The latest in my song-inspired series (like River, Sweet Architect, and Where Does Everybody Go When They Go? before it), can be enjoyed as a oneshot while also building on the preceding pieces. I hope this one makes you smile. It's - almost - pure fluff.
Claire stood on her balcony with her eyes closed, taking in the sounds and smells of the city around her. She could sense spring in the air. With all the changes to the world, great and small, the seasons still turned like always - what a relief! Opening her eyes to gaze forward, she considered the blossoms that would soon peak out of the trees and bushes. The visible signs of rebirth. While sipping her coffee, she unconsciously began to hum the melody to the old Byrds' song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" It had been a favorite of her parents and poignant during the Vietnam War Era. The current period seemed ripe for its return. The song also seemed appropriate for her own point in life.
She didn't realize that Owen was standing behind her until she heard him singing along softly, "And a time to every purpose, under heaven." His arms were around her waist before she could turn to face him. She didn't resist or stop humming as he pulled her against him and continued to sing.
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
It had been almost a year since the now infamous dinosaur "escape" from Lockwood Estate. Claire was still getting used to the idea of her instant family in the wake of that world-changing event. At the same time, there was a sense of deja vu with the legal and media investigations into their lives since then. The familiar didn't entirely balance out the new, but it was comforting all the same. Claire's life was only getting more complicated. She wondered when she'd ever get a break. If it were up to Owen, they'd spend their days in a constant break status, isolating themselves in his remote cabin and pretending that the rest of the world didn't exist. While there was some lure to that particular idea, they'd tried that before and knew how that ended.
Living off the grid was also not an option in their new reality. With Maisie under their charge, they were responsible for her education. Owen had no patience for home-schooling, and Claire needed to continue shepherding the DPG through its new challenges. The trio had decided to set up their homebase in San Francisco. For the first several months, Owen did live largely out on his lot to complete his - their, he delighted in correcting her - cabin. It was a pleasant distraction from the pain that Claire knew he was feeling after losing Blue a second time. At least the task gave him a sense of purpose that he didn't have the first time.
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
When Owen would come to the city to spend the weekends with Claire and Maisie, they all felt complete. It was routine. Normalcy. As much as that was possible. Claire never thought she'd enjoy lazy Saturdays filled with Belgian waffles, hair-braiding, and Monopoly. It was a far cry from both her life on Isla Nublar and the nomadic existence she'd (admittedly) treasured with Owen immediately after the fallout of Jurassic World. Sheltered by her previous existence on the estate, Maisie proved easy to amuse. Everything seemed new and exciting for her. The young girl thrilled at assisting Claire with dusting and laundry or accompanying Owen on errands to hardware stores.
By the fall, the cabin had been completed. They shifted to spending the weekends there. Although the weather had turned colder, that was when things really heated up between Claire and Owen. The cloud that had descended upon him - likely only noticeable by Claire, since his defenses were as strong as her own - lifted. She saw it in the way he moved and the way he watched her. They didn't talk about it because there was an understanding between them that words could never adequately express. They subsequently drew closer than ever before. Pieces that had always felt slightly out of alignment suddenly clicked together perfectly.
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
At that line, Owen stopped singing and pulled back marginally, but his arms remained around her. Claire couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up her throat. She took another sip of her coffee before whispering, "I love you."
"I love you, too," he answered. They stood in a companionable silence for several minutes, watching the city awaken and feeling the warmth of their bodies. Sometimes, it was the only thing preventing them from drifting into madness. To be near each other, there for each other, kept the demons at bay. Early in their relationship, that had been largely physical. It was now so much more. Something Claire still struggled to understand. It had to be fate. For the first time in her life, she didn't think she could make it on her own. And that was okay.
Taking the last sip of her coffee, she leaned back against him and teased, "Can't you finish the lyrics?"
"Can you?" he smirked, tugging at the collar of her shirt to drop a kiss on her shoulder.
"What do I get if I can?"
"First pick at dim sum." His offer had the desired effect. Claire almost flung her coffee mug as she quickly turned around to face him. She giddily crooned the final verse.
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
When she finished, Owen stopped her smug smiling with a kiss. Claire didn't break the lip lock as he slowly dragged her back inside the apartment. Maisie wasn't awake yet, and they had time to mess around before needing to leave for Chinatown. The morning just took an irresistible turn.
X x X
Maisie didn't comment on why Claire and Owen broke from their usual pattern of bickering over the choices that morning at the Oriental Pearl. It was impossible, however, for the girl not to have noticed what a good mood they were both in. Her proper upbringing combined with a lingering hesitancy about how to behave with her guardians - something that was lessening with time - likely kept her from asking about it. Regardless, they were all having a great time.
Chinatown had quickly become one of Maisie's favorite parts of the city. She remained fascinated with the concept of strangers in a strange land coming together and creating a new home in the image of their former one. Something about the culture, customs, and (especially) the food also sparked joy. Owen and Claire found themselves appreciating it even more through Maisie's eyes. It was a wonder to them both, and made Claire start to reconsider certain aspects about herself. She imagined it may have been the same for Owen. Too bad the uncertainty in the world made it challenging to think very far ahead. Instead, they lived in the moment and found positives wherever they could.
At the end of the meal, Claire excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Owen and Maisie to battle for the last pork bun. Upon her return to the table, she was surprised to discover a single fortune cookie waiting on a plate for her. Owen pressed Claire to take it, but she declined. Maisie seemed uncharacteristically anxious and pushed Claire with a pout, "For me?"
Claire looked at them both quizzically and brushed it off, "I'm full."
"It's a sign of respect and gratitude to the chef," Owen reminded her. His face was unreadable. Claire worried they were pranking her and made no motion toward the cardboard-tasting "dessert."
"C'mon, Claire," Maisie pleaded, "fortunes are fun."
Owen finally cracked a half smile and interjected, "Claire's pretty good at writing them, too."
"Really?" Claire exclaimed, raising an eyebrow and flashing him a dirty look. She couldn't believe he'd bring that up. Girding herself, she finally relented, "Oh, fine. If it'll end whatever joke you're having at my expense." She snatched up the cookie and quickly snapped it in half. Something heavy clattered onto the plate, and Claire suddenly couldn't breathe. Her eyes squinted to focus. It was a ring with a simple gold band and a single white pearl. She couldn't take her eyes away from it or her mind off what it could mean. Vaguely aware of movement to her left side, she turned her head to see Owen on bended knee. Her mouth went dry as she started to tremble.
"Claire?" The concern was evident in his voice and eyes when she looked into them. She feared she might pass out, and he must've read her mind somehow. "Stay with me," Owen said soothingly, taking her hand and kissing it. In her peripheral, Claire could tell that Maisie had frozen in place. No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Claire took a deep breath and stopped shaking.
She spoke barely above a whisper and through gritted teeth, "Are you seriously doing this in public? At dim sum?"
"Uh-huh," chuckled Owen. "I knew you wouldn't run out of here...or cause a scene." He had a point. It was one of their favorite restaurants. She didn't want to be barred from returning. He looked so happy and boyish that Claire couldn't help but smile herself. Despite not expecting this at all, it wasn't an unwelcome turn of events. It was, in fact, a pleasant surprise.
"Okay," she sighed and added with a wink, "Get it over with."
"I had a whole speech!" he replied in mock offense as her blush and embarrassment deepened. "I'll summarize. Claire, I don't want to be apart from you again. It's fighting nature anyway. Every journey always brings me back to you." She could feel the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and was perilously close to causing a scene now. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," she choked out. He saved her from having to beg him to get off the floor by immediately standing up and crushing his lips to hers in a kiss. A chaste one, for the public setting and Maisie's presence, Claire imagined. When he pulled back to look at her, he had tears in his eyes. She'd never seen him cry before. It was humbling yet empowering - if that were possible. She'd cried in front of him on multiple occasions, including both incidents. Although she had long prided herself in being ruthless and unsentimental, Owen always had a unique effect on her. That realization had led her to accept him into her life for good. Ring or no ring.
While she didn't need it, Owen apparently did. He silently slipped the ring onto her finger while Maisie looked on excitedly. Claire wondered how long their charge had known about this or if she'd been included in the planning.
"Thank you," he whispered into her ear before kissing her again, slightly less chaste this time. Claire melted into him and forgot where they were for a moment. They both remained in a somewhat hazy, cloud nine-like state throughout their walk home. Maisie took full advantage of the leisurely pace by peering into every shop window along the way and chattering happily about springtime activities.
By the time they arrived home, most of the afternoon was gone. Maisie had reading homework to finish and retreated to her room. Watching the door shut, Claire wondered about Maisie's disinterest in talking about wedding planning then chastised herself for buying into stereotypes about girls' fascinations with brides. When she turned back toward Owen, he had already started emptying the dishwasher. He was whistling while he worked. A sign of his glee.
Taking a deep breath as she approached him, Claire asked quietly, "Why now, Owen?" He stopped whistling but didn't turn his head right away. She didn't mean her question in an accusatory way but was genuinely curious. They hadn't talked about marriage since the Lockwood incident.
Eventually, he shrugged and answered matter-of-fact, "To everything, there is a season." A lopsided grin split his face when he looked at her.
"A time to propose?" she sang in the melody of their morning on the balcony and inched closer to him. He pulled her into an embrace, arms reaching around her and hands rubbing her back. Her resultant hum of satisfaction was involuntary.
"It didn't feel right in the past, Claire." She swallowed hard at his words. They were true even if never previously spoken aloud. "But, we've changed and grown together. Reborn, like in spring." He paused to cup her face with his hands and draw her eyes to his. "Everything feels right now." If he didn't look so solemn and possibly close to tears again, she might've laughed at the irony of his statement. The world around them was undergoing cataclysmic change, but they were a stronger team than ever before. All she could do was nod and look forward to facing the turns along the road ahead of them. Together, as partners, in whatever way they each needed to define that.
As always, thanks for taking time to read. I've had notes about this particular story for many months now. Time (and significant encouragement from akaJB) finally brought this one to light. This has been a fun series to return to and may continue even as we write The Missing Years. Please check out that epic under our joint account (EliseCollier-akaJB) if you haven't already - we're really proud of it!
Footnote about music in my works: Long before Fallen Kingdom released, "After All" by Cher and Peter Cetera was an inspirational Clawen song to me. I've used bits of its lyrics in Playoff, this oneshot, and the previous oneshot in this musical series. "After All" also happens to be from one of my favorite, sweet movies, too. Chances Are, with an absolutely adorable '80s era Robert Downey, Jr. It always delights me to put joyful remembrances into my writing.