Disclaimer: I do not own CSI.

Rating: m (lowercase)

Spoilers: One to Go

Summary: What happened after they stopped making out in front of the monkey. GSR.

Map

His first six hours with Sara, he slept. He didn't mean to. After a lengthy embrace and a lot of smiling, Sara introduced Grissom to the rest of her small group. He noticed she didn't preface his name with anything -- not friend or boyfriend or boss.

"This is Gil," she had said, and they smiled and shook his hand and welcomed him before dispersing.

He could tell she was a little bit confused -- ecstatic, but confused. He knew the feeling well. When he found her in his office after Warrick's death, it was a relief, but the nagging question of her permanence ate a way at him, even during his extreme grief. Instead of toying with her, Grissom decided to end the suspense.

"So," he grinned, "where's home?"

Sara's initial surprise was followed by a giddy little laugh and a promise to give him the full tour. He took her hand and they began to walk around the camp.

"We eat here," she told him, pointing to a large mesh tent that housed a picnic table and various cooking supplies. "It wasn't easy preparing meals at first. We didn't have the right hookups for the generator so it was pretty sparse for about a week. Don't worry," she laughed when she noticed a look of alarm register on his face, "it's all been rectified."

Sara reached into a cooler and got out a bottle of water. She handed it to him as they left the makeshift kitchen. "You look like you need this."

"Thanks." He chugged the bottle as she led him to something clearly out of National Geographic.

"Home," she smiled, and stepped aside to let him pass. Inside the shack or hut or whatever it was, was a cot, a thin blanket, and a duffle bag. "It's, uh…not much," she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

He snaked a hand around her waist and eyed her. "We'll have to sleep very, very close together."

Sara laughed and watched him take a seat on her excuse for a bed. Grissom pat his lap and winked at her. She got the message, but didn't make a move. "I'm actually not on the pill now," she said reluctantly.

His smile didn't fall. During her unexpected visit to Vegas, they had encountered the same problem and, in the midst of getting intimate for the first time in a long time, they had to pause things so Grissom could run out to get protection. He definitely learned his lesson.

"I've got supplies," he said, lifting the flap of his backpack and pulling out an economy pack of condoms. "Ready when you are."

She laughed. "How romantic."

Grissom's expression turned serious all of a sudden, causing her laughter to die down quickly. "I missed you, Sara."

"I missed you, too," she said soberly. He took her hand and was about to pull her down towards him when her name was called out in the distance.

She looked out the door of her little sleeping area and then down at the camera she still held in her hands. "They're probably looking for this," she told him. "I'll go run it back to them and then tell them not to come looking for us when it's time for dinner."

This time when he winked at her, she winked back.

Grissom sighed as he watched her leave. He felt surprisingly at ease for a man who had just abandoned his life's work to hightail it to the jungle and live in a teeny cabin for an undetermined amount of time.

Maybe "abandon" wasn't the right word, he thought to himself, laying back on the cot. The lab didn't need him anymore, and he didn't need the lab. It was truly a peaceful end to a symbiotic relationship that had lasted over two decades.

Maybe that's why he felt so relaxed.

Or maybe it was because Grissom knew he'd be getting laid for the first time in months.

He exhaled loudly as he closed his eyes. His Sara was happy to see him, and his Sara would be back in just a few moments.

Just a few moments.

When he opened his eyes, it was dark. Strike that, it was pitch black and there were two arms hooked around his midsection, two palms resting on his heart.

Grissom could hear Sara's quiet breathing, could feel it on the back of his neck as she lay, pressed up against him.

"You're awake, aren't you?"

"How do you do that?"

He could feel her smile against his skin. "It's a gift." Though it was dark, Grissom wanted to face her so he turned awkwardly on the small cot. "Tight quarters," she sighed, adjusting her body slightly to accommodate him.

"I don't mind," he said, moving his hands under the blanket so he could hold her. When they encountered bare skin, he gasped. He quickly caressed up and then down, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. "You're naked," he said, stating the obvious.

"Uh-huh."

"You never sleep naked."

She giggled at his surprise. "You want me to get dressed?"

"No. No, it's just…" He considered the tropical climate and lack of air conditioners. "Is it because it's so hot outside?"

Sara laughed, her hand slipping under his loose-fitting shirt to stroke the skin of his back. "Because it's so hot inside." She nuzzled his neck and kissed him under his chin. "Ready when you are."

Grissom sat up quickly and fought the clothes off of his body, accidentally knocking Sara off of the cot in the process. "Shit! Honey, I'm sorry!" His concern lessened slightly when he heard her laughter. "Sara, do you have a flashlight? I can't find the condoms."

He could hear her grope around the room. "It's somewhere…" In less than a minute, the small room was bathed in a soft glow. Sara trained the beam of light on the floor, stopping only when she located the box of protection. "Bingo!"

She then shined the light on him and his mostly naked body before tossing him the box. "Suit up."

"Gladly."

Sara got back on the cot and then turned the flashlight off.

"No, wait!"

"Do you need the light to put it on?" she asked, confused.

Grissom took the flashlight from her hands and switched it back on and held it up so the center of the beam was just at her neck. Slowly, silkily, he slit the light down her body. He had memorized it ages ago, and still it seemed new to him. Sara shivered. It was sweltering, but she shivered.

He smiled. There'd be time to make love in the dark later. Now, he wanted to see her. Needed to see her. Flashlight still in hand, he lifted a palm to her cheek and gently led her lips to his. Slow. Their first time together had been slow, and this would be no different. Another first. He set the flashlight down on the ground by the cot, pointing it up towards the ceiling, and continued kissing her.

There in the jungle, in the battery-powered glow, Grissom became reacquainted with Sara. He took a lazy tour of her body, traveling the familiar paths he had ambled with his lips ages ago. Like he was visiting old, dear friends, he said hello to the ticklish spot behind her knee, the soft skin of her inner thigh. He kissed up her ribcage and then licked his way back down. Nothing was new, and yet everything was.

He didn't know where they'd be tomorrow. He didn't know where they'd be in a week or a month or a year. All he knew was that they'd be "they." Where she was, he'd be.

"Marry me."

He looked up and squinted at her. "What?"

"Marry me, Gil." When he only gaped at her, she lifted herself up a bit on her elbows and pressed her lips together nervously. "I…I mean, only if you want to. I'm sorry. I just thought--"

"Yes."

"I thought that since--"

"Sara, yes. Let's get married," he said, bewildered and elated. He had planned to broach the subject eventually -- once he felt she was ready. The idea of her doing the asking floored him. And it humbled him. "I love you."

She gave him a small smile. "I guess it goes without saying that I love you, too."

"Do you really want to get married?"

"Yes. Do you?"

"I do. So much. It didn't hit me how much until I introduced you to the rest of the group and--"

"You couldn't think of a label?" he said good-naturedly.

"No. No, I don't care what anyone thinks. I just…I wanted to say you were my husband. I don't know why. It just felt like it was the right word."

"So let's make it the right word. The minute we can get a license, we'll get married."

Sara smiled wide and he met her smile with a kiss. Any doubt, any uneasiness, had evaporated from the room and all that was left was love. He lay atop her and deepened the kiss, making love to her mouth with his, hoping she could feel just how gratified he was by her words, how they had touched his soul. Slowly, Grissom pulled his lips away and reached for the condom packet he had set aside earlier. He tore it open and began to smooth it on his erection. "So when am I getting my diamond?" he asked huskily as he moved to hover over her body.

"Diamond?"

"Yeah. What kind of woman are you? Proposing without a ring?"

Sara laughed. "If I remember correctly," she said, hooking a leg around his waist and rubbing her pelvis against him, making him moan, "all I got after you proposed was a bee sting."

"There are a number of jokes involving the word 'stinger' I can make right now, but…ahh…" He slid inside her and sighed. "I forgot what I was saying."

"Doesn't matter," she grunted. "You're here."

"I'm here."

From that moment on, they would forever share coordinates.

THE END