I hope you like this. It is a little different.
Chapter Seven:
On the fifth day at the Elitist's estate, Reid approached Crutcher's office with dread. They had worked on or relived so many of his memories ranging from bullying incidents, Tobias Hankel, to his prison time. The whole process was exhausting, and he wondered when it would start getting easier as Grady said.
"Take a seat Dr. Reid," Crutcher said. "Close your eyes and clear your mind."
He did as told and found himself in a wide-open space. The ground was composed of gray stones. Nothing could be seen for miles except white clouds, almost like a fog. It felt very serene.
"Where is this place?" he asked Crutcher. "This isn't one of my memories."
"It's my memory palace," she said. "I summon ideas here through music."
She began to sing in a low voice: "Feeling like a hero, but I can't fly/No, you never crash if you don't try/Took it to the edge, now I know why/Never gonna live if you're too scared to die/Gonna disconnect from the hardwire/Time to raise a flag for the ceasefire/Staring down the hole inside me/Looking in the mirror/Making peace with the enemy
Suddenly, there was an echo of male voices. "Hey hey-ey-ey (hey)
Hey hey-ey-ey/I'm so alive, I'm so alive, I'm so alive/You can make it on a wish if you want to/You can make it on a wish if you want to"
An all-male rock band descended upon the ground on to a stage that suddenly appeared. They looked to be older but were playing with a distinct level of high energy.
Crutcher rocked to the beat. "Listen," she whispered.
"Open up my heart like a shotgun/Blinded by the light of a new sun/Get up, get up, get out and get done/For the first time I feel like someone/Breaking down the walls in my own mind/Keeping my faith for the bad times/Get up, get up, stand like a champion/Take it to the world/Gonna sing it like an anthem
Hey hey-ey-ey (hey)/Hey hey-ey-ey/"
Reid looked to Crutcher as the song continued.
"Why?" he asked.
"Music can be therapy," she said. "It's an expression of who we are. I thought you'd like this as alternative to diving into more memories."
"But I only listen to Beethoven," he said.
"Your only defense was a gun but that is going to change," she said. "Open up your mind a little to find what music speaks to your soul outside the classics,"
He listened again.
"Never gonna live if you're too scared to die."
The song ended and Crutcher shook hands with the lead singer.
"That was 'So Alive,' by the Goo Goo Dolls," she said as the stage and the band disappeared.
She rubbed her hands together. "Now let's do something really cool. Close your eyes and listen. When you're ready open them."
He did as he was told and a male voice sang.
"Look at what's happened to me/I can't believe it myself/Suddenly I'm up on top of the world/It should have been somebody else"
The music was lighter. Reid didn't know music but it sounded vaguely dated. Yet he liked it. It felt fun.
"Believe it or not, I'm walkin' on air/I never thought I could feel so free/Flyin' away on a wing and a prayer/Who could it be?/Believe it or not it's just me."
Reid opened his eyes and saw he was on a stage. He looked at the ill-fitting suit he was wearing. He must have been young. Below the stage was the team, including Prentiss and Gideon clapping. The Director presented him a plaque for bravery in the field. He beamed and waved at the team.
"So, this is one of your happiest memories," she said. "You surprised yourself in the fact you were only doing your job yet people, probably Hotch or Gideon thought that you deserved it."
"It was my first commendation," he said. "I really didn't think I deserved it."
The stage dissolved and he was back on the ground.
"You don't think you belong here, do you?" Crutcher said.
"Among people who can teleport, have super-strength and can fly? No," he said.
"But you're here, and you're going to surprise people by how strong you are," she said firmly.
"You really think so?" he asked.
"After diving through so many of your memories and seeing you confront them, I'm certain of it."
"I didn't think I was doing so well," he admitted.
"You're doing fine," she said. "I wouldn't say the worst is over, as we still have memories to dive through. But we're going to have more fun with exercises like this."
"Where is that song from?"
She smiled. "It's the theme song of a cheesy superhero show from the eighties called 'The Greatest American Hero,' sung by Joey Scarbury."
"Interesting," he said.
"Do you want to hear another?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, feeling more confident on the psychic field than he had since he started.
