A/N

I'm sorry this one is a little late, I have a lot of animals to take care of, and things are getting really hot where I live.

No warnings for this chapter! It's a little slow since you need a small break from the heart wrenching, but the action will pick up again. This is necessary filler, and there is such a thing.

Please enjoy, and give your honest opinions like you wonderful people always do! 

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"Uncle Owen"

"Hey...I think she's starting to wake up..."

Owen glanced at the shifting Indominus, and he nodded in agreement. Elise had been growing a little more active, but she had yet to do anything promising yet. He was sure Claire would page him to come to dinner soon, but he didn't want to leave until Elise was back in her paddock, where it was safe.

He had to be here when she woke up. Even if it meant being a little late to dinner. Claire had ordered him to make Elise's well-being a priority, so she couldn't get mad at him, right?

Owen only continued to gently rub Elise's scaled cheek before swatting a mosquito away. He hated the little bloodsucking insects, even if they had made this park possible. Owen looked at Barry when the man quietly said, "I hope Dr. Gerry can get these teeth out..."

Owen nodded in agreement as he turned his gaze to the sharp daggers. He hadn't realized how her jaw seemed to be crooked until he had actually looked for it, and her teeth did seem a little crowded. Owen wondered how he would convince Elise to allow Gerry to pull her teeth out.

Owen also wondered if Dr. Gerry would be able to scare Elise like he did everyone else on the island. Did Gerry scare Rexy? Owen bet he did.

"I think he'll be able to; it sounds like she's been trying to get rid of them on her own anyways..."

Barry nodded, and his gaze flickered over to the open, massive, steel door. Owen could see he was thinking about it, and Barry quietly said, "She's out cold right now...we could go see who's been keeping her company..."

Owen was really tempted by that; Elise probably never would know. He wouldn't even have to cross the line she had made for him. He would be able to see into the cave easily, but he glanced back at Barry as he asked, "You've been here this whole time. Why didn't you go in? Did Doc see anything?"

Barry sighed as he rested against Elise's ribcage, and said, "I did, but I didn't get very far. I told Dr. Gerry about it, and you know what he said?"

"I can only imagine."

They shared a chuckle, and Elise let out a long, deep breath. Owen glanced at her hopefully; he wanted to see those crimson eyes again, but he was disappointed when she did nothing. That tranquilizer had really knocked her out.

Owen rested against her nose, and Barry said, "He said if she had gone out of her way to make it that obvious that she didn't want us to see what was in there, we deserved to get eaten for crossing that line. Dr. Gerry didn't even go near there; he said it was disrespectful to Elise."

Barry shrugged to himself before adding, "It made sense, and she's not hurting anyone by wanting a little privacy. We don't touch the bottle caps in Delta's nest, and we don't go peeping into Elise's little cave."

Owen immediately agreed; even he had a small box of memoirs he never let anyone see. Stupid, cheesy poems to lost loves, pictures of close family, even his first dog's collar. He didn't like people seeing that stuff, and it seemed to be a similar situation with Elise. Every person had their own little stash of secrets, good and bad. Elise apparently had enough human in her to do the same.

Owen gave a small chuckle before he said, "And we don't try to take Echo's blanket."

"Or Blue's boot."

Owen loudly rolled his eyes at Barry's wide grin, and couldn't help dryly saying, "She keeps that boot to mock me. She knows I can't get to it, but I can see it just fine. That boot was expensive, Barry."

The man burst out laughing, and Owen couldn't help a small smile at the memory of losing his boot to defiant Blue. He remembered taking her reward of a white rat away for not listening to his orders. She had responded by faking an injury, and Owen had been gullible enough to run into the paddock; he had been convinced by the pained moans. He had practically shat himself when the blue raptor suddenly sprung up before snapping her jaws into his boot. She had been younger, and his boot a thick leather, but Owen still had the small scars on his foot from when she had torn the footwear off.

Barry had found that absolutely hilarious, and even cried when Blue had started to carry the boot in her mouth when Owen would do their pig chasing exercise. She would sit there with a gloating look in her eyes as she chewed on it. Blue would follow the orders perfectly, and Owen had no choice but to reward her with the white rat.

But he would never get his boot back.

When Blue wasn't sleeping with it in her nest, she would hide the boot in the oddest places; right where Owen could see it. She had once even plopped herself right in front of the cage before slowly raking her claws up and down the rich leather, not once breaking eye contact with Owen. Barry had absolutely lost it.

Owen was just glad she had started to do that less and less; once in a while he would be mocked by it, but Blue had matured. She was growing up, and Owen was grateful for it.

Elise suddenly wrinkled her snout before puffing out a harsh breath of air. Owen moved to the side of her, and gave a sigh of relief when the glazed, crimson orb cracked open. Her pupil was beyond dilated, and Owen wondered if she would have a pounding headache.

The Indominus gave a low, pitiful moan, and Owen was reminded of an old buddy who would do the same after a long night of drinking.

He gently stroked her cheek as he softly said, "Hey, Baby...I'm right here. You're okay."

The crimson eye wandered over to him, and Owen highly doubted she even realized what she was looking at, let alone who. He didn't feel like he was in danger though; he wasn't quite sure she was even focusing on him. Owen only continued to stroke her cheek gently, as he murmured soft comforts, and Barry remained quiet as he leaned on her comfortingly.

Elise would only give low moans as she slowly became more aware of her surroundings. She began to blink a little more frequently, and would respond to Owen's hushed words more frequently. Owen couldn't believe how relieved he was to see those beautiful eyes again, and he felt much lighter than he had for the past couple days.

She finally lifted her massive head, and Owen backed up just in case she would suddenly plop back down. Elise didn't though, and Owen was happy to see her looking around. Her gaze finally fell on him, and he gently said, "They're gone, Baby Girl; we're safe. I'm sorry you got hit with the dart, that wasn't supposed to happen, and Barry broke that guy's jaw just for you."

Elise slowly blinked when Barry stood next to Owen, and he cooed, "He will be drinking through a straw for the next couple of months. I am so happy to see those beautiful eyes of your again."

Barry smiled when the jaw came into his reach, and he began to love on the dinosaur. Elise still looked confused, and incredibly tired. Owen didn't blame her, and he quietly said, "Hey, Elise. I really want to get you back to your nest. I don't want you to sleep out here, you feel better in the morning."

Elise looked like she didn't even want to move ever again. She only shifted herself into a more comfortable position before exhaling a long sigh. She laid her head back down again, and focused her gaze on Owen. She seemed to be looking him over, and Owen was glad he had cleaned up before coming back here. Dr. Gerry had straightened his nose out for him.

Owen would usually go to Dr. Gerry before a doctor for humans; it amused the old vet to no end, and he had once jokingly given Owen a checkup after looking at his raptors.

"I'm fine, Baby; Dr. Gerry took real good care of me. He's a good guy."

Elise only huffed at him before relaxing into Barry's quiet scratching. Owen allowed her a few more minutes to gather her bearings before he gently patted her cheek, and said, "You really do need to go into your paddock. I don't want people bugging you, and it has to be more comfortable in there instead of these sharp rocks..."

Elise gave a grumbling moan; she knew no creature would be dumb enough to actually disturb her. However, the promise of a comfortable bed forced her to slowly stumble up. She obviously struggled with her weight at the moment, and the duo had scrambled out of the way when she swayed heavily to the side.

Owen didn't want her to fall over completely, but he couldn't exactly help her here. He darted in front of her, and gently said, "Hey, Baby, don't rush yourself, okay? I don't want you to get stuck; just find a comfortable spot, and..."

Owen trailed off when the Indominus smooshed down a stretch of lush ferns before curling up tightly. She was just clear of the door, and Owen pressed his lips before walking over. She had tucked her nose underneath her tail, but cracked open a tired, crimson eye when he gently patted her cheek. Owen felt really bad for her, and he softly said, "Thank you for protecting me, I'm going to stay right here until you fall asleep, okay? I'll be back first thing in the morning to check up on you."

Elise lifted her head before gently blowing air on his face, and Owen promised to never take that symbol of affection for granted. He smiled at her, and she tucked her nose back in as her eyes slid shut once more. Owen didn't even have to wait for her to fall asleep, and he gently ran a calloused hand over her cheek before leaving the paddock. Barry twirled a keycard between his fingers before tossing it over as he said, "Opens and shuts every door to this paddock; one of Claire's men brought it out."

Owen nodded as he shut the large doors, again amazed by how silent they were, before he said, "We should have asked Doc to take her down when she escaped the first time. Sheesh, one dart from him, and she didn't even blink before falling over."

"You do realize we are incredibly lucky that she actually woke up, right? And also..."

Owen glanced at his best friend, and Barry shuffled a little before quietly adding, "Well, Dr. Gerry had to put an oxygen mask on her; he used Rexy's, and it fit nice, but it was still scary to watch..."

"How the hell did he fit that on his little truck?"

"It folds up."

Barry shrugged at Owen's disbelieving facial expression, and said, "Hey, if we can create dinosaurs, and even hybrid dinosaurs, why can't we have foldable oxygen masks?"

"Fair enough point."

Barry finally chuckled as he walked with Owen back to the awaiting vehicles. Owen hopped onto his bike as he said, "Doc caught Blue with an Oreo."

The man froze before glancing fearfully at Owen; he was afraid to ask what the casualties are, and Owen added, "She spat it right out when he cleared his throat."

"Owen, I don't even eat sweets around him. I bet she did spit it out, Dr. Gerry scares everyone."

"And Echo ratted me out; pulled the wrapper right out of my pocket."

Barry burst out laughing, and leaned on the steering wheel of his car. Owen found himself joining in on the happy laughter, and it felt good; he felt less tense. Barry finally sighed as they stared at the large, steel doors, and he quietly said, "I am glad for how today ended, but I never want to repeat today, Owen. You are not allowed to bring me anymore bad news for...three days, am I clear?"

Owen laughed again as he nodded; Barry gave him a serious look that made him laugh harder, but he replied, "I'll see what I can do. Hey, what did Claire mean by dress professionally?"

A sly smile immediately tugged at Barry's lips before he answered, "She is going to put you in one of the park's uniforms. You get to wear the stupid, safari gig with the tan shorts and weird hat."

Owen grimaced at the very image of being in one of those stupid uniforms. He didn't understand the Mosasaurs caretaker's uniform. The lady looked like she was ready to give him peanuts on an airplane, not feed a shark to a giant, underwater predator. Owen didn't even want to think about what he would have to wear, and he was pulled from his troubled thoughts when Barry teased, "Promise me you will talk like the Crocodile Hunter in front of all the guests."

Owen was about to flip Barry off, but he paused to actually think about it, and Barry began to laugh when Owen nodded.

"You know...I could actually do that. It would confuse the hell out of Elise, but I'll give it my best."

"I will pay to see it every day, Owen."

The two grinned at each other widely before starting their own vehicle. Owen couldn't help revving his bike, and only grinned wider when Barry did the same with his jeep. They both silently agreed the fork in the road would be the finish line, and the gravel flew in the air when both smashed the gas. They both laughed loudly as they drove off.

And Elise hardly stirred in her paddock.

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Owen had to admit he was a little creeped out by how empty everything was. Even the sound speakers had been shut off, and all he could hear was...wind. It spooked him actually, but it seemed all the workers had gone home for the day, though he would see a few, familiar faces in some of the smaller restaurants.

It seemed like progress was being made on all the damage. All the garbage had been cleaned up, and the Main Street looked presentable; ready for guests. Even the snow cone carts had been put back in their rightful place, alongside the corners.

That made Owen feel better, he was glad Claire was getting things under control, and now he could support her fully. He only hoped she hadn't received too much grief from the board.

Owen would take of them on for her; he could bring Blue in.

Or Dr. Gerry; Gerry would have them all whipped into shape without saying one word.

Owen smiled a little as he wandered over to the quiet looking restaurant; it had a fancy name that he didn't care to remember. Everyone here simply called it the Steak House. The chef was an older guy who didn't skimp on portion size, and he cut a break for all employees.

"Owen!"

Owen turned around at the child's voice, and gave a grunt when Gray had tackled him in a tight hug. Owen hadn't expected that, but he didn't hesitate to return the squeeze as he said, "Hey, Gray. Decided to stick around 'cause you didn't get enough of the Jurassic experience?"

He ruffled the longer, dirty blonde hair, and Gray gave a shy smile as he answered, "Aunt Claire convinced my parents to let us stay for a couple more days. Our winter break is still going on, and I wanted to see your raptors again."

Owen liked this kid, he liked how smart both of them had been. They had figured out how to get back here without any help, and Owen had been impressed by how they somehow fixed the ancient jeep.

Owen liked kids like that, and he nodded as he said, "Tell you what, I'll figure out my schedule for tomorrow, and I'll let you see them do the Pig Run."

"Pig Run?"

He nodded, and opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Claire gently saying, "Gray, please do not run off like that; it's not safe."

Gray pointed to the taller male as he said, "Owen is safe; he totally stopped that Indominus with just a wave of his hand."

As Owen recalled, it was divine intervention on his behalf, and Elise's overpowering curiosity that had saved the day. Owen had simply given her something better to do compared to vengeful murder.

He smiled at Claire before looking at a mellow, but happy Zach, and said, "You're gonna tell me how you managed to fix that jeep, right?"

Zach didn't try to play cool, though he did try to make his smile smaller than what it seemed as he said, "Definitely, Gray moved all the heavy stuff."

The younger brother beamed, and Owen was warmed by that. He was glad Zach was taking good care of his brother; it would have been very easy to leave him behind in a moment of sheer panic, but Zach hadn't abandoned him.

Claire smiled at them fondly before leading them inside, and she quietly asked, "So, how is the Indominus doing?"

Owen grimaced a little as he sat down, but he noticed the two boys taking both chairs closest to him on their square table. He resisted the urge to chuckle at them, and he answered, "She barely made it into her paddock; she's right against the doors. Why didn't we use that tranquilizer?"

Claire paused, trying to figure out if Owen was simply asking or if he was criticizing. When she realized he was only asking, she shrugged her shoulders as she said, "Well, because that was an overdose, and we thought...you know..."

Owen immediately nodded, and waved it off by saying, "She's fine; I'm sure she'll be back to normal by tomorrow. I just couldn't believe how fast she went down."

Claire made one of her faces that irritated Owen; he didn't have a name for them, but she would give a small 'hmm' while raising her eyebrows. She glanced down at her menu as she answered, "Well, I can't believe she didn't kill anyone."

Owen couldn't help pressing his lips as he quietly said, "I asked her not to the night before, Claire. I told her a bunch of people would be coming over, but she promised not to get violent."

Zach stopped tapping his fork on the table before he asked, "How'd you do that? Can she really talk to you?"

Claire was starting to look uncomfortable when Owen nodded, and he answered, "She can hold a conversation if you ask the right questions. She's pretty smart about getting her point across when she doesn't have the right words."

Gray's eyes went wide with wonder, and he turned to Claire as he softly asked, "Can we go see her tomorrow? I want to talk to a dinosaur."

Claire immediately shook her head before firmly saying, "Absolutely not. She is dangerous, and you don't know her. I only allow Owen to do his insane ideas because he's the only one who would get eaten. Your mother would kill me if I even let you look at the Indominus through a camera."

Gray deflated slightly, and Zach couldn't help dryly saying, "Harsh, Aunt Claire. I think she's safe if she didn't hurt all those containment guys. She didn't even kill that jackass who broke Owen's nose."

Claire frowned slightly before quietly saying, "How did you know about that?"

Zach kept his mouth shut, but winced when Gray honestly said, "We followed Mr. Lowery into the Control Headquarters. The Indominus looked really scary when she turned all red. She's really big up close, Aunt Claire."

Owen noticed the slight way Zach seemed to relax when Gray finally began to eat at the small, fresh loaf of bread. Claire didn't though, and she coolly said, "Well...I really didn't want you two to see that..."

Zach only shrugged, and Owen knew he would do as he pleased. He wondered if the kids had seen him openly weep over sleeping Elise. He didn't like the idea of all those strangers seeing him cry, but at least they saw Barry cry as well.

Owen began to snack on the bread, and Claire suddenly excused herself to go freshen up in the bathroom. The two boys watched her leave, and when they were sure she was out of sight, they both exploded in a million questions that startled Owen.

"So does her breath smell?"

"What's the Indominus like? Is she still dangerous like the raptors?"

"Hey, can I have one of her teeth to show my class?"

"Me too! I want to make a necklace out of one. Do you make necklaces out of your raptor's teeth?"

Owen paused mid-chew as his gaze flickered in between the two alternating questions. He finally swallowed his food before patting the air, like he had with Elise to calm her down. Owen couldn't help his smile when it worked on them, and he answered, "Her breath doesn't smell as bad as Blue's. I'm sure Elise will give you one of her teeth if you ask her, and I do not wear my raptors teeth; they feel like I'm taunting them when I do."

Gray immediately lit up, and he asked in a hushed tone, "We can go see her?"

Owen glanced at the restroom doors, before quietly answering, "Well, I won't send you away if you two somehow find your way over to her paddock."

Zach slowly gave a crooked smile when he got the hint, and Owen winked at them. The two brothers looked at each other like they had found the golden treasures of all adults; someone who would let them tag along when the guardian said no.

It was quiet for a second longer before Zach nonchalantly asked, "So, did you see the hashtag Badassery video?"

Owen nodded as he watched for Claire before saying, "I did, and I am going to buy that person a big, steak dinner when I find out who it is. He or she saved Elise's life."

Owen didn't notice the way the two brothers seemed to share a wide grin, but Owen was startled when Zach slyly said, "I like mine medium-rare, thank you."

"Can I get a cheeseburger instead?"

Owen gaped at the two, grinning boys, and his mind went blank before he quickly said, "Whoa, whoa, hold on. You two leaked that video?"

They nodded, and Owen's eyes went wide as he asked in a shushed tone, "How?"

Zach looked around to make sure no one was around to hear them, and he pulled his chair a little closer before quietly saying, "That Lowery guy had called in all the employees to show them the video, and we were bored in the Evacuation Building, so we followed. It was really cool watching it on the big screen, and I convinced him to send us a copy of it to Gray's phone. It was back at home though."

Owen blinked at them, and Gray added, "We saw you calm down the Indominus, and then Aunt Claire got really mad about the videos. She said she had to put the Indominus down because she didn't have a good reason to keep her alive. It was Zach's idea to post it because people would think she was awesome, and it worked!"

"I got my girlfriend to post it for me. She has a key to my house, and she got a hold of Gray's phone."

They heard the restroom door open in the almost silent, empty restaurant, and Owen pointed at the both of them before quietly saying, "I buy your dinner tonight, I'll introduce you to Elise tomorrow, and we'll go raid the Ben & Jerry's across the street as soon as we're done here."

Both lit up excitedly, and Claire glanced at them in confusion, though she smiled as she asked, "What did Owen tell you guys? I haven't seen either of you smile like this in awhile."

Owen opened his mouth to cover for them, but Gray immediately said, "He said we can call him Uncle Owen."

If Owen wasn't fond of these two before, he sure as hell was now. Claire glanced at him; wondering if he had insinuated that they were dating, but he only nodded as he said, "That's right; Uncle Owen. It's got a nice ring to it, don't it, Aunt Claire?"

Owen only grinned widely when he was met with an irritated sigh. Now the world seemed much better. He wasn't afraid of what the next day would bring anymore, but he was sure more problems with Elise would show up; he would handle them though. Hopefully with less tears.

Owen hoped Elise would get along with the Zach and Gray tomorrow. He just needed to figure out how to sneak them away. It probably wouldn't be that hard to sneak them away from Claire; she'd be busy, and there was nothing wrong with Uncle Owen showing his nephews the job he worked. They'd be safe, and it would be educational. Claire couldn't get mad with that.

But Owen was already mentally carving out his own headstone for when Claire would find out. That was fine though.

Owen liked all dangerous creatures, Claire including.