A/N: Hello, and welcome to "Weathering the Storm"! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and the ones to come and that you'll review and follow so that you're notified whenever I upload another chapter. Love you all and happy reading :-)
Georg ran the back of his hand down his wife's cheek when he was lying in silence beside her in the cave that they and the children had come across in the mountains the previous evening, a sigh escaping his lungs as he watched her sleep in his arms with her head on his shoulder and her arm draped over his stomach as she anchored herself to him. He had given her his jacket to use as a blanket when they had settled down to sleep after ensuring that the children were content the night before - not caring that he would be cold as long as she would be warm - and he was glad to see that there was a look of peace on her face. There weren't words to express just how proud he was of her; just how invaluable her support had been before, during and after they had sung at the music festival. Even though Maria hated it when he gave her orders, she had accepted them when he had given them to she and their children last night and had been firm with their children if one of them had complained about anything. She was perfect.
Over the duration of their honeymoon he had thought that it had been impossible to love her more than he already had, but he had been proved wrong when she had come to join him on the stage when his confidence had failed him while singing Edelweiss at the music festival. His confidence had returned as soon as he had heard her voice as she had stepped out of the wings and walked over to him, and when she had slipped her hand into his and beckoned for their children to join them he had half expected his heart to burst with the love that he possessed for her. He ran the back of his hand down her cheek again while drawing her closer with the hand that was resting on her lower back through her jacket, his eyes falling closed as he pressed a kiss onto her temple. 'I love you.' He whispered while grazing her hairline with his nose before he drew back from her skin and settled down beside her again, his hold of her tightening when she made a quiet sound of complaint in her sleep and hid her face in the side of his neck.
As he laid in silence and listened to the sound of her and their children's snores filling the cave, he knew that he would have to wake them all soon so that they could move on. If he knew Zeller (and he did) then he knew that the man wouldn't give up until he found the nine of them. He also knew that - since he hadn't gone to Bremerhaven with him and he and Maria had fled with the children - all of them were at risk. If Zeller and his men found them then they would be separated. He didn't know if the children and Maria would be separated, but what he did know was that there was a high chance that the eight of them would be put into a concentration camp or somewhere just as horrific and the thought alone was enough to make his stomach turn. Deciding not to think about it as he knew that it would put him in a dark mood, he turned his head to the left before smiling at the sight of Gretl and Marta snuggled up to Friedrich. The two of them were sleeping on either side of him with his arms laced around both of their waists.
Just as he was proud of his wife for her strength and her support the previous evening, he was just as proud of their children. It had been clear that all seven of them had been terrified during the drive to the convent after they had finished their last number at the festival, and the sight of them sitting wide-eyed behind the crypts when they had been hiding and leaning to either side so that the Nazis' torches hadn't shone on them had killed him. He knew that if the seven of them hadn't had been as well-behaved as they had then their escape would have been ten times harder and so, now that he thought about it, the fact that they had managed to flee Salzburg last night was also thanks to them. When he turned his head to the right, in the direction of the opening of the cave, he saw that Liesl was sitting outside and staring out into the distance as she pulled blades of grass absentmindedly out of the mountain. He knew instantly that she still felt as though she was to blame for Rolfe finding them all at the convent last night.
Knowing that he needed to speak to her and put her mind at rest before the children and Maria woke and they had to move on, he lowered his gaze to his wife and began to ease her out of his embrace. 'Shh, sweetheart...' He soothed as she whimpered in her sleep while he cradled her head in his hand and lowered it down onto the bag that he had been using as a pillow the night before. Once she had settled down again and he had drawn his jacket further over her, he kissed her on the cheek before getting to his feet. He ran a hand through his hair as he walked out of the cave, his brow creasing as he stretched since his muscles were rather stiff after spending the night on the floor. It took him a few seconds to reach his eldest daughter and when Liesl looked up at him he offered her a smile. 'Room for me?' He raised his brow, Liesl nodding in response as she reciprocated his smile before he sat down next to her and the two of them looked out into the distance. 'Did you manage to get some rest last night?' He asked softly.
'A little.' She replied. 'Marta and Gretl woke me at one point though, saying that they needed to relieve themselves.'
The two of them chuckled together.
'You do know,' Georg slipped his arm around her waist before shifting closer to her, 'that you aren't to blame for a single thing that happened last night, don't you?'
Liesl kept silent for a moment before she allowed herself to lean against him and said: 'If I had kept quiet, Rolfe would never have found us.'
'He betrayed your trust, my darling, so you being shocked when you saw him last night doesn't surprise me.' He played with the curls that hung down her back, Liesl turning her head in his direction as there was a quizzical expression on her face.
'You knew?' She asked.
He nodded. 'On the day I returned from Vienna with the Baroness and your Uncle Max, I caught him throwing stones at your bedroom window.'
'Oh.' She rested her head on his shoulder. 'I thought that he was different, father. If I had known that he wasn't the person I thought he was at the time, I never would have had anything to- '
Georg shushed her before pressing his lips to the side of her head. 'I know.'
'I saw him yesterday afternoon.' She admitted after a few silent seconds had passed between them. 'We were talking and then he said something like "we make it our business to know everything about everybody". I didn't understand who "we" were then, but I know that he meant the Nazis now. I can't believe that I put you and everyone else in danger like that; I feel so stupid.' Georg sighed as he tightened his hold of her and pulled her closer to him, allowing her to nuzzle against the side of his neck for comfort.
'You aren't the one at fault.' He soothed. 'He's the one at fault for taking advantage of you and deceiving you.'
Liesl hummed. 'So...you and mother aren't upset with me?'
'Not at all.' He shook his head.
When she tilted her head back on his shoulder he gave her forehead a kiss before stroking her waist. 'I think I'm going to stop thinking about boys for now, but when I find one I want him to be just like you.' She told him as she snuggled into him.
'I can't say I'm displeased that you're going to stop thinking about them.' He chuckled. 'I want you to stay my little girl for as long as possible.'
She couldn't help but giggle. 'I'll always be your little girl, father, and I'll always love you more than I'll ever love the man I end up marrying.'
'I'm glad to hear it.' His heart swelled with love for her.
It was a few seconds later when the two of them heard footsteps behind them and looked over their shoulders to see who was approaching, smiles forming on their lips as they watched Gretl walk over to them while she rubbed her eyes.
'Liesl, I need the bathroom.' The five-year-old said, Liesl nodding before she turned back to her father.
'Thank you for cheering me up.' She smiled.
Georg gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose. 'It's my job, sweetheart.'
He unwound his arm from around her waist before standing with her and watching her take hold of Gretl's hand. 'Don't take her too far, will you?' He said as he watched her lead Gretl towards the thicket of trees.
'No, father.' She reassured him as she looked over her shoulder.
Once she and Gretl had entered the thicket of trees he turned to walk over to the cave and wake the rest of the family, smiling to himself as he thought about just how blessed he and Maria were to have a daughter like Liesl.
It was a short time later when he and Maria were sat together in the cave with their children, his arm wrapped around her waist as his jacket was draped over her shoulders and the two of them watched the children entertain themselves while the rain came down outside. He had planned to carry on walking once Gretl had relieved herself and she and Liesl had returned to the cave, but just minutes after the girls had come back it had started to throw it down. Neither he nor Maria had wanted to risk one of the children getting sick by walking in the rain - especially since they were in the middle of nowhere and wouldn't be able to get a doctor to them - and so they had decided to just sit in the cave with them and wait for the rain to pass. When he felt Maria shift in his arms he turned his head in her direction before a crease formed in between his brows as he watched her open her bag and pull out a bottle of aspirin. 'Are you alright?' He caressed her waist as she opened the bottle. 'You aren't feeling unwell, are you?'
'I've just got a bit of a headache, that's all.' She reassured him with a shake of her head, her eyes drifting closed when he pressed the back of his free hand to her forehead.
He hummed as he ran the back of his hand down her cheek after checking her temperature. 'Your temperature's quite high as well. I think I'll keep an eye on you.'
Maria smiled before shifting closer to him. 'Do you have any water left in your hip flask?'
'I think so.' He kissed the side of her head before pulling out his hip flask and passing it to her so that she could use it to take her medication.
Once she had screwed the cap back onto the hip flask after swallowing the pills, she handed it back to him before resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his middle. She then gazed over at their children as the seven of them played and read quietly, her heart swelling as she realised just how blessed she was to have the title of their mother. Marta and Gretl were sat together and playing with the dolls that she and Georg had bought for them while in Paris, Brigitta and Louisa were sat reading the books that they had brought with them, Friedrich and Kurt were sat talking quietly and Liesl was sat lost in thought. She knew that Georg had had a talk with her earlier - he had told her that after waking her up - but it was obvious that she was still feeling a little low. 'Are you sure that Liesl's okay?' She inquired when she tilted her head back against her husband's shoulder in order to look up into his eyes, Georg nodding in response before he gave her cheek a stroke with the backs of his fingers.
'She will be.' He told her. 'Just give her time.'
She allowed him to leave a soft kiss on her lips before his hold of her tightened and she snuggled further into him. 'Why don't you try and get some more sleep? You seem exhausted.' He said as he ran his hand over her hair.
'Would you mind if I did?' She replied.
'Not at all.' He shook his head. 'You've only had six hours of sleep since we left Paris, darling, and you're not going to start feeling any better until you let yourself get some rest.'
She knew that he was right. He always was. 'Will you hold me?' She asked him.
'Come here.' He allowed her to move into his lap after he had kissed her forehead. Once she had gotten herself comfortable and he had removed his jacket from around her shoulders to place it over her he wrapped his arms back around her, Maria releasing a gentle sigh as she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. 'Do you want me to wake you when the rain stops?' His lips brushed her hair while he spoke to her, a smile spreading across his features when she nodded against his chest in response. 'I love you, Maria.' He admitted as he leaned back against the wall of the cave after giving the top of her head a kiss, Maria opening her eyes and tilting her head back on his chest for just a moment in order to look up at him and offer him a charming smile.
'I love you too.' She reached up to trace his jawline with her fingers before a wave of happiness washed over her when he grazed his nose against hers.
When he allowed her to snuggle against him again she closed her eyes and curled her fingers into his shirt, his arms holding her against him as she buried her nose in his chest and breathed in his scent. Before the two of them had expressed their love for one another in the gazebo on the night of her return to the villa, she had never given much thought to how it would feel to be wrapped in the arms of a man. She had never given much thought to what it would be like to wake up with her head pillowed on a man's chest or to have a man hold her in the aftermath of lovemaking either, but now she couldn't imagine not being held in Georg's arms anymore. Over the duration of their honeymoon, she had gotten so used to sleeping in her husband's arms that she found it impossible to drift off if she wasn't in them. She adored the feeling of his breath on the back of her neck; the sensation of his fingers drawing circles onto her stomach, and she was positive that she was never going to stop adoring those little things.
It was the little things that she loved the most.
'I'm sorry.' She sighed as she leaned back against the trunk of the tree that she was sat in the shade of later that morning and met her husband's gaze. 'I feel as though I'm being nothing but a burden on you.'
'That couldn't be farther from the truth.' Georg soothed, covering her hands with one of his own in her lap and giving them a tender squeeze. 'You're not well, darling, you can't help that.'
She nodded before lifting his hip flask to her lips and taking another little sip of the water to rid her mouth of the taste of vomit.
'What on earth is wrong with me?' She asked herself as she looked over at her children who were sitting together, talking.
The feeling of Georg sliding his arm around her shoulders after sitting down behind her made her smile, her eyes falling closed when she shifted further into his warmth and rested her head on his shoulder before he left a kiss on her hairline. As she sat in his embrace she could feel her stomach churning once again and prayed that she didn't vomit again, her forehead puckering as she fought against the urge to heave. The nausea had started a couple of days before she and Georg had left Paris to return home to their children, but she had just thought that something she had eaten hadn't agreed with her and that it would pass. On their last afternoon in Paris she had gone to see the doctor when her husband had advised her to after the nauseousness hadn't dissipated, and what doctor Angelle had suggested to her had left her speechless for the first time in her life.
He had suggested that she might have been pregnant.
Out of all of the things that she had believed to be causing her to feel nauseous, being with child hadn't been one of them. She had initially believed that it had been too early on in their marriage for her to get pregnant but, when she had given it more thought whilst getting ready for dinner that evening, she had realised that the notion of her being with child hadn't been as far-fetched as she had thought. It wasn't as though she and Georg had been abstinent during their honeymoon - there had been days where the two of them hadn't even left their suite - and so there had been every possibility. She had planned to go and see doctor Angelle again so that he could do a test which would confirm if she was pregnant or not, but, before she had had the chance to do so, she and her husband had read about the Anschluss in the newspaper and had left Paris instantly.
There had been times when the two of them had fallen into silence on the train-ride home and when those moments of silence had occurred she had thought about going to see a doctor once they had gotten back, yet, less than an hour after their return, Georg had received that blasted telegram. She longed to find out for certain if she was expecting Georg's child or not, but she knew that that would have to wait until their arrival in Switzerland and the suspense was killing her. 'Come back to me, sweetheart.' The sound of her husband whispering in her ear brought her out of her thoughts after a time and she tilted her head back on his shoulder, a gentle smile appearing on her lips as she looked up at him. 'I lost you for a while, there.' Georg said before lifting his hand to her face and drawing the back of it down her cheek, unconditional love for her in his eyes.
'So much has happened over the last couple of days.' She sighed while removing a piece of lint from his shirt. 'It's a lot to take in.'
'I know.' He nuzzled her hair. 'I know it is, but you're doing so well and I'm so proud of you.'
She smiled as she slipped her hand through the opening of his jacket and curled her fingers into his shirt. 'I'm just glad that your plan worked and that we're still together. I couldn't bear it if I lost you and the children.'
A shudder coursed through Georg at the mere thought of being separated from Maria or their children. 'I would have to be dead and buried before I let anyone hurt the eight of you or before I left you all.'
'Well, you could have gotten yourself killed last night.' She reminded him when she looked up into his eyes again, her love for him deepening as she brought her hand out from within his jacket and ran her fingers along the line of his jaw. 'Promise me something?' She asked as her gaze flicked between his and his lips, a smile gracing her features when he hummed. 'Promise me that you won't put yourself in a position like that again.'
Georg nodded before pressing his lips against the centre of her forehead. 'I promise you, my love.' He pressed his forehead against hers before stroking the bridge of her nose with the tip of his own. 'With all my heart.'
'You can be an idiot sometimes and you can be a little hot-tempered, but you mean the world to me.' She told him.
He chuckled in response as he ran his hand over her hair. 'And you can be outspoken and a minx at the best of times, but you mean the world to me too.'
The two of them laughed together before he brought his hand to her cheek and traced her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb, Maria opening her eyes so that she could look into his. She allowed him to slip his fingers into her hair after a couple of seconds before he drew her closer to him, her eyes drifting closed again before she parted her lips and sighed when he caught her in a languid kiss. Their kiss was tender yet chaste at the same time since their children were sitting a short distance away from them, Maria bringing her hand to rest on the side of his neck as she shifted closer to him before leaning into him a little. The two of them knew that they would have to remain abstinent until their arrival in Switzerland, which was going to be hard after their long month of passion in Paris, but as long as they could still have moments like this they would be content.
When their kiss reached a natural conclusion after a couple of minutes, Maria rested her head on her husband's chest and burrowed underneath his chin, her eyes closing while she listened to the sound of his heartbeat. 'You let me know when you're feeling strong enough to start walking again, alright?' Georg said to her as he raked his fingers through her hair and settled back against the trunk of the tree again, his gaze fixed on her.
'Alright.' She echoed before sinking into him when he wrapped an arm around her. 'I love you.'
'And I love you.' He reassured her. 'Just as much.'
'Blinke, blinke, kleiner Stern, wie bist du doch so wundersam...' Maria brushed her fingers against the curls that hung down Gretl's back as she came to the end of the lullabye that she was singing to her while lying next to her that night, her voice soft as she looked into her face and saw that she was beginning to give into the pull of slumber. The five-year-old's eyes were half-lidded now and she was sucking on her thumb, hiccups still escaping her in result to the cries that she had let out when she had woken from her nightmare a little while earlier. She ran the back of her hand down her daughter's cheek when she cuddled up to her after a couple of seconds, her lips finding her temple before she settled down beside her again. 'Are you warm enough, sweet pea?' She raised her brow while drawing her travel-cloak further over her little frame, Gretl nodding in reply.
'Mother?' Gretl whispered after a time.
'Yes?' Maria replied.
'When will we reach Aunt Hede's villa? I don't like sleeping outside.' The five-year-old admitted.
Maria tightened her hold of her. 'Well, your father says that we should reach the Swiss border in the next day or two if we don't stop walking too much.'
'Will Aunt Hede's children like me?' Gretl asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
'Aunt Hede's children are going to love you, I just know it.' Maria smiled. 'Your father told me that she had a baby a couple of months ago. You'll enjoy playing with him, won't you?'
Gretl smiled with a sparkle in her eyes.
'You need to get some sleep now though, darling, because otherwise you're going to be far too tired to go anywhere in the morning.' Maria tucked one of her curls back behind her ear.
'You won't let me go, will you, mother?' Gretl asked.
Maria shook her head before kissing her on the nose. 'Not for a moment, I swear.'
'Goodnight.' Gretl yawned before pressing her face into her neck and settling down. 'I hope you sleep well.'
'I hope you sleep well too, Gretl.' Maria whispered before stroking her hair again and smiling when she was able to tell that her little girl was drifting off in her arms.
She closed her eyes after a couple of minutes and buried her nose in Gretl's hair before trying to fall asleep herself, but her eyes fluttered open again when she heard the sound of footsteps. It didn't take long for her to realise that it was just Georg and Kurt returning to their spot after relieving themselves and so she closed her eyes again, her love for her husband deepening when she heard him tell Kurt to get some rest and that he loved him. He had come so far since their argument that summer and she couldn't have been more proud of him if she tried. She was aware of Georg lying down beside her a couple of minutes later and she turned onto her back when he covered her with his jacket, shushing Gretl when she whimpered in her sleep at the change of positions. 'You're going to freeze if you don't have something to cover yourself with.' She told him softly.
'I'd rather you be warm than me.' He admitted before stroking her face. 'Is she alright?'
'She had a nightmare and so I told her that she could come and sleep next to us tonight so that she feels a little safer.' She explained. 'I think she'll sleep through the night now.'
Georg gave her a smile of pride. 'You are the perfect mother.'
'There's no such thing.' She tutted with a loving roll of her eyes. 'I just did what any other mother would do for their daughter.'
'Nevertheless,' He placed a kiss on her lips before settling down next to her, 'I am so proud of you.'
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence after sharing a smile, Maria keeping a close eye on Gretl while Georg stroked her hair.
'We should get some sleep ourselves.' She pointed out after a couple of minutes. 'We aren't going to be of any use to the children if we're exhausted in the morning.'
Georg nodded before bringing his hand to his lips to stifle a yawn. 'Give Gretl to me so that I can hold the two of you.' He instructed.
The two of them moved Gretl carefully so that she didn't stir and once she was settled on the other side of her father with her travel-cloak over her, Maria settled down next to him and allowed her head to be cushioned by his shoulder. 'I feel awful taking your jacket from you.' She admitted while snuggling into him and tangling her leg with his, Georg shaking his head before he pressed his lips to her brow in the most languorous kiss.
'Don't.' He whispered. 'I've slept outside before.'
Maria's brow furrowed. 'You have?'
'Mmm hmm.' He replied. 'Agathe made me sleep out on the garden terrace one night when she was nearing the end of her pregnancy with Brigitta because she saw a compliment that I gave her as an insult.'
She giggled in response. 'I'm guessing she had strong hormones?'
'The strongest.' He chuckled. 'It wasn't too bad, if I'm honest, until Friedrich and Louisa came outside the next morning and gave me quite the wake-up call.'
Maria sighed happily as she sank into his embrace. 'I've always wondered what the eldest ones were like when they were young.'
'They were little terrors that had their mother wrapped around their little fingers.' He told her. 'Especially Kurt.'
'I'm guessing Kurt managed to get treats out of Agathe whenever he wanted them?' She laughed.
Georg turned his head towards her. 'However did you guess?' He smirked.
'What can I say? I'm a women of hidden talents.' She ran a hand across his chest before pressing her lips against his. 'You make me so happy, you know.'
'I'm glad.' He sighed. 'I hope to do so for the rest of my life.'
She stroked her fingers against the greying hair at his temples. 'We really need to get some sleep now. It must be past midnight.'
'It won't be long now.' He told her once she had snuggled into him again and hid her face in his neck. 'Once we've spent a few weeks with Hede we can go looking for a villa of our own and then start settling down.'
'That's all I want.' She whispered as she began to drift off.
Georg smiled as he nuzzled her hair with his lips. 'Go to sleep, Maria.'
'I am.' She reassured him. 'Goodnight.'
'Goodnight, mein schatz...' He said. 'Sleep well.'
A/N: So, I hope that you all enjoyed that and that you'll consider leaving a review! I know that most of the vT children weren't in this chapter, but I promise you that they'll come into it more in the upcoming ones. I hope you'll all come back for the next chapter when it's uploaded and I'll see you soon :-) x