The next day Bill phoned to let Rhiannon know that David had been served with the divorce papers. Under pressure from Bill and Howie's lawyers it was only a matter of time before David signed the papers, whether he wanted to or not.
Rhiannon knew the problems with David weren't over yet, but every day the crushing weight on her shoulders lifted a little. She knew she would never have had the courage to take these steps if it hadn't been for Howie. Without him she would have spent the rest of her life hurt and scared. But he was there and the warmth and love in his eyes and in his actions had slowly begun to heal the open wounds, both physical and psychological.
Three day after leaving David, Rhiannon managed to talk Nick into driving her back to the house to collect the rest of her and Shane's clothing and the few things that Rhiannon had that had belonged to her mother. Howie was at a meeting and Rhiannon knew he would be against it if he knew. Especially since Nick wasn't able to stay at the house with her. Nick was worried and knew Howie would probably be angry with him for agreeing to it. Rhiannon reminded him that David would be at work and it wouldn't take long to gather what she wanted, but Nick was still dubious. But against his better judgement he dropped her off, promising to be back in an hour.
Rhiannon was quickly folding Shane's clothes and packing them into boxes when she heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. Although she was sure it was just Nick, something made her stop and listen for a minute. Her heart thudded loudly and her eyes widened in panic when she realized it wasn't Nick.

He's drunk again, it's time to fight
Same old shit, just on a different night
She grabs the gun, she's had enough
Tonight she'll find out how fuckin' tough is this man
Pulls the trigger fast as she can... never again

'Oh, god. Please no.' Rhiannon pleaded in her mind.
David.
Fighting to maintain calm, Rhiannon pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed 911.
"911 Emergency, how may I help you?" The dispatcher asked.
"I need police." Rhiannon said urgently. "I'm at my house packing my belongings and my husband has come home. He wasn't supposed to be home today. Please. He's violent. I have a restraining order and filed for divorce yesterday."
"What is your address, ma'am?" The dispatcher asked, quickly entering the information into the computer.
"571 Windward Way. Please hurry." Rhiannon listened anxiously for some indication that David was in the house.
"Police are on their way, Ma'am."
Rhiannon crept to the door, listening for any sound. Hearing nothing, she quietly opened the linen closet, hoping the gun David owned was still there. Finding it under a set of sheets on the top shelf she pulled it out, relieved to find the clip intact. Gripping the gun, she returned to Shane's room and crouched in a corner behind his chest of drawers and hoped David didn't come into the room.
Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the front door slam. She shivered listening to David's footsteps stomping up the stairs and down the hall. Rhiannon froze as the footsteps stopped outside Shane's doorway.
"What the hell is this?!"
Rhiannon gripped the gun more securely. She hadn't gone through the past few days only to let him win now. No. This time he wouldn't get the best of her. She slowly got to her feet, coming into David's line of vision.
"What the hell are you doing here?" David sneered.
"I came for my things and Shane's. Stay away from me, David." Rhiannon told him coldly.
"Oh really? Well, I don't think so. You don't have your fag boys here today. Who's gonna make me?"
Before Rhiannon could answer he lunged at her, grabbing her roughly and backhanding her across the face. She fell to the floor, her head connecting with the bedpost on the way. She struggled into a sitting position, still gripping the gun tightly. Hand shaking, she pointed it at him, flicking off the safety.
"I said, stay away from me." Her eyes like ice as she fixed her gaze on him defiantly. No, she wouldn't give up this time.
David gave an angry growl and burst forward.