Title: Other Big Brother

Characters: Mark, Zoe, Elisabeth, Jim, Maddy, & Josh with hints of Maddy/Mark

Rating: Teen

Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Terra Nova. Fox owns Terra Nova and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: Zoe, after being caught trying to sneak Boxer out, goes back to school but bumps into someone in the way…

Timeline: Spoilers for 'Now You See Me'

A/N: I loved the whole Elisabeth/Jim teaming together to stop Zoe from sneaking Boxer out, that was good and it made me wonder what changed between her trying to sneak Boxer out and letting him go.

Warning: Fluff…

Other Big Brother

Zoe Shannon sighed as she kicked a stone, her brown eyes following it as it rolled a few feet away from her. She was making her way back to school after being caught by her parents trying to sneak Boxer out. She knows that she should let him go but it was hard to do so. It was hard to let something go and she didn't feel ready to let him go.

She sighed as she kicked another stone, this time it flew before bouncing back to her. She frowned in confusion.

"Hey!" she looked up, her eyes widening when she spotted a soldier she didn't know hopping on one foot, his hands clutched around his injured shin as he glared at her. Next to him stood Mark Reynolds who was biting his lower lip, trying to hide his smile. "Watch where you're kicking those stones!" the soldier barked at her.

"Sorry," Zoe ducked her head down, her lips curling sadly.

"Come on, man, it was an accident," Mark spoke up in her defence. He just growled as he gingerly put his foot back on the ground.

"You tell her why she shouldn't be kicking stones!" the man informed Mark before he hobbled away. Zoe's eyes lifted when she heard Mark snicker before he knelt down in front of her with a knowing expression.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm going back," she informed him sullenly, her eyes going back down to her feet and he sighed, reaching out to lift her face once more.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. She shook her head as her eyes watered, her bottom lip trembling. "Okay," he reached a finger out to tickle her cheek, trying to get a smile out of her. "But you can't go to school looking upset, you might set the other kids off." She giggled and he grinned, getting the smile he had been looking for. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?" Zoe stared at him before she nodded.

"Okay," she told him. Mark nodded, standing up and holding out his hand. She slipped her smaller one into his and they walked over to the bench that faced the park. They sat down on it and Zoe lifted her head so she could look at the white clouds above them. Mark slipped an arm on the back of the bench, his eyes following her gaze.

"Mommy and Daddy caught me trying to sneak Boxer out," Zoe confessed, breaking the silence. Mark brought his head down to look at her.

"...Boxer?" he asked, confused and she looked at him.

"My dinosaur," she reminded and understanding dawned on him as he gave her an amused smile.

"How many names is that now?" He asked. "You've been changing his name for almost a month now." Zoe giggled, rolling her eyes.

"That's what Maddy said," she told him and he chuckled. She shrugged. "I want to make sure I get his name right."

"And why were you trying to sneak him out?" he asked, getting back to the original conversation.

"Because Mommy said Dr Wallace says it's not good for him to stay here."

"Because he has to be with his family?" he asked and Zoe nodded, her eyes going to her hands in her lap. Mark sighed as he shifted in closer, the arm sliding over her shoulders to pull her into a side-way hug. "Zoe, your parents told you that you would have to let him go at some point. It's not good for him to stay cooped up within the Colony, especially in a glass cage. He needs be out in the wild with his friends and family."

"I know," Zoe nodded, her parents, Josh and Maddy had told her that but she didn't want to let him go. "It's hard," she admitted. "I don't want to let him go because I'm worried that he might get hurt."

"But if you help him find his parents, they would be able to look after him," he told her.

"What if we can't?" Zoe protested. "What if they don't come for him? I don't want to him to be left alone."

"Zoe, dinosaurs are smart and I'll bet you anything that the mother will probably be nearby waiting for him to come home," Mark told her patiently. He had learned with Maddy that it was best to wait and let them get their rant out first so it was easier to get his point across. Seeing the stubborn look on her face, Mark knew that he had to try a different tactic and he just hoped it wouldn't blow up in his face. "...Zoe, do you remember how you felt when those men took you away from your family?" Mark asked gently.

Maddy had told him that the men had taken Zoe away despite jailing Jim. They had given her back shortly afterward because without Jim, the family was four but they had taken her away again when they left to come to Terra Nova. Zoe nodded sadly. "That's how Boxer feels." she looked at up him with those big brown eyes. "He needs to be with his mother and father and brothers and sisters. Without them, he could die." She inhaled sharply and he placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "They miss him just as much as Maddy, Josh, your mommy and daddy missed you."

"Really?" she asked and he nodded.

"And you remember how you felt when you were reunited with them?" she gave him a soft smile, nodding. Mark smiled back. "That's how they will feel. It's not fair for us to keep them apart, just like it wasn't fair of the men to keep you apart from your family or your father apart from you." Zoe thought about it before she nodded.

"Okay," she looked up at him. "I'll let him go. He needs to be with his family." Mark smiled, nodding back.

"Alright, and I should take you to the school before someone thinks you've be eaten!" he tickled her side, eliciting giggles from her as she squirmed out of his embrace, her feet sliding to the ground. Mark stood up as well, holding out his hand and she happily slipped hers into it.

They reached the school in time for the teacher to come out, letting the kids know it was time to go back inside. Zoe waved when she saw Leah before she turned to Mark, dropping his hand as she did. She embraced his legs before she looked up at him.

"Thanks, Mark," she told him, giving him a sweet smile.

"Anytime," he promised her. She broke away and ran into the playground, catching up with Leah and both of them hurried toward the door but Zoe stopped, looking back and giving Mark a wave; which he returned and watched as she disappeared within the building. He chuckled to himself as he turned away. She was too much like her sister and he couldn't help but wonder if his and Maddy's children would inherit Maddy's looks.

~_OBB_~

Zoe sighed as she paced her bedroom before she peered out to see Maddy and Josh were sitting on the couch, perusing their data-pads. Her eyes wandered over to the kitchen where she her mother and father conversing her low tones. She bit her bottom lip before taking a deep breath as Mark's words rang in her head. She has to let Boxer go, it was better for him. Giving herself a small nod, she straightened her back and strode out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen.

Elisabeth and Jim stopped talking when they spotted their youngest daughter walking toward them with a determined expression on her face. Elisabeth couldn't help but be reminded of her husband when she saw that expression on her youngest daughter, holding back a smile as she did as Zoe came to a stop in front of them.

"Can...Can we let Boxer go today?" she asked. Elisabeth and Jim shared a look before they looked at their daughter.

"Are you sure?" Elisabeth asked. Zoe nodded.

"He needs to be with his family," Zoe told her and Jim nodded.

"Alright, I'll let Commander Taylor know and get the rover ready," he told her. Zoe gave him a sweet smile before she headed back into the bedroom. Josh and Maddy had been watching the scene with amusement.

"What made her change her mind?" Josh asked the one question that had been on their minds.

~_OBB_~

They reached the area that was filled with lots of leaves. Malcolm had told them that there had been reports of Ankylosaurus there, so the chances of one of them being Boxer's mother were quite high. Jim just hoped the doctor was right because he wasn't, then Malcolm was going to have to spend his days looking at Zoe's sad face and he knew on a personal level that it could break a fully grown man. Zoe hugged Boxer close to her chest as she wavered between trying to be strong and let him go and taking him back home.

"Okay, Zoe, let's take Boxer home," Jim told her. She sighed and she moved forward with her father and mother by her side. Maddy and Josh stayed behind, not wanting to do anything that might cause Zoe to change her mind.

"Bye Boxer, I'll miss you," Zoe informed the dinosaur. "Now be a good boy, eat lots of leaves and sleep all day, and have good dreams and play with your friends, okay?" Elisabeth and Jim exchanged amused looks over their daughter becoming motherly before they came to a stop and Jim sighed.

"Right, Z, it's time." Zoe nodded as she slowly got to her knees and gently lowered her arms, allowing Boxer to climb out. Boxer moved a few feet away from them and Elisabeth helped Zoe to get back to her feet. All three of them turned around and moved back toward the older children when Boxer started making noises. Zoe looked over her shoulders with a sad smile.

"Bye," she whispered before they reached Josh and Maddy before leaves started rustling, causing the family to look. A large Ankylosaurus came out and Zoe grinned brightly. Mark had been right. His mother had been waiting for him.

"Looks like his mother," Maddy leaned down to whisper in her youngest sister's ear, who nodded. They watched as Mother and Child got reacquainted before the mother lowered her head, allowing the child dinosaur to climb up and she slowly moved away from the family, taking Boxer deeper to where the rest of his family waited for him.

Once the mother was out of sight, Jim turned to his family.

"Okay, let's go home," he told them and got nods. Josh and Maddy led the way with Zoe wandering between her parents thinking how she should thank Mark. Maybe she should draw him a picture of him and Maddy? "Zoe," she lifted her head at her father's voice.

"Yes Daddy?" she asked and he gave her a curious smile.

"Just what made you change your mind about letting Boxer go?" he asked as he opened the back door of the rover. Zoe gave him a bright smile as she climbed up.

"Mark," she told him simply, getting settled in her seat while the rest of the family exchanged looks of confusion before they looked at Zoe. Just what did Maddy's boyfriend have to do with Zoe letting Boxer go?

The End/TBC?

Here we go Stef – another Mark/Zoe fanfiction…

Is it bad that I really enjoy writing about them?