Ok, sorry for the delay! I've been writing, but I haven't had time to check it over and submit it. I also realized that Spencer had a jacked up knee a few chapters back and I forgot lol. So, I'm going to have to go back and fix that at some point … or we are going to just do a bit of a jump and imagine it's healed. I will never do two stories at once again! Too hard to remember which story is which!

Thanks for the support and the comments! You all make this worth it! xoxo

(xxxxx)

The following day at work, Emily and Spencer couldn't stop shooting glances at one another. Each time a smile would reach their lips and pink would tinge their cheeks. They were careful around the others, keeping their glances and interactions professional. No one knew that not only had they been sleeping together for months, but they both confessed their love for one another only hours earlier.

The quiet day had quickly turned into a long night as they were sent off on a case in Wisconsin. The weather was cold and the snow was piled high. It was difficult to get around in the ice-covered streets. Spencer had stayed behind at the local precinct trying to figure out a comfort zone and potential pattern to the unsubs killing grounds.

Emily and Derek had gone to the ME's office, Rossi and J.J. had gone to the victim's home, while Luke and Hotch had gone to the crime scene. Spencer spun around when he heard stomping of feet behind him.

"Holy shit, it's colder than a witch's tit outside," Derek said as he brushed the snow off his shoulders.

Spencer furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

Emily laughed and patted Spencer on the shoulder. "It's just a saying."

Spencer shrugged, still thinking it made no sense, but decided to ignore it. He went back to the board and stared at the multicolor pins looking back at him.

"How's it going, kid?" Derek asked as he tossed his gloves, hat, and scarf onto the table.

"Not great. This unsub is all over the place. I haven't been able to detect a pattern yet and the comfort zone is considerably large," he said as he rubbed his neck.

"I'm going to go grab some coffee, can I get you two a cup?" he asked.

"Yes please!" Emily said as she flopped down into the nearby chair.

"I have one already, thank you," Spencer said not turning from the board.

After Derek shut the door and was presumably far enough away, Emily stood back up and wrapped her arms around Spencer's waist.

"It's so cold," she said burying her head into his back. "I wish we were home in bed, snuggling under the covers."

Spencer turned in her arms and gazed down at her lovingly. Her cheeks and nose were bright red from the bitter cold. Spencer smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You look adorable," he said softly.

"I don't feel adorable. I feel cold," she said sticking out her bottom lip.

Spencer gave her lip a gentle kiss, but she had other ideas. Pulling him down closer she started kissing him more intensely. After a moment, Spencer pulled himself away and stepped back.

"I can't, not here. I don't want us to get caught and God knows once I start I won't want to stop," he said blushing.

"I know, sorry. I'll keep it professional," she said.

Perfect timing too, as the door swung open and Derek entered with the cups of coffee.

(xxxxx)

It was dark and the storm had grown stronger. The threat of a coming blizzard hung in the air. They should've stopped for the night, but they were so close. The unsub was running through the woods and if he got away again he might kill someone. Despite all their concerns, the team separated in search of him.

Emily was running as best as she could through the trees. The wind was howling around her and visibility was becoming increasingly difficult. She stopped and looked around, seeing barely inches in front of her.

"Everyone pull back. It's too dangerous, I want everyone back now," Hotch said over the com-link.

"Copy," Emily said as she looked down to follow her foot prints.

Suddenly she felt something slam into the side of her head. She fell into the snow and tried to reach for her gun, when she felt another blow to her face this time. The unsub and Emily wrestled around on the ground. Each getting punches in.

Emily was kicked hard in the stomach, making her instantly lose her breath. She tried gasping for air as the unsub now sat on her with his hands around her throat. She slapped and clawed at him, but couldn't get a good enough grip.

She searched the ground for something to grab onto. As her vision blurred she finally got a hold of something and swung it hard. The unsub let out a grunt as he moved just enough for Emily to grab her gun and shoot.

(xxxxx)

Spencer came trotting towards the waiting SUV's. Hotch and a few officers stood in a semi-circle talking to one another.

"Head into the cabin over there. We'll be safe for the night," Hotch ordered as he pointed a few yards ahead to a well-lit cabin.

Spencer nodded and raced over. He stepped inside and shook off the snow covering his body. He saw J.J. and Rossi warming up by a fire. An old woman rushed to his side with a steaming cup. She wore a blue house coat and fuzzy pink slippers. Her hair was white as the snow and curled by a perm.

"Oh my dear, you must be freezing. Here, I made cocoa for you. Sit by the fire and warm up," she said handing him the cup.

Spencer nodded and walked over to J.J. and Rossi. Just as he approached them the door opened and Luke walked in. The old woman immediately repeated the process all over again.

"Mrs. Wesselsky. Her husband and she heard about us searching the woods and offered to take us in," Rossi explained.

Spencer nodded and took a sip of his cocoa. It was warm and delicious. He took another sip before sitting down next to J.J.

"Where's Morgan and Emily?" Spencer asked as he placed his cup down on the fire place.

"I don't think they've checked in yet, but both said they received the message and were on their way back," Rossi said.

A few minutes later, Derek arrived. Mrs. Wesselsky sprung into action. Spencer was starting to worry about Emily. He got up and went to the window near the dining room and looked outside. It was impossible to see. He hoped she hadn't gotten lost.

(xxxxx)

Emily rolled over and pushed the unsub off of her. She put her hand to her head and winced at the pain. She looked around for the earpiece for her com-link. She had no way to communicate with the team. Her only chance now was to start walking, but she was disoriented. She didn't know which way to go and the blizzard was making it too difficult to see beyond her stretched out hand.

"Hello! Can anyone here me?" she screamed. "Hotch! Morgan! Hello! Someone help me!"

She realized it was no use at this point. The sound of the wind was too loud and she doubted anyone could hear her cries. She looked at the dead unsub and decided to take his clothing. Bundling up would help her keep warm.

Once she was covered in additional clothing, she moved closer to the nearest tree that gave a small amount of shelter. She sat down and curled up. Trying her best to keep herself as warm as possible. It was proving quite difficult as the storm raged on. She ducked her head into her jacket and tried to relax. She only had a few more hours before the sun came up. She'd be able to figure a way out then.

(xxxxx)

The door to the cabin opened and all attention turned to it. Hotch and two officers came walking in. Spencer looked for Emily to be following them, but she wasn't.

"What's going on? Where's Emily?" he said getting up.

Hotch looked somber, making Spencer's heart drop.

"We've lost contact with her," Hotch began.

"One of our officers heard gun fire, but we couldn't get far enough into the woods to investigate," the detective on the case stated.

"Ok, point out the direction you heard it and we'll start looking," Spencer said as he walked towards them.

"Reid, we can't go out there right now. It's too dangerous," Hotch said.

"So, what? We just leave her out there? What if she's been shot Hotch? We leave her to die?" Spencer said angrily.

"I want to find her as much as you do, but there is no visibility out there right now," Hotch replied.

Spencer looked up at the ceiling as he tried to control his anger. Without another word, he pushed past Hotch and swung the door open. He ran down the porch steps and walked towards the woods. The snow stung his skin as he pushed through the wind. He was already starting to shiver from the bitter cold.

"Emily! Emily! Can you hear me?" he shouted. "Emily!"

"Reid, you need to come back inside," Derek said as he approached Spencer.

"I have to find her Morgan. I can't just leave her out there to die. She needs me," he said as he tried to fight back the tears threatening to fall.

"Emily is a fighter. She won't give up and we'll go search for her the second its morning light," Derek assured him.

Spencer looked helplessly at Derek and turned back to the woods. His heart tearing at the thought of her out there all night alone. She could be dead right now. She could be dying and this was his last chance to save her. How could he just give up and walk away? How could he just go inside and stay warm while she froze to death?

(xxxxx)

Emily sneezed for the eighth time. She looked at her watch and saw she still had two more hours until sunrise. She was now shaking uncontrollably from the cold. She tried getting up to walk around, but she was so tired and her body felt numb. It didn't want to cooperate with her.

She closed her eyes and pictured a warm fire. She was sitting in front of it, drinking a warm cup of coffee. She was taking a sip, just as Spencer sat down behind her. His legs spread around her. She leaned back into his open arms and rested against his chest. He placed warm kisses on top of her head as his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"I love you," he said into her ear.

She smiled at the feeling of his breath on her ear. She felt him holding her tightly. His body pressed against hers. She felt peaceful.

As she began to lose consciousness she whispered, "I love you."

(xxxxx)

Spencer stood on the porch shaking. He refused to go inside to warm up. He said it wasn't fair to Emily and no matter how much threatening Hotch did, he wouldn't budge. As he stared into the white abyss, he heard a sound behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Rossi walking towards him with a cup in his hand.

"Coffee?" he offered.

"No," Spencer replied curtly.

"Kid, listen, I get what you're doing. I know you care about Emily and it feels wrong to be safe and sound when she isn't, but how is this helping her? How is you risking hypothermia going to save her life?" Rossi said.

Spencer didn't have an answer to that. He knew Rossi was right, but he just couldn't bare it.

"The sun will be rising in another 1 and ½, what good will you be if you are too sick to help? Emily is going to need all of us to find her. You need to get some rest and warm up if you want to be of any use to us," Rossi said.

Spencer slowly turned to look at him.

"What if it's too late?" he said barely above a whisper.

"It might be, but until we know for sure you can't give up. You have to be strong for her. She needs that," Rossi said gently.

Spencer let the words sink in. He nodded his head and reluctantly followed Rossi back into the cabin.

(xxxxx)

"Emily! Emily can you hear me?"

Emily sat up. The sun was shining and most of the snow had melted away, though she still felt cold.

"Spencer! I'm right here!" she called as she struggled to stand up.

Spencer came running into the clearing. He looked terrified and distraught.

"I thought you'd never find me," she sighed as she stood up.

Spencer's lip trembled as he walked slowly toward her. His eyes staring down at the ground. She could see the guilt written all over them.

"I knew you would try, I just didn't know if it would be possible," she amended her words.

He stopped in front of her as tears streamed down his face.

"It's ok, I'm ok," she said holding her arms out for him.

"Emily I'm so sorry," he sobbed as he dropped to his knees.

"Spence, it's not your fau …" she trailed off as she saw him hovering over a body.

It wasn't the unsub's body. She slowly moved around him to get a closer look. There in the snow, completely blue, was her frozen dead body.

(xxxxx)

Spencer and Derek pushed through the woods together. The snow had let up and the sky brightened enough to make it possible to search the woods. Other officers had arrived to assist, as well as a few of the neighbors in the vicinity of the Wesselsky house. The sounds of shouting could be heard echoing off the trees. The snow was a little over ankle high, making it difficult to walk.

"Emily!" Derek called out again as they pushed forward.

They had been walking for quite some distance, making Spencer fear they were on the wrong path. Suddenly, ahead he saw a body huddled under a tree.

"Emily!" he cried as he lifted his legs higher to move faster.

Emily was not responding. She was curled up tightly underneath a black jacket that was covered in snow. Her bottom and legs were buried underneath the snow, as well. Spencer dropped beside her and shook her. She didn't move. He looked helplessly at Derek, who bent down and tilted Emily's head back.

Her head flopped limply to the side as Derek ripped off his glove and placed it to her neck. Spencer watched for a sign that she was still alive.

"She has a pulse. It's weak, but it's there," he said before lifting his wrist to his mouth. "We've got her. She's unconscious, but still breathing."

Spencer brushed the snow away from her and lifted her limp body into his arms. They made the long walk back to the entrance of the woods where the ambulance was waiting for them.