Warning! If you don't like sex scenes then best just read the top part, you'll know when to stop :D and for those of you who do like them then read all the way through and enjoy! :D

Part 20

"Gone?" Maria's chest began to heave violently in and out. She felt tears well up in her eyes all over again. Suddenly she was enraged and saddened all at the same time.

"Oh no - it's all my fault!" She began to sob and covered her eyes with her free hand.

Georg rushed over and gently enveloped her in a comforting hug.

"Don't you say that. Maria look at me - look at me!" He said in a commanding tone as he brought Maria's face to meet his.

"We will find them, trust me. I won't let anything bad happen to them. We'll get through this." He said the last part through gritted teeth, not wanting to cause a scene with the others watching. Georg very gingerly rested his forehead against his wife's and exhaled. Maria closed her eyes at the gesture, still trembling slightly out of fear of what may have happened to her children.

"Well then, what are we doing standing around waiting here for? We need to start looking. Come on!" She broke the contact and made her way back toward the car, but a jolt of intense pain soared through her shoulder and she clutched it instantly.

"Oh no, you don't you need to rest and have that wound tended to." Helen immediately went over and steered Maria in the direction of the inn, all the way Maria protesting and trying to slip out of Helen's hands.

"Helen, really. I need to go with Georg and find the children!"

"Maria the only place you are going is inside right now to clean up and rest...that goes the same for you too, Max." Helen's tone sounded final and Georg was even a bit amazed at the sudden change in her mood. He had never seen her so intense. He made a move to argue with her and side with Maria, but Helen cut him off.

"Captain, you will stay here as well. You and Elsa will take care of Maria and Max while I go out with Margaret and Hector to find the children. I insist and that is final."

The small group look defeated at the older woman, who was now taking Hector's keys from him and opening the door to their car, getting in on the driver's side.

Hector rushed over and prevented her from closing the door.

"But Helen, you don't know how to drive!"

"The hell I don't - get in. Now!"

Hector took one last look at the group and thought better about crossing Helen and ran around to climb in on the passenger side of the car. Meanwhile, Margaret had disappeared back inside the inn and came bursting out, holding a slew of bags and clothes.

"They can't be far - none of their things are missing! Their bags are all still here unpacked in their rooms!" She brought her findings over to Georg just to confirm what she held.

It was true. In her hands she had Freidrich's gloves knotted up with one of Liesl's heavier sweaters and Marta's nightgown, among things belonging to all the others.

Georg seemed to inspect what Margaret showed him and nodded slightly as if to agree with her.

"They can't be far behind then. It just doesn't make sense..."

Maria's lips began to quiver again. Seeing this, Georg gave her a silencing, yet gentle look, causing her to recompose herself slightly.

"I'm coming with you. Maria can stay here and rest up with Max and Elsa, but I won't stand idly by and worry!"

Helen impatiently honked the horn from the car. Margaret nodded back and swiftly grabbed the keys out of Georg's hand and ran to the car.

"Hey! Come back here with those!" He futilely chased after, but Margaret had already closed the door behind her and Helen had shifted the car into drive.

"Where will you go? You don't even know where they are!" Georg shouted after as the car slowly drove away.

"You just make sure everyone's better when we get back!" Helen yelled back at him as she drove out of sight, leaving the battered up quartet speechless outside.

Max turned to the others.

"Well then I suppose we better get inside and clean up." He turned and tugged Elsa along with him, latching onto her hand. The two of them disappeared into the building, leaving Maria and Georg alone. But Georg stood there, staring off in the direction where Helen had just driven away. Maria walked up next to him and softly laid her head on his shoulder.

"If anything happened to them, Maria, I'll never forgive myself," his voice trailed off. Maria gave her husband's hand a long squeeze.

"We'll get them back, Georg. How long did you worry about me and look at us - standing here together again. You've done well."

Georg grunted in reply to his wife's attempt of cheering him up.

"A lot of good that did. Two people are dead, the children are missing, and her you stand before me with one arm half hanging off." He turned and looked her deeply in the eyes.

"My whole world has been turned upside down today...twice. I don't think I can handle a third time, fraulein."

He lightly bumped Maria's forehead with his again and shut his eyes tightly, revealing the tears he'd been holding back since seeing Maria again for the first time. Maria reached up and kissed them away, leaving a small trail of kisses down to his jawline.

"I love you, Georg. Everything will work out, have faith. You don't give yourself enough credit." She gave him a half smile, which Georg tried to reciropcate.

"Come on, let's get you inside and washed up."

-SOM-

They made their way inside and stopped to see Elsa tending to Max. He was half asleep as Elsa dabbed some antiseptic on his neck, but glad to be resting finally. Maria and Georg bid them goodnight and walked upstairs to Georg's room. Maria all but flopped down onto the bed as Georg went to the bathroom to get some supplies to bandage her wound. When he returned, he found his wife sitting up on the bed, staring out the window off into space. He approached her quietly, not wanting to disturb her and sat next to her. Maria didn't even acknowledge him.

"Hey, where are you. You're far away." He looked at his wife with deep concern.

Maria tried to choke back more sobs, but her emotions were getting the best of her.

"I'm so sorry," she nearly shouted out through her tears. "I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy or just the situation, but I'm so scared. I know I said everything will be fine, but what if something awful happens to the seven of them? I would always know it was because of me. Everything this family has gone through has been because of me."

She collapsed backward onto the bed and covered her face again with her good hand. Georg put the rubbing alcohol and bandages down next to him and laid close to Maria. He didn't say anything to her, just sat and let her cry. When it seemed she had cried all her pain out, Georg finally spoke.

"There has never been a doubt in my mind of my love for you, you must know that. And given the start to our relationship, I'd say we paved the way to have a most unconventional life with this family the way you came into our lives. So you must believe me when I say, that I would die before I let anything fatal come to our seven children or you...If it would have meant not giving any of you an ounce of pain, I would have gladly laid my life down before you today." He sat there just gazing at Maria's face, not wanting to forget any part of it. He studied every freckle, every tear, every part of it. How he had missed just looking upon his beautiful wife in the time she had been ripped away.

"Oh, my handsome sea captain," Maria said, rolling close to him and closing her eyes in response. Georg gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head and guided them both to sit up, careful not to inflict any more pain upon Maria.

"Come now, let's get that shoulder looked at. Take off your shirt, darling."

Maria nodded, and Georg helped her undress from the waist-up, leaving her topless, with a purple colored wound on her shoulder. Even in her current state, she was still the most gorgeous creature Georg had ever seen. Maria, shyly and casually attempted to cover herself with her right arm as Georg smiled to himself. They both chuckled as he dabbed some of the rubbing alcohol onto a cloth.

"Now I'm not going to lie, this is going to sting quite a bit."

Maria nodded for him to begin and braced herself. As Georg gingerly applied the cold liquid to Maria's open wound, she bit down hard on her lip, almost drawing blood from the intense pain. She offered a soft whimper, which broke Georg's heart to pieces.

"No, it's fine," she instructed him to continue. "It'll pass, just clean it please. I don't want it to become infected."

Georg finished cleaning it out and went to get a clean rag to dry off Maria's shoulder from the water. When he had done that, he applied a light layer of antibiotic ointment he had gotten from the bathroom. Maria's breathing returned to normal as the pain started to subside. Georg softly blew on his wife's arm and shoulder, trying to speed up the process of drying the gel on Maria. However, unintentionally, Maria was going wild at the slight action. Unbeknown to him, Georg was very quickly starting to turn his wife on and Maria didn't know how much longer she could control her emotions and desires.

Georg continued to blow as Maria's eyes became mere slits. Finally she couldn't contain her emotions any longer and took Georg's hands and placed them upon her, startling him slightly.

"Maria...are you sure you're up to this?" His voice full of concern, but at the same time, his desire growing, too.

"You said when we made love it'd be on a nice bed...well here we are. I'm sure."

Georg's lips curved into a mischievous smile and started to lightly massage his wife's breasts, but careful enough to not come in contact with her shoulder. Maria moaned out in pleasure as Georg intensified the pressure. Maria opened her eyes and looked at her husband with sheer want and need for him. She grabbed him by the face, her hands on either side, and drew him to her. Her mouth encompassed his and her tongue longed to be reunited with his. Georg's hands roamed the length of her chest and found their way to her back where they pressed Maria into him.

She cried out momentarily in pain as her shoulder slightly bumped into Georg, causing him to stop.

"Maybe we should wait until you've healed, darling."

"Oh shut up and let me kiss you." Georg had no time to react because Maria was on him once more. Her hands did roaming of their own and moved down to untuck Georg's shirt from his pants. They moved onto his bare skin and Maria expertly undid all the buttons and threw it off her husband in a flash. They sat together, both completely naked from the waist-up, both still fully dressed to the toes. Maria noticed this and started to laugh hysterically. When Georg finally caught on to what Maria was laughing at he joined in, too. Their mood switched back to a serious one and Georg stood up, ready to shed the rest of his clothes.

"Here, why don't you let me do that...captain." Maria lowly growled the last part and placed her hands on Georg's belt. She gave him a shove against the wall and pressed her body completely against his, feeling him growing against her. Maria kissed him all over his muscular front. She left a quick trail from his neck all the down to his stomach and she seductively slid down his front and undid his shoes, threw them away and removed his socks. She slithered back up, her hands lingering up his legs as she stood up fully.

Georg looked at her with complete devotion and passion. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with all his might, leaving them both breathless when they parted. Maria's hands never left his belt and she undid it in a swift motion and worked open his trousers, which she quickly sent to the floor. She took a step back and allowed her husband to step out of them and continued walking backward as Georg advanced toward her. He lightly pushed her so her back was against the tall dresser in his room and Georg immediately replaced his mouth over hers. His hands flicked her breasts and rubbed them until Maria had to break the kiss as she cried out in joy. Her hands were back at his middle again and she decided she had to remove the last piece of clothing her sea captain had on. She sent his boxers to the ground and looked up at him. Georg gave her the smallest nod and closed his eyes as Maria took him fully in her hands.

Georg leaned into his wife completely, placing on hand past her onto the wall while the other lingered on her backside. Maria rubbed him up and down as Georg's face contorted in pleasure. As she massaged him, Maria sucked at his earlobes - Georg's favorite spot, which only caused him to cry out even more. Georg opened his eyes and realized Maria still had her skirt and shoes on. He took a step back, removing his member from Maria's hands. She leaned into the dresser and seductively looked at her husband who stood completely naked in front of her.

Georg picked her up and laid her on his bed in one motion. Carefully, he made sure her shoulder was supported by a few pillows and knelt above her, straddling her middle. He found her mouth and joined his tongue with hers once more. His hands traveled down her sides and undid the zipper to her skirt. In a flash his hands were bringing it down past her ankles where it landed on the floor with her sweater. Georg removed her shoes and took off her pantyhose and underwear together, causing Maria to gasp outwardly at the quick movement. Georg sat a bit straighter as he inspected his wife's now naked form.

"Now you're like me and now I can properly show you how much I've missed you," he soothingly said down to Maria.

She propped herself up on her elbows and devoured his face with hers. Georg placed his hands on her upper thighs and they slowly traveled down to her most sensitive area. She was more than ready for him, but Maria wasn't through with foreplay just yet. In an unexpected move for Georg, Maria swiftly sat up and pushed Georg back so his head was at the foot of the bed and Maria came to lay atop him. She moved her hands all over and stared into her husband's beautiful eyes. Georg rubbed her back and spread open Maria's legs so she sat on top of him completely. He leaned up and kissed her all over, his lips resting near her wound. He kissed the area gingerly.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down Maria's back.

Maria ran her hands through Georg's hair as his mouth found her breasts and planted kissed across her chest.

Maria was the first one to break. As Georg's face came closer to hers again she took a turn to whisper seductive words to her husband.

"Make love to me...now."

Georg smiled at her fully and entered her, keeping her sitting over him. His hands gently rested at Maria's sides and she began to rock against him. Her eyes rolled toward the back of her head as they moved together - slow at first, but more aggressive as they found a rhythm. Maria's hands rested on Georg's stomach for support while his hands moved upward back to her chest where they remained. She sat straddling him, both sets of hands pushing against its partner. When they both released their passion for each other, Georg's voice rang out over his wife's.

"Oh Maria, oh god...I love you!" He panted as he tried to steady his breathing, both their movements coming to a halt.

Maria smiled down at her husband and leaned over to kiss him sweetly on the lips.

"I love you, Georg. And I will always be willing to show you how much I care for you."

She fluidly slipped him out of her and rested so she was laying completely flat on him. Her hands stroked his cheeks as she rested her head against his. Georg rubbed his wife's back as he offered a silent prayer for having Maria back. How he had longed for her to be in this position every night since the night she was taken. To solidify the fact she was truly with him, he captured her mouth under his one final time, leaving them both breathless, yet again. Maria smiled at him and closed her eyes as they drifted off to sleep. If for only awhile, they were able to forget about everything else in the world except the two of them.

Georg and Maria made love two more times that night before finally falling asleep for good. Maria's shoulder ached from the sudden movements, but she dared not utter a word about it for the feeling of ecstasy in return was worth the throbbing in her arm. She didn't even cry out when Georg picked her up and grinded into her as they stood against the wall, all the while he applying accidental pressure to where she had been shot. All that mattered was they were together, in mind, spirit, and body...finally they were together in body. They showed each other just how much they truly missed the other in their love making.

As they drifted off to sleep, Margaret, Helen, and Hector quietly pulled up to the inn and got out of their car. Maria and Georg slept so soundly they didn't even hear the seven tired, yet excited voices, exiting the car with the three of them...

Authors note: Hello dear readers I hope you enjoyed this chapter written by 'lovesbroadway' as always we love to hear what you think so please please review! It's truly a pleasure to hear your thoughts on it, good or bad! So go hit that button down there! I also wanted to say A HUGE THANKYOU! To all who have reviewed and followed this story so far, and that this story is unfortunately coming to an end there will probably be two or three more chapters so still stay with us and I think that's it! Thank you!