This is another edit. Ha. I can't say for sure if I'm ever going to get the third chapter up but I figured I might as well edit this one to be a little bit more decent.

I wait for the postman to bring me a letter
and I wait for the good Lord to make me feel better

Dawn Winston sat in the corner of the bathroom, her arms wrapped around her head, trying to block out the sounds. Her whole body was shaking and her legs hurt from holding her up. She didn't know how long she had been crouching. She had no idea, actually. She had run to the bathroom when he'd come home. She had gotten that feeling that something was going to happen, so she had left. She could hear them now, yelling insults at each other. She winced every time she heard something break, but it was nothing new. She had just never gotten used to it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She heard her father's voice ring out over all of the other noises, including her mother's sobs.

And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders
Family in crisis that only grows older
Why'd you have to go
Why'd you have to go
Why'd you have to go

Dawn crawled to the door, tears spilling down her eyes. She reached up to the door knob and pulled herself up. She took in a few deep breathes, let out a few sobs, wiped her eyes, and opened the door. She headed towards the living room, towards the fighting, towards the people that didn't show her any affection at all.

She stood in front of them now, her make up running and her hair matted to her face. Their eyes bore into her like fire but she didn't move. She just stood there, looking from one to the other, wishing and hoping that they would just shut up already.

"What're you doin'? Go to your room." Her father howled, pointing his finger in the direction of the hallway. She shook her head, going against his orders.

"Do it!" He yelled again, taking a threatening step towards Dawn.

"Look at you! You've become your father, except you don't need alcohol to hit your kids!" Her mother yelled. Her tears had long since dried and been replaced with anger.

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am broken but I am hopin'
Daughter to father, daughter to father

Dawn's father turned back to her mother. "Don't you ever say that to me!" He screamed at her, kicking the coffee table in front of him. Dawn jumped back a little, fear rushing through her bones and resting in her heart.

I am crying, a part of me's dying and
and These are, these are
confessions of a broken heart

"I'm going to Uncle Johnny's house," Dawn whispered, her voice tiny against the sound of her parents' yelling. She moved to the door, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked one last time behind her and then opened the door, stepping out into the cold frigid air of December. She didn't even bother to shiver. She just wanted to get out of hearing range, and she knew exactly where to go. It would take her a few minutes, maybe five, but it didn't matter. It was too much to handle. She hated seeing her parents like that.

She just wished it could go back the way it used to be when her father was actually nice and treated her like his baby girl. When her mother made cakes for her on her birthday and she blew out the candles. Two million memories was what she had, but the million memories she had now replaced the old ones. The bad replaced the good. And the good just couldn't come back.

I am crying, a part of me's dying and
and These are, these are
confessions of a broken heart

Now Dawn just started to hate her father more and more every day. She hated looking at him, hated looking at what he did to her mother, to their house. Hate always replaced her pain. Hate always replaced what little happiness she had.

She knocked on the door when she finally reached the familiar house. Her whole body was shaking from the cold and she had goose bumps all up and down her arms. She watched as the dark, beaten, wooden door swung open, and warm arms embraced her.

"I know," he said soothingly. She didn't bother asking how he knew. The fact was that he knew and that he was here for her now. She couldn't bring herself to cry anymore, not now.

And I wear all your old clothes, your polo sweater
I dream of another you
The one who would never (never)
Leave me alone to pick up the pieces

He pulled her into the house and closed the door behind her before sitting her down on the couch. He looked down at her, towering over her with his 5'9 figure. She didn't bother looking up; she just wanted to sit there and rock herself.

"C-c-can't you make them stop?" She stuttered at first, but found her voice. She didn't get an answer, but that was because she already knew the answer. No one could get them to stop. It was who they were even though it did destroy the only kid they had.

Daddy to hold me, that's what I needed

"I hate him," she sobbed out. "I hate him so much, Uncle Johnny."

"Don't say that. You don't mean it," he shushed her. His dark hand found its way over her pale one, covering it like a protective layer.

"I do. I do," she told him, shaking her head vigorously. "I want to cut out my hair and gash out my eyes just so I won't look like him. Every time I look in the mirror I see him!" She yelled. She hated him so much or at least she thought she did.

She broke down finally, broke down all the way. She collapsed into her uncle's arms and sobbed into his shoulder. And with every sob, she broke his heart more and more.

"I love him.." she cried out. "I do. But I hate him at the same time. He should be here holding me. He should be doing all this fatherly stuff. Why isn't he here, Johnny? Why isn't he here?" She pleaded with her eyes. She wanted, no, needed an answer. But most of all she needed a father.

So why'd you have to go
Why'd you have to go
Why'd you have to go!

"Let me tell you something about Dallas Winston," her Uncle said, lifting her head up to look at him. "He used to be the toughest, greasiest hood on the block. Everyone was scared of him. You know what finally broke him? You know what made him soft?" Dawn shook her head. "You. When Sylvia told him she was pregnant, he lost it. But he did what was right. He married her, he took care of her. He was right by her side when you were born. And I was right next to him. And something, something in those cold stony eyes of his changed. They broke because he was staring at his little girl, his little girl that had his blue eyes and his blond hair. He was in awe."

Dawn moved away from him, inching towards the other side of the couch.

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I don't know you, but I still want to

"He doesn't love me and you know it!" She yelled at him. "He doesn't love my mother and he doesn't love me. He doesn't love anyone but himself!" She broke down again. She had never said that before. And now, saying it for the first time, made it true, horrifically true.

Daughter to father, daughter to father
Tell me the truth, did you ever love me
Cause these are, these are
confessions of a broken heart, of a broken heart

There was a knock on the door two hours later. Dawn was already sprawled out on the couch, ready to fall asleep like she had done so many other times before. Johnny sighed but got up from his chair anyway, his feet making loud thumps as he stomped to the door. It was twelve at night and he really didn't want to be bothered, especially when he had Dawn to take care of.

"Is she here?" Dallas asked as soon as Johnny opened the door. Johnny shut the door, making sure Dallas couldn't see into the living room.

"You gotta stop this, Dal," Johnny said softly. "You're pushing her over the edge."

"You can't tell me what to do with my own kids, Johnny," Dal snapped back, trying to shove his way through the door.

"What's your problem, Dal?" Johnny asked, his voice was almost a yell now. "Look at yourself! You're my father! You're your father! What happened to the Dallas that used to treat Dawn like a princess? What happened to the Dallas that taught Dawn how to ride her bike and throw a punch? What happened to the Dallas that saved my life 3 years ago?"

I love you
But I love you
I love you
I...!
I love you!

Johnny had hit home. He could tell that he had struck a nerve.

"Move aside, Johnny. I want to talk to Dawn," Dallas said after about ten minutes of tense silent. Something in his face had changed. He looked like he had when Dawn had just been born. He was finally coming back into his loving self. Johnny moved away and let Dallas in.

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I don't know you, but I still want to
Daughter to father, daughter to father
Tell me the truth...
Did you ever love me?
Did you ever love me?
These are...
The confessions...of a broken heart

It took Dally three strides to get to the living room, calling Dawn's name a few times. He stopped when he finally got there, in shock.

She was gone.

His little girl was gone.

Dawn Allison Winston was gone.

She was gone for good.

Ohhh...yeah...
And I wait for the postman to bring me a letter...