A/N
Hey guys! Life is good?
Thank you spinofan-117 for letting me use the name if I decide to bring the Spino in because that is a very fitting name,
thesecondoreo, I'll be sure to look up that song because now I am curious about it.
thethirdoreo, perfect timing on your part.
Ceredon, I think you're crazy for zooming that quickly through that many chapters, but I am really glad you're enjoying this story that much :) Thank you for putting in that bit of background on Sobek's name because that is interesting to me. I hope you get some sleep, sleep is very good. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.
As always, thank you guys very much for reading this story and reviewing it. Even if you don't review it, thank you for reading it! Please enjoy, and I suppose I shall give a warning for a sad chapter.
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"Love Can't Fit These Boots..."
"How are you feeling, Sunshine?"
Elise couldn't feel her mouth, and the sounds she made sounded very odd to her. She was afraid of moving her mouth around for fear of biting her own tongue off. So she only nodded her head, and Owen smiled as he continued to stroke her nose. Elise decided to rest a little before their next show, and she was content to sleep under the false log next to her sister's box. Owen was ashamed to admit he had almost forgotten about the little box, but he smiled at the jar of American soil.
A small, tender, tiny emerald vine had decided to break the surface of the earth. A single leaf adorned the fragile plant, and Elise was over the moon to see the seedling doing well. It made Owen happy as well; he was glad Lowery had given her the gift.
It made Elise seem lighter.
"Are the girls getting along pretty well with Rexy? I know Blue is like her little shadow at the shows, but is Blue always on her back?"
Elise couldn't help her sucked in laugh; Blue was very much Rexy's shadow, and the two had grown quite close with one another. Blue was learning the old dinosaur's sounds; she couldn't mimic them, but Blue could usually figure out what Rexy wanted.
Usually.
And Rexy enjoyed having the raptor on her back; Elise never expected it, but Blue was apparently very good at scratching all the hard to reach spots. Tim still wasn't very comfortable with the raptors in his paddock, but he wouldn't complain about Rexy looking much younger. It made Tim feel better now that Rexy had something else to do with her time. She still kept her regular schedule, but the new members of the family always provided an opportunity for something different.
Owen let out a laugh as he scooted a little closer. He stretched out in the soft ground as the two simply enjoyed each other's company. Elise kept a careful, soft hand pressed against the side of Owen, and he responded by placing his much smaller hand over hers.
They liked the physical contact. Elise relished it, and Owen had no problem with the extra cuddling. He had done the same thing with Blue and her sisters when they were born; they were establishing and solidifying a very strong bond.
Granted Owen was pretty sure Elise would never lose her cuddly side, but it always reminded him that she was still young. He really wished he had some records to make a better guess, but Owen was willing to bet Elise was somewhere in her late teens, maybe a young adult. The more attached Owen got with Elise, the more he wondered how long she would live.
She did have a base genome of Tyrannosaurus, Rexy was over forty years old, and even the oldest discovered Tyrannosaurus fossil died around thirty.
Thirty to forty years was a good number, Owen could live with that. Elise was going to live a happy, safe life where she had a purpose and family. Happiness had a great way of extending the lifespan, and Elise had human in her. Humans lived a long time, so maybe that would extend it a little more, right? Maybe add five or ten more years?
A very selfish side of Owen hoped Elise would outlive him, but then he wouldn't be there to protect her. He knew she could defend herself, but Owen didn't feel right by leaving Elise behind.
Pack never left pack behind.
Owen wouldn't admit these thoughts had kept him awake more often than not. It was hard enough to sleep with the broken ribs, but then his thoughts would wander around. He would wonder about the future, training his girls for racing, getting Claire on another date, seeing his family.
And how he hoped Elise would be right next to him the entire time.
Was this what it was like to be a parent? Owen had thought he was a parent when the girls had hatched, but he was never so...worried.
Elise worried him. He worried about her health, her happiness, and her living conditions. Was she happy? Was she getting enough to eat? Was she sleeping well? Owen would notice when she wasn't. Was Rexy being a good parent when Owen wasn't there? Did Elise know she could come to him for anything? Did he tell her he loved her enough?
"I love you, Sunshine."
Elise cracked open an eye; she had dozed off when Owen drifted into his own thoughts. She responded by pressing her hand against him as she curled around her human. Owen smiled at the warmth; he had to remind himself to tell Elise he loved her at least once a day. He didn't care if she got sick of hearing it, he didn't care if people thought less of him for it.
Because there could be a day when Elise would have to go to bed without a goodnight kiss from Owen. There was always a chance Elise would have to wake up knowing she wouldn't have her human to play Godzilla with, and there was the possibility the only time she would see him was in happy memories.
And Owen wouldn't be there to tell her he loved her.
But Owen was still right here, he was alive and well. He was here to spend all day with his tough baby, and he would tell her how much she meant to him.
Elise let out a content sigh when Owen began to quietly hum their song. It was the only song with actual singing that Elise enjoyed.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine."
The Indominus knew she was smiling, even if she couldn't really feel her lips.
"You make me happy when skies are grey."
Owen quietly tapped a soft beat against the large hand tenderly pressed against him, and he swore the pain in his side dissipated a little bit.
"You'll never know, Dear how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away."
Elise let out a soft croon as she eyed her human. Owen adored the warm cinnamon colors adding depth to the clear eyes. Even the pupils seemed to grow rounder, and he just couldn't quite picture Elise as anything else.
His Sunshine.
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"Don't be stubborn, Love. I saw you spit out the vitamin."
The chocolatey eyes blinked warmly before the baby let out a defiant, soft cry. Debra patiently sighed at her youngest Apatosaurus. Love was true to her name; a simply lovey baby who adored being cuddled.
And carrots were the greatest treat in the world.
Love was the favorite at the Petting Zoo, and always the first to greet any shy child. Love made everyone feel welcome with her overpowering curiosity. She simply had to inspect everything for herself. Strangers, a new bucket, flowers, children, pockets...
And a certain Indominus Rex.
Debra didn't like to think about that little incident. It wasn't even an incident. Love had run away from Gerry like every normal animal, and she stumbled upon the Indominus sleeping in the Shower Room.
Elise...
Debra unintentionally curled her lip; she didn't want that thing to have a name. The Indominus had ruthlessly killed her babies. She didn't care if Elise had a change of heart.
The Indominus Rex, not Elise.
Because of the mutated, crooked jawed monster, Debra now knew what Beauty's intestines looked like. She had even gotten a good look at the massive, pink stomach when the crane had lifted the dead Beauty onto the flatbed of the semi-truck. Those slashes had been cruel, deadly, and slow to kill. The only one who bled out quickly was sweet Amber.
Amber had liked peanut butter. It had always melted Debra to watch her little Amber smack the soft jaws repeatedly as she tried to eat the thick, sticky treat.
But now Debra didn't need to bring peanut butter with her when she went to visit the remaining girls. She was very grateful that Cherry was still alive to keep the herd together, but Jade wasn't doing very well. The Apatosaurus liked to pair off; they picked a herd mate to stick by.
Jade always stuck by Jasmine, but now Jasmine was dead. Jade didn't walk with a bounce in her step anymore. She didn't eat as much as she used to; it was starting to show, and Debra desperately hoped Cherry could pull Jade through this.
Debra wasn't ready to say goodbye to another baby.
Love pulled Debra from her thoughts by giving a soft bite on the pouch hooked on Debra's belt. The curly haired woman gave a tender smile as she gently stroked the soft, grey skin.
"You're not getting a carrot until you eat your vitamin, my Love."
Love only tugged a little harder though Debra highly doubted the baby would be able to do anything. It was a tough pouch that had lived through much more aggressive children.
Rain had broken three of Debra's belts when she figured out that was where the Granny Smith apple slices had been hidden; Rain never liked any other kind of apple. It was always funny to Debra how her girls always picked a different favorite food.
But Rain wasn't going to break Debra's belt anymore. Now Rain was just a memory and a large patch of disturbed earth.
And Granny Smith apples brought back bittersweet memories.
Debra swallowed to get rid of the sharp, tight feeling in her throat as she smiled at Love. Love was her lovey baby; Debra didn't have a better word to describe the little ball of cuddles. The Petting Zoo around her was full of enthusiastic children eager to meet the fellow youngsters of Jurassic World. Debra wouldn't pick anything over this job; it wasn't even a job to her. She loved educating children about her scaly children.
But more children were starting to ask if she knew Elise. When Debra would immediately deny, they were quick to educate her about Jurassic World's newest attraction. Elise was tender, gentle, quiet, and loving. Elise brightened the children's day while entertaining adults at the same time. Elise could turn funny colors, Elise loved classical music, hated jelly doughnuts, and kept Blue in line.
Elise never growled, and her sharp teeth hardly registered as a threat; she loved to pin Owen to give slobbery kisses. Rexy was her Mama, but Elise was the second Alpha in the Raptor Squad; she was in charge when Owen wasn't there.
Debra didn't like hearing these things. She had been content to pretend the kids were talking about someone else. She had managed to keep the Indominus Rex and Elise as separate animals in her mind.
Until Debra watched Elise rescue Owen from the lagoon. Debra had really thought she was going to witness the demise of her children's murderer. She hadn't been comfortable when people around her had begun to cry out Elise's name.
Like Elise was a good hero.
Heroes didn't slay harmless animals without good reason. Debra was sure the Indominus had absolutely no good reason for hurting the young Apatosaurus.
It had eaten at Debra all night to the point of upsetting her already ravaged digestive system again.
The Indominus Rex was a selfish, sadistic, remorseless killer.
But Elise was a good soul, a friend to all children, and willing to risk her own life for the sake of precious family.
Debra didn't want them to be the same creature. She wanted someone to hate, someone to curse when her chest would throb at the most random of times. It wasn't fair that the Indominus Rex had suddenly disappeared with Elise to keep the same face; Debra wanted to hate that face, but Elise was getting the lashing, not the Indominus.
Debra didn't hate Elise, she hated the Indominus.
Love made another soft cry as she began to lick the gentle hand who had only shown kindness during her short life. Debra couldn't stop her bitter smile when she overheard an excited child beg his parents to get moving.
Elise's show was going to start soon.
Debra was full of bitter anger that had nowhere to go.
Because the Indominus Rex had vanished, and Love was on her way to making friends with gentle giant Elise who had shown no anger for being insulted. Debra was sure it wasn't because Elise had forgotten.
Maybe Elise was patient too, and Debra suddenly gave a short laugh.
No punishment was more fitting of the elusive Indominus than being Owen Grady's babysitter. It wasn't what Debra would have picked for a punishment, but it was all she was going to get.
But at least Owen hadn't seen Love not run away from Elise in the Shower Room. Debra didn't think she could handle it to see the smug face; it had felt very good to punch that jaw. It was even better when he knew she had thrown a solid hit.
"Alright, Love. Eat the vitamin, and you'll get two carrots for being a good girl."
Debra smiled; Love was here to fill in the hurting holes in her broken heart.
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Black combat boots quietly splashed against the current of the always chuckling stream. A freshly painted white cross has planted into the riverbed, and gloved hands carefully pulled the gathering, green plants from the base.
A soft, sad sigh fell from chewed lips as the critical eye made sure the cross was still standing tall, proud, and strong.
Like the man whose name had been tenderly painted on the white wood.
A fresh crown of colorful flowers was slipped onto the cross, and the ACU Commander finally sat down on a large, smooth stone while the cold waters ran over his boots. Blake ran a tired hand through his rough hair.
He didn't feel good.
His stomach hurt for every reason possible. Grief was a heavy rock weighing him down, Bridges had thrown a good, solid punch, and his most recent meal had been of questionable quality.
Sleep was elusive and filled with bad dreams. Happy memories hurt to think about, and Blake was only functioning because of the extra shot of espresso put into his fifth cup of coffee.
Life was not looking better, and he was stuck on this island. He didn't have family anywhere else. ACU was his family; he loved each of his siblings. Even the ones he didn't get along with.
But now the Indominus was apparently going to join. Blake rubbed his eyes tiredly before quietly saying, "It's been a really long day, Commander. You wouldn't believe the shit I had to put up with today."
Blake glanced to the side of the chuckling stream as he stared at the white crosses dotting the riverbed. Some were peeking behind bushes, others right next to one another, but Hamada's cross stood strong in the running waters.
"Claire has lost it; she's putting that thing on Emergency ACU. Can you believe that? I know you wouldn't have put up with that shit..."
Blake swallowed as he clenched a hard, unforgiving fist on his knee, and sniffed, "We don't need it, Commander...all it is going to do it bring chaos and trouble. That's all that ever follows that thing... I know ACU can handle things; we got it, don't worry. We're taking care of each other like you taught us to."
The new Commander suddenly let out a watery laugh as he said, "I mean...I bet you'd be all over training Freak; she's a fiery shithead. God, she's got that look about her. I bet you would have already made a damned vest for Freak...you were always good around weird people."
Another sniff was made, and Blake wiped his nose before adding, "I really don't know who I hate more, Commander. Claire is the iciest bitch I have ever met; she won't listen to anyone unless it's what she wants to hear."
His stomach gave an unpleasant churn, and Blake grimaced as he said, "Bridges is a cold sonofabitch, but he can throw a punch. You would have busted his nose like I should have, but I let my guard down."
The Commander was silent for a few seconds before he bowed his head. He hated the trembling of his chapped lips, and the warmth trickling from his tightly shut eyes provided no sense of relief to him. Blake let out a shaky sigh as he desperately stared at the cross, and choked, "I-I...I let you down. I am s-so sorry, Commander... I should have been there...I was calling in another sick day, and you knew I wasn't sick. Why didn't you come get my ass?! I should have had your back, but I didn't. I'm sorry, I am so sorry, Commander..."
Blake finally buried his face into his calloused, gloved hands as he wept. The rough stubble reminded him that the world was still spinning, and he needed to shave. It was important to lead through example and with a clear, calm head.
But Blake wasn't calm like Commander Hamada had been. Blake had a temper, and he held a hell of a grudge against Freak for disrupting his life like this. Blake had been content with the excitements of bringing down rouge pachys. It had been fun to play chicken with the favorite winner, Rocky. Rocky was a hell of a fighter who knew how to really dodge ACU. She had been Hamada's dinosaur. The only time he ever saw her was when she got loose, but that was enough times for them to know each other.
Now Rocky was getting mean; she knew her equal had passed away. Blake had to deal with that now; he had to be in charge of keeping these animals in line.
Rocky didn't like Blake; Blake liked Bark. Bark was no bite despite her size; she was a good girl who easily followed a strong trail of Twinkies. But Bark hardly caused trouble; she was sweet.
Blake liked it more when Hamada was here to give him shit and push him to do better. Now he had to push himself, and it was more tiring than Blake had realized. He had to keep his team's spirits strong as well as his own.
There was a lot of weight on his shoulders, and Blake didn't have anyone to talk to.
Blake hiccupped as he looked at the blurry cross, and hoarsely said, "I know you would have started training Freak by now...but I don't like her. She's the reason why you're gone..."
The Commander wiped his face as his gaze fell to his wet boots. He couldn't stop the bitter, sad smile when he added, "You always said I'd be the one to take over when you were gone. You said I could fit in your shoes..."
Blake's bitterness cracked his face into a pained smile as he choked, "But it's hard, Commander...real hard...I just don't think I can fit in these boots..."
The blonde bowed his head in defeat, remorse, guilt, and exhaustion when he quietly mumbled, "I'm so sorry..."
Blake would give anything to hear from the closest thing he had to a father again.
Anything for even a three minute conversation.
Because Hamada wasn't here to tell Blake to push himself to become better, and Blake had to greet the rising sun knowing he had big shoes to fill.
Blake just wished he had decided to go to work that day.
Maybe he would have been killed, and Hamada could have already had the Indominus working into the family. But Blake had to make that work now.
Because Hamada had given his boots to Blake.