a lot of blood, and they'd given her something for the night-mares. She remembered everybody coming to see her--Mom, Dad, Eve, Michael, Shane. Even Myrnin. Even Amelie and Oliver. Shane ... he'd stayed with her. He'd said... She couldn't really remember what he'd said. "Anyway," Shane said, "I told you this was for later. I guess it's kind of later, so, anyway." He took out a small velvet box from his pocket, and Claire's heart just ... stopped. She thought she might faint. The top of her head felt very hot, and the rest of her felt very cold, and all she could look at was the box in his hand. He wasn't. He couldn't. Was he? Shane was looking at the box, too. He turned it in his fingers restlessly. "It's not what you think," he said. "It's not--look, it's a ring, but I don't want you to think--" He opened the box and showed her what was inside. It was a beautiful little ring, silver, with a red stone in the shape of a heart, and hands holding it on either side. "It's a claddagh ring," he said. "It belonged to my sister, Alyssa. My mom gave it to her. It was in Alyssa's locker at school when she--when the house burned." When Alyssa died. When Shane's life completely collapsed around him. Tears burned in Claire's eyes. The ring glittered, silver and red, and she couldn't look at Shane's face. She thought that might destroy her. "It's beautiful," she whispered. "But you're not asking--"
"No, Claire." He suddenly sank to his knees, as if the strength had just gone out of him. "I suck, I know, but I can't do something like that, not yet. I'm ... Look, family doesn't mean to me what it means to you. Mine fell apart. My sister, my mom--and I can't even think about my dad. But I love you, Claire. That's what this means. That I love you. Okay?" She looked up at him then, and felt tears break free to run hot down her cheeks. "I love you, too," she said. "I can't take the ring. It means--it means too much to you. It's all you have left of them."
"That's why it's better if you have it," he said, and held out the box, cupped in one hand. "Because you can make it a better memory. I can barely look at this thing without seeing the past. I don't want to see the past anymore. I want to see the future." He didn't blink, and she felt the breath leave her body. "You're the future, Claire." Her head felt light and empty, her whole body hot and cold, shaking and strong. She reached out and took the velvet box. She pulled the ring out and looked at it. "It's beautiful," she said. "Are you sure--"
"Yes. I'm sure." He took the ring from her and tried it on her right hand. It fit perfectly on the third finger. Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, and it was definitely better than Michael had done it, definitely sexier, and Claire dropped to her knees with him; then he was kissing her, his mouth hot and hungry, and they fell back together to the throw rug next to the bed, and stayed there, locked in each other's arms, until the chill finally drove them up to the bed. 3 Of all the mornings Claire didn't want to get up, the next one was the worst. She woke up warm and drowsy, cuddled like a spoon against Shane, their hands clasped even in sleep. She felt great. Better than any day, ever, in her whole life. In the still hush of early morning, she tried to freeze the moment, the sound of his soft, steady breathing, the feel of him relaxed and solid next to her. I want this, she thought. Every day. For life. Forever. And then her alarm clock went off, shrieking. Claire flailed and slapped at it, then succeeded in knocking it to the floor. She dived for it and finally got it switched off, feeling like a complete fool that she'd ever left it on in the first place. She twisted around and saw Shane had opened his eyes, but hadn't otherwise moved. He looked drowsy and sweet and lazy, hair mussed, and she leaned back down to kiss him, sweet and slow. His arms went around her, and it felt so natural, so perfect, that she