Chapter Three: Ian Malcolm

Adelaide

"Did you know that I've read Dr Alan Grant's book nearly seven times already? He's got some cool theories, about dinosaurs turning into birds. Most people think they are more like lizards, but he says that velociraptors have more in common with birds than we could ever imagine. They even found fossils of velociraptors with feathers on them! What could be more conclusive than that?" Timmy - the boy who did not stop talking. Her younger cousin was as sharp as a tac and barely stopped for breath in between sentences. "and the T-rex, one of the biggest dinosaurs ever-"

"Timmy, do us all a favour and shut up." Lexi snapped as she rolled her eyes to the heavens.

"How about you shut up, you computer nerd!"

"Hey! Both of you behave." Adelaide said sternly, pointing at the pair of them. "Or I'll find these raptors you are on about and see what they have to say," She laughed overdramatically like an evil overload, sending both Lexi and Timmy into fits of laughter.

Lexi had grown up so much since Adelaide had last seen her – she had beautiful golden blond hair and sparkling green eyes, much like her Mom. She was at that pre-teen, 'puberty is just hitting me' age, the likes of which had no patience for an annoying little brother.

"When do we get to see dinosaurs?" Tim asked impatiently.

"I dunno kiddo. I am meeting with the other guests to see the labs and then I think we can go explore after that?" Adelaide shrugged apologetically to the bored looking kid.

"Why can't we go to the labs?"

Adelaide pondered his question for a moment. These kids were smart, so she wasn't getting away with excuses like 'you wouldn't understand any of it'. "Well…Granddad is showing around some really important people, you see, I guess they want to keep the crowds in there to a minimum."

Tim's little face screwed up in deep thought for a moment, before he smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Eventually an equilibrium settled over the trio and they continued to chat idly over ice cream. The sweet treats had been laid out for the children in mind, however, Adelaide was not one to turn down a bowl of jelly.

It was nearing mid-afternoon which meant it would not be long before her Grandfather arrived. She made herself a green tea and poured into her thermo mug, trying to ignore the odd butterflies in her stomach.

Adelaide never got nervous about anything. Not even job interviews made her feel jittery – she always figured if it was meant to be then it was meant to be. Most of the jobs she'd gone for were on her travels, dive bars or equally questionable restaurants, so employers were often happy to oblige without question.

Maybe the critters in her stomach were due to the incomprehensible idea of this island and the animals that resided there. Only her Granddad could be responsible for something so unconventional. Adelaide should have known by now not to be surprised by his antics, the eccentric streak was in his blood. She put away the fear of the unknown, and decided the best option was to keep her mind and judgments as unbiased as possible. Besides, she'd always been a fan of the bizarre.

Lex and Tim were still in the dining room when she re-entered, having nipped into the kitchen to get her tea. The two seemed quite happy to continue gorging themselves with sweet treats and Adelaide couldn't find the heart to tell them to stop. She'd always been a softie when it came to kids. If she ever had her own – well, they would be spoilt rotten, that was a certainty.

"Miss Adelaide, your Grandpa sent for you, said to go to the visitor centre," The youthful brown haired waiter breathed, rushing over and skidding to a sudden halt.

"Please, call me Aida – we're not in the Victorian times," She told him with a grin. "They have you running all over the place, don't they?" Adelaide spied his badge that red 'Andy' and wondered how she hadn't spotted it before.

"Well it's a good job and Mr Hammond pays really well," Andy shrugged, peering around her shoulder. "These the kids I got to look after?"

"I'm afraid so. Good luck!" Adelaide beamed, sending the boy a wink before sauntering off to find her Grandfather, not missing his look of utter disdain as he stared at the arguing children.

…

Ian

Dinosaurs.

The man had gone and created living, breathing dinosaurs. It wasn't enough to just display a few fossils in a museum or create animatronics of the things. John Hammond had to go and unleash a force more powerful than anything else in the world. Genetic manipulation.

How it had been done? This was the burning question on the minds of all three scientists. Ian had to admit that for once in his life, he'd been speechless. He wasn't as adept with dinosaurs as he really ought to be. This became obvious as he stared at the giant long necked creature from his position in the jeep with no clue to its actual name.

He'd had to laugh to himself, because the irony of the whole situation was blaringly obvious.

The chaotician in a dinosaur park.

Around twenty minutes later, the five of them paced up the steps towards the visitor centre. Four of these still in utter bewilderment, though a couple displayed this emotion far louder than Ian or Gennaro. Dr Grant had only just recovered and managed to walk on his legs again – with the help of Dr Sattler – much to everyone's amusement.

Ian was dying to know if she and Dr Grant were a thing. Dr Sattler seemed just his type; intelligent, tenacious and easy on the eyes. He figured flirting with the blond woman would probably incite a reaction from Alan Grant and make it very easy for him to determine their relationship status.

He mused over this for a moment, eyes catching the fossil of a T-Rex hanging from the ceiling in the centre of the room, with two curved sets of steps either side. John led them up one of the staircases slowly, his pace hindered with his need for a cane. In the years Ian had known John, he'd never really shown any signs of ageing. The man had always seemed…invincible.

"-no we have made, living biological attractions, so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire world!" Hammond, as usual, just kept talking. Ian hung at the back, feeling more comfortable bringing up the rear so he knew exactly what was going on.

"So, what are you thinking?" Ellie asked Alan, her voice almost apprehensive.

"Huh, that we're out of a job," Was Dr Grant's reply.

Ian, never one to miss an opportunity, flashed them both a white grin as he jogged besides Grant. "Don't you mean extinct?" He chuckled to himself, because, well, the joke was hilarious. The Doctors merely rolled their eyes at each other. Ian was well used to that reaction, even his own pops had long lost his patience for his antics.

"Ah, my dear!" Hammond cried out as they all got to the top of the foyer, various members of staff cleaning and painting the newly built structure. The place was bustling with activity and Ian quickly comprehended the seriousness of John's venture.

He was thrown out of this realisation as the figure of a young woman emerged before the group, a large smile on her perfectly plump lips.

"This is my fantastic Granddaughter, Adelaide," John looked everything like a Grandfather should. His eyes literally shone with adoration for the young woman besides him, who had flushed a little under everyone's scrutiny.

Ian couldn't help but be blown over by her. She was absolutely stunning – from her paler than pale skin, to the thick, dark brunette curls cascading over her shoulders.

"Hello," She smiled softly, her English accent oozing from her tongue like smooth melted butter. "Please call me Aida,"

Grandpa John proceeded to introduce everybody one by one, the young woman's cheeks still slightly rosy from all the attention. Ian shook her hand firmly, pleasantly surprised by the very firm grip she gave back. Her large blue eyes searched his face. The gaze felt penetrative, as if she could read his very thoughts with just one look. He absurdly felt his heart racing, having never experienced such an aged look from a person of her young years.

"So er, does crazy run in the family or is it just reserved for your uh, Grandpa?" He asked Aida. On reflection, Ian realised this may have come off slightly rude. Ok, very rude, but he said it with a smirk and a glint in his eyes, hoping the lady in front of him had the acumen to understand.

Adelaide didn't break eye contact, those large orbs of caerulean regarding him, head inclined upwards. "Oh…what makes you think my Grandad is the crazy one?" Her full lips crinkled into a mischievous smile, finally breaking his gaze as she turned to follow the others.

With Adelaide's hair swishing as she walked, Ian stared after her with a large grin on his face – thinking only one thing:

I'm going to marry that woman.