She focused her attention and tried to sit up, her body writhed in pain. Her first attempt to erect herself failed, as the pain rushed over her entirety and sent her smashing back into the ground. Her head hit with a hard thud, sending shock waves through her skull. She turned and vomited from the immense pain. She could taste the traces of blood, mixed with her regurgitated lunch. She wiped her mouth, finding the ragged cut in her lip. She took a deep breath and tried to sit again, crying out in agony. With great difficulty she was finally able to stand up, taking in the scene around her.
Bits of the jet were scattered in every direction. She blinked a couple of times slowly to clear her vision. Her mind worked to piece together the time line. They had just finished a case in Seattle and were on their way back to DC. The flight had been completely uneventful. Morgan and Reid had been playing chess. Hotch was on the phone with Beth, Rossi was sleeping on the back sofa and Emily and JJ had been chatting up front. They had hit some turbulence and then everything went black.
Emily was forced back to reality when her ears picked up screaming. Frantic, horrified, screaming. That's when she finally realized what she was staring at, Derek Morgan's body.
_
Penelope Garcia sat comfortably in her office at Quantico, typing away at her computer. The team wasn't due back until 21:00 and she wanted to get a head start on the case report. Garcia prided herself in being proactive and she did her best to cut down on the paperwork the rest of the team had to complete. Mostly, she wanted to help out JJ and Hotch, who were already extremely overworked.
She hummed as she worked, flitting about from screen to screen. As per usual, she had been tracking the team's flight home but she was so focused on her report she hadn't noticed the little blip on the map had gone dark.
_
Derek coughed, choking for air. He tried to breath deeply but the smoke was thick in his chest. He took small, even breaths until his lungs were clear. His body was numb, cold. He was shaking violently. He willed himself to sit up but his body was physically incapable of movement. He used all of his strength, focusing on each individual muscle but no response. He decided to try a simpler task. He wiggled his fingers, they still moved just barely. It was a good sign. He moved upwards and moved his arms, gently rotating them against the dirt. Then he focused on his upper body. His core strength was incredible compared to most, which made it even more concerning when he couldn't lift his chest. He closed his eyes, said a little prayer, and finally heaved himself upright. He stared down at his legs and tried to wiggle his toes, nothing. His body was still tingling and he suddenly realized he could feel nothing below the waist.
His training as a profiler kicked in and he began to process the scene. He sat about fifty feet away from the largest part of the plane, which was still glowing with flames. His eyes desperately searched the nearby areas for the rest of the team. He made out a figure running towards him, Emily. Emily was alive.
"Em! Over here!" he yelled hoarsely, still struggling for air.
She rushed to his side and he noticed the blood stained gash across her lips. Her clothes were tattered, but she seemed relatively unscathed otherwise.
"Fuck! Morgan, can you move?" She asked quickly.
"I tried but I can't feel my legs," he looked her in the eyes, seeing the same fear pass through them that mirrored what he was thinking. She fought back tears and nodded in understanding, trying not to worry him further.
"Em, I need you to focus," Derek stated seriously, "You're mobile. You have to find the others, leave me here, go find the others."
He reached to his side and was grateful when he felt his phone in his pocket. He retrieved it and found the screen cracked, but the device seemed to still be working.
"I'm going to try and call for help," he told her, "Emily, go!"
She started to protest but he gave her a stern look and she knew he was right. She pushed the possibilities of his injuries to the back of her mind, she couldn't do anything to help him right now. She needed to locate the rest of the team.
_
Garcia sang along to the song that was playing as she looked at the clock. It was getting close to 18:30 and she felt her stomach rumble. She had skipped lunch and was beginning to feel the side effects. Garcia was supposed to meet Kevin for dinner in an hour and decided she would head out early. She saved her progress, turned her computer screens off and grabbed her purse. She hadn't noticed she left her phone on her desk as she headed out the door.
_
"Help! Help me! Emily!"
Emily was once again aware of the shrill screaming coming from a nearby patch of trees, her heart caught in her chest as JJ yelled out her name. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she turned from Morgan and sprinted in the direction of the voice.
"Jennifer?! Jen!" Emily yelled back, trying to pin point her wife's location. Another ragged cry and she rushed towards the sound. She froze in her tracks as JJ came into view. A wave of nausea made her pause, she placed her hands on her knees and fought the urge to heave.
"Emily, Emily, help me," JJ sobbed. Her hands were pressed to the scrap of metal that was piercing through the gaping hole in her abdomen. Crimson spilled around her in heavy pools, her skin was milk white against the carnage.
"Okay, baby, it's okay," Emily murmured, not sure of who she was trying to convince. She peeled off her jacket and wrapped it around JJ's shoulders instinctively. She surveyed the situation trying to decide how to proceed.
"Emily, oh god, don't let me die. Please," JJ pleaded as Emily pressed her hands firmly to the wound.
"You're going to be okay, Jayje," Emily encouraged as she kissed her wife gently, fighting back the urge to break down. She had to stay strong if she was going to make it through this, she couldn't let JJ see her true fear. "It's going to be alright now, I've got you baby."
"Where's everyone else?" JJ cried hysterically, trying her best to remove focus from the excruciating pain.
"I don't know," Emily answered flatly. "I found Morgan, he's alive. But I haven't seen the others" JJ was already in shock, there was no need to worry her with the fact that Morgan was most likely paralyzed.
"Emily, please don't leave me," JJ whispered between sobs, "Don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywahere," Emily wrapped her arms around JJ's limp shoulders and held her close. She kissed the smaller woman on the forehead and buried her face in her hair, letting tears slip down her cheeks silently. Suddenly she heard a rustling coming up from behind her, her head whipped up a little too quickly, making her sight go black for a moment.
"Shit, JJ!" Rossi yelped as he took in the scene. "Emily, are you injured?"
She squinted through the pain and nodded slowly, being wary of making too sudden a movement, "A couple of broken ribs probably, but I've had worse."
He forced a small grin, knowing she was right. He knelt next to JJ to assess her wound, "JJ, can you move your feet?"
She winced and focused all of her energy into the small movement. Her foot twitched, just enough to appease Rossi. He nodded and placed his hands on her abdomen, assuring Emily he'd take over where she was still applying pressure.
"We're going to have to move her," he told Emily. She looked at him worriedly, with pain stricken eyes. "Emily, we need to get her towards the plane before it gets dark."
The temperature was already dropping as the sun moved lazily across the afternoon sky. Within the next couple of hours they would lose sunlight and be forced to survive the cold. Emily tried to focus on one thing at a time. It made sense to get JJ nearer to Morgan, as they needed to regroup and figure out a plan.
"I'm going to try and find something to help us move her," Rossi explained, looking around at the available materials. He got up and wandered back towards the wreckage.
"Emily," JJ whispered, "I'm so sorry."
Emily looked into those sad baby blues questioningly. She kissed JJ on the lips and squeezed her tightly, "Darling, what could you possibly be sorry for?"
"Em," JJ sobbed, gasping for air. Emily rubbed her back, trying to calm her down before she caused a full fledged panic attack. Emily shushed her, cooing sweet nothings into her ear. JJ caught her breath and looked into Emily's mahogany eyes. Where she usually found stoic strength, she now found emptiness. No matter how much Emily tried to keep a brave face, her eyes showed her true powerlessness. "Emily, I'm pregnant."
Emily's hand stopped it's methodical circles on JJ's back. She stared into her lover's eyes, lip quivering as her stomach dropped. They had been trying to get pregnant for almost six months, with little success. It was an expensive process but Emily had proudly fronted the money. She had wanted nothing more than to start a family with the love of her life since the day the got married. That was nearly two years ago. Every time they had talked about it, something had stalled their plans. It wasn't until recently that they had finally felt settled enough to begin the long process. The first try had devastatingly resulted in a miscarriage at only five weeks. It had shaken Emily to the core and she had feared trying again, not prepared to have to face another loss. Determined to have a child, JJ had gone for a second try on her own. She had decided if it didn't work, she would have shielded Emily from the repercussions. To her surprise, it had been a success. She was about six weeks along and had planned on surprising Emily when they got back to DC. Now, she was lying battered and broken with little hope the baby would survive the trauma to her stomach. They grieved together as Emily protectively held JJ to her chest.
_
Penelope's phone danced along the top of her desk in an empty office. It rang for minutes on end, going unanswered. Her phone indicator blinked as Derek's name flashed across the screen.
"God dammit, Baby Girl!" Morgan cursed as he hung up and tried again, noticing the dangerously low level of his battery. He had already managed to call for help and was desperately trying to get a hold of Garcia so she could help determine their location to assist the rescue team. His phone beeped in his ear before powering down.
_
"Spencer," Hotch whispered. The youngest member of the team laid in a heap on the ground. His body completely mangled and limp. Hotch knelt down to check for a pulse, although he had honestly already decided the outcome. To his surprise he felt the faintest rhythm against his fingers.
"Spencer, can you hear me?" Hotch asked again, this time a bit louder. Spencer moaned softly as his eyes fought to open. "It's okay, just keep them shut."
"Hotch?" Reid whimpered, "Hotch, how bad is it?"
Hotch turned him over and gazed over Reid's injuries. Hotch could see multiple broken bones penetrating through ripped patches of tattered flesh. His wavy brown hair was caked in blood and dirt.
"It's not that bad, buddy," Hotch comforted him like he did his own son when the young boy was injured. He knew there was no way Reid would be able to survive much longer.
"Hotch, you don't have to lie," Reid replied weakly. "The statistic probability," Reid stopped to gasp for air, finding it difficult to breath in his current state, "of me surviving severe trauma is minimal."
"Spencer, just rest now," Hotch soothed. "Stop over thinking things, just rest." Hotch pulled Reid's disfigured body into his lap,cradling him against his chest. He flashed back to the last time he held his wife's lifeless body after The Reaper had savagely murdered her, this job had taken so much from him. He clung desperately to Spencer, sobbing loudly. He rocked his fellow Agent gently, whispering "I'm so sorry, Spencer. I'm so sorry"
He felt the breath pass out of the boy genius' lungs as he slipped into the eternal abyss.
_
Penelope returned to her office at a quarter until 20:00, searching for her phone. She found it hidden under a stack of papers near her computer. She picked it up to find 6 missed calls for Derek. She frowned and dialed his number, it went directly to voice mail. She decided to try the rest of the team. They all went to voice mail.
Suddenly overcome by fear she logged into her computers and pulled up the flight tracker. She stared, wide eyed, at the empty screen. She immediately picked up the phone and dialed Strauss.
"Ma'am, I need you in my office immediately," Penelope demanded. "Ma'am it's the team, I think something has happened."
Strauss arrived moments later and Penelope explained what little she knew. Strauss quickly began phoning her superiors as Penelope typed wildly on her keyboard. She managed to pull up the dispatch logs for every emergency service department within 100 miles of Seattle, finally finding what she had dreaded.
"Ma'am," she whispered, pulling Strauss' attention to the screen, "There was a call placed to local authorities about an incident involving a plane in Mt Baker National Forest."
_
"Here, this should help," Rossi reemerged carrying a large scrap of metal. He helped Emily load JJ onto the makeshift gurney. JJ wailed in pain as they tried their best to stabilize her. Despite their own injuries, they managed to haul JJ nearer to the main wreckage. The fire had died down, leaving thick clouds of black smoke lingering in the air. As they got closer, Emily spotted Morgan lying on the ground. She and Rossi set JJ down and Rossi rushed to Derek.
"Morgan! Morgan, wake up," Rossi shook Derek until his eyes flew open.
"Holy shit, Morgan. Don't do that to us!" Emily admonished, knowing he obviously had no control over whether or not he lost consciousness.
Morgan looked at them groggily, seeing JJ lying on the ground nearby. Rossi helped him sit up and Morgan's body went lax when she was in full view. Rossi squeezed his arm, urging him not to say anything. Morgan opened and shut his mouth, looking at his team mate in comprehension.
"I managed to get through to emergency services," Derek advised them. "I tried to call PG to have her help track us down before my phone died but it went to voice mail.
"That's fine, at least someone is looking for us," Rossi said hopefully. He looked around the crash sight, "Has anyone seen Hotch or Reid?"
Suddenly aware they were still missing a third of the team, Emily and Rossi fanned out and began calling for the others. Rossi ceased shouting and doubled over, Emily came to his aid and helped lower him gently to the ground. She noticed blood trickling from his mouth as he coughed forcefully.
"Rossi, what's wrong?" She asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"I'm alright," Rossi lied. When he had come to, after the crash, he had felt the pain in his chest. Every breath had been torturous. His adrenaline had kept him going this far but he was well aware he had a punctured lung. The exertion from moving JJ had only exasperated the situation, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe. "I just need to sit down for a minute, I'll watch over them," he nodded towards their immobile team members, "You have to find the guys."
"I can't leave you," Emily disagreed.
"Help is on the way, Prentiss," he reminded. "Go find Hotch and Reid"
For the second time she found herself torn between her injured comrades and her obligation to find the others. Morgan agreed with Rossi and urged her to go. JJ was in and out of consciousness and she desperately feared if she left her now, she would regret it later. Rossi understood her fear and sat next to JJ, taking her hand.
"I'll keep her awake," Rossi promised. "Please, go."
Everything in her body told her to stay with her wife but she had a duty to get to Hotch and Reid. She kissed JJ passionately, "I love you, Jennifer. You stay awake, baby. We're almost out of here."
JJ tried to smile as she stared dazedly into Emily's eyes. "I love you too, Emily."
_
Garcia worked fiendishly to get a hold of the Seattle emergency response team. She had vaguely worked out where the plane went down and was rapidly relaying information to the operator on the other end of the phone. They had already dispatched fire and EMS and were working on sending a helicopter.
She stayed on the phone giving them as much information as she could, while she simultaneously hacked into every satellite with a view of Mt Baker National Forest, frantically searching for any signs of the team. After a few minutes she finally picked up something North of Marblemount.
"I found them! I found them!" she exclaimed excitedly, giving the operator the coordinates. Tears ran down her face as she stared at the image on her screen.
_
Emily began calling out for Hotch and Reid again, trying to listen for any signs of life. She ventured a little further from ground zero where the air was still and calm, wind whispering through the trees. She shivered as a chill ran through her body. It was close to sunset and she had to find the two men before it got dark, or their chances would be slim.
"Hotch! If you can hear me, make a noise!" she called into the emptiness. Her acute ears picked up on distant sound. It was hushed at first, but as she ran towards it she could make out Hotch's voice. She fought her way through dense trees to find him wandering towards the crash site. She raced to him and embraced him. He reciprocated, pulling her in crying through troubled breaths.
"Hotch, we can't find Reid," she admitted. She looked into his grief stricken face as he simply shook his head, not being able to find the words. "Oh god, no, no." she whispered, collapsing to her knees.
Hotch tried to console her but he was still in shock and couldn't offer much help. He simply stood next to her silently, as she wept. She had been semi-successful in holding herself together for the sake of JJ and Morgan, but she couldn't hold back now. The walls that usually kept her well guarded and detached came crumbling down as she simply let go and fell apart.
"Where are the others?" Hotch asked, trying to keep her focused.
She pointed towards the clearing and he knelt down to help her up. He draped his arm around her and let her put her weight on him as they made their way back slowly. Abruptly, Morgan's voice came thundering through the trees.
Emily looked up, catching a second wind. Jennifer! she thought as she and Hotch sprinted the rest of the way towards the others. They came into the clearing and Morgan was on his stomach, doing his best to crawl toward Rossi who had collapsed near JJ.
"He just passed out! I don't think he's breathing!" Morgan exclaimed, as Emily hurried to Rossi.
She rolled him to his back and began performing CPR. She breathed into his mouth and made compressions on his chest. She yelled obscenities in between breaths. She performed the pattern over and over until Hotch finally pulled her back. The rhythmic sound of a helicopter engine peeked their ears.
"NO! It's not too late!" Emily cried, fighting Hotch with what little strength she had left. "We can save him! We have to save him!"
"Emily, Emily!" Hotch yelled, gripping her arms. "Emily, he's gone."
She went limp against him, slacking to the ground. She laid her head on Rossi's chest as Morgan, JJ and Hotch looked on in stunned silence.
Moments later the rescue team arrived, lowering EMTs to their aid. Emily pointed them towards JJ and Morgan who needed immediate attention. Morgan was gravely injured, but was still conscious somehow. JJ, however, had lost a lot of blood and was clinging to life out of sheer spite. They worked feverishly to stabilize her as the helicopter touched down softly nearby.
The EMTs assure Emily they would take care of Hotch and Morgan as she loaded into the helicopter with her wife. She squeezed JJ's hand, brushing the disheveled blonde hair out of her face.
"Just stay with me baby," Emily begged. "Jayje, I need you to stay with me."
The helicopter took off and Emily looked down at the wreckage, crying as the shock finally set in. Parts of the plane were scattered over a wide expanse, blemishing the otherwise pristine forest. She stared down at the scene wondering how something so routine had turned into something so chaotic. She struggled to comprehend the loss and devastation. In the midst of tragedy they had pulled together to survive, now they would have to find a way to pull together to move on.