Well, I've been working through my remaining plan and it looks like it's going to be around 30 chapters plus an epilogue. Yikes! But I'm really excited for the rest of it to play out. Just gotta get it written.

Chapter 14

It was a Tuesday evening and it started off as boring and routine in every way that was becoming her new normal. The thing was, Claire's new normal was still catching her off guard. She wasn't quite used to being back at her place relatively early most evenings, instead of logging long hours at the office. It's not that she was doing less work—she actually felt more productive than ever—but she found that she was able to get through her work quicker than before, and that she preferred spending her evenings working from the comfort of her couch. And the comfort of Owen's company.

Actually, tonight was a little off from her more recent routine, in that she had arrived home just after six, expecting to have dinner with Owen, only for him to get stuck at work late. Something was going down at the raptor paddock, but he hadn't said what, just that he'd get there when he could, but not to wait on him. So, she'd ordered a pizza. It was one of the benefits of being the boss that she particularly enjoyed—she could access the VIP perks and have meals delivered from any of the Main Street restaurants, instead of being limited to the hotel room service. And when it had arrived, she'd taken it over to the couch, making her way through a few slices as she replied to emails, edited a report and looked through her calendar for tomorrow.

When it was approaching 8:30, she closed her laptop, ready to be done with work for the day. Picking up her phone, she found herself dialing her sister. It had been a while since they'd talked, and they usually only did when Karen reached out. Owen still wasn't there yet and talking with Karen seemed like as good an alternative as any for passing the time.

"Hey Claire," Karen greeted her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Claire said. "Just had some time and thought I'd give you a call."

"Really?"

"Really," Claire laughed. "I can do that, you know."

"You can, you just never have," Karen reminded her.

"Yeah, well… I don't have a lot of–"

"Free time. I know," Karen finished for her. "I'm always happy to hear from you, you know that."

"How are Zach and Gray?" Claire asked, not really sure what to talk about, even if she was the one who'd initiated the call.

"They're good," Karen said. "Still adjusting to everything, but I think things are starting to get a bit more… well, I'd say easier, but it's not exactly that. More we're all just getting used to the routine. It still really sucks."

"Yeah," Claire agreed. "I still can't really believe it myself."

"You and me both," Karen sighed. "And it's not like it should've been a surprise or anything. And it wasn't. It's just… I've been with him for so long. You never really realize how much you get used to that, even when you're fighting. How quiet it can be to come home to an empty house. I've never lived on my own before, Claire. And now…"

"You're not alone, you've got Zach and Gray," Claire reminded her.

"I know, but they've been spending more time at Scott's, since it's summer break. It's not just weekends right now. The house is so quiet. I miss having someone to talk my day through with. Or someone who could tell if it had been a rough day, and would order my favourite dinner, or put on my favourite movie."

"You can do those things on your own, you know," Claire told her. Karen's relationship with Scott had always been something that Claire had never understood. Not in the sense that she thought they weren't good for each other, but in the sense that Claire couldn't relate to it. She'd had only a couple of almost serious relationships, and neither had ever come close to the point of even moving in together. But now… for the first time, Claire found that she could start to relate to what Karen was saying. That she understood it, now that Owen was hanging around more, texting her throughout the day. They weren't spending all their days together, but she did feel like she had someone there she could reach out to, if she needed to. Someone who was starting to read her moods. Someone who made her want to look up from work every now and then. It may not be a real relationship, and she knew it would never turn into one, but for the time being, she was determined to enjoy their friendship. She'd rather have it than nothing.

"It's not the same," Karen said, her tone resigned. She forced cheerfulness back into her voice. "Tell me something positive. What's going on with you? Are you and Owen still fake dating?"

"We are," Claire acknowledged. "Um, something positive? Guest satisfaction numbers last month were up 0.5%."

"Ugh, Claire," Karen groaned. "That's not what I meant."

"Well it's positive for me," Claire said.

"Tell me something juicy. What's going through the gossip grapevine there?"

"Not me, for once," Claire replied, relief coating her tone. "Thankfully, they seem to be sick of me and Owen. I guess we're boring." She assumed that the park was settling into a new equilibrium just like she was, and the gossipers were having to find new targets.

"That sounds… dull," Karen laughed.

"Dull is good," Claire laughed with her. "I don't mind dull." She didn't. She liked the routine that she and Owen were developing. It didn't feel dull, even if it may seem that way to others. It just felt easy and comfortable. She didn't like to think about it too hard, or she'd start to wonder if she'd been depriving herself before. If she should've tried harder all those years. She was never sure if what was going on was specific to Owen, or if was a more general acknowledgement of her needing something more in her life.

"Honey, I'm home," Owen sang out as he let himself in, catching Claire off guard, as she hadn't heard the door.

"Wait, is that him?" Karen asked and Claire winced. "Did he just call you 'honey'? Are you sure this is fake? How did he get in? Oh my god, Claire. Did you give him a key?!"

"Just a sec," Claire said into the phone, before covering the mic and turning to Owen, who was looking at her a little sheepishly, still standing in the entryway.

"Sorry," Owen apologized. "I didn't realize you'd be on the phone."

"It's okay," Claire shrugged away his concerns. "It's just my sister. Everything okay at work?" She took in his appearance, scanning him from head to toe. Usually he showed up having stopped by his place, but it was clear tonight he'd come straight from the paddock, still wearing his leather vest and his clothes dusty. He also carried with him the unmistakable odor of the raptor paddock. It wasn't particularly pleasant, but it wasn't exactly bad, a mixture of sweat, raptors, and Owen. Still, Claire found herself wrinkling her nose a bit. "You need to get changed before you sit on my couch."

"Was going to grab a shower," Owen agreed. "I just knew that if I went home first I'd never make it over here. Shower, food, bed. That's all I want. I'm actually hoping I have energy to do the first two."

"Well, food is already taken care of—I ordered pizza earlier," Claire told him, pointing to the pizza box still on the coffee table by the couch. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," Owen gave her a grateful smile. "I'm tempted to give you a hug but…"

"Yeah, pass," Claire backed out of his way.

Owen laughed, passing by her and heading towards the bathroom. He paused in the doorway, just as Claire had lifted her phone back to her ear, and called out, "Tell your sister 'hi' and to say 'hi' to Zach and Gray for me."

"Will do," Claire said, turning her attention back to her phone.

"So that's Owen…" Karen drawled. "His voice is deeper than I imagined. Also… a lot more playful?"

"He is a bit of a jokester," Claire agreed, before adding, "At least, he thinks he is."

"I have to say, I'm surprised you're still fake dating," Karen said. "I didn't think you'd be able to keep it up."

"What does that mean?" Claire frowned, feeling put out.

"Oh, don't be offended," Karen laughed. "You suck at lying. I was sure you'd get tripped up early on and it'd all be over. Well, that, or maybe you'd actually really start to date. Wait… are you? I mean, he's clearly comfortable in your place. Did he say he was going to shower?"

"No, we're not dating," Claire corrected Karen. "It's still all fake. To be honest, I wasn't sure how well it'd work out either. But more because I didn't actually think he'd want to keep this up. Or, well, that he'd be able too."

"What do you mean?" Karen sounded curious. "Why wouldn't he? Is he a bad liar too?"

"No," Claire shook her head, forgetting for a moment that Karen couldn't see her. "He's just… he's not known for having relationships. More just for dating. And casual hookups. I thought he'd miss that."

"Maybe he still is," Karen hummed. "Unless you're spending all your time together, he could be."

"I don't think so," Claire said slowly. "I mean, I'm not saying he couldn't be, but I just… there was an incident early on, and we talked about it. He said he was fine and… well, I trust him. I think if he wanted that he'd tell me. I think we're friends enough for that now."

"Huh," Karen drew out the word softly, before repeating it. "Huh. I wonder…"

"What?"

"Are you sure you're not actually dating?"

"Um, I'm pretty sure I'd know that," Claire laughed nervously. "We're friends. Just friends."

"I don't know," Karen disagreed. "I mean, if he's used to the casual dating scene… this seems like a long break for him. What's he getting out of it?" Karen paused, before continuing, her voice sounding a cross between horrified and gleeful. "You're not sleeping with him, are you?"

"What? No!" Claire's reply was adamant. "Absolutely not." Well, not in the way she knew that her sister meant. She was definitely not going to bring up sharing a bed.

"Maybe you should," Karen suggested. "It's been a while for you, too."

"Karen," Claire groaned. "This isn't helpful."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Claire," Karen replied. "I mean, I'm glad that you've got a friend on the island now–"

"I've always had friends here," Claire interrupted, her tone indigent.

"Your assistant doesn't count," Karen dismissed. "I'm glad that you're talking to me more. And that you sound more relaxed when you do. I just… Are you sure you don't want anything more? With Owen, I mean?"

"I'm…" Claire trailed off. She wasn't sure, not really. Not after their conversation a few weeks earlier. Not after it felt like he'd slammed the door shut. She'd been paying attention to his behaviour since, and she hadn't been able to find any sign that he'd been lying, that he actually wanted more. She wasn't about to put herself out there. Not with how much she really did value his friendship. "I was going to ask him," Claire admitted, glancing back towards the bathroom, glad she could still hear the shower running. She moved over to the window, looking across the lagoon at the bright lights of Main Street, the rest of the island engulfed in darkness. "I had a plan, but… he told me that he really liked me, as a friend."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Claire," Karen whispered. "Are you sure you didn't misinterpret it?"

"I don't know how I could've," Claire sighed. "It was pretty clear. And, well, I'd definitely rather have him as a friend than push him into something he doesn't want and lose him completely."

"You guys got your wires crossed before," Karen reminded her. "Just… make sure you're not doing the same thing now."

"We're not," Claire replied tightly. She heard the shower turn off, and knew she needed to either wrap up the call or switch topics. "Look, he's going to be back out in a sec, I can't talk about this."

"Okay, no problem," Karen agreed lightly. "I should probably get going anyway."

"Yeah, me too."

"Hey, Claire," Karen said. "Call me again. Whenever you want to talk. I miss this. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," Claire agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Hanging up the phone, Claire stared out the window, getting lost in her thoughts. She didn't hear the bathroom door open, or Owen moving about her place until suddenly she was startled out of her thoughts as he joined her at the window.

"Good call?" Owen asked, shoving a slice of pizza into his mouth.

"Yeah," Claire nodded, giving him a wan smile. "Just realizing how long it's been since I've seen Karen."

"Maybe she should come out for a visit," Owen suggested, talking around a mouthful of food. "Bring the boys back."

"Yeah, maybe."

o-o-o

Owen only felt a little guilty when Claire strolled into her place, halting barely a step through the doorway in surprise when she saw him and Barry on her couch. He wasn't supposed to be there tonight. Claire was busy, and so he had made plans with Barry to catch a game. However, they hadn't expected the crowds, both Barry and Owen having completely forgotten that the Summer Olympics were currently on—they had just been planning on catching whatever baseball game was playing. After checking a few of the pubs along Main Street, they'd been ready to give up, as each one was more packed than the last.

It was Owen who'd suggested Claire's place. They couldn't go back to Owen's, as he didn't have reception out there—his TV was used exclusively for video games. They could go to Barry's, except he lived in the employee housing area, and didn't have a full unit. Neither wanted to hang out in one of the common areas, having both been looking forward to getting away from other employees for a bit.

Owen had actually expected Barry to turn down his offer of them using Claire's place. Although, he had bragged on more than a few occasions about how awesome Claire's TV setup was, and how she practically never used it. It was also pretty common knowledge now that Owen spent a significant amount of time at Claire's, and Barry had seen his key one day. He'd only raised an eyebrow, before chuckling at Owen's embarrassed expression.

While he did have a key, Owen wasn't actually quite sure if he should be bringing other people over to her place. Especially a fellow employee. He knew that Claire was protective of her privacy. However, he was feeling a little annoyed with Claire, as she'd been brushing him off all week, telling him she was too busy to see him. On top of that, he was feeling less comfortable on how to act around her. It had hit him the other day, that not only had he not slept with anyone in months now, but that he hadn't even been looking. Was he really getting more satisfaction out of his friendship with Claire than he had been with his prior hookups? That thought had caught him off guard, and he wasn't sure how to process it. It mostly pissed him off. He didn't want to be one of those people who pined for someone else, someone who didn't want them. In fact he refused to become one of those people. If she just wanted to be friends (ugh, the word just left a bad taste in his mouth now), then he would move on.

He would.

Just… he couldn't. Not yet. They had agreed to keep up the fake dating charade for now. And he really didn't want a reputation as a cheater. So, for now, he'd stick it out. But, if he had to put up with being 'just friends,' well then she could put up with his other friends. And he would take advantage of whatever he could. Like using her big screen TV to watch the game, complete with nachos and wings ordered in from Margaritaville. (He did enjoy that some of her perks were finally rubbing off on him.)

"Hi, Claire," Barry gave her a small wave.

"Hey, Owen, Barry," Claire greeted them, her gaze locked on Owen's.

He gave her a small shrug, then gestured towards the TV as he spoke. "Everywhere was packed tonight. I didn't think you'd mind if we watched the game here."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Claire replied, nodding slowly, her gaze darting around her place, looking nervous. Owen copied her movements, wondering what she was looking for. After a quick scan of the place, he watched as her shoulders relaxed and she took off her heels. "I'm just going to get changed," Claire told them, picking up her heels and pointing towards the bedroom.

"Okay," Owen said. "There's still plenty of nachos if you're hungry," he called after her, hearing the door to her bedroom shut behind her.

"Are you sure it's okay that we're here?" Barry asked, having obviously picked up on Claire's hesitation.

"Of course," Owen said. "I maybe, probably, should've given her a heads up, though."

"You didn't tell her?" Barry hissed, his gaze darting over his shoulder at the closed door behind them.

"It's fine," Owen brushed away his concerns. "You'll see."

And it was. Or, at least, it seemed to be. Claire came back out, having traded her business suit for jeans and a nice t-shirt, clearly not comfortable enough around Barry to have gone for her normal choice of sweatpants and baggy shirt that Owen had gotten used to. She'd watched the last few innings of the game with them, and had helped herself to nachos.

Owen had just sat back, watching as Claire and Barry made small talk, the two not knowing much about each other, and really only having him in common. He'd thought it might be awkward, but Claire seemed skilled at maintaining conversation with anyone, and finding common points of interests. He'd felt a bit of a frown start to cross his face, as he realized that she hadn't had that ability on their first date. What had gone so wrong then, that she couldn't have even managed small talk like she was now with Barry? Of course, thinking about their first date, just reminded him of the numerous times she'd insisted she never wanted a second. He'd always thought that maybe she was protesting a bit too much but now, watching them, he wasn't so sure. Dammit, he was forever going to be stuck being her friend.

When Barry left, Owen had remained behind. He had thought it would look odd if he'd headed out at the same time. He'd actually spent the last bit of the game trying to come up with an excuse that could justify him leaving, a reason for why he needed to be at his place, and couldn't stay at Claire's. But he'd come up blank.

As the door shut behind Barry, Owen turned to Claire, not really sure what her reaction would be, now that she didn't have to put on a happy face for Barry. However, she didn't say anything, instead she was just gathering up the remains of their snacks off the coffee table. Owen moved over to help her, picking up the remaining empty beer bottles and following her into the kitchen. He turned on the tap and rinsed out all the bottles, placing them orderly beside the sink.

The longer the silence continued, the less sure Owen was that it was an okay silence, or if Claire was so angry that she didn't know what to say kind of silence. He was just about to break it, when she did.

"Are you staying tonight?"

"Huh?" Owen was startled by her question, as it wasn't at all what he'd been expecting.

"Tonight, are you planning on staying?" Claire repeated.

"Oh, um, well, I could?" Owen stumbled, not really sure what she was hoping for, and having not planned on it.

"You don't have to," Claire told him, a frown on her face now.

"I… I didn't plan on staying," Owen said, tripping over the words.

"Oh," Claire's face fell, and Owen was even more confused. What had he missed?

"But I can," Owen quickly added. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's been one of those weeks," Claire nodded. "I wish I could say I was glad tomorrow is Friday, but, I looked at my schedule and it's packed until at least 9, probably later."

"Business dinner?" Owen asked.

"Yeah," Claire said. "Some investors are coming by. We're starting to put out some feelers for the Indoraptors."

"They haven't even hatched!" Owen said, surprised. "Isn't that early?"

"It's a long process," Claire told him. "It's not like they show up and just hand over money. They have to be wooed. And after the Indominus…" She gave a heavy sigh and Owen watched as her shoulders drooped. There were days he forgot how much the Indoraptors were weighing on her. Unlike him, she couldn't forget about it as easily, as she was in and out of the labs. He also knew she'd been working with engineers and construction crews on changes to Paddock 11.

"I'm sorry," Owen said. He wanted to move towards her and give her a hug, to offer comfort in some way. To be able to do more than just offer up words. He wasn't particularly touchy-feely by nature, but he found himself pulling back even more when they were alone, never sure how his actions would be taken. It was easier when they were out in public, and he could at least pass it off as putting on a show. "If you want to be alone…" He looked towards the front door. Was he reading any of her reactions right?

"No," Claire's sharp reply caught them both off guard, and she looked away briefly, before meeting his eyes again. "Don't. Please stay."

"Sure, no problem," Owen nodded. "What do you want? What would make this week a little more bearable?"

"Honestly?"

"Why would I want you to lie?"

"Can we just put on a movie or something? Something brainless? I just need to not think for a while."

"I've got just the movie," Owen nodded, moving out of the kitchen. "Have you ever seen Weekend at Bernie's?"

o-o-o

Claire usually looked forward to September. She knew it was kind of an odd position to have, considering it was the height of the green season, which meant dealing with almost daily rain, and usually had the lowest levels of guest attendance (most kids having gone back to school). But that was exactly why it was one of her favourite months of the year. Not the rain (although she did enjoy watching thunderstorms from inside her condo), but the low visitor count. The drop gave her a bit of breathing room, as it opened up some time in her schedule to deal with tasks she'd had to keep putting off earlier in the year.

However, this year September had an extra sense of urgency to it, and even though it was only a few days into the month, Claire was already feeling disappointed. With the Indoraptors' hatching only weeks away now, there was the inevitable last minute panic and flurry of activity, as people suddenly seemed to realize that tasks that only last week had felt like there was lots of time to complete, now needed to be done ASAP. The construction at Paddock 11 was behind schedule because of rain delays (September hatchings really weren't ideal, Claire had vented to Owen) and the marketing team was complaining that 'Indoraptor' wasn't testing well in their focus groups and they were re-thinking their whole branding plan.

Today Claire was looking forward to putting all the Indoraptor concerns to the side and instead making some headway on a couple of other projects she'd been neglecting. She'd asked Zara the previous week to try to keep a few hours free for her, so she could really dive into the projects, and when she'd checked her calendar the previous evening, she'd been surprised and relieved to see that nothing new had been scheduled. She was looking forward to her uninterrupted time.

She was just about to leave the control room to head up to her office to work, when Lowery's comment stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey, have you met the new behaviourist?" Lowery asked.

"Who?" Claire turned back to him, trying to think of any new hires she'd heard about recently.

"James something or other," Lowery replied.

"Conrad," Vivian filled in, joining the conversation.

"He's the new behaviourist for the Indoraptors," Lowery added, Claire's confusion apparent.

Claire couldn't remember that name coming up in any emails recently. It probably had, but she must have just glossed over it. She was supposed to have sat in on the interviews, but had been held up by an incident in the aviary during the first day, and HR had then decided that they couldn't have her sit in on a subsequent ones, because it would influence their "no bias" hiring plans (Claire had never rolled her eyes so hard). However, she'd been busy with work and hadn't put up much of an argument, appreciating the time it would free up in her schedule. Also, it's not like she'd have learned more about the Indoraptors in the interviews. They weren't even telling the potential employees what the species was, keeping the job posting vague.

"He's already here?" Claire asked. Had she missed the memo on his arrival date? Probably it had been scattered amongst what felt like the hundred other dates and deadlines around the Indoraptors that had been popping up.

"Yeah, he arrived yesterday," Vivian confirmed. "He's been down in the lab with Wu today."

"Hm," Claire said, nodding slowly. Well, that was an easy enough detour on the way to her office. No reason she couldn't stop by for an impromptu visit. She had been hoping, expecting, as the hatching date grew nearer that she'd get some more information about the Indoraptors and what to expect, especially when they had been sorting out what changes to make to Paddock 11. It hadn't worked out that way. Instead, Wu had just said that whatever they had thought could be improved for the Indominus would be more than enough, as the Indoraptors would be smaller.

Owen had been particularly disgusted at that response, venting to Claire that size wasn't the most important feature when designing the safety systems. His raptors were tiny compared to the T. rex, but their intelligence levels made the T. rex look like an idiot. Put the raptors in the T. rex paddock and he was sure they'd escape within the first day. She'd had Owen go over the changes that had been recommended for the paddock and then had worked his feedback into her reports, making sure that the most critical things he pointed out were included.

Finally escaping the control room, Claire detoured towards the lab. She wondered what information the behaviourist would be getting from Henry. Usually, once the dinosaurs hatched, Henry's part of their development was largely over. He didn't seem to actually care much about the living species, at least not past confirming that they were still alive or being informed of any genetic issues that developed over their lifespan. Instead, he seemed to switch directly to the next one in development, more interested in the science and process than the result. Owen had complained about that, bitterly, to her one day, saying it was likely one of the reasons the Indominus ended up the way she had. That while Henry understood that exaggerated predator features would likely result in exaggerated predator behaviour, he wasn't always thinking about the combinations he was making. That he hadn't thought through the possible side effects of adding the cuttlefish genes when combined with predator behaviour.

The Indoraptors hadn't hatched yet, so maybe that's why the behaviourist was down there. And they didn't yet know the actual viability. She knew Henry was worried about that, as they had already lost one of the eggs when it had failed to develop properly. It wasn't unexpected, but it was always concerning when it happened.

Entering the lab, Claire quickly scanned the area, looking for Henry. She found him standing with a tall man back by the Indoraptor eggs. She paused, a bit startled by his appearance. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the only one in the lab not wearing a lab coat, and was dressed in jeans and a well fitted polo, she would've categorized him as someone working on the management side, not directly with the assets. What was the word her sister had used before to describe some guys? Ivy League? Preppy? His dark brown hair was carefully styled, he was clean shaven and he definitely appeared to be someone who took a lot of pride in (and spent a lot of time on) their appearance, Claire decided, scanning him over. She could tell, even from across the lab, that his jeans were an expensive brand, not the type designed for use out in the field, instead meant to be dressed up (or down) as the occasional called for it. Interesting, she thought, her mind immediately offering up: Owen was not going to like this guy.

Standing taller, Claire moved confidently across the lab, her stride catching Henry's eye, as he turned towards her.

"Claire, I didn't expect to see you today," Henry greeted her, a tight smile on his face. She knew he didn't like to be caught off guard. It was knowledge that had partially fueled her detour. Yes, she wanted to meet the behaviourist, but getting a chance to throw Henry off balance was never a bad thing.

"I was just in the control room and they mentioned that our new behaviourist had arrived," Claire gave Henry one of her business smiles—polished, perfect, but generally meaningless. "I thought I'd stop by and introduce myself." Claire turned towards the new behaviourist, who had been watching the interaction. She looked up to meet his gaze, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Claire Dearing, the Operations Manager here at Jurassic World. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you before now."

"Oh, I only arrived yesterday," the man replied, shaking her hand with a firm grip and a large smile. "I'm James Conrad." Claire was surprised the guy managed to hold her gaze, his eyes staying level with hers. She'd expected (and was used to) being treated to a once over, her worth often feeling like it was evaluated more on how she looked than anything else.

"Nice to meet you, James," Claire gave him an actual smile. She turned back to Henry, "I also wanted to check in to see if there were any changes to the expected hatching for the Indoraptors."

"We're still on schedule for the end of the month," Henry confirmed. "And all three eggs continue to meet appropriate growth markers."

"I imagine you're excited about the adventure you're about to undertake," Claire said to James.

"I am," James nodded. "Actually, I'm really looking forward to getting out to the raptor paddock. Henry has just been filling me in on the training that has been occuring out there under the … IBRIT project?"

"IBRIS," Claire corrected him. "When do you start out there?" Owen hadn't mentioned the new behaviourist's arrival to her. She knew he was not at all happy about having to let the guy in on his training, but to be blindsided with no warning of when the guy was going to arrive? What did Henry and Hoskins think they were playing at?

"I think the plan is Wednesday," James said, looking to Henry for confirmation, who nodded. "Today Henry is filling me in on all that we know so far about the Indoraptors and tomorrow I'm going to spend some time reading up on IBRIS and the Indominus, while also checking out some of the other dinosaurs. Then, I'll be stationed out at the raptor paddock for probably two weeks, unless the eggs hatch early."

"Owen didn't fill you in?" Henry asked, his expression innocent, although Claire thought she saw a flicker of something in his eyes. "I guess he hasn't been checking his emails."

That was possible, Claire had to admit, although she wasn't about to acknowledge that to Henry. However, she knew from Owen that Barry was good at checking his, and since Barry was to be part of this whole training plan, Owen should've known. Sighing internally, Claire already felt her project time going up in smoke. The sooner she gave Owen and Barry a heads up, the better.

"Owen Grady?" James butted in, thankfully saving Claire from actually having to reply. "Henry has been telling me great things about the progress he and Barry Sembène have done. I'm really looking forward to meeting them."

Claire knew she should say something, probably indicate that Barry and Owen were looking forward to working with James, too. Except she knew that was a lie, and she couldn't bring herself to say it. She settled on focusing on the success the IBRIS project had. "Yes, their progress with the raptors has been very impressive, although, as Owen continually reminds me, they still have a long way to go."

"I didn't realize you were so involved with the training programs," James said, looking pleased. "I guess that means we'll be working closely together."

"Oh, I'm not," Claire said. "Owen and I are…" She found it hard to say dating. Partly because it was a work setting and it felt like odd information to share. But also because even all these months later, she'd never actually said that to anyone. Everyone had just made the assumption and Claire and Owen had never countered it.

"Claire and Owen are… together," Henry supplied when Claire never finished and James looked confused. Claire almost winced at the way he said the word 'together'; she could sense his disgust dripping from his tone, like the whole concept was so juvenile and beneath him. She was surprised he'd felt the need to share that.

"Oh," James said. "Maybe I'll see you out at the raptor paddock."

"Maybe," Claire agreed.

"Well, I look forward to it," James gave her another bright smile.

"Me too," Claire pasted her business smile back on. She quickly excused herself, heading back out of the lab and towards her office. Pausing at the stairs, she pulled out her phone and quickly texted Zara that something had come up and she'd be at the raptor paddock. It was probably better if she filled in Owen in-person.

And so, the new behaviourist has arrived! Any predictions?