Set a few weeks after Jurassic World. Claire and Owen are trying to make it work as a couple, but something major gets in the way. Claire receives threats from a deceased employee's family member. Will Claire set her stubbornness aside and allow Owen to protect her? Or will their bickering cause her to get hurt? This is full of angst! Huge thanks to akajb for giving me the push I needed to actually write this!

The fallout of Jurassic World was now three weeks behind Claire and Owen. Though at times it felt more like Claire had just stepped off the island. Immediately following their safe return from the Indominus attacks, they were torn apart to give their statements. Owen's involvement with the press and interviews were not needed any longer, but Claire, being the operations manager, was in the center of it all.

Claire's phone alarm buzzed on her nightstand, signaling the start of another tedious day filled with answering the same questions over and over again. She groaned and slapped her hand onto the table, feeling around for her phone. Fiddling with it blindly, she finally just turned the phone off, giving up as it fell to the floor.

Owen laughed lightly beside her and reached across her bare stomach to pull her closer to him. She quickly settled against the warmth of his body. His lips moved to kiss softly against the spot just below her ear and whispered, "You know you don't have to go."

Claire hummed as she felt his lips move along her jawline. "But I do." She said, but making no move to get out of bed. Instead she turned her head so her lips could meet his. Both of them moving to immediately deepen the kiss. Claire pulled back, panting, "Ok, maybe a few more minutes." Owen didn't need to hear anymore. He shifted onto his back, pulling Claire fully on top of him.

xxx

Claire stood in the center of the hotel lobby, she quickly learned to not be affected by the flashing lights and cameras around her. She stood tall, only focusing on the events just a few hours before. Tangled in Owen's arms had quickly become her safe place. The one thing that could keep her mind off of the chaos waiting for her outside her hotel room. It seemed that Owen felt the same way, because he was always more than eager to keep her in bed with him. She smiled at the thought of him still laying naked in bed, waiting for her to climb under the blankets, needing to forget the torture she just went through.

"Ms. Dearing," Claire's eyes immediately moved to the man that called out her name. There was something familiar about him, but she immediately brushed it aside. There were a lot of these reporters she has seen over and over again the past few weeks. Though when this one stared at her, his eyes were dark, anger rippling through his body. Unlike the other reporters, he stood empty-handed. No recorder, no camera and no pad of paper. When he spoke his teeth were clenched together, trying desperately to hold back. This only made her stand taller. Most of her life men tried to intimidate her. "do you regret putting your assistant in charge of your nephews? One more responsibility you brushed off that day…" He trailed off as he saw Claire's eyes go wide. She realized where she knew him. He was Zara's fiancé. He threw her a crooked smile as he watched her shift uncomfortably. Not giving her a chance to answer his first question, he pressed on. "How do you feel knowing you should have been the one killed while protecting your nephews instead of your assistant?"

Claire opened her mouth to reply, but a reassuring hand on her arm caused her to snap it shut. Her lawyer, Mrs. Tacuri stepped forward and simply stated, "No comment."

Still feeling his eyes on her, Claire did her best to focus on the other questions being thrown at her.

It wasn't until the final question was asked, and Claire was escorted off the stage, did she find herself scanning the crowd for Alec. Her main focus was wanting to apologize to him. Zara had worked for Claire for almost four years, and she hated the fact that she barely knew who Alec was. She considered herself and Zara friends, sharing a few girls nights at Claire's house, they were close. But not as close as Claire thought as her eyes fell on Alec.

His eyes raked the crowd of reporters trying to follow Claire out of the lobby. She went to call out to him, but the strong hand on her arm guided her into the elevator. Kirk, one of Jurassic World's security guards, let go of Claire's arm when the elevator doors shut. He stayed silent, standing directly in front of the doors. Claire slumped into the corner of the elevator and ran her fingers through her hair. Her main focus would usually be on getting back to the room— getting back to Owen, but she couldn't get the look on Alec's face out of her mind. He was in so much pain, as to be expected. Her heart broke for him. She couldn't imagine receiving that phone call. The call that destroyed ones future—changed the course of their life forever. Zara would never get married.

Claire's thoughts wondered to one night they were sitting on her back porch, Zara had opened up about her dreams of the future. Her and Alec had bought a house on the mainland and were planning on raising a family there. She wanted kids, she wanted to live. Claire quickly swiped her hand across her cheek to wipe away the tear that escaped.

The ding of the elevator doors opening made Claire jump. Kirk stepped out first and held his hand out for Claire to go ahead of him. "Thanks, Kirk." Claire smiled politely and he nodded.

"Have a good rest of your day."

xxx

The soft knock on the hotel room door woke Claire up. She turned in Owen's arms and tapped his shoulder. "Did you hear that?" She whispered.

"No," Owen mumbled, still asleep. "Prolly just a dream. Go back to sleep."

Claire rolled her eyes and slipped out from his grasp easily. His arms plopped down on the bed with a soft thud. She walked quietly out of the bedroom and peered into the peephole on the door. Reaching for the doorknob when she didn't see anyone there, she quickly let go and shook her head. Was she really going to be that stupid and open the door? Isn't that always how someone dies in horror films? Claire shuddered at the thought making a mental note to scold Owen for making her watch that scary movie before they went to bed. Letting her fears of a masked murderer on the other side of the door, she let go of the doorknob and let her arm fall back to her side. She glanced down at her feet, noticing a folded up piece of paper that was shoved halfway under the door.

Quickly bending down to pick it up, her fingers started to shake as she unfolded the paper. She gasped, letting go of the note. It flitted down to the floor, Claire's eyes wide as she stared at the words written on the paper.

You should be dead. Heartless Bitch.

Her eyes burned as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She refused to blink, afraid of what may happen next. Suddenly very aware of every noise around her, she turned in to someone laughing down the hall and their door shut behind them. The humming of the fridge rang loud in her ears. The darkness of the room making her feel claustrophobic.

"Claire?" Owen's voice floated out from the bedroom, causing Claire to jump a foot in the air. She clapped her hand over her mouth to hold back the scream that was climbing up her throat. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice getting closer.

She reached down and crumbled up the paper, not wanting to worry him. Turning towards him just as he walked into the living room, she did her best to smile. "Just thought I heard something." She tried her best to keep her voice calm.

Seeing the terror in her eyes, he reached out and took her in his arms. Feeling her trembling he sighed heavily and tightened his hold on her. "I told you it was only a dream. There's nothing here." He shifted, so he had one arm tightly around her and reached for the door with the other. Before Claire could protest, he unlocked it and swung it open. "See, no one. No dinosaurs, no threats, you're safe."

The crumbled up piece of paper burning in her hand, she tightened her fist and nodded. "Sorry," she sighed and brought her forehead down to rest against his shoulder.

"S'okay, now let's go back to bed." Owen slid his hand down her arm and threaded his fingers with hers, leading the way back into the bedroom.

The next morning Claire and Owen sat silently at the small table. Claire nibbled her toast, her mind trying to figure out who put that note under her door. Who knew which room she was in? Her mind stumbled through the questions, unable to answer any of them. "Hey," Owen reached out and placed his hand over Claire's on the table. Surprised she jumped back, but Owen was quicker, he tightened his hand around hers so she couldn't pull away. "Where's your head at?"

Claire shook her head slowly, her eyes dropped to her plate. "Sorry, just…" she trailed off with a shrug.

"That dream really got to you. What was it about?" He asked, staring at her intently, trying to see inside her thoughts.

Claire focused on Owen's fingers now rubbing small circles against the back of her hand. "It's nothing," she sighed.

Owen opened his mouth to try and get her to open up, but she pushed back from the table, grabbing her plate and Owen's empty cereal bowl. "Kirk will be here soon." The statement was more to reassure herself that she had security, but she was also trying to change the subject.

She kept her back towards him as she washed the dishes. She heard him sigh heavily and get up from the table. His arms slipped around her waist, his lips pressed against the skin on her neck. He kissed her there before letting his chin rest on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me. If something is bother you— and I know something is—I can't help unless I know what's wrong."

Focusing on the running water, she bit her bottom lip, unsure if she should even bother telling him. Not wanting to worry him, she stayed silent, but nodded her head.

"Ok," Owen stepped away from her, his arms dropping to his side. The knock on the door stopped him from what he was about to say. Quickly reminding her that, "we'll talk about this later." As she hurried to open the door for Kirk.

"Later," Claire agreed and swung the door open. This morning's meeting was for employees and families of Jurassic World, so both Owen and Claire followed Kirk to the elevator. Claire focused on the numbers counting down with each floor they passed. Realizing that she did have to tell someone what happened and Kirk was her only means of protection, he needed to know. "Hey, Kirk?"

"Yes?" He turned slightly to look at her.

Claire noticed Owen's focus in her as well and she took a deep breath before speaking. "Has there been any threats you've gotten towards me? Anything from… anyone?"

"What?" Owen gasped, his eyes wide. Claire refused to look at him, her focus on Kirk. He turned fully at her question, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. "No, Ma'am. Have you?"

Glancing quickly out of the corner of her eye, she saw Owen lean towards her waiting for her reply. "I received a note under my door last night," she reached in the waistband of her skirt and took out the wrinkled piece of paper. Kirk held his hand out eagerly and she handed it over.

Owen snatched the note from his hand and read it with wide eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? This was last night? Did someone give this to you? Did you open the door?" The questions poured from his lips, all jumbled together.

The elevator doors opened before Claire could answer any of the questions Owen threw at her. Kirk started talking into his radio, alarming the rest of security of the note. He ushered Claire through the crowd as he chatted to the other officers.

Owen was quick to slip between Claire and Kirk. His arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders with his other hand stretched out in front of him, ready to shove anyone who stepped in his way. He turned his head slightly so his lips were close to her ear. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," she glanced at Kirk leading the way through the crowd, "besides I have security."

"Yeah, me. I can protect you better than any guy here."

She went to protest, but Alec stepped through the crowd of reporters, keeping up with Claire. He kept pace with her at the opposite side Owen was on. "Her blood is on your hands, Bitch." he whispered low enough so only she could hear him. Her head snapped in his direction, but he disappeared into the sea of reporters before she could get anyone's attention.

They entered the conference room and Claire, feeling uneasy, looked around the room of employees and families. She would have stumbled forward, her head spinning, if it wasn't for Owen's hold on her. Alec's words echoing in her head. It was him that left the note. He blamed her for Zara's death and she couldn't blame him. Sweat beading up on her brow, she found him sitting towards the back of the room, consoling a woman crying. His eyes met hers and she instinctively looked down at her hands. Her stomach twisted with fear and she spun on her heels, slipping from Owen's grasp. "Claire?" He called after her.

She ignored him, throwing her shoulder into the ladies room door, she hurried into a stall and expelled what little she ate for breakfast. "Claire, you ok?" Owen banged his fist on the door. "I'm coming in!" He yelled when she didn't answer.

"No!" Claire protested. "I'm ok." She washed her mouth out and took a few deep breaths before opening the bathroom door.

Owen's hands were on her, safely tucking her into his side. "I know who it is." She spoke quietly as they walked back to the conference room. Kirk, who had silently been tagging behind them, quickly stepped at the opposite side of Claire.

"Who?" Both men said at the same time.

"Alec. He's…" Claire looked down at her hands as she corrected herself, "He was my assistant, Zara's fiancé."

"Zara?" Owen repeated her name, his eyes going wide when he realized who she was. "The one that was in charge of the boys?" Zach and Gray had informed them of Zara's fate when the group was in the chopper being escorted to the hanger with the other survivors.

Without looking up, Claire nodded. "He thinks I should have been in her place. He's right. I should have never put her in charge of them. It should have been me." Claire didn't realize she was crying until Owen pulled her against his chest and she felt the tears smearing on her cheeks. She let him hold her, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"No. You know what kind of state those boys would be in right now if they watched you die? It wasn't your fault. She was just in the wrong spot at the right time." Owen tried his best to soothe her.

"How do you know it's him?" Kirk asked, his radio in hand.

Claire took a deep breath before speaking. "He was at the press conference yesterday and posed as the press. He asked me about how I felt knowing I should have died instead of her. Then he just told me her blood is on my hands." She instinctively closed her hands into tight fists as if she was, in fact, hiding the evidence.

"Just?" Owen questioned.

Claire nodded. "When we were walking into the conference room."

"Ok, that's it." Owen took the radio from Kirk's hand, cutting him off from relaying the message to the rest of the security around the hotel. "I need this Alec guy. Someone out there—"

Claire yanked the radio from him. "You're overreacting! Stop it!"

"You need to be protected!"

"Adam," Kirk greeted the other security guard who stepped out of the conference room. "He still in there?"

Adam shook his head. "Nope. he must have slipped out. He's not anywhere in the hotel." He looked at Claire with a warm smile. "He's not getting anywhere inside. We will make sure of it."

"Agreed," Owen gave a quick nod. "She's to be out in the spotlight right now. Interrogate someone else. She's done."

"Owen," Claire said through clenched teeth. It wasn't his decision to pull her from interviews or conferences.

He was just being protective, she understood that, but this was not a side of him she'd ever seen before. He was completely focused on her safety which wasn't a bad thing— or so she kept telling herself. It was almost like he flipped a switch and went from being her comforter to her security guard.

Making it back up to their room, he finally let go of her, watching her cautiously as she moved across the room. Their eyes met as she sat on the couch. She smiled softly and patted the cushion beside her. During their short time together, Owen quickly made it a habit to always sit beside her after a long day. Spending the evening curled up on the couch was their new routine. She could easily relax in his arms and it was definitely something she needed at the moment.

"I'm just going to check the floor. Make sure he's not wondering around the halls." He took both room keys and shoved them in his pocket. Quickly shutting the door behind him, he turned to make sure she was safely locked inside. Taking a moment to let his forehead come to rest on the door, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Closing his eyes, he shook his head, trying to get the image of the note out of his head. The words burning into his brain.

He pushed away from the door to start his rounds, checking every hallway on their floor. The moment he found out Claire was being threatened, his feelings for her heightened his need to protect. He could not and would not imagine his life without her. The few weeks they've spent together, he realized just how quickly he was falling in love. Now someone was threatening to take her away from him and he refused to let that happen.

Making it back to the room, he unlocked the door and hesitated when the spot on the couch where he left her was empty. He quickly walked into the bedroom and relaxed when he heard the water running.

Hesitating just outside the bathroom door, he knew they've rarely showered alone and that she'd be expecting him. Owen looked over his shoulder at the hotel room door and his shoulders slumped forward as he dragged his feet back into the living room. Refusing to be distracted and potentially not hearing Alec enter the hotel room, he slumped down on the couch and waited for Claire to get out of the shower. Her safety was more important.