A/N – I do not own Jurassic World or it's characters. I do own my own origional characters though.
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Claire glanced at her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time. She was frustrated that Lowrey had not messaged her back in over an hour. She knew she couldn't call him because he was in the control room with Masrani but she had hoped that he would at least keep checking his messages and E-mails. She sat on the beach in Costa Rica at a small, shabby wooden beach side bar with an untouched apple martini sitting in front of her. It was ridiculously hot and she wore a modest white bikini and a cute white and gold cover with a pair of equally white sandals. Despite the fact that the crystal clear water was gorgeous and inviting she could not keep her mind off the park. What had Masrani been thinking when he had ordered her to take a vacation? No one could do what Claire could do at the park. She kept it running like clockwork. Being away for a week so close to her meeting with what she hoped would be the new sponsors of her newest attraction was going to leave her with an unending mound of paperwork. Her assistant, Zara could only keep up with so much of it. And Lowery…well, he could only keep Masrani from catching the control room on fire while he was in charge.
Claire noticed that a man had sat in the seat next to her and begun talking about himself. She frowned. She was certainly not on vacation to socialize. In fact, she did not consider this 'vacation' at all. A vacation was something you did voluntarily. Not something you did only because your boss insisted that you 'need some sun' and ended up having to threaten to fire you to convince you to go. To Masrani's credit he had always been good to Claire. He trusted her and her instincts when it came to the park and left her in charge of far more than what fell in the parameters of her job description. And he had pulled out all the stops for her vacation, booking her a suite at the Hilton and paying for a few excursions and wine tours for her to attend that week. Every day though she found herself back at the bar overlooking the beach staring hopefully at her cell phone as if it were her last lifeline to civilization.
Claire had always been a creature of habit. She made a point to have a backup plan for her back up plan and never strayed from her strict schedule. She had always been like that which is probably how she got her Masters in business by the time she was twenty five and went on to work for one of the most successful companies in the world. And yet, here she sat, on a beach in beautiful Costa Rica, attempting and failing to remember what the word 'relax' actually meant. She had Masrani's credit card tucked into the case of her cell phone and could have 'bought herself the damn island' for all he cared as long as she relaxed and had some fun. Claire wasn't sure what fun was anymore. Fun, she supposed, was an accident free day at the park where everything ran smoothly and she went home to take a bath in her on resort Jacuzzi tub in her own private suite provided by Jurassic World and then tucked herself into bed no later than midnight so that she could be up at four A.M.
"You know" A voice cut through her thoughts, surprising her. Aside from the man beside her who had yet to notice that she hadn't heard a word he was saying she hadn't known anyone had come near her. The bartender was leaning casually against the bar, his face level with hers. "This guy has been chatting it up with you for a good ten minutes now and you haven't even noticed him. That's a pretty impressive level of apathy." He said, thrusting his thumb at the other man. Claire was surprised first by the bartenders eyes. They were a deep jade green with starbursts of yellow against the pupil. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She wondered what color his eyes would be without the contact lenses. Second she noticed his teeth and the way his canine teeth were pointed more sharply than most. It was a rare genetic trait. He was attractive enough with short spiky black hair, a smooth tan against hard muscles, wearing a tight black tee shirt and khaki shorts with black sandals. His face was hard lines and angles and his strange green eyes made him seem intense and focused. Claire was used to predators. She worked with them every day in the park. The dinosaurs were prehistoric monsters with hundreds of teeth and sharp, deadly instinct. This man, she could only assume, was sharp and deadly in his own way. Despite his easy smile there was a hint of darkness in his face. She felt a thrill of fear. Every instinct in her told her to gather her phone and go back to her hotel and pretend he had never spoken.
But for some reason she just said "It takes years of practice."
He gave an easy chuckle at that and the intensity in his face lessened a bit. "I've seen you here nearly every day this week and not once have I seen you take even an inkling of interest in your surroundings. I was starting to assume you were married to that phone. In fact, I'm surprised you even noticed me talking to you." He said, motioning to her cell phone what was still devoid of messages. Except the five hundred Zara had sent her complaining about how she did not get paid near enough to be forced to do Claires job.
"It's hard not to notice someone that's leaned a bit too far into your personal space" She said, though he wasn't that close to her. Still he backed up a bit and absently pulled a glass from under the bar and began cleaning it with a rag.
"Fair enough. What brings you to Costa Rica? I have to assume business by the way you are clutching that thing." He said, again nodding to her phone. She hadn't put it down since she stepped off the plane.
"I'm on vacation" She said, shrugging.
"Really? Because, you know, you just bought a twelve dollar drink that is probably hot by now and you are wearing a bikini but I haven't seen you get in the water yet." He said, his eyes looking her up and down briefly.
"Some people vacation differently than others." She said. Though she knew she should be enjoying herself. She usually got four days off a year. Her birth day, Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year and she usually spent those days catching up on paperwork or hiding in her suite reading.
He pulled two shot glasses from under the counter and set them down, then grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured it into the glasses. "Here, compliments of the house." He said, downing one of the shots himself and slamming the glass back on the table with a satisfied sigh.
"I don't really drink…" She said, eyeing the glass wearily.
"Clearly" He said, taking her shot and pouring two more. "So what's on the other end of that phone? Your boyfriend, maybe?" He inquired. By now the other guy had noticed that Claire was completely ignoring her and wandered off.
"My job, actually." She said.
"Oh?" He eyed her as he took a third shot. She glanced around. On the other side of the bar was an elderly couple huddled together and giggling while they sipped colorful drinks. A single guy was sitting in the middle with a bottle of Tequilla drowning shot after shot as if it might ease his pain and two college age girls sat to the left of Claire and were making no attempts to hide their interest of the bartender as they checked him out and giggled obnoxiously. "Where do you work?" He inquired, seeming genuinely interested.
"Does your job pay you to talk to your customers?" Claire snapped. She just wanted him to leave her alone so she could wallow in self pity about still having two days left before she could return to Isla Nublar.
"Yes." He said, downing the fourth shot. "I cut my own checks so I can pretty much do whatever I want" He said, winking at the college girls who nearly fell off their stools in their excitements. This caught Claire's intrest.
"You own the bar?" she asked, glancing around. Upon inspection it wasn't as shabby as she had originally thought. It was fully stocked and covered in hubcaps and other beach related colorful decorations.
"I do. It's not exactly what I thought I would be doing with my life at this age but it's pretty cool. I get to people watch all day and my entire job revolves around making friends with people from all over the world so they will want to stay and drink longer. I'm not complaining." He shrugged coolly. "What part of the world are you from?"
"Isla Nublar" She answered, figuring he probably would think she was joking or something. Not many of the staff actually lived full time on the island like she did. Most had homes near the islands that they returned to during the off season or during hurricane weather. Claire had opted to sell her apartment in the U.S. when she received her promotion and made her resort suite her permanent home. It was a CEO suite so it was away from the general public and had private access to a rooftop pool and gym room.
"The Dinosaur island? You work there?" He seemed surprised, as if she did not look like the type to work on an island of prehistoric beasts. She wondered what type of person she did look like. Perhaps a stuffy office worker who sat in a chair all day and pushed her work off on everyone else?
"That's the one" She said, finally taking a sip of her apple martini. It was bitter and quite close to perfect.
"What do you do there?" He asked.
"I do a bit of everything I suppose. I oversee construction, balance costs, keep track of assets, work with our corporate sponsors, run the control room" She could have told him much more than that but figured she should keep it short. She didn't want to bore him with the fact that all she does is work.
"I'm surprised the place hasn't shut down in your absence" He teased.
"I'm surprised my boss hasn't caught something on fire…" She trailed off, absolutely serious.
"That sounds interesting to watch. Hey, listen, if you are looking for something actually fun to do after the dinosaurs go to bed tonight you can turn your phone off and come hang out with me" He said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Claire's eyes widened in surprise and before she could process what he had said or come up with a decent response she answered "I'm not that type of girl. Besides, I haven't had sex in two years." The second she said it and she saw his dark green eyes widen in interest and surprise she instantly regretted it. Her whole body went hot with the flush of morbid embarrassment. "Oh, my god." She gasped, unable to say anything more.
She thought for a second he would laugh at her but he only widened his eyes for a brief moment of shock and then regained his composure. "Well, first, let me apologize on the behalf of any man that would miss an opportunity to love you in that way. You are astonishingly beautiful and sharp and sarcastic and I can tell you are sharper than a knife. Second, although I would not hesitate should you offer, I was actually just going to invite you to a party. Tonight my people are setting up a feast on the beach to celebrate a friends wedding. We are going to light torches and serve copious amounts of alcohol and have some dancing and food. Maybe a swim under the stars as well." He said, and this time she accepted the shot he offered her. It burned all the way down but it was accompanied by a pleasant tingling sensation.
"I'm sorry I just assumed…" She said, taking a second shot. She really hoped he wasn't planning on billing her for all these shots.
"That I pray on gorgeous tourists who are bright eyed and looking for a different sort of adventure?" He guessed. "I'm not saying I DON'T do exactly that. You just don't seem like that's really what you need. Or want, for that matter."
Claire wasn't sure how to respond. She felt awkward suddenly. Without realizing it he had managed to take her too far out of her comfort zone. She felt exposed. And worse, she realized that she did not have a plan of escape. "Um, well, you know" She fumbled off the barstool and made to turn and leave "I'm not sure what I'll be doing tonight so…"
She stepped off onto the white-hot beach and into the sun. He poured another shot and downed it. "It's on the house, then." He said, and he turned away from her so she could save her dignity and not have to run from him.
Claire stood in front of her mirror in the hotel. She had changed into a simple pair of jean shorts and a practical white tank top and boots. She touched her red hair ideally as she scolded herself in front of the mirror. She knew what she was thinking was ridiculous. She did not need to go to that party and see the strange bartender whose name she did not even know. That was insane. Claire was not insane. She was practical and controlled. But he had done something no one had ever done before. He had, in the briefest of encounters, torn down a wall or two and even made her laugh. Claire had not laughed in years. She had been comfortable talking with him and hadn't felt awkward until she really thought about what she was doing. She was leaving the island in two days so really she could easily avoid him.
But she didn't want to.
So, throwing her small black purse over her shoulder, Claire Dearling decided for the first time in her life NOT to plan out the next twelve to twenty four hours and just (she could hardly even use the phrase) wing it. As ridiculous as that sounded.
The party was just getting started when Claire arrived. The torches were lit and people in anything from swimwear to full ballroom attire were standing around chatting with drinks in their hands. Dusk was beautiful and the sky seemed painted and surreal. It was a picture perfect portrait that Claire could hardly describe. She headed down the shifting sand toward the largest gathering of people to look for the bartender. She was at least determined to catch his name this time. The second she reached the outskirts of the gathering she was offered a glass of champagne. She took a sip, hoping it might give her some courage, and pressed forward. Her starry eyes searched the faces for something familiar but there were already about fifty people gathered around and more were flooding in from the homes and shops across from the beach. A band had begun playing local music now and a great bonfire was being lit. She noticed there was an absence of children and wondered if they had all been tucked into bed early for the occasion.
She was pushing through a group of older men telling war stories and had just managed to reach the other side, moving closer to the band with every step, when someone caught her arm. "Hey, I didn't think you would come" He said. She was surprised that his voice was familiar.
"I didn't either." She said, turning around. He had lost his shirt somewhere since she had last seen him and she tried very hard not to stare at him. He was build hard and lean like a soccer player or a swimmer. She could see his dark veins against his skin and a few imperfections and scars on his chest and forearms.
"You know if you want to check me out we could go somewhere more private…" He joked, amused by the look that crossed her face at that comment. "I'm kidding. I am glad you came though. My parties are always awesome." He said, taking a sip of his drink that looked more like straight vodka in a wine glass.
"Your parties?" She said, glancing around and wondering how a bartender could possibly throw a party like this.
"Yeah, what, you don't believe me?" He guessed. She was watching people set up tables with white clothes and candles and stringing twinkling white lights between the torches.
"I'm in charge of tourist satisfaction here on the island. It's at least eighty percent tourist. The locals pay me to throw good parties to keep them happy and willing to spend money." He shrugged. She wasn't sure his math added up on how that made him any money in the end but decided not to question it.
"What's your name?" She asked instead, looking up into his strange eyes. She again wondered what color they were under the contact lenses.
"Uh, Ren. Ren Hiroyuki." He said, looking as if he were embarrassed.
"You're Japanese?" That at least explained a few of his physical attributes.
"Less than half on my fathers side" He said, shrugging. "Yours?"
"Claire Dearling, nice to meet you" She said, offering him her hand. He took it gently and shook it.
"May I call you the Dinosaur woman?" He inquired, a hint of a smile hiding behind the seriousness of his face.
"Please don't" She said, sipping her drink. She had nearly forgotten about Lowry and Jurassic World. The beach was intoxicating. Or perhaps it was the company she was keeping.
"Alright, alright. But I think you are missing out on a golden opportunity to be called the Dinosaur princess or Empress or Queen." He shrugged as if it were her loss and led her over to a table occupied by a man typing away rhythmically on his phones keyboard.
"I doubt that" She said, watching him pull out her chair. He was oddly gentlemanly for someone who seemed like such a player. She wondered if she was misjudging him or if he was just VERY good at winning over women.
"If you want to mingle we can in a bit. I always like to watch them light the fire though." He said, leaning back in his chair and stretching out so that his arm was resting comfortably against the back of hers.
"I don't really like to mingle…" She said. She delt with 20,000 people a day but she rarely ever mingled with anyone outside of meetings and the control room. And even then it was only business. She didn't relate well to people. Or people didn't relate well to her.
"I kind of gathered that when I noticed that you would rather sit alone at my bar all day then enjoy the beach and all of it's splendors." He was adept at reading people, she noticed, and wondered how long he had been watching her.
"The rich splendors of suntans and being hit on by middle aged guys who think I'm sixteen?" She said, faking a look of pure excitement that made her want to gag.
"Wait, you AREN'T sixteen?" He asked, looking outraged.
She laughed "Well you aren't a middle aged man. So we have both been lying to each other."
"Who says I'm not? I could be in my sixtys and just age very gracefully couldn't I?" He said, sipping his drink.
"I would guess between twenty seven and thirty two if I'm being honest."
"Fair enough. I would say twenty four to thirty." He looked her up and down again in a way that reminded him far too much of the way a raptor eyes it's pray.
"Your age ranges are precise. I'm twenty six." She said. She wasn't quite at the age where her age embarrassed her just yet.
"I'm twenty nine. Next year I'll celebrate my twenty fifth birthday." He laughed. His laugh was easy and a bit rough. "I'll be sure and invite you to the party." He said, his grin wide and open.
Her green eyes watched the crowd move and grow as the bright sun began to fade. Another man occupied there table and talked loudly with Ren as if he had already had too much to drink. He was a bit scruffy and older and his handshake lingered too long for Claire's tastes. A woman also flopped into her seat, an obscene V-line in her bathing suit showing off her ample cleavage and making Claire wish she had not sat directly in Claire's line of vision. She was also too loud and kept reaching over the table to try and touch Ren. He seemed to be a centerpiece of the party. Nearly everyone came by to pat him heartily on the back or shake his hand. He was at ease among the crowd and seemed to be enjoying the attention. He introducted her to everyone who filtered past and made sure she didn't feel excluded (which as the crowd became more dense she was beginning to wish she had excluded herself from this particular occasion.)
As night finally fell men in brightly colored shirts and board shorts lit large torches and carried them one by one to each of the nearly thirty torches that encircled the party. Once they were all lit the men threw there torches into the bonfire which roared to life in a dazzling show. People cheered and whistled excitedly as the fire radiated heat and crackled and popped. They had begun serving plates of local dishes and people finally settled into their seats for the feast. Ren leaned over as Claire picked at the food on her plate, unsure of what exactly she was looking at. "What do you think? It's not bad, right?" He asked her. The girl opposite Claire huffed as he leaned into Claire's personal space without a care.
"It's…interesting" She admitted, not willing to tell him she was feeling a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable. He smirked and snorted.
"Interesting is better than nothing" He said, and satisfied he focused on his meal. Music was playing and thrummed like a heartbeat. A few people were dancing, a few were eating and many were drinking.
"What happens when it's over?" Claire asked him curiously. He glanced at her, his bright eyes looking mischevious.
"We go back to my place." He said, sipping his drink. He seemed so confident in his words that it took Claire by surprised. She didn't even have enough time to be angered by his sheer audacity. His smile widened as she processed her reaction to his words and she noticed how sharp his teeth seemed. He must have had them cosmetically modified because canines like his just weren't natural. She cursed herself for getting once again distracted by his anatomy.
"How…" She wanted to say how dare you but stopped herself. "I'm not a tourist tramp and I'm offended that you think I am. Thanks for the invite, but goodnight." She said, slamming her drink down onto the table and stomping off up towards the twinkling lights of the bar. Her blood had rushed to her cheeks and her heart pounded in rhythm with her fury.
She heard the shifting of sand behind her as he chased after her before finally he reached out and caught her arm. "Hey, wait a second." He said, spinning her around to look at him.
"No!" She said, trying to pull her arm free but he had a good hold of her.
"I didn't mean it like that. I don't take advantage of near as many tourists as you seem to think I do. That's not why I invited you out here, either. Here…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, placing it in her hand and releasing her from his hold. She backed up a few paces and then opened her hand and looked at the object. It took her a minute before she realized what it was. "That scares most of the tourists away, anyway." He said with a slight shrug. "I told you earlier that I wasn't interested in you because you are beautiful and look like you could stand to let your hair down a bit." He reminded her.
"I know but I just…" She had trust issues. Everyone always let her down and she had come to expect just that. Especially men. From her eclectic boss who seemed so disatached from the real world to her overly sarcastic best friend Claire had always been on edge with them so used to being the only one in the room who had a clue as to what was going on. Instead of trying to explain herself, which she realized wasn't what he needed from her, because somehow he seemed to understand that underneath all her sarcasm and confidence she was a bit damaged she just handed him the object back and asked "You're married?"
He held the glittering black and silver wedding ring up to the light for the briefest of moments before pocketing it once more. "Yes, she passed away several years ago though. The minute I bring that up to a 'tourist tramp' as you so eloquently put it they run away from me as if I had grown another head. And not, you know, the good kind of head that they might could make use out of." He said, and Claire made a face at his joke. "Can we go back and at least finish dinner before you throw a glass of wine on me and run away?"
"I don't know. If I have to watch that girl across the table attempt to touch you while she's talking I think I might say something I'll regret." She admitted, because although they weren't together they had obviously come to the party and Claire was tired of listening to the girl whine and sigh about someone so obviously disinterested in her.
"She's always like that. She moved here from America a few years ago and has been trying to get with me since." He said, as they stood together under the moonlight.
"Why not just throw her a bone? She's obviously very attractive" Claire said, still unsure why she cared. Maybe she didn't and it just felt good to talk about perfectly normal things for the first time since she started working at Jurassic World.
"Call me old fashioned but I like a woman with a little…substance. Someone I can have a conversation with. Looks are a bonus, sure, but I want someone I can connect with in ways other than just the physical." Claire wondered if what he was saying was all just bullshit. Most guys didn't care about anything of the sort from her experience. She wondered though if maybe she had just never run into the right kind of guy before. And then immediately she wondered if she had lost her mind. "You don't believe me?" He guessed with a smirk.
"No" She admitted. He held his hand out to her and helped her back to the table. The girl had wandered off and the guy was on his cell phone. Claire sat and busied herself with trying the food. It was classic native cuisine that melted on her tongue and teased her taste buds. Better than the deep fried stuff she often found herself munching on at the parks. Finally she spoke. "I'm sorry about your wife. I'm sure you don't like to talk about it with strangers very often." She said. She wasn't very comfortable or used to talking about death.
"It's alright. Most people don't know what to say when I do tell them anyway." He said, and left it at that. "Listen if I'm being honest I only wanted to take you home so that I could impress you" He said. "You seem like a hard case to crack. I thought maybe my place might get me under your shell."
She glanced at him, curious. "What's so impressive about it?" She asked. Mostly she had just seen shacks and run down tourist traps. Nothing impressive in the slightest.
"Come home with me and I'll show you. I swear I won't do anything unless you ask me to." He said, holding up both his hands. "We can just watch TV or swim in the pool. I even have a chess board." He said, wiggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes.
"Are you going to murder me once you get me to your house?" She asked.
"You are bound and determined to make me the bad guy, aren't you?" He asked. She just shrugged. "Alright, I'll save the homicide for next time." He promised.
"Can we go now?" She asked. She had finished her plate and her drink and was becoming increasingly weary of the swaying crowd.
"Yeah, of course." He said, offering her his hand once more. They trashed their plates and he bid goodbye to a few important people before heading up the beach to the lot filled with cars. His was an American import with sensible gas mileage that seemed a bit worse for the wear but Claire tucked herself into it without complaint and they began their drive.
The town was different at night. Glittering lights and moonlight bathed the road in their glow and he passed several houses before they tapered off and it was nothing but open country road. Claire felt foolish going off with someone she knew nothing about. It was out of character for her to even let her guard down this much and she was afraid suddenly that she had made a mistake trusting him. Claire rarely ever trusted anyone. "How far are we from your house?" She asked, her voice hitching nervously as she picked at her nails.
"Further than you might like." He admitted "But I'll have you home in good time." He said as they snaked down the winding mountainside towards another beach. This one was littered in boat docks and he parked in the lot labeled 'owners only.'
"We are getting on a boat?" She asked, suddenly nervous again. He brought her to a large speedboat with the name 'Illianna' painted on the side of it.
"It's the only way to get to my house. It's about thirty minutes from here that way" He said, pointing directly out to sea.
"I'm not sure about this…" She said. "Is it an island full of natives or something?"
"No, it's a private island. I bought it off an eclectic millionaires widow a while back for dirt cheap." He said, helping her onto the boat. She stumbled slightly and he caught her. "You ok?" He asked.
"Are you the only one on the island?" She asked. "I'm a little nervous if I'm being honest."
"Yeah I'm the only one on the island. And it's ok, I promise I won't touch you." He said, crossing his heart. He started the boat and they headed out to sea. Neither of them talked as they sailed across the ocean. She enjoyed the feel of the salt water in her hair and the coolness of the breeze. In the darkness she could see nearly every star that ever was. The purr of the engine seemed to calm her nerves and she relaxed and closed her eyes until he yelled over the noise of the boat "You can see it up ahead" He shouted.
Her eyes popped open and she looked at the island. It was a good size and she could see a large iron fence all around the perimeter. She wondered what the fence was for as he turned the boat and circled to the back of the island where there was a small dock with three other boats (two speedboats and an impressively large sailboat.) The fence of the island in front of the dock was two iron doors big enough to keep a monster inside. "Why all the privacy?" She asked as he helped her onto the dock.
"Military activity in these waters is high as well as sex trades and pirates. I'd rather they stay off my island. It's rumored the occasional Dinosaur escapes from Isla Sorna and wanders into these waters too. That's probably the real reason that old widow sold it to me so cheap." He said, helping her up to the gates keypad where he entered his code and opened a small door inside the iron gate.
"You aren't scared?" Claire asked.
"Of the Dinosaur? No. If you are asking if I'm scared of the people, then yes." He said, leading her up a grassy embankment. His house was far enough from the dock that it wouldn't be affected by rising ocean waters. It was expansive and modern, all white paint and glass. The security was high and she noticed cameras around the property. The door had a biometric scanner and he placed his hand upon it.
"Are you a spy?" She guessed, figuring that that would explain why he had his home locked down so fully. Or why a random bartender in Costa Rica owned an island with an eighty foot electric fence surrounding it.
"That's not a bad guess." He said as the door opened and they stepped inside. The house was mostly tile and very open, a large stainless steel kitchen flowing effortlessly into a rood with a couch big enough to comfortably sleep ten people and a seventy inch flat screen TV. A hallway broke off on both sides of the rooms leading to something Claire couldn't even imagine. The house was clean cut iron and steel and the walls were adorned with tasteful toned down art and hand painted master pieces.
"Wow" Claire breathed "I am actually impressed." She said.
"You doubted me?" He said, smiling at her looking around his home with awe. "It gets better, you know." He said.
A/N – Hello and thank you for making it all the way to the end. I hope you liked it so far! In the next chapter Claire returns to Jurassic World! Please stay tuned and as always read and review.