A/N: thank you so so much for all your reviews, I'm honestly so humbled by some of them and they keep me writing! So thank you thank you thank you! I hope you enjoy this update, though I have to admit it gets a little dark.

Maria gritted her teeth against the sobs of relief that threatened to tear from her lungs as she pressed the accelerator pedal of the caretaker's car as far into the floor as it would go, the rickety old vehicle whipping down the country lanes like an ace as she tried to put as much distance between themselves and her beloved abbey as possible. Friedrich, who suddenly seemed every bit as stoic and honourable as his father, as though he'd somehow become a man overnight, gripped her hand in comfort from his position in the passenger seat - and the little ones were cradled in Liesl and Louisa's laps in the back, giving Maria the strength she needed to struggle on.

She'd never forgive herself for the danger she'd put the abbey in, and she attempted to swallow past the lump in her throat as she remembered the chilling terror that had raced through her heart when the Nazi soldiers had barged through the gates and torn the sacred place to pieces trying to find them. She'd been waiting for the children since the moment Georg had said goodbye to her and when her seven charges had finally arrived she had clung to each of them with adoration, before explaining to them, in words they could understand, that they would need to leave just before nightfall. They had been so mature, so understanding, so accepting of their unfortunate situation, that it had melted Maria's heart. These seven lost souls who, while privileged in upbringing, had spent much of their childhoods lacking in affection and comfort and would now be torn from their material possessions, were so compassionate, so gracious, so humble that she found herself loving them more everyday.

And their little faces had suddenly filled her with a profound sense of hope that everything was going to be okay, that fate would be on their side. Until darkness had fallen and the Mother Abbess had rushed to her side in panic to tell her that the Nazis had come. Urgently, they had been ushered into hiding, wedged between the stone placards and the sacred walls of the abbey. She had hidden the children from the beams of the torches as best she could, listening to the horrifying rattle of the iron gates and desperately trying to keep the little ones silent as they'd come within a hairs width of being discovered.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, silent tears pricked at her eyes as she thought of the Reverend Mother, the extraordinary woman who'd put her own safety in jeopardy to help them flee. She would most likely never see her again. She prayed that the Nazis weren't brutal enough to hurt those who had dedicated their lives to God's service, but at this point she wasn't sure what they might be capable of.

When they were far enough away that she felt she could finally breathe again, she pulled over on a deserted lane so she could check on the children. They'd had to flee so quickly that she hadn't had time to comfort them, to check that they were coping, and as a trembling Gretl clung to her by the side of the darkened road, crying for her papa, Maria had vowed that she would shed no more tears in front of her charges on this fateful journey. These seven children were in desperate need of a mother's love, now more than ever, and she needed to be strong for all of them.

At the little girl's mention of her father, Maria's heart had turned to stone and her lungs had felt as though they were filling with lead. Georg. She had tried her best not to think of him for fear that she'd break down, for fear that she'd be overcome with terror. But the startling reality of what could have happened to him, to Max, hit her square in the chest and she had to steady herself against the car lest she might collapse.

What had become of them? If the Nazis had stormed the abbey in their search for Georg, what was it that Hitler had discovered? Did they know of Georg's dissent? Had they assumed Georg was hiding with them? Or worse, had the soldiers gone to the villa and found the two men in the midst of their escape? Had it turned violent? Had they been able to flee in time?

The endless questions raced around in her head until she became too dizzy to think. They had to keep moving, they had until midnight to reach the border before it closed and they were still hours from their destination. As she straightened up to get back into the car, adopting as brave a face as she could muster for her charges, she caught Liesl's eye and saw her very own fears reflected back at her.

Exhaustion and hunger were beginning to replace the previous fear that had clung to Maria as they ambled on through the darkness, the dimmed headlights the only source of light, and she began to feel her eyelids drooping as her head lolled slightly on her shoulders. She wasn't the most confident of drivers, having been taught only the basics by the caretaker back when she was a postulant and had had to make trips to a few orphanages that had been a little further out of town. And now the exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

"Fraulein!" Liesl hissed from her position in the passenger seat, nudging her with a sharp elbow and jolting her awake. It was the girl's turn to keep watch over Maria as she drove, Friedrich having taking refuge in the back to get some sleep with the little ones, all six of them in slumber with brows furrowed in torment.

"Sorry Leisl," she murmured, attempting to shake the tiredness from her clouded head, "I guess I'm a little tired."

"And upset," Leisl observed compassionately, eyeing her with concern as the hair on the back of Maria's neck prickled unexpectedly under the girl's scrutiny.

"We're all upset Leisl," Maria reminded her with a sad smile.

"Well yes, but there's something else...I can tell.." the girl trailed off as though deep in thought. Her eyes narrowed in Maria's direction, a slight frown creasing her forehead as she looked for a sign as to what might be troubling her governess beyond the obvious. Maria's pulse began to quicken - the last thing she needed was to be interrogated by a sixteen year old about why she felt so utterly terrified. The charged silence stretched on until Leisl eventually sat back in her seat reluctantly and Maria breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed as though the girl had finally dropped the topic. Until -

"Is it because you love father?"

"Wh.. What?!" Maria's mouth dropped open and her head snapped in Leisl's direction in utter bewilderment, entirely forgetting there was a road in front of her and swerving just in time to miss a nearby bush that had suddenly appeared in her path.

Leisl clung to her seatbelt in alarm and Maria whirled around quickly to check the other children hadn't woken up and were secretly listening to the bizarre conversation beginning to unfold in the front.

She whipped back around to find Leisl fixing her with a knowing stare, appearing far older than her sixteen years.

Maria found her mouth was opening and closing repeatedly like a fish out of water - the girl's words had so shocked her that she simply couldn't form a coherent sentence, "you.. I... We-"

"Love each other," Leisl finished for her matter-of-factly, becoming rather amused by her Fraulein's flustered state, "I'm not a child Fraulein, it's so obvious."

"And what makes you say that?!" Maria retorted, suddenly finding her voice.

"Well, you're fleeing with us for a start," Leisl scoffed slightly, "no governess is truly that dedicated to her charges.."

Maria attempted to hide her sheepishness as a blush began to creep up her cheeks.

"And you were always going off to that tree together.." Leisl continued, "You know the one with the M and G markings?"

Maria turned a shocking shade of puce as her eyes grew wide, "you knew about that?!"

The girl nodded proudly, a grin spreading over her features as she leant closer, "I saw father heading into the trees once or twice and the curiosity got the better of me.. I couldn't work out why he was always sneaking off there. So I had a look for myself, and I found the marking etched into the bark. At first I'd thought it stood for Max and Georg!" She stifled a burst of laughter as the hint of a smile tugged at Maria's lips, despite herself.

"Anyway, that's when I put two and two together," Leisl explained triumphantly, "the sideways glances, the change in father, the fact that you came back... It all makes sense."

Reflecting on the young girl's words, Maria tried to think of how best to explain matters of the heart to her eldest charge. She took a deep breath, "Well, I suppose I haven't been fair to you in assuming you are oblivious to these things Leisl. Yes, I love your father but -"

"But now you're afraid we may never see him again..." Leisl whispered gravely, taking Maria's hand.

Maria found she couldn't form words as the lump returned to her throat - she could only nod and grip Liesl's hand tighter.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about with father," the girl eventually murmured whimsically, "he was decorated by the Emperor."

Cracking a watery smile, Maria nodded - she couldn't find the heart to tell her that even her father's bravery may not be enough to save him now.

As though she'd read her Fraulein's thoughts, Leisl gave her hand another reassuring squeeze, "He'll find a way," she muttered, "He's got a reason to fight for his freedom now more than ever.."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he has you.." Leisl shrugged simply.

The young girl's words reached into the depths of Maria's heart and filled it with such hope that it knocked the wind out of her. It was such a simple observation, such a humble notion, and yet the meaning behind it, the love behind it, filled her with a warmth that spread protectively right through to her toes.

"Thank you," she choked.

A pensive silence hung between them as both became lost in their own thoughts, before the moment was finally broken by a girlish giggle from Leisl.

"What's so funny?" Maria asked, incredulous.

"It's just.." Leisl giggled again, "I simply can't imagine someone like father carving adorable little love notes into trees!"

Maria couldn't help but grin then as they both giggled mercilessly despite their abysmal circumstances - she had to hand it to Leisl, if someone had told her back when she'd first met the dark, conservative Captain that he would end up carving her initials into a tree as a gesture of love, she would've eaten the dress the poor didn't want.

Much to Maria's relief they'd made it across the border with very little trouble, finally arriving at the tiny bed and breakfast that she and Georg had agreed on, in the Swiss town of Davos, in the early hours of the morning. They had been starving hungry and weak when they'd arrived, but fatigue had overtaken them and they had all collapsed in the tiny family room they'd managed to secure. With only one double bed, the little ones had piled in under the sheets together and fallen asleep instantly while the eldest children, along with Maria, had made do with nests they'd assembled on the floor.

The room was less than ideal but it was all they'd managed to acquire at such short notice and Maria was grateful that it was at least inconspicuous and comfortable, providing a much needed roof over their heads. The owners had asked very few questions as to why she was travelling alone with seven children and Maria was more than relieved that they'd respected her privacy.

Despite her exhaustion, she hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep as she'd laid awake staring at the ceiling, waiting for Max and Georg to miraculously burst through the door at any moment. As the hours ticked by at a snail's pace, dread had unfurled in her stomach like a sickness as she'd begun to fear the worst.

By the time the second night came and they still hadn't arrived, she found herself overcome with a suffocating sense of grief like none she'd ever experienced. She knew they had until morning before she and the children would be turfed out of the bed and breakfast - the room had been available for two nights only - and once they left their agreed spot, it would be ten times more difficult for the two men to find them. She'd begged and pleaded with the owners to allow her one more night. She'd even offered them the remainder of the money Georg had given her to see her through, but it had been no use.

On the morning of the third day, they'd woken to the earth shattering news that war had been declared in Europe. Maria hadn't slept for nearly 48 hours, her eyes feeling as though they were bulging from her head as a consequence of the overwhelming fatigue. She'd been so debilitated that she could no longer feel any real emotion and she found the devastating news seemed to evoke no fear, no heartache, no despair - just a numb sense of hopelessness that clung to her like a disease. She'd felt nothing but blackness as they'd gathered their few belongings and left the bed and breakfast, forcing one foot in front of the other as she'd willed herself to trudge from place to place until they'd finally found new accommodation on the other side of town.

She'd tried her best to keep the children's spirits up and they'd even taken a quick walk to the small river at the bottom of the road at lunch time, enjoying the spring sunshine and trying to forget the fact that all seemed lost. The smaller ones had enquired about their father a few times but, much to Maria's dismay, their questions had slowly begun to fade, as though they somehow already knew the answers. She'd found herself wondering for the first time since they'd arrived what she was going to do without Georg. Where would they go? How would she make a living? How would the war affect them? How would she care for his brood? She had very little to her name and had no legal right to any of Georg's assets. How stupid and naive they'd been not to come up with a contingency plan.

It was early evening and the children were bundled on top of the double bed in the cramped room, idly trying to pass the time. There wasn't much to do except wait and they were gradually growing restless. At least their new accommodation was slightly bigger, with its own tiny bathroom and a second bedroom no larger than a walk in closet, which contained a small single bed. Maria had thought it best that when night came the two boys could share the single bed while the girls could all fit in the double in the main room, leaving Maria to settle for the floor.

Kurt suddenly broke the eerie silence as he sat up from his slumped position on the bed and whined loudly about how hungry he was, eliciting a few murmurs of agreement from his siblings. Maria sighed as she attempted to ignore her own deepening hunger. They'd run out of bread shortly after lunch and she knew the children hadn't had a proper meal in days. She'd been trying desperately to make their remaining money last until she had some kind of plan, but she knew she couldn't feed them on bread forever.

"Very well," she muttered, getting to her feet from her position on the floor, "Leisl would you mind watching everyone while I see where's open?"

Leisl nodded and it wasn't long before Maria was out in the street, breathing in the Alpine air deeply as she watched the stirring sunset begin to creep behind the hills. She stood still for a few minutes with her eyes closed, allowing the breeze to ruffle her hair and the faint chirping of the birds to calm her beating heart. How beautiful it was, how peaceful it all seemed, when inside a storm of despair was raging.

Eventually she took a step forward and allowed her feet to carry her until she found the nearest store. It wasn't until she looked up that she realised she'd taken herself as far across town as where their last accommodation had been and she made to do her shop quickly so she could get back to the children before nightfall. Gathering as many meats and cheeses and other provisions in her arms as she could, she made the payment and left the store hurriedly, hoping she'd bought enough to keep her hungry charges satisfied.

Rushing down the street, she turned a corner and came upon a sight that caused her to stopp dead in her tracks. The scene that met her eyes caused her heart to erupt into her mouth and the provisions cradled in her arms suddenly crashed to the floor around her feet as she gasped for oxygen. She could hardly dare to believe what she was seeing, it couldn't possibly be real. There, slumped in a crumpled heap against the wall outside their old bed and breakfast, with his head in his hands and looking almost unrecognisable, was Georg.

Georg.

"Georg!" She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow her, her voice completely alien to her as it carried on shrieking his name in a strangled plea. And before she knew it she realised she was running, her feet carrying her at full speed entirely of their own accord, and she watched as his dishevelled head snapped up in bewilderment, his bloodshot eyes focusing and then widening in utter disbelief as he struggled to his feet.

And then she was in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably and clinging to him as though he were her only lifeline, as though he were a miracle she could hardly have hoped for, as though he were back from the dead. His jaw had clenched tight as he'd clutched her to him, words entirely evading him as he attempted to bite back the raw emotion that threatened to engulf him. His eyes held such sorrow that it knocked the wind out of her and he was utterly disheveled - his skin cut and ruddy with dirt, his clothes torn and muddy, his face gaunt and soulless - and he was shaking uncontrollably, unfathomably weak from whatever he'd been put through.

When she managed to catch her breath in between the sobs of sheer relief that shook her body, she pulled back and looked around them, half expecting their boyish impresario to jump out from behind the wall and yell surprise.

"Where's Max?" She choked through her sobs.

Georg said nothing, only staring into her face as though seeing straight past her. But she found her answer in the way his darkened eyes glazed over with an inky blackness, filling her with overwhelming sorrow.

It had been hours since she'd brought Georg back to the accommodation with her and he'd barely spoken a word about what had happened to him. He'd clung to each of his children with such desperate relief it had almost broken her heart but she had been met with a dangerous silence whenever she tried to get him to share what he'd suffered these last few days. She couldn't begin to imagine what he and Max must've gone through, or where Max would be at this point, or how Georg had even got here. And it frightened her that he seemed unable to talk about it, refusing to acknowledge that war had been declared - but he was exhausted, malnourished, bruised - and if he wasn't ready to talk to her then she wanted desperately to at least reach out to him, to comfort him and reassure him in any way that she could.

She had gone to him that night, in the early hours when the children were asleep, finding him sat on the small bed in the second bedroom where they'd agreed he would sleep - Friedrich and Kurt having joined their siblings in the main bedroom to give him room to recover. He'd been sitting with his back to her in the shadows, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He'd looked utterly lost, entirely alone, so exhausted, and she'd found her feet carrying her forward of their own accord. Wordlessly she had approached him, slipping both hands along his bare shoulders until he turned to face her. She had looked into his eyes that were blackened with sorrow, his face contorted with anguish, and she'd gently kissed and caressed his cheeks as though she were healing invisible wounds. He had known without explanation what she was offering him - comfort, solace, reassurance. Her body. And this time he'd done nothing to fight it as he wordlessly pulled her down beneath him, his brow furrowed in sadness, running his fingertips along her collarbone and never taking his tormented eyes from hers. The reality of war, the startling realisation that life could be ripped out from under them at any moment - it had put things into harsh perspective for both of them. And as he'd caressed her skin, there had been none of the previous urgency, none of the frantic desperation, none of the lustful pleas - only a heady mixture of despair, longing, adoration and primal need. Without a word uttered she had taken his hand, pressed it to her lips and placed it on her breast where her heart thundered furiously for him. She'd encouraged him to shed their travel clothes and he'd done so agonisingly slowly, holding her desperately close, allowing not even an inch between their bodies as though he were afraid he'd somehow lose her too.

He'd taken his time tasting every patch of exposed skin as each layer of garment fell away, their limbs intertwined as he fenced her in with his strong arms, pulling her that bit closer. Her entire body had ached for him, a desire that went far beyond the physical. It was a beautiful and rare thing, she'd thought - to be able to trust in someone enough to share in this level of despair, this level of vulnerability, to escape reality together and lead each other into the flames without restraint.

Biting gently at her lower lip, he had gathered her in his arms and moved slowly within her, watching her beneath him as though memorising every whimper, every fiery look, every tortured expression as they became one. His gaze had burned with such raw despair and adoration that she'd thought she might drown in the intensity of it. She had seen into his soul, into the very heart of him in those moments, as his entire body had trembled above her, and she'd realised that he'd gone to a place of pure hopelessness, a place that only she would be able to bring him back from.

If the first time she'd lain with a man had happened in this way under any other circumstances, she might've been frightened by the sheer intensity of what they were sharing. But as it was, she felt like nothing less than his equal precisely because she understood his despair, she understood his primal need to possess her, to protect her, to bury himself deep within her and lose himself entirely. She understood because she had felt it too, overwhelmingly so - the innate desperation to cling to something beautiful and raw and real in a world of uncertainty. They were one flesh, one soul, and she'd known that for him as well as her, nothing else existed beyond the protective cocoon they'd found in one another.

As he'd gently sunk into the warmth of her body, Georg had found himself overwhelmed by thoughts of everything that had come to pass, everything that he'd lost - his home, his country, his friend, his memories - and something primitive had snapped deep within him unexpectedly. He'd suddenly found himself consumed with an insatiable hunger for the one precious gift he still had, his one constant in a world of terrifying unknowns: the extraordinary woman beneath him. She was his only reality, his world, his lifeblood. And he gripped her that bit tighter, moved just that bit deeper inside her and gasped incoherent words of adoration against her swollen lips, as though pouring all his distress into their kisses, as though driving every ounce of his sorrow into the place where their bodies were joined. For weeks he had hungered for the solace he found in her, and as she had arched into him, her body responding to his every move, he had watched her in fervent awe as though never wanting to let her go. He'd wanted to tell her what had happened to him - that the borders had been closed and he'd had to struggle the rest of the way on foot - but he'd found that words evaded him and instead he'd loved her with his body, silently willing her to succumb to him. And she had held his darkened gaze unashamedly, a reassurance that she was still very much there with him, as she always would be, sharing the oxygen around them through their heated gasps.

When the physical pleasure had begun to mix with the emotional chaos it had built excruciatingly slowly - he had savoured every second of worshipping her body, deliberately putting off the inevitable, holding her so tightly that they were eye to eye and toe to toe. And Maria had found she could barely breathe as he took her beyond the here and now to a rare place of carnal desire, a place of pain and comfort and mayhem as reality fell away and time stood still, the overwhelming pleasure and despair building to dizzying new heights.

When the ecstasy finally came, she had watched, dumbstruck, as his entire body had stiffened, the muscles of his back rippling under her fingernails and his handsome face crumbling with the strain of suppressing the strangled cry that threatened to tear from his lungs. Never before had she shared such an intimacy - to watch such a reserved and conservative man come apart for her - and the force of it stirred her so deeply that her body surrendered entirely to him, following his lead into the heights of a rapture and the depths of a primitive emotion she had never before experienced.

She'd barely caught her breath before he'd collapsed on top of her and buried his face in the valley between her breasts, his tears mixing with their sweat as his body shook with the force of the silent sobs that had suddenly claimed him. It was as though their vulnerable intimacy had allowed the floodgates of his heart to finally burst open, providing an outlet for all the repressed emotion that, until now, had yet to be fully released. And oh how it had hurt him to finally let go, how it had hurt him to love her alongside the raw turmoil that he'd finally allowed to seep from the deepest recesses of his heart. He had clung to her desperately then, crying for his homeland, crying for his children, for his countrymen, for his home, for his friend.. For the whole world as though it were doomed - and she had held him close to her, weeping with him and stroking his thick hair silently in comfort, knowing there was nothing she could say to ease the harshness of this reality. She had held him and kissed him until the wild beating of his heart and the wracking force of his sobs had finally subsided and he had drifted off into a restless slumber in her arms.

A/N: I wasn't sure whether to make this chapter an M but I thought it was tastefully done and focused a lot more on the emotion than the actual physicality so I hope you don't mind! I feel like the harsh reality they found themselves in at this point would have led to such an intimacy between them. Just a quick note, my Switzerland geography is appalling so excuse any errors I may have included. And obviously the war wasn't declared anywhere near this close to the Anchluss but this is for the sake of the story too :) Please do review, I love hearing people's interpretations!