A/N: I know, I know, it took me a very long time to post this. I kept bouncing back and forth as to whether I wanted to write some fluffy smut or something that did have a science/Costa Rica base to it. I still haven't decided, but fluffy smut is in the lead!

Chapter Three

Gil gave her a little squeeze before they stepped away from each other to face Jamie. Sara couldn't help but feel her face redden. In her wildest dreams, she never thought the replacement would be Gil. She shook her head as if that would help her believe it faster. Gil. Was. Here.

"Gil…" she paused to clear her throat and tried to speak again. How had her mouth suddenly become so dry?

"Jamie Katz," said Jamie smoothly extending his hand. "I can honestly say I have never seen Sara at a loss for words. I really feel I should either document this in writing or take great advantage of it."

Gil smiled broadly. "I know exactly what you mean," he said shaking Jamie's hand.

Sara swallowed and finally was able to speak the words. "Jamie, this is Gil Grissom. He's…we worked…" she helplessly trailed off.

"I'm an entomology expert," said Gil confidently. "And I hope I'm still her fiancée." His first sentence was directed to Jamie, but he turned his head and looked at her for the latter.

Sara was saved from answering Gil. Jamie's eyes were as big as saucers, his mouth was wide open and it was his turn to be speechless. Something clicked in Sara's mind and she raised the camera and snapped a picture of him. It would probably be out of focus, but he looked as if he was about 10 years old.

"I really wish I could be a fly on the tent wall tonight," said Jamie. He then winced, "And for once I'm not even being perverted."

"Is there someplace I can put my bag?" Gil asked, attempting to change the subject.

Sara seemed to come out of her coma and pointed to the tent. Not just a tent, but tonight it would be their tent. She struggled to remind herself she had vocal chords. With a subtle grin, Gil moved to the tent and opened the flaps.

After he entered the tent, Jamie looked at Sara and grinned wickedly. "Is there, by any chance, something you neglected to tell me?"

"Even if I could find the words Jamie, I don't think I could explain it all in three minutes or less," she said.

He filled up two canteens and hooked them to his belt. "I really am going to regret not being here tonight," he said. He laced his hiking boots tighter and reached for his rucksack.

Gil emerged from the tent to find Jamie giving Sara a hug that lingered. He couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy toward Jamie, who had been out in the jungle with her all this time. "If I hadn't been such and idiot, it could have been me," he thought.

Jamie stepped back from her. "Be sure to make plans to stop by Springfield in a few months so you can collect the $517.25 I owe you," he said.

She snorted. "Like I believed I'd ever see a penny of your cribbage debt."

Jamie smiled and winked at her. Again he held his hand out to Gil. "It really has been great to meet you. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I want to be luxuriating under a hot shower well before dark," he said. He looked at them both. "I promise I will send you a couple of great care packages." He waved and within a few moments, disappeared down the same path Gil had just traveled.

In the weeks she had been in the jungle, it was never silent. The noises were different than the city. But there was always activity. The wind blowing through the trees. The monkeys chattering to each other. Yet, Sara heard none of them as she and Gil stood alone.

"Sara," he began and she held up her hand silencing him.

"I need to sit down," she said.

She pointed to the tent they used as an office and mini laboratory. She sat down in one of the chairs, while Gil moved a pile of equipment from the other chair and placed it next to her. He sat facing her and waited patiently.

Sara stared at the clearing for a long time. Finally, she spoke.

"There are visas to get. There are interviews. There is a 40 hour orientation course that everyone has to complete. You didn't just decide this at the last minute. There is a weekly newsletter we get that discusses incoming and outgoing field researchers. There is always gossip and chatter about who is coming, what their specialty is, what they will be researching. I don't know whether to ask how or why you kept this from me," she said flatly.

Gil realized he had been an idiot to think the hard part of his journey would be saying goodbye to his coworkers. Mentally he had prepared himself to face Sara either angry or in tears to see him. Her indifference made his stomach drop and he felt a coldness descend through his body. He waited for a few seconds.

"Do you want me to answer?" he asked softly. She nodded.

"I did start the process months ago," he admitted. "I had three interviews done over a weekend in San Diego, where the SC has a satellite office for recruiting people. I thought I would have to call in a few favors, but I knew a couple of people who had worked for them previously." He went on to detail the rest of the process Sara was familiar with. The paperwork, the physical, orientation, visa requirements. He chose not to detail the conversations where he had asked that Sara not be informed.

"That explains the 'how' part, what about the 'why'?" she asked. "Why didn't you email me and tell me you were taking a leave of absence?"

He cleared his throat. He was starting to sweat again, this time more profusely than when he walked through the jungle. He put his hand on her knee.

"Sara, please look at me," he said softly, but there was a note of urgent pleading to his tone. She turned and looked at him as he took one last deep breath before he plunged ahead, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I couldn't take the chance that it would be too easy for you to tell me it was over, to tell me you never wanted to see me again, to tell me not to come in an email."

A single tear ran down her face. He reached up to wipe it away and she grasped his hand in hers. More tears followed and she leaned over as he held her awkwardly. "I didn't want to live my life without you," she said. "I didn't know how to live my life without you and I knew I had to get as far away from you as possible to have any hope of figuring it out."

"Well, I noticed that there were postings in Antarctica, so I am really glad you didn't go as far away as you could," he said.

She laughed through her tears. "I didn't think I could stand the six months of twilight during the winter months," she said. "But I did consider it."

They sat like that for a long time. Sara, half in her chair and half in his lap, supported by the cocoon of his arms. Finally, she sniffled for the last time and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Honey, I know you are going to find this hard to believe after that kiss, but I want to take this slow," he said. A laugh erupted from the back of her throat. "No, I'm serious. The very first time we got together in San Francisco, we had a time limit of just the summer. When we started again in Vegas, it was always hanging over our heads that the house of cards we were building could come crashing down at any time. I can't really woo you or take you to the best restaurants in the jungle, but I want to do this right, at a pace that is comfortable for both of us."

She sat up and wiped her face one last time. Then, she said the words that made Gil's day. "I could agree to that."

She stood and reached for a backpack and a couple of canteens. "We need to take the afternoon soil, water and air samples," she said. "I'm going to wash my face and fill a couple of canteens. You have time to change your shirt before I show you the territory we cover."

Gil looked at his shirt, now soaked in his sweat and her tears. He hoped it wasn't a premonition of things to come. It used to take so much to send Sara over the edge. Natalie had taken away some of her defenses and she was more vulnerable.

He rifled through the small pack he had left on the cot. By the time he changed his shirt, Sara was waiting. He took his first good look at the campsite.

Gil reached for the canteen she proffered. He didn't think he could say anything more that could shock her, but he was wrong. "Sara, there's just one more thing," he said. "I didn't take a leave of absence from CSI. I quit."