Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.

2. The Return

Stepping off the boat that arrived at Isla Nublar, everyone was wrapped in a blanket of thick humidity and stifling heat. With all three bags about her person, Gwyn followed the flow of tourists towards the hopefully air conditioned tram station that would transport them all to the park. It was only a two or three minute walk from dockside to building, but the sun was so strong that Gwyn could already feel sweat forming on her spine. Those around her vocalized their excitement, their glee at finally being able to get hold of a trip to the park; their faces were bright and happy, cheeks rosy from the heat and eyes glittering in the light. The paleontologist, however, looked more on the concerned side. She had been chewing at the inside of her lip, which was now unhappily raw, and Gwyn couldn't help but bite down even harder now that she saw the masses of people that surrounded her. Half of her brain said 'happy tourists' the other half said 'possible dino food.' She wasn't unhappy, mind you, simply… concerned.

The few days that she had spent traveling on plane and boat, she'd begun to rethink her decision to accept the job. What the hell was a 'consulting paleontologist' anyway? What use would she be as an animal behaviorist if they didn't even know the baseline behaviors of dinosaurs? Through the many emails she'd been exchanging with the park's human resources department and Mr. Masrani himself, Gwyn had been assured that all her questions would be answered when she got to the park. There was also comfort in the fact that she wasn't legally bound by a contract yet, so she still had the chance to turn the job down should she wish. Though, there was part of her brain that was too prideful to do so, too adamant on proving something to herself and to her father, who would happily welcome her home. What do I have to prove to myself? she asked herself as she removed her shoes so she could make her way through the security check. That you aren't a wimp and can handle being around the live versions of the creatures you love. Once her bags were checked over and she stumbled getting back into her shoes, she made for the tram, ignoring the shops and cafés that were enticing her as she walked past.

And what do I have to prove to my father?

That question physically made Gwyn stop in her tracks, staring into a bookshop that was boasting copies of one of her father's books––his very first one, actually, the one purely about dinosaurs. The second, third, and fourth ones would probably never even be sold on the island for the fact that it was about the events of Jurassic Park; and that would certainly scare away tourists. They seemed to have covered up said events as thoroughly as they possibly could, obscuring it with fallacies, jargon, a laugh, and a wave of the hand. But what was it she had to prove to her father? Thinking on the question as she moved, she came to this conclusion: Gwyn wanted to prove that she wasn't as fragile as he thought she was on the subject of the events of Jurassic Park. She no longer had to prove her mettle as a paleontologist, or as an animal behaviourist and enthusiast. But in his eyes, she was still––to some capacity––the little girl with the scraped-up knees and wide eyes who couldn't ride a bike. But she was thirty-two years old, knew not only how to ride a bike, but also drive a car, and felt like she needed live up to what she now was. A professional. And, even if she didn't want to admit it, she, too, often still saw herself as that eleven year-old girl.

The wait for the tram ended up being about twenty minutes long by the time Gwyn got to the platform. So she sat herself down, tugged out a journal and started to jot down some first-day-back thoughts, the way a teenage girl might document her first day back to school in some clichéd tv movie. But there was an odd itch she got at the back of her neck, like she was being watched. Looking up from under her lashes, she spotted a boy of about six staring at her from a few feet off. He had a backwards baseball cap on his red-haired head, and his eyes were intently trained on her chest. Looking down, Gwyn noticed her blue button down shirt had sagged open, revealing her scar more openly than it did when she was standing up. Pursing her lips in a near excellent and unintentional impression of her father, she began to finish buttoning up the shirt so only the last two buttons were undone. The scar wasn't something she was ashamed of anymore, but it was uncomfortable when people stared… especially at parties.

The tram, sleek and futuristic looking since its walls were made completely out of glass, was the first thing that tipped Gwyn off that the park had severely changed the way it presented itself. It looked and felt like she was on her way to Disneyland, not Jurassic Park. She made sure she got a true window seat, stowing all of her bags around her feet; it made her look messy and unorganized, but she honestly couldn't care less. It turned out the little boy who had been staring at her earlier made the choice to sit right next to her, sandwiching himself between her and his father. The tram began to speed off through the thick foliage of the jungle, and that was when Gwyn became aware, again, that the boy was staring at her. In a display of discomfort that would do Alan proud, Gwyn shifted in her seat, cleared her throat and turned to look at the boy. She loved kids, but the intensity with which had been staring at her was just… unnerving. His father had a set of headphones in and his nose buried in a book, unaware of whatever it was his son was doing.

"What's your favorite dinosaur?" he suddenly inquired. Her brows rose sharply, surprised by the question. She had thought, surely, that it would have been about the scar; but there was a childish curiosity in his voice that made her smile, realizing that the stare had been so intent because he'd been plucking up the courage to talk.

"A brachiosaurus. How about you? What's your favorite?" she asked kindly. He smiled brightly, and drew out a book from a small backpack that sat on his lap. He flipped open to a page with practiced ease and pointed to a drawing in one of the top corners. "Ah, the lambeosaurus. Did you know they could move on both four legs and two?" Most of the ride thereafter consisted of the little boy enthusing about his love for dinosaurs, and Gwyn telling him facts about different ones. Eventually the boy talked himself into exhaustion, slumping against his father's side as he fell asleep. It was when they approached the park gates that the smile on Gwyn's lips began fade again. The doors and stone archway looked the same, so similar, in fact, she wondered if they'd just repurposed the gates and changed the lettering above the door. No longer did it read 'Jurassic Park' in bold red letters. Instead, between two flickering flames, glossy blue letters beheld the name 'Jurassic World.'

Gwyn stepped off the tram and slipped on her aviators and donned her father's hat for good measure. She stared into the throng of people that swarmed towards the park, with the Grant family frown pulling down at the corners of her mouth. The smell of humidity, jungle, and fresh dew reached her nose, and a stinging sense of familiarity began to bloom inside her chest. Shouldering her messenger bag and snatching up her other two, she sighed to herself; she wouldn't have thought that she would return to Isla Nublar, but there she was. In the back of her head, there was a little bit of her that was shouting that she needed to turn around and get back on the tram, get back to the boat and go back home, forget this island ever existed. But she had a job to do. And, besides, it had been about twenty years… a lot changes in twenty years. The sun, beating down on the back of her neck, was hot enough to cause sweat to begin to bead on her forehead and the middle of her back. Just like before. She adjusted her messenger bag, grabbed her other two bags and let a sigh slip past her lips.

"Here we go again…" she said to herself quietly, beginning to push her way through the dense crowd.

Following the signs, she made her way towards the visitor center. It was there she was to meet the Manager of Park Operations and attend what would surely be a long, strenuous meeting. She'd never had the patience for such things, one of the many reasons she prefered field work. On her way there, Gwyn past over four gift shops or kiosks, one Starbucks, three bars, a handful of information centers, and various signs that pointed patrons towards different paddocks or attractions. The drastic change in atmosphere since the last she'd been there was honestly completely and totally shocking. She felt like she was at an amusement park like Six Flags; like she should turn to see a rollercoaster instead of, say, a brachiosaurus. The shock left her looking rather awe-struck and a little lost, but she eventually spotted the visitor's center. It was a large, almost volcano shaped building that stood out against all the others, the spotless windows glittering in the bright midday sunlight. Gwyn continued to shoulder her way through the crowd gently, heading straight for the center with a determined set to her walk.

OOOO

Claire Dearing had been waiting outside the visitor center for almost ten minutes. Seven minutes and twenty four seconds, to be completely and utterly exact. She had been impulsively checking her delicate wrist-watch every couple of moments in between scanning the crowd for Dr. Grant. But she had to be thankful for small mercies, she supposed. Her sleek, fitted, grey dress was at least keeping her cool; it was the hottest day they'd had in a week, but as uncomfortable as it was, it meant that sales in the cafés, cabanas, and bars would go up. Once again, small mercies… With a slight sigh, Claire turned her wrist towards herself, glancing down at the watch face as strands of red hair drifted into her eyes. Eight minutes, three seconds… When she glanced back up, however, she immediately spotted the paleontologist, mostly because she was dressed exactly how Claire expected paleontologists to dress.

A woman wearing military green shorts, a blue button-down, and sturdy brown boots crested the top of the stairs, screwing the top back onto a water-bottle. Two duffel bags hung from her right hand, her fingers turning pink from the weight that was bearing down on them. She had the right idea wearing a hat and sunglasses, the latter of which Claire wished she had donned before waiting outside. Raising an arm to flag her down, Claire put on a bright smile to welcome her new employee.

"Dr. Grant!" she called out, drawing the woman's attention. Gwyn pulled her sunglasses off and pushed them into a pocket of her messenger bag, deciding to keep her hat on to protect the back of her neck. The red headed woman extended a hand, continuing to smile brightly. "I'm Claire Daring, Manager of Park Operations."

"Gwyn Grant," Gwyn introduced, producing a smile of her own. "I hope you haven't been waiting outside too long."

Claire waved a hand through the air dismissively and then turned on her heel and, with the same hand, gestured Gwyn to follow her inside. The moment they pushed through the doors, Gwyn was hit with a refreshing, cool blast of air conditioning. Claire began to work her fingers across the screen of her tablet, drawing up the information she needed as she talked.

"I trust that your journey here was satisfactory?" she inquired. Gwyn nodded, glancing around the visitor's center as they passed the stairs that spiraled up to the second floor. It was clear they had vamped off the original design, but it was all quite a bit more technologically advanced. As an example––one that actually wrenched at Gwyn's stomach, actually––was the absence of dinosaur skeletons; instead, in the center of the room, there was a hologram of a live one instead. Holograms were good fun and all, but they were surrounded by the real thing. And to have a skeleton sort of reminded one where all this came from, why it was all possible.

"Very much so," Gwyn confirmed.

"I was told this isn't your first time here on Isla Nublar? How was your last experience on the island? How would you rate the visit, if you wouldn't mind my asking?" Claire asked, looking prepared to type her responses down on the tabled in her hand. "Here at Jurassic World we're bent on giving each guest the best experience possible." Gwyn laughed and looked down at her feet, one of her eyebrows twitching upwards. She pulled off her hat and scratched at the back of her head, accidentally picking a few strands of hair loose from her braid. Claire's smile began to wane at the woman's reaction; why would she be laughing? Had she received less than exemplary service? Had her accommodations been poor?

"Well, the last time I was on the island it was still home of Jurassic Park," Gwyn said simply. Claire stuttered to a halt, her balance teetering momentarily on her heels. Wide-eyed and apologetic looking, she lowered her tablet and covered her mouth with a hand.

"Oh… my god…" Claire suddenly berated herself for not remembering that was exactly what she had been told when she was briefed about their new employee. It wasn't just 'she'd been to the island before' it was 'she had been to the island before.' "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to––" Gwyn cut her off with another laugh, holding up a hand to stop her.

"It's fine, really. It was a long time ago."

"I really must apologize, Dr. Grant. I'll make sure that everyone is well-informed and told not to ask about your encounter; our goal is to make sure that everyone here is completely comfortable from patron to employee," Claire insisted, beginning to type out what the paleontologist could only assume was an email. The first name on said email list was 'Lowery,' because Claire just knew he would have a field day the moment he found out Gwyn was on the premises. With another laugh, Gwyn shook her head and adjusted the way her messenger bag sat on her shoulder.

"Like I said, it was a long time ago. People can ask if they like, I won't stop curiosity," Gwyn attempted to reassure. People were always curious about what happened and it was a story she had become very used to telling. She figured that, should she accept the job, she was likely to have to tell said story over and over again for a while till everyone had their fill and it spread around. "Curiosity is the name of the game here, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," Claire laughed with an uneasiness still present in her voice. She deleted the email with some hesitance, her finely manicured nails clicking against the screen. "Well, let's continue on then. I'm sure that you'll find yourself very happy here; we pride ourselves on being very technologically advanced and up to date with the latest advances."

They rounded a corner and found themselves flanked on either side by glass walls that allowed all the tourists to see into the InGen laboratories. Gwyn tuned out whatever it was Claire was saying, watching as scientists placed and adjusted numerous dinosaur eggs in incubators, moved around with test tubes in metal racks, or chatted to one another, gesturing to something on a clipboard. Lined up on the back wall were large chunks of amber, back lit so they glowed. A faint smile quirked up the side of Gwyn's mouth, thinking about John Hammond and his undying enthusiasm. That smile was replaced by a slight down turn of the lips and a pinch between her brows; an asian man with carefully groomed but greying black hair was overseeing one of the labs, walking around with his hands clasped behind his back. Gwyn could have sworn she recognized him…

"We've made leaps and bounds with genetics, and we have discovered so much more in the last few years than what digging up old bones has in the last century," Claire was saying, gesturing through a glass wall.

Gwyn scoffed and crossed her arms, slowing to a stop. Claire abruptly halted and turned to face the almost new employee, eyes wide in confusion. The red-haired woman's comment had rubbed the paleontologist the wrong way. Gwyn wanted to believe that this woman, possibly one of her soon-to-be bosses, was kind––using the email she almost sent out as evidence––but the distaste with which she'd taken a bite out of paleontology and archeology was just… unpleasant; especially to someone who had been involved with such scientific practices for, quite literally, the whole of her life.

"I happen to have devoted my entire career to 'digging up old bones.' And I happen to know that that work, that… process of making discoveries is far more pure than whatever your geneticists have been doing in these labs." Gwyn pointed to a man carrying a tray of unhatched dinosaur eggs. She could feel the ugly, snide part of her personality beginning to rear its head. Claire laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Dr. Grant, I can assure you that––"

"Are you still using frog DNA to fill in genetic gaps?"

"Well… we use a number of different DNA strands to fill in what isn't there––"

"I'd be careful with whatever it is you use," Gwyn said, watching as tourists crowded the windows, watching the goings-on in the lab with eager, curious eyes. "Last time around they didn't look too deep into just what genes they were introducing."

"I see that you're being given a tour of the facility, Dr. Grant."

"Mr. Masrani!" Claire exclaimed, spinning around. She cleared her throat and forced a smile onto her face again. "We've, um, actually just started."

The man who had approached was wearing a slick grey suit with a vivid yellow button down beneath the jacket. As his surname and accent suggested, he was Indian; and it was finally good to put a name to a face, a face that was smiling kindly at Gwyn. He seemed so happy and enthusiastic, something that she had only gotten a slight sense of through his emails. He turned to her, extending a hand for her to take.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Grant," Masrani told her. Gwyn returned his smile and accepted the proffered hand, feeling his underlying sense of enthusiasm become undeniably contagious. Her nervousness began to wane some, the spike of annoyance she'd felt a moment before beginning to lower itself.

"And you as well, Mr. Masrani. It's good to finally see the man behind the emails," she said. Masrani turned to Claire, who was hugging her tablet to her chest, and smiled at her while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I can finish her tour, Miss Dearing."

"But, Mr. Masrani––"

"You have the park to operate; I'm simply here to oversee and make decisions. It'll be no trouble for me to show Dr. Grant around the park." Claire pursed her glossy lips but nodded her head, hesitantly turning and walking towards the offices at the end of the hall. Masrani smiled at Gwyn again and gestured towards the front of the visitor's center. "Shall we?"

Afterword: Firstly, may I say, thank you so much, all of you, for taking an interest in this story! All of the positive feedback has been amazing, and I can't thank you enough for it. So, we'll probably meet Owen in the next chapter, if all goes according to plan. About a quarter to a half of the next chapter is already written, so, yeah! Hopefully that'll be up soon!

Review replies!

kitsunelover300: Again, thank you so much for your lovely review! I was very happy to hear you thought that Alan and Gwyn's relationship seemed realistic; I've also taken to the idea of wirting a prequel to this story, detailing what happened when they went to Jurassic Park, which gives another glimpse into their relationship. Seeing the T-Rex is definitely gonna be an experience; and meeting the raptors will be especially interesting––and probably fairly conflicting. And Owen will definitely have a hand in trying to help her get over her fear of raptors, since that's probably the one dinosaur she'd be most traumatized by. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the second chapter! Thank you so much for all of the positive feedback!

Miss Expendable: I'm glad the story piqued your interest; I hope that the second chapter did the same; thanks again!

LMarie99: Yay! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as well; thanks again!

d0 it like a dude: Super glad that you enjoyed the first chapter! I'm also glad Alan seems believable, I was mostly worried about portraying him as a father. I also hope/plan on writing a prequel that will detail Gwyn and Alan's experiences through Jurassic Park. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

heroherondaletotherescue: The raptor trauma will definitely come back into play, because she's gotta get to know Owen some how! And Alan will keep popping up now and again through phone/Skype calls, 'cause there's no way in HELL he's gonna leave her alone about deciding to work there. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967: I'm glad you've enjoyed so far! Thanks again!

Shnitzel: Gwyn will definitely clash with a good number of people at the park, and it's gonna be REAL interesting when she meets Dr. Wu again, as well as discovering they're genetically engineering a dinosaur. It'll also be interesting for her to meet Lowery, which I'm looking forward to writing. I hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

MidnightPenguin: I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed what I had written up for last chapter! Gwyn's relationship with Alan is definitely a special one, and we'll keep getting glances of that throughout the story. I hope you stick around to read more! Thanks again!

And thank you so, so much for those who added this story to their favorites/follows; it means a lot!

So, that's it for now! Next up we get to see Gwyn and Masrani take a tour of the park and maybe Owen will pop up somehow! Till then, thank you again for taking the time to read! You're all awesome!

~Mary