"Oh, Goddess, maybe I should go back to being Catholic, at least
there's a late Mass!" Maggie MacAllister rolls over, reaching for the alarm
clock at her bedside, which reads 5:30. It is still proverbially pitch
black outside her windows, this Mid-Winter early morning. Maggie switches
on her bedside light, and gets out of bed, shivering, and dashes into her
own bathroom, closing the door and turning on the light, then an area heater,
and the ceiling fan, before starting her shower. She mutters something
about hoping Orla is doing
the same, and steps into the hot water.
Outside, just pulling into the village, a small car, headlights playing across the buildings, pulls up in front of the pub, and two people get out, one pulling a key from her coat pocket to open the front door, and both stepping inside, locking it again after themselves. Signs are already posted in the front windows stating the pub is closed for a private party that day. Curtains not usually pulled are drawn closed as well. Assumpta Fitzgerald steps into the kitchen, flipping on the lights, while Peter stands still at the door, not wanting to trip over a table or chair.
Once the light comes on in the kitchen, he winds his way across the room, behind the bar, and into the kitchen, rejoining his fiancee, and wrapping his arms around her from behind, planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "Today's the day, Assumpta, I never thought it'd get here!"
Assumpta turns in Peter's arms. "Aren't you the eager bridegroom all of a sudden! I thought I'd have to drag you to the altar, especially *this* altar, and you're almost dancing about on your toes!" Assumpta smiles up at Peter, then turns her head slightly as she hears footsteps coming down the stairs.
Maggie MacAllister, her hair still wrapped in a towel, steps into the kitchen, and smiles at her friends.
"Maggie!" Assumpta begins, but sees Maggie hold up one hand as she pours herself a cup of coffee, steaming, and adds sugar before swilling it down in a few gulps.
"Okay, I can be human now." Maggie slumps in a chair. "These dawn rituals get harder every year, mid-summer's not so bad, at least it's warmer, but mid-winter sucks!"
"Maggie!" Assumpta sounds shocked, and pulls a chair out to sit next to her friend. "We didn't have to get married so early, we could have started at noon, Maggie."
"Oh, no, no dear, don't mind me, I'm just griping, I would have been up anyway, although I wouldn't have been getting dressed up and going travelling if I wasn't going to a wedding. But really, how often do I get to marry two people who more deserve to be together than you two?"
"Silly, you don't get to marry anybody around here, we're the first!" Assumpta takes Maggie's hand in hers and squeezes it. Maggie laughs in spite of herself, jollied out of her bad mood by the teasing.
"You're quite right, it's not like I do anything like handfastings or anything here, nor ever did at home, either. But this is a special case, and it's the least I can do for one of my dearest sisters, too."
"Now, let's get some toast and get upstairs, I have to get dressed and we have to get out to that little forested spot on Sean and Niamh's place with enough time before the sun gets up to get the site laid out. Do you two have your clothes in the car? Probably better to change at Sean and Niamh's, if you don't think they'll mind?" Maggie stands, pours herself another cup of coffee, starts a kettle for tea for Peter and Assumpta, and gets bread into a toaster, bustling about the kitchen as seemingly full of energy as she was devoid of it moments earlier. Peter and Assumpta share a puzzled look, but they both sit and take the tea Maggie hands them, as well as some toast when it's ready. Soon Maggie trots upstairs to get dressed, leaving Peter and Assumpta alone for a few minutes.
"If I didn't know better I'd say Maggie was really worried about something and trying to cover it up, 'Sumpta. But what could she be worried about? Surely not the wedding, it's all set up perfectly now, everything all taken care of, I saw the cake in the cooler there when Maggie got out the butter for the toast. What could she possibly be worried about?" Peter stands and takes mugs and plates to the sink, rinsing out the remains of tea and coffee.
"No, Peter, you're right, she is worried, scared, really. I think she's afraid of that O'Connor man finding her. Orla says she's worried Maggie's going to bolt, that she'll never come back from Scotland, if that's even where she's really going. You know Danny could never stop Iblis from bolting, too, if he wanted, that horse can jump any fence. Peter, what if Maggie is bolting, what if she's so afraid of James O'Connor that she can't even bear facing him?"
Peter puts his arms around Assumpta, leaning over her protectively. "Don't worry, Assumpta, Maggie's found a home here, just like I did, a home she won't be willing to leave, a home she'll fight for. If this O'Connor shows up an' Maggie asks him to leave, an' he won't, well, Connor and I'll just see him back off to America, an I'll bet Aidan'll be willin' to have a firm talk with the man, too, to make him see sense. Maggie didn't ask him to leave his vocation, she told him to leave her alone after her husband died, how much more clear could she be?" Peter actually has a hint of anger and disapproval in his voice.
"He's in love, Peter, you ought to know how that muddles the thinking sometimes!" A hint of Assumpta's acerbic wit surfaces, and Peter straightens, looking down with some pain in his face. "Assumpta, how can you take a stranger's part against your own friend?" She stands.
"Oh, Peter, I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel badly for the man, I know what it's like to love someone you think you can't have. But you're right, Maggie's my friend, and if she wants to be left alone, then I'll support her decision. She's been more like a mother than a sister to me, sometimes, Peter, and she's gone far out of her way to see us happy together, too." Assumpta smiles up into her beloved's face, and puts her arms around him. "I'm glad you see her as a friend, too, Peter, I can't tell you how lucky I feel to see what a kind and accepting man I'm marrying. I'm the luckiest woman in the world, I think!" Assumpta stretches up to plant a big kiss square on Peter Clifford's lips, which he begins to enthusiastically return just as Maggie comes back down the stairs.
"Hmmm, couldya wait until *after* I say 'you may kiss the bride' or words to that effect, you two?" Maggie chuckles as the two separate, actually blushing. "Now, now, I'm just kidding, go on, let's get moving, we only have an hour until sunrise, and I still have to set up the altar and ward the site. I sure hope Orla and Connor are there, we'll never move those stones into position without Connor and Sean!"
"I can help!" Peter protests, opening the passsenger door for Maggie to clamber into the back seat of the little car, then helping Assumpta into the front.
"No you can't, I won't have that tunic and trews muddied before the ceremony, unless you *want* to stand up and be handfasted to Assumpta in your birthday suit at dawn on Mid-Winter Day in County Wicklow, Ireland?" Maggie settles her bag next to her on the seat, and buckles her seat belt.
"Birthday suit? I didn't bring another suit to wear, the wool outfit's in the boot!" Peter starts the engine and begins to pull out into the street. Maggie bursts into laughter.
"Naked, silly, your 'birthday suit' is an American slang term for no clothes at all!" The trio all break into laughter, moods light and merry again, looking forward happily to the start of a new day.
*****
In a small clearing in the woods on Sean and Niamh Dillon's land, on the eastern slope of a hill, Orla O'Connell and Connor Devlin are walking back and forth, sweeping away twigs and leaves from the grass by the light of several battery-powered lanterns. The ground is not muddy, being well-drained and lightly grazed only by Danny's sheep in the summer. Connor pulls a compass out of his pocket and begins to draw lines in the grass with the handle of a broom just as Sean Dillon shows up.
"Right, then, where's those two rocks Maggie wanted, an' where do we put 'em?" Sean and Connor are both dressed in denims and rubber boots, and between the two of them the two roundish boulders are soon placed at one end of the clearing, so that the sun will rise behind them and shine into the faces of the people facing the altar. Meanwhile, Orla has pulled a three foot long plank of oak, planed smooth, out of the boot of Connor's car, and has leaned it up against another tree, near the two stones.
"Well," Orla brushes her two hands together, "we're as done as we can be 'til Maggie gets here, let's go get cleaned up. Is Niamh gonna be up ta this, Sean, or is she gonna stay in the house here with the kids?"
"An' miss her best friend's wedding?" Sean shakes his head emphatically. "No chance of that! Emma an' Danny are goin' ta stay with Kieran and Brian and Aisling, they'll all be asleep anyway. No, Niamh's gonna be right up there in that red dress, along with Siobhan, to see Assumpta Fitzgerald get married. At least this weddin's not costing a bundle, considering they're gonna do it all over again in a year or two when Peter gets his dispensation and they go the whole Church route! Do ya suppose your brother'll do the honors then, Orla?"
"Na, it'll probably be one of Peter's old classmates, or some priest in Dublin who doesn't know the history of the pair of 'em. They'll never marry in BallyK, not considerin' the groom's the former PP an' the bride's supposed to be dead!" Orla nearly guffaws.
"Shh, I just got Brian fed and settled, don't wake him now!" Niamh comes down the staircase, her gown over her arm. "At least it's not rainin', even if it's cold, so we won't get soaked out there. Now come on, Orla, let's get each other into these dresses, I'll lace you up if you'll lace me, and you two," Niamh's commanding gaze reaches her husband and Connor, "get into your suits as well!" The two women head off to the back parlor, leaving the men in the kitchen.
"Mine's upstairs.." Sean starts towards the staircase, just in time to meet Niamh.
"Sorry, luv, I brought yours down with mine, here ya are, then!" and Niamh hands her husband his red woolen tunic and loose pants.
"I hope these things don't itch!" Sean sighs. "Here," Connor opens a backpack he has brought with him. "Here's an extra pair of silk pants and shirt to wear under 'em, I figured you'd want the same thing I've got. At least this wool is warm, we won't feel the cold at all between it and the silk, and these cloaks!"
"So, why red, again?" In the parlor, door closed, Niamh is tightening Orla's laces, which run up the back of her dress. "Red's the color of celebration, an' of fire, an' of cleansing, all perfect for a couple about to start a life together. Good thing we all look good in it, too, huh?" Both women chuckle, there's no doubt that the warm, bright color complements both the pale blonde Orla and the warm bronze hair Niamh sports. "An' better yet, it's all just borrowed, we just have the outfits cleaned and give them back to Maggie when she returns, an' she'll get them back to the friends she borrowed them from. I don't think many folks keep much in the way of ceremonial garb like this on hand, you'd never use it anywhere else, after all." Orla smiles as Niamh finishes tying the knot in the laces, then turns to the mirror, where both women check their dresses.
"But won't Assumpta want to keep her dress?" Niamh bends forward, checking her mascara in the mirror.
"No, probably not, she'll want to keep the traditional one she wears for the church wedding later on, and we can pick out a really fancy one, too, when the time comes. D'ya suppose she'll just wear a suit to the registry office, for the legal part of it, whenever that comes through?" Orla combs and pulls up her hair, tying a ribbon around the elastic band that holds it back from her face. The two women both pick up un-dyed wool cloaks, and turn to leave the room.
"Yeah, probably just plain suits and dresses for us all, an' dinner at a nice restaurant afterwards, depending on when it happens. The big party and fancy dress'll be after the church wedding, an' that might even be in Manchester, if Peter and Assumpta decide to be near his family. I just wish poor Assumpta could have had her Mum here with her, at least, but at least she's got friends, even if there's no family." Niamh throws her cloak over her shoulders, and the women meet their menfolk in the hallway.
"Right, then, we ready?" Sean asks.
"Yeah, let's get this show on the road!" Orla answers him, and the four head out the front door. Emma and Danny wave from the kitchen window as the car and small red truck head back up the drive and then out towards the hill pastures.
"So, how's your uncle doing?" Emma asks Danny as both sit back down, and sip their tea.
"Bout da same, some days he knows me an' some days he don't. Ta doctors think it won't be long, now, 'for he goes." Danny stares down into his tea, and Emma places her hand on his. He takes it, and looks at her earnestly. "Emma, I got sumpthin I been meanin' ta talk ta ya about."
"Yes, Danny?" Emma's sweet face has matured since she has been away at school, but her eyes still glow with the same warmth they have always held for the shy boy.
"Well, I was thinkin', ya know, yer gonna be done with school this year, an' then ya might be goin' ta London or some such, wherever ya got offers of a job, an, well, I wondered if ya had any, you know, plans, fer where ya might want ta settle an' all?" Danny's eyes stare at their joined hands or at the tabletop, only nervously glancing up at Emma's face for a brief second, then dropping back again.
"But Danny, with the Internet I can work from almost anywhere, and only go up to Dublin now and again. I'm coming home to Ballykissangel, Danny, to be with my friends and family! Don't you want me to come home?" Emma looks squarely at Danny's face, and Danny looks up again, meeting her gaze directly. He smiles broadly.
"A course I wantcha ta come home, Emma, I bin waitin' fer two years ta have ya home so I could give ya this, if ya'll take it, that is." Danny reaches into his jacket pocket, and pulls out a small box, then hands it, unopened, to Emma. She reaches out, and lifts the wooden lid, laying it on the table. Inside the box, nestled on a square of black velvet, is a simple band of white metal, with old-fashioned filigree work on the sides and near the top, where a small clear stone is set.
"Oh, Danny, it's beautiful!" Emma throws her arms around the young man's shoulders, hugging him tightly, then sits again, handing him the box. "Here," she says, holding out her hand, "you put it on!"
Danny takes the ring out of the small box, and gently slides it over Emma's left ring finger. He has a grin on his face as wide as all outdoors as he pulls Emma back to her feet, to wrap his arms around her, and then kisses her soundly. Hugging her again, he says, very softly, into her ear. "Ah never thought ya'd say 'yes'!"
"Oh, you, you know I've loved you since the day we met!" Emma answers him.
"Ah thought it was just me horse ya wanted. Razor's better lookin' than I am!"
"Yeah, but Razor can't kiss even half as good!", and so saying, Emma returns Danny's earlier kiss.
*****
In the small clearing, the battery-powered lights have been replaced by one small campfire, and predawn light lets Sean, Niamh, Orla and Connor see that Maggie, Peter and Assumpta have arrived, followed shortly thereafter by Siobhan and Brendan. Brendan, in addition to his red wool tunic, sports the ever-present tweed blazer and hat. "You men and your Harris tweeds, yer as bad as Dad ever was!" Niamh scolds the schoolmaster gently.
"The Scottish Weavers thank you for your trade, Brendan, but for now, can you leave that hat and coat in the car?" Maggie asks.
"Oh, all right!" Brendan pretends to grumpiness, which is belied by the twinkle in his eyes and grin on his face as he spots his favorite former pupil, dressed in a long creamy-colored gown, with a wreath of holly, red berries throughout, around her head.
"Brendan, thank you!" Assumpta hugs the older man, and he plants a kiss on her cheek.
"Wouldn't miss this for the world, honey!" Siobhan also embraces Assumpta, then Peter, also dressed in undyed new wool, and also wearing the same wreath of holly on his head.
"Okay, we're all here, let's take our places!" Maggie calls out. She is also in a long gown, but it is a different color than all the rest, being a peaty green color. She wears a belt of silver links, from which hangs a green cloth bag on one side, and a gold-bladed knife on the other. Her cloak is the same color, while everyone else wears plain undyed wool cloaks over their red dresses or suits. Maggie lifts a silver ladle out of a silver bucket, and pours water over each stone, rinsing off any traces of soil, then she and Orla lift the oak plank and lay it across the two stones. Maggie places a silver plate in the center of the altar, then, stepping around the altar to the fire, lights a bunch of twisted herbs, which begin to smoke, and lays them in the silver plate. She and Orla each then take the pouches off their belts, and, starting at the point on the circle Connor has enscribed earlier directly facing east, behind the altar, the two women begin to sprinkle two different powders on the ground, one nearly white, one black. They move in a clockwise direction.
Brendan leans towards Siobhan, who stands close beside him, and she whispers in his ear, "Salt and charcoal, cleansing and purification".
Maggie and Orla seem to weave the two substances back and forth, so that the two lines seem to twist around each other, one crossing first over, then under the other, in a loose Celtic two-part braid. As Maggie and Orla come near to completing the circle, Connor Devlin steps behind the altar, and pushes back his cloak to reveal a broad leather belt from which hangs a scabbard. Just before the circle is closed, he steps outside it, and takes a clear guarding position, sword blade at the ready. Orla turns her body, and, as she and Maggie close the circle, Orla straightens, and throws her cloak back off her shoulders, revealing a lighter scabbard, from which she also draws a sword. She takes a position on Connor's left, and they both turn their backs to the rest of the group, and face directly east, blades raised.
Maggie steps towards the altar, and, bending, draws one more item from the pack at her feet, an earthenware goblet. It is a plain tan and brown pattern, with a design of the phases of the moon running around the bowl under the rim. Maggie places it on the altar beside the silver plate, and throws back the hood of her cloak, revealing a silver circlet around her brow, with the triple moon design in the middle of her forehead.
"We have come together, in this place which is between places, in a time between times, to celebrate the return of Light to our world, and to witness the joining of two lives into one, asking the blessing of the Goddess upon the two who are joined, as well as on us all. Who comes to this place, in this time, to see this joining?"
Standing in a semi-circle behind Peter and Assumpta are Niamh, Sean, Siobhan and Brendan, each couple holding their partners' hands. "We do!" the four answer in unison.
Maggie takes the golden knife from her belt and lays if on the altar, then speaks again. "And who comes here to this holy place to be joined, and ask this blessing on themselves and their lives together?" Maggie's hands are held out at her sides, the elbows slightly crooked, palms up.
"I, Peter, come here to this place between places, in this time between times, to be joined to the woman I love, in the eyes of my friends and of my Lord. I ask the blessing of all that is Holy upon myself and my beloved, and all our future life together." Peter has raised his hands up in supplication, and when he stops speaking, he kneels.
"I, Assumpta, come here to this place between places, in this time between times, to be joined to the man I love, in the eyes of my friends and of my Goddess. I ask the blessing of the Light Returning upon myself and my beloved in all our future life together." Assumpta also kneels. Maggie reaches down and brings up a bottle, pouring a clear liquid into the goblet in front of her. She raises the goblet, and turns to face the east. Connor and Orla take one step apart, and raise their blades in salute.
"Then Behold, for the Light returns, out of the Longest Night our Goddess and Mother sends back the sun to warm us, to grow our crops and nourish our beasts, and to be a sign of her unending love for us, her children. Rejoice!" Just at that moment the rim of the solar disk, appearing huge and red, breaks the horizon. Orla and Connor both shout out a word no one but Maggie and Assumpta recognize, and the bright light of a new day washes over the faces of the nine people standing or kneeling in the grass of the hillside clearing.
Maggie lowers the goblet, and turns back to the three couples on the other side of the ceremonial fire. She steps to the front of the altar, between it and the fire, and raises the goblet again. "As a sign of gratitude for all that She gives us, I offer this mead to Her Fire, holy wine of her winged children, let it burn as a binding sign of my faith!' Maggie tips the goblet, and the mead splashes into the fire, sizzling and flaring as the less and more flammable components are consumed.
"What signs of faith and binding do you offer to each other, that they, too, may be blesssed in the Holy Fire?" Maggie holds out a hand each towards Peter and Assumpta, who rise. Assumpta turns towards Brendan and Siobhan, who stand behind her, and Peter turns towards Sean and Niamh, similarly behind him. Each couple together hands the bride and groom a plain gold ring, their hands joined as they reach forward, each couple placing the ring into the outstretched palm of its intended giver. Peter's ring is in Assumpta's palm, and Assumpta's in Peter's, as both turn back towards Maggie.
"We offer these rings of gold, and do with them plight our troth unto each other." Peter and Assumpta recite in unison. Maggie reaches out and takes each ring, and then kneels, and reaches directly into the fire, placing the rings on top of one of the stones in the firepit. Despite being told this was part of the ceremony, Peter, Brendan, Siobhan, Niamh and Sean cannot help but widen their eyes in shock as Maggie's hands and sleeves do not burn or ignite. Standing as they do, they all feel the heat of the flames, and know the fire is real.
"May all the Gods and Goddesses, and every Being who serves the Light witness and behold that in this hour of the Light Returned that Peter and Assumpta have offered this gold and plighted their troth and faith unto each other. May all those here assembled feel the blessing of the Mother Goddess in their lives in this coming year, and share that blessing with Peter and Assumpta as they begin their life together." Maggie turns and steps back behind the altar, pouring more mead into the cup, and then lifting the small silver bucket and ladle with one hand and the goblet with the other, steps back between the fire and the altar. She sets down the bucket, and lifts the goblet, dripping a few drops of wine onto the rings, now glowing on the rock on which they lay, then lowering the goblet to take a small sip. She then passes the goblet to Assumpta, who also sips, and then on to Peter, and so on to the other two couples. There is still wine in the goblet when it is returned to Maggie, who turns and sets it back on the altar. Kneeling back down in front of the fire, she reaches in and picks up each ring, lifting them out and dropping them into the bucket of cold water. There is a faint glowing circle the size of each ring left behind on the rock as it sits in the middle of the fire. As the rings drop into the water, sizzling and popping occurs as the hot metal is quenched. Maggie reaches back in after a moment, and pulls out the two bands, which had been plain gold, but now have a design seemingly carved into their outer surfaces, a three-part Celtic braid which meets at one point in a Trinity knot, flowing back into the braid which circles the rest of the ring. Maggie stands, and hands the rings to Peter and Assumpta, who then turn to face each other, as Maggie steps for a final time behind the altar.
Peter and Assumpta join their four hands together, holding the two rings, and recite, "May these rings which we give to each other stand as a reminder of the blessings of all that is Holy upon our lives together." They then each slide onto the other's left ring finger the rings which were made for each of them.
Assumpta then steps around the fire, standing between it and the altar, and bending, lifts up the small silver bucket. She speaks. "May the holy water in this bucket, drawn from Her sacred well, now carry our offering, purified in Her sacred fire, down into the depths of Her blessed earth, that it may be held by Her for all time as a symbol of our love and faith." Assumpta pours the contents of the bucket directly onto the rock on which the rings once laid, and as she finishes, the fire goes out, and it is plain to see that the two faint gold circles which once marked the top of the rock are gone, and it is a plain rock once more. Assumpta sets the bucket down, and moves back to Peter's side, where they join hands again.
Maggie raises the goblet and turns to face the east, where the whole face of the rising sun is now visible above the horizon. "Behold the Light Returned, and go ye now forth from this place bathed in its warmth and beauty." She raises the goblet as Orla and Connor turn and, bending, place their blades, side by side, at the joining point of the circle, the spot facing due east, where the salt and charcoal began and ended. Maggie tips the goblet one last time, saying "This Circle of ward and purification is now...Open!" The last word is spoken as the mead strikes the ground, and Orla and Connor sweep aside with the edges of their blades the two powdered substances. Most of the people are suprised to hear a sudden noise, almost like distant thunder, and feel their eardrums popping, as if the air pressure has suddenly altered. Connor and Orla step aside and face each other on either side of the newly created gate, and first Maggie, then Peter and Assumpta, then Brendan and Siobhan, and finally Sean and Niamh step through the break in the two lines of powder.
Once outside the circle, Peter and Assumpta turn, and after all the others pass them, Assumpta reaches into a small pouch at her belt and Peter into his pocket, and pulls out a silver object, handing it to their guardian counterpart. They speak one last time in unison. "For your faith and duty in guarding us here this morning, keeping us safe from all who would disrupt us and harm us, we give you our deepest thanks and these tokens of our undying friendship." Orla and Assumpta embrace, and Peter and Connor clasp hands, then each couple steps back a bit and the guardians sheath their swords.
"Okay, what say we all head back to the pub and hit the grub, folks!" Maggie's cheerful voice holds no trace of the solemnity and rhyme it held when she stood at the altar, it is again the voice of their local publican. Some residual sense of formality is broken, and everyone hugs each other, Assumpta getting kisses from everyone, as Peter is thumped on the back quite soundly, setting his holly wreath somewhat askew.
Everyone except Orla, Connor and Maggie head back to Sean and Niamh's house to change. Those three, working in silence, dismantle the altar, Connor simply rolling the stones back to near where they once sat, Maggie and Orla stowing the oak plank and ceremonial vessels back in their appropriate bags. Finally, the last of the burning herbs is laid to burn out on the wet earth of the firepit, and Maggie, Connor and Orla get in Connor's car and drive directly to the pub, pulling up in the yard area behind the building. They are still the first group back, since the group of couples at the Dillon farm has had to take time to get the kids up and ready, and to congratulate the newly engaged Danny and Emma.
Soon enough, however, the entire bunch descends on Fitzgerald's, most also pulling up behind the pub, and entering through the kitchen. Some few other guests, arriving from out of town, are let in through the front doors, and soon everyone is sitting down to a delicious brunch. After everyone has eaten, Peter and Assumpta are sat down together on one of the couches, and wedding presents start getting passed to them to open. Finally, after every package has been opened and tallied, Assumpta's partner, Bonnie, steps forward with an envelope in her hands.
"This came in yesterday's post, an' since you were out I decided to save it as a surprise wedding present from our loving and benificent Municipal Governing Council!" Laughs and jeers greet her wry statement, but upon opening the envelope, Peter and Assumpta find it is their civil wedding license, good for 30 days from date of issue. Earlier jeers turn to cheers, with more laughs thrown in for good measure, and Peter secretly heaves a sigh of relief, knowing that he and Assumpta can actually go to the registry office the very next day in Dublin and get legally married if they want to. Seeing it all in black and white, Peter suddenly realizes that he and Assumpta are really and truly together, married, forever, and he turns and grabs Assumpta in a strong hug.
Surprised, she hugs back, but soon wiggles, and Peter loosens his grip. Assumpta pulls back, inhales deeply, and looks at Peter quizzically. "What was *that* for?" she asks.
"Polar Bears give especially strong hugs when they get married, didn't you know?"
"Oh, Peter, come here!" Assumpta grabs Peter and hugs him back, struck by the sudden emotional memory attached to polar bears.
"Hey, hey, didn't I tell you two to cut that out this morning, until I pronounced you husband and wife?" Maggie lays her hands on her young friends's shoulders.
"So," Peter looks up at Maggie, "whatcha waitin' for?" Tapping the rim of her wine glass with a fingernail, Maggie raises her voice.
"Everyone, yo, everybody, can I have your attention and your glasses raised, please?" Maggie lifts her glass to its highest reach, and says, "To Peter and Assumpta, now and forever, husband and wife together!"
"To Peter and Assumpta!" the guests all chant, and all around the room wine and beer and orange juice pour down throats.
Siobhan is one of those to notice that one of the glasses of orange juice belongs to Assumpta, and not long after the toasting is concluded, while everyone is still mingling and gnoshing and exchanging stories, pulls Assumpta aside. "Is that orange juice you're drinkin', or is there champagne somewhere you're makin' mimosas with?"
Assumpta drops her chin a bit, and admits, "Just plain orange juice."
"And?" Siobhan whispers. Assumpta nods, and Siobhan hugs her. "When?"
"Samhain night, after the Halloween party. We only slept together once, never again since, but that was enough."
Assumpta's voice is quiet, and Siobhan answers in the same tone. "Ya don't need to tell me, once is plenty enough, and Aisling's the proof! Thanks for trustin' me, I won't tell anyone until you're ready. Does Peter know? He's probably a little clueless about such things, isn't he?"
Assumpta smiles. "Not anymore he's not! Yes, he does know, I told him as soon as I was sure. So it's a good thing the civil license came quickly, we want to make sure he's recognized as the legal father of our little girl."
"Oh, did ya do CVS already, then?" Siobhan asks. "I wouldn'ta thought you'd have been old enough to be worried about anything, to need to do that testing."
"No, not CVS," Assumpta answers, "another way of finding out."
"Sort of along the lines of what we saw this morning?" Siobhan asks. Assumpa nods. "Well, alot of what I do would have been magic to an alchemist, so who am I to question. Any sufficiently advanced science can appear to be magic to those who don't understand it, right?" Siobhan hugs Assumpta again. "Let me know if you want Aisling's baby clothes, no sense in them goin' to waste in my closets! And anything else I can, I'm only a phone call away."
Assumpta hugs back. "Thanks, Siobhan!"
"Sure, you did the same for me, not so long ago!" The two old friends rejoin their husbands.
Not long after, one by one or two by two, guests begin to gather their coats and leave, until soon only Maggie, Peter and Assumpta are left.
"What do we do with all these presents, we can't get them all in the car!" Peter is standing beside the pile, trying to sort them into "take now" and "get later" piles.
"Oh, let's take them all upstairs and put them in my old bedroom for now, and we can get them bit by bit once we move into a flat in Dublin and have room for them." Assumpta answers him. "Is that okay with you, Maggie?"
"Sure, we never have tourists this time of year, and I'd never rent out your room, anyway, Assumpta, so let's get all this carted upstairs. Orla and Connor should be back soon, since I'm about to head off to Dublin myself." Maggie picks up a balanced armload of stuff and starts up the stairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to hitch a ride with us, Maggie?" Peter asks the older woman as they trudge upwards. "Save you a long drive there and back, and parking fees for the van besides, while you're away."
"Sure, and what if you two are gone on your honeymoon when I get back? I am NOT riding the bus down from Dublin, I want to keep what's left of my innards in their place, thank you very much!" Maggie, setting down presents, wraps her arms across her stomach in a protective gesture. Assumpta laughs, and says to her friend "Oh, come on, you don't think an automatic confessional is gonna land on the bus, do you?"
"No, I'll just lose two weeks' worth of my in-laws' Scottish cooking from motion sickness! Hmmm, now I think about it, that probably isn't a bad idea!" Maggie laughs loudly, and heads back downstairs to make another trip. Soon all the presents are safely stowed, and Peter and Assumpta bundled up for the journey home. Connor and Orla drive in, and get out of their car with bags in hand, and Connor in turn grabs Maggie's bags from her room, tossing them in the back of the blue van. Hugs and good wishes are exchanged all around.
"So, ya gonna go to the registry office tomorrow, or wait until Monday? Would you like us ta come up and be witnesses?" Orla asks Assumpta as they hug one last time.
"We didn't really think about it, but yeah, we'll call and have you and Sean and Niamh and as many other friends come up if we can, if it turns out to be a good day for everyone. We only have four weeks to plan, but once the holidays are over maybe everyone'll have some time. Do you want us to wait until you get back from Scotland, Maggie?" Assumpta turns to her friend.
"No, you go ahead, dear, and in fact I'd get it taken care of as soon as possible, if I was you. That way when Peter's dispensation comes through, you can get started on that honeymoon, pdq!" Maggie tosses her purse in the front seat of the van, and hops in. Orla and Assumpta exchange worried looks, surely Maggie would want to be present at even a civil wedding? "Okay, dears, I'm off, I've got a plane to catch!" Maggie closes the van door, and starts her engine. Assumpta and Orla step over to the van, and Maggie rolls down the window. The two young women, then both of the men, bend over and give Maggie a peck on the cheek. Maggie puts the van in reverse, pulls out, then shifts and starts out, pausing for just a moment to shout "Happy Christmas, see you after New Year's!"
"There, now, see? Nuthin' to worry about, she'll be back after New Year's!" Peter places his hands on Assumpta's shoulders. "I don't know, Peter, something feels wrong about her leaving right now...."
"Oh, don't tell me you've got Assumpta worried, too, now, Orla?" Connor turns to the blonde woman, who suddenly leans against her mate, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"She's right, Connor, I think we've cause to be worried."
"Here, what's this?" Peter has leaned into Assumpta's car, and sees a small rectangular box on the driver's seat. Assumpta grabs it out of his hands as he straightens up. "It's a videotape!" she shouts, turning to run inside the pub, followed closely by Peter, Orla and Connor. Assumpta turns on the player and television, and puts the tape in, hitting the "play" button on the remote.
"Well, dears," Maggie's voice and image is suddenly displayed on screen. "I'm off on my next adventure by now, and you are feeling terribly worried and secretly abandoned. I'm very sorry, Assumpta, I wish I could be there for your other weddings, but I've done my part, the judge and the Church will just have to do theirs without me. I will really regret missing the birth of your daughter, but I dare not stay, I cannot let James O'Connor find me. Orla, if he shows up at the door, I will leave it to your discretion as to how to handle it, if you want to claim I was never there, that's fine by me. You will find, in a very short period of time, that many of the townsfolk will agree with your little fib, as I have left no lasting mark of my presence here. Don't come looking for me, dears, you will not find me, as if you don't know where I am, you cannot tell O'Connor. Peter, Assumpta, I have left my stake in Fitzgerald's to Orla and Connor, and I hope you can decide between you how you want to work things out. Orla, Connor, I know you wouldn't want to be tied down so, but at the same time a decent source of income isn't a bad thing, either. Please remember me kindly, dears, as long as you are able, and take care of each other for me, I will miss you all deeply, but cannot put you at risk, which is what you would be, from fallout if nothing else, if I stayed to confront O'Connor there. My love and good wishes to you all!" The tape ends.
"Oh, no, I knew she was doin' a runner, I just knew it!" Orla jumps up, and races to the phone. She dials, and the phone rings at the other end. "Danny, are you there?" Orla is nearly shouting into the receiver.
"Yeah, yeah, what's the matter!" Danny Byrne answers the phone, recognizing Orla's voice immediately.
"It's Maggie, she's bolted! Is Iblis still there?" Orla's voice is alsmost frantic.
Yeah, yeah, I just came from feedin' him an' Razor, they're fine." Danny answers.
"Oh, thank you, thank you! I'll call back later, lock him up if you can!" Orla begins to relax.
"Yeah, sure, I can try, but you know nuthin can stop that stallion if he wants to go!" Danny cautions, and hangs up.
"She wouldn't go without Iblis?" Assumpta asks the other three people in the room with her.
The general consensus is she would not abandon the horse, until Peter points out that she went away from her home in America for months and months, leaving the horse behind while she had travelled to Europe and Britain.
"Oh, gods, what are we goin' ta do?" Assumpta asks Orla, both faces furrowed with worry.
"Well, for now, you and I are goin' home to Dublin, before the streets ice over, an' we are going to let Connor and Orla set things to rights, because they have to open a pub tomorrow!" Peter stands, drawing Assumpta up beside him, and helping her on with her coat.
"Right, well, then, we'll keep in touch and let each other know if we hear anything, that's all we can do for now." Connor also stands. The four walk out to Assumpta's car, and after hugging one last time, Peter and Assumpta get in and drive off.
Orla and Connor go back into the pub, and Orla sits back down in front of the television set, pushing first "rewind" then "play". There is no sound, no image appears, and Orla fast-forwards, checking the entire tape, but can find nothing to play. She looks at Connor, worry clear on her face.
"There's nothin we can do, for now, 'cept sit and wait, and see what happens, if anythin'. For all you know she may shake this O'Connor guy and be back in two weeks, as if she hadn't a care in the world. Now, let's get this place cleared up, so we haven't got a nigthmare tomorrow." Connor's calm advice makes sense even to a worried Orla, and soon they are done, and turn in. Mid-Winter night settles over the streets of Ballykissangel.