Chapter Text
“I just have a feeling about this place,” Reid said from the passenger seat. "Whoever lives here has to have seen the unsub cross through." His eyes were trained on the old wooden farmhouse that sat at the end of the long overgrown gravel driveway.
“I don’t know kid… It doesn’t even look like there’s anyone around to upkeep the property,” Morgan replied, as he maneuvered the SUV through the overgrown vines stretching across the fence that lined the driveway.
They pulled up to the house and parked next to a small silver car. “Well, it looks like there might be at least one person here,” Reid shrugged.
A stone pathway led to an old red barn, where the doors looked as though they were barely hanging onto the hinges. It was a large property that stretched beyond the house for several acres, disappearing down a hill. The front porch was slightly cluttered with a mix-mash of lawn chairs and outdoor furniture.
Everything about the house had a worn-in look. All the floors and walls were slanted. Even the chimney didn’t sit straight. There were cobwebs in the windows, illuminated by those electric candles. The wood pile had weeds sprouting between the logs like they hadn’t been touched in a long time.
Something about this place gave Morgan a weird vibe. “I don’t know about this Reid. Maybe we should save this for another day,” He suggested.
Reid frowned, “But we’re here now.” He unbuckled his seatbelt, “I just want to see if anyone is home. It’ll be quick.”
“No Reid, just- let’s do this another day, okay? I already texted Hotch that we'd meet everyone at the hotel.” Morgan protested. "We can come back when it's brighter and the rest of the team can come."
“It’ll just take a second. You can stay in the car if you want.” Reid was determined, and he already had the car door open.
Morgan shook his head and grumbled something under his breath, unbuckling his seatbelt and following after Reid. He would soon come to regret that he didn’t stick to his gut feeling.
His head felt heavy as he blinked his eyes open. He noticed that his hands were bound together and he was laying on the cold hard floor. The dim light barely illuminated the small, cold room. The air felt thick from the scent of musk and wetness, and three of the walls were lined with rusted metal bars. The sound of distant dripping water was the only thing that punctuated the heavy silence. He looked to his side and saw Reid sitting next to him, his back leaning up against the stone wall.
“What the hell?” He murmured as he sat up.
Reid turned his attention to Morgan, “You’re awake.”
“No shit,” Morgan replied.
“I think this is the basement. I could hear footsteps above us, but they haven’t come down,” Reid told him.
Morgan stood up and tested the door in between the metal bars. It didn’t budge. He went around and checked each bar to see if any were loose.
“I tried that already, but they’re pretty solid,” Reid said from his place on the floor. “And these cuffs only tighten the more you try to break out of them.”
Morgan looked down at his handcuffs. “Damn.” He huffed. He started to pace back and forth, his mind racing as he tried to piece together a plan. “We need a plan. We need to find a way out of here.”
Reid nodded, but his expression was troubled. "They knew exactly what they were doing. That means they have a plan, and it's probably not a good one for us."
Morgan stopped pacing and turned to Reid, frustration clear in his eyes. "Yeah, no kidding. But sitting here and pointing out the obvious isn't helping. We need solutions, Reid."
Reid looked up, his face pale. "I'm just trying to assess the situation. We need to understand our captors if we have any hope of escaping."
Morgan shook his head, his patience wearing thin. "We don't have time for that right now. We need action. We can't just sit here and overthink everything."
Reid's eyes flashed with a hint of anger. "Overthinking is how we survive, Morgan. We need to be smart about this, not impulsive."
Morgan's temper flared. "And being smart means giving up hope? Because that's what it sounds like you're doing."
Reid's shoulders slumped, hurt by Morgan's words. "I'm just trying to be realistic."
"Well, maybe your realism is the problem," Morgan snapped. "We need to believe we can get out of here, not just sit around and wait for something to happen." He glared at Reid, struggling to contain his anger. “You know what? Forget it. I’ll figure something out myself.”
Reid's face fell, Morgan's words hitting him hard. He looked away, feeling a deep sense of guilt. Maybe Morgan was right. Maybe he was the problem. He curled up on his side, feeling the exhaustion setting in.
“I’m sorry Morgan… I’ll try to be better,” Reid murmured, his eyelids falling heavy. He couldn't keep himself awake anymore.
Morgan turned around, his anger slowly ebbing away and he felt a pang of guilt as he watched Reid curl up in a corner, exhaustion overtaking him. He’d let his frustration get the best of him, but he didn’t want Reid to feel like it was his fault. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew that Reid wasn’t the problem—neither of them were. They were both trapped in a terrible situation, and anger wasn’t going to help them escape. He had to find a way out, for both their sakes.
He approached Reid cautiously, kneeling beside him. “Hey, Reid,” he said softly, trying to keep his voice steady. “I didn’t mean to go off like that. I just… I need us both to stay focused, okay?”
Reid stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Morgan could see the strain and weariness on his face, and it made his heart ache. He gently touched Reid’s shoulder, careful not to wake him. “I’m sorry. I know you’re doing your best. Let’s just try to get through this together.”
Time passed by but it was hard to tell how much.
Morgan had eventually stopped pacing and came to sit by Reid, feeling the fatigue hitting him. It felt like he had just nodded off when the screech of the metal door woke them both up. A tall man was standing in the doorway, towering over them. Morgan and Reid blinked as the harsh light assaulted their eyes. Another figure was being pushed into their cell. She fell to the floor with a grunt, her hands bound in cuffs just like Morgan and Reid’s.
“Join the party, babe!” The man laughed, as the door slammed shut again. “We’ll see you in a little!” He called out as he disappeared down the dark stony hallway.
Morgan and Reid looked at the woman on the floor, her blonde hair splayed out over her shoulders. She lifted her head and the three of them all breathed in at the same time.
“Jj!” Reid exclaimed, he scrambled up to get close to her and help her up.
“Spence,” She replied tearfully, accepting his help to sit up. She looked over at Morgan who was still looking at her in surprise.
“Jj how did they-” Morgan started.
“We got split up,” Jj responded, “Emily and I- we had a lead on the homeowner. We thought they were just a witness but… these guys- they just came out of nowhere. We had to split up.” Tears were sliding down her face. “It was the only way. Her only chance of getting help.”
“So she- she made it out?” Morgan asked.
JJ looked between the two men with uncertainty, “I don’t know.”
“Well if they don’t bring her down here with us, we can only hope that she’s with Hotch and Rossi. She knows where we are, and they’ll bring back up.” Reid said, already trying to practice being more positive.
JJ bit her lip as the gravity of the situation settled in. She nodded and leaned into Reid for comfort. “I hope so. I really hope she’s okay.”
Morgan moved closer, his earlier frustration with Reid forgotten. “We’ll get out of here, all of us. We just need to stay strong and work together.”
Emily ran as fast as she had ever run in her life. She hated that she had to leave JJ behind, but they agreed it was the best call.
It wasn't meant to be like this. They were just going for a quick interview with the homeowner. But when they pulled into the driveway, they immediately noticed Morgan and Reid's SUV.
"What are they doing here? Morgan said they were headed back to the hotel," JJ had said. She was already opening the car door and hopping out before Prentiss had time to respond.
A crisp autumn wind blew through their hair as they approached the porch. Prentiss peered into the dusty window. It was clear the windows hadn't been cleaned in a long time as a thick film distorted the view into the house.
JJ was just about to knock on the door when Prentiss stopped her, "JJ wait!" She said in a low voice.
JJ looked at Emily with a confused frown. Prentiss pointed to something inside and JJ came to stand beside her so she could see. The house was poorly lit, but the dim light from the electric candles was just enough to see both Morgan and Reid's guns, badges, and phones thrown haphazardly on a cluttered desk.
They looked at each other with wide eyes. Something wasn't right.
A pan clattered from somewhere inside the house, and they quietly moved off the porch.
They had their backs pressed up against the side of the house, straining to hear any other sounds. The front door squeaked open and heavy footsteps were thudding down the porch steps.
Emily and JJ slid along the side of the house towards the back, hoping to keep their distance. They heard a man cuss and say something about the second SUV. Prentiss looked at JJ with a frown- their cover was blown, and it wouldn't be long before they had a confrontation with these unsubs.
Suddenly the man was hollering about more feds snooping around.
Prentiss motioned for JJ to make a dash towards the back of the barn when another man appeared across from them on the other side of the house.
"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, clamoring to get his gun and shoot at them.
"JJ go!" Prentiss practically shoved her forward, following right behind. They stayed low as a bullet whizzed above their heads. Emily took a blind shot to her side where she knew the man was.
Just when they thought they had found some cover behind the barn, more men emerged from around the barn with rifles. They were running out of cover.
They dashed towards the trees, both trying to shoot over their shoulders as they ran. They kept running, trying to gain some distance between them and the men.
Two thick trees were standing on either side of their path, and they both ducked behind one. JJ stood with her back up against the tree. She peeked around the tree and fired some shots when she saw movement. Across from her, behind the other tree, Emily did the same.
JJ looked across at Prentiss, heaving for air, "I'm out. My clip is empty."
Prentiss looked back at her, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "I think we need to split up."
JJ shook her head, "No Emily, I'm not leaving you."
"Look, it's our best shot. It'll force them to split up and we might just get a chance to slip away." Prentiss told her. "If we run in a loop, we might be able to outrun them and get to the car."
JJ bit her lip. Ever since the Hankel case, she vowed never to split up from her partner, but this time... it could possibly give at least one of them a chance to get away. Finally, she nodded. "Okay, we'll try to meet at the car... but if-"
"If one of us gets there before the other and they're too close- you know what you have to do," Prentiss said, her eyes narrowing.
JJ frowned.
"The important thing is to get help," Prentiss told her.
JJ sighed and nodded, "Alright. Let's do this."
She could hear at least two or three men running after her. It wouldn’t be long before they caught up with her, and she had to decide if it was better to hide or keep going until she made it to the SUV. The keys were in her jacket pocket; she just needed to pull them out and get ready to unlock the car and jump in.
Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and her legs were burning, but she pushed on, refusing to slow down. The terrain was rough, uneven, and filled with obstacles that could easily trip her up, but she kept her focus, dodging and weaving as she ran.
She heard a scream ring out and knew it was JJ. She was hoping it wouldn't come to that, wouldn't come to having to leave JJ behind, but she couldn't dwell on that now. It was up to her to get out of there and bring back help; she couldn’t afford to make a mistake now.
As she rounded a corner, she spotted a large tree with thick branches. She felt the instinct to hide, so she decided to listen to her gut. The men were too close, and if she tried to make it to the SUV, she might lead them right to it. She needed to buy some time.
With a desperate leap, Emily grabbed the lowest branch and scrambled up, pulling herself higher into the tree. She climbed quickly, her heart pounding in her chest, and settled on a sturdy branch about ten feet off the ground. She pressed herself against the trunk, trying to make herself as small as possible.
The men burst into the clearing just moments later, looking around frantically. Emily held her breath, praying they wouldn’t look up. One of the men, the leader by the looks of him, scanned the area, his eyes narrowing.
“Spread out,” he ordered. “She can’t have gone far.”
As the men fanned out, one of them walked directly beneath the tree where Emily was hiding. Her heart stopped when she realized she had dropped the keys in her scramble to climb up. They lay on the ground, glinting in the moonlight, just inches from the man’s foot. Emily’s stomach clenched as the man’s gaze swept the ground. He took a step forward, his boot almost touching the keys. She bit her lip, fighting back a gasp, and willed him to move on.
After what felt like an eternity, the man turned away, continuing his search in the opposite direction. Emily let out a silent sigh of relief, waiting until the men had moved farther away before carefully climbing down. Her hands trembled as she reached for the keys, scooping them up and clutching them tightly.
She could still hear the men nearby, she had to make a run for it. Taking a deep breath, she bolted from her hiding place, sprinting toward the SUV with all the speed she could muster. The SUV was just beyond the tree line in the driveway, a few hundred yards away.
She could hear the men shouting behind her, realizing she had slipped through their fingers.
As she reached the SUV, she pressed the unlock button, hearing the click of the locks disengaging. She yanked open the driver’s door and threw herself inside, slamming the door shut behind her. Her hands shook as she fumbled to start the engine, but after a moment that felt like an eternity, the SUV roared to life. She shifted into gear and floored the gas pedal, tearing down the dirt road away from the compound.
She glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the men emerge from the trees, their faces twisted in frustration and anger as they realized she had escaped.
She allowed herself a brief moment of relief but knew the real challenge was only beginning. She needed to get to Hotch and Rossi and tell them what had happened so they could form a plan to rescue the others.
She couldn’t let her team down. Not now, not ever.