THE HIGH ROAD, OR THE LOW?
Based on the TV Show "Criminal Minds"

Reid sat in the waiting room of the ICU staring out over his now cold cup of coffee. He had just gotten off the phone with JJ, the pair sharing in a quick trade of updates. Prentiss, he found out, was currently en route to the crime scene while Penelope was monitoring for use of either Hotch or Morgan's cell phone and credit cards. With all three senior analyst at the hospital, JJ had gone back with Garcia to run lead and deal with the higher ups.

Reid sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. It had been twelve hours since the rescue. Nine hours since Morgan and Hotch had been stabilized. Six since both men had woken the first time to find the team surrounding and supporting them. This was first time in twelve hours that Reid had been more then ten feet away from either of them. Setting down the cup, he ran both hands down his face. If the head nurse hadn't glared at him and politely suggested he take the call in the waiting room, he would still be at the window. Now, he wasn't even sure he could go back.

Unlike the light blue and white walls of the ICU, the waiting room was a mix of calming beige and mint green. Off-white colored chairs lined the wall, periodically broken by brown blocks covered by magazine. The same bright florescent lights shined from the ceiling. With the exception of the lights, the entire room, the entire building really, was psychologically designed for the grieving, the fearful, and the dying. Wringing his hands together, Reid swallowed and shifted in the chair. Though the waiting room was meant to present itself as a place of calm and safety, not even the designers could deny the tensions it would hold. Despite the mellow colors, the hard furniture prevented one from feeling too comfortable and left enough room for alert, sudden movements. Unfortunately, there weren't any sudden movements he could really make.

Letting out a second sigh, he stood up. He had waved to Rossi before he had gone but he was sure the older profiler would start wondering where he was. Swallowing, he turned the corner, nodding briefly to the head nurse. The middle aged woman gave him a brief critical look before returning the nod. Shoving his hands into his pockets he walked down the hall.

-BAU-

"Garcia?" JJ called out, sticking her head in Garcia's office. The BAU's computer analyst was sitting in her chair, typing away furiously at her keyboard.

"What, JJ?" she snapped, not even pausing to look at the door. The profiler behind her frowned, surprised by tone. Taking a step into the small room, she paused as something over the other woman's shoulder. Next to Penelope's computer screen was a small, clear picture frame containing a photo of her and Morgan at the bar the team sometimes visited after work. If she remembered correctly, that picture had been taken right after a particularly rough case involving a child rapist. They hadn't found the victim in time, and while Hotch and Gideon had vanished off to wherever they vanished off to, the rest of the team had gone to the bar. By the time the picture was taken, Morgan was certainly feeling no pain. In fact, it had pretty much been Garcia and Spence who had managed to get everyone else home and safe by the end of the night.

"Is there something you want?" Garcia snapped, swivelling around to glare at JJ. The profiler felt a tight pang in her chest as she saw the tear-tracks on the other woman's face. Crossing the distance, she place a hand on Penelope's shoulder and offered her a sympathetic smile.

"I-I'm sorry," said Garcia, "I just...seeing Morgan...and Hotch like that," she swallowed, "There's only been two other times in my life where I've wanted to kill another living soul."

"I know," said JJ, feeling her own tears threatening. She knew exactly how Garcia felt. Someone had hurt her family and there wasn't a thing in the world she wouldn't do to protect or fix it.

"We'll get him, Penelope," she said, looking the computer analyst directly in the eyes, "I promise, we'll get him."

-Rural Oregon-

Prentiss sat in the passenger seat of the squad car, staring out the window. Pressing her lips against her fist, she closed her eyes. The cold feeling that had washed over her in the hospital seemed to have settled as a permanent pit at the bottom of her stomach. Images of Hotch and Morgan flashed unbidden through her mind.

She had felt a mixture of shock and relief seeing the pair in their hospital beds. In their search, they had uncovered some of the more unpleasant results of the agent' and victims' stay in the bunker. Some discoveries had left her praying they had not been used on either man, and others she couldn't even allow the possibility. The smell of blood was everywhere. Seeing them in the hospital simply confirmed their safety for her, but not without its cost. Normally, neither man would permit themselves to show weakness. Even after his hospitalization following the Reaper attack, Hotch shelled himself in, nearly killing himself in the process. Morgan was no better, though Emily had never really seen him in the hospital before. Seeing them as they woke up had turned the cold feeling into a penetrating chill.

"Ma'am, we here," the officer called out, pulling her from her thoughts. Prentiss opened her eyes, glancing out the front window. She stared at a small house set right at the edge of a pine forest. A train of police and FBI vehicles surrounded the structure. On the side facing her, she could see what appeared to be a large hole surrounded by crime scene tape. It was the only evidence of the bunker's existence.

Opening her door, she stepped out of the squad car. Her stomach rolled at the thought of revisiting the area and examining the Unsub's methodology, but she pushed that feeling to the back of her mind. Her team members were out of danger, but they were still a far cry from being safe. The Unsub was still out there, and while he had yet to go after his previous victims, his severe deviation taking Hotch and Morgan left the original profile useless. With the recovery of both agents, he would know that there would be no doubt if he was caught. Whatever threats he might have made or damages he caused wouldn't stop justice being served.

First we have to catch him, Prentiss reminded herself, as she passed the bunker entrance. In order to do that, though, a new profile had to be formed. So here she was, returning to the crime scene, but more importantly the Unsub's home. She hoped the house would contain some clue to help them catch the bastard. She hoped for Hotch's sake and Morgan's.


A.N. Hey all. So yeah, I kinda wanted to show a little about the team's feelings now that Hotch and Morgan have been found and what they're doing to find the Unsub before he kidnaps someone else or (gasp) goes after Hotch, Morgan, and Audrey. Anywho, I'll start getting into more details of exactly what happened to the boys in the next few chapters and start up on the h/c, so please keep reading. Also, I apologize for the psuedo explanation of psychology and FBI procedure. I'm an idiot on these things so I make it up as I go. I'm also sorry if anyone seems ooc. Please, let me know. Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed and please review!

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