Just down from the summit of the mountain, Catherine turned on the spot, impatient. She had no idea where the others had got to; they had been only just behind them when they had parted. But Grissom had seemed out of breath, and perhaps he was not as fit as they had all hoped. Herself, Nick and Warrick had now waited for twenty minutes at the turn in the trail – the one that led down to their eventual overnight camp site – but Grissom and Sara were yet to show.

"Where the hell are they?" Warrick asked.

He, too, turned on the spot, eager to go, and was not even out of breath. Catherine couldn't help but admire his smooth bronze skin, glowing in the mountain light, his bare arms and muscly legs catching her eye. It was a pleasant sight.

"Maybe they stopped for a rest," Nick suggested.

He was sat on a rock, drinking some water, and did not seem overly concerned.

"You don't think they had an asthma attack or something?" Warrick posed.

"I don't know," Catherine offered.

The thought worried her, a little. She had a nagging sense that even at their slow pace, they should have caught up by now. But she stood, looking down the trail in the direction they had just come from, and saw no sign of them – or anyone else. The trail was quiet.

"Sara's fit," Nick offered.

"Grissom's not," Catherine pointed out.

She was surprised, if anything, that he had even agreed to come, and his motive was certainly a mystery, at this point.

"I wouldn't worry," Nick said, taking his shoe off and shaking it out, before re-lacing it. "If there was any issue, Sara would come get us. She's capable. She knows we're only just ahead."

"Yeah," Warrick said, non-committal. "I guess so."

But he joined Catherine's side, and squinted down the trail, where they hoped Grissom and Sara would emerge from. It seemed too lonely, somehow. Far too quiet.

He squinted up at the sun.

"We're running out of time," he said. "We'll have to make a move if we're going to reach the camp by nightfall. We can't be out here after dark."

"We should get moving," Nick agreed.

He jammed his water bottle back in his backpack. He even stood.

But Catherine hesitated.

"I'm telling you, it's okay," Nick insisted, trying to calm her. "They'll be fine."

"Let's just wait a bit longer," she ruled.

She put her own pack down, and stared at him, daring him to challenge her. After a moment he swallowed, and reluctantly put his own pack down. He sighed, clearly thinking it was a waste of time.

But Warrick hadn't moved, and for that, Catherine was grateful. She knew that he would not move forward without her, and Catherine would not move forward until Grissom emerged – and she had a chance to slap him across the face.

He was exasperating.

XXX

Sitting by the rock face, Grissom carefully drew Sara further into him. She was very cold now, he knew that, but he hoped that if he held her long enough, that it would eventually pass. Her hair was dripping wet on his shoulder, and he wished that he had a towel, but there was nothing he could do about that at the moment. She simply sat there, her forehead against him, burrowed into him, but talking little. She reminded him almost of a graceful water bird – long-legged and beautiful, folded up for a rest.

"They'll come, right?" she said, hopefully, after a while. "They'll notice we're missing."

"Almost certainly," Grissom said, with a firm, assuring tone. "When we don't check in at the camp site, they'll notice."

"The others will notice. Nick and Warrick."

"Without a doubt. They won't leave that campsite without us."

He had every faith in his colleagues, in the loyalty of the team he had assembled. He had a hard time believing that they would take off to Nevada, or finish the next stage of the hike without them. It was just a matter of patience.

"If they hike all the way to the campsite, without noticing we're gone, it'll be dark before they realise," Sara went on. "It'll be too dark for them to come look tonight."

"But they'll come," he argued, firm. "We just have to be patient, to maintain our nerve. Most people only run into problems in the wilderness when they panic. If we stay calm, we'll be fine."

She sighed, and he could feel the anxiety through the tension in her body. He rubbed her back, a little, trying to be soothing.

"We'll be fine," he said.

She did not reply.

"Sara?"

"I have to lie down," she said, suddenly. All of a sudden her head popped up, leaving his shoulder, and she started to painfully edge back, her face clenched with its earlier pain. "I'm sorry, but as nice as this is, I have to lie down."

There was an urgency to her tone, and not forgetting for a second that she was injured – and perhaps more than she was letting on – Grissom immediately moved to assist.

"Okay," he said. "It's okay – put your head on my backpack –"

He moved his pack into place, lowering her onto it, not wanting her head to be in the dirt and the mud. The woodland was still damp, even though it had not yet rained that day. She lay down, closing her eyes, but her movements were hesitant and obviously riddled with pain. He swept the space blanket back over her, tucking it in as best he could on the far side, and then hesitated, before lifting it up on the near side to wriggle under with her.

Instantly, her eyes opened, and he saw a glint of the playfulness that had left now, several hours ago.

"I'll keep you warm," he insisted.

He half expected a witty comeback, but worryingly, it did not come. Instead, she edged over to make room, and then turned on her side, burrowing into him.

"It's okay," he said.

He felt her nod against him.

"I'll be okay," she agreed.

And somehow, it felt like she was reassuring him, when it should have been the opposite.

It almost made him feel inadequate.

Almost.

This fic is surprisingly easy to write; it's writing itself at the moment. Will Sara be okay? Will the others get to them in time? Feedback appreciated! And thanks again to those who left reviews so far; it's thanks to your encouragement that I have the energy to write more. You're awesome. :)