Author's Note: Alright, so; now that I have actual access to my fanfiction account, I can post an update. I know you've been waiting awhile, but fanfiction had some technical issues I guess and took down their server for awhile to resolve them, so it's been a mad-dash to find out how to check updates and story stats (at least on my end). Thank goodness they're resolved now!

So, a few housekeeping things here: college has started! Yay! This girl is officially a senior (2016 or bust!) and my load is very, very, heavy. So, as such, updates will be sporadic and very, very slow. I'll do them when I can afford to sacrifice precious time from homework. Don't fret - I have every intention of continuing where I leave off, just at a much slower, educated pace!

You all are so fantastic - 561 reviews at the time of posting this, and well over 1,000+ likes and favorites. I'm entire honored. This entire time I've been worried the story was unrealistic and quick, but I guess it's okay since you all say so. I hope you continue to enjoy this, and just know I love your feedback and your PM's - I truly know I have accomplished my goal based off of the conversations I've had with a select few of you. You're all magnificent, and I hope you know that God cherishes every single one of you in a way that's far too deep for many of you to understand.

Let's continue!

Chapter Thirty-One

It took Marianne a few moments to process what was actually going on – and even in those few moments, she felt as if time itself had dropped into a blackhole and robbed whatever reason she and left within herself. It felt like everyone was staring at her, staring and waiting for her to react as if she were a time-bomb without a counter. She felt herself began to panic inside herself, her brain sending off warning messages to her nerves as if she were going to hit the wall of the restaurant going fifty miles an hour rather than engage the group of people.

Which was a problem in and of itself. Marianne knew she wasn't anything important to anyone in the science world – to anyone that would care to listen to a research assistant, to anyone that would take her opinions of Jurassic World to heart. She was Alan Grant's field assistant, and his editor, and his mentee – not anyone that would shake the foundations or threaten a billion dollar company, a company that had its genes rooted in John Hammond's dream of grandeur. She wasn't exactly sure how or why Wu felt so intimidated by her, as essentially she was a nobody in his world. She reasoned that her testimony as an employee may have held some water, but she quickly submerged that idea.

But, for some reason or another Wu was intimidated by her, and he was putting her into a corner and going to try and get her to eat her words – or put her foot in her mouth, whichever came first. And, being headstrong as she was, she wasn't about to eat crow in front of him, or Claire, or even this man she'd shaken hands with.

The man waited for her, and though it felt like it had been a thousand years to Marianne, it couldn't have been more than about a minute. She blinked to collected herself, pulled her gaze away from Wu and Claire – who were staring at her like contemplating and calculating serpents. Swallowing not only her pride but also her caution, she wrinkled her brow only slightly. Mustering up her best professionally unaware tone, she replied, "Forgive me, but –" she darted a look to Owen, " – have we met before?"

The Indian man – complete with dark skin and lustfully bright eyes, smiled at her and chuckled. His perfectly and tastefully pressed suit matched his persona and his aura, and he stepped back to look over his shoulder at Claire, who was smiling weakly and chuckling nervously. "Ah, yes, I don't believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you in person, Miss Randal –" he spoke to her, but reached a hand out to Alan, who quickly shook hands, caught off guard and somewhat startled. " – but I have no doubt that it will be a pleasure indeed," he winked at her, cheerfully, "And may I say the honour is delightfully mine to make your acquaintance as well, Dr. Grant! Welcome, welcome!" he clapped his hands together after releasing Alan's hand, and gestured around to the onlookers of what Marianne was beginning to realize was their dinner party. Masrani stepped away, towards the bar and excused himself, leaning over the tastefully polished and styled bar to the tender and whispered instructions.

They, as a group, stood in awkward silence before Nick piped up somewhere to her left, which only added to her distress. "Could anyone please explain to me what in the world is going on here?"

Marianne, as well as everyone else, ignored his comment and she stepped briskly towards Owen, who was staring just as confounded as she was at the man now at the bar. Claire and Wu stood like stones, just watching, not saying anything yet – but certainly saying everything with their eyes. Marianne gestured to the man and stepped in front of Owen, giving Sophie a weak smile and wave hello. "Am I supposed to know who that is?" She whispered huskily to him, her brows raised a few inches. He sighed and puffed out an overly-dramatic breath.

He leaned in to clear the space between them and his breath tickled her ear, "Simon Masrani? You know, Masrani Global Corporation –"

Her chest exploded before he could even finish the statement, and she reached a hand and placed it on his peck, partly to stabilize herself, but mostly to make sure her heart hadn't exploded onto his shirt. The world began to spin only slightly as a thousand different thoughts rushed into her head at once, strong enough to confuse even the brightest intellect – Simon Masrani? Here? Why? How? When? And on whose behalf? Her throat constricted and parched all at once and a pounding throb erupted in her right temple – for a moment she wondered if she'd be sick, but then the wave of nausea passed. The man, Simon Masrani, turned from the bar and made his way back over to them.

Almost as if he could read her mind, Owen grabbed her arm quickly, "You okay?" He asked her. Suddenly, she didn't feel okay as everything within her head began to spin and her resolve began to break. She didn't want to be here, and as a group of restaurant employees began putting tables together, Marianne realized she didn't want to even eat here with these vipers – these people who were out to get her, to mock her. These people who had fired her because she dared to act, dared to think, and dared to challenge the science of a man's dream that was implausible and faulty.

She shook her head, Wu and Claire stepping back as the employee's began putting tables together. Alan, Ian and Nick were silent as stones, ever present within this group of people but not saying a word. As chairs slid into place, Marianne looked to Owen, "I want to leave. Right now."

His brow frumpled and he rubbed his jaw, "I know, but," he grabbed her arm and gently pulled her and Sophie away from the group to have a private conversation. He moved in close to fill the void between them and turned his back to the group, then smoothly moved a hand into his pocket. "It's Simon Masrani, Annie," he used her nickname now, "We can't just leave."

"I don't care if the frickin' president of the United States," she hissed at him, "You know as well as I do that he's here to talk to Alan for a publicity stunt, and that Claire and Wu are going to try and put us in a corner." She was frowning now, and hadn't realized the severity in her own voice, "They're going to exploit us, Owen. And I really don't feel like being exploited on our first date."

The corner of his mouth upturned in a small smile, and then Sophie suddenly piped up, Marianne forgetting she'd been there throughout the entire ordeal. "Is this your first date?" Marianne wasn't sure if it was genuine surprise filling the girl's tone or if she was just playing along with the charade as Marianne had asked her to, but both her and Owen looked down to the little girl. When Owen shot her a look, she fluttered her eyes closed and exhaled, realizing her slip.

"Sophie, honey," Owen looked to her and slipped his other hand into the empty pocket, "It's a long story."

Sophie smiled up at them, looking between them until her eyes focused on Owen. "So are you two together now?" She made quotes with her fingers, and Marianne shook her head slightly at the eight-year-old, a small smile on her lips – where did kids learn this stuff?

Marianne and Owen shared a tentative look before Owen nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of her – which, in turn, jetted a hold into her belly where her stomach fell to her feet. She again felt a blush creep up her neck when he smiled at her – a smile so genuine and sexy that she wasn't sure how to handle the heat rushing through her veins. He made her feel as if she were on top of the world, and Marianne doubted he knew it. He replied slowly, his tone that bourbony smooth that calmed every nerve within her body. "Yeah, Soph – that's about right."

Thank you God for this man, she silently prayed, realizing it was the first prayer she'd uttered in the last few days. Instantly she felt better, more relieved that she wasn't in this alone.

"Miss Randal, Mr. Grady – is it?" Masrani's voice echoed loudly over the soft tone of the restaurant's dinner music, ricocheting off the walls and rushing into Marianne's senses. She prickled with alarm, "We are ready to be seated! Come, come!" He waved them over exuberantly, his eyes filling with sparkling excitement and curiosity.

Marianne and Owen shared a tentative, cautious look, standing for a few seconds, before Owen jerked his head for her to go first. Marianne nodded, released a slow breath to calm her nerves, and Sophie snaked up to wrap her hand in Marianne's. Her hands were smooth, warm, and gentle in her own, and Marianne shared a small smile with the little girl – who gave an overly dramatic wink to her. Owen followed her slowly behind, one hand gently on the small of her back, as if encouraging her to put one foot in front of the other. Marianne's eyes darted around the dimly lit establishment, watching as people looked away and curiosity pointed, hushedly whispered and drew conclusions. She felt as if she were exposed on a microscope for everyone to look at, again.

Oh God, she prayed genuinely, eyes fluttering closed, Help me do this. Give me wisdom like a serpent, but please, please, please let me be gentle like a dove. Marianne opened her eyes and looked towards heaven, as if to affirm her statement to herself.

They came to the table, Alan standing to receive her by pushing out her chair for her. Owen came up beside him as she slipped into it, doing the same for Sophie, and Marianen checked her shoulder only to find Alan seating himself and Owen assuming the responsibility – Alan's gaze ever narrowed on the raptor handler. The underlying tension between the two of them was almost as suffocating as the present.

. . .

They ordered drinks – tequila's, brandy's, chardonnay, chocolate milk, and finally lemon waters. As the staff came and went, the conversation maintained a friendly playing field – Simon had deliberately seated himself across from Alan, and they talked about his research and his progress in Montana.

Claire and Wu never said a word to one another across the table – Claire was seated directly beside Owen to his right, Sophie to his left, Wu directly across from Claire, seated next to Nick. Marianne sat beside Sophie, who was on her right, and Alan, who was at her left. Ian was directly across from her, sending her subtle non-verbals by raising her brows and mouthing statements which made Marianne chuckle. Him keeping her mind engaged and at ease helped her decide that she liked him as a human being despite Alan's testimonials on the infamous Ian Malcolm.

It was only until Marianne's crunchy chicken salad was slid in front of her that the conversation got serious – and dangerous. As the wait staff moved away, the atmosphere of the table shifted, and Simon grabbed for her fork and knife, slicing into a juicy beef steak. Sophie had ordered a petite steak herself, and Marianne reached for the girl's utensils to begin slicing it for her. Only when her attention was engaged on slicing the steak did the conversation point to her.

"So, Miss Randal," Marianne dared a look to Masrani, who plucked a piece of steak off his fork whiskfully. He sashayed his hand through the air, gesturing, "Claire informs me you are relatively new to our staff here."

Marianne finished Sophie's steak, then shifted her eyes to Claire, who was spooning a forkful of salad into her mouth delicately, having stopped mid-sentence. Marianne then set down the utensil's she'd used and reached for the napkin beside her plate, unwrapping her own utensils, noting the shine and gold-trim of her salad plate. She felt Owen's hot stare on her, so she replied, "That's right. I've been here about four weeks," she wrinkled her nose to indicate her loose approximation.

He nodded, "Ah yes, very good," Masrani began slicing off another piece of steak, "And you are working closely with Mr. Grady in paddock six, is that correct?" The question was actually directed to Owen, as he was the person Simon had levelled his gaze on.

"That's correct," Owen interjected, setting his hands on the table, still holding onto his napkin. He'd ordered barbeque ribs that looked delicious and were sautéed with pineapples, green peppers, and a spicy-smelling barbeque sauce.

"And you are the raptor specialist?"

Marianne and Owen shared a look and a light red dusted Owen's nose – a blush, which was surprising. Marianne had never seen him blush, but felt oddly attracted by it. She forked together a patch of salad and took a bite as he responded, "Well, I think specialist is talking up the position quite a bit – but yeah, I know the girls pretty good."

Marianne watched Simon nod silently, and then noticed a forkful of potatoes make its way to Sophie's lap. Marianne smiled at the little girl, who blushed madly, and waited for conversation to strike up again. It did. "Miss Randal,"

She decided Masrani was nice enough to refer to her as Marianne, "Marianne," she interjected quickly, reaching for her glass of water which was sitting beside an untouched shot of tequila. He nodded and she smiled weakly as she took a drink, noticing through the glass that Wu was staring at her with a horrible glare as he navigated his salmon with a fork and knife skillfully.

"Ah, yes, of course," Simon continued, "Marianne. I have been wondering – Claire has mentioned that you have worked very closely with Dr. Alan Grant here," he gestured to Grant, who was busy dousing his potatoes in gravy and mixing in green beans, "Tell me. How did that come to happen?"

Marianne and Alan exchanged glances, and then he nodded, setting down his fork. "Well, I knew Marianne's father from my days in the army – we were together in Georgia, and we served a term in Germany together, so we got pretty close. When we got out, we went to the same college, and it just kind of developed after that," He shrugged.

Simon pointed to her with his fork, "So you knew Dr. Grant then as a child?"

She nodded, "Yeah. He was sort of like an uncle." She took another bite of salad and watched as Malcolm nodded in affirmation from across the table, Nick eyeing her as if she had sprouted another limb – which made her uncomfortable, considering he'd heard all of this before. Claire and Wu watched like silent stones.

"I see," Masrani dipped his fork into the pile of peas on his plate, "So, recognizing that you both are prestigious in your own rights, let me say first that I am honoured for you to be at my park, Dr. Grant – and for your services, Miss Randal," he looked down the table to Claire, "For I am sure you are doing great things in assisting Mr. Grady in his research."

Her brows rose, "Well, I –" She realized she had interrupted Claire's interjected as well. Both of them silenced and stared at one another for half a second before Masrani continued.

"Because," he continued as if they'd never interrupted him, "the vision I have at this place is for us to assist mankind in realizing that we truly are small beings," he put his elbows up on the table and began gesturing with his hands, "and by researching these animals and understanding who they are rather than what they are, we accomplish that by noticing our own shortcomings as a species, and as people in general. Is it not fascinating to know that these animals have adjusted to their habitats after having been extinct for all these years? And is it not even more fascinating to know that we have the privilege of assisting them in that acclimation?"

Marianne and Alan shared a look.

"We all have a place," Simon inserted, "and for us, we must realize that our place is smaller than we once realized. John Hammond's dream of wooing the world back into a renaissance of love for these animals is minute in what I am trying to accomplish – unity, and humility, are truly what are at the heart of Jurassic World, and at the heart of this company," he pointed a finger at Marianne, "And that I am sure comes across in research. And to know that you all," he pointed to Malcolm, Marianne, and then finally Marianne, "have come together despite past misfortune tells me that there is far more to Jurassic World than entertainment and a good time – or money." He sat back in his chair and grinned, "Because in the end, we are all just people here."

The statement had struck the entire table silent. Marianne and Ian shared a look, before Marianne dared a look across the table, where she found Wu tightly sitting with a taut lip, Claire with her mouth partially open, wine glass at hand. Nick chewed slowly, eyeing the group as he took in the sentences, and Owen sat back in his chair and smiled at her, his eye dancing with accomplishment and surprise. Sophie was busy slicing into her steak still, and Alan was frozen in his chair, eyes locked on the man in the grey and pink suit. Marianne was sure she was dreaming, as she couldn't believe her ears.

Before she could even think, Ian spoke, "So, are you suggesting that your park doesn't exist to simply blow people out of the water?" He sat back, situated himself to face Masrani, and gestured with his hand, "Because that seems to be the trend with you rich and famous – spare no expense is making sure people are wowed and entertained all day,"

Simon shook his head, "While these features are parts of the park we'd like to accomplish, it's not the primary goal –"

" – I don't mean to put a wet blanket on your Kodak moment," Alan interjected smoothly, situating himself in his chair. He put his elbows up on the table and interlaced his fingers, tapping them against his cheek before he managed to continue, now having the attention of the entire table, " – but I don't think you're understanding how very wrong your entire comprehensive understanding is."

"I beg your pardon?" Masrani's brow lifted over on eye, and he shared a look with Claire, who was now a mad shade of pink in her face that matched her dress. Wu looked stiff – like a bomb about to go off but doing everything in his power to remain calm. Marianne set her fork on her plate carefully and reached for her water again, when she felt a nudge under the table. Looking to Owen, who didn't seem aware, she found Malcolm wiggling his brows at her and smiling coolly.

"Hammond failed to see twenty years ago that dinosaurs and genetics are not something to play with," Alan began harshly, his tone cool and collected, but his eyes daring and dark. "He forewent all the cautions of science and warnings of conscience and went ahead and made what he wanted to make, which just so happened to be some the biggest, dangerous, and most unpredictable things on the planet. He took his money and merged it with power and science and came out with an equation that God had once intended to complete, but decided against very, very quickly," he looked around and then gestured to the people, "People and dinosaurs are separated by years of extinction for a reason, Mr. Masrani. It's not because of some random act of extinction, as some people would suggest," he looked to Marianne, "and I'm personally starting to believe it was planned intentionally – we, in our own misguided sense of control and superiority, fail to see that we can't control what we don't know, much like I can't control the engine of '69 Pontiac. Why? Because I don't know it," he sat back, "So it's illogical and frankly misguided to assume you can control these dinosaurs you've genetically modified – which in and of itself raises the risky factor astronomically."

Simon blinked at the man, while Wu and Claire fumed.

Ian chuckled and nodded as if Alan were preaching to the choir.

A piece of bread fell out of Nick's hands.

Marianne and Owen shared knowing looks.

"So, instead of learning from a man who made the exact same assumptions as you are, you've taken it to the next level by slapping a label on it and selling it to the public – a false sense of control and security in a place where control and security really don't exist. You went ahead an did what you wanted based on the superiority of your ego and dared to ask what you could do with wealth, without ever even stopping to ask if it was right. And, in doing so, you've made Hammond's mistakes all over again – just with a new label and a new name to place the blame."