She laughed happily as she ran from the courthouse, her eyes darting about to find Georg. He offered to wait for her in the car, still unable to drive himself, as she attended what she hoped to be her final divorce hearing. The car was empty, and she bit her lip as she looked around to see in which shop he may have ended up. He had likely expected the hearing to take much longer, just as she had, but when her lawyer mentioned the pregnancy of Otto's girlfriend, things moved very quickly indeed.

"Georg!" She shouted, smiling apologetically at an older couple walking down the sidewalk past her. She looked around once more, deciding she would check a couple of shops before returning to the car and waiting for him.

He smiled to the shop owner as he handed his money across the counter, agreeing to wait patiently while the woman wrapped the gift for him to take. He walked around a bit, perusing the shop as he waited. The children were back in school, had been for about a week by then, so he felt no rush to get back home and relieve anyone from watching them. Not that they were any trouble at all, not since Maria came into their lives.

He felt quite happy in that moment, excited about their future for the first time in a while. Not that he hadn't been excited before, but somehow he felt incredibly hopeful. As far as his injuries were concerned, his ribs had healed very nicely, and his arm was well on its way. He couldn't wait to get the plaster cast removed, his arm feeling incredibly itchy on a constant basis and his patience running quite thin with it. But more than that, he was ready for their lives to move forward, to truly begin. He wanted to take his family on holiday, to take Maria for a romantic weekend. Things had been much too serious, even for his liking, and it was time for them all to have a bit more fun.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir." A woman bumped into him as he turned the corner of a shelf, and he grasped her arm to keep her from falling down.

"No harm done. Are you alright?" She nodded, a hand upon her chest as she calmed herself.

"Yes. I do apologize, my head is in the clouds today."

"I do hope for good reason." He smiled and began to walk away, but she stopped him by continuing to speak.

"Oh, yes. I'm hopeful that today the man of my dreams will propose marriage." He nodded politely, pretending he didn't notice the pregnant belly she was doing her best to hide beneath her thin cloak. He supposed she suffered a great deal of judgement and embarrassment for the fact that she was pregnant without marriage, so he chose to ignore her circumstances.

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order." She laughed, smiling graciously.

"Thank you, I do hope so. Do you sew?" He laughed, realizing he probably did seem out of place in the fabric section of a dress shop.

"No, I'm purchasing fabric for my fiancée. I would buy her any dress she wants in the world, but she looks the most beautiful in the dresses she makes herself." The woman smiled dreamily.

"How romantic." He laughed a bit, running a hand over the back of his neck.

"I hope she thinks so too, and not that I'm just giving her work to do." The woman laughed, and Georg heard the bell ding over the door as someone entered the shop.

"She is a very lucky woman, it seems. When is the wedding?"

"The sooner the better. I'm hopeful we'll be able to set a date soon."

"Let's do it tomorrow!" Maria appeared around the corner of the shelf, excited she found him to share the good news. He smiled brightly, laughing and reaching out an arm to pull her to his side. She smiled in greeting at the woman in front of him.

"It may be obvious that this is my fiancée, Maria. And I'm so sorry I didn't catch your name." The woman looked a bit pale all of a sudden, smiling nervously.

"It's nice to meet you, Maria. I'm Claudette." She reached her hand out, and Maria took it in greeting.

"Claudette, are you from France?"

"My family is originally, but I was raised in Vienna." Maria smiled warmly, but the woman seemed incredibly nervous. "You don't know who I am do you?"

"Oh, well…" She met Georg's eyes for guidance or a hint, but he was at a loss as well.

"It's alright, we've not been formally introduced. I…I'm courting Otto." There was a moment of silence, and Maria could tell the woman expected some kind of aggression or agitation from her, perhaps anger, she wasn't sure. She smiled after a moment, certainly not feeling any of those things. She had Claudette to thank for Otto setting her free, in one way or another, she supposed.

"It's nice to finally meet you. And I see you've met Georg?" She looked to him in question, and he laughed a bit.

"Yes, we ran into one another coming around the corner of the shelf here, quite literally." He motioned toward the shelf, suddenly feeling they should be on their way. He was certain that neither of them wanted to see Otto ever again, if they could help it, and he would undoubtedly be coming to collect his fiancée soon enough. "Well, I suppose we must be off, but I'm afraid you've ruined your own surprise, darling."

"Have I?" She watched as he stepped forward and accepted the wrapped package from the woman at the counter. He smiled and looked to Claudette in farewell. Maria held her hand out once more, and the woman took it with a smile. "I am very happy to have met you today. Congratulations on the baby, and good luck to you."

"Thank you." The woman didn't let go of her hand, merely stared at her for a moment before smiling brightly. "I'm sorry, you're just not at all what I envisioned."

"I do hope that's a good thing." She patted her hand before they disconnected, and Maria gave her a gentle smile as she walked ahead of Georg out the door. She sighed a breath of relief when they made it down the sidewalk a bit, meeting his eyes in question. He merely laughed, shaking his head.

"What are the odds I would have literally bumped into her?"

"And she was so sweet. I feel I should have warned her or offered advice or something…I don't know." He smiled, tucking the package beneath his cast so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the car.

"Perhaps you did offer her something. Obviously, he has not been telling her the truth about you."

"We don't know that…or at least the extent of it." She shook her head, knowing it wasn't her business anyway. "It's no matter, I suppose. Let's not dwell on it, we should be celebrating. You are walking with an officially divorced woman."

"I did think there was something different about you." She smiled, nodding her head as he laughed and bent down to kiss her. It was amazing that something as scandalous as a divorce was bringing such joy between them. She knew she should probably be embarrassed in some way, but she couldn't possibly feel anything but excitement for their future.

"Yes, somehow it makes me feel a bit taller." He laughed, nodding in greeting to a man passing by. "And why did I find you in a dress shop, Captain?"

"I was in search of something that would show off my figure better." She laughed, wondering exactly what had gotten into him, but loving his silliness all the same.

"Yes, I don't see nearly enough of your hips in this suit." He smiled brightly, always pleased when she played along. They finally made it back to the car, and he gave her a small squeeze before releasing her. He opened her door for her, and she smiled in gratitude as she sat behind the wheel.

"I hope you don't think it's silly, but I bought you some fabric." She smiled as he closed the door behind him, placing the package between them on the seat.

"I don't think it's silly at all, that's very sweet of you." She leaned over and kissed him, smiling as he appeared relieved to have made a good choice for a gift.

"I just know how you said you were excited to make your own clothes again. But of course, you don't have to do that. As my wife especially, you will never have to do that." She laughed as she turned on the car, looking around to be sure she was safe to begin driving.

"I understand, darling, and I very much appreciate it. I can't wait to see the fabric you chose. May I see now?" He placed his hand over the package, and she smiled as she kept her eyes on the road.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." She feigned an exasperated expression, and he chuckled.

"It isn't as if I had any control over how long I would be." He shrugged, at least thankful she was a free woman. He would forego every chance to surprise her for the rest of his life if it meant she was his. "Speaking of which: when should we be married?"

"You don't think it's in your best interest to wait before jumping into another marriage?" She sped up the car a bit as they drove outside of the town limits, nothing but countryside ahead of them.

"Not at all. I want to call you my husband immediately." He chuckled, more than happy to hear the words. Not that he thought she would change her mind about him, but his own insecurities caused him to wonder sometimes.

"I would love nothing more." She smiled brightly, stopping at a stop sign before turning onto the long road that led to their home. "I can phone the church and see when it's available as soon as we get home."

"Actually…I have an idea, but I'm not sure it isn't too much." She hesitated, biting her lip as she sorted out her words. He chuckled and shook his head, finding her quite adorable in every way.

"No need to be shy at this point in your life." She laughed, knowing she was being silly.

"Well, considering all of the negative attention we've received, not to mention the fact that I will likely not be allowed to be married a second time in the church…I don't know, what if we took the children on holiday and do it then?" He thought for a moment, not having realized before that their marriage would not be recognized by the Catholic Church, due to her divorced status. It had simply never occurred to him.

"You know, darling, I think that's a wonderful idea."

"You mean it?" She was skeptical, knowing that taking all of the children on holiday would be a monumental task, but she desperately did not want to be married in Salzburg or Vienna…really anywhere in Austria, she had to admit. She preferred a quiet, intimate ceremony; something that could be all theirs.

"My only qualm is that I won't get you all to myself if we're bringing everyone on holiday." She smiled, understanding completely. Going away alone with him, even for a few days, sounded marvelous.

"Well, Max has already agreed to look after the children while we're on our honeymoon. I'm certain he won't say no to a free trip." He chuckled, knowing his friend well, and she was absolutely right. As long as they gave Max plenty of time for his own antics, he would likely be very excited.

"Alright, where will we go then?"

"Hmm…I don't know. The only place I've ever been besides home is Vienna."

"Haven't you ever dreamed of traveling somewhere outside of Austria?"

"Perhaps, but I think leaving Austria is enough for me." He gave a short laugh, knowing she was probably right. He was certain he felt the same way, if he were honest. It didn't really matter much to him if they flipped a coin.

"Would you like to visit the south of France? We could get married in a field of wildflowers." She laughed, surprised to hear him sounding more like her than himself. He nearly sounded whimsical, she mused.

"Will there be wildflowers by the time we get there? It will be a bit cold."

"I suppose you're right. We would more likely be battling wind and rain." She grimaced, shaking her head.

"I think we should pass on that. It sounds like something that would put you in a terrible mood." He scoffed, feigning offense, which caused her to laugh. "I would love to go there during the summertime though. Perhaps that could be a future trip to plan."

"I will take you anywhere your heart desires." She smiled brightly, believing every bit of his statement. And yet, her heart only desired him. She didn't much care about their location, all she needed was him and the children by her side.

"My heart only desires to be married to you as quickly as possible. You mentioned Venice not long ago?" He shrugged, remembering that conversation well as they laid in bed and held one another.

"I want to take you to Venice, not the children. They will make romance quite difficult, you realize?" She laughed, slowing down a bit to allow a man on a bike the space to cross the road in front of them. He smiled at how she had become quite a good driver, especially in comparison to how she started. He was truly impressed, but didn't want to speak the words and allow her to know he was paying such close attention.

"Paris then? The weather won't matter, and there are plenty of things Max can entertain the children with while we stay back at the hotel and defile one another." He laughed as she pulled into their driveway, putting the car in park.

"Now you're thinking like I need you to." She laughed, and he turned in the seat to take her hand in his. "Would you like to go to Paris, really?"

"Yes, I think it would be perfect for all of us. Would you like to?" He smiled, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against her lips.

"I'll start making calls this afternoon. But I want to get this blasted cast off before we go, so I can ravish you properly." She slid closer to him upon the seat, kissing him once more in her excitement.

"I will absolutely not argue with that." She kissed his cheek, moving to pull him into an embrace. "Georg, I love you so much. I can't wait to be your wife."

"I've been waiting to call you my wife since the day we met." He pressed one more kiss to her lips, lingering just a bit longer than before. They shared a gentle smile before they rushed from the car to begin wedding plans. As much as she knew she should have felt so many emotions in that moment, she only felt excitement for their future. She was finally free.