͠͠ She spins and she sways To whatever song plays Without a care in the world And I'm sitting here wearing The weight of the world on my shoulders It's been a long day And there's still work to do She's pulling at me Saying, "Dad, I need you There's a ball at the castle And I've been invited And I need to practice my dancing Oh, please, Daddy please? ͠

Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman

Troy- 20 Camryn- 4

Troy sat slumped over the kitchen table staring at a sea of papers and textbooks; it seemed as though he was never going to be finished.

"Daddy look I'm Cinderella," he heard Camryn yell as she ran from her room to the kitchen. Troy turned his head and saw his four year old standing there in a Cinderella costume that Maria made for her, "Yep," he responded then turned back to his school work.

She pulled up her chair next to her father, "What are you doing Daddy," she asked sweetly.

"Homework," he huffed, "Why don't you go talk to Mommy and Lissy," he continued trying to rub the headache away from his forehead.

"I don't want to, I want to talk to you," she responded.

"I can't talk now Rinny, I really need to get this done."

The little girl's face turned sour, "But Daddy you said that you would help me practice my dancing, member I'm supposed to go to Elizabeth's birthday, her princess party, and all princesses dance good."

"Not right now Camryn," he began to raise his voice.

"Daddy please," she began to beg and pull on his arm.

"No Camryn, not right now," he yelled, loud enough to be heard throughout the whole apartment.

Troy never meant for his little girl to ball her eyes out and have her run to find solace in her mother.

He sighed and lightly smacked himself in the forehead as he tried to hold back his own tears. The whole house continued to be full of the heartbreaking cries coming from his young daughter. Troy didn't know what to so, what to say; he promised himself that he wasn't going to stress over homework but he was and he took it out on his little girl.

"Calm down everything will be fine," he heard Gabriella say as he felt her hands grab onto his shoulders; "I talked to her."

He turned to face her, "Knowing Camryn she wont be fine until I get on my knees and beg from forgiveness," then Gabriella reached up and wiped away a tear that was slipping down Troy's beautiful face.

"I promise her I'd help her practice dancing and when she came to show me the Cinderella outfit Maria mad I snapped at her," He continued, "I made my baby cry."

Gabriella sighed, "Well, are you going to continue sitting here making your brain explode from all of this homework," she took a quick breath, "or are you going to get up off your butt and go dance with your daughter."

It didn't take him more than a second to drop his pencil, stand up, place a quick kiss to Gabriella's check and make his way to Camryn's room. He lightly knocked on the door before he walked in. On one side of the room Camryn was lying face down on her bed and on the other side Lissy was coloring in a color nook, "Hey Lissy-Doll can you go color in the living room with mommy."

She nodded her head and took her stuff to the living room.

Troy slowly walked over to Camryn, he saw her bright purple hearing-aid lying on her night stand; he lightly tapped Camryn's shoulder and she turned around.

"I'm so sorry baby," he signed, "I didn't mean to yell at you."

"I just wanted you to dance with me," she signed back.

His heart broke again, "I know sweetheart, Daddy is so sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Daddy was just mad at his homework," he explained.

Little Camryn looked closely at her father before she signed, "There will always be homework but there are only a few times you can dance with me."

Even at age four this little girl was wise beyond her years.

He nodded his head and smiled, "You are just like your mother," he signed back.

"Thank you."

Troy laughed then picked up his baby girl and helped her put her hearing aid back in, "Would you care to dance Miss Cinderella," he asked with a bright smile.

"Duh Daddy," she laughed wrapping her arms around her father's neck, "Daddy can you sing too."

"Of course sweetheart."

Troy walked over to the middle of the room and began to dance with Camryn in his arms, "So I will dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms, 'cause I know something the prince never knew, oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don't want to miss even one song, 'cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight, she she'll be gone,"
He sweetly sang. They continued to dance until Camryn fell asleep in his arms.

͠ She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed She wants to know if I approve of the dress She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?" ͠

A thirty-two year old Troy sat on his chair in his backyard watching his oldest daughter Lissy playing on the jungle gym with her two children. He couldn't believe how grown up she was and how fast Sawyer and Emerson were growing. Life just seemed to be passing him by; it seemed like it was only yesterday he meet Gabriella.

"Hey Daddy," he heard as his sixteen year old daughter plopped down on the chair next to him.

"Hey Camryn," he responded.

Every time he saw Camryn he couldn't help but smile, she looks so much like her mother.

"Well as you know I an in high school," Camryn continued, "And when one is in high school there are certain events that you are allowed to do."

Troy rolled his eyes, "Camryn you know I hate when you guys do that, just tell me what you want."

Camryn quickly glanced down at her fiddling fingers in her lap, "Well at the prom there's going to be slow dancing and I need to practice. Can you help me," she finished looking up at her father, showing him her puppy dog eyes.

Troy was frequently a victim of those eyes; all four of his girl inherited those 'gifts' I guess you could call them.

"Of course," Troy responded grabbing a hold of his daughter's hand and standing up from their seats. He pulled his daughter into his chest and began to dance, "He's a good guy right?"

Camryn look up at her father with sadness in her eyes, "Um well no one asked me so I'm going with my friends but I'm hoping when I get there someone will ask me to dance," she answered.

"It's okay sweetheart, none of those boys are good enough for you. You'll find a guy that will love you someday, I promise."

Camryn smiled, "How do you know?"

"Because a daddy just knows," Troy began, "And you are so beautiful. You are so much like your mother and hey she got me," he gloated.

She slapped his chest as she smiled brightly; her father was always reminding them about how lucky he was to be with Gabriella.

Camryn just nodded her head and tried to look as though she still wasn't sad but Troy could still see it in her eyes. It broke his heart; his little girl was so smart and so beautiful that it was hard to understand how no boy would want to be with her. He didn't really know what to say to make her feel better; all he knew was that he had to say something.

"You know what, there are probably a lot of boys that like you but they probably are afraid that you don't like them," he said hoping that it was enough for her to feel less hopeless.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better daddy but it's not working," she said.

Silence seemed to overcome the Bolton's backyard, well until Camryn asked, "Daddy can you sing that Cinderella song to me?"

"Of course sweetheart," the began to sing, "So I will dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms, 'cause I know something the prince never knew, oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don't want to miss even one song, 'cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight, she she'll be gone."

͠ Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand, Just glowing and telling us all they had planned, She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away, But I need to practice my dancing, Oh, please, Daddy, please?"͠

There were many people that day in the Cinderella Castle but none of and seem to be paying that much attention to their family. Camryn looked over at Finn after she gave her father a hug, telling him with her gaze that she needed and minute alone with her father. Finn nodded and took the rest of his soon to be family to the next room of the castle.

Camryn looked up at her father with a bright smile and a few tears in her eyes. Troy smiled to, he was so happy; his little girl was finally going to be with the man she loves forever. In that moment he was thinking about a few years back when he was dancing in the backyard with his daughter promising her she was going to find someone great someday. However, he couldn't believe that it was happening so soon; she's still a baby in his eyes. But when Finn came to talk to him that morning to ask permission to marry his daughter he didn't hesitate at all, he couldn't ask for a better man for his baby.

"So what do you think," Camryn whispered.

Troy smiled again, "what do you want me to think?"

Camryn rolled her eyes at her father's teasing; she was trying to be serious in that moment. She folded her arms and scolded her father.

Troy couldn't help but chuckle; Camryn, like her mother, always gave him a scolding look when they were trying to be serious.

"I think that you have a great guy there. He even had the balls to come and ask me for permission," his smile grew when he saw her shed some more happy tears, "I am so happy sweetheart; after all the things you've gone through you deserve something like Finn."

"Thank you daddy."

"Just promise me that you guys will wait to have babies until you're done with college," Troy added.

Camryn giggled, "Of course daddy, we'll try," she teased.

"That did not make me feel better."

Camryn laughed and pulled her dad in for another hug, "you know daddy I'm going to have to dance at my wedding. I haven't been dancing in a long time. Could you help me practice?"

Troy couldn't help but let his eyes well up with tears, "of course. Singing so Cinderella song right?"

"Of course."

Troy began to dance and sing with his daughter just like they always did, "So I will dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms, 'cause I know something the prince never knew, oh, I will dance with Cinderella I don't want to miss even one song, 'cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight, she she'll be gone."

SO WHAT DID YOU THINK? PLEASE REVIEW. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN NEXT.

HANNAH