Chapter Seven

At 1:15 AM, Rhiannon's X-5 pulled into the garage. Its passengers were full of Denny's, wet, and one of them was shivering. Rhiannon walked through the door connecting the house to the kitchen, the same door Melissa had walked into six years ago, and stopped dead. The house was completely destroyed, broken glass everywhere and food smeared onto the walls and into the carpet. Legolas came up behind her and looked around quickly, before stepping in and pulling her behind him. She pulled on her flip-flops quickly, and he did the same. He went around the downstairs, and looked quickly into each of the rooms to make sure no one was there. They went upstairs and looked into the rooms until two were left, Rhiannon's and Legolas' guest room. When they arrived in the master bedroom, the only damage was written in what looked like blood on the wall above the bed. There, in large bold letters, were the words, 'Don't forget'. Rhiannon's eyes, already expanded to saucer capacity, filled with tears.

"I knew it," she whispered. "I knew he'd come back." Then an icy thought came to Rhiannon, and she stepped forward from behind Legolas.

"Avariel? Come out baby, come see mama. Ava.." she continued in a singsong voice, walking around the room until she reached the guest room and opened the door, where she stopped dead.

"Not you." Rhiannon watched, frozen, as Adam straightened up, released Avariel, and walked toward her. "Get away from me. You're not supposed to be here, you can't do this!" Her voice was getting frantic, and she watched Avariel go to her side and pace back and forth in front of her in a protective sort of stance.

"Why not? Why can't I be here? A court order? Who the fuck cares about a goddamn court order? It hasn't physically stopped me, has it? Just a piece of paper." He ran a finger up her bare arm. "And look at you, you slut. Look at how you're dressed." Rhiannon looked down at her bikini and towel.
"And obviously," he continued, indicating the open closet full of male clothing, "You have a guest. And how dare you to try to condemn me for what I did." She was shaking, tears rolling down her face. Nobody had ever terrified her like he did.
"Stop your blubbering, you disgusting bitch. So you had me sent to prison. Were you happy while I was gone? Hmm? Were you? Tell me how you felt while I was eating gruel for five years. TELL ME!"

He raised his hand and swiped down, but he was grabbed before he made contact. Legolas' hand tightened around his wrist, and several cracks resounded through the room. Adam's face took on one of agony and surprise as he watched his wrist shatter through his tears. Legolas pushed Rhiannon behind himself and stepped forward, watching the moisture well in Adam's eyes. Rhiannon picked up Avariel and checked to see if she was all right. Legolas let go of Adam, and punched him squarely in the face, knocking him down and breaking his jaw. While Adam cowered on the floor, Legolas briefly looked back at Rhiannon to make sure she was okay. Besides her tears, she was fine, and he looked back down at Adam.

"I do not remember you being invited into this home." He pulled him up by his collar, and swung him around to crash him against the wall. "How dare you touch her?" He hissed angrily. Adam was looking back at him, fear and weakness in his eyes. "Tell me." Rhiannon went to her room to call the police.

"911 Emergency Hotline, is there an emergency?" Rhiannon took a deep breath and began.

"Yes, there is. My ex-boyfriend has broken into my house, and he has become violent."

"And are you still at home?"

"Yes," Rhiannon said, noting how wavery her voice was.

"Are you able to get out without risking your life?" Rhiannon wondered if she should lie.

"Yes,"

"You need to get out right now. Give me your address."

"248 Windswept Avenue."

"There is help on its way, they'll be there in only a few minutes. Would you like me to stay on the phone with you?" Rhiannon really wanted to know what was going on upstairs, and couldn't let the operator know she had gone back, so she replied,

"No, I think I'm okay. I have someone with me." She then punched in Melissa's number and rushed back to Legolas' room.

"Hello?" Melissa had been asleep, but when she heard the crashes and grunts as Adam was slammed into various things, she immediately asked,

"Rhiannon? Sweetie, are you okay? What's that in the background?"

"Missy," Rhiannon whispered, "Adam's here."

"He's not! I'm on my way over right now. I'm bringing my pepper spray! Did he touch you? Melissa, I swear to God, I'll kill him my damned self if he touched you."

"No, no," she whispered. "He didn't touch me, Legolas stopped him."

"I knew that Elf was going to be good for something. I'm still coming over. Be right there, okay?" Rhiannon nodded, knowing her friend couldn't see her. A lamp crashed and glass sprayed, and Adam was pushed and fell onto the carpet. Blood escaped from his hands as he landed on the shards, and Rhiannon looked at him. Blood oozed from his mouth, nose, cheek, hands, and the inside of his wrist near his veins where he had sliced to get the blood for writing on her wall. The sanguine fluid still flowed freely from that wound. It was everywhere, and Rhiannon let out a choked sob, covering her mouth with one hand. Legolas stopped, and left, leaving Adam to leak fluids on the floor, and began to go downstairs with his arms around Rhiannon's shoulders, who was cradling Avariel. As they arrived downstairs, the doorbell rang and Rhiannon rushed to the door, expecting the emergency staff to come in and arrest Adam, but when she opened the door, Melissa was standing there, face ashen and hair in rarely seen tangles.

"Rhiannon! Are you okay?! Is he here?! Where is he? Is he upstairs? That bastard!" She started upstairs, then saw Legolas standing a few feet away, and ran up and grabbed him in a hearty embrace. She plopped a huge kiss on his cheek.

"ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouforsavingherLegolasIamsogladyou'rehere thankyouIthoughtIhadlostmybestfriendwhenIheardwhatwasgoingoninthebackgroundandIcan'tbelievethathecamebackohmigod!" Rhiannon walked up and pried Melissa off of Legolas, to discover she was crying.

"Oh God, I can't believe this shit!" She started weeping, and Rhiannon held out her arms, which Melissa wandered into.

"Melissa, you always have been way dramatic. He attacked me, trashed my house, is still in my house, and he tried to attack me again, and I'm comforting you!" she noted, while rubbing Melissa's back one-handed. The police and ambulance riders rushed in through the open door, and asked,

"Is this the woman who's been attacked?" indicating Melissa, who was shaking now.

"Um, no, that's me." They looked at each other, and back to Rhiannon. "He's upstairs, in the second door to your left."

"Rhiannon, you guys should come and stay with me. Matt couldn't possibly mind, and just …please. You can't stay here, obviously, and where else are you going to go? Come stay with me." Rhiannon knew she wanted her to be there so she wouldn't worry about her the entire night. She looked at Legolas with question in her eyes, and he said,
"It is not my decision to make, Silmeamin." She turned to Melissa, and said,

"Alright, we'll come. But Avariel is coming, too." Melissa sighed, and said,

"Fine. Demon Cat can come." Rhiannon smiled, handed the cat to Legolas, and went to get them clothes for the stay.