Title: Mend my Heart

Rating: G

Disclaimer:

Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcom, Billy Brennan, Tim, Lexie and any other recognizable character, part of script or plot of Jurassic Park belongs to Universal Pictures Amblin Entertainment.

In no way is the author claiming ownership of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.

No copyright infringement intended.

Original characters are property of the author.

Italics are Ellie's thoughts.

Mend My Heart

Don't do it Ellie. He will break your heart.'

They've survived again. Somehow they've stood up against Biosyn and faced not only one but three large predators and they have survived. She knows that their survival is based simply on luck but feeling lucky can be dangerous, especially when you have a broken and yearning heart.

She feels invincible and untouchable.

Dangerous.

If she doesn't take this chance now, she knows she will never take it. If she lets Alan go back to the dig, back to his solitary life, she knows that she will never see him again. He will find a way to avoid her, or she will, it's really all up in the air. She has to take the chance or she will regret it for the rest of her life.

'Don't! Don't! Don't!'

Really? What's the worst that could happen? He could say no, something she already has experience with. He could tell her that he might not have been happy but that the dig was his life. He could even say that he just wanted to have a laid-back life and going with her to continue the work against Biosyn and the dinosaur black market is just something he doesn't want to get involved with. The worst he can say is no.

She can feel him standing beside her as she places the locust DNA sample into the cold container. Her fingers tremble lightly as she gathers the courage to say the words that seem stuck in her throat. Maybe if she starts with something else, she can ease her way to it.

"I have to drop this at the lab before I take it to my contact at The Times." She explains as she feels his gaze on her. She can tell he's observing her, she has always been able to do so, but whether that gaze is that of her ex-lover or a friend, she has no idea. Quite frankly, she's afraid to look.

'Just ask him, Ellie.'

"You could come with me." She leans on the container's top to seal it properly. The last thing she wants is for the DNA to spoil on the way back to the US. If it does, this whole thing will have been for nothing. With the evidence having been burned there would be no way to link the locust that have spread all over the world with the locust in the Biosyn lab. She will have put Alan's life in danger and wouldn't have anything to prove that her theory was right. Knowing that Alan will probably feel cornered with her words, Ellie quickly adds. "Unless you have to go back to the dig."

She winces as soon as the words have left her lips.

'You shouldn't have said that. Stupid, stupid Ellie. Reminding him of the dig and his life is not going to help you at all. Stupid!'

"Ellie." She hears him say in something akin to a sigh.

She closes her eyes and prepares herself for the letdown. Her heart thundering in her chest as his voice reverberates in her mind. He sounded so defeated, so done with all what they've gone thru.

Why had she even though of asking him? Why had she forced herself to say the words? Alan is a man of patterns. Every day is structured similarly. The routine makes him happy. Leaving with her is certainly a contradiction to everything he loves. He would have to leave behind everything he holds dear, especially the fossils he loves so much.

What made her think that she was worth abandoning his life for? She has nothing to offer to him other than a stable home and two semi-adults who will be going in and out of her life as they grow up. She has nothing exciting to give to him, nothing that will keep him on his toes like his discoveries do, nothing to fawn about. Sure, she has her never-ending love for him, but that hadn't been enough once and she seriously worries it won't be enough again.

'Just say it Alan, say what you need to say. End my misery.'

She'll hide on the way back home, nurse her broken heart yet again and find the strength to somehow continue going, just like she'd done the first time she had asked him to leave a dig site with her. At least this time she has something to focus on; getting that DNA sample to the lab and then exposing Biosyn for what it really is.

She finishes securing the lid and slowly turns towards him, acknowledging that he has said her name. She doesn't turn to look into his eyes though. Her gaze remain lowered, looking at his boots instead of his eyes. At least this way she won't see the rejection in his eyes and she'll be able to hide the tears that will no doubt make an appearance.

'Say it, Alan! Turn me down! Just say it.''

"I'm coming with you."

'There it is. The answer she had known she'd- Wait. What did he say?'

She slowly looks up, her eyes finding his as her brow wrinkles with confusion. He's looking at her with a soft smile on his face, his hands on his hips. There's an expectant look in his eyes. He's waiting to see what her reaction will be. That doesn't bother her, what she doesn't find is slightly more concerning; there is no trace of surprise at his own words.

'Is this real? Is he really here or am I going to wake up and find myself in some abandoned look-out house or alone on the airplane back home? Did he really say he was coming with me? Please God, let it be real. Please.'

"Alan." His name comes out of her lips in a whisper. She's sure that if she says it any louder it will break the spell and he will vanish. She has to touch him. She has to feel the warmth of his skin under her fingers to know that he's really there.

She takes a step forward, her hand rising as her eyes search for his gaze. She can see happiness, hope but also a bit of uncertainty.

'Are you afraid that this is also a dream? That I will disappear and leave you behind Don't do it Ellie. He will break your heart.'

The first contact of the palm of her hand with his cheek sends shivers up her spine. He's warm, alive, real. It's really happening. He really just said that he was going back with her. Her and not to the dig.

The feel of his cheek isn't enough. She has to feel him. All of him.

Ellie closes the distance between them, her other hand rising to cup the back of his head. Her lips find his instantly as her body presses against him. It's a sweet yet desperate kiss, a kiss that shows just how much she loves him. She hopes it also shows that throughout all these years she has missed him and not just as a friend but as a lover, as the better half of her, as the missing part of her heart.

She feels his hands move to her hips then slide up her back to pull her just a little closer. She responds by pressing herself further against him, going up on her tip toes and sliding her hand down from his cheek to his neck. There's absolutely no space between them. Her body is molded to his and yet it feels like it's not enough. She can feel him tightening his hold on her, pulling her, needing her just as close as she needs him.

Her lungs scream with the need to breathe but she continues to kiss him. She doesn't want it to end. She doesn't care if a Giganotosaurus or a T-Rex makes their way to the paddock, she will continue kissing him for an eternity if she can.

'I love you. I'm never letting go. I'm never leaving you again. I love you.'

She breaks the kiss but only because if she keeps it any longer, she will grow lightheaded. The last thing they need is for her to pass out while waiting for their plane back to the States. The urge to stay pressed against him is still too strong so she wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him as close as she can. Alan wraps his arms fully around her, keeping her in place against him.

"You are real." She whispers against his neck. She takes a deep breath inhaling his scent, her fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck.

She hears him hum in agreement. Yes, he is real. Yes, he said he was coming with her. After all these years he's finally coming with her.

She can feel his heartbeat thundering against her chest and wonders if he can feel hers. She doesn't want to pull away but she needs to look into his blue eyes once more. There's an easy grin plastered on his face, one that she knows she is mirroring. His expression seems lighter, his stance secure, like the weight of twenty-seven years has finally been lifted from him. Her hands go to his shoulders, to hold him, to anchor herself to him.

"No changing your mind, you old fossil." She teases, using the nickname she had used all those years ago. It gets the desired effect, a chuckle from him.

"I wouldn't change my mind even if my life depended on it." He mumbles to her. She knows he's keeping his voice low because they aren't alone but she still can't help but want to shout from the top of the surrounding mountains that Alan Grant is coming with her. "You are stuck with me, Ellie Sattler, old grouch and everything."

She wants to kiss him again, aches for it, but before she can lean in, she hears the announcement that the airplane bound for the States is ready to go. There will be time for kissing later; at the plane, in her car, at her home or literally anywhere else she pleases. There's plenty of time now that he's coming with her.

You did it. You mended your heart. Don't let him go.