Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park/World franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.

16. On the Job

Half-way through her suspension from the raptor paddock, Gwyn was asked to start on Wu's project. She hadn't been asked so much as summoned; it was plainly clear that Wu was already smug over the fact he could call himself her superior. The email Wu had sent was professional with an underlying sense of animosity that often accompanied their interactions. In typing her response Gwyn decided to take the high road and left out anything that might have openly suggested her distaste for the man. It was exhausting, sometimes, to hate someone so actively.

The day was going to be long and Gwyn already knew it. She had arrived at the innovation lab thirty minutes early, just before it opened as Wu had requested, only to find him waiting for her expectantly. His hands were clasped behind his back and there was slight smirk on his face.

"In the future, do try to arrive a little earlier. There is much to do," he told her before sweeping towards the labs. Gwyn blinked after him before she jogged to catch up with him.

"I'm half an hour early," she pointed out. Wu chuckled humorlessly under his breath.

"I'm sure that is early to you, but here we strive to maximize our time here; even if that means arriving an hour early," Wu cooly replied.

Gwyn clenched her teeth together and pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth. It was an effort not to bite back a retort that he had, in fact, asked her to arrive half an hour early, and that she had the email as proof. She merely offered a curt nod and followed him into his office, where he made a beeline for his desk. It was going to be a long day, she could already tell. If Wu was going to actively antagonize her, Gwyn was unsure just how long she would be able to remain civil.

"This," Wu handed her a small card with a set of numbers on it, "is your access code. It'll grant you access the section of the laboratory cordoned off for this project, and that section only. I suggest memorizing it and destroying the card to ensure maximum security." Gwyn accepted the card and scanned the numbers before pocketing it. Wu then extended an electronic tablet. "And this is your lab tablet. You will document any and all of your research on this; it does not leave the lab when you leave, and if it does, we will know."

"That's… terrifying," Gwyn muttered under her breath. She took the tablet and tapped on the screen to wake it up. It required a passcode, which she suspected was the same set of numbers that granted her lab access.

Wu gestured for her to follow him back out of his office and down the hall. As they walked, he seemed to give her a quick once-over from head-to-toe. He smiled that infuriating not-quite-full smile, which Gwyn now realized made his face look plastic.

"I might also suggest different attire. You are not in the field, you are in a laboratory."

Gwyn looked down at her green linen button down, khaki shorts, and her boots, which were spattered in dirt and mud. She shrugged her shoulders and continued to walk in-step with the scientist. "I don't see a problem with it; if it's good enough for the field, it's good enough for the lab. It's not like we're mixing chemicals in a high school chem class. And even if we were, I've got closed-toe shoes."

Wu hummed flatly and wordlessly. Though the slight twitch at the corner of his eye told Gwyn that her snark had stirred up some annoyance. It made her pleased in a strangely vindictive sort of way. The two remained silent till they stopped at a door at the end of the hall. It was metal and windowless, with a bright yellow sign in the middle that read: NO PUBLIC ACCESS. Beside the door handle was an electronic keypad. He gestured at the keypad and raised his brows expectantly. Gwyn keyed in her code––after a quick glance at the card––and they were granted access to the hallway beyond the door. It was a relatively small passage, flanked on either side by two different labs, visible through glass walls. One was dimly lit with darkly painted walls, filled with computers and monitors. The other was brightly lit with scientific equipment Gwyn couldn't ever dream of naming. There no windows to allow public viewing. Everyone was dutifully at work. This was the private sector, Gwyn realized, where InGen did everything away from prying eyes. That realization sent a strange shiver down her spine. Her eyelids fluttered and her hand rose to massage the back of her neck.

"You need not bother yourself with any of the researchers are doing; all of your work will happen through here," Wu informed gesturing to the brightly lit room.

Gwyn followed wordlessly, glancing between both rooms. All of the scientists were hard at work, bent over benches with pipettes in hand or leaning in towards computers, clicking away at a DNA model. The glass that separated the darker lab from the hall was tinted, likely to filter the light, and made it near impossible to read anything on the monitors. Wu cleared his throat, snapping her attention back to him. He gestured her into the brighter lab, the door to which he was holding open.

The scientists in the lab all looked up when Gwyn entered the room. She tried for a smile, but they had all quickly returned to their work before they could see it. Before she could get caught up in just how awful the morning had been going, she noticed a familiar piece of equipment at the back of the lab. It was an incubator, a much more high-tech version than what the original park had access to, but it was an incubator nonetheless. Inside it were two eggs.

"So," Gwyn started, staring at the eggs, "what dinosaur are you cooking up in here?"

"A dinosaur that has never lived before," Wu stated simply.

The words took a moment to sink in, and when they did, Gwyn stopped dead just inside the door. Her eyes fluttered and she held up a hand in a 'stop' motion. Wu passed her by, tapping at his own tablet as he went. "Never lived before? W-what do you mean 'a dinosaur that has never lived before?' You make it sound like you've spliced together a Franken-dinosaur."

She watched as Wu's shoulders rose and fell in a measured sigh. He turned around and offered a stiff smile.

"I suppose that is a very crass way of describing what we have done. We have made leaps and bounds in the field of genetics. We have gained the ability to hybridize dinosaurs, create new ones that the world has never known," Wu explained. His smile had become genuine and there was admiration in his voice. Gwyn gaped at him, the famous words of Ian Malcolm echoing in the back of her head. They'd once again not asked themselves if they should do it just because they could do it… so much for history not repeating itself. Wu tapped a few places on a monitor, bringing up vital signs for the two eggs in the incubator; a large grin spread across his face. "And it appears that we arrived just in time."

Wu sped walked towards the incubator, setting his tablet aside on one of the work benches. Gwyn followed at a cautious distance, setting her own tablet down. She began to wring her hands together, sweat beginning to dampen her palms. There had been no time to argue just how stupid this all was. How dangerous it was. Choice words about InGen sped through her mind in her father's voice. Anxiety boiled in her stomach and crept up into her throat. Scientists buzzed excitedly around the lab, setting aside their research to crowd around Wu and the incubator. 'Just in time,' he'd said––they'd arrived just in time to watch the Franken-saur hatch. Gwyn gently pushed her way through the crowd of scientists and stood beside Wu as the hatching process began.

The two eggs began to rattle and shake. One of the shells began to crack, hairline fractures spidering across suddenly. After a moment, it cracked again, a single claw pushing through. Then two claws, three; they scratched against the exterior of the shell, searching for purchase to help claw its way out. The second egg cracked as well, but this one seemed to have been weaker than the first. It barely created a hole, the sharp but tiny claws of the creature's hand just barely poking through. The eye of the dinosaur quickly became visible in the other egg, opening for the first time ever. The second egg was still working on pushing pieces of the shell away, claws scratching at everything desperately, erratically. Wu, with a hushed exhale of excitement, pulled on a set of latex gloves and watched as the first dinosaur created a large hole in the side of its egg. Its head became visible as it flopped out of the hole, followed by its arms as it tried to pull itself out. Wu immediately went to attend to it, ignoring the first egg as the dinosaur inside continued to push and claw in its struggle to hatch.

A quiet little chirping sound emitted from the second egg, and a tiny little arm flopped tiredly out of the good sized hole the dinosaur had created. It was a plaintive, tired chirp, the one that animals who were injured or in need of help often sounded. Gwyn watched with a frown on her lips, ignoring Wu completely. The second egg shook and the visible claw and arm clawed at the outside of the shell uselessly. The helpless chirping that came from the egg roused something that felt like pity in the paleontologist's stomach. Gwyn knew she shouldn't help, she should let nature do what it will… but nature had already been disrupted. Gwyn turned to the nearest scientist and asked for gloves, pushing her sleeves up to her elbows. When they were given to her, she pulled them on with a quiet snap. She swore under her breath as she turned back to the incubator, she carefully began to pull at the shell, breaking away small chunks.

Once enough had been pulled away from the side, Gwyn carefully worked her fingers inside and cupped the creature in her palm. Its body heat bled through the thin latex of the gloves and left her a little breathless. With all the care in the world, the paleontologist removed the baby dinosaur and pulled it into the light. It vaguely resembled a tyrannosaurus, though the jaw was more elongated and its forelegs were longer. It was covered in the goo and membranes that had lined the shell's interior. She stared down at the creature she held in both her hands, mouth slightly agape. It opened its red-orange eyes and stared up at her, emitting another quiet chirp as it stretched its limbs for the first time.

"Miss Grant," Wu said with a proud smile. "May I introduce the Indominus Rex?"

Gwyn looked up, standing slightly hunched as she held the dinosaur in her hands. Her brows were furrowed, her eyes were wide, and her lips, while also pulled into a frown, were parted in both in awe and horror.

"You're playing god…" she said in a near whisper. Wu's smile fell as he directed his eyes to the second Indominus. He snorted and shook his head.

"You sound like your father."

"Thank god for that, otherwise I might sound like you."

She looked back down at the baby dinosaur she cupped in her palms. It was breathing rapidly and chirping quietly as it gasped in its first breaths of air. Words failed her, just as they had the first time she'd held a baby dinosaur. It would seem that she and Wu had made it full circle, as they stood over the incubator together, arguing just as they had then. Some of the scientists around them had started to return to their work, chattering excitedly about the new dinosaur. Gwyn began to gently prod at one of the infant's arms with her thumb, stretching it out a little. Its four tiny claws wrapped around her thumb, squeezing as it chirped and nestled into her palms. Gently, her brows arched a little.

It was then that two scientists swept in and removed the Indominuses from both Wu and Gwyn's hands, bringing them off to have vitals taken. Gwyn gaped after them, hands still cupped and heavy with the weight of the infant dinosaur. Thoughts ran mad, rampant circles in her head, screaming and crying and reasoning at her; but she just felt so completely numb.

"Oh, my god, what have you done…" she muttured, hands dropping to her sides.

"You can't tell anyone, Miss Grant. Not your father, not Mr. Grady… not anyone who is working outside of this project. It's a secret for now." Wu had spoken calmly, collectedly, and his words had been accompanied by the snapping of his gloves as he removed them.

Gwyn felt her molars grind together and her jaw tighten. The numbness she'd previously felt melted away quickly, and she angrily started to work at pulling off her gloves. She shot a heated glare at Wu, who rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk back across the laboratory. With wickedly quick footfalls, Gwyn followed, fists clenched at her side. "Yeah, InGen is great with secrets, aren't they? Doesn't surprise me that this is a secret, too."

"Because of this," Wu continued, ignoring Gwyn's jab, "you have to sign confidentiality papers if you are going to be working with us on this project." He snagged a clipboard off one of the lab benches and turned on his heel crisply, facing the less than amused Grant with a carefully impassive expression. "Sign the confidentiality papers, Dr. Grant." Wu extended the clipboard to her. Gwyn looked over her shoulder and watched as the other scientists began fussing over the Indominus Rex's.

"What did you splice together to create those?" she asked.

"The base genome is a tyrannosaurus rex. The rest is, well… it's classified. Sign the papers."

"I don't give a damn if it's classified, it's important that I know."

"Why? What makes you so special, Miss Grant?" Wu hissed. He held the clipboard higher, emphasising that he wanted her to sign them and sign them now. Gwyn glared at him heatedly, mouth twisting into a grimace.

"It's 'Dr.' Grant, Mr. Wu. I'm not special––"

"At least you realize it."

"––but if that… monstrosity has the capability to cause another disaster––"

"Then what? You'll stop it? Prevent armageddon? You wouldn't be able to prevent disaster, even if you tried. Contrary to your belief, Doctor, we aren't 'playing god.' We're conducting science." Wu shoved the clipboard into her chest and offered her a pen. "Now shut-up and sign the papers like a good little girl."

"If I don't?"

"Then consider it the end of your career here at Jurassic World. Sign them, don't sign them, it's all the same to me. You speak one word of this under or out of contract, and you'll be shipped back to the mainland to lead your happy little life digging up dirt in Montana."

Gwyn and Wu glared at each other then. He still pressed the clipboard to her chest with three fingers, daring her with eyes. Daring her to sign. Daring her not to sign. Daring her to do something. The corners of her mouth twisted into a distasteful frown as she sharply raised her hand and smacked it against the clipboard. Wu's fingers dropped away and Gwyn snatched the pen from his other hand. She turned away from him with a spiteful narrow of her eyes and set about reading the confidentiality papers. After reading them as though she were signing her soul away to the devil, after scanning every word and searching for any fine print, Gwyn sighed heavily and uncapped the pen. She shook her head as she looped the tip of the pen over the dotted line, signing her name and securing her position on the Indominus project. It was gonna be one hell of a ride.

OOOO

Gwyn left the lab at six o'clock, done with initial, preliminary notes on the situation. She'd made detailed hypotheses on what dinosaurs she'd thought they'd spliced together, knowing full well that they would change as the Indominuses grew and their traits changed. She also knew that she would never get a straight answer about anything from anyone in that damn lab. It seemed they had all taken a page out of Wu's book and only interacted her with if they had to. She had done nothing but sit and observe that day, but god was she exhausted. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were drooping. There was nothing she wanted more than a coffee, and that was where she was headed as she made her way down Main Street. The evening crowd was lazily strolling, enjoying the golden tones of the gradually dying light and the cooling of the air.

"Well, I'll be––Dr. Gwyn Grant is somewhere other than the raptor pen!" exclaimed a boisterous, nerve-grating voice. Gwyn groaned in displeasure and let her head loll back in clear annoyance. None other than Vic Hoskins was strolling towards her, grinning toothily and blocking her from her Starbucks destination.

"I'm not in the mood, Hoskins," Gwyn deadpanned as she turned away and started to double back. She resolved that she could just make coffee back at her bungalow, it would save her money and, hopefully, whatever bullshit was about to spout from that man's mouth.

"I'm just trying to have a nice chat," Hoskins tried, pitching his voice up a little. It was meant to sound casual. It, in fact, sounded annoying. It was dreadfully clear that he was trying to bait a conversational trap with honey; and he had failed miserably.

"I know what 'chat' you're trying to have with me, and I reiterate––I'm not in the mood. You've tried to sell this… scheme to me before. And, if I'm not mistaken, you've tried to sell it to Owen, too. How has that been going, by the way?"

"You aren't Owen Grady," he chuckled.

"And yet we share the same viewpoint on your pipedream: it's idiotic, dangerous, and it will never work," she articulated sharply and crisply. "Nothing good could ever come of releasing dinosaurs into a world without barriers. Do you remember the San Diego Incident of ninety-seven?"

"Let me guess, you were there," Hoskins scoffed. Gwyn ground her teeth and came to a sudden stop. If they weren't in the middle of the evening hustle and bustle of Main Street, she would have had some choice words to hiss at him. Unfortunately, Claire Dearing's voice piped up in the back of her mind and warned her about park and employee image.

Stiffly, Gwyn turned to Hoskins. "No, I was not, but I can imagine what the people affected by the incident felt like. To have a tyrannosaurus-rex––"

"Ah!" He cut her off suddenly, holding up a finger like he'd caught her in a fault. "We wouldn't be releasing t-rex's onto the battlefield. It would be velociraptors."

Gwyn blinked at him like he was stupid. She looked around as though someone in the vicinity would share her incredulity at what the man was saying. "That… that's worse, Hoskins." With a sigh, Gwyn straightened up a little, squared her shoulders, and held out her hands. Lecture mode was a go. "T-rex's are pretty damn terrifying––they're massive, they're ruthless, they're destructive. But here's the thing: their size and ability to destroy on a massive level is to their disadvantage. You can tell when they're coming and where they're coming from. With velociraptors… their entire hunting operation revolves around stealth. They hunt in numbers. They hunt intelligently. You won't know when they're coming. You won't know where they're coming from. Suddenly they're there and you're dead. That's worse than a t-rex."

There was a pause where Hoskins almost appeared to be pondering her words. But then he snapped and pointed at her to make a second point.

"And we wouldn't be releasing them into populated cities. They'd be let loose in war zones! Think of what all that power could do to help overseas."

"And think of what new world horrors you will expose the men and women fighting for our country to by doing that. Don't you think they've seen enough? They don't need to watch their comrades get torn apart by flesh-hunting velociraptors," she hissed.

"It wouldn't be their comrades, it would be the enemy."

"And how would you suggest we ensure that?"

"We train them till we control them, just like what Owen is doing," Hoskins replied smartly. Gwyn laughed and shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. She grinned humorlessly and turned that expression on the pompous man.

"He doesn't control them. They barely listen to him. I don't know about you, but that isn't really confidence inspiring, so I wouldn't trust it. And, say, you can get them to consistently listen to you. Just because they listen doesn't mean that instinct won't take over; because, inevitably, it will. A couple million years of instinct will backfire on you and it will not be pretty," Gwyn warned, voice stern.

Hoskins' jaw quirked to the side as he worked his tongue over his molars, eyes narrowed at Gwyn contemplatively. She had her hands braced on her hips and her brows were arched. He slowly started to shake his head, a low, rumbling chuckle starting in the pit of his stomach. It slowly progressed into a full blown laugh; he then gestured to her with a hand and shrugged his shoulders.

"I just thought you would come around to my point of view."

"And what point of view is that?"

"That we should fully respect the ultimate power of these dinosaurs! You've seen the unadulterated power of these creatures––experienced it. You know what they can do! You have to see the potential in that untapped power; see how, if harnessed, it could benefit the whole of humanity. Besides, you're a paleontologist, aren't you supposed to have this… pure, undying respect for dinosaurs?"

"I do––I respect the fact that they are the ultimate predators. I also find that that those predators are easier to respect when they're dead and not actively hunting you down," she deadpanned. Hoskins cocked his head to the side and smirked heavily. He quirked his brows at her and snorted a little.

"Yet you work with the bloodthirsty hunters more than anything," Hoskins pointed out.

"It's special research, personal research," Gwyn fired back. Hoskins arched his brows and smirked wider, looking completely cocksure.

"Now, is that personal research on the raptors or Mr. Grady?"

Gwyn cooly arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. Her chin ticked to the side so her head sat a little cocked. "And why would that be of any interest to you, Mr. Hoskins?"

"You two just seem close, y'know? Two peas in a pod, rarely separated in more recent days… makes one think."

"Well, my research on the velociraptors and my relationship with Owen Grady should be of no interest to you. So I would kindly ask you to leave me alone and stop trying to sell me on this bullshit scheme of yours. Next time, I won't ask so nicely."

"Will you have your, uh, little boyfriend beat me up?"

"Not up to me if he does."

Hoskins shuffled closer––too close––and hovered over her intimidatingly. His eyes danced over her from head-to-toe, as though appraising her in some sort of way. Gwyn held her ground despite the way her skin crawled as his eyes roamed over her form.

"Owen Grady won't always be there to save you," Hoskins drawled in a hushed tone.

Gwyn arched an eyebrow and kept a dangerous hold on her deadpan expression. "Who said I ever needed someone to save me?"

A low chuckle erupted from Hoskins' mouth and he nodded, staring to back away. He waggled a finger at her, waving it side to side as he dragged it up and down, like he was trying to encompass the whole of her person. "Yeah, you're a firecracker, aren't you? I like that about you. Don't need saving… I'll see you around Gwyn Grant––we'll have that chat sometime soon."

With that, Hoskins hustled into the evening crowd. He didn't disappear, he was too tall for that, but Gwyn could see him swaggering towards the Innovation Center. She groaned after him and fought the urge to sit on the curb of Main Street and just stay there till security told her the park was closed for the night. Hoskins was a challenge. Gwyn didn't see him often, but when she did, their interaction went just about as well as that one just had. He made her want to bash her own head into a brick wall, just to escape the ludicrous idiocy of his preached pipedream. Now, despite her exhaustion, she didn't want coffee––she wanted a drink.

"That was… painful to watch."

Gwyn turned to find Lowery, holding a large frozen lemonade, wincing in her direction. His nose was scrunched up, his lips were pursed, and his eyes were narrowed under raised brows. It was a peculiar expression, but it conveyed the discomfort that had encompassed the whole of situation. Gwyn laughed tiredly and turned towards the technician.

"It was painful to participate in," she agreed.

"I bet. The guy's an asshole, but he's persistent, you gotta give him that," Lowery said with a weak shrug. Gwyn waggled her head a couple times, not wanting to agree, but admitting that he was right. Vic Hoskins was a very persistent man and that had to be acknowledged. Not admired––acknowledged. "You look like you could use a relaxing evening."

"Ugh, you have no idea!" Gwyn laughed, rubbing her eyes which felt dry from staring at her tablet all day.

"I don't know if you've got plans or anything, but I've got some fun movies back in my room and some beer that needs drinking. Wanna come over and decompress?"

Gwyn grinned at Lowery like he was a godsend.

"Sounds like a dream."

OOOO

Lowery let out a boisterous laugh as he watched dozens of bathing-suit clad beach-goers scramble out of the water, screeching with fear. He and Gwyn were seated on the couch in his staff-given hotel suite, watching her favorite film––Jaws. A box of pizza was sitting in the middle of the coffee table, with beer bottles flanking either side of it; Gwyn had paid for it before they'd made it back to the hotel, insisting that she repay him for his kind offer. Half of it was gone and they were both two beers in. The technician pointed to his television as Brody lurched out of his beach chair in horror.

"This movie made me terrified to go to the beach for years," Lowery admitted, reclining into the couch. "Way to go, Steven Spielberg." Gwyn laughed and kicked out her feet so they were propped up on the corner of the cluttered coffee table. A couple of books that had been stacked on the corner fell to the floor with a soft thud. They splayed themselves across the small carpet situated beneath the table, and Gwyn quietly apologized. She took another bite out of the pizza slice in her hand and waggled her head from side-to-side.

"I was never really near an ocean, so I didn't worry about it," Gwyn said, the chewed-up pizza shoved into one cheek. "There aren't sharks in lakes, which were the only places I ever went swimming. But, I do have to admit, this movie did put me off of ever wanting to swim in the ocean." Gwyn briskly rubbed her fingers across her leg, removing any of the crusty bits the pizza had left on her hand. Lowery's head swiveled around and then lolled to the side with a curious look gleaming in his eyes.

"Have you ever?"

"Ever what?"

"Gone swimming in the ocean."

"Oh, yeah. I visited Ian Malcolm for a week when I was fifteen, just before the San Diego Incident; he had insisted we go to the beach when he found out I'd never really been. You wanna talk about persistent, insistent men? He was––and remains to this day––just that," Gwyn explained.

Lowery's expression had turned something akin to awestruck at the mention of Ian Malcolm. He murmured 'of course you know Ian Malcolm,' before he tapped his forehead with his fingers and laughed. Something Gwyn had quickly learned about the technician was that he was a very animated person. He always eagerly listened to her stories, regardless of the topic, excitedly asked questions, and then proceeded to regale her with his own tales. This time, though, the stories were saved for later as the duo became re-absorbed in the fictional beach-front panic. Lowery would undoubtedly have questions regarding Ian Malcolm, just as he had had questions about her father; his mind was a vault full of inquiries that had been building over the years, just waiting for the right moment to be cracked open and utilized.

After a couple minutes of companionable silence, Lowery turned to her again, physically shifting in the seat. The beauty of having seen the movie so many times was the fact that no matter how long they conversed, they knew what had transpired in the time they'd been speaking. Gwyn turned her head and arched her brows prompting, urging him to speak. They hadn't had the chance to talk for a good couple of weeks, not since she'd dropped the bomb that her father would be inevitably visiting. Lowery's head cocked to the side and he sat forward, forearms braced atop his knees. His lips pursed and his brows tightened in order to form a conflicted expression. His mouth snapped open, snapped shut, and then popped open for a second time. Gwyn stayed quiet, waiting to see if he would come to his own decision to speak this time around. With a muffled whump, Lowery slouched back into the cushions and crossed his arms casually over his chest.

"So… me and a couple of the gang at command central were wondering if… you know… you and Owen Grady are… a… thing?" Lowery asked, waggling a hand around jauntily. His voice had pitched up higher on the last word, rising with his eyebrows.

Gwyn felt her face flush in a swift rush of heat. Her only reaction to Lowery's inquiry was to gawk at him; her jaw popped open to allow her mouth to hang open, creating an expression that even she couldn't have interpreted had she been looking at it.

"A-A thing?" she stuttered in a voice that barely made it above a whisper. Lowery nodded quickly, beginning to gesticulate with his hands wildly. It was like he was attempting to grasp hold of a difficult set of words or an explanation.

"Y'know, like, a thing. It means––"

"I–I know what it means, Lowery, I just…" Both her eyes fell shut, her brows pinched, and she let out a breath. She recalled Hoskins' teasing comments and Alan's inquiries regarding the status of her and Owen's relationship. Her lips twitched wordlessly as she opened her eyes once more, trying to figure out how to continue the conversation.

"I mean, we were all just thinking that because you guys spend a lot––a lot––of time together… like, you guys get dinner together most nights––which, like, by the way, thanks for coming over, I've missed having you around––and everyone kinda just figures if we can't find one of you, we can just ask the other." Lowery shrugged and made a face, murmuring a 'just saying' under his breath.

Gwyn scratched at the back of her neck and cleared her throat. "Short answer is, no, we're not a thing. We just… we work so closely that it's easier to do things like get lunch and dinner together," she tried to shrug off. She ignored the way the rapidness with which her heart had been beating since Lowery had suggested that she and Owen were dating.

With her denial said, Lowery bobbed his head in acceptance of her response. But he still clucked his tongue and gave a slight shake of the head, as though he were just a little disappointed that the suspicions had been wrong.

"You two would be like the most insane power couple, though, if you were a thing," he informed. "Like, you've got the paleontology background and the animal behavior knowledge, he's got the velociraptor experience and trainer knowledge, the military background… both of you are so strong willed… you two could run this whole park!"

Gwyn laughed at his enthusiasm. Lowery smiled at her and reached over to pat her knee. He took a swig of his beer and the two returned their attention to the television. Gwyn's mind started to wander, and she didn't fully register the fact that Brody was embracing his son in a way that was far too reminiscent of the one her father had given her after she had been attacked. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as her mind wandered towards none other than Owen Grady. She didn't realize she hadn't been looking at the television, or that she'd been smiling at the coffee table, or that more than a couple of minutes had passed. What she did realize, however, was that Lowery sat humming on the other side of the couch.

"Oh…" he said in a hushed tone. Gwyn looked up, broken from her thoughts, and blinked over at Lowery.

"What?"

A slow smile spread across his face. "You like him."

"What?"

"Owen. You like Owen, don't you? A-and don't give me any of that 'as a friend' bullshit, you don't smile like that over a friend," Lowery warned, pointing at her sharply.

Gwyn laughed and cocked her head to the side. "Smile like what, exactly?"

"Like he means the absolute world to you, and you would do anything for him."

Her mouth popped open for a witty response, but her brain proved unhelpful and refused to give her any words to say. After a moment, when words still refused to come, Gwyn laughed quietly––nervously––and brought her beer bottle to her lips. While she took a sip, her brows furrowed a little in mild panic. Just the fact that she'd had no retort to Lowery's words kicked her head into overdrive; because she'd had retorts to this situation before. When Alan had inquired whether or not she and Owen were dating, she'd easily shot him down with a snort and a dismissal. Now, weeks later, she was being asked the same thing and there was no retort to be found. Instead, her heart kicked into a quick thrum and a flush had risen to her cheeks.

Like he means the world to you.

Those words had dredged up memories of Owen holding her close as he comforted her post-nightmare. Of how he'd stayed with her till he was sure she was okay, then asked just in case, and then told her he'd come running if she needed him. She thought of how much she loved seeing Owen bustle around her bungalow, commenting that her shelves were crooked, the living room was a mess, and that he could help her with that faulty light in the kitchen. How she had adored hearing him singing in that very same kitchen as she sat on the deck, thumbing through her sketchbook. Gwyn nearly chuckled upon realizing that she didn't care that he had critiqued her old drawings and said that they looked like chickens. How she'd felt awful that Owen had blamed himself for her little episode at the old park visitor's center. She thought of his tight embraces and the warmth of his hand sitting in hers, their fingers clasped together. And then, she thought of those words that he's said on her deck that night: "You know, I'm a fan of this Gwyn Grant, too––wouldn't want her to change in the least bit. Jurassic nightmares, memories, and all."

Every single one of those thoughts, those memories, those little moments were enough to prompt Gwyn's lips into another stupidly happy smile. It was an unbidden quirk of the lips that accompanied the stutter of her heartbeat when she thought of his stupidly handsome, smiling face. And in that moment, on Lowery's couch as he pointed out she was 'smiling that smile again,' that Gwyn had to ask herself a question––was it possible that she had feelings for Owen Grady? An initial, defensive reaction was to tell herself 'no,' no she did not. But she realized that the question had made her smile just a little wider; and that was enough to suggest that 'yes,' yes she probably did.

Afterword: And because we had Owen (almost) coming to his realization of possible feelings last chapter, I figured it was about time that Gwyn be faced with a similar dilemma. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter; I've had that scene with Wu planned out for months. And we're really starting to get into the meat of the story, which will eventually sweep us right into the movie events (just in time for Fallen Kingdom to be released). Also, if anyone is interested and doesn't follow the prequel story for this one, the next chapter will detail the Kitchen Scene where Gwyn gets attacked. So, if you wanna see how that went, keep an eye out for Chapter 10 of Stick Together and Run.

Review Replies!

NicoleR85: I'd had the idea for visiting the original visitor's center since I saw Jurassic World the first time and conjured up this story. I'm happy that it read well! Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

katy1986: Believe me, every time I write Owen and Gwyn alone together I'm like 'god, they need to kiss… but they can't. Not yet.' BUT a kiss is on the horizon sooner than you think, so keep buckled in, it'll pop up soon! Things will be getting a little more flirty soon… I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

Evaline101: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

PhAnToM 1212: Aww, thank you! I dedicated a lot of time to the last chapter to get everything just right; it went through SO MANY iterations before I found the perfect version. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

LoveFiction2018: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

RHatch89: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one!

monkeybaby: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter; and I hope this one lived up to the wait! Thanks again!

Guest 1: Their relationship is definitely a steady building one, and there's some good stuff for them coming up! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter; thanks again!

DreamBubbles: The dinos are back (kinda)! We've got the Indominuses now, but the raptors will be back fairly soon. I'm really excited to get Gwyn back to the raptor pen. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last one! Thanks again!

Daryl's Lady: Thank you! I've had fun doing little flashbacks to the old park, what with also writing those events in my other story. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter; thanks again!

Guest 2: I had some writer's block towards the end of school, but I'm happy that I'm on break, I've relaxed, and I feel reinvigorated to write! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter just as much as you have been enjoying the rest of the story; thanks again!
suzii3499: Thank you so much! I'm very flattered that you enjoy my writing so much. I'm also super happy that you've enjoyed reading both chapter of Gwyn's life––Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. I love writing Alan and Ellie, and I adore getting to write them and Gwyn together. So I'm very happy that you've enjoyed reading them operating together as their little family. Her and Owen's relationship is definitely ramping up, and it's gonna be fun to see how they operate when the Indominus Rex gets loose. Alan will be arriving soon! Sometime in the next chapter or two, most likely. I also wanted Alan to pop up in one of the new movies, even if it was just him going 'I told you all this was an awful idea, now look at what you've gone and done!' I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again for your lovely review!

MidnightPenguin: The more that I write Gwyn the more I realize that I love writing how she interacts with different characters, because it's all so different depending one who she's talking to. Like how she talks to Wu and Hoskins is worlds different to how she talks to Owen, Lowery, and her father. I do have a plan for the I-rex project, so never fear. And the movie still infinitely approaches! And, yes, I do have plans to write for Fallen Kingdom once it's out; I already have ideas from just the trailers. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

AugustRrush: Thank you; I hope you enjoyed the new chapter despite the wait!

SecretNerds: I'm glad you've been enjoying the story; I hope you enjoyed the new installment! Thanks again!

The girl with no life: I have a lot of fun with this story, and the moments where Gwyn remembers the previous park (which sounds awful, but it's always fun and interesting to write). Because, as I wrote last chapter, Jurassic Park will always be with Gwyn, no matter what, and it's such a big part of who she is. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter; thanks again!

kitsunelover300: I'm glad that you thought of the gentle piano theme from Jurassic Park during the visitor's center scene––because I was thinking of it, too. I just always feel overwhelming nostalgia during that scene in Jurassic World, and I wanted Gwyn to have that too. Because, as awful as everything that happened there was, some of it was kinda nice and good for a bit. And it was really interesting to write Gwyn standing on the steps of the old visitor's center, knowing that twenty years prior she'd been dashed down those steps in Alan's arms, bleeding and half-conscious. Another strange––almost macabre––sense of nostalgia for her. And initially, when I first wrote the scene, it was just Gwyn who stumbled upon it, but I thought it would be a nice bonding moment for her and Owen. Funnily enough, I also thought about whether or not the raptor would still be in the freezer––which it would be––but I figured that Gwyn wouldn't have been able to go into that kitchen without going into a full blown panic attack. Though, maybe Owen will go back and do some investigating of his own, curious as he is. I do have plans to have Ellie and Ian pop their heads back in, maybe we'll see/hear from some other characters like Billy or Lex and Tim. And there will be some references to San Diego (I watched Lost World and III last night as I finished up writing this), and some stuff from III will resurface, too. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter; thank you so much for your absolutely lovely review!

RJNorth: Again, love getting reviews, they're always so lovely. I'm glad that you're enjoying Owen and Gwyn's comfortable relationship and how that's progressing; and progressing it is! There's some stuff I can't wait to get to soon and it's just gonna be so fun to write, and I'm excited that you'll get to read it. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter; and I am infinitely flattered that you enjoy reading my stories :) Thanks again!

Supboyyyyy93: Once Gwyn gets back to the raptor pen, I do plan on her sitting down and talking with Owen (and Barry) more about the patterns she and her father observed/researched regarding the raptors at the original park. Who knows, maybe Alan will even weigh in on the conversation while he's there. I definitely think that the I-Rex and the Big One are both formidable, but I'd probably be more scared of the raptor, because of the pure stealth and intelligence––you'd never know where she was coming from. And I also enjoy the scene of Muldoon and the raptors from the original JP, it's rife with tension and it's just… so good. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

theaovy203: I cannot tell you how flattered I am! Thank you so, so much––I hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter, and thank you again, so very much!

And thank you to those that have added this to their follows/favorites! It means a lot!

There we have it! That's it for now, and we'll have some Owen in the next chapter, I promise. I'm also gonna be going back to a couple other chapters and doing some editing for a timeline purpose; when I started writing this, I didn't know how long I was going to have Gwyn at the park before the movie events started, but it's turning out to be a little longer than initially expected. So, I'm going back to edit time stamps. Like, at this point, Gwyn's probably been on the island for four or five months, no the one and a half I kept mentioning (which was so egregiously wrong when I think about the work she would have had to do). Just as a heads up, so no one gets thrown for a loop when I'm eventually like 'it's been half a year.' Thanks again everyone! You're all lovely!

~Mary