Stellar {s.r.}

Chapter Four: It's the End of the World

"Wire in a fire, represent the seven games

And a government for hire and a combat site

Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry

With the Furies breathing down your neck"

~

The flight to Dallas was nowhere near as painful as the flight from Seattle. It might have been due to the shorter distance or the fact that Y/N fell asleep for most of it, but Reid prominently pointed out that her lack of distress was because of science.

"It's all biological, really," he stated. "Your circadian rhythm was desynchronized when your body had to experience a shift in time zones. Your internal time was not aligning with the external time."

It was safe to say that she appreciated his concern for her wellbeing, but she disliked his little fact. She made a point to roll her eyes and try to go back to sleep, however, she ended up having a dream instead. Or, more canonically denoted, a nightmare.

Y/N's unconscious mind painted a gruesome picture of a new case. Surrounding the dark woods around her, the bodies of her coworkers laid heavy and cold.

Emily's eyes were open and blood dripped out of the sockets onto the damp forest floor. Morgan and Hotch were propped up against the same tree, their abdominal entrails having been extracted. Rossi's body lacked a head, and JJ was curled so far into the fetal position that Y/N couldn't see where her injuries even began. Only Spencer Reid, who was lying in the middle of the vast carnage, looked as if he was just sleeping peacefully.

Y/N threw her palm to her mouth to hold back a scream, but it was too late. Somebody heard her, and they were coming. Something in her memory told her that she knew exactly who had done this, and she was not ready to face them again.

"Hey, Y/N. Wake up," a comforting voice resounded next to her.

Opening her eyes, she found Emily's concerned face looking down.

"We're here," she said, patting Y/N's knee as she got up.

The Dallas Police Department was welcoming enough, and the team was debriefed by Officer Lane. Hotch assigned roles to each of the agents, and they set off to work. JJ and Emily were sent to talk to the families of the victims, Rossi and Morgan went to the site where the last body was found, and Hotch accompanied Officer Lane to the MD. That left Y/N and Reid stuck at the field office.

A couple of officers walked them to a conference room set up for the FBI occupation, complete with a large table and a caseboard. The two agents stayed away from each other for the most part, Reid electing to draw up a geographical profile and Y/N gathering intel from Garcia. It was nice without any bickering, and they worked in a silent tandem. Things were well until the phone rang.

"Agent Y/L/N," Y/N answered.

"Y/L/N, is Reid with you?" Hotch asked from the other end.

"Uh, yeah, I'll put it on speaker."

She placed her cell phone in the middle of her and Reid's workstation, nudging his shoulder so he would look up at her. His eyes met hers in confusion, before noticing the phone call in front of him. It was the second time they had ever touched.

"We found a body," Hotch sucked in a breath. "It's unconfirmed, but we think it's Cara. Meet the team downtown and I'll see you there."

Y/N drove the SUV at Reid's personal request, giving her the perfect ammunition for a jab at his inability to conquer machinery. However, for some odd reason or other, she decided to not say anything at all. The drive to inner-city Dallas was just as quiet as the conference room, and neither of them made any effort to talk.