Author's Note

Alright guys, here it is. The final chapter.

Go onward and enjoy, one last time.

Epilogue - Home

The investigation into the Jurassic World incident is still underway, but things are looking good for the park. InGen must pay off a lot of people, because the entire thing is being labeled a tragic accident. They're saying Simon Masrani was flying a helicopter when there was engine failure and the copter crashed into the Aviary, allowing the Pterosaurs to escape. It's like Claire said, the Pterosaur attack is the only thing any of the park guests ever witnessed, they never saw the Indominus, so it's easy for InGen to twist the truth so the public never knows. They also control what the authorities find out. Liv, Owen, Claire, even Zach and Gray, are all called in for interview after interview, some of them feeling like just a rehashing of what was discussed at previous meetings, but they each give a detailed account of what happened on the island. However, none of those interviews take place at a police station, instead they're conducted at InGen. InGen then gives their statements to the police, probably heavily tweaked and no one tries to fight them on it because InGen's pockets run deep.

It helps the park, means it'll probably have a chance of reopening one day, but they all agree that InGen has to pay for what happened.

So Claire slips off to Masrani Global with everything, and, just like she suspected, the Board of Directors aren't happy with what InGen has been up to and are terrified of getting caught up in the taint. They use the Indominus file as leverage to get the embryos back and then they cut all ties with InGen, effectively cutting off InGen's potential supply of dinosaur weapons as well. And if they see any sign of InGen trying to create their own, Claire will immediately release the file to the public. She also threatens to release it if anyone so much as thinks about trying to go after Liv because of her mutant ability, making Liv extremely grateful and relieved.

When Claire comes to see them after that meeting she's grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Claire is around a lot, actually, Masrani Global is putting them all up in the same hotel while the investigation continues, and she stops by Liv's and Owen's room almost every night. Sometimes she stays, sometimes she doesn't. But it's nice, having all of them together, knowing they're not alone and reminding themselves that they made it off that island alive, that they survived and are still surviving. Claire must feel it, too, it shows in the dark circles under her eyes, but they all sleep a lot easier when it's the three of them.

When they're no longer needed for the investigation, Liv and Owen go back to the States for a few days for some unfinished business. Liv and her social worker go to court against her mom with the goal of revoking her mom's custody over her and giving Owen sole custody as her adoptive father. Liv expects her mom to fight at least a little bit but she simply shrugs and signs the papers.

It hurts, because apparently her mom didn't ever care one way or another about having a daughter, but then Owen is signing the papers to adopt her and she's signing the papers to change her name from Hoskins to Grady and then the hurt disappears completely.

She's not Olivia Hoskins anymore. She's Liv Grady. Just who she wants to be.

The tiger necklace hangs proudly around her neck now, no longer hidden but in plain sight.

Liv's mom isn't the only thing she has to settle, though. Vic's funeral is held the day after she gets her new name. Some distant cousin of his she didn't even know about takes care of it all. She's glad she doesn't have to bother with it, is almost tempted to not even go, but Owen encourages her to and so she does, Owen holding her hand the entire way. She would have regretted it if she hadn't gone, she knows that, but as she stands in front of his grave with not even a dozen other people watching with her as the coffin is lowered into the ground, all she can think about is how he never even loved her. He never cared about her in the slightest. Because, in the end, when Owen said he was going to take her away, the only thing Vic cared about losing was not his daughter, but her DNA.

She feels pity for him, though. He may not have loved her, but with so few people actually mourning him, there weren't many who actually loved him either. However, she won't share his fate. She has people who care about her, who love her, so she tosses her handful of sand into the pit and turns her back on that part of her life.

She leaves it all behind.

She packs up her things at her mom's apartment and transfers schools to the one in Costa Rica where other Jurassic World employees' kids go. Revealing she's a mutant both on the island and at the warehouse helps to get rid of some of her inhibitions her parents ingrained into her and she starts to make friends.

In the meantime, she, Owen, and Claire continue to stay at the hotel, Masrani Global content to allow them to stay. None of them have homes anywhere else, not even Claire or Owen. Both of their homes are on that island, so the three of them stick together, for survival, and wait to be allowed back, even if it is just to pack up their things and move out.

Zach and Gray convince her to make a Skype account and then they use it to talk almost constantly after the boys go back home. Zach tells her about finally telling his parents he's a mutant. His mom hugged him tight, which he rolls his eyes at, and his dad is a little wary but not openly hostile like Zach was afraid he'd be. Gray says he's hopeful their dad will get over the whole anti-mutant thing, especially since their parents are no longer actively trying to get divorced. Liv tells them good luck, not able to do anything more than just hope for the best. Claire's talking to her family a lot more, too, and they plan on coming out again once things settle down. Zach even asks if he can take her out to lunch sometime and she happily accepts, much to Owen's chagrin.

Then, after two very long weeks, they're allowed back on the island.

It's weird taking the ferry instead of the helicopter but stepping back on Isla Nublar feels the same. Except now, the previous undercurrent of fear is gone, both for the dinosaurs and for Liv. There are still some scars, though. There always will be. There are nightmares, too, horrifying visions of the Indominus or Vic or the screaming. Of Owen being torn apart by sharp claws, or Claire or Zach or Gray. Of Blue or Charlie or Delta or Echo being crushed by snapping jaws or riddled with bullets.

Owen is always there when she opens her eyes, ready to chase the monsters away. Her memories linger to haunt her, he says they probably always will, but he also says that they'll fade, over time, become blurry around the edges and easier to carry. And time is something they finally have enough of now.

All the rubble has been cleared away but there's a lot of destruction that needs to be fixed up, especially on Main Street. However, those are problems for another day, and the dinosaur handlers all split up to go to their different charges. Liv does a quick scan of the island and all of the dinosaurs have, indeed, been corralled back to their paddocks where they should be, none of them hurt. Even Rexy is healing nicely.

Four auras perk up when she checks in on them and she smiles.

Liv and Owen climb on his bike and race off into the jungle, first to his bungalow to drop off their stuff and get Liv settled into her new home. They plan on starting construction on the expansion the next day, but for now, they head to the Research Center.

When they get there Liv looks at him hopefully and he just laughs, telling her the key code to the outer cage door. She rushes to the cage, opening it up and Owen follows her inside. He closes the door firmly behind him and Liv pushes the button to raise the inner gate.

They're instantly surrounded by four excited Velociraptors, all of them seeking attention, and Liv laughs, free and happy to be back with her pack, her family.

"Hello, ladies," she says, hugging Blue's neck tightly. "We're home."

Author's Note

I can't believe it's finally over. I've had a lot of fun working on this fic, and I hope you guys have had fun reading it. It's been quite the adventure.

I want to thank everyone who's read this story and everyone who's favorited/followed/reviewed. You guys are amazing and I love you all! You're what makes writing worthwhile.

Okay, Move Along fans, I know you've been anxiously awaiting the completion of this fic just so I'll start posting for Move Along again. Which I will be doing soon. I have the next chapter finished plus over a thousand words of the next. I'll post probably tomorrow and hopefully I can get back to posting more than just once a month again.

If anyone from this fic wants to go read Move Along, it's a Transformers fic. Really long so far and not even done yet, but I gotta warn you, because it isn't a completed fic already like this one was, it doesn't get updated nearly as often.

Just one more thing. There have been questions on whether or not I'm doing a sequel for Life Versus Living. The answer is, currently, no, not a full sequel, but I've been thinking of doing some oneshots. So far, my ideas are doing the date with Liv and Zach (especially to see protective!Owen's reaction to it all) and a visit from a certain mutant professor. Don't know when I'll do them but I just wanted you all to know so that you can keep an eye out.

Alright, hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!