Holy crap, this was amazing

I am also more than slightly obsessed with that episode, have seen it at least 7 times... every time I hear 'Sympathy for the Devil' I can't stop thinking about it. it is obvious they tried to keep it 'light', even if it was about murder, kidnapping and drug abuse, letting what happened 'between lines' to each one's imagination. A good thing considering all of the very good stories that we can find here about Revelations, including this one. Weirdly enough, I think most of the stories complement each other and don't clash.

Thank you for a good piece, I will have a look at your other stories and then, I will watch the episode again.

See you.

Ahh...I'm sad that it's over :( You captured his resignation so well! You sure there aren't anymore scenes to capture? J/K You hit all the main points! I got so sad at the end with his mental "goodbye" to his friends...I have no doubt that he was doing that the moments before the actual show cut to him in the graveyard. I also liked how you described their journey out there...I always wondered how that went down...Anyways, bravo this gift that you have given us! Your insight was spot on!

Ohhhhhhh, what a note to end it on! Even though we all know how things progress after this, still, the WAY you ended it here was so heartwrenching.

All of Reid's thoughts, about his mom and his teammates, were absolutely heartbreaking. Reassuring JJ that none of this was her fault, calling her his guardian angel, Garcia helping him embrace his weird quirkiness, Morgan being his best friend, apologizing to Hotch...ohhhhhh :(. And then the thoughts about his mom and Gideon! He honestly thinks he could be forgotten and replaced so easily? I'm going to blame that line of thinking on him being so drugged up as he was during his captivity, 'cause I would certainly hope he'd realize, when sober, how so not true that would be! Oh, Reid... The thoughts about Emily were sweet and touching, too. Man. Yeah. Rest assured that if things had turned out like he feared they would here, his teammates and his mom would've been beyond devastated. It hurts to think he would've gone to such dark thoughts, but I love how you addressed all of that here.

I also really love how you differentiated between him not being scared of death in and of itself and being scared to die as he might've here, in this particular way. Indeed, after going through it once before, I can see why he might come to some calmer conclusions about the concept of death. But yeah, that still doesn't mean he's in any hurry to speed up that process! That being said, however, given how exhausted and drained and beaten down (physically AND mentally and emotionally) he was here, I certainly don't blame him for longing for something or anything that will end this torture and pain once and for all. Especially once he realizes Tobias' end plan in general-fear taking over, feeling helpless and unsure of how easily he'll be able to get away and so on, yeah. It makes sense. Knowing Reid, I can just hear him berating himself for feeling weak, but he's not. He's reacting the way any human being would in these circumstances. Seeing that apathy and fear, no matter how brief, though-well, my heart goes out to him.

But I love the little detail about him grabbing a small shovel, so that it would take a while for him to dig and thus give him some time to possibly plan an escape, and that he still holds some hope that his teammates are out there and close by and looking for him, and that he uses the walk to the graveyard to keep thinking of ways to get out. That fighting spirit still lingers on! It's Reid, after all. I don't think he'd ever completely stop fighting, even if it would be in his best interests to do so :).

I also like the detail of Tobias' weird acts of politeness and kindness despite all he's put Reid through the last couple days, and how quickly he veers from yelling at Reid to dig to holding a door open for him to slapping him across the face. Even after spending two days with the guy, even after doing his best to profile him and understand his next moves and such, it's clear Tobias is incredibly complex and his personality and behavior will take Reid YEARS to fully understand, if ever. And it explains so well the mixed feelings Reid has about his sympathy for and defense of Tobias in years following this, too.

A haunting way to wrap up this short story. Love how you were able to expand on things we didn't get to see in the show, things we wondered about and would've liked a little more detail on. I think these can easily fit well as proper missing scenes from the episode. And a nice choice of story to inspire you as well! Sorry to hear you had a negative review recently, too-surprised that anyone could find something bad to say about your work, but I admire the way you handled it :). Here's to hoping that'll be your last negative review, too.

Sad to see this end, but a very fascinating, albeit heartbreaking, read. As always, I look forward to what you share with us next!

AWESOME last chapter. .. but story was seriously. phenomenal. !
Sorry you had a bad review. But you rose above and finished like a pro! Is like Morgan says when he's talking to Reid..."just use it to make you a better person, a better (writer)". Sometimes we can use the negative to bring a positive. I would say THIS CHAPTER is a good example of it.! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK & I hope to read more from you in tge future. Great. Great. Ending & I agree... there was a lot of emotions that needed to be written about from this time frame !

More please!

Ohhhh...super awesome! You pinpointed everything that I believe would be going through that genius mind...of course he would be feeling guilt for getting two people killed...even though he would have felt just as bad over one. Then you had him sitting there thinking about overdosing and his eventual death...oh I was shivering. I made a pouty face when you had him thinking about staying quiet and still, because I knew in the end it wouldn't matter for him :( There was no way that his submissiveness would have prevented Charles from attacking him...nothing would have made a difference. I think I need to go watch the episode now before bed...just to give me pleasant dream...wait...something like that shouldn't give me good dreams right? Hmmm...I may need some therapy. So what are you tackling next? Post CPR? or are you jumping straight to the graveyard? Ooo..I can't wait to read your take on that! Can't wait for more and I really can't wait to read your Reid/Morgan story too! Take Care!

So, I have had this in my queue forever to review! I am so sorry that it has taken me so long...I blame the baby and the fact that I hate typing reviews on my phone...gotta love a real keyboard. Anyways, I love how this chapter is simply him sitting in terror reviewing everything that has happened so far. You know that our favorite genius's mind was going miles a minute while trussed up in that cabin. Oh, and I loved how you pointed out the fact that there were more track marks on his arm than drug injections shown in the episode. Yeah, that and the fact that you tried to explain why Reid never escaped from that rickety chair...that has always been my one quibble with the episode...I just have the hardest time believing that he was too weak/drugged/injured to break that thing in two. I've watched the commentary a billion times and they even talked about how they thought the thing was going to break during a few scenes...but I digress. I love the fact that you are tackling this episode and expanding on it, I know you'll do an excellent job...I can't wait to hit the next button and read your newest chapter!

Your author's note at the beginning reminds me of why I often wasn't keen on group projects in school. Ugh. I don't blame you for being annoyed, that'd tick me off, too. Hopefully things can be sorted out with that for you soon! In the meantime, much as my heart goes out to poor Reid for getting the brunt of your frustrations, if that helps you feel better, then so be it.

And seriously, my heart really does go out to Reid here. Oh, the poor thing. It's bad enough he has to weigh the options of living or dying, given that living doesn't exactly provide him with the nicest alternative at this point...but now he has to think about the various ways in which he could die as well. Beatings, torture, drug overdose...all gruesome, horrifically unpleasant ways to go. I could feel his intense fear as he realized what he was likely being injected with, and the potential effects of that drug on him. Indeed, heroin is an ugly, ugly drug, and it wouldn't surprise me if there were moments when he'd actually take death over the thought of living with the effects of heroin. Ye gods.

And then on top of that all the guilt he's feeling over his supposed responsibility for those murders, him thinking he'd caved and shown his weakness and allowed that to happen as a result...I just want to jump through the screen and hug him and tell him over and over again that no, none of this is his fault. Absolutely none of it. Not like he'd believe me given his current mental state here, mind, but still... Agh. And the other debates going on in his mind-whether or not he can trust that his team would understand his clue, whether he'd made it too difficult for them to find him, whether they'd even come at all, whether or not he was still "innocent"-having those internal debates would be tough enough when sober. To think of him having to wonder about that stuff while hopped up on drugs AND suffering from physical abuse AND being held captive by a serial killer-yeow. The idea that his brain is still functioning at all at this point is impressive to me, and says a lot about just how brilliant a person he is, that he can still manage some form of coherent thought, no matter how painful or self-loathing, even in the midst of such pressure and terror. But damn, it just breaks my heart to imagine him feeling or thinking this way at all to begin with. This part in particular really got to me:

"God, no, Reid pleaded, not caring for a moment that he was not a religious man, and that, even if he was, no God had been near this place in quite some time. All he could think about was how easily, how quickly and mercilessly, one could die if they were strung out on heroin. He prayed, begged, did everything short of getting on his knees and testifying, that that wasn't what Tobias kept shooting him up with."

I got such a sad, sad image of Reid in my head here. Seriously, can I please just go hug him now or something?

I completely understand him needing to remain calm-a calm, level head will always help in tense situations. But I don't blame him one bit for showing his fear every so often, too. Especially given he has to be aware of which personality might show up-the thought of Charles reliving his crimes right in front of Reid is downright chilling and horrifying.

And as the end of this chapter indicates, it's only going to get even scarier from here, as we all know what happens next. I know what you mean about getting chills during certain scenes in this episode-I don't care how many times I see it, there's notable parts that still get to me and make me hold my breath, too. The whole thing is just so damn CREEPY.

I shall end on a light note by saying that I am excited to hear you do have a Morgan/Reid story planned. I completely understand wanting to let things percolate a bit idea-wise, though, as well as not wanting it to conflict with other goings-ons, so I shall do my best to patiently wait :). I look forward to reading it when you are able to finally share it.

In the meantime, I shall brace myself for the awful things yet to come for Reid here. At least we do know this story will eventually have a good ending, so that's of some comfort. Can't wait for the next part.

I am also surprised that the series didn't show the amount of beating Reid must have endured during his captivity. He should have had broken bones all over his body.
I think the more terrifying part of all this is the psychological torture Reid is going through. Your story is proof that there was much more than shown.
You're doing a great job. I hope there's more to come.

There have been many fanfics about this subject. None of them have mentioned that Reid never went to the bathroom for 2 days. That wasn't mentioned on the show. Reid wasn't the least bit dirty or looked sweaty or smelly. No one can hold their bladder for that long.

Okay, this little series is absolutely AWESOME. And seriously, it needs to keep going. I, too, am obsessed with this episode (it turned me into a rabid Reid!whump fan) and I can't get enough of fics based on it. So hooray and thank you! And please keep going!

I'm obsessed with this episode, too. I love it when new things get written about it. There can never be too many! :-)
So thank you for this extra insight into what Reid was going through. It's chilling and amazing. xo

OH MY GOD. I don't have any words for how amazing this is. One, I just want to commend you on an amazing writing job. It's fantastic. You can write and convey things so perfectly and wonderfully...just wow. Two, I want to hug Reid so much after reading this. You know, in a lot of the fics I've read, people seem to forget about his foot and focus more on the drugs. So I was interested to get that perspective. I just felt so bad for Reid here. Very nice job and take on this episode. So wonderful!

Oh, Reid...

Yeah, so I'm pretty sure I took care of feeling any of the pain Reid wasn't able to feel while reading that whole bit about the damage done to his foot, especially with the mention of the "furious religious fanatic slamming a hammer" into it. Whoooooole lotta squirming and wincing and cringing and rubbing of my own feet going on over here right now. Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow. Good lord.

And of course, the reason as to WHY he can't feel that pain, at least not as much as he should be able to, is even more horrific. Oh, my god, my heart broke for him at the panic he felt upon realizing he'd been drugged. I hadn't considered how watching his mom deal with the effects of the drugs she had to take for her mental issues would scare him off the very idea of them altogether-it's bad enough he fears ending up like his mom mentally, this would no doubt add to that worry. I like how you bring in that fear to add to his freakout over having been drugged-and twice, at that.

And it's not even just the fact that he's afraid of ending up like his mom, either. As he notes, his mind, his intelligence, needs to be working at proper speed for him to have any chance at getting out of here alive, and if the drugs mess with that ability...yeah. I'd be panicking, too. To say nothing of the fact that he's not even sure yet what the hell he's been drugged with. Way to bring home the seriousness and horror of that part of this whole ordeal.

I also liked how you subtly let us know that he wasn't alone in that room. The appearance of the sudden, slow, deep breathing from Tobias was very creepy as it was, for someone who's just come out of a sleepy/unconscious state, like Reid did, I can only imagine how startling that would've been.

I feel for him, too, with the constant wondering and worrying about his teammates-what they're doing, if they're anywhere nearby, even the faint concern that they might not know he's gone, might not be coming to save him, at least not until it's too late. And then him berating himself, thinking of all the ways Hotch, Gideon, and Morgan would've handled this situation (or avoided it altogether), unlike him...ouch. Aw. Poor thing. So good at showing his frustration here, with finding himself in this situation, with feeling helpless and a complete lack of control, knowing his usual methods of trying to escape or placate this unsub weren't going to work, hadn't worked.

But I love the way he rationalizes how he's got to approach each personality. Letting Raphael take control, realizing he'll have to keep antagonizing Charles, despite the other risks doing so could pose along the way, and sympathizing with Tobias (and already acknowledging his "help" he's given Reid along the way-a subtle sign of how quickly he's becoming addicted right there). I also like that Reid does acknowledge the risk here-good way to note that he's got a bias, that his fear could do more harm than good. But what was it Reid once said in an episode after this one? He did some of his best work under intense terror? That's certainly going to be proven here, and how.

And then that ending. With Reid's head being yanked back. Again, I sit here cringing, and again, I say, poor Reid.

All of that said, however, now you've got me in the mood to watch this episode as well! I'm always up for any stories centered around "Revelations", there's so much to mine there, so much drama and intense situations to deal with. I loved the other stories you've written surrounding this episode, and I can already tell I'm going to like this one, too, heartbreaking though it will no doubt be. Can't wait to see what comes next.