DanWor - thank you for your kind review :) I'm working on a Christmas fic at the moment, so that's a few months after they take her in. I haven't thought of doing before that, but I might put together some oneshots in that time frame. Thanks for the idea :)


Catie waited until she heard Owen head out to the garage to work before grabbing some snacks, including a few packets of jerky. Then she headed out around the lake with it all, losing herself in her thoughts as she walked. It was like Lennie and Owen did not trust her. They had taught her how to take care of herself, Owen had taught her self-defence and Lennie had taught her how to handle herself around boys. Lennie had even given her a can of mace! Well…more like a box of cans of mace. Either way, she was prepared. She could take care of herself. Despite everything, they still acted like she was nine!

She made her way to a spot next to the water that was close to the treeline. It was close enough to the cabin that neither Lennie or Owen would freak out when they could not see her, but with enough bushes and trees nearby that Beta would be concealed.

A couple of weeks ago she had discovered Beta while out on a walk around the lake. She looked exactly like Blue! Afterwards she had done some research online and by guessing Owen's password. She got access to his laptop and files from his and Lennie's time at Jurassic World. While scrolling the files, she found that some lizards could either change sex or reproduce without a partner, parthenogenesis it was called. And Jurassic World had supplemented the gaps in the DNA of their creatures with some of these lizards.

Admittedly, she only checked Owen's laptop because Lennie's laptop password proved to be harder to guess and she gave up.

And she knew she probably should have told Lennie and Owen - especially since it was likely Blue and the other raptors were around somewhere close - but she liked having this secret. And she had been safe, thanks to the things she had read on Owen's laptop about him training Blue.

Sighing, she sat down and opened the jerky packet. She really thought things were getting better, that Owen and Lennie were in a better…mood? Place? Hell if she knew. But last night they were so happy around the fire! Then she asked about the camping trip and everything went to shit. When she heard the door to Owen and Lennie's bedroom, she left her room to grab a glass of water and saw Lennie outside alone crying.

Was this all her fault?

Then again, why should she feel guilty for wanting to go camping with her friends? She was 14! She had a damned life! They just did not understand. How could they? They were not genetically engineered…whatever the hell she was.

Beta popped out of the underbrush, chittering curiously at her.

"Hey, Beta," she said, smiling. "You hungry?"

The baby raptor pushed closer and nudged her hand, the one with the jerky in it, with her head.

"Okay, okay," Catie laughed. "I can take a hint."

Beta chirped appreciatively when she threw her a piece of jerky.

"Bet Blue doesn't hold you back, eh, Beta?" she muttered. "She probably lets you do all the hunting you want, lets you roam on your own, be free." Sighing, she grabbed a rock and tossed it into the underbrush.

A low growl sounded and Blue prowled out of the bushes, hissing. Catie took a step back, while Beta ran to her mom, chirping. "Hey, Blue," she muttered, trying to clamp down on her nerves. "You…you want some too?" She reached for the jerky, but pulled back with gasp when Blue roared.

Catie froze. Maybe going out of the way of the cabin was a bad idea, maybe she had gotten too comfortable with Beta. Behind her she heard snow crunching and hoped like hell it was not the other raptors.

"Easy, girl!" Owen ran out in front of her, hand raised. "Easy."

Blue snapped and hissed.

"Catie, just relax, don't let her think you're scared," he said over his shoulder.

"But I am scared," she insisted, through ground teeth.

Owen inched forward. "Yeah, but she doesn't need to know that, does she?"

Instead of answering she stood frozen, trying to regulate her breathing. Maybe she should have told Owen and Lennie after all.

Blue hissed again as he neared her, but Owen stayed steady and just shook his head. With a final snap, she hissed and ran off into the woods with Beta.

As soon as Blue and Beta were gone, Owen rounded on Catie. "How the hell long have you known about this?" he snapped. "Why the hell didn't you think to tell us?"

"I'm sorry, I -."

"Go back to the cabin," he muttered angrily, before turning to look back to where Blue had run off. "Must have a nest around here somewhere."

"But I -."

"No buts, Catie," he shouted, turning back to her. "Just get your ass back in the cabin. We'll talk about this later!"

With a growl, she rolled her eyes and stomped off back to the cabin. It was like she was a toddler! "Not like they're my parents," she grumbled to herself as she opened the door. "How can you have parents when you're not even a real person!"


Lennie sighed as she dropped a couple of teaspoons of sugar into her coffee, then stirred it in as she headed upstairs to her office. Things had been going so well. Had she just fucked up beyond repair? That could not be right. He had told her he loved her just before things went to shit.

Dropping down onto her office couch, she took a sip of her coffee and tried to calm her thoughts. Today. She had to talk to Owen today. Otherwise how long would it be before things got to a breaking point and they drifted completely apart?

"Being an adult sucks," she muttered around the rim of her cup.

Owen had, as usual, woken up before her and headed out. She was pretty sure he was in the garage, but she did not want to jump on him first thing in the morning. Especially before she had had her morning cup of coffee. Maybe as soon as she finished, she could head out to the garage and try to talk.

Sighing again, she took another sip of her coffee. Why the hell did all of this shit have to be so complicated? She should have just talked to Owen when she first started feeling…off.

Downstairs she heard the door slam and Catie mutter, "How can you have parents when you're not even a real person?"

Immediately, she shot up off the couch and went downstairs just in time for Catie to slam her bedroom door. Lennie walked up to the door and knocked softly. "Catie?"

"Go away!"

"Sure," she agreed. "Or we could commiserate with the leftover chocolate and marshmallows. I'll be on the couch."

Putting her coffee on the table, Lennie retrieved the leftovers from the cupboard and sat down on the couch waiting. Just when she thought Catie was not going to join her, the bedroom door slowly cracked open and a timid Catie peered out. "Are the marshmallows melted?"

Lennie grinned. "Not yet, but we could microwave them - be a lot faster than starting a fire."

Catie pushed out of her room fully and went to the cupboard to get a plate. Never let it be said she did not know how to coax Catie out of her own head. "You wanna grab the graham crackers too?"

"Already on it," Catie replied, holding up the box.

Taking the box, she began assembling the s'mores. "You wanna talk about it?"

Catie rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fair enough," she said. "But for what it's worth, you are a real person. You're our real person and you mean the world to us both."

Catie bit down on her lip, fighting a laugh.

"What? Too much?" Lennie asked with a wide grin.

"Just a little bit," Catie said, finally laughing.

Lennie slipped an arm around her, dropping a kiss on her head. "Too bad. Pop these in the microwave," she said, handing her the plate. As Catie walked away, Lennie called, "Hey."

Closing the door on the microwave, she arched an eyebrow.

"Got you to smile."

Rolling her eyes again, Catie muttered, "I'm not sure who's worse."

"Yeah, but we both love you," Lennie shot back.

Catie opened her mouth, then closed it, looking down at the counter.

"What is it?" Before Catie could speak up, Lennie heard an engine outside. "That's weird," she muttered, walking to the door. Outside she saw the same shitty truck from the gas station. The same greasy asshole smiled at her through the window and, with no choice, she tried not to move her lips as she said, "Catie, lock the back door, get in your room."

"What -."

"Now. Please." There was no reply, but she could not risk the asshole knowing Catie was home. Who the hell knew why he was here and no way in hell was he getting his hands on her. On either of them. She slowly walked to the door and opened it. "We're closed."

The asshole smiled wider. "Hello again, sweetheart."

"Get the fuck off my property."

"Happy to oblige," he muttered. "Soon as you hand over that kid of yours."

"Get the fuck off my property, asshole," she repeated, trying not to show her surprise. Or her worry. If he knew about Catie, he was not just some random poacher. And his running into Owen and running into them at the gas station probably was not a coincidence. "I won't ask nicely again."

"That what passes for 'nice' 'round here?" he asked, smirking at her.

A scream tore her attention away from the asshole. "Lennie!"

When she turned, she saw Catie being dragged out the door by another asshole. Fucker was distracting her! "Catie!" She bolted to the back door and saw two men dragging Catie around front. Ducking back inside, she went for the front door again, but was stopped short by a gunshot. The bullet ricocheted off the wall next to her head and she ducked behind the counter. "Catie!" The glass in the window over her head shattered with another shot.

"Let me go! Lennie!"

Hearing Catie scream her name broke her heart and she tried to get up and run outside again, only to be forced back by multiple gunshots. An engine revved and another shot rung out, so Lennie risked a glance outside and saw the truck speeding off. "CATIE! CATIE!"

Again a shot rung out, hitting the side of the cabin next to her head.

Running inside, she headed straight for the lockbox in their bedroom where Owen had the shotgun.