Warnings: ah. so no one is scared off by the Eric/Billy above... majority of the fic takes place in the future.
Summary: After the island, Billy decides to move on with his life when Alan doesn't come to visit for months. When he's offered a job as tour guide on Isla Sorna, he takes the opportunity. As a result, no one knows the island like Billy does.

You're no better than the people who built this place.

The words echo in his head after Alan walks away. He'd made a mistake. One fucking mistake and everything he thought he could've had is gone. He and Alan had been working towards something before this fucking island. Not just the dig site. But a relationship. He'd finally talked Alan into giving him a chance. And now it's all gone to hell because he'd been stupid enough to think that stealing raptor eggs was a good idea. Of course, if he'd thought about the consequences, he knows he'd have never done it.

When the Pteranodons take off with Erik, Billy knows what he has to do. He'll sacrifice himself. He's the only one who doesn't matter. He climbs onto the walkway's handrail and look out over the misty landscape. He's got no idea what's down there, but he knows he needs to find out.

"Billy, no!"

He looks back at Alan, wishing he could tell his mentor how much he cares. He can see in Alan's eyes that he regrets his harsh words, but Billy knows they were true. He tightens the belt on his pack and jumps. He freefalls for only a couple of seconds and then whoosh! He's being pulled upwards by the wind. He spots Erik and swoops towards him.

Erik grabs onto him in the nick of time, but the Pteranodon is not done with them. She tears a hole in his parachute and they're dropping at an alarming rate. When they're near enough to water, he orders Erik to jump. As the boy hits the water, Billy nods. The boy is safe, so all he has to do is get himself to safety.

When he hits the water and the Pteranodons attack, he knows he's dead. He's a goner. He's under the water before he knows it and what bothers him the most is that he'll never get to earn Alan's forgiveness.

He surfaces down the river and swims to the edge. He spies Alan's hat and grabs it, clutching onto it with an almost desperate air. He survived. He doesn't know how and he's torn to shreds but he's still breathing. He thinks of all the things he needs to do. He needs to get up and move. He needs to get out of the open and away from the river. But right now, all he can do is sleep.

He awakens with a man in uniform standing over him. He tries to speak, but can only manage a couple of words, "Alan. Alan Grant," before sleep overcomes him again. When he wakes up again, Alan is there with Erik and the Kirby's. He smiles as Alan rushes over to him and kneels beside him. "Hey, you made it."

Alan nods, looking overcome. "Yeah."

Billy smiles, the pain having faded away some time ago. All he can really think is how handsome Alan looks. "I rescued your hat."

Alan looks at the hat and smiles. "Oh, yeah. Well, that's the important thing." Alan looks away when someone calls his name and then he's patting Billy with the hat and moving away. Billy watches him go and he smiles before going back to sleep.

It's a harrowing few days for Alan as Billy slips in and out of consciousness. He's so glad that the young man managed to survive somehow. But Billy hasn't really survived yet. He's still not safe. Until the doctors release him, there's always going to be the chance that he won't make it.

Weeks go by as Billy is moved from Costa Rica to Montana. Alan stays by his side nearly every step of the way. When they arrive in Montana, he gets back out to the dig site. Everyone asks for an update, including the young woman who'd been trying her best to flirt with Billy before they left, Cheryl.

While Alan's at the dig site, Billy is just waking up. He looks around the empty room, realizing quickly he's in a hospital. He presses the nurse call button and lays back. He's in more pain than he was when he was on the island and he wants two things. Pain killers and Alan. Within minutes, the nurse has come in and given him a morphine injection.

He looks up, surprised to see Erik coming in. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

"Mom and Dad are outside. We're on our way home, but... I insisted we come see you and Dr. Grant." Erik smiles. "You... You risked your life to save mine."

"No." Billy coughs a little and tries to sit up. Erik leans forward and puts some more pillows behind him. "No, Erik, I nearly killed us both." He smiles a little. "Maybe Alan has the right of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's better to study the stars from the ground than go into outer space."

"You don't believe that." Erik sits on the edge of the bed. "You were meant to be an astronaut, Billy, not an astronomer."

Billy smiles sadly, blinking slowly. "Maybe it's what I was meant to do before, but can you blame him- blame me for wanting the safety of the ground?"

"No. Look, I was stuck on that island for weeks on my own. I survived. And you know what? I still want to reach out and touch the stars. I don't want to be the guy that looks through the telescope to see what's out there. I want to be the one who discovers things hands on. You're that guy too, Billy." Erik sighs and looks over his shoulder when the door opens and his parents walk through.

"Mr. Kirby. Mrs. Kirby," Billy murmurs before he takes Erik's hand. "Don't be the astronomer, Billy. Be the astronaut for all of us who are too scared to fly."

Erik nods and squeezes Billy's hand. "Get better. I gave Dr. Grant my address, email and snail mail. Email me. Dr. Grant already promised to write."

Billy nods. "I will." He looks at the Kirby's. "Don't take it for granted."

"We won't, Billy." Paul reaches over and squeezes Billy's knee gently. "We'll see you around, okay?"

Amanda waves as she wraps her arm around Erik's shoulders and leads him out, Paul following a few steps behind. Billy smiles a little, eyes drifting closed as he falls asleep again.

It's another few days of in and out consciousness before Billy wakes up for good. He sits up, feeling better than he has since before the island. He smiles a little to himself as he tugs on the sweatpants that Alan had brought him at some point. That is how his life is going to be defined from here on out. Before the island and after the island. On the island, well, that's best forgotten. Thankfully, Billy seems to have blocked out most of it.

He slides out of the bed, walking to the window. He glances outside, only speaking when he hears a noise behind him. "How long have I been in and out?"

"According to the doctors? It's been two months. According to Alan? It's been a lifetime."

Billy turns, startled by the feminine voice. His eyes go wide. Everybody at the dig knew of Ellie Satler. She was Alan's assistant before him. She was his lover. She's the one person on the planet who actually knows Alan.

"Hi Billy. I'm Ellie. Alan..."

"Isn't coming?"

She shakes her head. "He needs to be at the dig site. They're having to wrap up and you know how that goes."

"Yeah." Billy sighs. "So... Not to be rude, but why are you here?"

Ellie laughs and walks over to the recliner in the room, settling in it. "Alan asked me to come. He said you'd need a job when you got out of the hospital?"

Billy shuffles back across the room and sinks onto the bed. "He doesn't want me working with him anymore?"

"He's out of a job too, Billy. The island has been officially opened to scientists. No one wants to see dinosaur bones when they can see the animals in the flesh. None of them understand Dr. Grant's reasoning that these are not real dinosaurs, but genetically recreated monsters. He can't get funding. As in not at all. He's already talking to my husband, Mark, about finding work. He asked that I offer you help as well."

Billy nods. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course."

"It's just... I don't know what I want to do. I don't think I can go back into space." At Ellie's confused look, he smiles a little. Maybe she doesn't know Alan as well as he does. "Alan has this theory that there are two kinds of boys; those who grow up wanting to be astronauts and those who grow up wanting to be astronomers. He considers himself an astronomer and I've always been the astronaut in his eyes."

"Ah." Ellie nods. "And now that you've gone into space and seen the things you've seen..."

"I don't know if I can go back without freezing up."

"Well, you think about it. I'm sure Mark and I can help you get a job somewhere safe, if that's what you end up deciding. And if not, maybe we can find some job where you can go into space from a safe distance."

Billy nods, thanking Ellie as she heads out. He lays back in his bed, not sleepy, but pretty sure he's not allowed to just go out and find a rock wall to climb or a cliff to jump off of. It's those thoughts that make him sit up. He's not ready to give up going into space. He needs that adventure and that adrenaline rush.

He grins and gets out of bed, hobbling down the hallway, calling for Ellie. She stops just before she can step onto the elevator. "Hey. Thanks for stopping." He catches his breath while she just watches him. "Sorry. I think... I think I'm ready to go into space again. Will they need guided tours? On the island, I mean?"

Ellie laughs and hugs him. "They will and Alan said you'd probably offer." She kisses his cheek. "You've got six months to get better. After that, you're back to work taking tourists onto the island."

Billy nods and grins, walking back to his room with more purpose than he's felt in a while.