DISCLAIMER: I have no idea how to crash a plane. Most of this is conjecture based on my limited knowledge of flying. If anything is glaringly inaccurate, please let me know so I can correct it. Otherwise, please forgive me.

JJ

They ended up in two Suburbans when Garcia refused to leave Clooney behind. As Prentiss had predicted, the technical analyst had been beyond angry when Hotch had told her everything. It was the first time JJ could remember that Penelope had ever yelled at their boss, and she still hadn't apologized. In the ensuing aftermath, Clooney's presence had been non-negotiable.

She checked the side mirror from the passenger seat, barely able to make out Reid's lanky frame in the car behind them. Next to her, Hotch divided his attention between the road and the latest report that Rossi was reading from his PDA.

"Preliminary reports say one of the wings was structurally compromised when the storm hit, sending the plane into a dive. But they found something interesting in the cockpit."

"What's that?" JJ twisted in her seat.

"The throttle level was pushed all the way forward." Rossi looked up in alarm.

"Couldn't the crash have done that?" Hotch asked.

"They don't think so," Rossi glanced down. "The investigators are pretty certain it was like that at the moment of impact."

"So what," JJ interjected, "one of the pilots crashed the plane?"

"Or both," Hotch glanced over briefly. "It would be difficult to obtain control of the aircraft if one of them wasn't in on it."

Rossi keyed his PDA off and set it on the seat beside him. "What could make two veteran pilots crash a plane full of people? Money?"

"We'll have to check into their financials when we arrive," Hotch was already planning their first few steps. "I've already coordinated with the local office and the sheriff's office. We'll send Prentiss, Reid, and Garcia to the station to get set up. I've already contacted Stephanie Wilkers, the woman who called me yesterday. She's going to video conference with them at the station. We'll head straight to the crash site."

JJ took a steadying breath and focused her gaze out her window. The highway was lined with trees on either side, and the four lane road was sparsely populated this far from a major city. The drive from Quantico to Charleston was over five hours, but it seemed to be passing quickly. JJ's thoughts drifted to her team and the horrific images she was about to witness. The photos had been bad enough, but to see the devastation in person...she didn't know how she was going to handle it.

"You alright?" Hotch's soft question cut through her thoughts, and she shook her head.

"Yeah," she lied, "I'm fine." Even with his focus on the road, she could see the half-glare he was trying to level at her. She smiled reassuringly and sighed. "Have you ever been to a crash site?"

"Once," Hotch answered. "It's where Colonel Heffield and I met. It was...harrowing."

JJ laughed at his description, knowing it was probably much worse than that. "Any advice?"

"Don't eat right before you go," he said immediately. "Trust me." His tone spoke of a story, and she returned his flat smile.

"I've seen pictures of plane crashes before," she said quietly. "I remember thinking about all of the families who would never see their loved ones again. I wondered how they could recover from something like that. Now I guess I'll get my answer."

"It won't be easy," Hotch sighed. "We just...take it one day at a time. Be there for each other, no matter how upset we are."

This time, JJ's smile was less forced. "How mad was Garcia?"

"Mad," Hotch grimaced. "I don't think I've ever heard her quite that angry, and we were all there for the ambulance aftermath in New York."

"She did tear into him, didn't she?" JJ laughed.

"He tried to calm her down, but she just kept poking him in the chest and yelling. And he just kept apologizing." Hotch started chuckling with her, and they dissolved into tearful laughter as Rossi sat up a little straighter in his seat.

"You need me to drive?" He asked lightly.

"No," Hotch took a hand off of the wheel to wipe his eyes clear. "No, I'm good." They all lapsed into a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the soft rush of the road beneath their tires. The next few days were going to be long and heart-breaking, and JJ spent the last few miles preparing for what was ahead.