Ex Ante - before the event, a forecast.

A short interlude set approximately thirteen weeks prior to the start of Ex Animo. You don't need to have read the main story. A small response to the CSI Forever Online January 2014 Challenge, containing a resolution of some kind. Enjoy. Drop me a line. Happy Belated New Year.

…

Sara tapped her finger over the delete button on her phone screen more vigorously that she meant to and stuffed the device into the trunk with a low growl of frustration. Looking up she surveyed the crime scene with expert eyes and a sinking heart.

"What's wrong?" asked Greg, smiling sympathetically at her as she tried to work her cold, damp hands into a pair of latex gloves. She hissed in irritation as her fingers got stuck and the gloves caught, yanking painfully on her skin.

"Nothing," she mumbled, trying to smile back at him as she tugged, pulled, grimaced and finally got her hands into the protective barrier required for evidence gathering. Not that she suspected they would find much in the way of evidence, given the torrential rain pounding down around them.

"Ahhh," Greg nodded knowingly. "Betty again?" Sara's head snapped up at his words. She glared at him as thunder boomed in the distance and lightning flashed, illuminating her expression.

"She… doesn't like me," admitted Sara at last as she altered the settings on her camera and picked up her flash light, switching it on. The pair moved away from the car and began a quick, but thorough sweep of the ground surrounding their victim's body. Rain lashed down around them, soaking everything in seconds. Greg placed markers, Sara snapped photos and he bagged items in a hurry as they moved out in a spiral pattern. David was securing the body, ready to leave; the pair nodded to him and he hurried to load, leaving with a slam of doors and a squelch of tires on the muddy ground.

"Crazy lady," shrugged Greg as he bagged a matchbook about to be swept away by the rain. "What's not to love about you?" Sara sighed heavily.

"How about, I'm here and Gil's in Peru? Or maybe the fact that my ASL fluency leaves a lot to be desired? Never mind that I'm working on it. Then there's the fact that apparently I'm too young and immature for him. My age is only a plus when considering the one thing she really wants, but isn't going to get. And you can forget civility and family unity; she can't even send me a polite text. It's always, when is Gil coming home? When are you two going to spend some time together? Why are you married if you don't even live together?" Sara stopped her impromptu rant to breathe and winced as thunder crashed overhead, much closer this time, and lightening flashed brilliantly, so close it momentarily blinded both of them.

"Time to go," yelped Greg, seizing his numbers off the ground. The pair bolted for their car, stuffed their evidence into the trunk and climbed in. Sara started the engine and turned the heat up to max, shivering as she turned to look at Greg. Like her, his hair was plastered to his head, every layer of his clothes was soaked all the way through to his skin and water was pooling in his boots. He tugged one off and stared in disgust at the water that didn't drip, but rather ran in a small stream off his socks.

"Can you even see well enough to drive?" he asked, staring out though the windscreen at the torrents driving down all around them. Sara shook her head.

"Not really. There was a motel about three miles back. I can follow the road there and we can dry off and wait this out." They left at a crawl, the speedometer barely inching up to ten miles per hour as Sara hugged the edge of the road as she guided them back to the place she had seen on the way out to the scene. They almost missed it; the sky was so black and the rain so heavy that she was passed the driveway before Greg saw the sign.

They wrapped dry coveralls from the back of the car in plastic before staggering inside, fighting against the rapidly building wind and punishingly heavy rivers that hammered down on them.

There was one room left, and Sara sent Greg for the first shower while she adjusted the thermostat to warm the room and called Catherine to let her know what was happening.

Hours later she sat by the window, watching the storm and clutching her phone in her hand. What was he doing right now? she wondered. They had spoken before her shift, like always, but she missed him. She had tried calling a little while ago, but it rang through to voicemail. Idly she flicked through pictures stored in her phone's memory. Snaps of the two of them together, and others he had sent her during his travels.

In early December they had spent a week together, and promised, vowed, resolved even, as the New Year approached, that they would spend more time together. Today was the second of February, and she hadn't seen him since. More and more she found herself questioning this lifestyle they had chosen, and a nagging voice in the back of her mind that felt very much like Betty's forceful presence had her wondering if they were wrong.

She missed him. It was that simple. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms, and wake up in a bed that was warm with his body next to hers. She wanted to hear his laughter without a phone or computer between them. And she wanted to kiss him whenever she felt like it; to wrap her arms around him and feel complete and loved and whole.

The device in her hand buzzed, interrupting her daydream and she looked down to see a new text message had arrived. He had booked a trip for the two of them; including a four day trek to Machu Pichu, a bucket list destination for both of them. He had cleared it with the lab, emailed her tickets and information and all she had to do was present herself at the airport for her flight at the end of next week. He loved her more than anything and couldn't wait to see her. A smile spread over her lips, lighting up her entire face and making her eyes sparkle with happiness. Suddenly, even Greg's appalling snoring from across the room was bearable.

…

The weather was perfect. Dry and crisp as the morning sun rose high above the mountains and burned away the low lying fog, leaving a breath taking sight to meet their eyes. For two hours they walked with the guide and listened to his presentation about the city before they were released to explore by themselves. And explore they did, taking in every nook, cranny and facet of the beautiful, mystical and utterly enthralling landscape surrounding them. Sara filled more than one memory card with exquisite photographs, completely discharging her camera battery in the process, and grinned at her husband when he produced a spare, handing it over in exchange for a loving kiss.

So entranced by such a spectacular fulfillment of a longstanding duel wish were they, that they left only when their guide insisted for a second time, exhausted from their explorations and awe. A bus took them to Aguas Calientes, where they boarded a train to Ollantaytambo and then finally another bus to Cusco, arriving nearly dead on their feet at 10:30 pm. They checked into the hotel room they had reserved for the night, showered together and tumbled into bed and immediate slumber, their dreams filled with ancient stones, vivid green mountains and lush plant life.

Gil woke first and lay curled on his side, staring at the beauty of his sleeping wife curled against his chest.

"Thank you," she murmured into his skin.

"For what?" he asked, sliding down until their faces were level.

"For yesterday. For the entire trip. It was magical. I don't remember the last time I saw something so unbelievably breathtaking."

"I see something equally as stunning now," he replied softly, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.

Even after four days of hiking and camping her skin was impossibly soft, his mind managed to note before becoming completely and utterly wrapped around the woman in his arms. Sara sighed with pleasure as her hands ran though his hair and over the muscles of his back. He rolled, pulling them tighter together as his fingers roamed and his lips sought out hers over and over again.

He groaned her name and nuzzled her neck, his senses so heightened by need and desire that he thought he would be consumed by her. She gasped with pleasure as his skin slid over hers; she cried his name as he teased her delightfully before they met in that place only they shared and plunged into the abyss in perfect unity.

…

"I love you," she whispered against his skin as they lay, curled and content, beneath the sheets.

"I love you too," he replied, his lips grazing her forehead, her eyelids, her nose and her cheek before finding her lips yet again.

"Mmmm," she sighed in happiness, twining her limbs around him as she snuggled, if at all possible, even closer.

"There are only a few weeks of the project left," he told her between kisses, "and then I'm coming home."

"I can't wait," she breathed as his lips moved behind her ear and down her neck.

"Me either," came the muffled reply.

…

They had a lazy day in Cusco, before returning to the site where he was stationed at. For nearly a week Sara waited while he worked, venturing out into the surrounding area on her own to explore during the day and then returning to spend the evenings and nights with him. It was hard to get back on the plane back to Las Vegas, but she did so with a lighter heart, knowing he would be with her again fairly soon.

Two nights later she was out again with Greg, this time mercifully without the pounding rain. She handed him the small earthenware painted frog she had found in a market and he grinned in delight. He asked if she had brought anything relating to Machu Pichu and she shook her head.

"No, it was so incredible nothing manmade could do it justice. I have only my photographs." He laughed and confessed he would probably have filled his case with excess baggage. Sara shrugged; she traveled light with just her carry-on rucksack. When the detective attached to their case arrived with new information thoughts of her trip slipped from her mind as she focused on the task at hand. It would be many weeks, a couple of rescue kittens, an explosion at the deaf college and a lot of bonding with Betty later that she would learn she had in fact come back with something else from Peru.