It was late. Too late.

Spencer Reid hadn't even realized what time it was until he noticed how the precinct had begun to empty out. He had been too focused on the case to take note of the many things happening around him.

Hotch had caught him up to speed, and Spencer had immediately gone to the map on the bulletin board to help his visual process, to make connections. Their unsub had been sloppier with how he had dumped the most recent body, leaving behind a lot more evidence than any other dumpsite. They were getting closer, but they still weren't there yet. If they didn't come up with a more focused list of suspects, then another child would go missing soon. With each passing hour the pressure increased; on them and on local law enforcement as the outside world clamored for the evil culprit to be found and brought to justice.

Spencer ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the same board he had been looking at for hours, a stack of papers in his hand that he leafed through and compared from time to time. When he finally tore his eyes from the board, and took a moment to scan the precinct, he had a sinking feeling in his gut that something was amiss.

JJ's wasn't back.

It was getting late and she should've been back a while ago. He had mentally calculated how long it would take her to get there, interview the family, and come back in a reasonable amount of time just before she had left. It was just one of many things his always active mind thought about.

JJ had texted him around four saying the interview was taking a while and that it could be late before she returned. The family wasn't being all that cooperative and JJ was doing her best to console them and break down the mental walls that had formed. Spencer had simply replied with something encouraging, telling her to take all the time she needed. After that, Garcia called with some important information regarding the case, and he had absent-mindedly left his phone on the table, too focused on the new information to pay it much attention.

Now, Spencer's eyes looked up to the wall clock; it was after nine.

'Something's not right.' A voice in his head whispered.

He moved quickly to the table, shuffling papers, searching for his phone buried under the mess on the table. Finally, he found it. Looking at the screen, he found he had multiple messages from JJ. The last one, the most important one, sent just moments before, telling him the SUV she was in had just sustained a flat and that it would be a bit longer until they made it back.

At first Spencer sighed in relief; she was ok, she was on her way back, he had just missed the messages. However as he stood in the silent precinct and let the information wash over him for a moment, the nagging feeling still remained.

'I should call her.' He thought, immediately speed-dialing her number.

He waited impatiently as the phone rang in his ear, his lanky legs pacing near the table. She didn't pick up, it went to voicemail.

"Hey JJ it's me. Just checking to make sure you are ok, please give me a call back when you get this, I'm starting to get a little worried. Thanks, I love you." Spencer sighed, pressing the 'end call' button on his phone.

His eyes scanned the precinct, watching as the rest of the team had gathered at the far end, discussing something about the case with Moses. He told himself that he was just tense. The last two days had been trying, between his mother, this case, and the lack of sleep. Still, as he thought about JJ, as he considered trying to call her again, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He shivered at the sudden chill in the air he felt, even though logically, the room was the same temperature it had been mere moments before when he had been ensconced with the case.

'Pull it together Spencer.' He scolded himself, his brain running through all the symptoms of sleep deprivation, reminding himself that it led to higher levels of stress on the body and mind.

Still, he couldn't stop the thoughts, the worry. Every time, the same words rang in his ear, the illogical words of his mother from that first conversation he had with her.

"You need to protect her from him."

He had to call JJ again.

His finger went back to the same button on his phone and he pressed it to his ear. It went to her voicemail again.

Spencer couldn't stand around and wait, not when he felt like something could be wrong. He would never forgive himself if he had been complacent while something terrible happened to his girlfriend. Walking swiftly, he approached the group at the far end of the room as they began to split for the night.

"Reid, we're going to call it a night in a few." Hotchner told him as he saw the young genius approach.

Spencer nodded, watching as Prentiss and Rossi walked with Moses in the direction from which he had just came.

"Do you mind if I borrow one of the SUVs?" He asked abruptly.

Hotchner eyed him for a moment, taking note for the first time at how stressed the young man's face looked.

"JJ has the other one. She should be back any minute. Is there a reason?" Hotchner reminded.

"I just want to go check on her. She sent me a text about fifteen-twenty minutes ago saying she got a flat tire. I just tried to call her a couple of times and it keeps ringing and going to voicemail. I want to make sure she's ok and that she doesn't need help."

Hotchner looked slightly more worried, but hid it pretty well. Without much hesitation he nodded his approval.

"Yes go check on her. I'm sure she's fine, she is with Detective Brewer, but it wouldn't hurt to check. We can always grab a cab or get another car."

Spencer pursed his lips and nodded his appreciation.

"Do you need some company?" Morgan offered, having overheard their conversation as he stood off to the side.

"I think that would be a good idea." Hotchner voiced before Spencer had a chance to respond.

"Uh, sure, I could use some company." Spencer nodded. "Thanks Hotch."

"No problem. When you get back just head straight to the hotel, tomorrow is going to be another early day." He reminded them.

"Will do." Morgan agreed, turning and walking beside Reid as they left the precinct.

/

The ride on the dark highway had generally been quiet. Both agents were tired and Morgan could tell by the look on Reid's face that he was tense.

"Hey relax genius. I'm sure she's fine." He offered, his eyes glancing off the road for just a moment.

Spencer had tried calling JJ two more times since they had left the precinct, and each time it had rung until it went to voicemail. It was just after ten now.

"I hope so Morgan, she's still not answering her phone, we both know that's not like her."

"Maybe they're in a dead zone. She might not have reception."

"She was able to text me earlier, she told me about the flat."

"Maybe they didn't have a spare and they had to walk, or hitch a ride."

"Really Morgan? I think she's smarter than that." Spencer looked at him incredulous.

"Hey, she's with that deputy. That might've been their only option. At least he knows his way around here." Morgan defended.

Spencer sighed, staring back out the window, his eyes feverishly looking for any sign of JJ. He had calculated about where along the highway she would've broken down based off the texts she had sent him, particularly the one saying she had just left the victim's parent's house. They would be there at any moment. He had to stay focused on searching the dark road. On the rare occasion they came upon a set of headlights coming towards them, Spencer would immediately perk up, checking to see if it was her not that he could see much.

"You're tired Reid. I'll admit I'm a little worried too, but if it turns out to be nothing, which it will more likely than not, then you're going to feel silly." Morgan glanced over again.

"I'd rather be wrong, look silly, and care, than not care and have something happen to her." Spencer shot back defensively.

"Hey, easy. I'm just trying to make you feel better. I know you're stressed. I'm trying to make you breathe easy. It's not going to help anyone if you have a heart attack."

Spencer sighed, trying his damndest to calm down a little.

"You're right Morgan, I'm sorry. It's just I really love her."

"I know you do."

"And I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong, it doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know…there's just something…" he trailed off, stopping himself before he told Morgan the story about his mother that had him a little spooked. He already knew Morgan would say the same thing the logical side of his brain was telling him; that his mother had an episode and that he shouldn't read anything into it.

Morgan looked at Reid, his face becoming worried as he saw the man beside him drift. He turned back to the dark road, staring into the dark abyss that was lit only by his headlights. He hoped JJ was ok, that nothing bad had happened. If something did happen, he had every faith that JJ and the deputy would be able to protect themselves sufficiently. Still, as tired as he was beginning to feel, he wouldn't rest until they found her.

Morgan turned to check on Reid one more time when the young genius startled him.

"Morgan stop!" He yelled, bolting upright and pointing to Morgan's side of the road just as they whizzed by.

Morgan jammed on the brakes, leaving rubber on the road as he did.

"Turn around!" Reid said frantically.

"Ok, ok hang on. Just give me a minute." Morgan ordered sternly, moving the SUV to the side and starting a three-point turn in the middle of the road.

"What did you see?" He asked as he maneuvered the SUV expertly.

"Just look." Spencer said his breathing coming out in bursts as he pointed in front of them. The turned around SUV shown lights onto a parked SUV just off to the side of the highway.

"Shit." Morgan cursed when he saw the familiar SUV, any of his doubts confirmed when he saw the license plate on the vehicle.

"I knew it!" Spencer said fearfully as he moved to grab the door handle to the still-moving SUV.

"Wait, this doesn't tell us anything yet. Let's try to keep it together." Morgan reminded as he moved to park behind it.

"No! Stay on the pavement!" Spencer hollered.

"Why?"

"If something did happen you could destroy any evidence left in the gravel around her SUV."

Morgan nodded, realizing Reid was right. He pulled the SUV up beside JJ's and they both looked in, noting how dark and empty it looked. Taking a deep breath, they both looked at each other before stepping out and un-holstering their weapons.

Spencer opened the drivers' side door first as Morgan stood beside him, it was empty, no sign of trouble. Together they rounded the SUV cautiously, searching the area around them as they approached the passenger's side. Spencer whipped the door open as Morgan covered him.

Immediately Spencer's heart dropped at what he saw. Sitting on the floor was JJ's suit jacket. On instinct he reached for it, potential finger prints be damned.

Morgan groaned, realizing they indeed had a situation as Reid went through the pockets and pulled out JJ's belongings, placing them on the seat; her phone, her badge, her credentials, her jewelry. Her holster was on the floor, having previously been covered by the jacket. They all meant one thing and it wasn't that JJ had gone hitch hiking or had bumped a ride.

"Try not to disturb anything too much. We can't afford to lose any evidence." Morgan reminded the shaking man in front of him quietly.

Spencer held JJ's necklace tightly in his hand, his fingers rubbing it worriedly as he stared at it absently. He could swear that it was still warm from her body heat. He felt on the verge of breaking down; he was devastated.

He quickly reminded himself that he had to pull it together. First off, nothing was certain. Secondly, if his worst fears had indeed taken place, then JJ would need him to be at his most focused. He glanced up, his eyes searching out for Morgan who had finished checking the backseat and who was now moving towards the trunk of the car.

He needed to help Morgan. They had to look for evidence. Spencer redrew his gun, following Morgan as he prepared to pop the hatch. Just as he was about to, his friend paused.

"Morgan?" Spencer looked at him quizzically, his eyes trying to follow where Morgan's were focused on the ground.

Then he saw it.

Suddenly, he felt even more nauseous. Right next to the clearly shredded driver's side rear tire was a small pool of blood, from it a trail of droplets that led to the trunk. Spencer and Morgan exchanged a fearful look. They were now both worried that their friend's dead body could be in the back of that trunk. It was a sight that no matter how hard they tried to mentally prepare, they still wouldn't be ready for.

Morgan nodded to Reid to open the hatch, both of them holding their guns at the ready. On the count of 'three' Spencer pressed the handle and pulled it open as Morgan stepped forward with his gun pointed.

They both lowered their weapons when their eyes processed the sight in front of them. The body in front of them was not JJ's but rather that of Deputy Brewer's. Spencer breathed a small sigh of relief that JJ was likely still out there somewhere, alive, although what state she was in he really didn't want to think about.

"He still has a pulse. Looks like he sustained a head wound from blunt-force trauma. I'll call for paramedics if you can call Hotch to get the team out here." Morgan offered as he holstered his weapon and pulled out his phone.

Spencer silently nodded, copying Morgan's actions. He waited a few moments until his boss' voice came over the line.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, we need you and the team out here with some crime scene techs…JJ's missing. There's no sign of her and her belongings were left behind in the SUV. We found Deputy Brewer unconscious in the trunk with a head injury. Morgan's calling the paramedics now." Spencer said hurriedly, trying his hardest to keep his voice even.

There was a drawn out silent pause from the other end of the phone.

"Ok. We'll be right there." Hotchner answered firmly and hung up the phone.

Spencer pocketed his phone, running a hand through his hair as he began to pace.

"Medics are on the way." Morgan announced as he walked back over to his friend. Spencer nodded slightly, not meeting the other man's eyes.

"We'll find her Reid, I promise you." Morgan said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Spencer didn't respond, his gaze focused on the SUV and the small pool of blood on the ground.

"As soon as the team gets here we'll have to process the scene as quickly as we can, JJ might not have a lot of time."

Morgan nodded. Seeing that there wasn't much he could do to console the young genius at the moment, he moved back to the SUV where Brewer was. Taking off the young deputy's jacket, he ripped a sleeve from the man's shirt.

Although the bleeding had slowed considerably, he thought it best to apply pressure and attempt to bandage the man. They needed to keep this man alive in case he had seen something or knew of JJ's whereabouts.

Morgan wrapped the cloth firmly around the man's head. When he was done, he checked Brewer's pulse one more time for good measure, happy to see that it was still beating.

Standing, he waited patiently, listening intently for the sound of sirens in the distance. He looked back to his teammate worriedly, watching as Reid stood of to the side, staring into the dark distance blankly.