"Psst! Lucy! Turn around!"
Lucy frowned, glancing around suspiciously. "Alex? Where are you?"
"Open the window!"
Lucy raised her eyebrows, getting up and limping over with help from her crutch, opening the curtains to reveal Alex on her tiny balcony, obviously having gotten there from the fire-exit.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, unlatching the windows and opening them as much as they could go. Alex shimmied inside, before collapsing on her sofa, groaning.
"Your sofa is so much comfier than mine. Astra gave me our nice blanket, and a cushion, but that's it – I don't even get to put a futon over it."
Lucy shut the window, the cold air of winter a little too much for her pyjama-clad body to deal with right now. "Why are you here, Alex – and why did you come through the window?"
"I told you when you first moved in here not to piss off your landlord – I was series. Bob hates me. I broke my shower and asked him to fix it and he said no, and kicked me out of the building, and I'm not allowed back. He's an irrational prick, so I can't come through the front door."
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Dave isn't irrational. What else did you do?"
"Nothing a lawyer wants to hear," Alex replied breezily, turning over on the couch to look at her, wincing slightly. "We need to convince Alura and Astra and Kara that we can be trusted."
The Director groaned, "Oh, come on, they aren't still angry? Alura's so nice to me…though she has been staying in Kara's apartment while she's on holiday with Cat and Carter."
"See – she's pissed at you, or at least disappointed. We've got to get back on their good sides. And figure out a way to make Kara less hurt."
Lucy sighed, rubbing her eye, wincing as she put pressure on a yellowing bruise, a twinge of pain running through her.
"What do we do?"
"I have a plan."
"What do we do that won't make them even more angry at us?"
"…I have a plan. Trust me."
"If they ask, it was your idea."
"This was a terrible idea," Alex bemoaned. Lucy sniggered, watching through the security camera as Astra critically judge the card that came with the gift. Alura beside her seemed confused.
"What is a 'scavenger hunt', sister?"
"I believe our loved ones are trying to get back into our good graces, Alura. Let us play along, briefly, until we are either bored or…"
"Obsessed?" Alura gave her a word, smirking slightly. "So it is a game?"
"Indeed. No doubt they are watching us right now." Astra looked around, quickly pinpointing the camera Lucy and Alex were using to spy on them. "Hmm…"
"Oh that's not a good sound," Alex cringed, "She hates me. I'm going to live on the couch for the rest of my life – I don't want to live on the couch for the rest of my life!"
Lucy snorted at her sister-in-law's words, watching Alura carefully. She hoped her wife would forgive her. "We were just doing our jobs," she murmured.
Alex shook her head, "They don't see it like that. I would have thought they might, but they obviously don't…"
Lucy smiled tightly. "Let's just hope Astra lets you sleep with her again."
"And that Alura moves back in with you."
Lucy gave Alex a brief, thankful smile. "Yeah. Let's hope."
