Corn Maze

Chapter Four

She rushed forward upon seeing Reid lying on the ground. Feeling his wrist, she was frightened by how weak his pulse was.

"I found Reid!" She called back, but there was no thundering of footsteps. "JJ? Rossi?"

No one came. She walked back to the gap in the maze, but the two agents were nowhere in sight. Whipping around, she ran back to Reid's side, knelt down and tried to revive him.

Please have just fainted. Don't let it be that Ashburn got to you.

She ran through all of the tips she knew for someone unconscious, and gasped along with Reid when he woke up.

"What happened?" He asked groggily.

"I don't know!" Kate said wildly. "I managed to join up with the rest of the team, but then you were gone."

"Ashburn," Reid said weakly, and Kate sank back onto her knees.

"What did he do?"

"He was trying to take me," Reid said, trying to sit up and Kate pushed him back.

"Don't sit up yet, it's too soon."

He sank back obligingly, and Kate removed her hand from his chest.

"Do you want your jacket back?" Kate asked, her hands moving to the zipper.

She could see the argument in his eyes, but he eventually said yes, and she took it off. He sat up, slowly, and she helped him place it around him, zipping it.

"I'm all dizzy," Reid complained. "I don't think my fainting had any medical significance, but it certainly had its effect."

She helped him up, and they walked back to the gap. "I can get us out from here," she said, and Reid squeezed through, leaving her to follow.

"Why are you alone?" Reid asked. "I thought you said you made it back to the team."

"I did. JJ and Rossi were just here, they helped me make the gap and then they were gone."

Hotch walked along, muscles tensed up. Morgan was trailing close next to him, gun out.

Did Ashburn have some sort of end plan? He'd been in here long enough.

Hotch clenched his jaw, and kept walking, dialing JJ as he did so. "Hey, JJ. You guys are all right and still together?"

He could hear the static on the other end, and JJ's voice was quieter than normal. "We're great," she said, voice tense.

"Yeah, we're fine," Rossi said. "Gotta love this maze. All the creepy turns."

"Yeah, what about Callahan?" Hotch asked, and they paused.

"I think I just saw something," JJ said, and the line was filled with static.

"Listen, JJ. I get the message. I'll be over there with Morgan ASAP."

No answer. Morgan had stopped, and was watching him intently.

"I think Ashburn is there," Hotch said, and with no further explanation, they doubled back.

Reid had gradually stopped depending on her, and now was walking without wobbling. Kate kept a close eye on him, and was mildly relieved when he offered the jacket.

"No, keep it," she said. "Having a companion makes the maze that much less cold."

Reid hesitated, then burrowed down into it.

A thought coming to her, Kate halted. "What time is it? I mean, how long have we even been in here?"

"I think the UnSub took my watch," Reid said. "But judging from the light, I'd say it's just past four."

Kate blinked. "That's a long time we've been in here, then."

Reid just nodded, and the conversation slowed, until Reid paused. "Wait, where's the team?"

"Right now, we just need to get out of here," Kate protested.

Reid's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know," she admitted miserably. "And I don't want to search for them when we need to get you out."

Reid half-nodded, and they kept the pace up. Kate realized how close they were getting to the exit, and her breathing finally became natural again, until Hotch and Morgan emerged from the maze in front of them.

"Kate?" Hotch said, charging forward. "Where are Rossi and JJ?"

"Gone," Kate said. "I found Reid and they were just gone."

"Reid, are you okay?" Morgan was asking, and Reid was nodding.

"I'm fine. I'd like to go with you to find them."

Morgan nodded, and handed Reid one of his sidearms. "Let's go, then. We had a rather strange call."

"The conclusion being?" Kate asked, scrambling after all the tall, fast-paced men almost jogging in front of her.

"Ashburn." Hotch said conclusively. "Just take us to where you last saw them."

They reached the spot in good time, and Kate was feeling mildly proud of how she steered them so easily. They hadn't lost their way once, or been separated.

Hotch and Morgan took off together almost immediately, going to the left. "Why don't you and Reid leave now?" Hotch said, glancing behind him at the two. "I'd wager you both could use medical attention."

Kate hesitated, remembered how she'd found Reid and gave him a pleading look. She realized as the two reluctantly turned to go that they were both doing it for each other.

She was liking Spencer Reid more and more, every day she worked with him.

Their path was simple, once you remembered which way to turn. They kept on high-alert and didn't turn away from each other. Halfway out, they heard shots, and then they froze, waiting.

It was fifteen minutes before some of Bryce's men thundered past them. Reid stopped one, and was told that they'd been radioed.

Ashburn had been caught.

Kate felt a bit frozen, not wanting to move, and she and Reid just moved closer together, both shivering. He shrugged out of the jacket again and gave it back to her. She took it without a word, and they continued waiting.

Kate needed some form of closure. She hated that they'd had to leave just when they were about to face Ashburn.

She'd wanted that. She'd wanted to be the one who caught him, or part of the team that did.

But she wasn't. Instead she stood near the edge of the maze, huddling with Reid and waiting for the team.

It was almost worth it when she got to see Hotch and JJ emerge from the path in front of them, JJ looking like she was fine and this was nothing she couldn't get over, and Hotch looking like, well, Hotch.

Morgan and Rossi followed, and Rossi slung his arm around Kate as they walked out. She leaned into the older man, feeling tired and useless, but relieved.

Behind them, a light slowly crept over the edge of the world, and she turned around, the same moment as Reid, to see the sun coming over the horizon.

Dawn.

They'd spent a whole night in that maze. It had been, at least for Kate, the longest nightmare ever.

But dawn had come, and sunlight was flooding the world, slowly but surely.

She looked at Reid, at the rest of the team, breathed in the fresh air and smiled.

A/N: Simple ending. I meant it to be something more exciting, but I remembered how Kate and Reid seem to have a knack of disappearing at the end of episodes lately, so I decided to be true to the show.

Well...and I can't write real action to save my life. I wanted Kate to be part of the take down, and Reid, but I just couldn't figure out how to do it. I know my weaknesses...

Hope you liked it, and thank you for reading.

Thanks go to my beta, spashes-of-silver. She helped alot. Obviously, though, all mistakes are my own.