Nietzsche's Butterfly

by BenignViewer

Every man has a breaking point. But it was hard to point to what that was for Spencer Reid. Was it his last stand for the boy-made-killer: brilliant and abused? Was it before: when he loved the drug that stole his pain and so much more? Or was it earlier still: a beauty that transcended all classical and modern definition, whispering her childhood love of butterflies in his ear?

"Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." – Nietzsche

"There are no beautiful surfaces, without a terrible depth." – Nietzsche

She played soccer well enough to try out for the national team. She studied communications and literature with her full scholarship. A child of a broken home, she left it all behind to join the FBI after a single lecture. And she collected butterflies. Spencer had studied almost every subject known to man, but as she whispered this tiny secret to him, he felt like he'd learned nothing.