They didn't see each other for some time. Dr. Marsh didn't spend as much time in the control room and only popped in when she was needed, purposefully avoiding speaking to Dr. Seeker. Her attention was often on the research of Lucky in Dr. Orach's laboratory. A building was to be constructed to contain the dinosaur in a climate controlled environment, a living exhibition, and Dr. Marsh had to oversee the project, but her mind was definitely elsewhere. They passed each other in the hall one afternoon. She almost stopped and walked back to her office when she saw Dr. Seeker round the corner, but she was not that kind of woman; she had decided that when she was a little girl. He looked up from the floor and his thoughts, and saw her. He almost paused as well. He had his lunch box in his hand, and the breakroom was behind her. He had cold leftover pizza, from taking his nephew, Will, out to dinner the night before, that he needed to microwave.

He nodded to her in greeting as they approached each other, and they both stepped in the same direction to get around one another. Then, they did it again. They both stopped at the same time, and laughed, almost in a trance. A student looked at them funny and simply walked around them.

"Dr. Marsh."

"Dr. Seeker," she said and cleared her throat, smoothing her skirt. "How are the time tour preparations going?" She asked, trying to make small talk.

With the tours postponed, the public tours were to be run starting on the following Monday, so Seeker was supposed to put in the requests for Harry the mechanic to look over all of the rovers one last time and have the students clean them. "The latest report Is on your desk," he said coolly. She looked him in the eyes. It seemed to catch him off guard. There was not the same comfort there anymore.

"The door is open if you haven't forgotten how to get there," and with that he walked towards the break room. Dr. Marsh closed her eyes and sighed as he walked away, trying to quell the feeling in her stomach.

Despite how busy she was, she did walk to the control room. Everything else could wait. She stopped in the doorway, looking at his desk across the room. She walked in and approached her workspace. There was, indeed, a report on her desk. She looked at the little blue crocheted triceratops plush, and she couldn't help but miss the way things had been.

When the pizza was actually warmed up, and Dr. Seeker took his first bite, he felt nauseous. He tried to power through his lunch, but ultimately couldn't. The interaction with Dr. Marsh left him melancholy. He barely had any appetite, so he decided to wander the statue garden.

A tyrannosaurus rex statue judged him as he walked quietly along. It was humid; the air was wet and sticky. Someone was playing a guitar near the dorms, and children's laughter could be heard from up the road. He sighed.

"Welcome back to our program here on WDNO radio. The word of the hour is, you guessed it, 'BONE.' If you know a song with 'bone' in the title, send it in, call it in, text it in. For crying out loud, just shout it out loud. I'm only broadcasting from the attic of the restaurantosaurus. I'll hear ya, and I'll get it on the air," came over the speakers near the restaurant . "Speaking of air, it is HOT up here. Wooo! Anywho. I'll start us off with this little ditty."

" Jealous Bone" by Patty Loveless started playing over the radio, and Dr. Seeker rolled his eyes. The word of the hour had always been "Bone" as far as the student radio station had been live. He sat on a bench on the edge of campus. He could see the Dino-Rama amusement park rides just over the tops of some trees and he sighed. The clouds were dark and heavy looking. Someone walked up to him and his heart skipped a beat before he realized it was just Dr. Orach walking by on the way to the gas station. Thunder cut through the music for a moment, and he decided he needed to get back to the institute before the rain came.

Dr. Seeker started walking back towards the Dinosaur Institute, the rain started sprinkling, and he reevaluated why his heart had skipped a beat. He looked up and slowed his pace as he heard heels clicking on the concrete that was quickly becoming slick with rain.

He looked stupidly at her walking across the courtyard towards him, as he was walking back towards the Styracosaurus fountain. "What do I owe this pleasure?" He mockingly bowed, but really he was delighted to see her. He had missed her. Dr. Marsh stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes. In her hand was the little crocheted triceratops plush.

"Why didn't you kiss me?" She asked, handing him the plush. Her question caught him off guard and he took a step back. "What?" He asked her, dumbfounded.

"Why didn't you kiss me at the opening ceremony?" She asked again.

"I didn't know if that's what I wanted," he admitted, slightly amused and nervous all at once. He continued honestly when he saw how serious her face was, "...I don't have many friends. I was lucky to have you. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us if I kissed you and didn't mean it."

"Was.." Dr. Marsh said quietly, looking away embarrassed. She crossed her arms around herself. Grant could tell she was trying to maintain composure, but she was anxious. He squeezed the triceratops.

"I'm sorry," she continued, she wiped her face. She looked back at him. "I'm sorry that things have been tense. I'm sorry that I've been ignoring you."

"I'm sorry for going behind your back to tag a dinosaur," he said. She glared a little bit, but laughed, "Yes, that was stupid." It started raining even harder. She wiped her face again, but he pretended not to notice. "Dr. Seeker, I can't.. I can't keep going on like this," she gestured between them. "I think we need to maintain a professional relationship, for my own sanity." The rain started soaking through their clothes. "Dr. Marsh, this conversation can happen inside," he argued, trying to hand her the triceratops. She shook her head, "If I don't get it out now, I fear things won't change." She finally took the plush back from him. He took her hand, and she blinding followed as they briskly walked to the entrance of the institute to stand under the covered concrete entryway. "May I walk you to your office?" He asked. She took a deep breath, and together they walked into the institute.

When they made it to her office door, she was still clutching the triceratops. Her intern, Courtney, was out to lunch. "Thank you for your apology. I hope the board of investors accept it as well," she said. He rolled his eyes at her, "Helen.."

"You're still on probation, Grant." He sighed. She opened the door to her office. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" He asked her. She turned to him, "That's not very 'maintaining a professional relationship' of you." She entered the room.

"I didn't agree to that. I remember it being mentioned," he said coyly and followed her into the office. He sat his lunchbox on the floor and took off his lab coat.

"As much as I'd love to have dinner with you," she said. He put his coat on the back of one of her chairs. "Ah, so you'd love to have dinner with me? How about seven, tonight?" He interrupted, sitting down. She sat in her desk chair and closed her eyes.

"As much as I'd love to have dinner with you, if you cared any bit about me, we wouldn't further this relationship."

"What are you afraid of?" He asked. Her eyes snapped open in annoyance.

"I'm going through a divorce, Grant. I'm not ready for any more heartbreak," The sadness on her face made him ache. She rubbed her forehead. "and please don't make any promises you don't intend to keep. You have already filled me with so much hope that I can be loved again. I want to relish that fantasy."

"My only love is dinosaurs," He shrugged. She opened her mouth to say something and thought better of it. He smiled, "I'm only joking." He put his hands on the table and continued, "how about no promises? How about dinner as friends?" Helen looked up and gave him a look that said, " you can't be serious?"

"Please?" He batted his eyelashes at her. She sighed. "You should have been a lawyer," she teased and relented. "What did you have in mind?"

~0~

He did pull up to her house at exactly 7pm. He got out of his car and knocked on her door. She stepped out in a lilac dress that went down to her knees and gold accessories. She was wearing that berry colored lipstick again. The weather was less humid that evening, but the air was still warm. He wore a light blue dress shirt and khaki pants.

She took him by the arm, and he walked her to his car, opening the door so she could get in. The sun was getting real low in the sky as they drove down the street.

At the restaurant, they were seated on an outside deck that overlooked a river. A table set just for two. Tea lights were lit at each table, and strings of lights were strung from the rafters. There were people seated across from them at tables with loveseats and wicker chairs.

"Is this too much?" He asked as they settled into their seats. Dr. Marsh shook her head. She smiled, "Maybe it would be if it were a date." Dr. Seeker smiled nervously and looked at her from under his lashes. Their waiter brought them waters for the table.

"I'm teasing, Grant. This is lovely. Thank you." They ordered, and Grant had wine brought to the table. They sipped silently, but it wasn't unpleasant. The evening had started to settle on a dark blue sky, the lights dancing in his gray blue eyes. They looked at each other.

"Do you come to this restaurant often?" Helen asked him. He set down his glass. "No, not often. I've been here twice since I've moved here, and I have looked for an excuse to bring someone here again. The churros are phenomenal. They melt in your mouth."

The string lights reflected gold in her brown eyes. "My nephew is staying with me. We plan on coming here when his parents come to pick him up. They'll be back before school starts in the fall."

The waiter brought them their dinner. Helen put her napkin in her lap. "I didn't know he was staying with you. He could have joined us." Grant waved her concern away, "It is alright, I promise. My neighbors are watching him this evening. He gets along with their daughter, Marissa. She's around his age. He'll be twelve next month."

"Have you ever wanted your own children?" She asked him, cutting into her beef tenderloin.

"There was a time that I did," he admitted, his gaze was soft and thoughtful. "But I realized that I'd have to sacrifice my research as selfish as that sounds." Helen nodded in understanding. "And my nephew is enough. Bright as can be, and a child I don't have to raise on my own."

"What about you? Do you have any children?" He asked, taking a piece from their bread service.

"No, Morton couldn't have any, which was fine. Probably for the best. We didn't have time for kids," She paused before sipping her wine, "or really time for each other." She sighed wistfully, "I guess he had plenty of time for the maid." Dr. Seeker almost spat out his drink, and she laughed.

He coughed and wiped his face. "How is that going by the way?"

"We had a prenup, so better than one might think." He raised an eyebrow at that, "You know what, good for you." She smiled bashfully.

"You look very beautiful," he said while looking at her. "You have a wonderful smile." For a moment things caught up to her, it felt a little too real. He noticed her smile falter. She shifted in her seat, sitting up straigher.

"Too much?" He asked. She didn't make eye contact. "Too much," she confirmed.

"That's okay. We can redirect." He gestured towards his food. "Mine is phenomenal, would you like a bite?" She couldn't say no if his was anywhere near as good as hers. He had grilled chicken thighs in a curry marinade.

She had another glass of wine and dessert came. The churros did, indeed, melt in her mouth. "Oh my God!"

"I told you!"

The evening was wrapping up quicker than Helen would have liked. He paid for their meal, and they sat for a while, enjoying the evening air. Frogs were croaking along the river embankment below them. She was watching the water as he had gotten up to go to the restroom.

"Hey," Grant touched her hand. "Are you ready?" She turned to him and smiled. "Yes, we can go." She took his hand and got up from the table. She grabbed her purse, and they walked back to the car.

"I had a lovely time," she said on their way back to her house. He would steal glances at her from the corner of his eye.

"Would you want to do this again?" He asked nervously. He parked his car in front of her house. "I think I would," she said, turning to him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly got out of the car to open the door for her.

"If we did this again, and it were a date, I can't promise it would be just as nice every time, but I can promise it would be just as fun," He said to her as she stepped out of the car.

"I am sure I wouldn't mind." His smile was wide at her response.

"May I walk you to your door?" He asked. "You may," she responded. They walked towards the front of the house. A cool breeze rustled through the trees. She unlocked the door, and stopped and waited.

"How may I wish you goodnight?" He asked in front of her door. He held her hand.

"However you wish." They stood a little closer. His eyes darted to her lips. "May I?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

"You may," she responded. He leaned in and kissed her softly and sweetly. They pulled away for a moment, looking at each other, then, they kissed again.

She moved his hand she was holding to the small of her back and touched his face, cupping his cheek. He pulled away, raised an eyebrow at his hand on her back, and laughed. She stared at him, still holding his face, and he stopped laughing. They kissed again.

"Goodnight," he said when they pulled away again.

"Goodnight," she said breathlessly. She touched her lips, sighing, and he started to turn away. She grabbed for his hand in protest. He came back and gave her two quick little kisses.

"I will see you tomorrow," he reassured her. She stood outside her door until he got back into his car. He waited on her street until she walked into her house. They both didn't get a lot of sleep from the rapid beating of their hearts.

~0~

The next day, Dr. Marsh was anxious. She had a million thoughts racing in her head about her "not date" with Dr. Seeker and what it meant for her professional relationship with him. She wanted more, and she wasn't sure if more from their relationship would be good for either of them.

Dr. Marsh was drinking her coffee at her desk. It was 7:30 am, and she had been at the Institute for only thirty minutes. It was only a day until the weekend and Monday morning, the time rover Tours would begin. Even though she liked Dr. Seeker, she was sure he was up to something.

Dr. Seeker was upset. Not only was he restricted to certain coordinates, he was also limited to any instruction he could give during the excursions to the past. Dr. Orach and Dr. Wheeler's missions still continued during the hiatus caused by Lucky. That afternoon, Dr. Orach just dropped off an entire edaphosaurus skeleton, an oversized iguana looking creature with large spines on its back, into the control room, completely intact, and didn't say a word. Dr. Wheeler stared at it longing while she was in the room, after she reviewed some footage from a mission, and left in a sigh.

Dr. Marsh walked into the control room and Dr. Seeker swiveled around in his chair to look at who entered. He moved in front of his computer to block his monitor. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled.

"Dr. Marsh, just who I wanted to see," he said to her excitedly, and cleared his screen. "Are the coordinates locked into the controls for the tours?" He asked, getting up from his seat.

"They should be," she said. She couldn't help but feel he wanted something.

"How about you and I go for a little joy ride in the past. No one will miss us for a few minutes," he suggested.

"Dr. Seeker, I have preparations to make. We officially open in three days."

He sat back down in his chair. "Alright," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you busy right at this moment then? We could pop out for an ice cream," he asked. She moved closer to his desk. "What don't you want me to see, Grant?" She signed into his computer. The iguanodon's location popped up. She stood up straighter and crossed her arms. "You've still been tracking the dino?" she asked calmly but accusatory. His eyes went wide. "Who? Me? …noo."

"Grant." She looked down at him in his chair. He looked up at her, "Is that a crime? He's part of my research."

"And your research wouldn't happen to include bringing that dinosaur here, to the present, would it?" She asked.

"I would never, that couldn't possibly work," he dramatically put his hand on his chest. "I'm hurt you would even suggest it. Where would one even keep such a large dinosaur."

"So you have thought about this?"

"Yes of course, but your accusation still hurts."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes in frustration as she exhaled. "Do not interfere with the Time Rover Tours, Dr. Seeker," she warned. "I am counting on this success, and I'm counting on you." She turned on her heels and walked out of the room.

Dr. Seeker looked at the computer she was still signed into, and looked back at the door to make sure she was down the hall. He pulled up the access to the coordinates for the tours, and promptly changed them, inputting his information back into the computer.

He looked one more time at the door, and pulled up the iguanodon on the screen. If he was the first kind of dinosaur bones found over 150 years ago, he deserved to be the first live dinosaur studied. It would be a few years before Lucky would grow to a full adult, and the institute might not even have the continued funds to raise him on their own. "I'm coming for you, bud," he said before closing out his screen again, and getting up from his desk.

(I have been out of town and away from my computer. Regular uploading schedule will continue on Friday) - Elle