Alana Jericho gathered the belongings of her and her two year old daughter and threw them in the back of her Lincoln Navigator.

"Momma, where are we going?" May Anne looked up at her mother with her fathers' deep brown eyes.

"Baby, we're going to see Auntie Stephanie and Uncle H, 'kay?" Alana jumped into the car after fastening her daughter in the seat behind her before speeding down the long curving driveway in front of her upper class suburban home. "You just go on back to sleep and by the time the sun's up, you'll be playing in their front yard with you're cousins!" Alana forged certainty in her voice as her toddler smiled and nodded off to sleep. When she was sure May Anne was sleeping, Alana drew out her cell phone and dialed her best friend's number.

"Hello?" Stephanie had obviously been sleeping; it was only quarter to five in the morning.

"Steph, its Lana…I did it?"

Stephanie sat straight up in bed and was fully alert, "You left? Omigod Lana, I am so proud of you? Are you coming here?" Lana said she was and ensured her best friend that I was for real this time before hanging up. Stephanie bounded out of bed and began preparing the guest room. By the time she returned, Paul, he husband was awake as well.

"I'm sorry babe. Did the baby wake up, it's completely my night…" Paul drowsily slid out the bed and headed to the room their three year old and their five month old sons shared.

"No, the kids are sleep, but Alana and May Anne are on their way over. She finally did it." Steph sat on the edge of the bed and rationalized the whole situation out loud. "Do you think we're bad people for not stepping in?"

Paul rested his hand on his wife's shoulder, "Stephanie, she only told us two weeks ago, and we've given he a place to stay in both of her attempts to escape. She begged me not to take the boys over there and handle him and I gave her my word I won't. We did everything we could and we will continue to do everything we can."

"You're right." Stephanie reached her hand over her shoulder and rubbed her husband's beard. "Well, it's already five thirty and the kids well be up I like and hour, so I'm gonna get a start on breakfast. You go back to bed." As Stephanie left the bed room, the baby started to cry. Paul sat there for a second before turning and getting out of bed.

"So much for going back to sleep."

!&$ (Meanwhile, in the car)

"Okay," Alana spoke out loud, "I've done the first step. I got everything important to me and I physically left the relationship. I'm going to be with supportive people and after Monday's show, he will have been officially served with divorce papers. Five days 'til all of this is over with." She continued to soothe herself as she got on the interstate to head to New York, where Stephanie and Paul stayed.

As she got in the necessary lane, her phone began to ring, without thinking about, she answered as not to wake her baby. "Hello?" she whispered.

"Where the hell are you?" Chris had obviously returned from his early morning work-out. "Why aren't you here? You know you can't leave without my permission, woman!" Alana froze up as her husband began to verbally tear her to pieces. For the next three minutes, she was unable to think about anything but he might do when she returned to him. Wait, it suddenly hit her, I'm not going back to him. I'm a grown ass woman and there is no reason for me or my daughter to have to go through this!

For the first time in the last year of their two year marriage, Alana decided to stick up for herself. "You know what Chris, I don't want to be with you and I don't need you're permission for shit. I want to leave you and I am. You will never have the satisfaction on tearing me or my child down anymore. Goodbye!" She flipped close her phone and sat in absolute amazement. Two things broke her basking daze. First, she was about to miss her turn and secondly, her daughter was stirring in the back.

She corrected her lane and steered off the interstate and began to drive through suburban Manhattan. "May- may? Are you awake love?"

"Yes Mommy…I'm awake. Are we almost there yet?" May Anne had obviously missed the conversation between her mother and father and was glad to see the sun rising.

"Yep Babygirl….we're almost there."