Title: Out of the Frying Pan... (Part One)
Author: elfin
Email: elfin@burble.com
Homepage: http://www.sundive.co.uk/
Rating: PG-13 (next part will be NC-17)
Fandom: JPIII
Pairing: Alan/Billy
Archive: Alan&Billy archive, Britslash, others with permission
Spoilers: loads for the movie!
Summary: an alternative ending for the film

Thanks to: Tomy for being wonderful, beta reading and putting up with me changing things all the time!

Disclaimer: characters are beloved creations of and copyright Michael Crichton and Peter Buchanan. I'm just playing with them.

The rain stopped sometime in the night. Huddled together in the branches of the tallest trees, Amanda, Paul, Eric and Alan managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep.

When the Kirbys woke, though, Alan was already up. Looking around, they caught sight of him down on the ground, standing on a ridge and staring across the river at the herbivores munching at the grass and plant life on the plain beyond.

It really was a stunning sight. If it weren’t for the meat-eaters, this would be a beautiful place.

Eric saw his parents glance at one another, and knew what the unspoken question had been.

“He’s sad about Billy,” the kid explained.

Amanda nodded. She knew she hadn’t been the only one of her family to see what was between their two heroes. She’d brought Alan Grant here to rescue her son, and in the process he’d lost the person closest to him. There was nothing she could say to console him now.

Alan stood listening to the sounds that made their way across the island. The calls of ‘raptors reached his ears, but from their volume, he guessed they were far enough away not to be a threat at the moment.

Eric had said that the closer they got to the edge of the island, the bigger things became.

He tried to concentrate on thinking it through, on using the information to work out something about the dinosaur hierarchy and ecosystem. But he found that his every attempt brought him back to memories of Billy.

Something had been developing between the two of them, something he hadn’t been able to deny any more than he could deny the dinosaurs on this island. But his last words had been so cruel. Why the hell had he said that?

He knew why.

Ever since this ‘thing’ between he and Billy had become obvious, he’d been fighting it, frightened of it. Despite that, Billy had slowly coaxed him into trusting his heart, trusting his feelings, and little by little, Alan had fallen in love.

It hadn’t taken much, had it? Not much for Alan to throw that trust back in Billy’s face. There was no denying that what Billy had done had been stupid. But he hadn’t done it for selfish reasons, he’d done it to save the dig. On an impulse. An impulse he readily admitted had been a terrible mistake.

All Alan had been able to see, when he’d found the eggs in the bag he’d been carrying for 24 hours, was betrayal. And a dangerous one at that.

The ‘San Diego incident’, as it had come to be known, was never far from Alan’s mind. Ian’s involvement in it had shocked and saddened him. But a T-Rex was one thing. Raptors… they were something else. They terrified him. Because once they had you in their sights, you might as well be dead. You certainly would spend a painful last few minutes wishing that you were.

Something within him, far stronger than the love he felt for his young assistant, had reacted without thinking and now he would regret it for the rest of his life. However short a time that might turn out to be.

Taking a deep breath, Alan turned and took a step back toward the tree in which he’d left the Kirbys sleeping. Time to start off again. Maybe today they’d find the coast and someway off this island.

In the distance, he could hear dinosaurs waking, the calls of the hunters and the terrified brays of the prey. A shiver wrapped itself around his spine.

The family was already waiting for him, ready to move. He smiled at them once and nodded.

*

They’d been walking just under two hours when they came back to the river they’d followed in the boat the previous night. Following the flow of the water seemed like a good idea. It would eventually lead to the coast. Although the smaller dinosaurs were drawn to it, they seemed unbothered by the presence of the humans. The only carnivores they met were Compys, and as long as they stayed well away, they found that the little pests left them alone.

The river was easy to follow. The grassy banks were wide enough for them to walk two-abreast, and there were no signs of the Spinosaurus that had plagued them last night.

Half a mile on, the woodland stopped and they found themselves walking along the edge of a large field. It was surrounded on the two sides by trees and undergrowth. The far end of the field rose up on a steep incline and then disappeared over the ridge. All the better for a fast-moving stampede of dinosaurs to come hurtling over, Alan mused sardonically, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

At the moment, the only other occupants of the field were a small herd of Stegosaurus that barely looked up from their chomping as the bedraggled group passed by some way from them.

As they walked, Alan found himself drawn to watch the giant animals. In their own clumsy way they were beautiful. As much as he hated this place, there was no where else in the universe that someone could see this. Only a handful of people would ever get a glimpse of this Jurassic spectacle.

For a moment or two, he was actually glad that he’d seen them. And he wished, deep in his aching heart, that Billy could have seen it too. He’d only really witnessed the violence of this eco-structure, had missed its beauty and peace.

He sighed, stamping hard on his grief. He would get this family to safety. Then and only then would he allow himself to feel again.

They crossed without incident, stepping hesitantly and rather reluctantly back into the undergrowth on the other side. At least the open space had afforded some level of cover, in an odd way. The big ones tended to stay in the wooded areas from what they’d seen.

Leading the small group, Alan trod carefully, all the time listening out for sounds of impending danger. A couple of hundred yards after they left the field, he stopped.

Behind him, the Kirbys froze. They’d seen and experienced enough horror to know now that every movement Grant made was important, and every instruction he gave was to be followed to the letter without question.

Tilting his head to one side, Alan listened for the sound that had stopped him in his tracks. Eric was doing the same, straining to hear the noise that had caught the expert’s attention while his parents glanced about. It was difficult to keep the panic at bay at these times.

But they could hear nothing more than the ambient sounds of insects and distant animals; background noise that had surrounded them since they’d landed.

“Dr Grant,” Eric ventured after a long minute of waiting.

“Ssh,” came the urgent reply. Alan was listening for something, for the slightest repeat of…. Suddenly he turned to the others. “Stay here.”

They watched, stunned, as he leapt into the dense woodland and within seconds vanished from sight.

They waited a whole twenty seconds before following him.

Following his instinct more than any real evidence, Alan tore through the thick undergrowth, leaping low, gnarled branches, stomping on extinct plant-life. As he’d suspected, he didn’t have to go very far in.

He paused, looking around. And then he heard it again, and this time he knew he hadn’t been imagining it.

A low, pained cry. The rustle of vegetation, like someone trying to pull themselves through it.

“Billy….”

A moment later Alan dived to his right and dropped to his knees, yanking at the brambles and flora until he uncovered his prize.

Billy stared up at him in momentary terror before utter relief made him cease his fight with the greenery and drop back into the dirt.

“Billy, Billy….”

Alan tore away the remaining foliage and freed his protégé, putting one arm under his upper body and lifting him to sit up.

Billy’s bloodied arms came up to wrap firmly around Alan’s neck and hold on tight.

For a moment, Alan couldn’t believe this was happening. But the damp, shaking body in his arms felt real, felt alive.

He wrapped his other arm around the young man’s shoulders and simply held him close for a second. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” He could feel Billy clinging to him, desperately trying to be brave but too scared and in too much pain to be convincing.

His heart pounding against his ribcage, Alan released his ward a little, needing to quickly establish the extent of his injuries. Quietly reassuring with murmured words, he pushed Billy away slightly so that he could look him up and down.

He was a mess.

His t-shirt was in tatters, the remains of the material glued to his skin by blood and sweat. His pants were torn and what was left of them was filthy.

Carefully, Alan combed fingers through Billy’s wet hair. When he lifted his hand, it was red with the blood that had obviously run down in droplets from the blond ragout, over Billy’s forehead and face, and dried.

There were plenty of visible wounds. His shoulders, where the Pteranadons claws had torn into him for grip, were nothing but mutilated flesh. He had deep cuts above his eyes, a gash in his cheek, various injuries to his torso and legs. God only knew what internal damage there was.

“Is he okay?”

Alan’s head snapped around. He hadn’t heard the Kirbys behind him. He had no idea how long they’d been standing there.

“I… I don’t think so,” he responded, trying to think clearly. “We have to dress these wounds. We need to get him somewhere safe.” It was a relative term, of course. But there were safer places even on the island than where they were right now.

Paul immediately moved to help, assisting Alan in hauling Billy painfully to his feet between them.

Billy tried to bite back the yell of pain, but he couldn’t. It just hurt too much. He attempted to focus what remained of his energy into helping the others get him out of here.

As soon as they balanced themselves, Paul knew what Alan had meant. Whatever other injuries Billy was sporting, he was damp, cold and shivering. It had been at least ten hours since they’d watched him being attacked by the Pteranadons and Kirby knew enough about first aid to know the young man’s chances weren’t good.

This time, Eric lead the way back through the rough woodland and along the edge of the river in the direction they’d just come until they reached a small clearing he remembered passing only minutes before Grant had stopped.

They half-walked, half-stumbled, following Eric and Amanda.

Billy tried to help as best he could, willing his feet to not only move but to support his weight. Alan kept glancing at him. He could see out of the corner of his downcast eyes. He wanted to concentrate on walking.

The relief he’d felt when he’d realised that it was Alan pulling the ferns off of him and not some dinosaur searching for breakfast had been palpable. When he’d fought his way out of the Pteranadon’s grip and fallen to the brutal ground, he’d been thankful for small mercies. At least he’d escaped the immediate horror of being torn to shreds by the dinosaur’s young.

But he’d soon realised the extent of his injuries. And as he’d lain under the greenery into which he’d fallen, waiting - hoping - for his strength to return, he’d started to think about Alan, and the awful look that had been in his eyes while they’d been on the metal gangway.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ he’d wanted to plead with the older man, ‘I love you! I would never do anything to harm you, please believe me. I had the best intentions….’

As he’d lain there, and the knowledge that he wasn’t ever going to regain his strength - in fact, he was dying - had slowly descended upon him, all he could think about was telling Alan that he was sorry. And about seeing the warm, easy affection in those sharp blue eyes just one more time.

Alan and Paul gently lowered Billy to the short grass, easing him with them as they dropped to their knees. Billy didn’t respond to the call of his name. But he was still breathing, if a little shallowly, and his pulse was fairly strong.

When Alan turned to drop his pack from his shoulders, he heard Paul’s intake of breath.

“Dr Grant….” Reaching out, he touched the bloody slash that seemed to run diagonally across Alan’s back from his left hip to right shoulder blade. Only then did he realise that it wasn’t an injury. It was just blood.

In the second after reacting to the touch, Alan saw Paul’s eyes widen and then glance down at Billy. Tenderly, he lifted the young man’s right hand and swallowed the bile that rose in his throat when he saw what, in the rush to get to relative safety, they’d previously missed.

There was a deep slash along the underside of Billy’s arm, from the base of his wrist to the inside of his elbow. The arm had been opened up to reveal torn muscle and splintered bone.

Alan couldn’t stop the quiet groan that escaped when he saw it. The claw of the Pteranadon had done this, he hoped. Because anything else was unthinkable.

Opening his backpack, Alan hunted for the minimal first-aid kit he’d brought with him. The worst he’d expected was a little airsickness, he wasn’t really prepared for a dinosaur attack. But luckily he’d just thrown in the kit he took with him on digs. He had plenty of bandages at least.

Emptying the first aid kit, Alan handed the plastic bag to Eric and asked him to fill it from the river. Then he tore a strip of material from the base of his own shirt to use as a cloth.

Any illusion of safety on this island was short-lived, and he knew he didn’t have all that much time.

He started by delicately cleaning the terrible mess that was Billy’s right arm, before taking a long bandage and wrapping the limb from fingers to just above the elbow. His aim was simply to hold it all together, as gross as it sounded. He needed to stop the bleeding, praying it wasn’t too late, so he made the dressing as tight as he could, wincing despite himself when he felt bones scrape together.

It was little wonder Billy woke up.

His scream was barely out of his mouth when Paul’s hand clamped over it. Alan glared at him for just a moment, and he mouthed an apology. Backing down, Grant nodded. That scream could have cost them all their lives. But the sudden, violent action had startled Billy, and wild eyes now sought out Alan.

“It’s okay,” he muttered again, knowing that it wasn’t. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this. Just hang on for me a minute more.” He had to finish.

Five seconds, and another half-swallowed scream later, the field dressing was complete.

Alan moved so that he was directly in Billy’s field of vision. Billy could only see a blurred shape, but he knew it was his mentor.

“Alan.” It was no more than a choked whisper but it was enough.

Alan smiled down at his protégé, reaching out to rub his thumb over the unbroken skin over Billy’s left eyebrow. “You’re gonna be okay,” he said with more confidence than he felt. “We’re going to dress your wounds, then we’re going to get out of here.”

Billy’s expression alone told Alan that he didn’t believe a word of it. “Alan….” It was another painful murmur, a little louder this time.

“Don’t talk, we’ll take care of you.” He knew he didn’t have the best bedside manner, he hadn’t done this too often.

But Billy moved his head, side to side. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have….”

“Don’t. You don’t need to apologise. I’m sorry I said that to you. I didn’t mean it. You just lie there, let us clean you up a bit.” He paused for a moment longer, long enough to see Billy’s sad little smile, then he moved.

Starting at Billy’s head and working downwards, Alan washed at least the worst of the grime and blood from the young man’s skin, uncovering wounds as he went. Once an area was as clean as it was going to get out here, Amanda carefully bandaged it.

Once they’d done all that they could, Alan retrieved his spare shirt from his backpack and gingerly helped Billy into it. It wasn’t clean, but it was warmer than the shreds of t-shirt they’d been forced to leave melded to a couple of Billy’s deeper wounds.

And then, just for a minute, Alan let their ward rest, sitting beside him on the warming ground. “We’re going to have to move soon, Billy,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb over the back of the young man’s hand.

Chocolate brown eyes stared at him, clearer than they had been. In the medical kit, Alan had found some paracetamol tablets and had gotten three of them into Billy before they’d started trying to deal with his wounds.

“Alan… if I don’t make it….”

Alan reached forward, surprising himself, putting his fingers over Billy’s lips. “Don’t say it. You will make it, we’ll all make it. You’re with the expert, remember?”

Billy opened his mouth slightly, but instead of offering some smart-arse reply, he kissed the fingers pressed to his lips. He was rewarded with a perfect blush that was easily seen even under all the muck covering Alan’s face, and then the older man drew his hand away and stood.

*

They started off again with the Kirbys leading the way, Alan walking behind, supporting Billy with an arm around his waist.

The pain killers were finally kicking in, and after a couple of hundred yards, he was able to walk on his own. Not that having Alan’s arm around him was a problem.

For weeks they’d been side-stepping the relationship developing between them, ignoring the signs. But they both knew it was there.

Billy had been an admirer of Grant’s for years, since reading his first book, before he’d visited Isla Nublar. The second book, afterwards, had sent shivers down Billy’s spine as he’d read it. Grant’s tone had changed, his love for dinosaurs had gone, replaced by a respect edged with terror.

In the final year of his degree, he’d been to a lecture given by Grant and had been enthralled. Not only by what the man had said, but by Alan himself. He hadn’t been anything like Billy had expected. Shy, distant from anyone he didn’t know well.

Billy went to more of Grant’s lectures, asked all the right questions and got himself noticed. He got a first-class honours degree and applied to take a Masters in palaeontology. When he’d been offered the chance to work at Grant’s dig in Montana, he could barely believe it.

Alan, it had turned out, he picked him out, asked for him specifically. Slowly, he’d realised that he wasn’t just another student on the dig. Alan had started to open up to him, and he’d watched the man blossom. He was passionate about his work, his field of study and research. And he was passionate about life. He liked to go for beers and see a movie once in a while.

Over the months they’d worked together, Billy had found himself falling in love. Not that Alan made it easy. He was moody and stubborn. Once he had an idea in his mind, he refused to let go. He hated any kind of technology - Billy had had to introduce him to it slowly and carefully, making sure any software he bought was user-friendly and very powerful.

But he made Billy feel like the most important, special person in the whole world. When he listened, he listened with his complete attention and never dismissed his graduate student’s ideas outright. And when he looked into his assistant’s eyes and smiled, Billy melted.

“Alan,” he now murmured softly, trying not to be heard too clearly by the family up ahead. “I’m sorry.”

Alan glanced at him, reached over again and pressed a reassuring hand into the small of his back. “No, I am. What I said to you… it was uncalled for and completely untrue. You mean so much to me.” He paused and looked away, embarrassed like he always became whenever their conversations turned personal.

Billy nodded, smiling. “And you to me.”

Up in front, Amanda and Paul glanced at one another over Eric’s head, and smiled between themselves. Alan Grant’s reaction to Billy’s ‘death’ had been enough to confirm their earlier suspicions, suspicions that had formed back in Montana when they’d first met the pair.

The graduate’s easy acceptance of their invitation to dinner on behalf on them both. The familiarity between them in the bar, on the flights.

They’d been inseparable until the Kirbys had dragged them out here under false pretences and the dinosaurs had split them up. Twice. Now, at least, they were back together. Amanda just hoped they all stayed together long enough to get off the island alive.

They walked for what felt like miles. The sun had already passed by high above them when Billy reached over to tap Alan’s shoulder. “I need to rest,” he murmured, apologetically. The painkillers had worn off ages ago and the pain was starting to become so intense that every step was renewed agony.

Alan nodded, cursing himself for not thinking about his assistant.

“Just a few minutes,” Billy promised as he lowered himself gingerly to the ground with Alan’s help. “I just need….” He broke off, locking his gaze with that of his mentor.

But it was Eric who put a name to the sounds. “Compys.”

Alan turned to him. “How do they act?”

Eric shrugged. “They peck a lot. I’ve watched them take down a Triceratops with no problems. But loud noises freak them out and I doubt they’ll attack a group of us.”

For a minute or so, they sat silently glancing around the undergrowth, waiting, pulses racing. The chirping became louder, more insistent, closer.

And then a screech filled the air, and the roar of something louder, something much, much bigger.

Without warning, the greenery to their left came apart around the long, large snout of the Spinosaurus.

“Fuck!” Billy was on his feet in a second, and they started to run. Behind them, the huge carnivore broke through the thick trees, its feet crushing the vegetation beneath.

They ran for their lives. Over and through brambles and bushes, the thorns slicing into their clothes. Zig-zagging through the trees, snapping branches underfoot.

At a narrow point in the river, they crossed to the other side, not slowing for a second.

Every time his feet hit the ground, Billy felt the impact drive through his body. His head was pounding, overruling any other complaints that the rest of him might have. That at least was a blessing of a kind.

Following in Paul’s wake, Alan kept glancing behind him, making sure Billy was still keeping up. He needn’t have worried. The young man seemed to have a suddenly accelerated sense of survival.

As they ran, the greenery fell away, and they found themselves standing at the edge of a small field. More importantly, they were face to face with three velociraptors who had been disturbed in their attack of a fourth, smaller raptor.

For a second, the five humans stared at the dinosaurs as the creatures stared back. And then the Spinosaurus came crashing through behind them.

“To the left!!!!” Alan found his instructions were finally being followed. They dived as a group into the long grass to their left, leaving the raptors at the Spinosaurus’ mercy.

Not that it showed any. It finished off the little one, swallowing it back almost whole, killed the other three, ate two of them and rumbled off back into the trees in the direction it had been chasing the human group.

Breathing sighs of relief all round, the five collapsed back in the grass, pulling in deep gulps of air.

“Now, I really do have to rest,” Billy muttered painfully, screwing his eyes closed. He felt Alan’s hand touch his own in silent comfort.

They remained silent for a minute or two, just listening for any more signs of danger. For now, it seemed, Spiny had scared the rest of the dinosaurs away.

The first anyone knew of Alan’s bright idea was when he stood quickly, tapped Paul on the shoulder and said, “Come with me. The rest of you, stay here. And this time, I mean it.”

Billy opened his eyes, grasping a hold of Alan’s hand before he stepped out of reach. “Where are you going?” he asked tiredly.

Alan smiled, and squeezed the hand that held his. “Trust me.”

Billy nodded, let go and closed his eyes again. Everywhere hurt, but his only thought at that moment was, ‘Come back to me, just don’t get eaten…’

Paul followed Alan through the grass toward where the ‘raptors had been attacked. They kept low, kept their ears wide open for any sounds that meant this little detour had to be aborted.

When they arrived in the clearing - made into a clearing by virtue of a very large pair of claws having flattened the grass around them - it wasn’t a pleasant sight.

“Messy eaters,” Paul muttered. He was stunned when Grant actually laughed.

“Not sure what they’d use to wipe their mouths with,” Alan retorted. “Maybe an InGen tent….” Stepping around the large pieces of ‘raptor, he’d found what he’d hoped would remain. One of the creatures, although quite definitely dead, was intact.

“Dr Grant, what are we doing?” Paul queried curiously.

“Finding dinner,” Alan told him, defiantly. “I’m fed up of them eating us, it’s time to turn the tables.”

At the mention of food, Paul’s stomach did perk up. Most of what he’d seen on the island thus far had stoned his appetite dead. But he could eat, he decided. He was definitely hungry if the thought of cooking and eating a raptor wasn’t putting him off.

“Grab a leg.”

Paul did as he was told, and together the dragged the dead dinosaur back through the grass toward where the other three were waiting.

When they dropped the legs of the creature triumphantly, there was a mixed reaction. Amanda just stared, open-mouthed. Eric grinned, and commented excitedly, “All right! Food!”. And Billy just shook his head, unbelievingly.

They’d ended up at the edge of the field, next to the trees, but Alan was worried it was still too exposed. He wanted to get back to the river before setting up a camp for the evening. So with Eric’s help, they dragged their dinner back another seven hundred yards until they were once again at the water’s edge.

Luckily they came out in a small clearing, further downstream than they’d actually left it. Across from them was another open field, this time empty.

“This’ll do.”

*

They built a fire and used Amanda’s cigarette lighter to set it alight. Billy, as Alan suspected, had come slightly more prepared than the rest of them and had a flick knife in the pocket of his bag; the bag Alan had confiscated on the observation deck of the birdcage, just before….

He derailed that train of thought instantly. Billy was here, alive, if not in the best of health right now. He’d make it. He was strong, young, healthy and fit.

Together, Alan and Paul hacked slabs of meat from the raptor while Eric and Amanda found some fallen branches. The end result was spit-roasted kebabs of charred raptor meat. It was tough, but it was food, and it didn’t taste too bad.

Eric managed to get the line, “Tastes like chicken,” in before the rest of them could.

They drank from the river, each of them hoping that they’d be off the island before any chronic stomach pains set in from anything that might have contaminated the water. It was a chance they had to take.

The sun set, and they kept the fire going. Alan had settled back against the thick trunk of the closest tree, with Billy using him as mattress and pillow, lying comfortably between his legs.

His student was exhausted. Blood loss, trauma, and having to run half a mile across woodland and yet another field hadn’t helped his situation. Alan had gotten another three painkillers into his system, ensured he’d eaten and drank.

Soon after that he’d all but passed out.

They’d talked quietly amongst themselves during ‘dinner’, but had fallen silent some time ago and now they were just listening to the background sounds of the forest.

In the amber glow of the flames, Eric was watching the two men curiously.

Billy’s head was dropped back against Alan’s chest, his eyes closed. After a while, Alan lifted his right hand and with infinite care he parted the short curls on Billy’s head to check the cut they’d found there earlier.

“Is he all right?” Amanda’s soft voice cut into the quiet.

Alan looked up and nodded once. “It looks deep, but the bleeding’s stopped.” They hadn’t dressed it as they had his other wounds, simply cleaned it up and hoped it would sort itself.

Easing the sun bleached, blond curls back, Alan stroked his fingers lightly down his ward’s arm, sliding his fingers between those of Billy’s left hand where it lay on the ground.

Grateful for the contact, for his mentor simply being there, Billy curled his fingers around Alan’s. He’d always been better at these easy touches than Alan had, but here and now he needed them.

Finally, Eric stretched out in the short grass, put his head on his mother’s thigh and closed his eyes. Amanda, who had been sitting up talking to Alan, also lay back.

“I’ll stay awake,” the palaeontologist offered, feeling more friendly toward Paul Kirby than he would have believed possible twenty-four hours ago. “Get some sleep.”

But Paul shook his head. “You sleep first. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”

“Sure?”

Kirby nodded. He owed his life and those of his family to the two men resting across from him. He’d been surprised at the way they’d been increasing open regarding their feelings for one another, but he was too tired to care about it. If they could find some level of comfort and security in one another’s presence in this hellish place, who was he to question it?

He looked down at Amanda beside him and smiled. He’d missed her. In the two years they’d been apart, he’d not let himself go but had fought as hard as he dare to make something of himself. Something his son at least could be proud of. He may not be the ultra-rich, high-flying executive that he’d made himself out to be to trick Dr Grant into coming here, but he was successful in his own right.

He swore that somehow, if they made if off the island, he’d find a way to fund at least part of the enormous amount it cost to keep Grant’s dig running just for a month. He would have to do something to thank them, because they’d almost lost everything to save his son’s life.

Paul stayed awake as long as he could. But eventually he knew his body was on the brink of shutting down. Very quietly, minding not to wake the others, he crawled around and put his hand slowly on to Alan’s shoulder.

He awoke with a start, his whole body jerking awake suddenly. The movement jolted Billy awake also, and the young man looked around with wary eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Paul muttered, “I have to get some sleep.”

Alan nodded. “It’s okay, I’ll keep watch now.” He waited until Paul had returned to his wife’s side and lain down to get some rest, before turning his attention to his protégé. “And you can go back to sleep too,” he instructed gently.

“I’m awake now.”

Alan smiled. “I can see that. You need to rest. Chances are that tomorrow’s going to be no different from today. Running away from dinosaurs takes it out of you.”

Billy shifted against Alan’s warm body. “Surely old palaeontologists should need more sleep than us young adventurers.”

Alan’s expression was comical as he bent his head down to gaze open-mouthed at his graduate student. “Are you calling me old, scamp?”

Billy actually chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare.” Lifting his left hand, keeping a hold of Alan’s fingers, he brought his arm around over his stomach.

Alan let his lips curl into a smile. He tightened his hold of Billy’s hand, squeezing his fingers for a moment, letting him get comfortable again.

“Please get some sleep.”

But Billy was already snoring softly.

*

They set off again just after the sun had risen.

Billy managed to walk the first couple of miles with minimal help, but then he began to tire. The undergrowth had become rougher and thicker, and the ground more uneven.

They’d sent Alan to the head of the group, as the most experienced at traversing InGen’s islands, if not this particular one. So it was Paul Kirby who’d been assisting Billy every time he seemed to lose his balance.

Instead of feeling rested from his night’s sleep, he felt somewhat worse. His vision was starting to blur. He felt periodically nauseous and he was beginning to worry that in the end he’d be the one holding the group up. He didn’t want that, didn’t want to be responsible for putting the group in any more danger than he already had.

But he felt light-headed, dizzy. And he did have to stop.

Twisting silently from Paul’s loose grip on his good arm, Billy leant back against a nearby tree and dropped his head against the thick trunk.

As if from a distance, he heard Paul’s voice calling out. “Dr Grant, we have to stop.”

Alan had been leading the way through the undergrowth, listening out for any danger and trying to stop himself from worrying about Billy. His protégé’s wounds were horrendous and the amount of blood he had lost was anyone’s guess. It was difficult enough for a fit man to run from the monsters on the island, someone in Billy's state.… Alan shivered once, and tried to stop thinking about it.

“Dr Grant!”

Alan stopped, turning around.

He saw Paul, and then further back he saw something else. His heart leapt into his throat. “Billy!”

The graduate knew nothing about the two raptors standing either side of him a little way back behind the tree, but he’d been on the island long enough to recognise the wide-eyed expression on Alan’s face. Gathering together the remnants of his strength, Billy pushed himself away from the tree truck and launched himself forward, yelling out as his abused body complained about the harsh treatment.

At the same time, Alan ran the short distance back to them.

They met half-way, coming together in a huddle. Billy almost fell against Alan, the last of his energy used up. The older man caught his companion’s upper arms, steadying him.

The two ‘raptors Alan had seen were joined by two more who seemingly appeared from nowhere. They moved in toward the group from four sides, giving the humans nowhere to run. One of the creatures gave a high-pitched cry, and came closer than the rest, claws raised.

“Everyone down!” Alan instructed in hushed tones, helping Billy into a crouch.

“She’s challenging us,” the graduate observed in a whisper. Alan nodded. “Why don’t they just kill us and take the eggs?”

Alan looked at him, bemused, smiling wanly, “Don’t give them ideas!” Catching his reward - Billy’s surprised smile - he cast a glance upwards at the four raptors now surrounding them.

They were talking to one another, in a fashion. Communicating, perhaps even arguing. The one closest to him came further forward, bending her neck until her snout brushed against the side of Billy’s face. Alan tensed, wondering what the hell he would do if she attacked. But she didn’t.

Instead, she nudged Billy’s head hard to one side, making him wince in pain. “She knows,” Alan whispered softly. “She knows you took them.”

Pulling in a long, painful breath, Billy nodded. “Give me the eggs.”

“Billy….”

The ‘raptor lifted her head and let out a cry that grated on their nerve-endings and seemed to echo in their ears. Again, she knocked Billy’s head to the side.

Sliding the pack from his back, Alan reached inside and took out the eggs, slowly and carefully. Immediately, he had their attention, but he ignored them as best he could and handed the two large ovals to the man next to him. As the graduate took them, Alan’s attention was caught by something else lying in the base Billy’s bag.

The ‘raptor let loose another ear-piercing screech as Billy pushed the eggs out into the sand in front of him. The animal bent her long neck and sniffed both eggs. Then she lifted her head and without warning, swiped one sharp-taloned foot diagonally across Billy’s chest.

Shocked, hurt, he couldn’t keep back his scream of agony as the sharp points raked over already raw wounds.

Paul managed to get a hand over his wife’s mouth to stop her own cry of surprise and sympathy from getting out. Eric… Eric just sat quiet and still. He knew better than to distract these animals, despite not wanting Billy to be hurt any more than he already was.

But Alan raised the thing he had found to his lips and blew hard.

A sound, long and low, emitted from the mock-up of the resonating chamber. The ‘raptors all looked at him, and then at each other.

He did it again. This time, they looked up. The Kirbys glanced at one another, straining to hear whatever it was that, now, the ‘raptors seemed to be hearing.

Alan blew into the chamber a third time.

Stopping only to retrieve the eggs with true maternal care, the ‘raptors took off back into the woodland.

Dropping the mock-up back into the bag, Alan reached one arm around Billy’s shoulders, just stopping himself from touching the wounded torso. The young man was leaning forward, his good arm crossed over his chest.

“Billy, are you okay?” He shook his head, then sat up as far as he could. “Oh God….”

The raptor had opened up Billy’s chest and stomach, tearing through cloth and bandage and flesh.

“Alan,” the young man gasped, pain firing now with his every breath, “go! Get out of here.”

“Absolutely not. You think I’m leaving you?” He slung the backpack over his shoulder and rose slowly, just as the Kirbys were doing, trying to coax his student to his feet. “Come on, Billy. Don’t give up on me now.”

“Alan, I can’t. I….”

He stopped. He heard it then. Heard what the ‘raptors had heard. Heard what the others were hearing. A helicopter.

For a moment, they followed its progress carefully, trying to ascertain a direction. And then Eric started to run, forward into the outcrop in front of them. Paul and Amanda yelled after him before following.

“Come on, Billy.” Gently, Alan slipped his arm around Billy’s waist, almost pulling him to his feet. “Just a little bit further.”

By the time they stepped out onto the beach, the cavalry had well and truly landed.

* * *

fin part one

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