A/N

Hey guys, how's life? I want to thank my editor for getting me sick! Many thanks Nazo!

Kim K's Butt, don't touch the butt.

Guest, thanks for the website, and I know Jurassic Park/World Dilophosaurus aren't accurate compared to actual Dilophosaurus, but I felt like it would be better to write about the Dilophosaurus this park actually has, if that makes sense.

The Only Potato, I am trying to update every other day. Trying.

Imtomzizle, I'm glad you like the plain truth, and I'm glad you don't find Frozen annoying because I do, and I've never even seen the movie.

Alright guys, I really wanted to do more in this chapter, but the movie marathon took up a lot of the focus. I have one more thing that I really need to wrap up with Blake before the time skip to Sobek, and I feel like it is important enough that it needs to be in the next chapter so it can have its own spotlight. I will have Sobek in the next chapter because he needs his butt over here.

Also I know I kind of kick Blake around, and it is why I was so torn about pushing it to the next chapter, but just bear with me on this.

Thank you much and mighty for your reviews! I really appreciate them! Have a good day/night and don't get sick!

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"So Obvious It Hurts."

Elise sat tall as she ignored the drizzling rain. Owen was standing next to her while the ACU team saw their Commander off. Blake looked rough, but Owen didn't doubt he would live. He had been incredibly lucky, and Owen had no idea how he had managed to fight off a Dilophosaurus.

Elise lightly flicked her tail while watching the medics ease Blake into the ambulance. The Commander looked tired, but he briefly flickered his gaze over to her. She wasn't surprised to see the disdain darkening his eyes, but she wouldn't be angry at him. She had put him in a difficult position by greying their lines.

How was he supposed to hate her when she had save his life?

Elise was just happy the rain had lightened up, and she hoped she hadn't hurt any of the dinosaurs too badly; she didn't want to give Dr. Gerry more work to do. Maybe she could learn to hit them less hard.

She finally relaxed when the vehicle drove off; she had completed her first mission, but she wasn't going to get playful just yet. She didn't want to be playful round these strangers; she would play with Owen later, but she glanced down to see he kept his stern face on as well.

They both knew to be serious right now.

Lopez gave a small sigh before turning around as he ordered the group to pack up to leave. They would get the car in the morning, but it was time to go home, and Elise was glad for that. She was happy she helped, but she missed her warm spot with Rexy, and she was sure her mother was probably searching for her right now.

Elise knew she was going to be in trouble when she got home.

ACU began to work, and Elise watched Lopez walk over to them. None of the other members had tried to approach her or Owen, but she was fine with that. She knew she had some respect from them, but she didn't expect them to like her. Lopez seemed nice though, and Elise did like him. He was a smart leader, and probably Blake's Beta.

Elise personally felt that he needed to be the Alpha; Blake needed to go heal. She was pulled from her thoughts when Lopez sighed, "You, Ghost, I'm never walking into Dilophosaurus territory without you again. This is the first time I haven't been smacked by their spit."

Elise snorted before she carved her talon into the dirt. Lopez went wide eyed as he quickly said, "Whoa, whoa, no, no. Are you writing?"

Elise gave a dry look before she wiped the dirt, and wrote, 'NO NOT WRITING'

Owen couldn't stop his snort before he patted Elise's leg. She was getting tired of this reaction, and now she was getting sarcastic about it. Lopez blinked at the words before he chuckled. He wiped his forehead as he said, "I'm buying you a drink for getting us through that. You can expect a good bottle of whiskey by tomorrow from me, Ghost."

Elise didn't know what whiskey was, but she was perfectly fine with her water. It tasted good to her, and she found the other drinks humans had to be funny. She didn't like milk, soda, or juice. She liked water, but she would accept Lopez's gift because it was polite.

She nodded her head, and Lopez made to leave, but startled when Elise gently snagged her talons around him before pulling him close to her. Owen crossed his arms while leaning against her, and Lopez raised an eyebrow when Elise wrote in the dirt, 'BLAKES BETA'

She drew an arrow pointing at Lopez, and the man blinked before slowly saying, "I guess I am; we don't have anything like that officially, but I guess I am. We're a team."

Elise had guessed that much, but she wiped the words away as the others began to get into their cars. Lopez stiffened when Elise wrote, 'BLAKE IS HURT NEEDS HELP'

Owen raised an eyebrow before he answered, "He's going to a hospital, Baby. Blake will be fine."

Elise wanted to roll her eyes as she gestured to her chest. Lopez furrowed his brows, and Elise wrote, 'INSIDE HURT HE IS SAD BITTER ANGRY BROWN BOTLE SENT IS HIS SENT'

Lopez quickly stomped on the words, but Owen stiffened before hissing, "What brown bottle?"

Lopez gave Elise a warning look, but she glared at him for trying to cover Blake's wounds without helping them. She moved the man out of the way before writing, 'SHARP SMELL WHAT I SMELL FOR OUT THERE BROWN BOTLE SENT HIS SENT'

Owen blinked at the words before slowly swallowing. He scratched at his jaw before flickering his gaze over to the crashed vehicle. He didn't want to assume anything, but he quietly motioned for Elise to crouch as he softly asked, "Where did you see a brown bottle, Baby? Was Blake...drunk?"

Elise tilted her head; she didn't know what drunk was, but she knew Blake hadn't smelled like the bottle so strongly last time she had seen him. She moved to a better section of dirt before she wrote, 'BY MADRE BLAKE HAD BROWN BOTLE HE WALKED FUNNY DID NOT TALK RIGHT'

Owen stared at Lopez, waiting for an explanation, and the man caught his gaze. Lopez turned defensive as he snapped, "The Commander has the right to enjoy a drink. He never drinks on the job."

Owen would give him that, but there was something wrong if the beer had become part of Blake's scent. Elise had been following the smell of beer not Blake. Owen pointed at the dirt as he quietly asked, "Was he drinking tonight? I hope he wasn't driving drunk."

"Did he look drunk to you?"

Owen wasn't one to tolerate drunk driving. He had lost one too many friends to the bottle vehicle combination. He always had a personal two beer/two shot limit with food, but even then he was more partial to the Coke in glass bottles.

And he knew what a person trying to cover for their friend looked like.

"What are you doing?"

Lopez startled when Owen immediately walked over to the vehicle. A few stragglers were taking pictures for insurance purposes, and Owen opened the door.

"Sir, please don't touch the car."

Owen ignored the irritated woman as he began to shift the seats around. He knew where to look because he remembered trying to cover for an old drinking buddy.

Before said buddy had gotten himself killed because of buzzed driving. Owen just didn't enjoy beer as much after that. He didn't care if people drank, but nothing got him fired up more than a person who drank and drive.

Lopez was immediately next to him; blocking the view of the cameras as he quietly hissed, "I'm trying to get Blake help, alright? Don't go snooping around."

Owen glared at the man before snapping, "Blake crashed his car, got lost in the Dilophosaurus territory, and you had to risk more lives, mine including, to go save him. I understand crashing because of this shitty weather, I really do, but if he was buzzed, then there was a chance he wouldn't have crashed."

"It's the weather."

Owen glared at the man before pushing the passenger's seat as far back as he could while saying, "We had how many vehicles out here? Not one crashed; one got stuck, but everyone here knew to drive slow. Rainstorms aren't something new here, Lopez. We all know how to drive in rain."

Lopez darkened, but Owen waved his hand in irritation when he found the culprit. He snagged the camera from the woman before making a click, and he pulled the brown bottle to show Lopez. Owen clenched his jaw while looking at it before quietly saying, "There's still a little bit left at the bottom. Does Blake drink on the jo-"

"Absolutely not. Commander Blake is always completely sober when he works. He is fully aware of the dangers of this job. I make sure he's sober when he works. He never touches a drop when he's clocked in."

"So is this from tonight or last night?"

Lopez refused to answer, and Owen put the bottle back into the car as he said, "We are lucky no one got killed, Lopez. This is the wakeup call that Blake needs help. This is not a habit the Commander of ACU needs."

Lopez knew it was a habit, but it hurt something inside him to see Blake's reputation getting tarnished. He glared at the bottle before growling, "It's not a habit, Grady, and I am doing the best I can. I can't force him to get help, but I do intend to get on his ass."

Owen snatched the bottle up before walking over to Elise. The Indominus flared her nostrils, and Owen sternly said, "Elise, I want no lies. Is this what you were smelling on Blake? You said you were following a sharp scent to find Blake, is this the scent?"

Elise lowered her head before carefully sniffing the bottle. Lopez internally sagged when her lip curled before she nodded while wiping her nose. Owen turned to Lopez as he slowly said, "I am going to interpret this as two things, Lopez. Either Blake was drunk enough tonight to have the beer be part of his scent, or he has been drinking enough for who knows how long for the beer to become part of his scent."

Lopez snatched the bottle back as he snapped, "Commander Blake is not drunk! He had a few drinks tonight, but he is fine! Do you really think a severely drunk person can fight off a Dilophosaurus?!"

Elise wasn't sure what drunk was, but Owen had held the brown bottle like it was poison. Had Blake been drinking poison? That made Elise incredibly sad, and she wondered why no one had stopped Blake from hurting himself. Lopez was his Beta, why wasn't he taking care of him?

Owen chewed the inside of his cheek before quietly saying, "I know you're trained to recognize problems with your fellow guards. Is Blake an alcoholic?"

Lopez glanced around, and he was glad most of them had left. He was much less glad with the look on the woman's face as she searched the car with more vigor. Lopez had thought he found all the bottles. It wasn't like Blake drove drunk; he just let the bottles pile up in his car.

He briefly glanced at Elise before he quietly said, "I don't know because Blake is really hard to read. I think the job is just stressful, but he won't talk to me. He's all work, but I'm from the Emergency ACU; I'm still trying to learn how to read him. He functions fine at work; ask anyone."

Lopez knew Blake got drunk just about every chance he got, but it wasn't like Blake got drunk to the point of passing out. Lopez knew Blake was headed towards serious alcoholism, but he felt like he could still catch Blake before it became a huge problem. Lopez really felt like the weather was the reason this time.

This time.

Lopez glanced at Elise once more before adding, "But I know he didn't crash because he was drunk; it's the weather."

Owen gave a huff of frustration because he had done the same thing with his own friend, and he sure as hell never let a stranger know his friend was an alcoholic; not when a reputation could be ruined and a job lost. He knew how easy it was to cover for an alcoholic when no one was looking, but Owen wouldn't tolerate this. He walked back to Elise as he said, "If I don't see Blake signed up for a program by this morning, I will personally make sure Claire hears about this. He's not a damned janitor here, Lopez; he is the Commander of the Asset Containment Unit. I will not allow Jurassic World's main defense to be led by an alcoholic."

Elise helped Owen climb onto her shoulders as she gave Lopez one more look. He looked stressed and angry; Elise didn't understand why, but she wished things would have ended better. She knew what alcohol was, but she didn't understand what an alcoholic was. She would ask Owen in a spot where only the two of them could talk. She felt the pat on her neck, and she glanced at Lopez once more before she stared at the woman who was talking on her phone while holding the brown bottle of poison.

She turned to walk trot back down the muddy road before giving one more glance over her shoulder. Lopez was running his hand through his hair, but Elise continued her way. She had done her job, and Blake wasn't her pack. It was Lopez's job to make sure Blake stopped being an alcoholic.

Whatever that was.

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Elise gave a wide yawn as she walked towards the shut door before lowering herself to let Owen off. She hadn't heard anything on the other side, and she wondered if she was lucky enough that Rexy could still be sleeping. Owen pulled out his radio as he said, "Alright, open the door please. Elise is ready for bed, and so am I."

Owen was serious about telling Claire about Blake's drinking problem. He was more than willing to understand why Blake would hate being around Elise, the Commander had even squirmed on the ride back to the medic, but Owen wouldn't tolerate this.

Not when ACU had so many resources to take care of themselves. Masrani never messed around when it came to the health of his security. He had always wanted his men to be in top shape; physically and mentally.

How an alcoholic managed to slip through the cracks was beyond Owen, but he knew no system was perfect. Anyone who could get the 'I'm fine' illusion down usually could slip by. It happened all the time, but Owen rubbed the back of his neck as the door slid open. He really hated how loud the damned alarm was, but he would prefer it over a silent door.

That would be a terrible surprise to see when walking around the corner because it would be his luck to see Rexy and not Elise.

He sighed when it shut off, and Elise took a step in before Owen said, "Hey, Baby?"

Elise glanced at him, and Owen smiled as he said, "I am so proud of how you handled yourself tonight, and I know Sam and Derick will be too."

The Indominus melted under the smile, and she was mush when she garbled softly at Owen as she pressed her face close to him. Owen squeezed her nose tightly as he said, "I am so proud of how far you've come, Elise; I really am."

Elise made a soft sound, and Owen suddenly chuckled as he pulled back; he was grinning when he asked, "Remember the first time you came to my bungalow? And you kept poking the lights with your nose?"

Elise thought about it before nodding; that had seemed so long ago, but she remembered the lights. They weren't too bright, but they had reminded her of stars for some reason. She couldn't help smiling when Owen chuckled again as he sighed, "You scared the shit out of me, Elise. Did you know that?"

Elise couldn't stop her sucked in laugh before she wrote in the dirt, and Owen flashed his light on it.

'BEFORE YOU SAID STOP'

Owen laughed again as he asked, "That obvious, huh?"

Elise nodded, but she was happy Owen wasn't afraid of her anymore. She knew he had been terrified of her right when they had very first laid eyes on each other.

When she thought he was a trespassing human with no respect or compassion for those unlike him, but now she knew better.

Owen gently stroked the jaw as he softly said, "You better go get some shut eye, Baby. Rosie is serious about that movie marathon. Those movies can get a little repetitive, but she has good taste, alright?"

Elise puffed air on him gently before she allowed him to leave. She sighed when the loud alarms blared again, but she ignored it in favor of going back to the nest. She was tired, and she missed Rexy.

She didn't think Echo would be able to get her up at five tonight because she had a feeling five was soon.

It wasn't until the door had sealed shut that Elise realized she hadn't asked Owen what an alcoholic was, but she wasn't going to worry too much over it. Her pack was fine, Blake was in the hospital, and he had a good Beta to take care of him.

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Lopez drummed his fingers nervously as he waited in the hospital. Blake was sleeping right now, but Lopez was afraid of Owen saying something to Claire. He had to get Blake to quit cold turkey; he didn't want the man to get fired.

He knew this job was stressful, but Lopez didn't understand why Blake had taken to the bottle for it. Lopez could understand why Blake wouldn't want to work with Elise, but he truly believed working with Elise would be a rare thing. They had a lot of action on Jurassic World, but hardly anything that required the assistance of something as big as Elise.

He could really only see dire emergencies; even then Elise was limited on what she could actually do to help them. Bringing her around other animals would just scare the life out of them, and it wasn't like they needed her protection. Tonight had been an exception, but tonight wasn't something Lopez intended to ever repeat.

Tonight had been a wakeup call; Blake had a drinking problem. It wasn't something incredibly hindering, and it had been relatively easy to cover, but Lopez didn't want the problem to get bigger.

He knew Blake was on thin ice with Claire.

Lopez sighed as he leaned back into his chair; he was tired, and he wanted to sleep. He would be here for Blake when the man woke up, and they would get shit done. Blake was going to be fine, and Lopez would be right there to help him through it.

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Claire was not happy as she marched towards the hospital with the folder tucked under her arm. She only had to see the picture of the brown bottles in the car before she made her decision. Blake was the only one who drove that car, she had seen him last night, and she had gone over the camera footage from the bar last night.

She knew Blake probably hadn't been legally drunk last night, but she knew he shouldn't have been driving. She had also seen the camera footage from his car, and she had seen how he had swerved so hard to avoid hitting the animal, but the bottom line for her was Blake had been driving when he shouldn't have been. She had seen enough to piece together what had happened.

Lopez had tried to interfere and Blake had slipped away when he wasn't looking. Claire had gone over the records, and she had specific changes in mind to make. This was the last straw with Blake. She had gone over everything to be absolutely certain of her decision.

A loud crash caused Claire to yelp as she almost dropped her folder. She had heard this sound before, and she immediately ran down the street as she prayed it was something else. This was not the time for it, and Claire groaned when she rounded the corner to Main Street.

Madre Del Diablo had collapsed again.

Claire chewed her lip as she nodded in irritation; this Spinosaurus had been nothing but trouble since she first came here. Claire was done. She was done with Blake, and she was done with Madre. She wasn't putting this skeleton back up; she was going to grind it up into little bits before throwing it in the garbage. She was tired of the smell and the complaints from everyone. It was going to be a relief to put something else there. Sobek could replace Madre as an attraction.

Claire turned on her heel to go back to the hospital as she resisted the urge to ruffle her hair in irritation. It had been a long night, and she was cranky; there was a lot to clean up from the storm, and a drain had clogged in the middle of the night. A street would have to be closed down until it could get fixed.

Claire just wanted to go tell Elise how proud she was of how she carried herself. Claire had made sure cameras were recording from a few ACU's helmets, and she was so proud of how well Elise had done. She hadn't killed any of the animals, she had kept the team safe, led with a calm head, and saved Blake's life. If Claire hadn't spent all night glaring at the bar camera footage, she was pretty sure she would have tackled Owen to gush over how well Elise had done.

Claire just felt happy at seeing Elise succeed at this, but her mood had been soured by Blake.

The hospital was quiet as always, and Claire already knew what room Blake was in. She was angry, but she knew she would have to do this in a professional manner; that was always the hardest part when it came to firing people she was done with. She had butt heads with Blake since day one, and she never knew why. Hamada had never said an ill word about him, and had strongly recommended Blake to take his place should the need ever arise.

Claire missed Hamada; he had been a wonderful Commander who got his job done. He had always carried himself in such a way that one just wanted to respect him. Claire knew she was never going to get another Commander like him, and that was one of the worst parts.

The redhead was surprised to see Lopez, but she was less surprised to see Blake rubbing his forehead tiredly. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized what the bloodshot eyes had meant. She had assumed lack of sleep, but she had gotten busy with other things. She didn't like to hold anyone's hand through anything, and that was why she had invested so much in providing resources to her ACU; there was a catch though.

They had to go there themselves. They had to realize they needed the help, but Hamada had put Claire under the impression that the guards knew how to read one another; they took care of each other.

They had lost a lot of guards after Elise's rampage, and Claire was starting to realize that this team wasn't as tight knit as it used to be.

"Blake."

The man immediately winced at the tone and lack of title; he was already bracing himself. Lopez looked completely caught off guard, and he was going to kick Owen's ass later; he had been so close to convincing Blake to quit cold turkey. He had been so close.

Blake did his best to sit up a little straighter; he was sore as hell, but incredibly lucky to sit here without serious injury. Claire looked him over before calmly, and almost softly, saying, "I have decided that last night is considered a traumatic event and as protocol dictates, a paid leave is to go into effect to make sure you fully recover from this mentally and physically."

Blake gave a single nod, and Claire stood a little straighter as she continued, "However, it has also come to my attention that you were operating a company vehicle under the influence of alcohol."

"I. Was. Not. Drunk. Miss Dearing. I wasn't drunk."

Claire kept her expression neutral as she said, "I can't prove that you were legally drunk because no tests were performed, but I did watch that video footage from the bar. Mr. Lopez had felt you had drank too much too drive, and I saw how much you drank; you were leaning more towards drunk than sober."

"Lopez's definition of drunk and the legal definition aren't the same thing, Miss Dearing. I was not driving drunk."

Claire put her hand on her hip as she said, "I decided to look over the security footage, and I'm seeing a pattern of you slowly starting to drink a little more almost every time you visit. You've gone from little to no drinking, to drinking almost every night. Elise had even said she was following the smell of beer."

Blake immediately darkened, and he snapped, "She and I don't get along; you don't know if she'll lie to make me look bad."

Claire didn't take kindly to that, and she opened the folder she had been carrying before saying, "I had sent people over to take photos of the accident for insurance purposes, and I have pictures of three bottles that had been found tucked in your seats, and what Elise wrote last night."

Blake clenched his jaw as he glared at the photo; the poor spelling mocked him, and his skin crawled at the fact that Elise had saved his life. Now everyone was going to think he was a bad guy because he had no intent of acting grateful to her. It didn't clean the bad blood between them, and it certainly hadn't done anything to chase away his nightmares.

Claire put the photo back as she said, "We keep security footage around for at least two months, and Elise has only seen the Spinosaurus skeleton once. She never told me about your behavior that night, but I will not tolerate the way you had hit her, Blake. That was unprovoked."

"Unprovoked?"

Claire narrowed her eyes before icily saying, "Yes, unprovoked because she didn't provoke you in any way at that time."

Claire held up her hand when Blake stiffened, and she firmly said, "This was your last strike, Blake; I had warned you after you tried to fight Mr. Bridges. I had made you Commander because of Commander Hamada's recommendation, but this isn't working. Jurassic World will make sure you recover from the Dilophosaurus incident, but you will need to turn in your badge and uniform after you've been released from the hospital. You have a week to gather your things before leaving for mainland."

Claire had expected Blake to lose his temper, but he only clenched his jaw as tightly as possible before giving a single nod. She tucked the folder under her arm as she added, "I am sorry it didn't work."

Blake didn't acknowledge her before she left, and Lopez blinked in shock. Owen hadn't told Claire anything. Blake was fired. Who was going to be their new Commander? Lopez didn't think anyone from their team had the right stuff for it; Blake was a good Commander. He really was; he just needed help.

"...Commander..."

Blake sank back into the pillows as he bitterly snapped, "It's just Blake now, Lopez. You better get going to make sure the damned team doesn't fall in on itself."

Lopez sagged when Blake withdrew back into his shell, but the man gave a hard look for him to get moving. Lopez stood with a sigh before briefly squeezing the shoulder as he quietly said, "It'll be fine, Blake. We aren't going to abandon you; we'll get through it, okay? I'm here if you need anything."

Blake gave a stiff nod before his comrade left. Blake remained still for a few more seconds as his chest began to quickly tighten painfully; the realization was dawning on him.

He was fired.

He had failed his team as Commander, he had nowhere to go, and he honestly had no idea what to do from here.

He hadn't been able to fill Hamada's shoes, and Blake scrunched his face in pain. He was done; the Indominus had defeated him once and for all.

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Elise was currently licking her claws clean of what was now her most favorite food in the entire world. It was gooey, sweet, sticky, but she loved it. Owen's mother had brought it over, and Elise was in love.

Honey.

She was amazed that the little bees could create something so wonderful, and now she had another reason to go out of her way to protect and thank the little bugs. How had she lived her life without honey before? Even the color was amazing; she was in love with the gentle gold.

Love, love, love; Elise was simply in love with it.

Owen couldn't stop his chuckle as he smiled at the enamored Indominus Rex. Elise glanced at him as she continued to clean her claws, and he quietly said, "You're going to turn into a bee if you don't quit eating so much honey."

Elise garbled at the man to say she was perfectly fine with becoming a good bee who worked so hard to not only better the world by keeping plants alive, but also acquiring the ability to make this delicious treat. She didn't think she had eaten a lot of honey; Owen had slathered it on her claws three times, but it went fast. She knew he didn't have any more honey after this, so she was taking her time.

Because she also didn't want to really stick her head back into the log.

Elise loved Rosie, she really did; she wouldn't hesitate to lay her own life down for the child, but Elise simply couldn't handle a few things.

Lots of singing. There was so much singing in Disney movies, and Elise had glared at Owen for the trap he had set for her; he didn't even have the decency to warn her about all these random...outbursts of songs. This movie hadn't gone three minutes before the first song started, and Elise did not like what that meant.

It meant there was plenty of more time for more singing.

She had no idea what to do when all the villagers decided to break out into song while Belle minded her own business in the streets.

Elise could not comprehend the...reasons behind why all those people somehow sang a loud song mocking Belle for her oddness. She wanted to know why Belle hadn't heard anything, but Elise would not deny the movie was beautiful, and she was interested when the needless singing was over. It was a pattern, she would pull her head out when the songs started, and Owen would signal her when it was done.

Beauty and the Beast was the first movie to be watched on this long day after Lilo&Stitch had finished. Elise was very happy that Stitch had found his family, and she saw a lot of herself in him. It took family to quell that desire to destroy everything. She had found her family; it wasn't little or broken, but it was good.

Owen made the gesture with his hand, and Elise gave a final lick on her claws before poking her head back into the packed log; it was another surprise she hadn't expected. These Disney movies, despite the pointless singing, were very important. Elise had realized they taught important lessons, but there was something even better that she treasured.

Humans, no matter how old they got, always had a Disney movie they would willingly watch. The viewing log wasn't filled with little ones like Elise had expected, but there were several young adults, parents, and children here. Apparently many of the young adults grew up watching these movies, and they still loved to see them again. Elise adored that because it made them seem younger. She liked seeing these humans quietly piled on the comfy blankets as they attentively watched the movie.

Elise would sit through the pointless singing just to witness this new kind of peace. She loved seeing all the different kinds of people all sitting here to enjoy this movie.

Elise knew the movie wasn't close to being over, but she was judging the enchantress. Elise was pretty sure the woman had a serious grudge against the prince because a few details just weren't adding up for her. Elise had gotten a better concept of time; she had a better understanding of what years were, and she also knew that a human adult was eighteen years old. The rose the prince had been given was supposed to be done by the time he was twenty-one, and the movie had said years had passed.

So how old was the prince when he had been cursed? A youngling? Elise didn't think it was right to curse a youngling, and she was pretty sure the enchantress had gone out of her way to make sure the prince didn't succeed. That was a harsh punishment that had gotten results that Elise thought were obvious; of course the prince had grown hopeless and angry. That wasn't going to teach him love.

Owen gently nudged Elise, and she gave a faint huff; she had been thinking hard again apparently. She couldn't help it, and she wouldn't be satisfied with this movie unless the enchantress had been brought to justice. It was wrong to pick on the younger ones.

The enchantress was a bully hiding behind a good cause; Elise could think of several different ways to curb that prince's behavior without being so cruel.

Owen smiled gently as he leaned on her; he was fine with this lazy day. Derick and Sam had been over the moon to hear how well Elise had done last night, and Claire had dropped by to make sure Elise knew she was proud of her.

He just wished Claire could have an easy day, but Madre's skeleton had set a bad tone for the day. Elise had told Claire to bury the skeleton, but the Indominus hadn't been pleased with Claire's answer.

She was going to sell the bones.

Elise had been quiet after that, but Owen did what he could to comfort her; Elise had cheered up after discovering honey. He was pretty sure Elise was going to have another talk with him about the bones in hopes of finding some peace for Madre, and Owen wasn't looking forward to it.

Elise had some good points even if Owen was perfectly fine to ignore them. Madre hadn't been given a decent burial, and she sure as hell didn't consent to being put up as a display. He just didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and he was fine with the bones being sold; they could go cause trouble elsewhere.

The Indominus glanced at Owen, and he couldn't stop his smile; he was thinking too hard apparently. Elise made a soft sound when Owen leaned on her, and Rosie shushed her. It was always funny to Owen when Rosie could get away with that stuff.

She was the older sister, and Elise gave the child a dry look.

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Elise gave a wide yawn as she rubbed against a sturdy tree. It was noon, and they had gone through three movies. Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, and the Lion King. Elise honestly preferred Tarzan the most; she adored Jane and her father, but there was something so refreshing about Tarzan's adopted mother. She loved how Tarzan had made himself fit into a world where most humans wouldn't survive, and Elise wondered if that could happen.

There were so many creatures on this earth that Elise never knew existed. Elephants looked incredible, and Owen said they were very large, very strong, and intelligent.

Elise wanted to see an elephant; maybe someday.

She also wanted to meet gorillas, and Owen had said some were smart enough to learn basic sign language. Elise felt good about that; she was happy she wasn't the only non-human who could use it.

Leopards looked beautiful, and hippos were odd creatures, baboons seemed like the modern version of Velociraptors in their aggression and facial expressions. Elise was glad for these movies; they allowed her to see different worlds without having to travel.

Elise was glad Beast had gotten his happy ending with Belle, but Elise still wanted the enchantress to suffer repercussions for being a bully. It was still a wonderful movie, and there was something touching about how the two had come to love each other.

The Lion King took place in a dry land called Africa, and Elise was amazed to see how different these animals could be. Zebras were amazing with their stripes, and Elise was happy to finally see what a giraffe looked like; now she understood what Jackie had meant about them always keeping their heads up.

Giraffes stood tall and proud; Elise wondered how tall they really were. Antelopes looked like fun to chase, and lions seemed like graceful creatures. Elise thought hyenas looked ugly, but Owen had said they were very good to their pack; they took good care of their young. Elise didn't see that in this movie, but she saw a lot of family love. Timon and Pumba made for very good parents to Simba; raising him like their own, and even going to fight a battle that wasn't theirs simply because they weren't willing to abandon Simba. Elise liked Rafiki the most out of all the characters she had seen so far.

He paid attention to Wind, and Elise felt better about talking to Wind; the baboon would have never known Simba was alive if he didn't pay attention to the wind. He was incredibly wise in his own way, and Elise found his laughter hilarious.

Mufasa's death had been incredibly sad to watch, and Elise wasn't sure what was worse. Watching Simba try to get his father up, or hearing the young adults quietly sniffle. Elise didn't like that part of the movie; it was too close to what happened when Small One didn't wake up. Elise remembered lightly shaking her, talking to her, curling around her, and even roaring at her to scare her awake. None of it had worked.

Elise glanced into the room to see most of the little ones had left in favor of exploring the park because Lowery and Jackie somehow lucked out into having the same day off. It was amazing to see how much the tech-geek had opened up; he was still Lowery, but Elise loved how a happy smile just seemed to be stuck on his face all the time. She knew the two made for a cute couple; she didn't care if they weren't a couple yet because she could already see the adorable hatchlings they would have.

It turns out both of them were fans of a thing called Pokémon, and Jackie had a DVD she wanted Elise to watch. Elise didn't get a chance to decide if she wanted to or not because a lot of the young adults here had grown incredibly excited over it. The little ones had no idea what was going on, but the young adults and younglings voted to watch this Pokémon movie.

Lowery had strongly insisted Elise watch it because she closely resembled one of the main characters name Mewtwo. Elise thought it was an odd name, but she was sold when Lowery said there wasn't singing. She had no idea what a Pikachu was, but she was sure she would find out soon enough.

Because there wasn't any singing, and Rosie had left with Owen to go find lunch and honey. There were a few people just sitting and talking; they would come back after lunch, but Elise was glad for the space. Rexy had silently come by to make sure she was fine, and Blue scolded the Indominus for not checking in sooner; even a good roar would be appreciated.

"Well, you look very beautiful today, Sweetheart."

Elise blinked at the sultry purr, and she rumbled quietly when Bridges walked over to the railing. He glanced over the ledge to see no raptors, but he said, "I came over to congratulate you on your first successful mission. I have heard nothing but praise on your behalf."

The Indominus flared her nostrils; she was surprised the smell of death hadn't reached her before Bridges showed up. It was actually another scent that was muddling the reeking corpse, and Elise couldn't stop herself from moving her snout close for a better smell. She had never smelled anything like this before, and Bridges chuckled as he said, "I doubt you care about my cologne; I think you might be smelling Sobek. I have been around him quite a bit lately."

Elise paused before gathering the scent with more interest. If this was Sobek, then he smelled very different. It was very musky, and Elise couldn't place it; she could smell the fish and meat though. Sobek didn't smell bad, and Elise was glad for that; it meant he wasn't a male who didn't keep himself clean. Elise didn't want a smelly neighbor, and it seemed she wouldn't be getting one.

"I also came by to see the progress on Sobek's paddock. It wasn't too damaged by the storm, was it?"

Elise paused to remember; she had patrolled by there this morning, and a few things had shifted around. She didn't think it was anything important though, and she shook her head. Claire would have been in a worse mood if the fence had been damaged.

Bridge flashed a white smile that didn't seem so practiced; Elise was surprised to see it was a little more relaxed than what she remembered, and Bridges purred, "Wonderful."

The man glanced at the projector along with the pile of movies before he turned back to Elise as he said, "I didn't think you to be a Disney kid, but I suppose you are entitled to watch what you please."

Elise paused when a look passed over Bridges' face, and he casually said, "You're hard to read sometimes, Elise, but I like that. I like to think I am very good at reading people just from the little things they do and like. I'm curious if you're human enough for me to read. So, after watching all these movies, who is your favorite character?"

Elise had no idea why Bridges wanted to know how to read her, but she liked keeping him on his toes. It was the little game they were playing with one another. They had both silently agreed that provoking one another was wrong, and Elise felt like she was winning. She understood Bridges better than he understood her. He asked a lot of questions.

The blonde raised an eyebrow as he waited for his answer, and Elise shivered her scales to take on the colors of her most favorite character. Bridges blinked at the ebony splotches and crimson scales pulled into a painted smile before he let out a laugh.

"The Joker, and the one from the Dark Knight I see. I was not expecting that, Sweetheart, but I must say that says quite a bit about you."

Elise just hoped it said enough to warn Bridges not to hurt her family or this park. The man seemed to look her over before quietly saying, "I really want to know why he's made such an impression on you."

Elise had a long list of reasons why the Joker was someone to look up to, but this was their game. She wasn't going to give away too much about herself because Bridges would win. They tip toed around one another, and she thought about it for a few seconds before deciding to give an answer without giving an answer. What she truly admired most about Joker was his need to destroy the illusion of control in society. He purposefully destroyed and caused chaos for others just to see everything fall apart.

Bridges leaned over the rails as Elise wrote, 'CHAOS IS FAIR'

The blonde chuckled as he stared at the words for a few seconds before saying, "You do seem to do very well in chaotic situations. I can actually see you becoming something of a Commander for ACU if needed; it's clear you have no problem with taking the lead."

Elise nodded; she didn't want to lead another pack, but she had taken the lead last night. She knew she was leading Lopez more than anything, and he had been leading the others. She didn't care though; Blake was getting help.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Bridges sighed, "At least you seem to get along quite well with Mr. Lopez; I mean Commander Lopez. He's taken Blake's place after Blake was fired; it's a pity so lives were endangered for the sake of a drunk."

Elise startled. Blake was fired? What did that mean? Had he been set on fire? Elise didn't want him to be set on fire. She was glad Lopez had taken the lead as Alpha, but only until Blake got better.

Bridges didn't seem to notice Elise's distress, and he patted the rails once more as he said, "It's done and over with; Blake wasn't meant for the job. Chaos is very fair, Sweetheart, because everyone's true colors are shown in chaos. Blake obviously didn't take well to it. Oh, and by the way..."

Elise glanced up when Bridges glanced around as a shadow crossed his face; Elise didn't like it, and the man quietly said, "I'm more partial to 'Everything burns'. Joker is a little refreshing isn't he?"

Bridges didn't wait for an answer as he began to walk out of the log, but he paused to say, "I do intend to come back another time; I want to talk to you about Sobek because you should have a good feeling on what he's like before he gets here."

Elise nodded at that, and the blonde gave a wave as he said, "See you, Sweetheart; keep up the good work."

The Indominus waited until the footsteps stopped echoing before she let out a long, low growl. She was not happy, but it wasn't Bridges who had aggravated her; it was the fact that Blake was set on fire instead of being helped. She was not happy with this, and she intended to have a word with Owen or Claire about this. She was an Alpha on this island, and she felt like she held enough power to say her peace. She kept the Velociraptors in line, she was an extra eye on Rexy, and she was a protector like ACU.

Blake was part of this island, and even if she didn't like him, he had to be protected as well. She did not want to think Blake had been set on fire after everything they went through to save him.

Elise was not happy.

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

And Owen immediately knew it when he walked into the room with Rosie holding his hand. He could just feel that burning gaze on him, and he raised an eyebrow at the angry glare.

"We didn't forget the honey, Elise. I promise."

Elise flickered her gaze to the bottle before shaking her head, and Owen frowned as he walked over. They were supposed to start the movie in ten minutes, and he really didn't want her to be in a bad mood for this one. It was good, and it had been forever since he had seen any Pokémon movie.

He still had his first card; a Snorlax.

"What's up, Baby? Did Blue do something?"

Elise shook her head again before beckoning Owen over quietly; the man pressed his lips. Elise wanted a serious talk, and he glanced down at Rosie as he said, "Make sure no one takes the honey, Booger. You stay close, and don't walk off, okay?"

Rosie nodded before she plopped down next to the computer, and Owen allowed himself to be put on the soil next to Elise. He blinked when she didn't hesitate to start carving in the dirt, and he was startled by the question.

'WHY BLAKE PUT ON FIRE'

"Um...he wasn't, Baby. No one set Blake on fire, that's...illegal. Where did you hear that?"

Elise knew Bridges hadn't been lying; she had smelled the fresh air on his breath as compared to the reek of deadly lies. She was amazed by how much Sobek's scent had overpowered the smell of death on Bridges, and Elise wondered what Blue would think of that. Dead One didn't smell so dead for a change.

Owen raised both eyebrows at the name; he hadn't known Bridges had stopped by for a visit. Elise only tapped the question again, and Owen sighed. He had heard the news, but he said, "Blake wasn't set on fire, Baby. He was fired; it means he was let go from his job. He's not a Commander here anymore, and he has to leave the island because Claire doesn't think he's right for the job."

Elise tilted her head before writing, 'NO LONGER PACK'

Owen nodded at it as he said, "Basically, Baby. He's not pack anymore, and he has to leave because he's not doing this park any good. He's an alcoholic, and we can't have that for a Commander."

He saw the questioning look in her eyes, and she started to right the 'A' before he answered, "An alcoholic is someone who has a problem with drinking alcohol, Baby. They can't control how much they drink, and they have to keep drinking for whatever reason. Blake obviously can't handle the stress of this job so he drinks to make himself feel better, but drinking too much alcohol really damages a person physically and mentally. We can't have someone like that as a Commander; it's an accident waiting to happen."

Elise tapped the ground in thought as she absorbed all that information. She knew alcohol was meant to disinfect wounds, and she wondered if that was the reason why Blake drank it. He was really hurt inside so it made sense to her; he was trying to disinfect his inside wounds by drinking alcohol.

But she knew she had caused a lot of that pain by killing his pack. Was she the reason why Blake was drinking so much? Elise didn't like how that made her felt; she had cost him his job, and she wanted immediate reassurance from Owen.

'MY FALT'

Owen shook his head before saying, "There's a 'U' after 'A', Baby, and it is not your fault. You were telling the truth; you were following the smell of that beer. Blake had been drinking enough for it to become part of his smell; that is not your fault. I don't know why Blake decided to start drinking, but it's his fault for not getting the help he needs. Mr. Masrani had started an amazing program that takes really good care of ACU."

Elise tilted her head because now she was confused. She was pretty sure Blake was drinking because of her, but she really didn't want to think she had so wrongfully destroyed this man's life repeatedly. She was the one who directed Owen's attention to the beer, and she had killed a lot of his pack.

She was distracted by Owen patting her leg as he assured, "Baby, my Sunshine, you really do worry too much about everything. I'm starting to wonder if you're white because you've gone grey too early. We take care of our own, we really do. Anyone who goes through a traumatic event here gets the help they need; even I got a few sessions after what happened with Lilly. Claire is going to make sure Blake gets the help he needs to recover from the Dilophosaurus, but we can't help it if he's become an alcoholic; not when he doesn't have a good reason for turning to it."

Elise flicked her tail in thought as she tapped the ground, and Owen nudged her as he playfully asked, "So, does Blue have name for me?"

The Indominus nodded, and Owen grinned when he asked, "What does my best girl call me? Bringer of Oreos? Almighty Alpha? Handsome One?"

Elise snorted before she wrote in the dirt, 'STUPID ALPHA'

Owen pressed his lips, and Elise had to laugh at his expression. He looked offended, and yet not surprised before he sighed, "Do I get any other terms of endearment from her?"

'VERY STUPID ALPHA'

Owen snorted at it, but Elise was quick to write, 'SHE RESPECT AND LOVE YOU SHE KNOW YOU GOOD ALPHA JUST STUPID SOMETIME'

"I am considered pretty intelligent you know."

Elise couldn't help her loud laugh that caused Owen to cross his arms with raised eyebrows. She tenderly scooped him up before pressing him close to her chest as she let out an affectionate rumble. Owen couldn't stay mad at her, and the massive heartbeat was always incredible to hear.

"Hey lovebirds."

Elise glanced up to see Lowery leaning on the railing as he said, "It was cute to watch you guys smother each other at first, but can we watch the movie now? You can love each other later."

Elise dropped Owen into the log as he retorted, "I don't think you should get smart with the two people who pretty much set you up with Jackie."

Lowery all but tackled Owen in his haste to shut him up, and Elise gave another laugh. She didn't see the vet here yet, but she knew it had almost killed Lowery when she had told Jackie that he liked her.

Vivian had said it had been very funny.

The tech-geek glanced around before hissing, "Shush! Because I am actually really happy with what's going on between us; I have no idea what's going on, but I am happy with it. So, shush!"

Owen snorted, but Rosie looked up from her popcorn to ask, "Are you gonna marry Miss Jackie, Mr. Lowery? Elise and I think you guys are cute together."

Lowery blinked at the seven year old before quickly saying, "I, um..."

Rosie beamed at the flushed look, and Elise crooned at the adorableness, but Lowery quickly said, "Too soon! Okay? Let's just...watch the movie please. I think Elise will really like it."

Rosie shrugged her shoulders before Elise tucked her head close to the child. Rosie leaned on her contently as the other two began to set the movie up. People began to trickle in, and Elise was happy to see this again.

She just wished Blake could get help with his alcohol problem.

It wasn't long before blue haired Jackie bounced in with a comfy pillow, and a smile on her face as she gave Elise a loud kiss on the cheek. Rosie giggled when Jackie stuck a bright blue hair extension in her curly hair before sitting next to her. Rosie had immediately warmed up to Jackie when they first met, and Elise was glad to see how well they got along.

Owen decided to wait a few minutes for stragglers, but he was impressed with how many people had shown up. There weren't very many little kids, but plenty of Pokémon generation kids; it was nice to see. He made to sit down, but paused when his niece's loud voice innocently asked, "Miss Jackie, when you marry Mr. Lowery, can Elise and I be the flower girls, please?"

Lowery buried himself under three blankets, and Owen burst out laughing at Elise's face when she tried to stop her laugh. She closed her eyes tightly as she scrunched her nose while baring her teeth in her infamous, ferocious grin. The air escaping through her nose in a repressed laugh only made Owen laugh harder, and Lowery snapped, "Will someone please turn on the movie?!"

Jackie smiled widely at the pile, and she leaned close to Rosie to whisper, "If we get married, I'll let you both be the flower girls."

Elise eagerly awaited the day.

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

"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

Elise blinked; she adored this movie, and most of the characters in it. This world of Pokémon was something else entirely, and she actually loved it. The creatures were fantastic, original, and the powers were entertaining. She had no idea such a wisdom could be found in something created for little ones.

Lowery had been correct; she saw a lot of herself in Mewtwo, although she felt like it had taken her much longer to come to the same conclusion as about humans this creature. She wished she had been born with the power to prevent the hurt the humans had caused her in the shiny labs; now she knew what she had been born in. A lab. Elise was amazed Mewtwo had come into the world fully understanding the language of humans, but more power to him as far as she was concerned.

What really impressed her was the castle he had built, and she was amazed by how powerful he was. His rampage had been more destructive than hers, but she wondered if she had caused more death than him. Mewtwo had intended to flood the earth; Elise hadn't tried to accomplish something like that, but she hadn't been fighting for anyone like Mewtwo had been. He wanted clones to live free from human harm; Elise had just wanted to spread the misery as much as she could before dying.

Ash annoyed her, but his dedication to his Pokémon made up for it; he just did dumb things. Elise knew it could be hard to control a temper, but if she was faced with the most powerful creature on this planet...

She didn't think she'd try to punch it.

It made her feel better about how she came to be; she was glad this idea of something genetically modified wasn't a new idea to humans. Even if Mewtwo wasn't something that was real; his character was, and that was enough for Elise. There was wisdom to learn from all these created characters; teachers to help the little ones get through life, and it obviously stuck with them. She was with humans of various ages who remembered what Mewtwo and Meowth had so plainly taught them. All these movies had taught something incredibly important.

It didn't matter how she had been created in a lab, nor did it matter that she had been created to fight wars she had no intent of joining. What mattered to her character was what she did in life. Her actions in this world would reflect who she was.

Elise wondered what a world it could be when one chose to focus on what they had in common with others rather than what was different. Everyone did have plenty in common with one another. The same sky, stars, air, the same sun, and the same world. What would humans be like if they chose to start there?

The past could be very painful, but it was important to learn from it and move on; there was no need to worry for no reason.

Anyone could love; even the most beastly looking of beings. Elise decided she was more scary looking than Beast, but she was just as capable of love as adorable Rosie. It mattered what was inside.

A family was what mattered the most, and a family came in all different kinds. Be it a broken family brought together by a destructive, blue monster programmed to steal everyone's left shoe, or an orphan adopted by a mother who had lost her child. It could be two oddball friends who took in something that could eat them; they had taken in a cub, and raised a king.

Or even a stubborn human who butted heads with his Beta raptor while they managed an oddball pack consisting of two sisters, a Tyrannosaurus who could, and had, raise hell, and the glue of an Indominus Rex created to win wars. Elise liked her family best; she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Elise knew it was a bit cheesy to see it like that, but she was astonished by the simple brilliance of the wonderful wisdom. They were good lessons taught to make the world better.

Elise would try to live by those lessons; she would try to make the world better as best she could even if she would probably never leave this island. She would do good here, and hope the effects would ripple to the rest of the world. She had done bad, but she would do good from now on; she just had to keep telling herself that. She hadn't known better when she had done what she had done, but Owen had taught her better.

Elise was grateful for this, and she glanced at Lowery before resisting the urge to smile.

He was holding hands with Jackie, and Elise would consider that a good thing she had done.

It was a start, and she had the rest of her life to do more good.

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

Another A/N

Nobody panic over Blake, okay? Okay. I know he's a hot button for some of you, and I got this. Have a good day/night!