A/N

We have a warning of potentially being grossed out by snot!

Enjoy you wonderful people you!

"Bless You!"

Owen gave a sigh when he turned his bike off in front of Elise's silent paddock. Now that it had been fully repaired, no one was ever around here. It was way too silent, and Owen wondered how Elise ever dealt with that constant silence; not even the birds were chirping over here.

At least her new paddock was much better, and Owen had very few complaints about it. It was massive with plenty of space to run around, and there was even a large pond for her to cool herself off in; Owen wondered if he could put some fish in there. It would give a wonderful excuse for him to go in there, but that was for another day.

The only thing that concerned Owen was who Elise's neighbor would be. He had nothing against Rexy, the little, old lady was a spitfire, but he wasn't sure how she would take to having someone like Elise so close to her territory. Claire had even known Rexy wasn't one who liked changes, even different brands of road flares were not something she would take kindly to. Rexy wanted a set schedule, and her territory untouched.

So how would she react to seeing Elise? The fence between them wasn't a solid concrete, it was electric fences similar to what Jurassic Park had used. Granted they were more powerful and stable, but would that do anything to a territorial carnivore like Rexy? No one wanted her constantly upset or feeling the need to patrol the fence frequently.

Claire and Owen agreed to give the two a week to get to know each other; maybe things would turn out fine.

Owen shrugged it off as he walked over to his own door, and slid the card down. Claire had given him the code to make a new password, and he would be able to use his own fingerprint after resetting the system. He didn't see a point though, the park was scheduled to reopen by next week, and Claire was really pushing her workers to make that date. She wanted all assets ready to go, Elise including.

Owen would have no problem with that; Elise would be the easiest one here to transport. The door silently slid open, and Owen stepped in. The leaves crackled under his feet as he looked around for any sign of his girl; it was really quiet, and he wondered if she was still asleep. He began to walk on the trail as he called out, "Elise? Baby Girl? It's, like, noon. Time to get up!"

Owen raised an eyebrow as he looked around the silent, thick trees.

"Where you at, Baby? Elise?"

Owen certainly didn't want to try and intrude on her privacy, but he needed to check up on her. Owen took a few more steps towards down the trail, and it seemed Elise wasn't here. He frowned before picking up his radio, and pressing the red button as he asked, "Hey, Lowery? Can you get some eyes in here? I can't find Elise."

The radio crackled, and gave some static as Lowery asked, "What? Elise? What do you mean you can't find her?"

Owen rolled his eyes before replying, "I mean I can't see her, do you know where she is-"

A loud sound Owen had never heard before cut him off. It almost like an explosion, but it trailed off into a low, pitiful growl. Owen couldn't stop himself from yelling as he accidentally tossed the radio in the air. He fumbled with it before finally catching it and whirling around, wide eyed and chest heaving.

Elise only sniffed at him apologetically, and Lowery quietly said, "Right there; she was following you for the past three minutes, Owen…"

The white Indominus slowly blinked at Owen before giving another sniff, but he still clutched his chest. Owen took a few seconds to get his heart back under control before saying, "Baby, are you trying to kill me?"

Elise seemed to frown in confusion before raising her left hand to sign, 'No.'

Owen pressed his lips, and opened his mouth to reply when Elise's lip suddenly curled violently. He backed up when she raised her head, jaws splayed wide, before making the loud, explosive sound as her snout hit the dirt.

Owen raised an eyebrow, and grimaced when he looked at the snot-covered leaves where Elise had sneezed. She gave another, pitiful moan as she raised her head, and Owen went mushy at the pathetic look.

"Ah, Baby, you got a cold…"

Elise only garbled a rumble at him as she tried to wipe the dirt clinging to her nostrils. She looked like she had an earthly goatee, and Owen felt humorously bad for her. Her nose was dripping with dangling snot, and her jaw was slightly parted so she could breathe through it, though, saliva dribbled from it. Her eyes looked tired, and Owen wondered how much sleep she had gotten. They seemed a little crusty, and Elise garbled again.

Owen pressed his lips before switching the dial on his radio. He glanced at Elise one more time before saying, "Hey, Doc, you there?"

Owen watched Elise rub her face through some of the thicker bushes as he waited for a reply. Elise pulled back, looking no better; emerald leaves clung to the dirty goatee. Owen gave a sympathetic chuckle before the radio crackled, and Dr. Gerry said, "I'm here, and I know you aren't callin' to say hi."

Owen smiled and gave Elise a comforting pat on the cheek as he answered, "Well, no, it's Elise; she caught a cold. I just wanted to know if I could bring her over to hose her down. Her mouth is all dirty, and she miserable."

Elise gave another, pitiful moan to confirm this, and Owen heard Gerry give a snort before saying, "Sure, but don't run her. I'm here anyways, and I can give her some medicine to help; maybe prevent a few things."

Owen nodded as he put the radio away, and gave Elise another pat on the cheek. She sniffed once more, and Owen said, "You okay with following me there? I think you need another bath, and Dr. Gerry will help you out."

That was all Elise needed to hear, and she all but left Owen behind as she began to walk over to the paddock doors. Owen chuckled to himself, but he did feel bad for her; all the selflessness she had showed yesterday, and she was rewarded with a hellish day and a cold.

Elise gave another, thunderous sneeze as the doors slowly slid open, and she suddenly gave a threatening growl. Owen immediately darted to the front of her before blinking at the old jeep with Zach and Gray in it. The two cringed fearfully, and Owen turned to Elise as he quickly said, "Easy, Baby, that's Zach and Gray. They're just kids, they aren't here to hurt us, and they were the reason why those guys left yesterday. They just wanted to meet you, okay?"

Elise looked like she was in absolutely no mood to be socializing, but she followed Owen over to the jeep. The two brothers eyed her with awe, and Owen grinned as he said, "We're going to the Veterinary Building; she's a little sick. Just follow us, and try not to bump into her, okay?"

Zach nodded, but they both jumped when another sneeze shook the trees. Gray stared at Elise, who was rubbing her nose before he slowly glanced at Owen. He reached into his bag as he shyly said, "I got…some tissues if she wants them…"

Owen chuckled, and took the tissues when Elise cocked her head to glare at the small offering, but she lowered her head as he pulled one out and wiped a small section of dirt off as best he could. It wasn't much, but Elise appreciated the effort. She gave another snotty sniff, causing Zach to scrunch his nose in disgust. Owen patted the jeep, and said, "Follow, but don't bump, okay?"

"What happens if we do?"

Owen glanced at his sick baby, and could see the creeping irritation in her crimson eyes before he simply said, "I doubt she'll say excuse me."

Owen was always baffled by how empty the Veterinary Building was. It wasn't like they didn't have a lot of vets; Gerry was chief over three others, who all had at least two Vet Techs working for them. He wondered if they had even realized an evacuation was going on just a few days ago.

Gerry had said he slept right through it.

Elise gave a loud sniff, and Owen was starting to get used to her doing that every few seconds. She didn't like the snot running down her snout, and it had made a clear, runny trail. The trip hadn't been too bad except for when Elise had been trotting for a small bit. She had sneezed loudly, stumbling off the road and smashing into a tree. Zach and Gray had laughed until they cried when the shock wore off; Elise only glared at them.

Owen wasn't sure how to explain why a massive tree had fallen over when Lowery asked about it.

The large door slowly pulled up, and Owen led the way in; the two brothers skittered ahead of him; they were afraid of Elise accidentally stepping on them. Gray looked around with wide eyes, and Zach nonchalantly asked, "So, this is the shower room for your dinos?"

Owen nodded as he began to climb the steps, but was interrupted by Lowery crackling on the radio.

"Hey, um, Owen? We have a bit of a problem…."

Owen pressed his lips as he wondered why he even thought he would be able to have a problem free day. He hoped it was a small one at least.

"What?"

Lowery paused, and the two boys stared at it curiously before he said, "Woof. Don't be bitin' me, okay? I'm just the messenger…and a certain dino's lifesaver…"

Owen rolled his eyes loudly, but he wouldn't argue with that part, and Lowery finally answered, "So, obviously with all this blood and chaos, new reporters are getting nosey; especially since Claire is staying really quiet about this. She only made one public statement; she's been dealing with all the families who suffered losses as quietly as she can."

"Okay, and?"

Owen smiled at the two kids' quiet laughs when Lowery gave a huff, and he answered, "We've been catching reporters trying to sneak in. We've caught all of them so far, except one, and that one is headed right for the Vet Building."

Owen frowned, and Lowery answered his question with, "We already have security headed there, but we're pretty sure they want to catch a glimpse of the Indominus up close and personal. They'll probably try to get an interview out of you. Just keep them busy until we get there; we'll seize the footage, and you can be about your way."

Owen had once dated a journalist, and those people did not give up their stuff lightly. They were all violently possessive, and massive risk takers. He glanced at the open door as he said, "Um, Elise is sick, and she's really not in the mood for strangers. You should probably try to beat them here."

He swore he heard Lowery shrug before the dry reply came, "Eh, it's just Jackal News. They're always harping on us about how we "abuse our animals because they're supposed to run free", or whatever. I don't know about you, but Rexy seems pretty content with her food chained up."

"Maybe those are the animals they're talking about…"

Lowery seemed to be contemplating that, and Zach snorted before the tech-geek said, "Nah, they only care about the animals who'll get them some good reviews. They don't care about goats; that's PETA's department. Anyways, I see them getting out of their car…idiots are right in front of the camera…eww."

Owen raised an eyebrow at that, and Lowery sounded like he was squinting when he said, "Oh…honey, the windblown look is not your friend…and neither are those pants, nuh-uh."

Zach and Gray burst out laughing, causing Elise to grumble at the loud sound, but Owen gave her a gentle smile as he continued to climb up the stairs. He paused at the handles before turning to Elise, and raised his hands. She sniffed as he made a C shape with his hand before pressing the tips of his fingers to his chin. He then swung the C-shape away as he asked, "Do you want the water to be hot?"

'No.'

Owen bunched his fists before raising them up in front of them. He then shook them like he was cold as he asked, "Cold?"

'No.'

Owen chuckled at her before brushing the back of his fingers up his chin. She watched the hand gently continue its swing up before moving like he was illustrating his breath exhaling.

"Warm?"

Another sniff, and Elise knocked on the invisible door.

'Yes.'

Owen smiled, and began to crank the handles as the water ran over his hand. He looked up when Zach asked, "Where'd you learn to sign?"

Owen shrugged as he gave a small spray on Elise's tail. She deemed the temperature acceptable, and he answered, "There was this really beautiful woman I met in college, but she was deaf. I took a sign language class because I wanted to talk to her, and I needed another credit. It was actually a pretty fun class."

Gray quietly watched Elise use the water to rub her dirty nose, and his older brother asked, "So, what happened?"

Owen swore he saw two shadows betraying the trespassers outside the large door Elise had come through. He continued to watch them as he simply answered, "Turns out she's not really interested in men, but we're still good friends. We still Skype every couple weeks; she thinks I'm crazy for working with raptors."

Zach agreed with that, but flinched back when Elise suddenly turned around with a loud snarl. Her claws made a loud, scraping sound on the cement, and Owen took that as his cue. He turned to Zach, and quietly said, "You two will be fine; she won't hurt you, but be smart about where you stand."

The older brother nodded as Gray took his hand, and Elise gave another dangerous snap of her teeth. Owen quickly descended the stairs as he said, "Easy, Elise! Stay calm!"

Elise was not in the mood to repeat yesterday, and she only glanced down when he slid in front of her. Owen gave a quick whistle for her attention, and he patted the air as he said, "Calm down."

He pointed at the railing where the boys were, and he said, "Zach is going to run the water down your back, okay? I'll take care of it. They aren't dangerous."

Zach looked like he really didn't want to, but Gray nudge him until he picked up the hose. Elise tolerated the gentle streams down her scales, though she absolutely refused to turn around. Owen took a few steps towards the two figures, and startled when Elise's massive hand was suddenly in front of him. He glanced at her questioningly, and watched her draw a very faint line in the cement in front of him.

Another straight line to not cross; only this time he was on her side of the line.

He nodded at her before calling out, "Can I help you two? You're making my girl nervous, and I really don't appreciate that."

Elise gave a dark growl to confirm that, but the two didn't seem to hesitate to walk forward. It was the typical, pretty reporter, with the tired looking twenty something guy following her around. Owen wasn't sure if he was filming yet; the guy held the camera on his shoulder effortlessly like he was.

It wouldn't matter anyways.

Owen crossed his arms at them, and raised an eyebrow before saying, "Look, not to be rude, but my girl likes her space. You can stop there."

The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow, but she cleared her throat before giving a flirting, perfect smile that didn't sway Owen. She batted her long, lashes just enough to get the hint across, but not enough to look stupid; he gave her koodos for that. She kept herself composed, and her voice adorably polite when she said, "Mr. Grady, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Alexa Higgens from Jackal News, but you can call me Lexi."

She stretched her hand out, but flinched when Elise snapped her jaws loudly. Owen pointed at the ground as he said, "Don't cross that line, Miss Higgens; it's for your own safety. Now, spit it out so I can take care of my girl; she's not feeling good."

Alexa blinked at him, but refused to back down as she gestured to Elise, and said, "Well, I think the world needs to meet the Indominus and her trainer. Would you please give us an interview?"

Owen didn't even hesitate when he responded, "No. My boss wouldn't like that, I don't snitch, and my girl is not in the mood to be around strangers. You're trespassing, and invading our space."

Alexa seemed slightly put off that her good looks weren't swaying this male. However, she wouldn't take the hint, and pursed her lips before asking, "How did you know to teach her sign language?"

"I felt like waving my hands around like an idiot before getting munched, and she decided that was funny."

Alexa narrowed her eyes at the dry tone, but flickered her gaze up when Elise snarled throatily. Owen continued to stand in front of Elise, and Alexa finally put a hand on her hip. She curtly said, "Everyone wants to know if Jurassic World used human DNA when making the Indominus. If she has enough human in her to know how to talk to us, it is immorally wrong to put her on display like she's a regular dinosaur. If she's a human trapped in a dinosaur's body, then Jurassic World selling tickets to see her is prostitution."

While Alexa did have valid points that Owen agreed to, he couldn't help dryly pointing out, "I think if you were so concerned about her well-being, you would have asked for her name first. If you really believed what you were saying, you would have introduced yourself to her."

She blinked, and Owen gave her a disappointed look as he snapped, "I get that everyone is curious about her, but she's brand new, and I'm doing everything I can to stop her from being overwhelmed by that."

"So, you're her legal guardian?"

"I'm the one who is going to kick your asses out if you don't get moving."

Alexa stiffened, but Owen flickered his gaze to the camera guy. Owen saw the flickering red light, and he wondered if they had been smart enough to try and make this live. He bet they were, and he uncrossed his arms as he said, "Let's pretend you actually care about her. How about you talk to her? Go ahead."

Owen took a step to the side, and Elise let out a long, insidious growl as she slowly lowered her large face. She cocked her head to the side so one piercing, crimson eye bore into Alexa's soul, and her pupil slit thinly when the reporter swallowed. Owen had to roll his eyes when she stuck out her hand, and said, "Hello…I'm Alexa Higgens. Nice to meet you…"

Elise turned her head to sniff at the extended hand, and Owen was impressed how Alexa bravely kept it there. Her massive snout suddenly crinkled from the strong perfume, and her lip curled violently. Alexa took a step back, but Elise had already given another thunderous sneeze.

Owen had no idea what to do. Nothing in life prepared him for this situation. Now he really was hoping the guy had caught it on camera because the world deserved to see that over and over again.

Zach was suddenly heard saying in shocked disgust, "Ohhh, and she had her mouth open too!"

Alexa still had her mouth open as she had simply froze from the shock of being covered head to toe in slimy, thick mucus. This time, Elise did not give an apologetic sniff; she simply curled her lip like she was grossed out before backing away.

Owen was only moved out of his stunned silence when four security men walked into the Shower Room. Elise glanced at them, but Owen quickly assured her with a comforting pat. He motioned the men over, and the head guard grimaced before asking, "What the hell happened to you?"

Alexa looked ready to cry, and no one really wanted to touch her. They only made a half circle to cut off her exit. They glanced at her partner, and the camera guy tried to bolt, but didn't make it very far. He fell onto the floor with an indignant yell when he was tackled, and his camera clattered to the side. One of the guards picked it up, and Owen immediately said, "Don't delete that footage, I am begging you. I have watch that again."

He gestured to Elise's running nose, and then to Alexa before the guards got the hint. They grinned widely, and Owen startled when a stream of water suddenly splashed on the squishy reporter. She gave a shocked gasped, and Owen looked up when Gerry growled, "Cold water cuts right through the snot, but I'd spray you with it even if you were bone dry. I don't appreciate nosey, little shits like you upsetting my patients."

The head guard thanked the vet before escorting a baffled, furious reporter away. Owen gave a sly look at his tough baby, and he saw the amusement dancing in those ornery eyes. Elise glanced at him when the radio crackled before Lowery enthusiastically announced, "Tonight on Jackal News, Jurassic Snot."

Elise gave a smaller sneeze that she tried to control, and Gray shyly, but clearly said, "Bless you, Elise!"

Owen finally started to laugh loudly, and he intended to leak the end of that video if no one else would.