magnetic ◊ criminal minds

lxii

lxii. aftermath
( season seven )

"WHAT did you expect?" Morgan asked the team. Lyra had still not returned to work, nor any of their messages. "She quit, she's not coming back."

"Not even you've been able to get ahold on her?" Reid asked. They were walking to the plane, prepared to take on another case... yet this time, without Lyra.

"We've done cases without her before," Rossi pointed out. They had when she disappeared to, unbeknownst to them, to fight Magneto. They had when she had disappeared to British Columbia to fight Stryker. The difference this time was she was not coming back.

"Yeah, but-" Prentiss started, only for Morgan to cut her off.

"All I know is that Ororo said she doesn't plan on coming back," he said. "I haven't spoken to Lyra, but... I don't think she wants to come back."

Rossi scoffed. "Yeah? That's what I said too."

"Yeah, but you're not Lyra."

"Obviously. Lyra hasn't been divorced eight times," JJ jabbed.

"Three times," Rossi corrected her sharply.

"The point is," Morgan said, "that unless we find her in person, I don't think we're going to hear from her again."

"That's a really depressing point to make," Prentiss said.

"Has Hotch tried calling her?" Reid asked as they made their way onto the plane. "She has referred to him as 'dad' before... as a joke..." he whispered the last part, "so maybe he can get her to answer?"

"Reid, I highly doubt it," Morgan said as he sat down. "Lyra's close with her dad, trust me. I don't think the daddy issues card is going to work here." He did not mention it, but he had last seen her with her dad. He had seen that protective flare in his eyes first hand (he managed to stay calm despite the heavy pounding of his heart that had consumed every other waking thought. Magneto certainly was not someone he particularly liked being near).

"But would Lyra really leave for good like that? Without saying goodbye?" JJ asked.

"Elle did," Reid said.

"And it's not like Lyra wasn't pissed at us when she left," Prentiss pointed out. "Somehow I doubt everything has been resolved... you know, with my death."

Morgan scoffed. "I'll tell you one thing: after meeting her dad, we're lucky she doesn't get more angry than she did."

Hotch had boarded as he said that. He, along with the rest of the team, shot him a curious look to which he refused to elaborate.

"All I'm saying is that it could've been worse. And trying to stop her the other day didn't help our case," Morgan said. The others stayed quiet for a moment before Hotch grabbed their focus toward their case.

♢

Lyra gazed out toward the small town, the safe haven Magneto had now long-since created. A mutant sanctuary. She was on the highest point, on a balcony in the council building. She watched as the sun rose higher in the sky and the mutants went about their days below.

Exodus approached her. This was the same building where she had first met him over a year ago now. This time they were encountering each other on friendly terms, though she was still unsure about his telepathy. He knew that though.

"You have doubts," Exodus said, as a statement rather than a question. He stood slightly behind her as she leaned against the railing.

Lyra turned. "Yes. People like Stryker had the ressources to gather information from mutants about our secrets... it may not be long before this is discovered," she signed.