A/N: Hello again, everyone!

A shout-out to AHowell1993, Martha, Portgas D Star, angelvoice15, and Kelly for either reviewing Chapter 55, favoring, and/or following the story. The occasional scenes from episodes of Criminal Minds in this story belong to the writers of Criminal Minds and CBS. No copyright infringement intended.

My apologies if I had made any mistakes but please do enjoy the chapter!

Also, I would like to credit AHowell1993 for helping me with this chapter. And I snuck in a few lines from the series finale episode during the scene between Élise and Maeve.


Previously on Criminal Minds…

Reid laughed before he began rubbing his temple with his index and middle fingers. Élise cocks her head and asked in concern,

"Are you okay, babe?"

"Yeah, it's nothing." Reid dismisses it….

Suddenly, Reid began to feel that some pain he felt yesterday in his head and tries soothing it.

"Hey, lovey," Élise said as she entered the nursery with a cup of tea in her hands. Noticing the way Reid was easing his temples,

"Hey, babe. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I feel a throbbing in my head," Reid admits before clearing his throat, "I think I'm getting a headache."

"Maybe you should go lay down?" Élise suggested as she held Reid up. "Maybe have some tea."

Reid kisses Élise's palms, "You're so good to me."


"Mmm…" Reid groans as he was lying face down in bed when Élise creeks into the bedroom with a trayful and Opal following her.

"Hi, brainy," Élise whispers with a smile on her face.

Reid moans as he is trying to pick himself up and sit upright, "Mm-hmm."

Opal approaches his bedside and cuddles her head onto his lap.

"Oh, hi, Opal." Reid scratches behind Opal's ear.

"I brought you some food," Élise motions Opal to take her head off Reid's lap so she can gently set the tray down. "A nice healthy salad which includes carrots, sweet potatoes, cherries, kale, cranberries, brown rice, turnip, and collard greens, and a little bit of spinach. Don't worry, it's not creamed, but it'll definitely help."

"Oh, you're so good to me." Reid caresses her face before kissing her lips and grimaced his face. "Ow."

Élise correctly profiled, "Still having those headaches?"

"Yes." Reid massages his temples.

"I just got another email from Maeve and she got us an appointment to see Dr. Barnes tomorrow morning," Élise replied. "Maeve also said that taking equal doses of riboflavin and magnesium helps, along with letting your gray matter rest."

"I'm resting, alright." Reid agreed.

Élise concerningly asked, "Are you sure you don't want some acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen?"

Reid admits, "I think I'll take some acetaminophen since I wouldn't have to worry about my stomach bleeds as long as I'm careful about how much I take so my liver doesn't get damaged."

"And taking more than the recommended dose can damage your liver." Élise included.

"Mm-hmm." Reid nods his head. "At least I won't have to worry about relapsing."

Élise chuckles as she began massaging his shoulders, "I'm so proud of you for staying clean. What happened to you wasn't your fault."

"I know, but…" Reid hissed as he rubs his temples again.

Élise pats his shoulders and kisses his cheek, "I'll let you lay down some more."

Reid smiles lightly. "Thank you."

"Maybe later and perhaps tomorrow morning before we leave, I can give you some more heat therapy and massages, if you know what I mean," Élise whispers seductively.

Even if his head was pounding him, Reid managed to let out some soft laughs.


"Hey-hey-hey," Élise said to Reid as she sees him twitching his leg. "Relax yourself, babe." She said, soothing circles on his back. "It's going to be okay."

"Mm-hmm." Reid agrees, shaking his head as he adjusted his black sunglasses. "I can't help but feel antsy."

"We're almost ready for you, Dr. Reid." A red-haired middle-aged nurse—Brenda—said to Élise and Reid. Just a few questions." As she began to write, "Are you having one of your headaches right now?"

"Yeah, I am." Reid quietly said, squinting as he took off his sunglasses.

"How long have you had it?" Nurse Brenda asked again.

"Um..." Reid nervously moans before Élise answered for him.

"He's had them since last weekend, ma'am."

"And the lights hurt your eyes?" Nurse Brenda asked with Reid with shaking his head, signaling that he means 'yes.' Asking again, "Any hallucinations?"

"No." Reid frantically shakes his head again.

"Okay." Nurse Brenda finished the questionnaire. "I'll let the doctor know and we'll have your MRI ready for you soon." As Nurse Brenda left,

"Please promise me you'll be on your best behavior when you're having your MRI scanned with the radiology team." Élise looks at Reid with puppy eyes as he surrenders to her his phone, watch, sunglasses, and wedding band.

"I promise," Reid swears as he began rubbing his temples again.

Élise promised, "You're going to be fine." Élise assures him by giving him a kiss on the cheek and ruffles his hair. "You're going to be fine."

Reid shakes his head before being escorted into a room and undresses into his boxer shorts and a gown, tightly gripping against his gown as the doctors was taking pictures.


After the briefing was over, the team walked out of the roundtable room and into the bullpen to pack some of their belongings when,

"Well, look at you," Morgan raised his eyebrows at the sight of Élise standing by Reid's desk. "Look at you."

Prentiss' jaw slightly drops, "You look like you're ready to give birth."

"I feel as if I'm ready to give birth to a coconut or a very big leek." Élise looks down at her big belly.

"How many more weeks?" Seaver asked.

Élise answers, "Just nine more weeks."

"Did you hear that, pretty boy," Morgan nudges at Reid's arm. "Nine more weeks until you're holding your little girl."

"Yeah." Reid quietly agrees as he slips on his sunglasses again.

"Oh, sweetie." Élise takes ahold of Reid's head. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Don't worry, Élise," Rossi assures her. "We'll be heading to the Sunshine State and he'll be getting an extra essential dose of Vitamin D."

"Are you sure you don't want to sit this one out?" Élise gave him puppy dog eyes as she strokes her fingers through his hair before temptingly whispering in his ear, "We can still do some more heat therapy."

Reid snickered as he looked away blushingly, "I can do it."

"We'll take good care of him," Hotch said as he injects himself into the conversation.

"Okay." Élise understandingly shakes her head. "I'll be checking in periodically to see how you're doing, okay?"

"Okay." Reid shakes his head again

Élise brushes one more stroke through his hair before giving him a forehead kiss.

"How about a kiss for me?" Morgan joked.

Élise smirks, "You have Penelope to give you kisses." Élise blew kisses at Reid before wobbling leaving the bullpen and enters the elevator. After the door closes, Élise goes through her Kate Spade handbag and pulls out her Samsung cell phone. Texting,

MAKE SURE SPENCER'S OKAY ~ EBR

A few seconds later, Élise gets a text back.

OKAY ~ AH


During another quick debriefing on the phone ride to Florida, Reid could feel something in his eye, prompting him to go into the jet's kitchenette. Rubbing and tapping his eyes and nose bridge,

"This the line?" A voice spoke up to him.

Reid turned around, a bit startled, "Hmm?"

It was Seaver.

"Uh, for coffee. Sorry."

"Oh, no. No, I'm just thinking." Reid lied, shaking his head.

"Aren't you always?" Seaver remarked.

"Yeah." Reid agreed before asking, "Hey, what's the weather like in Miami right now?"

Seaver took her best guess and figured, "I don't know exactly, but my guess—75 and sunny."

Reid agreed as he rejoined the team. He continued to run his eyes as he sat down.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hotch asked.

Reid cleared his throat before slipping on his sunglasses again. "Yeah, I'm good."


Reid and Morgan headed to the community center and spoke with a man named Jimmy about the latest victim, who instead of visiting a doctor was using a home remedy. Reid and Morgan noticed the looks they were getting, deducing to the team that the Afro-Caribbean community doesn't trust outsiders any more than they do insiders.

Instead, they decided to take to an Afro-Caribbean religions expert outside the community who might be willing to talk.

After that, Reid decided to observe and read more about the case and Afro-Caribbean religion. Feeling something in his eye again, he took a break, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

Only to slightly open them and imagine hospital lights and a chalk drawing.

And the goat's head he and Morgan saw earlier.

And pigeons.

And a small rundown house.

Which caused him to snap out of it.

As well as a vibration he heard coming from his cell phone.

It was a text from Élise and a picture of a cooked chicken breast with leafy greens and tofu.

ENJOYING AN IRON AND VITAMIN C ENRICHING MEAL.

Which causes him to smile for a bit before clearing his throat and looked at more pictures from the case.


The next morning, Reid and Morgan were waiting for Professor Hollis Walker Jr to arrive when as Reid texted Élise back, who texted him to make sure he was okay,

I'M OKAY, HONEY! LOVE YOU! ~ SR

A few seconds later, Reid is texted,

LOVE YOU TOO! ~ EBR

Reid smiled and put his phone away just as a man who was a bit shorter than Reid and Morgan, dressed in a green sweater vest over a plaid dress shirt, khakis, and dress shoes walks in.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm late." Professor Walker said as he closed the door behind him and made it to his desk, "The lady that called said you're investigating these murders we've been seeing on TV. Awful. Just awful. So, how can I be of assistance?"

Reid sat down as Morgan showed him the crime scene pictures,

"We were hoping you could help us analyze these."

"They're difficult to look at even when you're used to them," Reid said as he noticed the Professor's shocked facial expression.

Hollis quickly observed them and replied, "Well... You have several different religions manifesting here. Most of the elements are from Santeria healing rituals, but the upside-down crucifix and the chalk drawings- they're from a much darker religion. Unbaptized Palo Mayombe."

Morgan showed him more pictures of the recent victim, Jimmy, the man Reid and Morgan spoke the previous day.

"Is that a dog?" Hollis shakingly asked.

"He had a chihuahua," Reid responded with Morgan asking,

"Does that mean anything to you, Professor?"

"Santeros don't sacrifice house pets, but there are Palo Mayombe rituals that use dogs." Hollis continuing explaining as he grabs a picture. "Palo is a secretive religion. Very hard to research. Mine will be the first academic work on the subject."

"Earlier you called it dark, but aren't all the African-based syncretic religions amoral?" Reid asked. "I mean, it can be used for good or evil depending on the practitioner, right?"

"They're nature religions." Hollis corrected Reid. "Nature knows no right or wrong, only balance or imbalance."

"So what makes Palo darker than other religions?" Morgan asked as Hollis replied.

"All the others achieve their goals by pleasing the orishas. Palo is the only one that harnesses the spirits of the dead to accomplish its ends." Showing Reid and Morgan a picture. "This is a Nganga, the primary tool of a Palero, a Palo priest. Now, at its core is the Nkisi, the spirit of the deceased who inhabits it." Hollis showed Reid and Morgan another one, "Many Paleros believe that the fresher the brain in the skull, the more powerful the Nganga is."

Morgan questioned, "So what are you saying, this actually calls for a human sacrifice?"

"No, no, no, not at all. Usually, a fresh brain means digging up a recent grave or getting one through donation. I've never heard of a Palero killing to obtain one. Well, this may be a first."

"Does anything look out of place to you?" Morgan shows Hollis another photograph.

"Outside of the human head, it all seems fairly traditional."

"Well, he cut off the victim's tongue and put it in a dish. Does that have some kind of ritual meaning?" Morgan questioned again.

"It may be a sacrifice to Ellegua to silence informants, people who talk to outsiders, but usually you use a cow tongue."

"Let me ask you this," Reid spoke up. "All of the victims either had hands or fingers removed."

"That's not good. He maybe be building a Nganga to Kadiembempe, the deity that some call the devil. It requires finger bones from 7 different corpses." Hollis concluded.

Reid leaned back in his seat, "So far, he only has four."


"You know I can't help but worry, Maeve," Élise said as she brought a bowl of freshly air-popped popcorn into the living room. "Spencer's headaches…" Feeling a sudden chill, "Oh, God, what if he's having migraines right now?"

"Studies have listed triggers for headaches and migraines: muscle strain, anxiety, stress, certain foods, sleep, certain body disorders."

Élise sighs, "Our girl's about to come into this crazy world soon. Maybe that's what eating at him. That and…fearing about his own mental history."

"No matter what, you two are to be there for your girl." Maeve placed her hand on Élise's lap. "Just like how Bobby and I are going to be there for our boy."

"I know. What I also know is the possibility of us being in-laws one day."

Maeve chuckled as she ate a handful of popcorn, "Oh!" Maeve points to the movie on the screen. "Pretty Woman!"

"I'm not going to lie; never seen this movie but I've heard it's really good," Élise admits as she ate a popped corn and Opal joined on the couch.

"You want to know my deepest, darkest secret?" Maeve asked.

"What?"

"I love nineties rom-drams and rom-coms. The cheesier the better." Maeve giggled. "And my favorite one was about this angel who gave up his immortality because he fell in love with a human. But they only had one day together before she was killed. I always wondered why that one stuck with me."

"I kind of miss the 90s. Everything was less complicated."


After the team delivered the profile, the team managed to get a suspect.

Julio Ruiz, who grew up in foster care and did 15 years in Apalachee Correctional for attempting to murder a police officer; he served his time without incident and was released in 2003. He was also a member of a violent street gang known as Los Machetes, who liked to cut off the hands and sometimes the heads of their victims.


Reid entered the interrogation room with Julio waiting. Julio tells Reid that the victims are his godchildren and came to him to be healed and quickly guesses how Reid thinks he killed them. Julio also deduces Reid has a headache because of the lighting.

Causing Reid to think back to his MRI scanning and what he envisioned earlier.

Including the rundown house.

Soon, Morgan joins and shows Julio—who wasn't even looking—a crime scene photo.

Suddenly, still continuing to stare at Reid, Julio began chanting in an Afro-Caribbean language 'Eggun buruku ni ki ori baje ni iche paraldo tete tete!' and tap his hand on the table. His voice and tapping grew louder and aggressive.

Reid deduced how Julio had just experienced a classic case of trans-possession, a form of religious hysteria, and wholeheartedly believes he was being occupied by some form of deity.

Knowing Julio wasn't faking it—and remembered the words for Julio to translate, Reid decided to go back in there, despite Hotch slightly objecting.

"What happened?" Julio asked.

"You have no recollection?"

"I remember talking about the lights." Julio corrected.

"You were talking about lights, and then you were talking about headaches," Reid said as he sat down and folds his fingers.

"That was my Saint," Julio explained. "You're lucky Ellegua spoke to you. What did he say?"

"Eggun buruku ni ki ori baje ni." Reid recited.

Julio leaned forward, "You have bad agún on top of you that's spoiling your head."

"Iche peraldo tete tete." Reid listed.

"Do a cleansing quickly."

Reid asked, "What are agún?"

"Spirits of the dead," Julio responded.

"Why would you say that I—?"

"I didn't," Julio replied.

"Well, why would your Saint say that they're spoiling my head?"

"Now, that's a question only you can answer," Julio responded before he claimed something's wrong and how's someone's about to get hurt; tells Reid to listen with your heart, not your head when Morgan walks in and mentions a kid by the name of Elian Morales.

After Julio did a ritual to find Elian, he is shown crime scene photos and deduced that some things don't fit the religions the unsub is using in his crimes. Julio insist on finding Elian before anything else happened.

Which allows him to be released.

"Thank you for your help," Reid said with gratitude. As he gathered the photographs,

"Your head is spinning because it's full of ghosts. You think you can do this work day in, day out and you don't carry it with you? It's eating your soul." Julio warned him before leaving.

"Ghosts?" Morgan asked.


The evidence and profile against Elian were to the point where it was too perfect. Reid realized Professor Hollis Walker, Jr is about to publish a book on Palo Mayombe and all this media attention, there was no doubt in anyone mind that Professor Walker, Jr is the unsub.

Information on Hollis: Born in 1977 to an African American mother who committed suicide when he went away to boarding school and a Caucasian father who wrote ten books on African books and was both abusive and neglectful to Hollis.

The team realized the professor's in competition with his father.

After realizing the professor was not at his house nor his office when neighbors reported a disturbance at the soup kitchen.

Reid was in Julio's room while the rest of the team was downstairs.

The headaches came back again and his eyes began to hurt, causing Reid to remove his FBI vest.

Reid started to think about what Julio said about his head filling with ghosts and there started the hallucinations.

Afro-Caribbean chants echoing; from the crime scene pictures to the goat's head to the chalk drawings to the rundown house…

Which was surprisingly next door.

Only to find a surprise for him when Reid went there to investigate on his own.

"You really shouldn't be here."

Hollis cautioned Reid as he held him at gunpoint with his revolver.

Reid meekly raised his hands in the air as Hollis forced him to enter the room.

"Get inside.

Hollis ordered Reid. There was Julio bound and gagged with duct tape and Elian restrained to a chair.

"You're a professor and you're very smart." Reid tries to reason with Hollis. "You're a lot smarter than this."

"Smarter." Hollis scoffed.

"Your gun, please." Hollis put Reid in a quick headlock, points to a spot in the corner where to throw his revolver before gently pushing him. "Toss it over there."

"People like you and I don't need guns," Reid said.

"Like you and I." Hollis doubted.

"Yeah. Men of intelligence." Reid clarified.

"Oh, we're the same?" Hollis jeered before telling a muffled Julio, "Shut up."

Despite the headaches, Reid began profiling Hollis but stuttered a bit. "I-I…I think. I think that there are some similarities. I mean, uh, we both love books."

"Books?" Hollis questioned before noticing Reid's cell phone ringing, prompting Hollis to toss that aside next to his revolver. Hollis tells a restrained Julio while tell keeping his revolver on Reid, "You shut up. Shut up."

"You know what?" Reid responded, stammered a bit again. "I don't-I don't believe that you killed all these people just to sell a book."

"Oh, really?" Hollis doubted again before stating his reasons, "Elian will die of an overdose after killing his santero for his fingers. It will all make sense to the police."

"How are you going to explain me?" Reid questioned.

"Elian will have killed you, too." Hollis cocklingly said. "Have we not established how ill he is? He's been on a Palo rampage. Everyone will want to learn about the religion that drove the boy crazy. Will you shut up!" Hollis frustratingly tells a grunting Julio. Even with Julio fighting against his restraints, Reid continued to outline Hollis,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Reid apologized, squinting his eyes. "But I don't believe that this is about a book. And I don't think that you do, either."

"Excuse me?"

Reid rubs his eyes, "I—I think it's more about the abuse, the abandonment, and the lack of attention from your father."

"That's enough," Hollis growled at him, but Reid kept going.

"You know what the ridiculous thing is, is that you—" Reid let out a laugh. "You set up a paradigm where you actually have to get caught. Think about it. If you get away with this, your father will never know that you did any of it."

Hollis kept looking at Julio grunting against his gag and Reid rubbing his head and eyes,

"What is wrong with you?" Hollis asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just very bright in here for me."

Confused, Hollis asked again, "Bright?"

Reid begged. "Please turn the lights off."

"The light—what are you—" Hollis puzzlingly asked before infuriatingly telling Julio, "JUST SHUT UP! Just shut—" Hollis turns his attention back to Julio, allowing Reid to speedily grab a metal pipe and hit Hollis in the head with it, causing him to fall to the ground.

"FBI! FBI!"

Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi enter the room, along with Detective Manny and other Miami police officers just as Reid removed Julio's gag and restricts.

"We're going to need an ambulance." Reid cautioned. "Elian's been overdosed with heroin."

Hotch ordered into his vest, "Get an ambulance."

Walker pleaded as he was being cuffed, "Don't hurt me."

"You have the right to remain silent. Use it." Morgan read Hollis his rights.

"Do you think he'll come to see me in jail? Do you think he'll visit?" Hollis asked with Detective Manny asking,

"Who?"

"My father," Hollis responded. "He'll hear about this, right? I'll be pretty famous."

"Oh, he's gonna hear about it, all right," Morgan growled as he takes Hollis away.

Reid was helping Julio get up when,

"You heard me calling."

"What?" Reid bafflingly asked.

Julio repeated, "You heard me calling. That's why you came."

"Julio, I found a photograph of you in front of this building." Reid reasons. "That's how I found you."

"You don't really believe that do you?" Julio doubted Reid's theory. "That you just happened to see a photograph?" Julio removes a yellow and green beaded bracelet, "This is Orula's Ide. It will protect you. I don't need it anymore, but... You do." Julio hands Reid his bracelet before leaving. Looking back and forth at Julio leaving and Reid,

"What do you need protecting from?" Hotch asked concerningly.

"I have no idea." Reid shakes his head.

"Are you all right?" Hotch asked.

"No." Reid truthfully answers. "I, uh…I've been headaches. And migraines." Reid clears his throat and rubs his temples before asking, "How pissed off do you think Élise will be at me knowing I snuck away from the team and got myself in a brief hostage situation while I was having headaches and migraines?"

"She'll be upset, but overall, I think she will be thankful that you're okay."

"She doesn't need the stress," Reid added. "Not good for the baby."

"I'll make sure she's calmed down before you even step foot into your house."


"It was incredibly stupid of you to just go out on your own, knowing you had your headaches and migraines." Élise reprimanded Reid as they cuddled in bed together; Reid agreed,

"I know. On the positive side, the unsub will be spending the rest of his life in prison."

"But I am happy you're okay." Élise smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm hanging in there," Reid answers honestly.

Élise pleads, "Please promise me you'll be on your best behavior with Dr. Barnes tomorrow when we get the results of the MRI."

Reid pledges, "I promise."

Élise catches eye at Reid's bracelet, "Oh! Is that an Orula's Ide?"

"Yup," Reid responded. "A victim, Julio Ruiz, gave it to me when we rescued him and a follower of his; he told me it will protect me and that he didn't need it anymore."

"Maybe we should give our girl something like one of these days," Élise suggested.

Reid nods his head, "That would be a good idea."


The next morning, Élise and Reid were back at Dr. Barnes' office to find out the results of Reid's MRI scans. Dr. Barnes entered his office and acknowledge the couple,

"Hello, you guys."

Élise warmly greets the doctor, "Hello, Dr. Barnes. What are the outcomes of the MRI scans?"

Dr. Barens looked at the results on his clipboard, "Well, your scans are perfectly normal, and there doesn't seem to be any physical explanation for your headaches."

"That doesn't make any sense." Reid bafflingly replied. "So, there's nothing wrong?"

"That's good news." Élise tries to relieve him.

"Well, what do I do now?" Reid inaudibly asked.

"Well, have you considered a psychosomatic cause?" Dr. Barnes suggested.

"Psychosomatic?"

Dr. Barnes tries to explain, "It just means a mental or emotional stress—"

"I know what psychosomatic means, doctor," Reid snapped. "I mean, I-I-I'm not crazy."

"Crazy? Dr. Reid, I'm not saying—" Dr. Barnes was baffled.

Élise said, "I think I know what's going on."

"You do?"

Élise points to her belly. "We're expecting our first child: a daughter, in nine weeks."

"Really?" Dr. Barnes' face lit up. "Congratulations, you two. You'll be in for the time of your lives. I should know; I have four of my own: two girls and two boys. My advice for you is to stop stressing out or you'll develop an aneurysm." Still looking at his clipboard, "So, if there's anything else you two…"

"That'll be it, Dr. Barnes." Reid impatiently said as he got up from his seat. "Thank you for your time." Reid slips on his sunglasses before he and Élise left.

"Even though the results came back normal, I think I know what else is bothering you." Élise guesses.

Reid clears his throat, "What?"

"Well, it's actually more than just one." Élise clarified before continuing. "You're over-stressing yourself, which is natural because of your job. Our little girl's coming in nine weeks. Your diet has more sugar than my father's diabetes. You squint a little too much because of your love for reading. But you know what's really eating you? Are you worried you'll end up doing what your dad did to you and your mother?"

Reid deeply inhaled and exhales before removing his glasses, revealing his red eyes. "I just…I worry I'll do what he did. Leave her wondering if she was the reason I wasn't in her life. The worry I'll leave her wondering if she has a good father. Or worry she'll be an institutionalized paranoid schizophrenic like her paternal grandmother. I just…" Reid let a tear fall from his eyes; Élise immediately hugs him before cupping his face.

"Look at me. And listen to me. Just because your mother has paranoid schizophrenia doesn't mean our girl will nor our future children; same with my side with diabetes and health problems."

Reid shakes his head, "I know, but…"

"And you are not your father. You are absolutely nothing like your father. Your father left when things got too much for him to handle. You have faced hell and fought through it. If you got through all the hell you went through, you can get through anytime life throws at you. You are going to be the greatest, smartest, strongest father that our girl will be the luckiest girl in the entire world."

Tears still streamed down Reid's eyes as he began stroking Élise's cheeks. His voice breaking up a bit, "Our girl's lucky to have you as her mother."

Élise smiled and pecks Reid's cheek. "See? You feel a little better."

"A little, yeah." Reid sniffed as he tears his tears. "I also want to make some changes."

Élise curiously asked, "What kind of changes?"

"Starting with my diet. Instead of sugary coffee, I'll drink more water and perhaps decaf."

Élise nods her head, "That's a start."

"As much as it pains me to say this, I'll…try and…read less."

"I can read to you." Élise proposes. "Maybe do some voice-reading?"

Reid chuckles, "That'd be good."

"It's a good thing I made an appointment to see an eye doctor. it would help your head feel better with a stronger prescription for your contacts and glasses."

"I love you."

Élise growls, "And you know I love you."