Owen waited by a glimmering portal for his special guest. Elkay had told him that he was to let someone stay at his house for a week, but when he asked who it was, she giggled like a ninny and said it was a surprise. Owen didn't like surprises. Well, maybe the good kind of surprise, like when Claire gave him unexpected kisses, but other than that, he didn't enjoy secrecy. If he was to be hosting someone, he wanted to know what kind of a someone he was going to have to deal with. Of course, the result turned out to be far worse than he could have ever imagined.
The dinosaur who stepped through the portal was a rotund, bipedal hadrosaur. The scales on his torso were yellow, bleeding into red scales on his lower half. His purple, blue-tipped tail swung back and forth as he waddled forward. He had red nubs on his cheeks and a brown dome on his head. His snout was orange, like the crest that shot out behind his head, which had a crimson tip. All of this, plus his gray beard and plump belly, indicated that he was, in fact, Vic Hoskins. Owen was almost positive that the dragon had made a mistake, but before he could adopt a defensive pose, Vic ran forward and gave him a big hug. At first, Owen didn't comprehend what was happening. He went rigid, staring blankly ahead with wide eyes.
"Owen! It's so good to see you again. So good. I've missed you."
Vic let him slip out of the hug, but to Owen's horror, the dinosaur held one of his hands with both of his paws.
"You're looking well. I heard you got married. Is the Mrs. around?"
Claire, meanwhile, had lumbered out the front door. When she saw who their mysterious guest was, she immediately lowered her horns and prepared to charge.
"Oh, hi!" Vic chirped, "I almost didn't recognize you. You're still pretty, even as a dinosaur."
Claire blinked. She continued to display a confused look as Vic gave her a hug. He sat down on his behind so that they were at eye level and gave a whimsical sigh.
"You two look so happy together. Congratulations. You have my full support."
Owen opened his mouth a few times before he could speak.
"Vic? . . ."
"Oh! Silly me! You probably don't recognize me. I mean, you saw me as a dinosaur before, but I didn't have arms back then."
He wiggled his stubby fingers.
"I got my limbs back because of my good behavior. I took sensitivity courses, you see, and I came out a changed man."
Owen cocked his head.
"Vic . . . Hoskins?"
He nodded emphatically.
"Yes. I'm your guest for the next week, as you've probably guessed. Elkay is dropping off my luggage tonight. I was going to bring you a bag of snickerdoodles, but I packed them away in my suitcase like a silly goose."
Owen looked about ready to fall over. Claire was shocked as well, but somehow, she managed a polite smile.
"Well . . . Vic . . . Your room is upstairs. Why don't you get yourself settled in?"
Vic smiled.
"I would love to! Thank you for your generosity. You are both very kind people."
He held each of them in an arm and initiated a group hug. They remained in the same position, even as he skipped away. With a hanging jaw, Claire turned to Owen.
"What just happened?"
Owen shook his head.
"I don't know, but I still want to punch him."
***TSJWFEW***
Later that night, they all had dinner in the unfinished kitchen. It was awkward. So very awkward. Not on Vic's part, of course, since he was yapping on and on about yoga and rainbows and herbal tea, but Owen and Claire were left utterly perplexed. If it was all an act, he was doing a very good job of keeping it up. In the middle of one of his many puppy-related sentences, Owen decided to interrupt and ask what had been on his mind since their guest arrived.
"Hoskins, why are you being nice to us?"
There was a pause. Vic twiddled his thumbs uncomfortably.
"Well, I went to sensitivity courses. That's about it."
Owen frowned.
"I'm not buying it. There's no way you could have done a complete one-eighty in such a short amount of time."
Vic gave a reluctant smile.
"I know we haven't been the best of friends in the past, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to start fresh. I've worked through my issues with my instructor. We talked about a lot of things, and I decided that I didn't want to continue to lead an unhappy life. A lot of my anger stemmed from the fact that I didn't feel like I was in control. Now that I've had some spiritual guidance, I can finally accept the fact that I'm not in control and that I'm sexually attracted to mermaids."
Claire spat out her orange juice in a large spray of mist. Vic dabbed his face with a napkin and continued.
"It hasn't been easy fitting in, but the people on Isla Nublar- the other one, I mean- are very forgiving. They have about thirteen rehabilitated villains- if you'll pardon the derogatory term- on the island, and they're all flourishing. Well, except the purple one. Her kitten died, you see, and she bit off her cla-"
Claire stood up.
"Are you talking about June?"
Vic nodded.
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Is she not doing well?" Claire asked with concern.
"No. I don't think so."
Claire made her way over to the door, shepherding Owen along with her tail.
"We're going to visit her."
Owen blinked.
"What? Why?"
"She needs help."
"Yeah, but you hate the other Nublar!" Owen protested, "It's crawling with raptors!"
Claire frowned in determination.
"The portal is still open. On the other side, there's a child who needs our help. Are you coming or not?"
Owen sighed.
"Fine. Vic, stay here and get settled. Don't touch anything."
They hustled out the door, leaving Vic alone. He looked down at his salad sadly.
"Okay. I guess I'll just finish up here."
***TSJWFEW***
". . . and Sara saw her and was so sorry for her that she began rather to like her and want to be her french-"
"I think you mean 'friend', Daddy."
Henry squinted and stared at the page.
"Right. The print is so tiny in this book. It's really hard to see."
June snuggled up closer to him.
"Do you think you might need glasses, Daddy?"
Henry gulped.
"No . . . No, of course not. I'm fine."
There was a knock at the door. When Henry opened it, June gasped. Claire was standing in the grass with Owen by her side. She gave a small smile. June didn't know how to feel. Even though she was racked with guilt, she was very happy to see her. She walked forward slowly, so as not to frighten the stegoceratops, and wrapped her arms around her neck. Claire hugged her back.
"Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?"
"I'm a little better now. Thank you for coming to see me."
Claire lifted her head to look at Henry.
"Are you June's father?"
"Yes, I am."
When Claire heard his voice, she felt a jolt of déjà vu. She cocked her head and tried to place him.
"We've met before," Henry explained, as if reading her mind, "You don't remember it, but your employer kidnapped me and brought me to your world. I got into a fight with your husband and slapped off his jaw. Sorry about that, by the way."
Owen blinked.
"I might remember that . . . But don't we know you from somewhere else?"
"It's possible," Henry said with a shrug, "Seems different versions of me pop up in various universes. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew the other . . . well, me."
Claire turned back to June. She noticed her mangled fingers and held them up for closer examination.
"What happened? Did you have an accident?"
June shook her head.
"I bit them off. I didn't want to look scary."
Claire frowned sadly and ran her front foot over June's head.
"Oh, sweetheart. You shouldn't hurt yourself."
June buried her head in Claire's chest.
"It didn't hurt that much."
Henry dipped his head down to speak with Claire at eye level.
"Did you leave Hoskins alone at your cabin?"
"Yes. Why? Do you think he's dangerous?" Claire asked anxiously.
"No, I think he's genuinely reformed," Henry stated, "But he might be lonely right now."
June lifted her head in alarm.
"Is Claire leaving? She only just got here."
Claire bit her lower beak.
"Well, I have to go home sometime. But I can visit again."
June nodded sadly and slipped out of her arms. She went back to the sofa and picked up the book Henry had been reading. Claire watched her climb up the stairs to the top level of the garage. She rubbed her front foot guiltily.
"I'm sorry."
Henry shook his head.
"It's not your fault. She's always been distant. I appreciate your concern, especially given the circumstances."
Claire sighed.
"It's really no problem. It was partly my fault that . . . Well, if I hadn't . . . I mean . . ."
Henry shook his head.
"Don't blame yourself for any of this. It's no one's fault. We just got unlucky. What matters now is that we can make things right."
Claire nodded.
"I guess that means I should give Hoskins a second chance, too."
Owen jolted.
"Wait, what? Claire, let's not jump to conclusions."
"It's not jumping to conclusions, Owen," Claire affirmed, "It's doing the right thing."
Owen crossed his arms.
"I've known Hoskins for far longer than you have. People don't change, Claire."
"I think they can."
Owen saw in her eyes that she wasn't about to back down, and gave a sigh of defeat.
"Fine. We'll go back. Just wait and see: he'll have trashed the whole house."
***TSJWFEW***
Vic hadn't trashed the house. In fact, he was sitting in the exact same spot as when they had left. Claire sat down at the table (she had no chair, which was a little depressing, since it felt like she wasn't even meant to be there) and gave him a side glance. Vic smiled.
"Thank you for coming back. I was starting to worry that you'd abandoned me."
Owen sat down on the opposite end of the table and put his hands beneath his chin.
"Tell us, Vic: what exactly made you change your mind about being an asshole?"
Claire stomped on his foot under the table. He winced in pain. Vic took a deep breath.
"I resisted integration, at first, because I thought that it was beneath me. Eventually, though, I realized that the people on Isla Nublar were only trying to help. They had so much faith in me that I decided to make them proud and become a better person. Once I realized how much people liked me when I was nice, I made a vow to do as many nice things as possible for as long as I live."
Claire smiled.
"I think you made the right decision. You've improved an infinite amount since we last saw each other."
Vic gave a wide grin.
"Thank you. That means a lot, coming from an intelligent, driven woman such as yourself."
Claire kicked Owen as he made gagging noises. Vic turned away uncomfortably.
"I wish I had chosen to change earlier. I hope it's not too late to win back your trust."
Claire put her front foot on Vic's paw, much to Owen's chagrin.
"It's not too late."
It was then that Owen decided that he could not allow Vic Hoskins to stay.
***TSJWFEW***
The next morning, Owen and Claire found Vic meditating in the den. He was sitting with his legs crossed. His wrists were resting on his knees, and his index fingers were pinched against his thumbs. When they entered the room, he opened his eyes and smiled.
"Good morning!"
Claire blinked.
"You . . . How long have you been up?"
"I woke up at five o'clock sharp. I noticed a blank wall in your family room, so I painted a picture for you."
He pointed to a canvas in the corner of the room. He had drawn a blue dolphin frolicking in the ocean.
"Dolphins are the most beautiful creatures," he sighed, "They're so intelligent and kind. They rescue lost sailors and play with discarded beach balls."
Owen snorted.
"They also violate each other via blowhole. Look it up."
Claire slapped Owen with her tail.
"Ignore him, Vic. He didn't get much sleep last night."
With this, Vic waddled over to his suitcase and pulled out a thick, purple candle. He placed it in Owen's hands.
"This is a blend of lilac and lavender. If you burn it for half an hour every night, you'll find that you'll sleep easier. Just don't leave it lit all night, or you could burn the house down."
Owen clenched his fists.
"Is that a threat?"
Claire pulled him back with her beak.
"Owen, for the love of god, be quiet! Vic is our guest, and I won't have you treating him like garbage."
Owen yanked himself away from her.
"Why did you come here, Vic? Are the others getting tired of your behavior?"
Vic laced his fingers together and looked down.
"No . . ."
Owen frowned and strutted forward with an intimidating stride.
"Then why did they send you here?"
Vic bit his lip.
"I asked them if I could come. I wanted to-"
"Get revenge?" Owen snapped.
"Apologize. I wanted to apologize," Vic said quickly, "I wanted to make up for everything I put you through. It wasn't very nice of me."
Owen growled.
"Not very nice of you, Vic? That's the understatement of the century!"
Claire frowned.
"Owen. Don't do this. Not now."
He ignored her.
"I've got news for you, Vic: you set my raptors loose, killing dozens of innocent men by consequence. You lied about a potentially dangerous animal, causing even more carnage. You kept secrets from your superior, and when he died, you saw it as an opportunity to take over. You didn't care back then, and I don't think you can possibly care now. Even if you do, it doesn't matter. Nothing you do will ever make up for what happened."
Vic stepped backwards.
"I should go."
Claire blocked his path.
"Don't pay attention to Owen. He's just upset because you were indirectly responsible for the deaths of his animals."
"Directly responsible. And they were my family," Owen snapped.
Vic looked away in shame.
"I'm sorry about your raptors. I really am. If I could go back and change-"
Owen punched him.
"Ouchie."
"Don't lie to me, Vic. You don't care about my raptors. You never did."
Claire knocked him to the side with her horn.
"Owen, shut up. I'm sorry, Vic. I wish we could be more hospitable, but Owen's in a bit of a funk right now-"
"It's alright. I understand," Vic muttered as he grabbed his suitcase, "I'll just go back to the other world. You can keep the painting. There are snickerdoodles in the fridge."
He rushed out the front door. Owen ran after him to make sure that he was truly leaving. When he saw the portal close, he sighed with relief. He turned around and noticed that Claire was glaring at him. He crossed his arms and frowned.
"You may think that I was being unfair, but you don't know anything about what Hoskins was like. I once saw him punch a bunny for cuddling up too close to his leg."
Claire stomped her foot.
"Owen, you were being an ass."
"But for good reason."
"Don't try to justify what you did."
Owen scoffed.
"You'll thank me when he goes berserk. Trust me, he'll cause a lot of trouble on the island."
Claire didn't change her expression. She huffed and turned around.
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight."
Owen's jaw dropped.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. I warned you, but you didn't listen."
"Yeah, but-"
"My mind is made up."
Owen ran after her.
"Claire-"
"Don't try to use your 'serious face' on me. I'm not going to give in."
Owen blinked.
"I have a serious face?"
"Yeah, the one where you get a little crinkle above your nose."
Owen frowned.
"Yeah, like that," Claire sniggered.
Owen crossed his arms and started walking around her with exaggerated steps.
"Well, my dear, since you refuse to give in to my masculine charms, tell me what I can do to win back your trust."
"Apologize to him."
Owen gagged.
"What's the second option?"
"There is no second option. When you're rude to someone, you have to apologize. Even if that 'someone' is a megalomaniacal criminal."
Owen snapped his fingers.
"Ha! So, you admit that you don't trust him!"
Claire shrugged.
"I don't know. I find it hard to believe that he could pretend to like yoga and chamomile, but it's entirely possible that he's lying. Even so, when someone asks for a second chance, you give it to them."
Owen cocked his head.
"This is about June, isn't it?"
Claire sighed.
"Yeah. I figured it would be hypocritical for me to ignore the fact that the position we're in right now is very similar to . . . that. The people who need our help are often the ones we're the most reluctant to associate ourselves with."
"Do you want me to put that on a mug?" Owen sassed.
Claire gave a sardonic smile.
"Are you going to apologize?"
Owen nodded reluctantly.
"It's not easy doing the right thing."
Claire brushed up against him.
"I know. But in the end, it's best to take the high road."
***TSJWFEW***
Vic sat solemnly at the bar by the outdoor stage. He waved the raptor bartender over.
"Another milk, please, Rocky."
The raptor raised his eyebrow.
"Don't you think you've had enough?"
"Haha. Very funny," Vic muttered.
Rocky slid a glass of milk over and leaned against the bar.
"Hey, don't take it too personally. They just can't see how much you've changed."
Vic pouted.
"What if I haven't changed?"
Rocky shrugged.
"I dunno. You seem pretty nice to me. Thanks for the sweater, by the way."
Vic gave a weak smile.
"You're welcome. I'm sorry it didn't fit better. It's hard to knit with three fingers . . . and whatever you call these spikes on my wrists."
"Wrist-fingers?"
Vic twisted his mouth.
"I don't think that's a real term."
Rocky patted his shoulder.
"Well, I think you're awfully kind. And your sweater was awesome."
Vic dipped his finger in the milk idly. He swirled it around, then flicked the liquid away.
"I just wish I had known that Owen would reject my apology before I made him this macramé owl."
He held up an intricate tangle of knots, which had a hole in the middle that served as a window to an old photo of Vic and Owen. Beneath, a cluster of beads spelled out "Best Friends". Rocky blinked.
"That's certainly . . . interesting. You were really expecting him to forgive you, huh?"
Vic nodded.
"Deep down, Owen's a nice guy. I don't blame him for not trusting me, though. If I deserved his forgiveness, I'd have it."
Rocky raised his eyebrows.
"Well, if you want to try again, he's right there."
Vic whipped around and gasped. Owen was walking across the lawn, looking very lost. When he spotted Vic, he jogged over.
"Do you think he's going to punch me again?"
Before Rocky could answer, Owen hopped up on a barstool and pointed at him.
"You're one of the raptors who talks, right?"
Rocky pursed his lips.
"All raptors can talk."
"Right. Can you get us two beers?"
Vic's jaw dropped. Owen gave him a forced smile.
"I wanted to apologize for acting so rude earlier. It wasn't right, and I- HURK!"
Owen choked as Vic gave him a bear hug. His arms and legs flailed around uselessly as he struggled to breathe through his scales.
"Oh, Owen, I'm so glad you've decided to forgive me! Now we can be best friends!"
Owen gasped for air.
"Maybe . . . we can . . . take it one step at a time . . ." he wheezed.
Vic put him down sheepishly.
"Right. Sorry. Does this mean you don't want the owl?"
"Owl? . . ." Owen echoed.
Vic handed him the craft. Owen looked at it with a neutral expression. After a moment, he nodded.
"I can hang it by the fireplace."
Vic grinned and gave him another hug.
"You're the best, Owen. I hope we can see more of each other soon. We can watch movies and eat pizza and get manicures . . . What's your favorite kind of cookie?"
"Um . . . gingerbread?"
"Great! I'll build a replica of your cabin out of gingerbread. I can even make a stegoceratops. Elkay's designed these dinosaur cookie cutters, and-"
Owen waved his hands.
"Vic! Vic! Don't make me anything. I probably don't deserve it, after I treated you so bad."
"Badly. And don't worry about it. I owe you a lot of favors, since I was directly responsible for the deaths of your raptors."
Owen sighed.
"Indirectly."
Vic put his arm around Owen's shoulder.
"You don't have to be nice about it. I knew that you had a nice little family set up, and I took advantage of that. It wasn't right, and I'm not proud of it."
Owen nodded vacantly. Vic ruffled his hair.
"I know it must have been hard for you. But when you care about someone, they're never truly gone. Their spirit lives on in the universe, soaring over the mountains on the wings of the majestic eagle, echoing through the forests with the howl of a lone wolf, splashing like a beached salmon in the recesses of your mind."
Owen blinked.
"You lost me."
"You're not alone. That's all I'm saying."
Owen nodded.
"Alright. I think I believe you. Not about the spirit thing, but about you being nice. There is no way that the old Vic would be so . . ."
Owen moved his hands vaguely.
"Effervescent?" Vic suggested.
"Prissy."
Vic smiled.
"Either way works for me."
***TSJWFEW***
Henry walked into June's room with a pair of large, black glasses on his snout. He waved his hands and smiled.
"Ta-dah! I decided to get glasses after all."
June looked up and gave the faintest of smiles.
"You look kind of funny."
Henry grinned.
"It's worth it, if I get to read to my daughter."
June hugged his neck.
"They're funny in a good way."
Henry laughed quietly.
"June, I want you to know that you're more important than my pride or my self-respect. I'd go blind a thousand times over if it meant that I could spend more time with you."
June's smile disappeared.
"Am I a burden?"
Henry shook his head quickly.
"No, June. Of course not. I love you."
"But you didn't want glasses, and I made you get them. You felt guilty."
Henry sat down beside her on the bed.
"I didn't get the glasses because you made me; I got them because I wanted to be able to read. I'm sure Ellie will tell you that there's some sort of symbolism behind that."
***TSJWFEW***
"Goddamnit, Henry," Ellie mumbled.
***TSJWFEW***
"Nevertheless, it was my choice. Don't ever feel like you're making me do something I don't want to. A father will do anything for his daughter."
June bit her lip.
"But I said you might need glasses, and now you have them. Does that mean I'm controlling you?"
Henry cocked his head.
"Not unless you have telepathy . . ."
June shook her head fiercely.
"No, that's not what I mean. What if I'm using love to control you?"
Henry ran his hand over her sail.
"Trust me: you're not."
"What if I'm doing it accidentally?"
Henry smiled.
"Sweetie, you worry too much. Just be happy, okay?"
June curled into a ball.
"I don't deserve to be happy."
Henry frowned and picked her up by the armpits. He stared at her for a while before giving her a hug.
"June, I promise that I'll make you better. You have my word."
June gave a small whimper.
"I don't want you to be disappointed."
Henry gave her a reassuring smile.
"June, no matter what, I will never, ever be disappointed in you."
***TSJWFEW***
"Sheesh. Knock on wood!" Elkay exclaimed as she peeked over Ellie's shoulder, "He's gonna jinx it."
Ellie shook her head.
"Don't be so negative. He's probably right."
With a flick of her wrist, Ellie sent her quill into auto-narration. Elkay gave her a funny look.
"You're no longer involved in the story. Why aren't you writing manually?"
Ellie sighed.
"Something is about to reach a boiling point. I don't want to intrude."
"And yet you're okay with oodles of people reading about it?"
Ellie nodded.
"They need to understand."