Their breathing was heavy and uneven as they stumbled backwards into their bedroom later that afternoon and he had one hand pressing firmly into the small of her back through the chartreuse jacket of her skirt suit, the other cupping the side of her neck in its palm as their tongues danced fiercely and she threaded her nimble fingers desperately through his thick dark strands of hair as her rosy lips moved effortlessly beneath his own. She untangled one set of fingers from his hair in order for her hand to slip down to his strong chest through the thin material of his dress-shirt, a delicate whimper escaping her as Georg pulled her firmly against him with a soft nip to her bottom lip. 'Darling..' She breathed in-between fiery passionate kisses as they stumbled backwards towards the large bed in the centre of the room, a faint gasp leaving her lips when the backs of her legs hit the mattress and she toppled backwards onto the bed before her husband moved to lay down beside her and pull her into his arms once more. 'Georg, we - we haven't got time.' She breathed as he began to kiss her tenderly.
'Dinner won't be announced for another two hours.' He reminded her as he cupped the sharpness of her jaw in his palm and brushed the pad of his thumb against the creaminess of her cheek in a soothing caress as he left the slowest of kisses upon her bottom lip, his heart swelling with love for her as he pulled back a few moments later and could see the uncertainty that lived in her ice-blue eyes. 'Everything is going to be fine, my love.' He sighed lovingly as he smoothed the backs of his fingers across her warm cheek and watched her eyes drift closed at the contact. 'We still have plenty of time to pack and get the children ready before we have to leave, and I promise you that nothing bad is going to happen to a single one of you tonight. I won't allow it.' His lovely wife's eyes fluttered open once again then, gentle tears glistening in them as she placed her hand over his heart.
'But - but what about you?' She asked softly as she stroked her thumb against the thin material of his shirt. 'What if we get caught and they take you away from me? Away from the children? I wouldn't be able to get them to Switzerland on my own, Georg, it's impossible and I wouldn't be able to manage without you!' He shushed her soothingly then before shifting closer to her and pressing his lips to her smooth forehead in a lingering kiss.
'Maria, look at me.' He told her as he hooked his finger beneath his wife's chin and tilted her head back slightly atop the quilt before her eyes fluttered open, his thumb tracing the sharpness of her jaw as he gazed into her eyes with nothing but strong love and devotion sparkling in his own. 'We won't get caught, my darling. The only people who know about our plan to escape to Switzerland are you, me, Max and the children. Franz and Frau Schmidt have been told nothing which means they can't possibly have told anyone about what we're doing or where we're going. But, in the extremely unlikely event that we do get caught, I will think of something. I don't care what the Nazis say or do, Maria, because nothing will make me leave you and the children behind to go to Bremerhaven. They'd have to kill me first.' He drew her into his arms when the fear returned in her eyes. 'It's a figure of speech, darling.' He told her as he stroked her fringe carefully away from her forehead in order to press a slow kiss to the warm skin there. 'But I know I should have used a more considerate one and I'm sorry.'
'I love you.' Maria sighed as she brought her hand up to cup the side of his neck in her palm before brushing her thumb against the warm skin that she discovered there. 'More than I ever thought was possible.'
'I love you too, my beautiful Baroness.' He smiled whilst reaching up to take hold of her wrist before he removed her hand from the side of his neck, taking her fingertips in his hand before kissing over her wedding band.
'Mmm...maybe we do have some time to kill before dinner.' She hummed with a gentle smirk a few moments later as she shuffled slightly closer to him atop the bed and placed her hand upon the centre of his chest before leaning in to brush a slow open-mouthed kiss against his lips, her husband's strong hand finding the swell of her hip through the chartreuse fabric of her skirt before he pulled her firmly against him once more. Their kisses slowly began to take on more of a passionate nature once again as she allowed her nimble fingers to seek out the buttons that held his jacket closed, a faint hum of satisfaction escaping her when she felt Georg's hand slip around to the small of her back before he stroked his thumb against her jacket and his tongue began to dance warmly with her own. Her fingers made swift work of the buttons on his jacket and within moments the article of clothing had been dropped onto the floor and Georg was leaning over her, their kisses languid yet fierce as she ran the fingers on one hand through his dark hair and the fingers on her other hand started to work on his tie. His hands were firm yet gentle upon her waist as he left kiss after kiss upon her eagerly awaiting mouth, soft hums of delight escaping her every time he lightly nibbled her lower lip or gave her waist a gentle squeeze.
'You are so beautiful.' Georg sighed as he began to trail his kisses away from his wife's lips and Maria pulled his tie from beneath his collar once she had finally managed to unknot it, her quiet sighs of contenement making him fall all the more in love with her as he dotted soft kisses over her cheek and along her jaw before reaching her neck. He felt his wife press her rosy lips to the warm skin of his hairline as he kissed her neck softly and it was impossible for him to prevent the gentle hum of satisfaction from escaping, his wife's precious giggle warming his heart as she settled atop the quilt and he brought his hand up to cup the other side of her neck gently.
'Georg?' Maria whispered as she tilted her head slowly to one side in order to give him a larger canvas to cover with his tantalising kisses.
'Mhm?' He murmured, making his wife's heart flutter as the sound vibrated against her neck.
'Make love to me.' She instructed before he pulled away from her neck momentarily in order to gaze into her beautiful blue eyes.
'Are you sure?' He grazed the tip of his nose against hers.
'Darling, I've waited months to have the right to share this bed with you.' She reminded him. 'Of course I'm sure.'
'I love you so much.' He pressed his forehead against hers with a loving smile, cupping the curve of her cheek in his palm.
'I love you too.' She stretched up to kiss him softly on the lips before she allowed him to move from over her, a small smile upon her lips as she shifted back against the large pillows of their bed. 'Now make love to me.'
Georg felt Maria bury her face in his neck as they lay together in the aftermath of their lovemaking and one of his arms were wrapped securely around her waist as one of hers were draped over his stomach and the tips of the fingers on his free hand were trailing softly along her forearm, their legs tangled beneath the sheets as his wife ran her perfectly small foot along the curve of his calve and he stroked the pad of his thumb against the warm skin of her hip. He couldn't help but sigh deeply against her porcelain skin as he turned his head to press a soft kiss to her forehead, Maria pulling away from his neck in order to meet his gaze. 'What's wrong?' She unwound her arm from around his middle in order to reach up and smooth the backs of her fingers across his warm cheek that was still slightly flushed from their lovemaking, a slight smile spreading across his lips.
'Oh, I don't know.' He ran his hand along the silky skin of her side. 'I suppose I just feel guilty about cutting our honeymoon short. I know how excited you were about going to Paris for three months and there was still so much that I wanted to show you; so much that you would've loved to see.' Maria sighed lovingly as she stroked a strand of his dark brown hair back beneath his ear before leaning forward to kiss his lower lip slowly.
'That is not your fault, Georg.' She reassured him as she lay her head back down upon his strong shoulder. 'It's Hitler's fault that we had to come home early - Hitler and the Nazis' - and besides, I was the one who said I wanted to leave Paris the second we read about the Anschluss in the newspaper. The month-and-a-half that we spent there was incredible and you showed and taught me so much, my love. I loved every moment of it because I got spent it with you, but we both knew from the minute we left Austria that there was a chance that we would have to return early. As much as I adored being in Paris I'm much happier now that we're home with the children and we know that they're safe.' A perfect smile formed upon Georg's lips as he caressed her creamy cheek. 'Besides, there's nothing to say that we cant go back to Paris with the children in the future.'
'I don't know what I did to deserve you.' He sighed with a slow shake of his head as he stroked the backs of his fingers down the side of his face. 'But I would do it again in an instant if I had to.'
'Me too.' She whispered. 'I love you so much, Georg, and I promise you that I'm going to respect every decision that you make tonight. I know that I'm soft on the children usually and I know that I disobey your orders sometimes, but I know how serious the position we're in is. I won't put up with the children complaining tonight because it's going to be hard enough for you to get us out of here safely without them playing up for you.'
'Maria, can - can I ask you something?' He asked as he pulled her close and allowed her to snuggle against him.
'Of course you can, you can ask me anything.' She ran the tips of her fingers through the coarse dark hair upon his chest as she gazed up at him.
'Is it wrong for me to feel...nervous...about tonight?' He brushed his thumb against the swell of her hip as he sighed deeply.
'Of course not.' She soothed. 'I'm nervous about tonight and if anyone else was in the position that our family is in, they would be nervous too.'
'But I've fought in a war.' He reminded her. 'I've received medals for bravery and I just can't help but feel as though I'm pathetic for being so nervous about leaving Austria tonight.'
'Don't ever say that to me again.' She growled as she cupped his cheek in her hand and turned his head towards her. 'You are not pathetic, Georg, you're just anxious like the rest of us and you have every right to be.'
'I just - I just love you and the children so terribly and I couldn't bear it if anything was to happen to a single one of you.' He admitted.
'We'll be fine.' She smiled as she snuggled up to him. 'Because we have you to protect us, Georg, you're strong enough to do this.'
'I'm only strong because I have you.' He pressed his forehead against hers before nuzzling the tip of his nose against the bridge of her own. 'I have the most beautiful, loving and supportive wife in the whole world.'
'You're everything to me.' She sighed as she draped her arm across his stomach once again and buried her head beneath his chin, her eyes fluttering closed as she could feel the steady rise and fall of his powerful chest.
'And you're everything to me.' He kissed her head. 'And then some.'
The two of them knew that it wasn't going to be easy to escape from Austria that evening - it was going to be far from it, especially with seven children in tow - but they were certain that if they had faith in one another they would manage to make it through safely and they would be able to start anew in Switzerland. They would be safe and free from the threats of the Nazis and they would be able to live life in peace rather than fear.
They would come out the other side.
Author's Note: Please review
