Title: Too Little. Too Late.

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: The pieces of the puzzle begin to come together and finally the case comes out of limbo. There'll probably only be one or two more chapters after this one. Three more at most so I can move on to more stories.

Thanks to 'Abbie Carmichael' for reminding me to put a warning on this story. I've been meaning to do it for a while but keep forgetting to. But I've done it now as you've probably seen.

The song is 'Breathe No More' by Evanescence.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the storylines on the show. I do, however, own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence. I do not own the song used in this chapter either.

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Chapter Seven: Invisibility.

I've been looking in the mirror for so long

That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side

All the little pieces fallen, shatter

Shards of me, too sharp to put back together

Too small to matter

But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces

If I try to touch her and I bleed, I bleed

And I breathe, I breathe no more

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirit's well

Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child

Lie to me, convince me that I've been sick forever

And all of this will make sense when I get better

I know the difference between myself and my reflection

I just can't help but to wonder

Which of us do you love so I bleed, I bleed

And I breathe, I breathe no

Bleed, I bleed

And I breathe, I breathe

I breathe, I breathe no more

Olivia lay on Casey's couch listening to the stereo which had just turned itself on loudly. She didn't know what the song was or who sang it but it was depressing her. She couldn't help but listen to all of it though and waited 'til it had finished before turning off the stereo. She headed into Casey's bathroom. When she came out she found Casey jiggling in the hallway. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The redhead looked like a five-year-old child busting for a pee. Casey muttered something as she pushed past Olivia that sounded suspiciously like 'F-off' before shutting the door. Olivia laughed again and went to get a glass of water. She felt surprisingly calm after revealing her biggest secret to Casey the night before. She had hidden it for so long that finally letting it out felt like the weight of the world had lifted off her shoulders. And she had to admit that that felt pretty damn good.

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"Janine. How are you?" Olivia asked politely.

"Good thank you detective. How are you?" Janine replied.

"Fine thank you. This is our Assistant District Attorney, Casey Novak. Novak this is Janine Ellington," Olivia introduced.

"Hello Mrs. Ellington," Casey said politely.

"Hi," Janine was looking at them suspiciously now. "Why is she here?"

"Because," Olivia paused. "You are now the main suspect in the murder of Alleigh Halloway," she told her.

"What!" Janine asked. "Why!" she shot a nasty look toward where Catriona was waiting with a young set of identical twin girls.

"A source gave us some information," Olivia told her.

"Cat told you didn't she?" she sighed. "Poor kid, I should never have told her. It must have been eating her up. Ok can we go somewhere more private?" she asked. Olivia and Casey led her into an interrogation room.

"I'd advise you to call your lawyer before we go any further," Casey told her.

"I don't have a lawyer and I don't want one," Janine told her.

"Tell us what happened Janine," Olivia hit the record button on the voice recorder.

"It was at Catriona's party three weeks ago. She had a few friends over. Bridgette; Alleigh; Kelly Reynolds; Marissa Davidson; and Loren Hayes. After all of the other girls had gone to sleep I found Alleigh sitting in the hall, crying…

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"Alleigh? What's the matter sweetheart" Janine sat down beside the girl.

"It's nothing Mrs. Ellington. Just nothing," Alleigh replied, sniffling quietly.

"If it's nothing then why are you crying?" Janine asked, slipping an arm around Alleigh. "Alleigh, if something is wrong you can tell me. Anything you say will be in complete confidence. I swear I won't tell a soul," Janine coaxed.

"Pinkie swear?" Alleigh asked with a little smile. She and Janine shook pinkie fingers.

"Now, what's got you so blue?" Janine asked.

"My life in general. I hate it so much!" Alleigh burst into tears.

"Why do you hate your life?" Janine saw a look of absolute despair in Alleigh's eyes. "What happened to you Alleigh?" she asked.

"Daddy told me I couldn't tell," Alleigh whispered.

"Tell what? Did he do something to you Alleigh?" Janine asked sharply.

"N-not Daddy," Alleigh told her.

"Who, Alleigh? Who?" Janine asked.

"Uncle Stephen," Janine barely heard the answer she whispered so quietly.

"What did he do? Did he touch you?" Janine asked. Alleigh shook her head. "Did he hit you? What Alleigh?"

"He raped me," Alleigh started to sob uncontrollably. Janine put both of her arms around the child and held Alleigh's head against her shoulder.

"Oh Alleigh. Did you tell someone?" Janine asked, barely in control of her own emotions.

"Just Daddy. He messed Uncle Stephen up pretty bad. He said not to tell anyone and that it wouldn't ever happen again," Alleigh was beginning to calm in Janine's arms. "I don't want to be alive anymore. I just want to die," Alleigh murmured. "I just want to die."

"You don't want to die honey. It just feels that way sometimes," Janine whispered.

"I was raped by my uncle. My daddy told me it was over and that I wasn't allowed to tell a soul, so I had to get over it myself because a 'soul' involves any kind of therapist or counselor. I have been cutting myself and breaking my own bones for the last five years. My mom says I'm just an attention seeking little bitch and a disgrace to the family. I say I love you to my parents every night but I haven't heard either of them say it back to me in at least seven years. So don't you tell me that I don't want to die. Because I do want to die. I want nothing to do with this life anymore. I have nothing left to live for. I want nothing more than to kill myself. All I need is someone to help me so that it looks like I was murdered. So I don't disgrace my family anymore than I apparently already have," Alleigh sounded so much older and so jaded in that moment…

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"She was so desperate. I told her I'd help her," Janine sobbed brokenly in the interrogation room. "She just seemed so desolate. I knew that if I didn't help her then she'd just find someone else who would. So I helped her. We went to their house. The separate shed doesn't lock so we decided to do it there. Do you know what the last thing Alleigh said to me was?" Janine asked.

"What?" Casey asked softly.

"Thank-you Mrs. Ellington. You saw me when no-one else did. Now at least I know that I wasn't totally invisible. Tell the girls I'll miss 'em." Janine could barely speak now. "And then I smothered her. Y'know what else?" she asked through her sobs.

"What?" Olivia asked her voice shaking.

"I don't even feel guilty. Because when I looked at that perfect little girl laying there on the floor, I knew that for the first time in her life she was in peace. For the first time in 14 years she wasn't invisible anymore."

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