A/N: A new story inspired by a movie I watched yesterday (if you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably know which movie I'm talking about).

Thank you again to Aoife (HotchnerJareau) for all your help! Without you, I wouldn't be able to get my ideas out into actual chapters as fast as I have been (note: I only formulated this idea last night, Aoife helped me straighten it into a potential story)

Thanks to Kae for helping me with locations around Virginia so I could keep this story as realistic as possible!

Another note to say that I've been nominated for a handful of awards in the Profiler's Choice Awards. It would mean the world to me if you could head over and vote before February 15th, but especially if you vote for my story 'Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness'. That story documents through fictional characters what my friend Chloe went through battling brain cancer, and it would mean the world to me if it won its category.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of its characters and affiliates.

Every time one of her parents' voices climbed above normal levels, Abigail LaMontagne cringed. Her shaking figure sat against the wall beside their bedroom door, taking in every word that left their mouths, every word which was not soft enough to be muffled by walls and doors.

"You are never home, JJ! How do you expect to be a good mother if you're never here? I do everything around here because you're off chasing serial killers!" she heard her father yell.

It broke her little heart to hear such words coming from them. They had started arguing almost the moment her mom stepped through the door upon arriving home from a case. Weren't these supposed to be her role models? Weren't they supposed to be happy? Gulping, she let the first few tears fall down her cheeks and land silently on her lap. Was this the beginning of the end?

True, it wasn't the first time they had argued. In fact, recently, they had been arguing a lot. Her dad had stopped kissing her mom if she was home when he left for work. Abigail, however, had noticed that they never kissed anymore. She could remember the days when she was little, when her mom and dad would dance around each other in the kitchen, laughing and kissing as they made breakfast for her and Henry.

She used to find it gross, but now she wished more than ever that they were still that happy.

"You knew what you were getting into when this relationship started, William!"

Abigail winced. William. Her mom never used her dad's full name. Unless she wasreally mad.

"Why the hell did we ever get married then?"

Abigail almost gasped. Something hit the floor with a thud, and Abigail knew that her mother was just as stunned as she was.

"You're unbelievable," came the sound of her mother's voice just moments before the bedroom door flew open. Abigail stayed frozen to the wall as her mom stormed off down the stairs.

"That's right, JJ, storm off like always!" her father called menacingly from the bedroom, before slamming the door once more.

As soon as the door was shut, Abigail leapt into action. She could hear keys jangling, and then the sound of the front door opening. Taking the stairs two at a time, she ran off in pursuit of her mother.

"Mommy! Mom! Wait!" she yelled, grabbing her coat off the rack by the door and pulling the door closed behind her as she went out onto the front step.

"Mommy!" she yelled again, finally getting her mother's attention.

JJ sighed. "Abigail, go back inside"

Abigail tried to pull her coat on, slipping on the icy path as she made her way to her mom. Stumbling slightly, she was relieved when her mom grabbed her arm to steady her.

"Where are you going?" she asked once she had her footing again.

"For a drive. Go back inside," JJ replied shortly, turning towards the car. Abigail could tell her mom was furious. It was in her voice, her words, and her eyes.

"Can I come with you?"

"Abigail-"

"You're sad, Momma, I want to make you happy, I like when you're happy," Abigail rambled off, still holding onto her mom's hand.

JJ sighed again. "Get in"

Abigail grinned, making her way through the coating of snow on the ground to get in the passenger side of the car.

Before too long, they were driving away from the suburbs, navigating the snowy roads as the radio filled the silence in the car. JJ had remained stoically silent as Abigail gazed out the window.

"Can we go to Skyline Drive?" Abigail asked, referring to the scenic drive through the national park that both she and her mother loved dearly.

JJ raised an eyebrow at her daughter as they came to a stop at a red light. "That's a long drive out there, sweet girl. And it's a long road to drive. And we don't really have anything with us"

"I know," Abigail sighed, playing with the cuff of her sleeve. "But it's so pretty out there, and you said it's one of your favourite places. It's only morning, and I know we've got some stuff in the back, some water and blankets and stuff. We could go for a little while.

JJ had to smile. "I guess we can do a little bit of it if you like. We just have to check first, it might be closed due to the snow"

Abigail nodded excitedly, grabbing her mom's phone. After perusing through the browser for a few minutes, she looked up happily. "The south end is closed due to snow. The rest of it is a little snowy but is still open as the road is clear. It just says that drivers should take extra precautions"

JJ smiled. Her frustration with Will was ebbing away slowly at the thought of a spontaneous scenic drive with her little girl. Maybe some time out in Shenandoah National Park would help clear her head. Then when they got home...she could try to fix whatever had broken.

The drive out went quicker than expected. It seemed as though the weather was keeping a lot of people off the roads. Even with the minimal traffic, JJ was careful to stay alert. Snowy roads could be a real disaster if one was not cautious.

Abigail happily sang along to the radio as they made their way out towards the park, her eyes closed and her head bopping slightly as she sung the lyrics. JJ had to grin at the carefree nature of her child.

Before too long, they had reached the northern entrance and paid the entry fee. Abigail bounced in her seat, her face pressed to the glass as the beautiful scenery unfolded around them.

"It's so pretty out here," she sighed, turning to look at her mom.

"It sure is, peanut," JJ mused, taking in the beauty of the nature as they drove down the winding road.

Sitting in silence for a moment, Abigail looked up at her mom once more.

"Why do you and Daddy fight so much?"

JJ's heart sank.

She knew that the problems between her and Will had reached an all-time high, and she knew Abigail and Henry had to have noticed.

"We don't get along like we used to," she replied softly.

"Why not?"

JJ opened her mouth to reply, but found she didn't have an answer. Was that why they had problems? Because neither of them knew what had caused them and therefore, it couldn't be fixed?

"I don't know"

"Do you still love Daddy?"

The simple question caught JJ off guard. It was so innocent, yet so deep.

As she went to answer her daughter's question, the car suddenly lost all traction on the road as it approached a rather snowy bend marked by signs. JJ gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles gleaming white like the snow as they skidded around the bend in the road, fighting to control the vehicle.

And then, just a moment too late, she saw the other car. Abigail screamed, her nails digging into her mother's arm.

There was a sickening crunch of metal, the sound of her daughter's screams, and the shattering of glass.

And that was that.