Chapter 25

Having anticipated a hike, Hotch had made sure the team had packed appropriate clothes and shoes for the occasion. New Mexico's terrain was a bit rough even in the urban areas and he knew that the chances of finding Parilla in a twelve story condo were slim. He watched as his team- along with the ever persistent Agent Cavil- laced up their boots and zipped up their jackets. His eyes fell on JJ who, if you didn't know any better, could be mistaken for just another agent on just another case. She began to pace as they waited for their guide to join them, eyes downcast as she mumbled something to herself. He watched as Emily, who would be remaining at the station with Agent Wells, approached her friend with a soft hand to her back. The blonde jumped slightly before accepting whatever words of comfort the taller woman had said to her.

"Excuse me," a high pitched voice called out to Hotch, "are you Agent Hotchner?" He turned and faced a woman in a park ranger uniform and large hat tucked underneath an arm. Her curly, auburn hair was pulled into a sloppy bun that got even more disheveled as she ran a nervous hand through it.

"Yes. You must be Ranger Dunham." Hotch offered the woman his hand and she shook it quickly as she nodded. "Let me just get the rest of my team and we'll meet you by the cars." The woman nodded again and scurried back out the door. She was undoubtedly nervous and Hotch hoped that it was due to the nature of the case and not because she didn't know what she was doing. The team, having noticed the oddly dressed woman, had already gathered and waited for their leader to join them.

"Hotch are you sure I can't come and wait in the-"

"No." the response came from all five agents and Emily lowered her head, dismissed.

"Fine." She grumbled, crossing her arms. "But I swear to God, if any of you wind up in a hospital, I'll-"

"We're going to be fine, bella." Rossi shot her a grin. "You just worry about yourself and that baby and we'll take care of the rest."

"Really Princess," Morgan squeezed her arm, "we've done this a thousand times." No one mentioned how this wasn't exactly a typical case.

"Just," Emily had to swallow hard past the lump in her throat, "bring our girl back, ok?"

"Of course." Reid assured her. Reid, Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch made their way towards the exit, leaving the women to talk.

"Everything's going to be fine." Emily insisted, looking deep into a wide, azure gaze. She could almost feel the anxiety and fear that radiated from her friend. JJ simply nodded, too emotional to say anything. With a sigh Emily reached out and pulled her friend into a tight hug.

"If anything happens to me-"

"JJ, my God." Emily pulled back, holding the blonde an arms length away. "Did you miss my half of a threat before?"

"Emily, I'm serious." The older woman blinked before nodding slowly, allowing her friend to continue. "If anything happens to me, I want you to look after Leila…permanently. If you're ok with that, of course."

"You mean like, have her live with me?" Emily was more than taken aback by the request. As JJ nodded, she reeled for a response. "But Will and Henry-"

"Will remind her too much of me." JJ had clearly thought this out. "She loves and trusts you just as much as she does me." Emily flashed back to an argument the two had had months before when JJ was threatened by just that. At the time, the brunette was sure it had been jealousy. Now, she questioned the thought.

"I love her too." Emily simply said. "But nothing is going to happen to you so it doesn't matter." The conviction in her friend's voice made the blonde smile despite herself.

"Right." She agreed, squeezing Emily's hand in hers before bending down and placing a gentle hand on her enlarged belly. "I bet you're gonna be really cute." Emily laughed wholeheartedly, remembering the last time JJ had said that. She wasn't surprised when she a tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, before JJ could notice.

"Go on, they're waiting for you." Emily sniffled. Being left behind at a time like this was one of the hardest things Emily ever had to endure. She wanted nothing more than to be by her team's side, making sure that nothing happened to them. "I'll be with you guys the whole time." She tapped her ear where the call had already begun.

"Bye." JJ said softly, giving Emily another quick hug before turning and joining the rest of the team just outside the glass doors. Emily watched as they piled into the two SUVs, her foot tapping incessantly as she struggled not to run after them. If this was half as bad as how Garcia feels when they go off on missions, Emily didn't know how she made it through the week.

The drive from the local PD to the Animas took several hours. JJ and the others had conversed with Emily and Garcia via the Bluetooth in their SUVs. Garcia had managed to narrow down their search area to approximately fifteen miles. It was a lot of ground to cover on foot but the team was more than determined. After hearing bits and pieces of the story, Ranger Dunham was equally as dedicated to finding the elusive cabin. She rode with Morgan, Cavil, and Rossi in the second SUV, not twenty feet behind the first. When the two cars pulled up to the foot of the mountain and the team piled out, they looked up at the hike ahead of them.

"Well," Rossi sighed, "this'll be fun." Morgan was already passing out their Kevlar which, unfortunately, would be worn throughout the entire hike. Showing Dunham how to fasten the vest, the seven began their long journey up. Dunham had explained that the mountain was tall but after a certain point, it was impossible to build a structure. Therefore, their search grid would mainly contain the slightly plateaued region towards the center of the range. She also said it would take at least three hours to get there and it would be predominately uphill.

Dunham led the group closely followed by JJ and Cavil, each with a personal score to settle with Parilla. The men trailed behind, not for lack of effort. They simply knew it would do no good to try to overtake the women. They stopped for a water break about an hour and half into the hike. So far the only person to speak had been Dunham and only to inform them of where to avoid and where to step. The quiet unnerved JJ. She wanted to know what the others thought of their chances but was too afraid to ask.

"Hey," Reid placed a hand on her back, "how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Spence." She dismissed him quickly. "I'll be better when we find him."

"Listen JJ," the younger agent ran a hand through unruly hair, "no matter what we find, I want you to know that I'm here for you. We all are, ok?"

"What do you think we're going to find, Spencer?" JJ looked up from securing her water bottle and Reid was slightly taken aback by her intense gaze. He faltered in his response.

"I-Nothing. I mean, not nothing but just-"

"Do you think she's dead?" JJ asked genuinely. The boy genius simply stared. "I'm asking, Spence. I want to know what you think."

"I," Spencer hesitated, knowing that probability and statistics were not going to help anyone here, "I think she's stronger than we give her credit for."

"Me too." JJ agreed softly, her mind slightly less hazed by fear. "Thanks, Reid."

"We better get moving. Only six hours until sunset." Dunham announced and the team quickly repacked and joined her.

"How you guys doing up there?" Emily's voice chimed in their ears. She'd been communicating with them on and off since they left, just like she promised. Every so often she would leave for fifteen minutes or so but they knew she wouldn't be long. Emily was just as concerned for Leila as the rest of them were.

"Still going uphill so could be better." Rossi huffed only to receive a small giggle from the other side of the line.

"Maybe this is a sign, Rossi." Emily joked, knowing that the topic of his second retirement was a sensitive one.

"You know Emily," Rossi shook his head, "if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're calling me old."

"Not old," she paused, "just seasoned." The team, Dunham and Cavil included, let out a collective chuckle.

"I hope your baby doesn't give you a night's rest for the next 18 years." It was Emily's turn to laugh.

"I've survived thirteen years with you. I think I can manage a fussy baby."

"Oh Emily," JJ almost grinned, "you have no idea."

"JJ, you're supposed to be on my side." The brunette whined. The blonde scoffed jokingly.

"Oh right. I mean, that's not very nice, Dave."

"Thank you."

"You know what they say- if the wife ain't happy, no one is." Morgan broke into a grin at the very thought.

"Oh please," Emily admonished him, "JJ would be lucky to have me as a wife." Morgan and Rossi practically snorted with laughter and JJ didn't miss the hint of red in Reid's cheeks or the amused almost-grin on Hotch's lips. She even found herself smiling. God, she had missed them.

"As romantic as that proposal was," JJ thought out loud, "I'm afraid that the whole 'keeping the wife happy' part is going to be a bit difficult for you, Em."

"Remind me to have a little conversation with you about my Yale days when you get back." Emily's comment made Morgan stop dead in his tracks causing Rossi to bump into his back.

"Why when we get back?" Morgan questioned. "Huh, Princess? What's wrong with now?"

"Aren't you supposed to be hunting a serial killer?" Emily replied. They could practically see the way her eyebrow lifted when she was toying with Morgan.

"I found something." Dunham's serious tone dispelled whatever comment Morgan was about to make as the group of six rushed over to the ranger. She was on one knee, inspecting something in the ground as the team and Cavil encircled her. She picked up a stick and lifted whatever she had found to show them. It was a blood soaked bandage. JJ's heart caught in her throat as she knelt down beside the older woman.

"She's hurt." The blonde said, mainly to herself.

"JJ, we knew she was hurt in the crash but this is a good sign." Emily tried to assure her friend after Morgan told her what they'd found. "It means he's taking care of her wound."

"Emily's right." Hotch spoke for the first time in hours. "It also means we're getting close."

"There's a trail here." Dunham told them, the excitement in her voice evident. "Two sets of footprints- one with shoes, one without- and drops of blood."

"Robyn was found without shoes." Cavil reminded the others. They nodded in sync.

"This must be where they made camp for the night." Dunham recounted the tale. "With one of them injured and the other without shoes, I say they couldn't have made it more than five miles from the cabin."

"Thank you." Hotch told the woman. "We can take it from here. I don't want you getting any closer to this man than you have to."

"Are you sure?" Dunham clearly wanted to help but was rightfully afraid of what would happen when they found Parilla. Hotch insisted that she go back to the cars and wait for them there. "Alright. Just follow the path. If they were in a hurry, they wouldn't have thought to try to cover their tracks."

"Parilla found her." JJ said in an almost robotic voice. "Which means we can find him just as easily."

"Right." Hotch ushered the ranger back towards the cars. "Maintain radio silence until we know where he is. We don't know if he's in the cabin or lurking around here." The team nodded in agreement.

"Guys," Emily said quietly as if he could hear her as well, "please be careful."