Agathe couldn't hold back the gentle whine that escaped her lips as she was woken once again by Liesl's desperate cries of discomfort and her deep hazel eyes fluttered open as she lay comfortably in the embrace of her husband, her attention being drawn towards the beautiful cream bassinet in the corner of the bedroom as her daughter's wails started to grow in intensity. She was just about to slowly remove Georg's strong arm from around her waist when she felt the softest open-mouthed kiss upon the back of her neck, her lips curling up into a precious smile when her husband pressed himself up against her back and she felt him nuzzle his nose against the sensitive spot just underneath her ear, a slight sparkle in her hazel brown eyes as she turned over slowly and Georg brushed several strands of silken strawberry-blonde hair out of her face with a handsome smile. 'And where do you think you're going?' He spoke softly as Liesl's cries continued from the other side of the room, Agathe sighing lovingly as she gazed up at him. 'I've told you that I am doing the night-feeds, my love, because you have enough to do throughout the day without having to miss out on your sleep. Now, turn yourself over and go back to sleep,' He kissed her soft rosebud lips delicately, the two of them parting with a gentle smack before he caressed her cheek. 'And I will tend to our little angel, alright?' Agathe nodded.
Georg couldn't help but smile as he tucked his wife's long blonde hair back behind her ear once she'd turned over once more and he watched her nuzzle her nose gently into her pillow, his heart swelling with love for her as he pressed his lips to the back of her head before he slipped carefully out of bed and began to make his way over to the bassinet in which his two-week-old daughter lay. 'Oh-ho-ho, my darling.' He chuckled affectionately as he stooped slightly in order to lift his little girl carefully into his arms, Liesl's precious little face bright red as her tiny chest rose and fell sharply with each gasp she took. It only took a few moments of shushing from him to calm her down considerably, his stormy blue eyes sparkling with the love and devotion that he held for his daughter as he lowered his head to nuzzle the tip of his nose delicately against her own. He turned to face his wife again a short time later, a soft sigh escaping him as she was, unsurprisingly, watching him from their bed with slight concern glistening in her warm brown eyes as she was propped up on her elbow and the oil-lamp on the bedside table cast a warm glow over her. 'Agathe,' He tutted, his tone tender as he began to slowly make his way back over to their bed as he held Liesl warmly. 'She's perfectly fine, my sweet one,' He reassured her as he sat down on the mattress. 'All she needs is a bottle and then she'll nod off again.'
Agathe nodded slowly before extending her hand to run the back of her index finger along Liesl's porcelain cheek, causing her baby to shiver in the arms of her father. 'My baby girl,' She sighed as she removed her hand but kept her adoring gaze fixed on the beautiful little girl who was the spitting image of her husband. 'I suppose she doesn't have any idea of how much love she brought with her when she joined us, does she?' She looked up at Georg as she lay back down again, feeling him take her hand and kiss it delicately.
'Probably not, my darling.' He shook his head with a tender smile as he brushed his thumb gently across her knuckles and Liesl began to fuss softly once again in his embrace, a loving sparkle appearing in his eyes as he shushed her soothingly and stroked the pad of his thumb against the outside of her leg. 'Now, I'm going to take this little one down to my study and give her a bottle. I'll get her back off again afterwards and then come back to bed myself, but I expect you to be long asleep by then, do I make myself clear?' He couldn't help but chuckle as Agathe nodded obediently, a surge of love coursing through him as he stroked her cheek delicately. 'Come here and kiss me, you beautiful woman.' Agathe sat up slowly, then, her soft rosebud lips curling up into an enchanting smile as her husband slipped his strong hand beneath the curtain of her hair to cup the sharpness of her jaw in his palm before he drew her face closer to his own. His lips were soft and warm against hers as he took her lower lip into his mouth and kissed her tenderly, a light hum leaving her as she leaned into him and allowed her hand to come to rest upon the thick dark hair that covered his torso. 'How did I ever live without you?' He asked gently.
'I ask myself that same question every day.' She whispered as she stroked the tip of her nose lightly against his own before kissing his lips softly once more. 'I love you, Georg.'
'I love you too, Agathe.' He pressed a tender kiss to her warm brow. 'Now try and get some sleep, my love.' He brushed a lock of soft blonde hair back beneath her ear, her lips curling up into a sleepy smile as he stroked the backs of his fingers down her soft cheek in a tender caress before she lay herself back down and buried her nose deeply into her pillow once again. 'Now, then, my little love.' He cooed affectionately as he slipped his little finger into Liesl's perfectly tiny fist and she grasped it tightly as she gazed up at him through the stormy blue eyes that he had passed onto her, her soft brown hair making her look so incredibly beautiful to him as he smiled down at her in disbelief that he'd had a part in creating something so precious. 'Why don't we head downstairs and fix you up a bottle, hmm?' He nuzzled his nose against her hairline, then, before standing from the bed and holding her slightly closer to his chest before she turned her tiny face into the dark hair that she found and he felt her sigh softly in contentment. Oh, how he loved her.
When he was certain that Liesl was settled in his arms, he began to make his way over to his bedroom door. He refrained from reaching for the doorknob momentarily, allowing himself to turn around in order to revel in the perfection that was his wife. The two of them had only been married for eleven and-a-half months, yet he knew that his life would not be worth living if she wasn't by his side. His beautiful Agathe was barely twenty years of age, whereas he had turned thirty-one just three weeks before Liesl had been born. He still asked himself why such a beautiful young woman would choose him for a husband when there were countless other men who were enthralled by her whenever she went by them, but then she would press her lips against his cheek in an innocent kiss or she would snuggle up to him subconsciously when she read next to him in bed when she had had a tiring day and all he would be able to think about was how desperately he loved her. How lucky he really was. Liesl's whimpers of impatience was what snapped him back to reality a few moments later, a loving chuckle escaping him as he began to soothingly pat her back before he opened the bedroom door and carefully made his way through it.
It was hard for him to believe, as he made his way slowly down the moon-lit hallway, that it had already been two weeks since he'd been nervously pacing up and down for four hours in the same spot as Agathe's screams and groans had filtered out from beneath their bedroom door. He could still remember how she had cried his name just ten minutes before Liesl's first wail had filled the air. He couldn't have known just how deeply he was going to adore his daughter when he had cradled her in his arms for the very first time, but as he gazed down at the perfect little girl in his arms, now, he knew that their bond was one of the strongest in the world. It broke his heart to know that he only had weeks left with she and Agathe before he would go back to sea again, but he knew that the two of them would be waiting for him when he returned after six months and that all of the memories that he and Agathe made up until then would help her through their separation. 'You will never know just how much I love you, Liesl von Trapp.' He told her when he began to make his way down the staircase a few moments later and she gazed up at him, curiosity and trust sparkling in her deep blue eyes as she wriggled herself into a more comfortable position in his arms. 'Words can't express how very much you mean to me.' He kissed her small brow lingeringly before pulling back and smiling softly down at her.
He was besotted.
It had taken quite some time for him to warm up Liesl's milk in the saucepan once he and Liesl had reached the kitchens, but Georg was soon smiling warmly down at his lovely little girl as he made himself comfortable upon the settee in his study and he cradled her close to his chest as he held her bottle in his free hand. 'What has Vati got for you, my precious girl?' He asked softly as he brought the slightly-cooled bottle of milk to his daughter's lips and ran the nipple of it lightly over her small rosebud lips, Liesl's gaze locked with his own as she began to feed and he leaned back against the cushions of the settee. He knew that it wasn't proper for he and Agathe to feed and care for Liesl themselves; that the done thing was for a Nanny to be hired to take care of such matters, but the two of them had agreed - back when Agathe had been just weeks away from bringing Liesl into the world - that caring for her themselves would help them to form a stronger bond with her and that it would permit him to make more memories to take away to sea with him when the time came. He couldn't deny that cradling his daughter in his arms and watching her fill her small belly with her mother's milk was one of his favorite things about being a father. He couldn't draw his eyes away from Liesl as she continued to take her feed, his heart racing with the love he held for her as she nestled further into his warmth.
'You take as long as you like, my little one.' He whispered as he gazed down at her with love and pride in his stormy blue eyes. 'There's no rush.' He couldn't remove the tender smile from his lips as he drew her closer and brushed the pad of his thumb against the soft skin of her leg, Liesl shivering in his arms as the cool metal of his wedding ring came into contact with the warmth of her skin. He loved watching more and more of his daughter's personality shining through with each day that passed, and he knew for a certainty that she was going to grow up to be just like her mother. Agathe was one of the most affectionate women that Georg had ever come across in his thirty-one years of life and he couldn't deny that he fell more in love with her every time she wrapped her arms around him. When they were together she would always be right beside him, either curled into his side as they settled down on the settee every evening or at his hip as they took their morning stroll around the grounds. Liesl was the exact same. Whenever she was in the arms of either he or Agathe, she would instantly nuzzle into their warmth and grip their clothing tightly in the palm of her tiny hand. She would never be able to just lay there in their arms and gaze up at them, she had to be snuggled against their chest or else she wouldn't settle. It was one of the most heart-warming sights in the world to her parents.
It was a short time later when Georg finally removed the bottle from his daughter's mouth as she had filled her tiny belly and their was a look of sheer satisfaction on her lovely little face, her stormy blue eyes half-lidded as she lay sated in his arms and he set her bottle down upon the small table beside the settee. 'I think a certain little Miss is sleepy.' He smiled as he brought her carefully away from his chest and lifted her to his shoulder, her tiny head coming to rest upon the warm skin there as her perfectly fragile hand lay beside it and he began to alternate between tenderly patting and rubbing her small back through her nightgown to bring up her wind. 'You know, when your Mutti was finding it impossible to fall asleep before you were born, Vati would hold her close like this and sing to her until she drifted off.' He told her as he gazed down at her and she had her gaze fixed upon him, a loving sigh escaping him as he kissed the side of her head lightly. He began to hum a soft tune to her after a few moments, a smile appearing upon his lips as he felt Liesl settle somewhat against his shoulder and he continued to attempt to coax up her wind. She released the softest of burps after a time and Georg was able to tell she was falling asleep against him, his gaze fixed upon her as he cradled her in his arms once again and she snuggled into his chest. 'Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet me.' He sang gently to her as he stood from the settee and began to slowly pace his dimly-lit study. 'Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever...Edelweiss, Edelweiss, bless my homeland forever...' By the time his voice had completely trailed off, Liesl's eyes were closed and she was sleeping soundly in his embrace with her tiny button nose buried into the dark hair upon his chest. 'Sleep tight, my precious little one.' He whispered gently.
'Pleasant dreams.'
'Did she go down alright?' Agathe whispered into the darkness as she roused when Georg climbed into bed behind her later that evening, a perfect smile upon her lips as he slid his arm tightly around her waist and buried his face into the crook of her neck before stealing several soft kisses as he hummed in response. 'Thank you for getting up with her.'
'You don't have to thank me.' He whispered into her ear as the two of them settled down and he felt her reach back to stroke his hair with the tips of her fingers. 'I love you and I want to help you in any way that I can, Agathe, even if that means getting up with our gorgeous little girl every few hours to feed her for you. I know how exhausted you are.'
'Kiss me.' She sighed lovingly as she moved onto her back a short time later and Georg could barely make out her perfect features in the darkness of the room, her dainty hand finding the curve of his cheek before she cupped it gently and brushed the pad of her thumb against the smooth skin there. 'Please.' He pressed his lips slowly to her own, then, his own hand burying slowly into her hair as their lips caressed warmly and she stroked his cheek soothingly until they parted and he nuzzled the tip of his nose warmly to hers.
'My love.' He whispered.
'My darling.' She smiled before kissing the small scar just beneath his lower lip.
He moved slowly onto his back, then, before drawing her close and allowing her to rest her head down upon his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she tangled her leg loosely with his own as she sighed deeply in contentment. 'I miss this when you're away from me.' She admitted quietly. 'I hate having to say goodbye to you, my love.'
'I know you do, my angel, so do I.' He murmured into her hair. 'But I promise you that one day we will never have to say goodbye again.'
'Mmm, I live for that day.' She smiled as she tilted her head back against his chest and nuzzled the tip of her nose against his chin. 'It can't come soon enough, for me.'
'Me either, sweetheart.' He kissed her temple. 'Now, we have a very beautiful girl over there who thinks that it's acceptable to rise with the sun, so I want you to settle down.'
Agathe giggled softly.
'You're my world.' She whispered. 'You complete me.'
'And you complete me, my darling, I assure you.' He stroked her cheek. 'I feel as though part of me is missing when we're apart.'
'So do I.' She nuzzled his neck. 'But, like you say, one day we'll never have to be apart again.'
He nuzzled her forehead. 'Ich liebe dich, mein liebling.' He murmured as he could tell that she was beginning to drift off in his arms.
'Ich liebe dich, auch, mein schatz.' She smiled. 'Ich liebe dich, auch.'
Author's Note: Thank you for reading my first story! I hope you enjoyed it and I am willing to turn this into a multi-chapter story if anyone would like me to! Let me know with a review, thank you! :-) x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x