A/N: me again! Thanks so much for the recent reviews, so glad to know you're still enjoying it, your kind words are what motivates me to write! I think there's a few chapters more in this story but it's gradually coming to its conclusion. Thanks again for sticking with me on this journey!
"Did you see the size of her?!"
"Bloody massive!"
"Well she was pregnant you idiots, what do you expect?"
"Well excuse me for never having seen a pregnant woman up close before!"
"I'm sure you've never seen any woman up close before.."
"She was quite a handful, I'll say that much.."
"Handful or not, I'd still show her a good time..."
"Higgins!"
"What! You can't deny it gets pretty lonely being cooped up here! And she was rather nice looking despite the... size."
"Did you see how the Captain lost his head? He didn't even panic that much when the base was bombed!"
"I don't blame him, she was bloody terrifying!"
"Well I can certainly think of several ways to show her who's boss.."
"Higgins!"
"Oh for God sake Anderson, don't be such a bloody prude!"
"I'm not a prude, you're just vulgar!"
"I wonder if the kid's here yet..."
An abrupt clearing of the throat silenced the gossiping cadets immediately and they whirled around in sheer horror to discover the Captain's friend - was it Mr. Detweiler? - leaning against the door jamb of their bunk, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes gleaming with mirth. Instantly, the boys leapt to their feet and smoothed out their uniforms nervously, leaving Max almost giggling with glee at the fact that he'd somehow managed to have so much authority bestowed upon him.
"Sir!" the boy called Higgins cried, shifting agitatedly from foot to foot, "how long have... I mean to say.. what did you.. how long have you been standing there?"
Max gave a dangerously low chortle, rolling his moustache between his thumb and forefinger calculatedly, "only a few seconds boy," he lied, "why, what did I miss?"
"Nothing! Nothing.." Higgins retorted as his shoulders seemed to sag in relief, "we were just wondering whether the baby had arrived safe?"
Max's eyes narrowed into slits, "what was it you said your name was again? Higgins?"
The boy looked to his comrades hesitantly, as though he'd be singled out for slaughter, and then gave a reluctant nod.
"Your concern is touching Higgins, it really is," Max rolled his eyes sarcastically, his German accent making him appear all the more menacing somehow, "yes, the Captain and his wife have had a son.."
"That's wonderful news!" The cadet named Anderson exclaimed jovially.
"Yes," Max drawled with a smirk, "and perhaps now the baroness is no longer so - what was it you called her? Massive? - Higgins will finally be able to show her that good time he so graciously promised.."
Higgins' face fell then, and he made a bizarre sound somewhere between a strangled gasp and a helpless whimper.
"I mean, I'd have to run it past the Captain first," Max studied his nails nonchalantly, toying with the boy like a lion mauling a gazelle, "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to hear what you've been saying about his wife.."
"I'm.. I.." Higgins stammered, his face flushing beetroot as he fought for words, "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry.. please..."
"Please what?" Max sneered with false bafflement, "you mean to say you don't want to show the baroness a good time after all? Tut tut.. she will be most disappointed."
The boy gulped and tugged at his collar desperately, finally finding his voice, "please don't say a word about this to the captain!"
"Oh for God sake you moron, I'm not going to tell him, he'd only shoot the messenger first!" Max snapped as the other boys snickered, watching Higgins' face contort as though he were about to burst into tears.
"Now clean up your act!" Max commanded, rather enjoying his chance at playing the authoritarian. These boys had no clue he had once been in their position and he was making the most of this rare treat. No wonder Georg had stomped about blowing whistles and barking orders for all those years - it was positively addictive!
"We need blankets, clean cups, food for the baroness.. she's rather exhausted as you can imagine," Max commanded, "Anything you can find that might be useful."
The cadets merely stood gawping at him, rooted to the spot until he clapped his hands together aggressively and kickstarted them into action with a bark of indignation, "get to it!"
When they'd finally scrambled from the room, Max gave a merciless laugh before doing a quick scan of the corridor from the doorway, one eyebrow raised in mischief. Satisfied that he was very much alone, he set to snooping through the drawers of the bunk and digging under the grubby old mattresses on the beds. He'd once been a cadet himself after all and unless times had changed, he was fairly certain he'd find exactly what he was looking for somewhere around here.
Down on one knee, sweeping an arm blindly under the last remaining mattress, he was just about to give up his search when finally his fingers wrapped around what was unmistakably the neck of a liquor bottle.
"Bingo!" He chortled in triumph. No matter how addictive barking orders at people might be, Max Detweiler knew he would always be an unruly cadet at heart.
"He looks exactly like you," Maria grinned, unable to tear her eyes away from the little bundle of tiny arms and legs and blankets cradled in her arms as Georg ran a single finger over the shock of dark, fluffy hair belonging to baby Johannes.
"He can't possibly look like me, he's beautiful," Georg beamed, every bit as incapable of tearing his eyes away, "he's all you."
"I'm not sure if you've seen my hair," Maria scoffed, "somehow I don't think it's my pigmentation that Johannes has inherited."
Georg gave a wry chuckle in response and planted a languid kiss against her lips, a kiss that spoke of nothing but the love, devotion and heartache they'd endured these past volatile months. He couldn't quite put his gratitude into words, couldn't quite verbalise everything she'd done for him, everything she'd sacrificed in abandoning her vocation, raising his children and bringing him back to a world that had been disappearing before his very eyes. She'd followed him to the ends of the earth, endured hell and high waters for him, kept their family safe and supported him in every decision he'd made since the moment they'd declared their love for one another. He could hardly make sense of the intensity of his love for her, and all she ever asked for in return was a place in his heart. The truth was, she'd had it in the palm of her hand ever since the moment she'd rescued him from despair.
When he finally broke away from their kiss, he barely left an inch between them and the air was suddenly heavy and thick with emotion. Maria wondered, as her laboured breathing quickened, whether he could hear her heart thundering in her chest.
"Our son.." he murmured in disbelief against her lips, his eyes burning with such adoration that she was knocked momentarily breathless. He pressed his lips to hers again - once, twice.. three times - and then before she knew it a firm hand was caressing her jaw and she was opening her mouth to his tongue, allowing the force of his kiss to demonstrate everything that words couldn't. The longing behind his ministrations made her head spin - it was as though he suddenly couldn't contain his burning need to treasure the mother of his newborn son.
With a sound somewhere between a groan and a rasp, he eventually pulled away, leaving her feeling entirely bereft despite her body's exhaustion. Desire suddenly hung thick between them like an ache that couldn't yet be extinguished.
"I don't.. " he choked, "I never thought..." his voice cracked unexpectedly with unspoken emotion, and instinctively Maria gripped his hand in hers, hoping to offer him the comfort he so desperately needed. She knew what that burning look meant - that his emotional longing for her was blending dangerously with the physical, as it always did when he was anguished. It was a look that normally led to heated gasps against naked skin, the desperate dancing of tongues amidst moaned confessions, the joining of body and soul alongside whimpered pleas of ecstasy. But they both knew, without a word spoken between them, that this time it couldn't end that way.
Instead, he offered her a watery smile as he tried to regain his composure, knowing all too well that he needn't explain himself to her. She already knew exactly how he felt, she already knew exactly what he was going to say - without him ever having to say it.
He didn't need to tell her that he was entirely struck dumb at being given another chance at fatherhood, a chance to witness the birth of one of his babies, a chance to finally do things right. He'd made so many mistakes with his children, mistakes that Maria knew he would burden himself with for the rest of his days. He'd missed so much of their young lives - at first because of his duty to his country, and later, because of his all-consuming grief.
And now here he stood, choking back the tears of gratitude at being given the opportunity to do everything he should've done seven times previously. An opportunity to witness everything he'd missed, everything he'd run away from, everything he'd pushed aside as a grieving widow and an absent father. He'd spend the rest of his life making it up to his first seven children, she knew, but baby Johannes would never know the sting of his father's indifference, would never witness the backlash of his father's grief. She knew, in the deepest recesses of her heart, that from this day forward, her baby boy and his older siblings would never question the extent of their father's love.
She pressed another kiss to his lips then, willing him to understand that she didn't doubt him for a second, "there has never been ten luckier children in the world Georg, than the ten who have you as a father."
"Ten..?" He smiled wistfully, resting his forehead against her own.
"Lucy and Thomas of course.. they need you.." she'd thought about telling him the terrible news of their parents ever since she'd awoken from her post-labour exhaustion, but the timing just hadn't seemed right. Georg had been far too consumed with meeting his newborn son.
"Ah yes, but you forget we also have Max," Georg grinned until the dimples she so loved were denting his cheeks, entirely distracting her from her woeful thoughts, "that makes eleven."
They shared a chuckle while Johannes mewled helplessly, already vying for his mother's undivided attention. Georg tucked a finger under the boy's chin and cooed gently, knowing already that he'd be every bit as boisterous and incorrigible as all the other Von Trapp men before him. A comfortable silence hung between the three of them then, the only sound the gentle shuffling of Johannes movements against his mother's chest.
"Why did Max bring you here?" Georg broke the silence, his voice suddenly low and grave, "I could kill him for the danger he's put you in.. why wasn't doctor Knight called to the house? Why didn't Margaret-"
"Shh Georg, it's okay," Maria soothed, cupping a palm against his cheek, "it's my fault. I demanded that Max brought me down here, I didn't really give him much choice. It wasn't until we were already on the road that I went into labour."
Georg's brow knitted in confusion as he played with Johannes' tiny fingers absentmindedly, "I don't understand.. why did you demand to come here?"
She breathed a heavy sigh, her eyes glued to the place where her son's tiny hand gripped Georg's large one, "to tell you that Lucy and Thomas' parents were killed in the Blitz," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
A sharp intake of breath and a muttered curse word, and Georg was suddenly on his feet, pacing the floor in front of the bed as his fingers twitched nervously by his side. Maria's heart broke for the young evacuees all over again, remembering all too well how lost they seemed, even without knowing of their parents' death - especially little Thomas, who had stopped asking after his own father and had begun longing for Georg instead, regularly tugging on Maria's skirts and pointing hopefully at the unopened model boat that Georg had promised they would build together. She didn't know what she'd do if Georg refused to help them.
"Those poor children," he whispered to no one in particular, "are they okay?"
"They don't know yet," Maria sighed as Georg ran a weary hand through his hair, "I wanted to tell them together, as a family, but you never answered my telegram.."
"Your telegram?" he scowled, "I never received a telegram?"
Maria shrugged, "it hardly matters now. What matters is that they aren't abandoned to carry this burden alone," her voice shook but she spoke firmly, "I know what it's like to be orphaned at such a young age.. your children also know the pain that comes with the loss of a parent. I can't bare to let them face this alone."
"Well they won't have to," Georg replied resolutely, his shoulders drawn back in a fiercely protective stance, as though they were suddenly back in the grand hallway in Aigen all those months ago, "we'll take them with us.. to America."
Maria could've kissed him all over again. How was it that this extraordinary man, so different from her in so many ways - in upbringing, in class, in history, in character - could think exactly as she did when it came to the things that really mattered?
"My thoughts exactly," she grinned with relief.
"We should leave soon darling," he muttered gravely, taking his place by her side again and pressing a kiss to her forehead, "The Blitz has calmed, we have a newborn, we can't stay in England forever.."
She nodded against his shoulder, knowing he was right. The war was far from over and England wouldn't be safe for a very long time. The thought of bringing Johannes up in such a volatile area made her sick with dread and if they were going to leave for America, it would have to be sooner rather than later. It wouldn't be easy, travelling during such dangerous times with an infant and nine children in tow, but Georg was right, the waters had calmed somewhat - at least for now, at least enough to get them safely out of the country.
"Do you feel strong enough to travel?" Georg asked, sweeping the hair affectionately from her forehead, "I don't want to keep you both at the base any longer than I have to.. it's not the safest of places to keep a baby. I want to get you back to Northampton and start planing for America."
She nodded in determination, "I can get back to Northampton well enough.. I want him to meet his family."
"Well lucky for you," a cheeky voice quipped from the doorway, "two of his family members are right here waiting for a formal introduction."
Georg whirled around to find Max and Robert waiting eagerly for permission to come closer, their widened eyes falling excitedly to the bundle in Maria's arms. She grinned and gestured for them to approach the bed, finding their genuine intrigue entirely adorable.
"Robert, Max," Georg cleared his throat with beaming pride, "meet your newest grandson and nephew, Johannes."
"My God Georg," Max cried, craning over the newborn and running a finger down his satin cheek as Robert clapped Georg on the back, "he looks just like me!"
He threw Maria a salacious wink, much to Georg's chagrin and Maria couldn't help but giggle mercilessly at the less than amused look on his face. It wasn't long however before he was smiling again, sharing congratulations with the older gentleman and looking happier than Maria had seen him in months. How incredibly blessed Johannes was, she thought - how incredibly lucky she was, to have the unwavering love and support of such a wonderful, unbreakable family.
Amidst the growing darkness of the office, the only light came from the glow of the table-side lamp, the only sound the ominous ticking of the grandfather clock that stood tall in the far corner of the room. Rain beat heavily upon the windows and the trees outside danced aggressively against the harsh winds that whistled in the pitch black of the night. The office's only occupant sat in shadow, his face hidden from sight and his fingertips drumming an impatient rhythm against the desk top - watching, waiting, counting down the minutes.
Eventually, the piercing shrill of the telephone broke the deafening silence and the man lurched forward in his chair, grabbing aggressively for the receiver before the first ring had even reverberated off the walls cast in shadow.
"Sprechen!" the man snapped as he leant further over the desk hesitantly, his beady eyes fixed to the empty fireplace as he awaited the news he'd been hoping to hear.
"You were right sir," the officer on the line spoke in low murmurs, his voice scratchy across the poor connection, "he's at the naval base in Hampshire."
The man's fingers stilled abruptly against the table top and his lips curled into a dangerous snarl, the beads of sweat collecting across his greasy brow, "Where did you get this intelligence?"
"An intercepted telegram, sir," the voice on the line retorted, "it came from Northampton. As far as we know, our target is still in Portsmouth."
"Excellent," the man drawled, banging a fist triumphantly against the desk and downing the glass of darkened liquid that sat upon its mahogany surface, "activate operation Todesfalle! The Luftwaffe attack at dawn."
"As you wish, Herr Zeller."
A/N: If I'm drawing this story to a close soon, I couldn't possibly leave you without one last hurdle for our favourite couple to overcome! Again a slightly shorter chapter than some, since I want to do the next part justice. Please do let me know your thoughts and I promise I won't leave you hanging for too long!