#clowen

Epilogue

Two Months Later

           Claire stared at her suitcase and swore under her breath. The hard-shelled black luggage had mocked her for two months, reminding her of her promise. You said you would leave, it whispered. You promised to let them move on without you.

           Packing would have been easy. She barely had any clothes to her name, and what she did have was transferred into the new house over the last week. The cabin that she and Owen finished together, despite her talk, despite her conviction, despite her fear that she wasn’t good enough.

           “You’ve had one foot out the door since we left the estate.”

           Claire jumped. Owen leaned against the cherry wood door frame. Claire had chosen that finish. She picked the burgundy paint for their room, the grey towels for the bathroom, the tile for the kitchen. Owen chose the bedspread, the living room carpet, the dining room table. It truly was their house. Together.

           “But I just can’t leave.”

           Owen sat on her side of the bed and waited. Claire shut the closet and joined him. “Talk to me, Claire. What’s going on with you?”

           No tears came. They saved themselves for the night, when she was alone. “I’m not good enough, Owen. I… Jurassic World was my fault. I dragged you back to that island, I put you and Zia and Franklin in danger. Then the estate, that was me, too. Can’t you see? I’m bad for you.”

           Owen had the audacity to laugh. Claire punched his arm, but a smile creeped onto her face as well.

           “You can’t be serious. You’re going to take credit for all that shit?”

           “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

           Claire turned away, focusing on the television hung on the wall across from their bed. It was off, but the black screen was a better show than Owen’s face.

           He took her hand and squeezed. “I don’t want to be anywhere but here. But Claire, if this isn’t what you want, I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay. You can still be in Maisie’s life, even if you’re not in mine.”

           She considered this for a minute, then two. During the week that Maisie was missing, all Claire could think about was getting her daughter back, and leaving. But once Maisie was asleep in her bed in the trailer, that desire to go was nearly gone. It only crept up on occasion, when Claire thought about what she couldn’t bring to their family. Peace, safety. Happiness.

           “I’m scared.” Her voice was thin and quiet, nothing like the authoritative tone she used to take on. Too much had happened over the last few years, and not enough of it was good.

           “I’m terrified,” Owen admitted. “But we can do this. If we can fight dinosaurs, we can raise a daughter. Together. As a family.”

           “We still don’t know what they did to her at InGen. What if…”

           Owen squeezed her hand again. “The doctors said that Maisie is healthy, that she’s a normal little girl. As normal as she can be. If InGen did something, then we’ll find out and we’ll figure it out when it happens. For now, let’s enjoy what we have. A beautiful, smart, funny, adventurous daughter. And us.”

           Claire leaned her head against Owen’s shoulder. “We are pretty great.”

           “The greatest.”

           She laughed. She couldn’t help it, the sound just spilled from her lips. “I love you, Owen. I can’t promise… I don’t know if I can ever be all in. I might always stare at my suitcases with a foot out the door. But I can promise I love you, and I love our little girl.”

           Owen kissed her temple. “That’s all I ask.”

           They stayed like that for a few minutes, until a playful shriek from outside tore them from their peaceful moment.

           “Are you okay to join the party? I can tell everyone you’re not feeling well.”

           Claire stood and studied her reflection. Her legs were toned, her arms muscular. She looked different in her shorts and tank top than she ever had before. She liked feeling strong. It helped her answer Owen’s question. “I’m ready. And… I’m sorry.”

           He bent down to kiss her lips. “Don’t apologize, just talk to me, okay? When you feel like running away, I’ll help you remember why you wanted to stay.”

           “You’re a poet now, huh?”

           Owen grinned. “For you, babe. Only for you.”

           Hand in hand, the couple joined their guests outside. The offending shriek had come from Maisie, who chased her older cousins around the yard. Without the trailer taking up space, they had plenty of room to roam.

Owen had built a couple of picnic tables with extra wood from the construction project, and they were full of adults watching the children play. Karen was the first to notice her sister exit the house. She jumped from her spot at the table and wrapped Claire in a big hug.

“You okay?” she asked.

Claire nodded and promised they would talk later. Karen seemed reluctant, but she released Claire, who was quickly greeted by the other guests.

“Thanks for having us!” Zia said, wrapping her arms around Claire. “This is my girlfriend, Jamie.”

Claire shook hands with the young, blonde woman. She had a fossil tattoo on her right wrist. That alone proved Jamie was perfect for Zia.

Franklin was next, awkwardly hugging Claire with his gangly arms. “I don’t have a girlfriend, but thank you for letting me come anyway.”

Everyone laughed. Dr. Grant had been in the middle of discussing his theories with Zia when Claire made her grand entrance, and the two picked up where they left off the second Zia sat back down. Jamie joined in the lively conversation. Franklin paid more attention to his phone, probably trying to find service. There wasn’t much of that around, unless you connected to the cabin’s wifi. Even that was a bit weak. Owen and Claire didn’t mind, though. They kind of liked the disconnect from society. Plus, there was a grocery store ten miles down the road. So it wasn’t like they were totally in the middle of nowhere.

Claire moved off to the side, beside Owen, to take in the gathering. The house had only been finished for a week, and this was their official housewarming party. All of the important people in their lives were there.

Owen fidgeted nervously. Claire hooked her arm through his. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I’m great. I’m gonna get the grill going. Anyone hungry?”

He left Claire alone by the front porch, but she didn’t mind. She sat down beside Karen and watched Owen prepare the hamburgers and hot dogs they’d bought for the party.

Maisie was the first in line for food. She was a picky eater, but hot dogs were her favorite. She held open the bun for her father. Just as Owen brought the tongs towards Maisie’s plate, a Compsognathus leaped from behind the grill and stole the dog.

Maisie gasped, but Claire couldn’t help but laugh. This was the new world they lived in, one where dinosaurs were as big a threat to picnics as dogs and squirrels. For some reason, Claire didn’t mind it as much as she thought she would. The years since Jurassic World had taught her to live with animals, not against them.

Owen was more careful with the food after the dinosaur incident. He managed to serve the guests without another mishap.

Everyone sat at the picnic tables and chatted, chomping down on delicious food. Owen pushed his potato salad around his plate, and a hamburger remained untouched next to it.

Claire nudged him. “Seriously, Owen, are you okay?”

He studied her with a look she didn’t recognize. Before she could ask another question, not that she knew what she would ask, Owen stood, raising his plastic cup like he was about to give a toast.

“As you all know,” he began, his voice earning the guests’ attentions. “It’s been a hard summer for our family. It’s been a hard year, a hard few years. But we’ve survived it, because we’ve been together.”

Owen looked at Claire, then. Only her, like the rest of the party disappeared.

“I know that you’re scared. I’m scared too. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that it’s scarier to live without you. I never want to be without you again, Claire. I love you too much. And I will love you for the rest of our lives, if you’ll let me.”

He dropped to one knee and held out a small velvet box.

“Claire Michelle Dearing, will you marry me?”

Claire’s hands covered her gaping mouth as she nodded. She may be terrified all the time, she may wake in the middle of the night with horrible memories of the park and the island, but she will never stop loving Owen. She learned that years earlier, and it was a lesson she’d never forget.

“Of course, of course, of course.”

Owen jumped up and hugged his fiancée, then stopped the movement so he could slip the ring on her finger.

“Just so you know, I asked Blue for permission before I proposed. She gave us her blessing.”

Claire had no doubts he was telling the truth. They had planned on sending Blue to the island for protection, but Owen couldn’t part from her. She was safe for the time being, with InGen distracted by their secret project. The time would probably come when Blue had to move to the island, but Owen and Claire liked having her around for now.

Maisie was the first to hug the couple. “He asked me, too. I said he’d be stupid not to propose.”

Claire kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “You’ve got that right, kiddo.”

The rest of the party was a frenzy of hugs, congratulations, and ice cream cake. Claire couldn’t stop staring at her ring the whole time. It was crazy to her that just hours earlier, she was plotting a potential escape. She couldn’t imagine leaving behind what she saw in front of her. Good thing Owen was there to talk her down. That he always would be.

As the sun set, the guests dispersed, promising to visit again soon.

Claire, Owen, and Maisie were cleaning up the trash after Karen and the boys, the last ones standing, drove away.

“That went well,” Owen said, kissing Claire. “I’m glad you said yes. Would have been embarrassing if you didn’t.”

“Did you think I might say no?”

“Absolutely.”

Claire laughed. “I love you too much for that.”

Owen leaned in for another kiss, but a scream from Maisie stopped him. “Maisie, what’s wrong?”

The little girl held her hands over her ears and fell to the ground. “Make it stop!”

“Make what stop? What do you hear?”

A rustling sounded from behind them. Claire and Owen turned to find Blue at the edge of the forest surrounding their home. She clicked a couple times and lifted her chin, waiting for an answer.

Maisie uncovered her ears and turned towards the dinosaur. Her eyes were wide, fear painted on her face.

“What’s wrong, Maisie?” Owen asked again, quieter this time.

Maisie pointed at the raptor.

“I could hear her.”

She paused.

  He just hoped Claire’s plan worked. Owen didn’t think he or his girlfriend could handle it if they failed.

           “On my mark,” Claire whisper yelled. Owen passed the sentiment on to the boys who hid behind the next two trees down. Their mother was the lookout.

           “One, two…” Claire paused a few extra beats before darting out from behind her tree. “Three!”

           InGen was surrounded by armed guards, but they didn’t dare shoot. That was one of the many assumptions Owen had made. The guards knew that Owen and Claire were InGen’s only hope at finding Blue, so they weren’t allowed to shoot.

           Claire walked casually towards the guards despite her hasty exit from the tree line. She approached a side entrance that they had spotted doing recon. Two guards stood outside. Both were taller than Claire, one wide with muscle and the other lanky and thin. Owen watched Claire hand for the signal and tamped down any lingering worry he had about her. This would only work if he was calm and focused, which he couldn’t do if he was scared that his girlfriend was in danger. Claire was very capable of taking care of herself. She’d proven that on more than one occasion.

           The red-headed woman’s voice carried across the open grass and into the trees where Owen hid. “Hey, boys. I need to speak with the good doctor.”

           “Not a chance, pretty lady.”

           Owen winced. Calling Claire ‘pretty lady’ was a terrible mistake. Her goal was to use the low-dose tranquilizer darts Owen had stored in the van, but if something went awry, Claire was prepared to use other methods. She and Owen didn’t spar in their front yard for no reason.

           “Come on, fellas. You can let this pretty lady in, can’t ya?”

           “Sorry, ma’am,” a different guard said. “We’re under strict orders not to allow you inside. Straight from the mouth of Dr. Wu.”

           Claire clenched her fist behind her back. It was almost go-time.

           “I’m asking nicely.”

           The lanky guard laughed. “I really wish we could help you, but we just can’t. You can try going around front and checking in at the desk.”

           “Such a shame, boys. I’d hoped we could do this the easy way.”

           Claire took one step back and the guards relaxed. They were too stupid to be afraid of a small red head. That was their second mistake. Owen was glad he wasn’t those guards.

           As soon as the men let down their defenses, Claire pivoted on her left foot and swung her right up and around, hitting the larger man square in the jaw. He stumbled, but didn’t fall over.

           Tall and lanky sprang into action, attempting to point his long gun at the moving woman. He was clearly fresh out of training and no idea what to do should someone actually try to break in. That was good – InGen wasn’t expecting them.

           And, thanks to Zack and Grey’s computer expertise, InGen didn’t see them coming, either. Their surveillance cameras ran on a constant loop to protect the soon-to-be intruders.

           Claire laughed at the younger guard’s attempts. “Really?” Her right first slammed into his face. He crumpled to the ground in a solid heap. One down, one to go.

           “Your turn, buddy. And by the way: I hate being called a pretty lady. I’m so much more than that!”

           She definitely was. Claire ducked beneath the large guard’s punch and rolled behind him. Laying on her back, she kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall. He reached for his gun, but Claire was much faster. Her boot dug into the back of the guard’s neck.

           “Honestly, you should have just let me in.”

           Claire took a dart from her pocket and released the safety tip. Before the guard could make another move, she stuck the needle point into his neck. Within seconds, the man was fast asleep. The tranq would only last an hour or so, and the other guard would likely wake up first. They didn’t have much time.

           Claire moved her fingers into the OK symbol. It was simple and a bit cliché, but it worked. Owen, Zack, and Grey jogged across the open field to where Claire waited for them.

           “Easy, peasy,” she said with a grin. Owen couldn’t help it – he pulled her up against his chest and kissed her hard. Watching her take out those guards was hot.

           Zack tapped Owen’s shoulder. “Okay first of all, gross. Second, we really need to go before anyone comes to check on these guys.”

           Owen released Claire and she straightened up her shirt. It was caked with mud, torn from tree branches, and clung to her sweat-soaked skin, but Owen didn’t care. She looked insanely beautiful no matter what she wore.

           Zack and Grey made quick work of stripping the guards down to their skivvies and putting on the uniforms. Luckily, both boys were tall, so the clothes fit okay. Zack was engulfed in the larger man’s outfit, but not so much so that he looked ridiculous. Owen would have to ask Zack what his workout routine was. The kid had gained some muscle definition over the years. Not that Owen really needed a new workout, but it never hurt to try new things. With dinosaurs on the loose, strength and agility were more important than ever.

           Once the boys were dressed, they used the guard’s keycards to enter the building. The light blinked green and the doors unlocked. The foursome headed inside, watching their backs as they moved.

           “We need to find the main security office,” Zack whispered. “I can find where they’re holding Maisie that way.”

           “Down this hallway, right, third left, right side.”

           No one gave Grey’s instructions a second thought. He memorized directions the way he memorized dinosaur facts. They had seen the InGen blueprints for a split second before putting the plan in motion, and Grey was able to figure out where they would have to go. That was why he was with them and not outside with his mother.

           Zack and Grey went ahead to scout each hallway. It wasn’t likely that the two boys were on InGen’s radar, so they could blend in as security better than Claire and Owen. Their faces were probably plastered on the break room wall.

           Only one person had to be tranqed during their journey to the control room. Well, not including the two guys who were in charge of watching the monitors. Claire took them out quickly, and Zack and Grey settled in front of the computers.

           The boys were able to divert the feeds remotely, but they couldn’t get a good look at the system without risking someone noticing.

           “This is the only control room,” Zack confirmed after fiddling with the technology. We can unloop the cameras and find Maisie now.”

           They could have brought Blue in to track their daughter, but it would have been hard to hide an angry dinosaur. Much easier to hide angry parents and cousins. Blue wasn’t happy with the command, but she obeyed Owen and stayed at the tree line.

           Zack flipped through hundreds of camera feeds. Each member of the group took a monitor and watched for any sign of Maisie.

           “Stop!” Claire yelled after a few minutes. “Go back one.”

           Zack obeyed, and everyone looked at Claire’s screen. Sure enough, Maisie was there, looking small and frail in a hospital bed. A needle stuck in her arm.

           “Is that blood?” Owen asked, pointing to the bag hanging on her IV stand. It was impossible to tell in the black and white video, but it definitely looked like blood. “What are they doing to her?”

           Claire rubbed Owen’s back. “Whatever it is, it stops now.”

           Zack put the monitors back on their loop and Grey spouted out directions to Maisie’s room. It was only a couple of hallways down, on the right. Unfortunately, there were a ton more people in that area. Luckily, they were wearing lab coats, not security uniforms.

           “What do we do, Aunt Claire?” Zack asked as they peered around the corner. “We can’t take all of them.”

           Claire nodded. Owen could see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she revised her original plan. Though, truthfully, the plan had only gone as far as the control room. It was always going to be improvised from that point on.

           “There’s only one thing we can do,” Claire said. “We make a run for it.”

           “What?”

           “We run. They’re scientists. They’ll chase us, but hopefully at least one of us will get to Maisie first.”

           Owen studied his girlfriend’s face. Her features were set and determined. There was no talking her out of this plan, and if the rest didn’t agree, she would have run on without them.

           “Fine. On three, we run.”

           Claire counted them off. “One. Two… Three!”

           Owen, Claire, Zack, and Grey took off down the final hallway towards Maisie’s room.

           “Stop!” “Wait!” “This are is restricted!”

           The scientists yelled after them, but none actually tried to stop them. They called security, but it was too late. Less than a minute later, all four of them were at the door to Maisie’s room.

           “You don’t want to do that,” a familiar voice said. “Open that door, and we won’t hesitate to eliminate you.”

           Owen had his hand on the knob. Through the window, he could see Maisie asleep in the bed. She had to be in a drug-induced sleep to stay quiet through all of the chaos in the hallway.

           He swallowed down tears threatening to spill over. These monsters were doing tests on his daughter, and they wouldn’t get away with it.

           “We came for Maisie. She belongs with us. You have no right to her.”

           “Maisie is an experiment, not a human. The judge never should have sent her with you. You don’t know what she needs.”

           “What she needs?” Claire screamed. “What she needs are her parents. Not some scumbag scientists running tests on her blood!”

           Dr. Wu chuckled. “You never understood what I did, Claire. You never appreciated me. And now you think we’re running tests on the girl’s blood. If you had only listened…”

           Claire grabbed the man’s collar. Owen didn’t bother trying to get her to back off. If she hadn’t done it, he probably would have. “You listen. Give us back our daughter, and we won’t report you for this. We’ll tell authorities we found her in the woods.”

           “Give us Blue.”

           “Not a chance.”

           “Then Maisie stays with us. Go ahead and talk to the police. They won’t believe you, and the ones that will, we’ve already taken care of. You’d be surprised how little it costs to buy loyalty these days.”

           That explained why the police weren’t doing more to find Maisie. They had known where she was the whole time. A week had gone by with no sign of their daughter, and the police just kept lying to Claire and Owen, acting like they were looking.

           Owen’s ears burned with rage. “Wu, I’m telling you once, and only once. Give. Us. Back. Our. Daughter.”

           “No.”

           Then all hell broke loose.

           And it wasn’t Owen or Claire. Not even Zack or Grey.

           Red lights filled the hallway and an alarm screeched from speakers high on the walls. Owen, Claire, Zack, and Grey covered their ears, but it did nothing to drown out the horrid sound.

           “Wu, there’s been an intrusion.”

           The scientist pointed to the four people in front of Maisie’s door. “Yes, I see that.”

           “No,” the guard said. He held up a tablet for Dr. Wu to see. “A different kind of intrusion.”

           Before anyone could respond, a horrifying scream sounded from down the hall. In response was a familiar sound.

           “Blue!” Owen cried. His raptor turned the corner and ran full speed towards her master. She hit the guard with her tail and squared up to attack Dr. Wu, but Owen called her off.

           “Wait. Blue. Halt.”

           The dinosaur glanced at Owen, then back at the doctor. She snarled, but didn’t attack.

           “That’s a good girl.” He turned his attention to Dr. Wu. “Now, we are going to go in there and get Maisie. She’s coming with us. If you try to stop us, I won’t call Blue back.”

           The doctor shook, but not in fear. Rage filled his eyes.

           “It doesn’t matter,” he spat. “We don’t need her or the raptor. We have something else, something bigger. You won’t see it coming. None of you will!”

           Owen didn’t have time to consider the threat. He finally opened the door to his daughter’s room, only Maisie was no longer in the bed.

           The small girl jumped from behind the door, brandishing a surgical knife. She stopped herself before using the weapon.

           Tears fell immediately. Owen and Claire collapsed to the floor and pulled Maisie in for a group hug. Zack and Grey joined them.

           “I’m so sorry, sweet girl,” Claire said through her sobs. “You are never leaving our sight again.”

           The girl giggled. “I’ll have to leave eventually, Mom. Just, not for a long while.”

           This brought a smile to both Claire and Owen’s lips.

           “Come on, then,” Owen said, standing and holding out a hand to his daughter. “Let’s go home.”

           Maisie nodded. “I’ve been waiting a whole week for you to say that.”

           Owen held her hand tightly. Claire may have been joking, but he didn’t plan on leaving Maisie’s side for a very, very long time. Now that he knew what it was like to lose her, he would make sure it never happened again.

Claire squeezed her fists under the table and forced herself not to run her sweaty palms over her sleek black skirt. The last time I dressed this nice, I was almost eaten by a dinosaur, she thought as she took a second to glance down at her outfit. Their court hearing required something a bit fancier than the casual pants and t-shirts she started wearing after Jurassic World went to hell.

           “I’ll admit, this is an unusual case,” the judge said, bringing Claire out of her daydream. Owen stood tall beside her. She was glad to have him there. Her hand creeped to the right until it met his and held on tight. Claire was still getting used to the idea that she could hold his hand now that they’d decided to give coupledom a third try. Going through another traumatic incident together solidified their rocky relationship. “There is no precedent for the custody of a… well, of a clone. I suppose this is the world we live in now.”

           Owen squeezed Claire’s hand beneath the table. After Lockwood’s death and the incident at his estate, all of his assets were seized. This included the information surrounding Maisie’s existence. As soon as it was out, there was no putting it back in the box. Owen and Claire new they’d have to fight to keep Maisie, they just didn’t think it would be against InGen.

           “Your honor, InGen has proprietary ownership over the science used to create the clone sitting before you. It is imperative that they are given custody of the child,” the leach defending InGen told the judge. If Owen hadn’t been standing between her and the plaintiff, Claire would have jumped across the room to claw out his eyes. How dare he talk about Maisie like she’s some kind of science experiment? She’s a child!

           “We would like to enter into evidence the sequence required to clone a human being which was developed by InGen thirty years ago.”

           The judge accepted the pile of papers with disinterest. “This means nothing to me. I’m a judge, not a geneticist.”

           The lawyer looked smug. “We have brought one of the world’s most respected geneticists along to explain the information in that folder. Dr. Henry Wu is actually responsible for much of the cloning done by InGen.”

           Owen and Claire shared a look. The last thing they expected was for Dr. Wu to testify against them. He was supposed to be hiding out until the dust settled and humans got used to dinosaurs roaming the streets of the United States. A month had passed since the incident at the Lockwood Estate, but the US population had not yet learned how to cohabitate with the de-extinct creatures. Neither Owen nor Claire were sure they ever would.

           Dr. Wu was sworn in and allowed to describe his scientific discoveries. He avoided eye contact with Owen, Claire, and Maisie seated quietly behind them. What was he so worried about? That if he allowed himself to look at the faces of the people he ruined, he might suddenly grow a conscience? Not likely.

           After the testimony, the judge looked slightly less disinterested than before. “Your Honor, Maisie Lockwood is a clone of Mr. Lockwood’s late daughter. We are not here to dispute this fact. However, does that mean she should be subjected to scientific experimentation?”

           “Objection!” the vile lawyer from the other side yelled out. “Conjecture. The defense has no way of knowing what InGen plans to do with Maisie.”

           The judge all but rolled her eyes. “InGen just had a scientist explain to the court how Maisie was created. I think it’s safe to assume we all know what the company plans on doing with the young girl. Overruled.”

           Claire stepped just a bit closer to Owen. Was it possible this was going their way? They’d had to scrape together their non-existent savings to afford a mediocre lawyer. Compared to InGen’s still thriving money pit, they were sure they’d lose before the proceedings began.

           “Your Honor, Maisie deserves to be with people who love her, not with people who are going to treat her like an experiment. Further, the defense would like to enter into evidence documents pertaining to Maisie’s birth. Though Lockwood was an early part in creating InGen, he had already severed ties with the company when Maisie was born. Lockwood used his own facilities on his personal estate to bring Maisie into the world. InGen has no grounds for taking her from the people who have been caring for her for the last month.”

           The judge took the documents and read them over. Claire felt tears pooling in her eyes. Their lawyer was careful not to talk about Maisie the way InGen’s lawyer did, like she was just another one of their experiments and not a living, breathing little girl. It was how Claire had treated the dinosaurs for her first few years at Jurassic World. Her behavior towards those beautiful creatures was what led her to found the Dinosaur Protection Group in the first place. It may have taken her a long time to figure it out, but she finally understood that dinosaurs were animals and they deserved rights, too. Just like Maisie.

           “Does the defense have any witnesses they’d like to call?”

           This was their moment. “Yes, Your Honor. We would like to call Iris to the stand.”

           Iris stood slowly and made her way to the wooden box beside the judge. Once she was sworn in, she was allowed to testify.

           “I raised Maisie,” she explained to the judge. “And I raised Mr. Lockwood’s daughter before that. I know what Maisie is like. She’s a rambunctious little girl who likes to wander and play practical jokes. She simply cannot be placed into a facility to be tested. She needs to be with a family who loves her. I believe Mr. Grady and Ms. Dearing are perfect to care for Maisie. They are familiar with her background and they treat her like the child she is. She will live an incredible life with this couple. I urge you to send her with them.”

           Claire allowed the tears to fall readily. She hadn’t known what Iris might say about them, but her testimony was perfect. Claire remembered the first time she saw Maisie. She’d been lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce. Iris’s description was spot on.

           “Thank you, Iris,” the judge said. Iris returned to her seat and waited primly for the judge to make her final decision. It was a family court, because for all intents and purposes it was a custody hearing. No jury would hear the testimonies. The judge would decide Maisie’s fate.

           Owen wrapped his arm around Claire’s back and pulled her flush against his side. Whatever happened, they’d have each other. That was important for both of them to remember.

           “As I said when we began this hearing, this is a unique case. We are setting the precedent with this decision, and I believe the decision is clear. Maisie Lockwood may be a clone, but she is also a child and she deserves a stable home with people who will care for her as a human, not an experiment. I rule in favor of Mr. Owen Grady and Ms. Claire Dearing. You now have sole custody of Maisie Lockwood. We release her to your care and will be following up to ensure she is properly looked after.”

           The judge said more, but Owen and Claire couldn’t hear it. They were too busy hugging each other and Maisie. They were going to be a family. After everything they went through on the island and at the estate, it was about time they got some good news.

           “I’ve never had a Mom or a Dad before,” Maisie said quietly. “I’m not sure I’ll be any good at being a daughter.”

           Claire wiped a tear from the girl’s eye. “We’ve never had a daughter before,” she told Maisie. “We’ll be learning together.”

           “As a family,” Owen added. He took in the two most important girls in his life and fought back tears of his own. He wasn’t sure how to be a father, but he knew he wanted to love and protect both Claire and Maisie for as long as he lived. Attachments are hard and they get complicated, but for the first time in his life, Owen wanted them. He had been attached to Claire for longer than he cared to admit, and with Maisie added to the mix he felt whole. He only hoped nothing would take that away from him.

           Iris joined them as soon as their group hug finished. She put her hands on Maisie’s shoulders and smiled. “I’m getting older, girl. I would have taken you myself if I thought I could keep up with you.”

           Maisie giggled. “You’ll come to visit, won’t you Iris? Owen is building a cabin in the woods where we’ll live. You can come and make sure I always take my bath!”

           Iris smiled at the girl’s pronunciation of the word ‘bath.’ As hard as she tried, the Queen’s English never stuck. “Of course, I’ll visit. You can’t keep me away.”

           Maisie surprised Iris with a bone-crunching hug. “I love you, Iris.”

           “I love you, too, girl. Now, you’d best be getting on to your new home. First, I have something to discuss with your parents. Would you give us a moment?”

           “Of course, Iris,” Maisie said. She took a seat in the audience, far enough away that she wouldn’t overhear the adult’s conversation.

           “What is it, Iris?” Claire asked. Her stomach bubbled with nerves. Was she going to try and take Maisie from them?

           The woman took a deep breath. “Mr. Lockwood was afraid something of this sort would happen upon his death. He was even more worried that the courts would rule against any money he left to Maisie, so he left part of his fortune to Mr. Mills and the rest to me. He was unsure what Mills might do with the money, but he knew I would spend mine on Maisie.”

           “What are you saying?” Owen asked.

           “I have inherited quite a bit of money. After the reparations, which were limited due to the general sleaziness of those injured or killed in the incident, it still adds up to a large sum. Because of Mr. Mills’s death, all of Lockwood’s money is now mine to do as I wish. I must keep some for myself, though I hate to do so. It will serve me through my retirement. The rest, though, is yours. I encourage you to spend some on a college fund for Maisie. She’s a brilliant girl. Besides that, it is up to you what you do with the money. Just promise me Maisie will have a good life.”

           Claire held tightly to Owen who could no longer hold back his tears. They had no idea how they’d afford a child, but now they wouldn’t have to worry. “We love Maisie and we will be the best parents we know how to be,” Owen promised Iris.

           “Thank you. I will have the lawyer transfer the money to you right away.”

           “Thank you, Iris,” Claire blubbered. “You have no idea what this means to us.”

           “I do, dear. I do. I hope you know what it means to me that Maisie has found a mother and a father who will care for her as if she were their own.”

           “We do.”

           The three hugged and Iris made her exit, stopping to chat with the lawyer first. He promised her that the funds would be available to Claire and Owen the next day. First on the agenda was to take Maisie shopping for new summer clothes. They bought her a few spring outfits, but hotter weather was coming and she would need tank tops and shorts. Claire’s sister already planned on bringing her son, Gray, to play with Maisie as often as possible. Though six years apart in age, both Karen and Claire hoped the two would become close friends. They have a lot in common, including their love for dinosaurs. Claire was glad Gray hadn’t stopped researching the animals even after the Jurassic World incident, and that Maisie hadn’t given up on dinosaurs after what happened at the estate.

           Maisie joined her guardians as soon as Iris left. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

           “Better than okay,” Owen explained. “Your grandfather made sure you’d be taken care of.”

           The young girl’s face fell. “I miss him,” she admitted. “He was the only parent I ever knew, besides Iris of course.”

           “We know, honey,” Claire said, patting Maisie’s hair. “Why don’t we head home, okay? It’s been a long day for all of us.

           Maisie nodded. “Yes, lets. I can’t wait for the cabin to be finished so we have a real home.”

           Claire laughed. “Me, neither. How about it, Owen? How much longer until our real home is finished?”

           “Well, I should be able to hire a couple guys to get things moving faster. Hopefully in the next few months it’ll be ready to move in.”

           “Perfect!” Maisie said. “And I get my own room?”

           “Of course you do,” Owen said. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

           They piled into Owen’s van and drove the thirty minutes to their secluded home in the woods. The cabin sat unfinished with a small trailer beside it for sleeping. The three of them had been sharing the trailer for a month since Owen and Claire were given immediate temporary custody of Maisie after the Lockwood Estate incident. It was only when they arrived at the trailer again after the hearing that it felt real. Though the home was temporary, the family was permanent.

           It was after eight at night when they got home after a fast food dinner. A small group of Compsognathus, tiny dinosaurs that pack an unexpected punch, waited outside the trailer door. Owen kept a locked box of food behind the trailer for this purpose. He tossed a few freeze-dried lizards towards the dense forest to distract the little creatures. While they ate, Maisie patted one on the head.

“Maisie!” Owen called. “Don’t touch them.”

The young girl shrugged. “I would pet a squirrel if it let me. These dinosaurs are harmless.”

Owen and Claire remembered an incident on Sorna many years earlier when a little girl was injured by Compsognathus, but they didn’t want to scare Maisie. It was better that she wasn’t afraid of dinosaurs, even after what they went through on the estate. Now that the dinosaurs are free to roam North America, they knew they’d be seeing more and more of them.

“Come on, Maisie,” Claire said. “It’s time for bed.”

Owen opened the door to the trailer and the three climbed inside. After changing into her pajamas and brushing her teeth, Maisie settled into her bed, which doubled as the kitchen table when flipped open.

           “Goodnight… Mom and Dad,” she said before closing her eyes.

           Claire cried happy tears into Owen’s shoulder. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” she whispered.

           Though relatively early, Claire and Owen were exhausted. It had taken a lot to prepare for what amounted to a couple of hours in court. The work was worth it now that Maisie was home for good.

           “Goodnight,” Owen whispered in Claire’s ear when they climbed into the larger bed at the head of the trailer. “I love you.”

           “I love you, too.”

           They drifted off to sleep quickly and deeply. For the first time in years, Claire didn’t have a single dinosaur fueled nightmare. When she awoke before the sun in desperate need for the bathroom, she felt genuinely relaxed.

           Until she noticed the empty bed where Maisie had been asleep.

           “Maisie?” Claire called out. She opened the trailer door and listened, but everything was quiet. “Maisie? Where are you?”

           No one responded.

           “Owen!” Claire screamed. She shook her sleeping boyfriend until he blinked away the grogginess from his eyes. “Owen, wake up.”

           “I’m up, what’s going on? What time is it?”

           “I don’t know,” Claire cried. “But Maisie’s missing.”

           Owen sat up straight. “What did you say?”

           “Maisie’s missing!” Claire yelled.

           “What?” Owen jumped out of bed and flung open the trailer door. He yelled Maisie’s name just as Claire did, then flipped on the outside light. It had rained during the night leaving mud where dry grass and dirt had been.

           Outside the front door, Owen noticed something strange. He jumped down to get a closer look and sure enough there were footprints in the mud approaching and leaving the trailer.

           “I don’t think Maisie’s missing,” Owen said.

           Claire joined him outside the trailer. “What do you mean? Then where is she?”