A/N: Thanks again to the divine Miss M for her amazing beta job. I appreciate the time that you take both with content and with my writing patterns. You are amazing. I am encouraging everyone to put this story on their story alert. I do not know when the next chapter will be ready only because I need to do a crash course in Costa Rica, jungle living and field research. I do try for some realism to my stories, but I have never been to Costa Rica and I am not much of a science geek. I will do my best to post as soon as possible.

I could use some help with some visual details. Anyone who has the ability to pause the last scene in high def, please PM me.

Thanks to all who reviewed. You make writing this a blast!

Chapter 2

Sara was awake before it was daylight. She listened to Jamie's impressive nocturnal vocalizations for as long as she could stand and then tried to quietly exit the tent to relieve herself. It was like navigating a complex obstacle course while wearing a blindfold. Crates were crammed in the center of the tent and formed a makeshift wall; giving them each a modicum of privacy. Jamie's gear was neatly packed, but sitting a little too close to the doorway. She accidentally stubbed her toe on the frame of his rucksack and gritted her teeth.

After she had used their camp toilet she washed her face and began making coffee. Normally, Jamie was the one who woke first and handled the breakfast detail. "Old habits die hard," she thought to herself.

She had worked well with Jamie these last six weeks, even though he was at his best first thing in the morning and she thrived during the late evening. Sometimes he was just too damn perky, but she would miss him.

As much as Jamie had wanted to remain at camp and continue the research, his wife had decided that four months had been long enough for him to be away from her and their five children. Sometimes, Sara could overhear the video chats he had with his wife and kids, and it made her ache in a way she hadn't known existed.

More often than not, she didn't directly think of Grissom or Vegas anymore. She figured it was her mind giving her a respite from the pain always there just under the surface. Her video chats were always with her mother, who was usually very upbeat and was able to appear enthralled with whatever Sara had to say. In true hippie fashion, her mother had been a philosophy major in college and sometimes Sara was convinced that her eyes would glaze over when she would get too caught up in some of the more scientific information.

She had just finished making the eggs and oatmeal when she heard Jamie cough. A few minutes later he was rustling around in the tent and appeared at the doorway a little bleary eyed.

"Wow, is this a mirage or did a beautiful woman just make me breakfast?" he said. Without waiting for an answer, he left the small clearing and went in the general direction of the toilet area. When he came back he was carrying a metal pan full of water which he placed on the grill. "What prompted you to make a fire instead of using the field stove?"

"I wanted to impress you," Sara said. Initially, his flirting and casual behavior caught her off guard. Once she realized he was just teasing, he reminded her a lot of Greg. Their conversations quickly evolved into a great deal of good-natured bantering. However, both of them were reduced to some viciously creative name-calling at night when they played cribbage or rummy.

He swept a mock bow. "Madam, the mere sight of your face is enough to do that to a lonely, old man."

She threw the towel she was using as a makeshift hot pad straight at his head. He was six months younger than she and oftentimes referred to her as a senior citizen. She was going to miss him a lot. And that reminded Sara she was getting a new partner, and she frowned.

"Now, now, pretty girl," he said. "I know you will miss me beyond all measures, but do try to get on with your life." He stuck out his tongue and she couldn't help but laugh. It didn't make her worry any less, though. She still had four and a half months left on her contract and she knew every minute would drag on mercilessly if she was assigned someone wholly incompatible. She sent up a silent and heartfelt prayer to what she hoped would be a benevolent God.

As they ate breakfast the sun began its ascent. They sat quietly as the jungle began to wake up in earnest. Originally, she had been overwhelmed by the cacophony of noises, but now they seemed more like soothing background music.

Their morning was routine. They tested the air, water and soil, as they always did, and recorded the results. Jamie packed his rucksack and finished packing his duffle. He would carry his pack out of the jungle, but it would be three days before the duffle wase picked up by the supply team and four days before it made it to San Jose.

They ate a quiet lunch and as they finished, Jamie pointed at the lowest branch of the tree across the camp. "Look, Sara," he said softly. "Fred's coming closer every day. I'll move into the tent to distract him and maybe you can get a couple of good shots."

Sara looked dubiously at the capuchin monkey. He was notoriously camera shy, but she quietly opened the camera case. Once the camera was ready, she nodded at Jamie. He didn't stand up, but crawled away toward the tent. He had been right; Fred was fascinated and watched him while Sara was able to sneak closer. She focused the camera and was able to take two pictures while Fred rooted around the leaves.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

He checked the GPS for what he hoped would be the last time. The trail had been easy enough to follow, but it was incredibly humid. He finished his water a while ago and was wishing he had carried two canteens. When the guide left him at the trailhead he told him that it would be less than an hour at a leisurely pace. Grissom's body had been aching ever since waking on the lumpy mattress in the dormitory.

In a moment of clarity, Gil realized that barely more than twenty four hours ago he was staring at the bright lights of Vegas after closing the case on DJK. Now he was walking through the jungle, nearly three thousand miles and a whole lifetime away from Vegas. Idly he wondered if he would ever see a dead body again.

Mentally, he stopped to calculate the time difference and to take a moment to think about what everyone was doing. Invariably, as he ran through the roll call of CSIs, he thought of Warrick. A wave of sadness swept through his mind, and he wished he could have left all of his team safely behind.

With each step his pack seemed heavier. Francisco had helped him to repack his gear. He was a bit confused at first, when Francisco tried explaining to him that he would only take what he absolutely needed and could carry into the camp. But when he assured him the rest would be delivered with the weekly supplies, Gil understood.

Two of the personal items made Francisco smile broadly, and Gil had actually blushed at the raised eyebrows. It had been in a moment of ludicrous optimism which caused him to pack them in his duffle.

He checked the GPS again. This time it seemed like he was almost on top of the arrow. It couldn't be much longer. "Oh, God, what if I have made the biggest mistake of my life? I have no job to go back to, no home; what will I do if she doesn't want me anymore?" he asked himself. For a split second he considered turning around. Only somehow he knew it would be worse spending the rest of his life wondering 'what if' rather than being rejected.

The humidity seemed to swirl in a mist around him. Sweat gathered in every crease on his body and poured down his back. It felt like his pack was melting into his body.

He paused momentarily when he found a grasshopper sunning itself on a leaf. It brought a lift to the corner of his mouth and he relaxed a little. . A few steps later and he rounded a curve to see a couple pair of pants on a makeshift clothesline.

Then he saw her. Her hair was still short. He liked her hair short. But then he would have liked her hair if it was cut into a mohawk and died purple at that point.

Gil gasped softly to himself and for a moment it hurt to breathe. She was facing away from him aiming a camera into the trees. The camera case sat on the ground at her feet.

Something made Sara pause. She turned around and at first her expression was coldly impassive. His heart sank and it felt like his lungs were going to burst. Then her expression appeared incredulous. He shifted and smiled slightly. He took two steps toward her and she tentatively returned the smile. He was sure he saw her eyes welling with tears. Gil's heart beat an increased rhythm against his chest and slid his backpack off and let it fall to the ground.

She didn't run to him, she glided. He reached for Sara and wrapped his arms around her. Their lips touched gently. He tightened his arms and she hugged him closer. They were molded to each other as if they were somehow trying to occupy the same space. She was the one who deepened the kiss and increased the intensity. He never wanted to leave this spot in the jungle.

A soft noise and then someone pointedly clearing his throat reminded them both that more than a monkey was watching them.

"Holy liplock, Batman!" said Jamie. "How come I didn't get that type of greeting when I met you the first time?"