The clock on the prison wall read 2:17 p.m. The cold concrete seemed to absorb all hope, but that day, when they opened his cell, his stomach sank. He no longer knew what to expect—perhaps another interrogation, a threat, or worse, a beating. With slow steps and an empty gaze, he left his cell, guided by the guards.

What he didn’t expect was to find you at the end of the hallway. You were dressed formally, but the exhaustion was evident in your eyes—eyes that hadn’t fully closed in those three months. Your hair was slightly disheveled, and a thick folder was tucked under your arm, but the only thing that mattered in that moment was the relieved smile forming on your lips as you saw him.

“What are you doing here?” Reid asked, distrust heavy in his voice.

You stepped closer, taking a deep breath to calm the knot in your chest. “We came for you, Spencer. We did it. It’s… over.”

For a moment, Reid said nothing. His gaze locked onto yours, searching for any hint of mockery or deceit, but all he found was sincerity. He took a step back, as if the weight of your words hit him all at once, lowering his gaze in disbelief.

The minutes that followed passed in a blur. Signatures, procedures, the return of his belongings… And then, Reid was standing there, outside the prison doors, with you by his side. As the sunlight hit his face, his eyes squinted. It had been so long since he had seen the sky that, for a moment, he almost forgot how to breathe.