As Malcolm had predicted, Jurassic World was only too happy to have Alan Grant, dinosaur disaster veteran extraordinaire on board with cleaning up their mess. Alan, however, got a surprise when he arrived in Costa Rica.
"Malcolm? What are you doing here?" he asked in shock.
Malcolm gave him an easy smile and slapped his back. "What any friend would do."
Owen, they discovered upon arriving at the Jurassic World staff's temporary base on the mainland, had already gone back to Isla Nublar, along with a small team. A second team had just left, with more supplies, since they all intended to stay there that night, and every night for the foreseeable future. Claire Dearing, who was in contact with the island, and coordinating with the control room, made arrangements for them to join the third team, which would be leaving in several hours, if everything went smoothly. She corralled Grant and Malcolm into having coffee with her, to go over the reclamation team's strategies with them and to see if they had any insights. Grant did his best to be helpful in that regard, since that was ostensibly why he was there, but in light of his real reason for coming, it was hard for him to stay focused on the task at hand, and he couldn't resist asking some questions related to his personal reasons for being there.
"You and Owen Grady were two of the last ones to leave the island, right Ms. Dearing?" he asked.
"Yes, Dr. Grant," Claire said. "My nephews, myself, Mr. Grady, and Lowery Cruthers were the last ones to be evacuated."
"What sort of man would you say Owen Grady is?"
Claire shifted, looking a bit defensive. "I assume you're wondering because he's the one heading the reclamation team? Well, I can assure you that there's no one better for the job. It wasn't one that he asked for so much as one which he was unanimously elected for by his peers."
"I'm not trying to criticize him," Alan clarified. "I just want to know what sort of man he is. So, you say he's well liked?"
Claire settled down slightly. "Very well liked, and for very good reason. He's the sort of man who you can count on for anything."
"How long have you two been dating?" Malcolm asked knowingly, causing Claire to splutter and Alan to look at Claire in a new light. This woman was dating his son?
He had a hard time believing it, but from Claire's embarrassed reaction it was clearly true. To be fair, he barely knew anything about Owen, so it shouldn't have been surprising, but from what little he did know, Claire didn't seem like someone who he'd get along with, much less be in love with. Easy going was the impression Alan had gotten of Owen after finding out everything he could about him online. There wasn't as much information about him as Alan had hoped there'd be, and most of it was supplied by his friends who tagged him in pictures and the like.
Claire Dearing seemed like the opposite of easy going.
"My relationship with Owen Grady has absolutely nothing to do with his competence in this situation," Claire said once she'd collected herself. "Ask anyone who worked at the park who the best person to head up this situation is and you will get the same answer every single time. And, not that it's any of your business, but we started dating after getting back to the mainland."
A relationship born out of a stressed situation. Not always the most stable, Alan knew, but who was he to criticize?
"So Owen is well liked by his peers?" he asked, getting the conversation back toward where he wanted it.
Claire looked at him gaugingly. "Yes. Very."
"And he actually managed to control four velociraptors?" Well, Alan knew that to be a fact. He'd seen Owen sic the raptors on the Indominous Rex on the security footage. But he was hoping for some elaboration on the matter.
"Owen would tell you that he doesn't control them, that it's a relationship based on respect," Claire said. "I would tell you it's a bit more complicated than that. He doesn't control them, per say. But he does, to some extent, have their loyalty. Two of them died defending him."
And the remaining one teamed up with a T-Rex to take the Indominous Rex down. Alan still had trouble wrapping his head around that. Then again, he was still having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Owen Grady was his son. He still didn't know how to go about handling this. Malcolm assured him that he was doing the right thing by coming down here as soon as he knew, but that didn't help Alan figure out the next step any.
He knew that he had to be mindful of the fact that Owen had a job to do here. Alan planned to do whatever he could to help with that. Whether he agreed with the principals that the park was founded on or not, the fact remained that Owen was invested in trying to straighten this mess out and make Isla Nublar as safe as possible again. So Alan would assist in that effort.
Then when he had the chance, he'd speak with Owen in private. He was pretty sure Owen knew he was his father, but Samantha hadn't said that in so many words. Owen hadn't seemed hostile toward him during their one meeting, however, which Alan would have expected of him, so there was the possibility that he had no idea, and Alan would have to tell him. And after being raised to hate him for so many years by Samantha, there was the genuine possibility that Owen would want nothing to do with him now. And if that was the case, Alan would just have to find a way to change his mind. Unless Owen flat out banished him from the reclamation efforts, Alan would still do what he could to help there. He would keep an eye on Owen for as long as he could, and make sure he stayed safe. And he didn't just mean while they were on the island.
Whether Owen liked it or not, Alan was his father. And Alan Grant might not have ever wanted a child until he found out that he had one, but what it came down to was that he did want Owen now. So much that it was like a physical ache in his chest. He would do whatever he had to in order to be close to his son and keep him safe.