Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, thanks for everyone who has reviewed.

"Jenny Jareau." A uniformed officer smiled as he approached her. JJ glanced quickly back to the car, grateful to see Morgan engrossed in some conversation on his phone. "Never thought I'd see you back here."

"Jim." JJ grinned, holding out her hand. "It's been a long time."

"Too long." He smiled, ignoring the outstretched hand and enveloping her in a warm hug. She laughed and pushed him away. "How about we get to work?" She asked, sobering slightly at the sight of the immense woods in front of her.

He grimaced, following her gaze back at the woods behind them. "You guys don't think this is all related do you?"

JJ shook her head. "That was almost twenty years ago Jim." She reminded him. "Plus, this is almost entirely different."

His grimace hardened into a full frown at that, his eyes darkening. "You may be some hot-shot FBI Agent, Jenny, but around here, we don't get too many crazies with knives cutting people up. Most of the locals have already made the connection."

"There is no connection, Jim." JJ reaffirmed. "They are both awful things that have happened, but there is nothing to suggest that after twenty years, someone who is still in jail by the way, would terrorize this area again."

Jim simply looked at her, frustrated that something that seemed so obvious appeared to be an impossible leap for the FBI. "For example?" He asked hotly.

"That was one night, Jim." She insisted, shaking her head as she dismissed the connection, whether because she didn't want to believe it was possible or because she just didn't see it, she wasn't sure. "This has been over several days."

"So?" He retorted, running his hand through his short jet black hair. "Jenny, I don't have to tell you how bad that was, but this guy—" Jim's voice trailed off as Morgan stepped out of the SUV, watching them curiously.

"Don't let me interrupt anything." Morgan smiled, his eyes bouncing between the officer and JJ as he tried to pick up on what was going on.

"Jim Hanson, this is SSA Derek Morgan. Derek, this is Officer—" JJ tried to introduce quickly, avoiding Morgan's interested gaze.

"Sergeant" Jim corrected, "James Hanson." The younger man stuck out his hand warmly. "Jenny here is the only one who still calls me Jim."

"Apparently the feeling was mutual." Morgan fought a grin as he shot JJ a look at the nickname, well aware she had come near to castrating other agents who had made the mistake of calling her anything but JJ or Agent Jareau.

JJ blushed, turning sharply toward the woods as she tried to refocus to the matter at hand. "They were all found in here?" She asked, gesturing to the thick mass of trees and brush.

Jim nodded, sensing JJ didn't want to go into their entire shared childhood. "All within about five miles of the road."

"Doug Perkins still owns this land, right?" JJ asked, cringing as she could see Derek's interest grow.

"Wait, how do you know so much about this town?" Morgan asked, unable to stifle his curiosity any longer.

"Jenny grew up here. Didn't she tell you?" Sergeant Hanson asked with surprise.

"No. Jenny didn't tell me—" Morgan grinned, shooting JJ an expectant look.

"I half-way grew up here." She explained reluctantly. "My parents divorced when I was six. Dad lived here, I spent summers here until I was eighteen."

"And another mystery of Jennifer Jareau is revealed." Morgan scoffed.

"I—"

"Wait, what was that?" Morgan asked, walking toward the woods before breaking out in a light jog that turned out into a sprint.

Sensing that Derek had seen something, JJ gestured for her old friend to follow them just as Morgan entered the tree line.

"Hey—" She heard him call, into the darkness of the woods. He had to only be a few steps ahead of her. "What are you—" The strangled cry surprised her and sent her racing forward, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

"Derek!" She gasped, coming around a tree to find her partner on the ground with blood seeping from a wound in his gut. "Jim! Call an ambulance." She barked, tucking her gun in the back of her pants before thrusting her hands onto the wound as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"What happened?" Jim asked, rounding the corner and tucking away his own gun before quickly shedding his shirt and handing it over to his childhood friend.

He radioed for help, sensing JJ was nearing the edge of hysteria.

"Jayje." Derek licked his lips, bleeding more than he thought possible. "UnSub was 5'11. Sandy blonde hair, green eyes—"

"Ssh, we'll find him, I promise." She urged, knowing she needed to know the information, but aware that speaking was just draining his energy.

"The medics are five minutes out." Jim announced, kneeling on the other side of Derek to help.

JJ felt hot tears burning behind her eyes as she held Derek's wound tightly. "You're going to be fine." She assured. "Stay with me."

He grimaced painfully. "It's going to take more than a knife to the gut to make me go away." He teased, though the color draining rapidly from his face told a completely different story.

She tried to stop the blood, cringing as the sticky warm substance seeped through her fingers. "I'm serious Derek, Garcia will kill me if I let anything happen to you."

"I'm supposed to be protecting you." He tried to smile, though the corners of his mouth failed to turn up as if it just took too much effort.

"I don't need protecting." JJ smiled, her voice catching as one tear escaped and slowly descended along her cheek. She gasped when Derek didn't respond, realizing he had slipped into unconsciousness.

"Jenny, step back." Jim encouraged, gently pushing her away as he took over her position and held Morgan's wound tightly. "Go to the road pull the ambulance back around." He coaxed. "Show the medics where we are, they've got to almost be here by now."

JJ nodded, stepping away as she absently pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, forgetting the sticky substance that stained her hands. She probably was going into shock—that much she was fairly certain about—but she didn't have the energy to care as she looked down at Derek's bleeding form.

James frowned as he held his hands against the Agent's wound, wondering where Jenny had gone. It had been nearly five minutes.

She should be back by now.

"James!" Pete Cole rushed into the woods with his partner, emergency equipment in hand. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Let's get him to the Bus."

"Wait, where's Jenny?" James asked, having a sinking feeling as the two paramedics looked at him with confusion.

"Jenny?" Pete asked. "Jenny who?"

"Jenny Jareau. I sent her to the road to wait for you." James sputtered.

"No one was there. The only way we found you was by searching the area around your cars. Thank God you didn't go further into the woods because we never would have found you." Pete's partner shrugged, turning to the patient as he started life-saving protocols.

"You didn't see her?" He clarified again.

Pete shrugged. "No."

James frowned, hating the realization that was coming more and more apparent.

Jennifer Jareau was missing.

These cases had to be related.