Owen put out calls for an early meeting to cover his plan. He wanted to make sure Claire would be on board before they headed to the meeting room. They were laying in bed early in the morning. Claire was curled into his side after just waking minutes before. They were enjoying the relative peace that they hadn't had in what felt like weeks already. Owen was still working through his thoughts while being bombarded by memories. He knew his plan would be likely welcomed, eventually, but it would come at a price for his own heart. Claire could sense he was tense.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly.
He sighed, still quiet for a moment, but he began to run his fingers through her hair. "I've been finding myself thinking back a lot to that time before I left the Navy. It hasn't been this fresh in my mind since it happened. I was so attached to Luna and the other dolphins." he sighed, "That's my downfall, I guess. I could never just look at them as an asset to be used. They trusted and relied on me to guide them. They became my family. And I put them in the line of fire." he said before becoming quiet for a moment. "I could never let Hoskins have his field test with the girls. I knew it would have been successful. And I couldn't bring myself to put my family in danger again. I lost everything the last time I did that. And here I am thinking about doing that very thing."
"What do you mean?" Claire asked, sitting up to look at him.
"I think we need to build a defense team around the raptors."
Claire was shocked for a moment before dropping her eyes.
"You had the same thought already, didn't you?" he asked, smirking.
"I didn't want to even suggest it, but I couldn't help the thought when Henry told me they were immune. I was mad at myself for a while for even thinking about it, honestly." she frowned. "They shouldn't be treated like a shield. But if we were all able to protect ourselves, including protecting them, by fighting back..."
He leaned forward and pulled her into a kiss. When he pulled away, he had a smile on his face.
"What was that for?" she chuckled.
"I love you." he said as he cupped her face. "God...you know me better than anyone. Someone else would have passed that idea along immediately. You considered the raptors first." he said before kissing her again, grateful she was here with him.
She pulled back, running her fingers along his cheek, wanting to understand him entirely, "So why are you considering it now? Especially with the memories of Luna being so fresh? I know you're even closer to Blue and Echo."
"Because this is different." he said, shifting back so that he was sitting up. "Luna was trained for military use. Her job was to help protect the countries interests. Not the country. The country's interests. Money." he said, his voice dripping with disgust. "She and I almost died because we were running drills and someone thought she was a missile headed for an oil rig in the Persian Gulf." He rubbed his eyes as he felt tears start to pool. It really was like it only happened two days ago. "I just reacted. Dove in after her and got her away before they took her out. But not without damage to the rig. So of course, someone had to answer for it." He looked down, shaking his headed, "I was tired of it all. All the bullshit. So I took the fall. The rest of the guys could keep their careers..."
"Owen..." she said sadly.
"My father was so angry at me." he said looking up, trying to get his emotions under control. "Throwing away your career, he said." imitating his voice. "Only I was doing what he taught me. I was putting my team members first. And he left me to face it alone. I didn't think I would ever forgive him for that."
"And now? How do you feel?" she asked gently.
"Now." he paused, "Now I feel like I can. He made so many mistakes with me, but in the end he saved us. And he looked out for you when I couldn't. I see the regret and I see the changes in him. I don't have it in me to hate him anymore. Not after the last couple weeks. And he's trying really hard to make up for all of it. He's my dad." he shrugged.
"What about the dolphins?"
"I honestly thought they would just send me and the dolphins back stateside. But there was one politician who was determined to end the program entirely. His campaign was also secretly funded by a military tech company, but that just didn't seem to bother anybody." he said sarcastically. "He wanted more drones. So they tried to claim that the animals couldn't be controlled and the program was a failure. I would have let it go, except my dolphins would have been sold off to some poorly funded aquarium to be a show for tourists." he spat.
Claire couldn't help but feel a little shame at that. The park was doing exactly that and he always had difficulty with it.
He grabbed her chin and tipped her face back up, "Not you. I know I always gave you a hard time over it, but I also knew Simon had good intentions. Was it ideal? No. I can never endorse putting animals on display for money. But I understand why it happens. And I know it makes most people better appreciate them. Plus, he saved my dolphins. He gave them a home where they could live out their lives in peace. So I am grateful to him for that." he said before his face turned a little impish, "I maaayy have also exaggerated my distaste a bit to use as a reason to pick on you. You'd get mad and your face would get all red..."
"Owen!" she blushed.
"What? I thought it was adorable seeing you flustered." he chuckled.
"Yeah, well..." she blushed even deeper. She had no comeback for that because he did get her flustered back then. He still did.
"See?" he kissed her on the nose, "Adorable." he grinned and she just laughed.
"So, why think about using the raptors now? Beyond the immunity. How is this different?" she asked honestly.
"Because your life is in danger." he said simply. "And mine. And your sister's, your nephews', my friends and family. Everyone. Everyone is in danger." he added, "The girls can go in and clean out buildings containing the undead without risking the spread. They can dive in doing what they were honestly born to do. Hunt. And they're ready. With a whole team behind them, we can clean up city blocks if this gets bad enough. And Blue and Echo would have fun doing it!" he laughed before becoming serious again, "Keeping them locked up in a paddock? That's depriving them more. They are ready for it. I just never told Hoskins they were. I didn't want him to take them away and make them part of the military machine." He became quiet as he continued to think it through. "But I want a future with you. I want a family and a life. We may have to carve that out ourselves from whatever world exists at the end of all of this. But if I have the means, I'm going to do everything I can to give it to you."
He had tears falling when he was finished and Claire reached up to wipe them off his face. She leaned up and kissed him, "Then we do this. As a team."
"Claire..."
"Nope." she cut him off, "That's always the deal. You and me. We make this life together. Or we go down together. Consider it a condition of marriage." she smirked.
"No fair." he grumbled.
"Do you really think I'm going to let you go out there alone? After everything?" she asked seriously. "Besides, I thought we settled this already. I'm the brains of this operation." she grinned.
He laughed out loud, "Yes you are." he smiled. "I should know better than to try to argue." He had a thought hit him and grinned widely, "You know what? I have an idea."
"What's that?" she replied leaning over him.
"How do you feel about learning how to ride a motorcycle?" he asked before capturing her lips.
An hour later the group had once again gathered in the conference room.
"Good morning. I know I called you all earlier than planned, but we may need to get wheels turning fast. We're gonna need that military facility." Owen began.
"So you're okay with sending the raptors there?" Admiral Brady asked.
"That's only part of it." He took a deep breath before speaking again. "I think we need to build a strike team around Blue and Echo." he said plainly.
"Son?" Thomas asked, worriedly, "You don't need to..."
"Yes we do." Owen interrupted. "Hoskins was always right about one thing. They are perfect for seek and destroy in tight places and buildings. They can clear out ahead of the team, who can go in and finish it or clean it up. They're immunity gives them protection against the dead we just don't have right now."
"Your talking about releasing the raptors into the public. Do we really think it could be that bad?" his father said.
"We will have a full team ready at the docks if anything comes off that ship. It is possible we can end it there." Brady added. "The team would be unnecessary."
"And if they can end it there, then we all live out our happy lives. But what if they can't stop it? What if this is our extinction event and we're going into it sitting on our hands? We all have our concerns right now about what we're potentially facing next. The virus is out there. There is no putting it back in the bottle." he said to the group, some still appeared unconvinced. He stood up, leaning on the desk, "Look, I don't like any of it. Let me be clear on that. I never wanted to see these animals bred for anything but research and education. And the idea of letting them loose in public is probably the stupidest one I've ever had, but I've also seen how fast this virus can move through a population. I don't know what else we can do but plan to defend ourselves." he sighed heavily.
"Are you sure they can do it?" the admiral asked. "They haven't been field tested yet."
"I'm positive, because they have." he replied, "They stayed with us when we were drawing the horde away from the paddock."
"It's the callback that is the problem, Owen." Barry interjected. "We can't just knock them out every time. And there's no guarantee they won't go rogue."
"I know. And once I have space to run them, we will have space to work on it." he answered. "Look, this would be like any other intelligence strike team. Our targets would be strategic. It's no different than the dolphins searching out the explosives to secure waterways."
"I'm wondering if they may be able to sense the infection." Claire added.
"You think?" Sam asked.
"They knew something was wrong with Delta. Their senses are heightened. I'd be willing to bet they could smell it." she replied. "I can check with Henry and see if it's a possibility."
"Dogs can smell bombs and cancer. It would be easy to think the raptors could identify a major change in bodily functions like that. " Barry agreed.
"They'd be our canary in the coal mine so to speak." she reasoned.
"You had to pick that analogy?" Owen frowned.
"Okay, then they're our undead-sniffing dogs. Better?" she chuckled when he rolled his eyes. Claire looked over at Simon who had been silently observing the discussion for the most part, "Simon? You've been quiet." she prodded.
Simon just rubbed his chin for a moment, "Owen, you and I have talked about this numerous times. As I recall, you barged into my office more than once when I was on island, complaining that Hoskins was pressuring you to train the raptors a certain way. We've always been in agreement on the goals of the project. "
"I know." he replied.
"I need to be sure your reasoning is coming from a place of sound judgment and not desperation. We can't afford to make mistakes with this. The consequences could be catastrophic." Simon said firmly.
"My reason is sitting right next to me." he answered simply, looking down at Claire and smiling. "Another one is here." he tilted his head toward Sam, who was sitting on his other side. "And over there." His father. "And there." He indicated to Barry. "Everyone in this room. My family is in danger. Maybe not tomorrow. But I'm not willing to wait until the wave hits to build a wall."
"I don't disagree with you on that. I do believe in the rule of the Tenth Man. So we will plan accordingly." Simon nodded.
"There's the other elephant in the room we haven't even touched on yet." Claire interjected and everyone looked to her, "The dinosaurs on those ships." she stood up and started pacing. "We could see another incident like ninety seven. But worse, because some of those dinosaurs could be infected." She stepped over to a nearby window, looking out at the flight deck below, "We may need Blue and Echo just to protect us from that. The undead may not be the worst thing to come off that ship."
Simon's face gave nothing away. He continued to rub his chin as he considered his next move. "How would you feel about taking over the division?" he asked Owen.
Owen's jaw dropped, knowing what it meant. "The whole security division?"
"What would that mean?" Claire asked as she turned to look at them, surprised herself.
"Taking over for Hoskins as head of security." Simon replied. "We'd reroute all resources, including any ACU members who want to continue their service. Everything would be redirected to the team."
"I don't know, Simon. That's a lot." Owen replied, hesitantly, "I was just looking for access to enough to build a couple of small teams and to have control over the girls. More like smaller SEAL teams."
"Well that you have. Don't worry about that." Simon reassured him, "But I need the division run and the stockpile of vehicles and equipment is perfect for an aggressive defense if this blows up. We can even redesign the vehicles to better withstand the onslaughts."
Owen stood up and began pacing himself. He considered all his options before looking over at Claire. His rock and partner in crime. He immediately came up with an idea. "How about this? How about I take over as commander for the forces, but Claire directs the division."
Claire had looked at him shocked, "Owen, I am not an expert in security!"
"But you know how to manage and delegate better than anyone. You can look at the big picture and make a plan. I suck at that shit. And you've been down in the thick of it, so you know what the teams are up against."
"Is this some messed up way to keep me out of the fight? Because we talked about this..." she warned, squinting her eyes at him.
"NO! No, I promise, it's not that. It's you and me, just like we said." he reassured her, "I'm not going out there without you. I just figured I do the training and you do the planning."
The room had gone quiet, just watching the ping pong match between the couple.
"I like it." Simon spoke up finally, breaking the silence.
"It's kind of perfect." Thomas concurred.
Owen glanced over at Claire, who still looked resistant, "Claire?"
"I need to think about it." she said shortly.
Simon just smiled, knowing how Claire operated better than anyone. Anytime he dropped a bomb on her, she would step away to the control room to distract herself before coming back with a response. "I can accept that." he nodded to her, knowing that was not the end of the conversation. "Now!" he announced, clapping has hands together to break the tension, "For the rest of it. The admiral and I will work with the base to make sure the facility is fully equipped and staffed for both long-term residency and training for the raptors. Resources will be redirected and the mission will be specific. I will not be happy if they are used for anything beyond what we've discussed here." he said, looking at both the admiral and the captain.
"I agree." Owen said, still glancing over at Claire, who looked deep in thought.
"Um, guys?!" Lowery came barging into the conference room, "I got into their radio broadcast. And we may have a problem."
"Is the ship overrun?" Simon asked.
"Can't confirm based on the radio chatter. There is definitely something going on. That's not the main problem though." Lowery replied.
"How is that not the main problem?" Sam asked.
"They've picked up a lot of time. Based on the coordinates we just heard, they're only two days behind us now. They'll be arriving the same time we do."
"How the fuck did that happen?!" Owen swore. That meant if the ship had any dead on it, they wouldn't be there ahead of time to help stop them.
"A combination of radar jamming and being smaller and faster. At least that's what the military guys told me." Lowery responded.
"We're crawling intentionally, Owen. The carrier can't reach port until the quarantine is lifted." Thomas added. "I just never anticipated they'd be that fast. I thought we'd at least arrive a few days before them."
"It also sounds like they're both mostly running on autopilot. We're only hearing occasional chatter from one ship. Hence the worry about something going on." Lowery added.
The admiral got up from his seat and walked to the open door, "Someone get me both secretaries on the line!" he barked out to the wider control area.
"What's going on?" Claire asked, confused by the sudden action.
"We thought we had another couple days ahead of them. I can't change the plans for any armed defense on American soil without clearing it with the Secretary of Defense. And I'm including my boss since it potentially involves the naval base. It's called covering my ass and getting maximum response." Admiral Brady replied.
"Incoming call, sir! Sec Def." one of the sailors announced.
"Put it in the conference room. Same for any other calls that come in." he ordered.
"Yes, sir."
A minute later, the face of the Secretary of Defense appeared on the main screen. "Jim. Tom. It's been a few days. I was curious if there were any updates and then I received your call."
"The ship that is possibly carrying infection is further ahead than anticipated. They will land in San Diego the same time we do. That is if they don't somehow bypass us." Brady replied.
"We could end this today, sir. Just give us permission to remove it." Thomas said.
"Wish I could, Tom. Italian government isn't budging." the secretary replied.
"Who cares!" Owen shouted, "They have no idea what they are playing with here."
"Owen!" Thomas admonished him.
"It's fine, Tom. I get the frustration." he looked directly at Owen, "Mr. Grady. I've heard a lot about you."
"Sir, I apologize. I just don't understand why the danger doesn't override the chain of command." he practically growled.
"To be frank, I agree with you. But Biosyn made a deal with both the Italian government and now the Costa Rican government. He's basically been contracted for the cleanup."
"He's not cleaning up. He's just taking my assets." Simon stated plainly. "And they may be compromised."
"He made all the arrangements and the US government is allowing for the transfer location at the base. They believe it will help contain any incidents with dinosaurs getting loose. Dodgson was expected to provide his own transport and man power. He met all the minimum requirements. They're overlooking the quarantine mandate for now."
"Mr. Secretary, there is no containing or controlling any of this. We're just making all the same mistakes Hammond made. And Ludlow. Except we're making it worse." Claire responded.
"Sir, there's a good chance that a large portion of that manpower is dead. Or undead as the case may be." Sam said.
"Again, I'm with you. But there are forces at work here that are keeping me at bay. They need hard evidence before they'll allow us to fire on that ship, Lieutenant."
They heard a beep,"Sir, I have the Secretary of the Navy."
Just then, the Secretary of the Navy joined the call. "Philip, thank you for joining us." Brady answered.
"Jim. Bill. Tom. Good morning. I see we have other guests joining us. What's the current situation?" he asked.
"Sir, we need clearance to have a defense team in place at port by tomorrow night." Brady requested.
"I thought we had two days at least?" the other secretary asked.
"They're ahead of schedule. Right now, it looks like they will arrive at the same time as we do. That's if they don't cut anymore time off."
"Dammit. Alright, do what you can to be ready for arrival." he said. "I'll send clearance to the base once I'm off the call. They'll start their preparations there."
"Start making arrangements and we'll meet again at thirteen hundred hours. Work for everyone?" the defense secretary asked.
Once everyone agreed, the call was ended and the discussion in the conference room continued.
"They have no idea what might come out of that ship." Owen worried, "Why didn't you tell them about the strike team?"
"Because if this turns out to be a non-event, I do not want them getting any ideas." Simon replied. "But I do want to send you and the raptors ahead."
"Why?" Owen wasn't sure he heard him right.
"Aren't we still under quarantine?" Claire asked.
"You should be there in case this goes sideways. The teams there will be well armed, but completely unprepared for what might come out." Simon said.
"I agree." the admiral said.
"Dad?" Sam was surprised. That seemed a bit far outside the box for his father. "You're okay with raptors loose on your base?"
"We may not have a choice, son." Brady replied, "Look, we've been cleared to get the ground teams in place now. I have faith in my guys. I know they will face danger without batting an eye. But this is not like anything they've seen before. And I don't honestly know how they'll respond if an infected dinosaur comes out of that ship."
"You see enough zombie movies, you know that anyone is capable of turning tail and running." Lowery offered.
"Not helpful, Lowery." Claire groaned.
"I will defend my men to the teeth. They are honorable men." the admiral said firmly. "But we are all humans facing the inhuman. I won't pretend that it's impossible"
Simon nodded in agreement. "That's why I want you there. We can help deal with the unexpected because it's not new to us. They'll have a better chance of containing any potential threat. Let's plan to have you take off first thing in the morning. We'll fly you, as much of the team as we can and the raptors to the base. It will give you at least 36 hours to be ready. We hope."
Owen looked at Claire. He wasn't going to make the decision alone.
"You're looking at me like it's even a question." she smirked.
"Then I guess we're in agreement. We'll head out in the morning." Owen confirmed.
"Let's meet again at fourteen hundred. After we update Sec Def." the admiral concluded.
Owen stepped over to Claire as the meeting broke and everyone departed. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to just dump that idea..."
"Owen, it's okay. I just need to go clear my head for a bit before I give an answer to Simon." she said as she gave him a kiss before leaving the room.
"Everything okay?" Thomas asked as he came over..
"Yeah." he sighed, "She just needs to get some space. Something about my suggestion threw her. She'll tell me when she's ready."
"Listen, I wanted to arrange for you to stay in my house on base. I've got the space and it's more comfortable than the regular housing. Sam and Barry could have space there as well. It's up to you."
"I'll bring it up with Claire." he nodded.
"Good. I'm going to go join Jim and Simon on the call to the base. You should join us for a bit. It'll give you an idea of the facility setup for the raptors."
He glanced where he had seen Claire exit minutes before. "I've got some time."
Claire found herself once again in the gym, taking out her frustrations on the bag. Karen had taken up her usual spot on one of the benches, there to let Claire vent.
"Why are you so bothered by this?"
"It's stupid, really." she said, pausing her workout. "At first it was because I thought he was trying to find a way to keep me inside and safe."
"That's not a bad thing, Claire." Karen countered.
"I know that." she sighed, "And I know he means it when he says we will go out as a team." She went back to hitting the bag, trying to release her tension.
"Then what is it? Really? Because from where I sit it sounds about perfect for you two. Solves the potential job problem and keeps you glued at the hip. Which is getting gross now, by the way. You are two separate people. Remember that." Karen smirked, knowing she was poking at her younger sister.
Claire stopped to glare at her older sibling, "Ha. Ha." She turned back to the bag, still not answering.
"Claire..." her sister prodded.
She finally stopped, just holding the bag still and looking at it, collecting her thoughts. "I don't know if I can handle taking responsibility for life and death again." She leaned her head on it, looking down, trying to block out the images flashing in her mind. "I watched thousands die. And I was in charge." She turned to look at her sister. "I was powerless to stop it. I don't want to feel that way again if I can avoid it. And it will be with people I love in danger again. It feels like doing this will put me right back there making the wrong decisions."
Karen stood up and walked over to Claire, leaning her shoulder on the punching bag. "Look, I get it. We are going to have to handle a whole bunch of reality very soon. None of us have really dealt with what happened on the island. But that's because it's still happening." She tilted her head to catch Claire's eyes. "You know that better than anyone."
Claire stepped back to grab a towel and sat on the bench. She was pulling the tape off her gloves and suddenly stopped, looking at Karen. "How did we get here?"
"That, baby sister, is a wider question I do not have the answer to. But what I can tell you is this. I know that you would do anything you could to keep people safe. You proved that. I think anything you'd plan for the teams would truly have their safety as the priority. I know that's why Owen thought of you immediately. And it also says something when he technically recommended for you to be his boss..." she said, raising an eyebrow.
Claire smiled at that, "Yeah." She worried for most of her adult life that she would never find someone who understood and respected her. Owen didn't even bat an eye offering her his promotion.
"He has more faith in you than anyone."
"Even you?" Claire asked.
"Hey! I'm the big sister. I'm supposed to question everything you do!" she smirked. "But I swear, one thing I will never question again is you wanting to marry him. I just think you lucked out and found your true other half." Karen smiled. "And I think you should take Simon up on the offer." she paused and had a thought, "I actually think you should just do both today."
"Do both what?
"Tell Simon and get married." she shrugged.
"Are you joking?" Claire burst out laughing. "We have no time! We leave tomorrow."
"Between you and me, we can pull something together in a couple hours. Besides, you've already got permission to do it and you both said you wanted to be married before you got off the ship. With the way he's acted over it, Owen probably would have done it at dinner when he got the clearance." she grinned.
"Yeah, but with everything going on and now the timeline moving up..."
"All the more reason to do it today. You leave in the morning. Everything waiting for you will get in the way and it'll be much harder to do it. Let's celebrate while we can with everyone together. Even if it's just for a few hours." she said, seeing Claire still hesitating, "It's what you both wanted last night and you've never been one for traditional anything, so why worry about overplanning it? Just do it."
Claire sat there and finished unwrapping her gloves as she thought about it. Once they were removed, she stood up and threw them in the bin. She turned to her sister, crossing her arms, "Think we can surprise Owen?" she grinned.
The man in question found himself finally wandering down to the holding area. It was pretty quiet and he hadn't been down there to spend time with the girls since yesterday. He had been tied up for hours making transport and arrival plans. They had met once again with the secretaries to give them updates and let them know they were working on additional special teams. It was decided to still refrain from mentioning the raptors involvement. He hadn't seen Claire since this morning and hoped she'd come find him soon. She'd texted earlier to say she was with Karen and she was okay. He'd decided some time with Blue and Echo would help distract him.
It was immediately obvious when he arrived that he would not be alone. Apparently the Mitchell boys had taken to keeping the raptors company, as he discovered Gray sitting there alone talking. He stayed back in the shadows, once again eavesdropping.
"I know you guys are probably sick of me by now. I'm just scared. Not of you two. Never of you. But it's just been a lot. Mom and dad divorcing. Coming here but having everything fall apart. All those people dying." he said looking down, before looking back up at them frustrated, "You know I waited my whole life to go to the park. And I can't even be mad about that because I know it's stupid and childish and people died. And they're coming back and hurting people. It just...It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Blue chirped in response while Echo chattered.
"I know. You guys lost your sisters. I didn't lose anyone, so I don't know how that feels. But I can't help thinking that I might find out. And I don't want to." he said as he wiped tears from his face. "I don't want anything to happen to you either."
The raptors chirped in response. Owen could tell Gray spent a lot of time down here. He'd have to ask Barry about it later. The girls seemed engaged with the boy and he wasn't ready to interrupt.
"You know Owen's going to be part of my family soon. Which means you guys are too. Maybe if we help keep you safe, you can help keep us safe, too? That's what you do in a family."
The girls chirped and screeched.
"I think they're agreeing with you." Owen said as he finally stepped out of the dark.
"Owen!" Gray exclaimed as he jumped up, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't be down here..."
"Hey. You're fine. The girls like company and they seem to like you." he smiled at the boy.
"I was worried when I heard about the team." Gray said as he looked at the raptors, "And I don't really have anyone to talk to right now about everything." he shrugged.
"Well you know the best thing about having an uncle?"
"What's that?"
"It gives you someone to talk to about anything." Owen smiled. "And you get the extra special bonus of having Sam around and I can promise you, he is an awesome listener."
"He's right you know." Sam interrupted.
"You'll find we're also very good at eavesdropping and surprising people." Owen laughed.
"Comes with the job." Sam chuckled, "But seriously Gray, you can come to us whenever you need. With Owen comes a whole bunch of honorary uncles whose job it is to keep you safe."
"What about Blue and Echo?" the boy asked. The raptors, hearing their names, chirped in response.
"That includes them too. And right now, I'm trying to convince your aunt to take an extra special job so that she can be in charge and make sure nothing bad happens to them or us." Owen reassured him.
"She's really good at that you know." Gray said quietly.
"That's why I want her to do it. She'll make sure Blue and Echo and all of the teams are as protected as they can be and have everything they need to survive." He crouched down as best he could without falling so that he was at the same level as Gray, "And I think you'll find these two are pretty good at taking care of themselves." he smiled at the boy.
Gray smiled back and threw his arms around Owen's neck, hugging him tightly and almost knocking him over. Sam steadied him from behind to keep him from toppling backwards. Once Gray released him, Owen stood up with Sam's help.
"Now that that's settled, we have some other business to attend to." Sam said grinning widely.
"What's up?" Owen asked curiously. Their day had already been full with preparations and he thought they had taken care of everything before the planned departure in the morning.
"We're having a little gathering right now and need your presence. Gray too."
"Well, lead the way then. I'll come back down later." Owen smiled as he put his arm around Gray and all three headed out of the holding area.
"Okay, what's going on..?" he asked hesitantly as Sam guided them up to the flight deck instead of the lounge as he expected.
"Trust me." Sam grinned as he opened the door and they exited outside.
It was clear the sun was on it's way down. The colors across the sky looked like on old oil painting. The flight deck seemed oddly quiet for the time of day, but he hadn't really been paying attention to the regular routines. He continued to follow Sam until he saw an area lit by a few of the landing lights.
Then he saw her.
Claire was standing near the edge of the deck. There was nothing but ocean and the sun setting behind her. She was in a light green strapless dress that went to her knees. Her hair was down and blowing free. It had grown longer and she let it take it's natural waves.
She was looking right at him and smiling wide.
If we could take a photo
Eternalize this moment
For the days when I don't believe
When our love gets stolen
'Cause there's no exception
And I know time will take you far from me
He felt Sam shove him from behind to snap him out of his daze and he was soon walking over to her. It was then that he realized his father was standing off to the side.
"What's going on?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"We're getting married. If you're up to it." she smiled almost nervously.
"Right now?" he asked, sounding both nervous and hopeful.
"Right now." she nodded. "But only if you're ready."
He just pulled her to him, with a big smile on his face and kissed her. He pulled away, still smiling wide at her. "More than ready."
Let this night invade my lungs
You're all I wanna breathe
Right beside the lake, I burn for you
You burn for me
His father stepped over so that he was standing between them. He smiled at them and nodded his head, indicating to turn around. Owen turned and realized everyone else had also gathered nearby to watch. He saw Sam and nudged his head, indicating for Sam to join him. Sam held out his arm for Karen who stepped over with him. They split so that they were off to the sides, just observing. The rest came closer so they could hear.
"I just got certified to do this about an hour ago, so bear with me." Thomas chuckled and the group laughed. He took a deep breath before starting, "We all gather tonight, not to bring two people together. I know in both their hearts it's already a done deal." he smiled looking at each of them. "We're just here to make it official."
Those around them whooped and cheered, leaving the couple laughing.
"I'll tell you, there was a point when I thought he was never going to settle down." Thomas continued
"Me too!" Sam shouted. Those gathered were cracking up.
"But five minutes after I met you Claire, he told me he was going to marry you. And once a Grady sets their mind to something, well..." he shrugged and laughed, not needing to finish
If it was possible, Owen's smile got wider and he squeezed Claire's hands. She couldn't help ducking her head and smiling. As soon as she did, Owen leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.
"Now." Thomas said as they split apart, "I'm going to go ahead and shut up and let you two take it from here."
All the deepest secrets
All the darkest moments
Oh, I promise they'll be safe with me
We've all been broken
There's no exception
But you carry it so gracefully
"I guess I'll start." Claire said before taking a breath and looking at Owen. "Hi." .
"Hi." he replied,
"You wanna know the moment that I knew I loved you?"
Owen just nodded. She could tell he was trying to hold his emotions in, but she saw the tear fall.
"It was that day I was trying to get away from that creep investor." She felt him squeeze her hands. Knowing that day still bothered him, she squeezed back. "All those people around and you were the only one who saw me." she smiled at him, "I didn't need to tell you something was wrong. You just knew. You understood me and got my stubborn ass out of there." Owen ducked his head and laughed at the memory. "I knew I could trust and rely on you...and that's not always an easy thing for me. But I also knew you'd step aside and let me kick someone in the balls if I needed to." she grinned.
Owen and his father just burst out laughing as she stood there grinning. Once they had calmed, she continued, "You have always let me be myself. You were never intimidated by me or made me be something I wasn't. But you did remind me to have fun. You made me stop and appreciate things more. Like watching the sun come up over the lake behind the bungalow." She looked out at the water for a moment before turning back to him, "Or the sun going down over the ocean on the day I become your wife. You're it for me, Owen Grady." she shrugged shyly.
Owen couldn't stop himself as he leaned in to kiss her. He was stopped, however by his father's hand pushing him back.
"Uh-uh. Not yet." he laughed. "Your turn."
Let this night invade my lungs
You're all I want to breathe
Right beside the lake, I burn for you
You burn for me
"Claire." he said, letting out a puff of breath and squeezing her hands, "God..." he chuckled with tears falling. He wiped his eyes, "I can't believe we're here. I can't believe you did this." he laughed happily. "Okay...whew...I landed on that island a jaded Navy vet who was going to do nothing but focus on training raptors. No distractions. I swore that to myself. And then I met this amazing, strong-willed red-head who managed to push every one of my buttons and I could not stop thinking about her." he chuckled. He looked right at her with an amused look, "I guess I was a little distracted." he shrugged. "And then I really got to know you. I don't think I can pinpoint a day or a moment. I think I just loved you. You saved my life and helped me remember who I was. You are my north star, Claire. I will follow you anywhere. For the rest of my life." Tears were rolling down Claire's face and he couldn't help reaching up and wiping a few away, keeping his hand there cupping her face.
Thomas smiled as the two just stood there, caught in each other's eyes, "No sense in dragging this out." he laughed. They both looked at him, "It's my privilege to declare you husband and wife. You may..."
Owen didn't wait. Lifting his other hand up and placing it on the other side of her face, he leaned in and kissed her hard.
So kiss me the way that you would
If we died tonight
Hold me the way that you would
For the final time, yeah
Whatever may come, somewhere deep inside
There's always this version of you and I
So just kiss me the way that you would
If we died tonight, if we died tonight, yeah
"Nevermind." Thomas laughed. Everyone cheered as they continued to kiss with the sun going down. They finally broke apart, smiling widely at each other as everyone started to approach and hug them.
So I let this night in my lungs
You're all that I wanna breathe
Right beside you, down at the lake
I burn for you, burn for me
Owen pulled her aside as everyone was excitedly talking around them.
"Thank you." he said as he kissed her.
"For what?" she smiled
"For being you. For doing this."
"I'm keeping my last name I hope you know." she said sternly.
"Wouldn't dream of asking otherwise." he laughed.
"And I told Simon yes."
"You did?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah." she nodded.
He kissed her again "So tonight we celebrate and tomorrow we go to work."
Whatever may come, somewhere deep inside
There's always this version of you and I
So just kiss me the way that you would
If we died tonight, if we died tonight
Meanwhile on a beach in Baja California...
It was late and a young couple had found there way out to a beach for some privacy from their family vacation. They were rolling around in the sand when they heard strange noises.
"What was that?" the woman asked, startled.
"I don't know." the man replied. "It sounded like it came from further up there. Like it came from the water.
As the sound got closer, it sounded like moans.
"Maybe it's a whale?" she offered.
They both stood up to look despite the darkness. They walked over to the water's edge and stepped in ankle deep.
Out of no where a hand grabbed her ankle from under water and the moans turned to growls as the woman screamed...