Chapter 11
"I've been thinking about what you said today," Maisie announced as they were eating dinner that evening.
"What who said?" Owen replied.
"Claire's statement to the press. And the questions afterwards," Maisie clarified. She slowly twirled some spaghetti onto her fork, before watching it slide back off onto her plate. "I've been thinking about Dr. Wu, too."
"Why would you be thinking about him?" Claire inquired with a concerned look. "You don't need to worry about him, you know. He, or any of his men, won't try anything again."
"I'm not worried, not really," Maisie shook her head in disagreement. "I'm… People have been saying how selfish it is that I'm not willing to help. That I'm a… a rich snob. And others have been saying that since I'm a clone I shouldn't have any rights. That people should be able to just take what they need from me."
"Where are you getting these ideas?" Claire's brow furrowed. She couldn't remember hearing or reading any similar comments in any of the news articles that had come her way. And she felt like she'd been drowning in the reporting.
"Twitter," Maisie replied without thinking, still staring at her plate.
"I'm sorry, did you just say 'Twitter'?" Owen asked calmly, although the look on his face showed he was anything but calm. "How are you reading Twitter?"
"Um…" Maisie had the grace to look sheepish when she finally met their gazes, both staring intently at her. "On my iPad?"
"We had an entire conversation about Twitter, Mais," Claire sighed, placing her fork down. "You're not even old enough for the terms of service."
"Yeah, but–" Maisie started.
"No but's," Owen shook his head. "I don't want to hear an excuse. You know why we didn't want you on there."
"I just wanted to see what people were saying," Maisie said quietly. "Not just reporters, but real people."
"Twitter is not where you go to get an accurate representation of that," Claire asserted strongly. "We've talked before about how anonymity works and how it brings out the worst in people. We didn't want you exposed to that – not yet. Not when you don't need to be. I wish you had come to us if you had questions."
"You wouldn't have shown me," Maisie grumbled. "And they were talking about me!"
"All the more reason to not search it out on your own," Claire shook her head slowly. She reached across the table and grasped one of Maisie's hands. "Mais, I've been there. The stuff that was written about me after Jurassic World? And, again, after the Lockwood incident?" She paused, biting her lip at the memories, trying not to be overwhelmed by it all. "I was like you, I searched out everything. I was Googling my name. I thought I needed to know what they were saying. And I thought that they were right. But they're not right. And it really doesn't make anything better to read any of it."
"Claire's right, kiddo," Owen spoke up. "I have, thankfully, never been as visible in all of this as Claire. But reading about myself, hell, reading about Claire or you, just makes my blood boil. And as much as I want to, I can't go punching every single person who makes me angry. They're not worth it."
"Fine," Maisie looked back down at her food, no longer feeling all that hungry.
She missed the exchange of looks between Claire and Owen and the silent conversation they had, before Owen spoke up again. "Kiddo, can you go get your iPad?" The words were said in such a normal tone, that Maisie almost missed the implication. But when her eyes met Owen's it was clear what the request was really about.
"No, not fair," Maisie shook her head.
"Mais," Claire's voice held a note of warning.
"Ugh," Maisie pushed away from the table, stomping up the stairs. Owen and Claire barely managed to wait before she was out of sight before they gave heavy sighs.
"She's definitely becoming a teenager," Owen moaned. "I'm not ready for this."
"I don't even know why we're surprised. We should've expected this," Claire met his gaze. "It's something both of us would've done ourselves."
"Cheers to being the best parents ever," Owen said sarcastically, tipping his glass towards Claire. She gave him a slight chuckle at that but raised hers in a toast.
"Well, no one would mistake us for helicopter parents," Claire laughed.
"No, definitely not," Owen agreed.
It wasn't long before they heard Maisie on her way back down the stairs. She entered the kitchen with a huff, placing her iPad on the table as she sat back in her chair. "What are you going to do with it?" Maisie asked.
Owen pulled the iPad towards himself but didn't open it. "You've lost it for… what do you think Claire, one week or two?"
"Two weeks?!" Maisie's eyes were wide and horrified.
"Two weeks it is," Claire grinned at her look of utter dismay. "You'll be fine without it. Besides, I was thinking we could maybe all head up to the cabin for a long weekend. You won't even miss it."
The kitchen table was silent for a couple of minutes, Owen and Claire resuming eating while Maisie just poked at her food, scowl on her face. Once her initial dismay passed though, she realized they had let her keep her phone, so she wouldn't be out of touch completely, and the thought cheered her up. It was almost as if they read her mind.
"Wait," Claire paused with her fork in midair. "Did you install Twitter on your phone too?"
"No," Maisie replied immediately, and it was the truth. She had only put it on her iPad. She barely remembered she owned a phone, forgetting it at home all the time, but her iPad was her lifeline.
"Okay." Even after everything, Claire still trusted her. She knew that Maisie wouldn't lie, it wasn't Maisie's natural inclination.
"I do want to help," Maisie spoke up a minute later.
"What do you mean?" Owen asked.
"You're both helping," Maisie reminded them. "With the DPG and protecting the dinosaurs. And with your new job too," she pointed at Owen. "You'll be helping vets and the dogs." Her eyes narrowed briefly, "I hope this means we're actually going to talk about getting a dog now."
Claire hid a grin at that while Owen just sighed. "We'll talk," he agreed.
"I want to help too," Maisie repeated. "If I'm the key, whatever that means, I want to help."
"You are not going anywhere near Wu," Owen's response was immediate. "No way. And we don't even know if you're the key. I still don't believe he's telling us the truth."
"Does it have to be through Wu?" Maisie asked.
"No," Claire said her gaze turned thoughtful. "That's a good question. I wonder who else may benefit from the research. Who else even has access to the research."
"If the research is out there now, I hope it's getting into the hands of real researchers, not just more people like Wu," Owen agreed.
"You know," Claire turned to Owen. "I bet some of your new colleagues might know people who may work in similar areas. Maybe there's some avenues there we can explore."
"If we focus on looking at places like hospitals, especially teaching hospitals affiliated with universities like Stanford or Berkeley…" Owen trailed off, before nodding decisively. "We could make sure that any research being done would be going through an ethics review. That it all happens above board."
"So, I can help?" Maisie had been trying to follow the conversation.
"We'll ask around, sure," Claire smiled at her. "Let's see what we find out."
"But, if we do this, if we explore this option, you must promise us, that you won't be going behind our backs. That you'll stick to agreements like no Twitter accounts," Owen raised her iPad and waved it at her. "That you won't run away again. This will only happen if we are all in agreement. You are still a minor and we will be part of anything that happens," Owen stated firmly, leaving no wiggle room.
"Okay," Maisie nodded in acceptance.
x x x
A text from Zia had Claire commandeering the tv away from Owen and Maisie later that week. The two looked slightly guilty at being found in front of it, again. At the rate they were going, they were going to be addicted to soap operas by the time the reporters left, and their somewhat self-imposed house arrest ended. Ignoring their weak protests, Claire immediately flipped the channel over to CNN, just in time, as the channel was showing a government worker standing at a podium outside some federal building. It wasn't Mr. Wood or Ms. Spencer, but she hadn't expected them to be the ones who would give a press conference. The speaker had already started and the bar at the bottom of the screen simply read, "Mr. Jabari."
"Did something hap–" Owen started to ask, but she shushed him, moving to join the two on the couch, gaze single-mindedly focused on the tv.
"–address the concerns that were raised a couple of days ago by the Dinosaur Protection Group. Their press conference caught us off guard and we really wish that they had chosen to speak directly to us, instead of talking to and misleading the press."
"Misleading?" Maisie asked, but she also got shushed.
"The government has worked closely with the DPG for the past three years to both capture and save the escaped dinosaurs. As well, we have jointly worked to run the dinosaur sanctuary."
"I thought you ran it," Maisie commented quietly, and for that she actually got a smile from Claire.
"They do," Owen nodded. "This is just government talk – they take all the credit and none of the blame."
"I know people have been concerned with a number of issues raised by the DPG at their press conference, so I am here to put those concerns to rest," Claire had to give the guy credit, he didn't look nervous or even like he was lying, which she knew he at least partly was. "When we realized that there were dinosaurs being created back here in the US, we immediately worked to identify the locations and sources behind this. While I can't disclose all the information we have found, I can say that it has led to the successful rescue of three dinosaurs so far. And yes," he did have the decency to look a little chagrined at having to admit this part, "it also led to the unfortunate incident that occurred where one dinosaur needed to be put down."
"'Put down'," Owen scoffed. "Like they were a vet and doing so in the dinosaur's favour."
"However, we flatly deny the accusations that we are working hard to rescue these dinosaurs in order to create a so-called 'militarized dinosaur army'," Claire couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at those words, Owen laughing along with her, as the man actually performed air quotes during the press conference. Claire couldn't believe someone in the government thought it would be a good idea to coin the phrase 'militarized dinosaur army.' That's what everyone was going to be talking about now.
"It is our belief that no dinosaur should live anywhere on US soil. We approached the DPG and Mr. Grady, separately, to ask for their assistance in this matter. We wanted assistance from the DPG in relocating these rescued dinosaurs to the sanctuary. We had hoped that Mr. Grady would be willing to work with us on plans for our rescues. As you know, from their press conference, they both turned us down." At this, the man paused, obviously hoping that people would latch on to that line and use it to turn on the DPG. "I'd also like to say that we never threatened the DPG with revoking their contract to run the sanctuary. The sanctuary is, and will continue to be, a joint-venture between the government and the DPG, as long as there exist dinosaurs within our protection."
"That's going to be hard for them to back away from," Owen stated. "I'm surprised he said it on tv."
"They know they're in a tough spot," Claire disagreed. "They didn't have much choice but to deny that threat. Although, I will concede on him agreeing that it will continue. The contract is up for renewal and they could've left it open-ended."
"Probably worried you'd call him out on it if they did," Owen gave her a proud smile as he draped an arm over the back of the couch, letting his hand fall to the back of her neck, and lightly massaging in support.
"We would still like to work with the DPG on relocating the dinosaurs we have captured to the sanctuary. They will not be allowed to live on US soil, so if they are not relocated, they will, unfortunately, also be put down."
"Well, that sounded like a threat to me," Maisie stated, sitting up straighter, arms crossed over her chest, frown on her face.
Owen barely managed to suppress his chuckle, the look on her face the spitting image of one he'd seen countless times on Claire's. "Yeah, sort of a stupid line after saying they weren't threatening you guys," he said in agreement.
"The government would like to remind everyone that we work for you," the man was obviously wrapping up, no longer looking down at his notes. "It is our belief that dinosaurs on US soil is in no one's best interest. We will continue to do our very best to make sure the US remains dinosaur-free."
At that line, all three sitting on the couch rolled their eyes.
After a brief pause, where the man looked out at the sea of reporters in front of him, he added, "And now, I have time for a few questions."
"Can you tell us where you located the three dinosaurs?" The first question was thrown, and before the man could even start to answer, a volley of questions followed.
Claire hit mute on the remote, as she had no actual interest in listening to that portion of the segment. Zia, or someone else, would let her know if anything interesting happened.
"Well, not as bad as I was expecting," Claire finally said. "Definitely could've been so much worse."
"Agreed," Owen nodded. "I think that's probably the most we could've hoped for as a response. Besides, people aren't going to forget what you said. The government knows they have a lot of eyes watching their moves now. And that those people will continue to look to the DPG for information and accuracy."
"Yeah," Claire nodded, leaning back against the couch. Owen shifted his arm, letting it encircle her shoulders, pulling her against his side, where she relaxed into him. It felt like all the stress of the past few weeks may finally be starting to melt away.
There were a few brief moments of silence, before Claire could feel a tugging at her hand. She looked down, and Owen was trying to slip the remote from her grasp. At her look, he just shrugged sheepishly and said, "Things were just getting good. I think Alison is finally going to reveal that her husband is actually not dead and that they were faking his death to catch her best friend–"
Claire just clapped a hand across his mouth, shutting him up. "Whatever," she shrugged, and he took that as permission to change the channel and unmute the tv. Claire really did plan on getting up. There was work to do. She should really talk to Zia and see what kind of media requests were coming in at the DPG. But, sitting there, surrounded by her family, and feeling comfortable and relaxed for what felt like the first time in weeks, she decided work could wait a little longer. Instead, she curled further into Owen's side, and felt his arm tighten around her a little more.
x x x
The sound of the reporters gathered outside their house had become a constant hum that had since faded into the background, the way a ticking clock could be ignored. But now, as Claire and Owen stood just inside their front door, preparing to go out and finally face them, the hum sounded more like a rock concert.
It had been two days since the government's response to the DPG's press conference. They had hoped that might be enough to get the reporters to back off, but they hadn't. And so, they had concluded that the reporters were not going to leave until they were addressed directly. Standing up against the government, and putting the whole livelihood of the DPG on the line, had been an easier choice. What they were about to do now, was terrifying on a whole different level. They had never wanted to put their family, to put Maisie, in the spotlight. And now they were about to do so willingly.
Claire took a deep breath, before looking at Owen and asking. "This is the right thing to do, right?" She paused and sighed. "I mean, I know it is. But…"
"It is," Owen nodded. "I don't want to do it anymore than you do, but I don't think we have a choice. They're never going to leave if we don't say something. We need our lives back. Besides," he grabbed her hand in his and tugged her towards him until he could wrap both arms around her in a hug, "we're doing this together. It's not you or me versus them. It's us."
Claire nodded, settling her head against his shoulder, arms looping around his back in a hug as well. From her position, she could see Maisie and Zia sitting on the staircase watching them. Zia, as always, looked calm and confident while Maisie was fidgeting. She knew Maisie desperately wanted to go out there with them. After a few more moments in the hug, she stepped back, and turned to Maisie, reminding her, "I know you want to be out there. But please, trust us that it'll be much better if you don't. You can listen from inside, but you are not, under any circumstances to come outside." She turned a glare on Zia, "And Zia? I'll be holding you responsible if she does." Turning back to Owen, she held out her hand, which he willingly grasped, and then pulled the door open.
The volume from the crowd of reporters immediately increased when they saw them, and as she and Owen step out onto the porch, she could just barely hear Owen reminding Maisie, again, not to follow them. Once they were both outside, they shut the door behind them, and stood at the top of the steps, hand in hand, facing the crowd.
As expected, questions started getting thrown at them from all directions, and Claire just raised a hand, waiting for them to quiet, which they did, somewhat reluctantly. With a glance at Owen, she spoke up. "We know you have questions, but we want to give a statement first." She had it written down, and it was in her pocket, but in that moment, she decided not to read from it. Owen didn't like talking to reporters, and Claire didn't like having him talk to reporters, since his instinct was to lash out when he didn't like the questions. They had agreed that she'd do the majority of the talking but had written the statement together. Now, he gave her hand a squeeze of encouragement.
"Three years ago, Owen and I were incredibly lucky to have met a young girl on what was a very tragic and terrifying evening, for both us and for her. While there are many things that happened that day, and in the days before and after, that I – we – regret or wish we had the ability to change, meeting Maisie and having her join our lives and family is not one of them. How she came to be is nowhere near as important as who she will become. She is growing up to be an incredibly smart, courageous, and kind, soon-to-be teen. She is a person, full stop. What she isn't, is something for you and the whole world to stare at. She's not something. She's our daughter.
"The dinosaurs, Jurassic World, and Jurassic Park have taught us many lessons. Unfortunately, many of these lessons we seem to be incapable of learning from. It's well past time that that changes. Yes, the research has been done and the knowledge has been gained. But we need to start questioning, 'at what expense?' What did we as a community, a country, as humanity have to give up in order to gain that knowledge? And was it worth it? Universities have research ethics boards for a reason. We know that there are right and wrong ways to do research. We know that the ends do not justify the means.
"We understand that we can't forget the knowledge that has been gained. And we understand the potential this knowledge unleashes. What we insist on, what we require, as we move forward with this knowledge, is that we take it back. Back from the hands of private vigilante researchers like Henry Wu. Back from the billionaires with nothing but time and money on their hands. And back from private companies that look at profit before anything else. It's time that this research is brought back under the watchful eyes of ethics boards. That the implications are discussed and debated. That the next steps forward are chosen because they are the right steps, not because they are the most profitable or the 'coolest' or the whims of some person.
"Is Wu right, that Maisie holds some key? We don't know. What we do know, is that she's not going to be a pawn in his game. We will not work with Wu, but we are willing to consider working with researchers at UCSF, Stanford, or other universities. If there is a way for some good to come out of all the bad, let's find it. But we will not be doing so at the expense of turning her into a lab rat or sideshow or anything along those lines.
"Maisie is first and foremost our daughter. She is a person who has her own rights. She will be involved in any decisions we make moving forward. But let's be clear, these decisions are not up for debate by the public and the public has no right to decide for us or for her.
"What we need, what Maisie needs, is to be able to get her life back. To go back to school. To be able to play outside. To be able to just leave her house. We will answer a few questions, but then, what we need, is for you, all of you, to finally back off. To stop camping out in our front yard. To leave our neighbours and our friends alone. Find something else. Our 15 minutes should have been long over."
x x x
Watching the last of the news vans finally drive away from their yard lifted another weight off Claire's shoulders. She was standing in the upstairs hallway, a little back from the window so that they couldn't see her watching. She was looking forward to finally being able to open all the curtains fully again. Maisie was out in the backyard with Owen. The two were revelling in the fact that they were outside again.
While there were still many things left unsettled, it was starting to feel like they might actually emerge from this portion of their lives mostly unscathed. This time they didn't have to go face-to-face with dinosaurs. They didn't have to watch anyone they knew get eaten. And they hadn't had to run for their lives. Being cooped up inside hadn't been a cakewalk at all, but she'd definitely do it again over the alternative.
As the last news van disappeared from sight, she turned away from the window. Maybe she would go join them in the backyard. Her poor vegetable garden had been completely neglected and was probably desperate for a drink. She was heading back down the stairs when her phone rang, and she pulled it out from her pocket with a sigh, still moving towards the backyard. A glance at the call display stopped her in her tracks, as the name of their lawyer flashed across the screen. Tiny tendrils of panic started to rise, but she forced them down, and answered the call. What now?
"Hello?"
"Claire, I'm glad I caught you," her lawyer replied. "I've got great news. I just got a call from the judge saying that they've finalized and signed off on the adoption."
"They signed off… you mean it's done?" Claire put a hand out to brace herself against the wall. This was definitely not the news she was expecting. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to exhale. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes! It's done, you can come pick up the papers tomorrow," her lawyer said cheerfully. "I'm so sorry it took so long, but I think the latest news is what finally pushed it through."
"Oh my god," Claire was still in a state of shock. "Really, it's done?" She knew she'd already asked but she still didn't quite believe it.
"100%. Maisie is now officially yours and Owen's daughter," the lawyer confirmed.
"Thanks so much for letting me know," Claire managed to get out and with quick farewells they hung up. She took a moment to regain her composure, before continuing to the backyard, a spring in her step. It was about time she got news that she wanted to share.
As she exited onto the patio, Owen looked over from where he and Maisie were running soccer drills. "Are they all gone?"
"All clear," Claire confirmed, crossing the yard towards them. "But that's not even the best news." She couldn't help the excited grin that was on her face.
"Good news? I'm not sure I even remember what that is," Owen joked, stopping the soccer ball that Maisie kicked at him.
"I just got off the phone with our lawyers," Claire lifted her phone that was still in her hand. "And guess what?" She was too excited to even give them a chance to say anything. "It's finalized!"
"What's finalized?" Maisie asked, approaching them, since Owen hadn't kicked the ball back. Owen was too busy looking at Claire with a stunned look.
"It's done?" Owen asked quietly, and Claire gave a single nod to him, before turning her gaze to Maisie.
"The adoption," she clarified. "You are officially our daughter!"
"Really?" Maisie, like Owen, and like Claire before, couldn't quite believe it. Her gaze was jumping between the two, like she was waiting for them (or someone else) to jump out and tell her it was all a joke.
"Really."
"I didn't think anything could be better than finally getting those reporters to leave," Owen stated in a stunned voice, "but this blows that out of the water." He seemed to finally regain some control of himself, and before Claire could even blink he had the two of them wrapped up in a hug.
Claire had one arm wrapped around Owen's waist and the other around Maisie, pulling both as close to her as she could. She could feel tears sliding down her cheeks, and for once, they were good tears; tears of joy and relief. She pulled back slightly when she heard Maisie mumbling and couldn't make out the words.
"You're… you're actually my parents now. Really my parents," Maisie looked at them in wonder.
"We've been your parents for three years, kiddo," Owen reminded her gently.
"I know, but it's not the same," Maisie shook her head. "Before you were my guardians, but now… I have parents!" Even though she was the one who asked for the process to be started, and even though she'd been kept up-to-date throughout the whole thing, the fact that it was over was hard to comprehend. "Parents…" She continued to look at them both, gaze moving from one to the other and then back again. "Does this mean…"
"Does this mean what?" Claire asked.
Maisie paused, before looking down, unable to meet their eyes, as she asked. "Does it mean that you guys are… that I can call you… mom and dad?" She was now staring intently at the grass and so she missed the first tears that slid down Owen's cheeks as he and Claire immediately started nodding.
"Yes, god yes," Claire said.
"Kiddo, we'd love it if you called us that," Owen added. "But only if you want to."
Maisie hesitantly looked up at them, her eyes widening as she took in Owen's tears. She didn't think she had ever seen him cry before. "I'd like to," she told them, before following, her voice filled with awe, "I have a mom and dad."
"You've always had us."
x x x
It was late when Claire and Owen retreated to their bedroom for the night. Between the relief of being able to leave their house, and the excitement of the adoption being finalized, the afternoon and evening had flown by. They had gone on a bike ride around the neighbourhood (not Claire's first choice, but the excitement of the other two convinced her to join). They had a celebratory dinner as well. They decided to stay in and order their favourite take-out, because while the reporters may have left, they weren't ready to believe that everyone else would leave them alone if they went out. Maisie was actually looking forward to returning to school and the three had confirmed their plans to take a long weekend and head out to the cabin. Fresh air and the outdoors with not only no reporters, but no neighbours and no city stress appealing to all three.
There was one last thing weighing on Claire's mind, and as she turned down her covers and switched on her bedside lamp, she finally found the courage to face it. The day had been great, and she didn't really want to ruin it with a hard conversation. But she'd talked briefly with Zia earlier, and Zia had just said simply at the end, "Sounds like things are coming together. You know, whatever it is that's been going on with you and Owen? Whatever it is you want to say? Just tell him. The guy loves you and would move mountains for you. The longer you leave it, the more you're going to worry about it, and I really don't think things are anywhere near as bad as your mind is making them out to be."
And so, while it might not be the best time, was there really ever going to be a good time? She sat down on the bed, facing the bathroom, waiting for Owen to finish up and come out. She could see him brushing his teeth at the sink. As he exited the bathroom a minute later, he paused a few steps into the bedroom, looking at her curiously. "What's up?"
"I just…" Claire wrung her hands in front of her. "I just need to know… I don't… I don't even know if you want to be married," she finally sighed. "I mean, I know I pushed the issue for Maisie. And–"
"God Claire, I want this," Owen interrupted as he raised his left hand, showing off his ring. "I've always wanted this. I had – I have a ring, you know? From before. I wanted to ask. I was going to ask. But I didn't even know if you wanted to get married. We hadn't talked about it. And then things started falling apart. We were drifting apart, and I didn't want you to say 'yes' just as a way to tie us together. I wanted you to want to say 'yes.' And then… then we weren't together. But I kept it. I couldn't bring myself to return it. To have to admit to that failure. To let it be over." By the time Owen finished talking, he was sitting beside her on the bed, and she had turned towards him. He grasped her hands lightly, looking intently into her eyes.
"But you never– Why didn't you–? It's been three years!" Claire's eyes were locked on his, but her reply was stuttered.
"When was I supposed to say something? Everything happened so fast. And you asked me. I didn't even get a chance to ask you. How would you have taken it if I had said 'no'? It's not like I could then turn around and ask you after that. And I didn't want to say 'no'! Because I want this. God do I want it. I just wish the circumstances of how it began were different. But I would never change the outcome." Owen paused, his grip on her hands tightening slightly. "Seriously, I want this. I want to be married to you. I know things haven't been great. I know that I didn't deal with the whole job situation well. But none of that, nothing that's happened, ever changes the fact that I want to be right here."
Claire looked down at their joined hands briefly, gaze resting on their wedding rings, thankfully situated where they both belong. "And the ring? What happened to it?"
"I was going to give it to you but you said you didn't want one. And then we were married, like a week later. So before I could even figure out how to give it to you, you had a wedding ring. And, well, it feels crazy to give someone an engagement ring after the wedding," Owen looked abashed.
She rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of his hand, before meeting his gaze, "Do you still have it?"
The End. :)
This is the last main chapter but I do have an epilogue that I'm hoping to post Sunday (make sure you come back for it!). It's been a fun ride and thanks so much for sticking with me. I put a lot of hours into writing this but it amazes me all the time you have spent reading it! Thanks so spending your free time hanging out with me. :)
I've got another story in the planning stages and am hoping to start writing it soon
x x x
I've got to throw out another gigantic THANK YOU to Elise-Collier. She has put in almost as much time as myself in helping me test my ideas, editing chapters, trying to figure out how to work around the numerous plot holes in FK and more! I have bounced so many ideas off of her, and also thrown so many random "Hey, I just noticed x, what do you think that means?" questions at her and she's been with me on this journey from the start. If you haven't yet, check out her stuff. She's all-around amazing. :)
x x x
Finally, thank you to each and every one of you who has read the story. An extra special THANKS to those who have taken the time to review:
(In no particular order and I really hope I didn't miss anyone):
Shian1998, Elise-Collier, acetwolf94, Clawenforever, Guest Zero, Camazotz, lucel18, JJ, ShanteRenee, EmeraldTyphoon47, Anony, SmellyThePirate, Andimcc, 2304, speakman26, Rohit P, Guest, Atieno, ErynGrace, whaaaaaaat, teamtucker, Lin, marteeey, AnileX09, Mccordclan, Linzerj, Lainey, Natalie, poeticandvaguelysweet, Zivit, spoilerjinx, Mikaelly, Anonimo
If you've enjoyed reading this and haven't dropped a review yet, please do. It means so much to hear what you guys like and what you didn't. And I use your feedback to improve the chapters. It may also influence my upcoming fic and choices I'm going to make.
