Ron held open the door to the diner, allowing Shannon to enter ahead of him. The took a seat at a booth closer to the counter. "So" Ron said. "I'm all ears. Anything that's on your mind, you can just spill."

"I don't have that much of an interesting life" Shannon said picking up her menu. "I don't think there's anything you'd wanna hear that you haven't heard already."

"You'd be surprised," Ron smiled. "I could garuntee you that my life up to this point has been far more predictable than yours has."

"Let me guess" Shannon laid the menu down. "You've been working construction since as long as you can remember, right? When what you really wanted to be when you grew up was... an accountant." she laughed

Ron laughed, shaking his head. "You're half right I guess." he said.

"OK" she leaned forward. "What deep dark secret of your past don't I know? Why don't you let me in on the inner thinkings of Ron Walsh?"

"Everything?" Ron asked. Shannon nodded. "Alright. I was about... six when Marcie was born... when my Mom died. The oldest of four kids, the rest of them all under five and now it was up to me to help Dad to... feed them to clothe them... I had to take care of all of them. I went to school during the day and at three o'clock, when all the other kids were playing baseball or watching those stupid after school specials, I would go home and I would help my Dad in the restaurant. I'd keep my homework by the sink... do a few questions when the dishes died down. Run upstairs.... we lived above the restaurant... to check on everyone else about every five minutes. Jerry cried for hours because he still thought that Mom was coming back. And Eric.... he was about three but, he would stay in the room with Marcie and neither of them made a sound. Not when they were together." Ron paused. "And then I'd run back downstairs, the dishes had piled up again, I'd finish them... do some homework, check on the kids.... it was this cycle. And pretty much as soon as they could handle their own, Jerry and Eric and Marcie... they all did the same thing. And we did it all the way through High School. I took off as soon as I graduated.... we didn't have enough money for college. I didn't go, Jerry didn't go. Eric.... joined the army but Marcie... she was the first one. She was the first one out of all of us to actually get into college."

"So what... what'd you do, where'd you go?" Shannon asked.

"I could never get far from New Jersey." Ron admitted. "I spent some time with a Company in New York. Did some construction there... picked up a few odd jobs for the extra cash. But eventually, I came back to Jersey, started a business not far from where I grew up. I've only been in Llanview for about a year. Since Al died, Marcie needed me here."

"That was really cool of you to stay" Shannon said. "I never really had anyone like that."

"Not even Michael or John?" he said

"Not really." she admitted. "I mean... John always had his work and Michael, he was a totally different person before he met Marcie. My Mom was the best. She totally understood me and she knew where I was coming from. She knew everything about me and even some stuff that even I didn't know." Shannon pushed back her tears. She hadn't shed them before and she wasn't about to let them go now. "My Dad was a creep. He was never home, always had a different woman. Even when my Mom was... even when my Mom was sick, he was sleeping around. I hated him. I still hate him. Even now that he's gone, I hate him so much. I hate what he did to her, I hate how much he hurt her. And what he did to me. The things that he did.... I hate...." The tears finally spilled over. Tears that Shannon had been holding back for so many years. They fell in waterfalls and Ron stood, going beside her in the booth.

"Hey..." he pulled her closer. "Shh... it's OK. It's OK Shannon." She was shaking in his arms. "Come on... let's get some air. It's OK." he stood with her, leading her back out to sit at the foot of the statue once again. "That's OK... shh..."

"I hate him, Ron. I hate him...."

He rubbed her back gently. "He's not going to do anything to you again. He's not going to ever hurt you again, Shannon. He can't OK, I promise." He gently kissed her forehead comforting her. "I promise."

Shannon pulled back, tears leaving tracks down her cheeks as she looked at him. She was a mess, makeup running, eyes beat red. The motion was sudden, Shannon cast her arms around Ron's neck, both of them moving at the same time to meet the other's mouth. It was unexpected, it was sudden, but it was welcomed on both ends. The contact remained slow but soon they found themselves lost in eachother's embrace, worries fading away.