Chapter 5: Solace
"Ellie what a surprise!" exclaimed Alan. She smiled, knowing he was not expecting her. "Hello Alan, how's everything been?"
"Pretty Good. I've actually managed to find two of Jurassic World's staff members."
"Is one of them a raptor trainer?"
"You guessed it." Ellie smiled at his answer, knowing he had done something good for the two, especially after hearing about the disaster that occured on the island.
"I have some news for you. Pretty relieving news as well."
"What's that?"
"The lecture has been cancelled." Alan stared at her, surprised about what she said.
"Wait why?" he asked.
"Too many students could not attend. Many were going on trips with their families for vacation. One of the organizers told me to let you know. So, nothing to be worried about."
Alan sighed, both in relief and in disappointment, although the latter feeling was not the overwhelming thought. "Well in that case, come in. Let's get to know these fellow guests of ours." His companion entered. She instantly got reminded of how antique the place was with all of the collections that he had for himself. And the smell of the place also contributed to that factor. It was not unpleasant, but it certainly showed just how aged the place was.
"Been a long time since I've been here," she stated. Alan smiled but suddenly reminded himself to tell the others that there were a change of plans.
Ian came back from the kitchen and noticed Ellie, almost dropping his coffee at the sight of her. "Oh Ellie what a surprise!"
"Hi Ian!"
Alan suddenly interrupted, "Oh Ian, I've got some news for you. The uh, lecture has been cancelled."
"Well that makes things different then doesn't it?" replied the mathematician.
Meanwhile upstairs, Claire was about to take off her clothes in order to prepare herself for the cancelled lecture but once again she fell victim to the overwhelming thoughts that never got out of her mind. She still could not get her head around one thing that kept reappearing in her mind. A feeling. But not just any feeling. After pestering her for a very long time, she had finally realized the meaning of these thoughts that blended into one single emotion. Love. Love for someone she knew was meant to be her soul mate but she could never tell him after all the hell she drove them through. The overwhelming emotion was too much for her to handle though and she could feel the tears beginning to fall again. Not wanting anyone to hear her, she moved out to the balcony of the house overlooking the beautiful city line, hoping she could cry in peace.
Owen had taken out his suit case to change his clothes to a more proper outfit for the event that was to not going to happen. He put on a black shirt along with dark jeans and black socks, a common look he found to suit him best in these situations. He finished with his trusty old watch that always gave him an idea of his priorities. He then went to comb his hair which took less than a minute due to the short length. Afterwards, he made his way downstairs to see Alan and Ian.
"Okay I'm ready. What's next?" he asked as he made his way into the living room.
"Oh Owen. I'd like you to meet another friend of mine. This is Ellie Sattler. A paleo botanist who knows dinosaur health better than anyone I know." Alan introduced his friend who shook Owen's hand. "Hello nice meet you," she greeted, "So I heard you were the raptor trainer at the new park."
"Oh yeah. Very fun business. Especially after seeing that kid get terrified by Alan a long time ago in Montana, learning to show respect for these animals, which really was the root of my relationship with them," Owen answered enthusiastically.
Ellie was stunned, not realizing that Owen was in that group of people that saw the little kid get scared. "So you're telling me that you were at the dig site with those groups of students?" she asked.
"Yeah. But I think we may be late for our little upcoming event so should I get Claire and finish getting ready," responded Owen quickly.
"Oh um, I hate to kill the mood here, but the lecture has been cancelled Owen," stated Alan.
Owen sighed heavily, both in disappointment and in relief, "Well I guess I won't be able to share my experiences and facts, but at least I won't need to worry about anything then. So what now?"
"Maybe you should go tell Claire about these changes of plans," suggested Alan.
Owen nodded and went upstairs to let her know. Meanwhile Ian finished his tea and wondered, "So we see another familiar face appear out of nowhere. What's next my ex-girlfriend's gonna show up?"
The raptor trainer made his way to Claire's room and knocked. "Hey Claire! The lecture's actually been cancelled, no need to change!" But there was no response. He knocked again, "Are you sleeping in there? You can come out now."
He still didn't get any responses, making him open the door to check. "Claire?" When he looked in the room, she wasn't there. "What the hell?" Not seeing any signs of her, he decided to go back downstairs and let the others know.
Suddenly, a sound caught his attention. It was very quiet, but he could hear it. It was a sound of sadness that anyone could not help but listen to in grief and in confusion. It was the sound of crying, and it did not take much to get Owen's attention. He followed the sound until it lead to the balcony of the room.
Opening the door, he could feel the nice breeze of the night flowing into his nose and then his lungs, but that calmness was ultimately shattered when he saw Claire on the ground in a sitting foetal position, weeping heavily. She was completely unaware of his presence until he placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch at the touch, and then calm down at the sight of him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, not even bothering to face him.
"I think it's time you explain to me what's going on," whispered Owen.
"Why should I?"
Owen then moved beside Claire and placed an arm around her, giving her extra warmth. She sighed at his touch, feeling better but still not ready to talk. After a couple of minutes of silence, he finally asked her, "What's going on Claire?"
"It's just… something that I've had going on in my mind ever since the park, the Indominus, the battle, and the incident in general," she uttered, "Ever since all those complaints we had to contend to a few days after the shutdown, it has been corrupting my mind. Those families were so angry and it just tore my heart to hear all of them shouting about their relatives' deaths and Zara's fiancé threatening me about a lawsuit he would arrange. It was just too much to bear. Never mind the fact that we barely escaped the jaws of a monster and lost many innocent creatures as well including your raptors. I just don't know what to do."
She pulled Owen into a hug and cried into his shirt. All he could do was just hold her in grief knowing he could do nothing else. "Claire?" he asked
"Yeah?" she sniffled.
"Is there something else that's been going on in your mind that you want to tell me?"
She hesitated at first, thinking it wouldn't do her any good. But she knew had to let it all out and then she suddenly reached out to him.
"A long time ago, about two years before Jurassic world was opened and I got a job, my mother had passed away from lung cancer. A part of me died as well knowing it would never return to me. So as I found the opportunity to work at the park I did my best and eventually rose to the position that I retained for a long time. From the minute my mom died I kept facing every day as if it was just daily business and I became distant from my family that way. That is why I refused to be with Zach and Gray when they came to visit. I just wanted the success for myself and completely disregarded every one of my colleagues, friends, and loved ones."
Owen could feel the tears about to fall from his own eyes as he suddenly remembered a life-scarring incident of his own.
"Claire. You're not the only one. When I was twelve, my sister Jane had died in a car accident when she was biking with my mom. She got too far ahead and didn't look both ways. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. That is why my motorcycle is a very delicate item of mine which is why I am so protective of it and even then it can't always get out of my head just how easy it would've been for my mom to have stopped Jane from losing her life. But I found hope in the form of someone who I find to be very special, sweet, and beautiful too."
"Who?" Claire sobbed.
"You Claire Dearing. From the moment I came to the park and started working with you and even that disastrous first date, I've had these feelings for you but I could never express them properly. At least not until now. I love you."
Claire looked at him blankly with more tears welling up in her eyes, trying to comprehend what he said which caused Owen to lower his head in shame. Suddenly out of nowhere she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him and pulled him into a kiss that seemed to never end. They just wanted to just let their emotions and love out onto each other, clearly having no better way other than this.
Gasping for air, they let go, breathing heavily. She then broke the silence, "I love you too. I've wanted to tell you that, but I never had the courage. But I think now it seems to have found me again." She placed her hand on his face and started caressing it while he did the same to her. Staring into each other's eyes was something they could do for hours. Tears were about to fall from Claire's eyes again, only these were tears of relief and happiness. Owen wiped them away, giving her even more hope than she could ever imagine.
"You're the only one Claire. The only one I could ever love in life. The right person for me and for all the right reasons," stated Owen as he stroked her red hair.
"When did you become so different?" she asked.
"I told you. When I met you."
She smiled. He smiled. Then they both kissed once more, trying to let each other know that this was a new beginning for them and that there was a future to live through.
Lost in their pleasantness with each other they were completely unaware of the other three looking at them from the room. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," commented Ellie.
"Yeah 'aww how cute' that's how it always starts. But then later there's yelling and fighting," added Ian.
"Why do you have to say things like that?" asked Ellie, finding his comment rude.
"You can talk to Sarah for an answer," replied Ian, crossing his arms.
Meanwhile Owen decided it was time for them to go to bed but not before letting Claire know something he had to tell her before this chat. "Oh and one more thing. The lecture's been cancelled."
After many sighs of relief the pair got into the bed with both of them in each other's embrace. "Owen?" asked Claire while she caressed his chest.
"Yes?"
"Thanks for always being there when I needed you."
"You're welcome Ms. Dearing."
She chuckled as the two kissed once more before falling asleep as warmth and love consumed the two into the long night of hope and happiness. It was a new start for this pair and it would not take long before they would be known as a couple to the world.