JPIII Alternative Ending

by yvonne

An Alternate Ending to Jurassic Park III. My version of what could have happened at the end, to make the film longer and to provide some continuity. :)

After seeing Jurassic Park III umpteen times, I have always been disappointed in how the film ends. I am one of those people who liked the movie, don't get me wrong. I was ultimately expecting an action movie with excuses for dinos to eat people, and that's what it was, so I was happy. But the ending just seemed to be quick and unpolished, and so I decided to rewrite it a bit.

There are some familiar sequences still included, as well as some familiar dialogue, but I've added some other things. Some of the ideas were sparked from various forms of the shooting script, while others I just made up on my own. This alternate ending lengthens the film somewhat and provides a more smooth ending . . . at least for me it does.

I wrote this, what I will call a short story, in about a week. It was a refreshing break from the more serious and much longer "Alan & Ellie" story that I'm working on. For those of you wanted to know about the Alan and Ellie story, it's about the duo before Jurassic Park. It starts in 1991 and goes all the way to the day when John Hammond comes to visit them in Montana.

I hope you enjoy this new, and hopefully improved, version. :)

And on a side note: You might notice that some people who lived in the movie do not get so lucky in my version. lol.

Jurassic Park III Alternate Ending

Alan Grant stirred in his sleep, as his nightmare continued. He was dreaming about his encounter with the Spinosaurus on Isla Sorna. He was reliving every horrifying moment in his mind, as the giant beast continuously ran its massive claws all around the tiny cage he was trapped in. It was trying to capture at least one of the tiny humans trapped inside, and Grant was sure it would be himself. In the nightmare, he looked around the cage at the other frightened people trapped with him. There was Eric Kirby, the 12-year-old boy that had been stranded on the island, along with his very protective and frightened mother, Amanda Kirby. Grant couldn't figure out where Paul Kirby was at the moment. He wasn't in the cage with them and he was nowhere to be seen.

Still in the dream, Grant was suddenly thrown to the side of the cage, his head smashing into one of the steel bars. He was certain it had cracked his head open, as he could feel the warm blood slowly start streaming down his face. He was scared. He was as afraid as he ever had been in his life. He really felt like this was the end for him. He slightly smiled, as he thought about talking to Ellie moments before. At least he was able to hear her voice one last time, before he would leave this world. His temporary happiness was interrupted by Amanda's screams, as he helplessly watched the Spinosaurus grab hold of her shirt and pull. Grant swam forward and was able to free the screaming woman, while at the same time, holding Eric back from trying to help his mother.

Still fast asleep, but getting very restless, Grant could suddenly hear Paul Kirby yelling from somewhere beyond the cage. He looked around, but he couldn't find Paul. He could only hear him. And so could the dinosaur, as it removed its giant claw from the cage and began to roar in the direction of Paul's voice. Grant was relieved to still be alive. He looked at Amanda, who was bleeding from her arm and possibly her waist.

"You okay?" He shouted over the heavy rain and roaring.

She nodded and grabbed a hold of her son and squeezed him hard. The three of them floated in the water, inside the cage, for a few seconds. Then Grant told them they should all climb out of the cage, so he climbed out first. He helped Eric and Amanda out of the cage, watched them jump into the water, and then he searched for Paul. He quickly found him. It wasn't hard. All he had to do was look where the dinosaur was looking. He found Paul atop a very high crane, yelling and flapping his arms, trying to keep the Spinosaurus' attention, while his family escaped. Grant only watched for a few seconds, before he too jumped into the river. The water rushed up to meet him as his body became emerged.

And with that, his body suddenly told him that he should wake up. He was startled awake as he continued to hear the roaring of the Spinosaurus in his head. When he sprang up from his nightmare, someone was there to comfort him. It was a woman. She was behind him and he felt her hands gently touch his shoulders.

"It's okay. It was just a dream," she whispered.

His thoughts immediately went to Ellie, but he was sure the voice didn't belong to her. He slowly turned around and saw the source of the voice.

"Mrs. Kirby?" He asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, Dr. Grant. It's me. Who were you expecting?"

Grant was not grasping the situation at all. How on earth could he be talking to Amanda Kirby right now? His only answer . . . he must be dead.

"I . . . I don't know," Alan said uneasily.

Then Grant was startled by yet another voice.

"Come on, Dr. Grant. I think you've slept enough. We have to get going I think."

Grant quickly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He knew who it was, but he was just hoping that when he actually looked, he might have been mistaken.

"Mr. Kirby," he said slowly.

Paul laughed.

"Dr. Grant, are you okay?"

Grant looked around, to try and get a feel for his surroundings. He was in the jungle and he was wearing the clothes that he had been wearing on Isla Sorna. He was thoroughly confused.

"Where are we?"

Paul laughed again, but this time another voice answered.

"You're kidding, right?" Eric Kirby asked.

Grant looked at the boy. He was still wearing the same clothes from Sorna, too. Grant slowly, and sadly, began to realize that he was still on Isla Sorna. Still among the dinosaurs. And still among the Kirbys.

"Yeah, just kidding there, Eric," Grant said, getting up slowly.

Amanda helped him.

"Thank you," he replied to her when he was on his feet, "Now let's get a move on, shall we?"

********************

The four of them continued to go in the direction of the ocean. Or at least Grant was hoping it was the right direction. These people had come to count on him and he didn't want to disappoint them at this point. For some reason, he wasn't all that upset with them anymore. But he did wish that Paul and Amanda would quit arguing. They hadn't really stopped since they arrived on the island, with that one exception when they had gotten to see their son again after eight long weeks of waiting in agony. It was clear to Grant why they had gotten a divorce in the first place. In fact, they were arguing about something right now.

"Paul, I don't really care what you think. How's that?"

"All I'm saying is that you should have made better decisions as a mother."

"I decided to divorce YOU. That was a great decision if you ask me."

"Now, now. Let's not bring that particular time back up again."

"Would you just stop talking to me, Paul? I'm really sick of you. I don't even know why you came here."

"Because you would have screwed this up on your own, that's why."

Grant was ahead of the fighting Kirbys and Eric was walking with him. He decided to start a conversation with the boy, to get his mind off his parents.

"So, I was wondering, Eric. How many species of dinosaur did you get a chance to see on this island?"

Eric was very relieved to talk instead of listening to his parents a few yards behind them.

"I guess about seven or so."

"Care to name them?"

"I don't think I know all of their scientific names, Dr. Grant."

"You can call me Alan."

Eric smiled, as he looked at him and Grant could see that he had a few tears streaming down his dirty face.

"Okay. Let me think. There were some Compies, a couple T-Rexes, that Spino, Ankylosaurus. And let me tell you, I've seen Ankylosaurus quite a lot on this island. There are a lot of them and they have a lot of different territories that they call their own."

"Really? That's surprising. Are they docile?"

"No way. They get very mad when you get anywhere close to their areas."

"There must be infants around," Grant guessed.

"I haven't seen any of those."

"They must hide them well."

"That would explain why they've tried to kill me with their tails, about a dozen times," Eric said laughing.

"So, what other dinosaurs have you seen?"

"Well, there's that horned dinosaur that tried to eat you, Mom and Dad."

"That would be Ceratosaurus."

Grant thought about how close they had been to dying at the particular instance. Eric had still been on the boat when they had happened across a storage building. They were all astonished when they saw light coming from the windows. There had still been power there! Grant and Paul quickly jumped from the boat and went investigating. Amanda followed after she had gotten Eric to promise to stay put. Grant had went inside and was disheartened when he didn't find a single working communications device. They did find some old candy bars in a vending machine, so they took those. As they were about to leave, Amanda had found a satellite phone, hanging by its power connector, on the side of a desk. With newfound hope, Grant grabbed it and they ran from the building, only to run directly into the Ceratosaurus. Grant had quickly dashed to his left, while the Kirbys had made a run to their right. The dinosaur pursued Grant, but quickly and mysteriously ended its pursuit for some unknown reason. It had stopped and had been sniffing the air and spinning around, in a defensive posture. It quickly began to run off, and if Grant hadn't dived to the ground, it was certain to him that it would have taken dinner along with it. It disappeared into the darkness without another trace. No one had known what it had run from at the time, but now Grant knew it had been the Spinosaurus, which had attacked them only a short time later.

"Yeah, that's it," Eric said.

Paul and Amanda continued to argue.

"Screwed what up?" Amanda yelled.

"Getting our son back, what do you think?"

"YOU didn't get our son back, you idiot. I believe Dr. Grant holds that honor."

"And who got Dr. Grant here in the first place. Certainly not you."

Grant was growing very tired of this now. He and Eric were still very much in front of them. He stopped, turned around and pointed a finger at them.

"Look. I'm really, really tired of this senseless and useless bickering from you two."

Paul and Amanda were looking at him with confusion in their eyes. It was as if they didn't even realize that he and Eric could even hear them.

"Do you have to do this in front of your son? You got him back. Be happy."

Eric hadn't even turned around to face them. Grant could see him wiping those few tears away, trying to ready himself for his parents. He didn't get the chance to face them though. In the span of seconds, a pack of Velociraptors quickly appeared in front of Eric, shrieking and snarling.

"Alan!" Eric shouted, as the 6-foot carnivores grew closer.

Grant turned around and spotted them, as well. He quickly grabbed Eric, determined to guard the young boy. The Raptors made a large circle and quickly surrounded the humans. Grant counted seven of them. At first, he thought they were done for, but then he changed his mind as he observed the dinosaur's movements.

"I think they want their eggs," he whispered.

"How can you be sure?" Paul asked, as he and Amanda moved closer to Grant and Eric.

"We'd be dead already if they didn't want the eggs," Eric whispered.

For a split second Grant was proud of the kid for understanding what was going on, but he had more important things to tend to. He began to slowly kneel down.

"Everyone, get down. They won't think of us as much of a threat that way," he whispered.

They all did what they were instructed. The Raptors became even more vocal now and Grant was almost certain he knew which was the leader. The Raptor directly in front of him seemed to be the one with the most vocalizations, seemingly shouting orders to the others around it.

Eric was right next to Grant, with his parents behind them. Paul decided that Eric would be safer behind himself though.

"Eric, get behind me," he whispered.

Amanda looked at her ex-husband.

"He's fine where he is Paul," she whispered back.

"No, he isn't. Those things are going to kill Grant for keeping their eggs," he whispered to Amanda, and then he directed his voice toward Grant, "I told you to get rid of those damned things."

"Mr. Kirby, please shut up and don't move," Grant said through clenched teeth.

He would have yelled at the stupid man, had the lead Raptor not been staring directly at him. He had overheard Paul predict his up and coming death and mostly agreed with him. If he could somehow get the Raptors to only attack himself, all of the Kirbys could possibly get away. But how could he get seven Velociraptors to only dwell on himself?

"I will not shut up," Paul argued.

"Paul, you're going to get us killed," Amanda whispered.

Paul ignored both Grant and Amanda's warnings, and reached for Eric, pulling him back slowly.

"Eric, get behind me, son."

"Dad, no. Don't mo---"

Eric didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. The lead Raptor shrieked orders to two others and Eric suddenly felt pain in his thigh, as the two Raptors attacked the closest thing moving. Amanda screamed and tried to get Paul to stop moving Eric. Grant instinctively pushed the closest attacking Raptor to the side, causing it to let go of Eric. Everyone froze. Everyone but Paul, who was trying to see Eric's condition. One of the two attacking Raptors latched onto Paul's shoulder with its powerful jaws and dragged him away from the rest of the humans. Paul kicked and screamed, trying to get away, but it was no use.

The lead Raptor shrieked again and two other Raptors joined in on the attack. The four Raptors had Paul dragged away and silenced in just a few short moments.

"Oh, God," Amanda whispered.

Eric was still next to Grant. When his father was attacked, he wanted to help, but Grant stopped him. After witnessing his father's gruesome finish, Eric began to cry and Grant held onto him, until his mother crawled closer. Eric slowly went from Grant to his mother, embracing her tightly. Amanda was checking the wound on his leg, making sure he wouldn't bleed to death. It wasn't that bad, as it looked mostly like a deep scratch.

Grant was still watching the remaining Raptors, with special attention on the lead Raptor. It didn't have feathers on its head, indicating that it was most likely female. He slowly moved Billy's camera bag from his shoulder and realized that he was shaking pretty badly. The fact that the Raptors actually attacked one of them . . . and that you could still hear them eating Paul a few yards away . . . was monumentally unnerving. He slowly opened up the camera bag, instantly getting a reaction from the lead Raptor. She let out a different series of shrieks and snarls, causing two other Raptors to get ready to pounce.

"What are you doing?" Amanda whispered.

"I'm going to try and give them what they want."

Amanda placed a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Oh, God. Please be careful," she whispered in a concerned voice.

Grant nodded and picked up one of the eggs. His hands were shaking and he tried to calm himself, as the two pouncing Raptors resorted to creeping closer. Sweat was streaming down his face, as he took an egg and placed it in the sand, sliding it toward the lead Raptor. He made sure to never make eye contact with the dangerous creature, as he didn't want it to think he was challenging it. He focused back on the camera bag, as the lead Raptor barked even more instructions. That's when Grant noticed the resonating chamber in the bag. Billy must have brought it with him for some reason and Grant was very happy that he had. He picked it up, as one of the male Raptors slowly approached the egg.

The male Raptor shrieked at Grant and came toward him with its mouth open, revealing the rows of razor sharp teeth. Grant was forced into moving backwards, as the Raptor bit into the air that the human had previously occupied. This action got a snarl from the lead Raptor, causing the male to step back and simply pick up the egg in its powerful jaws. It was ever so gentle, though, as it disappeared into the jungle with the egg still safely in its jaws.

Amanda had a clear view of Grant's near death experience, now that he was forced into backing up next to her. She was really worried about being left alone with her son on this island. But even more than that, she didn't want the person she wrongly tricked into coming here, to die a horrible death.

"Anything I can do?" She whispered.

"I don't know. I wish I understood what they were saying. I'm pretty sure they're plotting against me though."

"How many eggs do you have left in there?"

"Two."

"Well, there's only two Raptors left, so try giving them the eggs," Amanda whispered, with some tremble in her voice.

Eric was still holding his mother tightly. He still couldn't believe his father was gone. He had all but stopped crying like a baby though, as he felt he had to be strong for his mother.

Grant began to do what Amanda had suggested, all the while holding onto the resonating chamber. He placed another egg into the sand and slid it forward. The remaining male came for it and took off running into the jungle, in the same direction as the other male.

This left the lead Raptor alone, standing in front of them. Grant was about to place the last egg in the sand, when the female shrieked, causing the four Raptors that had attacked Paul to come to full alert. They quickly made their way to the three humans. Grant moved the egg closer to his body as the Raptors continued to look agitated.

"Now what?" He whispered to Amanda.

Eric was paying more attention now, as he tried to put his father's death behind him for a moment. He had an idea.

"Dr. Grant, why don't you throw the egg? We can try and make a run for it when they chase after it."

Grant gave that idea some serious thought. That idea very well could work, especially since he still had that resonating chamber as a secret weapon against them.

"It could work. You two ready?" He whispered.

"Ready," Amanda whispered back, preparing to get her son out of danger.

Grant nodded, quickly raised his arm in the air, and hurled the egg as far as he could. The sudden movement caused the Raptors to go into a fury, but none of them moved toward the humans or the egg, until the lead Raptor had decided what to do. She barked more instructions and two of the male Raptors took off toward the egg, leaving three Raptors staring at the humans . . . two females, including the lead Raptor, and one male. The lead female lunged toward Grant, but stopped quickly as an unexpected noise traveled through the air.

Grant had blown into the chamber, creating a Raptor-like sound, but not really saying anything that the Raptors would recognize. The lead Raptor backed away and began to bob her head back and forth, trying to decipher what was being said. The other two echoed her movements. It was clear to everyone that the Raptors were baffled by the sounds. Grant continued to make sounds, and began to throw a few sounds that he had heard the Raptors make earlier.

All of the commotion alerted various other parts of the jungle, attracting other dinosaur species to the vicinity. Grant was relieved to see two Ankylosaurs charging in their direction. Luckily, it looked as though they were in one of their perceived territories. The remaining Raptors stopped reacting to the resonating chamber and began to worry about the charging Ankylosaurs. Since there were only three Raptors remaining in that particular area, the lead female decided to retreat. She shrieked some more, causing the other two Raptors to join her into the jungle. The humans began to breath easily again.

"We did it!" Eric shouted.

Amanda and Eric seemed pleased, but Grant had now become worried about the two Ankylosaurs that were rapidly approaching.

"We've got to get out of the open. Now!" He yelled.

********************

The three of them stood up and quickly ran in the opposite direction of the Raptors. Eric lingered for a moment, glancing at what was left of his father. Amanda grabbed him, urging him to continue on. They weren't exactly running toward the ocean either, since the Ankylosaurs were coming from that direction. They ran as fast as they could, while the ground pounded beneath their feet. There was another clearing in the jungle ahead of them, and Grant swore to himself. Another clearing wasn't what they needed. They needed to hide somewhere . . . and fast.

"Dr. Grant, I think there's a building ahead of us," Eric yelled.

Grant looked beyond the field and saw the building, nestled in the trees on the other side of the clearing.

"Let's make a run for it," Amanda suggested, as she looked back to check on the progress of the pursuing angry herbivores.

Grant nodded and they ran, once again. The farther they got into the clearing, the more clear the building ahead of them became. They were about half way across, when trees were heard breaking behind them. Grant glanced back and saw that the two Ankylosaurs were still in hot pursuit. Grant was astonished at just how fast they were moving. They seemed like such lazy and slow-moving animals, but they were moving at a decent jog.

"Keep going! Don't look back!" He shouted.

Eric and Amanda did what he said, and they all finally reached the building. Grant rushed to the door and gave the doorknob a turn. It was locked. He swore again and began to look for something to bash a window in.

Amanda was looking for ways to protect her son. There were two very large crates sitting outside the building. They were about 5 feet high and very wide. If all else failed, they could at least try and hide behind them.

Grant found a strong branch on the ground near the building and ran to the nearest window. He swung the branch as hard as he could, but it didn't do a thing. He stood there puzzled for a second and then continued to try and break the glass. After several tries, he gave up.

"It must be reinforced glass. I don't think we're getting in there anytime soon," he sighed, as he threw the branch down.

The two Ankylosaurs were now very close to the building.

"Hide behind these crates!" Amanda shouted to Grant.

He nodded and quickly ducked behind the crate closest to him, as Amanda and Eric hid behind the other one. The dinosaurs reached the building and searched for their presumed enemies. They searched all around the building, walking around to the sides. They weren't intelligent enough to look behind the crates, nor were they tall enough to see over them. As the dinosaurs passed by the crates, the humans moved slightly, staying out of sight. The two herbivores came back around to the front of the building and turned quickly, reluctantly leaving the area greatly disappointed. As they turned to leave, one of their club-like tales pressed up against a crate and pushed it toward the building. Grant was behind that crate. It all happened so quickly he didn't get the chance to move out of harm's way. The heavy bulk of the dinosaur allowed it to move the crate effortlessly. Grant was pressed up against the building, pinned behind the heavy crate.

Amanda saw that her son was heading toward Grant, trying to help him. She grabbed Eric, as she watched Grant fight for air. She made Eric wait until the Ankylosaurs were well past the midway point of the clearing, before she let him go. They both ran to the crate.

"Dr. Grant?" Eric shouted.

Amanda was right next to her son. She could see Grant's head sticking out from atop of the crate, but nothing else. He was conscious, which was a good sign. She hurried around to the side to see how bad it was. His arms were stuck in an outward position, looking as though he had tried to stop the crate from crushing him. His arms were forward-facing and pressed up against the crate. One of his hands looked like it might be broken. His legs were pinned, too.

"Alan?" She whispered to him.

"Great idea . . . " he gasped, "Getting behind the crates."

He sort of laughed, but then the movement in his chest caused pain, so he winced.

"Okay, I'm going to get you out of there. So just hang on," she said, as she looked around for something that might help her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he rasped.

Eric stayed with him while Amanda searched around the area. Sounds of more trees breaking could be heard on the other side of the clearing again. Grant was looking in that direction and Eric followed his gaze. The Ankylosaurs were disappearing into the jungle again, making Eric sigh with relief.

"Well, at least they're gone," Eric said.

"Finally, something in our favor," Grant whispered.

Again he winced, as his chest felt like it would be crushed any second. He could barely move, with the exception of his head. He was starting to feel like he was trapped in a casket and it was causing him to hyperventilate some. Eric kept talking to him, trying to calm him down. As he stood there, trapped and staring toward the opposite side of the clearing, he heard an awful sound. The sounds of the Raptors. They were close, too, as their sounds covered the entire area.

"Oh, no," Grant sighed.

Amanda heard the unmistakable sounds, too. She continued to look for something . . . anything . . . that might help get Grant out. She ran around the rear of the building and found a garbage dumpster.

Grant began to visualize the Raptors tearing him up alive, starting with his exposed face. He shuddered as he thought about how he wouldn't be able to do a thing, since his arms were pinned to his sides. He looked at Eric.

"Find your mom and get out of here," he whispered. Eric could barely hear him. "Go toward the ocean."

"I don't think we're going to leave you here, Dr. Grant," Eric said.

Just then, Amanda appeared next to the crate, carrying two metal poles.

"I found something in the trash back there. Here, Eric. Take this and prop it up sideways, in between the crate and the building."

Eric quickly placed the metal pole where his mother instructed. Amanda ran to the other side and did the same. Grant was the only one looking forward, out toward the clearing. He could see movement near the outline of the trees across the field.

"Okay, Eric, push the pole," Amanda yelled to her son.

They both pushed down on the metal poles, but the crate didn't budge.

"The Raptors are coming. Forget this idea and get out of here," Grant gasped.

Amanda stopped for a moment and looked toward the clearing. She could see the movement, too, but she wasn't ready to give up. She and Eric continued to push with no result.

"I'm not leaving here without you. And, by the way, you could try and help a little, you know," she said.

He smiled faintly and with the next push, he helped as well. Grant thought that the crate seemed to actually move! Amanda echoed his thoughts.

"It's moving! Keep going Eric! Only a little more!" She screamed.

Grant looked out toward the clearing again. The Raptors were still far away, moving around and in between the trees on the other side. They weren't coming any closer . . . yet. Amanda and Eric pushed again, with Grant assisting a little bit. The crate moved a little again and Grant was able to breath easier. With the third push, he could move his arms. The fourth push was all they needed. Amanda and Eric laughed in unison, as Grant was freed . . . and then preceded to just collapse behind the large crate in a heap. Amanda hurried to him and helped him get out from behind the crate, holding onto him as he began to feel his legs beneath him again.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I think so," he answered in a more normal sounding voice.

"Anything broken?" She asked.

"No."

"Good. Let's get out of here," she whispered.

Grant nodded and the three of them headed toward the back of the building and out of the Raptor's line of vision. From there they headed back into the jungle and toward the ocean again.

********************

They moved quickly and quietly, until Amanda noticed her son walking a little slower.

"Let's stop for a second, okay? I'm tired," she said, taking the pressure from Eric.

Grant stopped and immediately began to scan the area, making sure they were alone. In his search, he glanced at Eric, who was leaning against a tree. The boy was holding his thigh, where the Raptor had attacked him.

"How you holding up, Eric?" He asked.

Eric had looked like he was about to break down from both the pain and the stress of it all, but when Alan got his attention, he quickly straightened up and looked at the scientist.

"I can't believe my Dad is gone," he said, almost crying.

Amanda hurried to him and hugged him. Grant stood by, unsure of what to do or say next. He heard Amanda talking to him.

"How's your leg?" She whispered, as she checked for herself.

"I'll live, I think," Eric said. He looked at Grant, "Where are we?"

"I think we're getting close to the shore," Grant guessed, "At least I hope so," he added, looking around some more.

"At least the Raptors are behind us," Amanda stated.

"Hopefully, they'll stay behind us," Grant whispered.

Amanda let go of Eric, allowing him to lean up against the tree again. She walked over to Grant and grabbed his arm.

"Do you think they'll come for us?" She whispered, trying to save Eric from the answer.

"Maybe. I'm hoping that we've lost them though," Grant whispered back.

"I hope we see the shore line soon," she said.

"I think we're close."

"I don't hear the ocean," Amanda whispered.

"We will. We have to believe that."

"Okay. Being optimistic is always a good thing."

Amanda noticed Grant had stopped scanning the area and that he was looking at her.

"I'm sorry about Paul."

"Thank you," she said, tearing up just a little. "I didn't like him very much, but I still loved and cared about him. It's so hard to accept that he's gone."

"I can't believe Billy is gone either."

Amanda stood silent for a second.

"If it weren't for you and Billy, Eric wouldn't have made it. For that I thank you . . . and him."

"I'm sure he's up there somewhere, thinking that it was all worth it," Grant said. Amanda nodded and Grant continued, "Thanks for not leaving me, Mrs. Kirby," he simply stated.

"I think it's safe for you to call me Amanda. And you're welcome," she said, smiling.

"Thank you, Amanda."

"Thank you for getting my son back to me . . . Alan."

Grant nodded and the three of them started to move on through the jungle, hoping to find the ocean soon. The sun was about to set and soon they would be in darkness.

********************

As they walked, Grant was sure he could suddenly hear the ocean. Amanda and Eric heard it, too.

"I hear the ocean!" Eric shouted, as he began to run.

Amanda and Grant were right behind him. Eric ran through the jungle, way to happy to care about his hurting leg. He made it to the edge of the jungle and then quickly stopped, horrified by something he saw on the beach. Grant and Amanda had been smiling, until they saw Eric abruptly stop in front of them.

"What is it?" Grant whispered, as he snuck up next to Eric.

"Tyrannosaurus Rex," Eric whispered, pointing.

Grant looked where Eric was pointing. Sure enough, there was a full grown Rex at the edge of the water, drinking from the ocean.

"What are we going to do?" Amanda questioned, but the other two weren't listening.

"Why is it drinking salt water?" Eric asked.

"I was just wondering the same thing," Grant answered.

"What are we going to do?" Amanda repeated, a little more persistently.

Grant took his focus from the Rex.

"I think we're going to have to wait it out."

"That's an extravagant plan," Amanda commented.

Grant smiled at her and then they sat down and watched the Rex take large mouthfuls of ocean water. Maybe the Rex was able to gain something from drinking the salt water. Grant would have to look into that theory later on . . . if he survived, that is.

As they sat and waited, there were faint sounds of something else in the air. Grant smiled as he realized what he must of been hearing.

"Helicopter," he whispered.

Amanda and Eric immediately began to hug each other, quietly laughing. Amanda glanced at Grant and pulled him into the huddle, too.

"We're going home," she said, to no one in particular.

The sound of the helicopter grew louder and within a few minutes, it could be seen. Grant's happiness turned to worry, as he wondered how they were going to be spotted. After a little thought, he stood up.

"What are you doing?" Amanda immediately questioned.

"We've got to let the rescuers know that we're here."

"What are you going to do? Just stroll out there, jumping and waving?" Amanda asked, as she stood up.

"I've got an idea," Grant said, hoping she would buy it.

"The hell you do. You're not sacrificing yourself for us. We're all getting saved here."

Grant looked at her in a sincere way.

"I'm not. Just stay here."

"I'm not about to let what happened to Paul, happen to you," she said, grabbing his arm.

"Amanda, let go. Please. We don't have much time. That helicopter is going to pass by us in just a few minutes."

She let him go, knowing that he could possibly get himself killed. She didn't agree with what he was doing, but she respected him enough to let him go. Eric didn't get it at all, though.

"Dr. Grant, where are you going?"

Grant had already taken a few steps away from the tree line. He turned to look at Eric.

"I'm going to get us rescued. Now stay with your mother."

Eric was about to protest, but Amanda got his attention, encouraging him to be quiet. They watched as Grant took several more steps, putting him in the sand.

Grant wasn't sure what he was going to do exactly. The Rex had its back to him, still drinking from the unlimited water source. He had the idea that if he jumped and moved quietly, he would be able to get the attention of the pilot, without getting the unwanted attention of the 6-ton carnivore.

The helicopter hoovered over the shore line and made its way down the sandy beach, looking for would-be survivors. As it rounded a curve, the pilot spotted the Tyrannosaurus Rex and panicked. He tried to maneuver the helicopter up quickly, causing him to lose a little bit of control. In his fright, the helicopter lost quite a few feet, before it began to climb again slowly.

The sounds of the engines had gotten the Rex's attention and it was now standing up and looking almost directly into the helicopter. The pilot and passengers were horrified, as the Rex let out a majestic roar, shaking the helicopter. The pilot was able to regain control and climb higher, getting out of the dinosaur's way.

Grant was still standing in the sand, about half way between the ocean and the jungle behind him. When the Rex stood up, he had stopped. Now that the helicopter was under control, he began to jump and wave again. It worked! One of the passengers had seen him and he could see that they were all talking and pointing towards him. Suddenly a voice was heard over a loudspeaker attached to the helicopter.

"Are you alone?"

Grant shook his head no. The Rex hadn't turned around yet. It was still carefully observing the strange moving flying machine.

"We're going to go down about a half mile. We'll pick you up there."

Grant nodded his head yes. He watched the helicopter start to move to his right, farther down the beach. He turned to go back and get the Kirbys and that's when all hell broke loose.

********************

All of the roaring, helicopter noise, and the human voice over the loudspeaker, had attracted another hunter. The Spinosaurus. It had never been very far from the humans, as it had been tracking them since they landed on the island. It burst through the jungle not far from where Amanda and Eric were, and went after its perceived threat, the other prehistoric predator standing in its way. It let out a warning roar, causing the Rex to pivot quickly and prepare itself for the encounter.

Grant was still standing in the middle of the beach. If he went toward the jungle, the Spinosaurus would get him. If he went toward the ocean, the Rex would be waiting. He had no idea what he was going to do, as he found himself in the same situation he had earlier . . . walking under foot of two angry carnivorous creatures.

The two huge dinosaurs reached each other and another large fight broke out. Only this time, the Tyrannosaur in question was full grown and accustomed to fighting. The two goliaths roared and bit at one another, each trying to get the upper hand.

Grant saw an opportunity to get back to the jungle, and so he ran for it. The fighting monsters were rampaging back and forth though and they unknowingly blocked his way. He was forced into running toward the ocean, as a giant foot came crashing down next to him. He made it to the ocean and fell in. He could hear Amanda and Eric yelling for him, but he couldn't get any closer to them at the moment. When he fell into the ocean, he accidently got a sample taste of the water as a small wave attacked him from behind. He was temporarily astonished with the fact that the water was fresh. The salty sea water must have been diluted with fresh water from the inland rivers and creeks, creating an estuary. He contemplated that for only seconds, as he picked himself up and waited for the right time to shout at the frightened Kirbys.

The fight rolled on. The Spinosaurus was surprised by the strength of this new adversary. It was much more powerful than its previous predecessor. The Rex wrapped its powerful jaws around the sail of the slightly bigger beast and ripped a part of the relatively flexible fin away from the Spinosaurus. The wounded dinosaur roared in both anger and pain, as the Rex continued to attack. Fearing that it might actually be defeated, the Spinosaurus attempted to retreat into the jungle. The Rex wasn't about to allow that to happen, as it sensed the wounded dinosaur's fear and defeat. It unleashed more attacks, biting down on the tail of the Spinosaurus as it turned toward the jungle.

Grant stood in awe, as the two giants fought it out nearly in front of him. The ground was shaking with incredible force, as the fight began to veer off toward the jungle. Grant seized the opportunity and looked toward Eric and Amanda. They were watching the battle, as well, so he had to wave and yell to get their attention. When they looked at him, he pointed in the direction the helicopter had gone.

"MOVE DOWN THE BEACH! AND STAY HIDDEN!" He shouted over the roaring.

He saw Amanda nod and smiled to himself as he watched them quickly head in the right direction. He was still in about three feet of water, so he began to swim in that same direction. When he was a little farther away from danger, he got out of the water and began to run down the beach. He couldn't help but to slow down, and see how the amazing struggle for survival was progressing behind him.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex clearly had the advantage. As Grant turned to watch, the Rex was in the process of biting down on the neck of the retreating dinosaur. It was the last wage in the battle as the Spinosaurus collapsed lifelessly, to the sand. The massive weight of the creature caused the ground to vibrate under Grant's feet, almost knocking him over as he continued to run down the beach.

Amanda and Eric had made it to where the helicopter was waiting. It wasn't on the ground though. It was still hoovering over the beach at a very low altitude. Amanda ran out from the cover of the jungle and began waving her arms and shouting. Soon after that, she heard the loudspeaker.

"We're running low on fuel. There's another helicopter on its way. ETA 10 minutes."

Amanda began to shake her head no, as the helicopter began to gain altitude and fly away.

"Wait! Come back! Just land for one second, damn it!" She yelled, knowing that they couldn't hear her.

Grant caught up to them as the helicopter began to get smaller and smaller in the distance.

"What . . . the . . . hell . . . happened?" He asked, totally out of breath.

"They were low on fuel," Eric explained, looking around.

"When are they coming back?" Grant asked in a panicked voice.

Amanda looked at him closely, as she heard the panic in his tone. He hadn't really panicked all that much since she had known him and his sudden state of urgency was beginning to scare her. He looked totally wiped out. He was drenched, out of breath, and now out of hope.

"There's another helicopter coming in 10 minutes," she said, trying to calm him.

"Great! What the hell are we supposed to do until then?" He yelled, waving his hands in the air in defeat.

He looked at the Kirbys and realized he was scaring them. He wasn't really thinking about them during his little rant and now he felt like he might have overreacted just a bit.

"Sorry about that," he said in a normal voice, "I'm just a little concerned here."

"That's okay. You're entitled to be angry and concerned," Amanda said.

Eric interrupted them.

"I think we should hide in the jungle again," the boy said.

"Yeah," Grant agreed, nodding, "The Rex will be busy for a while with its new kill, but we still shouldn't stay out in the open like this."

They began to walk toward the safety of the jungle, when Eric suddenly yelled something unclear and began to run. Grant was about to ask him what he said, but then he saw what Eric was running to. It was a boat that had crashed onto the shore.

"I think this is the boat that Ben and I were in," Eric said, quickly climbing into it and investigating its contents.

Amanda climbed into the boat, too, mostly to keep an eye on Eric.

"The parasailing boat?" Grant asked, still standing on the sand.

Eric nodded and then Amanda held up an extra parasail that had been knocked loose from its place in the boat. And then Eric found the most reliable evidence. Attached to one of the sun visors, was the boating license of an Enrique Cardoso.

"That's him," Amanda said, looking at the man's picture. She thought for a second. "That's the man I entrusted my love ones to. What was I thinking?"

"I wonder where Enrique is?" Eric asked, changing the subject.

"Something probably carried him off," Grant suggested.

Grant still hadn't climbed into the boat. He was walking around it, surveying all of the damage. There were massive slash marks all around the bottom of the crippled boat. Those same types of slash marks were present inside of the boat, too.

"Eric, did you see what attacked the boat?"

"No. We were in the air when we felt a hard tug on the rope. When I looked down, the boat was empty."

"And you didn't see anything floating in the water at all?"

"No. Nothing," Eric said, trying to remember the events of that awful day.

"Well, with these slash marks on the underside of the boat, I'd have to guess it was the Spinosaurus," Grant guessed.

"You've got a point," Eric said, still looking around the boat.

Amanda was slightly confused about how they came to that conclusion.

"Could one of you elaborate please?" She asked.

Grant laughed and took on the responsibility.

"I don't think InGen produced another creature capable of staying underwater that long, and then attacking the boat from underneath."

Eric was nodding and Grant was proud of him for knowing what he was getting at. Amanda still looked confused.

"Okay. I get that. But who or what is InGen?" She asked.

"Mom, InGen is the company that made the dinosaurs," Eric answered slightly annoyed, "I've told you that a million times before."

"Don't get cranky with me."

Eric rolled his eyes the way kids will do to their parents. Grant laughed.

"And what is so funny?" Amanda questioned.

"After all we've been through, it's just nice to hear an innocent argument between a mother and her son. That's all."

Amanda's scowl faded into a smile. She and Eric laughed, too. Seconds later, they could hear that familiar sound of a helicopter. Eric jumped from the boat, while Grant helped Amanda climb out. When the helicopter was close enough to see them, they started their jumping and waving again. The pilot spotted them and began to look for an appropriate place to land. He settled on a safe spot that was just to the other side of a medium sized hill.

********************

Grant could still see the helicopter's rotors sticking up over the hill, as it touched down, blowing sand everywhere. He ran toward the humming of the helicopter. Amanda and Eric followed closely behind. He ran up the sandy hill and was surprised by a familiar figure walking toward them, not far from the helicopter.

"Dr. Grant? Alan?" The man shouted through his hands.

Grant closed his eyes for a minute, as he thought about how stupid this man was, yelling in the open like that.

"Mark, keep it down."

"You know him?" Eric asked.

"He's the husband of a friend of mine."

Eric was about to ask the friend's name, when he noticed that Grant went from annoyed to overjoyed in the flash of an eye.

"Ellie?" He half yelled.

Ellie Degler was wrestling with one of the military men, trying to get out of the helicopter. She managed to get by the man and began to wave at him. Grant had made it to where Mark was by now. He gave Mark a questionable look, gesturing toward Ellie, who was now running toward them.

"She wanted to come. She promised to stay in the helicopter. You know how it is trying to talk her out of things, I'm sure."

"Yes. I remember. She's tenacious, that one," Grant said smiling.

Grant continued to watch Ellie get closer, anticipating when he would be able to embrace her. It wasn't that long of a wait. She reached him and, still running at full speed, ran into him, grabbing onto him tightly.

"I was very worried about you," she said, half crying.

"I'm okay."

Ellie let him go and gave him a look over, making sure he wasn't lying. She focused on all of the various cuts and abrasions on him. She gently touched the rather large gash on his right shoulder, and then the cut over his left eye. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'm okay. Really."

"I just wanted to make sure."

Grant suddenly remembered that Amanda and Eric were with him. He turned and saw them talking with Mark. He was about to introduce them to Ellie, but Ellie began to question him.

"What in the hell happened? How did you get here? Why would you come here? Are you insane?"

Grant laughed.

"Well, I was tricked into coming here by that boy's parents. Our airplane crashed. And no, I'm not insane."

"You were tricked? Like lied to?"

Grant nodded. He saw anger build in Ellie's eyes, as she began to walk toward Amanda. He grabbed her arm.

"Ellie, she just lost her ex-husband a few hours ago. Please don't start anything."

"She needs to be yelled at. She almost caused you to lose your life."

"Her son was stranded on this island. She was desperate to get him back."

Ellie began to think about what he was saying. She slowly came to the decision that she would ask that woman what she was thinking later. Besides, he was standing right in front of her, pretty much in good health. She hugged him again.

"Let's get you out of here," she said.

"I've never heard a better idea," he said, smiling.

They rushed to the awaiting helicopter and filed into it, one by one. Grant and Mark waited for everyone else to get in. When they were the only ones left, Mark looked at him.

"After you," he said.

Grant smiled and got into the helicopter. When he got inside, he saw Amanda and Ellie staring at each other and he could tell that Ellie was about to chew her out. He cleared his throat and sat next to Amanda. He was about to try and resolve the up and coming yelling match, when one of the military men threw a towel at him, hitting him in the face.

"Thank you," he said in an annoyed voice.

This made both women laugh a little bit.

"Oh, sure. Laugh at my expense. Thanks."

He could see that Ellie was still smiling, so he thought he'd make the introductions.

"Ellie . . . Mark. I'd like to introduce you to the Kirby's."

"If you think that's a good idea," Ellie commented.

He laughed as he saw Mark sit next to her and gently hit her arm. She gave her husband a dirty look and then stared at Amanda again.

"Play nice, Ellie," Grant begged.

Ellie crossed her arms and the showdown began.

"I just want to know one thing," she said, glaring at Amanda, "Why in the hell did you trick my friend into coming here?"

Grant started to intervin again, but Amanda stopped him.

"It's okay. She's right. I shouldn't have lied to you. She has every right to be angry. And so do you."

"You didn't answer my question," Ellie said.

"Let's just save this until we get back," Grant suggested.

Before anyone could say another word, several giant shadows loomed over the helicopter. Eric saw what it was first.

"Dr. Grant! Pternodons!"

Grant turned quickly and spotted the three flying creatures. They were coming close to the helicopter, checking it out. Very close. Too close. One of them collided with the helicopter, causing it to veer drastically to the left. Mark and Ellie were thrown to the other side of the helicopter, smashing into Grant and the Kirbys. Ellie hit her head on the ceiling of the helicopter and landed in Grant's lap, while Mark bounced off the seat and fell to the floor. There were two military men accompanying them in the back and they were thrown, too. One of them was knocked unconscious as he sailed through the air and rammed into the side of the helicopter. The other one was untouched, as he was next to Eric.

Grant was checking on Ellie almost immediately.

"You okay? Ellie? Can you hear me?"

She was holding her head, but she managed to nod. Grant noticed blood trickling down the side of her face and looked at that a little closer. Then he checked to see if Amanda and Eric were okay. Mark appeared soon after that and Grant surrendered Ellie to her husband. They sat back down, as the shadows closed back in again. Grant could see that one of the Pteranodons was coming straight for the side of the helicopter.

"Eric! Get down!" He screamed.

Eric dove to the floor with his hands over his head. It was just in time, as the beak of the prehistoric creature came crashing right through the window. The timing wasn't right for the military man next to Eric. He was hit by the shattering glass and fell down, holding his bloody face. Amanda was right next to the window and Grant pulled her out of the way. Sounds of the giant wings fluttering back and forth wildy filled the helicopter. Grant looked back through the small area in the window that wasn't occupied by the Pteranodon, and noticed the other two soaring back and forth. They were making strange noises, as the trapped bird continued to swosh its massive wings back and forth.

"I think that thing did that on purpose!" Eric shouted over the commotion, as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Like a kamikaze!" Grant agreed, shouting back at Eric.

The pilot was having a very difficult time keeping his aircraft under control. With the Pteranodon stuck and hanging off of the side, the aerodynamics were thrown off. The helicopter began to sway to the left, where there was much more weight pending. The pilot turned and shouted at no one in particular.

"Someone needs to get that damned thing off my helicopter! Or we're all going to die!"

Grant hurried to the Pteranodon and was happy to see that he wasn't the only one. Mark and the wounded military man were right next to him. The three of them began to push and hit at the flustered creature, as it repeatedly tried to stab them with its beak. They were able to finally get it to back up enough so that they could push it out and away from the helicopter window.

The helicopter straightened up almost immediately and the pilot sighed with relief. Grant sat down and checked on Eric and Amanda again. Amanda was tending to the unconscious military man on the floor. He directed his attention toward Mark and Ellie.

"Everyone okay?" He asked.

Mark and Ellie nodded, as she held onto her husband. Grant looked away from them, disappointed at himself for feeling jealous. After all of these years, he was still jealous. He put it out of his mind and smiled to himself, happy that everyone was safe.

Eric might have been young, but he had talked with the paleontologist enough in the last two days to know what was going on. It was obvious that Grant was longing for this woman, who was married to someone else. He wanted to say something that would help Grant, but he couldn't think of anything. Two shadows outside the window caught his attention. He looked out and saw the two remaining Pteranodons flying away from the helicopter . . . and away from Isla Sorna.

"Where do you think they're going?" He asked Grant, gesturing toward them.

"Probably to find new nesting grounds. It's a whole new world for them."

"Shouldn't someone stop them from doing that?" Amanda asked.

"Hopefully," Grant said, leaning his head back against the seat he was in.

The pilot overheard the conversation.

"I've already called in the troops, Mrs. Kirby. They'll be tracking them very shortly."

"Good," she said.

Amanda looked across the helicopter and saw Ellie leaning on Mark. She glanced over to Grant and saw him leaning back with his eyes closed. She was beyond tired and decided to just let down her guard and give in to her fatigue. She moved a little closer to Grant and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Grant opened his eyes and looked at the exhausted woman. He moved ever so slightly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"We're going home. Everything is all right," he whispered.

Amanda began to lightly sob as Grant continued to hold onto her. She grabbed her son's hand with her free hand. Everyone was safe and everyone was going home.

THE END