I promised a double update, and here it is! I think it's time for a little GSR reunion, don't you?

Please review!

Chapter 4

Grissom shut the taxi door and turn his back as the driver sped away. He took a breath and pushed his hat higher on her head, fingers swiping away the perspiration that was gathering at his hair line. He wasn't far from their base camp and Grissom knew that this last part of his journey was to be done on foot. Kind of poetic when he stopped to think about it.

Taking out the GPS unit from his pocket, he programmed in the coordinates Dr Osbourne had given him. A flag popped up on the screen, only about half a mile from his current location. It shouldn't take him long to get there.

Apprehension gripped him once more. What if she doesn't want him there? What if her video was her way of saying she was truly letting him go? That she didn't want him anymore. Grissom could still see her face as they spoke, that last time, in his office. He knew getting involved with the Pamela Adler case would be a mistake. It had hit Sara hard the first-time round and knowing she had kept in contact with the husband didn't sit well with Grissom.

Sara was an emotional person, not in a bad way, but she felt everything. She empathised with victims, let herself get emotionally involved. Especially in cases of abuse. Not that Grissom could blame her, considering her own history, but he did worry about her.

The memory of the two of them, sitting in her old apartment after her suspension, hit him. He had no idea of the things she had gone through, of the things she had survived, and the things she still carried with her. Hearing her story made him see her clearer than he ever had before. She was stronger than he ever imagined. To have gone through so much, so young, and still be willing to get back up and fight was something her admired most about her. Something he loved most about her.

Sara was the reason he still had hope, the thing that restored his faith in humanity. After a particularly gruelling case, it was she that brought him back to the light. She had never let her own darkness diminish that spark within her. A spark that helped her see the world, see people, with hope. Kindness. Caring. Regardless of what was thrown at her.

Which was why it was so painful to watch her spiral down after Natalie Davis. The spark had finally been dimmed too much; the darkness was starting to overtake. Grissom knew the spark was still there, that it hadn't gone completely, but he didn't know how to set it free.

But she did. Sara knew how to get it back, and though it broke his heart to watch her leave, he knew it was what she needed to do. She smiled in her video. A free smile he hadn't seen in months. A smile that lit up her entire face and Grissom could see that spark glowing freely within her once more. Yes, there was some sadness, some pain still there. Pain in the goodbye. In the parting. But there was joy. Joy in the freedom from darkness. Joy in the ability to breath and live.

She had done it. She had saved herself. Brought herself back and freed that spark her loved so dearly.

Though Grissom had wished things could have been different. That she had never been taken. That he could have saved her himself, that he could have brought her back. He knew that she had done the right thing. His only regret was that he didn't leave with her. But maybe that wouldn't have helped. Maybe this was something she needed to do alone.

Grissom was no stranger to mental illness. He had seen enough of it in his time with the crime lab. He had struggled with it himself. And though a person needed their people around them, to support them and help them, somethings they could only do themselves. There was only so much support a person could give before having to let go and allow their loved one the space to work themselves.

She had done that.

Sara had saved herself. Just as she saved herself from that car. Just as she saved herself in foster care. Just as she saved herself from her father. Just as she had saved him, she had saved herself.

Grissom started walking, even if she turned him away, he had to see her. One last time. He had to tell her how proud he was, how happy she had made him, and how much he loved her.

With one eye on the GPS and one on the trail, Grissom picked his way through the forest. Sweat dripping down his back, soaking his shirt. Pooling under his arms and in his eyebrows. The chattering of birds and the chirping of insects filled his ears as he brushed past trees, allowing the leaves to glide over his arms and legs before springing back to their original position.

It was beautiful here. The air was clearer than he had ever experienced. A mixture of exotic smells invaded his senses, clearing his mind in a way nothing had done before. Grissom thought back over the years. Of the time he had first met her. When he first heard her voice from behind him, as he was throwing simulation dummies off a roof with Nick. When she had agreed to stay in Vegas. When they stayed up all night with the dead pig.

He thought about the explosion in the lab, as he saw her sitting on the curb, hand bleeding and a dazed look on her face. He thought about the hurt he saw when he rejected her dinner invitation. He remembered the feeling that threatened to engulf him, as he looked into the face of Debbie Martin, and saw Sara. He could feel her in his arms as he held her while she cried, after confessing her most guarded secret.

He could still feel the terror he felt as he watched Adam Trent hold her hostage. He can remember every time he had been in awe of her compassion and her intelligence. The pride he felt when she solved a case or excelled in her work. He could remember the first time he kissed her. Their first night together.

He still, even after all this time, can feel the wonder he experienced whenever she looked at him with love in her eyes. Every small touch or word they shared in the lab. Every earth-shattering moment in the privacy of their own home.

He loved Sara, as he has never loved anyone. She had told him, once, that he was the reason she came to Vegas. He didn't know how to respond to that then, but she didn't push him. She was patient, undemanding. She never asked for more than he was able to give. And now, Grissom wanted to give her everything. If she would have him.

Before he had left Vegas, he had been able to have some time with each member of the team. There were no long, drawn out goodbyes. Just small, simple moments that meant everything to him. He knew the team knew where he was going. They knew why he had left. Knew they were happy for him.

He remembered the last conversation he had with Catherine before he left. She had already assured him she knew he was leaving; the woman knew before he had.

Catherine had caught him in his office, the case solved and the team now off on the next one. He had told her that he recommended Dr Langston for the position of CSI level one, trying to get the last of his administrative duties out of the way, but his friend was having none of it.

She walked up to his desk and picked up one of Grissom's many framed bugs. "You should take this with you," she said, handing him the frame. Grissom only looked at her in question. Did she think he was going to leave it at the lab? "Don't put it in storage," she clarified. "Take it with you."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because it's her favourite." She smiled at him in that Catherine way and Grissom could only respond in kind. He took the bug from her and placed it, gently, in his shoulder bag. Catherine looked around the office's now bare walls. The shelves that had once housed his entomology library, stood empty. The brains that had lined the shelves behind his desk, tucked away in his garage.

"So, when are you moving in?" He asked her.

"I don't know if I will," she said with a shrug. "To me, this will always be your office. I don't know if I would feel comfortable taking it."

"Why not? You've earned it." Grissom frowned a little at her. It hadn't once crossed his mind that Catherine wouldn't take his office after he left. Catherine only shook her head.

"I've had a long time to think about it, Gil. This is your office. Besides," she said with a smile. "I'm happy with mine."

"So, uh, you really have known…" Grissom went back to his packing, not looking at her.

"Yeah," she said on a sigh.

"How long, exactly?" He asked.

"Ever since Sara left," she said simply. Grissom looked up in surprise. Even he didn't know then. Sure, he regretted not going with her, had thought about going after her. But he had always rejected it. She needed time, and he wasn't sure he was ready to leave just then. It was only after Warrick had died, after she had left the second time, did he really make his decision.

After he had gone home to find her gone, he realised he should have gone with her. That he wanted to go with her. That he wanted to leave. It had taken him a few weeks to act on it, but that was when he knew.

"I knew, as soon as she had gone, you would be going too. Frankly, I expected you to leave right after her." Catherine threw him an exasperated look. "But you're so damn stubborn, you stayed." She shook her head again, the reproach ruined by her grin.

"Well, I've always been a little slow on the uptake when it comes to Sara," he confessed, surprising himself.

"I'll say," was all Catherine replied with. With one last look, Grissom sealed his final box and sighed. Catherine looked him up and down before pulling him into a hug. "Look after yourself, Gil," she whispered in his ear and Grissom held her a little tighter before releasing his oldest friend.

Catherine took a deep breath before looking up at him, he could see tears gathering in her eyes, but they didn't fall. After patting him once more on the shoulder, she walked to the door.

"Tell Sara she owes me a call, or at least a post card. It's been too long since I've heard from her," Catherine threw over her shoulder before exiting.

Grissom chuckled to himself as he watched her leave. Once everything was organised, Grissom took one last walk through the lab. He didn't speak to anyone, didn't try to catch anyone's attention. He only watched them, one last time, going about their work. A proud, satisfied smile on his face. He would miss these people, but they no longer needed him and, with Catherine to run thing, Grissom knew they would be just fine.

Grissom left Vegas that day and, after a quick visit with his mother, he boarded a plane.

Now he was wondering through the Costa Rican rainforest, heart pounding as he focused on that small red flag. He wasn't far now, just round the last corner and he would have arrived. He wasn't sure what to expect. If he would see her right away, or if she was off gathering samples, or collating data. But there was something within him that told him that wasn't the case.

He switched the GPS off, no longer needing it. He was close now, he could feel it. Almost like there was a string pulling him to where he knew she would be. A beacon in the forest, calling him home.

As he took in his surroundings, his eyes caught on a Giant Grasshopper. He paused to look before smiling to himself. Tropidacris dux. Later, he'll have plenty of time to study the various insects of the rainforest later.

He rounded the corner and froze. Any doubts he had flew away as he beheld the scene before him. She hadn't seen him yet, but Grissom didn't care. He drank in the sight of her. Her hair was shorter, probably to compensate for the heat. It curled around her head, lightened by the sun. She was wearing light weight clothing that hung loosely from her frame. Her arms were tanned and there were faint sweat patches starting to spread under them.

Sara was taking photos of a monkey, eating some sort of fruit. The camera held to her face.

Grissom could only stare.

He had rehearsed this meeting, repeatedly in his mind, but all of that rushed away from him as his eyes took her in. She lowered the camera, probably sensing she was no longer alone. And when she turned, Grissom couldn't breathe.

She was stunning. Blinding. Looking at her was like staring at the sun after months in the dark. Her face was darker than he had ever seen it. Freckles, brought out by the sun, littered her face. Her chocolate eyes widened as they locked with his. She just stared at him in amazement before a small smile split her face.

He could see that she was trying not to cry, and Grissom could only smile back at her. Sara lowered her camera, and he couldn't wait any longer. He dropped his bag and crossed the clearing to her. He held out his arms and she immediately went to them.

Then Grissom was kissing her. He pulled her tight against him, her slim form flush against his. Grissom's hand snaked up to her hair and he curled his fingers in the stands. Sara's own had found that spot on the nape of his neck and he could feel the soft skin of her fingers ghosting over his skin.

Grissom was kissing her, and Sara was kissing him back. He didn't know when anything had felt so right.