"So a baby, huh?" Owen asked besides Claire.
She was curled into his side on their bed and he was watching their intertwined fingers, raising both their hands to have a better look. Maisie was sound asleep in her own bed, in her own room (something Claire insisted she had from the day they adopted her, to give her some privacy but also to normalize their parent-child relationship). Claire smiled softly.
"I'm sorry I dropped this the way I did. I shouldn't have done it over the phone, but I wanted you to know as soon as possible and I called you right after I took the test… or once the Pachys had left the camp."
Owen kissed her hand and stroked her hair. "I know and I'm not mad, although that was one hell of a way to announce it. How far along are you?"
"Eight weeks."
Owen smiled. "We're keeping it right?" She looked at him and he grinned. "'Cause I have already ordered a "Best sister in the world" shirt for Maisie and…"
Claire snickered. "Of course you did." She sighed peacefully and nuzzled even more into Owen's side, his arm automatically tightening its hold on her. It was crazy how relaxed he made her feel just by holding her in his arms. "When I was all alone out there in the forest, I promised our unborn child that if we both made it out alive, I'd do everything in my power to keep it and protect it. So yes, I'd like to keep it."
Claire saw Owen's eyes water slightly, the pupils shiny with emotion but he simply kissed her instead of saying something. She had told him about Blue, how she had reacted to Claire's presence and pregnancy, how she probably saved her life by leading her back towards Owen.
When Claire announced the news to Karen and her boys, she almost lost her hearing. Karen actually squealed so loudly that Owen heard her from the other side of the living room. She insisted to come and visit the next weekend along with the boys. Zach was finishing his bachelor's degree and Gray had just finished high school, but both boys insisted they came as well. Owen's family was notified too and so was Iris, who was living in a small apartment in Chicago ever since the death of Benjamin Lockwood.
They had a lot to figure out, as partners, lovers, adults and parents, but they would do it all together. Claire hadn't given birth to Maisie, but the girl was as much their daughter as the baby would be their child. And Maisie immediately declared that she would help them raise the baby.
Really, they were fine.
THE END