magnetic ◊ criminal minds

xiv.

xiv. masterpiece
( season four, episode eight )

LYRA returned to the office at her normal time the day after she left New York. She just had to act normal, she told herself. As though her father had not been arrested and put in a prison specially made for him, encased in plastic. As if she did not have a fairly obvious wound on her neck, bruises on her wrist. As if none of the events of the past few days ever happened.

She got on the elevator, but before it closed, someone put a hand to stop it. It was Emily Prentiss. She blinked in surprise. "Lyra! You're back," she exclaimed, getting into the elevator. "Where have you been?"

"New York," Lyra signed as they rode the elevator up to their floor.

Prentiss raised her eyebrows. "New York?" she repeated. The elevator stopped, the doors opening. Lyra did not elaborate, instead just walking to her desk. "Lehnsherr! You can't just disappear for days then say nothing!" Emily called after her. "Well, sign!"

Hotch happened to glance out his office window at this moment, noticing that Lyra was back, putting down her things and sitting down as if no time had passed since she had last been here. He stood up, making his way out and down to her. He had to play bad cop with her for the moment, as Rossi had gone with Reid to give a talk to convince people to join the Bureau.

"Lehnsherr," he said, walking up behind her. Lyra had yet to sit down. She looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "How's your father?" he asked, hoping she would have a reaction that would determine whether what Rossi and Reid learnt from Charles Xavier was the truth or a lie.

Lyra had been told by Charles what happened before she left. She gestured to the injury on her throat as Prentiss walked over. "Not himself," she signed.

"Are you okay?" Prentiss asked, only now noticing the injury that had not been visible from Lyra's position in the elevator.

Lyra nodded. "Nothing too serious. The nurse won't be leaving anything sharp near him anymore though," she lied.

"Next time you need to take a few days, tell me," Hotch said. "You can use sick days."

"I was going to," Lyra signed. "I lost my phone before I could."

Hotch nodded, seeming to buy the whole story, at least for now. "Good to have you back," he said, making his way back to his office to finish his work, blanking on the thought that he still had to introduce Lyra to someone. Morgan walked out of JJ's office, where he had talked with Agent Todd, JJ's replacement for while she was in maternity leave.

"Good to see you, Little Red," Morgan said, any trace of annoyance disappearing upon seeing her. He walked over, ruffling her hair. "What happened to your neck?"

"Dad went crazy," Lyra signed, keeping it brief. She did just explain her lie, after all. Prentiss snorted in amusement before translating.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Glad you're okay," he said. He looked at Prentiss. "Come on, you know sign language too now? I thought I would learn before you."

Prentiss smirked. "I know some," she corrected. "And maybe, if you weren't flirting with every woman in sight, you'd have the time." Lyra allowed herself a small grin at that.

"Okay, smartass, I'll have you know I know the alphabet," Morgan said. He looked at Lyra. "Have you met Agent Todd?" he asked, changing the subject.

Lyra furrowed her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Prentiss will introduce you."

"Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that," Prentiss said, not expecting Morgan to throw the responsibility onto her like that. "I just have to see Hotch first," she said.