Homepage: the shadowland - kaly's fan fiction - http://www.geocities.com/kalyw
Rating: PG
Fandom: Jurassic Park 3
Archive: want it, just ask.
Classification: short story, angst
Spoilers: plot (stop laughing, there was something of a plot. Sorta. g) spoilers
Warnings: angst
Timeframe: about halfway in the movie.
Summary: It was a long first night Billy on Isla Sorna.

Feedback: please, new fandoms make me wary ;)

Notes: Don't read it if you haven't seen JP3 and want to... You'll get spoiled.

Thanks & Dedication: Once again, to Nix. Evil person that she may be. ;) For the bunnies and the betas and all the chaos in between. Even tho the time difference does horribly work against me :P I wouldn't change the brainstorming, however scary to those who don't know us, for anything :)

Disclaimer: Billy, Alan, etc aren't mine. This doesn't shock me. If it does shock you, I'm sure someone is willing to offer you psych help. ;) So, moral of the story: no money, no sue me.

The days are long in Hell.

In between worrying about Alan and finding a safe place to hide for the night, that one thought kept sneaking up on Billy. Morning seemed a long time coming. Billy snorted, rubbing his hands on his torn pants. The previous morning seemed a very long time ago, as well.

Off to his right he could hear Paul and Amanda talking, in the shelter of the trees. Their words were quiet enough that he couldn't make them out, but he didn't much care. At that moment, talking didn't interest him.

The sun was finally setting, making it difficult to see into the thick jungle that surrounded them. The gathering darkness didn't stop Billy from searching, though. Ever since the stampede that separated them, Billy had grown more and more anxious about Alan. The longer he was missing the worse the younger man felt.

After a few hours high in the large branches he'd stopped jumping at every little noise. Barely. Between the threat of more dinosaurs and the possibility of Alan finding them, Billy forced himself to stay alert. He knew one of them had to, and couldn't bring himself to trust the Kirbys to do it. If Alan were still...

Shaking his head roughly, Billy ended the thought before it began. Alan might not be with them, but he was still out there. Somewhere.

Sighing, he dropped his head back against the wide tree trunk. Billy could feel the thick bark biting into his shoulders but he didn't move. Instead he kept watch, as much as he could in the near total blackness.

Billy started, his heart pounding, when he heard something approaching from the right. He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes when he recognized Amanda approaching him, apparently trying not to lose her footing. He waited until she was almost in front of him to speak.

"Need something?"

The blond shook her head before finding a seat on the branch. "Paul's asleep. Thought I'd see if you were still with us over here."

Billy nodded, but his attention was again focused on the jungle rather than on Amanda. "I'm still here," he finally replied quietly.

They sat in silence for a long moment, each staring out into the unknown. "I know how you feel, you know," she said, barely speaking above a whisper.

"Look, Mrs. Kirby..."

He glanced over at Amanda quickly when she interrupted. "You care about Dr. Grant." She almost smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're wondering if he's okay or not. I understand that. I've understood it for eight weeks."

Billy pulled his knees up toward his chest and rested his arms across them. "Yeah, I guess you have." Dropping his chin onto his arms, Billy let his eyes fall closed for a moment. "This is all my fault..."

"Your fault?" Billy could hear the confusion in the woman's voice. "How is this your fault?"

Billy opened his eyes and laughed coldly. "It just is. You wouldn't understand."

"You might be wrong about that." Amanda shook her head, looking past Billy instead of at him. A minute or two later she asked, "How long have you known Dr. Grant?"

"Some days it feels like it's been longer than others," he replied, almost grinning.

Amanda smiled. "You're close."

Billy knew it wasn't a question, but nodded all the same. "Yeah," he answered in a rough voice. "You could say that."

It looked like she was about to say something more, but stayed quiet instead. Billy thought for a moment before saying, "He was my advisor. Got to know him when I was working on my Masters."

"And now?"

Billy snickered. "And now we're in theme park hell, as best I can figure it." When she opened her mouth to reply, Billy shook his head and held up a hand. "Please, no. I know your reasons." He gestured around them, as if to make his point. "I wanted to come here, to see the real things. I wouldn't let Alan say no."

Amanda curled into a position similar to Billy's, resting her chin on her hands. "That's why it's your fault?"

"Yeah."

"He could have still said no."

Billy smiled, but Amanda couldn't help but notice his eyes were sad. "Yeah."

Amanda leaned forward then, placing her hand on Billy's elbow. "He's okay." When Billy looked at her doubtfully, she sat up straight. "Eric's okay, too. They're both just out there... somewhere." Her eyes softened. "I have to believe that. It's all that's kept me going for the past eight weeks."

Placing his hand over Amanda's, Billy was lost in thought for a minute. "I hope you're right," he finally said.

"So do I," she whispered, blinking back sudden tears. Blinking fast, she glanced toward where Paul was sleeping and back at Billy. "There's something else, isn't there? Between you and Dr. Grant."

Pulling his hand away, Billy shook his head but wouldn't meet her eyes. "No."

Although she knew there was probably more to the story, she could see Billy had become distant. Amanda let the topic drop, pulling her hand away. "You look as though you're about to fall over. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"Can't." Billy opened his eyes wide for a second and pressed his back into the bark, as though it might keep him awake. "Have to keep an eye out." For what -- or who -- he left unvoiced, but Amanda understood nonetheless.

Rather than argue with him, she nodded. Standing unsteadily, she said, "I'll see you in the morning then."

Billy blinked slowly, his eyes constantly moving, searching. His reply was distracted. "Right. In the morning."

"Good night."

As she disappeared into the shadows, Billy sighed. Exhausted, he kept hoping he might find some sign of Alan -- even though he knew the older man wouldn't be wondering around in the dark. If nothing else, it kept his mind occupied.

The nights were long in Hell, too.

end

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