"HA! BUSTED!"

Owen frowned and slid his ship token to the jail square.

"No need to gloat, Lily. You don't have a clean record either. Echo, can you bail me out?"

"Sorry, no. I'm saving up for new property."

Echo took the dice and rolled. She moved her thimble to Vermont Avenue.

"I'm not buying."

Of course, everyone knew that Vermont Avenue was Charlie's favorite, so they reserved it for her every game. Claire gave Echo a gentle smile and took her turn. When she had placed her wheelbarrow, she gave a loud whoop.

"Yeah! Tennessee! What do you think of that?"

"You'll have to buy a ranch," Charlie beamed as she fiddled with her horse piece.

"I just hope you won't start charging us for hanging around," Echo mumbled.

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Man, this game is going to go on forever. Nobody wins if you play it the nice way."

Claire smiled and licked his cheek.

"That's fine. I like playing the nice way. It's family time."

There was a ping, and a red light began to blink near the door. Echo perked up immediately.

"Do you think it's my mouse toy?"

Owen stood up, taking care not to jostle the table.

"Only one way to find out."

He opened the door and jogged over to the mailbox. When he came back, he was holding a letter.

"Charlie . . ."

She covered her mouth.

"Oh god. It's my LSAT score, isn't it?"

Owen nodded. He held it out for her, and she shrunk away.

"You open it. I'm too nervous," she churred.

He shook his head.

"This is your letter, Peanut. You have to open it yourself."

She plucked it from his hand with two claws, like it was radioactive. As she tore the top, she held the envelope as far away from her face as possible. No one was breathing. When she unfolded the letter, they leaned forward. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she grinned widely.

"ONE SEVENTY EIGHT!"

Claire, Lily, and Echo screamed shrilly, bouncing up and down while hugging each other in turns. Owen gave Charlie a friendly punch, ruffling her nonexistent hair.

"I knew it! You're gonna be the best lawyer ever, Charlie! And nobody's gonna mess with a raptor, I can tell you that much!"

She purred.

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm not a lawyer yet. I don't even know if I'm going to get into Harvard. In a way, I hope I don't, because I don't want to be away from you for so long . . ."

Claire smiled.

"Don't be ridiculous, Charlie. Even if you're in another world, we're right next door. Just give us a call, and we'll be there for you."

Lily reared up on her hind legs suddenly.

"Oh my gosh! We have to tell Delta! Let's go to Isla Nublar!"

Claire quirked a brow.

"Isn't today the end of Liam's punishment?"

Lily pursed her lips.

"Hm? Is it? Well, I wouldn't know, but if you want me to check up on him . . ."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Lily, don't get carried away."

She waved her hand vaguely.

"Well, we're going there to see Delta, you know, because that's what's important, but I don't see anything wrong with saying hi to Liam, considering we went on an adventure and all that . . ."

Claire chuckled.

"Okay, Lilyboo, we can put this game on pause. Just make sure you greet Delta before running off on your little escapade."

Lily squealed with glee and ran out the door. Echo rubbed her forehead with exhaustion.

"Thank god I'm asexual."

***TSJWFEW***

On Isla Nublar, Charlie ran up to a now fully human Delta with her arms spread.

"I passed! I passed! I passed!"

Delta squealed and gave her a hug, which was made awkward by her parturient form. She smiled and put her hand on her belly as she backed up.

"Charlie, baby, I knew you could do it! Of all the members of our squad, you had the most promise. Congratulations."

Charlie beamed proudly.

"Thanks, Delta. It really means a lot to me. I want to make my family proud."

She rubbed noses with her.

"You have, darling, you have. Owen's lucky to have you."

Right on cue, he ran forward and scooped Charlie up.

"I certainly am!"

She screamed with glee as he carried her over to the pool. They fell in, clothing and all, and splashed Claire, who was basking in the sun. She sputtered and went rigid, arching her back like a cat.

"CHRIST!"

Delta rolled her eyes and waddled over to where Barry was sitting. Nearby, Zara began to cackle, rolling over like a giant tin can.

"Claire, you're too precious! There's nothing wrong with getting a little wet."

She shook herself off, giving an irritated cough.

"That's easy for you to say. You're semiaquatic."

There was a gentle whirring sound, and Zara's daughter came rolling over on her wheel-device, which was fastened to her nonfunctional hind legs.

"Mum, is it okay if I play at Alison's house?"

"Is Vivian or Sarah around to supervise you?"

"Dunno, but it's not like I need to be looked after. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Zara chuckled.

"Mo, darling, as long as you're living under my roof, you'll do as I say. I don't want you getting into trouble like you did when you decided to explore the ridge."

Monica scowled.

"It's these stupid wheels. I can't balance properly. If I could just take them off-"

Zara covered her with her wing.

"Muffin, we've talked about this. You aren't strong enough to drag yourself around, and you could hurt your legs."

"So what? It's not like I can feel them!"

Zara bit her lower mandible and led her away from the pool.

"Let's talk about this somewhere else, okay?"

Claire gave Zara a comforting smile before she left. Meanwhile, Owen and Charlie were wringing out their clothing.

"You think she'll be okay?" Owen asked.

Claire nodded.

"Absolutely. Zara is a very responsible mother. I trust in her abilities more than my own, in fact."

Charlie smiled and hopped up on her back.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're a terrific mother."

Claire smiled up at her as she peeked over her frill.

"Well, if you think so . . ."

She yelped in surprise as Lily came barreling around a hedge and collided with them. The teen fell backwards, but leapt to her feet just as quickly.

"I'm going on a date!"

Claire's eyes went wide.

"What? With who?"

"Liam! Who else?"

Owen crossed his arms.

"I don't remember giving permission for this . . ."

"Of course not," Lily chirped, "If I had asked you, you would have said 'no'."

Claire gave a quiet rumble.

"Lily, don't go rushing into things, okay? I know you think he's the best thing since sliced bread, but-"

"I'll be careful, Mama, honest!" Lily insisted, "It's just dinner. There won't be any funny business."

"Where are you going?"

"A restaurant by the East Dock. It's frequented by a lot of hybrids, so people won't stare as much."

"Oh, Lily . . ."

"I'm fine, Ma. People like me here. I'm practically famous. There's merchandise based on me."

They all turned as a dragon swept down from the sky, landing with an extravagant flourish of her tail.

"Yeah, and it's some of our best-selling apparel, too," she beamed, "I'm here to return Claire's diary. I'm going to publish it verbatim in a few days, but I figured it would be respectful to give you one last chance to reconsider."

Claire shook her head.

"Don't change a thing. The public wants the truth, so that's what they'll get. Life is messy. There's no use in pretending it's anything but."

Elkay smiled.

"That's very mature of you, Claire. I'm glad you've accepted the story."

She shrugged.

"We live stories every day. It's not unusual."

"But it's unusual to have them told," Owen hummed as he changed his shirt.

Claire nodded.

"Maybe. But when all is said and done, each life story is built on the same foundation. Everyone experiences joy and sorrow, anger and fear, love and hatred . . . If hearing my story will help even one person, it will be worth it."

Elkay nodded wisely.

"For what is one person but a potential hero, who may brave the unknown lands of-"

"Don't get all poetic on me."

She laughed and handed her the diary.

"Alright, Miss Bossy. Take your silly little book so you can remember chapters long past. I took the liberty of restoring the page Blue tore out. That's something that should never be forgotten. By the way, I'm calling this whole plotline Hybrid Vendetta."

"I don't think-"

"Don't argue with the author, honey."

With a wink, the dragon beat her wings and traveled towards the Visitors' Center Palace. Lily walked up to her mother slowly and gave her a nudge.

"Is it true?"

"What?"

"That you're okay with sharing your story with the world?"

Claire gave the warmest of smiles.

"Life is meant to be shared, Lily. Not just in fragments, but as a whole. If you only display the parts of yourself that you think the world will like, you're living a lie. I used to be like that. But the truth doesn't scare me anymore, because I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm proud to be a stegoceratops. Green is my true color. This is who I am, and if people don't like it, that's up to them."

Lily nuzzled her.

"It's hard to imagine anyone not liking you."

Claire rested her chin on her daughter's snout.

"Well, no one is liked by everyone. That's just how life is. You should never waste your time trying to please those who will never appreciate you. It's much more rewarding to devote your attention to the people who love you, and who you love."

"I think I might love Liam."

Claire stepped back and looked her daughter in the eye. She wanted to explain to her that that wasn't what she meant. She wanted to warn her that Liam wasn't necessarily the right person for her. She wanted to tell her that she was being a naïve teenager who was too young to understand that not everyone was trustworthy. Although she wished to say all this and more, she found herself at a loss for words. Finally, after years of isolation, Lily was on the road to making a million mistakes like every other person in this world. She had a whole life ahead of her, one that Claire could no longer control. She couldn't stop her daughter from making her own decisions, even if they would sometimes lead to misery. Lily was not a tiny version of her mother: she was her own person . . . a person who might no longer need such sure and steady guidance.

All at once, Claire found herself becoming overwhelmed by the thought of losing her daughter, who would eventually move on. She couldn't stay cooped up in their little ranch forever. She would have to move out of the house, follow her dreams, and maybe have a family of her own someday. Claire and Owen would be alone once more. The worst part was that this would happen sooner than she expected. It was very possible that Claire would never have been able to let go of her daughter, that she would be content with spending the rest of her days living life in the exact same way from now until eternity. She wasn't ready. She could never be ready. This was all happening so fast, yet it had been sixteen years . . . Oh, god! Where had the time gone? Lily was practically an adult, and Claire's life was probably half over. She didn't have enough time, not even close! She would be forced to grow old and die, and when she did, she'd be leaving her little girl behind. How could she protect her, care for her, give her every scrap of love in her heart if she was destined to stop existing one day? Every story, even hers, had to end at some point. And what then? Would Lily make stories of her own? Stories that no longer included her mother?

As Claire gazed at her daughter, the living being she had conceived, carried, and birthed, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. The child- and she was, in Claire's eyes, still a child- reached out with concern and put her hand on her mother's cheek. With this gesture, she was brought back to that evening so many years ago when she first met the beautiful baby girl who had forever changed her life. It was the same baby who would later run around the living room in a tutu, dancing with her father. It was the same baby who would start crying whenever Winnie the Pooh was about to end, without fail, every single time. Most of all, it was the same baby who had reached out and touched her mother, smiling with trust and admiration in her eyes, and she was sitting in front of Claire now, still showing the same unconditional love as the day she was born. Whatever pain they had endured, it was worth it, because they endured it together. Even if they would someday be apart, they would never truly leave each other. Claire loved her daughter more than any other person living or dead, and Lily loved her just as much. She would never be forgotten. She would never be alone. No matter how much distance lay between them, they would never be any father than a step away from each other. Even death could not tear them apart. And so, Claire realized exactly what she wanted to say.

"This life is yours to live the way you choose, but I'll always be here for you."

Lily cocked her head.

"So . . . Can I go on a date with Liam?"

Claire nodded. Lily gave a gleeful scream and pranced around with unholstered energy.

"Thank you, Ma!"

Claire wiped away a tear with her tail.

"Thank you."

They shared a hug, which Owen and Charlie squeezed into halfway through. To the four of them, it did not feel like the end of their story. In fact, it didn't even feel like the beginning of one. They had been a part of each other for longer than they realized, and now everything had been set right. Finally. Their family would bloom into something beautiful. With glowing hearts, they shared each other's warmth in the afternoon sun, trusting that everything was going to be just fine . . .