A/N

Hey guys! Holy moly this is a long chapter, but it had to be. I didn't feel like making cliffhangers here, and it was really hard to write.

Anyway, ReginaDC21, I'm glad to hear your sister is getting better!

Kim K's Butt, you have to eat the 105 black licorice jelly beans through the straw first, and I love you too.

Guest, I probably will not add the OC, but I am really grateful you offered him.

Unknown, I'm a sly creature!

The Only Carrot, you can also add a meteor crashing to the list just because. I'm glad you liked Bark's point of view.

CMCMC, thanks for the idea! It's hilarious, and I'll try to remember it.

I know you guys are eager to get Sobek here, and so am I. He'll probably show up after the next chapter because I really want his tail over here. Elise shall be watching more Disney movies, I just wanted to wrap a few things up with Blake before doing another time skip over to Sobek.

Thank you much and mighty for your reviews and patience; I really appreciate it. Oh, before I forget, I am a woman. I never said anything before because I never thought it was important and I think it's hilarious to see the mixed between you guys. I really don't care if you call me Sir, dude, bro, etc, but I know a few of you were curious.

Anyway, enjoy; love you guys. You're all beautiful!

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"Ghost."

Bridges leaned against the back of his chair until the satisfying crack popped in the air. His office was silent, and even Carnifex had mellowed out by the late afternoon. He glanced at his watch before sighing; he was sure most of the workers had already left for home by now. Several had opted to stay in the sheltered bunkers for tonight.

There was a storm coming in and Bridges had a feeling it was going to rain incredibly hard tonight before turning into a lazy drizzle all day tomorrow. That made him nervous; he knew it was going to be a bad storm.

Sobek had gone back into the Recovery Room after it had been cleaned. The Spinosaurus had disappeared for a few hours before coming back to wait by the closed door, and Bridges took that as two signs.

Sobek was far sicker than he realized or another storm was coming in that his nest wouldn't be able to handle.

Given that Sobek had knocked over three, thick trees in his rage when he left, Bridges was willing to bet the second option was more likely. It wasn't the first time Sobek had taken shelter here from a storm, second time this year though.

Bridges had learned that watching his animals gave him far more accurate predictions than any useless weatherman he had watched. It was odd how they somehow knew what was coming, but Bridges would always watch the animals. He usually depended on Carnifex for that, but Sobek seemed to be a little more fine-tuned to just how bad the weather would be.

A sigh fell from his lips as he made sure the windows to his office were shut tight before he turned the lights off. He liked to sleep in his office a lot, the couch had cushions to die for, but he felt like going to his home tonight. It was still on the island, but his home was in this populated area. He intended to double check everything tonight just in case his workers had missed anything. It was simply what the boss did, and he didn't feel like dealing with flood damage if he could help it.

Bridges stepped outside and he could already smell the rain in the air. The clouds in the distant looked dark and angry, but Bridges intended to check up on his personal weatherman before making a round on the other buildings.

The vets had cleaned up and left, but a few security guards were posted and nervously eyeing the barred wall. The animals were mostly quiet save for an occasional chitter or bark, but it wasn't annoying. It was better than the silence.

The keycard slid through before the door was cautiously opened. Bridges didn't hear the irritated growl nor could he hear the breathing. He poked his head in before spotting Sobek against the wall furthest from the open doors. Bridges pressed his lips before surveying the clean room. It looked much better without the blood splatters on the wall, and there was a new bed of wood shavings to cushion the ground.

Bridges glanced at Sobek when he was already given the warning glare, but it was better than the dinosaur outright charging him. Bridges had given his best apology by having very good meat waiting for the Spinosaurus when he left.

That was enough for Bridges, and he took a few more steps into the room to stare at Sobek. He was getting the full on glare, but Bridges tucked his hand into his pocket to toy with the lighter as he frowned at the ground.

A lot of the shavings had been scraped under Sobek. Bridges wasn't surprised that the Spinosaurus had made a nest, but he was concerned with how high the dinosaur had tried to make the walls.

"It's going to be that bad, Sobek?"

The Spinosaurus didn't even blink at Bridges; he just kept his lip curled while glaring at him. The dinosaur had found his comfy position, and he was not willing to move. He was going to be very upset if he would have to move, but Bridges glanced towards the open doors. There was already a light breeze blowing in and ruffling the shavings.

Bridges pressed his lips as he kept an eye on Sobek while walking towards the doors. If Sobek didn't move then Bridges was pretty sure the storm was going to be something of a downpour. He kind of hoped the Spinosaurus was going to move, but Sobek only continued to glare at him.

Bridges was careful about poking his head out of the room, he really didn't feel like getting snatched up by something feeling brave, but hardly anything really tried to invade ground with Sobek's scent still fresh. The trees were rustling with the wind, and Bridges paused when he heard some thunder.

"The doors shut tonight, Sobek; I'll open them first thing in the morning."

Sobek gave no indication of understanding him, but the emerald gaze watched the doors slowly shut with a soft sound. Bridges calmly walked over to the nearest door before pausing at it. He really didn't like how high the wood shaving walls were supposed to be, and he sighed; he would have to make sure the drains were working properly. He always had workers routinely check them, but they hadn't had a heavy downpour for a while; the workers could have gotten lazy.

"Thank you for the warning, Sobek."

The dinosaur relaxed his lip when the door gave a quiet click. Sobek glanced at the closed doors before giving a quiet sigh as he curled up in his nest. He missed his other nest, but he didn't want to sit in the rain tonight.

It wasn't going to be a gentle storm.

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"And that's Owen taking a bath in the sink. Didn't he have the chubbiest butt?"

Owen sighed quietly when Elise gave her sucked in laugh. Charlotte found the Indominus' laugh to be one of the funniest things in the world, and she just couldn't stop herself from trying to get Elise to laugh more.

She had brought pictures of Owen, and Elise loved them. All of them.

And there was nothing Owen could do about it except try to get the projector up and running. Rosie was sitting in a pile of blankets right next to Elise as Charlotte flipped the page. Owen internally groaned when the mischievous look filled Charlotte's blue eyes. Rosie burst out laughing, and Charlotte turned the book to Elise as she said, "And this is when Owen decided to perform an experiment during Halloween, Baby. It's something a lot of humans celebrate where we get to dress up and basically walk around in costumes. Children love to go trick or treating which is where they go to others for candy. Owen took Halloween very seriously."

Owen pressed his lips at Elise's smile, and his mother continued, "He was five when he had a bet with his father that girls got more candy because they were prettier, and he decided to test that theory. I think he makes a very cute Snow White, don't you?"

Ted quietly chuckled when Elise nodded her head, and he leaned over to his son as he whispered, "And you only got half the amount you should of because you couldn't get the lipstick right. Wasted too much time on your makeup."

Owen rolled his eyes before saying, "At least it gave me a leg up with girls because I knew how long it took to put that shit on."

Charlotte glanced up from her book as she sternly scolded, "Watch your language, Owen. It's inappropriate to swear in front of ladies."

Ted snorted when Owen winced at the biting tone, but Elise only laughed again. She was resting her head on the concrete, and Owen was actually surprised by how much she got along with his mother. It was a pleasant surprise, and Owen wouldn't complain. He was very happy with how life was going right now, and Elise had outdone herself in finding Ted during her training today. Sam was feeling ready to move her onto actually searching for illegal substances as well.

Owen couldn't have been prouder of her.

Their only problem was getting one of the Commanders to actually work with Elise, but Owen had finally decided he would just step up if anything ever happened. Elise was learning to work with different people; she was learning when to listen to others and when to go with what she thought was right.

Elise was becoming confident in herself, and Owen could already see the amazing leader she was going to be.

"Uncle Owen, you need to hurry up. I don't want Elise walking home in the dark, and Rexy is gonna get mad."

Rosie had absolutely adored seeing Rexy, but Owen had been less enthusiastic. Blue had managed to spot him, and he swore Rexy paused to glare at him before crunching the poor goat up. Owen hadn't stayed there for very long, and Rosie had scolded him for breaking her nest.

Ted snorted at her, but Owen asked, "So did you figure out if you wanted to work here or not?"

Rosie nodded as she leaned against Elise before saying, "I want to go work the Apatosaurus because they're so nice and calm."

Owen was glad for that, but Rosie asked, "Uncle Owen, who is gonna work with the Velociraptors after you? Are you teaching anyone?"

"No, Booger. Raptors are picky about who they let into their pack. Barry and I have been around them their entire lives, but they never took kindly to any other person in their home. Derick raised his raptors, but they escaped."

Ted raised an eyebrow when he recognized that thinking face on Rosie, and he sternly said, "I hope you're not thinking about working with Velociraptors, Rosie. They are incredibly dangerous creatures."

Owen hadn't told his parents how up close and personal Rosie actually got to see the girls. Granted Elise hadn't let them come close enough to do anything, but it was much closer than what his parents would have allowed. Blue had actually been very neutral towards Rosie; she didn't pay much attention to her when Elise was hovering protectively.

Rosie wasn't affected by her grandfather's tone, and she said, "I haven't decided yet because I like the raptors, but I also like the Apatosaurus. Maybe I'll do both."

Owen smiled when the screen finally came up, and he said, "You just focus on good grades in school, Booger. Claire won't hire you if you have bad grades."

Rosie nodded; she was good in school, and always tried her hardest. English wasn't her strongest subject, but she was incredible in math and science. Owen was proud of her for that, and he sighed before putting the DVD in. Rosie was almost bouncing excitedly as she offered popcorn to Elise. The Indominus relaxed when Owen leaned against her jaw, and he winked at her when he buried himself in the piles of blankets.

It had been fun explaining the concept of cartoons to Elise, and the Indominus had been interested in it. Owen had shown her how the pictures were drawn on a notepad, and his father had created a simple cartoon with stickmen. Owen had laughed at how amazed Elise had been by it.

Elise was good at reminding him not to take even the simplest of technologies for granted.

The Indominus made a low, soft croon at Owen, and the man chuckled when Rosie shushed her. Rosie was the only person on the planet who could probably get away with shushing her. Elise merely snorted at her, but focused when the movie started. Claire had promised to drop by with snacks.

Owen wouldn't trade nights like this for the world.

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"...Commander."

Blake glanced up from his empty bottle to stare at his fellow guard. The brown haired man had a good head on his shoulders, but Blake didn't care for the look in his eyes. The one that made Blake feel like he wasn't doing his job correctly.

"Yes, Lopez?"

Lopez seemed to pause before quietly saying, "I think you had enough, Sir. Let me get you home before Dearing shows up."

Blake felt perfectly fine; he wasn't drunk. He was just a little buzzed, but he was still fine. He could drive a car and everything. Blake couldn't remember which beer this was, but the room wasn't spinning too much.

Blake only frowned as he snapped, "I'm fine, Lopez. Mind your own, and let me enjoy my drink."

The man glanced at the table before quietly saying, "You've had enough, Sir. Please, just let me get you home."

Blake sighed as he pulled the bottle closer to himself protectively; he was just nursing a few wounds that didn't know how to heal over. Alcohol was good for wounds; it disinfected them. Blake knew he was fine, and he was getting better at filling Hamada's shoes. They hadn't had too many mess ups, and no one had died on his watch. Sure he yelled a lot more than Hamada did, but Blake wasn't going to tolerate any disrespect or questions from his men. He needed their absolute trust.

The brown haired man sighed in frustration before opening his mouth to threaten Blake, but stiffened at seeing the white jacket. Blake followed his gaze before swallowing at seeing Claire walking into the restaurant area, but she could easily see into the bar if she turned her head.

Blake knew he had enough to drink when he was afraid of Claire seeing him; he was already on thin ice with her. He had been doing everything to avoid Elise; she had been nothing but difficult for his job.

Elise had humiliated him in front of his entire team when she faked escaping her old paddock.

Blake had no intent of working with Elise, and he was always glad when a dinosaur had conveniently gotten loose for him to avoid training with her. He knew Hamada would have already made her part of the team, but Blake just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was so afraid of messing up with Elise; she was too much.

Too big, too powerful, too weird, too freaky, and too lethal.

Deep down Blake knew Hamada probably wasn't angry at Elise for killing him; the late Commander had even confessed that he had accepted that he would probably be killed on the job, but he didn't care. He had loved his job, his men, and the animals he worked with.

Blake couldn't see it like that.

"Sir...?"

Blake shoved the bottle back just a little too roughly, and pretended not to notice how loud it sounded. He did his best to leave quietly, silently cursing the barstool that had purposefully stuck out to hit his hip, but he was glad Claire hadn't noticed him.

Blake sniffed quietly as he slightly tripped over the curb of the sidewalk. He muttered another curse while getting into his vehicle before the keys had been snatched from his hands. Blake glared at Lopez when the man firmly said, "Absolutely not, Sir. I don't think you should be driving. Let me drive you home."

Blake finally rolled his eyes before snapping, "Lopez, stop mothering me. I'm fine, I can drive, and I'm not drunk."

Lopez licked his lips before leaning close as he quietly said, "You are drunk, Sir, and you need to get help before something happens. Please just take some time off because getting drunk at every opportunity you can take is not healthy."

Blake tried to swipe the keys back as he retorted, "I know damn well Freak is going to get put on the team while I'm gone. I'm not going to let that happen."

Lopez tucked the keys into his pocket as he said, "Blake, I need you to listen to me. I know you really don't want to work with Elise; a lot of the team feels the same way, but you have to get it into your head that we're hardly ever going to work with her. She's for emergencies. She's not going to be with us every time a dinosaur gets lose, and I doubt we'll even use her every time a guest gets lost. Maybe if the search has to go until dark or the weather is really shitty, but even then she is so big that I doubt we'll ever ask for her help. You heard Dearing, Elise is being trained for research. Go get help."

Lopez sighed at Blake's stubborn look, and he finally said, "If you don't go get help by the end of this week, I'm going to say something. I'm tired of covering for you."

"You have never had to cover for me, Lopez."

The man threw his hands into the air as he said, "Every time you go drinking, I have to come wake you up. The team is wondering why your eyes are bloodshot, and I tell them you just don't sleep that often."

Blake clenched his jaw, and Lopez said, "I'm going to go get my jacket, you are going to let me drive you home, and we are going to get you help. We'll pull through it, Commander. Everyone has faith in you, okay?"

Blake didn't acknowledge his comrade, and the man sighed before disappearing. Blake waited until he was out of sight before sliding out of the driver's seat. He leaned on the off-road vehicle as he walked over to the back wheel before sticking his hand over the tire to search along the muddy metal. He huffed in frustration before scraping the metal box out of the small holder, and grinned victoriously.

He slid the lid back enough to pluck the silver key out, and chuckled to himself. There was no way he was drunk.

He would have forgotten about the spare keys if he was, and he clearly hadn't forgotten about it. He would make it home just fine, and Lopez could shove it.

The Commander started the car with ease before freezing when Claire walked past him. He carefully watched her before Claire glanced at him, and she gave a nod of her head as she continued on her way with her food. Blake blinked when she went around the corner, and he felt his confidence grow. If he could slide by Claire then he was perfectly fine.

He was just buzzed.

And Blake pulled out with ease before driving off. He always drove carefully with these vehicles; they were tanks, and he would get home fine. It was a far drive, but he would get there. He could drive slow.

After he was far away from Lopez.

Blake was long gone by the time Lopez walked back out, and the man swore when he didn't see his Commander. He hadn't been gone very long; three minutes tops because the waitress had moved his jacket. Lopez sighed at the keys in his pocket before smacking himself for not remembering the spare keys. He should have known, and he had a bad feeling about this.

He wanted to go get help, but he was afraid of getting Blake fired.

Lopez stood there for a few minutes as he contemplated his next move before pocketing the keys. He would go to his own truck, drive to Blake's home, and wait for him. He would wait a half hour at most before he would start searching. If he couldn't find Blake...

Lopez wasn't sure what he would do if he wouldn't be able to find him, and he shook himself mentally. The Commander would be fine, and he was probably worrying over nothing. The man hadn't slurred his speech at all, and maybe he was just a little tired.

Lopez immediately felt the shame as he walked along the sidewalk. He knew damn well Blake wasn't in any shape to be driving, and he was convincing himself it was fine to turn a blind eye. Lopez zipped up his jacket with determination.

He needed to get Blake help regardless of how angry the Commander was going to be.

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"Aloha ʻoe, aloha ʻoe, E ke onaona noho i ka lipo. One fond embrace, A hoʻi aʻe au. Until we meet again."

Elise did her best not to tilt her head, but she was confused by this. She didn't understand why Lilo was going to be taken away from her elder sister. What was a social worker? They didn't look very nice, and she wondered why humans would try to break apart other packs. Did they think Nani was a poor guardian? Elise wanted to know where the parents were.

But she found this movie funny even if some details were disturbing to her. Owen had said the movie took place on an island called Hawaii, and it did look beautiful; it looked a lot like here. Owen had said Hawaii was far away though, and there weren't dinosaurs there.

Claire had said she vacationed there, and the food was wonderful. She had even brought Elise a pineapple to share with her. She said they always tasted amazing in Hawaii, and Elise was all for trying the cheery, gold fruit.

Until Rosie had decided to share a fun fact from science class. Elise didn't catch all the gibberish words, but she did catch that the juices in the pineapple basically ate you while you were eating it. Elise didn't want fruit to eat her, and Owen had laughed when the fruit was tossed into the jungle. Claire had tried to assure the dinosaur that the fruit was perfectly fine, but Elise wasn't swayed. She wanted food to stay dead after she killed it, and she wasn't sure how to kill a fruit.

Elise found Stitch to be a hilarious creature in his own way. She found his way of being refreshing, and their sense of humor seemed to be similar. She had found it funny when David had set the stage on fire.

Humans were dumb when it came to entertainment sometimes; he should have been more careful when it came to fire.

Elise had also found their similarities striking, and a few details had come to her attention. They had both been created by scientists for the purpose of destruction.

Owen had theorized that she had been created for the purpose of fighting in battles, and Stitch had been created for the sake of destroying. Even Stitch's creator had admitted there was no greater purpose for him.

Elise wondered where her creator was. She didn't even know who he was. Was her creator a he? At least Stitch's creator was proud to stand by him, and he knew Stitch even if he didn't understand him. Their relationship wasn't the best, but they at least had one.

Where was hers?

Elise was troubled by that, and she intended to ask Owen when she got the chance; when Rosie wasn't around. Owen was more careful about what he said around her, and Elise was fine with that. It was important to be a good role model around hatchlings; she knew she was supposed to be extra patient around Rosie. Elise knew Owen was afraid of Rosie asking her the wrong thing, and Elise had almost been offended that Owen actually thought she would snap at a hatchling.

But she would admit Rosie had a tendency to ask questions that were sometimes hard to answer.

Like who created her, and why she was created. Did she like to destroy things like Stitch? What was her sister like?

Elise wanted to know why her sister had been created sick or if it had been a fluke. Surely her creator would have known Small One hadn't been as healthy, and they had been expensive to make.

So why hadn't anyone tried to check on Small One?

Elise had answered Rosie's questions as best she could, and Owen had done what he could to try and steer Rosie away from the hard to answer questions. Only one had really scared Elise.

Did she have a picture of her sister?

Elise didn't of course, and she wished she had one because Rosie's next question had touched on an old fear that would never leave her.

How did she remember what Small One looked like?

With all the new family, her shows, and training, Elise didn't spend as much time with her sister as she would have liked. She didn't talk with her as often. She didn't reminisce in old memories of just the two of them as often as she used to.

Elise had briefly forgotten what Small One had looked like, and that had terrified Elise. Owen had quietly told Rosie not to ask that question, and Elise was pretty sure she had missed important parts of the movie because she had been so focused on recalling her sister's looks.

Grey-tinged scales, and scarlet eyes with gold flecks in them. A thin, fragile frame with claws that looked tougher than what they really were; milky teeth that had a hard time breaking through bone.

Elise intended to write that down somewhere so she would be less likely to forget. She wished she could draw, but she wasn't very good at it.

Her letters were still crude.

"You ain't nothin but a hound dog!"

Elise blinked as her attention was brought back to the wall, and she cursed herself for zoning out again. She had quickly learned that this movie would not get violent; it was made for little ones.

Elise's attention wasn't kept as long when the movie wasn't destructive, and she hoped the other Disney movies would allow for more destruction, but she didn't think so. She would admit it was funny to see Jumba and Stitch argue with one another. Would she be argumentative with her own creator?

She wanted just one conversation with him; she had questions he needed to answer.

A loud booming startled Elise into snapping her head up, and she yelped at the hard smack. The log was definitely solid, and Elise made a low moan at the sharp pain. The humans startled away, but Owen was the first to comfort her as always.

"Easy, Sunshine; it's just a little thunder."

Elise tried not to glare at Owen as she pulled her head back; she knew what thunder was, she just hadn't expected it to be so loud. It had been a long time since it had been this loud. An old habit forced her to lower herself to Small One's level to make sure she and the oak hatchling were both fine. Once she was assured all was well, she raised her head again, and Owen lightly scratched her jaw as he said, "You're alright, Baby."

Elise garbled at him; it wasn't her jaw that hurt, she wanted her head comforted. She wondered if she had shifted the false log when she hit her head.

The Indominus blinked when a drop of rain hit her head, and there was a brief pause before the clouds decided to dump the water. Elise continued to stare before she seemed to frown deeply, but Rosie couldn't help but to laugh, "You look like Stitch!"

Elise glanced at her, but she was glad someone had found humor in this. Claire covered her smile, and Owen chuckled, "We might have to finish this movie tomorrow, Baby. There's not a lot left, but I don't want you to get sick from standing in the rain, okay? I'm sure Rexy wants you home too."

Elise heard a thunderous sound, but she wasn't sure if it was the sky or Rexy roaring. She didn't want to chance it, and she wanted to go home. Rainy nights made Rexy extra cuddly, and Elise loved it. There was something precious about just being tucked tight into the warm nest as the rain made soothing sounds.

Elise pressed her face against Owen gently before puffing air onto the rest. She made to leave, but Rosie demanded a kiss goodnight.

The seven year old had been very confused when Owen dove out of the way, but Elise was more than willing to give Rosie a kiss goodnight. She remained gentle as she pinned her, and Rosie shrieked at the slobbering tongue covering her.

"Ew! Elise!"

Elise couldn't stop her sucked in laugh when she released Rosie. The child sounded very much like her uncle when she was startled. Rosie held her arms out as strings of saliva dribbled from her clothes. She glanced at Owen when he laughed, "You said you wanted a kiss, Booger; that's how she kisses."

Rosie looked like she wanted to grimace, but she was afraid of hurting her new sister's feelings. Rosie didn't know that Elise was perfectly aware that humans didn't lick each other; it was just funny to see their reactions.

Ted chuckled quietly though he said, "Better give Elise a kiss before she has to leave, Rosie. We'll see her in the morning."

Rosie nodded as she walked over with her clothes sticking to her oddly, but she confused Elise by wiping the scales on her snout. Elise didn't think her snout was dirty, and she blinked when she didn't feel a kiss on her nose.

It wasn't how she was used to humans kissing her nose, and Owen quietly asked, "Did you just lick Elise, Rosie?"

Rosie put her hands on her hips defensively as she answered, "It's how Elise kisses! What was I supposed to do?"

Owen fell over laughing, and Elise shivered her jaws affectionately at the child. Elise was very amused by how Rosie was willing to do dinosaur things around her. Elise knew it wasn't a human thing to smell one another, but she still did it, and she had been startled when Rosie had gone through the same motions. Elise had scraped some dirt to build a little something of a nest, and Rosie had copied her; it had been great to teach the child the finer details of nest building. Rosie had done very well actually; even Blue had been impressed with the fern nest.

Elise puffed another bit of air onto the child before she crooned a farewell to the others. Owen was still laughing by the time Elise had melted into the jungle, and Rosie crossed her arms defensively at the man.

Owen didn't care; Elise's face had been priceless.

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Blake was pretty sure he had the windshield wipers on the fastest setting, and they still couldn't seem to keep up; he wasn't going very fast.

At least he didn't think so.

He just wished his home wasn't so far away, but the roads never seemed too bad. They weren't paved, but he didn't like how slick they felt.

Maybe he needed to slow down.

Blake risked a glance at his speed, but couldn't really read the numbers; he had to be around thirty miles or so. It didn't seem like much, but all this rain was sort of scaring him. He had no idea where it came from either; he could have sworn the news had said it would be a drizzle.

This was not a drizzle.

A flash of movement caught Blake's eye as something darted in the road. Instinct kicked in to hit the brakes, but the beer forced him to mash them down. Blake let out a curse when his car began to slide, and his rear fishtailed. He overcorrected, and it happened before he could react.

The tires managed to grip a less slick spot, and the tree practically ran at him. All of a sudden the car stopped, and his face smacked into the none too gentle air bag. His seatbelt locked up, and refused to let him move.

Everything hurt, and Blake groaned as the bag slowly deflated. He was alive though, and conscious. He slowly leaned back before wincing when his wrist gave a sharp pain; a little voice in the back of his jumbled mind scolded him for not holding the steering wheel at nine and three. He knew he was lucky his face hadn't smacked into his wrist when the airbag had deflated.

Blake gave another hiss as he reached for his radio before his hands scraped nothing. He cursed the dark as he realized the radio had probably fallen onto the floorboards. His wrist communicator was busted; it wasn't meant to take those kinds of hits.

Damn airbag.

He could get the spare radio, but his seatbelt wasn't letting him move around. He struggled with it for a few minutes before sighing when the restraint finally went limp. His pelvis hurt like hell, but he forced himself out into the pelting rain. He wished he had brought a thicker jacket, but it wasn't like he had planned on crashing this very expensive vehicle. He carefully wiped his eyes to survey the damage.

The tree won.

He had hit it just right, and the front had crumpled quite nicely around the thick trunk. Had he been going thirty? He swore that's what it had been, but now he wasn't sure. Blake didn't focus on it right now because he knew he was in deep shit. He was in the raining dark with only one, dim headlight to work with. Claire was going to kill him if she didn't fire him first, and he still had to get home.

Blake sighed as he winced at his complaining body; he probably needed to get medical attention. He knew how serious a car crash could be, but he just wanted to go to his warm, dry bed. It would probably be a half hour walk in the mud, but he limped over to the passenger's side of the car. He gave it a fierce yank before the door suddenly opened, and Blake stumbled back. His feet slid in the slick mud, and Blake yelled when his back crashed into the hard ground. He laid there for a minute or so before letting out a groan as he rolled himself up.

He hadn't realized just how close he was to the ledge of the hill until he started to slide down it. Blake dug his fingers into the loose mud only to leave deep gouge marks the faster he slid down. It wasn't even a dramatic fall; he just slid down. The plant he snagged didn't keep their roots deep, and Blake couldn't shift himself into grabbing a tree.

The Commander blinked when he finally came to a halt before glaring at the tall hill. His car seemed so far away now, and all he could do was let his forehead gently rest in the mud as the water continued to pelt him. He knew there was no way he would be able to walk back up that; he was going to have to find another trail and walk it until he found civilization or his house. The Commander didn't want to do either, and he simply sat there for a few minutes. This wasn't happening; this was not happening to him. Blake did the only thing a man in his position could do.

He let out the most articulated F-Bomb he had ever shouted in his life. It was beautiful, but it didn't help him.

Blake shoved himself off the ground; he could get through this perfectly fine, so long as his body cooperated with him. He knew this island like the back of his hand.

So why did everything look so different in the dark with pelting rain? He swallowed; Blake knew he would be almost blind here, but he had to get moving. He was freezing and he had no idea if anyone would come looking for him. He wouldn't tread too far from his car; he just needed to find a way back up the hill.

Blake sighed as he zipped his jacket up a little higher; he could do this.

Rain was miserable.

-----------------------------

And it was cold.

Elise admitted she had grown used to ignoring it when she had to, but now she didn't have to make sure Small One's cave didn't collapse. Now she could sleep in a dry area, and she was eager to be back in a dry area.

Already her plains were growing wide puddles that would end up looking deeper than what they really were. She had slipped a few times, and had to remind herself not to walk so fast, but she was eager to be back under the sheltering trees in Rexy's territory. Elise let out a roar, and Rexy immediately responded. Elise shook more rain from her scales as the thick trees acted as her natural umbrella; Rexy had picked a good spot for her nest.

The clearing was hardly wet when she stepped in; a little damp, but much better as compared to outside. Rexy and the girls were already tucked into the nest, and Blue chirped at her. Elise gently butted her head against Rexy's warm jaw as she stepped into the nest before curling close to the elder. She would never take the older dinosaur's warmth for granted, and Rexy was content to rest her head on Elise's shoulder while the girls found their own spots to curl up.

This family was happy, warm, and safe.

----------------------------

"I don't think you should be driving home, Baby. Not on your motorcycle."

Owen nodded in agreement; he was normally good about beating these storms home, but not today. Claire had quietly offered a place in her home, but Owen's mother had burned a literal hole into his back when he had briefly considered it.

Charlotte didn't care how old her son was; there some things she wasn't going to encourage, and Ted had found it hilarious how Owen had quickly declined. Claire had only rolled her eyes before leaving with a goodnight kiss.

Rosie had teased him for that one.

They had decided to get a late dinner after Elise had left, and it was ten o'clock right now, and they were catching the last monorail back to the hotels. Owen didn't feel like slipping through the mud on his bike if he didn't have to. He was fine with taking the couch in the hotel room his parents had. Rosie was thrilled to have a sleepover with her uncle, and Owen would never complain about making her happy.

The monorail was quiet, and almost empty save for a few last minute guests who intended to get their monies worth. The monorails were the fastest way to the hotels, but it wasn't the only way. Owen had left his bike in the safety of a garage, and he was eager to get some shut eye. He had to smile at how Rosie had immediately latched onto his side; she was already close to falling asleep, and he didn't doubt she would be out cold by the time they would get there.

"How long are you guys staying here?"

Ted began to polish his sharp glasses as he answered, "Three days total; we'll leave in the late afternoon the day after tomorrow. I wish Rosie could have spent more time here, but I don't want her falling behind in school."

Owen wrapped his arm around her a little more tightly as he quietly said, "I'm surprised she didn't get her homework done ahead of time."

"She did; she just didn't plan on missing more than three days. We tried to get tickets for the weekend, but those were always really busy."

Owen believed that; the middle of the week was usually the slowest even if it wasn't slow at all. There was never a slow day in Jurassic World. He glanced up when his mother softly said, "I can't believe how much Elise adores you; she's such a funny creature. She is happy where she is, right?"

Owen nodded, and his mother asked, "Does she ever want to see the world outside of this island?"

He shook his head as he answered, "She's a homebody, Mom. Elise asks about it, but a good YouTube video is more than enough for her. She just wants to explore the island."

"Does she like the ocean?"

Owen frowned as he scratched his jaw before answering, "I don't know actually; I've never taken her to the beach. I'm not sure she'll let me near that much water."

Ted chuckled quietly, and Charlotte smiled as she playfully smacked his arm. Owen was glad to see his parents getting along; it made things even better. He tilted his head to watch the rain hit the windows; he actually couldn't see anything out of there, but that was fine. Jurassic World had good drains, and it would be better in the morning. His girls were in good hands; if anyone knew how to survive the harsh weather, it would be Rexy.

------------------------

Lopez shook his head at the rain pouring down; it seemed like it was getting harder, but he hoped this meant the storm would be shorter. That was how it usually went, but he had been wrong before. There were a couple different ways to get to Blake's home, but Lopez knew which one the Commander would usually take.

He really hoped Blake would be fine, and he hated how he had to drive slowly to get through this. The roads were too muddy, and the wind was starting to pick up. He wished Jurassic World would invest in paved roads, but everything was built in mind that this island could be abandoned again.

Lopez continued to drive along the road before he was forced to stop his car, and he let out a curse. A tree had fallen into the road, and there was no way he could drive around it, but it didn't stop him from getting out.

The man made a face at how he sunk into the mud, but he swore he saw the faint tracks from another vehicle. Now he knew Blake had gone this way, and it looked like he beat the tree. Lopez rested against the tall trunk as he contemplated his next move; this was the safest road to take. All the others would surely be too flooded to try; even their off-road vehicles had limits that he wouldn't be pushing without reason.

Maybe Blake had gotten home by now, or he would be close to it.

Lopez slid back into his warm car before he grabbed his radio.

"Commander Blake, it's Lopez. Did you make it home?"

Lopez frowned when he didn't get a response after a few seconds, and he asked, "Blake? Respond. Did you make it home?"

The man sighed before pulling back his wrist communicator; it was expensive, but Blake used it more often than not. Maybe he was already in the house, and forgot about the radio in his car. Blake always kept his wrist communicator on though.

"Commander, it's Lopez. Did you make it home?"

Lopez swallowed when he only got a broken static as a response. He sat in the car for a few more minutes as he glanced at his clock. It was eleven right now; it took a while to drive anywhere on this island when the weather wasn't kind. He wasn't sure what to do.

His first instinct was to contact Control; all the vehicles here had GPS trackers on them. If Blake's car was at his home then Lopez would go home, and beat the crap out of Blake in the morning. If Blake wasn't at his home, then Lopez would deal with it.

Lopez sighed as he pulled his radio out again before saying, "Control, this is ACU Lopez."

He waited a few seconds before the radio crackled, and the man responded, "Security here, what's wrong?"

Lopez tapped the radio against his head in thought; this was going to reach Claire's ears eventually, but he decided that this was the last straw. Blake needed help, and he asked, "I need the location of Commander Blake's vehicle. Can you ping it for me? I just need to know if he got home fine; the roads aren't great out here."

Lopez listened to the rain drumming on the top of his car while he scanned the thick trees. It was always creepier out here at night, and he was glad hardly anything happened at night. It was usually things that could wait until dawn.

He frowned when he didn't get a response, and asked, "Control? Are you there?"

Lopez waited a few seconds before the crackling voice came in broken spurts. He couldn't catch anything, and said, "I'm not reading you, Control. Is Commander Blake's vehicle stationary at his home?"

The static was too much, and Lopez heaved a large sigh before he made the decision to go back. He wouldn't be able to drive through this, and he didn't like sitting here in the dark. It would be a long drive, but he didn't know what else to do. He would go until he could get better reception.

Damn weather.

Blake had no idea where he was, and he was sure he had gotten turned around somewhere. His car headlights had died, and he lost track of the car. He was grateful to tuck his hands into his pockets; he had found a small flashlight that was better than nothing.

He had taken his wrist communicator off; his wrist was hurting too much, but he had dropped it accidentally. He lost it in the mud, and that was one more thing Claire could get mad at him for. Blake knew he needed to find a landmark of some sort; a river or maybe even another road.

He just hoped he hadn't walked into a dinosaur's territroy. The smaller animals were controlled with the shock trackers. It replaced fences that would have been built, but it was more dangerous for wandering people.

Usually ACU came and got them before anything could happen. Usually guests didn't wander off because they weren't that dumb. They knew how to get back, and they weren't lost in the dark with rain to make seeing even harder.

Blake knew he needed to find a tree or something to rest in, but he hadn't found one he was willing to climb. He had been trying to follow the base of the hill in hopes that he would be able to get back up it, but he wasn't lucky tonight. Rocks and trees had forced him away, and he was getting cold.

It was the little sounds that had kept Blake moving. Jurassic World was dangerous at night; a lot of carnivores were nocturnal here. They felt braver at night, and Blake only had his combat knife, and a stun gun on low battery.

He left his pistol in his car.

The Commander gave himself a shake; he knew this island. He knew the animals, at least the ones that escaped a lot, but he knew what was where. He just couldn't remember the last time he had been out here in the dark without his men.

The beer hadn't helped either. It made it harder to walk and focus; he felt sluggish, but wide awake. He was a cold, wet, but wide awake drunk.

The Commander paused to catch his breath as well as wipe the rain from his face; it was like standing in the shower. He knew it was a little dramatic, but his mood was sour, and his body was hurting. He was worried about internal damage from the wreck, and he was worried about getting eaten. He knew very well he wasn't at the top of the food chain here.

Blake took a deep breath as he tried to gather his thoughts. He wondered if it would be better for him to find shelter where he could dry off, but no one knew where he was. He had no idea if he was far away from his car, but he had a feeling he was. He didn't want anything to snatch him.

He was worried about compys.

Their population had definitely taken a hit, but they were coming back. The prion infected ones had been wiped out, and they weren't finding anymore corpses. The compys were scattered across the entire island, and they were very brave at night. Especially in groups.

He wasn't in a group, and compys were venomous. He had heard it was like falling asleep, but Blake didn't want to die. He could die in his sleep when he was old and wrinkled.

Blake decided he would keep walking until he found a tree he could climb without hurting himself even more.

He shivered when he heard a hooting sound echoing in the distance. He really hoped it was an owl he had heard because he knew a certain, nocturnal carnivore's territory was located around here.

He should have let Lopez drive.

---------------------------

Lopez was not happy by the time he stepped into the quiet Control Room. It wasn't as full at night, and people were messing around more than anything. It was the nightshift; all the animals were doing their own thing, and people were in bed. It was almost midnight, and the drive had taken longer than he wanted.

He flashed his badge at the security guard before storming his way over to the Security section. The man jumped at the mess Lopez was, but he growled, "I want you to ping Commander Blake's vehicle like I had asked almost an hour ago."

The man blinked but turned to the computer as he said, "I couldn't understand you through the radio; the weather is too bad. I tried talking to you afterwards, but you wouldn't respond."

"Just get me his location."

The man nodded as he clicked at his keyboard before pressing enter. They waited a few seconds as the map loaded before the red dot came up. The man zoomed in, and Lopez let out a breath.

Blake hadn't made it home.

The man frowned before he said, "Let me get the camera on screen; all the vehicles have it."

The screen was brought onto the front of the room, and Lopez gripped the back of a chair when chirping was heard in the car. He couldn't see anyone in the car, but the camera was at an odd angle. He could see both doors were open, and the lights were still on. Rain was pouring in, and little, chicken-like dinosaurs were content to take shelter in the back seat.

"Are those compys?"

Lopez swallowed before he said, "The airbag deployed; Blake crashed into something."

The man quickly went through more windows on his computer as he quickly said, "Whoa, no, we should have gotten a notification if that happened. Where's the notification?"

Lopez shook his head before firmly saying, "Forget the notification; get me a medic team over there right now."

The man snapped his fingers at Lopez to bring him back as he said, "Take radios from the drawers over there. They're heavy as hell, but they'll work."

Lopez nodded as he said, "Search the cameras, and tell me the best roads to take; the one that's a straight shot to Blake's is a no go. A tree fell down, and I doubt Repair is on standby."

"Got it."

The elevator closed, and the man said, "Alright, Control. We have a rescue mission in progress; quit your Facebooking and Tweets; let's get the best route to Commander Blake's car."

-------------------------

Lopez did his best not to bite his nails on the bumpy road. He was glad the medic knew how to drive with ease in these conditions, but it was still too slow for them. He was grateful there was another road that they could take; it crossed with the one Blake had been taking on the way back to his home.

"I think it's starting to rain harder..."

The medic agreed before she said, "At least the wind calmed down a little; we'll get there."

"I should have gone with him. I knew he wasn't in good enough shape to drive."

Lopez was grateful for the medic's comforting pat, but he felt his heart drop at seeing the red lights glowing in the dark before their ambulance's headlights caught the car. Lopez was out before the vehicle had stopped, and he cursed when he slid through the mud.

"Blake!"

Lopez flinched back when the compys poured out of the car in a chirping swarm, and he glared at them when they looked like they were sizing him up. The compys backed off when the two other cars pulled up, and the medic was next to Lopez.

"He's not here."

"Yeah, no shit."

She rolled her blue eyes before she began to look it over.

"The windshield is cracked, but it's not busted; that's good. I think he was wearing his seatbelt too."

Lopez was glad for that, and his fellow ACU gave a small whistle before saying, "I think Commander walked over here; I can see his boot prints, but they're faded."

Lopez growled when he saw the prints, and he tried to follow them. He wasn't very happy when they led to the ledge of the hill. He flashed his light down the hill before asking, "Think he slid down this?"

"I don't know where else he could have gone. I don't think Commander would have left his car."

They glanced over when another ACU guard said, "He sure as hell wouldn't have left without his pistol."

The woman held it up, and Lopez turned back to the hill as he said, "Someone get me some rope; I'm going down there. I have a feeling he fell down there."

It was a slick slide down, but Lopez was careful about picking his way. Three others had come with him, and he said, "Spread out, but stay within hearing. I don't need to lose any others. Keep an eye out for anything."

Lopez could already tell that any signs of Blake were probably long gone if he had even come down here. They searched as thoroughly as they could for twenty minutes before one gave a whistle.

"I got Commander's wrist communicator!"

Lopez wiped his eyes to clear the rain as he looked it over. It was busted and covered in mud. He gritted his teeth before squinting into the dark jungle. The rain was loud, and he said, "I bet he walked along the hill to find a way up."

"I saw some smooshed plants going that way."

Lopez nodded as he continued along the way before flicking his radio on. It was a heavy, large thing, but it worked in the crappy weather.

"This is ACU Lopez, I need to know where I'm headed."

The ground here was lush with tangling plants that were heavy with water, and the radio crackled, "You aren't in any paddocks although compys seem to like that area. If you keep following that direction, you'll eventually hit the Dilophosaurus territory. Be careful; they're nocturnal, I'll let you know when you get close to their territory. They're on shock trackers."

Lopez internally groaned as he picked up his pace. He knew Blake had walked this way, but he motioned for the others to say close. The radio crackled again, and the Security asked, "Do I change this to Search and Rescue?"

Lopez pressed his lips before answering, "Yes, change the mission. We're searching for Commander."

----------------------------

Blake had found a hollowed out trunk to shelter himself from the rain. It was cramped, and he was tired. He getting too cold, and he wanted to push himself to move; he just needed to rain to lighten up a little.

It sounded like it was finally slowing down, but the thunder was really starting to kick in. He wasn't sure what was worse. Not being able to see anything through the rain, or not being able to hear anything through the thunder.

At least the hooting had stopped as far as he knew. It was cold, and Blake couldn't stop himself from curling up. His head lolled a little before he snapped awake. He couldn't fall asleep here; he needed to get moving.

But he felt like he was starting to finally warm up a little; it was better in here than it was out there.

He just needed five minutes to rest, and then he would get moving.

Just five minutes.

------------------------------

"You guys are getting really close to the territory."

Lopez halted at the invisible line as he gritted his teeth. He knew Blake had gone this way; they had managed to find a footprint here and there.

But he couldn't risk going into that territory without the proper gear. Dilophosaurus knew their territory, and they were good hunters. He had the tools to deal with scavengers and some slightly less aggressive carnivores, but Dilophosaurus always required a different set of gear.

They had great aim with their spitting.

He put the radio close to him as he asked, "Are there any nearby?"

The radio paused for a second before answering, "Yeah, they're not too far away, but they're definitely around there. I...it's your call, but I don't recommend you going in there without the right gear."

Lopez sighed as he took a few steps back as he chewed his lip. He just wanted to dive in there, but he knew that was way too risky. He didn't even know if Blake was still alive, and it pained him to think like that. He glanced at his group before asking, "What do you guys think we should do? Should we risk it?"

They shook their heads after some thought, and one said, "It won't do any of us any good if we get eaten by Dilophosaurus. We need to head back for the gear."

Lopez agreed with that, but another guard snapped, "And let the rain wash away even more of Commander's tracks? The rain isn't letting up, and if we waste more time then we might as well wait for morning."

"Commander could very well be dead by then; we can't just leave him, but we can't be stupid about this. How is it going to help anyone if we get blinded?"

Lopez sighed when the man retorted, "Do you have a better idea? We would have to get a search dog out here by the time we got back, and last time I checked, we didn't have one. Do you want to go get one of those raptors? Because it worked out great last time."

Lopez opened his mouth to snap at the arguing men, but paused when he heard a quiet suggestion.

"What about the Indominus?"

Lopez blinked at his comrade, and she said, "She is trained to search, and I doubt the Dilophosaurus would actually try to fight her..."

The four stared at the silent tree line, and Lopez nodded as he began to trot back to the vehicles. He didn't have a better idea than that, and none of his companions would deny that Elise had an incredible nose on her. They were desperate, and Lopez didn't want to kill anymore time. He pressed the button as he said, "We are declaring an Emergency Search and Rescue. I want the Indominus' nose out here right now. Get her best handler and get those two here. I want equipment for this paddock sent with them."

Control blinked at the screen before the man said, "Someone wake up Claire; she has to know we're turning Elise loose. Send someone to get Grady, and I need notes on how to get Elise's attention; I know Lowery left something at his station."

--------------------------

Owen bolted straight up at the hard pounding on the door. He was confused, and didn't recognize the room. It wasn't until Rosie sat up and mumbled something that he realized he was at the hotel. Another hard knocking forced Owen off the couch, and over to the door. He had no idea who would be up this late, but he startled at seeing an ACU guard sopping wet in the immaculate hotel.

Owen did not have to look at the man's feet to know he had tracked mud in here.

"Mr. Grady; we need you to come with us. We have an emergency."

Owen paled, but nodded as he shut the door. His mother was standing by the couch in her robes with a sleepy Rosie by her side. Charlotte pinched her nose with concern as she quietly asked, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Owen slipped on his jacket and boots before tucking the resonating chamber into his pocket. He walked over to the door as he said, "I don't know, but I need to go."

"Are you coming back?"

Owen paused at the small voice, and he quickly walked over to Rosie before squishing her to his chest as he said, "You know Elise won't let anything get me. I'll come right back as soon as I have things figured out. Blue probably found some Oreo Thins."

Rosie nodded, but she gave a firm kiss on Owen's cheek before reluctantly letting go. Owen smiled as he waved before shutting the door behind him. The ACU guard tossed him a rain jacket as he said, "We need you and Elise to search for a missing person. He's possibly injured, and most likely in the Dilophosaurus territory."

"Jesus Christ; how the hell did he get there?"

Owen blinked at the rain still going strong, but the man answered, "It's Commander Blake. He crashed his vehicle before sliding down. We can't ping him, but he's been out there awhile. We don't know what he has for defense; we just know his pistol was left behind. We can't track him; it's raining too hard."

Owen grimaced internally; water always stumped Elise. Even if she was getting better, she still took longer than what Owen wanted.

And now she would get to search in the dark, in the heavy rain, for a man who she wasn't very fond of.

------------------------------

Elise startled from her sleep when Rexy gave a low growl. She blinked her eyes through the dark; it sounded like it was still raining, but there was another sound continuously going through the dark. She frowned before realizing it was what Lowery had called an alarm. It meant something was wrong, and help was needed. He had said it would go off if the doors were opening, but he would also activate it if he needed her to go to said door.

Elise slowly rose from the nest as she assured her mother everything was fine. Rexy didn't know what the sound meant, but the raptors were getting agitated by it. Elise gently nuzzled Blue with a lie that she knew how to shut the alarm off. The humans were dumb, but she knew what to break to make it quiet again.

Elise wasn't sure how to explain her role amongst humans to creatures who saw most of them as only prey. There was no way Rexy would allow her to go possibly do something dangerous alone, but the old dinosaur rumbled before resting her head on the ledge of the nest. Blue seemed slightly suspicious, but she wasn't about to leave her warmth without good reason.

Elise made a soft shiver of her jaws as she melted into the jungle before trotting. It was easy to weave through the trees before coming to the trail where she could really pick up her pace. She just hoped Owen was fine.

Last time an emergency happened, he almost got eaten by Lilly. Elise decided to trot a little faster at that thought; she really didn't want Owen to get eaten.

She would never be able to look Rosie in the eye if Owen had died because she couldn't save him.

-------------------------------

Owen pulled the slick hood over his head a little tighter as his breath left in a small fog. The lights were incredibly bright over here, and the guards around him were shifting nervously. He had been given a radio, and Control had said Elise was headed this way. The alarms had finally shut off, and Owen prayed Blue hadn't felt like going with Elise. He just didn't want to waste time trying to get her back into the paddock.

He really hated how much time had been wasted before they came to get them. He knew they were the last resort, but still.

He glanced at the tall lights to see the drops of rain falling before he heard the telltale thuds of his tough baby. He wanted to whistle, but he didn't want to call the girls over as well. Instead Owen crossed his arms as he stood in front of the barred door. It was tall, and he glanced at his radio when Claire said, "We're opening the door."

The redhead had not been happy about being woken up, but she had immediately gone over to the Control Room to help oversee the mission. Owen was proud of how quickly she had gone over.

She had only bothered to put on shoes and a jacket over her pajamas.

The men tensed when the blaring alarm sounded again as the orange lights flashed in their circle. Owen didn't take a step back when the door slowly rose, but the thudding steps drew nearer. He couldn't stop his proud smile when his tough baby parted from the thick trees like a ghost. He could see she was ready to go, and a puff of white fog exhaled from her nostrils as she focused on him. Even after being woken up, Elise walked proudly with a learned grace that only could have been taught by one creature on this island.

He walked backwards as she continued to look around, and he heard someone quietly say, "She walks like Rexy."

Elise briefly flickered her gaze at the man, but Owen said, "Alright, Baby. We get to go search for someone, and it's for real this time. Ready to go?"

Elise gave a single nod before she scooped Owen onto her shoulders. He patted her neck as he said, "I need you to follow that truck, Baby. We'll get his scent there. Don't rush, but don't piddle."

Elise snorted; she knew what pace to run or walk, but she had no intent of screwing around today. Someone could actually die, and she wasn't going to get a redo this time.

She could prove herself to this park tonight.

--------------------------

Lopez had chewed off all his fingernails by the time he saw the white dinosaur trotting through the rain. He glanced to the side when a comrade shivered, "Jesus, she looks like a damned ghost just popping out of nowhere like that."

Lopez had to agree with him on that, but it meant they could actually get shit done. He was impressed by how quickly they had gotten here, and Elise gracefully stopped. Lopez couldn't help but to stare at how her foot just sank into the mud. He had never seen her up close, but he knew a few people here who had.

He really hoped he had made the right call; he didn't feel threatened by her. She was calm, and clear eyed, but he could see a few of his own were looking around nervously. Lopez put his hand up to assure them, and Elise immediately walked over to him.

She had assumed him to be the leader here. Lopez wasn't sure what to do with that; he was just here to get Blake home.

Owen slid off Elise as he whistled at the car.

"Damn. Probably driving too fast in the mud."

Lopez heard the mutter, and he was honestly glad that everyone was assuming Blake had just driven too fast. No one had asked him if Blake had been drinking, and he was fine with that. Owen pulled his hood up slightly as he asked, "You have something with the scent on it?"

Lopez nodded as he handed the jacket over to Owen. The man took it before offering it over to Elise as he said, "We're looking for Commander Blake, Baby. You remember him, right? He's been out here awhile, and probably hurt. We think he might have wandered into Dilophosaurus territory, but we aren't a hundred percent sure."

Elise flickered her gaze over to the crashed vehicle before she focused on all the scents in the jacket. She knew what Blake smelled like, but she startled when it had changed from the last time she had smelled him.

The sharp smell was part of his scent now. It was the stuff from the brown bottle that overpowered his normal scent, and she sagged slightly. Blake was still hurting inside, and now he was lost. She knew he wouldn't want to see her, and she hoped she could get him to safety.

She would have to make sure he lived; she had hurt him without good reason. She had taken family from him, and now he needed her help. She would help him by returning him to his pack.

It wouldn't make up for what she had done, but she would prove that she would help.

Owen pulled the jacket back when Elise began to smell the ground, and she curled her lip. The rain had washed away a lot of the scent; now it smelled very faint, but she focused. That sharp scent was still there, and that was all she needed. She had learned to sort through the scents.

She wanted the sharp, bitter scent. Not the earth's sweet smells.

Elise followed the scent to the ledge of the hill before glancing at Owen to get his butt moving. Owen was proud of the determination in her crimson eyes, but he paused when a helmet was handed to him. It looked like something a SWAT officer would wear with the clear shield protecting his face. He glanced up, as the man put his own helmet on while saying, "I'm Antonio Lopez by the way."

"Owen. You riding bitch with me?"

Lopez snorted; he had absolutely no intent of riding on Elise, and he motioned to the small team of six as he said, "No, Ghost leads the way; we'll cover the ground around her. You just keep her focused."

Owen raised his eyebrow at the name, but an impatient snort from Elise grabbed his attention. He clambered on when she flattened herself to the ground, but paused at the human closest to her. She recognized him.

She had seen him at the river, and he stiffened as the disdain filled his dark eyes. She made a soft sound, but he stiffly said, "Bring our Commander home alive."

Elise would do that; she wouldn't hurt this pack anymore. Even if she wasn't sorry for killing them in the fight; she had no reason to hurt this pack anymore. She gave a single nod before rising when Owen patted her neck. She carefully inspected the sloping hill.

She knew how to slide down these; she had done it all the time with Small One when it had rained. Granted the hill hadn't been this large, but she just had to be careful about doing this. She just had to lean correctly, and everything would be fine.

It would only go wrong if she panicked. She wasn't going to panic. Joker rolled with it, and so would she. This was small chaos, but chaos regardless. She needed to keep her head calm, and she would find Blake.

Owen squeezed his thighs on the neck tightly as he quietly said, "Easy, Baby Girl. We got this."

He gripped her a little more tightly when she began to slide, but she was smart about how she dug her claws into the mud. She left deep trenches behind her, but it was a short slide for her. She began to smell the ground before opening her jaws to taste the air. The team slowly slid down behind her with Lopez leading them, and Elise found the sharp scent clinging within the leaves of a drier bush. Owen continued to murmur words of encouragement when she needed it, and she was careful about her surroundings.

Humans couldn't see well in the dark, and they were going to depend on her to see danger before it could see them. She had never worked with a team of humans before, but it was like working with a pack.

And she was leading it even if Lopez was technically the Alpha.

------------------------------

Blake snapped his eyes open as he tried to get his bearings about him. He was freezing, but he was alive.

And something was wrong.

He swallowed while slowly reaching for his knife with his good hand; he didn't want to risk anything hearing the charging hum from his stun gun. He tried to keep his breathing even and quiet before freezing at the hooting sound.

It was way too close, and he could see the glowing eyes in the dark. He was glad he had the sense to shut of his dim flashlight, but the eyes creeped him out to no end.

It was two Dilophosaurus, and they were way too close for comfort.

He hoped the rain had masked his smell, and it seemed like they had no idea he was there. He knew they didn't know he was there.

They would have eaten him if they knew.

Blake scrambled his mind as he tried to recall everything he knew about these dinosaurs. ACU hardly ever dealt with these dinosaurs; they weren't ones who liked to stray far from their territory. The only time they really had to deal with them was when it was time to help the vets give them a checkup.

He took a slow, deep breath as he went over the facts in his head.

They could accurately spit their venom over twenty feet. They hunted in very small packs, though the juveniles seemed to stick together more often than the adults. He knew there was some sort of pack order, the leader was the only one allowed to do the disabling while the other would corner the prey. It wasn't as elaborate compared to how Velociraptors hunted, but they did just fine.

They were fast runners, and Jurassic World had yet to figure out all the kinks in displaying them safely. Jurassic World had more faith in turning raptors into safe attractions than they did these carnivores.

It didn't help that Dilophosaurus was much more active at night. They didn't do much during the day.

But they were cowards when it came to Rexy's roar, and quick to leave when a smoke bomb went off. But he didn't have either of those tools nor did he have anything to cover his face; he had been smacked by their spit before. It was terrifying to have the warm, goopy venom smack his protective covering.

Blake swallowed when another, smaller Dilophosaurus ran by the two; he knew they had seven in total. He had no idea why they had so many, but Jurassic World wouldn't put down an animal for no good reason. These animals were too dangerous for displaying, but they could be managed with the right mindset.

He tensed when the other two suddenly followed the smaller one, but he let out a breath. Now was his chance to get the hell out or to bury himself in the mud in hopes of concealing his scent.

Blake wasn't in a gambling mood, and he needed to get out of here. He could be quiet. Blake waited a few seconds before carefully crawling out of the trunk. He continued to grip his knife though he double checked to make sure his stun gun was where he could get it.

He needed to find a tree to climb now, and Blake held his breath while silently limping through the drizzling jungle. The rain had definitely lightened up; that was good and bad. Good for him because he could see easier, bad because it meant the same thing for the Dilophosaurus.

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Elise curled her lip when she lost the scent. She had lost it plain and simple. A small stream had rained through here, and it washed away Blake's scent. She had searched the surrounding area, but she couldn't find that sharp, bitter scent.

Only the earth's clean, refreshing one.

Owen bit his lip in frustration before he calmly said, "Refocus, Baby."

Elise huffed before she sat on her haunches to clear her head. Joker wouldn't panic, and neither would she. If she couldn't find his scent, then she would try a different tactic. She would give this one more try though, and parted her jaws to simply allow all the different tastes of the world to flow into her mouth. She could taste the rain, the trees, a lot of water, and something else. It was too close for her liking.

Elise snapped her jaws shut before flaring her nostrils. The world shifted into the oranges and blues, and she stiffened at the warm body too close to Lopez.

Lopez jumped when Elise lashed her tail into the thick brush, and a shrill shriek was heard. He blinked at seeing the Dilophosaurus bolt up before running away, and Elise let out a long, dangerous growl as she crouched defensively.

Lopez brought the team closer together as he waited near Elise's head before whispering, "You just tell me where they are, Ghost."

Elise scanned the jungle before gesturing to the silent brush. Lopez aimed before pulling the trigger, and another startled shriek was heard. He smiled when Elise pointed again, and another pop was heard.

They were firing non-lethals of course, but it hurt like hell to be pelted by them. It was Jurassic World's version of a bean bag gun; it still hurt like hell, but it didn't damage as badly. Lopez knew; he had been hit by both kinds, and he would definitely take Jurassic World's bean bag guns over SWAT's.

Elise startled at hearing the loud rattling, and she snapped her gaze to the side of her. She had never seen dinosaurs like these before, but she remembered Gray talking about them. They spat venom at the prey's eyes in hopes of blinding them. She knew the humans had protected their faces, but she still swiped her tail over the human to her right. The man yelped, but it had startled the Dilophosaurus into retreating as Elise let out a warning snarl. She rose tall before rumbling like Rexy, and she was satisfied to see the dinosaurs retreat.

She lowered herself onto all fours before Lopez asked, "They gone, Ghost?"

Elise nodded before she opened her jaws again to taste the air. She wasn't getting much, and she remained silent. She just needed a little help from Wind, but this was good in a way. If she couldn't smell Blake, then it meant the Dilophosaurus couldn't either.

She knew she had the best sense of smell.

-------------------------

Blake sighed quietly when he paused by another tree. He had moved as fast as his sore legs had allowed him, and he was glad when nothing had decided to hunt him. He actually knew where he was right now, and he knew where to go. He remembered Hamada marking this tree by sticking a sharp dagger into it. If Blake walked in the direction the handle was sticking towards; he would hit the trail that would lead to the fastest way out of here. The rain was finally letting up, and Blake felt like he was going to make it.

He stiffened when he heard distressed chirping, and he pressed himself as close as possible to the large trunk. He held his breath as the small pack of Dilophosaurus ran past him. He paused at seeing a few limping, but he didn't care so long as they kept going.

But it also scared him a little bit; it meant that something had scared this pack badly enough to retreat. Blake paused; he wondered if that meant ACU had realized what happened. Blake wasn't sure if he should allow himself to be that hopeful. What if something had gone wrong with the trackers, and a larger carnivore had snuck into this territory. Blake didn't think so though; these guys were somewhat isolated from others.

Blake was so busy contemplating his next move that he hadn't seen the two dinosaurs pause to stare at him until one made a low hoot. Blake stiffened as he held his knife more tightly. He cursed under his breath as he flickered his gaze between the two animals who had cornered him. He needed to figure out which one was the leader; that one would spit at him while the other would charge.

He assumed the larger one was his safe bet, and his bared his own teeth before hissing, "Back off! You really don't want to fuck with me!"

The two hunters only tilted their heads like owls with a burning curiosity. He had briefly hoped they were more curious than hungry until the larger one hooted.

They were hunting him.

Blake slowly gripped his knife with his injured hand before cautiously reaching for his stun gun. He would only get one shot, and he needed to hit the leader. He aimed at the larger one, but he paused when the dinosaur gave another hoot before flickering its gaze to the smaller one.

The small one was the leader in this hunt.

Blake ducked under the flash of black spit before pulling the trigger. The larger Dilophosaurus startled from its attack when the smaller shrieked in pain. It fell to the ground in a heavy thud before kicking the ground violently. Blake gritted his teeth when it managed to snag its feet on the wires before yanking them off. The animal heaved as it lied there stunned, and Blake knew he wasn't going to get a chance to reload the gun.

The larger one hadn't taken off. It had only sniffed its fallen companion before flaring its frills at Blake. The Commander dropped his gun in favor of his knife before dodging another splatter of venom. He cursed when his foot slipped on moss, and he stumbled to the ground. He whirled around just in time for the dinosaur to lunge at him, and Blake rolled as fast as he could before slashing.

He wasn't going to die without a fight.

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Elise had a feeling Blake had gone this way, but she was still searching for the scent. It would occasionally tickle her nose; like it was purposefully teasing her. Blake had been difficult for her when she helped clean up Rexy's paddock, and he was being difficult for her now.

She didn't blame him for being difficult, but she wished he wasn't so hard to find. Owen leaned over her gently as he murmured more words of encouragement. Elise felt like the team had relaxed, and it made it easier for her to focus. They weren't so distrusting of her.

Elise snapped her gaze up when she heard a shrill shriek, and Owen softly said, "We should probably avoid that spot, Baby. They're probably fighting one another. Unless you think Blake went that way, but you have to be really sure before we go following them."

Elise tilted her head as she flared her nostrils. It hadn't been a furious shriek; it had been startled, and pained. It wouldn't have been cut off so quickly either. Pack didn't fight pack like that; the opponent would have made a sound as well. A battle cry, a cry of victory, even anger. She didn't hear anything.

Elise was willing to bet that's where Blake had gone, and she nodded before walking over as silently as she could. Lopez motioned for his team to follow, and Elise paused at another pained snarl; maybe it was just a fight.

Then kind Wind decided to dance through the jungle, and Elise caught the scents. The coppery smell of blood, the rain, the earth...

And the sharp, bitter scent.

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Blake pushed himself up as he breathed heavily. He had hurt his ankle, but he could put weight on it. He could still move, and the Dilophosaurus hissed as the blood trickled down its side. Blake knew Claire was going to really kill him for hurting an asset, but he didn't want to die.

Claire would understand that, wouldn't she? Even though she really hated him? She would understand that he didn't want to die.

He could see the animal contemplating continuing to fight him or not. He had no idea if Dilophosaurus took these fights personally like Velociraptors. He had heard they didn't take kindly to being beaten in fights; it angered them.

This one definitely looked angry, and Blake licked his lips; he could fight one. He didn't know for how long, but if he fought long enough it would hopefully leave. The other one had stumbled up before lurching into the jungle; it had enough.

Blake yelped when the warm goop splattered onto his chest, and he cursed himself for not moving. The dinosaur gave another hiss as its frills rattled to life. Blake backed up as best he could before suddenly falling over backwards.

He had tripped over a large root. Blake hissed in pain before glaring at the dinosaur. The Dilophosaurus gracefully stepped onto another root before bunching its muscles underneath itself. Blake knew he was going to cut it close, but if he angled his knife just right; he could get the carnivore before it got him.

Blake clenched his jaw as he sucked in air when the Dilophosaurus made a high leap with jaws splayed wide. Even in the dark he could see the sharp teeth racing to meet his throat, and Blake braced.

He didn't expect to see the ghost of a white tail sail over him to meet the Dilophosaurus head on. The animal let out a shriek when it smacked into the ground gracelessly, and Blake jumped at the livid roar. The Dilophosaurus scrambled up before bolting into the brush as fast as it could, and Blake blinked at the crimson gaze piercing him. He slowly sat up as the Indominus made a soft croon while she gently lowered herself to the ground.

Blake flinched when the people were suddenly around him, but Lopez was in his view.

"Blake! Shit man, are you hurt? Talk to me, Blake; you're going to be fine, okay?"

Blake blinked at the man before wincing when a dry jacket was wrapped around him. He glanced around at the familiar faces before breathing, "I'm fine."

Lopez helped Blake up as he asked, "Are you sure? You're fine? You got the spit on you."

Blake nodded; he couldn't show weakness around his men, but he startled when Lopez gently gripped his shoulders as he calmly said, "Good, because I am going to beat the shit out of you when we get you checked out."

The others chuckled in relief, and Blake wiped his face tiredly as he leaned his weight onto his comrade. Lopez pulled out his radio before saying, "We got him; he's alive. We're headed back right now."

Elise made a soft shiver of her jaws, and Owen said, "You really shouldn't be walking Commander. Get on here."

Blake blinked at the scaled neck before shaking his head firmly. He didn't care if his vision was swimming because he would not be going anywhere near Freak. Lopez sighed quietly before walking them over as he said, "Tonight, you get to ride with Elise. She saved your life, Blake."

Blake gritted his teeth, but he really didn't want to walk all the way back. He was exhausted, and freezing. The white scales were much warmer than he realized, and he quietly hissed in pain when Owen pulled him up.

"Easy, Commander; we'll get you back alive. Right, Baby?"

Elise gave a firm nod as she slowly rose; she promised she would get Blake back to his pack safely, and she always kept her promises. She glanced at the team below her, and she felt good to see their relieved faces. She wasn't sure if this would make them like her more, but she wasn't concerned about that. She had proved she was a good Alpha on this island, but Elise reminded herself to stay focused.

Sam had drilled it into her head that the rescue mission was never over until the person was either in the ambulance, or in the hands of a medic. There wasn't a medic here, they were still in a dangerous dinosaur's territory, and Blake could still die if she messed around.

Elise wouldn't let Blake die; she had hurt him enough.

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Another A/N

No, this does not mean Blake and Elise are going to be buddies. I had gotten most of my information on the Dilophosaurus from the Jurassic Park Wiki in case you were wondering. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Have a good night/day!