Saboteur
by heavensgirl

Shorter chapter and a bit more serious than the previous one!

Thank you all for the lovely feedback on Chapter 1!

Standard disclaimer applies. Any names used in this story are fictional; they were randomly chosen for the purpose of this fanfiction.

Chapter 2: Honesty is the Best Policy

Owen was on his way to Claire's office to drop off a report when he overheard her groan irritably from behind the slightly open door. To her left near the filing cabinets, Zara was chuckling to herself.

"I think I'm cursed," Claire said in exasperation.

Zara raised an eyebrow as she handed a stack of folders to Claire. "Three failed dates do not mean you're cursed."

Claire groaned again. "Three consecutive dates. Maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't date at all. Maybe it's a sign that I'm un-dateable."

(Owen forced himself to contain his laughter by biting his tongue.)

Zara laughed then covered her mouth when Claire glared at her. "Sorry… I just think you're looking at it negatively."

"How should I look at it then?"

"Think of it as a sign that none of them were the ones for you," explained Zara.

"How will I know who's the right one for me?" Claire frowned as soon as the words were out of her mouth; God, she sounded desperate. "I should put off dating for a while."

Zara clucked disapprovingly. "You're not un-dateable. You never know… the next guy that might walk through that door will ask you out and you'll have the best time of your life."

Outside her door, Owen stiffened. It would literally take him two steps to make it inside her office. With a confident smile, Owen took the first step…

… and was beat to the punch by a guy named Leo, a fellow employee who just happened to work with him at the raptor paddock.

How in the hell did Owen not notice his approach?

Leo looked at him oddly as Owen stood still near the door. Leo was holding a bouquet of flowers that he handed to Claire before giving her a charming smile (it's no secret that a significant portion of the single male population that worked in Jurassic World has a crush on the redhead). Meanwhile, Claire stood there gaping while Zara gave her a knowing look.

Leo took a step closer to Claire. "Good morning, Miss Dearing."

Claire raised an eyebrow as she took the flowers. "Good morning. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to ask you out on a date," he answered boldly, not minding that there was a third person in the room. "Are you available tomorrow night at 7pm?"

Claire just stared at the flowers, debating whether or not she should say yes. Zara cleared her throat and glanced swiftly at Leo to let her know that he was still waiting for Claire's answer.

Claire gave him a small, forced smile. Why not? Maybe Zara was right and the fourth time's the charm for her. "Sure, that sounds wonderful."

Meanwhile, Owen was gently banging his head on the wall adjacent to Claire's office door.

Just his fucking luck.

"I missed my chance."

"Should've asked her a long time ago."

A groan. "She's out of my league."

Barry gave Owen a sympathetic look. "You never know until you try."

The radio on Owen's desk crackled. "Owen, you might want to come over to the paddock. Right now."

Owen sat rigid, fearing the worst. "What's the situation? Are the girls okay?"

"It's not your raptors that you should be worried about…"

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what's going on."

"Leo is in the paddock with his date, and it's aggravating your raptors."

Owen and Barry exchanged knowing – but terrified – looks.

"Oh shit."

[ ] [ ] [ ]

Claire gripped the railings of the platform so tight that her knuckles turned white and her nails slightly dug into her palm. "Leo, we should not be here," Claire said in a stern voice. She glared at him. "This is not a place for a date… at all."

He waved her off. "Relax, I just want you to meet the raptors."

Claire almost rolled her eyes; she was beginning to regret her decision of agreeing to go out on a date with him. But more importantly, she hated herself for being so impulsive (it was not like her to do things on a whim). Still too upset that the first three dates ended horribly (there was no other way to put it), Claire had agreed because she didn't really think that a fourth, consecutive date would turn out just as badly. But as her luck would have it, that fourth date was about to be the worst one.

Claire crossed her arms and turned away from him, looking out at the paddock where she saw the raptors pacing below them, clearly agitated by their presence. She turned around when she felt a presence behind her and saw Leo bring his face close to her, his eyes closed. She took a step back against the railing as an attempt to dodge his unwanted advances and felt the metal tremble before it gave way, causing her to fall into a grove of bushes.

For a few seconds, Claire felt grateful that the bushes semi-cushioned her fall. However, that feeling was short lived when she heard a collective hiss. Less than 10 feet from her were the four raptors, looking like they were ready to eat her. "Oh my God," she gasped, struggling to disentangle herself from the shrubbery.

Blue snarled in her direction and took a few steps forward. Her three sisters followed her lead. Claire was still caught in the bushes when Owen Grady took a position between her and his raptors.

Owen raised his left arm and made eye contact with each member of his pack. "Hold!"

Claire, who had multiple scratches from head to toe, approached Owen cautiously. "Owen, be careful."

"Stand down!" Owen ordered to his raptors while he ushered Claire to position herself behind him. The Raptors stayed in their spot as they watched their Alpha protect the stranger. At the same time, Owen tried to not be too distracted as Claire clutched on his arm in fear.

Owen looked at the catwalk above them and saw ACU members point their Taser rifles at his raptors. "Don't!" he yelled as Blue, Delta, Echo, and Charlie growled.

"Owen, Miss Dearing's life is at risk here!" shouted one of the ACU troopers.

"I know that!" Owen snapped, his eyes darting to Claire. "But I won't let you harm my raptors either."

"Owen…" Claire whispered, her lips trembling. Owen took a step back so his body was completely shielding her while she continued holding his arm.

"Claire, do you see that gate on the right?"

She glanced at the direction he pointed and saw one of the smaller gates of the paddock. "Yes."

"We're going to slowly make our way there," he gestured for her to start walking. "But do not, under any circumstance, turn your back on them."

Claire nodded wordlessly, taking hold of Owen's free hand (which took him by surprise). Owen gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. Together, they slowly walked towards the small gate as the Raptors made their way toward them, snarling and hissing at the same time but never making an actual move to attack.

For Claire, it felt like hours until they both reached the gate. Barry, who was waiting for them on the other side, pressed a button to unlock the gate and gently pulled Claire inside while Owen still kept his gaze on his raptors.

"Steady, girls," Owen said soothingly, smiling as he noticed them visibly calm down. Owen took a few, cautious steps backward until he reached the gate, with Barry closing it with a press of a button. Owen released the breath he was holding before turning his attention to Claire.

Owen wanted to break the tension, so he settled for some lighthearted humor. He grinned at Claire. "If you wanted to be up close and personal with my raptors, you could've told me."

He didn't expect what came next. Within seconds, Claire wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the crook of his neck while she kept whispering "Thank you" to him like a mantra. He instinctively enveloped her with his arms, murmuring "You're okay, we're okay" until he felt her relax within his embrace.

It was Owen's day off. Days off usually meant hanging out near his bungalow or doing outdoor activities like hiking or even fishing at the lake next to his humble abode. As much as he enjoyed being in the paddock and bonding with his girls, he also savored the days where he could relax and enjoy some of his favorite hobbies.

Today, however, Owen felt lethargic, so he opted to stay in his bungalow, watching TV with a bottle of beer. It's been two days since the incident in the raptor paddock; Leo was removed from his position with the raptor project and was moved to work with some of the lesser dangerous dinosaurs in the park. As for Claire, she had left the paddock with a medical team to ensure that no bones were broken after her fall. Owen visited the control room the day after to check up on her (and because he wanted to tell her the truth), but Claire was not present. Lowery told Owen she took a couple of much-needed vacation days but did not specify where she would be.

It was unlike her to make such last-minute plans; it worried Owen, especially because he knew that part of the reason why she must be upset was because of her failed dates – and Owen knew she genuinely looked forward to those dates – that he intentionally ruined because he didn't have the courage to ask her out.

It wasn't like him at all; he had no problems asking out other women in the past. But Claire… well, she was different than the others. She was an incredibly independent woman; she was headstrong and tenacious, yet she also had a soft and vulnerable side. That's why it was hard for him to ask her on a date: because he was intimidated by her.

"Just tell her the truth, Owen" was Barry's advice to him when Owen voiced out his concerns to his friend. Owen knew Barry was right; the truth always wins.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

Owen frowned. When Owen took a day off, Barry or one of the other guys at the raptor paddock would usually contact him through radio if there was a situation that needed his attention. There was no need to go all the way to Owen's bungalow.

"What do you want?"

The voice that replied almost made Owen fall from his chair. "Owen?"

He choked on his drink. "Claire?!" he sputtered, not believing his ears.

"Did I come at a bad time?" she said from the other side of the door. "I can come back if you're busy…"

"No, I'm not busy," Owen said, composing himself. After taking a few inhales and exhales to calm his rapidly beating heart, Owen opened the door of his trailer.

"Hi," he greeted, taking in the sight of her wearing denim jeans and a simple peasant top. He thought she always looked stunning in what she wore, even in casual clothing.

"Hi," she mimicked his greeting.

"You okay?" Owen asked, taking a step closer to her. She looked fretful, and it worried him.

"It's been a horrible couple of weeks," she admitted while Owen clenched his jaw as the guilt came at him in full force. "But when I look back at those weeks, they weren't too horrible because you helped make them better."

It was now or never.

"Claire, I haven't been completely honest with you," Owen started. He held up a hand when Claire was about to cut him off with a question. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled nervously. "I've been… sabotaging your dates."

Her wearied look instantly turned angry. She pushed on his chest, upset and seething. "YOU WHAT?! How could you?"

"Let me explain-"

"And here I thought I was having the worst luck of my life," she continued, not letting him talk. "Who the hell do you think you are? Who gave you the right to mess up my life like that?!"

"I'm so sorry, Claire…"

She was yelling now. "I can't believe it! So all those nice things you did for me – having dinner with me, bringing me home, joining me in the gondola – all those were staged?!"

"No, of course not-"

"So I guess that whole incident with the raptors was staged, too? You somehow did something so that I would fall and you would rescue me so I would think you're my hero? I could've died there, Owen!"

"Now hold on a sec!" Owen's raised voice silenced Claire. "I may have sabotaged your dates with Jacob, Beck, and David, but I would never 'stage' all those things I did for you… those were genuine, Claire. And most importantly, I would never risk your life like that!"

"Then explain to me what happened in the paddock!"

"You should know: Leo brought you there when he shouldn't have. The railing was supposed to be repaired that morning, but there was a delay. A few things got complicated and the contractors had to postpone it the day after. Leo was aware of the changes, but he didn't take it seriously."

Owen took a deep breath and continued, "When I say I'm sorry, I really mean it. I was wrong for sabotaging your dates. I was just… I was jealous."

Claire frowned. "If you were jealous, why didn't you ask me out instead of doing all those things?"

"Because I didn't think I was good enough for you."

She pursed her lips and lowered her head. Her anger was starting to dissipate at his honesty and his sudden show of openness. "Why would you think that?" she asked.

He laughed bitterly. "Look at me, Claire. I'm just the raptor trainer, and here you are at the top of the corporate ladder who can date any guy you liked. I'm no match for those guys you were dating."

"Oh, Owen…"

"I'm really sorry, Claire," muttered Owen. He decided that he couldn't face her anymore so he turned around to walk back in his trailer. However, Claire's hand grasped one of his.

"Owen, wait."

"Look, I don't think I can look at you anymore without feeling guilty or sorry for myself," he said. "I think it's time for you to leave, I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology."

Owen blinked. "What?"

"I accept your apology," repeated Claire. "I'm still mad at you, but you did save my life and that was not staged at all."

An awkward silence fell on them. Owen shifted his weight from one foot to another while he looked at everywhere but Claire. It wasn't until Owen felt her tug that he realized they were still holding hands.

He looked at her then. "Claire?"

Her face broke into the tiniest of smiles. "Thank you, Owen."

"For what?"

"First, for rescuing me."

"Okay..."

"And second: for helping me look at the brighter side of this whole mess."

"Huh?"

"Well… this whole fiasco – which was mostly your fault, by the way…"

"No need to rub it in…"

"… gave me the opportunity to get to know you better."

Owen stood there in silence, so Claire took that as her cue to continue, "Even though you sabotaged those dates just so you can spend time with me, I genuinely enjoyed the time we spent together because I learned a lot of things about you… it was really nice when it was just you and me."

A faint blush tainted her cheeks. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is… Owen, would you like to go out for dinner sometime?"

Owen stood there, stunned. "You're asking me out even though I ruined all your dates? I thought you'd be mad at me for the rest of my life."

She scrunched her nose. "Oh, I'm furious. In fact, I'm so furious that I was tempted not to ask you out anymore."

"Wait, you were planning to ask me out?"

"Well, yeah… that was the reason why I came here in the first place."

"But then I got you mad."

She nodded. "But then you got me mad."

"I'm sorry."

"I know, but I'm still mad at you."

"Understandable."

Claire smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "You'll have to make up for it during our date, Mr. Grady."

Owen matched her smile with a grin. "So… a real, official date this time?"

Claire laughed. "Yes. Just make sure nobody would sabotage it."

"Deal. A date it is then…"

Her whole face brightened, and Owen thought she was the most beautiful thing he ever laid his eyes on. Their hands were still entwined, and Owen couldn't help but smile. "Just you and me."

[ FIN ]

A/N:
- My apologies if the update took sooo long… this chapter went through so many changes.
- I started writing this around the time they announced the date for JW2 and that both Chris and Bryce will be returning. SO EXCITED. WHO'S WITH ME?!
- Claire was quick to forgive, eh? OOC there, definitely, hence my warning in Ch. 1 ;)

As usual, reviews and likes are appreciated!
Yours Truly, HG

Special thanks to my Chapter 1 reviewers:
- IfUKnewUCouldNotFail: Glad you liked it! Funny thing is... I have no idea what to write for Claire and Owen's first date. There are several ideas in my head that might warrant another one-shot, but we'll see!
- pauulamartiinez: Glad you enjoyed it!
- hushedgreylily: Bashful date Owen is oh-so-cute!
- Duesal Bladesinger: Your review just made me laugh ^_^ Yes, that is the Owen we know and love ;)
- Guest (July 30): Glad you enjoyed Ch. 1!
- Lord Destroyer: You have no idea what your review did to me! Now I'm thinking of writing an ALTERNATE ending.
- Stargirl11: Glad you enjoyed it! This chapter is a bit less silly than Ch. 1, but I still hope you like it!
- Free: Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!

PS: Working on Chapter 2 of "After Hours". Might take about a week or two for it to get finished, so please stay tuned! :)

PPS: A lovely reviewer who goes by the name Lord Destroyer left a feedback wondering if Claire knows Owen has been sabotaging her dates all along… while that was not my original plan, now I'm thinking of writing an alternate ending to this story to reflect that wonderful idea. What do y'all think?

Edited: 2/13/18