The day dawned quietly the usual noises waking Claire from a deep sleep. She looked over at the cot and saw Charlotte resting. "Hey little bom Ready to have a go on a horsey?" Claire said grinning at her little child. "Chating up a girl now are ya?" said Alex leaning on the door post his blue eyes smiling. "Shut it you" said Claire grinning at him. "I've got to get back to Wilgul see ya later" said Alex turning. Claire was absent-mindly driving to Wilgul for dinner. "Hey BOM you sure about this dress it isn't me is it? if Alex laughs I will KILL Tess" said Claire laughing gently. Suddenly out of nowhere a horse burst through the fence. Claire swerved violently sheilding BOM the car slammed into a tree. Claire's head was bleeding and her chest was bairly rising. "Your okay my darling litle bom" Claire's voice died in her throat. Alex was fiddling with the ring. "Hey Nick do you think I'm doing the right thing?" asked Alex biting his lip. "Alex stop worrying isn't she meant to be here?" replied Nick biting down on a piece of carrot and dip. "Where is she?" worried Alex. "Call Tess see if shes still getting ready you know what women are like" said Nick begining to eat his way through most of the entrees. "Hey Tess is Claire there?" alex said tapping his finger on the ring case. "No she left ages ago" said Tess sounding worried. "She should be here by now" said Alex his chest tightening. "Meet you half way down the road" said Tess. Alex was riding hard on one of Wilgul's new horses a bay gelding christened Hannibal because of it's vicious eating style. "Claire I love you I have always loved you You have to be okay" ale thought in time to the horses gait As he came around the corner of the road, he saw Claire's car wrapped around a tree. The door had flung off and glass was everywhere. You could hardly make out it was a car. Alex's heart stopped. "Claire!!!" he yelled but he hardly had his voice. Alex ran to the passenger's door. There was little BOM, crying but unharmed. Claire had put her whole body over her, shielding Charlotte from the impact. Alex touched Charlotte's face and kept calling Claire's name but she was lying face down. "Claire! Claire! Wake up! Come on! Talk to me!" There was no sound. He went around to the driver's door and tried to lift Claire into a sitting position. She felt heavy and lifeless. Blood dripped from her forehead onto Alex's shirt. Then he saw her eyes - they were open, her beautiful, blue eyes, staring into nothing. "Alex!! Claire! Oh my God! No!" Tess ran screaming up the side of the road towards Alex, who was crouching next to the car holding Claire's cold hand. "Claire!" Tess sat down beside Alex and cried with him. Alex got out his phone and tried to call an ambulance but he was shaking too much and he couldn't speak properly. Tess took it out of his hand and yelled down the line for help. They'd be there in 15 minutes - it was too late for Claire, but perhaps BOM needed help. "She's cold, Tess." Alex took his sweatshirt off and wrapped it around Claire's shoulders. He didn't want to believe that she couldn't be saved. "Alex." Tess whispered. "I'm so sorry, but I think you need that to keep warm." "NO! Alex sounded angry. "Claire's getting cold" He reached into his pocket and opened a small velvet case. He held the ring in front of Claire's face "Look what I got you Claire. I love you. I always have, always will." He raised her left hand and placed the ring on her engagement finger. It was cold. "There's nothing you can do." Tess was crying. She put her arm around Alex. He had lost his best friend and his only love. She had lost her only sister. She wasn't going to let her only niece die too. Tess ran around to Charlotte and picked her up out of her booster-seat. Charlotte started crying again. Tess took her round to Alex and he held her in his arms. Then Tess closed Claire's eyelids so it looked like she was sleeping. She couldn't bear to see her sister like that.