She took the three older girls shopping with her, searching for a few necessities they would need for their trip to America. She had brought up the idea to Georg as a joke, but he quickly informed her that he was thinking the same thing. While the thought made her incredibly nervous, she felt excited and hopeful too. America sounded so free and full of opportunities for the entire family. Not to mention, it wasn't growing infested with Nazi soldiers.

The idea of leaving Austria was a lot for all of them to accept. Since they had finally made it to Switzerland, it seemed that they had lost the willingness to remain there for long, so it made things easier. It was always going to be a stopping point on their way to a final destination.

The girls walked ahead of her in the shop, grabbing things here and there to hold up to her in question. If they needed it, she would nod her approval, and they would toss it in the basket. They were putting together a little first aid kit and grabbing a few essentials. It was nice to be out and about with them, she thought. They had all been enjoying spending time together as a family, and she was very excited for things to be getting back to a more comfortable version of their lives.

She picked up some feminine products, tossing them into the basket. She knew the girls would need them soon. Liesl and Louisa were on the same cycle, so even though they were moody at the same time each month, they got it over with at the same time too. She was certainly glad that none of them had to deal with their cycle in the mountains. That would have been...she stopped moving when she realized that she should have had to deal with her cycle in the mountains. She began counting the weeks in her head. No, that couldn't be right. She was late, very late. Three weeks late, if she was correctly calculating. She counted again.

No wonder her breasts had been unusually tender, and her stomach hadn't felt right for days. She thought she was simply having stomach trouble due to the kinds of food that she wasn't used to eating, or perhaps her body was trying to regulate after being so malnourished in the mountains. The signs had all been there, and she had paid zero attention to her body. She had no doubt she was carrying a child.

"Shit." The girls turned to face her. Louisa giggled delightedly, and Liesl looked to her with shock. Brigitta simply kept her eyes on her face, observing.

"Mother?" Liesl's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry." She covered her mouth, embarrassed. Louisa laughed even harder, always loving moments of impropriety. "Louisa, please."

"I'm sorry. I can't help myself." She covered her mouth, stifling her laugh. Maria saw Brigitta's eyes flash to what she just laid in the basket before meeting hers. She was incredibly observant, and unfortunately for Maria, quite bright for her age. She quickly shook her head to keep the girl quiet.

"What's the matter?" Liesl questioned again. She truly seemed worried, and Maria warmly smiled to keep her at bay.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else." She could tell she was not at all convincing, but they nodded and began to walk once more. Brigitta hung back and placed a hand upon her arm, smiling. There was no doubt she knew. Maria leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Let's keep this between us for a moment."

"Of course." She beamed, enjoying the fact that she had a secret with her mother that no one else would even guess.

Maria had no idea what to think. She loved the children they already had. A baby had honestly never crossed her mind at all. She wondered what Georg would think about an eighth child. She nearly choked on the thought; seven children sounded overwhelming enough! Though the older ones didn't require a lot of extra attention, there were still quite a few little ones to take care of. Not to mention the fact that she simply was not ready for a baby.

She had only held a baby a couple times in her life, but certainly not for a long while. She had never changed a diaper or fed a baby, that was when she would hand it back to its parents. How would she know what to do? She needed to talk to Georg immediately. Her heart was pounding, her blood running rapidly through her veins as she tried to appear calm on the outside.

They paid for their goods and were off toward the bed and breakfast to spend one more night before embarking on their journey to America. The girls carried the bags for her, and Brigitta held her hand as they walked, which was fairly uncommon, but it was clear that she sensed her mother needed some reassurance. She smiled at her daughter, squeezing her hand in appreciation before they joined the rest of the family in their conjoining rooms.

"You look pale, darling. Are you alright?" Georg placed a soft kiss to her cheek, looking into her eyes. The inquiry didn't surprise her, she supposed she worried him a bit as of late.

"Yes, of course. I have to tell you something..." An argument between the children broke out as she began to speak, distracting them from her confident admission. She was simply going to say it and get it out of her head, but the children had other plans.

"Children, please! There is no reason to argue." Georg's authoritative voice rang out over the noise, and they immediately stopped, apologizing. She smiled, catching a glimpse of the man he was the first time they met. But knowing him the way she did now, she saw a loving, gentle father who cared deeply for his children...there was no reason for her to be afraid of anything with him. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that..." Gretl and Marta began running about, squealing and laughing. She rolled her eyes, taking his hand and placing it upon her still flat stomach. He looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened.

"What?" She couldn't hear him through the laughter, but she nodded in response. He took her hand and pulled her from the room, closing the door and effectively silencing the children.

"Much better." She sighed, allowing her ears to adjust to the quiet.

"Maria?"

"I'm pregnant." He smiled and brought her into a knee-weakening kiss, obviously delighted at her news. When he pulled away, he placed his hands upon her cheeks.

"Are you certain?" She allowed herself to return the smile. Hearing herself say the words aloud and witnessing his reaction was enough to calm her from spiraling. She was still incredibly nervous, but his excitement changed something within her.

"Yes. I'm incredibly late for my cycle, and I've been ignoring quite a few symptoms." He pulled her close again and he laughed, hugging her to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so nervous, Georg."

"You are going to make an amazing mother; you already are one." He kissed her deeply, showing her how much love he felt inside.

And she knew, even though she had no idea how, they were going to be fine as long as they all had each other. For the first time in her life, Maria felt truly fulfilled.

The End

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Thank you to everyone for the reviews! They were all very kind and encouraging. On to the next!