"I'm sorry, Agent," Lucas said, his eyes wild. "I'm sorry. It's too late. I killed her. She's long gone by now."

It took a moment for the words to truly sink in and then Derek Morgan almost snapped. He felt Reid's hand on his shoulder just. in. time. and managed to pull back.

"Search the house. I'm going outside with Reid," he panted, turning and heading outside, Reid tagging along with him.

Their flashlights spread over the dark house. There was a shed outback, and then Reid's light hit something.

"It's an outside door to the basement," he said out loud. "Want to check it out?"

"The garage first," Morgan answered and Reid nodded, going along with him.

He opened the door loudly. "Kate? You in here? Just make a sound."

He flashed his light around the room and was completely startled when an overhead light went on and lit the place completely.

"There was a light switch," Reid answered, stepping inside. There was a car; a bike. Assorted tools littered the shelves.

"Think there's room for some sort of secret passage under the car?" Morgan asked, stepping forward.

"There's nothing to indicate that," Reid denied. "I think we're looking in the wrong place."

They stepped outside again, breathing hard. "I don't want Hotch to get here before we find Kate," Reid said. "Dead or alive."

Morgan exhaled. "Shit, Reid, don't say things like that. Lucas was just trying to psych us."

"He might not have been lying," Reid said. "She could have bled out, even if it was just a hand..."

"Reid!" Morgan scolded. "Just stop."

"Fine," Reid muttered as they made their way back across the yard, back to the basement door.

"Open it," Morgan grunted and Reid almost rolled his eyes before acquiescing. What he saw was a false wall made out of black cloths.

"Jackpot," he whistled between his teeth and Morgan hurried inside after him, brushing aside the fabric.

It was definitely Lucas's workshop. There was a table; a cabinet with tools. Chains hung from the ceiling and Rossi stood in the midst of it, having just come down the stairs from the inside.

"She's not here," he said. "And...there's blood over there. I told forensics to get over here, but they won't be here for hours."

The three stared at each other, the utter horror of their situation finally sinking in.

"Oh, god no," Morgan grunted and ran outside.

Reid and Rossi flinched away from the sound of Morgan punching the house in his anger.

"She didn't have a chance, she was probably drugged," Reid stated, the words dull. His eyes were blinking rapidly and his hands clenched and unclenched.

"We need to find the body," Rossi said wearily. "There's at least no way that Lucas managed to dump her yet. She's got to be around on the property somewhere."

"Lucas owns a half dozen acres," Reid said, working hard to speak. "We might have to wait until day."

"We can't," Rossi said. "We should find her before Hotch does. No, we can't have lost her." His voice turned into a keen almost, and Reid worked to find something to say.

"I'll request a K-9 unit," he managed and left the basement.

The truth was crushing. It was too hard to take in.

Rossi left the basement and switched on his headset.

"Aaron?" He asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm about two minutes away, why do you ask?" Hotch replied.

Turn away. Turn back. Don't come here. Please, Aaron.

"No reason," Rossi managed to say, his throat tight and switched off.

Hotch almost floored the car again after Rossi's cryptic call but managed to control himself. He pulled up to the property not a moment too soon, and jumped from the car.

There were agents and cops all over.

He didn't see any of the BAU.

"We still haven't located Agent Callahan's body; we're going to the woods next," a deputy was saying over the radio.

Hotch heard it and his heart froze.

Agent Callahan's body.

No. No. It just couldn't be.

"We're going to the woods next," the deputy repeated. "We think that's where Lucas took her."

Hotch went back to the SUV on shaking legs, grabbed the flashlight from the glove compartment, and his gun.

And then he took off running, into the woods.

Kate's legs burned and her breath was barely even coming anymore. She leaned against a tree and tried to inhale but it was so damn hard.

"I can't go on," she panted, trying to psych herself. "But I've got to, damn it. That's final."

There was a stitch in her side; it was so painful she felt like it was burning into her.

"I have to keep going," she whispered to herself, stumbling through the woods. "Where the hell is the road?"

She crept through the trees, her legs barely carrying her anymore. How long had she even been running? She had no idea.

She paused again and listened hard to the wind rushing through the trees. Could she hear something? Were those footsteps? Was that a light?

She almost screamed; the terror was that intense and every fiber of her being told her that it was time to get help.

But it wasn't help she'd get if she made noise and called attention to herself. It was death.

She didn't want to die, she knew that now. She was going to do anything she could to keep herself alive.

For Hotch.

And the rest of the BAU, every beloved member who had welcomed her into their ranks so thoroughly.

She stumbled on, and then she knew she heard something new:

The sounds of a road.

And the sound of footsteps.

She stopped dead and she still heard running footsteps, and then there was a flashlight coming through the trees.

"No," she whispered. "No."

She broke out into a full run, surprised her body was able to take this kind of work, but it was carrying her. What people said about adrenaline was really true.

"Stop!"

The voice carried through the trees, terrifying her.

"Identify yourself!"

She almost paused, because it didn't sound like Lucas. It wasn't something he'd be likely to say. But maybe he was trying to trick her.

He yelled something again but she didn't catch what it was and then the flashlight hit her full on and she forced herself to go ever faster.

The road was getting closer and closer.

There was a car coming hurtling down it, and she wondered if she'd make it in time for them to see her.

And then she was tackled from behind, forced to the ground.

"Let me go, let me go," she begged, twisting and shoving and trying to knock them off of her. "Please," she sobbed, too tired to be strong anymore. "Please let me go."

The car went past.

Her time was up.

She realized a few things in her hazy state of mind: the arms holding her were gentle. The body was quickly shifting off and the flash light had rolled away on the dark forest floor.

"Kate?"

The voice, unutterably tender, was filled with disbelief.

Kate stopped moving, frozen.

Then she was catapulting herself through the air into Aaron Hotchner's arms, throwing her arms around his neck. She started to cry, fast and furious, loud and terrible.

"Aaron, Aaron," she managed to say, her tears soaking his shoulder in a matter of seconds. "You found me."

His arms around her were so tight she could barely breathe but she didn't care. His face was buried in her hair and he seemed to be crying somewhat too.

"I thought you were dead," he told her, his voice choked up. "Oh god, Kate."

"I thought I was going to be," Kate returned and held him ever closer.

"My life was just about ended," Hotch said hoarsely. "You don't even know, Kate."

"You saved me," Kate said, and her sobs increased. "You saved me."

A/N: Please tell me if I did the reunion justice! I need to know or I'll die! Or, you know, drown myself in ice cream, which would be just as bad at this point.

Please? Just review this chapter!