TITLE: No Force on Earth or Heaven
AUTHOR: Tarlan (TarlanX@aol.com)
DATE: 28th May 2002
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: YES to Chaelyndra and the JP3_Alan_and_Billy list archive. Elsewhere please ask first - I don't say no... I just like to know where my stories are going
RATING: NC-17 for explicit m/m sex and some swearing.
COMMENTS: I love feedback... feedback makes me very happy as it proves *somebody* read this story.
DISCLAIMER: Alan Grant, Billy Brennan, and all other Jurassic Park characters belong to Universal and Michael Crichton. No copyright infringement intended.
SUMMARY: No force on Earth or Heaven would get Dr. Grant to set foot on Isla Sorna - or so he thought.

Every seat at the symposium was taken. This should have filled Dr. Alan Grant with pride but he knew it had little to do with his popularity, or that of his subject matter, and more to do with the incredible events that had led to the writing of his second book. As his lecture went on, he noticed people shifting uncomfortably, with some of the audience sneaking out of their seats and walking away. He gave a wry grin and tried not to let it discourage him as he continued describing his theories on Velociraptors to a fidgety and uninterested audience. He finished his closing spiel to a deafening... silence. The symposium leader stood up and led a smattering of applause, asking if anyone had any questions, and it was of no surprise to Grant to see almost every hand go up.

"Anyone here have a question not related to Jurassic Park?" Most of the hands went down, reluctantly. "Or the incident in San Diego which I had nothing to do with." Only a few hands remained held high, scattered amongst the murmuring audience. "Yes."

Grant pointed to one person, relieved that his lecture had been of interested to at least one member of the audience. However, his dismay grew when the question came across as more of an accusation, berating him for ignoring the living, breathing dinosaurs on Isla Nubla and Isla Sorna in favour of uncovering fossilised remains in Montana.

"What Ingen created were theme park monsters... nothing more and nothing less."

He knew he could never make them understand that, as close as they were, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park were still mutations with missing parts of the genetic code filled in from modern day reptiles and amphibians. Who knew what the affects were of including even a single change in its genetic makeup? It could have made massive changes in temperament and natural ability. Even something as simple as the pigmentation of the flesh should be held suspect. The dinosaurs produced by Ingen were flawed, and the truth about the real creatures that lived - and died - millions of years ago, could only be extracted from what little remained of them found in the rocks.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't want to get onto Isla Sorna and study them if you had the chance?"

"No force on Earth or Heaven would get me on that island..."

-ooOOoo-

Alan slammed the door to the pick-up and stared down to where his protégé, Billy Brennan, was working on the recently uncovered Velociraptor. Billy was kneeling in the dust next to one of the palaeontology students, with his slim fingers holding hers, and Grant felt a pang of jealousy ripple through him. He knew by the slight movement that Billy was merely trying to demonstrate the difference between ordinary rock and the fossilised remains; rough and smooth, rough and smooth. He gave a tight smile as he recalled giving that same demonstration to many others in the past... but there was that time last month when they had found the remains of a baby Velociraptor. In his eagerness, Alan had grabbed Billy's hand, wanting to share the tactile feel of the fragile remains with his brightest student. Alan sighed. If he closed his eyes then he could almost feel the warmth of those strong, nimble fingers clasped within his own, and the heat radiating from the firm young frame as they knelt side-by-side, touching at shoulder and hip.

Alan shook off the memory and watched as the dust-covered head raised, seeing the bright, welcoming smile appear on the handsome face as Billy called up to him.

"Dr. Grant!"

Dr. Grant. What he would give to hear Billy call him 'Alan' in that bright yet soft voice of his. Of course, that was his fault. He *could* take the attitude of many of his modern counterparts and allow his students more familiarity, but Alan felt there ought to be a formal barrier between student and teacher. He sighed as he raised his hand and called back in perfunctory acknowledgement.

"Mr. Brennan."

In light of his obsession with his bright-eyed, handsome protégé, perhaps he'd made a wise decision to keep their relationship on a more formal basis. Grant had heard of plenty of occasions where teachers had given in to their base desires and taken up with persuasive female students. How much worse would it be if the faculty was to learn he had coerced sexual favours from a young man in his charge?

Billy reached out a hand in greeting, and Alan almost flinched as he felt those wondrous, dust-softened fingers in his grip once again. The chameleon eyes were shining grey and olive-gold with a mixture of pleasure and curiosity; the pink lips parted to reveal a hint of white teeth, and long, dark lashes fanned away the dust he had raised while he worked. There was a fine coating of the pale red dust in the light brown curls, dulling the blond highlights streaking through the sun-kissed hair. Alan wanted to reach out and ruffle the short mop to dislodge the dust, wanted to nuzzle the soft curls and breathe in the scent of fresh, clean air - and even that of the fine particles of dust. He knew he was smitten by the kid.

Kid? Billy was twenty-seven years old. Young -- yes -- but hardly a child, though Alan knew he had to keep up this illusion as a defence.

"How did it go?"

They walked together towards the camp and Alan grimaced in remembrance of the silence that had accompanied his grant request. He knew he ought to have pandered to the morbid fascination of the audience and presented them with Technicolor descriptions of what he had seen on Isla Nubla. However, even after three years, he still had nightmares of that frantic fight for survival -- though they came more rarely these days. He would hear the strange calls of the Velociraptors, see their cold eyes sizing him up for the kill, and hear the click of their razor sharp claws on the modern flooring of the Ingen base. Even the magnificent, but slow-witted, Tyrannosaurus Rex could not compete with the quick, cold-blooded Raptor with its keen, predator intelligence though the T-Rex had been the one to inadvertently save them when all hope was lost. He hid his fearful memories behind dry humour as he focused on Billy's question.

"Not too late to change your major."

Four weeks. They had funding left for only four more weeks and then they would have to pack up all the equipment and leave.

"Three weeks. I had to rent some equipment. Want to show you something."

Alan could feel the eagerness in the man beside him as Billy tugged on his sleeve and drew him to one of the tents. They entered, but Alan stood well away from the electronic equipment that was mapping the head of the uncovered Velociraptor, well aware that there was something about him that seemed to fry electronics. He watched in fascination as the machine finish working, and then in amazement as Billy drew out the item it had manufactured by taking slices through the fossilised Velociraptor skull. Billy held the item proudly; his eyes shining brightly in triumph.

"The resonating chamber of a Velociraptor."

He placed it against his lips and blew... and the sound chilled Alan, raising goosebumps as terrible memories assailed him once more. He turned and, trying not to look as if he was about to bolt in panic, Alan stepped outside the tent - and straight into a man he had never seen before. He stepped around the man and tried to walk away but the man called to him.

"Dr. Grant? Paul Kirby... Kirby Enterprises. I have a proposition for you. Perhaps we could discuss it over a meal... at my expense, of course"

"I'm tired. Maybe some other time--"

"We'd love to."

Alan looked over Kirby's broad shoulders to where Billy was framed in the tent opening. Billy's face held a blank expression and Alan gave a half smile, realising that, whatever Kirby wanted to discuss had already been broached with his protégé. He gave a tight nod of agreement, waited for Kirby to leave and then looked back at Billy. However, Billy was already half way down the slope to where the Velociraptor still awaited full exposure, but Alan had a feeling he would gain no straight answers from Billy so it was not worth pursuing him. He would have to wait and hear the proposition from Kirby.

-ooOOoo-

They drove almost an hour in silence to the closest bar and Alan greeted several of the regular customers as well as the bartender as he walked through with Billy close on his heels. They slid into a seat opposite Kirby and a pretty, blonde woman.

"My wife, Amanda Kirby."

As he listened to their brief description of incredible things they had done together; climbing K2, paddling the Amazon, and even Ms. Kirby's declaration of having two pre-booked tickets for the first commercial flight to the moon, Alan felt a tightening in his chest. He knew what was coming and his words from the symposium came back into his head... 'No force on Earth or Heaven would get me on that island'.

"We've chartered a plane to fly over Isla Sorna - and we want you to be our guide."

"First of all, no one has permission to go within five miles of that island--"

"I have dealings with the Costa Rican government, and you'd be amazed by what they are prepared to do to keep me happy." Kirby's pale blue eyes filled with a pure business look that was so reminiscent of the calculating look of a Velociraptor. He withdrew a checkbook and started to write out Grant's name. "I can put all sorts of numbers on here."

Alan looked across at Billy and saw the eagerness in the pleading eyes reflecting back at him. The dig meant as much to Billy as it did to him, and the funding from John Hammond would run out in three weeks. He had already blown their chances of gaining fresh funding for the dig once today, through having too much pride in his work.

No force on Earth or Heaven would get me on that island.

His words from the symposium mocked him but then Alan rethought them. What could it harm him to agree to act as a guide from the safety of an airplane? Especially if that meant he could keep Billy by his side for a little longer.

-ooOOoo-

Alan grinned at the excitement evident in Billy's expressive face and watched as the younger man busily ready his camera, cleaning the lens and checking the operation. He eyed the battered bag and shook his head.

"Even with what I pay you, couldn't you afford a better bag?"

"No way. Lucky bag."

He listened as Billy described a near fatal hang gliding holiday in New Zealand, and how the bag had snared on a rock after he was hit by a sudden updraft, thereby saving him from a long drop to the rocky valley floor. Alan felt his heart race for a moment, realising how easily he might never have met this mercurial younger man and feeling renewed reverence for the old and worn bag that had saved Billy's life. Billy stopped, and he looked up from beneath his sinfully long lashes and spoke in a low voice that sent shivers of pleasure racing along Alan's spine.

"Wanna thank you for bringing me along."

"Yeah, well, the bones will still be there when we get back. That's the good thing about bones, they don't run away." Alan covered his embarrassment quickly, not wanting to reveal that more carnal thoughts had governed his decision to insist on Billy coming along with them.

"Truth is, you got me into this... and I have no intention of being on my own with these people." He treated Billy to a wide grin. "Now it's your turn to make nice with the tourists."

He leaned back in the surprisingly comfortable, reclining seat within the sleek and fast-chartered plane; letting Billy's soft chuckle ripple over him as he sought much needed sleep.

Alan had no idea how long he slept but he opened bleary eyes and then sat up sharply when he realised the plane was empty. Even the pilot and co-pilot had disappeared. A sound came from his left; a low resonating sound that brought terror in its wake and he turned his head slowly to see the cold-eyed Velociraptor watching him from across the narrow aisle. It opened its mouth to reveal a row of sharp teeth... and words fell from it.

Alan awoke with a start and his frantically pumping heart began to slow as the nightmare slowly dissipated. His last nightmare had been many months ago and, intellectually, he knew why it had come back to him now, but that did little to ease the fear that was still singing through his veins.

"We're nearly there... are you okay?"

"Yeah, Billy." He gave a small smile of reassurance and checked out the port; dismayed to see the land so close below them. They passed over a ridge and flew parallel to a large open plain - and Alan felt the breath hitch in his chest.

"My God, I'd forgotten."

Graceful Brachiosaurus ambled slowly across the plain in a herd; their long necks arching to snatch at vegetation. Smaller herbivores grazed between them; lithe, darting Corythosaurs, lumbering Pinacosaurs with their bony club at the end of their powerful tails, and Triceratops, the rhinos of the dinosaur world. Alan glanced at Billy who had his face plastered up against the glass, with his hands splayed like a small child looking into the window of Macey's at Christmas. Billy cast a look over his shoulder, with his face alight with joy, and Alan found himself grinning back.

"Can you see anything?"

Kirby's words struck Alan as odd but they served to remind him of why they had brought him along. He cleared his throat and called to the strange couple, commenting on the Brachiosaurus and the large male standing guard over the herd of predominantly females with their young. However, no one paid him any attention and Alan looked over in confusion as Kirby's head tilted to another angle.

"But there... right there, you can't miss--"

"There's a landing strip ahead. You want me to settle down?"

"No. I want to circle the island first."

"Settle down? You can't land here."

Alan leapt from his seat and raced towards the cockpit but Kirby who raised his hands in a placating gesture barred his way, but nothing would deter Grant.

"You cannot land here. Billy! Tell them they..."

The words from the symposium mocked him anew as an explosion of pain radiated from the back of his head, and the world grew dark around him.

No force on Earth or Heaven would get me on that island.

-ooOOoo-

Billy dabbed a wetted handkerchief against Alan's forehead and tried to ignore the sounds from outside the plane. He could hear Amanda Kirby calling out two names, over and over; sometimes Ben but mostly Eric. All the others had left the plane too, with Cooper geared up for a venture into the jungle while Nash and Udesky hung about just outside the door.

After Cooper had knocked Alan unconscious with the butt of his gun, Billy had leapt to his feet but they had threatened him with similar damage unless he calmed down. With great reluctance, he had clenched his fists until the flesh was white across the knuckles and then lifted Alan back onto a seat. Both Kirby and his wife had seemed apologetic but neither would answer any of his questions so he let them get on with what they felt they had to do while he tended to Alan's injury.

They had circled the island twice more before coming into land on the surprisingly clear runway. Alan had started to moan fitfully as the airplane bumped to a halt and Billy had decided to stay with him, knowing he would awaken imminently. Sure enough, deep blue eyes fluttered open and quickly focused on Billy.

"Billy? Tell me we didn't land."

Billy could only tighten his lips, unable to deny the truth even though he would have liked nothing better than to see relief replace the pain and fear in Alan's eyes. He nodded his head once and indicated to the outside where he could still hear Amanda Kirby calling out through the loud hailer. Billy assisted Alan to his feet and then followed him out of the plane onto the tarmac, raising his hand to shade his eyes from the bright sun as he stared off into the seemingly harmless jungle that edged the runway. Paul Kirby was standing close by while his wife stood at the edge of the runway strip, calling the names into the dense undergrowth beyond.

Alan strode straight to Kirby, his eyes constantly flicking along the edge of jungle, narrowing when he spotted Cooper, who was more than two hundred meters ahead of the plane, slipping into the jungle.

"Where's he going?"

"To secure the perimeter."

Alan bark out a laugh that held an edge of hysteria, but then Amanda Kirby called out again on the loud hailer, drawing his attention to her.

"Tell your wife to stop making that noise. It's a very, very bad idea."

Kirby turned and yelled out. "Amanda. Dr. Grant thinks it's a bad idea calling out--"

"What?" She had turned and yelled out her annoyance through the loud hailer directly at them, and Billy flinched at the deafening sound.

"Dr. Grant thinks it's a bad idea."

"Why?"

The roar of what had to be a massive, carnivorous creature answered her question. Billy froze as icy fingers of fear danced along his spine, realising that, whatever it was, it was too close for comfort.

"Everybody back on the plane."

He needed no second command, running quickly back to the plane and leaping inside. Nash and his employer, Udesky, raced through the plane and buckled themselves into the pilot and co-pilot seats. Billy could see Nash frantically starting the ignition and was grateful that the plane was no unreliable rust-bucket. The engines caught immediately and the plane began to move.

"What about Cooper?"

"Mr. Cooper is a professional. He can take care of himself."

The plane picked up speed and Billy felt horror fill him when Cooper raced onto the runway several hundreds of meters ahead of them. One arm hung limp by his side while the other waved frantically. Billy could hear Nash calling vainly through the cockpit.

"Get out of the way, Cooper. You know I can't stop in time".

Billy's eyes widened in fear and awe as a massive, dark shape loomed out of the jungle and snatched up Cooper between powerful, serrated jaws. The plane struck the spined sail on the back of the huge predator, tilting out of control and heading back down into the trees. Billy braced himself as best he could as they struck hard, hearing metal scream as wings and tail were torn away - and then there was silence as they came to an abrupt halt. Alan was the first to leave his seat. He went to the door and shoved against it, looking out for a moment before turning back and uttering in a dry monotone.

"We haven't landed yet."

"Who has the satellite phone?"

Kirby grabbed it from his briefcase and took it forward to Nash and Udesky, then he came back, his jaw twitching in the aftermath of shock, his eyes refusing to meet either Billy's or Alan's. A clunk of something big striking against metal had Billy snapping upright, his eyes darting to the side of the fuselage.

"What was that?"

Suddenly, a long snout - filled with large, wickedly sharp teeth - came into view beyond the cockpit window. The head lowered until they were looking directly into the bloodlust eyes of a super-predator. A harsh ripping filled the air as the front of the plane was torn away leaving the two men up front vulnerable to the hungry creature. Nash and Udesky began to rip at the buckles holding them into place, with Udesky freeing himself only seconds before and racing down the craft away from the terrifying creature. The predator snapped forward, teeth closing around the lower half of Nash's body and tearing him from the plane. Through a side window, Billy found his horror-filled eyes following Nash's falling body, watching as he tried to crawl away after hitting the soft ground maybe twenty feet below them. The predator stamped down on him, pinning him to the ground and then, almost casually, tore him in half with its sharp teeth. In a panic, the others raced to the back of the plane and Billy could only gasp in renewed horror as the fuselage began to move, sliding backwards. The seat back saved him from bad injury as screeching metal was concertina'ed when it struck the ground.

The fuselage fell sideways and lay still for a moment and then, suddenly, they were rolling as the predator tried to find its way inside to grab more of the succulent morsels that it had decided to snack upon. Its hard snout punched through the metal as if it was tinfoil, and Amanda Kirby ran out. Billy held his breath when Alan chased after her, and only let it go once he had brought her back before the fast-moving predator could reach them. It went back to the hole it had made, trying to grab at them with its long snout, and while it was occupied, Alan made the decision for all them and ordered them to run for the denser trees where the predator would be hampered by its massive form.

Billy ran hard and fast, his lungs almost bursting from the ill treatment, heedless of what he might be running headlong into. Finally, they came to a halt and he gasped, unable to do more that take shallow breaths into his abused lungs. His heart was racing and his muscles quivering from the adrenaline rush but, quickly, he regained control of both. Billy looked over to where Alan was bringing his flight instincts to rest and they exchanged a look, seeing the fear reflecting between them but also the joy that they were both still alive. In that unguarded moment, Alan revealed the full depth of his affection for him, and Billy had to choke back a laugh.

How often had he made moves on Alan only to see them come to nothing? So many times he had been certain that, this time, Alan would reach for him only to see him draw back into that defensive shell. He could understand Alan's reluctance to get too involved with the students he taught, but Billy was not a young kid, and he was far more than simply Alan's protégé. The same rules of fraternisation did not apply to them yet, still, Alan kept his distance. If Billy had not been so sure that Alan had a sexual preference for other men, then he might have accepted that he was not interested in him. However, campus gossip was rarely unreliable despite some initial doubts surrounding a possible relationship between Alan and Ellie Sattler.

Billy had already decided that, if the funding did run out on the dig then he would waste no more time and tell Alan what he wanted. Him. All of him -- both in and out of his bed. He bowed his head, shaking it slowly, knowing that the opportunity might never arise now, and that they would be lucky if one of them survived, let alone both of them.

The fleeting desire disappeared as Billy watched Alan bring his emotions back under control, along with his breathing.

"I think we lost him." Alan pushed back the vegetation in front of him and took a step back as it revealed the half-eaten carcass of a dinosaur. Closing his eyes for a second, Billy sighed as Alan spoke softly. "It's okay. It's dead."

Suddenly, a massive head rose from just beyond the carcass -- with a bloodied snout and strips of torn flesh hanging raggedly from sharp teeth. It was a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Billy fancied he could see it smacking its lips together in appreciation as it eyed them greedily.

"Nobody... move... a muscle."

Billy heard the words but his shocked brain just couldn't seem to grasp their meaning. From the corner of his eye he saw Udesky and the Kirbys start running, and his own legs seemed to follow without his volition. Part of him registered Alan running hard just behind him, and some inane part of him praised the fact that they both enjoyed working out at the campus gymnasium to keep them fit for the long hikes to some of the dig sites. They ran into a small clearing in the jungle, and froze dead centre, looking up at the dark-fleshed, long-snouted, razor-teethed creature waiting for them at the far edge. The Tyrannosaurus came up behind but, suddenly, the potential snack was no longer of interest as the two creatures confronted each other.

Billy lost Alan during the fight, not seeing him fall between battered down tree trunks. With awe he watched from the edge of the clearing as the two creatures tore into each other. Although fairly well matched in size, the long-snouted predator possessed more powerful front arms and claws that it used to gain a better grip on the T-Rex. It sank its teeth into the fleshy neck, tearing out a huge chunk of the vulnerable throat but Billy's focus turned as Alan raced out from between the downed trees even as the T-Tex fell; the massive head crashing down where he had been only split seconds before.

They carried on running, even though they knew they no longer interested the carnivorous dinosaur now it had found a far more substantial meal. All Billy knew was that he wanted to put as much distance between himself and that super-predator as possible. He glanced across in relief when he felt Alan's hand touch his arm, pulling them both to a halt, seeing reassurance in the blue eyes that they had run far enough from the dinosaur and its gruesome meal.

-ooOOoo-

Alan punched Kirby hard on the jaw, but his wife ran between them and begged him to stop and listen to an explanation. He pushed aside his anger as Kirby started to explain, his eyes going wide in disbelief as the story unfolded. He felt pity for the two distraught parents as he looked at the wallet picture of a twelve-year-old boy, seeing the resemblance to both of the people standing before, before passing it to Billy.

"All right, so why me?"

"He said we needed someone who had been on the island before--"

"I have *never* been on this island."

"Sure you have. You wrote that book."

Alan turned as Billy answered for Alan with disbelief colouring his voice.

"That was Isla Nubla, this is Isla Sorna. Site B."

Eight weeks. The boy had been missing eight weeks - on an island where some people had not lasted eight minutes. Udesky came forward, apologising to Alan that he had no known Kirby had brought him here under false pretences. Alan sighed. It was too late now for recriminations and fighting. They were here and, unless they worked together, they would be dead in no time.

He chewed on his lower lip as he took in the bedraggled and bloodied appearance of his protégé, and he decided, there and then, that if he could undo one thing in his life then it would be his decision to bring Billy along on this 'guided tour'. He thought of his sight of Billy only two days previously, dusty head bowed over, eyes intently focused as he scraped away millions of years of rock to reach the fossilised remains of one of the most terrifying predators that had ever stalked the Earth. Billy should have been thousands of miles away hunched over the remnants of a creature that had died in its rightful time -- safe. Now, he and the others would be extremely lucky if any of them managed to survive the living embodiment of the Velociraptor, and the other bloodthirsty denizens of this island.

"Billy? We'll go to the plane and salvage what we can, then we'll make for the coast."

Billy nodded, and Alan was grateful the younger man was willing to take his lead in this.

"Dr. Grant. We're not leaving without our son."

"Then you can go and look for him, or you can stick with us as long as you don't hold us up. Either way, we probably won't get off this island alive."

Alan headed back towards the plane with Billy right behind him. Like a pendulum, his feelings were swinging back and forth; fear for Billy governing one moment, then gratitude that he was not alone here filling the next. He had Billy to watch his back, but he also had the additional stress of wanting to watch out for Billy, to protect him at all costs.

He glanced askance at Billy as they started to sift through the wreckage. Billy had recovered his lucky bag and was packing smaller items inside it. He looked up, as if sensing Alan's scrutiny, and smiled reassuringly. Alan watched as Billy took out his camera and snapped off a few shots of one massive footprint left behind by the creature that had attacked them and then hunkered down next to it. Alan joined him, pausing momentarily above the crouched figure and wishing he could reach out and caress the brown curly hair that had darkened with sweat. He crouched down to look more closely at the huge footprint.

"What would you classify it as, Billy?"

"Well, it's a super-predator. Suchomimus... snout." Billy made a gesture with his hand to the long snout.

"Think bigger."

"Baryonyx."

"Not with that sail." Alan held up a huge claw that the creature had lost during its attack. "Spinosaurus Aegypticus."

"Now that wasn't on Ingen's list."

"Yeah... and I wonder what else wasn't on that list."

something caught Billy's attention and Alan turned to look across to where Paul Kirby was having trouble putting on his backpack, dancing round like a dog chasing its tail. As one, they looked back at each other with identical expressions; those chameleon eyes taking on a soft green-almond colour as they met his.

"I think it's time we got the whole truth out of Kirby."

Billy approached slowly, his body moving with the litheness of a hunting cat. He stopped before Kirby and gave him a predator smile, tilting his head slightly to the side as he eyed his prey. The whole effect sent a shiver through Alan but, rather than being abhorred by it as a reminder of the graceful Velociraptor stalking its prey, Alan found it strangely compelling.

"Mr. Kirby? When you climbed K2 did you base camp at 25 or 30,000 feet?"

"Erhh... 30,000 feet... pretty close to the top."

"About a thousand feet above it, actually." Billy murmured dryly.

Alan stepped in and moments later he had the truth. There was no Kirby Enterprises; no connections to the Costa Rican government... there wasn't any money either, not to pay Udesky nor to fund the dig. He felt a bubble of hysteria forming deep inside but quashed it viciously. Even the Kirbys pretence of being man and wife was a sham, and as they had divorced a year back. Only one thing had brought them back together -- their missing son.

Alan looked at Billy's profile as the younger man shook his head in dismay. It had all been for nothing. They were trapped on this nightmare island and they were not even going to be paid though Alan reasoned that no amount of money could compensate for being placed in this predicament. Kirby was nothing more than a small businessman, having taken over the family's Bathroom and Tile business.

Alan chuckled cynically. Still, if they survived then maybe he'd get a new bathroom out of this.

As they moved out, heading for the coast, Udesky came alongside Billy, and Alan overheard his words.

"If we split up, I'm going with you guys."

He wished he could have as much faith in his abilities as Udesky seemed to have, and then he realised that he was, unfortunately, the best chance they had of getting off this island alive -- slim though that was. He had, at least, some knowledge of the creatures they were up against, both through years of study in Palaeontology as well as through his terrifying experiences on Isla Nubla.

Quickly, he tried to force away the memories of Jurassic Park, not wanting to dwell on the cold, reptilian gaze as the leading Velociraptor prepared to launch its attack -- but the memories would not let go. Instead he relived the moment, seeing its cruel talon poised ready to rip open his belly; its razor sharp teeth snapping together as its claws clicked against the tiled floor of the entrance hall. Around them were scattered the fossilised bones of the destroyed T-Rex, and the four vulnerable humans stood back to back, frozen in place as they awaited the end.

As he pushed forward through the dense undergrowth, he berated himself, once more, for bringing Billy into such danger. Instead of Ellie and Hammond's grandchildren, he visualised Billy pressed against his back, seeing the raptor strike, ripping Billy away from him. A sense of nausea swept over him as he realised that he might see this nightmare come true. He set a fast pace, wanting to push on as far as they could before nightfall, and hope they found some place safe to spend the night. He knew their safest bet was to climb one of the tall trees though this would only protect them from smaller ground predators like the raptor. Against the Spinosaurus or a T-Rex they would stand little chance, and who knew what other predators had come into being -- courtesy of Ingen -- that could travel the tree tops as easily as the Velociraptors covered the ground.

As he walked he pushed aside the terrifying images by allowing himself the luxury of one small daydream, that of spending the night sleeping close to Billy. Then he sent his senses back where they belonged, scanning the jungle for any signs of approaching danger, though he knew this made little difference against a predator that was used to stalking its prey. Still, it was better than just walking along blindly in the hope that they did not run into anything nasty... and spotting danger might be timely enough for him to get Billy to relative safety.

The splash of colour up ahead caught his eye, and then he realised what it was and headed for it. Paul Kirby rushed past with Amanda. He recalled Kirby mentioning that Ben -- her lover - - had chartered a boat to take him and Eric paragliding over the island in the hope of seeing dinosaurs. This had to be where they crash-landed. He stared up at it for a while, wondering at the foolishness that had brought the man to this place but his thoughts were interrupted as Udesky called out. The parents rushed over to where he was scraping mud from an object he had retrieved from the ground and Alan moved forward slowly as he watched Udesky take the batteries out of his torch to power the machine. They all converged around the camcorder, watching the last known scenes of the boy's life played out. Alan felt sick to his stomach when he realised Eric had not even been granted a swift death but had landed on this island alive and whole. He turned back to the paraglider, staring up at it and a memory resurfaced of the New Zealand incident Billy had related to him in the plane, just before they crashed here. He glanced quickly back at Billy before indicating the paraglider's sail.

"Can you fly one of those?"

"Maybe. Long as the sail's not torn."

"Well, let's take it. Can always use it as a signal."

They began to tug gently on the straps, trying to pull it down from the branches of the tree when, suddenly, something swung out smacking straight into Amanda Kirby. She screamed; her seemingly unflappable demeanour collapsing as her hands became entangled in the nylon cord, tying her to the half-eaten corpse of what had to have once been her lover. Eventually she broke free and ran. Alan sent Kirby after his ex-wife, telling him to bring her back, and then he, Billy and Udesky released the remains of Ben Hildebrand from the harness and finished hauling down the sail. He watched as Billy folded the sail back into its pack with the care of someone who knew the right technique from years of practice, and knew they might be staking their life on the sail opening properly.

A shout from Kirby brought all three heads up but it was not one of fear but of uneasy fascination. Alan glanced down at Billy and saw his small nod of assent that freed him and Udesky to go see what Kirby had found. Despite Billy's reassurance, every step away from him filled Alan with dread but he needed to know what had spooked the couple. He paused at the edge of the small clearing, his eyes darting from one nest of eggs to the next; a tightness coiling in his belly as he recognised the shape, colouring and clustering.

"Raptor eggs."

A slight movement drew his eyes upwards to the edge of the clearing and he met Billy's intrigued stare, holding it as he released a shuddering breath of relief that Billy had caught up so quickly. He recalled how swiftly and silently the Velociraptors attacked. Alan's fear at having left Billy behind - - if only for a moment -- subsided momentarily, and then reformed when he realised that the raptors could be back at any time.

"We've got to get out of here... NOW."

They raced away both quickly and in silence, trying to place as much distance between them and the nesting site as possible. Alan glanced over his shoulder as they tore through the undergrowth, and his head reeled in shock.

Billy wasn't behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes scanning the way they had come as his fear of having lost Billy to the raptors increased tenfold. He didn't want to believe it, hoping there was some other explanation for him not being behind them.

"Where's Billy?"

He started back, remembering Malcolm's vivid description of how the Velociraptors had picked off the tailenders as the mercenaries raced for safety across a meadow of tall grass, until there were none left but Malcolm and his small group. What if they *had* taken Billy? What if one of them had snatched him away, silently ending that brilliant, special life in a single second of terrible violence. He almost sobbed in relief when Billy stepped out from the dense foliage, and fear made his words come out harsher than intended.

"What're you doing?"

"I was photographing the nest."

Alan closed his eyes and he let relief wash over him, seeing a little fear and guilt reflecting back from the young eyes.

"Don't do that again."

"Sorry."

"If I lose you then it's just me and the damn tourists."

He had tried to brush off his over-reaction with glib words but the look in those wide, innocent eyes told him he had failed to conceal the depth of his fear and concern for Billy's well being. And, in return, he recognised the reciprocal emotions glinting in the gray-brown gaze. Alan turned away, knowing they had no time to discuss this, and definitely no time to linger -- not here -- not so close to the Raptor's nesting site.

-ooOOoo-

Billy stopped beside the others as they came to the edge of the jungle, and they looked out across an open area to where an abandoned Ingen facility lay in ruins. The almost incongruous sight gave him an illusion of protection -- one that he, apparently, shared with the others for they quickened their pace in order to reach this small reminder of civilisation.

Once inside, Billy felt a shiver race up his spine, raising the small hairs at the nape of his neck. There was something malevolent about this place. It was too quiet, and yet he felt as if there was something watching them. They wandered through the complex and Billy realised that these had to be the main laboratories where Ingen had created its theme park monsters.

He had to withhold a chuckle of amusement when Kirby started checking through his pocket change so he could get candy from the long-abandoned vending machine. It was so like Kirby. Billy sobered, understanding that, for all his faults, Kirby really was a decent sort of man who would never even consider breaking the law or stealing under normal circumstances. However, it was amazing what a man was prepared to do for a loved one; break laws, break promises, and even place himself into grave danger. Glancing across at Alan, Billy knew he'd have done the same thing had it been Alan who had gone missing; would have taken the same risks.

Out in the real world beyond this island, Billy would never have dreamed of committing vandalism but here, in the long abandoned Ingen facility, he felt no guilt as he kicked at the front of the machine standing alongside the one Kirby was eyeing hungrily. He reached in and grabbed handfuls of the contents through the shattered glass, throwing some to Alan, Amanda and Udesky. As he walked away, he heard the thump as Kirby threw aside civilised behaviour and tried to take what he needed -- finally realising that no one was going to throw him in jail for his theft of these few candy bars.

They climbed down a set of stairs, chewing on the candy while mesmerised by the equipment that had been abandoned so long ago. Large, fluid-filled containers still held embryos that would never be born, while incubators held the remains of eggshells whose contents had probably been eaten rather than had hatched out. The room had all the feel of a chamber of horrors in a dusty old museum, and Billy felt another cold sensation crawl across his flesh.

He became intrigued when Amanda moved closer to one of the large containers, wondering what it was about that particular embryo that held her curiosity. She shrieked and jumped back, and then all hell let loose as something man-sized and aggressive leapt for the woman. Fear sent adrenaline pumping through him and he raced alongside the others through labyrinthine corridors.

"This way."

They followed Paul Kirby through a corridor lined with cells; fear turning to horror when the door at the end refused to budge. Locked. Billy turned, ran a few steps back up the corridor with Kirby behind him and then slid to a halt as the Velociraptor skidded to a stop at the junction ahead. They turned and fled, separating, with Alan, Paul Kirby and Udesky racing into one cell while Billy followed Amanda into the one opposite. Together, they tried to slam the door shut but the Raptor reached them first, driving its full body weight against the barred door and forcing it backwards until they were trapped in a triangle of metal bars in the corner of the cage. It tried to rake at them through the bars but the spacing allowed it no access... and then, to Billy's increasing horror, he saw it look upwards. His eyes followed its gaze to the top of the door and the open space above their heads. It started to climb, and with renewed strength brought on by terror, he and Amanda shoved back on the door hard, swinging it back and sliding the thick bolt across to jam it in place. It was trapped, but no one was prepared to wait and see if it would find its way out of its predicament. They raced back along the corridor, determined to find a way out of the facility as the Velociraptor barked behind them.

Billy reached the junction and stopped, looking back at Alan who had frozen in place and was staring hard at the stricken creature.

"It's calling for help."

The revelation chilled Billy to the very core of his being. Alan had theorised that the Velociraptors possessed a rudimentary intelligence required for hunting in packs, that they might have become the dominant species on the planet had they not been wiped out by some cataclysmic event. But this went beyond that, and if it was true then it also meant that other Raptors would be converging on the facility in answer to its distress call.

Billy raced with the others back outside to where the open ground lay before them, knowing there could be no safe place within the facility. However, he couldn't see any safety ahead of them either, and Alan gave the only sensible option left open to them.

"Into the herd."

Billy ran headlong into the grazing herbivores, stumbling as he was bumped and buffeted by the large, panicking animals as they began to stampede away from the converging pack of Raptors. He fell hard, his lucky bag slipping from his shoulder, and Billy hesitated only momentarily before abandoning it to whatever fate befell it for he could see the dark, man-sized shapes of Raptors dodging between the stampeding dinosaur herd.

"Head for the trees."

Racing into the jungle behind the Kirbys, Billy saw them head for the nearest tree and quickly climbing into the higher branches where, hopefully, the Raptors would not be able to follow them. He ran on blindly, but panic heightened senses pulled him to a halt and he ducked back behind a large tree trunk before he could be spotted by one of the fearsome creatures. The Raptor barked out and then it run off, and Billy climbed swiftly into the safety of the tree before sinking down onto one thick branch, his arms hugging the tree in almost mindless relief. He gave himself a moment to regain his breath and then called out.

"Mr. Kirby?"

"Billy!"

Billy looked in the direction where he judged the voice to be coming from, and spotted the husband and wife hugging a tree fairly close by. He looked at the distance between them and realised that, with a little care, he could cover all of it from high above the ground. He slowly made his way towards them, stopping only once to call out the question that was eating away at him.

"Is Alan with you?"

"No."

Billy felt his heart sink in his chest and he stared out across the jungle floor as if hoping that Alan would appear, miraculously, from the undergrowth. He pushed aside the grief that was threatening to overwhelm him and pushed on until he reached Kirby and his ex-wife. The pair no longer had the fresh, well-groomed look that they had carried on the plane. Kirby was dishevelled, with his clothes grimy and torn and his red hair darkened almost mahogany with sweat. Amanda Kirby had fared no better. Her blonde hair was no longer shiny and immaculate. It was mussed and tangled with one strand matted with her blood. Both of them had cuts and bruises standing livid against pale skin. He looked down at himself and realised he looked just as bad and now that he had stopped to think about it, he could feel the dull ache from his own bruises vying for attention among the sharp sting of numerous cuts and scrapes. He wished they had managed to retrieve a medical kit from the downed plane but it had become lost among the twisted wreckage of the fuselage. No one had wanted to linger in the vicinity of the plane for too long searching for it, just in case the Spinosaurus returned.

A sharp cry of pain filled the air, and Billy froze, his head tilted to zero in on the sound.

"It's Udesky."

They walked and crawled along the boughs of the trees until they could see his still form lying at the centre of a small clearing. Billy pulled back, feeling the bile rise. Despite appearances, Udesky had not seemed to be the mercenary type and Billy's intuition had been proved correct when he overheard him telling Kirby that he was the booking agent rather than a hardened expert in all forms of combat. It had seemed fitting that no one had been what he or she seemed except for him and maybe the deceased Nash and Cooper. Kirby was no powerful and rich business magnate, Amanda was no longer his wife, Udesky was no mercenary, and Alan was no expert guide with full knowledge of this cursed island. Still, none of them deserved to die here -- not like this.

"He's dead."

As if to mock his words, Billy thought he heard a soft moan coming from below, followed by a twitch of one bloodied arm. Amanda leaned forward, pushing a strand of blonde hair from her battered face.

"No. He's not."

She started to climb down towards him with Kirby following and Billy could not fault their courage but something was wrong with this set up. The Raptors Alan had described to him one evening in the local bar -- so many months ago during one strange evening -- had been fast and efficient killers. They would not have left their prey alive and the more he thought about it, relating it to the incident in the facility where the trapped Raptor called for help, the more he came convinced that they needed to be cautious.

"No, no, no. Wait. Something's not right."

As he spoke his fears aloud, Amanda slipped, falling several feet but managing to tangle her legs in branches of tough liana. She hung precariously from the branch, head down, and screamed when two Raptors appeared from nowhere to leapt up at her, with their jaws snapping shut on empty air only inches below her face. Between them, Kirby and Billy hauled her back up and the three sat and looked down into the clearing where the Raptors had retreated to stand over the still-living Udesky. Billy gazed into first Kirby's and then his wife's shock-filled eyes before he murmured what they were all thinking.

"They set a trap. They actually set a trap."

Soon after, both Raptors lifted their heads as if listening to something and then one of them darted off into the undergrowth. The other looked up into the tree where Billy and the Kirbys sat watching, and then it casually and coldly placed Udesky's head between its jaw and twisted it sharply, snapping the man's neck. Billy felt part of himself die with Udesky, lowering his head to his chest as Amanda sobbed her grief into her ex-husband's shoulder. What the creature had done to Udesky was a calculated act of malice, proving there was more intelligence behind those cold eyes than even Alan had previously suspected. What other animal in this world acted like that, killing for no discernible reason other than to cause pain to those who were powerless to stop it -- except for humans?

A strange stillness filled the jungle around them, as if every creature was holding its breath and Billy recognised the sensation as he looked up through the thick canopy of leaves above them. It was a time of transition where day gave way to night. As the last light of his first day on Isla Sorna faded, Billy called out forlornly, hoping against all odds that the man he cared for so deeply would hear him.

Eventually darkness fell, bringing the cries of new predators and prey, and Billy fell silent, not wanting to attract any attention to the three of them. The Kirbys huddled together for warmth and comfort while Billy braced his back against the trunk of the tree several feet away. He drew up his knees as the temperature dropped dramatically -- wrapping his arms around them. He closed his eyes, hoping to find sleep and, just maybe, a few good dreams to ease the emptiness in his soul. Part of him had assumed he would spend this night huddled against Alan, just as they had done on two occasions when the Montana nights had been particularly cold. Subconsciously, he had been looking forward to that comfort, feeling the other man's strong body pressed against his from shoulder to thigh, or maybe sitting like the Kirbys with one of them seated in front, and held tight against the others chest. They could have passed it off as a necessary measure to retain warmth through the cold night, but Billy knew he would have enjoyed the sensation.

He gave a quiet, self-mocking laugh as the Kirbys murmuring gradually faded as sleep overtook the exhausted pair. His own sleep was a long time coming as he dwelled on all the missed chances, and when he finally slept, his dreams mocked him with images of intelligent blue eyes and a warm, affectionate grin.

-ooOOoo-

Alan huddled down in the darkness of the tanker truck. He could feel the warmth of Eric's small body curled up against him, and silently wished that Eric had been Billy. That thought made him feel guilty for, by rights, this boy should have been dead and, after eight weeks alone in this inhospitable place, Eric deserved a little human comfort -- and, besides, Alan owed him his life.

Eric had come out of nowhere and saved him from meeting the reality of his worst nightmare. Three Raptors had appeared out of the jungle, trapping him between them and only the courage of this young boy had saved him. He coughed again, his throat still sore from the smoke he had inhaled but it was a small price to pay for being alive.

He thought about the boy, and the haunted, confused look that had entered his world-weary blue eyes when he realised that only eight weeks had past since that fateful day. Even when pressed he refused to say what happened to Ben Hildebrand, but Alan recognised the signs of survivor guilt. Also, instead of being delighted, Eric had been perturbed to hear that both his parents were on the island looking for him. Having spent the past day with them, Alan could understand his reservations for the pair had started out by bickering constantly. However, as their ordeal progressed, they had reached an understanding tapered by their need to work together or die. He hoped they were safe -- for Eric's sake -- and that Billy was safe *with* them for his sake.

"You'd be surprised what people can do when they have to."

He had said it as much to reassure himself as Eric, knowing the boy would believe he was speaking of his estranged parents but, in truth, Alan was thinking about Billy. He had to believe that Billy had run hard enough and climbed fast enough to reach the safety of the trees before the Raptors caught up with him. He had to believe that Billy would survive the night predators such as the small but vicious and efficient Compsognathus -- Compies -- and their slightly smaller cousins that Eric called Carpies, that hunted together in large numbers to overwhelm their prey.

One thing was clear though, he was filled with regret for the lost opportunities to know Billy far better. He recalled all the times Billy had made subtle passes at him, implicitly telling him that he would be interested in having a deeper, more meaningful relationship, and he considered all the excuses he had made for rebuffing those advances. They all seemed so pointless and, perhaps, even ludicrous now. Yes. Billy was his protégé, but it was not as if he was some young kid fresh from his mother's breast that needed to be nurtured and protected, and he wasn't a student with a crush on his teacher. Billy was twenty-seven; an adult, who was old enough to know what he wanted and to understand the implications.

Alan gave a wry grin. The only outcry from the faculty would have been for the homosexual aspect of the relationship, but even that would have been muted as there were one or two others on the staff who had similar inclinations.

In truth, the only person who had made an issue out of a possible relationship was he. With clarity brought on by this simple life and death situation, he had finally seen through the camouflage hiding his feelings, and he reached a core of understanding. He had been afraid. He had been afraid of giving everything he was into Billy's hands and then having his heart ripped out when Billy found someone closer in age. That thought made him laugh softly.

Sixteen years.

There was just sixteen years difference between them, and yet Alan felt positively ancient when he looked upon Billy sometimes. He smiled, ruefully. He had so many more years of memories compared to his young assistant; had built relationships only to see them crumble due to conflicting interests. He snorted softly. That was one thing he and Ian Malcolm shared; a string of broken relationships, and they shared one other important trait, which was a fear of the carnivorous monsters created by John Hammond and Ingen.

Over four decades filled with memories, though none shone so brightly at this moment than those few days at Jurassic Park. Especially that final moment when the four of them - him, Ellie, and Hammond's two grandchildren - had been surrounded by the three Velociraptors, with no hope of survival, waiting for the moment when one would leap forward and slash at him. He still dreamt of that moment; saw his innards spilling to the floor to be snapped up by the hungry predators. The fear of what could have been proving far greater than that actually faced.

Eaten alive.

As a palaeontologist he had studied more than just bones and rocks. He had also studied animal behaviour and he knew that this primal fear was rooted deep within the human genome; coded there alongside the fight or flight response. Other behaviours were also in there; a parent's ferocity in protecting a child, and the imperative to protect one's mate.

The first was the reason why Amanda and Paul Kirby were on this island rather than several thousands of miles away grieving their loss. And the second? Maybe that was the reason why he was feeling so uptight. Although he had tried to deny it, Billy was the one person in his world that he wanted; the one person he desired above all others. Billy was the mate his soul had decided for him, but it had taken this terrible incident for him to see that clearly.

He wanted to be with Billy right now; protecting him from the horrors of this unnatural throwback to the Jurassic period. Instead, they had been separated and Alan could not even be certain if Billy was alive or dead at this moment... and he might never live long enough to find out.

Eventually, he slept fitfully, murmuring Billy's name as his dreams focused on strong memories from the recent past. Images of Billy at the dig; kneeling on the hard-packed ground with his curly brown hair and his soft skin covered in the dust raised from brushing at the millennia old remains. He dreamed of those bright eyes full of intelligence and pleasure, staring at him in welcome whenever he found time to visit the site. He moaned softly in his sleep as he saw Billy flaunting his lean but powerful physique; stripping off a sweat-soaked tee shirt, pulling off dusty jeans and stepping -- almost naked -- across the small tent to where the makeshift washing facilities were housed. His surprisingly broad chest held just the lightest smattering of dark hair, but it grew more abundant as Alan's eyes dropped southwards. Rose-coloured nipples would be puckered into small points, almost daring Alan to lean forward and lap at one. Billy would turn away, revealing the strong, broad back tapering down to lean hips and the gentle curve of his ass. Below, powerful muscles rippled in strong thighs and calves, that tempting ass teasing Alan as Billy leaned over the basin to splash palmfuls of water over his face and chest.

Alan's dream self moaned in appreciation; his hands reaching out. In his dream Billy raised his head to stare into the mirror above the basin, and grey-brown eyes, alight with lust, focussed on the reflection behind him. Suddenly, those eyes clouded with panic, widening with fear and, in the mirror, Alan saw the vicious reflection of a Velociraptor. The hands that were reaching out to touch Billy dissolved into cruel claws as the creature leapt forward.

Alan awoke quickly, breathing ragged as the images of his latest nightmare chased him into consciousness. He heard a soft moan of disapproval next to him and focused on the boy still snuggled up beside him.

Billy? Oh God, Billy. Be safe. Please be safe.

When morning came, they left the safety of the tanker, carrying what few supplies they could manage. If Billy was still alive then he -- and whoever was still with him -- would follow the original plan and head for the coast. Alan decided they had to do the same. With luck, their paths might cross again.

-ooOOoo-

At the first light of dawn, Billy crept down to within ten feet of the ground. Cautiously, he slid the final few feet and froze, allowing only his eyes to move as they darted in every direction checking for signs of another trap. He knew they had to take a gamble and hope that the Raptors had forgotten them for the time being, so he beckoned to Kirby and his wife to follow. They moved swiftly through the jungle, uttering no sound beyond that which was absolutely necessary, but when he felt they had moved a far enough distance from the place where the Raptors had last seen them, Billy called a halt. Kirby chewed his lower lip nervously.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We stick to the plan and head for the coast."

"You're not going to look for Dr. Grant?"

Amanda looked back the way they had come and Billy had to admire her courage at being willing to go back and search for Alan. It was what he wanted to do but he knew Alan; knew the way Alan thought, and everything he knew told him that Alan would carry on with the plan in the belief that Billy would do likewise.

"Going to the coast was Alan's idea. If he's..." The words caught in his throat and he swallowed hard before continuing. "If he's alive... then that's where he's heading."

"I agree." Kirby nodded his head once, strongly, to emphasise his approval of Billy's plan.

"What about Eric?"

Amanda's eyes were wide and imploring, and her husband sought words that he hoped would give reassurance.

"Eric's a smart kid. He probably knows he stands his best chance by the coast. He figures all the big dinosaurs are in the centre of the island. Right, Billy?"

Billy looked at the other man, reading the underlying fear in the pale blue eyes, unsure if Kirby was asking for reassurance for himself or for his wife. It seemed pointless and cruel to tell the truth so Billy lied, knowing full well that the closer they got to the edges of the island, the larger and more dangerous the predators would be.

"Sure."

They walked for over an hour before Kirby stopped abruptly and cocked his head to one side. His eyes widened in shock as a single word fell from his lips.

"Eric?"

He turned and ran with Amanda following. Billy ran on behind them and they burst out from beneath the cover of the jungle into the open grazing land. The large expanse was bisected by an Ingen perimeter fence but, beyond it, Billy could see two figures -- one man and one boy -- racing towards them. The Kirbys and the boy reached the barrier first, thrusting arms through the small apertures of cable netting that filled the gaps between the massive, formerly electrified bars. Billy fought to keep his emotions in check, walking the final few feet at the same steady pace as Alan approached the fence.

"Boy, am I glad to see you."

He reached out and gripped the warm, wonderfully alive hand that met his own. His eyes darted down Alan's battered frame, ostensibly checking for bad injuries but actually wanting to reaffirm this miraculous sight before him -- and then he noticed Alan was carrying his lucky bag. A cold sensation swept over him as he recalled the almost human-like malevolence of the Velociraptor that had killed Udesky. The creatures had a strong pack instinct. Could that same instinct encompass their young -- both hatched an unhatched? He realised it was a possibility for there were modern-day reptiles who offered such protection to their young.

"Hey, you got my bag."

"Lucky strap."

"Want me to carry it?"

Alan shrugged, taking several steps back before glancing upwards to the spiked top of the fencing. It was obvious that there was no way they were going to be able to climb over so they needed to find a gap. The Kirbys were still hugging their son through the fence but they pulled apart reluctantly and the father ruffled his boy's hair.

"How did you find us anyway?"

"The jingle on your satellite phone... Kirby Bath and Tile Centre Plus..."

"Satellite phone? I haven't got the phone." Kirby looked bemused and looked to Amanda, hoping she could shed some light on the mystery.

"Where did you last see it?" Alan asked, a frown narrowing his eyes.

"On the plane... I loaned it to... to Nash."

The jingle came again from very close by, and everyone shared a look as they recalled the fate suffered by Nash. They looked behind Grant, eyes widening as they focused on the huge, dark shape of the Spinosaurus standing barely fifty feet away. Alan turned slowly and then softly whispered a single word to Eric that reached through the barrier to Billy.

"Run."

In moments the super-predator was bearing down upon them as they raced along the edge of the fencing desperately hoping to find a large enough breach to escape through to the relative safety of the other side. Eric found it first, quickly darting through the gap, and Alan followed, the Spinosaurus's wickedly sharp teeth snapping shut only a few inches behind him. The reunited group carried on running until they were most of the way across the grazing land, and then they stopped and looked back to where the Spinosaurus was nudging at the massive fence. Filled with relief that it was trapped on the other side, Eric wrapped his arms around both of his parents once more, gaining a hug in return, while Alan leaned over to catch his breath. Billy sighed raggedly as he touched the strong shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of this man he loved.

He took a step back as realisation of what he felt swept through him.

Had it always been more than just desire? Billy knew the answer was yes. His feelings had been built on a deep abiding respect for both Alan's intelligence and his abilities in the field of Palaeontology. Lust and desire for the ruggedly handsome man had come as part of the package, like a fantastic extra bundled in when deep respect had turned to love. He lowered his eyes. If only Alan could feel the same way about him.

The ground beneath them trembled slightly and Billy looked back up in time to see the Spinosaurus charge the fence. It broke through and, for the second time in as many minutes, they were running for their lives. Ahead lie another of the abandoned Ingen facilities and they raced inside, slamming the heavy doors closed and barring them from top to bottom. The place shook, dust spilling from strained metal girders as the Spinosaurus charged against the door -- but it held, and Billy sighed in relief as the creature finally moved away in defeat. They were safe once more... but for how long?

-ooOOoo-

Alan walked to the other side of the room that overlooked the ravine. He knew there was a small boat, still afloat, many hundreds of feet below this room. That boat could be used to carry them to the coast along the tributary of the river whose back-flow had carved this ravine over many millennia. He stared out, eyes narrowing, unable to see far enough through a curtain of mist that clung tenaciously to the very rocks in the ravine to know what additional dangers might be lurking in wait for them.

"Alan. You wanna give me the bag back?"

"It's okay, Billy. I got it."

Alan stared off into the mist, but his thoughts were back in the jungle as he recalled the strange meeting between two of the Raptors. He knew he had to be wrong, in fact, he prayed he was wrong, but it almost seemed as if they were conversing, as if they were searching for something. Then later, when the three had surrounded him, they made no instant attack, holding off at a distance as if uncertain if they should...

"Please give me the bag." Alan turned back, finally noticing that Billy had followed him but that he had stopped several feet away with a strange expression on his face that seemed tinged with shame and regret. "It's not safe."

Alan frowned as he reached for the buckle that held down the opening, and released it. He pulled back the flap and looked down.

"Raptor eggs. Did you steal Raptor eggs?" Alan raised shocked eyes to Billy. "Now it all makes sense."

Billy looked stricken with remorse, one hand reaching towards Alan beseechingly, as if begging to be believed.

"I swear. If I'd known you were going to end up with them... I took them on impulse. I thought they'd be worth a fortune... enough to finance the dig for years to come. But you have to believe me. This was a stupid decision... but I did it with the best intentions."

Alan shook his head in disbelief, echoing Billy's words. "Best intentions?" A shocking sense of betrayal overcame him and his words turned cold. "Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions." Alan shook his head in disgust. "Billy. As far as I'm concerned, you're no better that the people who built this place."

Alan ignored the grief-stricken face and walked to the broken window that overlooked the ravine. He held the bag out, fingers trembling with indecision but then he changed his mind. When he looked back Alan saw Paul Kirby standing nearby with an equally disgusted expression on his face as he sent sideways glances at Billy.

"What are you doing? Can you imagine what they'll do if they find those eggs on us?"

"Yes. But what will they do if they don't?"

"Point taken."

"There's a boat at the bottom. Let's head down."

-ooOOoo-

Billy watched through dead eyes as the others walked away without glancing back. His one impulsive act had destroyed everything, taking away any love and respect Alan might have ever held for him, and without that he had nothing. He closed his eyes. Tears of pain and regret burned behind his eyes but he refused to allow them to fall. Gathering the shreds of his tattered dignity, he walked to the spiral staircase and followed the others to the platform below. He raised his eyes momentarily, but had to drop them when he met the cold, accusing glare of the man he loved, silently wondering if there was anything he could do to melt the ice and bring warmth back into those beautiful blue eyes.

When the dilapidated staircase collapsed beneath Alan's weight, almost taking him with it, Billy started forward, but Kirby was there first, drawing Alan back from the edge, and Billy could only duck his head as new regrets filled him. He no longer had a right to be the one to stand behind Alan; protecting his back. They walked along a catwalk whose walls and ceiling were strong bars and cable netting to form a sort of corridor through this strange Ingen complex. The mesh covering ended abruptly and what remained of the catwalk swayed precariously beneath them. Fearing it might be as unstable as the staircase that had collapsed only moments before, Alan ordered them to stop.

"Let's do this one at a time, shall we?"

Billy could only watch with dread as Alan walked out until his form disappeared within the heavy mist. Time stretched on interminably and then he sighed in silent relief when Alan yelled out for the next person to cross. Even though Alan was disappointed in him, Billy sensed that he was expected to bring up the rear, protecting everyone's back for neither of them wanted to put too much faith into the Kirbys ability to watch out for danger. The exception being Eric, but it was against both their principles to put a kid in that position.

Amanda Kirby looked anxiously at her son, afraid to let him leave her sight even for an instant now that she had found him again, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as Eric berated her gently. Against all the odds he had survived on this island for over eight weeks. The mist quickly swallowed her form but then she called out to Eric, and Billy could hear the edge of desperation in her voice as she fought against revealing how much even this small separation cost her. The boy set off across the open catwalk, with his smaller figure quickly shrouded in grey mist until he had disappeared - and then they felt it; a jolt vibrating through the catwalk, as if something heavy had stepped onto it. The seconds stretched as if time itself had stood still, and Billy felt his feet carrying him forward very slowly -- one small step then another -- when no one answered Eric's question of who was in the mist just beyond him.

He yelled suddenly, and Billy could feel the tremor from Eric's lighter weight reverberating through the metal beneath their feet as Eric raced back towards them -- and then the tremors stopped abruptly. Billy and Kirby had darted forward, heedless of whether the catwalk could support their weight. He leapt to try and snatch Eric back from the massive creature flying over directly over his head but it was already too high and it had the boy gripped tightly in its powerful claws.

He raced back along the catwalk, trying to keep the Pteranodon in sight, leaping headlong down staircases and along mesh covered walkways. Kirby took a different turn, trying to find another path that might take him to his son and Amanda followed her ex- husband. The Pteranodon veered away from the series of walkways, heading out over the ravine and, with sudden clarity, Billy knew what he had to do. He glanced upwards to the platform that acted as a gallery, noting its torn netting. Behind him came the sound of running feet and Billy turned, frozen in place for a moment as Alan came out of the mist and stopped barely ten feet away. Their eyes met and held.

I'm sorry, Alan.

The unspoken words must have been written so clearly across his face for his saw the blue eyes widen in confusion. The audible snap of the paraglider harness buckle slipping into place brought clarity to Alan's eyes and Billy watched bewilderment fade into shocked realisation.

"Billy?"

Billy turned and ran, taking the stairs three at a time as he headed up towards the platform. He had brought so much danger to them all by his impulsiveness in stealing the eggs, but he could atone. He could melt the ice from those accusing eyes.

"Billy?"

He snapped the remaining harness buckle closed as he ran along the short length of walkway. The boy had survived all this time - - defenceless, alone -- he didn't deserve to die now, not when rescue had been so close at hand. Billy knew he had to try and save him, knew that he owed it to Alan and Kirbys; owed it to Udesky who had already paid the ultimate price for Billy's earlier stupidity.

"Billy, stop!"

Alan was right behind him but Billy reached the platform and ran to the edge, leaping up onto the rail.

"Don't Billy!"

Billy threw himself over the edge, his heart pounding in sorrow at the final scream of his name and the brush of Alan's hand against his lower leg as Alan almost reached him in time. He pulled on the cord, praying that his leap of faith would be answered and, moments later, he felt the familiar tug as the sail opened and the updraft through the ravine lifted him higher until he was soaring like a bird. Ahead he could see the Pteranodon dropping Eric onto a pillar of rock next to its nest. Half a dozen hungry chicks leapt from the nest and Eric ran, leaping from one rock pillar to the next, trying to beat off the ferocious birdlike creatures that stabbed at him with their long, sharp and serrated beaks.

"Eric! Hold on."

Billy swept past the nest, pulling on the guide rope to ease the glider back towards the end of the stone pillars.

"Jump!"

Eric took one final swipe to remove the voracious chicks that were tearing into him, and then ran, leaping into the air and wrapping himself around Billy. Several of the chicks tried to follow, swiftly plunging to their deaths as Billy and Eric glided beyond their reach. The screeches of the adult Pteranodons filled the air; the massive creatures dive-bombing them, with their razor sharp talons ripping through the sail. Billy knew he had to get Eric to safety, he let the glider lose altitude, waiting until he was soaring only fifteen feet above a pool of deep water within the shallow river before ordering Eric to let go. The boy dropped into the pool with a loud splash and Billy could only hope he was okay, and that none of the Pteranodon dived in after him. He tugged on the guide lines, leading the attacking Pteranodons away from Eric but an updraft caught the ripped sail, dashing him against the ravine wall. The sail caught on jagged rock and Billy found he was hanging more than twenty feet above another deep pool. The Pteranodons continued their attack, barely missing him as he struggled to release himself from the harness. The last buckle gave and then he was falling. Cold water closed over his head but the eagle eyed creatures attacked as soon as he surfaced, half dragging him from the pool into the shallower water of the fast flowing river. Somehow, he managed to gain his feet, and he ran as fast as he could through the knee-deep water, eyes darting along both sides of the bank but there was no cover.

He cried out in alarm and pain as talons dug into his flesh, hooking through the back and front of his shoulders, his body twisting as he was lifted high from the water by the powerful creature. It couldn't hold his weight and he tumbled back into the shallow water. Another Pteranodon swooped down, its sharp beak spearing at him, gouging flesh from his forearm as he raised his arms to try and protect his head.

With shock, Billy saw Alan and Kirby racing through the shallow water towards him, and he realised their intention was to try and save him, but he knew it wasn't possible. The large creatures were every bit as powerful and ferocious as the Raptors that gave Alan his nightmares. If they tried to save him then all they'd do is attract the attention of more of the Pteranodons, sealing their own fate.

"Get away."

He yelled at Alan, begging him to find safety as more Pteranodons zeroed in on them with the lure of an easy meal. Suddenly, there was no ground beneath Billy's feet and the swift current swept him away with the Pteranodons still flapping and pecking at his unprotected body. Pain lanced through him as their beaks and talons stabbed into him -- and then they were gone, forgetting him momentarily as they turned upon each other. Billy slammed up against a strong mesh that extended both sideways and upwards as far as he could see. He looked back and saw the Pteranodons heading back for him and, taking a deep gulp of air, he dived, using the mesh to pull himself downwards in the hope that there would be a way underneath the fencing. Bubbles of jubilation escaped him and he came back up for precious air to find the Pteranodons screeching at him from the other side of the fence.

He pulled himself to the shore, lying there for the longest time before he found the strength to move. Ripping up the tattered remnants of his T-shirt and pants, he formed makeshift bandages around the worst of his injuries. The still functioning part of his shocked mind knew he had lost a lot of blood, but that he *had* to start moving. He couldn't afford to stay in one place too long... and he knew that he would be better off in the river than on the shore as Ingen had narrowed their genetic research to the land -- and skies. From the geographical maps of this island that he had glanced at while Alan slept on the plane, he recalled that the water flowing through this ravine was a back-flow that would meet up with the main river two miles farther downstream. If he could reach the main river then he had a slim chance that the current would take him in the same direction as Alan and the others. Perhaps he might even catch up with them by the time they reached the coast.

He half crawled, half-staggered a little way along the river bank until he came to a solid piece of trunk that had fetched up there. Using the last of his strength, he pushed it back into the water and then he threw himself on top, camouflaging himself beneath what remained of its foliage.

-ooOOoo-

Alan stood at the back of the boat, staring back as the mist parted to reveal the true magnificence of the birdcage that still held the Pteranodons captive, but his mind was far removed from dinosaurs.

Billy was dead.

His last sight of Billy -- a man he could now freely admit to loving -- was of him being harried and pecked by the giant flying dinosaurs as the fast current dragged him away forever. He barely heard the rumble of the engine as Kirby used his little knowledge of boats from fishing trips to get the long-disused engine started. His eyes were stinging, and his lips trembling as he recalled the laughing eyes and that beautiful smile Billy would bestow upon him... and then he recalled his last words to Billy. Harsh words.

How could he have been so stupid? He had let his fear and anger overcome everything else. Right from the start he'd known that the chances of any of them getting off the island were slim to non-existent; that death could come to any one of them in a single terrifying moment, and yet he had parted from Billy with harsh words. He should never have walked away from him. He should have given them all a little time to stop and rest; given himself time to work through the flash of anger so he could make his peace with Billy before they moved on.

He should have found time to tell him how much he meant to him; how much he loved him. The scuffle of feet and a softly questioning voice brought him back, and he forced a smile.

"Hey, Eric. How're you doing?"

Eric slumped down onto a crate and Alan sat down close by.

"Sorry about Billy."

With a sigh, Alan realised how hard it had to be on Eric, knowing that Billy had thrown himself into danger to save him; and that he had paid for his heroism with his life. But it wasn't Eric's fault. It was no one's fault, and he patted the boy's knee in quiet reassurance. The rawness of his loss filled him, and he found himself opening up a little to a boy who had been forced to grow up very fast.

"You know what the last thing I said to him was? I said... you're as bad as the people who built this place. Which wasn't true. Billy was just... young."

Thoughts came tumbling through Alan's head and he allowed some of them to be voiced. He tried to explain to Eric how the world was divided into those who wanted to be astronomers and those who wanted to be astronauts. The astronauts wanted to touch things but the astronomers -- the palaeontologists like him and, so he believed, Billy -- had sought their answers from relative safety.

"But that means you never get to go into space."

Alan shook his head, saddened that Eric didn't understand, but he looked up on hearing Eric's excited exclamation.

The boat had travelled out from beneath the thick canopy of trees, floating along the edge of a vast meadow, and Alan shook his head slowly in both wonder and dismay. He had been wrong -- so wrong -- in believing Eric had not understood. In truth, Alan realised that it was *he* who had not understood. He saw, again, the image of Billy with his nose pressed against the airplane's window as he tried to catch a glimpse of the great herds of dinosaurs that roamed the meadow below.

"I'd forgotten."

This is what he should have shared with Billy; the graceful beauty of these awe-inspiring creatures not the fear of deadly predators. A Brachiosaurus raised its long neck with interest as it spied the strange creatures floating past it on the river, but decided they were no threat and went back to snatching at the succulent grasses. A pair of Pinacosaurus moved away from the edge, their club-like tails flicking nervously as they eyed the unknown entity that was the boat. Looking across the field, Alan could see more of the Brachiosaurus, and a herd of Corythosaurs moving slowly as they grazed on the lush grassland.

"Billy was right."

Alan looked across, wondering how someone so young could be so wise. Yes. Billy had been right and not all the best intentions turned out to be mistakes. With tears prickling at his eyes, Alan realised that Billy had paid heavily for his rash decision in taking those eggs -- and so had he for being too cautious, losing Billy before he could tell him how important he was to him. The ache in his chest grew sharper, and Alan knew that ache would remain with him for the rest of his life whether he could count the remainder of it in minutes or decades.

As the river flowed on beyond the grassland and back under cover of the jungle, he felt the familiar sensation of dusk settling over the world. Last night he had spent the time wondering if Billy was still alive. This night he would mourn his loss, and though he wanted nothing more than to lay down and die, his sense of honor and duty bound him to try and see this reunited family to safety.

-ooOOoo-

Billy opened his eyes to the greyness of a new day dawning. For a moment he was confused, and then he realised that what he could hear was waves washing across a sandy beach. The log had come to ground just short of the beach as the remaining water from this small tributary seeped into the fine sand on its way to join the ocean. He frowned, for less than a foot away was a sodden and battered hat; Alan's hat. His eyes darted around, almost willing to believe that Alan was here too, but then he realised that Alan must have lost the hat sometime during the fight with the Pteranodons, and that it had been washed up alongside him. He reached out with trembling, blood-caked fingers and drew the hat to him, holding it tight against his chest.

His last clear memory was of draping himself over the log. How long ago had that been? Hours, days? No, it couldn't have been just a few hours for it had still been light then and now it was morning. And it couldn't have been days as he doubted he could have lain here that long on this cursed island without becoming the meal for some meat-eater.

With strength borne out of determination, Billy dragged himself out of the water, beyond the undergrowth and onto the fine sand. He gazed back at the nearby tree line. This place ought to have been a tropical paradise; the kind of place that people dreamed of sailing away to, but instead, it was his worst nightmare.

A small hope reared its ugly head in his mind. Alan had been alive the last time he saw him and so there as a slim chance that he might still be alive. He might even be within calling range but Billy was afraid to make any sound, even if he had the strength to call out.

Time past by so slowly and Billy could feel his body weakening with every moment. He had dragged himself to where the trees cast a shadow, the slight rise giving him a view along the whole stretch of this beach in the hope that he might spot the others should they come this way.

The slashes and stab marks from the Pteranodons had scabbed over but he could feel a queasiness and heat within him that went beyond the loss of blood and the increasing temperature as the sun rose higher. Some of those wounds, if not all of them, had become infected and, if he did not find help and fresh water soon, then he doubted that he would survive through the day.

He chuckled hoarsely. He had a terrible feeling that he would not live long enough to die from these wounds and, sure enough, only a short while later he heard the slightly high pitched call of a small creature. It came out of the undergrowth and stood on a mound maybe five feet from where he lay. It was as small as a chicken, bipedal, with two long fingers ending in sharp claws on its arms. Its snout was long and Billy could see the small, sharp teeth lining its beak.

Compsognathus.

His mind catalogued the creature, recalling the very few fossilised skeletons that had been discovered over the past two centuries. Another thought intruded, from Ian Malcolm's book concerning his ordeal on Isla Sorna. He recalled the start of the book, and the small girl who had been attached by a dozen of these creatures. His eyes flicked sideways as another small head bobbed into his peripheral vision. More high-pitched calls followed as two more came closer. The first one darted forward and snapped at his arm, tearing at the scab covering one of the Pteranodon slashes.

Billy cried out feebly and pulled his arm back.

A sharp pain at the back of his thigh made him kick out weakly, his booted foot catching one of the small creatures. And then they were on him, maybe a dozen of them with their sharp beaks and claws tearing into him, reopening old wounds and inflicting new ones. One stabbed at his throat. He tried to roll up into a ball in some small hope it could protect him, being too weak to climb to his feet and try to outrun his attackers.

Suddenly, the sharp stabbing stopped and he saw the creatures scattering, heading back into the cover of the trees. There was a rumbling sound in the distance and then a dark shape loomed over him and Billy cried out in fear that he had exchanged being the meal of the Compies for being the appetiser of some larger predator. It dropped down beside him then called out... in English.

"Over here!"

More dark shapes raced into view and then he was being gently turned over. Tears of relief flowed freely, blurring his vision until he could see nothing at all.

"It's okay. You're safe now. We've got you."

He refused to let go of Alan's hat, not even for a moment, and they gave into his frantic cries and let him keep it. They lifted him gently onto a stretcher and carried him back to the waiting helicopter. He barely uttered a single sound as someone stripped off the remaining bloodied rags he had used for bandages, not even aware of the IV needle inserted and taped to his arm. Two front-line medics worked over him swiftly, doing enough to stabilise him until they could get him to a cleaner and more equipped facility. The fresh wounds from the Compsognathus were cleaned and lightly bandaged but, when he looked down, he could see blood already seeping through from the re-opened lacerations on his arm. He closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of aviation fuel and plastic mingled with the scent of fresh human sweat. Two days ago he would have wrinkled his nose up in disgust but, today, it was the most wonderful smell he had ever come across.

The helicopter left the ground as soon as he was brought onboard, but he felt it dropping again, a slight bump trembling through the craft as it touched down. Above the sound of the rotor blades scything through the air, he thought he heard Alan's name. There was movement next to him and he gazed up through pain-filled eyes.

"Hey, you made it."

Alan's lips were moving but no sound came from them, but he didn't need to speak for Billy could see the wonderful emotions filling the warm blue eyes. The ice had gone, melted away in gratitude and, dare he believe, in love too. Alan reached out and Billy felt warm fingers stroking his cheek, and though every part of his body ached, the fell of those strong fingers soothed him.

"I rescued your hat."

"Dr. Grant. We need to go now."

Alan glanced over his left shoulder along the length of the transport helicopter then back down at Billy. Billy could see the indecision creep into Alan's eyes; could see that he had so much he wanted to say to him, but here was not the time and place. Alan took his hat in both hands, swallowing hard and glancing down at it as he gripped the rim tightly.

"Well, that's the important thing."

"Dr. Grant?"

There was no time left so Alan moved away with one last tremulous smile and a small pat on his arm, and Billy lay back, feeling the vibration within the helicopter increase as the rotors began to rotate faster. A sudden lurch and then they were in the air leaving Isla Sorna far behind. A smile played at his lips as he closed his eyes and allowed the rhythmic thump of the blades to lull him into much needed sleep.

The ice had gone... and all was well with his world once more.

-ooOOoo-

Epilogue:

Except for those first few hours following their rescue, Alan had not seen much of Billy over the past three weeks. The medics had taken the badly injured man directly to the ship's infirmary where they gave him a blood transfusion and thoroughly cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Alan had insisted on sitting close to him while his own scrapes and cuts were treated, watching almost obsessively as Billy fell into a drug-induced sleep.

Long, dark eyelashes swept the pale cheeks, his bloodless lips slightly parted to reveal a hint of teeth. He looked so small and vulnerable swathed in white bandages that seemed to encase him from head to toe like a modern day mummy. He reached out to ruffle the curly hair above the head bandage, then picked up Billy's hand, stroking the sensitive fingertips that were peeking out from beneath the bandages covering his hands. They had told him about the Compsognathus and Alan shuddered as he realised how close Billy had come to dying having already survived the Pteranodons.

Kirby had raised his eyebrows at the blatant show of caring but Alan no longer cared what anyone thought. He'd been to hell and back, and he deserved a chance for a little piece of heaven now. All too soon he had been forced to leave Billy's side.

They had all been given shots of strong antibiotics to combat any infection they might have picked up and, after that there had been questions. What were they doing on the island? Why had they gone there? What had they seen? What had they done?

What had happened to the others?

During the initial stages of questioning, Alan had been granted a few minutes to say goodbye to Billy. His injuries required more extensive treatment than what the medical staff could provide on the ship so the Navy placed him back on a helicopter headed for the nearest US military hospital. He and the Kirbys had been sent Stateside soon after, leaving Billy behind.

Three weeks with no word from Billy even though he had sent several messages via the US military.

Alan picked up a toothbrush and gently swept along the edge of the exposed fossilised bone, brushing away rock that was not part of the remains. He was the only one still working on the site -- the rest having been forced to pack up their belongings and leave once the money for the dig ran out. Of course, most of them had been students anyway, who needed to return to the classroom in less than a month so though some tried to stay on, willing to foot their own food and accommodation bills. It wasn't feasible though, and Alan knew he wasn't the best company right now. Before coming back out here, he'd taken the time to see Ellie, and to thank her for making good on her promise to be there for him -- anytime. Without her they would all be dead... Billy would be dead.

He swept the toothbrush carefully around a tiny bone fragment, recalling those times when he and Billy worked shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. He grinned wryly to himself. With a delicate touch honed by years of experience, he cleared out the debris between two small bones around the resonating chamber.

Even after this most recent ordeal, he still considered the dinosaurs created by Hammond and Ingen to be no more than theme park monsters. That was obvious just by looking at the Velociraptors, seeing their different eye shapes and colourings - - some red, some bright yellow -- where they should have been similar if they had been pure. Of course, some experts would argue that mammals -- humans -- had different colourings so why not Velociraptors. However, Alan had finally come to accept that there was enough truth within Hammond's dinosaurs to give pointers on what to look for in the fossilised remains of the true ones that had lived millions of years ago.

He stopped to reflect on something Eric had said to him while they were holed up in the tanker truck over night. The boy had told him that he had read both of his books, but had preferred the first.

"You didn't like dinosaurs very much when you wrote the second one."

The first book had been a series of theories on dinosaur behaviour. He had theorised that many of the herbivores had grazed in vast herds, protecting both themselves and their young by sheer numbers, just as the antelope and zebra still did on the Serengeti today. And that not all meat-eaters were solitary predators. He had postulated that some predators worked in packs like lions, hyenas or wolves.

Some of his theories had been borne out by what he saw at Jurassic Park and partial answers to other questions that he had raised in his first book had come from his observations on Isla Nubla. However, his feelings had been tainted by the reawakening of the most basic of human instincts; the fear of being eaten alive. He had forgotten the true majesty of the Brachiosaurus and the massive herds of Corythosaurs moving gracefully across grazing land. Even the Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Spinosaurus were magnificent creatures that had to be admired the same way a marine biologist marvelled at the sleekness and power of the Great White and Hammerhead shark.

He had already started on a new book incorporating all he had seen and learned from the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna, but he had yet to approach his publishing agent. He wondered if they would be interested enough to pay him some money upfront, maybe enough to fund the dig for just a few more weeks. Only one thing stopped him from asking and that was a wish that he could write this book as a collaboration -- with Billy Brennan.

He snorted softly. He was willing to try more than an offer of a book collaboration if it would bring Billy back by his side. He'd be willing to attend another of those damn symposiums and spend the whole lecture telling the audience blood curdling stories of what happened to him and the other unfortunate humans at Jurassic Park, *and* on Isla Sorna. He would even be willing to contact Ian Malcolm for more insight on the dinosaurs that he had encountered on Isla Sorna. Or on the San Diego incident where a Tyrannosaurus ran amok and ate at least five of the city's inhabitants before it was lured back to the docks and then shipped back to Isla Sorna.

"I'd even offer you all my salary, Billy, if it meant you'd come back here."

The slamming of a truck door caught his attention and Alan looked up, shielding his eyes from the brilliance of the low-lying sun. A figure was silhouetted against the fiery backdrop and Alan could only hold his breath as he recognised the man.

"Dr. Grant?"

The sound of his name galvanised him into action and he leapt to his feet, his legs carrying him swiftly towards the rise. Billy met him at the base and Alan grabbed the younger man, pulling him into his arms and laughing loudly.

"Billy."

He drew back slightly, just far enough away so he could see the bright eyes that had haunted his dreams instead of the Raptors over these past few weeks. And then Alan threw any remaining caution to the four winds and kissed Billy soundly. Billy froze in his arms, his body going rigid in surprise, but then he melted against Alan, his firm lips softening as he deepened the kiss with ferocity of his own.

Hands dragged at each other, raking through hair and stroking down the length of arched backs to the swell of asscheeks below. They pulled each other in closer, grinding the hardness of swollen flesh against firm abdomens.

Billy moaned deeply, appreciatively, as Alan eased a hand between them to rub across the hardened mass at Billy's groin. He dragged his mouth from the enticing lips and nuzzled the vulnerable column of Billy's throat, then whispered raggedly into one ear.

"Billy. I'm sorry... and I want you."

Billy pulled back, with his face flushed with desire, his eyes dilated almost black, glittering with need, and his lips flushed and bruised from their kisses. Alan leaned in to place a soft kiss on the tip of Billy's nose. He knew he must look dishevelled, and he could see motes of dust dancing and swirling in the air around them that had been shaken loose from his hair and clothing.

Billy glanced up, meaningfully, to the single remaining tent and, hand in hand, they climbed back to the top of the rise. Once inside the sleeping chamber, Alan pulled Billy back into his arms and kissed him gently. His body was trembling, his muscles quivering in need but he wanted to savour this moment. Soft lips nuzzled at his throat, nipping gently and sucking, sending fresh flames of passion licking through his veins. Alan pulled the dark blue tee shirt from the waistband of Billy's light-coloured pants, pushing his hands beneath the material so he could slide his hands along warm flesh. He could feel small ridges and bumps where there ought to be smooth flesh, and he tried not to think of the scars Billy must be carrying since Isla Sorna. Alan stepped back and pushed up the T-shirt until he had revealed the almost hairless chest. He leaned in to suckle on one exposed nipple, teeth catching around the tightened nub and tongue swiping across the sensitive tip. Billy shuddered delightfully, with soft moans of pleasure falling from him. His hands flexed upon Alan's shoulders as he submitted to the onslaught to his senses.

He gasped as Alan reached down to release the button on his pants, swiftly lowering the zip. Alan dropped slowly to his knees, his lips worshipping Billy as they anointed warm flesh with passion enflamed kisses. He held Billy tightly by the hips as he sucked on the hard column of sex through the thin cotton briefs, salty precome mixing with his saliva and making him hungry for much more. His hands hooked inside the waistband of the pants and dragged them downwards, over the lean hips and swell of ass to pool at Billy's still booted feet. The briefs followed, trapping Billy's strong legs in shackles of cotton while Alan delicately caught a droplet of passion beading on the firm head of the proud shaft. His tongue swirled over the head, swiping along the slit before he opened his mouth to suck in as much as he could of the hard flesh.

Billy bucked sharply but Alan had a firm hold on his hips. He held Billy in place while he sucked and licked at the sensitive flesh, accepting and swallowing the creamy fluid that jetted into his mouth as Billy tumbled over the edge into ecstasy.

Billy's weight came to rest on Alan's shoulders and, with great reluctance, he released the softening shaft with a final satisfying lick as Billy's knees buckled. Alan wrapped his arms around his pleasure-sated lover and lowered Billy to the tent floor. Passion-soaked eyes watched him as Alan unzipped his own pants to release his burgeoning erection from its tight denim prison.

"Want you, Billy... and not just for this. Want you for everything in my life."

"Sounds like a good deal to me."

Alan grinned. He reached down and worked off Billy's boots, pants and briefs. Momentarily, his eyes lingered on the fresh scar tissue that ranged across Billy's firm young flesh, knowing he was seeing the injuries inflicted by both the Pteranodons and the Compsognathus. He leaned down and kissed one prominent scar, smiling when Billy writhed and chuckled.

"It tickles."

The scars only made Billy even more beautiful in his eyes -- because he was alive; they were both alive. He kissed several others, in reverence -- before drawing back to gaze down at the beautiful body splayed out before him.

"I want you... but it's been a long time since I..."

"Like riding a bike, Dr. Grant."

Alan grinned. "You calling yourself a bike? And I think we can dispense with the Dr. Grant, don't you think?"

Billy chuckled softly; a warm, vibrant sound that sent fresh licks of desire flickering through Alan.

"Just do it, Alan."

Alan's eyes fixed on the hand lotion he had placed on a makeshift cabinet, and he snatched it up, digging out a generous amount of slippery cream and let the rest of the bottle drop to the floor. He looked down at Billy and saw him smiling softly, with love and desire shining in his passion-darkened eyes. Alan leaned down and kissed those smiling, bruised lips, only pulling back when Billy shifted beneath him. Billy turned over, drawing in his knees to offer himself fully to Grant, knowing it might be easier this way for both of them -- especially this first time together.

Alan's lotion-slicked fingers teased between the asscheeks, lightly trailing over the puckered muscle and along the perineum. He squeezed the softly furred sacs in his other hand, rolling the contents carefully and drawing hisses of pleasure from Billy. One finger rimmed the exposed hole, feeling the strong muscle clench and release around it as he pushed gently inside. His finger worked deep inside, rubbing against the muscled inner wall, seeking the small bulge that would bring Billy even greater pleasure. His other hand wrapped around the slowly engorging shaft, sliding from base to crown over and over as a second then a third finger thrust deep into Billy. Moans of delight echoed around him as Billy pushed back onto Alan's fingers, sharper cries falling as those fingers found that special gland and rubbed the sensitive prostate.

A cry of loss filled the small tent and Alan stroked along the exposed back in reassurance as he replaced his fingers with the blunt head of his erection. Muscles clenched tightly around him as Alan pushed inside the lotion-slicked hole, and he gasped as the fresh sensation almost overwhelmed his senses. He held still, wanting to calm his own raging body as well as allow Billy to adjust to his possession. When he knew he was ready, Alan thrust in hard while pulling back on Billy's hips at the same time, embedding himself deeply.

"Oh God, Billy."

He leaned forward and kissed a small scar on Billy's back. Suddenly, he wanted to touch every scar, wanted to kiss away every remnant of pain and replace every terrifying shred of memory with sweet sensations. Alan pulled out and then thrust back into the welcoming body, his hand sliding along Billy's shaft in perfect synchronisation. He could feel the strong internal muscles clench around him tightly, trying to hold him inside. Alan kissed another scar, withdrew and thrust back hard, and then kissed another scar, finally sucking hard upon the ragged scar from a Pteranodon claw just beneath the shoulder. He recalled the horrifying sight of the Pteranodon lifting Billy high into the air before Billy twisted free and plummeted back to Earth. His kiss upon that scarred flesh soothed his mind, sending him joyous remembrance that they were here, together and alive.

Alan came hard, emptying his life force into this most precious body. His senses heightened exponentially, spiralling upward to heaven itself as he gave thanks for Billy's continuing life -- and to the second chance they had been given.

Warmth coated his fingers and he heard a triumphant shout as Billy found new release, and Alan hugged the strong body tightly, laying his head upon the broad back and taking renewed pleasure in the rapid heartbeat hammering beneath him. His rapidly softening shaft slipped from its lotion and semen-slicked sheath, and Alan twisted to one side, drawing Billy into his arms. He nuzzled the sweat-dampened curls of hair and kissed the nape of Billy's neck as his hands gently stroked the still trembling body.

Many minutes past before Billy rolled over in his arms to face him. His eyes were still shining but Alan could see the lids were heavy with exhaustion as those dark lashes fluttered. A sated smile played upon the plumped lips, broken only when Billy yawned. Alan whispered into the shell of one ear.

"Are you doing anything... for the rest of your life?"

A lazy smile curled up the corners of the tempting mouth.

"Yeah, got this dusty old Palaeontologist whose bones I'd like to jump... for the rest of my life."

Alan laughed. He dragged the sleeping bag from the top of the nearby camp bed and draped it over their mostly naked forms. Then he wrapped himself around his new lover, unwilling to ever let go of Billy again. As he let his eyes close, intending to follow Billy down into sleep, his memory returned to those words spoken only a month ago.

No force on Earth or Heaven would get me on that island.

He smiled, thanking whatever force had worked upon him that he had been wrong, for if he had never gone to Isla Sorna, then he might never have found the courage to reach out to Billy. And the knowledge of what he might never have known was far worse than any nightmare he had faced in Hammond's Jurassic hell on earth.

THE END

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