(A/N: Chapter 10… I'm a tad excited about this one!)

Carly's POV: (this is set the night Freddie and Sam stayed at the motel.)

I was sitting on the couch. The TV was on but I wasn't paying attention to it. I never did these days. Its sole attraction being a conversation stopper. I was looking at what I was holding in my hands. It made me sick. Twirling my biggest mistake through my fingers thinking… naivety. I'd said that word so many times in the last year that I didn't understand it anymore. How ironic. But there wasn't much I could do about it now.

It was times like this. When I had the apartment to myself that I thought about my life as a third party. Looking over my life like a doctor looking for disease. I think what if… and that, that small moment of hope is what kills me every morning. And yet I couldn't end the day without it. I wasn't sure if I was even sane anymore. My reactions had changed, my demeanor had changed. I just prayed every night as I curled up in bed that my realization of that fact was my tie to normalcy… if my only.

Looking back down at my hands I placed the mistake in my pocket. Hiding it from view. Just then the door opened and in walked Gavin.

'Hey babe' he said as he walked to me and kissed me on the cheek. 'Why aren't you dressed?' he asked me. I had completely forgotten he wanted to have his friends over. '

'Umm I was cleaning' it was a lie but I prayed he bought it. He looked around the room and then back at me. Staring me down with his cold eyes. I tried and for once was successful at holding back my flinch.

'Get dressed' he said in a harsh tone and then walked to the fridge. He was getting a beer. Typical. I left him to it and went up stairs to change. I had a shower. I was in the shower when it came over me. The heavy lump in my stomach churning. I felt so sick. Running out of the shower I made it to the toilet just in time to watch everything I had eaten that day run down the sides of the bowl. And then nothing. When I was empty I washed my mouth. Normally when I was sick like this I would feel sick but I didn't. I was perfectly fine now, as if I hadn't just regurgitated my stomach lining….weird.

When I got out of the shower I did my hair. Put on my make-up and slid into my dress. Then I went downstairs. When I got to the lounge room Gavin was on the couch with David. His best friend and the biggest sleaze if I ever met one. I watched as he raked me with his eyes. Then saying something to Gavin which made him laugh and look at me hungrily. I walked into the kitchen; I put on my apron and began making dinner. It was going to be a long night.

Freddie's POV:

'You should have turned left there!'

'I did turn left'

'The other left, look just turn here and chuck a u'ie' (A/N: u'ie = U-Turn. I wasn't sure if that was an aussie thing or not so just to be safe.)

'That's one way Sam!'

'Whatever give me a minute. What street are we on?'

'What do you mean what street are we on? You're the one giving me directions!'

'Why are you yelling at me!'

'Because you're incompetent! Look why don't we just stop for directions.'

'Stop being such a women Benson we don't need Directions!'

'Ok I swear we've past that coffee shop before!'

'Yeh we have. That's not good'

'Ya think?'

'Watch it Benson!'

'You watch it!'

'No you loser. The lights green!'

'Shut up. I knew that!'

'Yes I could see that by the way the car was stationary and the guy behind us told you where you can put it!'

'That's it I'm pulling over!'

'Oh here we go'

I pulled the car over. Sam and I had been bickering like that for the last half an hour trying to find Spencer's stupid gallery.

'Look' said Sam in what I presumed was her calm voice 'I know where we are. I'm sure it's just down the road.'

'I'm still asking for directions' I replied. Sam had already sent us on this goose chase for half an hour. I wasn't going to start listening to her now! I got out of the car and walked into the small antique shop I had parked in front of. Making my way through the piles of expensive junk I finally found the counter and not so surprisingly the old women running the store. She was short and plump with oversized glasses that magnified her eyes. She looked like a fly.

'Good morning sir, can I help you?'

I could hear Sam behind me sigh. 'Yes I'm looking for the ShayArts Gallery. Do you know where I can find it?'

She smiled at me. 'Oh yes it's about 5 stores up the road. This side.'

'Thank you.' I turned and walked passed the smirking Sam out onto the busy street again.

'I told you so!' she said following me up the road, jogging to keep up. She was still smirking when we reached the gallery. I didn't go in though. I dunno why I paused but it finally hit me why we were there, what we were doing. Sam must have noticed my hesitation; she put her hand on my shoulder. 'You ok?' she asked me.

'I guess. It's just. I always hoped it wouldn't come to this you know?'

'Yeh, but just think, soon we'll be rid of the douche bag and we'll have Carly back.' I looked down at her smile. 'So come on' she said. Grabbing my hand and dragging me through the door. A normal person on a normal day would have stopped to admire the pieces but Sam and I moved through the gallery with eyes for only one man. He was leaning against the wall at the far back of the gallery next to a sculpture of what I presumed to be a tree made of forks. He was talking to a blonde woman in a business suit. Probably a buyer. Before I could halt again Sam's grip on my hand tightened and she dragged us towards Spencer. 'Excuse us' she said to the women in the most charming voice I'd ever heard her use and dragged Spencer away.

'Hey! What do you th-….Freddie?... Sam?' not surprisingly he looked more shocked by her presence then mine. He stared at the both of us wide eyed. Sam just smirked.

'Ta-da!' she smiled quickly and then frowned seriously 'we need to talk… now!' she said gesturing to the blonde.

'Look guys…' he looked between us with a mixture of happiness and annoyance. This must have been an important woman he was talking to. 'It's nice to see you but I'm really busy. How bout I give you my address and you can come by later tonight.'

Before I could answer though Sam jumped in again. 'No Spencer we need to talk to you now. It's about Carly.' This time he seemed to get the picture. He nodded and turned back to the woman. Dismissing her he gave her a card, probably his business card and she left with a smile. Then he turned back to us. Gesturing to the sofa seats in the middle of the gallery. Walking towards them I noticed that the gallery was empty now. at least we would be having this conversation in private.

'What's wrong with Carly?' he asked as we sat down. I could see the worry starting to take residence on his face.

'Well it's not really her that's the problem more so Gavin.' I answered.

'Gavin? Gavin who?'

Me and Sam exchanged looks. 'Her boyfriend' Sam said confused. 'He lives with her in the apartment.'

'What!? Since when? I told her she wasn't aloud to have people move in without my permission. I'm the one paying for the place!'

Sam looked at me to answer. 'Yeh he is older then her, 23 and he's really bad for her. But she won't leave him.'

'Yeh he's a psycho, been in jail. Takes drugs, and hits her! But she just won't leave him. So we've come to you. Surly you can help, right?' Sam looked at him, almost pleading in her question with her eyes.

Spencer didn't answer. He stood up and started passing. He was thinking and muttering to himself. I thought he was going into shock. I know I would be I were him. Carly was always the perfect child. And now she needed to be saved from an abusive relationship she was persistent in keeping. Almost like she was addicted or something. How ironic that the drugie becomes the drug.

'How long did you say he's been living there?' he asked after a minutes pacing.

'About a year. She stopped talking to me because of him about 5 months ago.'

Spencer took a deep breath and sat down again. 'Ok ill take the rest of the week off. I'm going home. I have to sort this out. No sister of mine is going to waste her life with an egomaniac asshole.'

'I'm sure if she were here she'd say thank you' said Sam in what I presumed to be a comforting tone.

'Yeh well it goes for you too.' He smiled at her. She wouldn't admit it but I could have sworn I saw her blush.

(A/N: I have worked out that I'm the worst person for deadlines. As soon as I set them for myself I condemn myself to break them. So from now on there will be no chapter timing. They will appear randomly as they have been from the start lol. In other news ;) I tried to make Spencer sound a bit mature then he is in the show. It seemed right to me that now he was living flash in L.A and a known artist he would have matured a fair bit. Tell me what you think of it and if I wrote it ok. Plus any guess as to what Carly's big mistake is… if you guess right I'm not gonna let you know cuz it'll ruin it but I still wanna see your guesses. XD My this is long. Ill end now.

REVIEW… it makes me smile XD )