While I'm Alive (An Owen Grady Story)

Epilogue

I drained my third cup of coffee, still staring helplessly at the screen of my laptop. About twenty different tabs were open, which wasn't making my life any easier. The point of doing career research was to narrow it down to one or two possible options. Instead, I was just coming up with more. It didn't matter how many online career tests or Buzzfeed fortune quizzes I took...I still had no idea what the hell to do with my life.

"This is hopeless." I whined, dropping my head down onto the table top and squeezing my eyes shut.

I heard the squeak of a chair against tile before I felt Owen's hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. "You're overthinking it. Just pick something and if you don't like it, you can always try something else. Hell, you could spend the rest of your life with a different career every five years and I wouldn't care."

I sat up and peered over my shoulder at him, giving him a doubtful look. "Maybe, but I would care. It'd be nice to pick something and be able to stick with it."

I felt his lips brush the top of my head, sending a school girl thrill to me. It was crazy that even after six months he still had the same effect on me as always.

"At least there's no rush. We could both not work for like the next ten years and still survive thanks to the Jurassic World 'sorry you almost died' severance package." He said with an impish grin.

I rolled my eyes. "That's the least they could do after that hell on earth."

I stood up from my chair, eyeing the half full coffee pot on the other side of the small kitchen in the one bedroom bungalow Owen and I were now sharing. My parents had raised eyebrows at our choice to move in together, considering I hadn't even known Owen a year ago. Which was crazy. It felt like it'd been an entire life time. Near death experiences had a way of pushing people together, though. Besides Claire, no one else in my life could really understand what had happened on that island.

I let out a squeak as Owen suddenly grabbed me around the waist, throwing me over his shoulder. "Put me down, Grady, or I swear-" My sentence was abruptly cut off as my back hit the couch and Owen's mouth swiftly pressed against mine. I felt myself flush as he lowered himself on top of me, our lips moving slowly and deliberately together.

It was over too soon and I let out a low growl as he pulled away, grinning mischievously down at me.

"Not fair." I pouted.

"Is that any way to talk to the guy providing you with a much needed distraction?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. "Let me make this very clear to you again, one more time." He propped himself up on his elbows. "You are smart, beautiful, funny, and borderline aggressive when it comes to getting what you want. You'll figure it out, but there's no rush. Look at me? You really think I wanna be working in a city zoo right now?"

I shrugged. "No, but you sure do look cute in that little khaki outfit they make you wear."

"And there it is, that sarcastic Rylan bite I know and love so much." He smirked.

I ignored him. "I just don't wanna settle. I did that once before and it sucked."

"Yeah, but then you uprooted yourself, moved to an island, and met me. And we'll thrown in the whole vicious, carnivorous dinosaur thing too. You're not settling. You're doing the opposite of that by keeping your options open." He reminded me. "Would it help if I took your mind off things for a while?" He nuzzled my neck, sending a zing down my spine.

I pushed my hands up the back of his shirt. "Will you put your zookeeper outfit on first?"

He laughed in my ear. "You are mean."

His lips met mine for a second time as I inched his t-shirt further up his back and felt the heat of his skin under my fingertips. His hand slid between us and toyed with the button on my jeans. Then his cell phone began to ring shrilly from the end table.

"Let's just let it ring." He mumbled against my lips.

"What if it's important?" I heard myself say.

He seemed to think about it for a moment before letting out a groan and reaching over top of me, rummaging around the table before finding the phone. He shifted onto his side, flipping it open. "Grady."

I watched his expression as he listened to the voice on the other hand, which I could just barely hear although the words were impossible to make out. He looked impassive for a moment before his features swiftly grew dark. In a second he was off the couch, pacing the living room.

"So what the hell are you asking me to do?" He finally said, stopping to stare out of the front window, towards the sunny Florida street outside.

I sat up, my stomach suddenly twisted into an unpleasant knot. I felt like I'd swallowed a block of ice. I suddenly knew without having to ask what kind of call this was. I'd only been dreading it since we left Isla Nubar. He gave me a careful look before leaving the room and I heard him walk into the bedroom, the bed squeaking just slightly as he sat down. I felt frozen to the spot, straining my ears to hear the conversation from Owen's end, but he was now speaking in a low, hushed voice.

It wasn't until it was silent and I was sure the call had ended that I stood up and moved to the other room, leaning against the doorframe.

He was running his hands over his face, his expression monumentally different than what it had been just minutes ago. He looked grave, thoughtful. He finally glanced up at me.

"They found Dr. Wu..."

"And?" I asked. A part of me didn't want to know.

"Something very, very bad is about to happen."

Oh great.

++++

Author's Note:

And there it is, the end. I kept trying to add more, but the last chapter felt like a nice, rounded out perfect ending and I didn't want to ruin that. I'd love to write a sequel to this, but since I really have no idea where the next Jurassic World would go...I don't know right now! Lots of other things going on in my head. 

What would you guys like to see? Whether it be with Owen and Rylan, or another pairing or whatever! I want to hear thoughts, comments, questions, ideas!  

What do you want next from me?