The Impending Storm

Disclaimer: standard one, I don't CSI or any of their characters. Only some new characters are mine and I'm not nice to them.

This is set a year after Natalie's Final Miniature (sort of a sequel that was requested) and a new nemesis arrives on the scene, revealing Lady Heather's worst secrets and endangering lives. Lady H has a very deep dark secret from long ago and is being forced into reliving it, and she doesn't appreciate it. Sara discovers that someone wants her for the wrong reason and it's someone close.

Starring Sara, Lady Heather, Sofia, Catherine, smaller roles with the rest of the team. Very minor GSR.

A/N This story is extremely dark, unsuitable for some, and not to everyone's taste. Rated M for adult themes, some language and because it's boring (LOL)

I shall apologize for it now to save doing it later. I wrote it after a fire brigade colleague collapsed last week, he was dead on the spot and four of us managed to revive him. I was stressed out so this story basically wrote itself as therapy. It can be repetitive in some places, but it alludes to the telling of emotions, and how the mind works when under stress (guess that's why I'm loony tunes). Hope someone enjoys it.

To El Gringo Loco: I hope you can enjoy this one, and your advice is greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1

It was exactly a year to this day when Heather, Sara and Sofia had first sat down together in Heather's home and discussed their previous problems. With the images of the nightmare that Natalie had put them through still quite vivid in their minds they had learnt a lot about each other and a lot about themselves as well, not to mention a few of the assorted and dubious pleasures to be found at Heather's Dominion.

Heather's advice was invaluable, Sophia had had a long talk with her mother, Captain Curtis, and realized one important lesson, winning in her line of work wasn't always the point, winning was a bonus, staying alive was the point, nailing the bad guy was partially the point, getting it all right at the same time was the perfect outcome, but perfection was hard to come by. Her mother took pains to point out that staying alive meant that she could go to step two, nail the bad guy, which then leads to step three, near perfection in her job. Sofia got the point and was glad when her mother shared her early experiences with her as well.

Sara took some vacation time with Gil Grissom and both went out to San Francisco to be by the beach, to relax and simply be together, something they should have done years ago. The scars on Sara's back were always a reminder of that awful ordeal but wearing shirts, or a wetsuit for surfing, no one noticed, no one called her any names, she was just herself, and with the man she loved. She was happy and content.

Heather herself had been on the receiving end of good news from Gil Grissom and now had access to her grand daughter, and was also a regular consultant with the LVPD in varying forms, psychologist, case consultant for a few weird cases and she became a firm friend with Jim Brass, something she secretly treasured, not for any romantic involvement but for the fact that he could see her with a more open mind now. The 'Natalie' case had taken a lot out of her, brought out something in her that she thought was long since buried, now she had to start reburying that something once more. That one thing that she simply couldn't share, was afraid to share, in case it destroyed everything she had.

All three were seated in Heather's living room enjoying a cup of tea, Heather's little touch of civility, and discussing the progress they'd all made in the last year. Heather herself had installing a new security system with external cameras covering all areas. They could almost laugh about it now, but it was still too real in their minds and the emotional scars ran deep. Sara was the first to voice it.

"I have a feeling in my gut that there are black clouds on the horizon and it won't be an ordinary storm, and yeah I know it sounds like a case of paranoia, but something bad is going to happen soon."

There was a threat, a very real threat, it was looming on the horizon of all three women. Something they could never have prepared for, never have anticipated and would not know how to combat when it arrived. They had been marked by the hand of fate, targeted, call it what you will, and wouldn't know until the hammer fell. These events would leave an indelible mark on each one, and on others, but as yet they were happily ignorant of the horror ahead. Each one had the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads just waiting for the drop. Until then life would go on.

Sara and Sofia bid Heather farewell and headed back to work, whilst Heather cleared away the tea cups and dishes, she still had her business but with her new line of work she'd set up a whole new area to work in, built an extension so that her offices would be separate to the domain. Her new clients would start arriving soon.

Just as she was getting ready one of her staff walked in and stood fidgeting.

"If I may have a moment please Lady Heather?"

"Yes Melissa, what is the problem?"

"Sandy hasn't shown up for work and is over an hour late, she doesn't answer any of our calls and this is so unlike her, she always calls, even if she's going to be five minutes late."

"Alright Melissa, thank you, leave it with me and I'll see what I can turn up."

Heather immediately dialed Sara to fill her in, especially the name Sandy Hansen.

At the lab everyone was waiting in the break room for Grissom to hand out assignments. "Ok first up tonight double homicide at the Bellagio, that's yours Cath and take Warrick. Sara you and Nick 419 in the desert, the only information I have for you is that it's a female and looks like a body dump, you'll meet Sofia out there. Greg you and I have a B&E downtown."

As they all left for their assignments Grissom called Sara over for a moment.

"Just be careful out there Sara, and don't wander off on the perimeter without Sofia or another officer with you."

"I'll be careful Gil, you just be equally careful, and make sure you and Greg both have your weapons."

With that they drew apart and left to do their jobs, and for once Sara had no idea what Grissom was alluding to about being careful. It was as if he was trying to warn her about something, but probably just showing his way of publicly caring for her.

Nick and Sara travelled mainly in silence with the exception of having a bet on whether the body was a dump job or a kill on site job, Sara opted for the kill, Nick went for the dump with $20 riding on it. It made a hard job lighter on their shoulders even if was at the expense of a poor dead girl.

They pulled up by the flashing lights of the police units, grabbed their gear from the back and strode purposefully towards the taped off area, meeting Sofia on the way.

"Hi guys, I can't tell you much but the unis haven't crawled all over the scene and I'm just off to question the guy who called it in, one Jimmy Hernandez, he does some prospecting out here sometimes. SuperDave should be here soon but I made damned sure they taped off a large area."

"Thanks Sofia, let's have a quick look and see if we can call it then start on the rest, I'll probably need you later for a perimeter walk if you don't mind," replied Sara.

"Sure just call when you need me."

At first glance they could see a naked brunette woman, age undetermined as yet, throat slashed, wrists bound behind her with some zip ties, ankles bound with zip ties as well. Nothing else was found beside the body, no ID, no purse, no clothes, nothing. There had to be something, anything and Sara was going to start on a spiral perimeter search and work outwards.

"Nick, you wanna take the body with David and I'll take the perimeter with Sofia, we need to get everything quickly, look at the sky, it'll rain shortly."

"Ok Sara let's make this quick and neat."

"Hey Sofia, you're with me, I need your eyes and skill as a CSI, not a cop this time."

Whilst David took the body back to the morgue after initial examination by himself and Nick, and after Nick lost his bet, Sara was literally walking in circles, her flashlight glued to the sand in front of her and she found it. Half buried in the sand was a purse, further on Sofia found clothes and shoes, all shredded by a sharp object. They were trying to find the murder weapon as well, a knife, and would unless it was buried or taken away. It was there, on the furthest point away from where the body was, around the rear of small hill, in between some rocks, the blade gleamed against the flashlight.

"Well I think that's about everything we'll get out here, but one thing doesn't make sense yet," theorized Sara, her mind trying to create the scene in her head.

"I know what you are thinking Sara, how did she get here, no tyre tracks or footprints."

"Exactly, we are missing something, so how did she get here? In a few hours or less there won't be anything left at all so how about we walk this again in our own tracks to see if we missed something then walk back to the road to try."

"Sounds like it will take a while but sure let's give it a shot."

Nick was sifting the sand around the body whilst Sara and Sofia walked the perimeter then back towards the nearest road in search of tyre tracks. They found more than they bargained for, a car, off the road in a ditch and seemingly abandoned. Other tracks around it suggested another car and people, heavy, deep footprints indicated people carrying something or someone and a broken bush suggested how they covered up the tracks by using the bush as a sweeper.

The first droplets of rain started falling as they called for a tow truck for the car, and by the time they made it back to their own vehicles any and all evidence left had been washed away, they themselves were soaked to the skin, this scene was finished with, only the lab could find out more. Sara still had that feeling in her gut that something vital was missing, a large piece of the puzzle, and she'd never known her gut instinct to be wrong yet.

TBC

A/N Something vital is indeed missing as they will find out in due course, what is the connection? Is there a connection with Lady Heather? Is it something more sinister than coincidence?

I do appreciate reviews if you have the time and all advice, encouragement and criticisms are taken into consideration.