Mirrors.

We have reason to fear mirrors. They tell us the truth. We cannot change what we see inside of them any more than we can change ourselves. Some find comfort in mirrors, because they are happy with what they are. Others can't bear to accept reflected reality.

Claire does not like mirrors. She doesn't just see the truth in them. Something far more sinister lurks in the reflective glass. Inside a mirror, Claire sees the question of "What If?". Her future could have been so much grander, had she remained human. Oh, what she would give to spend just one day among normal people. Claire loved her friends, but even so, she knew that her world had grown a lot smaller in the past few years. She lived in a bubble that spanned only her cabin and Isla Nublar. Anything outside of that was lost to her.

Claire stared at her reflection and felt tears trickling down her face. It was getting harder and harder to imagine the human that used to stare back at her. When she first changed, she was able to create a false image from flickers of memory, but now, she looked into the mirror and saw nothing but a dinosaur.

"What's wrong with you?" Claire whispered to herself, "Don't you know what you are?"

She continued to gaze at herself until she felt something touch her. She looked down and saw Lily holding her toe. She had obviously snuck away from Zara, who was proving to have a poor track record with childcare.

Claire cocked her head as Lily turned to leave. She thought she detected something not unlike fear in her eyes. Perhaps she sensed that Claire was thinking about subjects that pertained to her. But no. That was impossible. Lily didn't understand. She was half dinosaur, after all. It was unlikely that she would ever understand.

Slowly, Claire picked up her daughter, holding her in front of her face. Lily put her front feet on her beak and held her gaze. Claire did not speak, but her mind was going at full force.

What are you, Lily? Are you really just an animal? Have I given birth to something that can never truly understand what she is? Any dinosaur would tell you that you are not a dinosaur, and any human would tell you that you are not a human. Where do you fit in, Lily? Are you just another one of my mistakes? Have I made you miserable? Neither of us is a human or a dinosaur. We don't belong anywhere. I brought you into this world knowing that this was your destiny. You'll be as miserable as I am, and it's all my fault. I am not pure, and so you are not pure. I made you this way. You must hate me.

And then, something incredible happened. Lily opened her mouth and spoke.

"Ma."

Claire's jaw dropped. She kept repeating the sound in her mind, unable to believe that it had been uttered. Was Lily just making random noises? No, it was as clear as day. She had spoken. She had spoken and she had reserved her first word for Claire. Claire, her mother.

Tears running down her face, Claire held Lily against her chest and rocked her back and forth. She yawned and nuzzled up against her scales. Claire smiled and laughed and cried all at once.

"It was worth it, Lily. Oh, god, don't you ever believe it wasn't worth it. I love you. I love you so much. I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. Not even my humanity."

Lily stared up at her with big, innocent eyes. Claire gave a happy rumble and squeezed her gently.

"I love you, Lily. I love you."

She seemed satisfied with Claire's statement.

***TSJWFEW***

A few days later, it happened. Claire was standing in the kitchen with Owen, preparing lunch, when she froze in mid stride. Adjusting her stance, she turned around and rotated her tail pensively. Owen caught sight of this odd phenomenon, and watched in fascination. Claire swung her tail slowly, like a golfer preparing to hit a ball. She looked up a little and let her plates creak in and out, then fluttered them a little faster. She spun around a few times, craning her neck every which way. When she stood up from an almost-headstand, she looked at Owen and said the sweetest words he'd ever heard.

"I think I like myself."

She spoke in such a way that made her sound surprised and awestruck all at once. She sat on her rump with her mouth agape.

"I like myself. I like being me. Owen, I'm happy."

He smiled.

"Well, that's great, Claire! I-"

She rushed forward and hugged him. Owen's eyes went wide as she started planting kisses on top of his head.

"Wow, Claire, you're really-"

She held him against her belly, moving him around and around in circles.

"Do you feel that?" she whispered.

"Feel what?"

"I'm huge!" she cheered, "I'm huge and I don't even mind!"

She laughed and rolled backwards, kicking her feet in the air.

"I love you, I love you, I love you! And I love being fat! Look at my belly!"

"I'm looking . . ." Owen wheezed as she squeezed him tightly.

Claire made a high-pitched squealing sound and stood up. Owen clung to her belly in alarm.

"Claire, I'm still-"

He slipped and fell to the floor. Claire hopped over him and ran outside. Owen jogged into the living room, picked up Lily, and followed her. When he caught up, Claire was rolling around in a mud puddle. She buried her face in the muck, wallowing in the silt like a very happy pig. Lily stared at her with shock. It was very possible that Claire had lost her mind.

"Owen, come here!" Claire called.

He placed Lily in the grass and made his way over to the puddle cautiously. Claire shifted her weight to her back legs . . . then sprung forward and pulled him in! Owen gasped in surprise as Claire dragged him through the mud, laughing like a hyena.

"Claire, what the hell-"

She rubbed her cheek against his chest.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Owen sputtered.

"My beard is getting dirty!"

Claire laughed and let him stand. She arched her back and made her plates buzz, splattering mud everywhere. Owen frowned and wiped his face.

"Claire, I'm glad you're happy, but-"

He fell silent as she leaned forward and licked his cheek. Standing petrified in the puddle, he crossed his eyes dopily.

"What was I saying?"

Claire grinned.

"Who cares!"

She slid her tail through the mud, creating a tidal wave that splashed Owen from head to toe. He smiled deviously, bent over, and made a mud ball. Claire giggled and dodged it as he tried to throw it at her. Their playful actions escalated into a full out mud fight. They splashed and slid and rolled and wiggled. Claire was most certainly winning.

Wanting to join in the fun, Lily stepped closer to the puddle. She placed her foot in the slippery goo, then slipped clumsily and slid forward on her belly, bumping into her mother's thigh. Claire laughed and picked her up.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're going to get all dirty!" she said, forgetting the mud that was dripping from her own horns.

Lily smiled and smacked a wad of sludge on Claire's face. She laughed and gave her a noogie.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Lily. I won't be letting you play in the mud every day . . ."

Owen, meanwhile, ran around the side of the house and came back with a hose. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Owen, no!"

He sprayed her. Claire shrieked as the cold water hit her face. Lily laughed and clapped her hands. Owen raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?"

He sprayed Lily, who yelped and ran behind Claire's leg for protection. Owen chuckled and tossed the hose to the side.

"Not so funny when you're the one being soaked, is it?"

Claire smiled and shook herself off. She trotted up to Owen and gave him a kiss. He ran his hand down her cheek, and her plates began to quiver.

"Mmm . . . I love you."

"I love you too," Owen muttered between kisses.

"You know what else?"

"What?"

Claire raised her head and gave a very happy moo. Lily ran up behind her and did the same.

"Mooooooooo!"

Claire scooped her up using her horn.

"MOOOOOOOOO!"

Lily sat up tall and lifted her head like a howling wolf.

"Moo-oo-oo!"

Claire smiled.

"I love you, Lily."

She beamed.

"Love you, Ma! Love you!"

Owen's eyes went wide. He ran over and climbed up on Claire's shoulder.

"She can form sentences. SENTENCES, Claire."

Sensing that she had done something right, Lily lifted her head proudly and puffed out her chest.

"Love you, Ma. Love you, Daddy. Moo! Love you!"

Owen laughed and swung her around.

"Listen to you, Lily. You're a clever girl."

Lily giggled and put her arms around his neck.

"Clever, Daddy. Grrr! Grrr! Roar! Roar, Daddy!"

Owen put her down, laughing.

"Oh, Claire. What have we started? Now we're gonna have to find a way to get her to shut up."

Lily ran around in a circle.

"Up! Up! Up, Daddy!"

She laughed and bucked around like a horse at a rodeo.

"Moooooooooooo!"

She bent down, then pushed herself onto two feet.

"Up! Lily up!"

Claire beamed proudly as Lily waddled forward on two legs with her arms tucked in front of her like an elephant. She rested her head against Claire's leg and started nuzzling her.

"Ma. Love you."

Claire smiled down at her, then turned her head to the house. Standing proudly on four legs, she gave Owen a determined nod.

"It's time."

***TSJWFEW***

Zara yawned drowsily as the clouds parted, spreading sunlight across her face. She was lying half immersed in water, with her head in the sand. Her eyelids drooped unevenly, and for a minute, she considered going back to sleep. Instead, she pulled herself out of the water and stretched out her aching back. Nearby, Michael was reading a book in a hammock. Zara inched over to him and kissed his cheek. He jolted and dropped his novel.

"Ah! Zara, warn me first. I didn't see you coming."

Zara blinked, then gave a small smile.

"Sorry. I got a little carried away."

She turned around awkwardly, only to see a strange sight. Someone was moving through the trees with a small procession at her tail. Zara squinted, then pulled her head back in surprise.

"Is that Claire?"

Michael lifted his sunglasses.

"Looks like it, but you'd know better than I."

Zara cocked her head.

"Well, it's about damn time."

***TSJWFEW***

"-all over my face, so you can imagine that date didn't go well. After that, I went out with a monkey, but he went ape over the craziest things-"

Ellie yawned as Elkay recounted stories from her very long, very boring life. She had been going on like this all morning, and Ellie had work to do. Sometimes, it was hard to get her to shut up.

"-giraffe titan, but he thought he was above me, which makes sense if we're talking about height, I guess, but he didn't have to-"

Ellie held up her hand.

"Elkay, as fascinating as this is, I have some things that I need to get done today. I'll be out for a few hours, but I promise I'll listen to the rest of your story once I get back."

Elkay folded her ears angrily.

"That's what you said yesterday!"

Ellie jogged towards the door.

"I know. I'm just a really busy person. When you're Queen of the Universe, you can't spend all of your time listening to one person's anecdotes. There's a world out there that's counting on my guidance, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just be heading out the-"

Ellie was cut off when the doors burst open. With a valiant moo, Claire marched into the Visitors' Center, wearing a white blazer, a skirt, and high heels. She made her way over to Elkay, with Owen and Lily trailing behind her. Lifting her chin with an air of sophistication, she stomped her foot and nodded.

"Claire Dearing is back and ready for action!"

Elkay blinked.

"M'kay. What do you want?"

Claire looked to her left and right.

"Is Ellie around?"

The door closed, revealing a very flat Queen. Claire smiled.

"Ah. There you are. I want a job."

Ellie peeled herself away from the wall.

"A job?" she echoed.

Claire nodded.

"I'm ready to take on whatever challenge you offer, so long as it's not blue collar work."

Ellie rubbed her head.

"Claire, you don't need a job. You already have enough money to get by."

Claire laughed and shook her head.

"It's not about the money. I want to feel useful again. I have so much to offer Isla Nublar, especially now that I have my confidence back."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Confidence?"

Claire gave a sharp nod.

"I'm proud to be a stegoceratops. I'm fat and green and I love it!"

Elkay pulled a clipboard from behind her wing.

"Note to self: find Claire a better catchphrase . . ."

Ellie smiled.

"Well, that's great! I'm glad you're back to your old self."

Claire grinned.

"I'm better than my old self! I'm not just Claire Dearing; I'm Super Claire Dearing. From now on, I'm going to be twice the woman I was, not just in size, but in general pizazz!"

Elkay wrote on her clipboard again.

"Note to self: update Claire's buzzwords . . ."

Claire put her front foot on Ellie's shoulder, taking care not to punch her with her high heels.

"Ellie, I can do this. This is what I live for. I'm ready."

Ellie sighed and twisted her mouth.

"Alright. I guess I can let you help me with a few things. I've been meaning to teach kindergarten classes, so this will provide some rel-"

"Speaking of kindergarten, Lily needs to go to school," Claire interrupted, "I want her to have a good education, so we'll enroll her whenever you think she's ready."

Ellie looked at Lily, who was chewing on her father's nose. She separated from his face with a loud pop and waved at her.

"I think it will be a little while yet," Ellie stated, "When she's old enough, she can join one of my classes. The children are mostly raptors, but if we explain her situation, I'm sure they'll accept her."

Claire cocked her head.

"Situation? What situation?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Well, she's not a dinosaur, and certainly not a theropod. The other children might be a little confused as to what she is."

Claire stepped forward defensively.

"She's Lily. That's all they need to know."

Ellie nodded.

"Okay, but what are you going to tell her? When she grows up, she's going to have a lot of questions about her identity. It won't take her long to figure out that her parents are very different from everyone else she knows. How are you going to explain your predicament?"

Claire felt her heart drop. She removed the high heels from her front feet and took Lily from Owen's arms. She turned her around slowly, trying to determine a solution for her taxonomy problem. Lily wagged her tail, and a gob of saliva dripped down from her mouth. Claire wiped it away and sighed.

"Lily is a stegoceratops. So am I. I've been a dinosaur my whole life. That's what we'll say."

Ellie furrowed her brow.

"But that's a lie."

Claire nodded.

"It's a lie, but it's a necessary lie. If Lily's going to live a happy life, she should have no doubt that she fits in. If she finds out that I used to be human, she could end up seeing herself as an aberrant creature."

Ellie gave her a nervous look.

"But the sentient dinosaurs of this world are all theropods. Even the people outside of Isla Nublar are far from Lily's genus. I mean, they know who she is, but that's not the issue."

Claire frowned.

"Then what is?"

"You can't keep your true identity a secret forever."

Claire took a deep breath.

"My identity? It's hardly a problem. I know who I am. I'm Claire Dearing. I'm a stegoceratops. I used to be a queen, but now I'm the last of my kind. I am the mother of Lily Dolores Dearing-"

"And Owen Dearing is your husband," Owen added.

"Right," Claire affirmed, "I have family and friends in both worlds, though I am not welcome in the society of one. Two years ago, I tried to escape my fate. The results were disastrous. Now, I'm ready to be who I was all along. I am comfortable with who I am. My only wish is for Lily to feel the same way."

She held Ellie's gaze for a long time. She was reluctant, but Claire refused to back down. Finally, she gave in.

"Alright. I'll help you keep your past a secret. I'll inform everyone in the Jurassic Park World that, as far as Lily is concerned, Claire Dearing the human never existed. I can't promise the same for your own world, since nobody knows the truth about . . . well, anything."

Claire nodded.

"That's fine. I'm okay with limiting the range of my private life, so long as my family is accepted in this universe."

Ellie nodded.

"You'll always be welcome here. My world is full of special people. This is where you belong."

Owen smiled and pointed to a raptor that was emptying a garbage can.

"Hear that? We're weird, and we love it!"

The raptor cocked his head.

"Uh . . . I'm just the janitor."

Claire and Owen didn't hear his reply. They were busy sharing a kiss. Lily, not used to being ignored, rammed her head into Claire's leg.

"Ma! Daddy! Up!"

Claire smiled and let her daughter crawl up on her back. Behind her, a door opened, and a very frazzled dragon stumbled through.

"I'm back," Elkay wheezed.

Ellie blinked.

"Oh. I didn't see you leave."

Elkay frowned.

"Real nice. I've been kind of busy . . ."

She curved her tail around to reveal something that looked like a large, green, ovate stone. Ellie gasped and ran over to examine it.

"Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?"

Elkay nodded weakly.

"Mhm. I won't be able to walk normally for weeks. Why do the crossbreeds always come out so big? . . ."

Claire looked away awkwardly.

"Should . . . Should we go?"

Ellie smiled.

"Well, if you want, you can start working."

Claire's face lit up.

"Perfect! I can't wait!"

Owen scratched the back of his neck.

"Should I do something too?"

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Well, the last time I gave you a job, you almost caused the collapse of this universe . . ."

Owen hummed.

"Fair point. I guess I'll just look after Lily, then."

Claire smiled.

"I think she'd like that very much."

With a big smile, Lily hugged his leg.

"Lily love Daddy."

Owen grinned.

"And Daddy loves Lily."

Claire hugged them both.

"Claire loves Lily and Owen."

Owen touched Claire's cheek.

"Owen loves Claire. He loves her very much. Better yet, Claire loves Claire. That's what's really important."