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It was the gentle coos of her beautiful six-month-old daughter that brought Maria pleasantly out of her deep slumber as the early morning sunlight spilled into the bedroom through the thin drapes that hung in the windows, a loving smile spreading across her soft lips when she allowed her light blue eyes to flutter open and the first thing she saw was Rosmarie as she lay chewing on her hand in her cot. Slipping the hand that wasn't being held by Georg's through the wooden bars of the cot, she trailed the back of her index finger down the side of her little girl's face in order to gain her attention. She felt an overwhelming surge of deep love course through her when Rosmarie turned her head towards her and the clear blue eyes that she had gained from her sparkled, a radiant smile spreading across her features. 'Good morning, little Miss.' She whispered so not to disturb her husband as he slumbered with his face buried in her neck, Rosmarie taking hold of her index finger as she stroked the palm of her hand with it.

She couldn't help but smile. After weeks of planning and buying presents it was finally Father's Day, the one day a year that Georg agreed to relax and allow the rest of the family to care for him for a change, and she couldn't wait to spend the whole day with he and their children. It had taken a ridiculous amount of time for the children to decide on what they were going to buy him for presents, but after several long trips into town they had all managed to settle on something. Both Maria and the children knew how hard Georg had worked to make the move from Salzburg to America as smooth and stress-free as possible, and they knew how hard he worked out on the farm and in the market to ensure that they had enough money to live off of. He meant the world to them and not one of them knew where they would be without him. Rosmarie's grizzles brought Maria out of her thoughts a short time later, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she knew that she was waiting for her breakfast. 'Alright, my darling.' She soothed.

She removed her hand from within her daughter's cot then before removing Georg's strong arm from around her hips, praying that she didn't disturb him from his slumber as she did so. After unlacing her fingers with his own she turned onto her side in order to make certain that he was still sleeping, a smile of adoration spreading across her features as she gazed into his face. His hair was still tussled from the way that she had threaded her fingers through it as he had made love to her a few hours earlier, his thick dark eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as the rise and fall of his toned chest was steady and the softest of snores were escaping him. 'My love.' She breathed as she smoothed the backs of her fingers across his cheek, deep love living in her eyes before she leaned forwards to press her lips to his temple in a lingering kiss. After drawing back, she pushed herself up into a sitting position before trailing her fingertips through her short honey-blonde hair and shuffling closer to Rosmarie's cot, her beautiful baby girl beaming up at her as she reached in and brought her into the secure cradle of her arms.

'My beauty…' She nuzzled the tip of her pointed nose against her own before drawing one of the straps of her nightgown down her arm to reveal a breast, Rosmarie bringing her soft hand up to cup the round swell of it in her palm before she latched on and began to suckle gently. Leaning back against her pillow, Maria cupped the back of her head in her hand and traced the curve of her skull with the pad of her thumb as she gazed down at her in sheer adoration. There was a gentle knock upon the bedroom door was what grasped Maria's attention a few minutes later, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she sighed. 'Come in, Marta.' She said, her voice soft so not to disturb either her little girl from her feed or her husband from his well-deserved slumber. The eight-year-old pushed the door open slowly before poking her head into the dimly lit bedroom. 'What can I do for you, darling?' Maria asked as she gazed at her.

'Liesl asked me to come and ask you if we should go outside and start feeding the animals.' Marta admitted as she stepped into the room. 'We've already given the dogs food and water.'

Maria smiled with pride at how much responsibility the children had accepted since moving to the farm. 'Yes, my love, I would be grateful if the seven of you would go and start feeding them whilst I give Rosie her breakfast.' She cast her gaze down to her sweet little girl, smiling as she saw the look of contentment that was etched onto Rosmarie's face as she suckled on her breast. 'But Marta,' She added as her daughter made to leave the room, 'I don't want you or anyone else other than Liesl to go near those horses, do you understand me? I don't want you getting hurt.' Marta nodded in obedience before offering her a warm smile and making her way out of the room, Maria giggling to herself as her daughter closed the door after her.

She knew that she had a chaotic day ahead of her, but what else was new?

She knew that there was still a lot to do before Georg woke up; she had to milk the cow, give the children their breakfast, check on the piglets and then get both hers and her husband's breakfast ready. It was going to be made harder due to the fact that she would have to carry Rosmarie on her hip, but if she was honest, she didn't care much. Working on the farm gave her more time to spend with the children and Georg and that was one of her favourite things.

She was going to make this day perfect or die trying.

It was later that same morning when Maria was stood in the kitchen of the farmhouse as she continued to push the eggs around the saucepan on the stove in front of her, a soft smile on her lips as she could hear the infectious giggles of Rosmarie from the garden and glanced up from her cooking to see Liesl blowing raspberries onto her belly through her pale blue dress. She was proud of all her children for how brave they had been over the last year; for how well they had settled into life in America after their flee from Austria on the evening of the music festival, but she couldn't deny that Liesl made her proudest of all. When they had left Austria she had been in her final year at school and her examinations had been about to start. Earlier in the summer, Liesl had told her about how she wanted to train as a nurse once she had left school, and now she needed to wait even longer before she would have the chance to do that.

She hadn't complained about her lot, bless her, she had just gotten on with helping to clean up the farm and making it look presentable when they had first arrived and she had thrown herself into taking care of her brothers and sisters. She had found it hard to fit in with people at the nearby school that she attended when they had first become American citizens, due to the fact that she was older than them and knew little English, but after a time she had gotten quite good with speaking the language and had eventually made friends with a couple of girls. She was an incredible older sister to Rosmarie and was always offering to help care for her if her parents needed a break. It was clear to both Maria and Georg that she was going to turn out to be an incredible mother in the future. She already had such a motherly side about her.

The steady gallop of Maria's heart picked up when she felt a pair of strong hands on her hips a short time later, a surge of warmth coursing through her veins when she felt her husband's smooth lips against the soft skin at the nape of her neck. 'Morning…' He mumbled as he left a trail of tender kisses along the back of her neck, pulling her back into his chest as she sighed. 'Where are the children?' He asked as he trailed his warm lips around to the side of her neck.

'Liesl's keeping Rosie entertained; Friedrich and Kurt are cleaning out the pigs,' She breathed as he began to leave fiery open-mouthed kisses over her skin, her head falling to one side of its own accord to grant him further access to her neck. 'Marta and Gretl are out bottle-feeding the lambs and Louisa and Brigitta are out looking for strawberries.' She felt his lips curl up into a smirk against her, her eyes fluttering closed as her heart thumped harder against her chest.

'So what I'm hearing is…' He released one of her hips before turning down the flame on the stove and easing the spatula out of his wife's grip, his gaze locking with hers as he turned her in his arms and she placed her hands upon his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt. 'You and I have a good few minutes before any of our children come inside.' A smile spread across Maria's lips as she stepped further into him, nothing but love sparkling in her eyes as her gaze fell from his, down to his lips and back again before he brought his hand up to cup the back of her head in its palm. The first brush of his lips against hers was soft and sweet, a butterfly kiss really, but when he pulled back and met her gaze once more he was able to see the deep love that lived in her eyes and he was unable to prevent himself from pulling her against him.

He stroked her short strawberry-blonde hair with the tips of his fingers as their lips met once more, her soft purrs and hums of contentment making him fall further in love with her. Maria allowed her hands to wander up the front of his strong chest before she cupped the sides of his neck in her palms, one of his own hands sliding around to the small of her back before he held her flush against him and began to walk her backwards towards the kitchen counter. He lifted her up to sit atop it a few moments later, a soft giggle escaping her as they parted for just a moment and she wrapped her legs around his waist as she slipped her arms around his neck. 'I love you.' She whispered as his hands found her waist and he pulled her close to him.

'I love you too.' He reassured her before leaning in for another long and warm kiss. She ran the tips of her fingers through his thick dark hair as their lips shifted over one another's, his strong hands running along the curves of her sides through her dress as they let out delicate sighs and hums into the other's mouth. He brought his hand up to cup the back of her neck in its palm when he swept his tongue along the seam of her lower lip, Maria releasing a quiet whimper as she allowed him to ease her lips apart before their tongues began an exploratory dance. She felt a familiar warmth pool in her chest as their kisses turned passionate and fiery, her fingernails raking over his scalp as he tangled one of his hands in her perfectly short hair.

The two of them broke their kiss reluctantly several minutes later as the need for air became too insistent and Georg sensed that his wife was becoming rather lightheaded, their breathing heavy and ragged as they rested their foreheads against one another's and he ran his hands along the length of Maria's back through her dress. 'You're so beautiful.' He rasped as he took in the sight of her; her lips swollen from the hunger-filled kisses that he had been depositing onto them, her porcelain cheeks holding a gentle blush as her once neat hair was dishevelled.

'You're not too bad yourself.' She purred as she stroked her thumb against the soft skin at the back of his neck. 'Happy Father's Day, darling.' She beamed with nothing but love in her eyes.

'Thank you, sweetheart.' He brushed his lips against her warm cheek in an innocent kiss.

'The children have been rather impatient for you to get up so that they can say it to you too, so why don't you go outside and spend some time with them whilst I finish making breakfast?' She suggested as she ran her hands along the front of his chest through his shirt. 'Then, after we've eaten, we can go into the sitting room and you can open the presents that the children bought for you. You'll have to wait for your present from me though.' Her blue eyes sparkled.

'Mmm...always the little tease.' He tickled her sides, causing an infectious giggle to escape her. He allowed her to unwind her legs from around his waist then before he offered her his hand and helped her down from the kitchen counter, his hands finding her waist once more before he pulled her close and allowed her to wrap her arms around his middle. 'You mean the world to me, you know that don't you?' He murmured into her hair as she lay her head on his chest.

'I do.' She gave a blissful sigh. 'And you mean the world to both I and our children.'

The two of them exchanged a final soft kiss when she moved her head in order to gaze up at him, Georg smiling as he ran his hands along the outside of her arms before he stepped past her and made his way across the kitchen and out of the back door to go and see his children.

Georg was unable to remove the loving smile from his lips as he was sat on the settee in the sitting room after breakfast, seven of his eight children sat on the floor in front of him as they played a board-game together and he had Rosmarie cradled in his arms as she slept with her thumb plugged between her lips. She was the spitting image of her mother; it was one of the things he loved most about her. She had inherited Maria's soft strawberry-blonde hair along with her sloping nose, her clear blue eyes and her fair complexion. Also, like her mother, there was the slightest dusting of freckles over her nose and cheeks that were almost impossible to see unless the sun shone on her face. He couldn't deny that he was utterly besotted with her.

He felt his heart swell when she released a faint snuffle in her sleep, her soft hand coming up to rub at her nose before she shifted into a more comfortable position and buried her face in his chest. Chuckling softly, Georg leaned down to brush his lips against the side of her head in a delicate kiss. The sound of his wife's footsteps as she made her way into the room was what caught his attention a few minutes later, his lips curling up into a smile as he glanced up from their daughter to watch Maria make her way over to him with two teacups. 'Here you are.' She set his teacup down upon the small table next to the settee before making to lower herself down into the vacant space next to him, her eyes glistening as they fell upon her daughter and she watched Rosmarie snoozing in her father's arms. 'She loves you so much.' She whispered.

'And I love her just as much.' He admitted as he snugged his baby girl closer. 'Come here and have a cuddle.' He slipped one arm out from beneath their daughter before slipping it around Maria's shoulders, his wife shuffling closer to him before she rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck as she held her teacup in her lap. 'My beautiful girl.' He kissed her brow.

'Did you like your gifts?' She asked as she cast her gaze up at him.

'I loved them.' He reassured her as he brushed the pad of his thumb against the creamy skin of her shoulder. 'I don't know what I expected when I woke up this morning, but it definitely wasn't to be as spoiled as I have been. I just can't believe that this is the first Father's Day I've celebrated in over four years.' He felt Maria press her lips to his cheek in a soft and warm kiss.

'Don't start thinking about the past.' She whispered after drawing back and resting her head back down upon his shoulder. 'You know that it doesn't do you any favours when you think about the way things used to be, so just focus on where we are now. We're safe and we have each other and our children, darling, that's all we need to think about.' Georg beamed at her.

'I don't even want to think about where I would be right now if you hadn't had come back.' He told her as he tucked her beneath his chin and felt her turn her face into his throat, his heart swelling with love for her as she pressed a soft kiss to the smooth skin there. 'I don't know if Elsa would have told me to go to Bremerhaven or not, should I have married her, but what I do know is that she would've sent…certain people…away. I'm so blessed to have you, darling.'

'And I am just as blessed to have you.' She hummed against his throat as her eyes fell closed and she breathed in his familiar scent, Georg pressing the sweetest of kisses onto her crown.

'Father?' Brigitta's soft voice made both Georg and Maria gaze down at their children.

'Yes, sweetheart?' Georg smiled as he squeezed his wife's shoulder.

'After dinner, will you play a song for us on the guitar that Liesl and Friedrich gave you?' She asked, the hope evident in both hers and the others' eyes as they all turned to look up at him.

'I don't see why not.' He nodded. 'What would you like me to play?'

The children and Maria exchanged knowing looks before they all cast their gazes up at him. 'Edelweiss.' The eight of them laughed, Georg chuckling as he fell more in love with them all.

'Edelweiss it is.' He smiled, much to his children and wife's delight.

Oh, how he cherished them.

A rather large yawn escaped Georg's lips as he made his way into the bedroom that he and Maria shared alongside their baby girl after saying goodnight to the children late that evening, the exhaustion evident in his eyes as he unbuttoned and shrugged out of his jacket before he hung it over the back of the chair that sat at the small vanity table that he had bought Maria for Mother's Day. Despite his fatigue, he still managed to offer his wife a loving smile when he set eyes on her a few moments later, Maria reciprocating it as she stroked her fingers through Rosmarie's soft blonde hair as their daughter lay sleeping in her cot. 'You look worn out.' She giggled as he rid himself of his tie, her eyes roaming over his chest as he unbuttoned his shirt.

'Well, what do you expect?' He chuckled as he slipped his shirt off of his shoulders. 'I've spent the last hour-or-so chasing Marta and Gretl through a field because they didn't want to go to bed.' Maria was unable to suppress her giggle as she settled back against the headboard of their bed. 'You know; I'm still waiting for a present from my beautiful wife.' He smirked softly as he swapped his trousers for his pyjama bottoms and made his way over to their marital bed.

'I suppose you have been rather patient.' She teased. 'I would have given it to you earlier but I wanted to be away from the children before I did. I wanted to be the only one to see your reaction.' Georg's brow furrowed somewhat as a small smile spread across his lips when Maria slipped from their bed, the confusion evident in his eyes as she approached the set of drawers in the corner of their room and reached into her undergarment drawer. She pulled out a small package then, a brown package tied up with string to be exact, before closing the drawer and making her way back over to the bed and lowering herself down onto it before handing him the package. 'Open it.' She smiled, not even attempting to mask the excitement that she felt.

He pulled the end of the string that held the package shut as his gaze was locked with hers, feeling Maria's excitement-filled gaze burn into him as he unfolded the paper. What he saw inside it made him stop for a moment. 'Is this the nightgown that you've been sewing for the last few weeks? The nightgown for winter?' He asked as he looked up at his captivating wife.

'Mhm.' She nodded, her heart racing.

'It's a little small isn't it?' He chuckled. 'There's no way it's going to fit Rosmarie.'

'I know.' She admitted. 'That's because it's not for Rosmarie.'

For a moment, he looked rather perplexed.

'Georg,' She whispered, 'The nightgown is for a newborn.'

His eyes widened in surprise then and that was when she knew he had realised what she was saying. 'Are we – are you – am I –' Maria giggled as he struggled to form a coherent sentence.

'If I've done my math correctly, the baby should be here in early January.' She nodded as tears stung her eyes, a gentle giggle escaping her as her husband cupped her face in his hands and pressed several firm kisses onto her lips as she brought her hands to cup the sides of his neck.

'And is everything…?' He breathed.

'Everything's fine.' She reassured him, her chest rising and falling heavily. 'I wanted to tell you away from the children because I want it to be our secret for the time being. Last time, Marta heard me tell you and blurted it to the others, remember? All we heard from the moment I found out that I was pregnant until the day Rosmarie was born was "How much longer is it until the baby comes?".' She giggled. 'I don't think I could cope with all of that a second time.'

Georg shook his head in disbelief at how in love with her he found himself. 'My darling…' He tucked a strand of short hair back beneath her ear before resting his hand upon her flat belly through her nightgown. 'How far along are you?' Maria covered his hand with her small one.

'Two-and-a-half months.' She beamed. 'The doctor said that because this is my second time being pregnant, I should start showing by the time I reach three months. We might feel this baby kick earlier than we felt Rosmarie kick, too.' The love Georg held for her was evident in his stormy blue eyes. 'Are you pleased?' She cocked her head to one side, smiling knowingly.

'What a daft question.' He chuckled tearfully before pulling her into an affectionate embrace. 'Of course I'm pleased.' He kissed the side of her head before she buried her face in his neck.

'Georg?' She hummed after a few moments.

'Hmm?' He replied as he stroked her hair with the palm of his hand.

'Happy Father's Day.' She kissed his neck.

'Thank you, darling.' He held her tighter, running his palm along her back. 'Thank you.'

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and please review!