A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed and reviewed this story! You've inspired me to write even more. Thank you sooooo much! :) Also, this takes place about a week later.
Disclaimer: Still don't own. *sigh*

I really should've known better. But I couldn't help it! I was running out of clean clothes, so I absolutely had to go home for a while. As soon as I got there though, I knew I had made a mistake by returning.

*Flashback, a few hours ago*
Dally, Soda, and Steve were waiting for me outside my house. I had gone through the front door, just to make it seem like I wasn't afraid of my own house. To my surprise, my sister was there. That meant something was up. My heart beat just a little quicker.

"Sister dear, it's been so long! I've missed you so!" She walked up to me and gave me a hug. For once, she didn't smell like booze and alcohol.

"Shut up, Amanda. She was probably off, getting pregnant and drunk or somethin'." Brock walked downstairs. He never did have a great opinion of me, and I never knew why. "Where the fuck were you, huh? Dad n' Ma are gonna give it you sooner or later." He glared at me.

"Like I said before, it's none of your business. And, Ma n' Dad would never belt me. They aren't home enough and would be too drunk to do that."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you even know who you are?" He stepped towards me, tension in every inch of his being.

"Brock, save it for another time." Amanda tried to intervene. What?

"No. The fuck is that sposed to mean? Of course I know who I am." I spat. Did I?

"Are you sure?" He challenged. Something was definitely up.

"Brock, leave it alone." Once again, Amanda interrupted.

"Yeah Brock, fuck off." I knew once those words left my mouth, I was in for it. His eyes blazed with anger. My heartbeat quickened even more.

Once I saw that, I screamed and ran, with him on my trail. I tried running up the stairs, but he pulled my leg and I fell face forward. I faintly heard Amanda screaming. My vision got blurry, but I kicked him in the face and finished running up the staircase. I made it to my room, so I rushed to throw clothes into my bag. He caught up to me in the midst of me packing, and threw me to the floor. Even though I sobbed and pleaded for him to stop, he hit me. He just kept hitting and hitting me. I grabbed a book from nearby and hit him and the face. Then, I ran down the stairs with my half-full bag.

I barely made it out the door when I saw him right behind me. I screamed and kept running toward the guys, but he caught up to me and grabbed me. He then pushed me to the ground. I started to sob even harder, I was so afraid. He was about to strike me again when he realized the guys were right there, poised to fight.

"You're real fucking lucky, Delanie. Better hope they're here next time, too." He let me go. I ran to the guys. Brock left and went into the house.

I sank to the ground, still sobbing. I was used to him punching and slapping me, but he never beat me like he did today. I was shaken, and still scared. I forgot the guys were there, because when Soda put his hand on my shoulder, I flinched.

"Christ, Lanie. You okay?" He looked concerned, just like Dally and Steve.

I never answered, I didn't even talk until we got to their house. I just cried.
*End flashback*

I knew I looked horrible. I felt horrible. My face had multiple red marks now, but my body held the actual bruises. My secret came out when we'd got to the Curtis house. I told them about how my parents and brother beat me all the time, and how it had started before I'd met the gang. They were enraged, but were even more mad that I hadn't told them. Especially Dally. He left after hearing the news. Now on top of being sore, I now felt guilty for keeping this a secret.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Lanie? You know we would've helped you." Soda looked at me with sad eyes. I felt a hot flash of anger. They don't know how hard it is to tell something like that. Betraying your loved ones, that could get you hurt even more.

"Well, if you were in my shoes, would you have told anyone?" I snapped. I saw Soda shrink back, and I immediately felt bad again.

"I'm sorry, Soda. It's just... I would've been beat to death if I told anyone." I went and gave him an apologetic hug. "The beatings were worse back then. They aren't as bad anymore. I'm fine." I'm not fine. I haven't been fine for what seems like forever. But I have to be strong, strong for the gang. They matter more.

"Lanie..." He gave me a questioning look.

"You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air." I stepped outside to the porch.

XXX

Dally roamed the streets, kicking rocks and stray pieces of trash out of his way. His mind was on one thing, and that was Lanie. When she'd told them that she's been getting beat for the past 7 years, something inside him snapped. He felt an unfamiliar tightening in his chest. He'd wanted to hurt her brother earlier, but now he wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill him and her parents. And that, he'd never wanted to protect and avenge anyone like he did Lanie. Not even Sylvia. And the idea was frightening to him.

He'd always felt protective over Lanie and Johnny. More Lanie than Johnny, because he could fight. But with Lanie, he wasn't sure how much was protectiveness and how much was something else. What? Who am I, the King of Love? Hell, I don't know nothing about love.

"Dally?" He looked up, and saw that he'd somehow made it back to the Curtis house. Lanie was on the porch, looking at him. He looked at her red face and bruised arms, and felt that tightening again.

"You okay? Where were you?" She asked.

"Jus' walkin' around. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Still sore, but I'm fine." She looked at the ground, and unknown emotion in her eyes. He sat down next to her.

"You want me to whoop the shit outta your brother?" He was sincerely asking that. He just wanted to make sure she never got hurt again.

"No. It's okay. That'd be an awful thing to do." She sounded distant.

"No? Lanie, your own brother just beat you, he's been for 7 years, and you think him getting a taste of his own shit is awful?"

"I got myself into this, Dally. It was my fault-"

"The hell it was your fault! No man, let alone your own brother, should ever lay a hand on you, even it was your fault." He was enraged.

"Dally, just let it go. I'm fine now." She went into the house.

Dally started walking towards Lanie's house, with renewed anger. He was out for revenge, and no one was gonna stop him.