Earlier that same day….

As Tony and Ziva were rushing around the house getting ready to go to work, knowing they were heading directly to a crime scene and not to NCIS headquarters, CJ sat eating her oatmeal at the table still half asleep.

"Hey, CJ what are you and the gang up to today?" Ziva asked as they donned their jackets and ball caps.

"We're all headed over to Hanlon Park and going through the trails there for the day. We thought we'd pack a lunch and go a little further since it is supposed to be such a beautiful day."

Kissing her on the top of the head and patting her on the back Ziva answered "Have fun, be safe, we will see you later tonight."

"Sure thing, mom" and she went back to eating breakfast slowly.

She wasn't meeting Steven for another couple of hours so she showered, dressed and packed her lunch at a leisurely pace while listening to her ipod. When the time came she collected her things into her smaller backpack and headed off to Steven's. From there the two friends biked to the Hanlon Park trail and waited for the rest of the gang to show.

Instead of arriving on bikes as expected everyone was packed into a small pickup truck being driven by Owen's older brother. CJ was the first to speak as Avery jumped down from the back of the truck.

"What's going on? I thought we were going to bike the trail today… it's going to be a bit hard without bikes… don't ya think?"

"We got a better plan" Owen called over excitedly.

"Better plan, let's hear it"

"Davon is going into Charlottesville to meet a friend and he said he'd drop us off in Shenandoah Park so that we can go rafting and then he'll pick us up on his way back home at the other entrance down river."

Steven and CJ answered in unison "Sweet".

It wasn't until the entire crew was packed in both the front and back of the pickup and they were headed out of town that CJ sensed a slight flutter. But it was just that 'slight' and so was easily ignored. Too much fun was to be had and it was a beautiful day.

They kept to back roads as they thought they might get stopped with that many teens in the pickup on the main routes and so the trip took almost 3 hours. Davon dropped them all off with their rafting "equipment" if it could be called that. It was an inflatable dingy, and a few upscale air mattresses. No one had swim gear, towels, helmets, and they only had 1 paddle for the dingy.

The 8 teens ate their lunches on the trip and so everyone decided it was best if they left everything they didn't need on the river in the truck so that it wouldn't get lost. The list of belongings left behind included, backpacks, changes of clothing, cell phones, ipods and wallets. Plans were made for Davon to meet them down river at 16:00 so that everyone could be back in DC without being missed.

As CJ surveyed the scene the flutter returned to her in a flash but was quickly forgotten as the excitement rose in the band of buddies that surrounded her.

The river ran through a gorge with cliffs on either side of the river. They weren't particularly high but well over a story and in some locations almost 2 stories. The location that Davon had left them was one of a few spots along the river that you could easily walk to the water. Carrying their equipment the friends made their way to the water's edge. It was at this time that they divided up who was going with whom and on what floatation device they were making the trip down river.

Owen and Ashley were on one air mattress, Steven and CJ on the other and the rest were all in the dingy. Since the river had many rocks, twists and turns they put the dingy in the lead so that they could yell back to the air mattresses what was coming up ahead.

They travelled for almost an hour floating along at a good pace but still able to maintain control of even the poor substitute for proper rafting equipment. They were all soaking wet, those on the air mattresses had gotten wet almost immediately and thought it "unfair" that their dingy floating pals were still dry on such a hot day and spent several minutes splashing and playing to get everyone equally wet. Taking a break before the larger rapids the teens sat off to the side of the river where there was about 3 feet of crushed stone before the gorge wall. They sat talking, joking and making fun of each other for a short time before Avery pointed out they had no idea how long it would take to get to their meeting spot and so they should get moving.

Piling back onto the river navigation devices as previously assigned the friends headed towards the more rapidly moving water. The first few hundred feet were a blast, the great speed and need to steer around larger rocks heightened the exhilaration of the trip. The dingy was getting farther and farther ahead as it was better able to plot a course through the gorge. And with the spreading distance, the ability to communicate dwindled. Atti finally got the dingy pulled over to the side with great effort to wait for the others, he didn't think it safe to separate. So as Atti, Avery, Ainsley and Drew stood watching Owen and Ashely came around the bend at an alarming speed and by the looks on their faces had no control over their meager air mattress. Flung around the corner by the rushing water the air mattress was thrown against a large rock smack in the middle of the river. Ashley was able to grab a hold of the rock and hold on tight fear blazing in her eyes.

Owen however was not so lucky and drifted down river body surfing, limbs flying all over trying to get traction on something to slow himself down or get to the edge.

Steven and CJ witnessed the whole scene from behind unable to help but using the disaster ahead of them to maneuver around to the rock. They rescued Ashley and dragged themselves to the edge of the river. Meanwhile Atti, Ainsley, Avery and Drew made a human chain and hung out into the river to grab Owen as he sailed by. Leaving all the equipment behind they group met where Owen lay on the stones crying out in agony. Ashely was bleeding badly from a cut on her leg but otherwise they were the only two injured.

CJ having taken the most first aid jumped to the assist her friends. She secretly thanked her family for insisting she took the course and kept it up to date. She had always complained, when would a kid need to do first aid?

CJ started assessing the layout of where they ended up. Deep in the gorge with probably about 18 to 20 foot wall, only a 3 foot landing of stone where they were now accumulated. Upriver a few hundred feet was a "less" steep incline that might be able to be scaled in running shoes and without ropes.

While wrapping Drew's shirt around Ashely's leg in hopes of stopping some of the bleeding CJ started to bark orders.

"OK guys listen… we need to go get help… Ashely can you walk with that cut?"

"With help ya"

"Ok, Drew, Avery and Atti you guys go back up river to that spot there" pointing to the location CJ had picked out as easiest to get up and down "help Ashely get out and go to the closest rangers shed. I can hear campers so there has to be one nearby. One of you stay at the top of the gorge so that help will know where we are down here. The others go onto the hospital with Ashley after sending help. You need to tell help that Owen is not getting out of here on his own steam. We'll need something to carry him out with."

Making sure they repeated back the instructions and understood what to do CJ let the rescue party leave.

That left Owen laying on his back on the stones, moaning about his leg hurting like "a son of a bitch" , Steven, CJ and Ainsley.

Ainsley whispered to the others so that Owen couldn't hear," how long do you think we will be down here? What do we do now?"

"Don't know and keep Owen's mind off his leg. We have NOTHING with us. Absolutely no supplies and it is getting later which means if we don't dry out before the sun goes down and we are still here, we are all going to get very cold."

It was easy at first to keep talking or joking. But soon the reality of the situation had over taken them and shock was now a problem with Owen the four kids grew silent. CJ tried a few times to keep up the chatter, but it just didn't work. Soon it was the chattering of teeth that could be heard. CJ was listening intently for some indication that someone was coming. Steven gestured to CJ to follow him off to the side while Ainsley patted Owen telling him not to worry they'd be out in a jiffy now.

"Do you think they're coming back any time soon?" Steven enquired.

"I don't know. The station may have been quite far, and it would have taken them a while to get Ashley up the gorge and to the station. And then they have to send specialized equipment to get Owen out. I really don't think it is unreasonable that we have had to wait this long. That being said, I'm freezing, tired, hungry and soon I'm going to start to panic" CJ answered with wry smile.

"As long as you think they sent help, otherwise I will go and see what I can find."

"NO Steven, you need to stay, we don't want to split up anymore, and you don't want to try and get up the gorge on your own now that it is heading towards night time."

Waiting was not a pleasurable experience for CJ at the best of times and this was pure torture. She all but given up hope when she heard Atti's voice. "This way… this way.. they're down this way."

CJ did not believe in any deity but at that moment she thanked GOD profusely for sending them help before she went completely mad. Two EMS workers and Atti made their way down the gorge carefully and at a turtle's pace. They had brought a carrying device that looked like the back half of a human shaped Egyptian sarcophagus and blankets. It took all of them, teens and EMS workers, to get Owen into the contraption. Wrapping him in the blankets they began the treacherous journey up the gorge. Owen was no light weight and so with help having arrived and things falling into place CJ was able to start joking again.

"Owen when we are through here I am putting you on a diet because if I ever have to carry you out of ANYWHERE again I want you at least 50 lbs lighter."

Everyone laughed. That felt better. The banter continued in between the instructions given by the EMS workers of where to stand, climb and lift. An hour after the paramedics arrived they were all finally sitting in the back of the ambulance.

It was at the very moment that the ambulance doors closed and the EMS worker wrapped CJ in a blanket that the flutter in her stomach turned into a growling, snarling beast. WHAT THE HELL WHERE THEY THINKNG? This was such a BAD idea. HER parents were going to FREAK. Thinking her shivering was due to cold the EMS guy wrapped another blanket around CJ.