“Hello snookems.”  Dana swallowed oh she was sunk.  Dead, she might as well hang up her tennis
racket right now.  Tonya was going to finish the butchering that
these vultures had begun. She backed up slowly, not knowing what to do, Shane made her way out onto the stage, using
her cane and catching Dana from behind. 

            “S’ok baby.”  Shane whispered into her ear.

            “My name is Tonya, Tonya Peabody and I was the former fiance of Dana Fairbanks.” 
The reporters began to yell questions, and Tonya put her fingers to her mouth and
whistled, making everyone grab their ears and grimace.  She smiled, her eyes challenging any of them
to speak before spoken too.  The crowd
calmed.

            “Thank you.  Now. 
I’d like to say that Dana is one of the most loving, forgiving, caring women I
have ever known.  She goes out of her way
to help someone when she can.  She helped
her friends buy this very establishment. 
She allowed me to help run it, even after I called off the wedding
plans.  She took in her friend, her
FRIEND Shane after she’d been severely beaten and
left for dead.  Yes, for dead, blinded,
and wounded no longer the woman she once was.” 
Tonya said dramatically, worthy of an
award.  Quin tossed a look to Helena, who shrugged and Quin was impressed, Tonya should have been an actress.  “She taught her to read, to live her life as
a blind person.  She helped her in many
ways.  Yes, they fell in love.  Love. 
Is there one of you out there that knows what that really is?  How rare it is to find in this gutless and
savage world?”  Tonya said, her eyes moving around the room,
daring anyone to challenge her again.

            “What happened BEFORE they were together
is just that, before.  We are all human;
we all do things we are not proud of. 
I’ve done things I’m not proud of, we move on, we try to evolve.  We are human, and to be human is to forgive,
and to move on.  Now I suggest that you
all move on.  Out, get out.  This is over, I see one bad thing said about
these two loving people, and I’ll go Peabody on you. 
Now out!”  Tonya ordered, turning the mike off and
ushering the open mouthed Dana to the back of the stage.  Shane being tugged with her, she desperately wanted to see
the reporters, damn that was funny!