A/N: Here we go. First chapter of Safe Haven, my first full-length story.

I STRONGLY urge you to read the final chapter of my first piece, Maybe I'm Amazed, before you read this, as it acts as a sort of prologue to this story. No need to read the other chapters of Amazed, just chapter 5.

This first chapter turned out to be a bit longer than intended. For faster updating purposes, I am trying to keep this story to around 3,000 words per chapter. So hopefully you'll hear from me again very soon with chapter 2.

Hope you like it!

The sound of birds chirping roused Georg from his sleep.

He kept his eyes closed for a half a second longer, aligning his senses. His face was peculiarly warm considering there was a cool breeze rustling his unkempt hair. He took a long, deep breath through his nose and felt his lungs fill with brisk alpine air. His sciatica was aching, and he felt scratchy, rigid bark against his back. The soil underneath him was soft and damp from the morning mountain dew.

He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was blinding white – the sunlight was glaring. That's why his face was warm.

He blinked, adjusting his vision. A vast green meadow came into focus. It was beautiful. He wasn't able to see it the night before when they had first settled down. They were nestled in a deep valley. The stream Maria had triumphantly pointed out was rushing healthily beside him.

He felt a weight on his thighs. He looked down to find Maria sleeping, her head burrowed into his lap. Her mouth was slightly open, and there was a little puddle of drool on his pants. He swore he felt his heart viscerally squeeze at the sight. She had led them like a master commander through the mountains the night before – she was utterly exhausted. He was, too.

Carefully, to not disturb her, he looked at his watch. It was nine in the morning. He had slept for five hours, which was five hours longer than he anticipated. He had been given the marvelous gift of slumber, and although his bones were weary, he suddenly felt equipped to keep trudging along.

He just hoped the children would feel the same way. He craned his neck to try to get a view of them without moving Maria beneath him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught them still sleeping in a huddle. Good. They needed all the rest they could get.

Despite his best efforts, Maria began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she furrowed her eyebrows at him, looking for a moment as if he was a stranger. And then a sudden realization came over her, and she smiled.

"Good morning," she whispered groggily, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Good morning, darling," Georg answered, delicately brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She pushed herself up to sit beside him. When she was nestled against his shoulder, she caught sight of the puddle on his pants.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, flushing deep red. "My word, how embarrassing!" She began frantically swiping at the drool, as if that would make it disappear.

Georg laughed. "Maria, darling, it's alright." He gently took her arms and held them still.

"It's disgusting," she insisted with a scrunched nose.

"Surely you must know by now that you've got nothing to be ashamed of with me," he assured her with a kiss to the forehead. "Or shall I remind you of all the places I had my mouth on you during our honeymoon?"

Maria's cheeks were flaming now. Wordlessly, she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Is that a yes…?"

She lifted her head and swatted him lightly, narrowing her eyes at him in a lovingly chastising manner. They were both aware that they were not going to be intimate for a long time. Painfully aware.

"God, I can't wait to make love to you again," he muttered lowly, wondering if Maria knew how alluring she was to him. Her eyes were puffy from the uncomfortable sleep, her hair was ruffled and sticking out in every direction, and she had a dried trail of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. And yet, she had never been more beautiful.

Maria groaned. It only enticed him more.

"I know, darling," she murmured, pressing her forehead to his. "Hopefully we can put a roof over our head soon."

"Not soon enough." He pressed their lips together, kissing her roughly, messily. She responded eagerly, bringing her hands up to knot in his hair. They parted a sultry minute later.

"You can go wash up in the stream if you'd like. I'll go wake the children," he muttered against her lips.

"Are you telling me I smell, Captain?" She dropped her jaw in mock horror.

He laughed. "Like a bed of roses, darling."

She rolled her eyes. "I suppose we are still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. Almost quite literally. One day you won't feel the need to lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" Georg defended, planting a kiss on her cheek. "You actually don't smell at all. I do, though, after lugging Miss Gretl around."

Maria leaned in and took a sniff near his armpit. Her face scrunched. "Oh, you do smell, darling, I'm sorry." She giggled as she stood up, holding her hand out for him to take. He accepted it, letting her pull him to his feet. "I'll wash up after you. You could use the extra time." She nudged him with her hip and winked, a teasing smile curling the corners of her lips.

Georg responded by playfully squeezing her sides and nipping at her earlobe, eliciting a little yelp from Maria.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, though she leaned into him when he pressed his lips to hers again, both of them laughing into their kiss.

Georg could only imagine how sickeningly in love they would've appeared to an outside observer. He was nearly beside himself with joy, teasing Maria, playing with her, laughing with her. A year ago, if someone had told him that a woman eleven years his junior would be his next wife, his soulmate, he would have rolled his eyes and staunchly denied it. Now, he couldn't imagine his life any other way. He never realized it before her, but Maria's youthful essence was exactly what he needed. Before Agathe's death, he was fun, spirited, full of life and energy. The ringleader of his friend group, everyone knew that whenever Georg was around, they were in for a good time. With Agathe's death, he figured that part of him died with her. But Maria brought this dormant part of his personality back with a new invigoration. Even now, in the middle of a terrifying, exhausting escape, after sleeping in the middle of nowhere against the rough bark of a tree, he was giggling and playing with her like he was sixteen again.

As she laughed into the kiss, he deepened it with his tongue, thinking of how unimaginable his life would be without her.

Smoke filled the dark office. The smell of whisky in the air almost made Rolf gag, but he sucked it back. He was a man now, and he had to start acting like it. Though he was certain he would never understand why some men drank whisky at nine in the morning.

You're only a boy – the words of Georg von Trapp from the night before echoed in his mind, mocking him. He scoffed. He was not only a boy, and he would prove it.

Herr Zeller leaned across his desk and ripped the phone off its dock. His mousy, swollen face was red with anger. He jabbed a stumpy finger into the dial, inputting Herr Schneider's office number – the captain of the Austria-Switzerland border.

"Herr Schneider. This is Herr Zeller. I am calling to inform you that Georg von Trapp has defected from his position. We believe he is on his way to the Swiss border with his family. He is tall – five feet and eleven inches – brunette, and has light blue eyes. His wife, Maria von Trapp, is more distinguishable. She has reddish-blonde hair that goes to about her ears. She is tall and slim, about five foot seven, with a big smile and deeper blue eyes. She is around ten years Georg's junior. Yes, she's his second wife. Used to be the governess of the children. Caused quite a scandal in society, their marriage.

"They are hard to miss because they have seven children in tow. The children range in age from sixteen to five. What was that?" Zeller looked to Rolf, who was sitting in the chair across from him, gesturing to get his attention. The young boy leaned across and whispered in Zeller's ear. Zeller nodded and continued the conversation. "I've been informed that the eldest's name is Liesl, and she has bright blue eyes just like her father. We think it best if you try to capture one of them to use as blackmail. Georg is who we want, of course, but he's also a trained military man and may prove difficult to capture. Capturing one of the children would also be difficult, as I'm sure Georg will not let them out of his eyesight. Which leaves Maria. Physically discernible from the group, and probably relatively easy to capture. I've been informed she's quite…independent and flighty."

Zeller nodded as Schneider spoke into the phone. "Yes, yes. We believe the city of Dornbirn is likely. Keep an eye out for them there. We doubt they would take seven children up and through the mountains, so they are likely crossing the border through a city."

After a few more words were exchanged, Zeller hung up the phone. A victorious smile was now on his lips.

"Celebrating before you've even won?" Rolf said through a laugh.

"Oh, Rolf. We've won. I know we have." His smile curled into a sneer. "Believe me, Georg von Trapp and his family are going to pay for his transgressions."

After Georg, the children, and finally Maria washed up in the stream, they headed out for the next leg of the hike. They stuck close to the stream as they walked, following Maria's advice that villages always popped up around streams.

She was right, of course. An hour later, the first farmhouses came into view. Georg could have collapsed with joy. The Abbey had provided them with ample snacks and sandwiches for their journey, but both Georg and Maria had let the children eat them all. This meant that the poor couple hadn't eaten since before the festival, and it was starting to become difficult for Georg to carry Gretl on his back with such little fuel.

Maria didn't complain once, of course, so he didn't either. But he had been preparing himself to eat the grass under their feet if they didn't reach a farm soon.

Maria stopped walking. She had taken the front of the pack along the stream and Georg had rounded up the back with Gretl. "You all stay here; I'll go speak to the owner of that house." She pointed to the closest farmhouse, about twenty feet downstream.

"Uh, alone?" Georg questioned, setting Gretl down and walking up to Maria.

"I don't think the Nazis are up here, Georg."

He shook his head. "We can't let our guard down, Maria. And I'm certainly not taking my chances with you. I'll go ask."

He took a step towards the farmhouse before being promptly pulled back by her.

"With all due respect, darling…" Maria trailed off, searching for the right words. "But I'm not sure you'll endear yourself to the villagers here."

Georg furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Mountain people can be…moody around city folk. I can tell just by looking at you that you grew up in a city. We need food, Georg. I can do it alone."

Georg contemplated this. "I don't know. Why can't we all come with you?"

"The nine of us together will overwhelm them. Trust me Georg, I know these people. I am these people. You're starving, and I am too. Let me do this, please."

He gave her a pointed look, and she gave him the same one in return. Sighing, he relented, entirely unhappy about it. "Alright. Can we at least walk a bit closer with you?"

"Yes, but you should probably stay around the corner of the front door, about ten feet back."

Grumbling, Georg motioned for the children to walk up with him and Maria. She gave them a wave and a smile as she disappeared around the corner of the house. Georg felt his heart lurch into his throat as soon as she was out of sight. He hated this.

He knew he was probably being irrational, but he really did not want to let any of them out of his sight until they were safely across the border. Sure, the chances of the Nazis being up in these mountains was exceptionally low. But he was vehemently against taking any chances when it came to his family.

Maria was right though, like she always was. Mountain people were certainly a different breed, and Maria could endear herself to even the most bitter, grumpy person. They would know she also grew up on a mountain, and they would immediately take a liking to her. They would take one look at him and see a spoiled aristocrat. Even though he wasn't – to them he would be.

So, the eight of them waited patiently for Maria to return. Georg wasn't sure how long she would be gone, but he couldn't imagine it taking longer than five minutes. He noted the time when she left – eleven on the dot.

Five minutes came and went with no sign of her. The children loitered quietly, seemingly too tired to play or bicker with each other. Georg chewed on his bottom lip, peeking around the corner. He cursed under his breath - he couldn't see the door from where they were standing.

Another five minutes passed. He tapped his foot impatiently in the grass.

Another five. Now, he felt he had reason to worry. His heart began to pound. The familiar twist of dread occurred in his stomach.

"Father, is mother returning soon?" Brigitta asked from her cross-legged position on the ground.

"Yes, Brigitta, I'm sure soon." He tried his best to keep his voice light and smooth while blood rushed in his ears.

"I'm hungry!" Kurt cried. Friedrich whacked his arm.

"You ate more of the snacks from the Abbey than anyone else!"

"Yeah, and I'm still hungry," the little boy whined.

"You aren't getting first pick of the food mother brings back," Friedrich declared.

"Hey! Why not? That's not fair."

"Because you've eaten more than all of us! I'm starving!"

Liesl had been lying down. She stood up and marched over to her brothers. "Will both of you cut it out? Father and mother haven't eaten at all since before the festival. I think they should get first pick."

Georg watched Liesl with pride. "It's quite alright, Liesl. You all can take first pick together. No need to ostracize Kurt just because he has a bigger appetite."

Kurt furrowed his brows. "What does ostracize mean?"

Liesl sighed. "It means…"

Georg let the voices of his children fade into the background as he took another peek around the corner. Still nothing.

"Christ," he muttered quietly. How long does it take to ask for some food?

He felt a tug on his pants. He looked down to find Marta peering up at him. "Father, where's mother?"

He patted her hair. "She's just getting us some food, dear."

"I miss her," she whispered, pouting.

"I know. She'll be back soon." Would she? She better be.

He stared at his watch. Twenty past eleven. His chest tightened. He felt sweat prickle his forehead. This was ridiculous. He couldn't leave the children, but he felt nearly catatonic at the thought of her alone.

He was paralyzed, gridlocked, left without any real choice. He definitely couldn't leave the children. He simply couldn't risk it.

So, he paced anxiously on the spot, silently praying that she would return soon. Christ, when was the last time he prayed? By Agathe's bedside, that's when.

Another five minutes passed. He felt physically sick, and it wasn't from the hunger pains. He decided that if she took another five minutes, he would leave Liesl in charge and go looking for her. He hated to leave the children, but he couldn't stand by and hope Maria was okay any longer.

"Father, are you alright?" Brigitta asked quietly. She had stood up and was touching his elbow. "Your face is all white."

He stopped pacing and looked down to his daughter. Certainly his daughter – she noticed everything.

"Yes, darling, I'm alright. Just a little worried about your mother." He gnawed on his bottom lip and peeked around the corner again. Nothing.

"Would you like me to go check on her?"

His heart practically melted at the offer. "No, no. I can't have you going off alone. You're far too young." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her into his side. "It's a very generous offer, though."

"I'm sure she's okay. Mother is a strong, smart woman."

Georg almost laughed at his ridiculous the situation was. How was his ten-year-old daughter was comforting him?

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

"I bet the owner of the house is showing her around and giving her all the food he has! That would take a long time."

He chuckled. "Yes, that's true Brigitta." He rubbed her arm, grateful for her.

And then, suddenly breaking through the tense silence was his favourite sound: Maria's voice.

"Sorry, sorry!" she cried. He heard the quick steps of her feet before he looked around the corner. She was running, he could tell.

He left Brigitta and rushed to the side of the house. Maria was rushing towards them with her arms full of various breads, cheeses, and jams.

He nearly wept with relief.

"I'm so sorry," she gushed, red-faced as she hurried towards him. "The owner, Christoph, is a very kind old gentleman. He insisted on giving me a full tour of his farmhouse and personally introducing me to all his animals." She released a long, deep breath as she stopped in front of him. "It was lovely, it just took a long time. Of course I can't complain, because of all this." She gestured to the pile of food in her arms. "He's inside cooking us some eggs right now as well. He wants to meet all of you."

Georg nodded, hardly digesting any of her words. He memorized and rememorized her face, never happier to see it before.

"I was so worried," he croaked, pulling her into him and pressing a long kiss to her forehead. "Next time, we're coming with you."

Maria knew better than to protest. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, it's not your fault." He looked down at the food. His stomach grumbled as he took it in. Cloudlike brioche buns and deep yellow cheeses spilled out of her arms. "Look at this!" he exclaimed, taking it all from her to hold instead.

"Mother!"

The children all ran to her, hugging her legs and hanging off her arms. Kurt licked his lips at the sight of all the food.

"We missed you!" Marta cried.

"Oh, I missed you too. I met a very kind man, his name is Christoph. He has generously given us all this food, and he would very much like to meet you all. He has sheep, goats, cows, and chickens!" Maria grinned as she crouched down to kiss Gretl and Marta on the foreheads before ruffling the remaining children's hair.

"Can we eat first?" Kurt asked hopefully.

Maria laughed. "Yes, Kurt. We will eat all this first, and then we will go meet Christoph." She pulled a few butter knives out from her coat pockets. "For the jam," she explained with a wide smile.

The family gobbled up the food. Georg and Maria finally felt satiated but were still eager to eat the eggs Christoph was cooking them.

"You did what we discussed, right?" Georg whispered to Maria as they ate. She nodded.

During their long drive to Vorarlbeg, the couple agreed on using aliases until they at least crossed the border. She decided on the name Lena. He decided on David. Their last name would be Weber.

"Lena Weber. Pretty name!" Maria had said in the car.

Georg chuckled. "I prefer Maria von Trapp."

After they finished eating, Maria led the family up to the front door of the humble little farmhouse. They were greeted by a jolly old man with rosy red cheeks and a slim, short figure. He was probably around eighty years old, if Georg had to guess.

"You must be David!" he exclaimed, holding his hand out for Georg. Georg smiled and accepted the shake. "You have the loveliest wife, sir."

His smile widened. He looked to Maria, who was blushing. "I do. I'm very lucky."

He introduced Christoph to all the children. They had also decided on various aliases for them and had ensured they would remember them. Christoph gave them a grand tour of his little farmhouse. Gretl and Louisa especially adored all the animals – Georg had to physically tow Gretl away from a goat as they continued the tour. Christoph insisted they sit down at his rickety dining table so he could serve them eggs. Due to the lack of available seats, Gretl sat on Maria's lap and Marta sat on Georg's.

They mostly discussed Christoph and Maria's upbringing in the hills, as that was what Christoph was most familiar with. He was a spirited, friendly man, with many stories of various animal mishaps and lost mountaineers arriving at his doorstep.

Sitting in Christoph's warm kitchen, with his daughter nestled on his lap and the rest of his family laughing and eating around him, Georg felt himself relax for the first time since they had arrived back from their honeymoon. Finally, he really began to believe that his plan was going to work.

"Well, we should probably get going," Maria said as a natural lull in the conversation appeared. "Christoph, we cannot thank you enough for your generosity."

The children all thanked him in unison. Gretl even ran and gave his legs a hug. The kind man laughed and ruffled her hair, his already-red cheeks burning brighter.

"It was my pleasure. It was lovely meeting you all, and I hope one day we will meet again."

Georg pulled his wallet out of his pocket and began flipping through some bills.

"I see what you're doing there, and I won't accept it, sir," Christoph said to him. "I appreciate the gesture, but I do not need your money. I have everything I need right here." He gestured with his arms to his house. Georg was endeared by it. After leaving all that he had ever known behind, he was beginning to realize why people enjoyed a smaller, simpler life.

"Well, thank you, Christoph," he said sincerely, shaking the man's hand again. "I do hope we meet again."

With a final wave and more bread rolls stuffed in their coat pockets, the family headed out. As they began their trek up the stream, Georg pulled out his map. He began directing them from the back of the pack with Gretl by his side. When they began a steep ascent, he bent down to allow her to climb onto his back.

As the hefty little five year old wrangled her way on, something went pop.

"Oh shit," Georg cursed, gently letting her down. He clutched his lower back and winced in pain.

"Georg? Are you alright?" Maria rushed to his side. He could feel the children watching too.

"Yes, yes. Just having a back spasm, I think." He opened his eyes and waved his hand, but when he tried to stand up straight, the pain intensified. "Well, I guess I'm not twenty years old anymore," he grumbled, staggering to a nearby tree to hold himself up.

"Oh dear," Maria breathed. "Sit down, darling."

"No, no. I'm okay. It'll settle down in a minute. I'm just not certain I can carry Gretl anymore."

"I can do it," she offered without hesitation

Still hunched over, he looked at her doubtfully.

"I can! You heard me talking to Christoph – I used to lug bags of milk on my back between all the neighboring farms as a teenager. The bags were certainly heavier than Gretl."

"Maria…"

"Please, Georg. Let me help."

He sighed. He felt his back relaxing and was able to stand up straighter. "I think I can handle it, darling."

"Absolutely not. I will do it." She marched over to Gretl and leaned down, gesturing for the little girl to hop on. Once she did, Maria easily stood up. She gave Georg a triumphant smile.

He began to laugh. "Alright, point proven. Gretl, you'll be with your mother now."

"Yay!" Gretl exclaimed, nestling her face into Maria's shoulder.

He stood up fully now, stretched his back, and nodded. "I think it's passed." He walked over to the two girls and gave Maria a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you, darling. I love you."

"I love you too, my old man."

"Hey, watch it." He narrowed his eyes and wiggled his finger at her, though there was mirth in his blue orbs.

With a shared laugh, the couple trudged on. Georg took the front of the pack, holding Marta's hand, while Maria and Gretl stayed at the back.

"Let's sing about our favourite things!" Maria suggested happily after ten minutes of silent walking.

"Yes!" Brigitta cried. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens!"

"Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens!" Louisa sang cheerfully.

The whole family then joined in. The sound of his children's voices raised in a joyful melody was enough to have Georg nearly in tears at how elated he felt. He glanced back at Maria and winked. She smiled widely in return.

God, he loved her so much. Never more than in that exact moment. With everything in him, he loved her.

The next setback came after another hour of hiking.

It began with quiet little burps that quickly turned into gurgles and gags. Maria turned her head at the noises.

"Are you alright, Gretl?" she asked tenderly.

"Mother, I feel sic –"

She threw up all over Maria's coat and hair before she had the chance to get the rest of the word out. And then she began to wail.

"Oh dear," Maria sighed, gently letting the little girl down. The pungent smell of vomit all over her back made her stomach turn, and she had to actively swallow back some of her own vomit as she hugged Gretl to her chest.

"I'm sorry, mother!" the little girl cried, fat tears gushing down her face.

"Oh, it's alright, darling. This isn't your fault." She kissed the top of her head. "Everyone gets sick from time to time."

"Shit," she heard Georg curse, running towards them. The rest of the children followed.

"It's alright, Gretl's just a little sick," Maria assured them. She tried to keep her voice elevated and perky, but the smell and feel of the vomit all over her was a little too much to bear. She stood up, letting Liesl take Gretl in her arms, and stepped away from the group to get some air. Georg followed her.

"Christ," he muttered, giving her space as she closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath through the nose. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Go tend to Gretl. It's either something she ate, or it's the altitude."

"Probably the altitude. I think the other children are fine." He didn't move from her side.

"Yes, the altitude is difficult for young children to handle. She's done extremely well so far." She coughed as she caught another whiff of herself. "Darling, get away from me. I smell terrible."

"Like a bed of roses," he said through a smirk. Maria rolled her eyes but had to laugh.

"I wish."

"We need to get you a change of clothes."

She shook her head. "No way. It'll throw us too far off schedule."

"You can't walk all the way to Switzerland with vomit in your hair and on your coat, darling."

"I'll rinse off in the stream." She gestured with her head to the nearby stream they had been following.

"And then you'll be freezing because you'll have to wash your coat as well. And then you'll get sick." His eyes flashed darkly. Maria knew better than to fight him when it came to illness.

"Okay. Yes, you're right. How far are we from Dornbirn?"

Georg had a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, I can give you my jacket, and we can ditch yours."

Maria shook her head. "Absolutely not. You'll freeze then, which is no better."

"Better than you freezing."

"I disagree."

Georg huffed. Maria did too.

"Again, how far are we from Dornbirn?"

He took out his map. "Not too far, actually. Only about an hour hike downwards."

She nodded. "Alright. But we shouldn't stay too long in the city."

"Of course not. We'll go straight to a clothing store, and then we'll be out of there and back into the mountains."

"Only if you think it'll be safe," she said with apprehension.

Georg rubbed her arm. "No one in Dornbirn knows us. Hell, no one even knows where we're going. Sure, they may have guessed the Switzerland border, but there are so many cities along the border we could be going to. Some of the soldiers may know what I look like, but if I keep my hat over my face, I should be alright. You can keep the children with you, and I can walk a bit ahead of you all. Because while it's no secret that I have seven children, the people of Dornbirn will certainly not recognize you with all the children. It's not like Salzburg society where everyone knows everyone else's business. If we're quick and inconspicuous, we should be okay."

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't know. I feel safe up here in the mountains."

"I know. I do, too. But you can't carry on like this, Maria. And unless you let me give you my coat, we really should get you a new one."

Maria sighed. "Okay, if you say so."

He kissed her cheek. "I promise. You can trust me, darling."

Maria's eyes softened. "I know, and I do."

"It's settled then." He studied the map for another quick minute. "Yes, quite an easy descent, and it'll be quick to get back up, too. I'll go check on Gretl if you want to get a bit more air before we begin hiking. You also could wash your hair off in the stream maybe? Keep your coat dry though."

Maria nodded wordlessly, watching as Georg headed off towards Gretl. She walked to the stream and dunked her head in, sighing with relief as she felt the vomit slip away. If she was being honest, although it was risky, she ached for a change of clothes.

After settling Gretl down and deducing that it was just altitude sickness, the family set off to Dornbirn. Gripping Gretl's hand, Maria felt a pit ravaging her stomach the entire descent. Her gut screamed at her to turn the family around and keep trekking in the mountains, petrified of Georg being discovered in the streets of the city. Border cities were notoriously more dangerous with increased solider presence.

But as the beautiful, quaint city finally came into view, she began to relax. Normal Austrian citizens walked the streets, continuing on with their lives as if the Anschluss had never happened. They didn't even spot one Nazi flag upon their arrival. Maria parted from the group for a brief moment to ask an elderly woman where they would find a department store. She directed them a five-minute walk down a narrow side street. Maria preferred to be there than on the city's main street, and breathed a sigh of relief as they turned down the discreet road.

Georg walked paces ahead of the family and kept his hat tilted to cover most of his face, as discussed. Maria gripped the hands of Gretl and Marta and sent reassuring glances to the older children, who all walked alongside her.

When they finally reached the department store, Maria released Gretl and Marta's hands. As decided during the descent, Georg would loiter a few paces away from the children outside the store, so he was able to keep an eye on them but wouldn't appear to be connected to them. While he was reluctant to let Maria go into the store alone, he couldn't leave the children, and all seven of them in there would cause too much of a fuss. Maria promised to be quick and kissed all the children's heads. She then gave Georg an uneasy smile from across the road. He nodded at her and smiled back.

Just as she was about to enter the store, for reasons she couldn't explain, she turned back to look at him one final time. Something in her compelled her to do it – like her body was acting without consultation with her mind. She gulped and gave him another weary smile and a weak wave. He smiled again, the crooked way she adored, and mouthed I love you to her.

She mouthed back: I love you more.

And then she stepped in. Keeping her head ducked, she immediately went to the back of the store where the coats were.

For as perceptive as she usually was, she was too focused on being quick to notice the lurking Nazi soldiers nearby. She didn't notice how the woman at the cash register stared at her for a little too long. She didn't notice how the air went still, how the room became quiet. If she had, perhaps she would have run. Perhaps she would have yelled. Perhaps she would have fallen silent, unable to form words from the horror of it all.

But none of that happened.

She was grabbed before she had the chance to do any of it.

A/N: I'm still learning how to write cliffhangers, and I'm sorry for this one! Chapter 2 will hopefully be up soon!