The sun had just crawled across the horizon, the light still faint, the sky just turning in colors. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, but there was no threat of rain. It would be another warm day, no storm in sight.

Carter checked his gear again, readjusting the straps. His bike had a full tank of gas. He had packed his sleeping bag, a tent, food, clothes, the works.

"Ready?"

He looked over to where Owen was walking out of the paddock, looking bright-eyed and more than ready to go. The man was really happy to leave civilization, as he called it, roughing it in the restricted area.

"I'm ready."

Owen whistled sharply and the pack trotted out of the enclosure. Echo had her saddle bags, Delta and Charlie the cameras, and Blue was in the lead. She joined her alpha, looking tall and regal, power incarnate.

"You look like you're about to go into battle," Owen remarked, looking him up and down.

"I left my assault rifle at home."

"Ah. Well, then that's different." He glanced at the pack. "Alright, ladies! Front and center!"

Delta pushed Echo aside, who hissed, then Charlie barked at them both, sounding aggravated. Blue rumbled softly, but there was no aggression at all in their behavior. Muscular, not a single gram of surplus fat, the four velociraptors looked healthy, ready to run, and very, very eager.

"Blue, you're in the lead. Everyone: behave! We have a guest."

Delta whuffled, tilting her head almost coyly at Carter. Owen chuckled.

"Flirt," he told her.

Carter raised an eyebrow and Delta snapped her teeth at her alpha, clearly displeased, but she didn't appear aggressive. She looked at Dan and rumbled, tail twitching.

"That's flirting?" the security chief asked dryly.

"Yep. She likes you. No idea why."

Delta grumbled and Charlie whuffled, getting herself a narrow-eyed growl from her sister.

"Watch it, Grady."

"Let's go. We're wasting daylight."

Owen started his engine. The raptors moved eagerly, ready to spring into action. He raised a fist, then gave the 'go signal.

The four shot off with barks of excitement.

Carter followed the pack alpha on his bike, heading for the back road that would lead into the restricted area.

Three days of vacation.

Aside from a catastrophe the size of an i-rex breakout, Lieutenant Hamada would handle everything and anything thrown at him. Carter had his radio with him, but he didn't expect anything at all. The park was quiet enough.

x XX JW XX x

He leaned back on his elbows, eyes on the purplish sky that was turning into all shades of blue as the sun sank lower. The first stars were already visible, thanks to not a single cloud obscuring their sight.

Dan felt the tension inside him unravel, his muscles relax, his brain kick down a few gears. There was no schedule to keep, no demands to be met. He was simply sitting in the middle of nowhere, enjoying himself.

Owen had led him to a secluded spot where he had finished the first shelter in the restricted area, a fully functional underground bunker with a water purification system and a cistern. Solar panels were used for heating the water. A tiny generator helped in case the panels were not enough, especially when it came to running the power.

It had been a former research station to watch the dinosaurs in their habitat. Now it contained bunk beds and a collection of MREs.

Carter approved. The shelter wasn't just for Owen; whoever had to be here over night could use it.

x XX JW XX x

Dinner was what they had packed this morning.

"No fresh kill?" Dan teased, sitting on his camping chair in front of the small fire.

"Didn't know how squeamish you were," Owen replied with a grin, stirring the chili. "Delta offered to bring down a wild pig or chicken."

"As long as it isn't a monkey or a lizard."

"Tastes like chicken."

"Ha-ha, Owen."

"No, really." Owen ladled chili into a bow and handed it to him.

Carter tasted it. "Hey, that's edible."

"Don't sound so surprised. And it's one of the few things my grampa could cook."

"S'good," he mumbled around a mouthful. He glanced around the darkness. "Where is your little gang?"

"Prowling around, enjoying the night. Don't worry."

"Not worried about four lethal predators in their territory. As long as their alpha is happy and in one piece, not bleeding or has broken bones."

Owen gave him a dirty look.

Dan wiped the bowl with a piece of bread. He washed the rest down with a lite beer.

"What are the plans for tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm going to tear down a few walls, working out with a sledge hammer. Interested?"

Carter grinned. "Sounds good to me."

x XX JW XX x

They spent the night in the tents, not the bunker. Owen had offered him the solidly built shelter, but Dan hadn't come along to be underground, surrounded by concrete.

"We've got four guard dogs, right? Vicious sentinels that won't let anything eat you, and by that extension: me."

Owen had simply laughed.

x XX JW XX x

It was the first time Carter talked about his past, his life before InGen, before coming to Jurassic World.

About his loss. About losing people he had cared about. About losing a part of himself.

Sitting on a hill, a waterfall not far behind them, overlooking the beach. Not that beach. It was a rather nice one, with finely grained sand, pure white and inviting. The pack was enjoying the warmth of the sand, rolling around, digging around, even daring the waves. It was funny to watch, dragging a little smile from him.

"Psych eval gave me a negative. No-go. Honorable discharge. Headcase."

Owen watched him out of the corners of his eyes.

"InGen didn't give a flying fuck. They took me with open arms. Special ops guys are wanted. Not much fine-tuning needed. Then Hoskins died and they gave me this job." He quirked a smile. "So here I am. Cheers."

Owen chuckled and raised his water bottle. "Cheers."

They silently sat side by side, each lost in his own thoughts. Behind them was the soft rushing noise of the waterfall, the waves from the ocean rolling in gently from below. It was a calming noise, undoing knots he had never known were still there until today.

"You know, this helps," Carter said after a while, breaking the companionable silence. "Being here. On this island, working for this park. It's different from what I did before, but then again not. There's a healthy routine. Then there's you."

"Hey," Owen protested, giving him a mock outraged look.

"You attract trouble, my friend."

"None of this was my fault."

"That's what they always say."

They exchanged grins.

Below, Echo and Delta had gotten into a scuffle over a piece of driftwood. Charlie darted in and snagged it from them, then sprinted away. The rest of the pack went after her with yips and barks.

Dan chuckled. "They're having fun."

"Yep. So, how's your vacation so far?"

"More relaxing than I had thought. Traipsing around the jungle, tearing down old ruins, watching raptors fight over driftwood…"

"Why do you think I get out of there sometimes?"

"Alpha desires?"

Owen snorted. "I'm not a velociraptor. I don't have animalistic urges."

"Good to know." Carter shot him a look. "How's the head, by the way?"

Owen looked away, his eyes following the progress of the chase, Charlie evading her pack sisters until she was caught unawares by a wave and stumbled. Echo pounced and her jaws closed around the driftwood.

"Shields are up again. I'm good."

"Those four shields?" Carter asked, gesturing at the raptors.

It got him a narrow-eyed look.

"Hey, you gave me enough bits and pieces for me to understand just how important they are to you. It's one of the reasons for the no-kill order, you know? They protect you against what you call the background hum. What you did in that cargo ship, what you did to keep the Sornas from eating you, blew you wide open. I know. I have to know because I'm damn security, Owen. Do you understand?"

He nodded reluctantly. "I'm fine, Dan. Really. I'm not dependent on the pack to keep me sane. I healed all the fractures. All's back to normal."

"I doubt it."

Silence fell.

Then, "Maybe."

"I know the other dinosaurs reacted to your mind reaching out."

Owen shrugged.

"They reacted to your distress."

"I… fractured." When Carter remained silent, Owen took a deep draw from his bottle.

Then he started to explain.

Dan listened silently.

"Who else knows?" he asked after Owen had fallen silent.

His mind was whirling with the implications, with what Owen could apparently do and had done.

"Claire. Annika, as my doctor. Alan. Laurel and Nancy I told a while ago. It might have spread to my friends from them. They won't tell it to whoever they run across. I trust them."

Carter chewed on his lower lip.

"Nancy and Laurel kinda figure out that something happened. The animals had reacted so strongly, it was hard to overlook. They know their animals; both are talented. They knew and they figured it out after word got out that I was in Medical."

"Again."

"Yes, again, thank you, Mr. Carter, for pointing it out."

"You're welcome. So, you're not just the pack's alpha?"

"I'm just the pack's alpha," Owen replied sharply. "Nothing more."

Carter raised both eyebrows. From below came a united bark-bellow, four pairs of eyes on the man on the hill. Dan glanced at the raptors, then nodded at Owen.

"Nothing more. Right. You make a lousy liar, Owen Grady."

On the beach, Charlie had finally gotten brave enough to dare the waves rolling in. She called excitedly as the water washed up to her belly, then squealed when the next one went over her back.

Echo jumped in after her, biting at the seaweed, then spitting it out in disgust.

Owen had to laugh and he shook his head.

"They are how old?" Dan just, shaking his own head.

"They keep discovering new things."

"And still they can switch from playfully fluffy to viciously lethal at the drop of a hat."

Owen nodded. "That's what they are, no matter what else you might think. They are velociraptors and that will never change."

Carter sat on the ground, forearms resting on his drawn-up knees, eyes on the pack. By now all four were playing in the waves, but never too deep to be in danger of getting dragged out into the ocean.

"You were damn lucky," he said softly.

"I know."

In so many ways. Not all of it had been luck, though. Hard work. Pain, sweat, tears. The past years had been a rollercoaster ride, but there had been too many positive moments to only see the negative.

Down below Charlie was pushed into Echo by a wave, then the water washed over them, turning them into a pair very wet raptors.

Dan chuckled and shook his head.

"At least they'll sleep tonight," he quipped.

Owen burst out laughing.

Blue looked at him, happy, relaxed, just like her alpha.

"Wanna go for a dip in the sea?" he teased.

Carter snorted. "I like my life, Grady. If you want to frolic with your girls, go. I won't hold it against you."

Owen grinned. "Nah. Too cold."

The four raptors didn't share his reservations. They were having fun.

x XX JW XX x

They did sleep very well that night, all six of them.

x XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX x

Christmas came and went.

Claire had gone to see her family, taking Zach with her. The theme park had closed early on Christmas Eve and would remain closed on Christmas Day, just like always. Half the employees would be with their families in some way or another. Some had flown in, some had taken a few days off.

Owen had been happily surprised by his parents coming in two days before Christmas. Claire had just given him a wide smile, a hug, then she and Zach had been off just as the Gradys had come off the boat.

Owen's mother had hugged the living daylights out of him, his father had just laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. They would both stay at the Hilton, getting the full pampering program, and Owen would spend as much time with them as he could.

According to Barry, it would be a lot of time. He would take care of the pack should Owen want to be with his parents.

x XX JW XX x

There was a small Christmas party at the Hilton. Small being relative, in Owen's opinion. Guests and employees were invited. There was an open bar, a never-ending buffet, and band played the whole evening.

Owen ate with his parents, then fled the crowds. His mother caught up with him outside as he looked at the dark sky, the stars visible above.

"Still not much of a crowd person," she teased.

"Never will be."

She joined him at the balustrade that ran around the terrace that was the size of a football field. Her eyes were on the jungle and the lights visible throughout the otherwise dark theme park. They snaked along the walkways, illuminated the path of the monorail, and the lagoon was partially glowing with the underwater floodlights that would be switched off at midnight. Here or there the calls of a dinosaur could be heard, but mostly it was silent.

"This is a beautiful place, Owen."

He nodded. He couldn't argue with that.

"You made it yours."

Owen kept his eyes locked on the lights. They had talked so many times in the years since he had gotten the pack, had worked with them, had evolved himself.

"It's my home, Mom," he said quietly.

"I know. We both know. It's something that took a while getting used to, but your father and I understand. Your grandfather would have understood even more. I sometimes wonder what he would have made of this. He would have truly loved it."

That familiar ache was back, that old longing for his grampa to be here, to see what it was like, to help Owen understand it all.

His mother wrapped her hand around his, squeezing it. "Your dad and I might not share in that talent, but I know you, Owen. What you're doing here is what you always wanted, what you were born to do. You have an incredible ability, just like your grandfather and, even more, like your great-aunt Sarah. This is you. We both see it when you are with the raptors. So we understand what your life is."

Owen smiled at her, feeling a knot unwind.

"And if they are the best we can hope for in regards for grandchildren," she teased, trailing of.

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Your friend Claire seems like a nice woman."

"Mom…" Owen sighed. "Claire and I are very good friends. The rest never worked out."

She nodded. "Would they even accept a partner in your life?" she wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, actually. Pack is… it's the bond we share. Everyone else is classified by my relationship to them. Like you. They understand the concept of parents. Or my friends. Or those I allow to work with me, like Zach and Barry."

"A partner would mean a position with the alpha," his mother pointed out. "The alpha's mate and equal."

"And there is only one alpha."

She gave him a long look, then smiled slightly. "You would have to find a talented person to fit into the pack, but no one would open up to bond like you did. Or you would have to find someone with the right energy, an assertiveness that would command their attention without the pack connection."

"I'm not going to post an ad on the park website," he grumbled.

She laughed. "Oh honey, no ad in the world could relay what this really is. Let it happen. There is no rush. You are happy as you are, right?"

"I am."

"Then enjoy that."

He would. Owen knew he was enjoying every day already.

His father found them half an hour later, carrying a tray with three glasses and small snacks.

"There you are! I got us drinks. Non-alcoholic for Owen. And snacks. Those little tartlets are to die for!"

His mom chuckled and took what looked like a colorful cocktail, sipping at it. From her pleased expression it was what she had wanted.

"What are the plans for tomorrow?"

"Sleeping in," she answered, smiling. "Late breakfast. Maybe a little pool and spa time."

His father looked resigned. "Spa."

"Don't give me that, Frank. You enjoy it. I see you enjoying it."

Owen chuckled into his soda. "I'm filling in for some of the guys on holiday."

"You want an assistant?" his father asked hopefully.

"Don't you dare!" his mother intercepted an answer. "This is our family time."

"And Owen's our son, so it's family time, too."

"Uh, no civilians?" Owen tried.

His father rolled his eyes, then pressed a little kiss against his wife's temple. "The spa it is. Everyone's conspiring against me."

"That from the man who asked for the massage price list while we checked in. Everything's included, honey. And I know you marked the ones you want already."

Owen grinned and leaned back against the balustrade.

x XX JW XX x

He came home in the wee hours of the morning. The pack was asleep. He fell into bed, yawning.

It had been a nice evening.

x XX JW XX x

The next morning, Christmas Day, they all met for a late brunch. His mother pushed a small box over the table and smiled at him.

"I know we stopped exchanging gifts a while ago, to give when we see it right and not because of a holiday or commercialized festivities. But I cleaned out the attic and found this."

Owen opened the small box and swallowed. It was his grandfather's old watch. The one that had stopped working so long ago. And a metal booklet the size of a cigarette pack. He opened it and looked at the black and white photo of a woman in her late twenties. She was wearing a hiking outfit, serious gear at her feet, and she was smiling cockily into the camera. Underneath that were more pictures.

One had the young woman in front of a cage. A tiger was sitting behind the bars.

"Great-aunt Sarah," he murmured.

There were also pictures of his grandfather, together with his older sister. Some of his grandmother.

"I had forgotten about the booklet. Your grandfather always carried it with him. I think he would have wanted you to have it."

Owen swallowed and blinked a few times, then met his mother bright eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.

His father straightened, clearly as emotional as everyone, but he was fighting it.

"So!" he announced. "Your mom and I are having the Deluxe Package at the spa today."

"Have fun," Owen grinned. "I'm having my own deluxe package. Dr. Themming and I are doing post-vaccination rounds."

They started to talk about plans, what to do when the park was open again the next day, which attraction to visit.

x XX JW XX x

He was sad to see his parents leave, but it wasn't a bad feeling. He hugged his mom, promising her to call often. His father pulled him into a very manly hug, much to Owen's surprise.

"You're very much like Aunt Sarah, but I'm relieved you won't ever end like her. You're grown, kid. A lot."

His dad gave him a last clap on the shoulder.

Owen nodded, feeling emotions rise. "Have a good flight."

They waved as they walked onto the ferry. As the ferry left, Owen went to his bike and gunned the engine, going off into the jungle.

Blue's presence increased, hugging him, soothing his spiking emotions. Owen sometimes wished he could just fly out to see his parents, but that was not his life.

Because of us, Blue murmured.

He stopped and wasn't surprised when they were there, all four of them. Blue pushed her nose against his neck, breathing warmly.

"I won't leave you guys. Every. We're pack and I'm your alpha. I need you, girls. All of you."

They hummed and chattered softly, closing rank around him physically as well as mentally.

Owen closed his eyes, let himself relax, and he smiled.

"C'mon," he murmured after a while. "Got a full schedule today."

Blue barked her agreement and the rest echoed it.

Owen sent them off ahead and followed on his bike, taking the roads away from the official park area, a familiar sight to the troopers and employees he encountered.

This was his life. Ups and down, good times and bad times. He protected this… them.

And should a poacher come back here or to Sorna ever again, he would hunt them down.

The pack echoed his thoughts viciously, fiercely, with one voice.

He smiled.

x XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX xx XX JW XX x
Fin!

Yes, it's finally over!

I might write a few smaller fics, but right now my brain and my fingers need some recovery time. I wrote two monster fics within just a few months. My normal fic size is about one fifth of this one. Phew!

I hope you enjoyed the ride! If anyone wants to write in this universe, let me know. You'ere very welcome, just credit me and these two fics.

Thank you for coming on this ride with me! I had a lot of fun! Your reviews made my day!