A/N: Sorry everyone. I just realised how long it has been since I'd updated this story since I've been focused on my other new story "When The Lord Closes A Door" (please check it out if you haven't already!). Lots more to come of both stories. Please review!

The Lonely Goatherd – Chapter 9

Two months had passed and Maria hadn't seen Georg once. At times she found herself wondering whether her incredible night with Georg on the beach had just been a dream until the sensation of his signet ring on her chain hanging against her chest reassured her that that night did indeed happen and that her Captain loved her and wanted to marry her. The thought of marrying him as soon as the war was over filled Maria's heart with joy. But for some reason, she felt very protective of her new engagement, preferring to keep the news quiet.

She told Elsa, of course, and Sister Berthe who were both extremely happy and pleased for her. The only other person she told was Sophia who was overjoyed at her news, but refrained from celebrating too much with Maria in consideration for Margaretta. After Margaretta's antics that night at The Lonely Goatherd with her dancing and kissing Georg, there was an awkwardness between her and Maria. While Margaretta had muttered an apology to Maria for the way she'd behaved with Georg the day after, there was something still unresolved between the two women. Sophia felt very much in the middle of her two friends, not wanting to take sides or show too much favouritism to either one.

Maria had noticed that since that night, Margaretta had retreated into herself. She looked sullen, depressed and rarely spoke anymore. She also had stopped sneaking out at night to meet up with the many sailors she'd met since their time in Pola. While Maria wanted to know what was going on with Margaretta, the tension between them meant that she wasn't in a position to ask and find out more. Therefore Sophia ended up being the go-between for the first little while until Sophia ended up spending most of her spare time with Margaretta, rather than Maria. Sophia had apologised to Maria saying that it seemed like Margaretta needed her more, although Sophia had no idea herself what had caused the change in Margaretta.

With the feeling that she's lost her two closest friends at the hospital, Maria was lonely. Of course Maria saw Elsa regularly at The Lonely Goatherd but the person she missed most was Georg. Until he'd left, she hadn't realised how much time they'd been spending together over the month he was in Pola before his departure. She missed their conversations and his company. Maria realised that he had become her best friend in more ways than one. But not only that, she kept replaying their night together on the beach in her head. The feeling of his lips and his body pressed against hers as they kissed on the beach, the touch of his hands on her body and the memory of them waking together as the sun rose. Remembering the look on his face as he told her how he wanted her in his bed gave her stomach-lurching thoughts of them one day becoming lovers. Maria caught herself blushing several times as her mind wandered to provocative thoughts of Georg during her regular duties at the hospital and she had to keep reminding herself to snap out of it and focus on the task at hand.

She missed him and it seemed like a long wait for him to return. But then one day, the letters from Georg started arriving. Maria was initially surprised when the first one came but after that, she began to look forward to the weekly mail knowing that something from Georg would be in there for her. His letters were wonderful and thoughtful. Not overly romantic, however, but he'd ask her how she was and what she'd been doing, then he would write a bit about what he'd been up to lately before telling her how much he missed her and loved her.

She admired his elegant writing script: the letters formed perfectly and neatly, which made herself feel quiet self-conscious about her own handwriting: large and loopy letters that always ended up looking rather messy on the page. Nonetheless, after receiving each letter, Maria would write faithfully back, although she had no idea where to send the mail back to since Georg appeared to be in a different port each and every time he wrote to her. Therefore she just kept all her letters written back to him together in a brown paper package tied up with string hoping one day he'd return so that she'd be able to give them to him in person.

Another couple of weeks past and it was a day like much the others. More ships had come into port but Maria hadn't bothered to check whether any of them were Georg's as she'd had a busy morning at the hospital. Sister Berthe had given Maria more and more tasks to do especially since Margaretta was apparently sick and so Maria had been rushed off her feet.

She had just finished taking one of the patient's temperatures when she turned around and saw Georg standing in the doorway to the ward.

"Georg…" she breathed before an instant later she flew across the room and into his arms. She hugged him tight, barely believing he was finally back. Georg buried his face into her nook of the neck, drinking in the scent of her perfume and relishing in the sensation of her soft body in his arms.

"Oh you're back! I've missed you so much," Maria exclaimed as they finally pulled apart. They smiled at each other and gazing deeply into each other eyes like no one else in the world existed. But a cough from the other side of the room brought them both back to reality and Maria let out an embarrassed giggle realising that a ward full of patients had witnessed their public display of affection.

Georg took her arm, pulling her gently towards the door. "Maria, perhaps we should…"

"Y-yes," replied Maria, the word stumbling out of her mouth as she tried to avoid the interested looks and wolf-whistles that had started coming from several of the sailors in their hospital beds.

"Somewhere more private I think," Georg suggested.

Maria nodded as they left the ward and entered the hallway. Maria led Georg down the hall until they got to the nurse's lounge. Georg cast his eyes around the room. With the broad glass windows overlooking the main hallway and several nurses coming and going in and out of the room, it was hardly the private place that he desired.

He gently stopped Maria as she began to enter the lounge and leant in close to her so that he could whisper in her ear. "Uh, Maria… I'd hoped we could go somewhere more private…"

Maria blinked several times as his words sank in and as she looked at him, the piecing look of desire from Georg was enough to make her stomach lurch several times. She paused for a moment, trying to think about where they could go to be alone before they both simultaneously suggested: "supply closet?"

Maria let out a little giggle and refrained from yelling "jinx" like a little child would have after they'd both said the same thing at the same time. Instead, she turned in the other direction and they began making their way to the supply closet.

Of course the nurse's lounge had to be on the complete other side of the hospital to the supply closet so Maria knew they had several painful minutes of walking before that would get there. Trying to maintain an air of decorum, it took all of Maria's will power not to grab Georg's hand and make a run for it. As it was, there were so many people about the hospital that they both had to make it less than obvious where they were going and why. So they walked slowly side-by-side not even touching or looking at each other in order to disguise what their true motives were, and as they did, the sexual tension between them was simmering.

Finally they got to the supply closet and Maria had a quick look inside to check that Sister Berthe wasn't hiding in there ready to catch them out. She gestured quickly with her head for Georg to come inside too and when she closed the door behind him, they were plunged into darkness.

It didn't matter for in less than a microsecond, they were in each other's arms kissing passionately. With the darkness spurring them on, deep, hungry, wild and passionate kisses were shared – too many to count. His hands roamed frantically over her body like he couldn't get enough of her while Maria let her instincts take over allowing her fingertips to roam down past his chest to his trousers then to pull his shirt out from his waistband in order to feel his hot skin underneath. These were not the sweet, innocent kisses they'd shared that night on the beach, but something more deep and lustful. The thought of acting so bold and wanton hardly even crossed Maria's mind as all she wanted was him. Georg moaned into her mouth as his hand found her breast and they both stumbled backwards until Maria's back crashed into one of the shelving units in the closet. However, she barely noticed as Georg pressed his body hard against hers and all she could sense was how much he desired her.

Maria gasped as Georg mouthed hot, wet kisses down her neck while his wandering hands found their way up under her dress to her backside, urging her body closer to his. She felt a burning urge of desire between her legs, like there was something unknown she wanted and needed – and that something she could only get from him. Her lips found his again as they began to kiss passionately once more until…

BAM!

The supply closet was suddenly filled with light as the door was opened. Maria let out a yelp as she recognised the silhouetted form of Sister Berthe standing at in the doorway. Maria quickly tried to disentangle herself from Georg with an explanation waiting on her lips, but to Maria's surprise, the elderly matron said nothing, but strode straight past them both and retrieved several bottles of medicine from the shelves at the back of the closet. Continuing to ignore the couple, Sister Berthe walked back past them towards the door.

It was only when she reached the door, Sister Berthe stopped and called back to them: "There is certain level of behaviour that I demand from all my nurses and I would be horrified to think that anything untoward is going on in here between you two," she paused. "Now, I expect you back at work in five minutes, Maria." Maria stared at her open-mouthed as the matron added, "Oh, and welcome back, Captain. I think we both know how much Maria has missed you." Maria could have sworn she saw a smirk on the old lady's face as the door closed behind her.

Immediately Georg let out a laugh as Maria flicked the light on in the closet. "Oh dear," he chuckled with a wicked smirk on his face. "Caught, it seems!"

Maria clapped one hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, not sure whether she wanted to laugh too or just die of humiliation. But finally she laughed along with Georg. "I really thought we were going to get more of a roasting from her," she said through her laughter as she clung onto him.

"Well, we were in quite a compromising position," added Georg glancing down at their dishevelled appearance: his shirt untucked and half unbuttoned and Maria's dress pulled up partway up to her waist. Maria's lips were red and swollen from so much kissing.

"Oh, I don't know what came over me," cried Maria, feeling embarrassed at her actions. She was a little panicked that their romantic reunion had escalated to being so physical so quickly. At once she pulled down her skirt and began to straighten her nurse's uniform, smoothing out the creases in her dress.

"I guess the same thing that came over me," Georg replied with a smirk, hastily tucking his shirt back in. Maria looked at him surprised that he didn't seem as bothered about their passionate encounter as much as she was. He merely shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world for a man and a woman to get swept away by their emotions. "You're a great kisser," he told her. "And I've missed you Maria." He reached up and stroked her cheek affectionately.

"I missed you too Georg. Two and a half months is a long time."

"I know," he said as he opened the door, stepping back to let Maria leave the closet first. "Too long. We've got so much to catch up on. I know you have to get back to work right now, but would you meet me at The Lonely Goatherd for dinner tonight?"

Maria nodded. "Of course. I can't wait to talk properly with you. Letters just weren't enough."

"Oh, you got the letters then?" Georg enquired. "You never know about the mail, especially during war times."

"I did, yes," Maria thanked him before she gasped and slapped one hand over her mouth like she'd just forgotten something.

"What is it?" asked Georg.

"Can you wait here a moment?" Maria asked him urgently. Georg nodded and in a flash Maria had disappeared down the corridor, around the bend and out of sight.

Georg waited patiently for several minutes during which a couple of nurses past him on their way to the supply closet. They stopped, looked him over then giggled before continuing on their way. Georg wondered what on earth they were laughing about until he realised that he'd forgotten to re-fasten the buttons on his shirt and the middle portion of his shirt was flapping open slightly.

He had just finished fixing his shirt when Maria rushed back like a whirlwind completely out of breath and she pressed a brown paper package tied up with string into his hands. "Just because I didn't know where to send them, doesn't mean I didn't write back," she explained with a shy smile as she gasped for air.

Just then Sister Berthe appeared out of one of the nearby wards and cleared her throat loudly. Maria knew she had pushed her luck with the elderly matron enough for one day and it was time to get back to work.

Quickly she reached up and gave Georg a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight," she whispered and then she was gone.