Author's note: We're out of canon again for this chapter, but I hope that this captures the idea of 'not much bang and plenty of whimper'...


Assumpta, end of September 1998

Assumpta began slowly packing the few clothes she'd brought back into her rucksack. She'd packed in a rush, not knowing exactly how long she'd be staying, or even if Leo would want to see her, but she'd promised Niamh and she knew it was the right thing to do; to give Leo an explanation. He was staying with a friend, Graeme, who they both knew from College, as his flat in Dublin was still let. Assumpta had arrived at Graeme's flat late, tired and nervous and Graeme had done the decent thing and cleared out of the flat to give them some space. That was just two days ago and now she was getting ready to leave again, to head back to Ballykissangel without her husband, leaving him here in Dublin to get on with his life.

When she'd first arrived, Leo had been surprised, and almost happy to see her. She had wondered again if he'd wanted her to fight for him as Niamh had thought; he'd agreed that they should talk frankly and fully in the morning and, gallant as ever, given up the spare room and slept on the sofa. That first night she'd lain awake for hours trying to work out what she was going to say and how to say it; it was such a messy and unresolved situation in her own mind that she couldn't envision managing to give Leo any sort of meaningful explanation when she didn't even have that for herself.

In the morning, Leo had made breakfast which she couldn't eat and then they'd sat down, awkwardly and almost formally, and, as she didn't have any way of beginning, she'd decided just to allow him to ask any questions he wanted and promised that she would try to answer them truthfully.

His first question was 'Do you love me?'

She'd bowed her head immediately, knowing that the truth was painful and shameful.

"Not in the way that a wife should love a husband, no. I do love you Leo, but I'm not in love with you."

"We're you in love with me when you married me?"

"No"

Her answer was soft and it felt weighty as she admitted it to him, and said the truth out loud for the first time. She liked Leo, she had fun with him, but it wasn't like when they were in College. Then she had happily been in love with him and probably for a long time after they separated. But now, things were different.

"Is something going on between you and the priest?"

She was momentarily taken aback as she realised that Leo knew, or suspected, the real reason for the problems. Peter had been around Fitzgerald's, and them, so little since their return to Bally K and she thought that she'd done a fairly good job of hiding her feelings; clearly not.

"How…?"

"Answer the question, Assumpta. Is there something going on between you and the priest?"

"No."

It was true, there was nothing going on. Other than that late night conversation in the church, she'd barely spoken to him since she and Leo had been married, let alone done anything else.

"And before we were married?"

"No, not really"

"Not really? What does that mean?"

"I don't know Leo. Nothing happened, but, I guess, maybe something might've happened."

"So you were running away when you came to London?"

"I needed to get away for a bit. I needed to put some distance between me and Peter, yes."

"Why did you marry me?"

"Ah Leo, I don't know. Because I wanted to and because it seemed fun at the time and I thought we had a shot, you know because of the past. I'm sorry; I should've been honest with you."

Leo snorted, and stood up moving away from the table where they were sitting.

"Are you in love with the priest?"

The million dollar question. He asked it quietly, not looking at her. She, too, dropped her eyes to the table as she considered the answer and mess she had made of everything.

"Yes."

Leo walked out of the kitchen at that point and she heard the door to the flat slamming shut. She sighed and finished off her coffee knowing she needed to wait for him to walk it off.

He didn't return for hours and she tried to busy herself round Graeme's flat, washing up and taking a book off the shelf that she couldn't concentrate on. For a crazy moment she thought about calling Peter, but decided better of it and called Niamh instead to check in on the pub. All was well, though Niamh was distracted by Kieran's crying so she didn't really get much more from her than that.

When Leo returned, late in the afternoon, it was clear he'd been drinking and she worried he would be angry and harsh, but instead he was simply weepy and sad, telling her that he loved her and that she should forget Peter and move to Dublin with him and start again. She held him and they lay for hours entwined on the sofa listening to music and not really saying anything. At one point a song came on which had been number 1 for weeks a few years ago, Assumpta had bought the album:

"Don't speak

I know just what you're saying

So please stop explaining

Don't tell me cause it hurts

Don't speak

I know what you're thinking

I don't need your reasons

Don't tell me cause it hurts

It's all ending

We gotta stop pretending who we are..."

She could feel their situation in the words. There was nothing more to say; anything else she said, or tried to explain, would just hurt Leo more and she didn't want to do that unless he forced her to. She'd finally spoken the truth to him and in the morning this chapter would be over.

As it got late, Leo had ordered them some pizza and they raided Graeme's beer stash. It was almost nice, almost like the old days, except for the great unspoken fact that she was leaving in the morning and he wasn't coming with her.

She finished the packing and sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. It'd been hard, and emotionally exhausting, but it was done now. Her marriage was over and it was time to go home.

Leo came to the door of the room, hovering awkwardly, still in his pyjamas.

"Thanks for coming," he said quietly.

She nodded.

"What will happen with you and the priest now?"

She sighed again; she wished she knew the answer to that question. Probably she already did.

"Nothing, I suppose. He's a priest."

This was surreal. She'd never been able to talk to anyone about Peter like this and now she was talking to Leo about it. There was a dark comedy to it really.

"I hope he's worth it."

"Me too… me too"