Natalie's Final Miniature

Disclaimer: CBS owns CSI

A/N Oh boy is Grissom and the team in for a shock revelation or what? This is also the second last chapter.

Special thanks to El Gringo Loco for his support and advice, cheers mate.

Chapter 10

"Sara, Natalie is most assuredly dead, she in the morgue now, Heather is in the OR, but it wasn't a bad dream honey and I'm sorry about that, but what's this about Heather whipping you?"

"Long story, but I'll give you the short version, Heather was trying to find a way to get free, she'd palmed a handcuff key, Natalie had knocked her out and hogtied her with handcuffs, the only way out, our only hope was Heather getting out of the cuffs and she couldn't, the cuffs were too tight and cutting her. Natalie then gave her an option, basically forced her to whip me, or slit her throat. It was a no contest until Heather saw a way out, I was numb by that point and Heather knew it. Heather agreed to do it only if after five lashes I could say stop, Natalie agreed, Heather suggested I scream to give the 'scene' more reality as she wasn't hitting me hard, she hoped that Natalie would lose interest, and it worked, Heather turned the whip on Natalie and had her down then released me, everything else is fuzzy after that."

"So you agreed to Heather whipping you?" He sounded horrified at the thought.

"Gil, it wasn't like we had a choice, and you know it, that knife, it was so sharp, I felt the blade when she put it to my throat, it was the whip or die, and I'm like you, I'm not ready to die yet. Anyway Heather all the way refused to do anything without my consent, it earned her a gash on the face and total humiliation, I told her to go ahead with Natalie's instructions, neither of us wanted to die so we endured."

"Ok Sara but remind me to have a word with Heather later about this."

"No Gil, nothing more is to be said about it, unless it becomes official, she's been humiliated enough, anyway I got one bright side to this story. I have a new therapist, one I feel at ease with and I can really talk to without a problem."

"I'd like to meet this new therapist of yours."

"You already know her."

"Heather? Oh come on Sara, I know she's a good listener but the department wants you to have a qualified one."

"Heather has her degree in psychology, is that enough qualification for the 'department'?"

"Yes honey it is, and I'm glad, no wonder she read me like a book, I'll let Ecklie know you have a fully qualified psychologist you are seeing and you are doing fine with it, I just won't tell him exactly who it is."

"Do me a favour Gil, get out there and find out how Heather is doing and I need an update on Sofia, I've been so worried about her too, I need some sleep now."

Grissom left, keeping the subject of the whip in mind but waiting until something else came up from it, for now his team had arrived at the hospital and he had to fill them in on everything, visit Sofia, check on Heather once more then maybe he could eat and sleep for 5 minutes.

Grissom briefly stopped in at the lab to find out what if any results were discovered in the case only to learn that the shooting was ruled self defence, but why did one whip have epithelials from all three women on them, Heather's and Natalie's on the handle, Sara's and Natalie's on the end, it didn't make sense to any of the other CSIs, but it made perfect sense to Grissom.

"You have that 'theory' look in your eye Grissom, what are you thinking about this whip situation?" asked Greg as innocently, yet professionally as possible. The whole team knew about the DNA on the whip and were now asking unwanted questions, well he'd have to try and answer them.

"Well for starters it was Lady Heather's whip, so her DNA would be on the handle, but yeah I see your point too, Heather used this on Natalie."

"Only Natalie?" Ouch that question stung more than a whip, he'd have to come clean with his team, they all new and trusted him, and sometimes saw right through him. He hurriedly borrowed a small private room set aside for families.

"Team meeting in there, five minutes, it's a locked door meeting so don't be late," he indicated the waiting room.

They weren't late, they were all early and seated waiting for Grissom to start talking.

"This will be hard to hear, but I got this direct from Sara, it doesn't leave this room, and I don't want anyone thinking any less of Heather because of it. What she did, saved Sara's life and her own."

Catherine looked skeptical as did the others but they let him continue.

"The situation at the time was not an escapable one, Heather was in pain and seriously restrained by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, Sara was manacled to the ceiling where Natalie had whipped her earlier, only now Natalie had a very sharp knife held at Sara's throat, she then switched tactics and held it to Heather's throat, Heather had been trying unsuccessfully to use a key to release herself, but it didn't work. Natalie had chosen a bull whip, the one in evidence, and told Heather to whip Sara."

The shock and disapproval was evident, their Sara whipped by two people, they all started murmuring.

"Ok enough, you need to hear the rest before making rash judgements. Natalie was going to slit their throats if Heather didn't do it, and Heather saw it as the only way out of the cuffs to aid Sara, Sara agreed, and Heather did it only on the condition that Sara could say stop after five. Neither of them had much choice, so Heather did it, as lightly as she could without Natalie suspecting anything, and Sara had agreed to Heather's whispered instructions, Natalie got bored after seven and Heather turned the whip on Natalie, wrapping it tightly around her throat, knocking her out. Heather then set Sara free and tended to her wounds, but it didn't stop there, Natalie got up with the knife and stabbed Heather who crawled to get her hidden gun and shot her, there endeth the story. Heather and or Sara would both be dead now if she hadn't done what she did, and believe me, she weighed it all up before hand, even cleared it with Sara. So I don't want anyone judging her harshly as she just saved a friend and colleague."

The room fell silent until Catherine spoke.

"It all makes perfect sense now, Heather always had refused to do anything without consent to the point where she wouldn't or couldn't even cuff herself, hence the reason she has that gash from the rifle butt, it's just a pity that Sara had to go along with it."

"Trust me when I say there is a good side to this, I'm going to recommend to Ecklie that Sara has a change of therapist, one of her choosing, and since she has chosen one I think he'll go for it."

Only Catherine saw the gleam in his eye and understood his meaning, she didn't know about the psychology degree, but guessed who Sara's new therapist was, after all she'd seen how changed Grissom was after Heather had spoken with him.

"Now people go back to the lab and put this case to bed, case closed, end of story, any more questions come only to me and I'll be here, if Ecklie wants me he can wait or come in himself."

As per his instruction, the case was closed, the whip was of no consequence and anything could be explained away easily, then the entire team went down to the hospital to visit Sara, Sofia and Heather.

A/N Guess our girls got to shock the team alright, but at least they are all alive. Raise your hands if you guessed that Heather would be Sara's therapist before it was actually stated!

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