Title: Crash and Burn
Author: Sarge1
Rating: T
Summary: The team is heading home after case, but when their plane goes down in the Rocky Mountains, they have to battle injuries, the elements, and a forest fire in order to survive. JJ-Centric, but still involving all the team.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Criminal Minds peeps. (If I did, I'd give JJ more to do…) I'm just playing with them.
Author's Notes: Before this chapter begins, I just wanted to thank everyone personally for their reviews. I wasn't expecting such an overwhelming response to this story and I'm so thrilled that y'all like it! So, yes, without further ado:
mabelreid – Angsty is what I live for! Haha! I thought it would be interesting to do a story that didn't involve a case and was more about character development. I'm glad you seem to think the same!
Ally – Here ya go! Next chappy! Thanks for the review!
ShawnGF – Thank you! I've really enjoyed reading your fics as well. JJ is the best!
Ischia – Thank you! Thank you:-D
butterflybaby – Breathe! Here's the next chapter! LOL! -hugs-
alex – I totally agree! There are never enough JJCentric fics!
withoutatacegirl – Glad ya liked the first chapter!
sydcasy – Thanks! Here's the next chapter! Hope ya like it!
JMcK – I totally know what you mean about seeing "JJCentric" and it making your day! It always makes my day, too! I was actually worried about keeping everyone in character as this is the first CM fic, but I'm glad to know that everything seems to be in order. Thanks for the review!
hpcrzyfb – Here's your update! I hope you like this chapter, too!
ReidLover12 – Thanks for the review! I was aiming for unique and I'm glad you see it that way!
SpencerReidFan89 – Haha! Sorry, but I'm afraid you'll probably be faced with a few more cliffies in the upcoming chapters, but I'll try my best not to make them TOO painful. Glad ya love it!
Cassandra30 – Thank you! I was just going to kill the pilots right off, but your review was what inspired this chapter, so thank you (again)!
REIDFANATIC – Thanks for the review! I'm writing as fast as my brain will allow!
princess89 – dun Dun DUN! Gotta love suspense! And I'm glad you're lovin' the story so far! Hope ya like the next chapter!
hotchner – Magnificent? Fantastic? Wow, I'm so flattered I'm blushing! Don't worry about Hotch! I'll keep him in one piece for ya! Thanks for the review!
Ryuzaki – ROFL!!! As you wish, your Highness! It's not going to be a Reid-Centric fic, but don't worry, he does get hurt!
yegbb10 – Thanks! I thought a plane crash would be interesting, too! Here's your update!
Sarmoti – Thanks for the review! Don't worry, I have no plans of really making this a serious JJ/Reid fic. I'm trying to keep it as close to the show as I can. It's gonna be about all of the team, but with just a little more focus on JJ because she never gets enough attention.
Scrawn – Here's your update, my dear! And yes, YAY for JJ stories!
vamoarribauruguay – I know what ya mean! I love Reid too, but I need a little variety (preferably of the JJ kind)! Anyway, fear not, here's the next chapter!
Mia Shade – Well Mia Shade, thank goodness you're OFF the plane now! I'd hate to cause you any unnecessary pre-flight jitters! LOL! Thanks for the review and I hope ya like this chapter!
noe224evr – There just needs to be more JJ everything! hehehe
AscaDuin – Hahaha! I actually like flying, but turbulence can definitely be freaky!! Thanks for the review!
joyce craig – Glad ya like it!! -hugs-
mouse – I'm really glad that you're liking it so far!
TutorGirlml – No dying! Dying is not allowed! LOL! hugs Here's the next chapter, now liiiiiiive!
I HOPE I GOT EVERYONE! If not, yell at me and I'll give you a special shout out in the next chapter!
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CHAPTER 2 – Survival First
JJ wasn't sure exactly what had begun to bring her out of the darkness –the harsh sounds, the choking smells, or the pure agony radiating from both her head and side. It could have been any one or even all of them, she didn't know. What she did know though was that she really didn't want to leave the darkness now that she knew some very unpleasant things awaited her. Alas, one low and very persistent sound continued to draw her closer and closer to the surface of consciousness.
"…JJ?" It was a voice, a very familiar voice. "JJ, I need you to wake up."
There was a pause and then suddenly the blonde coughed, her eyes snapping open at the blinding pain the act shot through her side. She blinked a couple of times, her vision very blurry.
"JJ?"
"Hotch?" she wheezed. She could see his silhouette and just barely make out the worried look on his face.
"Thank God," the man breathed, his expression relieved for just a moment before he said, "Can you tell me what hurts? Neck, back…?" Spinal injuries were what he was most concerned with at the moment.
JJ blinked again. Her head was throbbing so badly she thought it might explode. "What-what's going on?" It was obvious that she was very confused.
Hotch sucked in a deep breath as he took either side of her face and forced her to look directly at him. "JJ, I need you to focus for me. Does your back, neck, or legs hurt at all? Can you move your limbs?"
It took her a moment, but finally she forced herself past the confusion and pain to find a reply for his questions. A few seconds past and then she finally said, "Yeah. I think I'm ok." Well, ok besides the aching skull and throbbing side.
He nodded. "Good. Now, we have to get out of the plane, so I'm going to help you up, ok?" He was speaking slowly, but she easily sensed the urgency in his tone.
"Out of the-…What?" Out of plane? Had they already landed? The blinding pain in her head was making it really hard to concentrate.
Hotch didn't answer her questions and instead began to carefully coax her up into a sitting position. Her head immediately swam, but then cleared enough to answer in affirmation when he asked if she was ready to try to stand. He took her by her upper arms and slowly pulled her upward. Pain ripped down her side and she swore she could feel something moving around. She made it to her feet though. Her knees buckled slightly and her vision swam again, but Hotch kept her upright.
It was only then, when she was standing, that she recognized the pungent smell that had been assaulting her senses since she had begun to regain consciousness. It was smoke. She turned her head, frowning. "Is that smoke?" she asked.
"We crashed," Hotch told her point blank as he began to carefully lead her over the debris to where they had popped open the door. Thankfully it hadn't been too damaged in the crash and had only needed a couple rough pushes to get it to open.
JJ blinked. Crashed? They had crashed? "Oh my God," she breathed, memories of the turbulence and the conversation with the pilots and the others rushing back to her. "Is everyone ok?" As she asked the question, she turned her head to the right, getting a quick glimpse into the cockpit. It was completely destroyed.
Before her question could be answered, they reached the door. The light from outside sent fiery daggers through JJ's skull, but she quickly masked the pain and waited for her eyes to adjust. A moment later, she was able to survey the mayhem outside.
Emily, who was favoring her right arm and bleeding from a nasty cut above her eyebrow, was sitting beside Reid, leaning over the man and talking to him quietly, obviously trying to either calm him or get him to stay awake. JJ couldn't hear what was being said. Morgan was carrying Hampton in a fireman lift a few feet in front of her and Hotch. He seemed to be ok, but Hampton on the other hand, she wasn't so sure. And then her eyes finally settled on what she could only guess was Cannon. He, or his body, was covered by one of the blankets from the jet. She swallowed hard. He hadn't made it.
Morgan placed David down as carefully as he could and then kneeled over him for a moment. He said something quietly to the man before rising again to his feet and heading back past JJ and Hotch into the plane.
"I'm ok now, Hotch," JJ said slowly. She wanted, needed, to check on the others.
"Are you sure?" he questioned, concern evident in his voice.
She looked at him, swallowing again, and then nodded. The latter made her head swim again and she had to close her eyes for a moment to quell the nausea that was rising up her throat. Either Hotch didn't notice or he just wasn't saying anything. "I'm sure."
Hotch nodded in return, letting her go. "I still want you to sit down 'til we can get an assessment of everyone's conditions."
"Ok," she replied. Since Reid already had Emily, she figured the best thing to do would be to check on David. "I'll go sit with Hampton; keep him company."
"All right. Morgan and I are going to get what we can out of the plane and then we'll be back out to help with everyone." He gave her one long last look to be sure she wouldn't collapse right there and once satisfied that she wouldn't, he finally turned back around, returning to the wreckage.
Taking a tentative first step, JJ's legs felt wobbly, but thankfully didn't just buckle. She walked slowly over toward the Hampton, glancing briefly at Cannon's blanket-covered form, still and breathless. She swallowed hard. She couldn't believe this had happened.
"Come to gloat?" David's hoarse voice pulled her attention over to him.
JJ frowned, wondering how he could even think such a thing, but then quick caught his strained smirk and caught on. "Never," she replied as cheekily as she could manage, smiling at him as she took a seat at his side.
"Uh huh," he got out in mock disbelief before breaking out into a violent fit of coughing.
JJ immediately reached over and grasped his shoulders in an attempt to keep him steady. "Whoa, whoa there, big guy," she said, alarmed, "Breathe. Breathe, David." When the fit finally calmed, she was horrified to see a rather large trickle of blood making its way down the side of his mouth. "Deep breaths, come on."
"I'm not doin' so good, JJ," he told her after a few moments, gasping in pain. "I'm not gonna make it."
A glimpse of panic flittered across her well-schooled face at not only his admission, but also the way in which he said it. There was no joking in his tone like usual. He meant it.
"You are going to make it, David. You're going to be fine." She was using the tone she used when speaking to the press, the no-nonsense 'I know what I'm talking about' tone. "Just fine, even if that means I have to haul you out of these woods myself."
"Mountains," he rasped.
It took her a few seconds to understand what he was saying. "Woods. Mountains. Same difference," was her reply. "The point is that you're going to be fine. Do you understand me?"
He shook his head, coughing harshly again as more blood began to bubble up from his throat, spilling out of his mouth. "Please, JJ," he pleaded breathlessly, pure fear etched across his face, "Please tell them…" His voice was now fading.
Frowning deeply, JJ swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and then leaned forward over him. "Tell who what, David?" she asked hoarsely.
"My-my wife and kids," he wheezed, "T-t-tell them that I love them." Tears were now escaping both his eyes and JJ's. "Th-that they were everything that made me happy. That they were just…everything to me."
"You're gonna tell them that yourself when we get you home, ok?" She knew it was overly cliché, but she didn't care. She needed him to believe that he was going to make it. She needed to believe that he was going to make it.
He grabbed her arm forcefully, looking her right in the eye. "Please, JJ. Please. P-promise you'll tell them."
Biting her bottom lip to keep from crying outright, she nodded quickly. "Ok," she quickly conceded, sniffling.
"Promise me." His voice was failing as more blood continued to bubble up out of his throat.
She took his hand and squeezed it. "I promise."
He nodded, his eyes growing distant.
"David," JJ tried, squeezing his hand again. "David, stay with me." He was still shallowly breathing, but otherwise, there was no response. She grasped either side of his face, trying to get him to focus on her. "Come on, come on. Stay with me, David. Stay with me!"
His hazel eyes settled on her blue ones and his hand tightened around hers for a brief moment before one last shaky breath escaped his lips and he went limp, all signs of life leaving his eyes.
"David?" JJ said a bit tentatively. There was no response. "No no, come on, Dave." There was a desperate hitch in her voice. She felt for his pulse but there was nothing. Her heart was in her throat.
On instinct, she began CPR. Fifteen compressions. Two breaths. Repeat. And yet, still no response. "Dammit, David. Come on!" She tried again with the same results. Her rising voice was really drawing attention now.
"JJ?" It was Emily's concerned voice, but the blonde ignored it and continued compressions.
"Come on, David! Breathe!" She was now practically pounding on his chest in desperation. It was making her own head and side pound with agonizing pain, and she was starting to almost hyperventilate under the pressure building in her chest. "Breathe!"
"JJ! JJ!" A strong arm circled her torso and pulled her back from the dead man. It was Morgan. He half-carried, half-dragged her several feet away from Hampton before roughly settling the both of them down on the ground. His grip didn't loosen.
JJ struggled a bit to free herself, but soon gave up, in too much pain to keep it up. She watched as Hotch checked Hampton's pulse and then with a resigned sigh, rose back to his feet. He walked over to her and Morgan, crouching in front of them. She didn't look at him, though. Instead, she continued to stare over his shoulder at David's still body.
"JJ," Hotch tried softly. When her gaze remained the same, he used his hand to turn her face in order to get her to look directly at him. "You tried your best." He spoke to her very calmly, watching in her eyes as well-trained professionalism struggled for dominance over the inner turmoil. "There was nothing more that could have been done."
A minute passed, and then a wall went up, professionalism winning. JJ's expression steeled and she finally nodded. She didn't believe him and she knew that he knew it, but neither said anything.
Hotch nodded in return. He would let her deal with it on her own time. If and when she decided she wanted to talk about it, he would be there to listen, to counsel, to console. It was a bigger part of his job than most thought. He gave Morgan a solemn glance before rising back to his feet.
There was a slight pause and then Morgan finally let go of JJ. He climbed to his feet as well. He had easily read Hotch's look as 'Give her a little space,' and he was going to do just that. He knew from experience that she was going to need a little while to process what she had just witnessed. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze of support before he followed after Hotch to check on Emily and Reid.
JJ watched them both leave for a few moments before returning her eyes to Hampton's body. She swallowed hard. She wasn't one to believe in things such as jinxes, but she still couldn't help but feel responsible in one way or another.
How was she going to face his family? She had spoken to many grieving families before, but this was so much different. She knew this family. She knew Jill, Parker, and Claire Hampton. She couldn't just use her usual "I'm sorry for your loss," line. Simple platitudes wouldn't cut it in this case. So how was she going to tell this family that their beloved husband and father was gone forever?
First the rest of us have to get out of here alive, the logical voice side of her brain reminded her. The thought made her look the others' way, watching for a few moments as they seemed to be checking one another over for serious injures. She silently prayed they wouldn't lose anyone else. She wasn't sure she could handle that.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, she rose shakily to her feet and walked back over to the David's body. His eyes were closed now. Hotch had closed his eyes. She swallowed hard again and then slipped off the fitted jacket she had been wearing and draped it over his face. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. She felt like crying, but kept the tears at bay. Now wasn't the time. Survival first.
TBC…
(A/N: This chapter was filled with a lot more JJ and a lot less of everyone else than I had originally planned, but after Cassandra30 asked I not kill the pilots outright like I had been planning on, this idea came to me. Don't worry though, there will be a lot more of everyone else in the next chapter, I promise! Hoped ya liked this chapter and as always, remember to CLICKY CLICKY! Reviews are life! Hehe! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! –HUGS TO ALL–)