Thank you again to everyone who followed, liked, and reviewed. Truth be told, I'm going through a lot right now and hearing that people are liking my little getaway means the absolute world.

Order Up

Days blurred into weeks, which blurred into months. Four months to be exact, Liz realized as she crossed another day off the calendar on her fridge. She had been on the Island for four months, which made this the longest she'd held down a job since leaving the Army. Probably the coolest, too, she thought while she poured coffee into her to-go mug.

Liz had been deemed a floater. Some days she was park security, donned in an ugly ranger-like costume. Sometimes she was general security, keeping watch over the gates that let employees in and out. She even got to be a plain clothed officer once; walking around the park and blending in with the guests. She had caught a pickpocketer that day, something she was actually proud of. On rare occasions (like today) Liz would be assigned to the Asset Containment Unit to help move dinosaurs around.

Dinosaurs. It still gave Liz a little thrill when she thought about it. Just being near some of them was awe inspiring. She had managed to sneak a touch of a Pachycephalosaurus once as they transferred the sedated dinosaur back where she belonged.

Popping open the closet built into the space beneath her stairs, Liz flipped through her uniforms. Grabbing the one she needed, she laid it over the back of her couch and padded barefoot and slightly bleary to her bathroom.

With skilled hands, she brushed and gelled her mass of auburn curls into a slick bun at the back of her neck. It was something she could probably do in her sleep at this point. She ran a hand over her head, placing pins where shorter pieces of hair had escaped. No flyaways for this female. She sprayed it with hairspray until she felt positive that she could go through an atomic blast without it moving before she shifted her attention to her makeup. Nothing fancy, as she was in uniform. Just a bit of foundation, some mascara and a tinted lip balm. Then a dash of setting spray and she was done.

She slipped out of her oversized t-shirt and sleep shorts and pulled a sports bra over her head, adjusting as needed. Then came the navy colored undershirt tucked into gray pants and the blouse overtop. Liz buttoned it up, internally rolling her eyes at the pattern made to look like Dinosaur skin. She pulled on black boots and took a quick glance at her watch.

0400. Shit. ACU liked to do things early. Roll call was at 4:30am and Liz had yet to find her Kevlar. She tore through her little home like a tornado, finally finding the vest tucked under her bed. How it had gotten there was beyond her. A car horn beeped outside making Liz rush out the door, only having to run back in to grab her cover and to-go mug with the much needed caffeine.

"Step it up, Meyers!" Came a voice from the Benz 4x4 parked out front. It was Josh Craig, who worked solely with ACU. Liz had met him the last time she had been assigned to a transport and realized that they were neighbors. Anytime Liz worked with ACU they carpooled, Craig having somehow swindled his way into a company car.

Liz just rolled her eyes as she locked up and jogged her way over to the passenger's side. She tossed her Kevlar into the back and slid in, looking over the rim of her mug at Craig as she took a long swig.

"You're out of uniform." She grumbled, touching her own cheek to indicate the stubble on his face.

"Nuh-uh. InGen rules, baby. So long as it's kept." He motioned to the clear indication of where the stubble began, showing that he had cleaned it up. Craig was roguishly handsome. Tall and lean with dancing green eyes, dark hair, and chiseled features. He was Ex-Army like Liz, so they had instantly gotten along.

"Besides," he added as they turned onto a main road, "The ladies love it."

Liz sighed into her coffee as Craig went on about yet another woman he had met and apparently wooed into bed.

"Glad somebody's getting some." She shot at him. Back home any relations Liz had were brief, shifting from meaningful relationships to hook-ups as time went on. She had been going through a particularly dry spell before coming to Isla Nublar, and hitting the reset button on her life hadn't helped much in that department. Not like she was looking for a relationship, but a woman had her needs.

"I could hook you up." Craig offered as they pulled into a parking spot at ACU's main building. "There are plenty of guys who'd take a bite outta you." He snapped his teeth playfully when she came around the vehicle and strapped on her vest.

"Yikes." She gave him a shove as they walked toward the doors. "You can't tell me chicks actually fall for that shit."

Craig nodded vigorously, making her crack a smile. They walked into the briefing room and picked a spot in the back corner where some of the other guys Liz had worked with previously were already seated. They were slung over chairs in all directions looking very much like the troublemaker crew they were. Loud and just this side of insubordinate, Liz fit right in.

She leaned on the table infront of her, feeling the caffeine hit her system and wake her up a bit. "So what, do I fill out an order form or something?"

Craig howled with laughter, drawing questioning looks from the rest of the group. "Meyers is looking to get laid!" He announced to them bawdily when he regained control, making her face turn scarlet and punch him in the arm.

"Not by any of you morons." She managed, receiving a chorus of good natured remarks from the peanut gallery just as the room was called to attention and Commander Hamada walked in.

He gave the command for everyone to sit and adjusted the paperwork at his podium. "Good morning everyone, I'd like to get this over with so I'll be brief. Today we will be moving four juvenile raptors from their current housing into their permanent paddock." He motioned for someone who had slipped through the back doors to come to the front, but continued on with his briefing, "These raptors have been handled extensively, HOWEVER for all of our safety we are going to be tranquilizing them."

No fucking way. It hit Liz like a ton of bricks when she realized who had glided past her, trying to to stare with an open-mouth as he made his way to the front and turned around. Cool blue eyes scanned the room before locking with hers. Shit, he recognized her. This was not how she wanted her morning to start.

Hamada motioned to the man standing next to him. "For those of you that don't know, this is Owen Grady. He's the lead handler on the Raptors and will be your go-to for the best way to be around these animals. Mr. Grady, if you would." He stepped back from the podium, signaling that Owen had the floor. He tore his eyes away from Liz, making her heart jump. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the three other female ACU officers practically drooling over Owen, which made her want to gag.

"Morning." Owen was all business now, and the usual humor she could see in his eyes and hear in his voice were gone. "Just because I've imprinted on those animals does not mean that they are domesticated."

From behind her, someone let out a small howl, which gained some chuckles, obviously making fun of Owen. His eyes immediately snapped to Liz, assuming she was the one who made fun of him. She stared right back, showing she wasn't intimidated.

"The first chance they get, they'd take you right down." He was staring at her with that same look like that night they had met at Margaritaville. It was challenging and sharp, and it did things to the pit of Liz's stomach that she couldn't quite place. He went back to scanning the room, letting Liz breathe. "They've been trained to go into holding. That's where we are going to the tranquilizing them. It has to be done in a very particular order, people. They work in a pack, and as such have a pack order. Last thing we need is one going after the others to try and gain dominance."

"Stay out of the way while Mr. Grady and the vets do their thing," Hamada piped up, taking control back from Owen seamlessly, "then be ready for movement plan Alpha." He took his place back at the podium when Owen moved and flipped through a few pages. "Okay, truck assignments. Truck A will be Craig, Davidson, Tyrell, Meyers…"

Liz's mind drifted after she heard her name called. She had never seen the raptors up close before and would be lying if she said she wasn't excited. She watched as Owen shifted, obviously uncomfortable being in front of a small crowd. That Liz could sympathize with. She had grown comfortable with the rowdy group of ACU guys, finding a home for her sometimes crass behavior. She was still more closed off with Shelby and the Margaritaville crew when she was able to make it out on Fridays.

"Be ready to roll at 0500. Dismissed." Hamada was the first out the door, with Owen hot on his heels.

Craig wiggled his eyebrows at Liz, "Ready to fill out that order form, Meyers?"

Liz just punched him again and shoved her way through the crowd to take advantage of the free coffee.

Owen leaned on the hood of the company Mercedes 4x4 him and Barry had taken to the meeting. He knew he should be getting back to the raptors before all these people showed up. He wanted his chance with them to get focused before the move. As much as he had tried to avoid it, Owen had developed an emotional attachment to the girls. His girls. He didn't kid himself into thinking that they were safe. He knew that the second his control slipped they could tear him to shreds. And they would do it without batting an eye. That's what made him love them all the more.

Where the hell was Barry? Owen's eyes darted between the door and his watch. They'd barely have time to do anything if they didn't move soon. The doors opened again, sending Owen's hopes up only to be disappointed when a few more ACU soldiers piled out. He watched them with mild annoyance. God they were loud. A laugh cut through the conversation, making the hairs on Owen's arms stand on end. He remembered that laugh, though he'd only heard it in earnest twice.

Elizabeth Meyers.

He didn't need to see her to place it, he had seen her in the meeting, but the little crowd moved in a way that put her directly in his line of sight. She looked slightly different from the last time he had seen her. Though she was still incredibly pale, working in the Central American sun had darkened her complexion a shade. It looked like she had lost a few pounds, too. Nothing that changed her figure drastically, just a bit more of a taper to her waist and her face had slimmed out a bit.

The biggest change was how she moved. The last time he had seen her she was wound tighter than a top, looking like she would go off at any minute. She had gone off on him, and over something stupid! She was at ease now, standing with her legs spread apart and her thumbs hooked into the front of her Kevlar vest, completely at home in uniform. Though she was obviously annoyed by something someone had said, her eyes held a good natured glow.

A good part of Owen wanted to go talk to her, to try his luck ONE more time. It was annoying him that he couldn't just let her go. He had pulled her number up in his phone a handful of times in the past few months. Sometimes to call her and ask just what exactly her problem with him was. Others it was to ask for her forgiveness for whatever he had said. The two interactions he had shared with her had been brief, but they stuck with him like a bad dream.

That day in the commissary he had been so overwhelmed with his instant attraction to her. It was a shock to his system. Normally he liked his women lanky. Legs for days with petite frames. And far less mouthy.

She had been so natural. She hadn't been done up in some suit or prissy clothes. She hadn't spent 3 hours on her hair or making sure she was just so. She was just Liz. She was short and thick and fiery. When he realized he had actually liked that as more than just something to look at, he panicked.

First he had put his foot in his mouth: "I'm just saying you look like the kind of girl who can handle herself. You know, all rough and tumble kind of thing."

Then he had done it again: "You think I was flirting with you?"

That's EXACTLY what he had been trying to do. Liz laughed again. The smile that broke across her face made Owen feel like he had been punched in the stomach. The part of him that wanted to talk to her had won. He shoved off the Mercedes, but before he could take another step, Barry came into view.

"Let's go man." The taller man said, sliding into the passenger's seat.

Owen sighed and spun. Talking to Liz would have to wait until the girls were in their new paddock. He promised himself it would be done today. Then he could get on with his life and put the idea of Elizabeth Meyers out of his head.