ABLOCATE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒌𝒆 ❜

chapter no. 018!

❝ ENOUGH TO HAVE FAITH. ❞
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     "I'LL SIGN." The two words that had turned the last twenty-four hours into absolute chaos. It was the type that set every part of her on edge.

     Cara was used to chaos. It was all she knew, but this was different. This was a nerve-wracking kind of chaos that frightened her. Not only was she leaving the only place she ever called home, but she was leaving Canada as a whole and crossing into a world of the unknown. And the unknown was never a good thing.

     The only bright side was that she was getting a fresh start and moving away. It might not be as far as she would prefer, but it was far enough.

     "Valentine," a conciliate voice said, and Cara averted her gaze from the cloudy view. Across from her, Hotch had sat down. "How are you doing?"

     After a beat of silence, she blinked. "Which member am I living in the same apartment building of?" she asked, keeping the tone and sound of her voice calm and emotionless.

     Hotch's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he caught her immediate change of topic. He appeared to let it go, though, and his eyebrows inched downward. "Reid. Your apartment will be down the hall from his," he answered.

     Quickly, Cara redirected her eyes to Spencer only to see how he was already staring at her. Their eyes met, and her stomach twisted when he gave her a small smile.

     "The apartment has been furnished. There are a few sets of clothes in the closet, courtesy of Garcia, who insisted on being the one to provide clothing instead of the government."

     At the sound of his voice, she returned her attention to the conversation at hand. "That's kind of her," she said, keeping her tone bland. Hotch's chinn upturned. "Why?" she suddenly asked, narrowing her stare on him.

     Finally, she asked the question that'd been at the forefront of her brain since she signed the contract.

     "Why what?" Hotch responded, leaning back into the seat.

     Cara breathed in deeply yet quietly. "I remember what you said about me, so I won't reiterate. I understand that I have been helpful in the Red Scorpions case and will remain to be a valuable asset. However, what I do not understand is why you really offered me to be part of the team. Yes, Dr. Reid promised he would find me a way out of my dilemma, but how did he get you, the F.B.I. Unit Chief of the BAU, to agree to this?" she pushed, raising an attentive brow.

     A look of slight satisfaction appeared to glimmer in his eyes. "You've earned my trust," he replied plainly.

     "How so?" Cara asked, intertwining her fingers. She was mildly interested in what the Unit Chief had to say. Although she wouldn't care to admit it, what he had to say, in terms of when it came to her, somewhat mattered. She was curious to know what a man like him thought of a person like her. Someone who was filled with a darkness so impenetrable that even the sun couldn't shed a single ray of light onto it.

     "Your skill, your ability to control and manipulate interrogations, the level of maturity and how you handled the case, how you compose yourself and maintain control. You're an impressive woman with a peculiar background, Valentine. I think the BAU will be lucky to have you," Hotch admitted, not entirely answering her original question. She tilted her head an inch, unconvinced. "Reid trusts you, and based on what I've learned and observed, I've come to trust you, too. Not as much as Reid but enough to have faith you'll be an effective agent."

     Cara didn't have a response for him. She believed him, and so she glanced out the window. The conversation was over.

     From where he sat across from her, Hotch studied her composed and stoic posture and appearance. "We'll be landing soon," he eventually said, pushing out of the seat and leaving her alone at the back of the plane, her mind elsewhere.

     The instant Hotch slid into his previous seat next to JJ, everyone stopped talking. Morgan was quick to break the split-second silence. "How's she doing?" he asked, nodding toward the blonde.

     "Compartmentalizing," Hotch answered plainly.

     In truth, Hotch wasn't sure how Cara was doing. He'd never admit it, but it was nearly impossible to read her. Every attempt he'd made so far had been thrown out the window or squashed within seconds. When it came to the enigma that was Cara Valentine, none of them could read her. Spenceer had been able to at times, but it was never consistent or fully correct.

     At his response, Rossi raised an eyebrow from where he sat on the couch located across from the small table with Blake. "You weren't able to read her," he said, keeping his voice low.

     Hotch gave him a pointed stare, not denying his statement but not actively contradicting it.

     "She's on edge," Spencer spoke from beside Morgan, his eyes resting on Cara.

     Turning her head, JJ's eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at the still, stoic, blank, and emotionless figure sitting with perfect posture against the tan leather seat, her dark blue eyes fixated on the cloudy view. From what JJ could tell, Cara was simply sitting there. If anything, she looked calm or solemn but not on edge. "How can you tell?" she asked, looking back at Spencer.

     "It's more of a feeling rather than an observation," Spencer muttered, shifting his attention to the team.

     "Well, do you care to share that feeling with the rest of us?" Morgan asked, raising a suggestive brow as he gestured to everyone else.

     Upon seeing the somewhat teasing and suggestive expression written across his face, Spencer furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I, uh, I don't know exactly how to describe it. I can just... tell," he answered, feeling uncomfortable as Morgan shared a knowing look with JJ. He knew what they were thinking, what Morgan was insinuating with that question, and he was tip-toeing his way around what they wanted him to admit.

     "That's understandable. You are the one who's spent the most time with her," Blake stepped in, also noticing Morgan's expression.

     "Passengers, buckle your seatbelts. We'll begin landing momentarily."

     The pilot's voice echoed in the jet, effectively dragging Cara back to reality. Without hesitation, she buckled her seatbelt and briefly flickered her gaze upward, noticing the lingering stare of Dr. Spencer Reid yet again.

     As they held eye contact, she felt a sliver of panic travel down her spine.

     What had she gotten herself into by signing those papers?