Author's Note: Hi everyone! Welcome to my newest fic :-) (I apologise for the awful summary!) I have no idea how many chapters this is going to have just yet, I'm just going to see how things go. If there are any one-shots that you would like to see in the future then feel free to let me know in your reviews at the end of chapters and I'll be sure to do them. This fic is just a bit of fun - something to do when my writer's block is raging and I can't update one of my multi-chapters - but I hope you all enjoy. Happy reading!

As he stood in the entrance to the sitting area after putting the little ones to bed one evening, Georg smiled as he folded his arms across his chest and looked over at his wife as she sat on the settee with their four-month-old daughter nestled in her arms. She looked so tired as she allowed Rosmarie to suckle at her breast, but – if he was honest – he wasn't at all surprised.

From the moment she got up to the moment she went to bed she was on her feet. There were ten of them in their family and yet she was always the first one up. She would always have breakfast made before the rest of them woke and then for the rest of the day – with Rosmarie held in one arm – she would do whatever jobs needed to be done and tend to their children.

There weren't words to describe just how proud of her he was.

She was the busiest out of all of them and yet she had never once complained about her lot.

After watching her in silence for a few seconds longer he entered the room and began to walk over to the settee, his heart swelling when she looked up from their little girl and gave him a gentle smile. He sat down beside her once he had reached the settee and laced an arm around her waist before kissing her cheek. 'How about we have an earlier night for once?' He asked.

'There's nothing I want more,' She giggled as her head fell back against his shoulder, 'but I've still got a couple of things that I need to do before I can come to bed. I need to get the dishes done, I need to feed the dogs and…' She lowered her gaze to Rosmarie before leaning down to kiss her forehead, 'a certain little lady still needs a bath.' Her baby cooed against her breast.

Georg reached out to stroke Rosmarie's cheek with the backs of his fingers before holding his wife a little tighter, his thumb grazing her hip through her skirt when she looked up into his eyes. 'I'll go and get the dishes done whilst you feed her.' He said. 'Then, when you're feeding the dogs, I'll go up with her and bathe her so that all you'll have to do is get her off to sleep.'

'Georg, you don't have to do that.' She shook her head. 'I can manage, darling, honest.'

He traced the curve of her side with his hand through her blouse. 'I know that I don't have to, Maria, but I want to. You do far too much, sweetheart, and I don't want you to make yourself sick.' He heard her sigh as she laid her head on his shoulder again. 'You are the best wife and the best mother I have ever seen, but you're not a machine. You need to ask for help, Maria.'

'I know,' She nodded, 'I just…I just feel like…'

He knew what she was trying to tell him without saying the words.

Back at the start of their engagement she had told him about her uncle and the things that he had done to her when she had lived with him. The beatings, the insults…everything. She had also told him about how, if she had struggled to do one of her chores or asked him to help, he would lock her in the dark attic for hours on end – sometimes all day – to teach her a lesson.

It was no wonder that – even back when she had served as a governess to their children – she had been reluctant to ask anyone for help. He knew that she still suffered from night terrors about that period of her life now. 'Look at me…' He kept his voice gentle as he coaxed her, his hand travelling from her waist to her back when she did so. 'You could never be a nuisance.'

'Do you promise?' She whispered with tears in her eyes.

'With all my heart.' He reassured her before leaning forward to brush her lips with his own.

He watched a tear escape her eye and roll down her cheek after drawing back from her and a sigh left him when he brought his hand to her cheek to sweep the tear off of her skin. 'I love you.' She smiled at him when she looked up into his eyes again and he stroked her short hair.

'I love you too.' He reassured her. 'So much.'

Once he had stolen another kiss from her and she had moved Rosmarie to her other breast to continue nursing, he nuzzled a kiss into the auburn wisps that covered their little girl's head before standing from the settee. He and Maria then shared one last smile before he turned on his heel and exited room so that he could tend to the dishes and allow her to nurse in peace.

Maria brushed her thumb against the silken skin of Rosmarie's leg once the two of them were alone again, nothing but adoration for her in her eyes as she watched her suck at her breast. Everything about her was so perfect. 'You know, precious,' She whispered whilst looking into her eyes, 'I think we're the luckiest girls in the whole world…'

She was unable to suppress the sigh of contentment that escaped her when Georg's fingertips started to comb through her hair once she had laid her head on his chest later that night, her eyes falling closed as she revelled in the sensation and draped her arm across his middle. She laid in his arms like that for several minutes before tilting her head back and looking at him.

'What's going on behind those beautiful blue eyes of yours?' He asked with a smile.

She stretched up to kiss him before relaxing in his arms again. 'I was just thinking about how much has changed over the last year.' She replied. 'I mean, in just over a month I went from being a member of your staff to being your fiancée and then, two months after that, I became your wife and then I ended up falling pregnant on our wedding night…' She giggled sweetly.

Georg chuckled as he snugged her closer to him. 'Everything did happen quite fast, didn't it?'

'Yes,' She nodded against his chest, 'but I wouldn't change any part of it for anything.'

'Not even those nights we spent up in the mountains?' He looked at her with a raised brow.

She smirked in response. 'I wouldn't change most of the last year for anything.'

'Me either.' He replied.

He felt the love that he had for her deepen when she cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle a large yawn after the two of them had shared another kiss, his nose tracing her hairline when she tangled her leg with his beneath the covers. 'Bedtime?' He mumbled against her soft skin.

'I think it is.' She admitted. 'Who knows when Rosie's going to want feeding next?'

'I told you we were going to have another Kurt on our hands,' He gave her waist a tickle after reaching to turn off the lamp on his bedside table, 'but you thought that I was exaggerating.'

He revelled in her giggle as she settled in his arms. 'You were right.' She told him.

'Can I get that in writing?' He buried his lips in her hair.

'Oh, shut up and go to sleep.' She smirked into the darkness of their bedroom.

After kissing the top of her head he shut his eyes and settled with her. 'Goodnight, Maria.'

'Goodnight, Georg,' Came her mumble as she drifted off to sleep, 'pleasant dreams…'

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading chapter one and I hope that you enjoyed it. As I said at the start of the chapter, if there are any one-shots that you would like to see in the future then feel free to let me know in your reviews at the end of chapters and I'll be sure to do them. I hope that you'll all follow this fic so that you never miss an update and I also hope that you'll let me know what you thought of this chapter with a review. I can't wait to read them :-) Until next time! x