A/N: next chapter as promised. Not as dramatic or angsty, I thought I'd give you all a break from the drama but hopefully it's just as enjoyable! As always, thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm eternally grateful.
Georg ran his fingertips absentmindedly along Maria's forearm as they basked in the afterglow of their intense encounter, laying entwined on the dark leather sofa in the corner of the study. Somehow, moments after the chaos of their combined relief, he'd managed to gather what little strength he'd had left and lift his incoherent wife from the desk, carrying her to a more comfortable place in which they could catch their breath and calm their fast beating hearts.
The fire he'd lit only moments ago was flickering peacefully in the grate, it's light dancing in the shadows of Maria's eyes as he gazed upon her stony face. He was in awe of this extraordinary woman and floored by the strength of his need for her, both emotionally and physically. The raw pain and anguish that their argument had evoked, it had left him with a sudden and all-consuming craving for her intimacy, for her affections - like a scorned boy who'd been rendered desperate for love and approval.
But it wasn't his vulnerability specifically that had so fiercely rattled him, neither was it his carnal need for her affections that had reduced him to a man possessed. No, rather it was the sudden, primal, almost possessive need to be the one and only man to protect her, to fight for her, to lay claim to her in a way that no other man should. She was his very own, his whole heart, and the very thought of sitting idly while other men sacrificed themselves for her future had almost driven him mad with righteous anger and ravenous desire. She was his to fight for, no one else's.
Neither had spoken a word since their frenzied intimacies, as though they were afraid to break the calming spell that had suddenly befallen the room, in direct contrast to the tornado of fury and passion that had existed only minutes prior. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle hum of Georg's lips as he pressed languid butterfly kisses to her neck and collarbone, but rather than sighing her approval as she normally would, instead she remained deadly silent. It worried him terribly.
"I need to know everything Georg," her calm profession suddenly penetrated the silence, though her eyes were still fixed on the fireplace, hard and unblinking, "If I'm to understand, if I'm to accept this. I need to know everything."
He sighed as though he had the weight of the world resting on his shoulders once again, and she felt him eventually nod his agreement where his chin was nestled in the crook of her shoulder, "I know," he whispered, "I should've told you from the start. Forgive me.."
She turned in his arms so that they were eye to eye, cupping a soft palm against his cheek, and he was moved to see that her expression spoke of determination despite the sadness he saw there. Her eyes were filled with questions and he realised, with overwhelming gratitude, that she was going to try her best to give him the support he needed. It was entirely less than he deserved. But despite his self-repugnance, he took a deep breath.
"Long before you came into my life, and back when the Nazi threat was merely a rumour," he spoke low, slowly, punctuating each pause with a gentle kiss pressed to her skin, "I was looking over naval documents for Robert. Just the odd plan here or there. Robert was retired, like me, but he's also sharp as a tack and he knew that war was imminent. And so he fell into talks with the navy again and had me cast my eye over some things they were working on in preparation. It wasn't until war was announced that the navy called upon Robert to return to full-time service and he jumped at the chance. I discovered all of this when I first arrived here."
Maria recalled all too well how the three men had been huddled together in the drawing room on the first day of their arrival all those weeks ago. It all began to make perfect sense.
"It was then that Robert told me about a project they're working on that could potentially bring the navy of the Third Reich to its knees," Georg continued on a murmur, "Naturally I was intrigued, hungry to find out more - it was the Captain in me I suppose. He told me my u-boat expertise could be invaluable to the cause. I knew then that I just had to do something Maria, I had to do my part in potentially sending the entire Kriegsmarine to the bottom of the ocean," he was becoming increasingly more agitated, as though trying desperately to defend himself, "I'm only needed in Hampshire intermittently - a lot of what I'll be working on can be done from right here in the study. It was one of the conditions I demanded when asked if I'd take the post. I won't have to leave you and the children for very long... "
His voice had become more frantic in his desperation to convince her and she soothed him with a calming hush and a palm pressed to his cheek. He closed his eyes and sighed against her ministrations.
"I'm so relieved to know you won't be gone for long periods of time," she confessed, "and better still, that you won't be going out to sea on any dangerous missions.. Because I'll admit Georg, I immediately feared the worst."
He nodded reassuringly, "I'll only be going to the base when it's necessary Maria, I promise you.."
She silenced him again with a gentle finger against his lips, "though every single time you walk out that door, no matter how seldom Georg, I will wait here in fear that you may never return. Please know that, and try to understand my reaction earlier today."
He nodded again, his expression pained against the shame he felt in causing her anguish, "I'm so sorry my love."
She responded by pressing a chaste kiss to his lips by way of comfort and asked on a whisper, "So what is it? This elusive project.."
Worry lines creased Georg's forehead once again as his desire to tell her the truth and his need to protect her waged a war of their own inside his head. She was right, she deserved to be told everything, but on the other hand, the knowledge could put her in great danger if anyone were to find out that she was privy to it. He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to her.
"Georg.." She whispered, stroking the creases from his forehead with her fingertips. His darkened eyes met her softened ones and he knew then that there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. She'd proven herself to be stronger than either of them had thought possible. She'd loved him and believed in him even when he'd been no more than a broken shell of a man. She would walk to the ends of the earth with him if he asked it of her. And she would think no less of him, as long as he was honest with her.
"It's a new model.. " he murmured sombrely as his lips came to rest on her forehead, "the HMS Sea Devil." *
Much to his surprise, Maria gave a merciless and rather poorly-timed giggle, causing his eyebrows to fly to his hairline, "what on earth is so amusing at a time like this?" He couldn't quite mask the clipped edge in his tone.
"I'm sorry..It's just.." She stifled another wicked giggle despite the seriousness of the situation, "what a positively perfect name for a model designed by a rake like you," her eyes flashed with mirth, as the title rolled off her tongue salaciously, "sea devil.. Did you name it yourself by any chance?"
Her playful teasing, bizarrely juxtaposed with the severity of the conversation they were having, had him feeling suddenly annoyed, amused and a little aroused all at once - and it took him a moment to compose his scrambled thoughts.
"Just when I think I've got you all figured out.." He retorted, baffled, "you come out with the most unexpected things."
She gave a little shrug until the playful smile began to subside and some of the conversation's previous solemnity was restored as he cleared his throat to continue.
"Sea Devil-" he rolled his eyes, "is being designed with thicker hull plating than any other HMS boat, which will increase her diving depth to 350 feet - a huge advantage on the enemy. If all goes to plan, she'll reach a speed of 10 knots underwater and will carry more fuel than any of the German u-boats, with a range of 7,500 nautical miles on the surface at that speed," soon enough it was he who was lightening the somber mood, for he'd begun delving into the inner depths of naval jargon with such an adorably animated excitement that Maria felt an overwhelming swell of affection towards her devoted sea captain. How passionate he was, completely in his element when discussing his one true calling. She could she how at one stage in his life, his only true love had been the sea.
"She's got six 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow, far more than any predecessor, and she can carry six reloads for a total of a dozen torpedoes! Twelve mines can be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes and - the little cherry on top - she's equipped with a four inch deck gun. Small but deadly."
Maria raised her eyebrows in mock fascination, as though humouring an excitable young boy who'd been given his first toy boat. In truth she found his blatant enthusiasm entirely adorable.
"In other words," Georg breathed, oblivious to how endearing he was being, "she's a force to be reckoned with."
"She'd have to be, if you're her creator.." Maria smirked.
"It's not just me," he retorted, eyes narrowing, "I'm merely one of many working on this model. I know the German u-boats better than the majority. I'm needed because I know what we're up against."
"You're needed," Maria insisted, cupping his face once more, "because you're dedicated, brilliant, strategic, ruthless, courageous, noble, heroic.." she smiled meaningfully as she leaned toward his lips, "in other words... You're a force to be reckoned with."
She kissed him languidly then, trying to reassure him wordlessly that, despite how hurt she'd been by his dishonesty, she understood his overwhelming sense of duty. His need to do what was right far surpassed a mere obligation, she knew. The navy and the sea were in his very bones, they were his calling, his past and his fate - and now he'd been given the chance to use all of this fierce dedication to potentially bring the Kriegsmarine to justice. If he succeeded, it might even start a domino effect to rid the world of the Third Reich.
She had the utmost respect for his nobility, his intelligence, his courage - more often than not she found herself entirely in awe of him. But oh how she sometimes wished he were an ordinary man, with ordinary fears, ordinary needs, an ordinary life. A life without duties that took him away from his family. But perhaps, if he'd been an ordinary man, she would never have fallen in love with him in the first place.
She was pulled from her reverie when he reluctantly broke their kiss only moments later to ask, "does this mean I have your blessing?"
"My blessing?" She scoffed incredulously, "absolutely not."
His face fell.
"But my support?" She whispered, as his hopeful eyes met hers, "always."
The very first time Georg had left for Hampshire, Maria had been mortified to find herself sobbing in his arms as they said their farewells in the doorway, entirely convinced that he'd never return. It had been his goodbyes to the children however, that had truly set her off. He'd been so loving, so devoted, cradling all nine of them individually as though they were each his very reason for living. Friedrich and Kurt had set their jaws, much like their father, in a display of courage and pride, while the girls had each shed their own amount of silent tears, Lucy and Gretl clutching Leisl's hands for comfort. It was little Thomas however, who clung to Georg with a desperation that left Maria feeling altogether heartbroken.
"Two days, my boy," Georg had murmured into the child's hair, "I'll be back in two days. You won't even notice I'm gone."
They'd told the youngest children very little about his departure, merely that he was going to pay grandpa a visit.
"At the school?" Lucy had asked, understanding very little about the naval training base and its implications.
"Yes darling, at the school," Georg had smiled.
"Are there children like us there?"
"Not quite sweetheart..it's a school for adults," Maria had replied softly, grateful that the questions had ended there when Lucy had given a confused frown and a shrug of her shoulders.
The older children however, knew all too well what it meant and hadn't required any explanation. But they knew better than to ask exactly what business Georg had at the naval base. It didn't matter either way. They understood well enough that it would likely be dangerous.
Georg had been beside himself to see his wife and children so upset and had choked back the lump in his own throat when he pulled Maria close to him, "darling, I'll be perfectly fine," he muttered into her hair, "look after baby won't you," he'd grazed his fingertips against her abdomen then, the gentle swell that had begun to form there not yet visible through her clothes, but clear as day to him in the way her body had begun to change.
He'd felt almost ridiculous getting so emotional over a two day absence but the implications of his trip had been thick and heavy in the room, hanging like a shadow over them in their sudden vulnerability.
But the two days had passed without incident and Georg had returned unscathed, just as he'd promised he would - much to Maria's relief. Three weeks later, he was needed again, this time for four days, but just as before, he had returned unharmed. And so it was, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months - he would leave with heartfelt hugs and whispered promises and he would return each time in one piece, save for a few cuts and bruises where the physical aspects of his work had made their mark.
Maria's bump was larger each and every time he pressed an affectionate palm against it before leaving, and on his return she would sooth his tired body with nimble fingers and loving kisses pressed to his skin. In their most intimate encounters they would treasure each other as if it was their very last, taking their time and loving one another as though they wished to memorise every burning gaze, every heated breath, every gasped profession of adoration.
The Blitz was still raging over London and ports throughout the country were being attacked on a weekly basis. Death and destruction had become a part of everyday life and whenever Georg was away, Maria had taken to listening to the BBC while holding her breath, dread churning in her stomach as she awaited any kind of announcement about the Hampshire training base. There had been one particular occasion, the most terrifying of her entire life, when the presenter had announced that an attack had struck there - and she'd been gripped by an all-consuming, panic-stricken despair, a grief that surpassed all reason, entirely convinced that Georg had been brutally killed and she'd been left a widowed mother to ten children. When all had seemed lost, Margaret had done what was necessary to calm her, sooth her and hold Maria's wracking body in her arms until Georg had finally been able to send word that he was shaken, bloodied, but alive.
He'd returned imminently, battered, bruised, silent, withdrawn - and Maria had clung to him as though the world was ending. But not once, despite her fear, had she asked him to end his affiliation with the navy. She'd stayed true to her word and offered her unwavering support, leaving him feeling entirely overwhelmed by her strength of character.
"Georg.." Maria rolled over in bed to face her husband, running her fingers through his hair and drinking in the sight of his stoic features. Lines creased his forehead, his eyes were darkened with tiredness and his face was gaunt, but she thought he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen, and she wanted to look upon his face as much as possible now that he'd returned from his most recent trip.
"Hmm..?" Georg mumbled, his eyes half closed as he fought sleep against her loving ministrations.
"How on earth do you do it?" She whispered, her voice strained with emotion.
"Do what darling?" Was the murmured reply as his eyes flew open in concern, snuggling closer bringing a palm to her cheek.
"How do you leave here and go there," she breathed, "not knowing what to expect, not knowing if you'll be hurt.. Or killed.."
He pondered over her words for a second, wondering himself what it must be like for her to wait at home with bated breath, never really knowing if her husband was alive or dead.
"I suppose," he explained, "I think of why I chose to do this in the first place.. To protect my family.."
She paused for a long while, her eyes downcast as she nodded slowly, as though processing his answer. But then she met his eyes again.
"Don't you ever get scared while you're there.. Or lonely?"
"Of course!" he confirmed, "But I have a good luck charm.. I put it on Sea Devil herself."
"You did?" She frowned in curiosity, "What is it?"
"M plus G," he whispered with a secretive smile, "I carved it into her bow."
She grinned then, a breathtaking gesture that transformed her whole face and filled him with a joy so intense he felt the breath suddenly knocked out him.
She pressed a gentle kiss to his smiling lips, "A force to be reckoned with indeed."
A/N:
*HMS Sea Devil was the name of a submarine designed for the Royal Navy, for WW2. I made a few changes to her design details but the facts are mostly historically accurate.
I hope you enjoyed this slightly calmer update! More to come soon