As everyone stood watching the couple embracing in the centre of the pub the silence was broken by Brody the dog, still shut in kitchen, who started barking madly.
Assumpta pulled back reluctantly from Peter and said, "Apparently Brody missed you too."
They suddenly became aware that half the population of Ballykissangel were watching. Peter met Brendan's eye and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, hi how are you all?"
Brendan broke the tension by laughing and stepped forward to hug Peter and slap him on the back a few times. "We're grand! How're you?" He scrutinised Peter, concern replacing the smile.
"I'm fine, really."
The other regulars, who still knew Peter and Assumpta well, stepped forward to greet Peter.
Michael, sensing that an explanation would come soon, simply shook Peter's hand saying, "It's really good to see you."
Siobhan hugged him and said, "You look dead on your feet."
"Probably don't smell so great either. I've been on three planes, all army flights so none were very luxurious." He smiled and scratched his beard self consciously. Then he caught sight of Niamh and Ambrose and said, "It's great to see you both again," with genuine feeling.
"Three army flights, curiouser and curiouser," Padraig grinned. "This sounds like a story that might even be worth interrupting my speech." Siobhan elbowed him in the ribs and Brian muttered, "He arrived just in the nick of time then."
Peter looked at the decorations with dismay. "I'm really sorry, I had no idea Padraig." He looked around the room realising that he was still the main attraction and said softly to Assumpta, "Maybe we should go."
This was met with cries of "Don't be silly," and "Padraig's speech had already gone on too long!"
It was Niamh who said with finality, "Not yet you don't, where on earth have you been?"
"Didn't Assumpta tell you," he turned to look at his wife.
Assumpta began to speak but they were interrupted by Sam who had appeared at the top of the stairs in pyjamas and sleepily said, "Why is Brody making so much noise?" He then took in the scene in front of him and cried in amazement, "Dad?"
Peter smiled back at his son and softly said, "Hey Sam." Suddenly Abby appeared next to her brother and shrieked, "Daddy!" before tumbling down the stairs and hurling herself at Peter who swung her up off the floor in a bear hug and kissed the top of her head mumbling "Hiya button, I missed you." He put Abby down and hugged Sam while Abby leaned against Assumpta saying happily, "Dad's home."
"I know sweetheart."
"Well I'm not home exactly," Peter said looking around Fitzgeralds and then looking quizzically at Assumpta.
"Don't look at me like that, you've got a bit of explaining yourself to do," she exclaimed. "Why didn't you or someone, anyone phone and let me know you were safe?"
"Neil said your landline has been out all day but that he'd left numerous messages on your mobile. He gave up trying to get hold of you and instead managed to find a plane going to the airfield outside of Kildargen for me. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner." He looked upset. "It was the army who got us out in a rushed operation this morning, or maybe it was last night, I've lost track of time. They're not big on personal phone calls; I thought work or the foreign office would have got in touch with you."
Assumpta sighed and kissed him saying, "I've no idea why no one could get through on the pub phone but my mobile certainly has no reception. You're alive, that's the main thing." She turned to Sam and said, "Sam luv, run and let the dog out of the kitchen please before he wakes up half of Ireland."
Sam opened the door and the dog flew at Peter jumping up at him and spinning in excited circles. Abby giggled and jumped out the way of his tail which was going nineteen to the dozen.
"Alright Brody calm down I missed you too," Peter exclaimed.
"Was your mission a success Daddy? Did you meet Q" Abby suddenly piped up.
"Q?" Peter looked confused.
"He's just got a similar job to James Bond it's not exactly the same," Sam said scathingly.
"Bond?" Peter looked at Assumpta with even more confusion.
Sam said, "Yeah you were on a mission like James Bond and that's why we couldn't say anything about where you were."
"Probably with Q," Abby insisted.
"Bond?" Peter repeated grinning and quirking an eyebrow at Assumpta.
She shrugged apologetically, "I had to say something." Molly could suddenly be heard crying. "I'll explain upstairs and you can see Molly. Come on you two bed."
"Aw mum," Sam and Abby both chorused.
Peter scooped Abby up in a fireman's lift and gestured at the stairs to Sam. "Come on show me which bedrooms yours and I'll tell you all about my adventure okay?"
"Did you have to chase people on a crane?" asked Abby from where she dangled over Peter's shoulder.
"Em no"
"It's not exactly the same as Bond," Sam sighed.
"Which Bond has a crane chase?" Peter queried.
"I caught them watching Casino Royale the other day," Assumpta explained, putting her arm round Sam's shoulder and steering him towards the stairs with Peter, who was still carrying Abby, following. "Come on Brody," she called and the dog charged excitedly up the stairs in front of them.
"Daniel Craig's cool," announced Sam.
Peter made a derisive sound. "Sean Connery's the best Bond."
"He's old."
"Still the best," said Assumpta mildly.
"And on my mission I was definitely more like Sean Connery."
"What old?" giggled Abby.
"Less of that!" Peter tickled her and she squealed happily. "No I was more shaken but not stirred," he said lapsing into his best Connery impression.
"Still, there's something to be said for Daniel Craig," Assumpta said suggestively.
"Oi," cried Peter.
The family could be heard chatting and laughing all the way up the stairs. The last thing the punters below heard was Abby querying how Peter could be James Bond when he had a beard because James Bond definitely doesn't ever have a beard.
The whole pub seemed to turn to Brendan as one. He was clearly the only one left with any idea of what was going on.
"Right out with it," demanded Siobhan.
"He's not really like James Bond is he?" Donal asked in wonder.
"Weellll," Brendan began and Padraig practically spat out his drink crying, "What?"
Brendan laughed. "No, Peter has not joined MI6. His work sent him out to have a look at a project in Afghanistan."
"Who does he work for?" Father Mac spoke for the first time.
"Save the Children. They have various projects in the UK and abroad, Peter's always been UK based but a few staff had left so he was asked to go out and have a look at it. It was supposed to be a four or five day trip in a region that was relatively peaceful. Well about two days in that all changed and the insurgents moved very quickly into the region where the project is based. Assumpta and the charity lost touch with Peter's party and for the last six weeks Assumpta's had no idea whether Peter was alive or dead. It was a huge relief to see him walk through that door tonight, I can tell you."
"God almighty," breathed Siobhan. "Poor Peter, poor Assumpta."
There were nods of agreement and many similar exclamations.
"I don't understand why Assumpta couldn't just tell us that," Niamh suddenly said.
Everyone looked expectantly at Brendan again.
"The foreign office weren't sure if he'd been taken hostage and they wanted the whole thing kept under wraps, they were especially worried about it getting out through the media or the internet."
"Why so much secrecy?" asked Michael.
"If the group had been taken hostage they didn't want to force the captors' hand and if they hadn't they didn't want to alert anyone to the fact there were three British citizens missing in what was now a hostile territory. I told Assumpta she could tell her friends, but she was terrified of doing or saying anything that could jeopardise Peter's safety. That's why she spun the kids the James Bond story. I think she figured that even if they said anything no one would believe them."
"So what did happen to him?" Brian asked the question most people were now wondering.
"I've absolutely no idea. Obviously Assumpta didn't even know he was safe or being flown back. She was as surprised as everyone else to see him walk through the door tonight."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Assumpta sat on the edge of Molly's bed trying to calm her down. "You not coming in?" she asked Peter, who was hovering in the doorway.
"I don't want to terrify her," he said sheepishly, pointing to his beard.
"It's not your best look," Assumpta smirked. "Molly, look who's home, daddy's back. Although, he's got a very silly beard."
Molly sniffled and peered at Peter sleepily, then she giggled, "You look silly daddy. You've been away for ages."
Peter sat on the edge of her bed and gently kissed her forehead saying, "I know munchkin but I'm home now."
Assumpta left him to it and went to see if Sam and Abby were going back to bed, which, of course, they weren't. She found them in the living room still arguing about Bond.
"Will you two go to bed and I'll send your dad in to say goodnight."
"Molly's not in bed." Abby pointed to the doorway where Peter was standing with Molly in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, sleepily chattering away to him.
"Peter," Assumpta groaned. He gave her the same look that Sam used when he wanted something. "Alright, alright, twenty minutes," she caved and settled down on the sofa.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Niamh stood surveying the buffet when Siobhan joined her.
"Everything okay Niamh?"
"Just thinking about Peter and Assumpta, I can't imagine what I'd do if that were Ambrose." She looked fondly over at her husband.
"She's a brave woman, I don't expect we'll see them again tonight, Peter looked exhausted. God knows what happened to him."
Niamh stared at the plates of food in front of her. "Coming all the way from Afghanistan on three army planes can't have been nice; do you think he's hungry?"
"Maybe, why not take a plate up to him?"
Niamh looked embarrassed. "We haven't been that close recently."
"Sure I'll come up with you if you like."
"Right, okay," said Niamh with determination as she started to pile food on a plate.
The two women made their way upstairs into the pubs private accommodation. Siobhan softly called a hello once they'd reached the top of the stairs and they heard Assumpta quietly say, "Hi Siobhan, we're in here."
They followed Assumpta's voice to the living room and found the family on the sofa. Assumpta was sitting at one end with her feet curled up under her. Abby was snuggled up against the back of the sofa with her head resting on Assumpta's side. Peter was sat at the other end, his long legs stretched out at an angle and resting on a foot stool in the middle. He had Molly curled up on his knee. Sam had sprawled out across the middle of the sofa, his head was resting on Peter's legs and his feet were stretched across Abby and Assumpta. The dog was lying on the floor at the base of the foot stool. Everyone was asleep except for Assumpta who smiled when Siobhan and Niamh entered and whispered, "I knew I should've made them all go to bed."
Niamh looked at the family piled on the sofa in a higgledy piggeldy of limbs and then back at Assumpta who looked relaxed and contented. It was not an expression Niamh associated with her old friend. Years ago Assumpta had always seemed to be searching for something or fighting against something. In the last few days her face had been masked with worry, but that had all melted away now.
"We brought up some food for Peter, we weren't sure if he'd have eaten," Niamh said feeling awkward about interrupting the peaceful family scene.
"Thanks Niamh," Assumpta said gratefully. She uncurled her legs trying not to disturb the kids and gently prodded Peter's leg with her foot. He stirred and blearily opened his eyes. "Niamh and Siobhan brought up some food if you're hungry."
"Starved, thank you." He looked at the three sleeping children and said to Assumpta guiltily, "We should get them to bed."
Assumpta lifted Molly from him and took her off to bed. Peter stretched then gently picked Abby up. Sam roused himself, yawned and trailed after Peter.
When the kids were all in bed Peter came back into the living room and gratefully took the plate from Niamh saying, "You've no idea how hungry I am, thank you."
"Brendan told us what happened and why Assumpta couldn't tell us. Are you sure you're okay?" Siobhan asked.
"I'm fine honestly," he said between mouthfuls. Niamh and Siobhan continued to look at him with doubt and concern so he added, "I wasn't taken hostage, which is what everyone seems to have been worried about. We realised the fighting was getting closer to us so we tried to make it to the airport to get out but it was too late, they'd already closed the roads. We were forced to go back to the project. Thankfully the project's director realised the danger we were in, taking westerners hostage is big business, so he and his family took us in. My two colleagues and I have spent the last six weeks living in a basement with no way of getting a message home because the rebels cut off most of the town's lines of communication. It wasn't pleasant but could have been so much worse." He paused and his eyes fell on Assumpta who'd just appeared in the doorway. "The worst thing was being away from my family and not being able to get in touch with them." Niamh heard Assumpta take a shaky breath. Peter seemed to suddenly remember that she and Siobhan were in the room because he tore his eyes away from Assumpta and continued in a lighter tone, "Course, having some decent food, a hot shower and not being stuck in a twelve by fifteen foot basement is also a bonus."
Siobhan smiled, "Well it's really grand having you both back. You get yourself a good night's sleep now."
"I will and thanks for the food, it's delicious."
After Siobhan and Niamh had left Assumpta stood behind Peter and slipped her arms round his shoulders saying, "I've run a bath."
Peter put the, now empty plate, down and pulled Assumpta down next to him. He pushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "Everyone keeps asking if I'm okay but are you? You look tired."
"I'm fine." She said it more out of habit and he saw right through this because he gave her that look. "It's been hard," her voice wavered and then the tears flowed freely. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered.
He pulled her close and let her cry mumbling, "I'm so sorry," into her hair.
They stayed like that for a while until Assumpta had her tears under control. She wiped her eyes, "That's the last time I do that. I've cried so much recently I'm probably salt deficient."
She caught the look on Peter's face and hurriedly said, "And don't apologise again, it's not your fault. Come on you need a bath more than ever now." She indicated the damp patch on his shirt that she'd been crying into and then got to her feet pulling him up.
His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her close against him saying, "I love you" before kissing her.
"I love you too. But Peter,"
"What?" His voice was filled with concern.
"The beard has to go."
"You don't like it," he said in mock-surprise.
"It's a look."
He laughed and allowed her to drag him into the bathroom.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Later as they lay snuggled up together in bed Peter realised there was something he'd forgotten to ask in all the emotion of seeing Assumpta and the kids again.
" 'Sumpta, why are we back in Ballykissangel?" He asked sleepily.
"I'll tell you properly tomorrow but basically the Dooleys gave up the lease and no one else was prepared to take it on."
"That's a shame, I'm sure we'll find someone soon. Any bed with you in it is good but it'd be nice to be back home."
She sighed. "I also wanted to get the kids away, give them a bit of a change of scene. I think it helped, I think it helped me too."
"That's good," he mumbled and hugged her tighter.
"Peter I think we should think about staying." There was no response. "Permanently I mean. We always talked about coming back and settling down here." This was also met with silence. "You think I'm crazy? Peter?" She lifted her head to look at him. He was fast asleep.