I feel things more deeply than most people. It is a gift and a curse. Reid is my muse. I can't escape that fact. Nor do I think I want to for now. I'll just leave this here.

Undefeated

Reid should be tired. He just received one of the worst beatings since his time in prison. Prison. Where he endured the pain of losing a friend and questioned his sanity and sense of morality. Where he watched the girl, who egged on her father to kill a teen, abduct his mother. His body and mind before that were abused in Mexico while seeking alternative treatment for his mother. His mother was losing her grip on the present faster than ever. The list went on. Reid could not sleep because his mind was restless with the loop of endless suffering that threatened to overwhelm him.

"The writers really have it in for you."

Reid looked up and saw a girl dressed as a pioneer sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Hello Melissa," he said.

He'd met her once before in prison. Reid never told anyone about her. He tried not to think about what she said most of the time. The idea that he was a TV character in some other reality did not sit well with his psyche.

"Glad you remember me," she said. "The promos are making people upset. I don't want to think about what they'll do after they see the full episode."

"Why do bad things keep happening to me?" he asked.

"Excellent question," she said. "If I only I had a good answer other than 'the writers love beating up on you.' But that's my flippant answer. Here is one from an actual writer who got a degree where interpreting plots was required to get a grade."

She snapped her fingers and Tobias Hankel appeared.

"I tried to destroy you," Rafael said. "But I could would not break you after all this time. You outsmarted me."

"You set me free," Tobias said.

Maeve appeared.

"I live on in your heart because you refused to let my death destroy the love in your heart of all that is good."

Diane appeared.

"I'll never know who Thomas Merton is because of you."

Shaw appeared.

"I wanted you dead for ruining my system. But you outsmarted me, and the resolve of your friends undermined any hope I have of reclaiming what was mine."

Cat Adams appeared.

"I think I'm winning because I got in your head. But the fact that you continue to live and breathe and be the hero, proves that deep down I'm wrong."

Agent Meadows appeared.

I was mocking your team when I told Garcia yours was the A-team. You refused to break. You don't have my respect, only my fury.

Miller appeared.

"I see a theme. Do you?"

Reid wiped a tear away.

"No matter what happens, I always survive. I never succumb to the darkness completely even when I feel like I have. I will always beat the odds and live and live with purpose."

Miller nodded.

"You undefeatable Spencer Reid. Never forget that, and whatever crazy torture device the write come up with next, won't hurt you as much as you think."

Reid sat back.

"Always a pleasure to see you Melissa."

She smiled.

"You are sweet. The show might be ending soon, and you might finally get that happily ever after you deserve."

"Happy endings don't matter," he said. "It about living well and enjoying time with those you love. It is all about happy continuations."

"Well said." She pulled out a futuristic device that didn't match her outfit.

"I'll be seeing you," she said. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

With a zapping sound, she was gone.

Reid felt better. So many people had tried to ruin him, but in the end, he was stronger. He refused to give up on being Spencer Reid.

With all this in mind, he fell into a deep, restful, sleep.