"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" He was clearly frustrated, pacing about his study like a caged animal as she stood in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of her as she looked to the ground.

"We were in a restaurant, I didn't…"

"That doesn't matter! He could have easily followed you out, followed you while driving home. He could have driven you off the road!" He ran a hand over his face, doing his best to maintain composure, but he was unable to keep calm.

"I left quickly so he couldn't follow." He met her eyes incredulously.

"Maria, you are the slowest driver in all of Austria, he could have easily caught up to you." She frowned, looking back to the ground. She supposed it would have been insulting if it weren't true; she knew her driving was mediocre at best.

"But he didn't."

"But he could have! You have got to be careful with him; you have no idea what he's capable of." She laughed shortly, shaking her head as she met his gaze.

"Don't I?" He closed his eyes, certainly not meaning to imply that he knew the man better than she did, of course.

"You know what I mean. Why on earth would you do something so…"

"I did it for us! I was hoping to somehow reach an agreement so I could be done with him, and you and I could be together. So, yes, I was quite willing to put myself in danger for that, and I don't regret it." He groaned in frustration, unable to determine where exactly he wanted to place his anger, but knowing he needed an outlet all the same.

"Am I supposed to be flattered?" She scoffed, hands upon her hips in frustration.

"You're not supposed to be anything, I'm only explaining my reasoning."

"I would argue that there is no reason for you to intentionally put yourself in harm's way."

"You're not listening to me!"

"No, Maria, you don't seem to be listening to me!" He hurriedly stepped toward her in his anger, and she quickly closed her eyes and flinched, turning her face away from him. He stopped moving immediately, realizing that her's was a reaction of a woman who had been hit far too many times in her life, and his heart ached for her. She hurried to meet his eyes upon realization of her own reaction, as she sincerely did not have control over it. They stared at one another for a moment, both shocked into a calmness that neither had the moment before. The silence of the room was nearly deafening. "I'm sorry, darling. You know I would never…"

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that." He opened his arms, and she quickly accepted his embrace, feeling safe and secure against him.

"I'm sorry for yelling. My anger comes from the fear of something ever happening to you. I couldn't imagine." She took in his scent, pressing her face to his chest.

"I didn't do it to upset you. I'm just so tired of feeling stuck. All I want is to be your wife and a mother to the children. I honestly had hoped I could have a rational discussion with him." He held her tightly, his cheek resting against her soft hair. He pressed a kiss to her head, closing his eyes to take her in. He didn't blame her for feeling restless, as he too was incredibly ready to take her as his wife.

"I know it's hard, my love, but we must be patient. Soon enough we will be able to love freely."

"I want to announce our engagement."

"You mean now? What would we tell the children?"

"We would tell them that my divorce is one signature away from being final, and we want to share our excitement for the future." He shook his head, quite uncertain that they should breach the topic with the children yet. But he also knew that they would require a better explanation than the ones they had previously given in regards to her living with them. Eventually they would have to know a better version of the truth.

"I'm concerned that they will think you've been unfaithful to your husband with me."

"Well, I have…but I agree that I don't want them to know any of that either." He pressed another kiss to her head, running his hands over her back.

"Let's think about what exactly we will tell them, and we'll go from there. I would love nothing more than to be able to kiss you or touch you anytime I'd like." She smiled, pulling back enough to look into his eyes. He pressed a kiss to her lips, deeply meeting her gaze.

"I'm sorry about today. I only had good intentions."

"I know, darling. Don't think another thing about it." He kissed her once more, and they spent quite a while simply holding one another.

xxxxx

She poured another glass of wine, dancing a bit to the orchestral music playing over the gramophone as she took another drink. She felt her body relaxing, her shoulders finally feeling as if they weren't tight and rigid. She supposed her conversation with Otto as well as her argument with Georg had gotten to her more than she thought originally. While she and Georg had gotten over their disagreement quickly, she found that she was unable to retire for the evening without details of her lunch with Otto replaying through her mind nonstop. She simply couldn't go to her room yet.

She smiled as she handed Max the glass she refilled for him, and he thanked her before taking a long drink and sighing in relief. Max had been away here and there, and she was glad that he returned when he did. He always had the ability to bring lightness to any situation, no matter how dark it could be. She supposed that was just part of his personality, but she was always thrilled to be in his presence.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. Did you have luck finding a new singing group to exploit?" He laughed, meeting her sparkling eyes in surprise as she took a seat next to him upon the sofa.

"You sound like Georg. He's a terrible influence on you." She returned the laugh, shrugging at the possibility that he very well may have been right. Georg's sarcasm and wicked sense of humor certainly did find its way to her more times than she meant for it to.

"Perhaps, but he does only speak the truth."

"Yes, as painful as it can be." She scoffed, nodding her head in agreement.

"He's quite brutal about it sometimes."

"His honesty is much better than anybody else's lie. I've had enough friends in the past who lied to me. Georg has always been my one true friend, and a lot of that has to do with his direct honesty." She took another drink of her wine, her body feeling amazingly calm in that moment.

"I suppose that shouldn't surprise anyone. He simply exhibits true traits of a sea Captain, I should think." Max laughed, watching as she finished off her glass of wine. He had joined her for a nightcap, finding it exciting that she would drink at all, let alone allow him to join her. He wouldn't have missed the opportunity for anything, but he was equally quite concerned about her state of mind.

"Forgive me for overstepping, but do you think you should slow down?" She frowned, looking down to her empty glass and vaguely realizing that she had no idea how many times she had refilled it.

"If you're the one asking, then perhaps I should." He laughed, accepting her slight jab with a smile.

"I'm only suggesting that you don't put me in the awkward position of having to help you to your room tonight." She gasped, feigning outrage.

"Oh, to be seen with me in such a way. Quite the scandal indeed!" He laughed once more, fully enjoying whatever her attitude was at the moment, as she stood to grab the wine bottle once more. She refilled her glass again as she walked toward the sofa, simply placing the bottle upon the coffee table before them. She knew he was probably right about her need to slow down, but she felt she needed to allow herself a moment of distraction, if she could.

Georg watched his best friend and his lover laughing and chatting over wine, and he smiled at how easy and carefree their friendship was. They had always gotten along just fine, but to witness them enjoying themselves so thoroughly brought a smile to his face. He had to admit, Agathe had never cared for Max for various reasons, but Maria somehow managed to love everyone without much thought to why she wouldn't in the first place. Her soul was so pure, so kind and accepting of everyone and everything.

He worried that the kindness and innocence in her heart made her quite vulnerable at times. While she had never been ignorant to the ways of the world, and she had an amazing talent at putting up a wall to protect herself, he still worried that the weight of the life she was living would eventually be too much. He noticed the absence of a spark in her eyes, one that she always used to carry, but was only present when she could be pulled from her thoughts. She had been very quiet lately, and it concerned him that she was living in her head so much.

"Are you joining us, Georg?" Max's voice brought him out of his reverie, and Maria smiled brightly as she noticed him as well.

"Yes, darling, please join us." She stood from the sofa, quickly grabbing a third glass from the table and filling it with wine. She had hoped he would be finished working in his study soon enough and seek them out.

"Are we celebrating something?"

"Only our zest for life." He chuckled at Max's words as she handed him the full glass of wine, her fingers brushing his as he took it from her hand. She gave him a flirtatious look, a smile that could have made him come undone in that moment, and he couldn't help laughing a bit.

"You seem to have quite a lot of zest. How much wine have you had?" She scoffed, pressing a hand to her chest in mock offense as she returned to her seat upon the sofa.

"Max has had more than I have." Max chuckled, raising a glass to him in salut.

"She's kept up quite well." Georg raised an eyebrow, and the men shared a look that Maria couldn't quite understand.

"My goodness, how judgmental." She looked at Georg through her eyelashes, slowly bringing the wine glass to her lips. He gave a small laugh.

"Well, you do only tend to make eyes at me like that when you're smashed." She smiled brightly, laughing a bit to herself as her cheeks took on a hint of pink. She didn't think he would mention anything with Max present.

"Are you going to cut me off like a child and take my glass away?" She teased him, and he laughed as he sat upon the chair next to her, loosening his tie.

"Not at all, darling. I'm only saying, if you're bored, we could certainly find something better to do with our time." Max laughed in surprise, and her eyes widened as she met Georg's amused gaze.

"Shame on you." He laughed as well before taking a sip of his wine. He supposed he could loosen up a bit, enjoy an evening of wine and good conversation with the two people he was closest with in his life. He would have been lying had he said he didn't need a break from reality.

They chatted for a long while, sharing wine and stories of past transgressions and pure silliness. Maria couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much, wondering if she had ever seen Georg laugh like that, and her heart felt incredibly full. She, for one, had very much needed a good laugh. Life had been far too heavy lately, and she needed a distraction from it all.

She stood to change the record on the gramophone, stumbling a bit in her inebriated state, so she merely kicked off her shoes. The men shared a laugh, but she didn't mind at all as she replaced the record and a waltz immediately began to play. She closed her eyes, smiling as she swayed to the music. She wasn't sure of the name, but she loved the piece that echoed throughout the ballroom. It reminded her of her mountain somehow. Georg stood, feeling a bit wobbly himself as the wine went to his head, but he ignored it as he removed his jacket and tossed it upon the chair.

"Excuse me, Max. I can't allow a beautiful woman to dance alone."

"I should think not." Max chuckled, finishing off his last glass of wine and placing it upon the table as Georg made his way to Maria's side. She opened her eyes in surprise as he took her in his arms, whisking her about the dance floor. She laughed brightly, doing her best to keep up as her stockinged feet slid a bit against the floor. She felt as if she were floating, unable to touch the ground in the slightest as they moved. The last time he danced with her was the night they made love for the first time in his hotel room, and she had somehow forgotten just exactly how thrilling it felt to be in his arms that way.

Max smiled as he watched them dance, laughing and carrying on a bit in their inebriated state. He hadn't seen Georg so happy in many years, and it brought him such joy to see his friend living his life to the fullest again. And he had to admit, he had adored Maria since the moment they met, to the point that she nearly felt like a sister to him, so he was delighted to watch them feel so in love. He only wished there was something he could do to help them move forward, to help free Maria from the shackles of her marriage. He knew it was for the court to decide at that point, but he was fully prepared to bring in an army of his friends and acquaintances to speak on her behalf if she needed it.

Suddenly, they stopped dancing and Georg pressed a deep, sensual kiss to her lips. She sighed against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him as closely as she could. Max's eyes widened, and he chuckled to himself in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected to witness such a thing between them, after all. He quickly stood when he realized that they were no longer aware of his presence in the room, their hands beginning to roam in ways that were starting to make his cheeks feel warm. He quietly hurried out the door of the ballroom, gently closing it behind him and making his escape toward the guest quarters. He could certainly find a more savory way to further occupy his evening.

He quickly lifted her from the ground, and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as his hands gripped her backside. Their tongues battled, hips grinding against one another, as the gramophone continued to play. She wasn't quite aware of how it happened, but she very suddenly found his body atop her own as the bare skin of her thighs touched the cool, hardwood floor beneath them. She quickly reached for his belt, wishing for nothing more than him to take her immediately. Her body felt hot, her heart pounding hard against her chest, her pelvis throbbing with pure desire. She was certain she had never needed him more than in that very moment.

"I can't wait." Her breathy words caressed his ear, and he groaned against the skin upon her neck, gently biting. He began pushing his pants to his knees, and she hurriedly removed her panties as well, neither able to contain their pure lust. He quickly spread her legs and thrust into her, a quiet moan escaping her lips as she attempted to control the volume of her pleasure.

"I love to hear you like this." His words were breathless, his lips pressed into her throat as she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around his body. She bit her lip, closing her eyes to the immense heat of their love. "Look up, watch me take you."

She opened her eyes and looked upward, having never truly noticed that the ceiling in the ballroom was mirrored. Perhaps she had noticed at some point, but she certainly hadn't thought once more about it, until suddenly she was met by the sight of his muscular body between her own legs. Her pelvis felt as if it were melting immediately, the sight of her hands gripping his back over his thin dress shirt, her legs pulling him deeper with each thrust, his hand moving against her bare thigh…

"Oh…Christ." She gasped, her body throbbing, tightening around his erection faster than he had anticipated, for which he was thankful. The sounds she was making, her body, the alcohol; there was no chance he would last long at all himself. Suddenly, she clutched him tightly, her body convulsing against him in pleasure and sending him over the edge right along with her.

They gasped and groaned together, doing their best to continue moving through their pleasure as their bodies felt as if they were exploding from the intensity of their love. Their heavy breathing was echoing off the walls, sweat forming upon their strained and heated skin. She could feel her body sliding against the ballroom floor beneath the intensity of his thrusts, and she held him even tighter to maintain their connection until he began to slow his movements. She grasped his hair in her hand, pulling him to her lips for an earth-shattering kiss.

She had shattered his entire world, he was certain, but he wouldn't have changed a thing.