Oke, I know I said that I wouldn't update for another week and a half but I couldn't stop myself (whoops xD).
Thank you so much for all of your support and I'm thrilled that you all seem to like it. Someone suggested that the kids walk in on Owen and Claire kissing and I think I might just use that at some point (in a tasteful way though).
Two things;
1. I was having some trouble deciding on words and spelling (English vs. American) and finally decided on English (I couldn't get myself to write fries in this chapter so avoided the word altogether). I know most of my readers are American, I hope it doesn't bother you guys.
2. While writing this chapter I found myself writing Owen more as Chris Pratt. I've clearly been watching too many interviews again. I'm finding it difficult to stay true to the characters (we don't know much about them to begin with) but I hope I can do it.
Enjoy!
Karen had gotten them some basic clothes. They weren't the most charming but they fit and that was all that mattered at the moment. Owen was now wearing dark blue jeans with a basic white shirt with short sleeves that showed off his muscular arms. He had a long cut on one arm that he'd assured her he'd cleaned thoroughly before they left their room. She was also wearing a basic white, short sleeved t-shirt with grey capri pants underneath. She'd chosen not to wear any shoes as her ankle hurt enough without them and he was also shoeless as Karen hadn't known which size to get him. They looked like a right pair, walking towards the restaurant in their mismatched clothes, on their socks and him supporting her as she had trouble putting all her weight on her left leg.
When they finally got to the restaurant the rest of her family was already there. The restaurant was small and modern like the rest of the hotel and luckily, nearly empty. Gray saw them first and jumped up immediately, throwing himself against Claire in a tight hug. She almost toppled over because she was unsteady on her ankle but luckily Owen still had his arm around her and steadied them. Gray then let go and attacked Owen, wrapping his arms around his middle and burying his head in Owen's chest. She hobbled over to the table and sat down next to Zach, playfully bumping his shoulder with hers, getting him to smile at her.
"What's wrong with your leg?" Zach said, his smile now replaced by a frown. At this Karen and Scott also looked up at her. All of their gazes made her uncomfortable. Being vulnerable and weak in front of Owen was a whole new experience and something that had only just happened. She generally didn't show weakness to anyone, let alone in front of a group.
"It's okay I just sprained my ankle. I just had some ice on it and it'll be fine." She assured them.
When she looked back at Owen and Gray her breath caught in her throat. Owen was squatting in front of Gray talking to him softly with a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't hear what they were saying, nor could she see Gray's face but she saw Owen wipe Gray's face as though wiping away tears before smiling at him and patting his shoulder. He's amazing with kids, she added to her list of things she knew about him. She also got a better understanding of Karen's nervousness. It looked like Gray was already depending on Owen quite a lot if he cried in front of him after being apart for only a couple of hours. She looked at Karen and Scott, they were both watching Owen and Gray worriedly. When she looked back over her shoulder they were just approaching the table. Grey's eyes were still a bit wet but he looked determined and smiled at her. He promptly sat on the chair closest to Claire. Owen greeted everyone before turning to Claire and putting a hand on her upper back.
"I'm just going to go get some more ice."
"No, Owen you don't have to." She said quickly, not being used to people caring for her at all.
"I know, but I want to." He said before moving his hand slightly over her back, like a caress. He smiled at her, blinked conspiratorially at Gray and walked towards some doors which she assumed led to the kitchen.
"Aunt Claire, you can put your foot up on this chair." Gray said seriously, patting the space behind where he sat on the chair. "Owen said you have to keep your foot elevated to keep the swelling down." (I'm imagining the shoarma scene after the credits of the Avengers movie in my head)
"Owen told you that, did he?" she asked him, smiling. Smart of him to give Gray a job to do and take his mind of things, she thought.
"Yep. He also said that you're too stubborn for your own good." He said seriously.
She heard Karen snicker from across the table and smiled up at her.
"Ssst, you weren't supposed to tell her that part!" she suddenly heard Owen say from just behind her. He put a rolled up towel on the table and ruffled Gray's hair.
"So are you going to let me sit next to your aunt?" He asked Gray who pretended to think about it before smiling and shaking his head.
"Okay then, you asked for it." Owen said before grabbing Grey's sides and tickling him, making him double over and squeal with laughter.
Claire couldn't help but smile as she saw their joy. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked at Owen and for a moment she could almost pretend like nothing bad had happened. Owen stopped his tickling and lifted Gray up, depositing him in the chair next to the one he'd been sitting in. He quickly, but carefully, moved onto the chair next to Claire.
"Good job buddy." He said, motioning towards Claire's foot, now at his back.
"I knew she'd listen to you." He winked at Gray before turning to smirk at Claire. She lightly punched his shoulder as a waiter arrived at their table. They all ordered their drinks and received a menu. As the waiter left Owen turned around and put the rolled up towel with ice on her ankle. Again his touch shot sparks up all through her body and made goose bumps appear on her leg.
"This okay?" he asked her as he lightly held the towel whilst turning so he was facing the table again.
She nodded, murmuring "thank you".
They both directed their attention back to the table where Gray was sprouting out facts on sea creatures that were on the menu.
"Lobsters can live up to 50 years. Lobsters have blue blood. A shrimp's heart is in its head. Shrimp can only swim backwards. Fish don't have eyelids so they can never close their eyes."
She smiled at his enthusiasm and looked at her menu for a moment. She decided on a vegetarian salad, not even wanting to think about eating something that was once alive. After putting down her menu she turned to look at Zach. He was focussed on his menu, every once in a while looking up at Gray for a moment. She felt sad and proud at the same time as she looked at him. He was a moody and difficult teenager not two days ago. Now he'd seen and experienced things no one should ever have to. He'd had to look after his little brother through all of it and had done an amazing job. He looked tense, but he smiled a genuine smile at Gray's rambling.
"What are you having?" she asked him.
"I'll think I'll have the spareribs."
"Good idea Zach, I think I'm going to join you on that one." Owen said from her other side. After they'd all gotten their drinks and ordered Claire sat back in her chair and looked around the table. Everyone was chatting and this could almost be a normal dinner, after a normal day if it weren't for the fact that everyone seemed tired and on edge. They were talking about safe topics; the menu, how Zach had taken the single bed upstairs and Gray had made himself a bed on the floor from extra pillows and blankets. Owen kept Zach and Gray talking, looking at her from the corner of his eye every now and again. She found it increasingly hard to join in and smile as a sombre mood came over her.
She'd just zoned out when she felt Owen's hand on her leg, bending it a bit and then moving her ankle to his lap. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.
"It was starting to freeze my back."
She was glad they were sitting at a high table and no one could really see as he took the towel off of her ankle and carefully grabbed her foot, turning it around in small circles. He put it back down in his lap and left the ice off until the food arrived five minutes later.
Everyone was quiet as they tucked in. She still didn't really feel hungry and slowly nibbled on her food. She could see Karen doing the same as the guys all ate hungrily. Gray had chosen spareribs too (Claire suspected he was copying Owen) and he and Owen were having what looked like a competition. That is, until Karen reprimanded him for his bad manners. Owen looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and immediately straightened up, eating in a more civilised manner. When he looked around to see if she had noticed Claire couldn't help but smirk at him.
Once they'd finished eating they all sat for a while longer, finishing their drinks. Owen had cleaned his hands and had one of them on her lower leg, brushing soft circles on her skin with his thumb. Her eyes were starting to droop as Scott suggested they go back up to their rooms. He went to pay the check as they all slowly got up. Owen put his arm around her and positioned her arm over his shoulders so he was supporting her.
"Owen, I can walk on my own." She protested before she'd even tried.
"Your ankle's going to be stiff from the ice Ms. Dearing." He replied, causing her to roll her eyes.
She was secretly glad he'd insisted on helping her when she found out that he was right. Off course he was, she thought. She was just too stubborn to admit it. As they got off the elevator on their floor Owen spoke up.
"Kids I'm just going to speak to your mom so Claire's going to stay with you for a bit."
Claire tensed, now fully awake and alert. Zach's head swivelled around. He looked at his mom for a moment and then said "I'm coming too, Owen wasn't there for all of it."
Karen immediately said no. However, Zach turned to Owen and they looked at each other for a moment before Owen turned to Karen.
"I think it might be a good idea, good for him too."
Claire could see her sister considering it. Uncertain but fuelled by her desire for information she finally agreed.
"Come on Gray" Claire said "You can stay with me in our room."
Gray followed her and Owen to their room where Owen helped her onto the bed before giving her a kiss on the forehead and turning to leave.
"Owen, wait." She said, grabbing his hand and holding it in both her own. They looked at each other and the tension she saw in his face made her stomach clench. She wished Gray wasn't in the room with them so she could speak with him openly.
"You don't have to, if you're not ready. I mean, I could" she stumbled over her words.
"I'll be alright, I've got some experience with this sort of thing."
She clung to his hand, again feeling stupid for feeling needy, not wanting him to leave. Even less so because she knew he'd be going through a hard time telling her sister about what happened while she'd be across the hall, lying in bed. She finally squeezed his hand and let go.
"Thank you" she murmured and he smiled softly at her before ruffling Gray's hair and leaving the room.
As soon as he left she felt empty. But then mentally reprimanded herself. Gray was here with her and she could be without Owen for a bit. She realised she hardly even knew him, none of them did. Then why did it feel like she'd known him for years? She pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She sat on the bed with her back against the headboard and patted her lap. Gray put his head in her lap like he'd done while they were waiting for his parents and they started talking. She had a strong desire to get to know him better and asked him all about his favourite movies, his friends and what school was like. She learnt that he mostly watched documentaries, some about dinosaurs and that he'd jumped a class because he was so clever. Because of this most of his classmates had girlfriends and talked about things he wasn't interested in. She listened and asked more questions, all the while stroking his hair, until he finally fell asleep.
As Gray slept she finally allowed her thoughts to drift a bit, careful not to think about the worst memories. She thought about Owen and their bantering on the day that she came to ask him to look at the paddock. She then thought about how he had looked at her in bed earlier today and how he'd opened his arms for her to snuggle close to him. She recalled how natural it felt to be with him now. The thought of being without him scared her and felt completely impossible. She did feel like they'd known each other for years, technically they had but they'd barely spoken or seen each other during that time. His presence already felt familiar and comforting. She guessed Zach and Gray probably felt the same. Near death experiences and trauma will do that to you, her brain provided.
It was another half an hour before the door softly opened and Owen and Karen walked in. Karen immediately rushed to the bed, carefully sitting down and wrapping her arms around Claire. Claire wrapped her free arm around her while looking at Owen. He looked completely worn out, like he could fall asleep while standing at the side of the bed. At her questioning look he gave her a feeble smile that looked more like a grimace. Claire's attention was brought back to Karen as she let go and softly kissed Gray's head and stroked his hair. She'd obviously been crying and she could see the toll the new information was taking on her.
"He looks so peaceful." She said, looking down at Gray's sleeping form.
"I'll take him to your room so you don't have to wake him up." Owen said before stepping forward.
"Thank you, Owen." Karen said before moving off the bed to give him room.
Owen leant one knee on the bed, bending down to pick Gray up. When he had him securely in his arms Claire reached over to kiss Gray's curls.
"I'll be right back." Owen said as he stood up and moved towards the door. Gray mumbled and shifted a little in his arms, wrapping his arm around Owen's neck and burying his head in the crook of his neck. "Hey Owen." He mumbled, still mostly asleep.
"Hey kid, go back to sleep." She heard Owen murmur back as they disappeared out the door.
She turned to Karen who was now looking at her with a watery smile on her face. "You've found a good one." She said, before bidding her goodnight and going to her own room.
Claire got up, grabbing her oversized top again and went into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. She heard Owen come in a minute later and calling out her name.
"I'm in here" she replied as she pulled her 'pyjama' on. He knocked on the door and walked in with his pyjama bottoms after her soft "Come in". They brushed their teeth in silence, while looking at each other in the mirror. His eyes were sad and he looked away when she looked at him concerned. He slowly, hesitantly moved a bit more forward until his chest was touching the side of her back. He tentatively snaked his arm around her middle, placing his hand on her flat stomach. She sensed that he was in a vulnerable place and needed her to ground him. She heard and felt him exhale shakily before looking back at her in the mirror. She moved her left hand over his, placing her fingers in between his on her stomach.
They'd spent much longer brushing their teeth than they normally would but neither wanted to break their moment. Before long she was in bed while he was in the bathroom getting changed. When he got in bed beside her a minute later she didn't ask him how his talk with Zach and Karen had gone, nor if he wanted to talk about how he felt. She just held him as his shaky breathes slowly became even and they both fell into a uneasy sleep.
