The next morning, Claire brought Blue into the house on a leash. Her snout was strapped shut with a crude muzzle. It was hard to imagine a more pitiful sight. The family was having breakfast, but the raptor's arrival prompted everyone to lay down their spoons and hush up. Claire forced a smile.

"Hello, everyone. Blue is feeling much better now."

Owen lifted his eyebrows.

"Good. We can send her into the woods."

Claire's mouth hung open in an uncomfortable smile for a moment before she spoke.

"Actually, I was thinking she could live in the house."

Owen pointed to her arms.

"Her claws aren't bound. She'll maul us."

"We can put plastic tabs on them or something."

"She'll kick us, then."

"I'll cuff her ankles . . . and arms, if that's an issue."

"What about her tail? It's strong enough to break bones."

"We'll tie pillows to it."

"She'll shake them off."

"We'll make a brace."

"I don't want you fiddling with our supplies."

"It won't take much to build one."

"Don't waste your time on this shit. It's easier to send her away."

"That's not what I want."

"Too bad. We can't keep a wild animal in the house."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Owen, she can hear you!"

"Let her hear me. It doesn't change a thing."

"You'll hurt her feelings."

"She doesn't have any."

"She does! She's wearing a piece of leather on her face just to make you happy, so the least you could do is show a little respect!"

"She's doesn't deserve it."

"Owen!"

"She's an animal."

"You can't-"

"Claire, you're being ridiculous."

Lily tugged on his sleeve. He turned.

"Daddy, no . . ." she whispered.

He looked into her pleading eyes. Then, he sighed and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

"Claire, I don't want her in the house. In fact, I don't want her anywhere near us. If you want to be charitable, you can lend her the tools she needs to live in the wild. That's all. I want her gone by tomorrow."

"But-"

"Either she leaves our family in peace, or she stays as a bloodstain on the barn floor. Your choice."

Although Blue's face was bound, her eyes radiated all the sorrow her face was unable to show. When tears began to brim in her eyes, Claire put her hand over her snout and led her out of the house.

"We're going to take a moment to think things through. See you later."

They stumbled out the front door. As soon as Claire removed the muzzle, Blue collapsed and sobbed into the grass. Claire knelt beside her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you. This was only our first try. Tomorrow, we can-"

"No!" Blue shrieked, "There won't be a tomorrow, because he's going to kill me! He'll never forgive me, not in a million years!"

Claire hugged her neck.

"Don't say that, Blue. We can't give up hope. I promised to help you, and that's what I'm going to do."

The raptor shook her head briskly.

"I can't stay here one more minute! It's too late for me, and if I don't leave soon, Owen will be mad at you too."

Claire laughed quietly.

"Blue, he can get mad all he wants, but that won't change the fact that he loves me. If you knew how many times we've fought, you'd realize that disagreements aren't enough to tear us apart."

Blue sniffed.

"He hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He's just a little shaken up after that . . . misadventure. He'll change his mind. You'll see."

"What am I gonna do?"

Claire gave a determined nod.

"You're going to wait in the barn until I come up with a better plan."

***TSJWFEW***

Unfortunately, Claire made the mistake of sleeping in the next day. She only realized that Owen intended to follow through with his promise when she heard gunshots. Panicked, she flung on her robe (which was now far too large for her) and sprinted across the front lawn.

"OWEN!"

He shot again.

"OWEN!"

"Relax, I'm only scaring her away," he said, "She snuck into the barn last night."

Claire tried to grab his gun.

"I told her to!"

Owen frowned.

"You disobeyed me."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Owen, you can't tell me what to do. You have to trust me."

"Why?"

She put her hands on his cheeks and pulled his face forward. He dropped the gun when their lips met. As she slipped her tongue into his mouth, his arms constricted around her. She gave him enough time to take in the gesture, then pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Because you love me."

He blinked.

"What?"

"That's my answer: because you love me."

Owen hummed.

"I kind of forgot the question."

Claire burst out laughing. She fell against Owen's chest.

"You okay?" he asked.

Claire nodded. She was crying and smiling and shaking all at once. Owen frowned and felt her forehead.

"I'm not sick!" she giggled.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong, then?"

She pressed her cheek against his neck.

"Owen, I have to change back."

"What?"

"I'm going to Isla Nublar. Ellie can fix this."

"What does this have to do with Blue?"

"You've been on edge, recently . . ."

"Yeah, so?"

"This whole escapade has forced us to do bad things. I'm a murderer, you're depressed, Blue-"

"Blue was messed up before we were put in extreme circumstances."

"That's not what you said when you invited her into our house . . ."

"I was giving her a chance to learn our ways. She blew it."

Claire shook her head.

"She's a raptor, Owen. You can't expect her to fit in right away."

"The others did."

"Without her, they wouldn't even be here."

Owen shook his head.

"I don't understand why you're on her side, all of a sudden. She didn't do anything to earn your sympathy. As a matter of fact, she tried to kill you."

Claire glanced at the raptor from the corner of her eye. She was standing as still as a statue.

"Owen, there was a time when I treated you like garbage. I told you to get lost, but you couldn't take a hint. After our first date, you devoted your time and energy to begging me for a second chance."

"Yeah, but I wasn't as destructive as Blue."

"You kind of were."

"I never tried to murder the competition."

"You stared at me whenever I talked to male employees."

Owen scoffed.

"So what? You and I were meant to be together."

"Maybe Blue was meant to be your friend."

Owen shook his head slowly.

"You can't both stay here. She has to go."

"Why?"

"She'll ruin everything."

"Owen, there is not a person alive who could change our feelings for each other."

"True, but that doesn't mean she won't have an effect on our family. We have two children to look after, Claire."

"I know. We can handle it."

"Really? It seems to me like you're spending way too much time with Blue instead of focusing on the people that matter."

"That's not-"

"Charlie's been having nightmares, Claire. She feels guilty about killing those men from ACU. She hasn't told a single soul until now. Tell me, why would she spend eighteen years bottling up these emotions if Blue was trustworthy?"

Claire gulped.

"They've been living like raptors, Owen. All they wanted was to be with you, and now that that's possible, their other problems are resurfacing."

"That's not an excuse."

"Owen . . ."

"You're wrong, Claire. I've known Blue her entire life. She's intelligent, and she shows human emotions every now and then, but she's an animal, and that's not about to change."

Claire did not turn her head, but she could see Blue dragging herself back to the barn.

"Owen, please don't do this."

"It's for the best."

"There has to be another way."

"If there is, it would be a waste of time to think it through."

Claire's lip quivered. She sniffled, and Owen's face fell.

"Oh no . . ."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Owen gulped and stroked the back of her head.

"Claire, don't cry . . ."

She wiped her nose on her sleeve and hiccupped.

"We can't do this alone."

"Claire-"

"We need Ellie."

"But she-"

"I need to be a stegoceratops, Owen!" Claire sobbed, "I feel repulsive. All I want is to hold you in my big, green arms and know that everything is okay. I miss my horns, I miss my tail, and I miss the way things were when I was a dinosaur. I know it won't fix everything, but I'd feel so much better if I could be myself again."

Owen took a deep breath.

"Okay. We'll go to Isla Nublar. It might be a good idea to invite Lily, too. I imagine she'll want to see Liam."

"Charlie and Echo should visit Delta, too. Would you feel comfortable leaving Blue behind?"

Owen nodded.

"If you think it's safe, I trust you."