Claire makes a call posing as Alex.
The locals gather to support charity fundraiser Mike complete another run in aid of heart care. Mike has already survived three massive heart attacks and a bypass operation but is determine to complete a run on Saturday to raise even more money. Tom thinks it’s madness but Alex says he is doing it for charity and it is probably the madness that keeps him going. Claire watches them together as they leave The Black Swan.
Tom phones the registry office and is alarmed that it has been cancelled by Alex. He confronts Alex but she says she hasn’t cancelled. They find themselves in a dilemma as all the other registry offices are book on Saturday. Sidney, who is being treated by Will, overhears their predicament and offers them his manor as it has a marriage licence. Tom and Alex happily accept.
Will tells Alex he has decided to do the emergency Saturday surgery himself so he won’t be able to come to the wedding. Alex tells him he should go seeing as it’s because of him it’s going ahead, but Will says no, it’s she and Toms day and he doesn’t want to spoil it.
Kerri expresses her own feelings about going to the wedding. She tells Shaun and Matt that she doesn’t like weddings, especially when she has to go alone. Matt says he can’t help as he is running the last mile of the race with Mike on Saturday. Shaun tells her he’ll have a spare seat in his car and he’ll go with her if she wants – strictly as mates – she accepts.
KERRI: Shaun are you asking me to go to this wedding in a torturous, round the houses, incomprehensible, no brains sort of way?
Claire breaks into Alex’s house and destroys up the wedding cards and presents that are laid out on the table. The phone rings and Alice leaves a message for Alex telling her not to worry about transporting the flowers to Marchmont House on Saturday as it’s all being taken care off. Claire is angry to hear the wedding is still going ahead and heads for Alex’s bedroom. She takes items of Alex’s clothing, jewellery and underwear before ripping up her wedding dress and trying on her make-up.
When Tom and Alex arrive home to witness the damage done, Tom is angry but Alex tells him she won’t let whoever did this to spoil their wedding day. She opens one of the parcels and is delighted to find a new partnership agreement from Will.
Claire, dressed in Alex’s clothes carefully loads the gun she has been hiding.
Kerri leaves The Beeches and heads for the wedding. She tells Will if he won’t go to the ceremony then he could at least go to the reception. She tells him it would make Tom and Alex’s day, but Will says he doesn’t think so.
As Matt waits to run the last mile with Mike, Mike collapses. He needs an ambulance but Matt is told they won’t be able to reach where they are. Matt decides to take Mike to the other side of the grounds in a cable car where they will meet the ambulance. No sooner are they up in the air the cable cars stop. Matt and Mike are stuck and Mike needs urgent medical attention. As Tom, Alex and Joe travel to the wedding venue Tom is concerned to see the mountain rescue team drive past. He stops and asks rescue worker Stuart what has happened. Stuart explains that Matt and Mike are trapped in one of the cable cars. Alex tells Tom they can’t let Matt deal with this alone as he’s only a trainee, she tells him to help out and she’ll continue to the church. Tom goes to tell her that he loves her but she stops him and says he doesn’t have to say it – she knows he does. Tom watches as Alex and Joe depart the car park.
Claire is present at the scene of the cable car rescue. She sees Stuart with Tom’s things and tells him that she is the practice nurse at The Beeches and asks if she should take Tom’s things, Stuart says yes and hands her Tom’s jacket. Claire gets back into her car and removes all the possessions from Tom’s jacket, she throws them all onto the backseat except his phone, which she places in the glove box – next to the gun.
Alex and Joe arrive at Marchmont House and Alex tells the guests that there will be a slight delay. Claire watches from the grounds and sends Alex a text from Tom’s phone asking her to meet him at the front of the house in five minutes. Alex ushers the guests into the house and tells them she and Tom will be with them in 10 minutes. She takes Joe and heads for the front of the house where she is surprised to see Claire. Claire tells her to get in to the car but Alex refuses. Claire then produces the gun and inadvertently comments on the welfare of Joe.
Tom is taken up to the cable cars where Matt is pleased to see him. Tom gets into the cable car and helps Matt revive Mike after he suffers an arrest. Much to Matt’s horror they are carried down to the ground by ropes when it is clear the cable cars won’t be moving for another few hours. Tom prepares to go to the wedding as Matt travels with Mike in the ambulance.
Will decides he will go to the wedding. When he arrives at Marchmont House he is horrified to find Joe alone in the car park screaming. Will picks him up and takes him into the waiting congregation where he asks where Tom and Alex are.
Despite the complications Mike is still determined to cross the finishing line of the run and persuades Matt to help him. Together with the paramedics Matt wheels Mike to the finishing line but Mike still insists he crosses the final line alone. Matt reluctantly gives in and Mike crosses the line alone.
Tom asks Stuart where his jacket is and is horrified to find out that Claire has taken it. He calls Alex’s mobile but gets no answer when Claire grabs the mobile off Alex and chucks it out of the car window. Claire still has the gun firmly in her grip but tells Alex shooting her is open to negotiation. Claire parks the car near a quarry, she and Alex then get out of the car and Claire drags Alex to the edge of the cliff, forcing her to look at the water filled quarry below.
Will, Kerri, Leanne and Shaun search the grounds for Tom and Alex but they are nowhere to be found. Tom arrives and asks where Alex is. Will says they don’t know and Leanne adds that Alex went to meet him after she received his message. Tom says he didn’t send Alex any message but then realises what has happened and tells them it’s Claire.
Claire tells Alex she was going to shoot Tom to punish her but hen realised that is was between she and Alex and not Tom. Tom’s mobile rings and Claire answers it. It’s Tom. He asks to speak to Alex but Claire refuses and tells him Alex is a little toied up at present. She hands Alex the phone and tells her to tell Tom where they are. Alex tells Tom they are at Marchmont Quarry and tells him that Claire has a gun. Claire takes the phone from her and hrows it into the quarry below. Tom prepares to go to the quarry but Will tells him to waot for the police. Tom says he cant – Claire ahs a gun.
Claire tells Alex she came to Cardale because of her. Alex tells her she put her neck on the block for her by asking Will and Tom to give her the job as practice nurse. Claire says she turned her back on her by digging up the marines body when all she did was her best. Claire says she put him out of his misery and admits she killed him. However she says before the helicopter crash Alex kissed her just like she did in Kosovo. Alex tells her that was a long time ago when her marriage was a mess and Claire just happened to be there. Claire tells Alex she fell in love with her and believes Alex was and is in love with her too. Alex tells her no, she’s not in love with her she’s in love with Tom.
As Will and Tom approach the scene, Claire tells Alex that shooting her is no longer negotiable. As Will and Tom near, Claire grabs Alex and forces her to the floor. She aims the gun at Tom but Alex gets up and pulls her arm down. Claire knocks Alex to the ground. Tom gets out of the car and runs to where Alex and Claire are, Claire fires several shots and shoots Tom. Alex cries his name as Will moves towards him. Will and Tom take cover behind a rock and Tom tells Will to help Alex.
Will gets up and tells Claire not to shoot. He moves towards her and tells her she has damaged so many people including herself. He tells her whatever she does she can never be Alex. He tells her to put the gun down. As he edges closer to her Claire throws the gun behind her.
WILL: You can’t be someone else. You can shoot Alex, you can kill Tom, you can kill me – but you can never be Alex
Claire moves towards Alex and tells her she loves her. She pulls Alex towards the edge of the cliff and jumps, taking Alex with her. Will and Tom can only watch in horror as Alex and Claire fall off the cliff face…
The End.
Peak Practice 1993 – 2002
