Forbidden – Epilogue

Georg didn't know how long he lay there watching Maria sleep. The rhythmic movement of the train as it travelled along was slightly hypnotic. It was warm in their small bunk with Maria pressed up against him. Normally if Georg had wanted to travel by sleeper train, he would have booked a large private car, however due to the haste of their decision to marry then flee the country, only the regular compartments with the twin bunks top and bottom were available.

Naturally after all they had been through they didn't want to sleep apart so Georg squeezed in next to Maria on the bottom bunk. He twisted slightly and propped himself up on his elbow so that he could gaze better down at his wife. She looked so beautiful! The wispy strands of her fringe along her forehead, the dark lashes of her closed eyes against her creamy skin, the light splattering of freckles across her nose, and the way her pink lips were parted in sleep as she breathed.

Then his eyes traveled away from her face down her body. She lay on her side facing him, one hand resting under her head, the other casually draped across her waist. He watched the rising and falling of her chest, his eyes drawn to the deep bit of cleavage between her breasts.

Gone were the thick, heavy nightgowns she'd worn at the Abbey, Maria was now clothed in a sheer, skimpy, silvery pearl-coloured negligee of pure satin. Georg had quickly purchased it for her the day before the wedding as a gift. It fit her perfectly although now due to her pregnancy, her breasts were larger, fuller and more voluptuous, gently spilling out of the top of the nightie. It made her look very sexy and more arousing than ever.

Georg gently ran one finger across her face, down to her shoulder then along her bare arm. The sensation of his touch really didn't wake her, yet Maria stirred slightly, squirmed next to him then snuggled down closer into him.

Georg smiled to himself. Considering how many times they'd gone to bed together in the past, he just realized that this was the first time he'd ever watched her sleep. It seemed completely natural to have her in his arms, and now that they were married, he would have the enormous privilege of having her wake in his arms every day.

He was looking forward to their time in Paris together. He had booked a large suite in an elegant hotel with the children staying in rooms just down the hallway. Normally the thought of bringing his children away on his honeymoon trip would have made him laugh, but knowing just how much he and Maria had gone through the last few months, then of course fleeing the country with the entire family in-tow, the set-up in Paris would be perfect. He and Maria would have their privacy, yet the children would be close enough to be properly cared for, not to mention the large living space in the suite being very suitable for them to spend much needed time together as a family.

The train was not due to arrive in Paris until mid-morning. But while he knew they still had hours together before they had to rise, Georg wanted to spend as much time with his new wife as he could after being apart for so long. Deciding to wake her, Georg leant down and placed a light kiss on her temple. This time, Maria did wake at his touch and she opened her eyes dreamily and looked up at him.

"You're really here?" she asked him softly, her voice thick with sleep. "I'm not dreaming?"

Georg chuckled. "Yes, I'm here, and no, you're not dreaming."

"I'm so glad," she whispered, reaching for him. As she wrapped her arms around him pulling him against her, he nuzzled his face into her short hair near the nape of her neck, drinking in the sweet scent of her perfume. His face lightly skimmed over her golden locks, feeling its softness against the roughness of his day-old beard.

It was a tight squeeze in the tiny bunk but Georg managed to shift his weight around so that he was lying on his back with Maria curled against him, her head resting in the nook of his shoulder. Slowly she made lazy circles across his chest with her hand.

"You know," she murmured after a while, "every night that I was away from you at the Abbey, I'd imagine you had your arms around me like this, and that you'd be holding me as I went off to sleep. It felt so nice and comforting, and thoughts of you would fill my dreams." Georg smiled to himself as she spoke. "But then I'd wake up and I'd be alone then I'd remember why we were apart and it would hurt so much…" her voice trailed off for a moment. "I'd almost given up hope that we'd ever find a way to be together."

Georg felt his heart breaking hearing her confession. He knew just how much she'd given up for him and just how much she'd suffered being alone. "But we did find a way," he reassured her, craning his neck around so that he could look into her face. "And now we're married."

"Yes, we are," giggled Maria, her eyes suddenly alight with happiness and elation. "Finally!"

Without a word more, he tilted her face towards his and kissed her lips. Maria let out a contented sigh as she snuggled into him further, closing her eyes in an effort to try and return to sleep. Georg closed his eyes too, relishing in the warmth of Maria in his arms. They lay there for the next little while, listening to the sounds of the train rattling along as it travelled.

As the sun rose higher, more light came into the tiny compartment. Maria yawned again then raised her head. "Should we be getting up to meet the children in the dining car for breakfast?" she asked.

"No, I told them not to expect us and that we'd meet up with them in time to get off the train in Paris. I said that I suspected the thought of having breakfast might make you feel queasy."

"You're right about that, "she laughed. "I don't think I've eaten a proper breakfast in weeks, not unless you count dry crackers as a proper breakfast, and even then I couldn't keep it down."

"How are you feeling today?" he asked her caringly.

"Not so sick this morning thankfully, but still very tired," replied Maria yawning against his chest. "The children took the news of our baby well I thought," Maria suddenly said thoughtfully.

"Well Marta and Gretl's excited reactions were exceptional to say the least," he chuckled, "and once the older children got over the shock of working out what uh… we've been doing together," he winked at her, "they were just as pleased as their younger siblings. They told me so last night after you went to bed."

"I'm so glad. I had been worried what they might think about it," she sighed. "And I'm sorry I fell asleep on you last night."

"Quite alright," Georg replied lifting her hand and giving it a kiss. "You had a big day yesterday."

Maria shifted around so that she lay on her stomach against his body. She rested her hands on his chest, propped her chin on her hands and gazed down at him. "Yes I know, but I was looking forward to our wedding night," she replied with an impish grin on her lips.

Georg could instantly sense a change in her mood. Then he became aware of her hands wandering across his chest, gently playing with his pajama shirt, fiddling with the buttons, undoing them then opening his shirt as her fingers began to feel and caress his bare skin.

"Oh?" Georg smirked back, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her closer to him. He was thrilled to hear just how much his wife wanted to make love to him. "Do tell me."

Maria raised her eyebrows. "Do you really want me just to tell you?" she teased him. Maria knew he was just as eager as she was to finally make love again after months apart. One of the many things Georg had missed about Maria was her insatiable appetite for sex, never afraid to tell him just how much she needed him. He grinned. Now they were married and together forever they could make love any time and as often as they wanted.

"No, I want you to show me," Georg crooned as their lips met in a soft kiss.

He deepened the kiss, gently exploring her mouth with his tongue. Maria responded quickly as their tongues began to dance together slowly and sensually. Georg ran his fingers down the length of her bare back until they reached the line of the negligee that went across her back near her bottom. Slowly he slipped one hand underneath the thin material to grasp her backside firmly.

Maria gave a tiny yelp of surprise and delight as Georg rapidly flipped her onto her back and climbed on top of her, taking care not to bang his head on the upper bunk. "Or," Georg said as he burrowed his face into the space between her neck and her ear. "How about I show you just how much I've been looking forward to our wedding night?" He quickly shrugged off his pajama shirt then leant down to kiss her once again.

Maria breathed in deeply as she felt the pulsing burn of desire arise between her legs. "Oh, I'd like that," she breathed as Georg kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear, then moved to place feather-light kisses along her cheek, lightly licking the contours of her jaw with his tongue, before claiming her lips in another deep and passionate kiss.

"You know," he murmured into her mouth. "There is no one to disturb us this time, nothing to hurry over," he kissed her again. "I want to take my time to make love to you properly, and enjoy every moment." He kissed her again and again until they were both breathless and burning with desire for each other.

Maria threaded her fingers through his thick, dark hair and tilted her head back onto the pillow as Georg moved his mouth down her neck to suck on the soft skin there. When his mouth reached the top of her chest, he stopped, preferring to make love to her with his eyes, drinking in the sight of his wife lying beneath him wearing the very revealing and sexy negligee he'd bought her. The way the thin, sheer material clung to every curve of her body outlined her figure beautifully.

Now she was lying on her back, he could just faintly detect the slight bulge of her lower abdomen. At almost three months pregnant, she was just beginning to show although it would still be months before it would be obvious to anyone else. He gently caressed her stomach with his hand before he bent his head down and kissed her tummy over the spot where their baby was growing within her.

Moving back up her body with his fingertips and his mouth, Georg took his time tracing the line of her negligee with his fingertips; the swell of her enlarged breasts pouring out over the top with only her nipples still covered was incredibly enticing.

"Oh your breasts!" Georg murmured as his mouth grazed lightly over her chest.

Maria wriggled uncomfortably beneath him causing him to raise his head and look at her questionably. She blushed, almost embarrassed. "The pregnancy," she explained. "They're uh… so much bigger now. I'm sorry."

Georg quickly reassured her with a kiss. "Don't be sorry at all. They're magnificent, arousing, sexy… you're so beautiful Maria." He traced the outline of her nipples through the thin, silvery material as he spoke, then pinching and teasing them with his fingertips until they became firm and erect.

Sharp searing pain shot through her breasts as he did so and Maria winced. "Sorry," she apologised again. "They're just, ah… a little more sensitive now too."

Georg immediately removed his hand from her breast. "Darling, I'm sorry. I can stop if you want."

"No!" Maria took his hand and placed it back on her chest. "No, I want you to touch me, touch me everywhere. But just be a little more gentle, if that's alright."

Georg nodded and with a feather-light touch, he cupped each breast in turn with the palm of his hand and gently massaged them. The lightness of his touch now was not painful, but incredibly enjoyable. Maria groaned with pleasure at each touch. Georg moved slowly and the way he took his time by stroking and teasing her breasts made her feel more and more aroused with each and every caress.

Almost as if unconsciously knowing what her body wanted and needed, she moved her legs apart and slowly removed his hand from her breasts, taking it in her own and placing it between her legs. "Remember, I said I want you to touch me everywhere."

Georg instantly took the hint and ran one finger lightly up and down the outside of her panties, teasing her. Maria bucked her hips up to allow Georg to remove them. Then Georg lifted up the hem of her negligee and Maria raised her arms up as he pulled the sheer garment up over her head in one swift motion. He tossed it aside. Although the confines of the bunk were tight, Georg then quickly managed to wriggle out of his pants and discard them somewhere on the other side of their tiny compartment.

His eyes combed over her body hungrily, relishing in her sight of his naked wife lying beneath him. His hand followed the path of his eyes, from her face to her neck, to her breasts then her abdomen, his fingertips lightly skimming and gliding over her soft and creamy skin, sending pulses of electricity through her body with each touch and caress. Moving his hands between her legs, he touched her until her body shuddered in ecstasy until nothing else mattered except him and her and what he was doing to her.

Feeling dizzy like she was floating on air, Maria closed her eyes as Georg kissed his way up her body to her mouth, giving her long, deep, wet kisses that seemed to last forever. His hands seemed to be on every part of her at once, touching and caressing, skimming over her breasts down to her hips then back to her breasts. Everything he was doing to her set her one fire, especially once he entered her and they began to make love. And as they moved together, their movements matched the gentle rhythmic sway of the train carriage as it travelled along: back and forth, back and forth. And Georg kissed her again and again as they moved together in their dance of love. Gasps and cries, sighs and moans came from both of them as their lovemaking intensified. The speed of their movements increased, faster and faster until both cried out with ultimate pleasure.

They clung to each other as their heart rates and breathing returned to normal before snuggling together in the tiny bunk of the train. Georg then heard Maria murmur, "I love you" to him as her eyelids closed in sleep.

Georg chuckled to himself. He suddenly realized it was the first time he'd ever worn Maria out when they'd made love. Normally it was the other way around! During their forbidden time together at the villa, after a vigorous lovemaking session, she'd bound out of bed almost instantly then prowl around his suite trying to find something to do until he was ready to make love to her again. But now the tables had been turned and he had the upper hand.

However her extreme fatigue really didn't surprise him. He knew just how much this early stage of pregnancy was taking its toll on her body. She would still be tired for weeks to come before gaining some energy back for the middle stages of the pregnancy before the fatigue would set in again as the baby's due date approached.

Georg wrapped his arms tighter around his loving wife as she slept. It would still be hours before the train arrived in Paris. Taking the opportunity to catch a few more minutes of sleep, he closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep listening to the sounds of the train as it travelled along.

Several hours later, both dressed and bags packed, Maria and Georg joined the children as the train pulled into La Gare du Nord station in Paris. All holding hands, they stepped off the train to begin their new lives together as a family.

XxXxXxXxXx

Six months later…

Georg settled himself into the wing-backed chair in the corner of their master suite and nestled his newborn son into his arms while Maria slept in their bed nearby. She was exhausted after a very long labor and had only stayed awake long enough to introduce the children to their new baby brother.

Georg smiled to himself. Even after six months of marriage, Georg continued to marvel at his wife's bravery and strength after everything they had been through together. Their extended honeymoon in Paris with the children had been cut short upon hearing the news of the Anschluss. With uncertainly and the whispers of war through Europe around the corner, the decision to leave for America had been a somewhat easy one. However moving the entire family to another continent whilst being pregnant had been very difficult for Maria, yet never once did she complain. Maria was just so very thankful to finally be united with Georg in marriage, and happy to be mother to Georg's children.

Georg knew the only thing that really mattered to him was his family, and having a family with Maria was like a dream come true especially considering the alternative he almost found himself in: trapped in a loveless marriage to Elsa while Maria was left alone at the Abbey. And now their family was complete and Georg felt truly blessed to have his new son in his arms, Maria nearby and his older children downstairs.

A family united together forever.

A/N: So I couldn't finish this story without Maria and Georg having one last sexy time together! I hope that was OK! J

Thank you once again to everyone who gave me so much support with this story. I had been nervous about publishing it, but I got such a great response that I'm pleased I did. Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed. Please send me one final review! Thank you!