He's sitting on the stairs that lead to his bungalow, drinking a beer that is already lukewarm and trying not to get eaten alive by the numerous mosquitoes when he spots her car approaching. It slows down to a halt not far from his bike. She looks apprehensive when she steps out, she sits next to him and he hands her his beer without her needing to ask.
She is not really a beer kind of girl but there are days when any alcohol will do.
He doesn't need her to tell him what decision they took during the meeting, he can read it clearly in her eyes.
"When?" he asks.
"Tomorrow morning."
Her voice is pained and frustrated. She spent a lot of time around the raptors paddock lately, more often than not caving to Echo's whining when she's in her harness and wants to be petted. He thinks she's starting to understand the dinosaurs are more than just numbers on her spreadsheets. That or maybe she has a soft spot of the I-Rex. After all, she's been around her since she has hatched.
He stands up and stretches his arms over his head.
"I'm going to the paddock." he says.
"Why?" she frowns. "She won't try anything again tonight…"
"It's her last night. She shouldn't be alone, monster or not." he simply shrugs.
She watches him for a moment before averting her eyes, taking a sip of the beer to cover her nervousness.
"Are you angry with me?" she whispers. "I feel like you're angry with me…"
"I'm angry." he confirms. "Not with you. It's a fucking waste, Claire, and all so arrogant men could pat each other's back and congratulate themselves on beating Frankenstein. I hate that."
She nods slowly, not surprised.
She doesn't try to stop him when he hops on his bike.
o0°0o
He's been sitting on a bench in the observatory for a couple of hours when she shows up.
"I can't sleep." she tosses as a vague explanation.
Owen could sleep. They've been awake for twenty-four hours at that point and he's dead on his feet. But he doesn't want to leave Indie, in part because he does believe that no one should be alone when they're about to die and in part because he is somehow scared the I-Rex will figure out what's in store for her and try to play fast or lose.
She's roaming in her cage, almost as if she's pacing, so obviously bored it's painful to watch. He tries to convince himself it's the best option. He knows it's the best option. It still feels like a waste.
Claire sits next to him and, for a while, they watch in silence.
"I can't stop them from starting again, you know." she says. "They're already talking about it."
"Of course, they are." he scoffs. He wishes he could be surprised by that piece of news but he isn't.
"Smaller, less dangerous but still impressive." she sighs. "That's how Masrani described it. I will have a field day trying to find investors after the I-Rex disaster."
"Would that really be a bad thing if you can't get any?" he growls.
"We talked about this. The park needs renewing if we want it to survive." she retorts. "I don't agree with making dinosaurs from scratch. I can object, I can disapprove, but I can't stop them. I don't call all the shots, I only have so much power." She remains silent for a few seconds and then she licks her lips. "I can threaten to quit if they go through with it again. It might give them pause. But it won't stop them for long and where will we be? I will be out of a job and there would be another brand new monster over which we would have no control."
"Don't quit." he counters at once. "You have a conscience, the rest of them only have money in their brain. The park needs you. I need you."
"Then I suggest you work on the raptors attraction." she shrugs. "That will buy us some time and I'm convinced it will stop InGen from eventually selling them to the military."
"I'm doing everything I can." he sighs.
He has increased the number of handlers watching the training in the hope of making the girls used to having an audience but they're easily distracted. If they do open to the public soon, it would have to be on limited seats, with an interdiction to take pictures and he still hates that he has to do that to the girls, make them a circus number. On the other hand, he also hates that he would have to become a circus number because there was no one else but him to make them do their tricks. It wouldn't be all amusement, there would be an educational part to the attraction, he had insisted on it, but it was still… so not them.
"I don't like her." he confesses out of the blue, his eyes on the I-Rex still pacing below. "I feel guilty about it."
"I feel guilty too." Claire admits. "Not for the same reasons."
He grabs her hand without thinking and entwines their fingers. "I feel sorry for her. She's not… Putting her down is the best option but I still feel sorry."
"I know." she hums, resting her head against his shoulder. "You love those animals. You're compassionate. You're understanding. You take them as they are and you accept them even when they're stubborn and foolish and not affectionate enough…"
"We're still talking about the dinosaurs?" he snorts. She whacks his arm and he can help his chuckles. "So. You love me."
"I love you." she nods before propping her chin on his shoulder. He only has to turn his head to catch her lips.
"Took you long enough." he teases between two kisses.
"But at least I'm certain." she argues.
"I'm certain too." he retorts.
A soft smile plays on her lips and he can't stop himself from kissing her again. If he had a choice, he would never stop kissing her. Kissing her is the best thing he has ever done in his whole life.
"What do we do now?" she whispers.
"I want to wait until they come and do it." he says, his good mood disappearing. He pecks her mouth one last time and brushes her hair away from her face. "You should go home, get some sleep. Go back to your place, maybe. It's closer."
She looks down and licks her lips nervously. "I checked out of the hotel earlier. I went back there to change this morning and… Do you know there were only three pairs of panties, one bra and two suits left? I looked around and I realized all my stuff was already at your bungalow. I realized I was already living with you. So I took what was left and I checked out."
"Claire…" he starts, delighted by the news because they're finally moving forward and he has been ready for some time but waiting for her to catch up.
"When I ask what do we do, I mean what do we do now?" she insists. "I'm scared out of my wits, Owen."
He studies her in the semi-obscurity of the observatory, a slow cocky grin stretching his lips. "We live on an island full of dinosaurs. We better stick together. For survival."
She snorts but she smiles back.
"For survival." she agrees. "I can do that."
THE END.
End of the ride! Thank you for reading and commenting. I hope you liked it and hopefully, I will see you soon for a new story =)
