New Directions was at a breaking point. If they didn't do something to stop the Troubletones, they were sure they'd lose Sectionals. After brainstorming several flawed ideas involving water balloons and hair dye, Finn's eyes lit up as he strode to the front of the group expecting attention.

"We all know Mercedes is great, but the thing that sets the Troubletones apart is Santana. She has the attitude, she can dance and her voice is unique. With her as their front woman and Brittany's choreography they're impossible to beat. Now that they're a couple, like officially, it's like, like..." Finn struggles to articulate their advantage. "...being together, it makes them even better than they were before."

"Synergy - a mutually advantageous combination that produces a greater result than that of a single source." Rachel offers and Finn looks bewildered, but nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah, syn, syn..energy. But if we were to separate them somehow..." Finn looks around, gauging the desperation in his teammate's eyes; using it to fuel his next statement. "We...we have to break them up. It's the only way to stop the Troubletones."

Kurt immediately opposes the idea, looking at Blaine lovingly, "No win is worth breaking up a relationship and besides, we couldn't break them up if we wanted to- Brittany hangs on Santana's every word and Santana is completely devoted."

Rachel cuts in here, her suspension from participation looming over the competition. "Brittany's been with lots of guys and girls, but outside of the jocks, that we know she wasn't truly interested in now, Santana's only been with Brittany." Rachel glances at Quinn suspiciously, causing a patented glare in return. Rachel shies away from the former cheerleader's gaze, looking back to the group with her point. "She has to be curious about other girls."

"I don't know guys, this just doesn't seem right..." Blaine interjects.

Finn steps toward the group to regain control, "Blaine, you have another year to win, but we're seniors, this is our last chance!" Realizing he sounds like a dictator, Finn softens his tone. "If we win, we can take all the Troubletones back, but if they win, there's no way Mercedes or Santana will let us on board. I know it's wrong, but we have to do this."

Tina pipes in. "First things first, we don't even have anyone to tempt Santana. Brittany is one of the hottest girls in the school. Who could we get to break them up?"

Finn hadn't thought the plan through that far. He squints his eyes in thought, as does the rest of the group. But one by one their eyes start to glance up and each time they do, Quinn feels more and more uncomfortable. When Finn starts to grin with confidence, she begins her retreat.

"Oh, no, no way! I wouldn't even know..." Quinn's voice rises in pitch beseechingly.

"You are the hottest girl in school." Finn states and Rachel looks at him hurt, but then sets her eyes on Quinn with determination, before adding in a tone of false carelessness, "Even hotter than Brittany."

Then a cacophony of agreements hit, from Artie, "She used to look at you sometimes..." and Kurt, "I have to admit, my gaydar did ping when you two were at the car wash..." Rachel piping in, loud as usual, "Everyone knows you wrote that Glist, so technically, you picked Santana as the hottest…." and even Mike, "...during that performance of Do You Wanna Touch, you didn't seem uninterested. I can't say I blame you. Ow!" Tina punches Mike in the arm ending the barrage of consensus.

"What? No! No to all of that. Santana and I were just close because of Cheerios and, and, she's entertaining why wouldn't I watch her..." Realizing this isn't persuading anyone to her side as they continue to stare at her like she's the second coming, Quinn switches tactics. "I had a baby, I'm surely not the hottest girl and besides Santana would never go for me." That last bit comes out with an edge of disappointment Quinn is surprised to hear in her own voice.

Rachel's eyes flicker with knowledge, while Finn continues to plead, "Quinn, we're desperate. And they're right, you and Santana do have some sort of...connection."

"Connection?" Her voice is so high, she's sure dogs are barking a neighborhood away. "How many times do I have to say it, we're friends! Santana and I are friends. Nothing more!"

Puck winks at Quinn, "Hey, I believe you, babe. Once you've been with the Puck-asaurus, no one else will do!"

Kurt groans in frustration. "Ughhhh, first of all Santana was with you, Puck, and I think it's fair to say anyone else will do!" Puck pouts, while Kurt turns his attention to the overwhelmed blonde. "Quinn, I hate to say it, but Finn's right. You need this for your college portfolio as much as the rest of us do. Plus, it will all be fine when we get them back with New Directions for Nationals. They'll never know and everyone will get what they want. Brittany will forgive Santana anything, even a fling with you." The fact that Kurt has clearly been convinced makes Quinn waver.

Looking down to consider what was said, Quinn can feel her resolve breaking. She's secretly considering Yale and she has to admit that her stellar grades alone won't get her in. She does need this win as much as the rest of them. And she really does miss the group being all together. It'd only be a few weeks and then everything could get back to normal. She sighs loudly before raising her eyes to the waiting group. "So, you want me to seduce Santana away from Brittany?"

Finn finally looks shy for asking this of his ex-girlfriend. "Basically, yeah, we just need them to be out of sync. If Brittany is jealous she won't be much help and Santana only feels guilty about stuff she does to Brittany, so she'll be off her game too. It's just until Sectionals are over."

Chewing briefly on the inside of her cheek, she stops, and barely breathes her assent. "Fine. But I can't promise you it will work. I don't think I'm her type."

The group glances at each other excitedly and Quinn feels a weight of responsibility fall on her shoulders. They really think she can do this.

Finn walks up and pats her on the back roughly. Her body lurches forward with each hit, limp with worry. "Oh, it will work!"

Quinn is tossing and turning in her bed that night, her brain refusing to shut down. She doesn't even know how to seduce someone, much less one of her best friends. And Santana's in love with Brittany. This can't possibly go well. She tries to focus on why she's doing this: for Yale; for New Directions; to bring Glee Club back together...but something nags at her. Something deep down and buried. Finn's voice reverberates in her mind, "...you and Santana do have some sort of ...connection." She rams her face into her mattress and crushes a pillow to the back of her head as though she can block out a voice that is coming from within.

The next morning, Quinn awakes with a bizarre and unfounded confidence. She's not sure where it came from, but she needs it. She can't fail at this too. She strengthens her conviction in the knowledge that Santana would do the same to her if their roles were reversed - it's how they operate.

Barely an hour later she's gliding through the halls in one of her more revealing dresses. She isn't completely unaware of what Santana likes and the dip showing a shadow of cleavage shouldn't harm her endeavor. She spots her prey looking in her locker mirror, Cheerios uniform fitting snugly.

She hesitates just for a moment before striding forward to lean against the lockers beside Santana. "Hey, S."

Santana looks over unperturbed. Though she wages war with New Directions as a group, her relationships with everyone except Finn and Rachel are still intact. "Hey, Q, what's up?"

"Nothing much. How is Cheerios going? You look...good." Quinn coughs awkwardly, while Santana's eyebrows knit in confusion before relaxing to answer. "Uh, thanks..." She eyes Quinn up and down quickly, but stalls out at her chest just long enough for Quinn to know that her dress is doing its work. "….you too…" Santana blinks twice to regain her focus on her old friend's eyes. "Sue wants me to ride a Siberian Tiger through a fiery hoop at Nationals, so we've been working with Siegfried from that Vegas show. Sue knows him from her showgirl days in the 70s." Both girls scrunch their noses at the involuntary image of Sue Sylvester in a sequined unitard that flashes in their minds. "It's actually a lot of fun except when it shits everywhere."

Quinn's eyebrows furrow with worry at Coach Sylvester's latest crazy idea. She was on the squad long enough not to question how it is that Sue is able to have a wild, ferocious animal on campus with students. "You realize his partner was mauled by tigers, right, Santana? Siegfried and Roy?"

"Yeah, but Brittany has been feeding it bologna so it will like us." Santana states this with the hint of a smile. Quinn bristles at Santana's characteristic willingness to go along with dumb ideas if they are Brittany's. It's like she enjoys that they don't make sense, which bothers Quinn in a way that she can't put her finger on.

"S, the only thing that accomplishes is associating you and Britt with food. What happens if you run out of bologna?" She sounds as frustrated as she feels and immediately regrets it.

"Whatever, Q! You quit Cheerios anyway, why do you even care what we're doing?" Santana's defenses have gone up quickly with the intrusion of reality and logic.

Quinn knows she has gone way off-track from her objectives and she needs to reel it in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just worry about the things Sue has you guys doing. You and I both know safety isn't her number one priority."

Santana's eyes accept the apology, so Quinn moves on. "Listen, I was asking because I miss you. Last year we had Glee and Cheerios and now I barely see you. I was thinking we could go to dinner or something at Breadstix...to catch up? Maybe tonight if you're not busy?"

Santana is rifling through her locker looking for something, sighing with the effort. "Brittany is filming an episode of Fondue for Two with Sugar so tonight isn't good..." the Cheerio muses, clearly trying to think of an alternative night.

"Oh, uh, I meant just, I was thinking... I meant just you and me." Quinn can't believe this stuttering fit she's having. Her empathy for Tina just increased ten-fold.

Santana stops searching and attempts to look Quinn in the eye, but the blonde is looking away embarrassed.

"Okay...just you and me then." It's offered with just a hint of curiosity.

Quinn looks up a little shocked at what seems to be a lapse in Santana's usual killer instinct, but the Captain is back in her locker, finally locating the lost item - lip gloss. She applies it smoothly to her lips, distracting Quinn for a second.

"Is 7 okay? I can pick you up." At least she didn't stutter.

Santana fixes her pony tail in the mirror, before turning back to Quinn. "Sure, 7's good."

Santana shuts her locker and heads down the hall. Quinn watches the swish of her skirt for a moment before turning to head to her World History class. She grins uncontrollably all the way to her desk even though her emotions are all over the place as her mind races: Why didn't she make a joke at my expense? Why didn't she insist that she come with Brittany another night? Why did it feel like I was really asking her out? ….that lip gloss….

Not liking this train of thought, Quinn tries to listen to the teacher drone on about the Mongolians for the third day in a row.

She feels eyes on her and glances over to see Rachel, attention unusually away from the speaker. Caught, Rachel does an about-face, but not before Quinn sees that familiar flicker.