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Four hours later, and Sara had successfully climbed halfway up the mountain. She paused off to the side of the trail, out of breath, and quickly swigged some water.
It had taken a while, but her and Grissom were by now more or less alone. Nick, Warrick and Catherine walked far ahead, only just in sight, and the remainder of the trail was long deserted. Most teams had come for the purpose of fitness, and the competition to post a fast time was high, but Sara had no interest in that. The joy for her was in being alone with Grissom, and she had to admit the wilderness was strangely intoxicating.
She had never had a great love of the outdoors before. She had never been camping as a child, either with her family or school, and the experience was new to her. But the mountains were dazzling in their beauty, their snow-capped peaks now close and majestically towering above them, and there was a clarity to the colour of the forest and a purity to the air that was refreshing, and made her feel ten times lighter, as if the urban world and its troubles had slipped away. The trees now stretched above them, a little stream off to the side, and Grissom sat happily on a rock near her, catching his breath.
"You okay?" she asked.
She noticed he was panting, his breathing a little ragged. The reality was, if she was honest, that Grissom was probably not fit enough to be on this hike. But nor was she, and it was another argument for taking it easy and not rushing. The others could be competitive, but as long as they finished the section before sunset, then the job was still done.
"I'm good," he insisted.
And he actually looked it. After a few moments he drank some water, and swiped off his hat to wipe at the sweat on his forehead. Somehow, he looked more masculine than ever in his hiking shorts and casual shirt, one thick hand on his knee, and though he was plainly tired his eyes gazed out with awe at the wonders around them, his expression tranquil and content.
"Taking it in?" she asked.
"It's stunning out here," he said.
"It's oddly relaxing," she admitted, with a small smile.
The admission cost her. She had made such a fuss about the trip in the lab, with Nick harassing them, but Grissom only looked calmly back at her.
"Don't tell me we've converted you," he joked.
"You may have." She smiled, then added playfully, "Don't tell Nick."
"It'll be our secret."
They enjoyed the view a moment longer before he turned to her again.
"Are you glad you came?"
"I always was. We don't get much of a chance to just hang out."
She gave him a warm look, wondering how he would take the slight flirtation, but he didn't react. After a moment he shook his water bottle slightly, assessing how much was left, and then looked up as a shout rained down on them from further up the trail.
It was Warrick.
"Yo, Sara!" he shouted. "You two coming?"
"You okay?" Catherine added, gazing down at Grissom through her fashionable sunglasses.
"We're fine!" Grissom called back, standing again. "You go ahead, we'll catch up!"
"You sure?" Nick called.
"We're good!" Sara shouted.
Nick gave her a thumbs up, and Sara gave a brief wave, indicating she would see them later. The overnight camping spot was only another few hours away, and the terrain was not too steep. The weather, at least, was holding out, even though the blue skies had recently given way to more cloud. They had plenty of time.
She watched for a moment as their colleagues disappeared, around a few rocks and up the next section of trail, none of them looking back.
"Should we get going?" she posed.
Grissom adjusted the pack on his shoulders, but apparently he had no intention of budging – not yet.
"In a minute. I'm going to fill up my water bottle."
He shook it, indicating it was empty, and then turned and began to walk off into the trees, stopping a few steps in and gazing at her as if waiting.
"Are you coming?"
She smiled and trudged after him. She knew he was heading to the stream, which was only fifty yards or so away. She could hear it bubbling over rocks in its bed, calm but fresh, though a memory of their safety briefing did ring briefly through her mind.
"You know we're not supposed to leave the trail, right?" she asked, with a flirtatious grin.
He looked almost amused.
"I didn't know you had such a love of the rules," he teased.
She grinned wider.
"I'd break them for you," she said, without thinking.
For a brief moment, she thought he would get awkward, but surprisingly, he only smiled back. Perhaps the fact that they were now alone changed things, or perhaps the refreshing mountain air – and the light-hearted sense of being so far away from the humdrum of daily life – made a difference. Either way, he smiled as she joined him, and waited for her as he led her to the river.
XXX
At the edge of the stream, Sara stood in the grass, carefully avoiding the slush of mountain mud. She watched as Grissom balanced on a rock in the middle of the stream, crouching down, before holding his water bottle just under the most ferocious flow of water.
"Always fill it from the middle," he told her, looking up. "It's the safest water to drink."
"That's got to be full of bacteria," she argued.
"It's not as bad as you think," he said. "It's fast-flowing and very pure up here. This is probably the cleanest water you'll ever drink."
"I'm good, thanks."
She still had enough, and had not quite gone native enough to drink unfiltered water. But Grissom then stood, still balanced like a bird on the rock, and held out a hand.
"Come on," he said, beckoning to her.
And for some reason, which probably had to do an irrational feeling related to his pro-offered hand, Sara stepped forward, and balanced her way over the stepping stones, gradually edging into the centre of the river.
The river was quite rocky, full of stones, pebbles and rocks, but as she reached mid-stream Grissom grasped her hand in his large warm one, and suddenly she giggled, unable to help herself.
"This is ridiculous," she complained.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he soothed.
She grasped his hand tight, not quite trusting her balance on the wet rocks, but his own grip seemed solid.
"If this is as wild as your outdoor experience gets, then we need to get you out here more often," he joked.
"I'm experienced enough."
The innuendo came easily to her, and she grinned as he slipped a private smile back at her, one she knew she would never get if they were still within earshot of the state of Nevada.
"I have no doubt," he said.
He paused, then added, "Come try some."
He was referring to the water, and seeing that she wasn't going to get out of it – and thinking vaguely that he was only the one of the planet whom she would try this for – Sara crouched down.
But then, her foot slipped, and out of nowhere she overbalanced and fell.
She felt Grissom grab her shirt, then her arm, but she slipped through his grasp, and fell with a splash into the river. Her head banged on a rock, and then she was unconscious.
XXX