Set in Season 3
With nothing but the darkened indigo sky before him, Langdon hummed a steady tune beneath his breath, feeling the frame of the jet rattling slightly beneath his body. The flight had been predictable thus far, with only the standard amount of jostling, but it was clear by the recent change in conditions that turbulence would be picking up soon. Just to confirm his thought, the plane hit a patch of rough air and shook from side to side, each sensation like a tremor through the modestly sized plane. The chatter from the ground in his ears was enough to let him know that a small bout of bad weather was just ahead, and while mild enough, was prone to cause any small aircraft some discomfort.
Had it been any reasonable time of day, Langdon would have grabbed the small speaker next to his chair and spoken into it, the PA sounding clearly through the rest of the jet with his message. But there was one unforgettable reminder of their current circumstance; the heavy cloak of a pitch black night was wrapped around them like a somber veil. It was the dead of night, and after four days on a particularly trying case, it was likely that the team would be sound asleep, heads resting in the crooks of their elbows or balled up jackets, in an attempt to recover.
Of all of the team members, there was always the high likelihood that either Agent Hotch or Rossi were awake, sleepily glancing over the case file, or watching over the sleeping team members, as though they were studying them. But his intuition, almost like that of a mother, told Langdon that it was bound to be more peaceful this evening, even if turbulence caused a minor disruption. To avoid fracturing the few moments of peace the team was able to glean in the air, Langdon turned to his copilot, who had his eyes fixated on the information readouts with a clearly discernable intensity. While the younger man was prone to fits of disobedience and lapses in a serious demeanor, when the need arose, he was a weapon of intense concentration, and a skilled pilot above all else.
Nudging his partner's shoulder, Langdon gave a quick jerk of his head to show that he was about to head back into the cabin, which earned him a nearly imperceptible nod from Delphinus before he turned back to the displays. Langdon needed no further confirmation that the plane would be safe in the air, and that there was no cause for concern in the time it took him to run back and alert any souls that had the displeasure of being awake. It took him only a few moments to free himself from his seat and work his way to his feet, exiting the cockpit and moving out into the uncharacteristically dark cabin.
The dimmed lights told him enough; the entire space was typically a glaring white from the force of the custom fluorescent lighting, always active as the team poured over pages and papers and other notes. But now that the space was filled with a warm yellow light, dim enough to cast shadows around every silhouette, Langdon knew that all must be sleeping. For the sake of thoroughness, he walked a few steps further in, eyeing the awkwardly positioned bodies of the elite FBI unit with a degree of fondness.
There was one body that was rigid, upright in their seat, head lolling slightly to the side. Even in the poor lighting, Langdon could see that the pale lips were pursed tight in concentration, shoulders straight, as though he were sitting at attention. Even in sleep, the team leader was easily identifiable by his posture, and an attitude that not even sleep could make him shed. Across the small table from him was clearly the oldest man on the team, still sitting mostly upright, but his head leaned against the side of the seat, shoulders clearly relaxed as he slept on peacefully. On the small table between the two seats were two open files, but both had been abandoned in the favor of dreams.
Taking a few steps further, Langdon was able to observe the two women of the team, most clearly recognizable by the messy hairstyles that they had donned before falling asleep across from each other in the group of four seats. While it took a moment to catch JJ's trademark blonde hair in the artificial dusk, it was clear to see that she had balled herself up across the two connected seats, stuffing a jacket up against the wall and resting her head on it. Prentiss had assumed quite a similar position, feet edging out into the narrow isle that Langdon walked down. Nearly tripping over the shoes that had made their way out into the walking space, clearly belonging to the dark-haired female agent, Langdon felt another smile come over his face at the sound of their breathing, heavy and deep, practically a gentle snore.
Across from them, alone in the second grouping of solitary seats, Agent Morgan had reclined himself comfortably, head tilted back with headphones nestled around his ears. While Langdon couldn't hear the strains over the music over the continuous thunder of the plane's engines, it was easy enough to tell that the man was also in the assured clutches of sleep.
Even if all of the lights had been completely extinguished, Langdon knew that he would have been unable to mistake the form of the youngest agent on the team, his lanky form curled awkwardly on a too-small sofa. A blanket was draped over him, though it had come somewhat dislodged from around his shoulders, exposing the skin on his neck and the pattern of his shirt. There were multiple blankets and pillows on the jet at all times, special accommodations for late night flights like this one, but it seemed that the young genius was the only one to ever utilize such commodities.
Casting another look at the blanket, Langdon was tempted to pull it up and around the agent's shoulders, realizing quickly that Reid was not plunged into quite the degree of serenity that the other sleeping members had the luxury of experiencing. The agent's shoulders were trembling, and his face was twitching with rapid contortions that Langdon couldn't quite make out. It was clear that Reid's eyes were flickering back and forth rapidly beneath his eyelids, and a pale sheen of sweat was breaking out across his forehead, highlighted clearly by the warm lighting. Parted lips let out little gasps, as though Reid were laboring for breath, even in the supposedly gentle hands of sleep. The realization dawned on Langdon immediately, from the experiences he had had as a father, an unmistakable event: Reid was clutched tightly in the throes of a terrible nightmare.
As a father, Langdon's first instinct was to reach out and shake Reid's shoulder, pull him out of whatever hell he was currently experiencing. But his reflexes held back as the professional side called him to leave the man, that whatever he was suffering was none of his concern. He was the pilot, after all; he had no business in interfering in the private affairs of the people that he chartered for a living. At the same time, he had come to know them with such a degree of comfort and familiarity that the thought of leaving Reid pulled at his heartstrings terribly.
Within a few moments of painful contemplation, the two sparring sides came to rest with a clever compromise, one that Langdon nearly prided himself in thinking up. This plan included both the concern of a professional, and the discretion of a clever father with a teenage son. The small kitchenette of the jet was located just beyond the couch, a few steps beyond Reid's prone, shaking form. At the same time, one of Reid's feet was extended beyond the lip of the couch, straying out into the walkway as the shoe poked its was out from underneath the earthy green blanket. After a deep breath, Langdon walked forward a few steps, jarring his shin into Reid's foot as he pretended to pass by on the way to the coffee machine.
This sharp movement elicited the exact response that Langdon had been desperately hoping for; with a sudden gasp and a jerk, Reid's body became rigid, and he sat up directly at the waist. Eyes darting to either side as he attempted to identify some sort of threat, Reid tensed, mouth parting from such a startling awakening. Fortunately for Langdon, the younger man clearly recognized the pilot just a heartbeat later, even in the dark, and took a deep breath rather than calling out. Through the comfortable semi-silence, Langdon could hear Reid's stifled panting, and was able to watch as the doctor's shoulders heaved with the effort to contain his emotions. It was clear Reid had quickly interpreted the situation, judging by how in the next moment he pulled the offending foot in closer to his body.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Reid," Langdon apologized with a gentle bow of his head, trying to ensure his hushed tone wouldn't disturb the other agents on board. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just on my way to get some coffee," he explained, trying to relax his posture to show some sign of sincerity, hoping that the agent was too distracted to attempt and profile him. For a moment, Reid didn't reply, running a hand through his mussed hair, and trying to readjust himself to a more comfortable position beneath the tangled blanket. There was a somewhat vacant look in his eyes as the dim lights reflected into the pupils, and they were focused on a sight that was somewhat beyond Langdon, as though Reid was looking right through him. The sound of swallowing came softly before Reid replied.
"No, I'm sorry, really, I- I didn't mean to take up so much space." The muttered words were hollow, shallow, hardly ignited by the brief eye contact that Reid managed to make before taking another shaking breath and staring down into his lap. Langdon knew that he had done all that he had originally intended- waking Reid to spare him from his nightmare. But now, the fatherly instinct that possessed his heart was once again screaming that his job was far from over. Before he could consciously decide against his action, Langdon opened his mouth, allowing more words to spill out in a warm whisper.
"Really, it's my fault, Dr. Reid. Is there anything that I could do for you? We've been hitting some rough patches of air; I hope that nothing was disturbing you." With his subtle implication that he had indeed observed some disturbance, Langdon hoped that perhaps the genius would pick up on the small cue within the sentence. By the way the terrified look dissolved from Reid's eyes so rapidly, Langdon could only assume it had. More silence spanned the gap, interrupted only by a nervous cough and the shifting of fabric as Reid adjusted his body once more. When he made eye contact with Langdon, there was a degree of sadness in the typically warm depths, a lost sort of glimmer that filled Langdon with pity.
"There was," Reid paused, letting the words hang in the air, as though he couldn't finish the sentence, before whispering once more. "There was nothing, really." To hear the denial so plain, Langdon felt another smile cross his face, this one a bit strained, as he knew he would never grasp whatever pain the seasoned agent was feeling from his terrors. He knew that Reid had understood him, and that was enough; the presence of compassion could quell pain just as easily as an outright confession from the afflicted. He was not a proper counsel, and never meant to feign such. All he wanted was to portray the genuine care that he held within his heart, perhaps to ease some agony. To leave the doctor on a gentle note, Langdon once more offered some masked advice, hoping that he was reaching out a friendly hand in case Reid ever needed him again.
"Even the most frequent fliers get bothered by turbulence every once in a while," Langdon said plainly. "If it ever gets to be a bit too much, don't be afraid to tell me. I'll always be happy to see what I can do about it." This time, the message was loud and clear, and Langdon was trying to scream it with every fiber of his being. It's okay to be hurt, even if you're too afraid to show it. I'll be here for you.
It was a message he had given his son a hundred times, when that boy was too stubborn to admit how much he was hurting, or that he was struggling. So often it came down to a matter of pride, an unwillingness to admit that one's constitution was fractured, that their endurance was wavering. This experience was not foreign to Langdon; once in his life, he too had been so stubborn, so unwilling to admit when he was suffering. It had strained him so terribly inside, and now he tried to cry out to Reid that he could speak about it, whatever darkness was plaguing him.
A surprise suddenly ignited his heart with warmth- a gentle smile made its way across Reid's face, a sign of understanding, one that Langdon could clearly recognize. It didn't take a profiler to understand a clear expression of relief. When Reid spoke, his voice was somewhat softer, as though the thought of someone caring about him was enough to lull him back to sleep.
"One ounce of dark chocolate can contain up to twelve milligrams of caffeine, whereas the average eight ounce cup of brewed coffee can contain up to one hundred and forty five milligrams of caffeine. With the average chocolate bar weighing in at one and a half ounces, rather than consuming your cup of coffee, you could consume approximately eight and a half chocolate bars instead," Reid offered, pulling the blanket in close around his body. Langdon grinned, genuine disbelief over the ridiculous slew of facts that he had just been offered. He could feel the crow's feet wrinkling the corners of his eyes as he returned a gentle response, watching the agent lay back down on the couch, curling his body in a bit more protectively.
"I think I'll stick with my cup of coffee, Dr. Reid. We have about three and half hours until we land. I hope you can make the most of it, despite the turbulence."
In the following silence, Langdon did indeed brew himself a cup of coffee, despite the shaking of the jet around him. When he walked back through, Reid was still, and while it was obvious by his breathing that he was not asleep, to see him at rest was enough for Langdon at the moment. Warm coffee in his hands, he braced himself for a biting slew of criticism from Delphinus, who was never pleased to man the controls alone in unfavorable conditions. But this time, Langdon could bear it; he knew that he had done the right thing.
Wow. Wow! I've been getting so much support on this story! Thank you all so much for reading: every follow, favorite, and review absolutely makes my day. You are all so fantastic to me! I also really appreciate the feedback; you've been offering me genuine compliments and feedback, which is more than I could ever ask for. I really hope that you're all enjoying, and have a wonderful day!