Author's Note

Hello, everyone! This chapter is one that I had in my head long before actually writing it. Everything's that's come before, all of it was written with this chapter in mind, as well as the next chapter. This was the goal, the destination. I just had to get the characters here and we have finally arrived.

The time has finally come, but remember, sometimes you have to bleed before you can heal.

Go onward and enjoy.

Paddock

Life settles down into a pattern. Liv arrives at the park, checks in with Vic, spends time with Owen, Barry, and the raptors, and then she meditates in her paradise. School is school, sophomore year turning out to be one of her toughest, but her grades all stay in the steady A's. Even though it's a little early, she starts looking into colleges, not limiting herself at all since Masrani gave her that full-ride scholarship for testing the internship program. She's seen many college students be a part of the full program and she's looking forward to the day she gets her chance.

She keeps expecting Vic to put in his two-cents about college choices but he's almost never around anymore in order to give an opinion. His absences are getting longer and longer. It makes her nervous instead of relieved, especially when she goes looking for him to find out what he's up to.

She finds his aura in the restricted area where the new predator is being kept.

If Vic is involved with that dinosaur's creation, then nothing good can come of it. But what plans could the head of InGen security possibly have for this unknown dinosaur? Then again, what plans could he possibly have for the Velociraptors?

She doesn't like to think about the possibilities. They scare her too much.

In any case, with Vic almost never around, Liv gets a bit adventurous. For the first time in her life she decides to test the boundaries Vic has set in place, starting to stay out later than his strict eight o' clock curfew, gradually getting a couple minutes later as the weeks progress. And he doesn't catch her. Most nights, Vic himself doesn't get to the suite until at least eleven. She hardly sees him except for when she first checks in when she arrives on the island and that's about it. He's turning into her mother in that way.

And it makes her lonely.

Yes, she still has Owen and Barry and the raptors. She sees Claire and a lot of the other employees of Jurassic World, not to mention all the tourists. But she never sees her actual, blood family anymore. She knows that's wrong and she doesn't know what to do.

Even though she kind of does.

One night after eating dinner with Owen and the other trainers out at The Watering Hole again, Liv says she has to get back to her suite but instead goes back to the raptor paddock. Her paradise has become more of a training ground than a place to relax and right now she needs some time to herself to think. It's getting close to closing time for the park anyway, the island covered in the darkness of night, and the Gyrospheres will all be put away soon, so the paddock is as good a place as any.

After parking her ATV she eyes the stairs to the catwalk and then dismisses them, instead making a beeline towards the cage, stopping just outside the door. She doesn't know the key code in order to get inside so she just slips her arms through the bars and leans against the outer cage wall, staring into the forest enclosure.

Her parents are not acting like parents should. They never have, she knows this, but she's never actually considered doing anything about it. She used to be content to leave things as they are, just dealing with whatever they throw at her and making it mostly on her own, but she finds herself unsatisfied with the status quo now.

Now, after spending so much time with Owen and Barry, she knows what it's like when things are different, when she has a parent who actually cares about her, and she's starting to wish she could have that all the time.

Her real parents are never going to give her that, though. She can't just approach them, tell them she's unhappy with how things are, and hope they'll change. She's not that naive, especially when it comes to Vic, but she knows not even her mother would be willing to try. She cares too much about her job and it consumes all aspects of her life. To change would be to give it up and Liv can't see her doing that.

There's only one thing she can do to change her situation: tell Owen so that he can tell the proper authorities and let the system take care of it.

But the system terrifies her.

What if there is no sufficient evidence to charge Vic with child abuse? Would her testimony be enough? Because she's not really sure what she has to offer by way of evidence besides her word. And if it's her word against Vic's, then she will surely lose.

Even if she does get away from Vic, what then? Will the system be able to take her away from her mother as well, or will they see nothing wrong with the way her mother treats her? Liv knows what child neglect is, but she's worried that it won't be enough. What if the system simply places her with her mother full-time and hope for the best?

And if it doesn't? If she does get away from both her parents, then the system will swallow her whole and it'll be an orphanage or foster care for her. Unless….

Unless she's adopted. Unless Owen adopts her. But will he want to? Sure, he's already admitted to loving her like a daughter, but that's different to actually taking her in and raising her. Would he be willing to take on a teenager?

She groans in frustration, banging her head softly on the bars. She can't believe she's actually contemplating it. How would she even tell Owen without Vic finding out? Will Owen be able to act quickly enough to where Vic doesn't punish her before he's taken away? Images cloud her mind as she pictures all the things Vic has ever promised he'd do to her if she ever tells anyone he beats her. They send a shudder down her spine. It would be the worst pain she's ever felt before, and she doesn't even know if there comes a point to where even her mutation can't heal her. She's scared to find out.

Maybe she should just let things lay as they are. Surely it'll get better with time? She can just deal with it for now and it'll be fine, right?

She's so consumed by her thoughts that she doesn't hear the car approaching the Research Center. She doesn't see the headlights, doesn't hear the vehicle come to a stop.

Doesn't know Vic is right behind her until it's too late.

A large hand grabs her by the shoulder and forcefully spins her around, pushing her back against the bars with a solid clang. Liv stares wide-eyed up at her father, his face flushed red with anger in the dim lighting of the outdoor lights.

"Where have you been?" he demands in a growl, hands on his hips. "I've told you time and time again, curfew is at eight. That was over an hour ago."

Crap, she meant to get back to the suite by 8:30. How long as he been looking for her? She swallows thickly and answers in a weak voice, "Everyone at the Research Center invited me out to dinner with them and then I came here. I didn't realize how late it was, I'm sorry-"

He backhands her, head snapping to the side with the force of it and knocking back into the bars. Stars blur her eyes for a moment and she blinks rapidly in order to clear them away.

Vic's mouth screws up in almost a snarl. "Don't lie to me. You're not just with everyone. You're with Owen."He smacks her again and this time she falls to the ground, the coppery taste of blood blossoming in her mouth. "Owen, Owen,"he sneers. "It's always Owen. What is up with you and him, huh? You're always following him around like a lost puppy. What, do you have a crush on him or something?"

Liv doesn't have time to contemplate how disgusting that thought is, that she would have a crush on someone she considers family. She just moves, crawling on the ground, trying to get away. She thought Vic was cooling off about her hanging out with Owen, but now, she's never seen him so mad. His aura is radiating fury, the heat of it so potent she's surprised it isn't burning her. She doesn't get very far, though, before his hand flashes out, grabbing her forearm in a bruising grip and hauling her to her feet. She struggles against his hold, squiggling and worming, but he's a lot stronger than her.

With his other hand Vic punches in the key code for the cage door and drags her inside. He pulls the door closed behind them with a foreboding clunk and then presses the button on the right wall that locks the door. Despair curls tight in her stomach as he flings her down to the ground in the middle of the cage because she's completely trapped now. There's another keypad inside the cage, used to open the door back up, Velociraptor-proof. And also Liv-proof. She doesn't know this key code either.

There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.

"So what is it, hmm?" Vic asks impatiently, his breathing coming fast as he towers over her. "If you don't have a crush on him, then what is it? What, do you think he cares about you?"

Liv gets her hands and knees under her, trying to get up, but he kicks her in the side, sending her to the ground again.

"Do you think he'll save you? You gonna tell him what I do to you and you think he'll save you from me?"

He kicks her again and she cries out. He's always known how to make the pain last, knows when to hit her so that she's hurting all over again before she has time to heal from the last strike.

"Well let me tell you something, Olivia." He grabs her by the hair and yanks hard, forcing her to look up at him. She tries to get an arm under her to relieve the pressure on her scalp but he won't let her. "He won't help you."

His eyes drift downward suddenly and they darken until they're almost pitch black.

The tiger necklace hangs loose around her neck. It must have come out from behind her shirt when he tossed her to the ground.

Vic roughly snatches the necklace and gives it a sharp yank, making the leather snap apart. He then tosses it to the ground and stomps on it with his boot, smooshing it into the dirt.

"No!" she cries in protest but he just pulls on her hair harder.

"You think that little trinket means he cares?" He laughs haughtily. "He doesn't care. He especially wouldn't care if he knew what you are. After all, who could care about a mutant freak like you?"

He spits the word at her, spittle splattering against her face to mix with her tears. She knows it's not true, that Owen does care about her and that he doesn't care that she's a mutant, but the words still hurt.

How could her own father think that way about her? Why does being a mutant, why does being born, make him hate her so much?

Four furious shrieks shatter the air, startling them both. They look up into the enclosure in time to see Blue charge at the inner cage gate. She crashes into it hard but nowhere near hard enough to break through. It scares Vic enough to let Liv go, though, and he backs up to press himself against the wall with a curse, fear prominent in his face. Blue backs up and charges again, this time also accompanied by Charlie. They both crash but still the bars hold, as they should, but right now Liv wishes they would crumble like a sand castle in an ocean wave.

The raptors are looking solely at Vic, snarling angrily. They know he's trying to hurt her so they're doing all they can to protect her.

But they can't get inside. Vic's brain finally catches up with that fact as well and he smirks cockily at them. "Sorry, fellas, but you're not getting in here. We're not your food. Now get!" He points off into their jungle, expecting them to follow his command. Instead, Blue and Charlie charge the gate again, Delta and Echo snapping their jaws at him. Vic growls in frustration. "Go on, get out of here!"

"Sorry, but they only listen to a select few people," Liv says, struggling to her feet, necklace cradled delicately in her hand like an injured bird. She places a hand gingerly on her side, wincing slightly, but she can feel the bruises already starting to fade and the pain recede. "And you definitely aren't one of them."

"What, and you are?" Vic replies, voice heavy with skepticism.

"Actually," she shuffles over to the wall, right next to the controls for the inner gate, "I am." She raises her hand to the button that will open the gate, staring down Vic with a lot more confidence than she's ever felt. Having four Velociraptors at her back will do that to a person.

Vic's smirk falls, eying her and the raptors with trepidation. "You wouldn't."

It's her turn to smirk. "Oh, I would."

"They'd eat us both!"

"Like I said, they listen to me. Not you. I'm not worried, but you should be."

He narrows his eyes at her. "You're bluffing."

"Try me."

He backs up, never turning away from the cage, and types in the key code to unlock the outer door. It opens for him and he gestures for her to follow. "Yes, you are bluffing. Now come on, Olivia. It's time we head back to our suite."

She presses her thumb to the gate button, not enough to depress it, just enough to barely touch. "I know what will happen when we get back to the suite. I'm not going anywhere with you."

She's not going to walk to her doom again. Not this time. Instead, she hits her thumb against the button and the gate starts to rise. A deep, rumbling noise vibrates in the backs of the raptors' throats, almost like a purr but it's not a cute and cuddly sound. It's deadly. Threatening. Anticipating. They shuffle their feet in front of the rising gate excitedly, waiting for it to be high enough for them to pass under. Vic is out of the cage and has the door firmly locked behind him before they can get in, of course, but that doesn't stop them from charging in anyway, running into the far wall in a desperate attempt to get at him. They reach their hands and snouts as far through the bars as possible but can't reach him.

Vic backs away, even though he is in no real danger, and stares at her, wide-eyed with surprise and horror. "You're insane!"

"No, I'm not," she says, completely calm despite the four raptors between her and the outer door. "I'm pack."

Vic runs off, tail firmly between his legs. He has no idea what will happen to her. For all he knows, she's about to be eaten, like he said. But still he leaves her, and he probably won't be calling for help because if he does he'd have to explain how this all happened and there's no explanation that won't land him in deep trouble. Still, when the headlights of his car are swallowed by the darkness and the trees, she breathes a sigh of relief. She's never stood up to him like that before, but she knows that if she didn't then the beating she was heading towards would have been unbearable, healing factor or no.

Four Velociraptor heads turn her way and she takes a slight step back out of apprehension. She talked big to Vic, but will it hold to be true? These are skilled hunters standing before her without any barriers between them and her. Nature made them indiscriminate in what they kill. Will they really treat her any differently?

Yes. Yes, they will. They won't hurt her, she knows that, has always known, and the pack bond tells her the same. There is no hunger, no anger, no negative feelings of any kind. They approach her slowly, almost cautiously, as if afraid to scare her. But she sees nothing to be scared of in their auras. There is only concern. For her.

Blue approaches first, the other three hanging back slightly, and chitters.

Liv smiles. "Thanks, ladies. You saved me." She raises a hand but pauses. She knows they're not tame, by any means. They're completely wild and always will be no matter what commands they learn. But just because they're wild, that doesn't mean they'll just all of a sudden bite her hand off without provocation. And she'd never do something like that.

With a deep breath, Liv stretches her hand forward and places it on the top of Blue's snout.

Blue sniffs, the noise loud, deep, scenting her. And then she nudges her head into Liv's hand, leaning into the touch.

Liv laughs, relieved and happy, stroking the top of Blue's head. At the same time, she holds out her other hand to Charlie, Delta, and Echo. They immediately step forward, surrounding her as they bump their noses into her sides and back, also wanting attention. Liv turns to each of them, petting and cooing affectionately, and they soak it up happily.

This is her pack. Her family. A couple of ferocious dinosaurs who could easily tear her apart. Instead, they nuzzle against her, expressing only love.

Blue chirps at her and Liv turns to the raptor. Blue's aura is questioning and she bops her nose against one of the places Vic had hit her. The touch is surprisingly gentle. Liv would have thought they would be a little rough with her, unused to needing to hold back their own strength, but they are as careful with her as they would be with an egg. It makes her smile just a little bit more.

"It's okay," Liv says, feeding them reassurance through the pack bond. "I heal fast. I'm all better now. Nothing to worry about."

It's true. Vic only gave her bruises and they are long since healed by now. Blue still doesn't feel very convinced, though, so Liv steps close to her side, wrapping her arms around the raptor's thick neck. One of Blue's hands rests against her stomach, claws sharp enough to gut her with a flick of the wrist, but Liv isn't worried.

"Seriously, I'm okay," Liv whispers, leaning her head against Blue's neck. "Thanks to all of you, I'm okay."

A deep rumbling builds in Blue's chest, Liv can feel it vibrating in her own body, but this purr is filled with pleasure and contentment. Liv's arms tighten around her and she just holds on for a moment, feeling completely safe in this circle of raptors. After being so sure Vic's anger would smother her, it's a nice feeling. The others press in closer at her back and she hums happily. She's just so happy and grateful to have met these raptors. She can't imagine being without them now.

Eventually, Liv pulls away, rather reluctantly, and eyes the cage door over Blue's shoulder. There's no way she's getting out of here on her own and, unfortunately, her cell phone is in her backpack, which is still sitting on the back of her ATV. So unless one of the trainers randomly comes back to the Research Center tonight, she's stuck in here until morning.

And she's not even going to think about the morning. How is she going to explain getting stuck in here?

She sighs heavily. "Looks like I'm having a sleepover at your place tonight, ladies. Got a place I can crash?" Unsure if they understand, Liv lets them feel her exhaustion. It's been a very long, highly emotional day, and that's just the past hour. All Liv wants to do now is pass out and not wake up for at least three days. Maybe then things will be better.

Charlie is the first to move, trotting away a few steps and then barking at Liv. She gets the hint, following the raptor further into the paddock. Blue and Delta take up positions on either side of her and Echo brings up the rear, all of them continuously looking around as if expecting Vic or some other threat to come popping out of the bushes or to suddenly appear on the catwalk.

Their paranoia is both reassuring and completely adorable.

There are spotlights on the upper walls of the paddock when they're needed but they're all off now, leaving the enclosure in complete darkness. As soon as they step into the thick foliage Liv can no longer see a thing, not even making it ten steps before she's tripping over a root or something. She steadies herself with a hand on Delta's back and the raptor steps a bit closer, offering her support and helping to guide Liv through the jungle. It's not long until they come to an area that's a bit clearer than everywhere else, allowing a bit of moonlight to shine through the trees. Just barely, Liv can make out a big pile of hay on the ground that she recognizes as the raptors' nest.

She's never actually seen them in the nest before. They're always up and about by the time she gets to the paddock. She knows they use it though by the worn, flattened spot in the middle. They sleep here every night unless there's a storm, then they hunker down in the stables.

Now, however, it looks like Liv will be joining them.

Charlie circles around to the far side, looking at her expectantly, and Echo lightly pushes against her back. She spares a reluctant glance for her school uniform, knowing that no matter where she lays it's going to get dirty, but she is already kind of dirty after Vic beating her in the cage earlier. This is probably a better place to sleep than the cold hard ground anyway so Liv gets in the nest, sitting down in the surprisingly soft hay but a little unsure as to how to go from here. Will they even all be able to fit with her as well? Blue gets in next, sitting down behind Liv kind of like a chicken with her legs folded under her but her tail and head stretched out on the hay. Delta and Echo get in next on either side, quickly making it kind of crowded, so Liv shifts closer to Blue and hesitantly lays against her side, using the raptor as a pillow. Liv bites her lip, wondering if this is okay, but Blue gives that bone-deep purr again so it must be just fine. Charlie gets in last and there's a little bit of shuffling around as everyone tries to get comfortable. The raptors don't seem to mind half-lying on top of one another so Liv does the same, stretching her legs out a little. Charlie is quick to settle her head on top of them and Liv laughs. There's only a bit more squiggling around until they all finally settle, a big puppy pile of raptors and a human. They're warm around her, not stifling but more like a warm fuzzy blanket, and she quickly finds her eyes closing.

She forces them to stay open, though, so she can examine Owen's necklace. Running her fingers over it and squinting in the moonlight, she finds that it's still in one piece with nothing broken, just a little dirty. Sighing in relief, she makes a new knot in the leather and puts the necklace back around her neck where it belongs. Only then does she allow her eyes to close.

"Goodnight, ladies," she says softly to her pack and she hears their answering chirrups before drifting off to sleep.

Author's Note

So, Vic has struck, and for the first time Liv actually fights against him. The raptors have saved her this time, protecting her because she is theirs, but can she really go back to him after all of that?

You'll have to wait for Tuesday to find out.

Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!