1

A solitary vehicle wove through the Wisconsin wilderness, carrying its three occupants away from the source of their nightmares. It had been two weeks since the catastrophe at the Lockwood Estate and three days since the authorities had given Claire, Owen, and Maisie the okay to travel. They, along with Zia and Franklin, had spent days being interrogated about their involvement in the incident, and were only released under the condition that they keep investigators informed of their whereabouts and remain in contact should any further questions arise.

Owen checked the clock on the dashboard. "What time is your sister expecting us?"

Claire flipped the sun visor down. "I didn't really know how long it would take us to get there, so I just said before dark." She gazed out the window for a moment before adding. "She's really freaked out. She didn't say, but I could tell. Knowing Karen, she probably thinks there's a dinosaur hiding in the backyard."

Owen's fingers flexed on the wheel. "Maybe there is."

It was only half a joke, and Claire shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure Maisie was still asleep.

"Don't say things like that," she said quietly.

"Sorry."

They rode in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Claire sighed. "What are we going to do, Owen?"

"We're gonna go to your sister's house. And we're gonna figure the rest out later."

Claire the Control Freak absolutely hated not having a plan, but Claire the Exhausted Dinosaur Survivor had to admit it was tempting to delay all the hard stuff. Before she could reply, there was a yawn from the backseat.

Maisie sat up. "Are we almost there?"

Claire turned in her seat to smile at the girl. "Yep. I bet Zach and Gray are excited to meet you."

"What did you tell them about me?" she asked carefully.

Claire was quick to reassure her. "I just told them your grandfather died, and you're staying with us for now."

Maisie nodded. "How old are they?"

Owen snorted, and Claire swatted him goodnaturedly.

"I do in fact know how old my nephews are! Zach is nineteen and Gray is fourteen."

"When was the last time you saw them?"

"A few months ago. Just before all the stuff with the congressional committee and the DPG started coming to a boil." She hesitated. "You know how I told you about Jurassic World and that Zach and Gray were there?" Maisie nodded. "Well…I was just thinking, if might be nice for you to meet some other kids who've been through this. Gray was about your age back then."

Maisie wrinkled her nose. "But they're…boys."

Claire laughed.

:

Gray pressed his face to the glass windowpane for the fifth time in as many minutes. The street outside was as empty as it had been the minute before, and the one before that. He sighed.

"Mo-om! Where are they?"

In the kitchen, Karen wiped her hands with a dish towel and shook her head fondly. Her younger son had yet to master the art of patience.

"Staring out the window isn't going to make them get here any faster," she called back.

Zach clomped down the stairs, eyes glued to his phone. "Dude, calm down." His tone lacked the bite it would have had three years before. "They'll get here."

Gray flopped onto the couch. "But how many minutes?"

Zach shrugged. "Why don't you start counting?"

Gray, of course, took this as a challenge.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi…"

Karen smiled wistfully as she caught the faint strains of her sons' conversation. She was glad her boys had grown closer, but she did miss the days when they would come to her for help. Now they always sought out one another.

"Seventy-two Mississippi…they're here!"

Gray ran to the door with all the grace of a small elephant and swung it open before their guests had even made it to the front porch.

"You're here!" He made a beeline for his aunt, who recovered from her surprise quickly enough to give him a tight squeeze before he stepped away to embrace the man standing beside her.

"Hey, champ," Owen said, clapping Gray on the back. "Hiya, Zach," he added to the teenager who had joined his mother in the doorway.

"Hey." Zach raised a hand casually, but he was grinning. "Good to see you again."

Karen stepped forward and hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered. To the surprise of everyone, she embraced Owen as well. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine," Claire said cheerfully, smiling her patented "I-won't-let-you-see-what-I'm-really-thinking" smile. She stepped to the side and gently ushered forward a small girl with dark hair. "This is Maisie."

Karen smiled warmly at the girl. "Hi, sweetie. I'm Karen, and this is Zach and Gray."

Maisie nodded shyly. "Claire told me about you."

"Oh?" Karen arched an eyebrow, shooting Claire a teasing look. "All good things, I hope?"

"She said that you drink too much coffee but you're a really good mom."

Zach and Gray laughed as their mother blushed.

"Let's get inside," she said suddenly, casting a wary eye around the yard. Once everyone was in the hall with the door closed, she relaxed. "How was the drive?"

"Long," Claire joked. "But uneventful."

"We saw a Pteranodon," Maisie added.

Karen's smile slipped. "That's…great." She visibly gathered herself. "Can I get anyone anything to drink?"

"Actually," Claire said smoothly, "I think it would be nice to settle in." She turned to her younger nephew. "Gray, would you mind showing Maisie where she's sleeping?"

"Um, sure." Gray seemed to sense he was being dismissed, but before he could ask why, they were interrupted as a bundle of fur skidded into the entryway and wasted no time jumping on the closest person, who happened to be Maisie. She shrank back.

"Lucy! No! Bad girl!" Karen dragged the Golden Retriever back by the collar. "I'm sorry. This is Lucy. She's just a little overexcited." Pinned to her owner's side, the dog panted happily and attempted to lick Karen's hand.

Maisie's face melted into a smile. "It's okay. I like dogs." She knelt down and allowed Lucy to sniff her hand. The canine licked Maisie's fingers eagerly, tail thumping the floor.

"Looks like Lucy might have a new favorite, Gray," Zach teased.

Gray scratched the dog behind the ears and rolled his eyes at his brother. "Come on, Maisie. You're gonna stay in my room."

Maisie hesitated, looking at Owen, who smiled.

"Go ahead. Gray won't bite." The joke fell flat in light of recent events.

Maisie and Gray disappeared up the stairs, Lucy tagging along at her new best friend's heels. As soon as the kids were gone, Karen sagged. She looked between Claire and Owen.

"I couldn't tell from our conversation, so I only made up one bed, but if you'd rather—"

"One bed's fine," Claire interjected smoothly, taking her sister's hands. "It's okay, Karen."

Karen's eyes filled with tears as she looked over Claire's shoulder and locked eyes with Owen.

"Thank you," she said feelingly. "For coming. I didn't know what to do."

Zach cleared his throat. "So, uh, Owen…how about we let them do some catching up? I can show you my car," he offered.

"Sounds good." Owen squeezed Claire's hand before following Zach back outside, leaving the two sisters alone in the hall.