Out Of Luck

Author's Note: First Jurassic Park fic, and, I believe, first ever of this fandom: Nick/Ian. I'm kinda proud, I'm a pioneer! Anywho, don't hurt me, this wouldn't leave me alone after watching "The Lost World" twenty times, don't blame me, blame my upbringing! Oh, and R&R, please.

Disclaimer: Jurassic Park, not mine.

Nick Van Owen's heart fell when, with a snarl, a raptor leapt onto the roof of a truck, then onto Sarah's back. "Oh, shit," He whispered. The raptor ripped Sarah's backpack off of her and she scrambled out from under the dinosaur. All hell broke loose as the other lizards moved in on Ian, Sarah, and Kelly. "Oh, shit," Nick repeated dispiritedly. 'I have to help them,' A part of him knew that was a bad idea, but his mind was quickly made up when he saw Ian throw himself into a pick-up, then a raptor fling itself against the side. Nick whipped the door open and raced down the stairs. "Hey! Over here, ya big iguanas!" The raptors turned toward him.

"Nick, no!" Ian screamed, but the photographer ignored him. Nick was focused on the slowly stalking predators, who were equally focused on him. He didn't even turn when he heard the helicoptor blades.

"Get out of here, Ian! Take Sarah and Kelly and get out of here!"

"No!" Ian had slid out of the truck and was now standing in the open door. He could see Sarah and Kelly on the other side of the clearing, slowly heading for the door to the building that the helicoptor had landed on.

"Damnit, Malcolm, I don't have time to argue with you!" Nick made the mistake of glancing over at Ian. The only raptor that had not been scared off by the helicoptor jumped on him with frightening speed. Nick felt the dinosaur's sickeningly hot breath on his arm, a sharp pain, then nothing. He heard Ian scream his name, but it was distant and echoey. The mathematician ran to his side and slid to his knees in the mud. Ian inhaled sharply at the sight of his friend's condition.

"Ian," Sarah slowly walked up behind him, visibly pale.

"Get out of here," Malcolm said quietly.

"But-"

"I'm afraid to move him. He might go into shock. Just tell them to send a medical chopper,"

Sarah nodded after a moment, then turned and ran back to Kelly. The two headed into the building. Ian turned back to Nick and cradled the photographer's head in his lap, uncharacteristically gentle.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, unaware of his injury. Ian swallowed and glanced over. Nick tried to follow his gaze, but Ian wouldn't let him. "Ian, what's going on? What happened?" Malcolm opened his mouth, then shut it again. He didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. Nick proceeded to struggle in Ian's arms, trying to see what had happened to him. Finally, Ian did the only thing he could think of: he kissed him. Nick fell still, shocked. Ian drew back after a moment. "Wow,' Nick whispered when he finally found his voice.

Ian smiled tiredly. "Thank you,"

Suddenly, before Ian could stop him, Nick looked off to his right, where his injury was. He paled and his eyes went wide. Where the sleeve of his tee shirt ended, there was no arm. That lay a few feet away. He began to breathe in shallow, hitching gasps. His face took on a gray pallor that Ian regarded with some alarm.

"Don't look, don't look," Malcolm forced his face away.

"Or what, you'll kiss me again?" Nick laughed weakly, but Ian could feel him shivering in his arms. He took off his jacket and gently covered the prone form, taking extra care near the steadily bleeding wound.

"That better?" Nick nodded slowly, in a dream-like way. Ian sighed, tired to the bone, and smoothed Nick's hair back from his forehead, which was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Some part of the mathematician knew that the man in his arms wasn't going to make it, but he still clung stubbornly to a thin ray of hope. He could already hear the blades of another approaching helicoptor. "You're going to be okay," Ian said quietly, more to himself than the fading man in his lap.

Nick scoffed weakly. "Liar," Both tried to laugh, but it was too forced to their ears. They lapsed into silence for a moment, then Nick spoke in little more than a whisper. "Ian, since I'm not going to make it out of here-"

"Don't-"

Nick set his fingers on Ian's lips, silencing him. "Stop it," He slowly lowered his hand. "I know I'm not going to make it out of here, so, do you think I could get another kiss?" Ian blinked, somwhere between shocked and flattered. Nick laughed weakly. "Hey, if I'm going out, I might as well go out happy, right?"

Ian nodded slowly, smiling in spite of himself. "Okay," He said after a moment, then leaned down and gently kissed Nick. It was longer this time; more passionate...and the receiver returned the kiss. Too soon, the lips beneath Ian's went still, and the body of Nick Van Owen fell limp.

Ian straightened, gazing at Nick's calm face, then tilted his own face toward the heavens. The rain ran down his cheeks, mingling with tears.