Peter threw the stick and watched Finn chase it down. The dog bounded up to his mistress and she wrestled the stick out of his mouth. Peter smiled at the interaction between man's best friend and the woman that he loved. They walked along the River Angel. He'd never found the tranquillity and peace that he found in Bally-K in England. Ever since his mother died his brothers have been trying to convince him to return, be close to the family. But he had his own family here now, be it an abnormal one. He patted his pocket discretely and grinned at the sight of his girlfriend chasing the dog along the rivers edge. Her laughter lit up his face. It was a sound that he'd never tire of...
Brendan lent against the side of the blue truck he knew so well. He looked down at his feet and sighed.
"What can I do you for Brendan?"
"Can, ah, can we talk Siobhan?" Siobhan nodded and started walking down towards the river.
"So?"
"Siobhan, I'm going to be a Daddy."
"I know Brendan." Brendan looked out over the river.
"I want to be a proper dad to my child. I never thought that I'd have a child, and now here I am with my best friend having my child and surprisingly I couldn't be happier."
"Does this have a point?"
"Move in with me?" Siobhan stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him.
"What did you say?"
"What did you say?"
"Marry me." Peter was down on his knee in front of her. She pulled him up to meet her and threw her arms around him.
"You are an incredible man Peter." Peter grinned as he kissed her.
"So is that a yes?"
"Maybe. Would it work? I mean, could we stand being under the same roof?"
"Siobhan, we're together when we're not working or sleeping anyway. And recently we've been together sleeping! You're my best friend and I love you dearly. Someone wise once said that love is friendship on fire. Please? I want to be a real dad."
"Yes."
"Alright then."
Peter grinned at Assumpta and placed the ring on her finger before enveloping her in him arms. He couldn't believe that it had happened. They continued their walk back towards the pub. As they rounded a bend the noticed Siobhan and Brendan sitting together, her between his legs resting back against his body.
"That's something you don't see every day!" Assumpta laughed. Finn bounded up to the couple sitting on the rocks, licking the faces that he'd come to know as a fixture of 'home'.
"Assumpta, get this beast out of here!" Brendan groaned. Assumpta laughed.
"You heard him Peter, away with you!" Assumpta and Siobhan laughed before Peter threw Assumpta over his shoulder and walked towards the other couple. Copying their positioning, they sat down.
"I'm moving in with Brendan," Siobhan said, deadpan. Only the smile on her face gave away how thrilled she really was, and of course Brendan couldn't see it. She would never make it easy for him!
"Humpf!" Assumpta grinned. "I can beat that. I'm marrying the priest!" Despite the sarcasm in her voice, the whole world knew that she was thrilled with the idea, the thought, the prospect of marrying an incredible man – priest or not! Brendan's smile broke his face in two. He was thrilled that he was going to see his eldest 'daughter' so happy. He reached for her hand and kissed it.
"My dear, my dear, I know / More than another / What makes your heart beat so; / Not even your own mother / Can know it as I know/ Who broke my heart for her / When the wild thought/ That she denies / And has forgot/ Set all her blood astir / And glittered in her eyes." Brendan smiled through the fog threatening to cloud over him. He was so happy for her.
"How long is forever?" Assumpta asked, her head pillowed on Peter's chest.
"Forever isn't very long at all, when I'm with you..." Assumpta grinned at his cheesy reply.
"Forever: always like this."
"Forever and ever."
Well, there you go! Finished! The time for this fic is all over the place, but, forgive me, I'm Aussie without all the DVDs yet and it seems like forever since it was last on TV. I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings... feedback is much appriciated... I'm also slowly working out how to use - hopefully this part is clearer than the last!!
DISCLAIMER: Not mine... unfortunately. I do not intend any copyright infringements! Poem: To a Young Girl by WB Yeats
Katie