Claire and her family returned to the ranch with gleeful smiles. After signing various objects (not just photos, but a whole array of merchandise), they felt like superstars. Charlie even got to scribble her name on a shoe, although she wasn't quite sure how to spell it, so she ended up writing "cgarrL33". They trotted through the portal machine (Ellie had restored the magic bubble around their house as well), hopping playfully across the lawn while swapping stories about their interactions with the Nublarians. Owen was covered in stegoceratops silk, because he had been playing with his new tail. Claire promised him that they would learn how to make a decent web someday. Charlie asked if she could too, not realizing that her biology did not allow for such things. Lily offered to tie a string to her tail as an experiment, so they rushed up to her room as soon as they entered the house. Echo lay down on the hide-a-bed, exhausted from the attention she had received on Isla Nublar. Claire tucked her in, but when she lumbered over to the bottom of the stairs, she paused.

"Shit. I almost forgot about Blue."

Owen shrugged.

"Well, she didn't burn the house down, so . . ."

"I ought to check up on her. We were gone for longer than we anticipated."

"I'm sure she's fine."

"I'll say goodnight to her, at least."

Owen pouted. Claire gave him a sardonic look.

"Don't worry. I'll be right back."

She stepped out the front door. When she hopped down from the deck to the lawn, she paused for a moment. It felt good to stand on familiar ground with familiar feet. As a tiny celebration, she ripped up a clump of grass and chewed it on her way to the barn. When she opened the door, she noticed that the heater was turned off. She frowned in puzzlement and switched on a lamp that was hanging from a hook on the wall.

"Blue?"

The raptor was lying on her side. Claire thought she might be sleeping, but her breathing was irregular. She rushed over and felt her forehead.

"Blue, what's wrong?"

The raptor's throat wobbled.

"Can people die of a broken heart?"

Claire shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Maybe a raptor can . . ."

Claire frowned as Blue spoke. She pried her mouth open with the tip of her tail.

"What's that on your tongue? It's all blue . . ."

"Don't worry about that."

"What did you do?"

"It's too late. I can't throw up. I've never been able to . . ."

Claire picked her up.

"We need to get you into the house. Owen will-"

"Please, no! I can't bear to see him again!"

"You have to! You'll die!"

"I know. There's nothing you can do to change that. I'm done for."

Claire shook her head.

"Blue . . ."

"Don't blame yourself. You did everything you could, but I can't be saved. I'd rather just die in peace."

Claire gave a sad rumble and sat down beside her. Blue let her head fall to the floor. It was obvious that she was in pain.

"Blue . . . what can I do for you?"

The raptor did not reply, but Claire could see in her eyes that the thing she wanted most was to be surrounded by her pack. Claire stood up and headed for the door.

"Don't! . . ." Blue called, "It'll ruin their day!"

Claire shook her head.

"I know you don't think you deserve this, but I don't want you to die alone. I'm making this decision for you. They won't mind."

She left. Blue gulped and stared at the door. She was having trouble lifting her head. By the time Claire returned, she could barely move.

"Blue?"

"I haven't died yet."

"Okay. Just hang on."

When the others didn't show up right away, she assumed that Claire had had no luck convincing them to come, but one by one, they entered the barn. Charlie rushed over to Blue as fast as she could and nuzzled her shoulder.

"Don't die, Blue! I was lying when I said I wanted you to leave! I didn't mean it, I swear! Without you, I would have died!"

Blue shook her head.

"With me, you did die. You never needed me, Charlie. I'm sure you'll do great things once I'm gone."

Charlie sniffled and lay behind her. Echo stepped forward and gave her a gentle nudge.

"Hey. Thanks for getting us this far. I'll tell Delta you said hi, when I see her."

"I hope you have a good life, Echo."

Lily circled the three of them and stroked Blue's back.

"I'm sorry I hit you with my tail."

"That's okay. You were just protecting your mother."

Lily and Claire nestled into the hay, circling their tails around the others. Owen stared down at Blue in silence, and for a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't move. Then, he crouched down and pulled her up against his chest. He held her under his chin, rocking her back and forth slowly. He closed his eyes, and tears fell on her neck.

"Owen . . ."

"I don't hate you, Blue."

Her eye flicked backwards to examine his face. He gulped, closed his eyes, and pulled her closer.

"I don't hate you . . ."

She took a deep breath and let herself go limp. He laced his fingers through her claws and leaned back against Claire. Everyone else moved in to keep her warm.

No one knew how long it took for her to die. It felt like an hour, because most of their goodbye was spent staring at the ailing raptor, waiting for the inevitable. It was actually around eight minutes. Blue did not speak in that time. No one did. They had many things to say, of course, but somehow, vocalizing their thoughts seemed like a rude act during the almost sacred silence. In any case, Blue knew what they were thinking. Claire wanted to say that she was sorry, and even though they hadn't always gotten along, she would have liked to be her friend. Lily would have said something similar, perhaps a bit less gently, because she was too young to understand the purpose of etiquette in such situations. Charlie would have the most to say. She'd go on and on about how Blue had rescued her when she was a child, for they had been traveling together for years, and her borrowed body was very young when Blue found her. Echo would congratulate her on her bravery or some such, only she would do it in a way that was also derogatory, because she was too proud to give direct praise. Had Delta been around, she might have thanked Blue for bringing her to Barry, and Barry would have thanked her for bringing Delta to him. He might even make a passing joke about her poor dental hygiene, because he would want her to feel a little less glum in such a dismal situation. And Owen . . . Well, she knew exactly what he would say. She could see it in his eyes, even now. He loved her. He loved her from the moment she was born. She remembered when he first picked her up, cradling her like a human baby. Claire was there, too. She hadn't come close, but Blue remembered her face. Had she reached out for her? She had, hadn't she! Until now, she didn't want to admit it, but Baby Blue had made a conscious effort to reach out for the woman with red hair. She didn't recall why. Did she want a mother? Perhaps. Maybe she sensed that Owen and Claire were meant to be a couple. Yes, that sounded right. Although she knew Owen could never love her like he loved his wife, it didn't matter. All she wanted was for him to be happy, and now he was, because he had Claire. Blue was the one who brought them together. That was why she could never interfere with their relationship: she was the person who united them in the first place. She had played a key role in improving Owen's life. That made her feel better.

So she closed her eyes and took in the presence of the people who had come to share her last moments. They were her sisters, her packmates, her friends, her alphas, her parents . . . She loved them, and they loved her too. Owen loved her enough to cry, and he cried very, very infrequently. Hopefully, he wouldn't be sad for too long.

They waited and waited and waited, and when Blue had taken her final breath, they waited some more. No one wanted to leave her, even though they knew she was gone. Her body wasn't suited for death, because she seemed too ferocious to stop living. Although it was a ridiculous notion, they believed she would stare Death in the face and challenge it to a fight, which she would win, of course. Claire was the only one who knew that she had done quite the opposite. Blue wanted to die, and she had let herself be taken willingly. But no one else could know. That's why Claire hid the torn bag of rat poison when everyone else had exited the barn.

The next day, they buried Blue in the field. Owen carried her wrapped body to the grave the two raptors had dug for their sister, crying all the way. When the hole was filled, Charlie placed the squished snake they had planted to frighten Claire on the top layer of dirt. No one knew why she did it, and it was unclear whether she had any motivation at all. Owen guessed that she had nothing else to offer, so she had to settle on a reminder of her loyalty, flattened as it was.

Surprisingly, it was Owen, Claire, and Lily who stayed at her grave the longest. They sat quietly in front of the fresh dirt, watching the shadow of their marker stick shrink until it disappeared altogether. Then, perhaps by instinct, they stood up all at once. Owen changed into a stegoceratops. The three of them pressed their tails together, then stuck a three-stranded web on the pole. Each filament blew in the breeze, entwining until there appeared to only be one.

They made their way back to the house slowly. Lily thought she saw a raptor smiling at them from a distance, but when she turned to look, there was no one there.