"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself" Alan Alda

A/N: I don't own any of the Criminal Minds characters, plot, etc. all belong to CBS

JJ POV

I get to work early for once, Will has the week off and is taking care of Henry full time, extra vanilla latte in tow for my newest friend Jade. I notice she appears surprisingly happy, smiling at her phone before she tucks it into her desk drawer when she notices my approach.

"Up early?" I ask, placing the latte on the edge of her desk and she graciously accepts it. We sip our drinks a minute before she replies, some of the happiness ebbing from her features.

"Couldn't sleep, you know" Jade glances towards Spencers empty desk, not feeling the need to elaborate or unable to talk about more details at the moment.

We chat a bit about the break up and last night at the bar. Easy conversation among friends, but I get the feeling Jade is not revealing all the details to me. I consider asking outright, but I know she will open up to me when she is ready to divulge more. I hear the slight click and creak of the door to Hotch's office open, I look up and Spencer walks out looking remarkably calm and unaffected. Well rested. He glances down the hall to Rossi's office before looking into the bullpen and seeming somehow confused by Jade sitting at her desk talking to me. He walks down and sits at his desk and starts working on the mountain of paperwork that never seems to be finished. I ask if Jade wants me to get Morgan and the sparing training set up. She agrees and seems happy about it, thanking me for the latte.

I head to my desk and put my belongings away before heading to my best, dearest and closest friend.

"Hey, are you okay? Do we need to talk?" I ask, looking into his warm eyes and careful demeanor. Not one thing seems out of place, like always with Spencer.

"Are we not talking right now?" He replies, very slight quirk to his lips, eyes brightening a bit.

"Spence, I know what happened. Break ups are hard. Do you need to talk about it?" I ask again, softly, putting my hand on his forearm and offering him a warm grin of my own.

"We are at work aren't we?" He asks, again, avoiding the issue. I hope he doesn't think because Jade and I are now friends that I plan to abandon him. He is the smartest person I know, surely he cannot think that way.

"Come by my place tonight, Spence, please? I'm concerned about you." I insist, removing my hand from his arm and walking around to my desk, organizing the stack of files I have to get to sooner rather than later.

"Sure, is Will going to make some more of that Gumbo?" Spencer asks, realizing I don't plan to give up so easily.

"Only if you promise not to mock him for how much okra he puts in it." I reply and we share a smile at the memory. We share more pleasant conversation as I sit at my desk opposite him, opening the top file and getting to work. As we talk and work, I notice Jade standing up and heading into Hotch's office, carrying two thick case files.

I manage to get some of the many reports done before Hotch, Jade and Garcia call us into the conference room.

Jade and Hotch take turns presenting the case to us and it seems like they are a well oiled machine, one stepping in just as the other is finishing, no gaps. I smile to myself, my protoge and new friend is doing so well, she really has blossomed during her time at the BAU. The new case, the one Jade decided is next, the five missing hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Three males and two females between the ages of 22 and 27. I shudder to think about the young adults who are barely younger than Spencer and myself, who are Jade's age. To think they could just go missing without a trace.

They are still missing and the local officials, park rangers and game wardens, are getting desperate, as well as the families. The park rangers have found some evidence of the missing hikers having been there. Over a three mile stretch, they managed to locate items identified to belong to the missing hikers: 1 complete pair of hiking boots, a headband, a bed roll, a wallet empty save for a grocery store discount card and fleece jacket. DNA and fingerprint analysis indicates one item from each of the missing persons. No footprints, no blood, no bodies. No DNA from unknown people. Zero helpful clues. Of course we knew these people were hiking here, but now it is confirmed that some incident occurred causing them to leave their campsite in a hurry, possibly under duress.

Garcia, more somber than usual, clicks through some pictures of the lost gear, the hiking boots and bed roll were found in their campsite, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, however their tent was missing. Their abandoned campsite was located approximately a days hike north of Mollies Ridge Shelter, just north of the Tennessee/North Carolina border and near the peak known as "Devils Tater Patch", which is a rather rustic, mountainous and remote location. It is about as remote as one can get in the Great Smoky Mountains. Jade passes out our copies of the case file and Hotch dismisses us "Wheels up in thirty."

Seated on the jet, around the table, on the flight down there, we all discuss the case and Jade and Reid interact almost identical to the way they had before, just no shoulder massages. The same banter, the same talk about psychology and other witticisms. Not sure how these two are so well adjusted but I am glad for them. I return my focus to the case at hand and try to come up with any idea of what happened to these young adult hikers.

Reid POV

The flight to the Great Smoky Mountains for the case was tough on me. Pretending I wasn't extremely sad, for losing a girlfriend I didn't even know I wanted, while keeping the rest of the team unaware was more acting than I am used to. In this job I have learned to hide what I am feeling in public, especially in front of the cameras, but I am always myself with the team. Jade and I talked about what could possibly have gone wrong with these hikers in the remote rural South and it seems like she is not effected at all, not dying inside, not aching for what we had. Maybe she was right, maybe we were too different on a physical plane. Maybe she is already sleeping with Rossi. Maybe that is why she looked so happy talking to JJ this morning.

No, that doesn't seem right either, he hasn't looked either of us in the eye all day. He has been his usual arrogant and confident self, not particularly ignoring either Jade or myself, but not seeking either of us out. He didn't respond to my message in any way last night. When they were presenting the case in the conference room, for once, Rossi didn't interject with a glib remark or snide comment.

As I look at Jade while the team is discussing the case she really does seem happy. Just as happy as earlier this week, last week, even since we met. Did I really mean so little to her? Or is she just a better actress? Is she going to be great at the Media and Communication Liaison job because so little gets her rattled outwardly anymore? She rarely ever looks like the quaking leaf from before her first news network plea. Maybe it is a good thing. Hotch, Prentiss and Gideon always talked about the importance of compartmentalizing the job, I had failed to consider compartmentalizing my romantic feelings too, instead of just shutting out the bad emotions. Turning my thoughts back to my job, I fidget with the left cuff of my button up shirt, and then the right one. These poor hikers probably went through hell and no one will ever know their story.

Our jet lands around noon, our black SUVs already waiting on the tarmac with Derek and Hotch automatically claiming the driver seats, and we head into the park office to get any latest details and coordinate how our services will best assist this search by mid afternoon.

Nothing new, that is what the park ranger and the game warden both say as we meet them, getting set up in our make-shift station. The game warden and lead park ranger tell us more about the area where the hikers belongings were found. Extremely remote, difficult terrain. I gaze at the park maps scattered about, noticing how close the topographical lines are and shudder. I don't like the look of all the rough hiking I will be doing shortly.

Only maybe two or three days from their last check in location near Fontana Dam, that is what the warden says, "only" as if that is nothing. Not too far. Two days ago I was having lunch with Jade, holding her hand and smiling down at her. Now I can barely look at her without seeing her eyes well with tears and her crying on the couch. So much can happen in two days, so many things can change irrevocably.

We will be taking a helicopter in to the nearby ridge, Devils Tater Patch, and hiking a bit ourselves to get to the search area. Once out there, we will communicate via radio and travel in pairs, or more, but never alone. Just what I was afraid of, extensive strenuous physical exercise. Not afraid, really, but dreading. I do not enjoy hiking for sport. Nah, I dislike the entire concept of sport. Perhaps Jade and I, and possibly Blake as well, could stay behind and look into the evidence on hand and look into who could be involved. No, I don't dare voice that suggestion, instead deferring to our leader, Hotch. Despite what happened in New York, I still trust our unit chief implicitly. He makes sound decisions in very tough situations and I would never be able to handle such a stressful position.

In the end, Hotch decides we will go out in teams of two, along with one of the park rangers or game wardens who know the area, to investigate the campsite and surrounding areas. The first group is Hotch and JJ, the second Rossi and Blake, while unfortunately the third is Morgan and myself. Lucky Jade gets to stay at the park office and help coordinate the search, fielding any phone calls and manning the radio. At this point it is mostly a recovery mission, we do not expect the hikers to be alive after 5 weeks of zero contact with the outside world. In a way I am glad Jade will not be out in the wilderness, possibly literally stumbling upon the remains of 5 people her own age. She was easily sickened by the coaches remains in the river, I don't think she should have to see the fresh remains of her peers.

In the helicopter ride out to Devil's Tater Patch, the warden assigned to work with Morgan and I tries to prepare us for the terrain.

Morgan jokes "Well I've done Ironman Triathalon four different times, so I'm set, I might have to carry Spence, just to make it interesting"

"Hiking is a different kind of strain, but-" The warden catches the joke and laughs with Morgan. Great, two jocks and myself, how pitiful and fun.

"Morgan" He introduces himself, offering a hand.

"Wes" The warden answers, shaking both of our hands.

"Reid" I offer, trying not to cringe from the crushing pressure and rough callouses on his hands.

I don't show Morgan how much I would actually prefer he carry me everywhere, I just smirk at the remark and stare out the helicopter door at the passing mountainous terrain I will soon be traversing. We land and I feel overwhelmed already. The fir, hickory and ash trees are massive and pressing in on the small clearing we used to land, with moss, ferns and wildflowers everywhere. Not my forte. Everything is too green for me.

For two days we searched, in four hour increments, to no avail. Then, around 3pm on Sunday, just as we were getting ready to come in for our break and regroup, Rossi and Blake radio that their team "might have cracked this wide open" and their warden radioed their precise location so the other teams as well as the helicopter can arrive. I exhale, a deep breath of relief. My entire body is sore and covered in callouses and bruises from climbing, hiking and stumbling over the rough terrain.

After 45 minutes of a grueling hike, where on more than one occasion, I considered swallowing my pride and asking Derek or Wes to carry me, we arrived in the location specified, spotting the others near a clearing. Approaching closer, I could see properly, Rossi, Blake and the warden were standing atop a narrow gully, basically a crack with a 70 foot drop. Deep within the ravine, the gully, whatever it is, further down from where we were gathered, it opened wide. Wide enough for a small stone cabin, with a timber log and thatched roof, to be erected and totally enclosed within it. Blending in perfectly so not even a carefully trained helicopter team would ever have noticed. By the time I nearly caught my breath, or at least got my breathing and heart to return to a reasonable rate, the helicopter was approaching with a team of 4 wardens, searching for a safe place to land. No one had known of this ravines existence, let alone the cabin. It is so far from the main paths, and even any accessible roads, this cabin must have been built decades ago when coal miners were not too far the other direction.

Derek and Hotch, along with two of the wardens rappelled down into the gully and carefully approached the cabin, constantly on alert as we watched from above. The rest of us held our breath, beseeching whatever deity or higher power might be listening. Blake and I take turns talking on the radio, filling Jade and the park rangers in the office with what we found and what our plans are. Updating them with a play by play and exchanging worried thoughts.

After assessing the cabin as safe, we watch Derek and Aaron enter the front door, the wardens standing watch at the door. Several breathless moments later, they rush out, carrying the two females, shouting for the helicopter to come over and assist in air lifting them out, as well as more help getting the males out. They wouldn't say why the males needed more help, just that it was needed. Rossi and 3 of the other wardens rappel down and rush to the cabin. By the time the females, who look weak, dirty, possibly disoriented and emaciated but otherwise unharmed, were comfortable and secure in the helicopter and it flies off, a second and third arrive to help with the males. Even from the height of my perch on the edge of the ravine, I could tell why.

Whatever was going on the last five weeks was unpleasant for these males. They looked like they had been someones punching bag, covered in purple and red bruises and cuts and gashes. The one male looked like he was unable to stand, his legs appeared to be broken and hobbled, his feet dangling at the wrong angles as Morgan carried him out the door with Wes and another warden supporting him.

"My word" Blake gasps, hand going to her chest absolutely aghast, as she sees the condition that young man is in, "What went on in there?"

JJ and I just shake our heads in disgust, unable to fathom any possibly explanations, find any suitable words to describe the feelings that come to mind.

The sun was fully setting by the time we all arrived back at the park office for a hurried debriefing before driving the black SUVs to our hotel and immediately falling asleep. I never knew how extremely exhausting and what a whole body work out hiking could be. Its just walking, but worse, every muscle in my body is in agony.

The hikers were safely flown to nearby hospital for treatment. We should be able to interview them over the coming days, as well as examine the cabin and ravine for further clues to apprehending the UNSUB or UNSUBs.

Over the next two days, Jade made a very nice report on the local and nationwide news outlets about how we helped finding the lost hikers and how they are projected to make a full recovery. The rest of us worked tirelessly searching for those responsible and interviewing the hikers. Luckily they are able and very willing to talk with us and help in any way possible. JJ and I performed cognitive interviews on them, getting them to relax and remember the things that seem hazy when fully alert.

We end up figuring out, the UNSUBs were three young men, two brothers and their cousin, who was raised with them. They live in the area and frequently hiked that particular section of the Appalachian Trail for many years, as well as the smaller local trails which intersect and weave through the mountains. Their grandfather had built the cabin after returning from Vietnam, and had lived there off and on, when his PTSD was particularly bad, but the young men would use the cabin for their own purposes to this day.

After smoking meth one night, unable to sleep, they had the terrible idea to kidnap some 'green birkenstock granola hiker types'. They found our hikers and swiftly abducted them in a blitz attack in the night. Over the following few days the young men would go to the campsite trying to collect all the belongings so other hikers would not notice the kidnapping.

Inside the cabin, the boys, the kidnappers, took turns groping and fondling the girl hikers, but otherwise leaving them alone and locked in the bedroom. Usually they were fed baloney sandwiches and a bottle of water each day, if their captors remembered. I sympathized with that, and had to leave the room for a minute to collect my composure before continuing the interview. Their "bedroom" had two small windows but too high and too narrow to fit through. I didn't let on, but I was secretly jealous and yet glad, that they had much more room to move about than either Jade or I had those weeks ago.

The guys, on the other hand, were indeed used as punching bags. Tethered to the built in stone table with some climbing ropes, the guys were subject to routine beatings and general torture from the kidnappers, who smoked so much meth it appeared they rarely slept or even napped. Every few days, when they left the cabin to replenish food, booze and meth supplies, they would return even more wound up and ready to fight. The kidnappers also seemed proud of what they were doing, talking and bragging about it to the hikers, answering any questions and just telling the stories of their lives.

We were able to track the UNSUBs down fairly easily, they returned to the cabin unaware of anything that happened. One of the wardens who were waiting for their return ambushed them while the others made swift arrests while the UNSUBs were disoriented.

The three UNSUBs denied it all, claiming they hadn't been to their grandfather's cabin since last season and were indeed heading up there to clean it out for this year, offering their bags of cleaning supplies to corroborate the story. Mid-May is quite late for that I the area, and when Morgan made such a comment, they just shrugged it off, no quick answers. Eventually on Wednesday afternoon they were arrested and formally charged and we went home.

I claimed my spot on the couch and JJ claimed hers at my head. Morgan sat at my feet and finally made a comment about Jade. JJ shot him a glare, but I answered him, telling him the truth.

"I wasn't ready for as much physical connection and closeness as she was. No hard feelings." I state, JJ patted my head as I rest it on her lap, smoothing my short curls.

"Jade is great, isn't she?" Morgan asks, looking to me with his dimpled smile.

"One in a million" I agree, smiling back. The three of us look around the jet and see Rossi and Hotch deep in conversation, and Blake and Jade likewise on the other side of the aisle. We settle in for a nap and drift off in silence, not needing to speak about the case or our personal lives as exhaustion racked our bodies.

"Just because everything's different doesn't mean anything has changed" Irene Peter