A/N: I have half of 'The Third' written, but it's on my old computer. Until I can get everything off of the hard drive, I won't post anything else for that story. It should be up and going again in about a week!
This plot has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. It's almost a little OOC, in the sense that Hotch and Prentiss are in an Established relationship. I'm trying to keep them as in character as possible, but it's a little tricky as I'm sure most of you know. PLEASE let me know if there is anything that rubs you the wrong way or that seems WAY to far-fetched. I don't want to do any disservice to the show!
THERE IS NO MOLLY IN THIS STORY. I don't think people really enjoyed my little OC, so I plan on keeping her out of this particular story. You could say that it's in the same universe, but there will be no mention of her.
Please read and review! It really does help!
/\\\/\\\
He never really knew that it was possible to actually hear pain-to taste it...to smell it. But when he opened his eyes and rolled over onto his right side, all of his senses were assaulted with the sensation of pure agony.
His cheek-coated with sweat-picked up flakes of dry leaves and bark when it brushed against the ground. With a loud groan he maneuvered himself onto his back again. The gray sky was almost entirely hidden beneath the dark treetops that loomed from above.
It was early evening.
A whimper from his left reminded him that he was not alone. "Emily?" He gasped, coughing from the strain on his lungs. "Oh...God...Emily? Are you okay?" He rolled his head over to look at her.
She looked as bad as he felt. Blood coated the side of her face and flowed freely from her nose and lower lip. Bruises adorned her beautiful neck and left eye-nearly swelling it shut. Her blue jacket was torn along the left arm revealing a deep gash.
Whimpering, Agent Prentiss forced a nod. "I think I'm okay."
A lie. A huge lie.
She felt like death was on its way to punch her in the face and drag her into the pits of hell.
Aaron's snort told her that he was thinking the exact same thing.
For minutes, they lay there. In the cool clearing of the forest, listening only to each other's breathing and the pitter patter of rain bouncing from the leaves to the earth. Every now and then, the 'caw' of a bird would come just before it would swoop past their eyes.
When the pain began to fade into the recesses of her mind, Emily reached her arm out and dropped it across Hotch's chest.
"What the hell happened?"
/\\\/\\\
Two Days Earlier
"Well, this looks familiar." Derek commented, taking in the photos being projected onto the screen.
It had actually been something they'd seen quite a bit over the years, given their occupation. Humans hunting humans. It was different from serial killers who sought out an individual in their private home. Of course, there was no killer that was better than another.
But there was something about people hunting down people in ways that would be too cruel for any animal, which had the team on edge.
"Yes darling." Garcia tapped the top of her friend's head with her remote. "Just like our sickie-sick brothers from Idaho, we have an even sicker...sick...sicko...in Minnesota."
"His victimology appears to be mostly white middle-aged adults." Rossi observed by looking at the photos of the four victims.
"It's possible that these are just victims of circumstance." Hotch said. "These were all individuals who had been hiking with a larger group and were somehow separated. It's doubtful that he would be picky enough to stick to a specific race or gender."
The first kill occurred six months prior. It had been a gentleman fresh out of grad school. He had been hiking with some friends he'd gone to high school with when he suddenly disappeared from the trail. A week and a half later, he was discovered hanging from a tree hundreds of miles from where he'd last been seen. It was obviously a suicide, but the strange wounds covering his body suggested foul play.
A week later a woman camping with her family was taken in the middle of the night. It only took park rangers a week to find her. She'd been shot through the head with a crossbow.
After that, it was another woman, bludgeoned to death with something blunt. She was discovered in a cave less than a mile from the trail she'd been hiking on with her husband and dogs.
The latest victim was a local cop. He had been investigating the mysterious deaths with his team. He had been abducted, but the Unsub let him keep his gun and mace. Throughout the three week search, his men could hear distant shots being fired, but they didn't find him until it was too late. Wolves had gotten to his body first, but from what remained, it was obvious that he had undergone the same amount of torture as the others.
"It looks like I'm going to need to go home and get my hiking shoes." Dave mused, running his finger along the large topographic map spread out between Spencer and himself. "Something tells me that my Oxfords won't be rugged enough for this trip."
"No they won't." Hotch muttered. "Everyone get home and pack your warmest clothes. It's still winter up there and odds are we won't be staying in the Sheridan. Wheels up at noon."
/\\\/\\\
They'd been living together for less than a month now.
Emily's clothes had taken up more than half of his closet and they'd had to get a whole new dresser to accommodate the rest. But Aaron wasn't complaining.
He got to wake up every morning wrapped around the love of his life. In fact, he got to spend every minute of every day with her. And while that may have been too much for some people, it wasn't nearly enough for him. He loathed going to sleep at night because it meant he would have to go six to eight hours without seeing her.
"Have you seen my fleece jacket?" Her voice came from beneath the bed. "The one...the one with the elbow patches."
"What color is it?" He was just zipping up his larger Go-Bag. Normally he just needed the one small duffel to accommodate his three shirts and undershirts, three pairs of pants, two sets of boxers, and all of his toiletries. But now he was bringing the same amount of clothing, plus outerwear and heavy duty boots.
Emily huffed and yanked the Tupperware container out from its hiding spot under the bed frame. "Either navy...or cream..."
"You don't know?" He quirked a brow and rounded the mattress to pull her to her feet and lift the box to set on top of the comforter. He popped the lid off and grabbed a handful of her winter clothes from inside. "The more layers the better."
He handed her the pile of thermal and flannel undershirts. Emily never really caught cold. She was very cautious in regards to germs and practically bathed in hand sanitizer every flu season. In the years that he'd known her, she had only gotten sick once, and that had been a doozy. They both wanted to avoid it happening again.
Hotch yanked a quilted fleece jacket-navy blue with cream elbow patches- from the bottom of the container. "Is this it?"
She beamed and nodded. "Yes!" Taking it from him, she slipped it on over her black button down shirt. It clashed with the black ensemble, but she didn't care. She was running out of room in her bag and the jet was always cold. It was better to just wear the thing now.
Aaron smiled fondly as he watched her finish up. She had stuffed the stack of clothes he'd handed to her inside of the bag-twice as big as his-and tied her hiking boots to the outside straps. Her bathroom bag was a separate floral tote that she'd gotten from Garcia for her birthday. It was large also, but it held her curling iron, blow dryer, shower products, and makeup.
Normally she packed the bare minimum-his Emily was not high maintenance-but they were going to be staying in a cabin on the outskirts of the Superior National Forest. He'd be surprised if they even had hot water there.
"Do you have a heavy coat too?" He picked up her bag as well as his own. "The highs are in the teens in the city. The mountains might get into the negatives at sundown."
Emily cringed and dashed into the closet. A moment later she emerged with one of his giant jackets-the camel colored leather one with a fleece lining. She had gotten it for him that Christmas, but so far she had worn it more than him.
"It's warmer than mine." She defended herself, slipping it over her arm and snatching up her bathroom bag before he could add it to his load.
"As long as you're warm." He responded, kissing the top of her head before heading out of their bedroom. "Now let's move. We're meeting the team in twenty."
/
Present
Once they were both able to swallow their discomfort, it took them less than five minutes to climb to their feet.
Emily walked back and forth between two trees to get her legs re-circulated, while Hotch took in their surroundings.
They were on a small slope surrounded by pines, hemlocks, and other species he recognized but couldn't name. Behind the trees he could see the outline of the mountains in the distance, half-covered by the misting rain and heavy clouds.
"Emily." He called, turning to her and holding out his arms. He needed to hold her right now. It wasn't that he was just afraid (which, he most certainly was). He was exhausted, and Emily would keep him focused. She would remind him that it wasn't just him out there. He had her as well.
They had each other.
"I'm so sorry." He heard her whimper as she rushed forward into his embrace. She tucked her head, still bleeding tumultuously, beneath his chin and dug her fingers into his back. "I'm sorry."
Shocked, Aaron buried his fingers into the hair on the back of her head. "This isn't your fault." He insisted, not leaving any room for argument. "This was going to happen no matter what."
"But-"
"No." He kissed the edge of her head wound fiercely. He wished it was like one of Jack's tiny scratches-the ones he acquired when falling off of his 'Big Boy Bike'-that immediately felt better with a kiss. Then he would have pressed his lips to every inch of her visible alabaster skin. "We won't discuss this any further. Understood Agent?"
Her lips tightened into an affectionate smile. He wasn't ordering her around. He was keeping her emotions in check. That's what she needed right now. "Understood." She whispered, sniffling and kissing his stubbled jawline.
"Now." Hotch tightened his hold on her before slowly releasing her. "Let's get moving. It looks like we only have a few hours before the hunt begins."