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.
18. Down Time
"Barry told me that you've been having trouble with Echo," Gwyn mentioned. She was sat in what had been her usual chair, which had been shoved aside and waiting for her return. The chair, which had never been the most comfortable of things, was surprisingly welcoming. The last twenty minutes had been spent catching Gwyn up with the goings-on of the paddock, given in great detail by the handler on the opposite side of the desk. Owen hummed flatly, his lips pulling down on one side. He handed his tablet over to her, arm stretched out over his desk, and smirked a little wryly.
"Yeah, she's been… acting up and lashing out. At first it didn't seem out of the ordinary; the girls act up every now and again, as they're like to. But then it started to happen more frequently, and for longer. She started snapping at her sisters, instigating like it was her job to do so," Owen explained. Gwyn took the tablet from him and saw that a video had been pulled up for her. She tapped the screen and the video rolled.
It appeared to be a recording of a regular drill Owen ran them through, trying to get them to follow him along the catwalks. Everything was going smoothly till Echo seemed to get restless; she cried out and started to shift restlessly, to which Owen tried to catch her attention by using the clicker. It did nothing to affect her behavior, as Echo then started to snap at Charlie, who was easily distracted by the aggressive advance. Gwyn arched an eyebrow as the video stopped with Owen tiredly––frustratedly––waving a hand at whoever had been filming.
"Didn't you mention that Echo had a tendency to instigate?" she inquired. She watched Owen sit back in his desk chair, a sigh puffing past his lips. He pulled a face, scrunched and troubled, that silently read as 'yeah, but…'
"Echo has picked fights with Blue before, yeah, but that was when they were fighting for dominance. It was the two of them duking it out to see who would be second in command. Until this past month… any other time the girls fought it was playful, it was instinctual, it was normal. Now… it's just… strange. Because she's not just picking on Blue, she's picking on Charlie and Delta, too. There's… there's something wrong with her and I don't know what it is."
It was then that Gwyn realized how tired he looked. His eyes weren't as bright as they usually were and there was a furrow between his brows that seemed a little too at home. It was clear that the girls acting out was weighing on his shoulders, and that not knowing how to remedy the situation was weighing on him even more. Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo were his girls. Their bond was so unique and special that it left Gwyn astounded. He cared for them more than any handler in the park cared for their charges; plenty of the handlers––most of them, in fact––were incredibly fond of the dinosaurs they handled or oversaw. But with Owen, he cared for their wellbeing. He cared about their bond. He saw them like family. And if something was bothering them, it was bothering him, too.
Gwyn scooted to the edge of her chair and reached out a hand, resting it atop his desk in a comforting, empathetic gesture. Some small––or not so small––part of her hoped that he would reach out to take her hand; but that was a little selfish, she berated, and settled for leaving her palm pressed to the desk's top. "We'll figure out what's up," she assured gently. The corner of Owen's mouth quirked up a little, his eyes still downcast. Gwyn shrugged and smirked wryly. "Maybe it's just adolescent rage––it'll pass eventually if it is."
The comment, delivered in a wondrous deadpan, caused Owen to smile toothily, a chuckle tickling the back of his throat. When his hand sought out hers, Gwyn flipped hers over instinctually, fingers spreading to allow his to tangle with hers. And tangle they did. Their fingers interlocked easily, as if they had been doing so for years. He gave her hand a squeeze, eyes lifting.
"Thank you," he said softly. Gwyn smiled and waggled their hands a little.
"Of course."
They were quiet then, both of them diverting their attention to their intertwined hands. At some point, Owen's thumb had started to stroke a repeated path on the side of her hand. The pad of his thumb was a little rough, but it wasn't at all unpleasant. The gesture was simple but fond, and it made Gwyn's heart leap. It was remarkable how such a small gesture could render such a strong reaction. How the little smile on his lips captured her attention wholly, because damn was she a sucker for a good smile. But what she failed to realize was that he was smiling at their hands; at how her smaller, more lithe fingers looked tucked between his own. He smiled at how he could feel the callouses created by years of holding brushes. They had softened from months of disuse, but they were still there as reminders of the work she had dedicated her life to.
After a quiet moment Gwyn smiled and laughed gently. She slouched back in her chair and their hands parted, their fingers gliding over each other as they drew their hands back. With the hand that Owen had been holding, Gwyn gestured to the homey office space. "Y'know, it's really nice to be back."
Owen chuckled deeply, throatily, and smirked wryly. He gestured to the room and swiveled his chair side-to-side as he surveyed the space. It was organized chaos. Files and papers sat in haphazard spots across the room––on desks, chairs, shelves, filing cabinets––but it had been proved time and time again that anyone who worked in the space knew exactly where everything was. Rain jackets were thrown over the backs of chairs, rainboots were shoved into the corner by the door, and a couple bottles of sunscreen were set on the windowsill. There were even toy dinosaurs placed here-and-there, their plastic mouths open and roaring silently. Gwyn had come to realize that these toys were shifted around often to create little scenes.
"In this sty?" Owen joked. To emphasize the mess, he kicked out a foot and raised it, bringing a wrinkled button down up with it. Gwyn laughed and let her shoulders rise in fall in an indifferent shrug.
"It's homey, y'know? It's got character." She leaned over to Barry's desk and grabbed a brachiosaurus toy, which she then deposited beside Owen's pencil mug. Pasted on the mug was the park's logo, the white design standing out against the navy blue porcelain. "The labs are stuffy as all hell and they don't let you bring in anything that isn't necessary. I can't tell you how many times I was reprimanded for taking off a cardigan and leaving it draped over a stool. Not my fault they air-condition the shit out of those rooms…" She wedged the eraser of a pencil into the toy brachiosaurus' slightly opened mouth, which gave the impression that it was eating the writing implement.
"Glad that our mess hasn't scared you away; we had a significant lack of sarcasm and dry humor when you were gone," Owen informed in a matter-of-fact tone. Gwyn let her brows jump upwards and her lips quirk to the side as she fixed him with an 'oh, really' look.
"So, that's why you keep me around, huh? For my… dazzling sense of humor? Glad to see my talents as a paleo-behaviorist are in great demand," she deadpanned. Owen grinned at her from across the desk, a grin that was almost electric as it crinkled the corners of his eyes. One of his mirthful eyes fluttered into a heart-stoppingly charming wink.
"There's the deadpan I missed."
The smirk that had been playing across Gwyn's lips grew a little. She casually slouched back in her seat and teased him by replicating his wink. "And there's the charm that I missed."
The door to the office unit was pushed open, bringing with it a wave of warm, humid air. Both Owen and Gwyn turned their attention to the door, which led to them catching sight of Barry leaning into the air-conditioned space. He was leaning heavily on the doorframe and handle, which made it clear that he was not intending on stepping inside. He jerked his head in the direction of the paddock with an almost weary look on his face. Behind Gwyn, Owen sighed.
"They acting up again?"
"What do you think?" Barry replied.
Another sigh. "Alright. Let's get started." There was a rattling of plastic wheels, which signalled Owen had pushed his desk-chair away from the desk. Gwyn rose from her chair and waited for him to pass her by in order to follow him out. Instead, he gestured her forward with one hand. When she stepped out in front of him she felt one of his hands gently appear at the small of her back, softly guiding her through the vague mess of desks and chairs. There was no need for guidance, as the space wasn't that messy and she was familiar with it, but Gwyn said nothing. All she did was smile softly.
In the time that they had been inside, the temperature had risen noticeably. Gwyn grimaced at the all consuming heat and humidity, eyes squinted up at cloudless, sunny sky. She was happy to be out of the lab, and the elements were a blissfully welcome change, but she could already feel the sweat gathering at the nape of her neck. Owen and Barry walked ahead of her, discussing what the morning had thus far brought; Echo was acting up again, from what she caught ear off. The tension that had left Owen's posture minutes before returned and his expression tightened. Upon reaching the catwalks, Jim and Francis––who were stood on the opposite side of the paddock––exclaimed Gwyn's name happily. Jim threw up a hand in greeting and Francis tipped his straw cowboy hat in her direction. With a light chuckle, Gwyn raised a hand and smiled across the way at them. She hung back as her hand dropped to her side, heart thrumming inside her chest a little quicker. It was always necessary to steel herself before she saw the raptors, no matter how used to their presence she was becoming.
Owen and Barry stepped onto the catwalk, which rattled a little, and the two men stopped about a quarter of the way down. They leaned over the rail slightly just as scuffling could be heard from below. Gwyn watched Owen extract the clicker from his pocket, immediately starting to press at its top. Rapid clicking filled the air as he threw his other hand up.
"Hey! Eyes on me, girls, eyes on me!" Owen commanded. His brows furrowed and his lips pursed. There was more scuffling and throaty, rattling cries from the paddock below. Owen pitched forward a little to lean over the rail, thumb once more pressing at the top of the clicker rapidly. "Echo! Echo––don't give me that shit!" Frustration was clearly starting to leak into his tone, and his shoulders were tensing up all the more.
With curiosity piqued and her being steeled once again, Gwyn stepped onto the catwalk, the metal grating rattling gently underfoot. As she approached the two men, Gwyn craned her head to the side to see the commotion. It wasn't hard to miss. Echo was pacing around Blue, who was slowly turning defensively, head ducked and mouth open in silent warning. Their tails slunk from side-to-side like those of disgruntled cats about to attack. Gwyn could just barely catch sight of the way Echo's skin trembled over her teeth, or how her eyes were narrowed, and her ear caught the low sound of a growl. The air was filled with more clicking and she watched as Echo's head rose in acknowledgement––but her actions did not cease.
Gwyn stopped a couple feet away from Owen, her eyes locked on the scene unraveling below them. The raptors' toes were tapping, thumping those razor sharp claws against the dirt. Their tails were twitching. Their eyes were flashing. Their teeth were bared. Owen was getting worried, she could tell from the way he was shifting on his feet, how he was speaking quicker, and how much he was resorting to using the clicker. It was then that Gwyn recalled what Barry had said earlier––that Echo had started acting up when she left. The silent implication had been that the velociraptor was acting up because the paleontologist had left. Truthfully, she doubted that was the reason why; there was likely another––more logical––explanation. But just to lend a hand, to try the theory, Gwyn placed a hand on the railing and leaned over a little.
"Echo!" she called out. She was surprised that there wasn't a tremor to her voice. In her periphery Gwyn watched Owen and Barry's heads whipped towards her. And, down below, Echo's head followed suit. The velociraptor gazed up at her, blinking her large golden eyes. Gwyn cleared her throat, rolled her shoulders back, and steeled her expression. "Stop fighting with Blue."
Upon her name being spoken, Blue's head swiveled around and she gaped up at the paleontologist, mouth open to bare her sharp teeth. There was a curious tittering sound from Echo and a faint hissing-like sound from Blue. Gwyn blinked down at them, suddenly aware that they were looking to her in some sort of way––surprise. Curiosity. Weariness. Their attention was trained on her unwaveringly, their eyes intent and calculating. All words stuck in her throat, not that she was sure she'd have known what to say anyways. But she felt someone take her left hand and press something into it. It was cylindrical and thin. Whoever had passed it to her shifted her thumb over the top of the object; it was the clicker, Gwyn realized. With a gentle clearing of her throat, she lifted the clicker in a couple of jerky movements and pressed the top of it. The other hand rose in a half-assed, self-conscious, shakey imitation of the stance she'd seen Owen do many a time before. She could feel everyone watching her. Everything watching her.
"Echo," the velociraptor perked up at the sound of her name, tittering once more, "you've gotta…. You need to listen to Owen, okay?" Gwyn let out a breath and grimaced a little at herself. "God, I sound batshit…" she muttered to herself in a grumble that barely moved her lips. She then raised her chin and looked pointedly at the misbehaving raptor. She pressed the top of the clicker twice. "Stop."
Below, Blue ducked her head low, eyes still trained on Gwyn. She was quick to turn around and trot away, crying out with that cough-like cry that sent chills down the paleontologist's spine. A wince twitched the muscles in her left cheek, which drew her lips into another grimace. But Echo still remained, head raised high but quirked to the side, arms curled in towards her chest. The pose reminded Gwyn of a dog waiting for praise. There was the sound of metal gliding against metal and Gwyn's eyes flicked down to see that Owen had pushed a bucket on a hook towards her. Inside were dead rats. Gwyn switched the clicker into her right hand and then grabbed one of the rodents with her left. A couple of clicks was paired with the tossing of the rat, which sailed through the air stiff as a board. The velociraptor threw its head back, jaws open wide, catching the dead rodent with calculated ease.
"Good girl," Gwyn praised, voice finally betraying a little tremble.
While Echo munched down on her treat, Gwyn stepped back from the railing and blew out a breath of air. Her arms dropped to her sides and her eyes fell shut; her head lolled back to bask in the scorching heat of the sun. There was a smattering of wholehearted applause from a couple spots on the catwalk. A couple 'good jobs' thrown out over the sea breeze. Her heart was thrumming, but not so much as it would have been a few months ago. The most unsettling part of that self-inflicted experience was having Echo's attention trained on her so intently. And yet there had been no malice in Echo's eyes. No intention to inflict harm. Just… curiosity, almost.
When she opened her eyes and lifted her head, Gwyn locked eyes with Owen. She thrust out her right hand, palm up and open, offering the clicker back. But all Owen did was stare at her, lips parted, brows furrowed, eyes filled with some emotion she couldn't put a name to. Their eyes locked and Gwyn raised her brows gently. Without breaking their gaze, Owen slowly lifted his hand and placed it over hers, the clicker sandwiched between their palms. He was just as slow to curl his fingers and take the thing back. Owen's expression––which captivated her attention as she tried to decipher it––was broken suddenly with a jump of his brows, prompted by Barry slapping a hand onto his shoulder as he passed between the two. The look on his face could only be read as 'I told you so.'
They both watched him saunter back down the catwalk, calling out to a co-worker excitedly in French. Gwyn started to massage the back of her neck with her fingers. "You, uh… Don't have to tell me how… dumb that was or how stupid I must've looked––believe me, I know."
"Dumb? Stupid?" Owen scoffed at the two descriptors. She arched a brow at him, unsure if the scoff was in agreement or dismissal. Owen smiled a pleasantly crooked smile. "You looked a little shaky, maybe, but you did a damn good impression of me."
A graceless snort rattled in Gwyn's sinuses. She fixed Owen with an incredulous look and shook her head in disagreement.
"Sure, 'cause you're always shaking whenever you talk to the girls."
"Sometimes I am," he tried to defend in a light tone, crossing his arms in mock-defense. Gwyn snorted and rolled her eyes, reaching back to grasp the railing behind her. Owen sighed a little and raised his brows gently. "Gwyn, that was… astounding. A-and not just because Echo listened to you––though, that is something we should look more into––I mean… could you have done that when first got here?"
"I would've been on the next plane back to Montana at the mere suggestion," she deadpanned playfully, silently admitting that he was right. It was astounding that she had stepped up––with very little thought––to try her luck at getting Echo to calm down. A couple months ago, she would have been rendered utterly catatonic under the eyes of the velociraptors.
Owen smirked at her. "Glad you didn't jump ship; would've been a damn shame. Y'know, I told you that I'd make sure you bonded with one of these girls." His tone was satisfied and very matter-of-fact. Gwyn's brows furrowed a little before one of them rose inquiringly.
"Yeah, and?" she questioned curiously. Owen's smirk grew into a full-blown smile as he started to walk back down the catwalk. He jerked his head to gesture over the rail.
"You've got a friend," Owen informed brightly.
Gwyn pushed off the rail, turned, and peered down into the paddock. Just below her, watching intently, stood Echo. Upon noticing that the paleontologist was looking at her, Echo made a throaty sound and lifted her head. She paced around in a circle before crying out and trotting away. Gwyn watched her go and then scoffed a little laugh, a disbelieving smile quirking the corner of her mouth.
OOOO
The plastic cup gripped in Gwyn's hand was garishly designed. It bared vividly colored depictions of various dinosaurs, silhouettes of the resort buildings, and the park logo was emblazoned embarrassingly large across one side. It was probably the most hideous looking souvenir cup that she had ever seen. Owen held an identical one, the blue plastic straw that protruded from the lid clamped between his lips; he had insisted they celebrate her return to the paddock with drinks, but had decided sitting on the Margaritaville rooftop patio would simply not do it. So he'd ordered them frozen margaritas in souvenir cups and ushered Gwyn onto Main Street.
"Is it, like… against park policy to be openly drinking on Main Street?" Gwyn questioned, still making a face at the garish cup design.
"I dunno. But the thing with souvenir cups is that we could be drinking anything; and so long as we aren't looking drunk or disorderly, park security has no reason to ask us. I mean, they could ask you, you're the one wearing a brimmed hat past sundown," Owen surmised lightly, playfully. Gwyn snorted, smiled, and fixed him with a look. She nudged the brim of Alan's hat with a knuckle, knocking it back a little.
"We're two adults drinking from souvenir cups at eight o'clock––everyone knows what we're drinking," she laughed. "And the hat is perfectly fine, it's no different than people who're still wearing their baseball caps. I'm just more stylish." Owen joined her, his head lolling back as laughter rumbled in his chest. Gwyn shook her head with a grin, taking a sip of her margarita, which was delicious despite the hideous vessel it was housed in.
Late evening on Main Street wasn't horrible. In fact, it could sometimes be quite pleasant. Most families were typically calling it a day, grabbing dinner or heading to the resort to relax for the remainder of the evening; this usually left the street a little less crowded and significantly easier to navigate. Owen and Gwyn had the pleasure of experiencing the smaller crowds that night. The sun had gone down, which had caused the temperature to drop and the sky to become a gradient of purple and blue. The air smelled fresh, with delicious scents from various restaurants being carried on the breeze. People strolled leisurely, in no rush to get to a particular area of the park, and both Owen and Gwyn strolled much the same.
"You know, as… dangerous as this place is… it can be kinda nice," Gwyn admitted. In her periphery, she saw Owen turn his head towards her; upon turning her own to meet his gaze, she found him smirking at her.
"So it's grown on you, huh?" he teased.
Gwyn waggled her head from side-to-side as she weighed his words and calculated whether or not they held any truth. "I mean, this place already grew on me, not in the best ways, but it's gonna stick like glue. What I mean is that… It's just…" She struggled for a second, trying to find the right phrasing. After a moment she gestured to Main Street. "This isn't so bad. Is it… a horrible bastardization of what Hammond wanted Jurassic Park to be? Sure thing. But… it can be nice, and I can admit that. I mean, the fact that there is an actual, real, calculated probability that another disaster could happen speaks for itself, but… Walking like this… it's nice. Though, that could just be the company." She leaned to the side, nudging Owen's arm with her shoulder.
The smile on his face was small but it reached his eyes nonetheless. The same look that they'd held back at the paddock had returned, and Gwyn tried to decipher it once more. It took a moment to realize it was some emotion caught between pride––towards her––and awe. It was an emotion conveyed to her through his smile and his expression. He looked all the more handsome in the dying sunlight, the stress of the work day off his shoulders, that too-charming smile gracing his face. Gwyn looked away and wrapped her lips around her straw, drawing another sip of margarita. Beside her, Owen chuckled.
"Sure, the company's good, but I know what's keeping you here," Owen said, tone playful. Gwyn hummed inquiringly and quirked a brow to prompt him to continue. He laughed and swept a hand to their right, gesturing to a building just off of Main Street. "The Jurassic World gift shop––has something for all your needs, from work to play."
Gwyn laughed at his tone, which made him sound like someone giving a sales pitch, and cocked her head to the side.
"Oh, really?" she questioned.
Owen blinked at her for a moment, his brows slowly starting to furrow but his smile never diminishing. "Do you mean to say that you've been here for six months and you haven't been in one of the gift shops?" She snorted in response and fixed him with the most beautiful deadpan expression. Owen shook his head, as though disappointed, and started to walk towards the shop. "C'mon, you've gotta take a look around; some of their stuff is hilarious." Gwyn arched an eyebrow, though what little resolve she had was betrayed in the way her lips were starting to pull into a smile. Owen lurched back a step, grabbed her by the hand and started to pull her towards the store.
"I'm not a tourist, Owen!" Gwyn laughed, pulling on his hand in an egregiously half-hearted attempt to resist. "I'm not here to buy souvenirs. Besides, their prices are ridiculously high! I'm not gonna pay… thirty-five dollars for a tank top that's got the park logo on the front of it."
By the time she finished protesting, they were already inside the shop, which was lit well and comfortably air-conditioned. There were rows of shelves baring dinosaur and park themed toys, and the walls were decorated with a wide range of clothing from rain coats to tank tops. The gift shop appeared to be divided into two halves, one of which was more child oriented, while the other side was geared more towards adults. The more adult side appeared to have a jewelry counter, water bottles that promised to keep water cold for twenty-four hours, more delicate looking souvenirs, and a few shelves of books, which included one of Alan's. The spread of offered products was impressive, Gwyn had to admit––she also had to admit she had been in one of the gift shops before to grab an umbrella and a tank top that she had been using as a sleep shirt. And, yes, the tank top had been sold to her for thirty-five dollars.
"How's your skin feeling?" Owen questioned suddenly, dropping her hand. He turned towards one of the shelves and started to let his hand dance across the top of it, fingers clearly seeking out something specific.
"Uh… a little like I've got the starts of a sunburn going," Gwyn admitted in mild confusion. The skin on her cheeks and the back of her neck did, indeed, have the tell-tale tightness of a fresh sunburn. It was only when Owen turned away from the shelf holding a cylindrical container.
"Then perhaps you could use the Jurassic Mud Mask, infused with natural minerals," he suggested jokingly.
Gwyn snorted but reached out to take it, reading over the label while silently thinking that it might not be a half-bad idea. That is, until she saw the exuberant price it was being sold for, decided it was probably not as luxurious as the label made it out to be, and set it back on the shelf. They spend the next couple of minutes laughing at some of the toiletries they offered and made faces at the price tags. Joking around was a nice change of pace from the seriousness the atmosphere of the park often prompted them to have to maintain. It was relaxing. It felt natural. They were just having fun. It was when Gwyn spotted something so wonderfully ridiculous that she threw all reservations to the wind, damned the way people might react, and turned to Owen.
"You've gotta put that on," she informed. She pointed to the ridiculous looking hat, which was plush, meant for children, and designed to look exactly like the head of a velociraptor. Beside her, Owen's mouth dropped open in silent, awe-struck amazement; Gwyn grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to the display, laughing at his incredulous expression. "C'mon! You're the raptor handler, you have to."
Owen placed his drink atop a nearby shelf and reached out to grab one of the hats. He made a face at it, turning it this-way-and-that, before he darted his eyes up at Gwyn. "Really?"
"You're the one that wanted to come in here; time to pay the toll," Gwyn reminded. It was then that he rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and pulled the hat on. But she caught sight of the tiniest of smiles on his lips. It took a little wiggling, a little tugging, but eventually it sat atop Owen's head in the most ridiculous fashion. It looked unwieldy, but god, did he look hilarious; the hilarity only increased as Owen placed both hands on his hips, looked at her with a dead-serious expression, and nodded.
"How do I look?" he asked. He moved his head from side-to-side, allowing her to view the hat from every angle. Gwyn snorted, pulled out her phone, and switched to the camera.
"The best you've ever looked––if the girls weren't listening to you before, they've got to now. But, here," she raised her phone to make it obvious she was going to snap a picture, "I'll let you see for yourself."
With the pictures taken, Owen peered over her shoulder to peer down at the screen. The image displayed was nothing short of utter hilarity, with Owen's serious stance and face juxtaposed by the plush raptor head sat atop his own. A throaty chuckle resonated in the back of his throat. He then took a step back, removed the hat, and gestured to the rest of the store.
"We're not leaving till there's an equally as ridiculous picture of you," Owen decided, eyes scanning the store. He then set off with a determined stride, making a beeline towards one of the shelving units. Gwyn watched as he perused his options and then selected a couple of contenders. He returned with several small plastic dinosaurs in his hands; before she could question what he was going to do with them, he started to place them on the brim of her hat.
"How many different types of tequila does this margarita have?" she laughed, feeling the hat shift with the added weight of the small toys.
"Three. You starting to feel it?"
"Are you?"
"Don't know what gave you that impression," he teased, backing up once he'd finished his handiwork.
"We're gonna get kicked out," Gwyn laughed as they removed the toys from her hat. Owen shrugged as though it was inconsequential whether or not they were asked to leave. With a satisfied chuckle, he withdrew his phone and snapped a couple of pictures, Gwyn's expression shifting from a deadpan to being scrunched with laughter through the progression of them. "Suitably ridiculous?" She reached up to start taking the toys off the brim of the hat, holding them clustered in her hands.
Owen was thumbing through the pictures, eyes downcast, a soft smile on his lips. "Was going for ridiculous, just got cute," he replied cheekily. He looked up as Gwyn laughed breathily, any proper response to the compliment caught in her throat. She looked down at her hands and then lifted up a small plastic ankylosaurus.
"I'm gonna buy this," she said, a smile still playing at the corners of her mouth. As she passed him, their arms brushing against each other; Gwyn glanced up at him to see that he had glanced down at her. When their eyes met, both smiled. Soft but electric smiles fueled by a fun, carefree evening spent in each other's presence. Jurassic World could be kinda nice; but Gwyn much prefered and would take the company she kept over the island any day.
OOOO
Alan Grant had sworn he'd never set foot on Isla Nublar again. He swore that the only way he'd ever go back is if someone took his dead body, flew it out to the island, and dumped it onto the beach. It was a place that housed and protected the memories of the worst twenty-four hours he had ever lived through. And yet, despite all that, he found himself back. His boots had been back on the soil of Isla Nublar for thirty minutes, and so far he was not finding any redeeming qualities in the drastic changes made by the Masrani Corporation. Alan was meant to be in Jurassic Park proper at half-past noon, but the lines at the ferry's docking point in Costa Rica delayed him by a good fifteen minutes. His phone was dead, which meant he couldn't text or call Gwyn. The crowds were large and pushy and there were far too many screaming children. With every minute that crawled past, Alan was sure that the island was cursed.
By the time that he had gotten to the Island, Alan was ready have words with the nearest park employee about how efficient a simple queue could be. But he was running forty-five minutes late and there was very little that was going to stop him from finding his daughter. His progress was slowed down, once more, by a family that were all wearing matching neon pink t-shirts. Alan scowled at them as the parents fussed over a map and ignored the exhausted expressions on the faces of their children. He was stuck behind them as they inched down the gangplank, which was a dreadfully slow process. The place was an amusement park alright, the lines were enough to dictate that. Isla Nublar had always been his personal hell––and now the universe had added crowds to it, which made it all the worse.
The humidity and heat only added to Alan's irritability, an irritability that was pushing him closer and closer to snapping at someone. But all of that went out the window the moment he saw Gwyn. She was stood in the middle of the dock, the crowd parting around her as she rose up onto her toes to scan the mass of people. To say she was a sight for sore eyes was an understatement. To see Gwyn stood there, completely unscathed and healthy looking, was the biggest relief that Alan had felt in weeks. For a brief moment, he forgot where he was and was just excited to be reunited with his daughter. He watched as a smile split across her face; it was bright and radiant as it always had been. The moment they were within arm's reach of each other, Alan pulled her into a hug. His arms were wound at her tightly, like he never intended to let her go again.
"You took your time," Gwyn playfully deadpanned into his shoulder. Alan scoffed over her shoulder and then pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Damn place doesn't know how to use queues correctly," Alan griped. He held onto her for a moment longer, squeezed her one last time, and drew away in order to give her a good look over. The first thing that he noticed was a bright rosiness in her cheeks, the definitive sign that she had forgotten to put on sunscreen. That had always been a battle with her, ever since she was little. He lifted a hand to press against her cheek, his thumb swiping over the sun ravaged skin. Alan arched an eyebrow. "You forget to put sunscreen on again?"
Gwyn laughed and rolled her eyes at the fatherly inquiry. "Yeah, I did."
"I swear to god, you've gotta keep a bottle in your back pocket," he sighed.
"I keep some in my jeep, it's the best I can do. C'mon, we should go before we get trampled––you wouldn't believe how crazy people can get here." When Gwyn nodded her head in the direction the crowd was flowing in, Alan looped an arm around her shoulders so they could walk side-by-side.
Their walk to the monorail was consumed with questions about the quality of travel and empathizing with the plights of long flights and pushy people. By the time they were on the monorail, Gwyn was starting to tell Alan what he should expect from the park. She told him how much more expansive it was, how commercialized some of it was, and how different it all was. They were sat at the front of the monorail, the glass front giving them a crystal-clear, perfect view of the jungle that they were whizzing through. Alan harrumphed a little, taking in the high-tech compartment they were in. It was certainly a change from the jostling jeeps they had been made to ride in upon their original arrival. Over the PA system, the monorail operator announced that they were approaching the park's main gates. Alan reached over to Gwyn's lap and curled his hand around hers. He squeezed her fingers tightly as nightmarish memories crept towards the forefront of his mind. Gwyn squeezed back. The scowl that Alan had been wearing upon his initial arrival returned when he spotted the familiar gates speeding towards them. He eyed the words on the stone arch with contempt. God, how he wished he could tear those gates apart with his bare hands. Because they could change the name of the place, but they would never be able to change what had happened there; they could never make him forget it.
Welcome to Jurassic World.
Afterword: Finally finished the damn chapter! I've been sitting on this thing for a while, having hit a block early on. But I've finally had the chance to sit down and just write through the block, so I'm happy to get it all done.
Review Replies!
NicoleR85: Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter!
ObsessedFangirl96: We've got some serious flirting going on with Owyn right now, and I'm excited to keep it going… especially now that Alan is present on the island. I REALLY hope we'll see what Wu's ultimate fate is, I want to know how they're going to handle his character in canon. I love that quote for Gwyn (and I also love Teen Wolf). I hope you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
monkeybaby: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this one as well!
AugustRrush: I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story so far; I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Thanks again!
katy1986: I'm having so much fun letting Owen and Gwyn interact now that they're aware of their feelings. The flirtation is just… too fun to write, and I've had to reign it in 'cause I'm having WAY too much fun with it. Alan's arrived! We're gonna get more on his reaction to the island next chapter, as him arriving was just a good button for this chapter. We WILL see Ellie again, just not on Isla Nublar. And we've got more stuff with the Indominus coming up, so look forward to that! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
Aly Blue: Owen definitely had a great internal monologue going when Gwyn arrived back at the paddock. And I do plan on having an upcoming chapter at least partially in Owen's POV so we can see some of that great inner monologue. Barry and Lowery are definitely co-captains of the Owyn ship; they'd do anything to see those to finally make a move. We've got the meeting between Alan and Owen coming up! I'm so excited for it, god, I have so much planned. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
felpere9Ranco: Thank you so much! I'm very happy that you've enjoyed reading through this story; I always have a lot of fun writing it. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
supboyyyyy93: We finally got the answer with Echo! Gwyn's got a nice raptor friend now (kinda). Barry's gonna be around more, I promise, there's lots more to do at the raptor paddock. And he is definitely the voice of reason for the crew. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter; thanks again!
Daryl's Lady: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading the newest installment!
RebornRose1992: Thank you! I'm glad you've been enjoying it!
MissMeSoBadly: The plot continues to unfold, and I hope that you'll stick around to read more; thanks again!
LoveFiction2018: Thank you!
GoldenGod48: I'm extremely flattered that this is one of your favorite stories! I have a lot of fun getting to write this story, and I am incredibly happy that you seem to enjoy reading it just as much. Life (and a new video game) kinda slammed me to the wall this month, but I'm happy to get this chapter up finally. Thanks again! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!
DreamBubbles: Gwyn's definitely gonna be put through her paces with the Indominus project. It's gonna test her in every possible way and it's going to be interesting to see her navigate through that. I'm also really looking forward to getting to explore her relationship with Echo, which will be very interesting. There's a potential for a moment of jealousy, and I'm toying with putting it in… and Alan has arrived! Can't wait to write him meeting Owen… and for him to find out how much of a dick Wu has been being to his daughter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
AlchemyWriter: I can't wait to get into the meat of Alan's stay at the park. It's not a long trip for him, but it's going to be long enough, that's for sure. He's gonna be hit with an onslaught of emotions. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
PhAnToM 1212: Thank you! I'm really excited to write Owen and Alan meeting face-to-face for the first time. I have it all planned out… and oh, BOY I cannot wait for him to see how Owen and Gwyn are around each other. Dad mode is gonna get activated hardcore. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
Guest 1: Thank you; I'm very happy you've been enjoying the story! And I hope that you've enjoyed the new chapter as well!
Guest 2: Grumpy Echo and Owen are definitely less so now that she's back. I hope that you've enjoyed the newest chapter! Thanks again!
suzii3499: I went and saw Fallen Kingdom a second time and I was able to flesh out some great ideas for when I eventually get there. I figured that if Owen would ever get lovesick it would probably manifest itself in the form of frustration or grumpiness. Something that makes him a little more serious. I would LOVE for Alan to have a cameo in the JW series in real life––even just a quote in a newspaper of him saying 'I told you so' in light of everything that's happened. But, alas… at least we have him back on the island here! I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter; thanks again!
CJ/OddBall: Gwyn and Owen really are just… dorks. Especially now that they're just flirting back and forth incessantly. Hoskins' luck of running into Gwyn while she's on her own is gonna run out eventually… and it's only a matter of time before he's around while she and Owen are together. He'll be lucky if he avoids Alan while he's there. Honestly, he's just damn lucky Gwyn hasn't lost her full temper on him already. I always try and keep in mind that Gwyn knows what the original purpose of the park was––to fascinate and remind us that we are "so very small." That she saw the park as it was supposed to be. Because Jurassic World is so different to what Hammond wanted it to be, and it's interesting to have her operate in that environment knowing what it was, knowing what it could have been. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Thanks again!
Acetwolf94: Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!
Ms. Sleepy Clover: Echo and Gwyn definitely have a lot in common. They've both been through a lot of shit, they've both gone into the ring and come out a little battered but a little stronger. If Echo could talk… boy, they'd have quite a conversation. I hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter!
And thank you to those that have added this story to their follows/favorites; it means a lot!
And that's that for now! We've got some good stuff with Alan coming up, so stay tuned for that. As always, I thank you for your patience and for all of your lovely support. Thanks again!
~Mary
