A/N- So this one is mainly from Quinn's POV and jumps a bit. I also used an idea from an amazing reader so thanks for that one, you know who you are! Thanks for reading and your continued support of this story! P.S. This chapter is longer than normal so be grateful. ;)

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what now?" Quinn asked. She was hot, she was tired, and she was hungary. It wasn't a pleasant combination.

"Just be bait for a few weeks until we figure this out." Chief Sylvester repeated, "There's no way that we're going to be able to catch whoever it is unless they try again and they're not going to try again unless we get you back out there."

The two of them had been sitting in the Chief's office for the last couple of hours and had hardly gotten anywhere. Everyday for the past week after everyone else in the precinct would go home, the two would meet in the office and run through their current project of finding their rat. Tonight it was nearly ten and they hadn't made any progress since the previous day.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" the proposal made sense, however crazy it sounded.

"You're going back undercover. Same gang, different neighborhood, same contact, same cover story, new rap sheet." Sylvester said, listing things off while jotting them down on the white board they had wheeled into the office.

"How are they going to trust me again?" Quinn had heard horror stories of cops going back after their cover had already been blown. It never ended well.

At that question Sylvester paused, she put the end of her pen in between her teeth and thought for a moment, "Your original contact, Chewy, he would trust you with his life. He's our way in."

Quinn nodded, it was true. The guy was creepy as hell, but he had trusted her without a doubt from day one, "Right, it would be easy to sell him a story about getting hassled by Puck and how he picked me up and took me to the street corner where I got shot. He would pass it up the chain, it would get to the rat, who would then order another hit and we could catch him in the act!"

"Precisely!"

"Alright, lets do it."

Quinn agreed. The plan was crazy but she knew the risks. She also knew what was at risk if they didn't do this. The issue with a rat in the police department was bigger than just Quinn's undercover operation, it put everyone at risk and lead to the possibility of any future cases being tainted. She knew there was a fine line between doing her job and putting herself in unnecessary danger; she just always had problems finding that line.

"Now you can't talk to anyone about this. Obviously." Sylvester began gathering the files that littered her desk, "You can go for tonight, tomorrow we'll start planning for you going back."

Quinn was pacing in the hallway outside the door to an apartment. The door was nothing special and blended in with all the others in the hall, and she knew that inside the apartment was slightly cluttered with takeout boxes, magazines, and dirty clothes strewn haphazardly. Quinn knew she shouldn't be doing what she was, but she just couldn't stop herself. There wasn't anyone else that she could trust who would react without simply trying to talk her out of it. She stopped her pacing and squared her shoulders one firm knock on the door and the decision was made. It only took a few seconds of waiting before the door was thrown open and Puck appeared on the other side, his hair and clothes slightly rumpled from sleep but his eyes were alert.

"I'm going back undercover." Quinn said without even wasting time on customary greetings. Puck stood to the side and allowed her to enter his apartment.

He turned to her once he had the door securely closed and locked- he had installed a deadbolt when he moved in, "I knew this was going to happen and as your partner I have two things to say. First, that is the single most stupid decision I've ever heard, I mean do you have any regard for your own life after I worked so hard to save it? And second, I'm here to do whatever you need me to. I've got you're back."

"I know you do."

Puck could see her shaking slightly and knew that it had nothing to do with the weather, she was nervous about the operation but was far too strong to ever admit it. He pulled her into a comforting hug, ever since they had started working together he felt the need to protect the blonde. She reminded him of his younger sister he had left behind in New Jersey, she was in college now studying to be a doctor and he couldn't be more proud of her. But when he say Quinn so vulnerable and unsure, it brought back memories of protecting his sister on the streets of their neighborhood.

When the stepped back he saw her square her shoulders and strengthen her jaw. "Thank you Puck."

"Any time." he replied unnecessarily, it wasn't the first time the blonde had shown up to his apartment in the middle of the night and he knew it wouldn't be the last. She undid the slightly ridiculous amount of locks adorning his front door and prepared for the trek back to her apartment. Puck would offer to walk her home as he always used to, but he knew she would turn him down like she always did. She only ever showed weakness behind closed doors, and he knew how hard it was for her to become close enough to trust him with her emotions.

"Quinn." he called out before she had gotten too far down the hall. She paused and turned back to him with an eyebrow raised, "Thank you, for telling me. I imagine chief Sylvester must have told you to keep it quiet."

She nodded, of course she shouldn't have told him. They still hadn't officially ruled him out as the rat but Quinn never had any doubts he was innocent, "Any time."

Quinn walked across the grass on the East campus of NYADA, two warm paper cups in hand and for a moment she was overtaken with the beauty of the day. There were students lounging on the grass beneath trees music seemed to be drifting from all directions, from the open windows of dance studios in the building that enclosed the quad, from the groups of students listening to radios, from the very air itself. While she stood there, she felt like a prisoner being let out in the fresh air for the last time before they were sent to their execution.

It was a morbid thought, she knew, but she couldn't suppress the doom she had felt ever since Sylvester had told her she was going back undercover. That feeling was what motivated her to make the spontaneous trek to NYADA and find Rachel. She had talked to the brunette earlier and she was extremely stressed about an audition she had for some sort of showcase at the school and didn't think she would have time to get away and meet Quinn for lunch, so she took matters into her own hands.

After getting home from talking to Puck, it was nearly two in the morning and she couldn't sleep so she called one of her contacts who was extremely good at hacking and cashed in a favor to have him get Kurt's phone number for him. She texted the boy, swearing him to secrecy and begging him to get her Rachel's schedule. Now with the photo he sent her in hand, Quinn wandered her way into the large imposing building that someone had pointed her to.

The ceilings were high and large windows along the hall let in natural light which gave the whole building a warm glow. Now she just needed to locate the correct studio, there was still a few minutes until the class ended.

A tall muscular boy stepped out of a room just down the hall from Quinn and she walked over to him, "Hello, can you point me in the direction of studio 4 B?"

He smiled kindly, "I can walk you there. What are you doing looking for the witch's lair?"

He seemed nice enough and he took the time to walk her all the way to the room so Quinn went ahead and indulged him, "I'm just picking someone up, is the teacher really that bad?"

Just as the question left her mouth, a door ahead of them burst open and a tall redheaded girl ran through it, tears were streaming down her cheeks and her face was flushed red.

"Anyone else want to join Ginger!? By all means if you want to leave now is the time!" a harsh voice yelled from within the room.

"Does that answer your question?" he smiled, the redhead was halfway down the hall before she bent over and held her knees with her hands, "Lauren? It's alright hon, July is just a bitch." he smiled sympathetically at Quinn before jogging down the hall to the girl. He placed a reassuring hand on her back and rubbed circles.

Quinn was concerned for Rachel being in a class like that, but she settled into a bench in the hall outside the room with her legs crossed indian style beneath her. She took a sip of her drink and checked her watch, there was still a few minutes left before the class was over. Through the still open door, she could hear the music blaring from a speaker and a woman yelling. Occasionally she would see dancers fly past the open door in part of the routine and she caught a few glimpses of Rachel. The brunette was wearing a simple black leotard with a pink skirt. After a few minutes, a blonde woman with a black cane walked past the door and saw Quinn sitting on the bench. She frowned and approached the door, Quinn for her part just sat tight and got a tighter grip on the cups.

"Are you spying on my class?" the woman asked as she drew nearer.

"No. I'm just waiting for it to be over." she said innocently enough, Quinn even finished it off with a sip of her coffee as if to punctuate her statement.

The blonde teacher gave her a calculated glare before returning to her studio and smacking the stereo with her cane to shut off the music, "Class dismissed!" she barked, then stood at the door to continue watching Quinn as the dancers scattered to grab their bags.

One by one the they filled out of the room until finally Rachel emerged, her face instantly lit up upon seeing the blonde, "Quinn! I told you I didn't have time for lunch today."

"I know, I just really wanted to see you." she stood up and hugged the brunette, taking her bag from her shoulder and handing her the cup she brought the dancer in the process.

"Chai tea?" Rachel asked taking a sniff of the cup.

"Of course."

The brunette smiled and took a sip. "Thank you." the whole time, Rachel could feel her teacher's eyes on them.

"Anytime, do you have time for a quick walk before your next class?"

"For you? Always." She took Quinn's hand and led her down the hall out of the building.