Work Text:
Now
"Those are my parents!" The relief Maisie felt upon seeing her parents, even while hanging upside down in a beat-up Jeep, was not unlike finally sitting in front of the fire after too long in the cold. A warmth flushed through her body because they were here, half way across the world from their cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, just to rescue her. Despite her attitude, the lip and eye rolls she had given them both, the last cutting words she had said to Claire before getting on her bike and being kidnapped- despite it all, the two adults who she had originally felt like a burden to, had once again gone through hell for her.
You're not my mother.
She had regretted it as the words left her mouth, and even though she had turned away with her bike almost immediately after saying them, she hadn't failed to catch the fall in Claire's face as the words hit her. Regret had settled in her then and there, but the guilt had gnawed away at her increasingly over the past couple of days, as guilt is wont to do.
If Maisie hadn't known then that what she said wasn't true, then crawling out of the broken window and into her parents' open arms was enough to solidify in her that these were her parents. She could have sobbed into Claire's shoulder as the woman's arms wrapped around her, closely followed with Owen's around both of them. They smelled of gasoline and earth, of sweat and blood, but somehow, underneath all the dirt and grime, Maisie could smell the tell-tale notes of the vanilla lotion Claire so habitually put on, and the woody smoke that always clung to Owen. Scents that she had become so accustomed to, that she hadn't realised came with the sense of safety and security.
Then
It wasn't until Owen had pulled up to the steps of the Lockwood mansion in an SUV that was undoubtedly stolen from the grounds, and had bundled her into the passenger seat and Maisie in the back, speeding off the estate in a hurry, that Claire realised the gravity of the situation. While still processing the events of the past several days, from Isla Nublar to the Lockwood Estate, it hit her that they were suddenly in possession of a child. The first, and only, successful human clone, a 9 year old girl, whom she and Owen had only met several hours before. She and Owen, whose relationship had once again fallen into a strange liminal space post-disaster where neither party knew how the other felt, nor where the relationship was going to go. Surely adding a child to that would be adding fuel on the fire?
As if sensing her thoughts, Owen reached out and squeezed the hand in her lap, rubbing a calloused thumb over her bruised knuckles. She glanced over at him, almost sheepishly, only to be met with his affectionate eyes. His mouth quirked up at her, and the subtle expression put all her worries at ease.
"Eyes on the road, Mr. Grady." She spoke in the wry way she does when grinning around her words, despite the clear note of exhaustion.
"Yes, ma'am," Owen's face broke into the bashful smile he often reserved for her, "next stop hospital, and then some place far away from here."
"Don't you think the hospital is risky right now?"
"Yes," he admitted, "but so is that wound. Not risking you getting an infection."
Claire leaned back into the seat, closing her eyes, knowing Owen's no nonsense tone all too well.
It was in the sterile and glaringly white emergency room that Claire could possibly trace back the roots of her motherhood. Owen had made a trip down the hall to raid a vending machine for snacks and, although Maisie had twitched in instinct to follow him, the girl had stood her ground next to Claire, whose wound had been freshly washed and stitched up. Eyes finally lifting up from her red converse to look at Claire, the little girl asked quietly, "are you feeling better?"
Claire smiled at her, touched by her concern. "A little bit. It still kinda hurts, but not as much as before."
"Do you think your leg will feel normal again in two weeks, like the doctor said?"
"Providing we don't get chased by any more dinosaurs, I think so." Claire responded in a hushed voice, making Maisie chuckle, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and Claire winced internally at the poor choice of joke to make in front of the traumatised 9 year old. "I'm sure that won't happen, though." A poor attempt at a recovery, but the young girl appeared to relax at the words.
"Where will I go when we leave here?"
Claire's breath hitched a little at the question, her body filling with a new kind of worry. Back at the estate, a quick glance over at Owen had confirmed her thought of she's coming with us, wherever that was and whatever us meant, a shorthand forged from one too many shared life-threatening experiences. Neither had thought to consult the child in question, though, of this plan, although little choice was to be had on the matter anyway.
"Oh, honey," Claire's voice softened, and she patted the space next to her on the bed for Maisie to crawl up on, "things are all up in the air right now, but you can tag along with me and Owen for as long as you want." How could she leave behind this little girl, all alone, now?
"I don't think I have any other family, does that mean I'll be sent to an orphanage?"
The question tore cracks in Claire's heart. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind Maisie's ear. "If you don't want that, then we can do our best for you to stay with us."
The girl seemed to consider this for a moment, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. "I think I'd like to stay with you, and Owen."
"Well, we can definitely sort that out." Empty promises, perhaps, but Claire had an overwhelming sense that the little girl was now inextricably part of their lives.
Owen then returned, snacks in hand, and before any of them knew it they were back on the road. A decision had been made at some point between the hospital and the car that they'd head down to Owen's cabin, somewhere safe and out of the way, via San Francisco so Claire could pick the things she needed from her apartment. They ended up staying there for the night, when they found the apartment complex to be free of paparazzi, to sleep and shower. Maisie took the spare bed and, although Claire and Owen shared her own bed, they slept almost painfully apart, once again thrown into the odd space where they tiptoed around the other, unsure of feelings and the future. Not wanting to have that conversation in front of Maisie, nothing had been said on the subject of their relationship, yet.
The 'talk' would finally come, somewhere outside of Yosemite, once soft snores from the back seat told them that Maisie was sleeping deeply.
"Owen." Claire's eyes fixed on the road in front of her. She had taken over the driving some hours back, and it was probably approaching the time for them to switch over again.
"Claire." He answered back, sighing a little on the last syllable of her name.
"What are we doing with a child, who isn't ours, and is probably wanted by half the science community?" It was the biggest question, sure, but a gateway into the second biggest: what were they?
Owen let out a bigger sigh. "Protecting her from said science community? Dinosaurs? Both?"
"Okay, so we're doing this? Owen, this can't just be a big game of happy families."
"I know," he admitted, rubbing a hand over the scruff of his beard, "we have a tendency to jump in headfirst."
"Look where it landed us last time."
"Last time, we were two idiots who were both a bit too proud to admit defeat. And that kiss in Lockwood's display case, Claire Dearing, was all but proof that we have a second chance." The grin was evident in the lightness of his voice, but Claire knew that he was serious, at least about the second chance.
"Maybe it was just the heat of the moment. Fear. Adrenaline. Shock." The words felt stale in her mouth. They both knew it wasn't true.
"Claire, you can admit you still have feelings for me. Heck, I'll be the first to admit I still have feelings for you."
She huffed through her nose, still not quite used to bearing herself so openly. "Yes, fine, you're right. The feelings are still there."
Silence settled over them once more until, in a quiet voice, as if he were confessing a sin into the dark, he said, "it really was great, you know, before you left."
It wouldn't be until later that she realised he had admitted that she was right, and that she had been the one to leave. His confession rang deep, because it was entirely true. Living together in that van, while it had admittedly been cramped, had also been amazing. "Yeah, I know." Claire replied back, using the soft moment to look over at him for the first time. She shouldn't have been shocked that Owen was already looking at her, but her breath still managed to catch in her throat.
"So, we're doing this?"
"If by 'this' you mean rekindling our relationship while simultaneously being whatever we need to be for the 9 year old girl suddenly in our care then, yes, yes we are."
"Okay," Claire let out a deep breath. "Sounds like a plan."
"Pull into this gas station, we'll swap over."
When they crossed at the hood of the car, Owen pulled her against him, gently pressing a kiss to her lips. Claire squeaked in surprise, but responded quickly enough, gripping his upper arm as her other hand reached up to touch his cheek. "I didn't want our last kiss to have been a life-or-death one," he admitted sheepishly.
"Good," she pressed another short kiss to his mouth, "no more life-or-death kisses. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
Now
They were at a gas station, having finally landed in San Francisco after the long flight. Maisie thought the place was familiar, just a little bit, and thought that maybe they had stopped there while on the way to the cabin four years ago. She had stayed mostly quiet for the journey, still processing everything she learnt and how she felt, a task that she knew would exceed the length of the trip back.
"Want to come for a walk?"
Owen had just left to fill up the car, promising to grab some snacks before he paid. Ordinarily, Maisie would have rejected Claire's invitation for a walk with an eye roll, but the girl found herself nodding and getting out of the car. The two set off on a lap of the gas station in a comfortable silence, although Maisie knew that there were words between them that have been left unsaid. The guilt over what she said back at the cabin gnawed away at her, and she wondered how the feeling only managed to get worse and worse.
"It wasn't true," the words fell from her mouth in a nervous rush, eyes once again focused on her red converse. She felt, rather than saw, Claire turn to look at her, and had to push herself to continue saying what she so keenly felt but was so difficult to verbalise. "What I said back at the cabin, before I left. I was sad and frustrated, and I thought I missed Charlotte, but I don't really remember her, so maybe I just missed the fact that she could have given me all the answers. I watched the videos she made, ones with me as a baby, and I guess in a way I do miss her, but watching her only made me realise that I also really missed you."
Claire stopped, and Maisie finally had the courage to meet the woman's shiny eyes, before she pulled her daughter into a bone-crushing hug. "Sorry for being such a bitch," Maisie laughed wetly into Claire's shoulder, "you and Owen didn't have to take me in, but you did, and it shouldn't have taken me being kidnapped to realise how lucky I am to have you two as my mum and dad."
Claire stroked the back of her hair and, although Maisie couldn't see her, she could tell she was crying. "Hey, honey, it's okay. None of this has been easy on you. I'm sorry we kept you cooped up all that time, but I promise we were just doing what we thought was best."
"I know, thank you for looking after me, and coming to rescue me."
"Maisie, sweetie," Claire pulled back and the girl's face in her hands. Maisie was right, she noted, Claire's eyes were wet with tears. "You don't need to thank us, it's whats parents do. We'll rescue you whether it's from evil scientists or a bad date."
The two women laughed, both wiping away the dampness from their eyes. Pushing back some loose hair to behind her ears, Claire wrapped her arm around Maisie's shoulders, and the two made their way back to the car.
Owen leant, waiting, against the hood of the car as Maisie and Claire came round the side of the gas station. An indescribable lightness filled his chest at the sight of them, arms around the other, laughing away. The sight alone was enough to tell him that, whatever happened next, everything would be okay.
"What are you two laughing about?"
"Oh, nothing." Claire smiled wryly, squeezing Owen's arm before getting into the passenger seat.
"Just girly things." Maisie shrugged, smile equally as wide, as she hopped into the back.
Owen shook his head with affection, following them both back into the car.
Just as he pulled out of the gas station, Maisie piped up from the back. "I have a question, but it might seem strange." He and Claire glanced at each other, and then to her in the mirror. A silent go on. "When we left my grandfather's estate, and you took me with you, what on earth was going through your minds?"
They laughed at her question because, yeah, they were a little crazy.
"Kiddo, I'm not sure anything was going through our minds." Owen admitted, still laughing at Maisie's realisation of the whole situation where they had been turned into parents overnight.
"We weren't just about to abandon you, Mais!"
"Yeah, but..." Maisie considered for a moment. "Wait, were you guys even together then?" She could barely remember what their relationship had looked like back then, her 9 year old self having paid little attention to it.
Claire and Owen shared a look that said maybe, sort of, I don't know.
"Let's just say we rekindled our relationship that day," Owen took Claire's hand in his without looking over. He did, however, catch the face Maisie pulled in the rearview mirror. Embarrassing her would never get old.
Maisie shook her head in disbelief. "I have the weirdest parents."
"Cool, though, right?" Claire prompted with a grin.
"Yeah," she agreed. "You guys are pretty cool."
Then
"Well, this is it." Owen huffed, pulling up to the shell of what would become his or, Claire supposed, their cabin. "Home sweet home."
He helped Claire out the passenger door, leg still sore from the wound, and then lifted Maisie out of the back.
"There's only half a roof!" Maisie pointed out, totally missing that there also weren't any walls.
"Yeah, kiddo," Owen looked on at the structure. "We'll have to sleep in the van, for now. But I'll try to get this done as soon as I can."
"Can I help?" She looked up at him with those dark brown doe eyes, and Claire knew he would have a hard time ever saying no to her.
"Of course you can. You can go and have an explore, if you want, but stay where you can see the cabin."
The little girl bounded off, suddenly full of the restless energy she hadn't been able to burn while travelling.
"Owen," Claire's voice held a note of anxiety, so she took a deep breath before continuing, "are you sure this is okay? Having us here at your cabin?"
He shrugged, pulling bags from the trunk of the car. "Obviously I hadn't considered a 9 year old girl, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have you in mind when I was building it, anyway." And then he walked away, bags in hand, as if he hadn't just said something that made the air leave Claire's lungs and her knees feel weak.
They settled into a routine, somewhat. Owen set to work finishing the cabin, Claire and Maisie helping where they could (turns out, Claire was quite the pro with a saw). They were lucky for the weather; the months it took to finish the cabin were mostly warm and dry, so they spent their time outdoors during the days and evenings, only retiring to the van to sleep. The two adults had set on a more life skills homeschooling approach during that time, teaching Maisie the practical skills that went into the house as well as studying the nature around them. Owen, one day, had come back from town with a bike just small enough for the little girl. In between the hours Claire spent running the DPG, she taught Maisie how to ride the bike, Owen dutifully watching them while he worked on the roof of the cabin. Although the woman had voiced her anxieties of her new role as a mother figure, Owen couldn't understand where they came from; she seemed to have taken on the role so easily and naturally.
"It looks good on you." He had whispered to her, watching as the flames from the fire highlighted the reds and golds in her hair. Maisie was long asleep inside the van, and the two adults had continued sitting in front of the fire, nursing a beer each.
"What does?"
"You know..." Owen paused, having never used the word before. "Motherhood."
Claire huffed, although a blush crept into her cheeks. "I still don't know what I'm doing, Owen."
"And you think I do?"
"Oh," she rolled her eyes, "she adores you."
"Claire, you don't see the way she looks at you. You're doing an amazing job, please trust me." He pulled her into his side, and she let him, sinking against his body. Her eyes fluttered close, cheeks flushed from the warmth of both the fire and Owen's words.
"We're in deep now, aren't we? It's only been a couple of months and she already feels like ours."
He sighed against her, pulling the blanket around them both tighter. "Yeah, I know. But it's okay, Claire, I know we can handle whatever is thrown our way."
"For the record, there's no one else I'd rather do this with." She tilted her head up towards him and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth.
"Good," he smiled against her mouth, "there's no one else I'd rather do this with, either."
Now
The three had only been home a few weeks when, one evening around the fire, Maisie handed them both a small box. Her parents both gave her a confused look, but the girl just shrugged and said "go on, open it."
Opening the boxes, Owen and Claire pulled out matching mugs, one saying #1 Dad and, the other, #1 Mum.
"I know it's cheesy," Maisie laughed nervously, "but I never had parents to buy cheesy stuff for before you guys."
In the firelight, she could see the tears shining in Claire's eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment, and Maisie could have sworn Owen's eyes glazed over too.
"Come here, you." Claire held out her arms and Maisie half dove into them, Owen's arms coming round to circle them both. "I hope you know that taking you with us was the easiest decision we've ever made."
"A no-brainer," Owen added. "We love you, kiddo."
Maisie nodded into Claire's shoulder. "I know, I love you both too. Even if your public displays of affections make me gag."
"Well," Claire laughed, "what are parents for?"