Dedicated to Zellk, Alice, afterlaughs, Reese, Jaz, Marine, happy-little-bubble and Kate

The rules never differed. Get in, distract, take what you need and get out.

Always.

"Hello, how can I help you?" he grinned at her, showing perfectly white teeth. She gave him a fake, sickly sweet smile and crossed her fingers subtly.

"My friend and I are here to pick out some jewelry."

She gestured to Hudson standing awkwardly next to her. He was as elegantly dressed as she was – black suit, red tie, sunglasses covering his nerve-filled eyes. She worked with different accomplices every time, never enough to get the attention on them both. And always enough time apart so that nobody made the distinction.

"Right, what exactly are you looking for?"

"A ring, for my girlfriend," Finn told him, walking off with him, swinging an arm casually around the man's shoulder as they walked towards the glass showing the rings.

"And you, Miss?"

"Earrings. For myself."

"Nobody special to buy anything for this Christmas?" he winked at her, standing behind the cabinet as he unlocked it.

She shrugged and leaned against it expertly, her eyes already training through the showcase, looking at every little piece of diamond.

"You could say that."

She laughed as the gun was slipped back into its hidden compartment and turned on her five inch heels, clicking off with Finn in tow. His arms were laden with every manner of ring, hers with necklaces. And as she passed by the mirror, she stopped and admired the 20-carat diamonds hanging from her ears.

A robbery has been reported at the Ohio Mall jewelry store, Tyson and Sons by an unknown armed duo. Police are further investigating the case.

"So what do you say, Kurt?"

"I don't know, Santana…"

"Look, this is the only jewelry store I haven't hit in this place. I'm done here, I'm out of your hair forever."

"…"

"Think about it."

She collapsed onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling, frowning slightly as she felt the knot in her spine tighten slowly. Days like these made her wish she wasn't running from the law so much. But a girl has to make a living, and the black market was where hers was.

Santana Lopez, age twenty eight and the mother of all badasses. Nobody dared speak her name aloud in the underground, and nobody dared question her authority. She was who she was, no question about it.

And the last person who had dared question was now behind bars as the acclaimed 'Jewel Thief of the Century', taking the blame for all she had done.

She licked her lips and closed her eyes, curling her knees up to meet her stomach as she balled over on her side.

It was going to be hard finding a new target for the police this time…

"Santana?"

"Yes?" she looked over at Blaine as he entered her apartment, smiling at him. "What is it?"

"I've got news. Rachel Berry? She's said yes. She's willing to work with you on her conditions."

"And those are?"

Blaine shrugged. "Ask her that." He held out his cell phone and Santana grabbed it, placing it delicately to her ear.

"Miss Berry, hello."

"Berry-Fabray, please."

"The marriage was a success, I see."

"Not quite. We never had a ring."

"I assure you I looked but nothing fit your specifications…"

"Well then, my wife needs that ring on her hand to cement the deal. And you and I are going to go hunting for it. Understood?"

Santana nodded. Just like nobody questioned her, nobody said no to Rachel Berry. She was the top undisputed top dog of the thieving world…

"Yes, Miss Berry-Fabray."

Rachel prodded her sunglasses higher up her nose and smiled at Santana. "So, we go in, get what we need, get out, right?"

Santana nodded. "That's the plan."

"But, before we go in…"

Santana stopped, halfway to the door of the shop, and frowned at her.

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this? You're a Lopez, your father owns at least three quarters of Ohio with his business. And yet you see it fit to steal your own jewels. Why?"

Santana shrugged, digging her hands into her pockets, feeling the small knife she had concealed in her boots pressing against her ankle.

"I do it for the thrill. Nothing is better than stealing jewels."

"Now, see here, that's the part I don't believe," Rachel shrugged back, her mouth curling into a malicious little smile Santana would love to slap off. "I think that you're doing it for someone, like I'm doing it for my wife."

"You steal for your wife?"

"Of course. Whatever she wants, she gets. So, who do you steal for?"

Beeping machines. Labored breath. Shouts and indignant yells. Broken sobs.

"You'll meet her soon enough."

"So, gentlemen, it's either we take these jewels and leave you unharmed, or we shoot you in the head and take the jewels anyway. Your choice."

The men stared at them, handing them the keys, trembling as they fell to their knees. One of them was actually crying.

"OK, we've got what we need. We're gone, Santana."

She followed her out, huffing silently behind her as she watched her admire the diamond ring she ahd picked out.

"You done?"

Rachel shrugged and put her prize in her pocket. "Maybe. It's perfect for her though."

"Santana?"

"Hi, Puck," she smiled at him as she walked towards his desk in the dimly lit warehouse, placing the paper bag in front of him. "Here's everything."

"Nice. I'll hand them over to the boys and be right back."

A man rushed up to him and took the bag from Puck, and rushed away again. Puck snapped his finger and a girl with a tray came forward. Balanced on it were two glasses and a bottle of red wine, plus a small bowl of shrimp which he handed to Santana. She gave a small laugh and took it, popping the first one into her mouth.

"You're used to me."

"You're my best customer."

"True."

"So, how much money do you need before…?" he asked, taking a small sip at his wine. He handed her a glass and she took a sip from her own, nodding in approval of the taste.

"Two thousand more and I'm fine."

"How long have you been at all this, if you don't mind-"

"Four months."

"Wow. And already you have all that money?"

She nodded, taking another two shrimp from the bowl. "Well, I worked fast and hard. I was rewarded. Thanks to you, of course."

"Anything for a fellow criminal." He stole a shrimp from her bowl and chewed on it, watching her as she glanced at her watch. "Need to be somewhere?"

"Same place as always."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why do you eat shrimp?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, cocking her head to the side. "Well, I've known you for years and you never really liked shrimp up until last month. What's with that?"

She laughed and was about to answer when the man from before come rushing back.

"Sir? The bag amounts to three grand in total."

She choked on her spit, falling forward slightly in her seat. Three thousand? That was…that was…

That was enough.

"I'll take it."

"I knew you would," Puck nodded, opening his desk drawer and taking out sheaves of green paper. He quickly counted and handed her the wad, and she pocketed it without a word. Getting off her seat, she scraped her chair backwards (almost making it fall backwards) and was about to run off when she grabbed the bowl and held it to her chest, still half-full of little pink commas.

"I eat shrimp because they're her favourite. And she'd want to enjoy them. So I enjoy them for her."

"I have the money."

"Excuse-"

"Doctor Ramirez, I have the money. I told you I would get it. Now please…please!"

"Yes, of course, Miss Lopez. Just…sign here."

"Baby?" she prompted as she walked into the white pristine hotel room, smiling softly at the girl sitting in bed.

"Santana…" she croaked at her, reaching a hand up to her. "Where have you been all day?"

"Working. Getting money. For you." Santana held out the flowers she had bought and put them in a vase next to her lover's bed, sitting down on the little plastic chair and grabbing Brittany's hand.

"I paid for the operation. I'm gonna fix you up. I promise."

We all do things we wouldn't imagine doing for someone we love. Whether it be small or large, large enough to combat what Santana Lopez did for her girlfriend, it's something. We make sacrifices in our life because love blinds us to all dangers; love gives us our driving force to finish what we started; it makes us want to actually do this even if it goes against everything we've ever believed in.

Because no matter how wrong or how right a love is, it's still something we'd fight for to keep.