Abstraction ➳ Owen Grady

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THE PLANE LANDED in Butte, Montana, shortly after four in the afternoon. It took another hour before she had managed a rental car to drive up to the plot of land that Owen had purchased. It was on the northern outskirts of the city, in the mountains and the pines, near a small lake. If the scenic, sunset drive was any indication of what the land looked like, then she knew it'd be perfect.

He was packing up his toolbox for the day when the Ford Pick-up turned in. Owen unbuckled his tool belt and dropped it into the red-tin toolbox. Alysanne threw the door open and hopped out, her black heels crunching on the loose gravel driveway. When she shut the truck door, Owen Grady smiled from ear to ear. "What're you doing up here?"

"Thought I'd come for a surprise," she told him, smiling too, having put her earlier meeting with Claire to the back of her mind. He wrapped his arm around her waist leaned down for a kiss. Short and sweet. "Plus, I wanted to do a little bit of exploring," Ally added. She wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a good hike.

"Sure you don't want to just explore the mobile bungalow?" He teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Alysanne rolled her eyes and nudged him with her hip. Owen cackled as he tossed his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon," he said, leading her toward the silver camper at the edge of the tree line, "I've got a pot of chili goin'."

The camper was all too reminiscent of the one he'd had on Isla Nublar. A reminder of some of their first times together, drinking beer around a fire and making s'mores. Those nights had been the start of something that neither of them could have predicted to come to this.

Alysanne scooped out two bowls of the chili while Owen brought the corn muffins to the table. While she put away the leftovers and washed up the dishes, Owen brought in her bags and decided to make a small fire.

He built a fire with the trimmings off of the logs used for the support beams and trusses. He didn't have any lawn chairs, so instead, he spread out a brown and green quilt on the grass near the fire. Sparks flittered up into the air as the flames flickered in the crisp night air.

Ally dropped a bag of marshmallows onto the blanket and passed Owen a Moscow Mule. She'd switched out her business suit for a CalTech sweatshirt and a pair of Owen's lounge pants.

Ally turned two marshmallows over the white coals. When they were golden brown and almost melting off her stick, she leaned back into Owen, passing one of them to him. One of his arms wrapped around her waist. "Hey baby, are you made out of carbon?" Alysanne Sattler let out a deep sigh, knowing what came next. "Because I want to date you."

She shifted, turning to face him. He had melted marshmallow sticking to the rough hairs on his upper lip and chin. "That was awful," Ally deadpanned, attempting not to laugh at the terrible pick-up line, "and we're already dating." That made Owen smile.

"Did you know that I'm hung like a horst?" He then asked, trying to keep a straight expression and level tone. Alysanne had been in the middle of taking a sip from her drink, but that turned into a bout of coughing. She wiped her mouth on the dark grey sleeve of the hoodie, rolling her eyes. "Wait, I take it back, that was awful."

With another pair of marshmallows skewered on a whittled branch, she turned back to the fire. "Are you a mineral?" Ally shook her head, already trying to keep herself from laughing. "Because I'd like to study your cleavage." She'd heard that joke before but something about Owen saying it made a flush of color rise to her cheeks.

✹✹✹

There was a trailhead less than a mile from the cleared lot. Owen had told her about it as they fell asleep. A seven-mile loop along the ridgeline of one of the mountains. It would take a good portion of the day to finish.

Ally woke bright and early to hear butter sizzling in a pan. The sound came from the two-burner stovetop. Owen was standing over the pan, tending to the beaten eggs he'd just poured in. By the time she'd poured them two cups of black coffee and made the toast, he was setting the eggs on the small table. "Sleep good?" He asked, brow raised at her severe case of bedhead. She nodded.

Dr. Sattler pulled on a pair of dark grey cargo pants and a thick pair of socks, on top of a purple tee, a flannel button-up. Owen's outfit mirrored hers, only instead of a purple shirt, he wore an old Budweiser tee. Ally packed three bottles of water, a handful of granola bars, and the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Owen had made them into her field backpack. It was a tight squeeze with her field notebooks and rock-hammer.

They had the trail to themselves, only having to share with a handful of passing squirrels and birds. "Why were you so dressed up yesterday?" Owen asked face scrunched up. It was always an unexpected surprise when she traded in her muddy hiking boots for polished heels. Truthfully though, he preferred her as she was now.

"I went to meet with Claire," she reminded him.

"Oh, I forgot that was coming up," he admitted. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I told her that I didn't think a rescue op was feasible with Sibo being so active. She wasn't happy, but-" Ally stopped in her tracks and turned around, adjusting the straps of her backpack "-it's time to let go, and that's my decision." Owen could tell by her expression that it hadn't been an easy decision. She'd called him half-a-dozen times to talk about it all. Shaking her head, Ally turned back and continued up the ridgeline.

Shortly after noon, they had reached the top of the mountain. The sky was blue, the air clear, and the breeze cool. She stood at the peak and could see for what appeared to be miles. It was perfect.

The view reminded her of why she had fallen in love with this place during field camp. Nothing could quite compare to the emptiness. So much of the land remained untouched. Ally held onto the straps of her pack and breathed in the cool air. "God, it's gorgeous up here."

"Yeah," Owen agreed, mouth dry. He was taking in a different view.

After eating their lunch and taking a few minutes to rest, they started back again, not wanting to risk being caught in the dark. Owen led the way on the descent.

The few inches difference in elevation let her see over his head. Though what caught her attention was the way his hair bounced with each step and the soft reddish color that was beginning to shine through. This was the longest she had ever seen his hair. It fit his new lumberjack persona. "When's the last time you got a haircut?"

He shrugged. "Dunno, been a while, though." Then after a couple seconds, he glanced back over his shoulder, suspicious. "Tell me you're not counting grey hairs?" Ally laughed and shook her head.

When they returned to the lot, there was a white SUV parked next to the rented pickup truck, and a redhead looking up at the framework of the cabin. "Oh, boy," Owen muttered, casting a side look to Ally only to find she wore a deep frown that bordered on anger.

He adjusted the weight of his backpack and stepped into the opening. "What are you doing here?" Owen asked before Alysanne had a chance to.

Claire clasped her hands in front of the grey wool skirt she wore and glanced down at her pale pink heels. She knew there was no point in beating around the bush, especially after her and Ally's previous encounter. "There's a team already on the island starting the extraction."

Ally found it troubling that she hadn't mentioned that a day ago. Owen Grady gave a huff of weak laughter, rolling his eyes. "Saving the dinosaurs from an island that's about to explode. What could go wrong?"

The redhead's expression fell back into an unnerving calm. "Blue is alive." Her gaze shifted from the raptor trainer to Alysanne. "So are Pat and Sue." A lump rose in Dr. Sattler's throat. "You raised them." Ally and Owen didn't move or speak. Her words had felt like a blow to the chest, but their expressions didn't dispel that. "And now you're just going to let them die?" Claire shook her head. "That's not the Ally and Owen that I know."

Owen stepped forward, on the verge of telling Claire that it was time she left, but the redhead looked around with a disheartened smile before walking back to her car. She opened the door and placed one foot inside. "There's a chartered flight leaving in two days. You're both on the manifest. I just thought I should let you know that." The car door slammed shut and the engine started up.