Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money of this.

A/N: Just a short, stand alone piece.

Summary: The morning after her wedding night, Maria's in for a surprise.

Lo and behold!

Inhaling long, Maria turned her head to the side as she awoke slowly. Too sleepy to open her eyes just yet, it took her a few seconds to become entirely conscious. She could feel a light weight across her stomach and heard the sound of soft breathing right next to her. Her eyes finally fluttered opened and she found herself in the arms of Georg, her face just mere inches away from his. She soon realized the weight was none other than his arm across her, while his other one was under her head.

Maria was used to sleeping alone, waking up next to a man was a brand new experience for her. So was sleeping naked. Judging by the darkness in the room, the very early morning lights weren't strong enough yet to let her see further than her nose. Not that she needed more, she was entirely content with watching Georg so close to her, sound asleep. Having his arms around her made Maria feel at ease and protected. Her hand automatically reached over to her other one to fiddle with her ring, something she found great joy in, when she noticed it was missing. Her mind was racing, trying to remember where she had put it when it hit her: the bathroom. She had been so careful to keep it safe and unharmed given how clumsy she could be. She had taken it off before changing and having a bath and then later was too uh… distracted to think about it.

Careful not to wake him, she gently lifted his arm off her and rolled away. Sitting upright and then lowering her feet to the floor, Maria tried to find her nightgown or her robe. She couldn't see them anywhere in the dark, she would have needed more light. Given how peaceful Georg was sleeping however, she opted not to disturb him. She simply got off the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom as she was, intending to snatch her wedding ring and then return to bed.

Stepping inside, she turned the lights on and immediately found it. She put it back on, smiling at how good it felt and looked. As she turned back, she caught a glance of her own reflection in the mirror and Maria couldn't help but stop and stare at herself. Her hair was in complete disarray but she didn't mind. What really caught her attention were her own eyes. Up until yesterday the image that used to stare back at her from the mirror was of a girl. Now she saw a woman, thanks to her husband.

Husband. It took Maria long enough to get used to calling him her "fiancé" and now he was her husband. As natural as that progression felt given her deep and true love for Georg, there were moments like this when she wondered if she was only dreaming. After all, it wasn't long ago that she was planning to become a nun. Now she was married with seven children. She stared at her own face in wonder. Was that what marriage looked like? No, it had to be what happiness looked like. Maria had never been vain but at the moment she couldn't help the satisfaction with her own appearance which, largely, had a lot to do with her husband obviously being pleased with her. Georg was a handsome man, one women lusted after, that much Maria had realized. She was nowhere near as glamorous and graceful as most of his friends and acquaintances, yet he chose her.

There was an unusual glow around her that very well could have been imaginary for all she knew --given how happy she was. She raised her fingers to touch the very lips Georg had been kissing not long ago. Last night had been beyond her expectations. She experienced and felt things she had never even dreamed of, things that made her blush just thinking about them. And they were wonderful. She couldn't help the nerves as the night had approached but her husband's patience, reassurance and gentleness helped her through them, as well as helping her through the discomfort of the first time. In fact, he had made the night one of the best in her life. She had never ever felt so close to anyone before.

Yes, she was a real woman now. It wasn't until last night that she realized the physical joy of the love between a man and a woman. She ran a hand through her hair as she stared at herself, self conscious of her alleged natural appeal for the first time. Vanity had never been her companion, aside from wanting to look decent at all times, Maria didn't bother to look overly feminine. Until now. She now knew why it felt good to be wanted… as well as what it meant to want someone. And she was happy that her husband wanted her.

She continued to stare at herself, observing the face Georg had loved. The eyes he claimed to keep losing himself in, the nose he found the most adorable in the world, the lips he called soft and sweet, the chin he loved to grasp whenever he tilted her face, the neck… Maria gasped so loud she was sure the entire hotel had heard it. Her hands immediately flew to her lips to cover her own mouth to silence herself. She remained still for a few seconds and when she heard no movement, she lowered her hands again to inspect the very reason of her outburst.

A spot. A red one. Right on her neck. With a frown she leaned closer to the mirror to try to take a better look while running her fingers over it. A small part of her skin looked discolored but it didn't hurt. It wasn't itchy either. It was just… red. Her hand flew to her mouth yet again when she spotted even more on her collarbone. She instinctively touched them and was reassured they gave her no discomfort whatsoever. They just looked… red!

Maria took a further step back from the mirror to inspect her entire body. To her horror, there were more. She was dismayed to note they were almost everywhere. Her neck… the base of her throat…. her collarbone… her, uh, her breast…. her stomach… and even on her thigh! They varied in their redness, some were fainter than the others, some darker.

Her eyes grew wide as she stared at herself in shock. What was this? Scratch marks? A rash? Allergy? When did they get there? That was when another horrifying thought hit her. Georg. Did he see them? He surely would have said something. Staring at herself she realized all of them were at the very spots her husband had spent time kissing and teasing. Parts of her he had said he wanted to visit over and over again. Oh no! He couldn't see these… He would be horrified. Vanity may have avoided her so far in life, but now it came rushing to her to hit her like a train. If she overcame her shyness last night, it all came back right in that moment.

The deep laughter coming from the doorway almost made Maria jump out of her skin. With a yelp she turned, only to find Georg, with his arms crossed and his robe on, leaning against the doorframe. Quicker than a blink, she grabbed the nearest towel and hid behind it, clutching it to herself to shield her body from his eyes. While a part of her surprise was due to being unaccustomed to walking around naked, she simply didn't want him to see her like this. He could not see them!

Georg laughed harder and pushed himself off the doorframe. "Nothing I haven't seen before, darling." He told her, amused. She blushed. "They'll go away." He informed her as he stepped inside the bathroom.

"Wha-what?" She mumbled into the towel which covered her entire front, up until her lips. She took a step back as he neared her.

"You have a fair skin… it was rather easy to mark my territory." He told her proudly, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Oh dear… he has seen them. But wait a minute…"You did this?" She looked up at him incredulously, the question 'How?' evident in her eyes.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close before kissing the tip of her nose. "Call it love-mark."

"I look… horrible." She told him, her eyes still wide. She looked utterly adorable and it amazed him how very innocent she still looked even after their wedding night.

"No. You look beautiful. All mine." He told her tenderly. "And now I get to play connect the dots." He joked, before adding in a whisper. "With my tongue." He pulled back when he saw the blush reddening her cheeks and her mouth dropping. "Why the shock, Baroness? You are, after all, the one known for liking games." Not giving her a chance to answer, he swept her off her feet and carried her back to the bedroom.

He had awoken the minute she left his arms earlier but didn't try to keep her in bed, thinking she needed to use the bathroom. When he saw the lights turn on in there without the door being closed however… all of which were followed by her gasp, he immediately knew what was going on. He had been well aware of the marks his hungry lips had left on her last night, with the fair skin she had, he really didn't need to do much. A little sucking here or there, his lips tickled her at best while the little love bites formed. And he felt damn proud. She was his.

He playfully dropped her on the bed, noting that a knowing smile was already back on her lips. Supporting herself on her elbows, she looked up at her husband and watched him remove his robe.

"Oh but Captain…. two can play this game." She teased him with the most serious face and he stopped for a second, reconsidering that innocent part. He merely snatched the towel off her and crawled on top of her, kissing her passionately.

The End

A/N: Maria sure isn't the first woman to find hickeys on herself in the morning but it always amused me to think what kind of a reaction she would have. So there you have it, that's how I envisioned her. Thanks for reading! :)