alright, so happy chapter and happy ending! :D trust me it's happy and kinda cheesy but I've had this thought for weeks in my head okay?

Maria surged forward with a wail, diving for the overhang just as Eric wrapped his arms around her and dragged her backwards. She struggled in his hold briefly, eyes trained on the last spot Ripper had been. She was so close… she turned in Eric's arms and wrapped her own around him as if he was a lifeline.

"He's… he's gone," Maria sobbed against his chest, barely noticing how he ran his hand over her hair.

"I know, baby," Eric soothed as he rocked her gently. He looked up as Owen approached, Blue sniffing behind him as she tried to figure out what happened.

"I checked, Vilks is dead and a few of Henry's men got shot in the commotion, but they'll make it," Owen said softly as he came to stand by them. He gently placed a hand on Maria's shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face when she jumped at the sudden contact. "Maria.. I'm sorry. I should have let you go sooner." He felt awful about it, having been responsible for another death of her babies. First Charlie, then Echo and Delta. And now Ripper.

"It's my fault!" Maria sobbed as she burrowed herself further into Eric. "I should have… I should have-" she cut herself off with another sob.

"That's not true," Eric admonished as he tightened his hold on her. "No one could have prevented this."

"If I wasn't so close to the cage!" Maria choked out.

"She would have gotten out eventually," Henry's voice sounded. He had slowly emerged onto the balcony after ensuring his men were indeed alright. He had also made sure that none of the dinosaurs had been hit in the commotion, and were in no danger of escaping. "It was a series of unfortunate events, Maria. Nothing could have been done to stop it."

"He was right there!" Maria cried as she looked at him. "He was right there!"

Blue let out a chirp as she drew closer, her nose bumping against Maria's leg. Her amber gaze looked up at Maria somberly, another soft chirp as Maria looked down. She bumped her nose against Maria again, she didn't like Maria being sad, none of her sisters liked seeing her like this. It wasn't often, during their youth, that Maria would show the sadness she felt. But when those times came, Charlie always knew what to do.

Blue gave a loving warble and wiggled her butt slightly, it felt wrong to her, to take Charlie's trick like this. But then… well, Charlie was gone, wasn't she? Someone had to take care of her and Echo's favorite human, and Blue was the only one left to do it.

"Oh, Blue," Maria looked mournfully down at the raptor. "My good girl," she reached out to the raptor, a watery smile as Blue redoubled her efforts in the butt wiggles. She rubbed Blue's snout lovingly as her sobs resided. "I… I need to find him…"

"We'll go looking," Eric said immediately.

"He needs a proper goodbye," Owen agreed as he gave a somber smile to Blue and Maria. "We'll bring him home," he added, it was one of his biggest regrets that he couldn't bury his girls. He'd be damned if he couldn't bury Maria's boy.

Maria gave the two men a grateful look, before turning over to Henry. "You'll… come too?"

"Of course," Henry gave her a ghost of a smile. "Afterall, you all still have to take me in."

The trio paused, in the commotion and aftermath they had completely forgotten about apprehending Henry. Maria paused as she remembered Tim's proposal, to relocate some dinosaurs onto Matanceros. She had taken some photos to send them when she had the opportunity, but now things had changed. "These dinosaurs need to be relocated," Maria said with a glance at the interior. "Back to Matanceros."

"Of course," Henry nodded. "They'll enjoy the open space. I couldn't let them out, they're all too young," he added. "And I know that the others had been put down," he looked down at the remains of Vilks and what little was left of Wilson.

Maria nodded and glanced back down at the edge. She didn't know what she would see when she found him again. But she wasn't going to leave this island without her Ripper one way or another.

Not again.

Pain.

That was the first thing Ripper felt as his crimson orbs opened. The fall was quick, the rocks were sharp, the branches stinging. And in the end, they both had washed up on the river bed injured but alive. He struggled to lift his head to look at his sister, a pained grunt emitting as his head fell back down. If he just laid here, maybe he'd get his strength back eventually.

His sister let out a hiss beside him, her pearline scales stained pink from her injuries. He could feel her glare at him, but pointedly closed his eyes. She was still so angry, and he just wanted to rest.

Why did you attack me? Ripper winced at the question.

Because you were going to attack my Maria, he growled as he shifted in the mud.

A human.

Not all are bad, he knew that by now. Mills had been awful, and surrounded himself with awful people. But Maria wasn't like that, she cared about dinosaurs. He was safe around her growing up, the abuse only came when she was absent. She fought to keep him and the rest of the dinosaurs alive on their island.

Then why did she allow me to be hurt? The question threw him off, the bitterness that resided in it was overwhelming.

But, Maria didn't know. Not the whole time, probably around the same time she found out about the rest of them in that building. He knew that now, his Maria wasn't like that, she didn't allow abuse to happen like this and not try to speak up against it.

She was going to save you, Ripper warbled as he shifted. Slowly, very slowly, his strength was returning.

Beside him, his sister let out a snort but stayed quiet. Ripper tried to move his limbs, wincing as the bite on his leg began to heal. It never took this long to heal from something…

A rasp sounded next to his ear, causing him to look wildly around, crimson orbs looking for the culprit. His head and neck groaned with effort and movement. He nearly fell to the side when he saw the ghostly image of a raptor beside him. Green with stripes adorning her back, golden eyes looking down at him in mirth. She wasn't there, not really, he could see right through her.

But oh, was she familiar.

This was Charlie.

Am I dead? The question made the raptor throw her ghostly head back with a cawing laugh.

No, not dead, Charlie nuzzled his snout as she walked around him. His gaze followed her as she moved, and felt his eyes widened at the sight of another ghostly raptor laying beside his sister. Dull brown with teal markings on her back and face, and a crooked jaw that revealed exactly who she was.

Echo.

Not dead, Echo huffed as she readjusted herself against his sister. His sister looked surprised at the newcomers, and tried to shift away from their apparitions. Echo merely snorted and laid back down. You just need us.

Charlie gave them a toothy "smile" and nodded. And to thank you, she added as she bumped her nose against his. For taking care of our Maria.

Ripper smiled softly as he laid his head back down. Of course he took care of her, she was his precious one as well. His heart cracked, Maria had to think he was dead. He had to find her! He struggled again to his feet, only to fall back down with a cry.

Which was why you needed us, Echo looked at him dryly.

Stay down, I'm going to go get Blue, Charlie barked as she stepped backwards. With a cry for help, she turned and took off with a skip.

Ripper was skeptical that she could, but then again if her reputation rang true, then Charlie could do anything she set her mind to. Dead or not.

Blue took the lead as the group made their way down to the river bed, scenting wildly in search of Ripper. He was important to her Maria, he was… important to her as well. A friend, someone she could trust and understand in this strange world. She couldn't say goodbye to her sisters, not right away. She searched for Charlie for days after she said her goodbyes to Delta and Echo, when she finally found her… she laid next to the remains for days.

She was determined not to repeat that this time around.

She barked at her alpha as he ushered Maria along, her poor Maria was still looking dead on her feet as she stumbled through the brush. She was strong, she didn't need their alpha to push her along. Maria knew the importance of finding a lost pack member, she herself was once the subject of a search party. The last search party Blue had gone on with her pack.

Blue nearly stumbled when a raptor's cry for help sounded from up ahead, the bark familiar even after all these years.

Charlie?

A flash of green scales came from up ahead, the unmistakable skip in the gait. Blue barked out at her, calling for her to stop to wait. But Charlie didn't wait, she wasn't one to wait when it came to hide and seek, she only called out again as she ran through the brush. Blue redoubled her efforts, and raced after her sister.

"What is she chasing?" Eric asked as he grabbed Maria's hand to keep her with them. She was doing well to keep up, but with how fast Blue was now going, he didn't want to risk losing her too. "She wasn't like this a few minutes ago."

"Maybe she caught his scent," Owen mused as he followed the beta. It was peculiar to him as well, but he didn't want to make Maria worry even worse. The way Blue stumbled, it was as if she came across something unexpected and it worried him.

Blue let out a sudden screech, one that made Maria perk up even in her half dead state. It was a familiar screech, one that Blue would let out when she found something that they hid. Blue had found them, found Ripper.

Maria broke ahead of them, running after Blue through the bushes. She could hear the babbling of the river as she approached, could hear Blue's little cry from up ahead. Breaking through, Maria paused in shock at the sight in front of her, not wanting to really hope that what she was seeing was true.

But it was, her Ripper was alive laying on the river bank with his sister sprawled out in the bank, halfway in the water. Ripper looked up at Maria, breaking away from Blue as she sniffed the area around him, a grin breaking out on his face.

"Ripper?" Maria felt tears spring up again as Eric and Owen joined her. She took a hesitant step forward, and then another. Before she knew it, she had crossed the space and had wrapped her arms around Ripper's neck with a heaving sob. Ripper let out a croon as he nuzzled against her, ecstatic that she was finally here.

"He's alive," Owen breathed with a disbelieving laugh.

"A tough son of a bitch," Eric said in agreement, a grin slowly growing on his face as he regarded Maria and Ripper.

Maria jumped when a low growl came from behind her, looking over her shoulder she saw the sibling looking warily back. She swallowed and shifted so she was facing the hybrid, palm slowly stretched towards her. A peace offering, a chance to start over for the both of them.

The sibling looked at it warily, eyes darting from the palm, to Maria then to Ripper. Slowly she looked back at the palm and then ever so slowly stretched her snout forward to press it against it. Maria gave her an encouraging smile as Blue gave up on what she was looking for. Blue slunk back over, her tail low and her spirits not as high. She settled next to Ripper and Maria, keeping a stern gaze on the sibling in front of her.

"We need to get you a name," Maria said softly as she looked over the hybrid. She glanced up at Eric and Owen as they drew near, "any suggestions?"

"Pearl?" Owen suggested as he crouched next to Blue. Maria shook her head, she didn't seem like a Pearl kind of girl.

"Jack?" Eric gave his own suggestion as he crouched next to the other man. "To go with Ripper."

"Jack and Ripper," Owen let it mull as the trio looked over the twins.

"I like it," Maria said with a smile as she leaned back against Ripper. She glanced up at Owen, "we need to call that boat."

"On it," Owen said with a smile as he stood, patting Blue's neck as he rose. The raptor merely grunted, eyes scanning the area again as if she was searching for something still. Owen walked a bit away, still in eye sight just in case anything went wrong.

Maria looked back at Jack, smiling when she saw her relaxing against the cool muddy bank. Ripper laid his head across the tops of Maria's head with a content sigh. She let out her own sigh of relief as she relaxed herself for the first time today. They'd be out of here soon, back to their island and starting a new life.

There was a soft rasp that sounded next to her ear, a familiar rasp that brought a smile to Maria's face as she closed her eyes.

Thank you, girls, she thought as her smile widened. She didn't know how, but somehow her girls had a hand in finding Ripper and his sister. It was a strange world after all, and she'd seen stranger things happen in this life.

Thank you.

Is it cheesy to have Charlie and Echo there? I feel like it is but I swear it's been plaguing me for weeks since I first thought about the last chapter. I MISS those girls, and the last time I wrote them was way back in chapter seven I think. Allow me this, PLEASE.

also, hurray, they BOTH survived! Jack and Ripper, together and dysfunctional as ever. I think there might be at least one more chapter after this to wrap things up and then this story is complete! after two years