When people talk about going to prison, it's always high level. Hypothetical. They don't understand the day to day experience, the way days creep into weeks and into months. You get into a rhythm and learn to block things out. First noises, then people, then thoughts. Thinking is too painful in a place like this, and hope is a worse killer than some of the people locked in here. When Dr. Spencer Reid thought about what prison would be like, he had anticipated the external conflict he would face from other prisoners. He had even considered the loneliness that he would feel being away from his mom and his team - his family. What he hadn't considered was how it would change him.

He took the plea deal at the insistence of his attorney and his then-Unit Chief Emily Prentiss. He was facing 25 to life, and 2-4 years in prison was a drop in the bucket comparatively. Garcia reassured him that they would set up a schedule to visit him, Rossi promised to keep his apartment lease going so he would have something to come home to, JJ agreed to keep watch over his mom while he was away. And they did. For a while. But life happened and Garcia lost track of the visiting schedule, Rossi forgot to renew the lease when a new property manager came onboard, and worst of all JJ didn't have to watch over his mother for very long. Her Alzheimer's deteriorated and within a year she was gone. Spencer's life as he knew it was slipping through his fingers and he was helpless to stop it.

Eventually it just worked out easier for him to forget about life on the outside all together. Keep your head down, serve your time, and get the hell out. Count the cracks in the ceiling, memorize the stitches on your shoes, and reread Moby Dick until your eyes burn. Anything to keep the thoughts away. If you do it just right, you'll see time slip by just like your old life. You'll be surprised when the guard opens your cell door, tosses you your civilian clothes and tells you it's your lucky day. You'll step outside, feel the breeze on your skin, and start a new life. There's nothing for you here.

—

Emily Prentiss was stressed. Her desk was covered in casework she needed to file, Andrew was waiting on her to confirm their dinner date, and the team was waiting on her for the morning briefing. Just when she had thought she had a hang of the job, it threw another curveball at her. When her cell phone rang, she sent it straight to voicemail like she had gotten into a habit of doing. Any call that wasn't work or Andrew related was put on the back burner. She threw her paperwork to the side and raced in to join the meeting just in time for Penelope's briefing.

"Sorry I'm late, Garcia go right ahead."

"Alrighty, today's not so fun case is taking us to Tallahassee, the not-so-sexy sister of Orlando, Florida. On October 21st the body of 27-year-old Amber Kerwin was discovered outside of a swampy marsh. Local PD thought it was an isolated incident - Amber was a lady of the night so to speak - until the bodies of 26-year-old Taryn Smith and 27-year-old Ellie McGrath were discovered on October 24th and October 27th respectively."

JJ sighed, "A three day pattern. If he's new at this he's starting out with a lot of confidence."

"That suggests a more mature unsub," Rossi added. "And this might not be his first rodeo. He could have crossed state lines and started fresh here. Garcia, did you check—"

"CODIS?" Garcia chirped back. "Yep, first place I checked and unfortunately...or fortunately I guess, there are no baddies strangling women in their twenties and leaving them in swampy or deserted areas. At least not in North America."

"Well today is the 28th, which means he is likely to strike again in the next two days," Prentiss said. "Let's get moving before he escalates any further. Wheels up in 30."

—

Penelope Garcia had a gnawing feeling at the back of her head. There was something she was forgetting, something she was missing. It had been bothering her all morning, so when the team left to board the jet she ran a quick search for any relevant events surrounding or related to this time of the year. She was expecting icky photos of bodies or terrifying photos of terrorist activity, but what she found made her heart sink even further than that. A photo of her, the team, and their beloved former Good Doctor, Spencer Reid. They had a Day of the Dead party at her apartment just a few years earlier. Things were easier then, happier. It was before Hotch and Morgan left, and before Reid went to prison.

Her heart hurt just thinking of Spencer and all the promises she had made to him. She had meant to keep up with visitation, she really did. But life got in the way and before she knew it three years had gone by. Wait...three years. She typed aggressively on her keyboard and her stomach dropped. Before she could think, she dialed the team on the jet.

"Hey guys and dolls," she said, her voice shaky and unlike her usual perky self. "I just ran a quick search and—"

"Did something else happen in Florida?" Alvez asked, concern on his face.

"Reid got released from prison," Garcia choked out. Even on VC they could see the tears forming in her eyes.

A sigh ran through the plane. A sigh of...relief? Concern? Guilt that they hadn't thought of him sooner?

"Oh my god, Garcia, when?" JJ asked, clutching her chest as if her heart was about to jump out of it.

"That's the thing," Garcia's face fell and she was unable to hold back the tears. "15 months ago. He's been out for 15 months and none of us knew."