A Time of Respite

Maria felt her heart pounding against her chest in a way that reminded her of Friedrich throwing a ball against a tree over and over again. She walked to Agapito's at a measured sure pace, trying to calm the rapid pounding of her heart. She had a feeling that once she saw Georg, she would practically rush at him and pummel him to the ground with the force of her embrace. But she knew that Georg was taking some much needed rest after eight weeks of hard work; he wouldn't be able to take something like that in his condition. So she resolved to calm herself in order that she would be gentle with him.

Reaching the red front door, Maria took a deep breath before opening the door and looking around. He wasn't in this main living room/lobby, but an elderly Italian woman was there, sitting behind an old-fashioned desk with a huge ledger open before her. She smiled at the sight of Maria. "Buongiorno, signora!"

Maria smiled and said, "Hello," in German, hoping this lady too would understand her (she recalled Georg mentioning that he could speak Italian).

Thankfully, she did, and her smile widened. "Another Austrian?"

Maria's smile now widened. "Yes, I am."

"You are not the first Austrian I am hosting here," she said. "I am Julietta Agapito, the owner. Would you like a room? I have two available."

"Um, actually, I know the Austrian man staying here," said Maria. "He's my husband, and I'm here to see him."

Julietta Agapito gasped and clapped her hands, stood up and moved her way around the counter to Maria. The woman barely came up to Maria's shoulder, but she clutched both of them so she could kiss Maria's cheeks. "Oh, lodare Dio! What a beautiful young woman you are, que bella! You must be here as a surprise."

"How did you guess that?"

"The poor man hasn't really smiled once since he came here. Keeps to himself and rarely speaks. I'm sure if he had been expecting you, he would be a little more…eccitato."

Maria looked up the flight of stairs she saw behind Julietta. "Oh, dear…it's been that bad? I've been so worried about him."
Julietta gave her hands a comforting squeeze with her own withered ones. "I'm sure the sight of you will do him worlds of good, my dear."

"Has he gone up to his room? Would you show me where that is?"

"Oh, of course, dear." Julietta took one of the keys hanging behind her and pointed to the staircase. "Top floor, first door you see. He mentioned he was going to lie down for a while, and asked if I could bring him up some tea in a few minutes." Julietta smiled at Maria as she handed her the key. "I'll bring up an extra cup for you, dear." With that, Julietta moved aside so Maria's pathway to her husband was clear.

Maria nodded, her heart beginning to pound like crazy again as she moved to the staircase and began to climb. Each step was deliberate, determined, and almost heavy to Maria. Calm down, he's right up here. And for God's sake, don't jump him when you see him. Think of him…him…

When she saw the door, she quieted her footsteps, remembering what Julietta had told her: he wanted to rest. She would do whatever he wanted to do, whatever she could to help him. Her feet quietly set foot on the landing, and her hands, holding her suitcase and the key, began to tremble. So, as quietly as she could, Maria put down her suitcase and bent down so that she could peek through the keyhole.

After a few moments of searching, his white shirt finally caught her eye and she spotted him. He was lying on the big bed in the room, an arm over his eyes and his breathing even. She had spent enough nights in the same bed with him to know his breathing patterns: he was asleep. She knew how quickly he could fall asleep – as easily as flipping off a switch.

For a moment, she debated about disturbing him now, while he was napping. He'd had a long, hard eight weeks and deserved all of the rest he could get. But didn't Julietta just say that he asked for her to bring him some tea in a few minutes? So it stands to reason he did not mean to fall asleep. So, if he woke up now it would be no crime…

So, letting her heart take over her body, Maria knocked on the door, loudly enough to wake him up.

Listening with her ear against the door, he heard him grumble and sit up on the bed. "Oh, tea, yes. Come in!"

His voice…Biting her lip to control her smile, Maria took the doorknob, twisted it, and slowly opened the door.

Georg was sitting on the large bed in the room, and what the room looked like Maria didn't see and didn't care. All she could see was him, but he couldn't see her. He sat on the bed with his hand over his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them with his fingers.

Her voice shook with happiness and a little bit of nerves. "Hello, Georg."

Georg's fingers screeched to a halt in their rotating actions, and just as quickly his hand dropped from his face and his eyes found her. He blinked several times and then his burning gaze branded every inch of her. "Maria?" he breathed, in shock and almost disbelieving.

Maria's eyes filled with tears of happiness at the sound of her name on his tongue, and she just nodded.

Georg got off the bed and slowly walked to her, as if he feared any sudden movement would cause her to disappear like a ghost. She felt a happy tear slide down her cheek, and Georg's hand reflexively rose up to wipe it away, but he held himself back from touching her – again afraid she would disappear.

But Maria would have none of that. She could read all of this in his blue eyes, widened in fear and hope. She took his hand and pressed it to her cheek. "I'm really here, you feel me, I'm right here, see?"

Whatever fear and disbelief Georg had seemed to vanish in an instant, hearing her convicted tone and feeling her soft cheek. His other hand came up and now he was holding her face in his hands as a radiant smile spread across his face and eyes. "Maria!"

"Georg!" she said just as happily, her smile just as wide.

His name had barely left her lips before they were covered by his own. His kissed her desperately, like a starving man, pouring every ounce of his heart in that most basic act of lovers. Maria responded just as strongly and equally, her arms wrapping around his neck to bring him closer to her. His hands descended from her face to wrap around her back, and before she knew it, he was lifting her clean off the ground and spinning them both around. Their lips parted and they both laughed joyously, until they collided with the side of the bed and fell onto it. Then they just laughed harder, their hold around each other never loosening.

Georg then pulled her with him up the bed, so he was sitting against the headboard and he was cradling her in his arms. Their faces buried in each other's necks, each let out a few silent tears of relief and joy. They stayed just like that for a long few minutes, just holding each other and crying silently.

Finally, Maria pulled her face back when she felt him breathing calm. She cupped his face, wiping away the last of his tears. But he didn't look remotely sad; he was positively glowing. Maria remembered the black-and-white wedding photo she had found after Christmas, and the expression he had worn in it. Then he had been a young man, who had not yet known the pain of life. Now, here he was, nearly twenty years later, and he had more than experienced the pain of life. And yet his face looked like the most radiant sunrise after the darkest night. Maria finally understood a saying the Reverend Mother once said to her: "One cannot experience pure joy without first suffering."

Georg's face was the definition of pure joy, and so her heart rejoiced.

"You look so happy," she said weakly, smiling, still holding his face.

"How can I not be?" said Georg, his hold around her tightening. "By a miracle from God, you're here!"

Any last insecurities Maria had about Georg's feelings were blown away. He really loved her!

The sound of joyous laughter made them both turn their heads to the open door. There stood Julietta with a tea tray in her hands, a happy smile on her wrinkled face.

Maria, blushing and somewhat self-conscious even in her happiness, tried to move herself away, but Georg's hold would not be broken (not that she really minded). "Oh, you're not going anywhere," he whispered to her, making her giggle.

"Oh, signor, it is so wonderful to see you smile!"

"Rather a contrast to the gloomy guest you've had this past week, isn't it?" said Georg, still smiling. "Wouldn't you say I have an excellent reason to smile now?"

"Oh, si," said Julietta, placing the full tray on the bed before them. "I brought enough for both of you. And, if I may say, I think you need it, signora, after your long journey. I can trust you two to take care of each other?"

"Oh, absolutely," said Maria, resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

Julietta looked at the two of them as if she were looking at her own children. "If you need anything at all, let me know. Dio benedica."

They nodded at her and she left the room. "Do you want me to bring your suitcase inside, signora?"

"Oh!" said Maria with a gasp. "I'm sorry about that, I forgot that was there!"

Julietta gave her a knowing, understanding smile. "I'll just bring it in here," she said, picking it up and doing just that. "Because it looks like your husband will not let you."

Maria blushed again and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile on her face from shining, especially when she saw Georg nod approvingly to Julietta.

With a last smile, Julietta left the room and shut the door softly behind her.

After a moment, Maria said, "Georg, I hate to tell you, but I would really like to drink a cup of tea but neither of us can really do that in this position."

Georg pouted for a moment but then sighed in defeat, and his hold loosened. "Don't go too far."

"No way that will happen," she replied.

So they sat side by side, knees touching, on the bed and poured themselves some tea. It wasn't long before Georg said, "My over-thinking mind is catching up with my ecstatic heart now. Tell me everything: how you found out I was here, how the children are, how you've been, any news from home –"

Maria laughed and put a finger to his lips. "Slow down, Captain. One question at a time."

Georg kissed her finger and said, "All right. Let's start with the first, then, Fraulein."

After giggling a little and taking a long sip of tea, Maria told him that story of hearing from Hans and going to see him with Philomena. "I would have gotten an earlier train ticket, but I got the earliest one I could get. And please don't worry about the children. Max, Philomena and Dominik are all with them now, along with Ellen; they're safe."

All the time she spoke, Georg had one hand around his teacup and the other hand was stroking her neck, his eyes on her, rapt with attention. When she finished her story, she reached up and grasped his hand. "Georg, why didn't you tell me about your leave? You could have told me, too. I would be here whether you told me about it or if I'd heard it from Hans."

Georg's eyes softened, and he brought her head to his and kissed her lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to disappoint everyone by saying I had a week of leave but I couldn't come home. Of course I wanted to ask you to visit me, but I didn't know if you would want to leave the children."

Maria gave a relieved chuckle. "That was my only reason of hesitation before getting my ticket. I didn't know how you or the children would feel about me taking a trip by myself."

Georg granted her his famous half-smile, a very tender one. "The birthday girl deserves to spend her birthday however she wishes to…and I am blessed she chooses to be with me."

Maria smiled and pressed her forehead against his. "You shouldn't be so surprised, my Georg."

Her husband took her face in his hands gently and pulled away to look into her eyes. "I love you."

She'd seen it written on the page so many times, but none of those times – even the first –could compare to hearing it from his mouth. Her vision blurred a bit from tears and delirious happiness, and she leaned her face up to his. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and across her cheek, as his hands caressed her neck. "Oh, can this be happening to me?"

Georg made no verbal response, but continued to caress every inch her face with his lips for a while, until he finally breathed into her ear. "You don't know how much I've missed you." He took her earlobe in his mouth and began to play with it.

Maria's hands clutched his shirt as her breathing became more shallow. "I think I do," she moaned.

Her voice had never sounded like that before, and Georg noticed. He moved his head back and both of them calmed their breathing somewhat. Eventually, Georg said the words that put the both of them a little further from immediate temptation – the time was not quite right. "Tell me how the children are, I want to hear everything I'm missing."

Maria smiled, feeling a little relieved. She was not yet ready to explore that kind of new territory; there were things she needed to know first, and she would prefer the sun to be down, too.

She got off the bed (firmly evading Georg's grasp) and took off her suit jacket as she retrieved her suitcase. Exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her, after having gotten up very early and not being able to sleep on the train from excitement. After slipping off her shoes, Maria went back to the bed and put herself and the suitcase on it. Georg immediately pulled her against his side, his arm firmly around her waist, with a kiss on her temple.

Without further ado, Maria began talking as she opened her suitcase, giving Georg various letters and mementos the children had asked her to give their father. Then she showed him the storybook gift they had made for her. He smiled as he looked at each page, shaking his head and chuckling from time to time. "I will never worry about my children's futures again," he murmured. "They have enough talent, intelligence, and moral strength to get them through anything."

"That's very true," murmured Maria, resting her head on his shoulder.

They came to the last page, showing the illustrations of the family's faces in a circle around an illustration of Maria, and the writing: "We love you, Angel Maria, and we thank you."

Georg smiled wider, murmuring, "Never were there truer words."

Maria, smiling and blushing, buried her face in Georg's shoulder for a moment.

Seeing all of the signatures, Georg reached over to the night table and grabbed his fountain pen. Without hesitation, Georg signed his name on the page.

Seeing the final product, Maria looked at the picture for a long time silently. This was her family, her family that she loved, every single person in it. She hadn't had that since she was five years old.

When Georg saw her chin begin to tremble a bit, he lifted it and turned her face to his, so he could look at her.

Before he could ask what was on her mind, Maria said softly but with her heart in her voice: "I love you."

From the moment Georg had first touched her all those months ago, he never thought he would ever hear those words come from her lips. Her forgiveness he had barely hoped for, but for her to return his love? He knew he could never ask for anything more in life.

Wordlessly, he leaned forward and they kissed, gently, unrushed, but still passionately. Eventually, he needed to breathe and Maria could not stifle back a yawn. He began to see that she did look exhausted. "Read your letters that I brought," she said, her voice tired and her eyelids drooping slightly. "Mind if I close my eyes for a bit."

Georg smiled and gently laid her down on the bed, her head resting on a pillow. "Of course not. Besides, I want you well-rested. I'm taking you out this evening. I'd been planning on spending my last night in this village moping in my room, but now that my beloved wife is here, and it's her birthday and her first time outside of Austria, I am going to give her the most special evening I have within my power to give her."

Maria smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "As long as I'm with you, it will be."

She closed her eyes and he kissed her brow. When he sat back up, he heard her say, "I brought your gift that Philomena retrieved for you, but I haven't opened it yet. When do you want me to?"

"I'll tell you when, my love," he said, stroking her hair as she drifted into a light sleep. So he proceeded to read his children's and friends' letters, but more often than not, he found himself gazing at his wife, his mind already working out the perfect evening for her, for them.

For the first time in over eight weeks, both husband and wife, very much in love, felt completely at peace. They certainly deserved it.

A/N: Hope that will satisfy you faithful readers for a while. Don't expect the next chapter for a while, with my workload and how much work will go into the next one - have to make sure it's good! So you all have another good one to look forward to.