Hey guys this is really rushed but the library's closing soon and I won't be able update an a while do to a trip to Mexico so I hope this is good enough for now and I'll try to fix things mistakes when I get back.

*Insert witty remark about how I don't own Jurassic World*


The day Barry Provaire meets Owen Grady, it's hot, it's humid and he's covered in triceratops shit. Owen's on the mainland, waiting for his escort onto the island and Barry finds him drinking what appears to be his fifth cup of coffee at an outdoor cafe. He looks just a little younger than Barry, his brilliant eyes seem sharp with awareness and his red-brown hair gleams in the sun. The picture in the profile Barry had received did not do him justice.

What does catches him off-guard, though, are the two small cats perched on his shoulders. He's cooing at them, running a finger delicately over their heads. They nuzzle against him, purring and making little sounds of content. He pads over, steps silent whispers on gravel.

Barry assumes it's the smell that alerts Grady of his presence because the cats hiss, the man's nose wrinkles and he's already giving him a wary look by the time Barry finds himself standing by his chair.

"I hope you know pets aren't allowed on the island," Barry sighs. This isn't actually the first time he's dealt with this.

"I hope you know it's probably illegal to smell that bad," Grady retorts, startling a snort out of Barry.

"Working with dinosaurs isn't all fun and games."

At the mention of dinosaurs, Grady's eyes light up and an excited grin pulls at his lips. Barry figures that was his own expression when they first recruited him for Jurassic World.

Granted, back then he hadn't been aware of the messier things he'd have to do. The cats on Grady's shoulders mew, and he goes back to petting them. Barry raises an eyebrow.

"They're not actually my cats," says Grady defensively, though Barry is sure he sees something like sheepishness creep into his eyes.

"Whose are they?" Barry questions, just out of curiosity. Grady shrugs and looks at his nearly empty coffee cup as if it's the most fascinating thing in the universe.

"They probably belong to someone. Maybe. I just found them hanging around when I got here," he answers evasively.

Before Barry has a chance to question him further, Grady shoos the cats off his shoulders, picks up the two large duffle bags at his feet (Barry hadn't noticed them earlier), and drains the last of his coffee.

"I think it's time to get going. I'm Owen by the way. Owen Grady, but you can call me Owen."

Barry doesn't tell him that he already knows his name, that he knew who he was the second he saw his face. Instead, he holds out his hand and grins when Owen takes it in a firm grip.

"Barry Provaire, welcome aboard Owen."


Owen's expression at the sight of the island is almost worth being out in unacceptably hot weather and smelling like he's been rolling around in shit for an hour (which isn't far off actually). His mouth hangs slightly open, just enough to see a glimpse of his teeth and the edges twitch as if fighting a smile. His eyes are huge and Barry is reminded of the clear lakes he would swim in as child. They're also dazed and unfocused, like Owen's fallen into some kind of trance.

Barry has a moment feel concern begin to build and then Owen's whipping around to face him, looking as if he's experienced something life-changing. There's something just little bit off with his tone when he says, "This is going to be awesome."

Barry shivers at it, the ferocity in Owen's eyes looking a little too wild and his smile a little to feral for his liking. He shrugs it off though, figures it's just one of the eccentricities of Jurassic World's newest employee. One would have to be just a little bit off their rocker to agree to take on raptors after all.


It's three days later and Barry's been assigned as Owen's trainer and guide until the raptor eggs are finally developed. He doesn't mind as much as he thought he might.

Owen seems to have a... way with animals. Barry takes him on a tour of the park bright and early in the morning, a good two hours before it opens. They start out in the petting zoo and the babies flock to them like bees to pollen. Owen holds only soft smiles and gentle hands for the juveniles that crowd his space, though Barry has to laugh at the new holes in his clothes from clumsy triceratops horns.

In the gallimimus enclosure, Owen's window is impossible to see through due to the sheer number of dinosaurs blocking it. There's a look in Owen's eyes, not quite wild, but exhilarated. To Barry, it seems that Owen is feeling the rush of wind against him, as if he's out there rushing through the plains with the gallimimus. It's something Barry pushes to the back of his mind to mull about later.

Barry nearly regrets taking Owen to see the predators. There's a manic energy about him that he didn't have around the herbivores. Around them he had been calm, controlled almost. He's neither of those now. He's buzzing, practically vibrating and Barry's pretty sure Owen isn't aware of it. When they actually get to the suchomimus enclosure Barry thinks he prefers the frantic energy.

They don't enter, of course, they're only there to observe the handlers work. She's there though, watching them, eyes burning with something that's not quite hunger. Owen suddenly becomes stock still beside him and for a moment Barry believes he's frozen with fear. He turns to him, a reassurance about the fence ready on his tongue when he catches sight of Owen's expression. His blue-green eyes mirror the fire in those of the suchomimus, Martha. He's not moving, barely breathing, but it's very clear it isn't from fear. He has very similar reactions to the rest of the predators and it leaves Barry a little unsettled.

Owen is deadly silent when they check out the rex log, a distant expression on his face. When Rexy appears, Owen doesn't even flinch, instead looks her dead in the eyes as if he knew exactly where she had been. She huffs and stomps away, not at all interested. Barry swings an arm around Owen's shoulders and shows him out. Though he doesn't know if he can take more of Owen's strange reactions to the animals (or the animal's strange reactions to him) Barry takes him to the last stage of the tour, the mosasaurus.

To Barry's relief, Owen seems to regain himself and he's much calmer. There's still that strange little glint in his eyes, like he's somewhere far away, but he's neither vibrating nor standing like he's about to pounce on something.

Owen thanks him for the tour with lunch at Winston's Steakhouse and beer. Barry drives him back to his newly built bungalow (made at Owen's request to have some privacy and a place near where the future raptor paddock would be). Barry is content with his apartment in the more central part of the island.

In a week they have their first expeditions to Isla Sorna to check out the behavioral patterns of the animals there.


When they arrive on Isla Sorna, Owen's sporting a look on his face that's half thrill, half my-head-is-about-to-explode-unless-someone-gets-me-some-goddanm-painkillers-this-instant.

The whole time they spend there, Owen spends it gazing out deep into the woods, as though his eyes see something no one else can. Barry doesn't have time to be worried though, not when they need to be constantly on the move. Luckily they don't encounter anything worse than a few compies (though even those leave them with several scars).

Having been with the park for a while, Barry knows how the herd animals work. He knows they feed and they move and on occasion they fight for right of alpha, but they don't do much else. He never gets tired of seeing them. However, there's something different about watching them out in the wild, something breathtaking. The wild herd animals on Isla Sorna have distinctive markings and colors, unlike the more earthy-colored animals back on Isla Nublar.

He's constantly at Owen's side, exchanging notes, observing and writing things down. He's a little wary of the strange little glimmer in Owen's eyes, but as time goes on, he finds he's growing fond of it, finds he's growing fond of Owen. He's quick and witty and he shows the utmost respect to the animals. Back on Nublar (and even in the lull between moving on Sorna), Owen works diligently on his research.

Barry finds he worries about Owen. A lot. He spaces out more often than Barry would like and he seems a bit awkward around the other handlers. He's confident still, but he has trouble carrying on a conversation and Barry gets the feeling Owen hasn't done much social interaction outside the military. At least the charm and charisma stay, if a bit stilted. There's also the headaches. Sometimes, on expeditions to Isla Sorna, Barry will wake to find Owen curled tightly on himself, hands clasped over his head as if they're the only thing keeping it from splitting in two.

Owen promises he's fine, but Barry finds it hard to believe. He keeps an eye on him all the same.


Barry is there when Owen gets the call that the eggs are ready.

They're in the bungalow, discussing the finer points of Dr. Alan Grant's findings on raptor vocalization when Owen's walkie-talkie begins to crackle. Barry doesn't pay it much attention, looking over the papers while Owen goes to pick it up. Something that sounds distinctly like steam hissing from a kettle has him dropping half his stack and twirling around to see Owen practically vibrating, the talkie clenched tightly in his hands. Barry cautiously approaches him, one eyebrow raised.

"The eggs are ready," he says, voice a trembling whisper that Barry has to strain to hear.

"The eggs are ready, oh God, Barry we have eggs!" And suddenly his he's explosive energy, gathering a button up to put over his tank top and a pair of (possibly mismatched) boots.

He stumbles into the shirt and nearly trips putting on the boots, then hustles Barry out the door and to the truck. There are still pages in his hand.

By the time they arrive at the labs, Barry's sure they've almost died at least thrice and he's concerned Owen might vibrate right out of his skin. They find Dr. Wu waiting for them, amusement bright in his dark eyes. He leads them through the building and into an elevator. Owen spends the next minute and a half tapping rapidly against the knife that seems to be welded to his hip (there's very few times that Barry's actually seen him take it off) and putting the other occupants on edge.

Barry sighs audibly when the elevator stops and the doors swish open.

Owen doesn't calm down until he's standing in front of an incubator, five eggs nestled neatly inside. He goes very still and looks at them the way one might look at an aurora borealis when observing it for the first time.

"They're here, Barry", he says in hushed tones. His awe is infectious and Barry's giving him a watery smile, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest.

"Yeah," he says just as quietly, "they're here."


Barry, sadly, is not on the island when the eggs hatch. He's off helping with supply deliveries and the eggs aren't due to hatch for at least another few days.

When he returns to the island, Claire Dearing herself is on him and she doesn't look to happy. She tells him about the eggs, how they hatched and how four out of five died overnight. She tells him about Owen and how he's done nothing but mope in the bungalow and how no one's seen him in days. He e-mails his reports to Wu and occasionally appears to fetch more meat for his remaining raptor, but otherwise he is a recluse. Barry can hear the worry in her tone, hidden beneath a layer of annoyance. He gets the message; check on Owen and make sure he's okay.

He sets off for the restricted area without much prompting and arrives to see Owen stretched out on the hammock, a tiny animal (a velociraptor) curled up on his chest. Owen's eyes are very, very blank. It's not the hazy vacancy he has when he looks off into the distance, nor is it the trance-like cloudiness that shows up when he's around animals. No, it's just blank emptiness, like Owen's body is there, but his mind is far away.

Barry approaches them slowly, wary of the very awake raptor and the glare she's shooting at him.

"Owen?" Barry calls softly.

Owen starts slightly and the raptor's glare intensifies for a moment before she's cooing softly at the human she's curled on. Owen smiles softly at her, though it turns into a grimace when she slips a little and her claws sink slightly through his shirt. She chirps in apology and Owen slides a finger down her back.

"You okay?" Barry asks, just a little wary, still.

"I'll be fine," Owen answers, smile weak but genuine.

"I gotta introduce you to someone." He taps the raptor gently on her nose and says, "Barry, this is Blue, she's my best girl. Blue, meet Barry, he's my best friend."

Blue relaxes, just marginally. In time, Barry and her learn to trust each other almost as much as they trust Owen.


In the two months it takes for the new batch to be delivered, Barry is witness to the amazing relationship between Blue and Owen. When he finally recovers from the heartbreak of losing the first clutch and Owen goes back to doing rounds around the park, he takes Blue everywhere with him. There's a few places Owen can't take her and instead leaves her in Barry's care. She's a good girl for him and Owen's proud of that fact. She isn't very friendly to most other people though and when she's in distress she'll call out until someone has to run and get Owen. Barry is amused to learn she spends most of her time outside the restricted area in either Owen's pockets or around his neck.

They fall into a pretty routine schedule (or a least as routine as it could possibly be with a man walking around with a raptor on his shoulder like a vicious parrot with needle sharp teeth).

And then the second batch of eggs begin to hatch.


He doesn't know he's fallen asleep until Owen is at his side and shaking him into wakefulness. Barry sputters a little, cursing in something distinctly not English. Owen chuckles at him and tells him not to say such things around children. He's bemused to see Blue curled around Owen's neck, giving him a toothy parody of Owen's smirk.

"Why am I awake, Owen," Barry groans. At that Owen begins to vibrate and he swears Blue shudders.

"The eggs are hatching!" he hisses.

"What already? When did Dr. Wu call you?" Barry startles, wide-eyed.

"He hasn't!" is Owen's response, but before Barry can question him further is out the door and Barry has to scramble after him. There's no way in hell he's letting him drive again (he still has nightmares about crashing from when they first called Owen to tell him about the eggs being made).

Barry is reminded of the time they went to see the first batch of eggs. Owen's frantic energy has calmed, but he's still smiling like a maniac and Blue's making excited little croons.

When they arrive at lab, Wu and the other scientists start at their sudden appearance.

"Mr. Grady, I was just about to call you-" he's cut off by Owen rushing by him, hardly giving him a second glance and heading straight for the incubator. Wu presses his lips together, but clears the room.

Barry can see the raptors hatching through the observatory window, can see the look of bliss on Owen's face as he cleans them up and gathers them into his lap, giving them a quick feeding from the bowl by his side. He feels warm, and he's glad they chose Owen Grady for the raptor program. He doubts anyone else would have looked at those animals with such love. Perhaps the same wonder and awe, perhaps a bit of fear, but never with such love. There's not even an ounce of fear in Owen's eyes as he gently pets the nose of the tiny raptor who had tried to snap at his finger.

Barry's pretty sure they've chosen the perfect man for the job.


The most amusing thing, Barry thinks, is the reaction people have when they realize Owen is the raptor handler.

They're all confident and cocky or flirty until they see the golden eyes shining from the confines of Owen's huge pockets or they see the raptor perched on his shoulder. That's usually when they begin to back away slowly. When Owen tilts his head in confusion and his girls mimic him (which Barry thinks is adorable), people begin to run. Barry thinks it's hilarious. Owen calls him an asshole. Barry suspects his girls also laugh.

Other people like to make jokes, harmless things like calling Owen 'raptor mom' or 'alpha mom' or some variation thereof and even Owen finds those kind of funny. He takes the teasing in stride and feeds his girls bits of his burger when they refrain from biting anyone who comes within range. Still, there are others, mainly the handlers, who are wary of him. They watch him with suspicious eyes, memories of how the animals react to him vivid in their minds.

Sometimes Barry wonders about it too.

He's sure someone would have lost a limb if not for Owen being there at the right time and place. Barry's noticed that since his girls were born, Owen's been more rested and that he doesn't space out as much. When his eyes do glaze over and his expression becomes vacant, it doesn't take long for Blue to nudge him out of it, crowing softly and barking happily when she gets a response from him. Sometimes Barry is sure that Owen's communicating with them, impossible as it seems.

He buries the thought, convincing himself he's imagining things. Then one day Barry comes over to the bungalow and he sees Owen talking to the raptors. It's like they're talking back, though how Owen understands the barks and cheeps and clicks is beyond Barry. Owen catches his eye and an unusual sort of determination settles on his face.

Owen tells him about his abilities.

Barry doesn't him believe him at first. Of course he doesn't, it's ridiculous that anyone could form a mental (psychic) connection with an animal. But the girls are taking formation around Owen and Blue's looking him in the eye, challenge blazing in golden pools. She's so young (they all are), but he can see the intelligence burning within is very real.

Barry believes and Barry promises to protect this secret because Owen's his friend and the girls are important to him. He shudders to think what would happen to them if it ever got out.


Barry is both unamused and unsurprised when he drives over to the bungalow through mud and around fallen branches to find Owen asleep on the floor surrounded by raptors (and two strange new additions). This is a lie. It's very amusing to see a grown man curled up like a child and covered in dinosaurs. He's also very surprised by the two new additions. They're not like anything he's ever seen and while he has confidence in Owen's abilities, he not sure about those two.

He gives the sleeping man's shin a gentle kick and when that doesn't work he kicks a little harder. Owen startles awake, eyes wide and wild. The raptors screech in alarm and Blue flies in front of her alpha, capable and ready to tear anything apart even in her young age.

The other girls follow suit, crowding Owen and the smaller additions between them.

Barry can't help the laugh that explodes from his mouth.

The girls deflate, Blue turns her back on him to check on Owen, Charlie snaps her jaws at him before wandering off (in search of something to chew on probably), and Delta follows her. Echo gives him look that clearly states how displeased she is with him.

"Hey Barry, you gave us a bit o a scare," Owen grumbles, holding the cat-sized white dinosaurs(?) to his chest. Barry chuckles a little more.

"No kidding. Who are they?" he nods towards the two strange little creatures in Owen's arms.

"Oh, this is Roma and Venizia, the first and probably last of their kind."

"Which would be..."

"Indominus rex, part raptor, part t-rex."

Barry is silent for a moment then snorts.

"Scientists, mon dieu."

Owen makes a sound of agreement. Then he's putting the two girls down and ushering them in Barry's direction. They stubbornly refuse to move from behind his legs.

"C'mon girls, it's just Barry. He's a good guy, I promise. Barry's my best friend." Blue gives them a few nudges and encouraging chirps to go with Owen's words.

They shyly move in front of him. Barry gazes at them and they gaze back and it isn't until Barry gives them a soft smile that they relax. If the Alpha trusts him, then so do they.


Mkay so I'm planning on making next chapter about Owen and the squad before we get to the plot so if there's anything you want to see let me know!

Remember, reviews give me inspiration and encouragement to write.