She took a deep breath of the salty air, the sound of the ocean enveloping her in pure calm. The children excitedly rushed from the car, dragging suitcases into the beach house as they hurried to claim their rooms. Liesl and her husband pulled in next to them, Kurt and Marta having ridden with them, as they rushed to fight their siblings for the best room.

She looked out to the water, smiling brightly at the beauty before her eyes. She had never seen the ocean, never even come close, and she had to resist the urge to leave everyone behind and run through the sand with her bare feet. If was similar to how she felt upon her mountain, the breeze blowing her hair about her face, encompassing her in a wave of warmth. She felt so much more at peace, all of a sudden, so tranquil and calm as she closed her eyes to the serenity before her.

"Did you bring enough ginger ale?" Liesl laughed as Georg unloaded the trunk of the car. Maria smiled, pretending she wasn't listening, but curious to hear how he would respond.

"Talk to Maria about it, she's the one who can't seem to control her morning sickness." She wasn't sure she heard him correctly at first, but the silence that followed let her know that she had. His words held a joking tone, but it was obvious that he fully intended to reveal her condition with no abandon. She quickly turned around to meet the surprised eyes of Liesl and her husband, and she fumbled for words.

"Georg…what?" She met his eyes, astonished. They had agreed to tell the children on their trip, but she hadn't expected him to start so soon. They hadn't even made a plan.

"Congratulations!" Liesl rushed to pull her into a hug, and she returned it gingerly, quite unprepared for the conversation at hand. "How far along are you?"

"Nearly nine weeks."

"My wedding night?" She blushed, looking at Georg in frustration. He could have at least given her a moment to prepare, she thought. "Don't be embarrassed, this is wonderful."

"I would have liked to be married first."

"Oh goodness, you're getting married in a few weeks, nobody will think a thing of it." She hugged her again in excitement, pulling away and taking her hand. "When can we tell the others? I won't be able to keep quiet."

She laughed at her future daughter's excitement, doing her best to let her guard down a bit and relax. Liesl was quite forward-thinking, very accepting of all things, even if they weren't her own personal preference, and Maria only hoped the rest of the children would follow her example. She knew for a fact those within their social circle would not be as kind. She looked at Georg, asking so many questions with her eyes, but he only responded with a shrug.

"Let's go tell them now. We can celebrate over ginger ale."

xxxxx

"I truly can't believe you, Georg." He laughed as they walked down the beach, holding hands as their bare feet dug into the warm sand beneath them, the sunset as their backdrop.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that, but then I couldn't stop myself. We wanted to tell them on this trip."

"Well yes, but I thought we would make a plan first."

"I'm quite impulsive these days." She laughed, squeezing his hand as he led her up a hill toward some large rocks.

"I can't imagine you are. Perhaps you're simply excited." She sat next to him upon a rock, tossing her shoes onto the sand as she relaxed.

"I am very excited, I can't help it." She smiled as he sat next to her, placing a quick kiss against her lips.

"Me too. How could we not be?" He wrapped his arm around her, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She sighed in comfort at the view, the feeling of his hand slowly caressing her back. She felt so at peace, so calm in the warm breeze.

"What do you think about the beach?"

"It really is marvelous. Thank you for showing it to me." He smiled, placing a kiss against her hair as he held her closer.

"I will show you so many things, darling. This is just the beginning of our life together."

"You've already shown me so much. Honestly, every moment with you is something new." She thought for a moment, having wanted to ask some things in her own time, but not wanting to offend him. No matter how much she loved him, and she knew he loved her the same, she still found herself dancing with insecurities at times. "Have you brought many women here?"

"To the beach? What is that supposed to mean?" He laughed, and she shrugged, not quite looking at him. She didn't respond, and he held her closer, his warm hand upon her back for comfort. "What are you trying to ask me?"

"She said something to me in the dress shop, and I know I shouldn't think anything about it…" He placed a hand upon hers, and she met his eyes with a small smile. They both knew who 'she' was, there was no need to bring Elsa's name into the open. "She said something about my rake of a man…and I think I want to know how many women you've had."

"Maria…" He laughed, and she swore she saw him blush as he looked back out over the ocean. She sighed, knowing it had to be many of he couldn't answer immediately.

"You know you're the only man I've ever been to bed with. I have nothing to compare this relationship to, and I have nothing to hide." He shook his head, unsure how he wanted to respond.

"I was with many women in my youth. I considered myself more of a reformed rake with my first marriage." She nodded, supposing she would accept his words as the answer to her question. It didn't matter really, she knew, but hearing her fiancé called a rake made her question his life choices. "Why do you ask?"

"Perhaps I'm afraid I don't measure up."

"You are an incredible lover, I can assure you that."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what do you want to know?"

"Did you go to bed with her?" He was silent, finally taking a deep breath. It was obvious who she was asking about. She clearly was not interested in his attempt at distracting her with compliments or sweet-talk.

"Yes, a few times. With her living in Vienna, there wasn't a lot of opportunity." She didn't want to feel angry about it, but part of her had hoped he had saved himself for her in some way. It was a foolish thought, she knew he never imagined they would have the opportunity to be together.

"Was it good with her?" He chuckled, meeting her eyes.

"Honestly, Maria…"

"I'm curious, that's all." He sighed once again, perhaps buying himself some time, as they looked toward the setting sun.

"It was a bit like being with a corpse, I would imagine."

"That's very unkind. You don't have to…"

"I'm not being unkind, I'm being honest. We were both there because we felt like we should, not because we were in love." She sighed, watching a few birds dash across the top of the water.

"That sounds incredibly depressing."

"I suppose it was, but I thought I was going to be my life at the time." He felt his face turn hot before he spoke again, but for some reason he felt he needed to tell her. "I…called out your name once."

"You didn't…" She turned to face him, her own cheeks burning red at the thought.

"It was wrong of me to allow myself to imagine it was you."

"What did she say to that?"

"She pretended she didn't hear, though there's no doubt she did." She looked to her bare feet, buried in the sand, wiggling her toes a bit. "I felt like the most dishonorable man with her."

"I'm sorry I asked. I don't know why I did."

"You're curious to know if I can be faithful." She met his eyes, her own wide with disbelief.

"Not at all, I know you'll be faithful." He smiled, moving closer to wrap an arm around her shoulders in encouragement. "I'm…perhaps I'm afraid I won't always please you. I suppose I'm feeling a bit insecure. It could be my hormones."

"Darling, I've made so many mistakes with you, and the biggest one was letting you believe there is anyone else I'd rather be with. I don't think I could ever do enough to deserve you." He kissed the side of her head, and she closed her eyes as she leaned against him. "I love you, Maria. Nothing on this earth will change that, or break us apart again."