I've had an eventful couple of days.

Chapter Three:

2007:

Gideon noticed smoke coming out of the chimney of his cabin. He didn't even reach for his gun. Walking in and dropping his bags off by the entrance, he found Josie, dressed in black, sitting by the fireplace. There was a hint of canvas, peaking out among the flames. Looking around, he saw the picture frames were empty.

"Canvas and oil make for fine kindling," she said.

"Are you here to kill me?"

"Spencer Reid sees you as a father figure. Hurting you would only hurt him more. I will not claim your life Jason Gideon."

"So, what do you want?"

"For you to look in my eyes and know I take zero pleasure in being right."

"I should have done more. I should have protected his mind better—"

"You should have learned from me, you bastard!"

Josie stood up and ripped her open her.

"Look at them! LOOK AT THEM!"

He could see the scars. Josie buttoned her shirt.

"Are you going to look in on him?"

"I think he needs some space to process everything."

"Like I did!?"

She ripped her sleeve down, revealing barely visible vertical cuts.

"Josie, he's different. He's going to be okay."

She looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped. Jose walked to the door and before she closed the door behind her, she said:

"This will never be over."

Present:

Reid was tied to the back of the van on his belly. He saw Levi's shadow. Then he felt him taking his shoes off. Then undoing his belt.

"Stop!" he shouted.

Levi, laughed and pulled his pants and underwear off. He slapped his bare rear end with his belt. He tried not to cried not to cry. Biting his lip, he tried not to let terror fill him as he heard Levi unzipping his pants.

Suddenly, he could hear Opus Eighteen.

"Open your eyes, Dr. Reid."

He slowly opened his eyes and found Josie, dressed as a nurse standing over him with her iPhone playing Beethoven.

"I'm being reckless," she said. "I just wanted to see you, one more time."

"Thank you," he managed to whisper.

"Everything I've read indicates you've managed to save yourself more often than not."

"Not always."

She brought over a cup of water.

"Slow sips."

The water felt amazing, going down his throat. Looking outside, he saw it was pitch-dark.

"It's three a.m." she said, reading his thoughts.

He thought of the moments of his last dream. They terrified him.

"This is the hard part. Surviving the unspeakable. You and I both know there are medications that can help with the dreams. I suggest you try them."

Reid studied her features closely.

"Who are you? Why do you care so much about me?"

"Those two questions have several answers. Your team has probably spent some time chatting with Ed McCarthy, the only person alive who remembers me, since most records of my existence have been deleted. Albertville is a hick town with only one sheriff and three deputies. The only reason the FBI came was because one of the victims was the daughter of a land developer, who was threatening to go national with the story.

I told Gideon we needed more information. That five locations were too many to search at night, with such limited resources. But I think you noticed he had a hero complex. Time was running out before the next victim would die. I wanted to stay behind and monitor the phones. I was two weeks away from my twenty-fifth birthday and had just passed my firearms certification a month ago! But a deputy said I should come along. I will never forget looking at Gideon and saying 'no,' and he looked at me with that kind smile and said: 'You'll be fine.'"

"I wasn't fine, Dr. Reid. I'll tell you the rest another time."

He tried to reach for her.

"Don't go."

A doctor appeared in a lab coat.

"You're not one of his doctors," Josie said.

"You're not a nurse either," he said in a menacing tone and pulled out a gun.

Josie grabbed the hand with the gun, angled the elbow, and pulled it forward, causing the man to shoot himself in the throat. Reid was sprayed with blood.

"This has nothing to do with you," she said calmly as she picked up his phone and hit an alarm by his bed. "There are certain people who do know about me, and are after me. Ask Prentiss about the Red Serpent."

Josie wiped a spec of blood off his face.

"Promise you'll take care of yourself for me?"

"Don't go! Let me help you."

"I've endangered your life enough already. Gideon didn't learn from the mistakes he made with me. I'll always be watching out for you."

"Josie!"

She opened the blinds and unlocked a window. As she climbed out, she smiled weakly at him.

"Until we meet again."