So, we're moving on with the story. Thank you everyone who's reviewed, they're keeping me going!

I hope you enjoy this next chapter and please leave a comment. Have a great night/day, wherever you are!

Chapter 8

Outside the tent, the world was moving. Birds were singing, animals calling out to one another, insects buzzing as they flew through the clearing. Not knowing, nor caring about the two humans laying inside the tent. When Grissom had first entered, he noticed something. Not the piles of paperwork, covered in Sara's scratched handwriting. Not the three photographs she displayed for all to see. It wasn't even the books thrown haphazardly in the trunk along the wall.

He noticed that everything she had, everything she had brought for this trip, was for two. Two chairs for the table. A double wardrobe he knew she could never fill on her own. Two coffee mugs. Two lamps. And the bed… not the single bunk most would buy when taking a trip alone, not a camp bed, or an airbed. A double bunk, sturdy, and firm.

They had certainly proved that last point.

Sara would have brought all of this, specifically for this trip. She hadn't owned anything of the sort beforehand. And she had brought enough for two. Grissom thought, he hoped, he indulged himself with the idea that, deep down, she had always known he would come after her. Even if she wasn't aware of it.

Sara stirred slightly in her sleep and Grissom pulled her closer to him. The bunk wasn't as big as his king-sized bed in Vegas, but Grissom didn't care. In fact, he rather liked that they were pressed in together. Today had been more than he could ever have hoped for. She didn't send him away. She didn't hate him. She wanted him; she wanted their future.

The journey here had been the longest of his life. The uncertainty of what was waiting for him weighed down on him so much, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to get back up again. But then he saw her. Then he kissed her and there was nothing but air. The loneliness and the pain he had been feeling ever since she first walked away from him, had lifted and there was nothing but her.

Nothing but the look on her face. The feel of her body. The smell of her skin.

Grissom was looking forward to the work they would be doing over the weeks to come. He was looking forward to working with her again, of laughing with her again. Of meeting her friends and making his own. But right then, he was more than content to lie there and watch her sleep. They hadn't left the bedroom since they returned to the clearing, and Grissom knew he should be tired. Should try to get some sleep before they joined the rest of the camp, but he couldn't.

His mind was working in overdrive. There was so much he wanted to say to her. So much he wanted to ask that his brain wouldn't let him rest.

As if sensing his stare, Sara peaked open an eye. "Have you actually gotten any sleep?" She asked, her voice still heavy from dreams.

"No," he replied, placing a kiss to her brow. Sara frowned and turned over, facing him. He knew he must look bad; he had been travelling for the last 72 hours, with little to no sleep.

"You should sleep," she said, tracing a finger over his lip, brushing the whiskers that covered it.

"I can't seem to shut of my brain," he said.

"Shocker," Sara replied on a laugh. Grissom only smiled at her. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," he said, simply.

"Anything in particular?" She asked with a cheeky smirk. Grissom shook his head, chuckling and placed his forehead against hers. Yes, he was thinking of that. But also, of something else, something far more daunting than anything else so far.

"I was just wondering…" he hesitated. No, it was too soon for that.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said and bent to kiss her again, but Sara put a hand to his chest, holding him away.

"No, tell me." She was looking at him with such an open expression, Grissom couldn't find it in his heart to deny her anything.

"I… I was just wondering, but it's too soon."

"Too soon for what?" She asked, brows creasing in confusion.

"To ask you to marry me," he said.

Sara was silent, too silent, and Grissom knew he was right. It was far too soon to start talking about that. He was ready. He had been ready for years, but he couldn't expect her to pick up where they left off. He needed to take his time, needed to prove to her that he wasn't going anyway.

"Just forget it," he said, and he captured her hand in his own. "Ignore me… Let's just…" He didn't know what he was saying, he just wished she would say something. Anything.

Her silence was worse than a flat-out refusal. It grated at Grissom's heart, and he searched for the words to take it back, even if he didn't want to.

"If I remember correctly," Sara said, slowly. "You've already asked me that." Grissom's eyes shot to hers. His heart started pounding in his chest. This was more nerve racking than the first time he asked her. He cleared his throat.

"If I remember correctly," he replied, voice heavy. "You said yes."

"I did."

His eyes were searching hers, desperately trying to read what was beneath them.

"And, uh…" He couldn't get the words out, couldn't dare to believe that, only a few hours after their reunion, this could be happening.

"My answer hasn't changed, Gil," she said with a smile. "I don't want to start over; I don't want to go back. For me, there is only forwards."

Something within him exploded, it was as if Sara had blown away the last remnants of doubt, of fear. She still wanted to marry him. There was no more waiting, no more uncertainty. This amazing woman wanted to be his wife. His wife!

They stayed in bed. Neither Julian nor Helen had come to get them for dinner, though they didn't mind. Sara had some non-perishable food squirrelled away in her tent, which they ate when the need arose. They kissed, they talked, they slept, they made love and held each other all the way through the night.

The next couple of weeks were as close to perfect as Grissom had ever experienced. Being able to work with Sara again, to watch her mind work as she solved problem after problem. To be witness as she did calculations in her head that he would need a calculator for, was more than he dreamed. And to do so without hiding his love. No secret looks or carful words. He could look at her freely, could take her hand or fold her in his arms without worry. A freedom they had never shared before, even after their relationship was 'out'.

Here, he was not the leader, not the mentor or the teacher. He was just Grissom, and he liked it. Though he could not stop himself from teaching entirely. Grissom could never pass up the opportunity to impart wisdom or pass on knowledge. And it didn't take long for the younger, and some of the older, members of the team to start looking up to him. Just as they did Julian, or Helen, or Sara. It was nice that, for the first time, in a work setting, they were well and truly equals.

Sara was always ready to give some advice, ranging from the best method of collection, to what a student should write their thesis on. She was in her element here. Sara was a great CSI, one of the best he had trained, but here, she was at another level. Everyone respected and admired her. They listened when spoke, but still laughed and teased her when the opportunity arose.

She had taken Jake under her wing, probably due to how much the young man reminded her of another young prodigy. There wasn't a moment when he wasn't asking her a question, challenging her to a game or battle of wits, or seeking advice. There were times it annoyed Grissom, mainly when all he wanted was to sneak off to their tent and have a few moments alone with the woman he loved. But this was her team, her expedition, her friends, and Grissom wouldn't begrudge her a single second of it.

Especially when she made it up to him in new and creative ways.

With just a few days left of their trip, Grissom was taking cover in the food tent, sipping on a bottle of water as he watched people mill about, carrying out various tasks. Sara had gone with some of the students to collect the last round of data, and Grissom had a few moments to himself before he needed to get back to the bugs waiting for him at his table.

Julian found him there. Grissom had gotten on famously with the marine biologist, he was quick, intelligent, and passionate about his work. Traits Grissom held in high regard. He also had the uncanny ability of putting anyone at ease, something, Julian had told him, he had learned from his wife.

Grissom saw how much Helen and Julian meant to Sara, that alone told him that he needed to make an effort with them. Luckily, the couple made it very easy to like them.

"Taking a break?" Julian asked as he approached.

"I needed a few moments out of the sun," Grissom quipped. Gesturing above him.

"Yeah, I've gotta say, I'll miss it here, but I will not miss the heat." Julian pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped it across his forehead.

"Or the humidity," Grissom added, taking another swig of water. The two men stood in a comfortable silence, content to watch the comings and goings of the camp.

"Say, did Sara talk to you about the Artic trip?" Julian asked, turning to Grissom.

"She did," Grissom confirmed.

"Great, I know Sara has already said she'd come, but I understand things may have changed now." Julian gestured to Grissom. "The thing is, Gil," he continued. "I'm really counting on Sara, she's a great asset to the team and I was hoping I could count on you too?"

"Count on me for what?" Grissom asked.

"To come with us," Julian replied. "I know Sara wouldn't want to go without you, I'd feel the same if it were Helen, and I also know you're just as invaluable as she is. I know it's not bugs, or anything, but it would be a fascinating trip. I think you would really enjoy it."

"Are you asking me to come because you want Sara, or because you want me?" Grissom asked with a grin. He knew what the other man was saying, but he was enjoying himself too much to reveal it.

"I'm asking because I want you and Sara. I mean, individually, you're both machines, churning out answers before the rest of us have had a chance to look down our microscopes. But together! I've never seen two people work as well together as you do."

"We've been working together for a long time now," Grissom said, a little embarrassed by the man's praise.

"That's a factor, sure. But there's something more too it. It's like you were made to work together."

Grissom didn't respond to that. Yes, maybe they were. He knew that no one understood him like Sara. She knew what he wanted before he even opened his mouth and he could tell, just by a micro-expression of her face, what she was thinking. The worked well together, better than well. She was his partner, his equal, in life, in love and in work. Not even Heather could keep up with him the way Sara could.

"So, what do you say?" Julian asked. "It's months at sea, lousy food, lousy money and lousy hours, but you won't regret it." Julian was looking at him in earnest now.

Grissom and Sara had already discussed this, she wanted to go and so did he. Grissom had already made up his mind to volunteer for the trip, was planning on speaking to Julian about, but the man beat him to it. He couldn't deny a small sense of pride that he was being recruited, and not just so Sara would go. Grissom knew he was an intelligent man, one of the tops in his field. But even intelligent men need a little validation every now and then.

"I'm in," Grissom said. "Sara's already given me the sales pitch; I wouldn't want to miss it."

Julian beamed at him and clapped a hand on Grissom's shoulder. "That's great, Gil. Really great. With you and Sara there, I can already see it being one of my most successful research trips ever."

"Don't count your data before it's all in, Julian," Grissom warned, but the younger man only shook his head. Practically jumping with excitement. Grissom shook his head, good naturedly, and looked back over the camp. It was weird to think that, in a few days, they would be leaving.

"What are you and Sara planning to do on our break?" Julian asked.

"We're heading back to Vegas for a few days, there's a few things I need to pick up, then we're heading to California to visit my mother. After that, we don't know."

He and Sara had discussed this a lot over the last few weeks. He knew she was a little nervous to return to Vegas, but it wouldn't be long, and she did want to see the team before they sailed away for six months. Then they were heading home to his mothers. After that first night and his awkward proposal, Sara had told him she wanted to wait until they were back in the States. She didn't want a big white wedding, but she did want his mother there to be their witness.

So, they were heading to California, to get married, to see Hank, who Grissom had left in his mother's care while he travelled, and then they would go on their honeymoon. Where that would be, neither of them knew just then.

Grissom didn't care though, just so long as Sara was with him.