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Ryan smiled at the joke Hiratio had just told, though it wasn't that funny. He was just being polite. Hiratio in the other hand thought his joke was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing, Lina gave her dad a look. She realized how nervous he was. Always before Kaya had been around or Eric and Calleigh. He still called Ryan Mr Wolfe but here they were on a family event. No wonder he was so nervous.

Horatio stopped laughing. "Sorry," he whispered to Lina.

"It's okay. Just be yourself. You'll be perfect." She whispered, smiling at him.

He took a deep breath and then smiled, relaxing a little. At least until his phone rang. He answered it with a sigh. All three of the other phones rang as well.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon." He hung up and groaned. "Sorry guys, but I need to go. Ryan, you might need to come."

"Think we're all coming, sweetheart." Natalia said, hanging up with a sigh. "I'll have Calleigh or Eric pick Kaya up at Gretchen's later."

"Okay. Maybe we can try this night another time."

Lina smiled. "We will." They drove to the lab; Natalia and Lina changing clothes and riding in the coroner's van.

They arrived at the scene and were taken aback. The mess was everywhere and it was hard to see what was happening.

"Body's upstairs," Horatio said to his daughter, collecting blood from the walls as Ryan photographed and Eric placed numbers on the data collected.

Natalia followed Lina up to the body. She took initial photos and then moved back to let her friend work. Lina's stomach turned. Very few scenes made her sick anymore, but this one was perhaps the worst she'd worked. She focused on step by step, not thinking of the closet door nearby, secure that the cops had checked before letting them inside the house.

"Lina, you alright?" Natalia asked before moving to open a window.

"Yeah, I just got a little lightheaded or something. I'm fine. Thanks," she meant for the window.

"No problem. It's horrible in here. You want some help so we can get out of here faster?"

"Please." She knew she didn't even have to tell Natalia what she needed.

A half hour later, the girls were done. "Let's get out of here."

The girls left the room and Lina realized she'd left a tool she needed in the room.

"I'll wait here. I can't go back in there," said Natalia.

"Okay. Shouldn't take five minutes." She went back into the room.

A scream caught Natalia's attention and she ran into the room. A man covered with blood had a knife to Lina's throat.

"Get away from her!" shouted Natalia, hoping it would bring someone up to help.

The man brought his knife closer to Lina's throat, so tight she could feel the sharpness, so tight she couldn't breathe. "I really wouldn't yell like that again."

"Leave her alone."

"It's too late. She's seen me. You've both seen me."

"You killed him?"

"Smart girl."

"Let her go and we won't do anything to you."

"Not a chance. Now shut up." He eyed the window, wondering if he could get out unseen, but he still had these two to deal with.

"Take me and let her go then."

"Oh, neither one of you is..." He paused, hearing Horatio and Ryan on the stairs. He looked at Natalia. "If you don't want me to kill her, you're both coming with me."

"Fine, don't hurt her."

"Natalia! Lina!" Horatio called, worried when he didn't hear the girls.

"H! Look!" Ryan was pointing out of a window at a car.

Natalia was driving, Lina in the front, the suspect in the backseat, his knife put up but the gun he'd used to remove the victim's head at the back of Lina's own, sensing that Natalia would do anything to keep Lina alive. Ryan went pale and he ran down to his own car to start chasing them. Horatio tried shooting at the tires, not wanting to shoot the suspect for fear of the gun going off if he did. Ryan sped up after turning a corner and tried to get close enough to block the suspect from going any further. Natalia picked a place on Ryan's car that would keep him safe and hit it, driving on. Lina's eyes looked in the rearview mirror until she was sure that he was all right.

"Are you happy? They can't follow anymore."

"I'd be happier if you'd hit the door."

"And kill them? No."

"They couldn't follow anymore."

"You're confusing me."

"Isn't hard." Lina started to say something when he said that but realized they were in enough trouble. There was a cut at her neck where the knife had been but at least it wasn't very deep.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"Just drive." He didn't have a plan, but knew he couldn't leave them somewhere, not alive.

Natalia sighed and turned a corner into a construction zone.

He saw the water coming up and finally knew he had his plan. "Crash the car."

"Excuse me?"

"Drive into the water. I don't care how you do it. Just have the car end up the water."

"No!"

Lina knew how afraid Natalia still was of being underwater. "You don't want to do that. You'll be trapped too."

"No, I won't. But your boyfriends will think I will be."

"I'm not doing it."

Lina heard the gun cock and winced, waiting, even as she said, "Why should she? You're going to kill us either way, right? So do it. Just do it."

Natalia wasn't going to let her friend get hurt. As she drove towards the water, she shook and memories of being trapped in that trunk ran rough her head.

The suspect jumped out of the car at the last minute, swimming to safety and hiding, while the girls were submerged. "Nat, it's going to be okay. The first thing is to get out of here, okay? And then we can worry about everything else."

Natalia didn't answer. She was terrified.

Lina tried to open her door and found she couldn't; the current was too strong. "Natalia. Natalia, are you listening to me?"

"I want H."

"I know you do, honey. I know you do. I need you to try to open your door."

"Okay." She pushed the door and it moved a little.

The water started pouring into the car. "Can you open it wide enough to get out?"

She pushed again. "No." Fear was making her weak.

"Natalia. Listen to me. I cannot open my door. If you want to see Dad and Kaya again, you've got to push as hard as you can. Please."

Still shaking, Natalia pushed and the door gave way.

The water flooded the car and it was all Lina could do not to panic. "Swim, Natalia. Swim."

Natalia swam and finally reached the edge if the construction site. "Lina!"

It seemed like hours before Lina joined her and the girl looked exhausted.

"How are we gonna get out?"

"Swim to shore."

"Where?"

Lina went under again and forced her way up. "Doesn't matter. Hurry."

The girls swam for an hour and then finally made it ashore. One of the construction workers saw them swimming and called it in. Once out if the water, Natalia curled up and shook until she saw Horatio.

He ran to hold her, not caring what anyone thought. His first words weren't about the suspect but "Are you okay?"

"No. Where's Lina?"

"She's not with you?"

"She was. Is she out of the water?"

He nodded. "The man who called it in said you both were." She appeared to be in shock so he didn't ask more questions, just put a blanket around her and held her.

Natalia curled into him until she felt safe again.