Gabby groaned moving her head back down to the couch cushion trying hard to keep herself away from the worries of the outside world.

"So does that mean your not going to tell me what happened tonight?" he asked his voice a bit playful but also full of concern.

She looked up at him again and tried so hard to stay quiet, to hold everything she was feeling inside. He and Keith were the only ones who knew the whole story; she had made sure of that.

Gabby walked into Keith's office, champagne in hand, she turned around and shot a smile toward Veronica before closing the door.

"Gabby, what brings you by?" he asks in his usually cheery voice.

"Come to talk to a man about a problem" she smiled "and also give you this." She says handing over the bottle, he takes it smiling thankfully before placing it in his drawer.

"So what seems to be the problem?" he asks a little concerned.

"This is really hard for me to tell you…" she started turning her head away from him and trying to sum the courage to go on. "I really don't know how to start" she says getting up and looking out the window hoping that something might help her. After a couple of seconds she finally decides the best way to start.

She walks over to the side of Keith's desk, he turns his chair to face her, confusion masking his features. She turns around again so her back is to him yet stays in her place, reaching down to the hem of her shirt she begins to pull it up.

"Gabby what are you….." he trails off when he sees the damage covering the smooth tan skin of her back. There were dozens of long slashes and small circular burns. "Oh Gabby" he expresses tears evident in his voice, and having just a hard of a time coming up with words as she did.

"He started when we were 8, Logan accidentally dropped one of his awards and broke off the arm of the little figure. Logan went to the hospital after Aaron slammed him so hard into the wall that he snapped the bone" she said holding back a sob. She let down her shirt and took her seat in front of Keith's desk.

"Gabby, honey why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked.

"We were just a couple of snotty little brats in LA, who was going to believe that the up and coming star of 'the long haul' was beating his children?" she said a tear slipping down her cheek.

"What about Lynn" he asked still shocked.

"Mr. Mars please don't play dumb, you know as well as I do that my mom has a problem" she says holding her hand up in a drinking gesture.

"I…I don't see what I can do….. This is something you need to go to the police with"

"No offense Mr. Mars but the legal system around here is a joke, I don't trust Lamb with a donut let alone my problems. That's why I came here" she says looking at him again.

"I don't see what you want me to do" he said still confused.

"I need you to help me gather evidence, anything and everything that they will need to send him away for a very long time." She said, with no remorse in her voice, she had lost all love for the man she had once called her father.

"I will get started as soon as possible and I will keep you updated with everything I find." He said. "But I would like to bring someone from the sheriffs department in on this, just to keep things safe"

"As long as it is not lamb." She said with a tight smile.

"Right" he smiled back, before he got serious again. "I need to know something before we go on" he said a little queasy at where his mind was going.

"Anything"

"Has Aaron ever…. Abused you in any other ways" he asked swallowing hard,

She closed her eyes for a second, took a breath before looking back up at Keith. "No he never hurt me like that" she assured him.

"Okay then, you and Logan come by in a couple of days and we will get all the information we will need to start" he said.

"Logan doesn't know I am here" she answered wincing a bit. "I kind of want to keep him out of this for now, just until everything is collected." She said.

"Why doesn't Logan know?"

"Because if Aaron finds out what we are doing….I don't want to know what he will do…. But I know that he will be worse to Logan he is the…"

"…boy" Keith admitted shaking his head slightly. Gabby nodded.

She got up from her seat and made her way to the door, she took a deep breath to compose herself and threw on a huge award winning smile.

"now you remember to come to the Christmas party, it aint a party without the sheriff in town" she joked as Keith walked towards her and gave her a hug. She held back the tears just a bit longer missing the interaction between Keith and Veronica, then cited some excuse and rushed from the building.

When in her car she finally broke down letting out all the tears he had been holding back for so long. When she was done she felt another emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. Hope. Because now she had someone on her side.

She hadn't known what was in store for her when she came by two days later, she brought a bag full of evidence she had collected, not anything big, and most would be thrown away as circumstantial in a court room.

When she walked into his office she breathed a sigh of relief that Veronica was not there, this wasn't surprising though she knew that Veronica had Pep Squad after school on Wednesdays and she knew that they had at least two hours before she would get there.

"Yo Keith lets get this party started" she stated walking into his office. She stalled in place when she saw a gorgeous guy sitting in the chair by Keith. He had short blackish brown hair and a gorgeous pair of brown eyes; he was built and had an Italian look to him.

"Sorry didn't know you had a client I will be out here" she said turning around to leave.

"No Gabby, this is the person I was telling you about the one from the sheriffs department that will be helping us with the case." Keith stated. "Deputy Leo, this is Gabby Echolls" he said motioning toward the two.

"Hi" she said taking Leo's outstretched hand.

"Hi, I am sorry to hear about your situation" he said.

"Its alright, nothing that cant be cured with sweet justice and a couple years of therapy" she joked.

He laughed at that and she couldn't help but notice the cute little dimple that formed on his right cheek. 'Not the time Gabby' she yelled at herself before taking a seat across from them.

"So where do we start" she asked.

"Well we need to take some photos for evidence." Keith said a little hesitantly.

Gabby wasn't at all surprised, this was the first step in all the cases she had ever seen on SVU and other cop shows. She was also prepared. She got up and turned around lifting up the sides of her shirt. She had on a sports bra to help calm down Keith' s anxious look.

Keith decided to leave the room leaving the young deputy to take care to the evidence.

He pulled out the camera and moved around the desk to get a better angle. She unzipped the back of the bra and held the front material against her chest. She closed her eyes tight as he started clicking away.

When he was down he placed a heart felt hand on her should rubbing it softly, he then moved his hands down and zipped back up the back of her bra. She pulled down her shirt and turned around looking at the young cop. He smiled a reassuring gesture causing her to smile in return. They called Keith inside and set out to work.

"I came home this afternoon and I lost it, I heard him and Logan and I just couldn't stand by, I wouldn't let myself." She choked out. "I cant even remember what happened, but I was standing in the room and looking down at Aaron's body on the floor and I freaked and….." she stopped reaching her arms out and pulling on him to embrace her. He did pulling his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"Oh baby, I am so sorry you had to go through that" he said stroking her hair. "But people are looking for you, they are concerned." He said a little shaken by her confession.

"I know but can we just sit here for a little while." She asked sounding so small and weak.

He just nodded his head pulling her legs over his so she was situated safely in his lap. "I Love you Gabby" he admitted. She looked up at him her eyes filled with tears, and he was scared he had pushed her too far, but all he could think was that in this horrible night she needed something good to happen.

Before he had another second to think that it was a mistake she had captured his lips with hers and had moved them back onto the couch until she was straddling him, one leg on either side of his waist.

She pulled at his shirt pulling it over his head before taking his lips again. She needed this, she needed him.

"Gabby" he stated trying to stop her when her small hands made an attempt at pulling down his sweat pants.

"I need this" she said looking at him pleading. They had yet to get this intimate and he knew she was a virgin, something she had protected for so long and she was willing to give it to him. She then looked serious before admitting "I love you too, I think I have since we first met"

With this he pulled her closer taking her lips into a dazzling kiss, making her breathless.

Just then his phone rang, they tried to ignore it and it ended up going to the machine. "Leo I know your there and I am hoping Gabrielle is with you, everyone is really scared, please bring her home" Keith said into the phone before hanging up.

"I guess it is time to face the music" she said getting up and pulling on her shirt. She was calm now, and tried hard to hold onto that composure.

He came up behind her slinking his arms around her waist, and gently kissing her neck. "Its over now, he cant hurt you now" he said into her ear.

"Its over" she agreed, they walked out of the apartment and into his car, making their way to the mansion, and all the people who mattered.