Disclaimer: I don't own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Just Valerie, a smattering of OCs, and this little idea. As always, Laurent isn't Barry's canon surname but one of my own creations. Feel free to use it though. Read on and enjoy!

Dauntless: showing fearlessness or determination

Dauntless

Chapter 1

July 2011

Dr. Valerie Madrigal had maintained two permanent residences over the last three years of her life. The first was in Maui, Hawaii and the second was in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Of course, Valerie also had either a pull out or a couch open to her if she ever made to the mainland to visiting her siblings or mother, but those visits were few and far between. It was hectic, living in such a manner, but it was for her life's passion, for her work, and she'd honestly never been so happy in her entire life. From May to September, Valerie lived in Mexico because that was the best time to see the focus of her research, whale sharks, and she lived in Hawaii the rest of the year. Whale sharks were visible there all year round in Maui, but those six solid months in Mexico were the time they could best be seen, July and August being their peak season.

At the moment, Valerie was living in Isla Mujeres and loving life. She wasn't far off from the hustle and bustle of Cancun, but she preferred the quaint life "Women Island" offered her. The island wasn't home to many people and the few locals she knew personally were kind and their friendship helped her in early days. An elderly man, Miguel, who owned a fresh seafood restaurant, actually let her live above his business when she'd first arrived on the island with nothing more than a pack of clothes and her scuba gear. Miguel had also helped her find a place to live and even a moped to help her get around the island. Of course, she had to work at the restaurant to pay off his generosity; it had been a fair trade in her opinion.

The moment she had her house, a homey little shack not far from the lighthouse on the southern tip of the island, Valerie sent for her gear and her team. Getting a grant to research sharks had been a phenomenal accomplishment, one she was immensely proud of. Most people didn't understand, thinking her crazy for voluntarily working with such dangerous animals, but those people had no understanding of sharks. Her mother understood, having spent most of her life surrounded by wild animals, and supported her. Her father, on the other hand, well…he'd had other plans in mind for Valerie. "Allow yourself to have your own dreams and chase them," her mother had advised her when she was just eight years old. Valerie took that piece of advice – as she did all advice from her mother – to heart, and did her best to do just that. Years later, she'd finally succeeded.

But her life wasn't all work. Sometimes Valerie and the team would take a rare day off and go snorkeling at the coral reef in Garrafon Park. Other times, they'd take the ferry to Cancun for a night out; karaoke, dancing, and lots of shots were always a must while they were in Cancun. The ocean was never far from Valerie though, even on her days off, so sometimes she'd find herself going on an adventure to the Cancun Underwater Museum or just swimming for the sheer joy of it. Her mother always told her, "Mija, never get too busy to be silly once in awhile" and she tried to live by that piece of advise as well. Valerie even taught her mother how to scuba dive so, when she managed to visit her daughter in either home, she'd be able to get a taste of why Valerie loved the ocean and its inhabitants so much.

But that balmy day was a day for work; a play day at Garrafon Park was going to have to wait. A few of the whale sharks she and the team had satellite tagged the previous year had returned to the area, and Valerie wanted to see them as quickly as possible. A great many things were unknown about whale sharks – their feeding behavior, life cycle, and distribution around the world being a few – and she endeavored to learn as much as possible. Of course there was one small hitch in her plan: she was alone. Her research grant had expired a month ago and her team had gone right along with it. Researching by herself was difficult, especially after years of working on a team, not to mention dangerous but it was a struggle she welcomed. The data she'd already collected pertained to size, sex, and relative feeding patterns, but she wanted to know more. Their behavior was what interested her more than anything. As she opened up her front door, Valerie tried not to think about how she hadn't been paid for everything she'd done and learned the last month. The same would be true of whatever she was about to discover.

"Dr. Valerie Malcolm!" Valerie stopped short at the sight of the man grinning at her on her doorstep in an expensive suit that was suited to a better climate. No introduction was needed because everyone in the world knew the man's face: Simon Masrani, CEO of Masrani Global. What that man wanted with her, Valerie instinctively knew, was nothing good.

Hoisting her scuba gear up, she shouldered passed him with a simple, "Hi."

"Born April 9, 1979," he continued, looking down at the file in his hand as he trailed after her. Valerie glanced at him over her shoulder, more than a little disturbed. "American although you're also Afro-Puerto Rican. Fluent in Spanish, which will benefit you greatly in the future." Because it hadn't benefited her already while living in Mexico, she thought sarcastically. "You have a doctorate in marine biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Not the best school for your field, but your first choice from what I've been told."

"Fascinating," she toned with false sincerity. Moving around him, she ventured back into her house to grab her equipment.

"Your mother, Carla, is a photojournalist with National Geographic, living in Washington, DC. Your older brother, Elijah, is a fireman and your younger sister, Kelly, is a decorated police detective." She gave the man yet another disturbed look as she walked passed him, putting the equipment on her little boat. That was just creepy. "Both live in New York City. Very impressive. The Malcolm line is very impressive," he compliment, closing the file. Valerie nodded absently, her focus being entirely securing her equipment instead of Masrani's display of his fantastic stalking skills. "Unfortunately, you and your father are the only scientists in your family and, given his interviews over the years, approaching him was out of the question."

Inhaling sharply at the mention of her father, she quickly correctly, "Its Dr. Madrigal actually."

"Your mother's name, yes; a slight oversight on my part. It won't happen again," he apologized sincerely, "I assure you."

"See that it doesn't, Mr. Masrani." The man chuckled, pleased that he didn't need to introduce himself. He gestured towards her boat, silently asking for permission to come aboard. With great reluctance, Valerie nodded her consent and helped him on. "I'm also half Jewish, on my father's side. Non practicing," she told him sardonically, "in case you want to add that to your file."

"Its in there," he answered. Valerie subtly rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is," she mumbled. "So, since your coming to me, I assume this is about your park." Valerie crouched next to her scuba gear, checking the oxygen tank and gauges.

"You assume correctly. A few months ago," he began, pulling his phone out of his inner jacket pocket, " something astounding was brought to my attention." Holding his phone out to her, Valerie looked up and her eyes widened.

It was the video her mother had taken of her when Valerie had visited in February. Her mother had been working in Ponta D'Ouro, Mozambique and invited her daughter to join her for a few days. Since it was off-season for her whale sharks, Valerie jumped at the opportunity. Besides, Ponta boasted a rich marine life all its own so it wasn't as if she'd be lazing about. In the video, Valerie was swimming easily amongst a pack of tiger sharks. Tiger sharks had duly earned their reputation as man-eaters. They were second only to great whites in attacking people, making them an obvious choice of caution for divers. But Valerie found them unlikely to be dangerous unless provoked, not unlike any other animal – or human, for that matter. Her mother had posted the video to Facebook and, somehow or another, it had caught Masrani's attention.

"Remarkable," he complimented.

"It was nothing," she brushed off, biting down a smile. "Just…you know…" Valerie shrugged. "I love sharks."

"But they're very dangerous, aren't they?" he questioned. Valerie scoffed and shook her head.

"Sharks aren't mindless killing machines. They're highly intelligent animals," she defended. "It's not hard to interact safely with them if you just take the time to learn about them and respect them. The ocean is their home; we're the ones invading it." Masrani stared at her with a look she couldn't decipher, and that unnerved her more than his file on her. "Look, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Masrani—"

"But?" Valerie blinked.

"But," she continued, giving him an odd look, "whatever you're here selling, I'm not interested." Shrugging, she shook his head and went about setting up her equipment. Unfortunately, Masrani was still on her boat. And he was staring at her. It was unnerving. Why hadn't he left? She'd politely dismissed him so why was he still hanging about?

"You know, whale sharks can be seen all year round not far from the island," he stated casually. "Playas del Coco. Its really not that far," he shrugged, "a few hours away perhaps. And whale sharks aren't the only animals I've heard of inhabiting the area," he commented lightly, but she knew he was really testing her. "Bull and reef sharks are quite common there as well, not to mention whales and rays and dolphins. Its quite a mix of marine life there." Well, he'd certainly captured her attention.

Uncertain, she asked, "Are you trying to bribe me?"

"No! No, of course not!" he protested. He shrugged, unconcerned, and told her, "I'm just letting you know that you wouldn't have to leave your research behind when you come work for me, because it'll be nearby and all around you."

"There are a dozen other places I could continue my research," she hedged.

"But there's nowhere else you'd be able to work with the animals I have. One in particular, I think you would be a perfect fit for." He played with his phone a moment before showing her a photograph. It was an estimated sketch of a dinosaur that, apparently, would soon join the park. Valerie had no idea what it was but it was clear an ocean dwelling creature, if its tail and fins were anything to go by. It was right up her alley.

Valerie slowly shook her head. "I really don't think I'm the right person for…whatever it is you want."

"I'll also fund your research for the next three years." Valerie's eyes widened. "That was a bribe," he informed her. Valerie had a choice before her and there was really no need to think about it. She could either stay in Mexico for…well, before her money ran out, and appeal for another grant – who knew how long that would take or what she'd have to do to get it, if she got it at all – or she could go work for Masrani at Jurassic World, where she'd be able to continue her research and still get paid.

"When do you need me to start?" she asked with a grin. Masrani clapped his hands and laughed, Valerie joining in as they shook hands. The deal was done: Valerie Madrigal was officially employed by Masrani Global to work at Jurassic World. What the hell had she signed up for?

"Hey! Don't ignore me, young lady!" her father shouted after her. Valerie rolled her eyes. Young lady, seriously? She ignored him anyway, and continued to wander around her house collecting items. "I am talking to you, Valerie!"

"No, you're talking at me. Biiiig difference," she drawled in a bored tone. Grabbing a pair of hiking boots from under her coffee table, she brushed past her father back into her bedroom. Snatching up two pairs of socks, she shoved them into the shoes then tossed them towards her suitcase.

"And with good reason," he argued seriously. "This is a very bad, very dumb idea and I did not raise dumb kids." To say Ian Malcolm, famed chaotician, and his daughter didn't have the best relationship would be an understatement.

Valerie had only been three when he and her mother had gotten divorced. Valerie didn't remember the life they'd had together while Elijah did. He'd been eight when their mom moved out and it had been hard on him. He often resented and envied his baby sister in her lack of memories. She couldn't remember the bad times, all the fighting, but then he'd remember that she couldn't remember the good times either. She couldn't remember the late night pillow forts as their parents read them to sleep, or how Mom would attempt to make breakfast for everyone only for Dad to have to fix it, or the trips to the park every Saturday. No, Valerie didn't have those sweet memories. She had memories of thinking it was normal to live with Daddy while she saw Mommy every couple of weeks, depending on whether or not she was in the country. Being a photojournalist for National Geographic required a lot of travelling but their mother had tried to keep it limited while the kids had been little. She hadn't wanted to disrupt their lives anymore than the divorce already had.

The divorce, as Valerie had discovered years later, had been her father's fault. Apparently, he couldn't deal with his wife leaving the country for work so much and for untold periods of time that he reacted in the only way he thought logical: he cheated on her. It was after learning that, that Valerie's respect for her father had slowly started to chip away. The next moment had been when he'd remarried, in her opinion, a shrew. The solitary good thing to come out of his second, and exceedingly shorter, marriage had been Valerie and Elijah's half-sister, Kelly. While his kids hadn't taken to their stepmother, they adored Kelly, which made the divorce and Kelly's mother gaining full custody a hurtful blow that he hadn't been sure how to mend. Valerie, on the other hand, had an idea and it had been very simple: if Kelly could go live with her mother, why couldn't she? Elijah had left for college, Kelly was gone, and her father had a string of girlfriends' left and right that either ignored her or treated her like a pet. Sometimes, even her father ignored her and Valerie supposed she should've been used to that, but it still hurt. And the fights! Sometime she'd scream herself hoarse trying to talk to him. Twelve years old, she'd called her mother from the privacy of the bathroom and begged her to let her live with her.

"You want to go there? Really?" she questioned skeptically. "Half the time you left us with that troglodyte Karen."

"Mean but good word usage," he commented lightly, rubbing at his temples. Sure sign of a migraine setting in.

"You liked having kids but you never really wanted to be with us," she accused bitterly. "You never paid attention. Eli and Kelly lucked out. Eli got to move away and go to college, and Kelly was with her mom while I was stuck, alone, with you, the eternal man-child. The "rockstar"," she mocked with a roll her eyes.

"That is not true," he protested. Valerie just scoffed at him. "That is not true." Shaking her head at him, Valerie continued to collect and pack her three suitcases. Considering she was packing up her entire life, everything that was contained in her tiny shack of a home, she thought she was doing good keeping it to only three suitcases.

Valerie just shook her head at him. "Yeah, right. While all my friends had their parents cheering them on, you didn't even know I was on the swim team. You were too busy writing your books or acting like some deranged lunatic on TV." Ian winced as he remembered the four long years before the San Diego Incident where InGen's lawyers made the public believe he was insane for telling the truth about what happened on Isla Nublar. "Do you even know what that did to me? I had to go see the school therapist!" Some shithead classmates spread a rumor that she was just as crazy as her father. The main one was that she had an imaginary friend, a dinosaur called Gilbert – where they'd thought of that name was beyond her – who she would sic on mean kids to eat. One of more extreme rumors was that she was stealing supplies from the science teacher for her father, so he could grow dinosaurs.

"Sw-swim, swim team?" he stuttered, perplexed. His daughter just nodded at him, continuing to fold clothes. "When, uh," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "when were you on a swim team?" She sighed heavily. Case in fucking point!

"Seventh grade to twelfth, and I still competed at university," she informed redundantly. "Hell, I used to take the bus to make meets before Eli taught me how to drive." Ian nodded slowly and picked up the shirt she'd thrown into the suitcase, setting it on the bed.

Grabbing the shorts she tossed in, he confusedly stated, "You never told me you were on a swim team." He tossed the shorts towards the shirt he removed, taking another item out to join his meager pile.

"Yes, I did!" she argued, chucking another piece of clothing into a suitcase. "Dozens of times!"

"And I offered to teach you how to drive, you didn't want me to!" he reminded her defensively. Snatching the boots she'd grabbed earlier, he dropped them to the floor with a loud thump. Valerie glared at him.

"Because we couldn't get through a simple meal without you preaching something at me!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in irritation. "There's no way I would've survived sitting in a car with you and your idea of instruction for even ten minutes!"

"So I was a horrible father, is that what you're telling me?" he implored.

"I'm reminding you that I was your daughter and you just abandoned me whenever opportunity knocked," she retorted scathingly.

"I resent that. That is absolutely not true," he countered angrily.

"Oh, really?" Hands on her hips, she insisted, "What about the park?"

"The park?" he gasped, stunned. "Are you really upset I didn't take you with me?" She shook her head, releasing a groan of disgust, and threw her hands up. Of course he didn't understand why she brought up the park. "I wanted to, if you remember, and I thank God I didn't."

"Correction," she snapped, pointing a finger at him, "I didn't want to go and you tried to make me! It was spring break, and Mom and I already had plans to go to the Serengeti!"

Valerie and her mother had been planning that trip for months. Just the two of them in the great big wilderness, and the fourteen year old had barely been able to contain her excitement. Especially since her mother had told her about the lions. Sure, her mother had said they'd see other animals first. Zebras, antelope, and even hippos – they'd observe all of them in the wild. But what she really wanted to see was the lions, and her mother knew exactly where to find them from her years of work. But Ian, in his infinite wisdom, had tried to steal Valerie away from a weekend with her mother. Oh, both mother and daughter had pitched a fit but none more so than Valerie. She'd screamed, cried, slammed doors in his face and locked them, and had been a monster to deal with. Typical teenager, really. Eventually, Carla had to go straight to Ian's apartment – a place she hadn't been to since the divorce – to confront him head on and demand her daughter, who'd already been packed and ready to go.

"Well excuse me," he drawled sarcastically, "for thinking an island off Costa Rica would be more fun than a dust bowl."

Valerie chuckled suddenly and muttered under her breath, "Fun." Mildly disgusted, she added, "That's all you ever cared about was fun. I didn't need you for fun," she exclaimed, whipping around. "I had friends for that. What I needed was a father!" she emphasized, snatching her underwear out of his hands. "Stop unpacking my stuff!" she snapped, wildly piling everything he'd taken out in her arms before dumping it unceremoniously into a disorganized mess.

"You want me to be a father? Okay." He nodded and pointed from her to the floor. "I'm grounding you! I forbid you to go or—!"

Finally having snapped, she yelled, "Or what?!" He was so startled that he di nothing but stare at her, eyes wide. "What will you do?" she questioned sarcastically. "I am thirty-two years old!"

"Exactly!" he countered, approaching her. He reached out to hug her but Valerie just pushed him aside and zipped up a suitcase. Sighing, he followed her out into the living room. "You have your whole life ahead of you!" She continued to ignore him as he trailed after her, in and out of her room again with the second suitcase. "Why waste it by going to that God forsaken place?"

Frustrated beyond belief, she shouted, "Its just an island!"

"An island filled with dinosaurs! Dinosaurs!" he stressed fanatically. Valerie so wanted to make a sassy reply but saw no point in it. "You know what the locals call that place? Las Cinco Muertes? You know what that means?" She was fluent in Spanish because their mother was Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban. Of course she knew what that meant! The Five Deaths, that's what the locals called the archipelago. Five islands Hammond and InGen owned, each and every one of them once played home to dinosaurs and labs. "Why couldn't you just stick to math? You could've become a teacher," he mourned, "in a nice, safe school somewhere. It would've been so easy. Brilliant as you are, you would be guaranteed a job anywhere! The best of the best would've killed to have you!"

Fed up, she admitted, "Because I hated it." Ian balked.

"H-Hated it? How can you say that?" he gasped in shock. He sounded so offended. It was as if she'd punched him in the gut or ripped out his heart. She supposed she probably had. "You loved it! You were always doing equations!"

"For school," Valerie retorted in a tone he was all too familiar with, "not in my spare time! I hated math. The only reason I took it was because it was required." Not to mention all the extra math classes he signed her up for once she showed an amazing aptitude for it. With that, she dropped her last suitcase into her living room.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Ian muttered in disbelief, hands at his temples. Yes, he definitely had a migraine. "Mathematics is the language of science and those who aren't fluent are relegated to the realm of tourists and dilettantes."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God, would you stop preaching already?!" Exasperated, she sarcastically apologized, "I'm sorry that me wanting to be a biologist, and travel the world, and observe animals in their natural habitat wasn't good enough for you, but its what made me happy!" She slowly approached him, incensed beyond belief by his insults. Even if he didn't mean them to be or think they were insults, but that's exactly what they'd been to her. "And it took years of dedication, persistence, hard work, and luck to get where I am now. It wasn't easy and there were never any guarantees." Ian reached out to cup her cheek, to apologize or comfort, but she wanted no part of it or him. Pushing his hand away, she took a step back away from him. "I worked my ass off, and you never understood or appreciated that!" Father and daughter stared at one another, unblinking. Valerie was practically heaving from the fire she'd just spewed at him, built up and boiling just below the surface for years. Ian let out a low sigh and hung his head. Valerie's cell phone rang suddenly. Not taking her eyes off her father, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and saw it was Masrani. She answered and hung up a moment later. "My ride's here," she announced with a shrug. Masrani had given her three days to settle her affairs and arranged for private transportation, from her house to the island itself. Spared no expense, had been his words. Throwing the strap of one bag over her shoulder, Valerie went to grab the last two suitcases when her father's hands on her own stopped her.

"You're right. I didn't," he admitted shamefully. Valerie blinked, a look of confusion washing over her. What was this, some new tactic? It had to be because Ian Malcolm didn't do humility. "I didn't understand why you chose the career you did. I mean, who wants to work with sharks – it's insane!" he chuckled incredulously. "They're dangerous, and you always hear about these freak animals attacks. They kill people!"

"Only five people die from a shark attack every year. Cows kills more people annually," she stated, the fact rolling off her tongue with ease. Sharks were such misunderstood creatures, and more and more were being culled over irrational fears and misconceptions like her father's.

"And about a dozen people die whenever they go near those islands," Ian countered seriously.

"That park has been open for six years and no one has died. There hasn't even been an incident."

"Not yet there hasn't but, trust me," he warned, "there will be!" Valerie chuckled and shook her head in a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"Trust the man that never keeps his word, that's hilarious," she sneered. Ripping her hands free of his, Valerie headed towards the door. She had her essentials. Everything else would either be put in storage, shipped to her residence on the island, or her home in Maui.

"Now, wait just a mi—!"

Valerie turned around and interrupted, "I don't hear from you for a year and, all of a sudden, you're in my house and its not even to congratulate me on this massive opportunity, but to tell me I'm dumb." Ian winced as his earlier words echoed across his mind: I did not raise dumb kids. "I bet you wouldn't even be here otherwise. So who told you, Eli? Kelly?" Ian winced and she had her answer. "Kelly," she cursed under breath. Her baby sister was always such a Daddy's Girl. Valerie stared at him a moment before shrugging helplessly. Her eyes were wet and burned but she refused to the let the tears fall. She'd cry in the airport bathroom and not a moment sooner. "I've practically made a second career out of waiting for you." Ian opened his mouth to protest but she was through. "Well, I'm done waiting for you to put your ego aside and give a damn about me. I'm just done. Goodbye, Ian." She hadn't called him 'dad' in years. Not since she moved out to live with her mother, a decision she had never regretted. Valerie didn't regret walking away from him in that moment either. It was her time and she refused to let him ruin it for her. Valerie could hear her father yelling her name even after the door slammed shut behind her. A tear made it way down her cheek and she quickly brushed it off. She'd cry in the airport bathroom.