A/N: Two sweet little oneshots that just won't get out of my brain until they have been typed out. This is dedicated to all who read "Arrangement" and especially those who reviewed it and/or were with me for the whole journey. This one is for you.
Georg had been having a terrible day.
Because it was the last day of classes before the Christmas holidays, the students in his classes had all been very distracted and even a bit rowdy. Georg had had to, more than once, use the harshest discipline in his power to give. The only mercy of that day was the fact that it ended two hours early. He left the school building nearly as fast as most of the boys.
The day was also a bit of a gloomy one. Heavy gray clouds completely covered the Maryland skies, and the cold December wind from the Atlantic was strong and very cold. It was a relief when Georg entered into the warmth and comfort of his red-brick house. It was quiet inside, almost too quiet. With seven children living in the house (Liesl would not come home from university for another few days), quiet seemed a truly foreign thing at times.
Today, Georg embraced this rarity and headed right for his study, eager to collapse onto the comfortable sofa with a good book and a glass of his favorite red wine. But he only managed to make it to the sofa, collapse, and drift into a light slumber. He hadn't realized how tired he really was until now.
Somehow he knew he had not been snoozing for long before a familiar, joyous, cooing sound woke him up. Slowly he opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. When he saw who was standing in the doorway, he smiled for the first time that day.
There stood his beautiful wife, Maria, holding their one-year-old son Joseph in her arms. They, in turn were both smiling at him. "Hello, darling," said Maria in her beautiful, rich voice.
"Well, hello to both of you," said Georg, sitting up and not taking his eyes off the wonderful sight of Maria and their son. It never failed to bring a great, humble joy to his heart. When he made to stand up, so that he could give both a kiss, Maria held out a hand.
"No, no, Georg, stay right there," said Maria, who's smile had a glimmer of nervous excitement. He obeyed her. "Joseph has something he would like to show you." Maria turned her head and made eye contact with little Joseph. "Are you ready, schatz?"
In response, Joseph waved his arms enthusiastically and gave an excited coo. Both Maria and Georg laughed, the latter become very curious and excited about what was to come, for it could only be good if it involved the two of them.
Maria carefully lowered Joseph to the carpeted floor, setting his little feet down flat, facing his father with a clear path to him. At first, Joseph held onto his mother's fingers while he took his first few tentative, almost wobbly steps. But soon he grew more sure in his footing, and Maria let her fingers slide through his little hands as he moved away from her.
Georg had, by now, crouched down in front of the couch, holding out his hands for his youngest son. Identical pairs of blue eyes never wavered from each other, and their smiles were identical as well. Maria watched her son's first real walk and her husband's quiet joy in her tear-filled eyes, her fingers covering her smile.
Joseph reached his destination successfully, and his father managed to surprise him by immediately sweeping him up in his arms and lifting him up high, spinning him around as he exclaimed his joy and pride in his son's accomplishment. The combined sounds of the three laughs was a truly joyous sound.
Georg then sat back down on the couch, holding Joseph in his lap. Maria approached them and sat beside Georg, caressing Joseph's dark head. "He's been practicing all morning; I think he couldn't wait to show you."
The proud father exchanged a proud smile with the equally proud mother. "But you do realize what this means, don't you? Our grace period is done. Now we'll have to chase after him every day."
Maria laughed. "Well, I think both you and I have the energy required to keep up with him."
Though she had said it quite innocently, Georg's eyes lighted with a mischievous glint and so did his smile. Carefully he covered his son's ears and said, "Perhaps we could put that energy to use tonight once his energy has run out."
Maria's cheeks flushed, and she slapped Georg's arm playfully as she laughed. Joseph laughed at hearing his mother laugh, his expression mirroring his mother's.
Georg wrapped an arm around his wife and held his son securely with his other. He knew, in that moment, he was the luckiest man on Earth.
Maria had been having a terrible day.
The day after Christmas was always depressing, and it seemed that there was no end in sight to the many chores that had to be done now that Christmas was officially over. There were dishes to be washed, food to be saved, wrapping paper to clean up, decorations to be taken down and put into storage…
And to top it all off, it was the first day of her menstrual cycle, so she was not feeling like her usual self to start with.
"Ah!" she exclaimed when she accidently dropped a slippery soapy plate into the sink.
Liesl, who stood beside her drying the dishes, gave her mother a sympathetic smile and rubbed her arm. "Why don't you take a break, Mother. You haven't really sat down since breakfast this morning, and it's now the middle of the afternoon."
Maria sighed, more than willing to lay down for a while and sleep away the cramps that were beginning to form. In gratitude, she kissed Liesl's cheek before heading out of the kitchen to the stairs. She could hear the sounds of the rest of her children packing and talking as she went.
Upon reaching the master bedroom, Maria saw that the door to the nursery was open, which only meant someone was in there. Forgetting about her fatigue and condition, Maria approached the open doorway and smiled at the sight. Georg was sitting in the rocking chair cradling little Joseph, feeding him a bottle of warm milk. She always found the sight of her husband doing a task like this especially endearing.
Georg looked up and smiled at the sight of her, but not without some concern; he knew she'd been working hard all day and that it was that time of the month for her.
"He's nearly out," he whispered as she tiptoed closer. "The greatest benefit of his new mobility is that it makes it much easier to put him down for his nap and to sleep at night."
Maria nodded and reached out her hands. "I'll put him in the crib."
Georg carefully handed the one-year-old to his mother and placed the bottle on the small table. Maria cradled the baby lovingly, kissing his head as she gently lowered him down into his crib. As she did, his closed eyes opened and lit up at the sight of his beautiful mother. He was very tired, so his little arms only lifted a little in reaction.
But his first word was as plain as day through his smile. "Mama…Mama…"
Maria gasped at the sound of her son's voice, and her eyes filled with happy tears. She smiled a watery smile as she reached down to caress her son's head and cheek. "That's right, schatz…That's me." Her voice was quiet, quivering and full of unbelievable joy.
Joseph smiled as he fell asleep, murmuring "Mama" one more time before succumbing completely to sleep.
Maria felt a strong, familiar pair of warm hands on her shoulders, and let her husband turn her around to face him. Through her tears, she saw how lovingly and joyfully he was looking at her before he wordlessly pulled her in for a hug. She smiled and let out her tears of joy as she held him just as tightly back. "I can't believe it!" she breathed.
"I can," he whispered as he pulled back his head to look at her. "Come, Mama, you need some rest too. Mind if I join you?"
"Please, Papa," replied Maria, still smiling. They walked arm-in-arm back into their bedroom, and laid down on the bed, Georg cradling Maria to his chest.
As Georg whispered "I love you" into her ear, Maria knew that she was the luckiest woman on Earth.