"I thought you said that we were almost there." Greg was clearly frustrated. He and Grissom had been tromping around the jungle for what seemed to him like weeks. He'd been turned around so many times he wasn't sure which way was up anymore. And if he even noticed another bug, it was going to be far too soon. Greg hadn't realized exactly how creeped out by insects he was until it seemed that the entire jungle was full of them. Especially since it seemed that each time Grissom had collected and documented one insect he seemed to find another and he seemed intent on finding even more of them.
"We'll get there." Grissom was having the time of his life; he had found five insects he had personally never laid his eyes on before and of those, he was almost certain that three of them had never been documented before by anyone. He couldn't have planned a better expedition if he'd tried. He had half a mind to just set up camp out here for the rest of the week and see if he could learn more about the insects he'd found. The meticulous nature he had when investigating a crime scene had been stepped up a notch out here. He'd not only carefully collected specimens for further study, he'd gathered some of the soil and plant life surrounding them to see if there were any unique characteristics to them that contributed to their ecosystem. He really didn't understand why Greg seemed to be in such a hurry. This was his deepest fantasy come true.
"When?" Greg had begun to doubt Grissom's ability to navigate through dense jungle flora about ten minutes into the hike; unfortunately by that time, Greg had no idea which way they'd come from and he was completely at the Bugman's mercy.
Grissom quirked a brow at Greg. "Soon enough; now hand me another specimen jar." The beetle he was holding up was a lovely example of how varied the colors of insect species were in the tropics. He was already formulating in his mind what he might name them and how he was going to hit the guest lecture circuit to talk about his find. He hoped that he could convince Ecklie and the Sheriff to support him in the research; surely they'd understand that it would only help to elevate the reputation of the lab in the long run.
Greg complied and watched Grissom silently. How Grissom could be so calm when it was clear they were lost and would probably just die out here; he'd never get to see another woman again, let alone see U2 in concert. He began to wonder if there could have been a way to get out this teambuilding week, especially since it didn't appear that the entire team was going to spend time together. Right now he wished he'd gone for a swim with Warrick, Nick and Sara. Damn his stupidity; swimming with Sara meant seeing her in a swimsuit; he would have been spending his entire afternoon covertly ogling her and working up his courage to ask her out. The more he thought about the situation, the more he was mentally kicking himself. "I wish Sara was here."
"Why?" Grissom wouldn't have minded having Sara here, but the reality was that if she was, he was afraid that she would probably want to talk about how he needed to make up his mind about what he wanted from her. Decisions meant commitment one way or the other and commitments scared the hell out of him. Why she had to make it so complicated he wasn't sure. He had resigned himself a while ago that the best he could hope for with her was going to be a series of limited encounters; for him that kept things exciting and he didn't have to risk the commitment that would surely end once she figured out that she'd rather be with someone younger. Something that he was afraid was already on the verge of happening.
"Because then at least when we die out here she can be the last thing I look at instead of all of your bugs." Greg made a sweeping gesture at all of the insect specimens that they'd collected. And truthfully, he wasn't thinking so much that it would be Sara's face that he'd have as his last sight as much as he would have been able to convince her with his suave personality to give him a little good loving before he breathed his last. That and mental images of what she must look like in a swimsuit filled his mind.
Grissom quirked a brow again. "The only way we're going to die out here is if we happen upon the South American Flamingo Tarantula." He had a certain smirk on his face that he was completely amused by how flustered Greg was.
Greg's eyes widened. "South American Flamingo Tarantula? What do they look like? How big are they? Do they have big fangs? I'm probably going to step on one and not even know it; I'll just pass out and I'll never get Sara to go out with me."
"Greg, the lodge is just over there." Grissom pointed and sure enough, just through the trees the roofline of the lodge was visible.
Greg squinted and as he saw it he let out a sigh of relief and then puffed out his chest and let out a nervous laugh. "I knew we were close, I didn't know if you did. I mean I just wanted to see how well you would do under pressure, that's all." He was babbling, not only from relief but at the fear that he might actually have to ask Sara out. If she truly was his fantasy, what if she turned him down, what if she really wanted Grissom? What if she wanted someone else, like Catherine? Greg crinkled up his nose and he shook his head as he ruled out that thought. Sara hadn't ever thrown out that vibe, besides, at times Catherine and Sara hardly got along. It could just be a cover though, what if they already had a thing? Greg narrowed his gaze at Grissom. What if they both had a thing with Grissom? At the same time? He pursed his lips together at that thought and entertained a few possibilities. Maybe they'd be open to letting him join in; they could just pretend he was Grissom.
"Are you ok, Greg?' Grissom looked at the younger man a bid oddly; he studied him for a moment to make sure he didn't have any visible signs of insect bites. There were quite a few species that had toxins that could cause neurological symptoms such as hallucinating and euphoria. He was sweating a bit, but that could be just because it was warm outside and they'd been walking for a long time.
Greg's mind snapped back to attention. "Uh, yeah, fine." He couldn't help but let his thoughts drift again. What does she see in him? What do they both see in him? I mean I know I'm a lot younger and don't have as much experience as he does...well if we're going by age anyway...I could rock both their worlds. Greg followed Grissom as he gathered up the last specimen jar and stowed it into his pack. Maybe the Bugman had super spidey strength and stamina, maybe that's why the ladies were all hot for him. Maybe Sara couldn't handle being with him because he was too much of a man and he tired her out too easily. Maybe that's why Grissom needed two women. Greg furrowed his brow in concentration. I could be just enough man for her, not too much, but enough that she's going to want to come back for more and more and more. A wide grin spread across his face as the lodge came more clearly into sight. I just need to work up the courage to ask her out and lay on the Sanders' charm.
Grissom glanced back at Greg. "I'm sorry you had to miss your concert with your girlfriend." Now that he'd had the day of a lifetime, he realized that maybe Greg had other things he might have wanted to do.
"Who?" Greg hadn't thought about Chiliana in so many hours, it was almost as if she'd never existed.