The Anschluss had come.

Impossible. It couldn't be true.

Georg felt as though his knotted stomach had dropped into his feet, as though his lungs were filling with tar, as though the Swastika itself was cutting great gashes in his heart.

He lay there motionless, numb, unable to comprehend the gravity of the news as the radio presenter's words echoed distantly around him. There had been rumours of an annexation ever since the Austrian Nazi Party had gained popularity and there had been increasing threats and violence made by Hitler to enforce a union between Germany and Austria. But Georg had held out hope that his country would not fail it's people. Chancellor Schuschnigg had called for a referendum on the issue, giving the public a chance to vote to maintain independence. But only a few days ago, by Hitler's demand, the referendum had been cancelled and Schuschnigg had resigned, giving the Nazi Austrian Interior Minister, Seyss-Inquart, the opportunity to call for German help in restoring order.

And now his beautiful Austria, the country for which he'd fought so fiercely, the country in which he'd raised his seven children, the country for which he held the deepest and most passionate patriotic love - this country was to be engulfed into the decimated cocoon of a madman's regime. And it suddenly hit him with painful and alarming clarity, like a jackhammer to the stomach, like a knife to the heart: his homeland was no more.

A despair like none he'd ever experienced began to seep into his veins, spreading throughout his body like poison, threatening to engulf him. He knew in those moments that there was only one person in the world he wanted to see. And he knew exactly where he would find her.

Scrambling from bed and dressing quickly, the sun barely having risen, he hurried downstairs, knowing exactly where he needed to go. Save for a few of the staff who rose at dawn, the house was silent, peaceful, as if it were just any other ordinary day. As if there was no imminent threat of the Army of the German Wehrmacht marching into their country at any moment. As if there was no imminent threat of warfare.

Franz greeted him with a curt nod in the hall and in his hurry, Georg missed the butler's outstretched hand offering him the morning's post.

"Sir," he called after Georg who whirled around impatiently.

"Yes Franz?"

"A telegram for you, Captain," the butler held it out to him and Georg grabbed it quickly with a hurried thank you before Franz dismissed himself.

Scanning the contents of the telegram hurriedly, Georg's mouth went dry and he found himself frozen to the spot, the bile rising in his throat. One word in particular seemed to jump right off the paper over and over again, forcing his blood to boil in his veins.

Bremerhaven.

It made no sense. Not one hour into the reported Anschluss and he'd already received a call to duty from the Navy of the Third Reich? How was that even possible? There was no way a telegram would arrive so quickly.

He suddenly realised, with dawning dismay, that the telegram would most likely have been sent days ago - the Fuhrer had quite clearly known for weeks, if not months, that the Anshcluss was going to take place. The negotiations, the referendum, the call to restore order - it had all been nothing more than a sham. The Fuhrer had always planned to invade right from the get-go. And, in preempting his success, he had already planned ahead to secure the immediate recruitment of former Austro-Hungarian servicemen - before any of them would have a chance to refuse him. Not only was the Nazi a madman, he was also extremely intelligent. A potentially fatal combination.

Scrunching the piece of paper up in his fist, it took Georg only a few moments to decide his entire future. His family's future. It was a decision that was clearer to him than any he'd ever made in his life. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and his determination in achieving it was the only thing stopping him from falling into despair.

With all the resolve he could muster, he resumed his previous course and made his way outside towards the lake, allowing the warmth of the rising sun to caress his skin as it kissed the surface of the water.

It didn't take him long to find her, in that very same spot they'd so often shared. Her supple legs dangled from the branch above him and her face was etched with a worrisome frown that did nothing to hinder her breathtaking beauty. She didn't seem at all surprised to see him - if anything she looked relieved, as though comforted by his presence, as though she'd known he would come to find her here.

"It's happened.." She whispered matter-of-factly, staring down at him with such compassion, such understanding, that he suddenly didn't feel so utterly alone.

"It's happened." He repeated, unable to keep the sadness from his voice.

She gazed down at him with such melancholy acceptance in her features, her wide eyes exposing so much of her heart, that it left him completely breathless. In his grief, he found that the primal need to be close to her, to be intimate with her as a source of comfort, roared to life in his gut once again. How easy it would be to seek solace in each other's bodies, to numb the pain of their uncertain futures with nothing but their entwined limbs for security. How easy it would be to blur the lines between the emotional and physical realms, to seek exquisite relief in each other's bare skin, to forget the terror of the world around them in their passion. How magnificent it would be to go beyond the here and now, to lead each other into the flames in an uncertain world and anchor each other with the only thing that was certain: their love, their desire for one another.

"Maria.. " it came out as a whispered plea. He had so much to say and yet the urge to wrap her in a heated embrace, to lose himself in her body, to taste and touch and kiss her until he could forget what was happening around him, was almost too much to bear.

Praying he wouldn't allow her proximity to deter him from his plans, he climbed into his reserved spot next to her on the branch and stared out onto the lake as the birds chirped blissfully beyond the water. It was so beautiful, so serene, so peaceful, that he found his words were lodged in his throat, the thought of what he needed to say causing the turmoil to rise within.

She looked upon his face patiently, knowing she couldn't possibly understand the depth of the grief this stoic, brave man would be feeling for the loss of his homeland. He looked defeated, broken, enraged by what was unfolding in front of his very eyes. Eventually he spoke, his voice shaking slightly as he tried to remain passive.

"I've been requested to join the Navy of the Third Reich at Bremerhaven," he stated, his eyes darkening with a dangerous anger, refusing to meet her gaze lest he should show too much emotion, "I'll need to answer the telegram soon, or they will come for me."

Where any other woman would've sobbed, become hysterical, lost her composure, his extraordinary Maria simply nodded solemnly and reached for his hand to comfort him. The warmth of her touch sent a hot wave of electricity through his body and he was deeply moved that, despite everything he'd put her through, despite everything that still needed to be explained, she was content simply to be the bulwark he so desperately needed.

Against his own better judgement he couldn't help but bring her dainty hand to his mouth, running his lips across the back of it lightly and taking comfort in the softness he found there. She was an angel, a gift, a blessing he had never deserved. He needed to tell her his plans, he needed to think clearly and explain everything that had, and would, come to pass. But he felt her shudder against him, heard her sharp intake of breath, and he felt his resolve slipping dangerously, his heart in his throat.

Still, he would not give in to his desires when so much was still at stake. He desperately needed her to understand. Taking a calming breath and pulling her hand from his lips reluctantly, stroking it with his thumb, he willed himself to look at her.

"Maria," he murmured tenderly, "I have behaved utterly abhorrently towards you, both while suffering from amnesia and while of sound mind. You have brought us more than I could have ever imagined and I have absolutely no right to ask you for anything. But in light of what has come to pass these last few weeks, I humbly ask of you one last request."

She nodded slowly, her cheeks growing pink under his stare.

"My request is that you hear everything I have to say," he continued, absentmindedly running his fingertips featherlight over her wrist, "and that once you've heard it, you decide which life you believe you were born to live."

She nodded again, her eyes wide and her breathing slightly ragged under his ministrations. His proximity left her speechless, the liquid fire unfurling in her stomach as his fingertips seared her skin, reminding her of how they'd felt on her neck, her jaw, her collarbone, his body taught from the strain of their passion when he'd pinned her with his strength. She wondered whether he would again give in to the intense heat that was slowly beginning to boil between them, and she watched transfixed, as his gaze fell to her parted lips. But still he continued his impassioned speech and she willed herself to listen, to pay attention in light of the shocking news that had been delivered that very morning.

"The simple truth of it is my family and I will need to leave Austria. And this house. Within a matter of days. A week at most," he breathed forlornly, fighting the primal urge to bite at her lower lip as he had done against the armoire, "to join the Nazis would be unthinkable. To refuse them would be fatal to all of us."

She said nothing, only listening intently and tightening her grip on his hand. He felt his heart swell at the gesture.

"But I cannot leave while my family is incomplete," he whispered, giving in to the longing he felt and running his shaking fingers down her satin cheek, listening to her breath hitch deliciously in her throat, "For too long I wallowed in my grief. For too long I pushed the world away. For too long I forgot what it was like to feel. Until you came along and sat on that ridiculous pine cone, my love."

Maria's heart had begun to thunder against her ribcage, the combination of his words and his intimate touch wrecking havoc on her body. She knew she should feel nothing but sadness and regret for what was happening to their country. But he was setting her on fire with only the slightest contact and it left her entirely unable to focus on anything but the blood pounding in her ears and the deep ache rippling through her stomach.

"I believe it was in this very spot that I first told you I wanted you, only you, and always you," he continued in a low whisper, his eyes boring into her own, "There has never been more truth in that statement than at this very moment, my darling. I have loved you from the very beginning."

Maria felt as though she had simply forgotten how to breathe.

"Horrendous circumstances may have caused me to lose my way," he murmured, "but even in my most isolated moments I found myself aching for you in a way I didn't understand. I forgot this beautiful thing that exists between us and for that I'm truly sorry. But the fact of the matter is, you have stolen my heart, Maria, wholly and completely."

Where before it had been a struggle to breathe, Maria found that her entire body was suddenly aflame with unrelenting longing. How could this beautifully complex man entirely unhinge her with words and words alone?

"My family will always be incomplete unless you are by my side," he whispered, his eyes conveying a heady mix of desire, respect and love that entirely knocked the wind out of her, "I want you to come away with us... I ask you to come away with us."

He heard her whimper of surprise, saw her face fill with bewilderment as the gravity of his request hit her with full force. He saw her eyes darken with something stirring, something irresistibly dangerous. But he willed himself to finish.

"I will be breaking off my engagement the minute Elsa returns. I want to share this uncertain life with you, to start a new one elsewhere. To raise our seven children in peace and happiness and have more babies if God sees fit. I want you by my side, on my arm, in my bed, in my heart - as my wife. Only you, always you my darling Maria."

He had resigned himself to concluding his speech with a chaste kiss on the back of her hand, to give her a chance to reflect on the earth-changing things he had told her. But before he'd had a chance to catch his breath, before he'd managed to regain some level of control, she'd lunged toward him on the branch and covered his lips with her own, her sweet tongue running deliciously across his bottom lip until he found himself succumbing to the possessive urges that tore through his body. With a growl he couldn't contain, he allowed himself to get utterly lost in her body, to numb his pain in the woman he loved. He pulled her closer, gasping words of adoration against her lips, gripping her by the waist until her every curve left him almost unbearably aroused. Decorum be damned, he picked up where he'd left off in her bedroom, only this time his hands didn't stop at her ribcage. His pulse racing, his fingertips danced down the exposed skin of her neck, down her collarbone, lower - until her breasts were heaving in his hands through the material of her dress, her ragged pants against his lips leaving him dizzy with need. He found his frustrations, his fear, his heartache, had all found a new outlet in his primal desires for this woman and he allowed himself to entirely drown in her, body and soul.

Maria couldn't determine up from down as she felt every nerve in her body fire with a desire she didn't fully understand. She desperately needed something but she didn't quite know what it was - all she knew was the sensations this strong, stoic man was evoking deep within her. All she could feel was his heated mouth on hers, and his hands on her breasts were causing the skin around them to tighten with need where they longed to be freed and caressed by those heated lips. In light of the morning's terrible news, in light of their uncertain futures, she found her inhibitions slipping from her grasp, causing her to cling to this strong, assertive man with a desperate need, as though he were her only lifeline, as though swallowing his ragged moans was her only means of oxygen.

With a boldness she hardly dared to acknowledge, she found herself wanting to touch him in forbidden places the very same way that he was touching her. She wanted to illicit in him the kind of frenzied need that left her feeling so loved, desired and cherished. She wanted to offer comfort with her body, an unspoken, raw and beautiful gift that would belong to him and him alone. Wanting to show him that she would be his in a heartbeat if he needed her, she ran a gentle hand featherlight up his thigh until her fingers brushed the place where he strained against his trousers.

Georg couldn't contain the guttural moan that tore from his throat at her unexpected contact. He felt his entire body stiffen, his hips jerking dangerously into her touch - and he realised with a jolt of panic that if he didn't rapidly regain control of the situation it wouldn't be long until he was in her hand, all sense of reason entirely lost. The warmth of her hand spread from their source all the way through his body, setting him on fire. They had allowed themselves to get carried away in their passion as a source of comfort, an outlet - something bold and beautiful and true that they could cling onto in a world full of ugliness. A few moments more - one or two more forbidden caresses by her hand in that place that so boldly betrayed his intense arousal - and then he would restore order.

When he felt her hand more firmly against him, he reluctantly broke their kiss and grasped her wandering hand in his own, fighting for the air she so often stole from his lungs.

"Maria.." He choked, desperately trying to regain control of his frenzied urges, "as amazing as is this, we digress darling.."

She gave him an adorably sheepish smile that set his heart alight before edging away from him and giving them the space they needed to reflect on all that had been said.

"Was that a yes?" He asked, fearing her answer, "or was it a goodbye?"

She sighed deeply, pensively - her beautiful lips still utterly tantalising in their swollen state.

"I can't deny I will miss Austria if I leave it," she reflected sadly, "but it seems the Austria we know and love will soon be no more."

He nodded solemnly.

"I think it's clear to me now that the life of a nun is not the path that was intended for me.." They shared a wry smile, the evidence of their heated exchange still very much present on their bodies.

"But most importantly is the simple fact that I love you too," she murmured, gripping his hand tighter, "because I do Georg, of course I do. And I love those wonderful children. I lost you once to that horrific amnesia. I'm not willing to lose you again."

She watched the relief wash over his face as he released the breathe he'd been holding, the dimples showing in full force as a grin spread across his handsome features. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips then, as though sealing an unspoken pact between two lost souls.

"I need to answer the telegram," he stated after a while, his eyes darkening, "I will need to tell them that I accept. I'll get my affairs in order and then we must flee."

"Where will we go?"

"We'll start with Switzerland and we'll go from there," he explained, kissing her again, "We can marry once we've crossed the border and reached somewhere safe."

He stroked her cheek, his eyes conveying everything that words couldn't. She deserved a proper proposal, a real courtship, a perfect wedding that left her feeling all the love in the world. But in light of the horrendous circumstances, it was a blessing to simply have each other. Her hand enveloped his against her face. She understood.

"Get the children together," he explained, "don't say anything that's going to worry them, just get them ready over the next few days."

"What about the baroness?"

Georg's face turned to stone and his eyes darkened with suppressed anger. He hadn't forgotten Elsa and her manipulative ploy. And now that he'd finally settled the affairs of his heart, the plans for his future - he had the time he needed to settle a few other affairs. One of which involved a particularly repugnant Nazi rat.

"Leave the baroness to me."

She didn't question him further and instead settled into the crook of his arm as they gazed out over the lake from the safety of their leafy cocoon, watching the sun greet the sky. It was disturbingly beautiful, peaceful, moving - a stirring reminder of every cherished memory. Leisl's first steps. Friedrich's first swim. Agathe's love of the water. Maria's upturned boat incident. That infernal whistle. The curtains for play clothes. Edelweiss. Their heated arguments. Their meaningful exchanges. Every happy occasion. Every significant event. Everything that would be lost to the Nazis. Nothing would be the same from this moment forward and the challenges to come would be grave and difficult. How they would miss this simple pleasure, in the tree in which it had all truly begun.

Interrupting their solemn reflections, Georg pulled away from her and jumped down from the branch, scanning the ground as though looking for something.

"What on earth are you doing?" She asked, disgruntled by the loss of his presence.

"Ah," he stated satisfactorily as he bent down a picked up a jagged rock before joining her on the branch.

"What's that for?"

Adorably he gave her a playful grin before taking the sharp end of the rock to the tree trunk next to him, etching something into the bark. She strained to get a glimpse over his shoulder, baffled by his absurd behaviour. When he finally moved back to show her his masterpiece she felt her heart flutter, blown away by the startling simplicity of what she saw. To any other onlooker it would be nothing more than a childish marking, but to Maria, it was a symbol of innocence, a representation of better times, a mark of sorrow for all that had come to pass, a seal of hope for all that was still to come.

"M+G"

A/N: I hope you liked this update and that I did their reunion justice! Still lots of loose ends to tie up so I don't see this story ending just yet! Quite a few more chapters to go so I hope you all still want to stay with me! Thank you so much for all the reviews so far I never tire of reading them.