Georg went out to the garden one evening as the ball that he and Maria we're hosting continued on inside.
"Maria my darling, what're you doing out here?" He asked softly as he made his way over to her.
"I just thought you'd rather dance with Elsa Schraeder." She sighed, standing up and facing him.
"Why would you think that?" He furrowed his brow as he looked down at her.
"The way you were standing so close to her, holding her close to you and the way you were both smiling at each other. I guess it made me feel that-" She trailed off shaking her head as she looked down.
"I've gone off you and fallen back in love with her?" He rested his finger under her chin, moving her gaze back to his.
She shrugged her shoulders slowly as their eyes locked and he felt his heart sink a little.
"Come here, my love," He took her hand and sat down on the bench, pulling her hand gently so she was sitting on his lap. "I want to ask you some questions."
She nodded slowly as her arm was around his neck, his hand caressing a firm line down her thigh.
"Who is it that I take to bed every night with me? The one who only I get to watch as she sleeps? You, or Elsa Schraeder?" He asked.
"Me," She sighed, her thumb stroking against the soft skin of his neck.
"Who is it who I make love to almost every night? The one who's sounds of pleasure I never tire of hearing or seeing?"
"Me," A soft smile grew on her lips as she let her head lay against his shoulder.
"And who is it, my darling, that's the mother to my seven children?" He questioned.
"Me again," She admitted. "But Georg, it's eight now."
He moved her away for a minute as he looked deeply into her eyes.
"You're not lying to me Maria, are you?" He raised an eyebrow as his eyes were visibly filling up with tears.
She shook her head and giggled softly.
"I'm not lying, sweetheart," She cupped his neck gently. "I'm really pregnant with your baby. I'm going to have your baby."
He didn't say anything for a long time after that, choosing instead to strongly bring her closer to his chest and hold her for a while, leaving slow kisses to the side of her head and face.
"Maria," He murmured after quite some time.
"Hmm?" She hummed against the soft skin of his neck as she was slowly falling tired, her eyes closed as she nuzzled her nose there.
"The last dance of the evening is the Ländler so I've been told," He rubbed her back gently. "And all those months ago we never quite completed it, did we?"
She moved her head and shook it slowly as another smile crept onto her lips.
"How about we change that?" He chuckled as he pressed a slow kiss to her lips.
He helped her off of his lap and took her back inside, Maria feeling slightly uncomfortable as Elsa shot a dirty look in her direction.
"She's not the Baroness, remember?" He leaned to speak softly into her ear. "That's your position now, don't let her get to you."
She nodded slowly, taking his hand as he led her over to the children.
"Maybe you should all head up to bed now, children," He told them. "It's nearly midnight, you've had long enough."
"But Liesl gets to stay up!" Marta complained. "I want to watch the dancing."
"My darling," Maria gently cupped Marta's cheek, her thumb stroking over the softness of it. "Liesl's seventeen now. She's entitled to it."
She kissed her forehead softly before standing back up again and looping her arm through Georg's.
"If you all hurry off upstairs then maybe your mother will read you a story later if you're still awake. And maybe we'll have an announcement for you all in the morning." Georg smiled.
After the children had gone up, the Ländler started playing and Georg led Maria over to the other dancers in the middle of the ballroom.
As they danced, he frequently dipped his head and left sweet kisses to her mouth which made her giggle and blush each time.
Later that evening, Georg came out of the bathroom as Maria readied herself for bed.
She smiled as she looked in the mirror at him walking closer to her, and he wrapped his arms gently around her waist, laying his chin on her shoulder.
"Someone looked absolutely beautiful tonight," He started. "And it wasn't just Gretl."
She scoffed softly, a blush rising in her cheeks as she pressed back into his frame.
"Do you know how long I prayed for you to be my wife?" He kissed the bare skin of her shoulder slowly, drawing his lips over it a few times. "I flush to admit it, but I even prayed when I was with Elsa. I couldn't get you out of my mind for one minute. Then when you left, I think it broke my heart more than it did the children's."
"I'm sorry, Georg." She sighed. "I just felt like I seriously couldn't stay if you were going to marry Elsa. It'd feel to awkward, and then a few nights after I returned I felt the awkwardness hit me. Then it went away again, because of what you did."
"You're talking about the kiss, aren't you?" He smirked. "Well, to be fair, it was quite a good one."
"Hmm, it was." She nodded as he chuckled softly, watching their reflections in the mirror. "That was only a year ago today, and now I'm carrying your baby."
He turned her in his arms and held her close to his chest as she gripped his shirt.
"I love you, Maria," He admitted to her. "More than anything in the world. Well, maybe I love the children the same amount as you, but that's about it."
"I love you too," She smiled against the fabric. "Dearly. But now all I want from you is for you to hold me whilst we go to sleep."
So that's exactly what they did as they fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.
