quickly opens it, but seeing Charlie in a rather short kimono-like robe, sitting on her bed eating a bag of chips while she watched cartoons was not something that she had truly expected. "You wear a kimono?"

Charlie pauses with a chip halfway to her mouth, "Do you have a problem with my kimono? It's very comfortable and I don't have to wear pants."

Santana inhales sharply, as she closes the door, "Can you put on some pants?"

"Is my dad still trying to control my life?"

"You mean, help your career? Yes."

"Then no." Charlie says eating another chip. "Do you want to watch cartoons with me?"

"If it's Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, no I don't," Santana said. "You promised to tutor me in calculus."

"It's Duck Tales, and we both know that you wouldn't come into my room while I had no pants on, because of calculus. So why are you really here?"

"First of all, I didn't know that you had a kimono, and that you weren't wearing any pants. Secondly, we have a test on Wednesday, so I am actually here to get tutored. Thirdly, your dad's doing his best and you're acting like a child, do you know what I would give to have your problems?"

"Which part? The dead mother? The dead grandparents? The constant noise of every so-called expert judging me? Having the government send a hit squad to murder you in front of your friends? Some crazed psychopath sexually harassing you on national television? Like you really want my problems?" Charlie retorts rather acidly. "Don't tell me to be grateful."

"That's not what I—" Santana sighed, she could hear how it sounded. "I'm sorry you know that's not what I meant, I just meant—"

"That I have everything that you want, the money, the adulation, I know what you meant. Look if you're here to tell me to get Frannie to ease off , the best I can do is tell her to stop using nightmare fuel to torture you. But I think that would be a mistake, Frannie's system, while problematic in a bunch of ways, gives you the experience that you lack. I mean come sectionals, there won't be any team out there that has gone through what you've gone through."

"I really did come here because I really do need help with calculus Charlie, that's why I brought my textbook over. And if you were up for it to pick your brain about tactics and to maybe workout with you." Santana said holding up her bag, she frowns ever so slightly as she looks at ex-girlfriend. "What I want outside for that, is for you to be okay. What I meant earlier, is that your dad is trying. He honestly is, and I know you hate paperwork. I know you hate the celebrity of it all, but you have your dad trying to do his best by you and all he needs is for you to give him a bit of your time."

"I'm—"

"You're not," Santana interrupts, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, and looking at Charlie. "Stop lying to me and telling me that you're fine when you're so clearly not. I don't know what the deal is between you and your father, you never really explained anything to me. You never told me how you were feeling, you never talked to me, you just brushed everything aside because you think that you need to be the hero all the time. You think that's what I want to see. I do want what you have, I want the money, I want the adulation but I can see the toll that this is taking on you. I love you Charlie. So don't lie to me and put up a rather shitty wall by telling me that you're fine, when you're not."

Charlie stared at Santana, "I'll help you with your calculus but I'm not going to put on any pants."

Santana inhaled for a moment, "Because you want to give me easy access? Or because you're making a point?"

"Santana!"

"What? If the situation was reversed, you'd definitely ask that question." Santana smirked as Charlie flushed and glared at her. "Put on some pants, I'll be downstairs. I don't trust you to not sexually harass me in your room."

"Me! You just—" Before Charlie could finish Santana had turned around and left her room.

~ O ~

Quinn yawned and glanced at the time before groaning and rolling out of bed, the weekend was the only time that she could sleep in but it was nearly noon, and she did have things to do today. She was certain that the first of Rachel's Broadway tickets were for this evening, and she needed to shower and get dressed, and maybe ask Charlie for advice on how the date should go. As much as it pained her Charlie did have far more experience dating, and she actually wanted this relationship to work. But she could smell coffee and needed to get that into her body before doing anything else. Maybe she would call Frannie or Brittany to help her pick something out to wear. It would be nice, she trudges downstairs and stops as she sees several people around the dining room.

Almost immediately everyone stops talking and turns to look at her, causing her to stop and rub at her eyes, which quickly focus on her twin. "I thought you were going to spend the day in your new kimono before going to a hot spring."

"I mean that was the plan," Charlie said, turning to look at Santana who didn't even look the least bit apologetic for ruining her plans.

"You already made plans with me, and you sexually harassed me this morning, so I honestly think we're even," Santana says without looking up from her notebook. Integrals were annoying.

"You barged into my room while I was in a kimono and made me put on some pants!" Charlie raged. "Pants."

Quinn eyed the two of them and looked at her father. "How's it going?" she said as she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Well we've decided on some endorsements that don't involve doing anything, but sending out a few messages on twitter and the like. We're working on getting her verified on most social media."

"How much per post?"

"100k, I mean she barely has any followers, and there are a lot of fake accounts out there, we're also workshopping some superhero names. What about Spark Plug?"

"No." Santana said immediately, not looking up.

"What she said," Charlie agrees. "I just want to go by Charlie, let the media decide on whatever catchy nickname they want to give me. Charlie Fabray, I don't want Charlotte to get my fans."

"Yes, I'm sure Charlotte is going to get your fans. Now when you figure all that out can you help with my date with Rachel tonight? There are some good vegan places in New York. I got to be on my absolute best behavior tonight. It's got to be magical—"

"You aren't getting lucky tonight Quinn," Santana interrupts, trying not to hurl. "Honestly you'd be lucky if Rachel even wanted to hold your hand. I mean has she even texted you?"

"Look, Frannie isn't my responsibility—I mean you're hardly mad at Charlie—"

"She ruined my trip to the hot springs, and made me put on pants. I'm here doing calculus. She's mad at me," Charlie interjects.

"Rachel was covered in spiders, small ones, tiny ones, massive giant hairy ones. She screamed herself hoarse, and she's probably more mad about that than the spiders. Because she's weird like that."

Quinn blinked, Santana was making a valid argument. Frannie had ruined everything, "What do I do?"

"Go all out with the romance and charm," Charlie states in a bored tone. "Quinn, she was covered in spiders. You need to bring your A game out here. Romantic, fun, charming, make her forget why she's mad at you. Know your audience, it's Rachel. Why are you not writing this down Quinn? I'm basically giving you a cheat sheet."

"A cheat sheet would be nice," Santana muttered under her breath.

Russell cleared his throat, "Do you want my advice?"

"Because you have extensive knowledge of the mind of teenage girls?" Quinn scoffed.

"He might, they do get younger and younger," Charlie throws in a bored tone.

Quinn snorted loudly, and cleared her throat, her father looked uncomfortable at the comment. "You've been spending too much time around Frannie."

"Don't worry Mr. Fabray, as much as Charlie talks about being a savant in love, she isn't. She is right about Rachel, charm offensive it's Rachel and she already likes you despite how dim you are," Santana interrupts and turns to look at Charlie who looks like she's going to argue with her. "Where was my big romantic gesture?"

"You're not Rachel, and you're already in love with me. Also I took you to the nicest restaurants, and my favorite places, and I danced with you. I was a good girlfriend."

"Eh." Santana shrugged.

"I am literally here helping you with calculus instead of in a hot springs Santana. We're not even dating and here I am, being a good girlfriend! Without any of the perks!"

Santana stopped writing and turned to Charlie who immediately flinched, "While it is concerning that you think that all because you did some nice things for me, that entitles you to—what was that word you used—perks—we're friends because you broke up with me. Let me repeat that, you broke up with me. Which means that you don't get any perks. We're supposed to be friends, and this is what friends do for one another. If you came to me and asked for tutoring in Spanish, I'd help you. After making fun of you for hours because you're absolute shit in languages. As for your big plans to go to the hot springs, if you wanted to go you would have. You wanted to mope around and watch cartoons in your room. Honestly Charlie, I may be in love with you but this version of you is the least attractive version yet."

"Unnattractive?" Charlie whispers, completely aghast. She looks at Quinn immediately and puffs out her cheeks, her feelings were hurt and Quinn needed to avenge her.

Quinn looked away from her twin, "I'm going to go call Brittany she's really good at this. I mean Mike and Britt have the healthiest relationship in this family, so she clearly knows what she's doing."

~ O ~

"Should we say or do something?" Leroy questioned his husband, raising a brow at the mess of clothes that had breached Rachel's room and was now starting to spill into the hallway. "At the very least tell her that this is a hazard, and someone is going to trip and hurt themselves?"

Hiram gave his husband a look, "We'll do nothing of the sort. Apparently since we're two gay men we couldn't possibly understand how a teenage girl feels."

"We can't. How are you still upset about that?" Leroy shakes his head. "I mean two days ago she was furious with Quinn, and now she's tearing apart her room trying to pick out the perfect outfit for their date. It's like whiplash, and I don't think we should be encouraging them by letting Rachel spend the night in New York with Quinn!"

"Shelby will be chaperoning, they won't be in the same room together," Hiram said dismissively. Teenagers were going to find a way to have sex, and he would prefer if they didn't try and be clever and get caught. "We need to trust Rachel, and we need to trust that Judy raised good kids. You like Charlie, remember?"

"Charlie has shown zero interest in dating Rachel, and she's a good friend. She's always made sure that Rachel was safe before she's gone to do her duties, and she's polite. Quinn on the other hand—" Leroy grunted. "At least Quinn can't get her pregnant."

"We need to go to the mall!" Rachel announces. "I don't have anything to wear!"

Leroy sighed when Hiram gave him a look. There went his day off. "We can head to the mall now, but you're going to have to move your clothes out of the hallway before we do. I'll meet you at the car."

~ O ~

Shelby inhaled deeply, desperately trying to steady her nerves. It would be the first time coming in contact with Cassandra's family since—what had happened. She hadn't reached out, because she hadn't known what to say. She certainly didn't know how to react to them suddenly being in her space, but Rachel had begged and she hadn't known how to say no.

"I really don't know why you need to escort us here," Quinn snipped at her twin who looked equally annoyed.

"Because I refuse to go anywhere near one of Frannie's portals ever again, there are spiders lurking in them." Rachel reminded Quinn.

"And I really can't do successive jumps like Frannie can," Charlie adds. She didn't have Frannie's skill with the portals, she couldn't make hundreds of them.

"What's this about spiders?" Shelby questions, this was the first time she's heard anything about spiders.

"Frannie's taken over coaching duties for the Titans—did you just flinch?" Rachel questioned her mother.

"Who signed off on that? Everyone who teaches has heard rumors about USC's barbaric program," Shelby says, closing her eyes. "Your fathers signed off on this?"

"Well I doubt my fathers know about her reputation—though perhaps,"

"Beiste can't prepare you for Nationals like Frannie can, I can tell her to ease off but she's not going to listen to me," Quinn said, speaking up for Frannie. She flashes Shelby a smile and holds up her duffel bag, "Where can I store this?"

"Rachel has the guest room, and there is an air mattress in the den for you, I don't have many rules but do try and be home by 11:00 PM. Quinn, do you have a hero license?"

"God no," Quinn scoffed. "But I am capable of defending your daughter just as well as my sister. She'll be safe with me."

Shelby glanced over at Charlie, it wasn't that she didn't trust Quinn's word, she had seen Quinn at last year's nationals, she knew that Quinn could defend Rachel if push came to shove. She still needed to hear from a hero that Quinn was capable.

"Rachel will be fine, Shelby. They're going to watch a play or something and grab a subway back here, it'll be fine." Charlie said with a wave of her hand. "Can you guys hurry up, I have spent far to long in pants today. Not to mention that I'm apparently unattractive to Santana."

Quinn exchanges a look with Rachel, her twin had been moping about that all day and had even demanded that Rachel tell her that she was attractive. "I'll just put our things away and we'll be right back."

Shelby nods and watches as Rachel leads the way, before focusing on Charlie for a moment, "Have you—" Shelby pauses for a moment, Charlie's gaze was uncharacteristically sharp. "Reached out to her?" Shelby drops her voice, so it's barely above a whisper.

Charlie turned around to check where her sister and Rachel were before looking back at Shelby, "No."

Shelby nodded, she should have expected that, before she can say anything else Quinn and Rachel are back and she forces a smile onto her face even as Charlie opens up another portal. "Have fun out there, and give me a review in the morning, Rachel. We'll go out for breakfast."

Charlie opened a portal for them and watched as they stepped through it before closing the portal and glancing over at Shelby for a long moment. Her lips part as if to say something but after another few seconds tick by, she seems to decide against it before opening a portal and walking through it herself.