And so it begins.

"Good morning Lucy". Lucy glanced up from her book, taking in her boss standing in her door. The department head. The man who was her first point of contact when she showed up here at the time the instructions told her to be here. Some days it felt like he was her ally. Others, her spy. She always felt on edge, especially with him around.

"Good morning, Steven."

He smiled at her, walking in and taking a seat in her guest chair. It was the somewhat creepy smile that made her feel uncomfortable. Or maybe she was paranoid. No. She was definitely paranoid. Such was the nature of her life these days.

"I keep telling you that you need to relax, Lucy." She laughed in that uncomfortable manner like she always did when he made that joke. Which was pretty much daily.

"What can I do for you this morning?"

"I hear you haven't RSVP'ed for the university gala yet." She stared at him blankly. He cocked his head and for a moment, she could pretend that it was him. She felt relief and terror all at the same time. She did her best not to think of him, but sometimes he would just pop into her head. Like he had just dropped into her life.

"What?" she managed to choke out.

"The gala. It's Friday night. I got an email this morning about staff that haven't RSVP'ed yet and your name was on the list." Hearing her name was on any list made her want to hyperventilate, but she worked very hard to control her breathing.

"I'm not sure I ever saw the…" she trailed off as Steven reached over to the pile of mail on the corner of her desk and plucked out the unopened envelope. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Here it is" he replied, waving it in his hand. He handed it to her and she opened it, staring at the invitation to a large gathering, the kind of thing she had spent the last year actively avoiding.

She racked her brain, trying to come up with a reason to not go, but the way she had isolated herself left very few of the normal reasons off the table. No husband, no family, no kids. Just her. In a small apartment. She was sunk.

"You need to take care of that before your first class. It's an important event. I let it slide last year because you had just started, but it's the biggest money maker for the endowment and all faculty and staff are expected to attend." She nodded, eyes blurring as she continued to stare at the paper in her hand. She heard him get up and move toward the door. She looked up at him slowly as he paused.

"I have gathered social situations aren't your thing. And the hotel where this is being held can be hard to find sometimes. If you want someone to walk in with, I'm available."

She did her best not to react. She plastered a smile on her face. "Thank you, Steven. That's sweet. But I think I will be ok." He just nodded and left her office.

Shit.

She was finally able to break free of the group and of Steven, who kept parading her from donor to donor, having her show off her historical knowledge. While she had been able to arrive alone, he had been waiting for her. His constant presence was making her feel trapped and guarded. And a little fearful. Her escape to the bathroom finally gave her a chance to breath. She leaned against the wall, right inside the door, closing her eyes for a moment. It was quiet and seemingly deserted in the bathroom. She entered the stall, just taking a moment. She froze when she heard someone else enter, afraid for a moment Steven had sent someone in to find her, to drag her back out to him.

She heard a stall door down at the end close and she let out the breath she had been holding. She exited the stall, staring at herself in the mirror. She knew she looked rough. It's why she didn't tend to look at herself much anymore. The stress and fear caused her to not eat a lot, not get a lot of sleep. It was starting to wear on her, starting to show on her face and in her head. She needed something to give. She stared down at her hands, trying to find some balance to move forward.

"I love that color on you." Lucy froze. It took a moment for the voice to reach her brain and register the familiarity. But once it did, she knew everything was about to change. She slowly rolled her head up, staring straight into the mirror.

And right at Jessica Logan.

She hadn't seen Jessica since Chinatown. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry at seeing a familiar face or bash her head on the countertop for all the pain and chaos she had caused for her team. A part of her blamed Jessica for their separation. She was about to open her mouth and let loose a string of blame and cuss words, but something in Jessica's eyes warned her. She could see it clear as day.

Don't. You can't. Play along.

Lucy could only watch as she walked up to the sink, washing her hands like it was a casual day. She paused, watching Jessica fluff her hair.

"Where did you get it?" Lucy just stared at her in the mirror. Jessica nodded. "The dress. It's such a pretty color and a good cut."

Lucy just shook her head, staring back at her. "I don't remember. I've had it for a while."

"Shame. I was hoping to find something just like that." The door opened and another woman strode in, staring at Jessica. Lucy froze. The woman glanced at her but paid her no attention.

"Let's go."

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, just let me reapply my lipstick please." The other woman rolled her eyes and just watched her as she dug a small tube out of her purse, applying it and quickly dropping it back in. Lucy stood straight up, finally meeting her eyes. Jessica turned toward her, quickly glancing down at Lucy's feet, then back up at her.

"Enjoy your evening." And with that, she was gone. Lucy just stared at the spot where Jessica had been standing, trying to decide what the hell was going on. And that's when she noticed it, out of the corner of her eye, small white piece of paper on the floor next to her shoe. Lucy glanced down and picked it up, unfolding it.

Please help. Find the team. Save us. Tell Wyatt it's a girl.

Lucy ran out the bathroom door, scanning the room for Jessica. She maneuvered as quickly as she could through the different rooms, but to no avail. Jessica was gone.

She stopped at a large window, looking at the parking lot, hoping to see someone walking. But there was no one there. She jumped and yelped when she felt a hand on her elbow. She turned to see Steven standing behind her.

"Everything ok, Lucy?" And she knew it wasn't. She just shook her head. Consequences be damned. She had spent the last year towing the line, scared to act on anything. No more. She had tried to go back to how she had been before the day she walked into Mason Industries. But in this moment, she knew she couldn't ever be the person she was before that day.

"I have to go" she breathed out, running away from him and out into the night.