Title: Costa Rica
Author: MaaikeK
TV show: CSI
Pairing: GSR
Genre: Angst / Romance
Rating: K+ - T
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story idea.
Summary: Grissom travels all the way to Central America to find Sara, who's now living happily in Costa Rica. If a visit from him is not enough of a shock to the former CSI, Grissom also has a message for her that turns her world upside down. My take on what happened right after the reunion. (AU)
It was the first time Sara could get such a close shot of the white-faced capuchin that had been hanging around their camp since last week. The term cheeky monkey definitely applied to it, as this specific monkey is the only one from its group that dares to come so close to the researchers. This morning, he had even eaten from the bowl of fruit that Sara had left unattended for maybe less than a minute or so.
She took her DSLR camera from the table and walked over to the tree she'd spotted her furry friend in. Funny, she thought. The type of camera she was holding she was used to use for very different purposes. Dead bodies and crime evidence were more the kind of photography subjects in the past for the former CSI. The fact that a camera could also capture the pretty sides of life - exactly what she was doing here in Costa Rica - made her feel much more relaxed. The move from the dead to the living world had done her good.
Feeling slightly excited she lifted the camera and made sure the settings were the right ones for taking that perfect shot. The capuchin was still sitting on one of the top branches of the tree. It was looking at her, posing almost. Eating something he found in the tree while he observed her interestedly. ''Gotcha'', Sara thought. This was going to be a great one.
Once she'd pressed the shutter she felt something behind her. A slight change in the air. Something unexplainable. It wasn't just the humid wind rustling the trees that created that feeling within her. The sense of a presence that wasn't there before instinctively made her turn around. It took her a few seconds to let realization kick in. What she saw couldn't be true. Her eyes must've deceived her. Despite the heat, the hairs on her arms rose and she felt a tingling feeling inside of her. She let her arm that held the camera drop as she finally comprehended that she wasn't dreaming. There he was. In the flesh. Grissom. Her love.
His facial expression reflected hers, as he looked just as surprised to see her as she felt about seeing him. Like he couldn't believe that he'd really found her this deep into the jungle. Then a sense of calm seemed to overtake him. This was all very real, Sara now understood. Gil had come to find her and was now standing right in front of her. All those phone- and video calls they had over the past months couldn't come close to the overwhelming feeling of joy Sara now felt seeing Grissom standing so close to her. It would take her only a few steps to get to him. She was attempting hard to swallow back the tears that were trying to push their way out, clouding the sight of the man she loved so much. Frozen, she stood still, her hands shaking a little. Luckily for her, Grissom took off his backpack and walked over towards her. It all felt like happening in slow-motion. The world around her had stopped spinning. Once he had finally reached her, he held out his arms and she automatically placed her hands on his shoulders as he moved in closer to kiss her. She couldn't think of a previous moment where they'd kissed so passionately. Her heart was racing and overflowing with love for him. Whatever else was happening around them, the capuchin in the tree, her co-worker in the tent next to them, she had forgotten all about it. Like the world around her and Grissom had ceased to exist. His arms around her. His body underneath her hands. His lips on hers. It was enough.
After what seemed like forever and like a millisecond all at once, they let go. Still standing only a few inches from each other, Sara now took a moment to look at Grissom. His bright eyes had a glimmer in them that made her feel like she was drowning in them like she had done countless times before. Her colleagues and friends always jokingly remarked how hard Grissom is to read, but to her he reads like an open book. The only thing she needed to do was to look him in the eyes. What she saw in there was mostly happiness and relief, but there was also a shimmer of worry and a hint of fear she noticed. 'Hey stranger,' she voiced almost inaudibly, ignoring the mixed emotions she had spotted in his eyes. Whatever it was that was troubling him, she wouldn't let it spoil the moment. Grissom smiled and touched her cheek with his hand. 'Hello to you too.' He left his hand on her face and moved his thumb up and down her skin. That left her with such a strong sensation that she moved her head towards his shoulder and laid her head there, holding him tight. His sudden presence had confronted her with so many questions, but she let them hang in the air - for now. 'I missed you,' she muttered. 'I missed you too,' Grissom replied, holding her even closer now. 'I missed you so much.' A tear escaped Sara and it ran down her cheek. Grissom apparently had felt it touching his cheek as well and turned his lips to the spot on her face to kiss it. Then he moved to her mouth and again they kissed passionately.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon proceeded in a haze. Sara had introduced Grissom to the rest of the research team - to Brian, team lead, Rob, sea turtle expert and to Lesley, who was a soil scientist. Sara had shown Grissom how they lived in three different huts, all connected with each other. They also had lunch together.
Later that afternoon Sara was observing Grissom, while he was animatedly sharing his extensive knowledge about bugs native to this part of the world with Brian. She tuned out of what he was saying exactly, but couldn't help letting a wide smile appear on her face just looking at him. She loved his passion for his field of study and her heart jumped at the thought of how she'd missed this. Hearing him being so enthusiastic about something. She'd missed his voice - hearing it in real life. She'd missed his presence. She'd missed everything about him. More than she'd ever imagined.
'Right, and how long are you planning to stay for?' Sara immediately was shaken awake by this seemingly innocent question from Brian to Grissom. Gil simply turned to look at her. She could read the question mark in his eyes. 'I'm not sure yet,' was his honest answer. Straight away Sara felt some kind of pressure being put on her. He left it to her to decide how long he would stay. The tension in the air was tangible for everyone present, which was something Sara hated. It wasn't the first time that their relationship had caused tension. She tried to divert the situation and looked at Grissom. 'Come on, I want to show you something.' She took his hand and led him through the dense rainforest, away from the camp. 'Where are we going?' he asked her curiously as he followed her. 'You'll see soon,' was all she replied.
On their walk, they didn't talk. Sara occasionally looked around to see if Grissom was still following her, which he did. She knew the way like the back of her hand. She'd spent quite a few months now conducting research in this area and had walked this path hundreds of times. Suddenly she stopped and waited for Grissom to catch up with her. She pointed at something she noticed flying from one flower to another. 'The morpho peleides,' whispered Grissom. He looked in awe at the bright blue butterfly now taking flight again, passing a stream of water that they'd been following for the past few minutes. 'Microscopic scales on the back of their wings reflect sunlight. That's what explains the vivid blue color,' Grissom explained. Sara hadn't seen any of these colorful butterflies before and stared at it in awe until it disappeared in the trees. She looked at Grissom and gave him a smile, which he fondly returned. Then they walked on.
After another fifteen minutes or so, the dense jungle vegetation gave way to a sandy beach. Waves from the Caribbean Sea rattled the shore, explaining the noise the two of them had heard earlier. Sara walked a bit further onto a different part of the beach and knew that Grissom would like what he would get to see. On the narrow paths of the jungle, he had stayed behind her at all times, but now he took her hand in his and walked next to her. The sun had begun to set and the sky colored deep red. The sound of the waves rolling onto the sand and the melodies of numerous tropical birds accompanied them on their walk. Sara looked to her side to try to catch a glimpse of Grissom's expression. He gazed back and gave her a wide grin. ''If he only knew what he's about to see next…'' she thought in excitement.
Not much later they arrived at the right spot. She held her breath and noticed that Grissom was doing the same. Right in front of them, thousands of baby turtles emerged from the shelter of their eggs and struggled their way to the sea. This incredible natural spectacle Sara had been lucky enough to observe a few times now, but it still amazed her to no end. She squeezed Grissom's hand and in return he gave her a gentle kiss on her temple. 'They're going home,' he sighed. 'Yes they are,' she replied, resting her head on his shoulder, leaning in to him. Both observed the incredible phenomenon as hundreds of the little creatures disappeared into the sea at the same time. Thousands still to follow. The sky had turned from bright red to a dark-looking pink, giving the beach a mysterious glow. Stars had started to come out too, adding to the incredible vibe the hatching event gave. 'Home,' Sara whispered inaudibly, suddenly wondering what that word meant. What that word meant to her. Up and until that morning, everything felt so incredibly clear. Home was here, in Costa Rica, at least for a little while longer. Once Grissom had arrived, that feeling had changed. Now, she wasn't so sure of where home was anymore. She let out a deep sigh.
It was Grissom who broke the silence once more when he asked: 'are you coming home with me?'