Freezing rain and giant flakes of snow riding on a strong wind pelted the cabins sitting in the middle of the densely wooded area. The storm was rapidly worsening with no sign of stopping any time soon. Looking at the few pieces of firewood they had left, Hotch sighed. There isn't much of it left, he doubted it would be enough to last them for another few hours, let alone days... And the main cabin is too far away from their cabin, there's no way they can make it there.

As if reading his mind, Morgan said, "We need more firewood. This isn't going to be enough."

"Someone needs to go out and get more..." Rossi agreed. Peering out the window, he frowned; going outside is the last thing anyone should be doing.

"But it's a whiteout... the minute we take two steps out the door we won't be able to see a thing. How is anyone going to make their way back?" JJ asked.

"Technically, true whiteouts occur mostly in the Arctic and Antarctic during the spring, when snow is still deep on the ground and there is lots of daylight, surprisingly calm weather, and excellent visibility," Reid corrected her, "In a true whiteout neither shadows, nearby objects, landmarks, nor clouds are discernible. All sense of direction, depth perception, and even balance may be lost."

"Right, thanks," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "Actually there is a way to go out and still make it back here. I learnt it when I was in Russia."

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

"We're gonna need a really long piece of rope," Emily replied, "Tie one end of the rope to the waist of whoever is going out, someone holds the other end and waits on the porch."

Understanding the concept behind Emily's plan, JJ continued, "When we're done, we can follow the rope back here."

Rummaging through their emergency preparedness kit, Rossi found a piece of rope, "Is this long enough?"

"Either way, we'll have to try." Hotch frowned.

*****

"Remind me again, why you're the one going out into the woods?" Emily asked as she tied the rope to Morgan's belt loop.

"Because I grew up in Chicago, so I'm used to the cold. And you need to stay here and make hot chocolate for me when I get back," he gave her a small smile, "Besides, Rossi is going with me and Hotch will be waiting for us outside. We'll be fine."

"One more thing," Emily rummaged through her bag and pulled out a scarf. Morgan raised his brows as she wrapped the scarf around his neck. "Sixth sense..."

"Right."

"Hey, I have a neck too you know," Rossi smiled.

"Sorry Rossi, I only have one."

"You can use the pillowcases if you want..." JJ suggested.

"I don't think you should do that..." Reid advised. "Bedding is mostly made out of cotton which retains water; that would only serve to quickly conduct heat away from the body. If Rossi wears that around his neck it would increase his risk of becoming hypothermic."

"Thanks JJ, but no thanks."

"Are you ready?" Hotch asked, taking one end of the rope in his hand.

"Let's do it," Morgan said firmly.

The wicked wind whipped into the cabin the moment the door was cracked open. As soon as they stepped outside, their feet sank into the soft snow, quickly soaking their feet. "Be careful," Hotch instructed.

"Yeah, we'll be back soon," Morgan answered before moving off towards the nearby woods, an axe in hand.

In a second or two Morgan and Rossi disappeared into white landscape.

"How much firewood do you think we'll need?" Morgan asked upon reaching the treeline.

"I'm guessing enough for another week or two..." Rossi grimaced.

"Then we better get started," he sighed, looking around for a smaller tree to chop down.

******

Time passed agonizingly slow as Emily and JJ waited for them to return. Deciding that sitting around, waiting for time to pass, wasn't the solution, JJ turned her attention to Reid. "Reid, I need you to tell me everything that might happen to them..."

Scratching his head, Reid wondered if he should tell them the facts. Morgan had warned him that sometimes ignorance can be a blessing. Sensing that he was hesitating, Emily smiled softly, "Reid, we need to know what could happen to them so we can better take care of them when they return."

Taking a deep breath, Reid told them everything he knew about the dangers of exposure, from hypothermia to frostbite, from symptoms of such conditions to treatment. Seeing the looks on their faces when he informed them about the consequences of such illness, he wondered if he did the right thing. He didn't have much time to think though, they quickly got to their feet to prepare everything they would need, dry clothes, towels, blankets, hot water.

The cabin door flew open, slamming sharply against the wall, and they entered the cabin with a pile of wood under their arms. Their clothing plastered to their bodies, covered in snow, they were obviously soaked through to the bone. They were quickly pulled inside by Emily and JJ, while Reid scurried to shut and latch the door. Sitting Morgan down in front of the small fire, Emily felt her heart break a little when she heard his teeth chattering.

"Derek, I'm gonna help you change okay?"

"I'm tired," he spoke for the first time since entering the cabin.

"I know, sweetie. We'll get you into some dry clothes and you can get to bed okay?"

As JJ and Emily scrambled to help Hotch and Morgan change into some dry clothes, Reid stood there awkwardly, not knowing what he should do... It'd be weird to help Rossi change so he settled on bringing him some warm water.

"Thanks," he took the cup from Reid and greedily drank it down in one go.

*****

After getting Hotch, who was shivering fiercely, to bed, JJ picked up all their wet clothing, spreading it over chairs, tables, and bed frames so that it could eventually dry. She walked over to the cabin's one window, trying to peer out; there was nothing to be seen since full darkness had now settled in. Suddenly she felt exhausted, like all her energy had been drained from her body. More than anything she wanted to collapse on the bed and try to get some rest. Rossi, Hotch, and Morgan were already sleeping soundly, having been stretched to the limit by their expedition. Emily had already cuddled up in the sleeping bag with Morgan, burying her face against his chest. Reid was still sitting in front of the small fire, staring pensively into its depths.

"Hey," she smiled, sitting down beside him. "Penny for your thoughts."

"Huh?" He looked slightly confused by her statement.

Chuckling softly, she replied, "It means tell me what you're thinking about."

"Oh, right... I never really understood what that meant." He paused for a moment. "Morgan told me, sometimes ignorance is bliss," he began. "I don't know if I did the right thing when I told you what could happen to them... I mean, I told you they could die... Is this the kind of thing people want to hear?"

"Obviously it's not something anyone wants to hear..." she replied, "But you did the right thing. If you hadn't told us what could happen we wouldn't have been prepared. They could have been in more danger," she paused, allowing Reid some time to digest all of that, "You did the right thing."

A small smile appeared on Reid's tired face, "Thanks JJ."

Squeezing his hand, JJ smiled, "No, thank you. Now, go to sleep, genius."

"You're right, I need to sleep." Reid stifled a yawn, "Good night," he said as he climbed up to his bunk.