Well... I guess this is it. Wrapping up the second epic in this series, that, similarly to the first, was NOT supposed to be this long. Oops.

I need to give a huge shout out to Nadin for all her help with editing and idea bouncing and everything. This story is what it is in large parts to her efforts.

Epilogue

"I'm going to miss this," Owen said as he swept his gaze over the trailer, dock, lake, and the hammock, before coming back to rest on Claire who was sitting opposite him at the picnic table.

"You don't have to go, you know," she reminded him. "It's barely been two weeks, you could stay longer. Your shoulder–" She cut off as she looked away, her jaw clenching tightly.

He wanted to pry, to ask what she was thinking, to get her to say more. But, there was also a part of him that felt like at this point there was nothing new either of them could add to this conversation; a conversation they'd had almost daily since they'd returned to Nublar. And he understood why she didn't want him to leave. He did, but he also knew that he needed to get back to work.

Aside from the brief visit to Sorna that Claire had surprised him with, Owen had only managed one other visit over the past two weeks. It was a quick trip over, accompanied by Stephen Parker. That visit had been the kickoff to a series of conversations that were still ongoing about the future of IBRIS. Owen wasn't sure how things were going to end, but he was relieved that so far no one seemed to be leaning towards the idea of putting the raptors down. Of course, there was no agreement on what should happen, so Owen wasn't convinced that the option was completely off the table, not yet.

But, it wasn't just the fact that everything was up in the air that was driving his need to return. The thing was, he missed his girls and his work. The first few days back on Nublar, he'd still been so worn out that he'd spent most of his time sleeping or lounging on the couch. But this week, ever since his second visit to Sorna, he'd been antsy to get back. He wasn't used to being idle. And with his shoulder still heavily bandaged, and his arm still in a sling, he hadn't been able to occupy himself with his usual escapes. He couldn't ride his motorcycle or even work on it, and fishing turned out to be more difficult than he'd expected. He was more than ready to start feeling useful again.

He was also starting to feel guilty.

"Barry's been dealing with everything for almost three weeks now," he reminded Claire. "He needs a break."

"I know, it's just, you're not… You really shouldn't be dealing with everything on your own, not with your shoulder, not yet," she said, her gaze locked on Owen's sling.

"And I won't be," he promised. "I've got Zia and the paddock techs around. Lots of people to help out. Maybe I'll even take a cue from you and start delegating a bit more." He grinned at her as he said that, knowing it would ruffle her feathers. Which it did.

"I'm getting better," Claire protested, rolling her eyes a little. "Zara's been really stepping up. I think I need to hire her an assistant."

"I know." Owen reached across the table, grabbing her hand. "And I'm glad. It's a skill we've both never been good at. And now it's my turn to put it into practice. But, to do that, I gotta go back."

Claire heaved a resigned sigh, before conceding. "I know." She flipped her hand over to squeeze his, before pulling back, picking up the last bite of her hamburger. "It's just been nice to have you around. I'll miss you."

"Things will be different this time," he said, not surprised when she immediately scoffed. "It will be, I promise."

"Don't." Claire shook her head, her hand raising to point a finger at him. "Don't promise that."

"Why not?"

"I can't do that, not again, not now," she replied, unable to meet his gaze. "No more promises."

Owen watched her, not really sure how to respond to that.

He knew that things had been getting better between them ever since her trip to New York, as they had started talking more, and more honestly and openly. And these past three weeks, after everything that had happened at the Estate, getting to spend all this time with her, (even if the first half of it he'd been barely able to keep his eyes open for more than a couple of hours at a time) they'd continued to talk. But, watching as she stared resolutely at the tabletop in front of her, he was suddenly aware of all the moments when she would hesitate before agreeing or would give him multiple chances to back away from anything he'd said. How she'd never seemed to trust something was going to happen until it did, seemingly unable to simply believe him.

"You don't trust me." He didn't mean to voice the words, but they slipped out of his mouth before he knew to stop them, and Claire's gaze jumped back to his, her eyes wide, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Of course, I trust you," she immediately claimed.

"Not when it comes to keeping my word," he said slowly, the realization still crystalizing. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Claire asked, her brow furrowing.

"Trust is earned," Owen replied simply. "And I know I haven't done a great job at following through, especially when it comes to Sorna. That I've said things would be different before, and they never really were."

He watched as she thought over his remarks.

"It's not just your fault," she admitted after a long pause. "I haven't always been fully honest with you, either. About what I need and want. And we all have our own hangups. I just don't want to be a burden, another stressor in your life."

It was Owen's turn to be surprised.

"You're not."

She didn't look convinced.

"Really, Claire. You're not. You're the best part of my life. But… if you don't want to do promises—" Owen saw that she was about to interrupt, but he pushed forward, not letting her. "—And I'm okay with that, I am. But in the meantime, I know that it's way past due that Barry and I finally work out a schedule. Something like… a week on Sorna, two days back here. I need to talk it through with Barry, of course, and I guess it could depend on what Parker wants to do, but I think Barry'd get on board. I know he'd like more time back here, too. And there'd be less guessing, if it was sorted out ahead of time. It would make it easier to make plans. Real plans."

"If you want to," Claire agreed, but she still sounded iffy. He hated that her words were putting the burden on him, that she was refusing to push for what she wanted.

"I do," he said, nodding firmly. "I want to be someone you can count on. And I want this to work, you and me."

"I want that, too," she agreed earnestly. "And I do trust you. Mostly. Except when it comes to making smart choices around your raptors." Her gaze drifted back down to his shoulder. "And I'd like it if you got injured a little less frequently. I'm not sure how much more your arm can take."

Her words were somewhat teasing, but they didn't bring a smile to her face or touch her eyes, as instead she let out a sigh, turning until she was looking out over the lake at the setting sun, her expression going pensive. Owen gave her a moment, not sure about the direction her thoughts had gone.

"What's up?" he asked after a minute when she still hadn't said anything.

There was another long pause before she admitted, "They figured out what's in the other eggs, the ones at the Estate." She continued to watch the sunset, refusing to look at him, and he immediately got concerned.

"Don't tell me Wu created more hybrids."

"No, not hybrids." Claire finally turned back to him, although she still wasn't looking quite at him, her gaze seeming to be focused somewhere over his left shoulder. "Raptors."

"Raptors? Like, Blue and Charlie and Echo raptors? Really?" The words tumbled out, Owen's jaw dropping. Claire just nodded. "How many?"

"Three. But they don't think one's going to survive."

"Are they… Are you… You're going to let them hatch?" Owen stumbled over the words, not really sure what he was trying to ask or how to phrase it.

"We're–"

He didn't let her finish as another question pushed its way out. "Where are they?" he interjected. Claire looked away, her teeth biting into her lower lip, and Owen felt lightheaded for a moment. "Sorna? They're on Sorna?"

"Lockwood didn't want them kept at the Estate. Not when we found out…"

"Wait, how long have you known?" The other question, the "how long have you been keeping this from me," he managed to bite back, although he knew she heard it anyway, considering how she stiffened.

"A week," she said with a slight wince and Owen had to admit he was somewhat impressed that she actually held his gaze when she said that.

"How come Barry hasn't said anything?" he asked, thinking back to the daily conversations he had with his friend.

"He doesn't know."

Well, that actually made some sense. He couldn't imagine Barry keeping it from him. But... what about Zia? Surely she had to know what was going on, being the only full-time vet on Sorna. Except, he'd talked with her earlier and she hadn't said anything, either. "And Zia?"

"She knows," Claire nodded. "But she also knows she can't talk about it."

"And you've got trust issues with me?" Owen shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't really sure what he was feeling, or thinking.

"It's not… I didn't… I'm not always at liberty to share the details of my job," Claire said. When he looked at her she shrugged helplessly, her expression apologetic.

He pressed his lips together for a moment. "So why tell me now?"

"You're going back there."

He narrowed his eyes, studying her. While she was still holding his gaze, he could tell she wasn't admitting everything. "And…?" he prompted.

"And they're supposed to hatch soon, probably this week," she finally confessed. At first he thought she was finished, but then she took a deep breath before stating: "Stephen brought up imprinting."

"No." He didn't even have to think about it. Not again. Not after Fern, Pepper, Sky and Snow. Not after Blue's kidnapping. No way. Except… he focused back on Claire, now curious. "Wait, why are you even suggesting that? You didn't even want the last batch to happen."

"It's not my idea."

"But you're telling me," he pushed. "Why even bring it up?"

"You were going to find out."

"About their existence, yeah, but by then it'd be too late for imprinting. To know about that, to do that, I have to know in advance."

He continued to study her, trying to understand what her motivation was. He knew she didn't really want him to go back to Sorna. That she'd prefer if he was able to stay on Nublar. But he also knew that she would never do anything, or say anything, that would interfere with his relationship with his raptors. That she understood their importance to him, and that she understood (even if she didn't fully agree) his need to get back to Sorna.

"I didn't want you to hear about it from someone else," she finally said. "I thought it'd be better coming from me."

"What's their plan for these new raptors? The same thing as with…?" He didn't finish the question, but he didn't need to. He knew that Claire was thinking about them, too.

"I don't know," she said. "They were too close to being viable, so no one felt comfortable with putting them down. It's not like they're Indoraptors–"

"Are you sure?" Owen interrupted, surprised his brain hadn't made that leap earlier. "I mean, what if this is just another modified version, and it just looks more raptor-like than the Indoraptors did?"

"We're sure," Claire confirmed. "I don't really get all the tests they did, but they've reassured me that these are pure raptors. Well, as pure as Blue, Echo and Charlie are."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

His thoughts started drifting as he tried to make sense of this new data, and the possible consequences and outcomes, and wondering why Parker hadn't brought this up in any of the IBRIS discussions. He was broken out of his musings a while later by Claire's hand sliding across his shoulder until it came to a rest on the back of his neck, lighting kneading the muscles there. He looked up at her, unsure when she'd gotten up and circled the table.

"You don't have to make any decisions tonight," Claire told him. "And I'm not sure everyone's even convinced imprinting is a good idea. Come here." She reached down for his hand, and he let her tug him up, leading him across the lot to the hammock.

"It is a good idea," Owen admitted, after the two were settled and swaying gently. "Imprinting, I mean. On someone, anyone, really. Better they have some sort of attachment, than none at all."

He felt her nod, her head tucked under his chin. "Doesn't have to be you."

"It doesn't," he agreed. "Three eggs. That's such an odd number. Why only three? Especially considering how unlikely it is that all would hatch?"

"They've been going through notes and trying to talk to some of the workers. Seems like there were a bunch more originally, but they had some issues with the incubators. Previous power outages and stuff like that, kind of like the night you were there. The four are all that's left." Claire let out a sigh, shifting a bit and cuddling into his side. He used the arm he had wrapped around her to hold her closer. "Sorry, this isn't the best conversation for your last night here."

"It's fine," he assured her immediately.

And it was. They were both workaholics in their own right, and it was always going to be inevitable that work would creep into their conversations in one form or the other. And even more so if it ended up being something that affected them both.

For a while, they lay there in silence as they listened to the sounds of the waves lapping at the dock and the leaves rustling and the occasional bird songs. It was nice, peaceful, the type of moment that always left Owen hoping it would never end.

"What were they going to do with all the compys and raptors? Surely they weren't going to keep them at the Estate." Owen hadn't realized he'd voiced his thoughts aloud until he felt Claire startle at his side.

"Sell them, I guess," she said. "That seems to be what they did with Sky and the others."

"Bet those buyers are pissed now."

"Probably. But they deserve it for working with Eli."

Owen nodded his agreement. He definitely didn't feel any sympathy for the buyers. He didn't have any illusions that they would have the dinosaurs' best interest in mind. While he didn't always agree with all the choices made at Jurassic World, he did know that there were numerous people working there — Claire included — who really did care about the dinosaurs and their well-being.

"Do you think I should?" he asked, his mind circling back.

"Do what?"

"Let the raptors imprint on me."

"I–" Claire started, before shifting again, pushing up a bit so she could meet his gaze. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm not thrilled with the idea of you with more baby raptors. But…" She shrugged. "Blue, Charlie and Echo are better off for having you."

"It'd have to be different," he mused, thinking aloud. "If I did it. I don't want them to take over my life, not again. I was looking forward to getting back here more frequently. I don't want to change those plans."

"Like I said, you don't have to decide tonight," she reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. He tugged her closer to him, dropping a kiss into her hair before his gaze drifted back to the stars above. "I really am going to miss it here."

"It's not going anywhere," Claire said. "It'll still be here when you can make it back."

"Not the same," he said, before tightening his grip on her before she could respond. "But, it is another reason to come back more."

"I'm not reason enough?"

Her tone was teasing, but Owen still caught the slight edge of uncertainty in it, and he looked down at her. "The only reason I need," he said, his voice growing serious.

At his words, she surged upwards to kiss him, the moment quickly growing heated. Until Owen tried to wrap his arms around her, forgetting momentarily about his shoulder. He pulled away, groaning, pulling his injured arm in to tuck it tightly against his chest.

"If you actually want to go back to Sorna tomorrow we really shouldn't injure you further," Claire said, laughter coating her tone, although she countered it by raising her hand to brush the hair off his forehand, before rubbing gently at the pain lines that were now creasing his forehead.

"Good point," he conceded, settling back down.

He knew he was ready to go back to work, but Owen couldn't deny that he'd miss these moments. He didn't know what new challenges life was going to throw at them but he knew that they could get through them. That they would get through them, together. They worked with dinosaurs, it was inevitable that their lives would always be adventurous.

And, speaking of adventure, he may be injured, but that didn't mean he couldn't be creative. Owen sat up abruptly, causing the hammock to rock wildy and Claire to gasp and clutch at him in surprise. He grinned down at her. "I think I've had enough of the outdoors."

Thank you for reading! And sticking with this story all the way to the end.

Thank you so much to every single person who had subscribed, favourited and most of all, left me a review over the past 6 or so months. All of that makes the posting experience so much better and keeps me motivated to keep writing.

I promised last chapter and update on what's next for me.
1. I've got a short (only 5 chapters) fic called Something Just Like This that I'll start posting next Thursday (follow to me to get an email).
2. I've got 2 Snapshots in the works (posting will be based on when I get them done).
3. Elise and I are back writing MY ( ) and so I'm optimistically hopeful that in July we'll start posting Act III.
4. I've got an idea for a short (like maybe 5ish chapters?) final story for this series. If I can sort it out, I'll (hopefully) be ready to start posting it after SJLT.
5. ? I'm hoping inspiration will strike with some other ideas. (Got one — write me a comment, let me know!)

If you've made it this far, I'd love if you would take a few seconds to let me know what you liked/didn't like about this story. I'm always looking to become a better writer.