They'd been sat outside the district for the past half an hour, Stella telling Kelly she needed a minute when they'd first arrived, the woman beside him not making any movement since, and barely saying a word each time he'd asked her if she was ready. Her focus on the door as people went about their days, the nervous energy coming from her settling in the air around them.

It had been nearly four weeks since Stella had been beaten by Grant, since that day that had changed everything. Almost four weeks since Kelly had realized just what issues she had been dealing with at home. It was just over a ten days since she'd woken up and only a day since she'd gotten home from the hospital. She'd already confided in Severide some of the unthinkable things her husband had bestowed on her, she already disclosed the events of the night that landed her in the hospital, that had put her in a coma to the police but today she was going to have to speak about it all, lay it all on the table and officially press charges against the man a part of her still loved. And sitting here now, in his car outside the police station there was a large part of her that couldn't help but blame the drugs, he'd been ok before he got hooked, before he'd got knocked off his bike and become addicted to the painkillers. A part of him had always been possessive and controlling but he'd never hurt her before the drugs, if she could just get him off them then they could go back to normal, couldn't they?

"Are you ready?" Kelly asked again gently, placing his hands on hers.

"I.." She swallowed thickly the nerves she felt increasing more and more as the clock slowly ticked on by. "Ok."

"We can wait a bit, rearrange if you want to, Antonio will understand Gabby spoke with him already and he said he'd take it at your pace, if you're not ready we can go home."

"No," she said firmly, her strong voice taking them both by surprise, "Sorry. No if I don't do this now I may never do it."

Before Kelly could answer she was out of the car, standing on the sidewalk waiting for him to join her. Ripping open his own door open and locking up he quickly obliged, taking her hand again and slowing walking her towards the entrance, he could feel her tight grip against his hand and knew she was only still moving because he was. As they approached the door her movement all but stopped, the woman beside him taking deep breaths as he pushed the door open for her, holding it open as she moved slowly inside. Platt greeted them, the desk sergeant already aware of what had brought them to the twenty first without having to ask, she pressed the button under the front desk automatically buzzing them both upstairs, allowing them to get away from the prying eyes of the beat cops littering the entrance.

"Morning" Antonio greeted as they came into view at the top of the stairs, Stella's eyes downcast as the nerves took over her body. All eyes of the intelligence trained on the pair as they stood waiting for instructions.

"Hey" Kelly greeted back, extending his hand to shake his.

"Do you want to go sit in the break room, I'll be in, in a minute. I've just got to sort some bits out here, there's teas and coffee in there if you want anything ok? Just make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks man." Kelly said, moving them both across the ball pen, nodding at the other members of the team as they went.

It was long before Antonio joined them, Stella all but wearing a hole in the carpet as she paced backwards and forwards, Kelly doing all he could to try and keep her calm in the few short minutes they had been alone.

"So erm, Stella I need to record this, is that ok?" She nodded moving towards the seat next to Kelly, finally sitting herself down next to him, her hand clutching his again almost instantly. If Antonio didn't know otherwise he would have said they were a couple, the woman's need to be touching the firefighter almost over whelming. "Also I've asked detective Lindsay to sit in with us, is that ok?" Again she nodded in agreement, Antonio waving his colleague in and setting up the camera.

"Right so I need you to state your name and what you do ok?"

"My name's Stella Kidd and I'm a firefighter on truck eighty one at house fifty one."

"And what is your relationship to Grant Kidd?"

"He is my husband."

"Now Stella I know we asked you some question about the night of February 12th but it would be helpful if you could walk us through it again for us to tape it. That way if it ends up going to court we have it on tape and we may not have to call on you to testify."

Stella swallowed the lump forming in her throat, she'd know coming in today that they'd been recording it. That hadn't come as a surprise, Antonio had talked with her about the process at great length when they had set this meeting up. But although she had known it was still daunting, the young woman's mouth going dry at the thought of this tape being out there, out there for the judge and jury to see, the tape that would forever hold the truth of what she had been through. Everything she had been through and now that she was here and facing it she wasn't sure if she could do it. She wasn't sure if she could get the words out she needed to. Maybe Kelly had been right in his concerns that this was all happening too soon, maybe his fears were warranted, he had after all been with her there at the hospital, he had witnessed more than anyone how this was all affecting her. They'd talked a little about the abuse she'd suffered, she hadn't told him everything her fear of trusting people still deeply ingrained and that right there was the biggest issue she was facing in this moment. If she couldn't bring herself to trust Kelly, to tell him everything that had happened than why did she think she was going to be able to do this, why did she ever think that today would be anything more than her confirming she couldn't do this. Not now, she couldn't give her statement, she couldn't have that camera capturing everything that had happened to her.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, the woman practically flinging herself from her seat and running out of the room.

Kelly was up on his feet before he'd even registered what he was doing, his over protectiveness firing into action as he'd seen the near petrified look that had flashed across his friends face, the moment she'd realized what she was about to do clearly registering something inside her that had caused her to flee. The only issue was he had no idea where she'd gone. The intelligence unit wasn't huge, but had she stayed up here or had she fled to the street. The mans head racing as he stood frozen in the doorway trying to decide where to look first.

A hand resting on his shoulder snapped him out of his mental debate. Lindsay coming up behind him, the detective being able to see his dilemma without the need for words. "We'll find her Kelly, she just needs some time."

Severide nodded, his eyes darting around the room looking for any clue as to which direction his scared friend had gone. Kevin pointing towards the locker room answering Kelly's silent question of if anyone had any idea on which way she went.

"I can go if you like?" Erin said, her soft voice calming him slightly.

"No it's ok, I've got her" he said knowing that she was more likely to open up to him then anyone else here. He gave Erin a weak smile before making his way down the long corridor, the man stopping outside the small locker room. He knew she was in here, there was nowhere else she could have gone if she'd fled this way but he was met with complete silence when he walked into the room. His eyes darting around in search for her, nothing, he found nothing. Damn he thought, maybe Atwater was wrong, maybe she hadn't come this way, maybe she...

His thought were cut off when he heard it, the low sound of someone gasping for breath. His eyebrows furrowing in worry as he tried to find where the sound was coming from, his concern only growing when he heard it. The sound of someone screaming as if they were in immense pain, the sound of Stella's screams.

He'd heard her cry and whimper a lot recently, he heard her shout and scream in her sleep, he'd even seen her breakdown to the point of inconsolable tears but the sound that he heard leaving her body was something new, it was something he wished he'd never heard and it was certainly a sound he never ever wanted to hear from her again. He moved quickly through the small room, his eyes roaming each row before he found her right at the back of the room, squashed between the wall and trash can, her body crumpled tightly together. Her knees up against her chest, her head buried in them. She looked so small, tucked in the position she was, she looked so terrified, so hurt, so broken and he was sure he'd never seen anyone so broken as she looked right now. The pure sight of her crushing his own heart inside his chest, the painful cry escaping her lips hitting his ears again.

"Stella" he whispered approaching her carefully not wanting to make her jump, the fragile state she was already in scaring him. But it was like she didn't even acknowledge his presence, or if she did she was ignoring it. The woman so lost in her own grief he was sure she'd blocked out everything around her, the defensive walls she'd slowly been breaking down with him over the past week back up, her body tense, her knuckles white as her hands clutched to her knees so tightly. Carefully he rested his hand own her shoulder, the man still whispering her name softly along with many other comforting words and sounds. He knelt down in front of her as she slowly lifted her head, her watery eyes meeting his.

"I'm sorry" she said again, her voice shaking as she repeated the words she'd said before fleeing.

"Hey, hey" he said desperately trying to keep his own voice steady "you have nothing to be sorry for. Are you not ready?"

She shook her head.

"That's ok, if you're not ready we can do this another day. We don't have to do this yet, they have your written statement, that'll have to do for now."

"Thank you" she said, her voice so soft it was barely audible.

"Nothing to thank me for" he said pulling her into his chest, her body slowly untangling itself from the twisted position she'd got herself in. The tense feeling slowly melting as she allowed herself to be wrapped in his strong arms.

"I...I... I want to be ready" she whispered against him, the sound of her sadness breaking his heart all over again, "but I'm not sure I can do this... I don't know if I can press charges against him." she admitted, her confession catching him completely of guard.

"What" he said, his voice a lot louder than he had meant it to sound. He mentally kicked himself as he felt her body tense against him again.

"Sorry"

"No, no you have nothing to be sorry for" he reassured, his voice a lot softer than previously. "Tell me what's going on in there" he said tapping his finger against her head.

"I... I'm not sure I want to press charges, I know what he did was wrong.. I know it was all wrong everything he did, but I'm not strong enough Kelly. I can't do this, I can't sit in there and let them film me talking about everything he did, all the times he... everything he did. I can't do it, I'm not ready and I don't know if I ever will be. I just want to move on with my life, I just want to forget that it ever happened. I don't want to be with him... I can't be with him. We're toxic together but I don't know if I can send him to jail."

Her words took him off guard, she had been so determined earlier, so sure that she was ok to do this. And now? Now she was sitting here telling him that she wasn't even sure she wanted to press charges against him, the monster had almost killed her and she was debating whether she was doing something wrong. "Stella, I get your not ready, I know this is a lot. I know this is difficult, but you can't let him get away with this... with everything.. with the time he... when he got in your shower. I get it's tough, and I'll be here no matter what you decide. But maybe we should take sometime, maybe we should talk about it?"

"I don't know" she whispered, and he could hear just how unsure she was. His worst fear was coming true, he'd asked so many times if they were rushing her into this and now she was about ready to give up, to walk away, without making him pay for what he'd done.

"How about this, we don't do this today. We go get lunch with Gabby, we have a day just to chill and then tomorrow we can talk about it some more. Give you some time to not have to focus on it. And if you still feel like this then we can take it from there?"

He watched her think over his words, the woman awkwardly leaning into him as he tried to keep them both balanced. He watched her face contort and twist as a million different things ran across it, he watched her pull her lips in between her teeth, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she nodded her head. "Ok."

He wasn't sure if it was relief or fear that washed over him, maybe a bit of both but he knew one thing for sure he had never been prouder of the woman before him as he was right now. She was scared to death, he could see that, she was so scared but despite all of that she wasn't going to leap into anything, she wasn't going to let her fear completely derail the progress she'd already made. She was going to think it over, and as scary as it all was for her, she would face it. They would face it, together.

They sat together for a little while, a comfortable silence filling the air around them. He didn't want to rush her up off the floor, he knew she needed a minute, that this had all hit her head on today. And despite the lack of feeling in his lower limbs he would stay in this position for as long as she needed him to.

"Kelly"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go now please?"

"Sure, lets go talk to Antonio real quick and we'll get out of here ok?"

"Thanks" she smiled weakly, the two of them getting up slowly. Kelly offering his hand to her before they walk slowly back through to the bull pen, his legs tingling as the feeling came back to them.

"Hey guys" Antonio greeted as he saw them walking towards his desk, "everything ok?"

"Yeah, erm, this today.." Kelly started.

"Severide it's fine" Antonio cut him off, the detective sensing already that they wouldn't be getting any form of statement from the firefighter today. "Whenever you're ready Kidd ok?" he said, directing his question to her. The woman giving him a gentle nod in response. "There is no rush, take some time, work out your head and then we can do this if and when your ready. No one is going to force you to do anything before you're ready."

"Thank you" she whispered again, Kelly getting more and more concerned at her almost silent voice, he'd known her a long time and the only times he'd ever known her be this quiet was when she felt lost and trapped. Trapped of what she could and couldn't say, so she said nothing at all. Her eyes were focused on her feet, her closed off demeanor worrying even more than the quiet tone of her voice.

"Ok, well we're going to get out of here. I'll call you in a couple of days." Antonio nodded his head in understanding, offering the squad lieutenant a small smile as he watched the two firefighters leave the room, their bodies slowly descending down the stairs and out of the station.

"How'd it go" Gabby says the moment she brings her phone up to her ear, the PIC of fifty one shocked to be hearing from him so quickly, she knew they weren't going to the station until nine thirty and it was just after ten now, she didn't imagine that it would only take half an hour for Stella to list the things she needed to. The woman knowing that the earlier than she expected phone calls wasn't a good sign. And if her head hadn't told her the deep breath she heard Kelly take did.

"It didn't" he breathed out.

"What? What do you mean?"

"She clammed up, she couldn't do it." He said the pain in his voice seeping through. "She ran out of the room the minute Antonio asked her to recall the events of that night for the camera, I don't now what happened. I don't know if it was the camera, or the sheer fact it's too soon, but she couldn't do it."

"Kelly, what does this mean? What happens now?" She asked, her concern for not only her friend on the other line but the woman he was currently with. The toll this had already taken on them obvious for everyone around them to see, she'd seen the tired look in both of their eyes, the pain and hurt all this was stirring up and as much as she understood that Stella was finding it difficult she couldn't understand why she wouldn't speak.

"I don't know Gabs" he said the clear frustration he was feeling ringing true in her ears. "I told her we'd come and meet you for lunch, well it'll be more like brunch now and we wouldn't think on it today. Just give her some time to get her head on straight and decide what she wants to do without the police or us asking her for more than shes capable of at the moment."

"Kelly.."

"No Gabs, if she isn't ready, she's not ready. And I'll be thankful if you don't push her about it!" The accusatory tone in his voice leaving her slightly stunned, the usually feisty woman humming in response. "I mean it Gabs, do not bring it up to her today, she's been through enough."

"I know! I was there at her beside with you.. I know." She pushed out through gritted teeth.

"Good, so you understand."

"So where am I meeting you?" she asked knowing there was nothing else for them to discuss about the matter that had them on different sides of the fence they all seemed to be sitting on.

"How about the pancake house down the road from your place?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Cool, see you in thirty minutes."

"Yeah, see you then." she replied, Kelly starting to move the phone away from his ear before her voice stopped him, "...and erm Kelly?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For being with her, for having her. For just well erm everything your doing without being all Severide on her."

Her playful teasing tone at the end of her sentence bringing out a genuine smile on his face, something he hadn't had for a few days at least. "Of course." he replied before saying his goodbyes, the man taking a deep breath before pulling the drivers door open to his car, her eyes watching him as he got in and started the engine.

"Everything ok?" Stella asked after a few moments of tense silence, Kelly focusing on the road ahead as he pulled away from the curb.

"Yea, everything's good. I thought we'd go to the pancake house near Gabby and Matt's, she's going to meet us there."

"Sounds good" she replied weakly, her gaze focusing out of the window and at the passing buildings. She knew she shouldn't have walked out of the station, she shouldn't be questioning whether or not she was making the right choice in pressing charges, she knew Kelly thought she should. She knew he wanted her too, but she couldn't do it for him, she couldn't do it for anyone, it had to be because of her, it had to be her decision and right now she was battling with herself. Just as she had that morning, just how she'd shut down the minute she touched on a subject she didn't want to get into, she'd shut down and they'd let him go. They'd let him go and hours later he was putting her in a coma, he was beating her and leaving her for dead. She'd told them about the yelling, she'd told them about the smashing of things, she told them almost everything but she'd stopped herself uttering the words of what happened next. What happened after he dragged her in that room, in the room that was theirs. She couldn't do it, she couldn't say the words and she'd shut down. But that had only spurred him on... hadn't it? He'd escalated, he'd come to Molly's everyone had watched him pull her into the street, watched him knock her to the floor. That had been the beginning, the beginning of his rage.

Salty tears began to run down her face, the firefighter taking slow breaths as she thought over everything. She knew that by not making her statement, by not telling the police everything he'd be free to walk. Without her statement no judge would prosecute him, there wasn't enough evidence, their wasn't a chance he'd serve time Not on just the one incident, not when his word was the polar opposite to hers. There was no proof it was at his hands she'd suffered in that apartment, there was no proof, it was her word against his. And she knew better than anyone how well he could cover himself when needed. The man being a pro at convincing people that it was Stella that was crazy, that it was her that caused all their issues, it was her that shouted and screamed. Without everything else, they had nothing, nothing more than a he said, she said. Sure everyone at Molly's had seen the altercation, the scene he'd caused but he hadn't actually laid his hands on her there, the push he gave her towards the car that resulted in her hitting the ground could easily be passed away as an accident. And hadn't she already backed out once? The police wouldn't wait forever, they wouldn't leave him out on bail forever.

Her eyes fell closed as she tried to calm herself down, her head beginning to pound. All this worrying, this fear, this constant not knowing what to do was rendering her with a almost constant headache, she'd had one almost all the time since she'd first woken from her coma. Something she wasn't sure if she should be worried about or not. She knew headaches weren't uncommon after suffering a head injury, but she also knew they were anything but a good sign when they lasted this long. She knew she should probably say something to Kelly, the man who she'd been leaning on would want to know.

"Do you have any ibuprofen?" she asked quietly turning her head to face him slightly, the worried look that flashed across his face telling her that he'd been watching her get lost in her thoughts as he'd driven.

"In the glove box" he said, pointing towards the small compartment in front of her.

"Thanks" she said opening it up and taking the small package out.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, it's just a headache, nothing some ibuprofen and food won't help." she said brushing him off. Despite her earlier thoughts about telling him, she couldn't, not when she'd seen that look flash across his face. He was already worried about her and she didn't want to add anything else into the mix, it was just a headache. Probably brought on from the crying she'd done earlier. It was nothing, she was probably a bit dehydrated she thought as she popped the pills into her mouth, swigging a them back with a drink of water from the bottle beside her.

It wasn't long before they were pulling up outside the pancake house, Kelly spotting Gabby's car and pulling in behind her. The friends exiting their respective vehicles before heading across the street together. The look Dawson was giving the woman between them not going missed by the squad lieutenant, who gave her a pointed look, silently telling her to stop it before she even started.

"Table for three?" The waitress named Philly asked.

"Please" Kelly said, nodding in response. The three friends following her through the diner and into a booth towards the back, Kelly ordering a coffee for himself, Stella and Gabby saying they'd have the same.

There was a silence around them as they sat reading over the menus, none of them really focused on the words in front of them, Gabby desperately trying to respect Kelly's wishes of allowing the woman across from her some time, but as she sat there watching her faff with the menu, the firefighter's arms still both in cast from wrist to forearm she was finding it difficult. The anger she felt towards the man that had made those casts necessary almost winning out against her need to keep the peace. She knew it would do no good to get into it with Stella in front of Kelly. The man had made his feelings known and she knew that he would chew her out the minute she dared approach the subject, he'd go to town on her for even uttering anything to do with it so she kept silent. Biting down roughly on her tongue when she watched Stella battle with adding her own sugar to the coffee that had just been placed in front of her, the simple action being hindered by her repairing bones.

"Here let me" she offered but was met with a cold stare.

"I can do it" Stella snapped. Gabby holding her hands up in defense, she didn't want to watch her friend struggle but she also didn't want to dent her pride and if she wanted to add her own sugar than Dawson wouldn't try to help unless asked.

"Ok" She said settling back into her seat, her a Kelly sharing a look together. "So what's your plan for today?"

"I don't know" Stella said looking up at her friend, the woman now working on stirring her coffee after finally getting it sugared just the way she liked. "I haven't really thought much past having breakfast, well I suppose it's more brunch." Her eyes moving towards Kelly, the unsure look in her eyes worrying him even more.

"We can do whatever you like" he reassured her gently, Stella only nodding her head in response, taking to sipping on her coffee as a tense silence fell over them. It remained that way for several long minutes before their food order arrived, Stella now working on how to eat her food without having to have it chopped into small bites. Neither Kelly or Gabby wanting to suggest anything or offer help without her asking, both of them knowing that it would only result in a snappy response from their friend.

It took her about five minutes to figure something out that worked and the pleased look that crossed her face was well worth the several minutes of patience from them both. The silence remained as they ate, no one really knowing what to say while they were all very aware that the topic that they needed to discuss they couldn't.

"So erm, I err" Gabby started as she pushed her plate away, sitting back into the booth the paramedic apparently much to full to eat anymore. Her uncertain tone pulling both Kelly's and Stella's attention. "I've got some shopping I need to do, it's mine and Matt's anniversary next week and I want to get something special for the night. Do you err fancy coming with?" She asked, her question directed towards the firefighter still eating opposite her.

"Can do" Stella shrugged, the lack of emotion in her voice sending a chill down Gabby's back.

"Well it's up to you, I know you said you hadn't thought much of what you wanted to do. But maybe it could be fun?"

"Yeah ok" She nodded, a slight smile coming to rest on her lips.

Kelly nodded a silent thank you in her direction, as much as he wanted to spend every moment with their mutual friend he knew it was neither healthy or practically. Gabby being much more equipped to having some much needed girl time with her than he ever was.

"I'll be right back" Stella said pushing herself up from her chair.

"You ok?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah I just need the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Gabby watched her walk away and turned to Kelly her narrow gaze causing an unsettling feeling to rest in his gut. "What?" he asked.

"Have you told her yet?"

"What?"

"Have you spoken to her about everything?" She clarified, "You said you were going to talk to her, to let her know what happened that day at the hospital. Tell her how you really feel? So I'm asking have you spoken to her?"

"No.. I.."

"Kelly" Gabby spat out, her eyebrows almost hitting her hairline in frustration at the man beside her. "Tell her!"

"I'm going to, I was going to last night after you left but she.. she fell asleep on me and when we woke up this morning we had to get to the station. I'm going to speak with her I promise."

"Kelly you do it today! Don't draw this out any longer than it already has!"

Their conversation was cut of by Stella's return, the woman sliding back into the booth quietly watching the tense looks on both her friends faces but she decided against questioning it, if she was sure of anything it was that they'd been discussing her, the way they both went silent when she came back confirmed it and the sheepish look resting on Severide's face only cemented that confirmation.

It wasn't long before they were going there separate ways, Gabby asking Severide for the tenth time if he was sure he didn't want any money towards their food, the man having insisted on paying for all three of them.

"Gabs no, now go!" He ordered, the small smile on his face only increasing when Stella placed a gentle kiss to his check. The warm feeling spreading throughout his body at the simple action. He knew Gabby was right, there was a conversation needing to be had, but for now he needed Stella to enjoy her day and relax a bit, the conversation could wait until this evening, there was no point bringing it up now, when she already working through so much from this morning. No it could wait, they could wait a little longer. "You girls have fun."

"What do you think of this one?" Gabby asked, holding up a nude two piece, it wasn't anything special, a gentle lace running across the front of the garments making it more than just an everyday set.

"No" Stella said shaking her head. "It's too plain" she repeated the words she'd said to pretty much every item Gabby had picked up so far. "Now this, well the Lieutenants head will surely explode if he sees you in something like this." She holds up a two piece red and black set the bra was a plunge and in addition to the straps over her shoulder their were two thin pieces of material running from where her shoulder would be to the top of her boob, the matching thong that went with it was high waisted with similar thin pieces of material the would sit across her naval.

"WOW! That's gorgeous."

"You got try it on Gabs!"

"Ok, put it in the to try pile" she said nodding her head to the pile of underwear Stella had placed in her basket, the woman having turned down almost all of her friends suggestions before finding something to counter it with, each time the two of them agreeing that her choice had been better than Gabby's.

"You doing ok?" Gabby asked searching through another row this time of body stockings.

"I'm not really sure" Stella admitted, the woman distracting herself with searching through a row herself. The constant movement of her heads helping keep her calm. "I'm taking it Kelly told you what happened this morning?"

"He told me some yeah."

"I just couldn't do it Gabby, I couldn't sit there and tell them everything. And I... I.." her words trailed off unsure how much the paramedic had been told.

"What?" Dawson pushed gently, knowing that they were approaching the subject she'd clearly been told to avoid, but she hadn't brought it up. She'd only meant if Stella was doing ok with being on her feet so long, she didn't really expect Stella to say anything other than yes or no, but now that she had she wasn't going to shut her down.

"I'm not sure if I can do it.."

"What tell them everything?"

"No it's not just that" she said shaking her head, "I'm not sure if I can press charges against him."

Dawson took a deep breath, she had expected something like this when Kelly had told her about what had happened at the station but hearing Stella confirm her fears wasn't easy. She knew she had to trend carefully, she couldn't force her into it, she couldn't pressure her but she could explain her feelings. "Look I know it's hard, but what he did to you, everything he did over however long this had been going on he deserves to pay for it, you deserve for him to pay for it."

"I know that, I do. I'm just, I'm..."

"Your scared." Gabby finished knowing exactly what was holding her friend back.

Stella nodded, "That day at the house, when he came to get my Jeep.." Gabby nodded, the two friends now facing each other in the store, the store that was thankfully very quiet this afternoon. "He... he did something."

"Ok, what did he do?"

"He thought I'd told Kelly what had happened the night before, about how I gotten hurt" Dawson's eyes fell closed, this was the first time she'd had confirmation of what her and Brett had suspected that morning, Grant had done something to Stella and that's how she'd got that cut on her face. "I hadn't but he wouldn't listen, he slammed me against the lockers... and he... erm" She swallowed trying to get the words out before she lost her nerve. "He told me he'd kill me if I told anyone, and then well I called Kelly when you dropped me home and I told the police some of it, I didn't tell them everything but I told them some and then he came to Molly's and well we all know what he did there, and he was so mad, so so mad. And what if he comes after me for telling them again, what if he's... what if he's here now in the mall following us.. what if he knows I survived. What if he comes back to finish the job. God Gabby I know I have to do something, I know I need to give my statement and make him pay but I'm so scared, so so scared." Her words kept tumbling out of her mouth, Dawson struggling to keep up with everything she had said, in the two short minutes she'd been talking Gabby had learnt more about what she'd been through, more than they'd managed to get out of her over several hours of tiptoeing around the subject. And now she knew, she couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of needing to help her, Stella needed her help and she was going to give it in anyway she could.

"Woah Stella I'm not going to let anything happen to you ok, nothing. You're safe now, me, Kelly, Matt we've all got you and Grant he's getting nowhere near you without getting through us first." Her strong tone calming the firefighter almost immediately, "But you've got to speak up Stella, I know your scared and I get it, I understand why but trust me when I say speaking up is the only way you can stop this, it's the only way you can begin to move forwards again. What Grant said that day, that alone is enough to get a restraining order on him. And if he breaks that they will toss him in a cell no questions asked. But you gotta speak up girl, you gotta find the strength to tell them, to give your statement to my brother and his team."

"Will you be with me" Stella barely whispered, her timid voice shattering Dawson's heart.

"Of course." She smiled. "Whatever you need, I can be there or Kelly.. "

"No, I don't... I can't.. Kelly he can't hear everything that happened. I don't want him in there when I do this."

"Ok" Gabby said, although she was confused, so far Severide had been the only person she'd given even the slightest bit of information to and here she was telling her that she didn't want him in there, that she couldn't have him there while she gave her statement. It confused her but she wasn't going to question it, if that's what Stella needed then that is exactly what would happen.

"Can you.. could we do it today?" Stella spoke up again, her voice still barely above a whisper.

Gabby nodded, the woman putting down the basket she'd taken off her friend, mumbling something about the shopping could wait and pulling Stella out towards the car park.

Twenty minutes later they were pulling up outside the district, Gabby having called Antonio on the way to make sure he was there still.

I'm sorry this took a little while to get to you, we've had a bit of a rough week in our house and I've been focusing my attention on my family. Trying to explain sudden deaths to two children is not an easy task and I had to take a step away to help them through their emotions, and to help myself. We are still a bit raw and I have no idea what is going to happen in the next few days or weeks as we deal with it all so I'm sorry if I go a while in between updates.

So Stella backed out of telling the CPD everything, but she's admitted her fears to Gabby. And now they are back outside the prestinct, will she be able to open up this time?

There are some tough conversations coming between her and Kelly, the two of them not really being that open with each other. How do we think Kelly's going to react when he realizes she's gone back to give her statement without him, how is she going to react when he finally tells her about his feelings.

Let me know what you think? And please review review review.. It would mean the world. And I really really love hearing what you have to say.