Daryl hadn't stopped staring at the bloodied gloves on his hands, even when the infant velociraptor was taken away for an examination. Liz watched him, exchanging glances with his brother. There was no doubt in her mind that he was completely shell-shocked. Hell, she'd been as well when she got her first glimpse of a prehistoric animal her first day on the job. She pulled the gloves off her hands and tossed them into a nearby biohazard bin.

"Daryl?" she asked. "Ya all right?" Her tone was light, and Daryl blinked and looked up from his hands.

"Y-Yeah, just a little…" He was at a loss for words, but Liz just smiled easily.

"It's normal. I was the same way on my first day. C'mon, take those gloves off. The tour's gonna start in about thirty minutes. I can walk ya there." Daryl yanked the rubber gloves off and Liz disposed of them for him.

Merle broke off from them outside the hatchery, bidding them goodbye and to have fun. Side by side, Liz and Daryl headed to the stairwell and returned to the main lobby. Inside, Liz veered off to the left, down another dimly-lit corridor again lined with articles, awards, and fossils. A set of wide, double doors waited for them at the end of the hall.

"Okay, so the tour will take place in there. I've got some last-minute prep to do, but you can go in and take your seat. The show will start soon. See ya later." She smiled at him and left him at the double doors.

Swallowing, Daryl pulled open one of the doors and went inside. It was, again, dimly lit, and it was set up like a movie theater. Rows of seating curled around a single, large screen at the back. A short platform was in front of the screen, no doubt where Liz would be giving her presentation.

A few people were already seated—two families of three, two blonde women, an African American woman, and an African American man, who were seated together. Daryl picked a seat closer to the front, a few seats over from one of the families. A man close to his age glanced over at him with a smile and a nod. Beside him, his dark-haired wife conversed in quiet, excited tones with their son.

Daryl settled into the seat and waited. More people began to file in and find seats. He ended up between a middle-aged man and a teenager in the fourth row. Finally, the lights dimmed until the theater was completely dark. A spotlight faded in on the stage, and an elderly man walked out with a walking stick. Daryl could see from his seat that the walking stick was topped with some kind of copper stone. The man's hair had gone completely white, and he wore an equally white, expensive suit.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman," said the man in an accent Daryl didn't recognize. "And welcome to Jurassic Park." A small bout of applause broke out in the theater.

"My name is John Hammond, and I am the owner of Jurassic Park and the founder of InGen." Daryl tuned out as Hammond went on about his history, and then the screen behind him flickered on, and another John Hammond stepped into the frame.

"Hello John," said the televised Hammond.

"Hello! And how are you?"

"Fine, fine, I guess. But how did I get here?"

"Well, John," the real Hammond said, "let me show you. First, I'll need a drop of blood. Your blood." Hammond reached over to the screen as televised Hammond held out his hand. Real Hammond pricked his finger with an imaginary needle.

"Ow! John that hurt," whined televised Hammond.

"Relax, John," retorted real Hammond, "it's all part of the miracle of cloning." Suddenly, a second televised Hammond stepped out from behind the first, followed by another and another, until the screen was lined with Hammonds.

Then a cartoony little character zoomed onto the screen and "tapped" real Hammond on the shoulder.

"What? What? Oh, Mr. DNA, where did you come from?"

"From your blood!" the cartoon said. "Just one drop of blood contains billions of strands of DNA—the building blocks of life. A DNA strand, like me, is a blueprint for creating a living thing." The cartoon DNA strand morphed into a row of blocks and then into a dinosaur before reverting back to his original form. "And sometimes, animals that went extinct millions of years ago, like dinosaurs, left their blueprints behind for us to find. We just had to know where to look."

Daryl watched as a cartoon mosquito zoomed onto the screen, and Mr. DNA kept talking, "One hundred million years ago, there were mosquitos, just like today, and just like today, they fed on the blood of animals, even dinosaurs. Sometimes, after biting a dinosaur, the mosquito would land on the branch of a tree and get stuck in the sap. After a long time, the tree sap would get hard and become fossilized, just like a dinosaur bone, preserving the mosquito inside." Daryl didn't miss the little twirl real Hammond gave his walking stick, and the stone on top reflected off the dim lights.

"This fossilized tree sap, which we call amber, waited for millions of years with the mosquito inside, until our Jurassic Park scientists came along. Using sophisticated techniques, they extract the preserved blood and, bingo, dino DNA!" Daryl didn't understand the machines moving across the screen, but their process for retrieving sixty-five-million-year-old dinosaur blood was pretty damn smart as far as he was concerned.

Mr. DNA soon bid them goodbye, and the bars in front of the rows of seats came down, reminding Daryl of a roller coaster he rode once. He looked around him, seeing the same confused expressions on the other guests' faces. His head snapped back to the dais when Hammond introduced Liz for the next part of the presentation. She stepped out in her cargo pants and baseball cap, waving and smiling brightly at the crowd. Her eyes found Daryl and she sent him a quick wink.

"Welcome to Jurassic Park, everyone!" she called. "My name is Dr. Liz Morley. I'm the director of animal research and husbandry here at the park. I've been here for three years. Before I worked here, I studied marine mammals as a marine biologist. I've been across the world, studying sea lions, whales, dolphins, you name it. When Mr. Hammond called me up three years ago and offered me the job of a lifetime, I knew I couldn't pass it up. So he flew me out here to observe the park before it opened, and I was amazed by what he had created here. My job here is to study the behavior of the animals we have grown, as well as care for the newborns." A pretty smile took over her face, and the whole row of seats started to move.

"Now, the first place we're going to see on this tour is the hatchery. This is only a small facility inside this building. We have a second, much larger hatchery in the building behind the hotel. Here, you can see Jurassic Park scientists observing the eggs as they prepare to hatch. Question?" She pointed to someone sitting behind Daryl.

"How do you get the eggs? Don't the dinosaurs protect the nest?" one of the blonde women asked. Liz smiled.

"That's a very good question. I'll start off this next bit by saying that all dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are incapable of breeding on their own—they're all female. We've engineered them that way. Every organism on earth starts out as a female, with two X chromosomes. At a certain point in development, they require a Y chromosome in order to make them male. Our engineers have discovered a way to prevent this development, causing all of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to be born female. Not only is it easier to control their chromosomes, but female dinosaurs are much more even-tempered than males. Heightened testosterone in males, especially during breeding season, can often make them extremely aggressive, and for the animals with which we have direct contact, it creates a very dangerous situation for all involved."

Another hand went up, this one from the brunette sitting a few seats down from Daryl. "You said 'direct contact'. Does that mean your people regularly go out and…mingle with the dinosaurs?"

"We avoid contact as much as we can, but in certain situations it is required for us to be in close proximity. Right now, I am studying the maternal instincts of every dinosaur on this island by introducing infants to already matured adults. Most of them seem to "adopt" the infants and care for them as their own. I notice this occurs almost exclusively with the herbivores. Unfortunately, every carnivore infant we attempt to assimilate does not survive very long. This "adoption" process requires me to get in close proximity to our herbivores, most of which have very docile natures."

"How many dinosaurs are on the island?" asked the boy sitting beside the brunette. Liz smiled wide.

"We have twenty species of dinosaurs on this island—sixteen herbivores and four carnivores. Ah, as you can see on the screen, we are about to have a new arrival to Jurassic Park." Sure enough, on the screen, another egg was hatching in real time. The camera zoomed in as the first crack in the egg caused a communal gasp to reverberate in the theater.

Daryl watched, for the second time that day, as another baby dinosaur made its first appearance. His eyes flickered to Liz on their own accord. She was watching the screen with the same awe he felt earlier. A dreamy smile curved her mouth and Daryl felt a corner of his quirk upwards. There was no doubt in his mind that she loved her job.

"Everyone, meet our newest baby dinosaur!" she said as the infant finally broke through the egg. It was a strange looking dinosaur with a smooth, round dome. Its skin was brownish grey patterned with a deep red. "This is a Pachycephalosaurus, one of our more aggressive herbivores. This species lived during the late Cretaceous period. That domed skull you see is its primary defense mechanism. That dome, once the animal has matured, can be up to nine inches thick. Our research has shown that the Pachys engage in a sort of head-butting ritual, similar to bighorn sheep during mating season. The infant will now be taken to our park veterinarian for examination. We examine every newborn dinosaur on the island, and our adult animals routinely get checked out as well."

"How do you examine the T-Rex?" asked the same boy from earlier. His eyes were wide with excitement and he was all but bouncing in his seat.

Liz chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Good question. Because of the Tyrannosaur's massive size and even bigger attitude problem, we have to exert extreme caution when tranquilizing her. We use a helicopter and a giant needle in order to pierce her skin. Our vet then travels out to her enclosure and examines her there, rather than trying to airlift her to his station. Not to mention, our Rex is far too big for us to examine her so close to the buildings. We've constructed a very large scale, similar to those used at SeaWorld, so that we can accurately take her weight. Our vet is in and out of there hours before she even wakes up and knows we were there."

"Can we see her?" piped the little girl with the second family. Her father beside her looked far less interested, and her mother, a woman with short-cropped grey hair, smiled endearingly down at her. Liz smiled again.

"You can. We have cameras in every enclosure on the island to better monitor our animals. A few clicks of a button and…there." More gasps and surprised cries echoed from the crowd as the screen flipped to a camera inside the Tyrannosaur's habitat. Trees surrounded the screen and the camera lens was focused on a clearing in the middle.

There, to Daryl's utmost shock and horror, was the Tyrannosaur. She was curled up in the middle of the clearing, napping. Daryl felt himself leaning forward in his seat, and he wasn't the only one. His eyes roamed over her massive body, starting with the gargantuan head. Her small eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. Her skin was greyish-green and brown, and the muscles beneath it twitched periodically. Her muscled legs were curled beneath her, and Daryl guessed they were the size of tree trunks. Long, sharp talons tipped each toe. Daryl expelled his breath heavily and felt a small twinge of fear in his veins.

Beside him, the family of three grasped at each other's hands, but the little boy leaned forward too, an excited and awestruck smile on his face. Liz's eyes scanned the darkened crowd, taking in the looks of hesitation, shock, horror, and fear on every one of their faces.

"They…they can't get out, right?" asked the timid woman with the short hair.

Liz smiled compassionately. "Our engineers and construction crew have taken extreme measures to ensure the safety of both our guests and our animals. Each enclosure is surrounded by electric fences, reinforced steel, and hundred-foot drops between each observation area and the enclosure itself. Each fence is charged with 20,000 volts, preventing anything—human or dinosaur—from breaking through. Our tour vehicles are also armored, and each contains an emergency kit in case it is needed. Inside each case are sixteen flares, a flashlight, and a loaded, high-powered rifle. Here at Jurassic Park, we pride ourselves on our intense attention to safety. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

"When do we get to see them?" asked the little boy again.

"Tomorrow, your tour of the park will begin. Unfortunately, I won't be joining you, but we have a wonderful guide system that will tell you everything you want to know about each exhibit. Now, I believe this concludes our presentation for now. Dinner will be served at six, so you're all welcome to head back to your rooms or explore the building. See you all later!"

Applause broke out in the theater, and Daryl joined in, clapping much slower than everyone else. His mind was still reeling and he felt as if he were teetering on the edge of a panic attack. As everyone exited the theater, Daryl remained, allowing himself a few moments of silence. Liz remained behind as well, and she smiled softly at him as she approached.

"Hey," she murmured. She recognized the look on his face immediately. Dropping into the chair beside him, she crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. "So, what'd ya think?"

Daryl didn't answer for a while. "It's…unbelievable. It don't seem real."

"Yeah, it takes a while to set in. I imagine you're probably feeling pretty shell-shocked after seeing this and handling a newborn Velociraptor." He nodded wordlessly. "Ya know, I found that a nice tall glass of whiskey helped soothe my nerves after my first day here. Can I buy ya a drink?"

Daryl looked over at her. She was watching him with a patient smile on her face. He nodded again, and the smile widened. Daryl felt his lips quirk. She nudged him and stood from her seat, waiting while he did the same, only a lot slower. His knees were wobbly but he cleared his throat and hid it as they left the theater together.

They walked into the hotel and Liz made a beeline for the bar, picking two seats and settling into one of them. She pulled her hat off her head as Daryl sat down next to her.

"Two whiskeys, Paul," she said to the portly bartender. Then, as an afterthought, she said, "Make them doubles." Daryl's eyes remained fixed on the granite top of the bar, mind still spinning. When the whiskey was set down in front of him, he didn't hesitate to lift the glass and toss it back with an expert flick of his wrist. He lifted his hand for another.

Liz sipped at hers more slowly, watching him. "So, Merle tells me you run your own garage."

Daryl nodded and she watched as the second shot of whiskey disappeared just as fast as the first. "Used to apprentice there for years, and when the original owner died, I didn't even have to think on it. Bought it outright then and there, the day before the funeral. Man was like a father to me."

Liz nodded in understanding. "Merle mentioned you guys didn't have too much of a father figure."

"Nah," he replied with a shake of his head. "Always drinkin', went on week-long benders with different women. Mom died when I was young, so it was just Merle and me for the most part. Merle got in a lot o' trouble 'fore he took this gig. Drugs, booze, women. Did a few stints in juvie but no hard time."

"Merle fits in well here," Liz agreed. "I think the power goes to his head a bit, but he does well. He knows his job. He's a good man."

"What about you?" Daryl found himself asking. He nursed a third glass of whiskey, but this time, he took small sips to make it last. The first two shots calmed his shot nerves—mostly.

"Well, like I said in the presentation, I started here three years ago and took over the husbandry department. Only after I knew what I was dealing with did I decide to take up researching them, studying their behavior. These animals have been extinct for millions of years, and all of a sudden, there they are, waiting for us to observe them."

Daryl smiled softly at the passion in her voice. "Ya have a favorite?"

Liz grinned. "I've always been a carnivore-lover. The Tyrannosaurus is probably my number one, followed by the Velociraptors. They're fierce, but aside from humans, they're the most intelligent animals on the planet. They have different vocalizations for different purposes, kind of like whales and dolphins. Chirping, growling, chuffing, I've been able to record them all, and in observing their behaviors, I've been able to determine what they're feeling—all by the sounds they make."

"That's…incredible," Daryl said honestly. "Have to admit, I never really was a dinosaur kid. Never had a video player or anythin'. Spent most o' my time outdoors."

"To be honest, I never really was either. Of course, I'd read some books on them and seen a couple movies, but I was never their biggest fan. I felt more passionate about marine life, mammals specifically. I studied out in the Pacific following pods of orca, observing their hunting strategies."

"Sounds like ya got out a lot." Daryl could only wish he'd had the same opportunities. "How's ya family feel about ya working with extinct animals?"

Liz shrugged. "They don't know exactly what I work with, only that I work at some kind of preserve. I thought telling them might force them to call up the closest asylum. Somehow, I didn't think, "Hey mom, dad, guess what? I work with dinosaurs!" was going to go over so well. Plus, if they knew half about the carnivores here that I do, I know they'd make me come home."

"How old are ya?"

"Almost thirty. I had a close relationship with my parents, even after they divorced, and they stayed friends as well. It got kind of weird being around both of them with their new significant others, but I got used to it."

"Ya got lucky." Daryl's tone was envious, and Liz frowned.

"Yeah, guess I did. Anyway, are you excited to see the park tomorrow?"

Daryl shrugged one shoulder. "Yes and no. After today, I almost wish I'd been left in the dark about what's been goin' on in this science world."

Liz laughed, and Daryl found himself liking the sound. "Oh, come on. We've made a breakthrough in genetic engineering. We get to study formerly extinct organisms and can gather way more information than fossils can ever give us. We can learn their behaviors, their habits, their personalities! You can't say that isn't at least a little exciting."

The sparkle in her eyes as she spoke floored him, and he was unable to look away from her bright blue eyes. Almost involuntarily, he nodded.

"It is pretty cool seein' them in real life," he admitted, much to Liz's delight. A wide smile split her face, and she turned to finish her drink.

"Want another?" she asked, sliding the glass across the counter. Daryl shook his head and downed the rest of his.

"Nah, three's enough. Think I'm gonna head up and nap 'fore dinner." They hopped off the stools and Daryl looked down at her. "Will I see ya there?"

He felt a small swell of pride when she blushed. "Yeah, I'll be there. There's some people I want you to meet. Gotta make sure you get the full Jurassic Park experience." She winked at him and Daryl's stomach flipped.

"I'll see ya later then," he said to her with a smirk. She grinned again and nodded, and they parted ways at the elevator. Daryl watched her walk away, admiring the view, before pressing the button to the elevator.

At six, Daryl had just woken up from his nap feeling well rested. The mattress was comfortable, and part of him wanted to skip dinner so he could enjoy it a little more. But his stomach growling, paired with the desire to see Liz again, pulled him from the bed. He changed his shirt, as he'd wrinkled his t-shirt, and even sprayed a little of the complimentary cologne the hotel had left in the bathroom. He swept his hair out of his face and splashed it with water to get rid of the sleepiness. Then, he made sure he had his room key and left to head down to the dining hall.

It was packed when he walked in, and waiters in black and white outfits flitted from table to table, dropping plates of salad in front of the guests. He searched for a familiar head of auburn hair, and he found it in the corner. Liz had stood up and was waving him over. As he approached, he took her in. She let her hair down, and it fell around her shoulders. She put on a pair of figure-fitting jeans and paired them with a dressy blouse and black boots. She looked damn good, but Daryl averted his eyes to her face when he approached her side.

"Daryl! Hi! I'd like you to meet doctors Edwin Jenner and Henry Wu. They're the masterminds behind Jurassic Park." The two doctors sitting at the table rose to shake Daryl's hand. "Doctors, this is Merle's younger brother, Daryl."

"Pleasure to meet you, Daryl," said Wu with a kind smile. Jenner was slightly more reserved in his introduction, but he smiled kindly nonetheless.

"Merle here?" he asked as he took a seat between Liz and Dr. Wu. He scanned the heads in the dining hall as an appetizer salad was placed in front of him.

"I don't think so," Liz replied. "I think he's still up in surveillance. Something about a malfunctioning camera. He might be down later, though."

Daryl picked at his salad; he was used to venison and steak. He hadn't touched a salad in…ever, if he'd had to guess. Liz was halfway through hers when she spoke next.

"Dr. Wu and Dr. Jenner were the first scientists at Jurassic Park. They're the ones who discovered dinosaur blood in mosquitos and found a way to extract it. Of course, sometimes the DNA strands were incomplete, so they had to fill the gaps in. They used DNA from frogs mostly," she explained as their salad plates were taken away.

Their entrée was some kind of fish with a vegetable. It smelled exotic to Daryl, but it tasted pretty good. He shoveled some of the vegetables in his mouth and washed them down with the wine that had been served in front of him. He wasn't typically a wine guy; if anything, he preferred beer or even homemade moonshine. But he doubted they had any shine or anything other than foreign beer, so he settled for a glass of red.

"What is it that you do, Daryl?" Dr. Wu asked kindly. He ate daintily, and Daryl swallowed before speaking.

"I run a garage." Dr. Wu raised his eyebrows in interest, and Daryl had to wonder if it was honest or if he was just being nice.

Dinner went by smoothly; Dr. Wu engaged Daryl in conversation the entire time, to both his and Liz's happiness. Dr. Wu seemed legitimately interested in the younger Dixon's life.

"Well, if it ain't Dr. Lizzie," came a gruff voice behind them. Beside him, he felt Liz tense, and he turned to see the cause. A tall, burly man with close-cropped dark hair stood leering down at them, eying Daryl in particular. "You must be Dixon's brother."

"Daryl, this is Shane. He's the head of the Animal Control Unit." Liz's tone was clipped, and she kept her eyes trained on the wine in her glass. Daryl's eyes narrowed at Shane and the way he was leering down at Liz. He didn't like this man one bit.

"Nice ta meet ya," Daryl tried, holding out a hand. Shane merely glared at it before setting his hands on his hips and returning his attention to Liz. She hadn't moved a muscle, and Daryl itched to set a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Lizzie, weren't we s'posed to have that talk earlier?" he asked gruffly. Daryl glanced curiously between the two of them.

Liz sighed through her nose. "I got caught up today, Shane," she offered dismissively, sipping her wine. "Maybe some other time."

"Maybe like, now? There's some shit I gotta clear up, if you'd be so kind to oblige me." Shane's eyes had narrowed to slits.

"No, I don't think I will. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to return to my dinner. Goodbye, Shane." Daryl felt a small beat of triumph as Shane scoffed and turned on his military combat boots and stomped away.

"Well, he was nice," he muttered sarcastically. Beside him, Liz snorted and relaxed.

"Shane's a gorilla, in body and in personality. He's also my ex." Daryl froze momentarily. She met his eyes over her wine glass and Daryl followed Shane's path again.

"Seems like a real winner. What'd he wanna chat about anyway? If ya don't mind my askin'."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Says he wants closure for our relationship. Whatever that means. Thought my breaking things off with him for his temper was closure enough."

"He ever hit ya?" An unspoken threat laced Daryl's tone, and he watched for signs of abuse in Liz's face. But she shook her head, and there was no sign of a lie anywhere on her face or in her eyes.

"No. I would've never given him the chance. I've dated guys like him before. Guess I just have a weak spot for muscled bad boys." She rolled her eyes again and Daryl hummed. "What about you? You got a girlfriend back home?" Daryl choked on air and nearly laughed out loud. Him? A girlfriend?

"Nah." A tiny gleam sparkled in Liz's eye and Daryl's stomach fluttered as she mimicked his hum.

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Just ain't found a girl worth my time yet." But that may have changed. He mentally slapped himself. He cleared his throat. "How'd ya get mixed up with King Kong anyways?"

Liz laughed as her wine was refilled. "Met him my first year here. We had a problem with one of the Ankylosaurs and both of us were the responding units. He was charming back then, and we went out for dinner that night. Started dating officially a few weeks later. He was sweet, brought me flowers, let me chat his ear off about the animals. We were together up until a few months ago; one day things just changed. His temper got shorter and shorter and I was nearly walking on eggshells around him. He hated hearing about the observations I made about the dinosaurs when he used to live for it. I'm not sure what happened, but when he smashed a vase during one of our particularly nastier arguments, I knew I couldn't stay with him. I broke up with him that night, told him to stay away from me."

"So why'd he say ya had to have a chat?" Daryl asked with narrowed eyes.

Liz cleared her throat and glanced at her lap. "He told me he had some things he wanted to tell me, to explain for his sudden change in attitude. Told him I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and that he could have ten minutes of my time. Never got around to it, I guess. I probably didn't help things by avoiding him at all costs. Told myself I didn't care why he changed, just that he had, and our relationship suffered because of it."

"Sorry," was all Daryl could think to say. She shrugged, and her face relaxed.

"I'm over it."

"Don't seem like he is." Liz glanced over his shoulder where Shane had stormed off.

"I don't care. Let's talk about something else, huh?"

Daryl obliged, and they delved into stories of their childhoods. Daryl steered clear of his father's penchant for violence when he was drinking, but he told her the story of the time he'd gotten lost for nine days. Merle was in juvie, his dad was on a bender with some waitress, and neither of them knew he was gone. He told her how he'd accidentally wiped his ass with poison oak and spent the next week with an itchy ass. She'd laughed so hard her face had turned red and tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. He found himself laughing along at the memory, but he was blushing that she was laughing at his expense.

They stayed in the dining hall until nearly everyone had cleared out, nursing glasses of wine. They avoided any more relationship or dinosaur discussions, choosing instead to play Twenty Questions. He hadn't played since he was a kid, but he found he didn't mind her asking him all kinds of questions, from his favorite color to who his favorite Marvel superhero was.

When she started yawning, they stood up from the table and he offered to talk her back to her apartment. She smiled and shook her head.

"It's in the operations building. Doesn't make sense for you to walk all the way there and then all the way back. But thank you for the offer." The way she smiled at him made his mouth go dry. "I hope you enjoy the tour tomorrow, Daryl. You're in for something special."

Damn right I am.

He merely nodded and muttered a goodnight before turning on his heel and heading for the elevator. Liz watched him go with a shy smile; she'd thoroughly enjoyed her evening with him, having learned way more about the younger Dixon than Merle let her in on. For one thing, he was similar to his brother in the way he was a hard worker. He went after what he wanted with determination and fearlessness. She supposed she had been the same way, making phone call after phone call to aquariums, zoos, marine labs, anywhere she could find to get them to hire her.

She walked alone out of the hotel and across the way to the operations building. Her shoulders were sore from the day and she could use a long shower. She ran a hand through her hair and flashed her card key, took the stairs two at a time to the employee apartments.

She flicked a light on, throwing the room in a yellowy glow. Her one-bedroom apartment had come fully furnished in pretty neutral tones. The walls were sage green, and the furniture was cream. When she first moved in, she'd made a note to never drink red wine on her sofa. First things first, she threw on an old vinyl record and stepped into her bathroom. It was decorated in a beach theme, with sandy brown marble tiles and blue-grey walls. She set a clean towel on the closed toilet lid and stripped out of her dinner clothes, leaving them in a heap on the tile. She flicked a switch on the wall, turning on the heated floor. She allowed the water to heat up for a while before stepping under the spray.

When she was clean, she threw on a pair of loose shorts and a t-shirt before settling under her covers with her notebook. While she intended to jot down her observations regarding the Tyrannosaur earlier today, she instead found herself remembering back to her dinner conversation with Daryl. A wistful smile made its way onto her face when she thought back to the sound of his laugh, and the way he never really fully smiled with his lips, but his blue eyes lit up and gave everything away.

Shaking herself, she turned her attention back to her notebook to get her Tyrannosaur observations onto the page before she got too caught up in blue eyes and forgot it all.

Thoughts?