Oliver's POV

I'd turned away in triumph, watching Amelie smile for the first time since the snow became so torrential. She looked so young when she smiled, like a glimpse into her past before she became so cold. Her eyes were wide, as they surveyed the lane the bus took, the most direct route to the boundaries.

I stand now watching carnage, the bus was literally alive with screams, so youthful and pure. I would never have expected the attack, so cleverly concocted. From what I can piece together the bus was over turned by snow, which has somehow been taken away, melted as if by a chemical. The ground before it is littered with bodies, the majority of which are horrifyingly disfigured and burned… some are even still burning, I can smell the thick odour of burning flesh. The screams are singular, here and there… majority are still and silent cold only expect for the flame licking so profoundly at their mutilated bodies.

People are everywhere, swarming among the bodies. Checking for a pulse, a few of Amelie's vampires are even twisting among the injured to help ease them quickly from this agonising death scene, people are sobbing- Amelie is shouting instruction after instruction to anyone who will listen to try and gain some order in this horror but people are still panicking. I can tell by the smell of death in the air, that any attempt at revival is pointless they're dead- as cold and heartless as it sounds they need to admit defeat and return to safety in the Elders' building where we can all try and finalise a plan. Whether that be one which leads to survival or at the other end of the spectrum be mass suicide- something needs to be finalised now before we all become prey.

Claire's POV

The bus just…disappeared with the snow- as if it had been melted. People are burning, people are screaming in horror and pain, children are crying for parents: for a remedy to the pain. And all I can do is run around trying to staunch the bleeding, hoping I'm able to step over the bodiless limbs. Little children lie dead at my feet, I'm not totally sure how I feel… this was my brainchild and now look at it. People are dead, or dying… the vamps are risking everything trying to give aid, but honestly I think they are administering euthanasia to any who still have a beat of the heart or whose bodies are grossly disfigured and their bodies are slowly declining into death just to save them the pain that any form of medicine will no doubt cause.

I'm looking over the bodies and all I can fathom is that these are people who a week ago were going about their normal lives, not a worry in the world and now they lie dead against the snow. I turn my back and find myself looking straight at Oliver who is watching from the side-line, unlike the vampires moving effortlessly around bodies administering help and a cool word (whilst being careful of the flames). His gaze is methodical, like he is surveying the whole scene from a very far distance, or maybe it's just worry that's etched into his ageless skin.

'Take her.' A strained demand breaks through my inner turmoil as I look over my shoulder to come face to face with a woman…well I call her a woman she's probably no more than twenty-five and her haphazard appearance shows she took a brunt force of the 'flame'- if even one existed. Her single arm motions to something within her coat, weirdly that has come away without mark. I squat down to look, only to notice a mass of thick curly hair. I open my mouth to speak but she abruptly cuts in.

'My Annabelle.' She draws in a ragged breath, which is thick and wet; the child at her breast whimpers in her sleep. 'She's two, wont sleep without a story before… please take her...' she breathes again this time with a very physical effort. 'Claire…' Her knowing my name shocks me deeply. 'I trust you to save my child and raise her when this is over… it's an ask but I have no option...' she draw breath again, with a pained expression abusing her pretty heart-shaped face. 'Promise me you'll raise her… let me die knowing she's safe with a home… and a family.' A single tear cascades down her mutilated face.

'I will.' I whisper with tears making tracks down my cheeks. She motions again, this time offering the child to me; pushing her mutilated body towards me, in offering. I undo each button of her coat, separately taking great care not to rouse the sleeping child. She looks majorly unscathed, I feel someone behind me as I turn I see the ageless face of Amelie watching me, her eyes bearing deeply into the women who lies before me; her breaths have become even more ragged, as if each is causing her a great deal of mortal agony. The women's face is again physically marred with pain but she turns her head minutely to face Amelie.

Almost breathlessly she declares herself to Amelie. 'I do not blame you for my death but I hold you responsible for allowing this woman to raise my daughter, to allow her to bring my child up as her own. Do not take my baby away from her, swear to me.' Though death is creeping closer and closer, her gaze is strong when she stares into Amelie's ice cold eyes.

I slowly, and gently move the lapels of her coat as to reach for the sleeping child, I take the small bundle of cloth and brown hair in my arms, her face looks up at me in her sleeping state she looks adorable, so very, very pretty.

'If Claire has agreed…' Amelie's sentence lies heavy in the air, I quickly nod my head, still staring at the beautiful child in my arms. 'Then yes I grant you my blessing and swear to you that I will make it renowned that this child is to be taken into the custody…'

'No. Adopted.' The woman chokes out.

'I stand corrected.' Amelie smiles politely at the woman's soft, tear and blood stained face. 'I swear to you that I will make it renowned that this child is hereby adopted from your care, into the lifelong care of Mrs Claire Collins and her husband, so that the child will in fact be nurtured and grown under their steady gaze and parenting- they are by now Annabelle's lawful parents.'

The woman smiles a slight twist of her broken lips, before closing her eyes and taking a final laboured breath, before becoming silent.

'I promised her Claire… I will not take back my promise so please bring Annabelle up safe…' Amelie's words find resonance in me.

'We will.' The words come from behind, as a feel Shane's warm hand on my hip, his other hand brushes the hair back from Annabelle's face. 'She is our child now.'

'That she is.' Amelie says as if in prayer.

Turning to look at Shane, I see tears in his eyes; yet a smile at his lips- behind him Michael is comforting a blotchy Eve.

'Come on let's get inside…' Shane says, looking down at the woman at my feet, I look at her too.

'but…' I begin.

'We'll send people out to clean up once we know whose accounted for, inside please.' Oliver as abrupt as ever.

So with a final glance at the woman who has just granted me her child to nurture, I hug by daughter closer to me; and follow the trail back to the Elder's building; the whole way Shane doesn't stop looking at the little girl in my arms.

Is it weird that in all of this we've just became parents? And is it even weirder that I'm happy that woman chose me?