A/N: Dedicated to Atieno, a very special person, who has supported my fanfics since she first discovered them. I know you have wanted to read a detailed, in-depth approach of this scene, so... here it is 3

Your support means a lot. I hope you like it! :3

Surviving is more complex than what it is given credit for. Perhaps, managing to survive makes the world see you as a champion, immortal, and a warrior...however, the dark reality is that it transforms you, it makes you question every choice you've ever taken, appreciate things you have taken for granted and — unlike believed, there's nothing about feeling immortal on the matter. If anything, it makes you taste human mortality and how bitter it is. It makes you realize that you may die at any moment, because that's how powerless we truly are in the universe; it doesn't matter how much we demand to have control of our lives, go along on our own terms... we are always one breath away from having everything stopped and be taken away.

Death, the more intimate you become with it.. the less scary it gets. It's human nature to get comfortable around something after we get to know it pretty well. Cheating death doesn't really give you balls of steel, but your mind becomes familiar with the feelings triggered by it. There would be a point in your life when you'd know what to expect and once it finally happens you'd be mentally prepared.

Standing in front of death; cornered against the wall, it breaks and transforms you. It shatters everything you once were and transforms you into a new person, one you never thought you'd become — you could call it evolve.

Each time Claire Dearing was forced to face death, her mind shifted and she was never again the same. She was a fighter, but sometimes even the most determined and strongest ones could feel themselves suffocating. The redhead wasn't one to sit down and count the seconds she had left, she had to stand in front of the battle and go into it with all she'd got left to give.

She had survived predators, she had almost drowned, and even escaped an exploding volcano... and yet, it was being imprisoned what made her feel like it was over. She roamed that cell like a lioness circling a cage, studying every inch and corner, feeling defeated. It didn't matter her intelligence and her strength, she was locked with nothing left.

She had to admit, it had felt good to slam that asshole's face against the bars. He had played her and done the worst you could do to her; make her feel stupid and naïve for falling for his fake ideology and believe they both wanted the same thing.

Claire knew Mills could have gotten her killed for that move, but at this very moment she didn't care — she was not afraid of him. She kept walking around the cell, breathing heavily. She had a pair of hazel eyes on her, following her every step. Owen had never seen her like this, not even during the worst of their fights.

"On the other hand, this is something someone should have done long time ago." He chuckled softly, trying to make her think on something else, distract her mind. He knew her wheels were turning and if she didn't stop, she'd go crazy and he'd have to be the one dealing with her in that state of mind.

Claire rested her hands on her waist and turned to look at him, "what are you talking about?" She spat, annoyed at how casual and random his observation had been.

The man shrugged, slowly walking behind her and sitting on the edge of the empty feed trough in their cell, "lock us up and either come out in a plastic bag or with our differences sorted out."

The redhead rolled her eyes, but he had a point there. The reason why they had never managed to work anything out was because they never talked and when things got heated one of them would just walk out. That's how he had ended up leaving her in the middle of nowhere after that infamous van disagreement and that's how he had ended up alone in a bar after she had left once finding it impossible to deal with him.

No words required, their eyes had been engaging in a deep conversation since the moment she found him on the plane. It was an understatement that they missed each other, and it was no secret that they still love the other. But to say it out loud? Those were things they'd never say, at least not while still 'on a break'.

His attempt had worked, not that he had doubts it would; after all they knew each other better than anyone else did. Claire and Owen knew how to poke the beehive and make each other explode just the same way they knew exactly how to get the other distracted and calm them down.

Claire sighed and inched closer, she sat beside him and tilted her head, her eyes fixed on his, and her tone of voice soft, "If it could be under your terms, how would you want to go?"

It figures someone who needed absolute control had thought about something like that, Owen wondered if she'd be upset if it didn't end up happening according to how she had planned, "I thought it was evident," he offered a playful smirk "I'd be taken down by you." He gently bumped his knee against hers. She smiled and shook her head, nibbling on her lips before offering a soft chuckle. "You...are going to be the death of me." He had leaned forward to whisper this last part, sharing the secret.

The redhead knew his sense of humor and she knew he was talking in double sense, it was so offensive that she found it adorable. It took a charming man like him to be able to pull it off; admitting how he found her impossible and her personality would end up killing him while making the whole thing sexual...He deserved a punch in the face, but the way he delivered the line, it gave a third meaning and it was the only one that mattered to her; he'd die for her.

Owen didn't ask the question back, instead he enjoyed the few seconds of silence sinking between them while her green eyes got lost in his deep hazel ones. He didn't want to know how she'd had planned every detail of her death, he didn't even want to think about her ever dying. He was not going to allow it; "Can you promise me something?" He asked.

Claire nodded her head softly and then tilted it to the side, "Depends~" She chuckled softly, knowing the timing for those jokes — which she never found funny.

"Promise me that I'll go first." He frowned.

"Oh—" She knew very well he'd be asking her something related to the subject, but she had been thrown off by his request. Knowing him, Claire thought he'd ask if he could keep a grab on her boobs one last time before he died, or even something more inappropriate.

"Promise me~" He murmured, demanding for her to do so.

Claire shook her head slowly, his request sinking into her stomach and making her feel a little sick, it resonated in ways he would never know and that she was scared to bring forward into her mind.

"Claire?" He tilted his head. He had lost her somewhere inside her head. "I know it's selfish, that I want you to live beyond, but the very thought of losing you—it would kill me." He confessed. He had almost watched her drown and that had clicked something in him. It was like his worst nightmare was playing inside that gyrosphere and it was up to him to either fix it or lose her — he had taken that literally, he was ready to fix it.

She frowned and looked down to her hands, "losing you will kill me, too." She offered back. These were the kind of things they had told each other before, but being locked up in that cell with the knowledge that everyone out there would be made believed they were dead...they knew half of that was true, so the conversation was more meaningful this time around.

Claire had also been dealing with this heavy sense of guilt. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be there. The redhead had gone looking for him, guilt tripped him into coming, and so she felt it was her fault he was now to either spend the rest of his days in a cell or be killed for knowing more than they should. "Did you come because I asked you to?" She asked, her head tilted down while she played with her fingers. "There's no—"

"No." He interrupted her before she could finish; she was going to insist there was not a right or wrong answer, she just needed to know. "I came because I didn't want you to go alone." He added. She smiled shyly and let her green eyes find his, they were shining through the tears she was holding back. "Once I would have found out you would be going back, I would have joined; regardless of them requesting my help or not." He explained. This had nothing to do with the imbeciles tricking them; this was about her and him not letting her do this on her own; without him.

There was no doubt between them that they would give their lives for the other. She couldn't help smile softly and reach out for his hand. Claire was great with words, she always had a punchline or a comeback for his insults but when he got real and told her things like this...she was speechless.

Owen sighed, he knew by then her silence spoke dozens of words, words so powerful they were not audible for the human ear, but his heart was listening carefully. It beat slightly faster at her touch, god...he missed her. "—Not that you need a knight in shining armor." He scoffed, slowly standing up and walking to the other end of the cell. He squat against the brick wall and rested his hands on his knees.

The redhead sighed softly watching him move away. Claire knew how important it was for him to feel like he could protect her, that he could safe her. That he was her Superman, but this was something he sometimes felt he failed at because she was Wonder Woman and didn't need anyone to cover her back, when she was the one who got his in the first place.

"I needed you there." She admitted with her voice almost whispering something she would have never said if it weren't for the circumstances, "You are my rock." She gulped, Claire was never the type to admit she needed help but she had asked for his several times.

Owen needed to hear that, he smiled softly and nodded his head, the redhead across from him retuning the gentle smile, "You are so badass, though." He said with a side smirk, "you make the male species shake and make us doubt our masculinity." He teased her, but it was true. It took a confident male not to feel threaten by her. "An entire ship with men and one of the only two women on board was the one to ride the T-Rex." He started laughing, "I can't believe you did that." He shook his head.

Claire smiled, she knew he had been teasing her when telling her she had to climb on top of the reptile in order to get the blood. "It required someone with balls to pull it off." She shrugged. "...But we needed that blood, for her." She got serious for a moment, and sighed relief the raptor had made it.

Owen stepped closer and sat leg-crossed on the floor in front of her. He slowly reached for her hands and gently played with her fingers. He had noticed how worried Claire had been for Blue, but it went beyond her interest in these creatures and her determination of getting them out of the island to safety.

It was about him, it was because Blue was his baby, but so was she. There was something in the tears she was crying, the worry in her that made him fall in love with her even more if that was possible. Claire knew how much the raptor meant to him, how devastated he would be if she wouldn't have made it; Claire was hurting because he was too. It was about the empathy two people who are emotionally involved develop. The redhead meant the world to him, seeing her hurting devastated him and if she was having the time of her life it made him the happiest, it was the same for her.

"Thank you," he murmured, bringing her hands to his lips and kissing them lightly. He didn't thank her too often, even if everything she ever did for him meant the world to Owen, "Getting in that cage with the T-Rex was life threatening, and you didn't hesitate on getting in there." He rubbed her freckled hands, acknowledging the risk she had taken.

"I would do anything for you." She assured him, confirming that it was all for him.

"Even getting eaten by a T-Rex?" He smiled faintly, moved by the realization that the redhead loved him to no limits.

"I would make one chase me if that meant it would safe your life." She chuckled, letting go of his hand before she could brush the couple of tears rolling down her cheek.

"Come here..." Owen invited her to sit on the floor next to him. The feed trough looked like it wouldn't take both their weight for too long. Claire sobbed and slowly sat next to him, he moved his arm around her shoulder and wiped those tears off for her.

Her green eyes danced while watching him and feeling his rough fingers brushing her skin, she sighed softly and tilted her head against his touch. The redhead shifted and rested her head on his shoulder, "did you manage to rest back on the ship?" He asked her, a cheeky smile on his lips while watching her lean against him.

"Um—yeah." She cleared her throat and looked away.

"Yeah? I'm glad." He chuckled and kept his eyes looking down at her while she kept avoiding eye contact. "I wouldn't want for you to find my chest uncomfortable."

Claire blushed and covered her face with her hands before giggling against them, "No complains here." She slowly turned to face him but couldn't help look away after just a few seconds of eye contact.

"Okay. Okay. Good. You'd tell me though, right?" He kept messing with her. It was his unique way to letting her know he had liked it. If only she knew he had taken a second to take in her scent and engrave the moment in his memory.

"Your bicep is...more firm though, have you been exercising?" She wondered, finding an excuse to feel his muscle with her fingers and letting her arm hook around his.

"Hammering." He nodded, "lots of hammering." He stood up from his spot, feeling the need to move back to the other end of the cell again. Claire frowned watching him, but she didn't really complain. It was probably for the better. The redhead slowly stood up and sat back on the edge of the feed trough.

"I saw." She smiled softly. He didn't have to tell her that he was building that cabin for her...for them. She simply knew it was that way.

"Yeah well," He shrugged "I figured a van isn't really a proper permanent residence." He admitted in a sentence that he would have probably never said if they weren't in that cell.

"It's still fun to have around, though." The redhead suggested, "you never know when the need to just take off for a few days will present." Her green eyes met his hazel ones and they exchanged a soft smile compromising with each other, meeting the other half way.

"You think he will like it?" Owen wondered, using their dog — a white labrador they had adopted, instead of directly asking if she would.

The redhead smiled, "definitely." She assured him. "Last time he went visit you, he had a lot of fun running through the woods." She recalled.

"And swimming in the lake." Owen smiled back.

"He can't believe you are actually single handedly building a cabin for him to live in with you." She looked at him lovingly, no longer talking about the dog. "I'm —"

Owen looked away and shrugged, "he deserves the world, I should have started it sooner." He moved his eyes back to hers, "avoid wasting all this time."

Claire sighed and nodded, her sight back on her hands, "we both need to try stop being stupid." She finally dropped the dog excuse and faced the facts.

"Want to drop it at the count of three?" He joked.

She shook her head, "it doesn't work that way." She pursed her lips, fully aware he was just teasing.

Both their attention were stolen from the moment when the baby triceratops in the cell across from theirs finally woke up, a few seconds later so did her mom. The image a little too familiar for Claire, the first dinosaur she had ever seen had been Lovelace, a baby triceratops who was being introduced to the Triceratops Territory, her new habitat, from Isla Sorna.

It made her remember how it had felt to see one of those majestic creatures for the first time. It also made her realize she had never really asked Owen how that once in a life time experience had been for him. She asked him about his experience in a very intimate way, she had turned one of the most breath taking moments of her life into something that made her feel guilty.

She felt her eyes filling up with tears once again, the missteps she had taken along the way, those decisions she had taken, had led these animals into their extinction when there was a time when all she wanted to do was protect them.

He could read right through her, feel the guilt puddling tears behind her eyes. She had failed them, she had been too late and she would never forgive herself for it. She wasn't alone, Owen had his share of guilt. He tried ease her into it by absorbing the responsibility; he had been the one who trained the predators and showed these people how to control them for their own gain.

He didn't want to talk about this right now, he had made up his mind... they needed to find a way to get out of that cell and make things right between them, "...you and I will have enough time to talk about this later." He assured her about their little conversation.

"There is no later." She murmured, shaking her head. For the first time in her life she was feeling completely defeated. She knew it was just a matter of time before that one idiot came back and ended their lives.

"Yes, there is." He insisted, inching towards the gate and looking around. They just needed a plan in order to get out of there. "I've got a cabin to finish." He casually assured her.

Claire looked up and smiled at him. It wasn't like she needed the confirmation that he was building that cabin for her, but even if they had made it clear in the past that they would give their lives for each other, Owen was now assuring that he was not done with his, that there was a future for them outside that cell waiting for them and they were going to get to it.

They would die together, but today wasn't that day.