BONES             !
CHAPTER ONE
THE     FLIGHT

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You weren't used to flying, no matter how much you had to do it for seminars and research. Though, much like you did at those long-haul lecture days and award ceremonies; you looked forward to seeing both Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Grant - - who helped to keep you company better than anyone else you'd worked with, or adjacent to.

You knew both of them in a professional capacity, of course. Archeology encompassed all of your fields in some way; whether it was paleontology, botany, or anthropology (and later genetics) respectively. You mainly worked on your theories about human life, human bones, and sometimes branched into DNA research and cloning - - how it applied in the real world, and the capabilities of DNA splicing and cloning in living organisms. This was how you had gained most of your notoriety in the scientific community, and it was what you had your second PhD in.

Hammond had taken a keen interest in that particular research almost immediately, and it was safe to say that you didn't mind sharing it when he promised to fund majority of your upcoming research projects for as long as you needed. Now that he had followed up with you years later, it was starting to dawn on you just how far the entire situation had gone.

You hadn't actually expected anything quite like this to happen when the old man had approached you fresh out of writing your second doctorate. He never quite divulged what he needed it for. The concept of actually bringing your theories and science to new stages... to real life? It terrified you.

Your trepidation and anxiety couldn't help but build into a slight excitement once you were onboard the vehicle, dumping your satchel by the foot of your seat as you saw Ellie, and Alan sitting beside her.

"You look amazing!" The blonde exclaimed, blue eyes gleaming with electricity, "Did you cut your hair?" She asked animatedly as you hugged, and you shared a look with Alan over her shoulder as you told her you had, actually (him rolling his eyes at her, despite his obvious fondness).

"Long time no see," The man greeted, with a long, warm hug that you felt was so him.

Though you were frightened to face everything, you were also beyond happy to see their familiar faces after the time you'd had apart. You were those types of friends; you didn't see each other all the time, but were damn happy to when you did. Every now and again you'd receive a congratulatory card for a paper you published, or you'd send flowers when their newest grant was put through. When you had boring parties at seminars, they were there with good company. And when you had the chance, you always visited. In some small way, they were always consistently there throughout your academic career; as respected colleagues, but also really good friends by your standards.

Once you'd settled, Hammond took his cue to greet you, and introduce you to the two other men across from you - - clearly ecstatic, red in the face with anticipation with what he had to show you. You knew he had been working on this for years. Though still, you couldn't fathom what him and his team had accomplished in that time.

First, he introduced you to his lawyer, Gennaro. You looked over to him with a friendly smile, waving slightly at him despite his nervous demeanour - - his briefcase pressed to his chest as he nodded at you in acknowledgement. He clearly wasn't a good flier, and you didn't envy the nausea he'd no doubt have from your flight. You only hoped you'd fair slightly better, with the building ball of anxiety in your stomach.

Then, he gestured to the man on his other side, and in front of you.

"This... is Dr. Ian Malcolm," Hammond informed, his other hand tightening around the amber topped walking stick he held. It didn't take a social genius to read the millionare's face; and you could tell he didn't care for the Doctor.

The man seemed like he didn't seem to mind one bit, though - - his lips settling into a grin as your eyes met his decidedly warm ones for the first time. He didn't look like many scientists you knew; laid-back in his position across from you, legs slightly extended as he relaxed - - and without a doubt was devilishly handsome, with shoulder-length, dark hair, and an air to him that you couldn't place yet. He was clad in all black, wearing a leather jacket over his broad shoulders, and shades that obscured his gaze. Though you certainly knew he was watching you underneath them, those dark eyes flickering over you as he took you in with little care for who caught him; his plump lips parting to great you in something akin to a purr.

"Lovely to meet you," He told you candidly, tilting his head at the way you had subconsciously flushed underneath his stare. His smile remained, chest twitching with a strange feeling that made him feel like he couldn't look away from you if he tried. Though why would he want to, when your vision flickered away from him at his words, bashful by their cadence, and how pleasantly surprised you were by the sound of his voice. He thought that you were absolutely beautiful.

During take off, and the majority of your trip, you quietly spoke with Ellie and Alan about their latest dig in Yellowstone, while Dr. Malcolm humored Hammond by listening to some general information about the park. You were originally supposed to stop by their dig, because you were excavating your own land not a couple of towns away. That was, until Hammond had whisked all of you away, and the bones didn't seem to matter anymore.

This was going to be flesh. Living, breathing creatures that you would be able to see and hear. You weren't sure if either of them knew that he'd actually succeeded in it, and the weight of that knowledge seemed to weigh on your shoulders in a way you hadn't expected it to. Like they didn't know what they were getting into.

When the pilot informed Hammond that you'd all be approaching soon, the conversation you were having seemed to dissolve into a silence for a few moments. Perhaps surprised that it was all becoming very real in the matter of hours since you'd taken flight. Your foot began to bounce up and down in anticipation, and unbeknownst to you - - yet the choatician watched the way your body moved with excess energy, your bottom lip drawing between your teeth as you were lost in thought. Your hand reaching out to play with the cuff of your shorts subconsciously, slender fingers dipping beneath the material in a way he noted unintentionally.

Despite the way he admired you, the nervous energy didn't exactly sit well with someone like Ian (forgive him for not wanting to see your eyebrows furrowing into a slight frown). He allowed his attention to adjust to your two counterparts for a moment, deciding not to address you directly in conversation, as you seemed slightly anxious.

"So you two, um, uh, dig up - - dig up dinosaurs?" He asked, a blazing smile drawn to his lips - - which you immediately caught a glimpse of when you looked up at the sound of his voice. He had a nice smile, and an even nicer tone to the way he spoke. Alongside that, was his strange rythmn when he talked. Not in a bad way, no. Not at all.

His chest filled with a warm hum when he heard you laugh for the first time. Slipping past your lips effortlessly in a way that made him steal a glance in your direction to observe the genuine humour in your eyes. It wasn't particularly loud, and he didn't think you actually found it that funny. But he thought he could listen to that forever, and he wasn't too sure why.

Ellie chuckled slightly at the way he worded it; but nevertheless, it was a question she'd heard variations of for her whole life. "Well. . ." She started, though not quite knowing how to finish.

"We try to. . ." Alan supplemented, his face cracking into a behrudging smile.

Ian laughed heartedly at the other man's reply, his grin crinkling the sides of his doey brown eyes that you could barely make out from beneath his dark frames. The gum he was chewing seemed to punctuate his languid nature, his laugh rolling from deep inside his chest in a style that was so unique to him. You found yourself thinking about how immediately enraptured by him you felt. The way he held himself, and the way he acted was so different to anyone you'd found yourself around prior to then. His energy was something that immediately felt dangerous; like you'd get sucked into his orbit quicker than you'd care to admit.

"You'll have to get used to Dr. Malcolm," Hammond commented to the rest of you, and once again you could tell they had a history you didn't know about quite yet, "He suffers from a deplorable excess of personality, especially for a mathematician."

Ian held up a finger slightly in interruption, and you noted the rings adorning his hands, "Chaotician! Chaotician, actually," He corrected, though he still held a lightness to his tone, "John doesn't subscribe to chaos, particularly what I had to say about his little science project."

You raised an eyebrow, watching as Hammond only seemed to become more peeved with the Doctor.

"Codswallup Ian! You've never been able to sufficiently explain your concerns- -"

Ian let out a borderline astonished laugh as he spoke, "Oh, ho, John, John, because of the behavioural system in phase space?" He spoke like any of the people in the helicopter knew what he was talking about on some level. You knew was it meant very basically, but you also knew that it wasn't something that Hammond was likely to subscribe to. He was too ambitious, and too optimistic for any of it to apply to him.

"A load if I may say so, of fashionable number crunching- -" He seemed to wave away the other man's argument, and part of you knew that it must have been denial.

The Doctor tried to reach out to touch Hammond's knee, but he immediately flinched in surprise, slapping it away, "Don't, dont! I do wish you wouldn't do that."

Nonsurplused by his short conversation with the man beside him, Ian instead turned his words back to the paleontologist and paleobotanist with a sudden curiosity (and perhaps hope for understanding), "Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, You've heard of chaos theory?"

"No," Ellie admitted, shrugging her shoulders in reply. It wasn't really a field that concerned, or interested her. Alan shook his head, much the same.

"No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractors?" His voice seemed to drop off at the end of his sentence, and you watched the way his eyes flickered over to you, the corner of his lips hiding a self-satisfied grin that was beginning to already become a signature look on him. Yet it was so attractive; infruriatingly so. Your heart leaped to your throat at his attention on you again.

"Dr. (L/N), I-I refuse to believe that you aren't familiar with the concept of attraction. . ." He teased, gaze once again falling over your body in a study of your demeanour. Landing back on your cheeks, which settled in the prettiest pink, and then your eyes - - blinking with flattered surprise at his blatant flirting.

His lips only spread wider when you had to look away slightly to hide the smile on your face, shaking your head as you felt the butterflies ebb in your stomach. Ellie laughed in disbelief at his words, and Alan scoffed.

Gathering up the courage to answer him anyways, despite how flustered you got, you met his vision with your own as you spoke: "I have to admit, I only know the basics of chaos theory. I've always wanted to learn more." It was true; it was something that you had to know conceptually in your field, but was never something you'd had enough time to properly pursue/study in general. You didn't know quite why; but you thought it suited the man across from you in a strange way. Moreso than any other science you could think of.

"I could teach you, any day," Ian offered, honestly; the sincerity and toying both clear in equal parts as he watched the way you once again stifled a humoured smile, shifting in your seat. Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you felt yourself become warm. Face perfectly hued, in his opinion.

"Hm!" Hammond grunted, turning to his lawyer with a growing frown, "I bring the scientists, you bring a rock star."

Gennaro almost looked guilty, "Uh. . ."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE!

okay okay so.... your honour, ilove him <3 my beloved <33 i was writing chapter 2 and i realized i could do so much better on this one so i rewrote it tee hee :)) anyways ily guys thanks for all the attention on this!! im glad im not the only one loving him on the dl and being starved for content lmao <33

- b.