She slid down the door collapsing onto the floor of their kitchen; the small house was perfect...like their marriage was at first. Silent tears poured down her face as she thought back to when she was first married, what had gone wrong? Their relationship had always had its ups and downs, they fought more than talked sometimes, but that was who they were so she never gave it a second thought. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that it would evolve into this. She allowed herself to catch her breath and pulled herself off the floor, checking through the door that he wasn't in the living room and went to gather up the broken glass that was once her favourite vase

And she takes another step
Slowly she opens the door
Check that he is sleeping
Pick up all the broken glass and furniture on the floor
Been up half the night screaming

Slowly she crept down the hall to Rose's room, checking that her beautiful daughter was still asleep, she pushed the strawberry blonde curls off her face and pressed a kiss on her forehead, noticing the streaked tears down Rose's face. She shook her head, knowing it couldn't go on, as she left Rose's room she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror grimacing at the quickly forming bruise on her cheek. Quietly she gathered a bag of things for herself and for Rose. She packed them into the car with Hugo's diaper bag and moved back to the kids' rooms.

now it's time to get away
Pack up the kids in the car
Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
Another ditch in the road
You keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through

Cradling baby Hugo in her arms, she nudged Rose awake a finger to her lips.

"Come on Rosie, we're going on a trip, got to be quiet ok."

The little girl nodded a thumb in her mouth and she took her mother's hand walking out to the car. Rose climbed into the car, sitting herself in her car seat while her mother secured Hugo in his. Satisfied that the baby was in his chair securely and would still sleep, she buckled Rose into her seat and holding back tears climbed into the front seat, starting the car as quietly as she could. She pulled out of their driveway, hearing her husband's yell out the window as she left. She drove for hours until she could drive no more and pulled into a small hotel on the side of the road. The man behind the desk saw her bruised cheek and the handprint permanently etched into her wrist, but he said nothing, simply took her cash and handed her a key.

And there are children to think of
Baby's asleep in the backseat
Wonder how they'll ever make it through this living nightmare
But the mind is an amazing thing
Full of candy dreams and new toys and another cheap hotel
Two beds and a coffee machine
But there are groceries to buy
And she knows she'll have to go home

She carried a sleeping Rose from the car and placed her into one of the beds taking baby Hugo in his car seat and placing him on the floor. She locked herself in the bathroom and took a deep shower, hot tears falling from her face and mingling with the searing hot water pounding on her back.

Another ditch in the road
You keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through

As she emerged from the bathroom, composing herself as she went, trying to come up with a plan. Since her marriage and the birth of her two children, she had remained at home; she had no income of her own. He had never let her work, insisting that a mother's place was in the home, caring for her children. She had lost touch with her friends and her family, Ron never let her see them. Harry and Ginny came over once in a while, but Ron always made sure to be on his best behaviour in the weeks coming up to their visit, it was cruel and allowed her to build up hope that perhaps it would get better. They projected the image of the perfect family, happy and domestic.

Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
Another lonely highway in the black of night
But there's hope in the darkness
You know you're going to make it

She composed herself enough to pick up the hotel phone and call Harry, hoping beyond hope that he would believe her. Harry picked up groggily after the fourth ring, baby Lily hadn't been sleeping through the night yet and the couple wasn't getting much sleep.

"Hello?" came Harry's bleary voice, and she couldn't make herself answer, "Hello?" he tried again.

"Harry..." came her croak of a voice.

"Mione?" Harry responded surprised, "what are you calling so late?"

"I didn't know who else to call." She gasped, fighting back the tears that were constantly threatening to fall.

"Mione what's wrong? Is it the kids? Ron?"

"No it's I just I need to get out, Harry he's...our marriage, it's a sham."

"How do you mean?" Harry asked fully awake now and an image clearing in his mind.

"He's...Ron is...he's always been angry but since Hugo was born and we found out that I can't have any more children...it's been worse."

"Hermione what did he do?"

"He's been a little rough with me, never with the kids, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he does. Rosie saw him tonight before I could get her to go to bed in her room...I just don't know what to do anymore Harry I just don't."

"Mione..." Harry's mind was going a mile a minute as glimpses of what had passed flashed through his mind: Hermione shying away when Ron reached out to touch her, how Hermione rarely spoke anymore, Rose shrinking away from her father's touch. "Why didn't I see it?"

"You weren't supposed to...he wouldn't have let that happen."

"Where are you I'm coming to get you?"

Another ditch in the road
Keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years go by so fast
Silent fortress built to last
Wonder how I ever made it

Hermione gasped in relief at her friend's immediate agreement and gave him the location of the hotel they were staying in, finally being able to feel safe for the first time in far too long. She took baby Hugo out of the carrier and grasped him in her arms sliding under the covers hoping beyond hope that Ron wouldn't find them before Harry did. She drifted off into an uneasy sleep waking only a few hours later when Hugo stirred and began to cry for his breakfast. She was in the process of feeding him when a knock on the door startled her and holding Hugo close to her chest she crept to the door, looking over her shoulder at Rose's sleeping form. Shaking she looked through the door's peep hole and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Harry on the other side.

"What did you say to me on the day Ron and I got married?" Hermione called through the door

"I told you that you were my sister and that I'd always be there for you, no matter what you needed."

She threw open the door and ran into Harry's grasp sobbing horribly.

A/N: song is Two Beds and a Coffee Machine - Savage Garden