Title: The Solid Ground within Insanity

Pairings: Claire/Owen

Rating: Teen

Summary: He was tired and she was his rock

Timeline: Pre-Jurassic World (and somewhat sequel to 'I can feel your heartbeat through my shirt'

Warnings: Fluffy to the point of a sweet tooth?

Author's Notes: This is a mixture of the books and the movies regarding the backgrounds

'The Solid Ground within Insanity'

If anyone were to tell him that he would have been training Raptors, he would have taken that seriously. The original Jurassic Park did make the headlines.

The families had refused to be silent. Even with the clause of keeping quiet on the situation, rumours had leaked out and eventually had made big news.

Especially with the T-Rex rampaging through San Diego, after the brilliant idea of bringing the animals back to open an attraction there.

If someone were to tell him that he would have been attracted to the Park Operation Manager the moment he had met her, he would have laughed in his or her faces.

He had not been looking for an attraction to anyone, not after the Navy. He just wanted to get home and to recover.

Relationships were not for him. Relationships meant to be about mutual respect between two people but he found that people had a hard time letting their control go when it came to relationship.

Ironically, his degrees in understanding behaviour were the reason why he had a hard time keeping a relationship.

Victor 'Call Me Vic' Hoskins had approached him shortly after his return and had offered him a job as a behaviourist expert to work with the Raptors they had planned on hatching.

Owen had been curious at first, wondering why they were bringing in Raptors so he had decided to dig a little deeper.

He had spoken to Alan Grant, who had an admiration for the animals, claiming they were intelligent – more intelligent than people wanted to believe – and a good dose of healthy fear. These Raptors were not to be underestimated.

They were a pack animal – something Owen could relate to – and they could kill without hesitation or remorse.

This had led to deep discussions. Alan had mentioned that John Hammond, the original Park Owner, had wanted to be present for every birth in the Hatchery, saying they imprinted on the first being them came into.

Alan had his doubts at the time since the DNA they had used were reptiles, not avian, but he could not deny that once a Raptor had taken a liking to someone, they were friendly.

Alan recounted the baby Raptor they had met, how it had taken a shine to Tim – John Hammond's grandson – to the point it would like cuddles then pointed out that the older Raptors had killed the baby. Alan had believed it was down to the fact the Raptors had no guide, no teacher to help teach them.

Mind made up – Owen had taken the job. He had always liked a challenge, there was nothing more rewarding than getting your hands dirty and seeing the results for yourself.

Once he was hired, he had dug deep into the archives, finding files from Robert Muldoon regarding the first Raptors they had bred. Reading the reports on how they moved the Raptors from a large area to a small one had caused Owen to shake his head.

Reading about how the 'Big One', they had nicknamed, had become Alpha by killing most of the Raptors, he had realised they had misunderstood when it came to the Raptors. One could not just put them all in a room and expect them to work together.

Of course, he had not just looked at the Raptors; he looked into the background of why the first park had failed in the first place, which led him to be concerned that they might have been biting off more than they could chew.

He was also concerned with the fact that Henry Wu was the one in charge of bringing the Dinosaurs back, considering he had been the one in charge in the original Park.

So Owen did what he did best, he made himself a nuisance.

Henry Wu had not appreciated Owen bringing up the original Park, stating that everything was different this time round. He was no longer using Frog DNA – which was a good thing since that had contributed to the animals changing gender.

Owen had asked if it was possible for him to be there at the hatching – once they started making the Raptors – and Henry had been reluctant at first until it was revealed that the programme was not going to move forward until Owen was 100% on board with the plan.

They had worked it out. The Raptors would have Avian DNA, so they were closer to their actual ancestors but seeing the other dinosaurs, Owen doubted that they would have their feathers.

They would inform him when the eggs were ready and he would spend time in the hatchery, talking to the eggs and being there when they break out so the imprinting would work. (He had heard that babies could hear voices from their mothers' wombs so he figured it would similar to eggs).

Then he met Claire Dearing.

It was ridiculous how attracted he had been to her the moment he saw her. Everything about her screamed 'control', he should have wanted to walk the other way but he found himself walking toward her, taking in the sight.

She wore a simple black skirt that reached her knees – he saw those shoes, adjusting his jeans as he did – and a light blue shirt, which brought out the blue in her eyes. Her hair was perfectly straight, shiny, and red.

He had never wanted to touch hair that bad before and had shoved his hands into his pockets in an attempt to keep him from reaching out and making a fool out of himself.

She had greeted him so professional – Mr. Grady – that for the first time, he did not look over his shoulder to see if his Father was standing behind him.

"Owen," he corrected, holding out his hand. She gave him a smile and slipped hers in his, shaking it.

She was smaller than he was - even in heels - but she oozed a commanding presence. This was not a woman to screw over and she was not a woman who would not sway easily.

He had confessed to her about his fears of the Park, how he had spoken to Alan regarding the mistakes of the original Park. She had taken it all in her stride, making notes before she offered to show him around so he could get a better understanding of the place.

He had to admit that he was impressed – and he was not an easily impressed man – with the changes from the original Park.

Claire had made sure that the fences connected to a system of its own, preventing accidental or intentional switch off. She had not wanted a repeat of the previous park.

Each species had their own handlers, allowing them form a bond and to make things easier on the animals (although she had called them Assets at the time – he had managed to subtly get her out and to see the animals for what they were – live breathing creatures, not numbers on a spreadsheet).

Then it came down to talking about the Raptors. Claire had told him that she knew of the reports and that she had protested against having the Raptors, fearing what would happen if they were to escape.

Owen explained his plans for them. He was going to imprint on the raptors and allow them to grow up together as a pack, and how to create a paddock for them that was large enough for them to run around in yet was enough so that they were able to keep an eye on the Raptors.

It had not eased Claire's fears but she reluctantly allowed the programme to go through, even though she did not really have a choice in the matter as it was In-Gen pushing for the programme.

They had both talked about it late into the nights whenever they had to pull an all-nighter, wondering what the real reason why they wanted to push for the Raptors.

There did not seem to be any profit in it since Owen was not sure that he could even imprint on the Raptors. Even if he did, he doubted that he would be able to tame them enough for them to perform in front of an audience.

Owen had asked her if she would be willing to work with him regarding the Raptor's pen. She had been reluctant at first, since she was just the Park Operator, but he had managed to appeal to her 'controlling' side by saying it would be better if she was involved then it would mean that he was not hunting her down to justify everything, and to get her signature on every document that needed her attention.

Not that Owen was complaining about being around her. She was quick witted. She always had some sharp jab to return to him whenever he said something.

He enjoyed the way her eyes flashed and the way she straightened, turning frosty whenever someone said something that pissed her off enough.

He had the pleasure of seeing her turn icy on Victor Hoskins when he said something to Claire. Even to this day, he still did not know what it was that Hoskins had said but he had no doubt it was something sexist.

The man did call the raptors boys; no matter how many times everyone had tried to correct the Head of Security Operation.

It was late at night, during one of the reports, that he asked her out. She spluttered into her red wine then stared at him for a long moment before she asked him to repeat the question.

Grinning with amusement, he repeated the question and she accepted. He had been shocked at her acceptance, partially expecting her to come up with an excuse about how they could not date and he had been prepared to laugh it off if she had rejected him.

The first date had been a disaster.

Claire had shown up with an itinerary, he had shown up wearing board-shorts. Miscommunication had gotten in the way and it resulted in an awkward date until the end of the night when he pulled her in for a kiss.

Claire had been startled before she melted against him and when they broke apart, he asked if they could have a second chance at the date. She agreed. This time – it went better. Thankfully.

Claire was the one thing that kept him sane while surrounded by idiots who did not quite know when to back off.

The sound of hissing broke Owen out of his thoughts and he turned his head to see Blue settle in her halter.

The girls were getting bigger, they were not near the adult size the scientists have set for them, but they now reached his hips. Owen had gotten flexible halters installed, easy to adjust to the Raptors' heights.

"Morning girl," Owen squatted so he was at eye-level with her.

Blue purred as he ran his hand over her neck, checking her for any signs of infection or injuries. She seemed fine – and he knew that she would make a fuss if she was injured – but he was still cautious because they were still an unknown with every age they reached.

Charlie and Echo were happy, chittering, and chirping to each other when Delta let out a low growl, her halter rattling.

Blue joined in, her own growl adding to cacophony that Owen had to sigh. He had just gotten the girls to calm down enough for them to come in for their check-up.

Barry sighed as he straightened from where he was near Delta, knowing it was useless to calm her down and both of them turned to see Hoskins was walking – if one could call it that – to the cage door.

"Owen!" He greeted, that smile on his face. Owen did not bother to smile back. There was no point; everything just went over the other man's head.

"Hoskins," he walked over to the gate, placing his hands on the bars. The girls were still growling low behind him. He had to admit he was worried about his girls' reaction to Hoskins, especially Delta.

He had no idea if the girls were noticing his obvious dislike of the man or if they had their own hatred toward him. They were smart so he did not put it past them.

"How are they doing?" Hoskins asked, peering around the bars to look at the girls. "They are spitfires, are they not?" He chuckled at his own joke. At least, Owen hoped it was a joke.

"They are doing fine," he told Hoskins, "Having their regular check-ups."

"You haven't been sending as much reports as before," Hoskins eventually looked at Owen, "Any particular reason?" Owen shrugged.

"There hasn't been much to report," he told him. "The girls' rates are progressing nicely. They have no infections and they seemed to be getting along well."

"Huh," Hoskins nodded. "Dr. Wu told me that the scientists have not been able to access the raptors."

"What can I say? The girls have an aversion to the docs," he explained. "They do have teeth and are not shy about using them." Hoskins laughed and Owen pressed his tongue into his cheek at the 'joke' before he looked over his shoulder to see Delta's eyes narrow.

She was hissing, her throat rippling whenever she growled and he could almost imagine her claws curling in anticipation of ripping something to shred.

Owen looked back at Hoskins when his laugher died down.

"Listen, I am here to talk about the field test." Owen nodded, already expecting it. "The bosses really want how the Raptors perform, to see the majestic teamwork."

"Yeah," Owen shook his head, "I don't see that happening anytime soon." Hoskins' smile slipped. "Like I said, the Raptors have their own ideas. They are really not ready for a field test."

"You've been training for them for this," Hoskins reminded and Owen nodded.

"I know but it doesn't mean they will be ready on the spot," he pointed out. "They are Raptors, not dogs."

"Maybe if you were to give them an incentive," Hoskins suggested and Owen clenched his jaw together. He knew very well what kind of incentive In-Gen wanted him to give the Raptors.

"Yeah, not happening," he gave Hoskins a fake grin as the smile slipped completely from Hoskins' face. "I taser those girls, they are never going to trust me again and I can guarantee you, you don't want that."

"Maybe we should get the Park Operation Manager involved. She might be able to give you an incentive." He ignored the remark.

"I think Miss Dearing has enough to deal with, don't you?" he asked. "Beside, Miss Dearing has nothing to do with the Raptors."

"Her bonding with them says different," Hoskins reminded him and Owen clenched his teeth.

"That has nothing to do with In-Gen," he reminded forcefully. "The Raptors like her but it doesn't mean they will listen to her." Hoskins laughed as if the idea had was preposterous and Owen rolled his eyes, turning to look when Charlie started squawking.

Really not the best time, sweet girl. Charlie was protective of Claire, and any mention of Claire's name usually brought Charlie running. It was adorable – not that he would ever mention it to Claire.

"Of course they are not going to listen to her, she is a woman after all," Hoskins reminded, still laughing.

Maybe he should just let the girls run free, he thought venomously before he reminded himself that the girls might not like the taste of Hoskins. Besides, they could be sick.

Charlie growling low in her throat told him that he should really get Hoskins to leave before they became even more restless.

"You know, I'll send you the latest report," Owen told him as he pushed away from the gate and grabbed the cloth from his back pocket, seeing the grease on his fingers. "But I need to get back to the girls and finish the check-up."

"Owen-"

"They are getting restless, and when they get restless, they become annoyed, and then they stop listening," he listed off with a shrug. "See you later."

Hoskins gave a brief laughed as he thumped the bar before he nodded and walked away. Owen sighed as he stepped back, watching as Hoskins got into his car, and drove off before he shook his head, turning around to look at the Raptors.

"If Hoskins does not back off, I am going to punch him," Owen growled under his breath as he viciously rubbed the cloth over his fingers.

"Is he still pushing for a field test?" Barry asked from where he was stroking Delta, murmuring to her in French.

"Yep, he thinks since I can 'control' the Raptors, they will listen to him." He fought the urge to cackle insanely. It was an insane idea. He had vented to god knows how many people yet In-Gen still insisted on the damn idea.

Raptors were not dogs; one could not just train them and throw them into the wilds. Raptors were wild; he could calm them but only to a certain point. He knew if they were ever to send the Raptors out into the field – they would kill everyone, friend and foe.

Moreover, he did not want his girls to be under fire. He had having a hard time getting ACU to hold off with their guns whenever the girls acted up. Hoskins had advised using tasers but Owen knew; he would lose all trust and respect he had built with them over the years.

"Does he want to bring Claire in to it?" Barry asked, getting a chirp from Charlie.

"Yeah, thinks she has influences over when the Raptors have their field test. I set him straight."

"And the reports?" he asked. Owen sighed as he nodded, shoving the cloth back into his pocket.

"I told him that the girls haven't done anything that interesting to warrant a new report. And I doubt In-Gen would want to read the same thing over and over again." An idea came to him. "Do you think we could get away with photo-copying the reports and just changing the dates?"

"I think Claire would have a problem with that," Barry told him with a chuckle. Owen grinned before he sighed, rubbing the back of his head and moved over to Charlie, who looked at him.

"Yeah, she'd probably give me a lecture on authentic reports, and not pissing off my bosses, right girl?" he stroked Charlie, who purred, happily. Barry laughed as he finished with Delta, giving her a pat before he moved over to Echo.

"Somehow I get the feeling she wouldn't mind you pissing off Hoskins," he shot Owen a knowing look and he grinned back.

"I'm just waiting for her to crack when it comes to him," he admitted. Barry scoffed as he patted Echo, who chirped then he reached up, pressing the button and releasing the shutter behind the raptors, allowing them to exit.

Owen watched them play with each other as they bounded into the ferns before he sighed.

"I should probably get a move on with that report," he said, mostly to himself and Barry grinned. Why was he the one who had to do the reports?

~_Sanity_~

Owen swears the computer hates him. It always seemed to freeze whenever he was trying to save it, which – in turn – would make him panic that he was going to lose everything he had worked up to that point.

Thankfully, the damn report was finished and he had managed to attach it to message, sending it to both Hoskins and Claire.

Owen rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped out of the office and headed over to the pen so he could check on the Raptors when he noticed a surprise.

"Hey," he smiled when he spotted Claire sitting on the floor next to the cage with her laptop on her thighs. Claire blinked as she looked up at him then smiled. "Busy day?" she scoffed as he sat down next to her.

"Never-ending," she admitted with a shake of her head. "The investors want a new attraction and Dr. Wu is coming up with new ideas."

"A new attraction, Dinosaurs not 'wow' enough?"

"Dinosaurs are now of the past – up there with the zoo," she told him in her Park Operation voice – he never told her how much he liked that voice – "So we need to have a new attraction every few years to keep the attendance up." She gave him a bright smile.

"Tell me more," he joked and she rolled her eyes as her smile turned genuine. "So – have they come up with an idea?" She nodded slowly.

"They have – but they are not going to breed her, Owen. They are going to create her."

"Are you serious?" he asked and she shrugged. "They pushed the limit with the Raptors, and you've seen it yourself how intelligent they are." She nodded. "So – what? Bigger, louder, more teeth?"

"All of the above," she confirmed and he arched an eyebrow.

"How big do they plan on making her?"

She shrugged. "That's just it," she bit her lower lip, "The base gene is T-Rex…but they want to make her bigger than the T-Rex."

"Base gene?" he asked, his gut clenching and she nodded.

"Everything else is classified, Owen. I am actually worried about this." She looked worried, the last time he seen her this worried was they talked about preventive measures with the Raptors.

Even though she assured him that she trusted him to know what he was doing, she still worried about them getting out. He knew her nightmares had gotten worse since he told her that In-Gen had plans to use the Raptors as dogs of war.

Claire sighed, resting her head against the wall and he watched her. He wished he could ease her burden of her workload, but she was stubborn and she would not be Claire if she weren't.

A rustling sound broke their silence and they turned to see a familiar raptor emerge from the ferns.

"Charlie," a smile lit up Claire's face when the dark green Raptor appeared at the bars, sniffing eagerly before she spotted Claire and squawked. "She looks really good."

"Still giving me attitude," he told her and she laughed. "I am telling you, you rubbed off on her."

"Better me than Hoskins, right?" she asked, nudging his shoulder with hers. He laughed and nodded. "Did he come by today?" He sighed.

"Did Barry tell you?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Maybe," He sighed. "He still wants them on the field?" he nodded.

"I have no idea what to say anymore. They are not interested in listening. It's like…offering an ice-cream to someone who hates ice-cream." She arched an eyebrow in amusement. "It's useless."

"Mr. Masrani is quite reasonable. You could try talking to him."

"I have," he admitted, resting his head against the wall. "His hands are tied. Even though he was the one to add on the title of 'behaviourist expert' on my job, In-Gen originally hired me to train the Raptors."

Claire frowned as she returned to her laptop, tapping her fingers before he reached over, taking her hand in his.

Her eyes shot over to his and he grinned. They had been good at keeping their relationship on the down low. Even though Barry and Simon knew, and he suspected Zara also knew, they had been careful to make sure no one else knew.

Not that In-Gen could do anything against them if In-Gen were ever to find out about their relationship. Claire had been smart to make sure that Owen justified every item he needed – which involved a lot of paperwork and signatures.

They had been careful to make sure that the other could influence neither of them when it came to decisions. That was the easiest part. He had no impact on the park and she had no impact on his training with the Raptors.

He laced their fingers together and brought it down to his thigh, caressing her finger with his thumb.

Sometimes they needed to hold hands. He had seen it enough time when she stressed herself out when it came to investors and dealing with the demands of the park.

She always took his hand whenever he was stressing out about the Raptors or Hoskins – sometimes, they went together.

However, they had been careful to do it in places where people could not see them but right now, he just wanted to throw caution to wind for a little while. They were safe in the raptor pen, everyone liked Claire, and he knew they would not talk about them.

Claire smiled before she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder and sighed. He rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes.

He had not had the chance just to sit down and relax with her since the extra pressure had built up. She had been so busy with her workload and he had been busy with training the girls.

A rustling sound broke him out of his thoughts and he looked to see Delta had joined Charlie and the two of them were playing with a ball that Owen had left in the pen. He had learned to get a tougher ball so it would last longer with the girls.

"You learned," she noticed, amusement playing in her voice. He chuckled as he turned and kissed the side of her head, watching as she watched them.

"Yeah, they got to that stage they weren't playing with the ball anymore," he admitted. "Charlie would just bat it with her snout before moving on." Claire laughed as she turned to face him then her smile faded into concern.

"You look tired," she told him. Owen scoffed.

"Must be looking in the mirror," he gently teased her, getting an eye-roll for his effort. He squeezed her hand gently. "I think the reports are going to drive me insane."

"I know," she turned her laptop so he could see his report on the screen. He stared at it for a moment then groaned.

"I put the wrong date in?" he demanded.

"You are tired, Owen," she reminded him. "And I am so tired that I can't even be bothered to correct it." Laugher bubbled free from her, tired and strained.

"You know what I was thinking about earlier?" he asked. She arched an eyebrow, curious. "When I first met you," Her lips tugged at the corner, "Then our first date," he leaned in with a devious smile, "Then our first night." She rolled her eyes, a flush pinking her cheeks.

"Really?" she leaned in so their noses were inches away from each other. He could almost brush their lips together but he refrained.

He liked it when they teased each other, liked seeing her eyes glitter with deviousness, liked seeing that smile playing on her lips as she pressed them together, trying to stop it.

"Really," he confirmed, smiling.

"Hmm, just where did these thoughts take you?"

"What you were wearing. I really like it when you wear high-heels." She laughed.

"Do you even have the energy to get me worked up?" she ran her fingers up and down his chest as she brushed their noses together. "I wouldn't want you to promise me something now only not to deliver later."

"When have I ever failed?" he asked, sliding his hand along her hip and tugging her in closer, taking care of her laptop."

"Hmm, good question," her voice dropped to a whisper and he leaned in, eager to taste her lips when the sound of purring caught their attention. They turned to see the Raptors were watching them with interest. Owen cleared his throat as Claire coughed then pressed her lips together as she looked back at him.

Owen merely nodded in defeat and frustration.

"I think I better put the girls to bed," he told her, Claire chuckled, pulling away from him and nodding.

"I'll wait for you," she told him.

"Yeah?" he asked and she nodded.

"I haven't seen you in ages," she told him and he nodded. "We've been so busy." She rubbed his shoulder. "I just want to spend some time with you. No work, no Hoskins, and no phone calls – unless it is the girls. Just us and a bottle of bubble."

He stared at her for a moment then burst out laughing and leaned in, kissing her soundly. She cupped his cheeks and he felt her smile against his lip.

For the first time in ages, he felt grounded and he was glad he met her.

The End