It's a short chapter - it has to be. I'm unsure of this, very unsure, but i got pretty emotional writing it, and it is quite a special chapter to me. This is for Hayley (OutCold) and Hannah (YouGottaSingAlong) because they are going away for a couple of days and i'll miss them like hell. Although they'll probably only read this when they get back... Hope you like it.

The moment was shattered like a pane of glass falling and breaking into a million pieces, when two shots rang out. The smile on Elena's face was stopped suddenly, as the bullet jolted her small body and she crumpled to the floor.

Chapter 26

"No!" Brennan's blood chilling scream rang out across the hallway as she ran to Elena's side; she lay there broken on the ground. Soft, pretty curls strewn around her head, her light blue glassy eyes fluttered trying to focus on her Tempe, but closed and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

"No," she screamed again, tears flowing as freely as a waterfall down her cheeks.

"Come on butterfly," she whispered, "Come on sweetheart," She cried.

A couple more shots rang out, but that didn't matter, nothing except the beautiful, china doll like six year in front of her mattered.

"Please," she whispered softly, tears still flowing, "I can't lose you too,"

Elena's eyes fluttered open, her once bright shining eyes were dulling, but they still pierced Brennan's, "love you," she whispered softly, the air passing out softly, fluidly through her dry cracked lips, and then she was gone.

"No, no, no…" Brennan said desperately, a hand on one of Elena's delicate cheeks, "Come back, please Elena come back, come back," she sobbed.

Staring down at her face, getting paler by the second, memories flashed in her minds eye, beautiful, heartbreaking memories, when she first found her, and the way Elena had clung onto her, the way she'd come in and slept cuddled up to her, the way she'd been there to hold her hand when she had to recount what had happened. That happy sketch that Angela had done. She'd looked so… full of life. So alive, so sparkling, precious.

She was.

She is.

It wasn't fair, the memories she had were beautiful, but they weren't enough. She wanted more. She wanted to have more. With all of them.

This, this wasn't right, her lying here before her, dead or dying, and turning colder by the second. Her sobbing uncontrollably, letting the pain take her over, consume her guilty body and mind. There could be a chance, but she knew that someone had already called for an ambulance.

Her thumb traced the outline of Elena's jaw as she begged her again and again to wake up.

She was briefly aware of Booth coming over, and pressing down on the bullet wound that had torn a hole in her tiny chest.

She's been so perfect. Obviously too perfect.

There was blood, too much blood.

She couldn't be gone, she just couldn't.

Because Brennan could already feel it. It had crept up on her from the moment the little girl's body had jolted, and the shots had rung out.

That feeling, like she was dying inside.

Booth had rescued her last time, but if she lost Elena, she knew deep down there would be no going back.

She felt like it was dark, all around her, and the rain was pounding down and she was in the sea, being tossed about by the crashing waves, and she was drowning.

Life wasn't fair.

This evil man had ripped her heart out, and it hurt so much she couldn't breath, she couldn't think, all she could do was cry, sob desperately. Pray. And she never prayed. It was stupid, irrational but right now things weren't rational.

The pain she was feeling wasn't real, couldn't be real it was too excruciating to actually exist. She couldn't comprehend that people had actually felt it before.

The salty tears kept rolling and she could taste the occasional one on her tongue. So bitter, so salty.

Not sweet, and kind, and pure - like the girl laid down in front of her.

"Come on," she whispered for the billionth time, urgently.

"Come on Elena," she begged, sobbing.

"I love you," she whispered, more inevitable tears overflowing.

"I love you so much."

What do you think? Please review, i agonized over this. I know there are 152 people who have me on alert for this, and 88 who have favorited, and this is an important chapter, i still haven't decided what to do with Elena and trust me when i say your review really could make all the difference. How much do you love Elena?

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