The moment I step foot into one of the abandoned condos, I immediately regret it. I hear a sickening crunch beneath my foot, and I slowly look down, dreading what I was going to find. Bugs. There is a carpet of dead bugs covering the floor. I lift my foot and fight a gag as I see various bug parts and guts dripping from my shoe. I slowly back out of the door, careful not to put any weight on my foot; I don't want to further smash the bugs into my shoe. Arms wrap around me from behind and I squeal, jumping forward.
"What was that?" Owen asks, brows furrowed as he hears the crunch. I groan, realizing I had put weight on my other foot when I had jumped. I glare at him as I slowly lift my foot and reveal the mess of bug on my shoe.
Owen stays silent for a moment then says cheerfully, "Well, at least you weren't wearing your heels." I glare at him, but break into a smile when he winks. Dang it. He takes a step toward me and slowly wraps his arms around me, his chest warm against my back. I relax into his embrace, but then he yanks me outside, laughing at my startled gasp.
"Away from the bugs," he whispers into my ear, sending a shiver through me. I decided that he was forgiven. "In case you fell back into the house in your blind love for me." And there went that forgiveness. I turn my head slightly, scowling, but he smiles and kisses the corner of my lip.
"Ahem," a voice says from behind us.
I spin around in Owen's arms, which brings my face inches from his. I find myself staring into his blue-green eyes, completely forgetting why I had turned around in the first place.
"AHEM." I shake my head to clear it, then look past Owen's face- which was enormously hard- and spot an awkward-looking Barry.
"Uh, hey," I say lamely.
"Well, if you two are done doing…whatever it is you're doing, I found some supplies."
Owen murmurs something about Barry's timing but he, too, turns around.
"Great," he says, plastering a smile to his face.
"Before we go…" I reach down and yank my dirty shoe off of my foot. Since it would be awkward to walk around with only one shoe, I decide to take the other one off as well. I find Owen watching me with raised eyebrows.
"What?"
"Are you planning on walking around this abandoned island barefoot?"
"Well, unless you have a spare pair of shoes on you, I don't see another option. I am not walking around on bug guts."
"Okay," Owen says, a sly smile slowly crossing his lips.
"Okay? You're agreeing that-" a startled shriek leaves my lips as he scoops me up in his arms.
"I don't want you stepping on anything."
"My hero," I say, rolling my eyes. In reality though, I really didn't mind being in his arms. Not at all.
The supplies ended up consisting of some packaged food that was still good. How long had this food been here- years? And the stuff was still good? Yuck. I wonder how many preservatives were in those things-
"What's up?" Owen says, fighting a smile.
"What?"
"You have this weird look on your face- eyebrows pinched and nose wrinkled. It's pretty cute, actually."
I fight a blush and look away, shaking my head. Barry was studying us, a longing look on his face.
I walk over to him, quietly asking, "What is it?"
He seems a bit shocked to see me, but then says, "I want what you two have."
I find myself looking at Owen, only to find him looking back.
After we had salvaged what we could from the supplies, Owen and I go to the beach. The sun casts a network of colors over the ocean, and the shadows from the palm trees stretch out along the sand. I dig my bruised, bare feet into the wet sand, breathing a sigh of relief.
"You know," Owen says, studying me. "I never thought you would've been the type to dig their feet into the sand. Wouldn't it ruin your pedicure?"
"I've decided not to do pedicures anymore," I say with a grin. "Waste of time and money."
Owen makes a noise in the back of his throat and reaches for me. "That's my girl."
"I like the sound of that," I say, tapping my finger against his chest. He lowers his head and kisses me slowly. Warmth shoots through me and my toes curl into the sand.
"The eggs are hatching!"
I pull back with a start and see Barry running down the beach towards us.
"Are. You. Kidding. Me." Owen growls, but then what Barry said sinks in. "The eggs…That-That shouldn't be possible. They should have another few weeks!"
"Tell that to them."
Owen shoves his fingers through his hair. "It must have been the change in climate. Or the rocking movement of the boat. Or-"
"Does it really matter?" Barry says impatiently. "They're hatching now and unless you want to lose your last chance at getting your raptors…"
Owen grows rigid, then turns to me, anxiety in his eyes.
"Can you…will you come with me?"
"Me?" I ask, surprised. "I wouldn't be much help."
"Morale support," he says with a weak smile. "I'm gonna need it."
Owen decided to just give me a piggy-back ride over to the temporary nest we had made for the eggs. Blue paces around it anxiously, stopping to nose an egg back into place. This was wrong, so very wrong. To think that we had gone through all of that trouble and we might lose-I force myself to not think about that. We would save the baby raptors. As I watch, one of the eggs starts to shake. I glance over at Owen, who is watching intently with a pained look on his face. I say quick little prayer that he won't lose his raptors, too, then wrap an arm around his shoulders.
"It's going to be okay. They're going to make it." Even I don't completely believe myself.
For the next hour, Owen and Blue pace while I stay well away. Owen had steered me far from Blue saying, "An anxious raptor is a dangerous raptor." Now I watch on, chewing on my nails. I hoped against all hope that these babies would survive; I knew what they meant to Owen. Even I care about them, a little. Blue stops suddenly, her tail high. Then she stalks over to the nest, carefully stepping around the eggs. She stops at the one farthest from her, then noses it to the edge, away from the others. From where I was, I could barely make out the fissure forming along its side. I quietly scooch closer, to where I could get a better view, and what I see makes me gasp. I can make out a little eye peering out from the crack, then a claw reaches out. Blue turns in anxious little circles, coming back every couple seconds to check on her egg. I hear steps beside me and a warm hand lands on my shoulder. I hadn't realized I had gotten so close to the nest. Oops.
"Why isn't she helping crack the egg open?" I ask as I turn my gaze back to Blue.
"If she were to do that, she might injure the baby inside."
"Oh," I say, feeling foolish. Owen lowers himself beside me, and I rest my head on his chest. He stiffens for a moment, then relaxes.
"It going to be a long night," he says.
"As long as I have you as my pillow, I'm good." His chest rumbles beneath my ear, and his hand comes up to play with my hair. I close my eyes and breath in the fresh air, trying to ignore the fact that there was a loose raptor a few feet away. Soon to be four raptors…hopefully. A little squeal breaks into the night and I sit up, alert. What I find makes me smile. A tiny velociraptor was teetering towards Blue, its tail flicking.
"Aww," I breath. Owen turns his head, which brings our lips inches from each other.
"I'm so glad you find that cute," he murmurs, his eyes warm. "Because that's going to be your raptor."
I laugh lightly as I turn back Blue and her baby. I spot Barry several feet behind the nest, watching as the little raptor pranced along the nest, tripping over her large claws.
"One down, two to go," I say. Owen nods against my head, then stops.
"No, two down, one to go."
"What?" I squint and see that there are two empty egg shells. Which means…I look around frantically, trying to spot the second baby. When I do, my heart stops. It's lying very still, its eyes closed and tail limp.
"Oh, no," I breath. Owen stands up beside me, then walks over to the nest. Blue watches him with weary eyes, but takes a step back. He bends down and carefully scoops up the dead velociraptor and I feel tears burn my throat. Owen walks back over to me, sitting down again with the raptor held in his hands. She's a beautiful golden color, with orange streaks down its side, ending in a mask over its eyes. I turn my head away, unable to watch her knowing she's dead. I hear Owen suck in a breath beside me and I look back at him. As I watch, I see the tail give the tiniest flick. I scooch closer to Owen and watch as he rubs her chest. Barry walks up beside him and Owen says something to him, then he runs off back towards the condos.
"May I?" I ask quietly. Owen nods and hands me the limp raptor. I gasp; she's so light. Too light. I press her against my chest, trying to give her some heat. Owen wraps me to him so that the raptor is sandwiched between us, like a baby. I smile despite myself, imagining us as parents. Barry stops beside us, spraying up stones. He's holding a basin of water, steam rolling off of it.
"Good thing the water heaters are still operational." Owen nods as he gently takes the raptor from me, then grabs the washcloth from Barry. He dips it into the container and rubs the warm cloth over the raptor's eyes and nostrils. He massages her chest and continues to clean out her nostrils, as well as wiping the discharge from her eyes. I watch on, feeling helpless. Wait…I stand up, then jog back to the condos, ignoring Owen's protests. I barely feel the leaves beneath my bare feet as I rush back to the supplies. There. Right where I had seen it earlier. Baby food. I grab it as well as a tin of chicken noodle soup then head back to the nest. Owen glances back up at me, scowling.
"You could've stepped on something or have gotten eaten by the jaguars around here."
"I'm fine. I handled dinosaurs, I can handle myself on the quarter-mile trek to the condos." Owen looks like he wants to say something more, but I hold up the food.
"Baby food may not be much, but at least it's something to put in her stomach. It should be easy to get down, especially if we mix it with some of that hot water. Then she gets some liquid in her too. And the warmth can't hurt either." Owen watches me for a moment, then nods. I sit down beside him and peel off the lid. I dump out half of it onto a leaf, then pour some hot water into the remaining gunk. I wrinkle my nose at the smell, then lean over the raptor. Owen grabs the washcloth and forces her mouth open.
"Careful," he says. "She still has some sharp teeth, and when she comes to, she might snap." I nod then dribbled the food into her mouth. Owen forces her to swallow and we continue the process until all of the food is gone. I can now make out her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. It's something. Owen wraps her in his jacket and sets her in my lap. I look back out at the nest.
"Owen, look." The other egg had finally hatched, and the two raptor siblings were playing with each other. Blue was watching them with affection, her mouth stretched into what I could only call a dino-grin. A quiet cackle sounds from my lap and I find myself staring into the eyes of the velociraptor.
"Owen," I breath. He looks over at me, then follow my gaze to my lap. The little raptor was struggling to get herself out of the jacket. With a smile, I lend a hand to help her. I feel Owen tense beside me as work at untangling the cloth. The raptor's mouth is dangerously close to my hand, but, oddly, I'm not afraid. With a final tug, the raptor is free. She chirps and hobbles over to me, crawling into my lap. She cocks her head, then makes a wobbly circle and curls up on my legs. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.
"She thinks you're her mother," Owen says with a grin. "And I do believe she's found the best nest." I smile at him and carefully lay a finger on her head.
"Didn't you say you imprinted your raptors when they were born?"
Owen nods absent-mindedly.
"Shouldn't you be doing that, then?"
"Yes."
I wait for him to leave, but when he stays there watching me with the raptor, I give him a light shove.
"Go, do your thing. I'm fine over here." Owen still doesn't want to leave me, but I make him go and imprint. He'd thank me later. I watch as he scoops up a little raptor, avoiding her claws and teeth. He wraps his hand around her mouth in a loose muzzle, then holds her legs beneath her, preventing her from scratching him. He runs his fingers over her, slowly getting her used to his scent. I look down at the sleeping raptor in my lap. Looked easy enough…I might as well try…I lightly run my fingers over her scales, marveling at her exquisite pattern. I follow the orange swirls along her back, down her tail, over her eyes. I trace the lighter flesh along her belly and chin, freezing when she opened her eyes. But she just laid her head back down on my lap and continued to watch me as I imprinted her. If you could call it that.
Owen shakes me awake in what feels minutes later.
"You know," he says with a smile. "Falling asleep with a dinosaur is a very dangerous thing to do." I stare at him, confused, then remember the raptor in my lap.
"How long was I out for?" I ask.
"At least an hour." I stare at him, agape. I can't believe I fell asleep with a velociraptor in my lap.
"Well," I say finally. "It's a good thing she's full."
"I wouldn't have let her eat you," he says with a wink.
"Good to hear," I say dryly. The raptor stirs in my lap then stands up and scrambles to her siblings on wobbly legs. I watch her with a smile as she joins in their game.
"So," I turn to Owen. "What're you going to name them?"
"Ah," he says, rubbing his neck. "Not sure. I figured I'd have another few weeks to figure out names. I'm not the most creative…"
"Well, how did you pick out the names for your original raptors?"
Owen looks at me sheepishly, then says, "Military alphabet."
I stare at him, confused.
"You know, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo…"
"Ohhhh. Like in Battleship?"
"Yeah," he says with a laugh. "Like Battleship."
"Well," I say. "It makes sense. You being in the Navy and all…but where did Blue come from? You didn't just name her because she's blue did you? Because that would be…" I trail off as I see his face. "You didn't actually name your raptor after her color…"
He blushes furiously and I roll my eyes. "Owen Grady, you need some help."
"And would that be yours?"
Now it's my turn to blush. "Maybe. I kind of like the idea of naming them after the military alphabet. What other names could come from that?"
Owen looks up, thinking. "India…Kilo…Sierra-"
"Ooh! I like that!" Owen shoots me a look before he continues.
"Tango…pretty sure Uniform and Whiskey wouldn't meet your name standard. X-ray might, though," he says with another wink. I roll my eyes again.
"Of the ones you listed…I really like Sierra. I think I'll name my raptor that. What?" I ask when Owen keeps staring at me.
"Nothing, it's just that I love hearing those words come from your mouth. It really makes me want to kiss you."
"Please don't," Barry grumbles, startling me. I hadn't seen him lying in the brush several feet away.
"You are more than welcome to leave." After a few moments, Owen adds, "that was a hint, in case you didn't catch that." Barry stands up with a string of more grumbles, but he's smiling.
"See you guys back at the bug-infested condos." I groan but stop as I find Owen's intent gaze on me. He leans forward and crashes his lips to mine. He cups the back of my head and I lean into him. His lips continue to move against mine and I sigh against his mouth. He chuckles and deepens the kiss. He growls when I tangle my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands fall to my hips, tugging me even closer to him. My hands clutch his shirt, enjoying the feel of him against me. When he finally pulls back, we're both breathless.
"I love you, you know that?" he says against my lips.
"Mmm, I know. And I love you," I say as I kiss his cheek.
"What kind of kiss was that?"
I stare at him. "You can't say that when we just made out!"
He wiggles his eyebrows. I throw my hands up in the air.
"So," he says, still smirking. "Sierra?"
I nod as I spot my little raptor with her siblings. "I don't know what you were thinking, but I thought Tango and Kilo could work for the others."
He nods. "The first one to hatch- the red- should be Tango. Which leaves the silver to be-"
"Kilo," I say.
"Way to steal my thunder," he says with a fake pout.
"There wasn't any thunder to steal."
"A little," he says, pinching his fingers to show a tiny space.
"You're unbelievable."
"And you're cute when you're mad."
"Again. Unbelievable." He laughs as he stands and reaches out a hand to pull me up.
"But you love that."
"That I do," I say with a smile as I look up at him. Something rubs against my legs and I glance down to find Sierra brushing against me.
"Hey, little girl," I say with a laugh. She cocks her head, then chirps and places her front foot against my leg. She watches me expectantly and I throw her a piece of jerky I had stashed in my pocket earlier. Sierra swallows it in one gulp that trots back to her siblings, her tail waving behind her. Owen wraps an arm around me and I fall against him, sighing with contentment.
A/N: Well, this FanFic is also now over. And I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've ever written, at 3000-something words. I finished my Pitch Perfect FF last night, and now that both of these are done, I'm going to start on one for Lux 3 Hope you guys enjoyed reading this; I sure had fun writing it.
