Yvonne, thanks for the idea and the chapter edit!


Alan swam another lap, then halted at the end of the pool, hands on hips, breathing deeply. Watching Lex and Tim play in the pool, he realized during the last two days, his back pain had dissipated. The exercise left him feeling relaxed; perhaps he would be able to sleep the night straight through for once. Climbing out of the pool, he spotted Ellie approaching.

"Feel better?" Ellie asked.

"Much better," he said.

"Honey, you need to tan your legs," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"What's the matter with my legs?" He glanced at his legs, barely tanned, and grinned. "Well, maybe so."

"I think I'll take a dip in the Jacuzzi. Want to join me?" she asked.

"Absolutely… Lex, Tim, we're going to the Jacuzzi," he called out to the children.

"Okay, we'll be here," Tim answered.

They strolled over to the Jacuzzi and lowered themselves into the warm swirling water.

"Lynda called," she said.

"Really? Did she have any news?"

"Yeah, her divorce is finished, so she's flying here tonight." Taking his hand, she continued. "Alan, you don't have to worry about funding for field research. Lynda's going to make sure we get the amount John said we would receive for the consultation."

Alan closed his eyes, deeply relieved. "Thank you, Lynda," he whispered.

"I agree," Ellie said. She knew this would resolve his biggest worry. "We talked a while about the kids. I told her about Lex's nightmare, and Tim's apprehension about storms. She said she's determined to work everything out with Lex."

"It seems like they've made a start already."

"I think so. Lex acted a lot less hostile during their last conversation. Did you know they haven't retrieved any of the bodies from the island yet?"

Alan grimaced with distaste. "No, I didn't. Damn, that's awful."

"Joe's going to meet her tomorrow, and I told Lynda to tell Joe to swing by here and pick up the kids first." With a start, she remembered the hotel was supposed to bring the cake at nine, but she did not know the time of his meeting. "What time are they coming for you?"

"9:30…"

'Oh, okay. I guess you'll be gone when she gets here."

Alan shrugged. "Yeah, looks like it. They'll probably arrive sometime tomorrow morning."

Ellie wished he could go to the airport with them, but if the cake made it on time, her birthday plans could go on as planned at least. "Hey, you said you found out something."

"Well, more like I remembered something. In the nursery, Wu said he hoped the raptor egg would hatch before he went to the boat."

"Right… In the nursery."

"They used boats to transport equipment and personnel back and forth from the mainland to the island. If the crew didn't pay attention, the Compy could have gotten on board while they loaded the boat."

Ellie drew in a breath. "You're right." She shook her head slowly. "You know, I can remember some things with total clarity, but other events are foggy."

Alan nodded in agreement. "Same here… I forgot all about Wu." He remembered every minute on the road though, and his helplessness while surrounded by the Raptors. Those memories would remain with him for the rest of his life. "It's the only way they could have gotten to the mainland. I ran into Muldoon earlier, and he confirmed it."

She gazed at him, a half smile playing on her lips. "We talked before I came here. You didn't ask him to talk to me, did you?"

"Well… He regrets how he acted on the island," he said. "It seemed like a good idea to talk to you, to clear the air."

"I should have known. I'm glad we talked."

"He said he tried to convince Hammond and the others to destroy the Raptors, but they wouldn't hear of it. They must have decided no one would show up with a Jurassic Park without predators."

"The ironic thing is John and the others would have survived the power outage."

"The park would have been a success with herbivores, frog DNA and all." Alan's mind returned to the first sight of the Brach. "People would have come," he said, softly.

Ellie observed the distant look in Alan's eyes, and guessed his thoughts. "I think they would, too. So, larger species could potentially escape," she said.

"Juveniles could, certainly. It explains the tracks they found in the mountains."

"And they never missed them." Ellie slapped her hand on the water, tears spilling from her eyes. "Damn it, Alan, it makes me so mad to think of the wasted lives."

"I know, Ellie, I feel the same way. InGen deserves every penalty they receive. I have one more piece of news."

"What?"

"Gennaro has disappeared. They have no idea where he is."

"Unbelievable. I wonder how he got away."

"InGen got him out of the country, I'm sure. They can't have him spilling his guts to the Costa Ricans."

They spotted Tim and Lex approaching and halted their conversation.

"Hey, guys, I talked to your Mom. She'll be here tomorrow to take you back home," Ellie said.

"I guess they got their divorce," Tim said, glumly.

"Yes, that's what she said," Ellie said.

Lex looked off in the distance without comment.


"Mr. Ludlow's office, may I help you?"

Lynda paused; surprised the receptionist would intercept the call on Peter's private number. Normally, calls on this line went straight through to his office. "Uh, yes… This is Lynda Murphy, may I speak with Peter?"

"Of course, Mrs. Murphy, please hold."

"Hi, Lynda," Ludlow said, when the line connected.

Lynda took note of the stress in his voice, but she lacked any sympathy for his problems. Peter had been one of the board members who pushed hardest for the development of Jurassic Park. "I want to talk about Alan Grant," she said.

"What about him?" he asked.

"In return for inspecting the park, my father agreed to pay him $120,000 for the inspection. I signed the divorce papers this afternoon, and I'm flying to Costa Rica tonight to get Tim and Lex. I want you to have a check cut for twice the amount."

"What? Lynda, you have to be kidding. Grant didn't even fulfill the basic agreement, and you want me to pay him twice the amount?"

"Yes, I do. Through no fault of their own, they can't leave the country. If nothing else they deserve to be paid for the time they have spent away from their research." Lynda knew Peter would be difficult to deal with, even before she dialed the number. She fought to remain calm. "Peter, they saved my children's lives, your own relatives. Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does, but business is business."

"Peter, I'm tired and I have a long flight tonight. I don't want to argue about this. For once in your life, do the right thing. Cut the check."

After a few moments of silence, Ludlow sighed. "All right, I'll have the check prepared immediately."

"Thank you, Peter. Goodbye…" Lynda placed the phone receiver in its cradle, and groaned in annoyance.


After a relaxed afternoon spent at the pool, Alan and the rest of the group returned to their suite. At Ellie's goading, he even tanned his legs a bit. A message from Joe awaited them; Lynda would arrive at the San José airport at 10:30 am.

Smiling at the delicious scent of their dinner wafting into the bedroom, he finished changing clothes. Finished dressing, he entered the living room; at the knock at the door, he checked his watch. Thinking it would be Billy arriving early; he opened the door and unexpectedly found one of the hotel employees standing beside a clothes rack.

"Good afternoon, Señor, I have your clothes," the young man said. "Please leave the rack outside when you are finished."

"Thanks," he said, handing the man a tip. "We have clothes," he called out, pushing the cart into Ellie's bedroom.

"Oh, good." Ellie said. Lex and Tim looked at her in alarm, and she remembered Alan's hat, hidden in the closet. They hurried into her bedroom, where they found Alan waiting. Ellie and Lex rapidly pulled their clothes from the rack, then hesitated before opening the closet door.

"Uh… I'll push the cart into our bedroom," Tim said.

"Okay, go for it," Alan said, and followed the boy out of the room.

"Whew…" Lex said.

"You said it, Lex," Ellie said, with a laugh.

After putting their clothes away, Alan and Tim returned to the living room. The phone rang; he lifted the handset, and took a seat on the couch. "Alan Grant," he said.

"Greetings," Ben said.

"Hi, Ben. How's the real world?"

"Getting cold."

"Winter's right on time in Montana."

"Yep, sure is. No change with you guys?"

"Nope, we're still stuck in paradise. I have a hard life, Ben. We spent the afternoon at the pool." Idly, he watched Ellie's graceful form move back and forth in the kitchen.

"You're going to get lazy on me. Well, we've got the raptor winterized. Alan?"

Hearing his name, Alan's attention turned back to Ben. "Sorry. I got distracted by something."

"Uh huh, I can guess who distracted you."

Alan laughed. "Hush."

"Yes, boss. I think the raptor will make it through the winter without any problems. We did everything but build a house around it."

Alan chuckled. "It'll be fine." He did not worry about the fragile skeleton; Ben knew his business.

"So, what are y'all going to do tonight?"

"Well, we ate out last night, and our waiter turned out to be a Paleo major from Idaho State."

"What's he doing in Costa Rica?"

"He dropped out during spring break. Taking a guess, I'd say he and Mabrey didn't get along."

"Doesn't surprise me a bit."

"Me either. Billy's coming over for dinner, so we'll see if we can steer him back to school." Alan heard Ben chuckle in amusement. "What?"

"Let's see, first you bring home two stray children, now you bring home a stray Paleontology student. You wait – next it'll be stray puppies and kittens."

Alan laughed sharply. "You could be right, the way it's going." He lowered his voice; the two youngsters were in the kitchen with Ellie, and he did not want them to learn of their future plans. "You'll get to meet the kids next summer. Their mother said it's okay if they spend some time with us in Montana."

"You really like those kids, don't you?"

"I do, Ben." Alan grinned, remembering Derek's words. "Oh, by the way, I'm not a pod person."

"Oops. You heard?"

"I did…" Alan heard a knock on the door. "I think our wayward student is here."

"Okay, tell Ellie hello for me."

"I will. Talk to you later."

He placed the receiver into its placeholder, and strode to the door. Opening it, he gazed at the young man who stood before him.


"Hi, Dr. Grant," Billy said, running his hand through his curly hair.

"Afternoon, Billy, come on in," Alan said, holding the door open.

Billy hung back, suddenly intimidated by the Paleontologist's presence.

"I won't bite, I promise," Alan said.

Billy smiled sheepishly. "Yes, sir," he said, entering the suite.

"Hi, there," Ellie said.

"Hi, Dr. Sattler. Thanks for inviting me."

"We're glad to have you.

"Like something to drink?" Alan asked. "Beer, Coke, tea –"

"A Coke would be great, thanks." Though he could legally drink in Costa Rica, he had never acquired the taste for alcohol.

"Ellie?" Alan asked.

"I'd love a Coke."

Alan retrieved two Cokes and a beer for himself, newly purchased from the mini-mart from the refrigerator. "Ellie, before I forget, Ben said hello. They finished prepping the Raptor for the winter."

"Great," Ellie said.

"You found a Velociraptor?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, a juvenile. A member of my team discovered it a couple of weeks ago. It's going to have to wait until next season to be extracted."

"Where did you find it?"

"This summer we've been prospecting in the Willow Creek Anticline, in the Two Medicine formation."

"Fantastic, Dr. Grant. I know it's rare to discover a juvenile carnivore."

"True, it's one of the few we've found. It was an exciting day for us."

"I bet… Hey, guys," Billy said, to the two children, in greeting.

"Hi… It's Mr. Brennan, right?" Tim said.

"Call me Billy. And you're Lex and Tim, right?"

"Yep," Lex said.

"Tim wants to be a paleontologist, too," Alan said.

"You do? Hey, that's cool."

"I'm the only one who doesn't know what they want to do," Lex said, mournfully.

Billy laughed. "You'll find out eventually."

"I guess so," she said, sighing.

"Ellie, can we go play video games until dinner?" Tim asked.

"Sure, but be back in few minutes, dinner's about ready," Ellie said.

"Cool," Tim said. He and Lex ran for the door.

"Guys, wait — take a room key," Alan said.

"Oh, yeah," Lex said. She hurried back to the desk and placed a room key into her pocket, then made her way to the front door, where Tim waited.

"You two have a seat, I'll be finished here in a minute," Ellie said.

"Dr. Grant, I didn't know you have kids," Brennan said, taking a seat in one of the side chairs.

"Actually, they're not mine. We've been taking care of them. Their mother will be here tomorrow to get them."

"Oh, okay."

Ellie joined Alan on the couch, carrying her soft drink.

"Dr. Sattler, I read your PhD thesis in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. It was fascinating," Billy said. Only after the two scientists left the restaurant did he remember where he had heard her name. "They don't publish many dissertations in the Journal."

"Thanks, Billy. I couldn't believe they published it. Alan's the one who encouraged me to submit it. Actually he insisted I submit it."

"I don't suggest it very often, but in this case it was justified," Alan said.

"I guess you want to know why I'm not in school," Billy said.

"We did wonder," Alan said, dryly.

Billy stared at his Coke bottle before speaking. "I'm not sure where to start."

"The beginning's always a good starting point," Ellie said.

Brennan laughed. "True…" He began to relax, sensing the two scientist's genuine interest in him.

"When did you decide you wanted to study dinosaurs?" Ellie asked.

"When I was ten, my family went to Colorado on vacation, and one afternoon, we picnicked near Boulder. I went exploring and found part of a fossilized Ammonite shell. After we got home, I went to the library and checked out every dinosaur book in the place."

"You would have been in the Pierre Shale. For an invertebrate paleontologist, the area is heaven." Alan said.

"I can see why," Billy said. He knew the Shale, part of the Great Inland Sea which once stretched from Canada to New Mexico, was famous for its rich invertebrate fossil beds. His interests eventually moved to vertebrates, but he would never forget his first discovery; how it fired his imagination, and ambition, to be a Paleontologist.

"So… Tell me about Idaho State." Alan said. "Did your curriculum problems have anything to do with Jack Mabrey?"

Billy frowned, then nodded. "Yes, sir. Other than finding out he's a pompous ass, I didn't learn much of anything." He realized he might have made a serious mistake. The field of paleontology was relatively small, and most of the professional researchers knew one another. Had he insulted one of Grant's friends? To his relief, the man seemed amused at his words.

"Go ahead," Alan said, in encouragement.

"Dr. Grant, all he cares about is finding the bones, getting them out of the ground, then getting them sold to a museum. He's not interested in finding out about how they lived, their diet, or how they died. I wasted a whole year, but it's my on fault. I – well, I'd heard about Mabrey before I enrolled."

"Billy, if you knew about him, why did you go there?" Ellie asked.

"I didn't choose the school, my father did. He's an Idaho State grad, and it's the only school he would pay the tuition for. I begged him to let me enroll at another school, but he wouldn't budge. In the end, I knuckled under and enrolled there."

"Have you told him how unsatisfied you are? Surely if he understood the situation, he'd let you transfer," she said.

"I tried to tell him, but it didn't do any good, he wouldn't listen."

"Does he know you're here?" Alan asked.

"I guess so. He knows I dropped out of school," Billy said, with a shrug. "I'm sure he's thrilled about that. Some friends have my number here, but he hasn't called them or me."

Ellie glanced towards the kitchen. "Hang on a minute, I need to check the rolls," she said, rising from the couch.

"I can vouch for Ellie's roast," Alan said.

"What about my roast?" Ellie called out from the kitchen.

"I said I can vouch for it."

"Why, thank you, dear."

After a short time, Ellie rejoined them. "Okay — so your father won't pay for any other university but Idaho State."

"Right."

"I've seen this happen before," Alan said.

'Really?" Billy asked.

"The parent's become absorbed in the alumni thing, and they forget to do what's best for their child."

"Well, I've been thinking about school a lot lately, especially since last night," Billy said. "I've decided to go back to college, but not at Idaho State. Hello, student loans!"

Alan laughed. "Your grades?"

"Decent… 3.6 GPA, the last semester."

"What's your minor?" Ellie asked.

"Geology. I enjoyed the Geology classes. They have a good department."

"Excellent," Alan said. "You'll have a good grounding."

"Don't forget there are grants and scholarships available," Ellie said. "If you get back into school and keep your grades high, you can apply for those. They can be a lifesaver, believe me."

"Yeah, that's true," Billy said.

"Do you have a university in mind?" Alan said.

Billy grinned. "Yeah. I'd like to enroll at Denver and study under you and Dr. Sattler."

"We'd be glad to have you," Alan said.

"I'm too late for fall registration, but I could register for the spring semester."

"Billy, don't forget UD is a private university, and the out of state fees are steep," Ellie said. "The university requires you to live in state at least three months to establish residency."

"Oh, okay." Three months… He would have to move to Colorado in the next month to make the registration deadline.

"Have you done any field work?" Alan asked.

"No, sir…" he said. Mabrey only took a small number of undergraduate students each season and Billy had not been chosen, which only added to his discontent; he wanted badly to get into the field.

"I rotate my undergrad students, so everybody gets field experience," Alan said. "You'll find the reality of field research is one hundred and eighty degrees from the romantic vision people have. It's hard, grinding work. We'll see how much you want to be a digger."

Billy noted the unspoken challenge in the man's eyes; a challenge he would meet. A digger – in his mind, it was the highest compliment a paleontologist could receive. "I'm ready to start right now."

Alan nodded. "Except for the Raptor extraction, most of the team will be at Hell Creek next season."

Billy forced himself to breathe at the words "Hell Creek." His future now seemed limitless. He would get to dig at one of the most famous fossil fields in the world, to study under one of the foremost researchers alive. "Oh, man, Dr. Grant, that's going to be fantastic."

Billy heard a key in the lock, the doorknob turned; Tim and Lex burst in.

"Did we make it?" Lex asked.

"You did, barely," Alan said, with a grin. "Do any good on the machines?"

"You bet, I beat Lex," Tim said.

"It's the only thing you can beat me at," Lex said.

Tim made a face, and rolled his eyes, then his expression turned uneasy at the low rumble of thunder. Billy did not miss the concerned glance which passed between the two adults and the girl.

After a moment, the boy's expression returned to normal: Billy wondered what had transpired.

"Well, I think dinner's about ready," Ellie said, hastily.

"I'll help set the table," Lex said, glancing anxiously at Tim.

Billy and Lex followed Ellie into the kitchen; he observed Alan and the boy remained in the living room, engaged in conversation. After a moment, they joined them in the kitchen; once again, the same look passed between Alan and Ellie. Ellie patted Tim on the shoulder affectionately.

Dividing the duties, they rapidly set the table. "I see you've discovered plantain," Billy said.

Alan nodded. "We've got Lex and Tim hooked, I'm afraid."

"Did you really mash them?" Tim asked.

"I sure did. I took a bite, and they're delicious," Ellie said. "The mashed plantain tastes better than mashed potatoes."

"Wow!" Tim exclaimed. "Really? Cool!"

"My mom said we could get some when we get back home," Lex said.

"Dr. Grant said your mother's coming to get you tomorrow," Billy said.

"Yeah…" she said. "I guess so…"

"Well, everybody, take a seat," Alan said.

They began to pass the side dishes around the table, while Alan sliced the roast. After taking a section, he took a few of the roasted vegetables and passed the platter to Ellie.

"Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, I can't thank you enough for inviting me," Brennan said.

"Anytime, Billy," Ellie said. She touched Alan on the arm. "Hey, Alan, why don't you give Billy your number at the University."

"Oh, yeah, I should." He wrote his office number on the pad and handed it to Billy. "I'm not sure when we'll get back to Denver, so if I'm not there, ask for Ben Kincannon. He heads the preparatory staff, and he'll know about you. He'll be able to help you out."

"Thanks. Well, I'd better get out of here." Billy had borrowed a friend's car, and he wanted to return it before it got too late. He knew the streets would be wet from the evening rain.

"Drive carefully," Ellie said.

"I will. Thanks again… For everything."

Alan closed the door and locked it for the night. "You know, Ellie, maybe our extended stay in Costa Rica won't be a total waste after all."

"I know. You may have found a good student. Did you see his face when you said Hell Creek?" Ellie asked.

"His eyes about popped out," he said, chuckling. He watched Ellie bend over and whisper into Lex's ear.

"Okay, what's going on?" Alan asked.

"Alan, it's early, why don't we play Monopoly," Lex said.

"Come on, please?" Tim begged. "It'll be fun."

"Fun…" Alan said, with a sigh. "All right, you win."

He watched the others exchange high fives, and once again, a strange "what if" feeling came over him. What if he and Ellie had a child? After a moment, he savagely wiped the idea from his mind.


Lex gasped and came awake suddenly, choking off the scream, which threatened to escape. Trembling, she inhaled deeply, then nervously gazed at the other bed, relieved Ellie slept on. This nightmare, like the first, had been chaotic; the terror of being chased by the Rex. She lay back for a few minutes, fighting back tears, fighting the panic.

Finally, her breathing returned to normal, but wide-awake now, she realized it would be a while before she fell asleep. Deciding to sit for a while on the patio, she quietly made her way through the living room, and opened the patio door. She stopped, surprised to see Alan.

Alan heard the door softly open. "Hi, there," he said. "Looks like somebody else couldn't sleep."

Lex took one of the other chairs. "I had a nightmare," she said.

"Oh, I see. Like the one before?"

"Yeah, pretty much. At least I didn't wake everybody this time. You couldn't sleep again?"

Alan shook his head and frowned. "Nope." Despite the exercise, his hopes for a solid night's sleep had not materialized.

"We're kind of messed up, aren't we?" Lex asked. "Timmy never used to be scared of storms, and now he freaks when he hears thunder."

"I'm afraid so, Lex. There's no way we could go through a traumatic event like that, and not suffer aftereffects."

"I guess so… Are you and Ellie going to keep digging for dinosaurs?"

"We are," Alan said, silently giving thanks to Lynda.

"I'm glad. You really like what you do, don't you?"

Alan nodded. "We love our jobs, both the field work, and the teaching. Teaching's the most challenging part, but it's the most satisfying thing I do."

"I hope Tim gets to study dinosaurs, too. He's really smart, you know."

"I'd say you both are smart kids."

Lex smiled shyly. "Thanks."

They did not say anything for a few moments, then Lex broke the silence. "Alan, I've been thinking about something. Was Grandpa a bad man? I mean the company belonged to him."

"A bad man, no, he wasn't a bad man. I know he never wanted anyone to get hurt, and he wanted the park to succeed. But they cut corners on safety, and depended too much on the technology to control the animals." He did not mention Nedry's sabotage. "Once everything began to unravel, there was no way to stop the disaster."

"I wonder what's going to happen to the company."

"Well, InGen will receive some stiff fines and lawsuits probably."

"Are you going to sue them, too?"

"No, we have no desire to drag everything into the open."

"I'm going to miss you and Ellie. Tim is, too."

"We're going to miss you guys, too. We'll keep in touch, though. Before you leave, remind me to give you our phone numbers. You can call us anytime."

"Okay. It's not going to be the same, though."

"You'll get busy with school and forget all about us," he said, teasingly.

"No, we won't, Alan," Lex said, seriously. "Never…"

"Well, we won't forget about you, either."

"Good."

Lex suddenly yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"See, I've gone and bored you," he said, which made Lex laugh.

"No, you haven't. I'm getting sleepy again."

"You know, I think I'm ready to go back to bed, too."

They both stood, and on the way back inside Lex paused. "Alan, don't tell Timmy I said he was smart, I'll never hear the end of it," she said.

"Lex, I won't say a word,"