Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Jurassic Park and Jurassic World characters. I simply borrow them to have some fun.

Author's Note: Another gap to fill and the return of an old favorite. Hope you like this one – I had a lot of fun imagining an adult Lex.

The Missing Chapters of Maisie, Owen, and Claire

"The Hacker"

Claire first met Lex Murphy about eight months after Jurassic World had shut down. Mistaking the woman's past history and lineage for a shared interest in the protection of prehistoric wildlife, she'd reached out to the no-nonsene head of LexxCrop, a company in the business of ecological preservation and organic food production, as someone Claire hoped would be interested in making a generous donation to her newly formed Dinosaur Protection League. She couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, an old YouTube video Owen unearthed, only after Claire had told him of their disastrous first meeting, revealed the 41-year-old CEO referring to the initial diaster at Jurassic Park that nearly killed her and her brother, Tim, as the most harrowing experience of her life. Lex Murphy had come to resent her grandfather, John Hammond, for bringing back to life the "most savage and dangerous creatures on the planet" and, when asked, would tell reporters, "they should all be destroyed."

So when two weeks after Claire's initial pitch she'd gotten a call out of the blue from the woman's executive assistant asking to meet her in New York City for lunch, she'd had few illusions for a more positive outcome. But Lex Murphy surprised her again with a heartfelt apology and a desire for a fresh start.

"I should have done a little more homework on you and your Dino Protection League, Ms. Dearing," she'd said as the waiter poured Claire the most expensive glass of wine she'd ever had at the Tudor City Steakhouse, a few blocks from the UN.

"Oh, no not at all," Claire had stressed. "I saw that CNN interview you did in '03. I had no idea–"

"I don't talk a lot about my grandfather's work, anymore." Lex had pressed on, "It's all anyone wanted to talk about before LexxCrop became profitable."

"Ms. Murphy, I totally understand–"

"But you said something in your pitch a few weeks ago that kind of…haunted me," continued the young CEO.

Claire's eyebrows had shot up on her forehead. "I did?"

Lex nodded. "You said these creatures didn't ask to be created. That 'nature selected them for extinction' and it wasn't their fault that man had played God."

Claire blinked, amazed that she'd quoted her presentation word for word. "Yes," she'd gulped in response. Unsure what to say next.

"I thought you were trying to score brownie points, Claire," she'd admitted, looking rather sheepish for such an imposing and lauded figure in the world of green energy and sustainability. In fact, their very lunch had likely been paid for by the UN who had invited Lex as a guest speaker before the General Assembly on biomass energy in the agricultural industry. "Quoting Ian Malcolm used to be a surefire way to get my attention," Lex had continued, "and I came to resent how many people tried to use our friendship against both of us."

Again, Claire had just blinked. She certainly hadn't intended to quote Dr. Malcolm. She'd never met the man, and only recently had started reading his book. "I didn't mean to–"

"I know you didn't, and you were right. They didn't ask to be here. And I'm a firm believer in taking responsibility for the things we bring into this world." After that, the two women had formed a fast friendship, and though Lex had chosen not to donate anything in her company's name, she did end up making a sizeable contribution from her own private fortune.

So when Lex's assistant had brought her a rather cryptic phone message from an unlisted number showing a Madera County address and the words, "Man played God again," Lex cancelled her entire day, and drove out to Oakhurst. The address turned out to be a "Jack-in-the-Box" diner in Old Mill Village, and given the mysterious nature of Claire's note, Lex was unsuprised at the rather remote feel to the place, though the diner itself looked as if it had been recently franchised and renovated.

As she stepped inside and breathed in the smell of classic American cheeseburgers and plastic baskets of chicken tenders, her eyes quickly scanned the corners of the restaurant and spotted Claire in a far corner booth. Removing her sunglasses and nodding, she gestured to the approaching host that she'd found her party and walked over to her friend.

"I wondered when I'd be hearing from you," Lex said as a greeting, wasting no time on pleasantries and small talk. Claire rose and met her in a brief hug before they both sat down again. "That is," Lex added, "if you were still alive."

Claire's eyes fell closed and she sighed in relief, knowing that Lex would have kept up with her story which – according to the media –may or may not have ended in a sea of volcanic ash at Isla Sorna. "It's good to see you, Lex."

Lex nodded and took a sip of the ice water in front of her. "Are we eating?"

Claire smirked. "Cheeseburgers and fries are on the way."

Her guest smiled, flashing back on one of their many conversations in the last year when Lex admitted her preference for cheap diner fare over the most expensive spreads of escargot and pureed zucchini usually put before her by investors courting her business and partnership. "Curly fries?"

Another smirk. "Curly fries."

"It's good to see you in one piece, Claire," Lex remarked, genuinely relieved to see her friend alive. The news coverage of Lockwood manor – for as extensive as it had been – answered few questions about what actually occurred at the home of her grandfather's original partner and the events leading up to it. Reports of a handful of activists from the DPG–Claire's name among them–having perished after the volcano erupted, were circulated with as much frequency as reports that the same group of activists had succeeded in freeing the animals trapped in Lockwood's basement laboratory in Orick, California. Knowing Claire, Lex was inclined to believe the latter, and was happy to have her suspicions confirmed upon seeing her friend today.

"A lot has happened," Claire nodded, and she winced at a pain that stabbed at her wounded thigh.

Lex arched an eyebrow, "How bad?"

Claire shook it off. "I'm fine."

She nodded, knowing that if Claire Dearing was here to spend any time dwelling on the specifics of her injuries, she would already have launched into a fervid explanation. "So…how bad?" Lex repeated her question, but both women knew she wasn't talking about Claire's scars.

.*.*.*.

"I'm sorry," murmured Claire a while later, watching cautiously as Lex tried to process the insane story she'd just heard.

"Good God," Lex whispered, more to herself than her friend. "Human cloning."

"Lightyears ahead of anyone else in the field," added Claire, "...we think."

"Yeah," Lex scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "For now anyway. How is the girl?"

"She's ok, a little…deer-in-the-headlights, but," Claire paused and thought about Maisie. She and Owen had taken her to a flea market just that morning and watched her bounce from one booth to the next, picking out new clothes, books, and toys. As with every new place they took her, she'd been both delighted and bowled-over by the outside world. Claire had dropped them off at their motel before this meeting (their third place in two weeks), and as far as she knew, Maisie was currently distracting herself with a series of Enola Holmes mysteries they'd bought for a song. "She's strong," said Claire with a wistful smile.

Lex didn't seem to notice the maternal sentiment in her friend's voice. "That man…" she groaned, lost in a Costa Rican hurricane of memories. "Jesus, every time I start thinking I might finally just…let go…"

Claire leaned forward and covered her hand. "To be fair, Mills did indicate that Lockwood's actions are what caused the rift between him and your grandfather. Apparently there were lines even John Hammond wouldn't cross."

"Pfft yeah," Lex pulled her hand back and brought her fingers up to rub her temples, "Only after showing the world how to cross them."

Claire looked down, trying to give her friend a few moments to wrap her head around this latest catastrophe left in the wake of "Grandpa John" – at least from Lex Murphy's perspective.

With a deep sigh, Lex folded her hands on the tabletop and met her gaze. "So…how can I help? You need money? A safe house?"

Claire shook her head, "No no, we're ok with all that. I have a friend at the FBI who helped Owen liquidate the rest of his settlement from Masrani, so we're good on cash for…well for a long time."

Lex arched an eyebrow. "Ok? But what about you?"

For a second, Claire didn't understand, but the woman's incredulous glare was easy enough to decode. "Oh," she blushed a little but smiled reassuringly. "No, it's…different this time," she said.

"Uh huh," replied Lex, who'd been on the receiving end of enough ranting phone calls to know just how…frustrating Owen Grady could be.

But Claire held firm. Lex didn't have to believe her, and strangely she didn't feel the need to defend herself…or him. Taking care of Maisie had changed them both. Their world was bigger than their individual flaws and baggage. Their world was Maisie.

"We were hoping," she continued, "that you might lend us some of your…other talents."

Lex narrowed her gaze and creased her brow. "Claire?" she leaned forward with a tilt of her head.

Claire took a breath. "Maisie and I were treated at Redwood Memorial Hospital," she said quickly; her friend groaned. "And I used a credit card at our first hotel."

Lex closed her eyes and shook her head, "Oh boy."

"And Maisie was put in the hospital's database under Owen's name, so–"

"You need those records to disappear," Lex finished for her.

Claire nodded. "As soon as possible."

Lex blew out a sigh and fell back against the booth, a faraway look in her eye. "You know the world of computer science advances as fast as paleo-genetics," she said matter-of-factly. "And I've been out of that game for years."

"Yeah…officially," Claire countered with a teasing grin, "But I know you well enough to know you'd never let yourself fall behind, especially in the industry that allowed you to forecast a successful model of your Lexx Crops long before your botanists had the data to justify funding."

Lex rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from grinning. "Hmmph," was her only response.

Claire grew serious again. "And it's not like you'd be hacking the CIA. Just a local hospital and a Red Roof Inn."

Lex nodded. "And probably a few security cameras." Claire gulped – she honestly hadn't thought of that – but Lex seemed to be thinking out loud and didn't seem phased by the added challenge. "Do you have the credit card you used at the hotel?" Claire nodded and handed it over. "And do you know what addresses you and Owen put down at the hospital? What insurance you named?"

Claire produced all the relevant printouts, receipts, and paperwork and then watched as Lex scanned them quickly. Her eyes darted back and forth, clearly skimming most of it but lingering on other paragraphs and bullets longer with a scrutinizing eye. At last, she gave the stack of papers a satisfied nod and tapped them together in a neater pile on the table. "Shouldn't be a problem."

Claire grinned broadly then and let out a relieved sigh. "That's what I hoped you'd say."

"I'll set up a proxy network once I'm back in the city," she went on, "And I still know a few gray hats who might help me out with the IP addresses at all these locations–"

"No one can know–" Claire started, alarmed.

But Lex waved her off, "Relax, Claire. We're just talking access here. No one is gonna know who I'm looking for or what I'm deleting."

With business concluded, the two women enjoyed their meal, each sensing that it was the last one they would probably share for a while. Lex brought Claire up to speed on the latest energy initiatives they were developing at LexxCrops. Claire related a few of Owen's sweeter moments in the last few weeks (the G-rated ones of course), and bragged a bit too overtly about Maisie and what it felt like to be a mother now, despite years of teasing Karen. At the mention of her sister, Lex sensed Claire deflate a little bit, clearly saddened not to be sharing all of this 'Mom stuff' with her. But having not spoken to her own brother in years, Lex didn't have much to offer in the way of comfort.

At last, when full plates and refilled drinks could no longer be their excuse for staying, Claire reached for her friend's hand once more and gave it a squeeze. "Lex…thank you."

Lex shook her head. "No Claire, thank you."

Claire started, "For what?"

She shrugged. "For giving me something better to do than prepping our quarterly earnings report." She grinned as Claire let out a snort, but then her tone grew somber. "And for…continuing to clean up my grandfather's mess."

Claire sobered and tilted her head with a sympathetic frown. "Hey," she offered, "Listen…"

"No, I need you to listen," Lex interrupted, shoulders squared and commanding her attention in a way Claire suspected she always did in a room full of potential investors or competitors–as if, no matter what she said, Lex Murphy was right and everyone knew it. "We're probably not gonna see each other for a while–maybe ever again–so I want to say this while I can." She took a deep breath, and Claire's eyes widened a bit, in earnest. "Pretty soon, there's gonna be a day, or maybe for a whole week or month straight, when you get it into your head that this is all your fault."

Claire felt her face flush and her chest tighten. In a little while? That day was already here.

Lex continued. "You're gonna see something on the news or hear some report: 'Dinosaur causes highway collision' or 'Flock of pteranodons swarms public beach.' And you're gonna start thinking, 'if only I hadn't gone back to Isla Sorna' or 'if only I hadn't tracked them to Lockwood's.'" Claire gulped again. "'If only I had stopped Maisie from pushing that button…or just run the damn infrared scan one more time on the indominous.'" At that one, Claire's head shot up, but she didn't dare deny it. Lex knew her too well and she'd confided too much during their short but close friendship to argue. Truth be told, Claire Dearing never stopped imagining this whole mess to be her fault, but Lex was going to try her damnedest to get through, now that it was her last shot to do so. "And when that happens? I want you to remember when I told you that none of this is your fault."

"Lex…" Claire whispered, but she trailed off, embarrassed by the hot tears now prickling her eyes.

"I mean it, Claire. None of it," Lex reached for both her hands and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "My grandfather's work was the stuff of nightmares. A real-life Dr. Frankenstein. All of this was inevitable from the moment he brought his first dinosaur back to life. The rest is just…detail."

Tears spilled down Claire's cheeks as she thought of a dozen more "if only's" that had haunted her for years now. But she accepted her friend's words gratefully, knowing their impact would be negligible in the long run.

And really…Lex knew it too.