Disclaimer: I don't own criminal minds. This is my first story, I might continue it based on feed back so please feel free to let me know what your think!

It had been hours since he had moved from his spot. The clock that hung high above the wall was taunting him, tick after tick, purposely passing time even slower then could ever be thought possible.

Reid drummed his finger nails on the coffee table as he let out a deep sigh. He had been looking at the same clues for over six hours and still had nothing. The unsub killed so many people and yet the team couldn't figure out any connection between the victims.

Tick-Tick-Tick. He either was going to pull the clock off the wall and thrash it into the wall or pull the hair out of his own skull. Both outcomes looked decent.

It was hard to believe that had only been a few hours ago.

Now his hand squeezed tighter trying to stop blood from seeping out of his side. His feet hit the ground pounding against the dirt, the branches and the leaves left in his path. And he was tired. So tired.

His heart pounded in his ears begging to give out, but his feet only moved quicker; jumping over logs, ducking under trees, anything for a few more seconds of distance between him and the unsub. He had no idea how long he had been running for; maybe minutes, maybe hours. Time seemed to stand still. Tears filled his eyes, his face burned as his lungs gasped for breath. He'd give anything for that mind numbing boringness now.

Reid skidded behind a tree and ducked to the ground. The sleeves of his jacket and his cold skin pressed tightly against the dirt as he held his breath trying not to make a movement. He could not believe he got stuck into this damn mess – not that it was anything new. Thanks to life at the BAU Reid had always found a way into the most…unique and interesting situations. He was trained to expect the unexpected and adapt to any situation; whether it was getting kidnapped by someone with dissociative identity disorder and shot him up with drugs or trying to save a teenage girl's life by a unsub who believed he was the Fisher king.

Reid was smart. He had an IQ of 187 for god's sake. So how could he have been so stupid? He just wanted to go visit the crime scene for a new perspective, he didn't think he needed an escort. He didn't know why he didn't think to grab Morgan or Emily or JJ to go with him...actually that's a lie.

Truth was he wasn't expecting any trouble; the profile said that the unsub never returned to the scene of the murders. Plus he just wanted to clear his head; the headaches were coming and going so often these days, he thought some fresh air might do him some good.

Stupid, stupid mistake - especially tonight. God, if he got out of this situation alive Hotch was going to kill him. He rolled his eyes to himself in the darkness as his eyes tried to adjust. The footsteps that had been behind his were now closer. His body went completely still. He knew he had minutes, maybe moments before whoever was behind his would find him – laying weapon less on the ground.

He always thought he would die in some cool, blaze of glory kind of way- he was an FBI agent. He didn't want to go like the pictures of the people they get when the team is first invited into a case. The Victims. Suddenly image after image flashed into his head; men and women of all different sizes and ages. Some with gun shots, some with stab wounds and some hunted down and bodies covered in leaves and dirt. He never wanted to go out like the people they couldn't save. The thought of his team finding his lifeless body and having to investigate just killed him.

Screw this Reid thought. If he was going down it wasn't going to involve an unsub chasing him in the woods. He knew he had to make a run for it.

His arms pushed his body off the ground slowly as his side stung, begging for him not to move again. His foot carved into the ground as he set his body. 3…2…1 – go

Reid made it only past the end of the trees before a hand grabbed his arm. Reid twisted trying to avoid the ground and the shadowed figure. His side screamed at him as his heart pounded his chest. He couldn't take the pain; his legs were giving out beneath him as he was losing his balance.

It was only on his way stumbling into a near hit with the light post, did he realize that it had not been the same person who had been chasing him. A breath of relief hit him as the light captured the face. The dark skin, the lack of hair, the familiar eyes.

It was Morgan.

"It's okay prettyboy," Morgan whispered as he wrapped an arm around Reid to support him. Morgan saw the shape Reid was in; hair disheveled, sweat running down his face, pure exhaustion running over him that was clear as day. Morgan only griped him tighter. "I got ya, it's just me. Your safe." Morgan just repeated himself over and over as he lead Reid in the direction of the clearing.