In Paris.

Georg woke early. He was tired and had hoped to sleep a little more, especially since they had been at the Opera and had gone to bed late the night before. But as usual, he woke up at dawn. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut; willing himself to go back to sleep but it was no use. He rolled over to look at Maria sleeping soundly next to him. Admiring her, he still felt the most incredible privilege at being able to watch her sleep. He knew that it would be several hours at least before she would wake, as he had learnt shortly after arriving in Paris that she hated getting up early and it was no wonder that she always ran late in the mornings.

It was just one of the many things that he had learnt about Maria since their wedding just over a month ago. He discovered that she liked croissants for breakfast and strawberry ice cream for afternoon tea. In fact, she liked those ice creams so much that she somehow always managed to deviate them to the ice cream stand on the banks of the Seine whenever they were strolling along the banks of the river.

They had shared many conversations where he had learnt all about her unhappy childhood and her time at the Abbey. She revealed to him her many fears and hopes, while telling the most amusing stories, especially those involving the legendary Sister Berthe. He, in turn, had told her all about his childhood, his marriage to Agathe and the children growing up, as well as his life in the navy.

But also he had learnt things about her that only a husband should know. He learnt about how her body felt in his arms, how his kisses and caresses seemed to ignite a fire inside her and about how to please her during their lovemaking. He had discovered that while she had been a little nervous and shy about their first night together, she had a very passionate but also mischievous streak within her who took great delight in teasing him but also sought to please him during their intimate time together. He had learnt that she always sang in the shower and that she liked to sleep on her stomach, hugging the pillow beneath her head whenever she wasn't snuggled in his arms. With every new thing that he learnt about her, he found himself loving her more and more.

Thinking about their lovemaking, Georg felt tempted to wake Maria, however he knew that they had made no fixed plans for the day so there would be plenty to time to spend in bed together later on. Letting out a small sigh, Georg gave Maria a light kiss on the top of her head before getting up and finding his pyjamas and robe. He left Maria to continue sleeping and went out into the lounge room of their suite to order his morning newspaper and coffee.

Around an hour later, Maria awoke and rolled over to find the space in the bed next to her was empty. She wasn't surprised, as she knew that Georg was an early riser. But it was much earlier than when she usually woke so she just lay in comfort of the soft bed for a few minutes more before getting up. Glancing around the room to locate her nightgown, Maria saw it lying on the other side of the room where Georg had tossed it in a fit of passion during their lovemaking the night before. She smiled to herself at the memory of the previous night as she retrieved it and dressed before going to find Georg.

Georg was not in the lounge room but she could see that the French doors to the terrace were open. Maria spied the pot of coffee on the table, still warm. Pouring herself a cup, she ventured outside to join Georg. He was standing on the balcony of the terrace, his back to her, staring out over the Paris skyline.

"Good morning darling!" She said brightly. Surprisingly, Georg did not respond or even turn upon her greeting, apparently deep in thought.

Maria approached him and placed her hand on his arm. "Georg?"

Immediately, he jumped, startled by her touch and accidentally knocking her coffee, causing it to spill on the ground.

"Oh Maria, I'm sorry," he said apologetically "I didn't hear you come out. Did the coffee scold you at all?"

"No, it just missed me!" Maria started to laugh but quickly stopped upon seeing the distressed look on Georg's face. "Georg, is everything alright?" She asked suddenly concerned.

"No, it's not alright." He replied grimly and motioned to the newspaper lying on the breakfast table. Putting down her now half cup of coffee, Maria went over to the paper and picked it up. Reading the headline, she sank into a chair and stared at the paper in shock. A few moments past before she spoke. "The Anschluss? When?"

"Yes, the Anschluss." Georg replied bitterly. "Yesterday it seems."

He knew he didn't have to explain anything to Maria about the implications of what had just happened. Over their time together in Paris, not only had they seen the many sights of the city and gotten to know each other better but also they had spent many hours taking about the political situation in Austria and Germany. They both knew the gravity of what this news meant for their country, their family and especially for Georg himself, being a decorated naval hero.

It was a few moments before Maria was able to speak.

"The children?" Maria asked in almost a whisper, suddenly worried what the changed political situation in Austria would mean for the children who had remained in Salzburg with Max while she and Georg were on their honeymoon.

"Yes, I've already tried to telephone but I couldn't get through. I'm worried." He paused. "Maria, I'm sorry. I think we need to cut our honeymoon short and return to Salzburg as soon as possible."

Maria nodded. "Of course Georg. There really isn't any other option is there?"

Georg sat down next to her and took her hand, giving it a kiss. "No, I wish there were." He was thankful that she was so understanding and supportive of him and his decisions.

"Maria, I'm going to have a shower and get dressed. Then I'll go and try to alter our travel arrangements so we may be able to return home earlier than we had planned. Can I ask you to start packing for us both?"

"Certainly darling." Maria replied. "Did you want me to order breakfast before you go?"

"You go ahead, my love," Georg said. "I'm not that hungry."

Maria understood. He gave her a quick kiss then left her to order breakfast. Around ten minutes later he appeared freshly dressed, just as the breakfast tray arrived at the suite. After sneakily swiping a croissant out of her hands, claiming he had changed his mind about breakfast, he assured her he would be back as soon as he could before he left the suite. Maria quickly finished breakfast, although she was not that hungry herself. After firstly showering and dressing, she began the arduous task of packing, being slightly overwhelmed by the quantity of items to be packed since they had done a lot of shopping since their arrival in Paris a month before.

Several hours later, she was just finishing putting the last of the souvenirs in their suitcases when she heard the door to the suite open.

"Maria?" She heard Georg call out.

"Yes, darling. In here." She called back, walking from the dressing room into the bedroom.

Georg appeared at the door looking exhausted.

"You look tired." Maria commented.

"Yes, I guess I am." He replied as he sat down on the bed. Maria came over and sat next to him, putting her hands on his shoulders and giving them a rub.

"Hmm... That feels nice." Georg told her, closing his eyes slightly, enjoying her touch. "Did you get everything packed?" He asked.

"Yes, just finished. So, how did you go this morning?" Maria asked him.

"I guess as best as could be expected due to the situation." He said. "It seems with the Anschluss occurring, everyone has had the same idea as us with returning to Austria. The earliest train I was able to obtain tickets for leaves tomorrow. Even then, I was only able to get us as far as Zurich. I've made arrangements to spend the night at a hotel before continuing on to Salzburg the following day."

Maria nodded. "So, just one more night here in Paris?"

"Yes." He replied. They were both silent for some moments, the mood sombre.

"So, what would you like to do on our last day?" Georg asked light-heartedly, trying to lift the mood. "Anything you would like to do or anywhere you would like to go… your wish is my command."

"Yes sir!" Maria said, playing along also by giving him a mock salute, causing him to laugh.

"Seriously though Georg," Maria said taking his hand and stroking it. "That's sweet, but I'm not sure I feel in the mood for anything."

"I know." He replied giving her a small smile of understanding, "I feel the same way. How about we just start with lunch and then see how we feel?"

They left their suite and headed out to one of the small restaurants nearby. The meal itself was pleasant enough, however neither of them felt like talking much, the gravity of the political situation too much on their minds. It was only after they left the restaurant to stroll by the river that they spoke.

"It seems so peaceful here," said Maria with a sigh, gazing out over the Seine. "It's hard to imagine what is going on back home."

"Hmm," replied Georg. "The whole country taken over. Austria as we know it is no more. It's such a mess. While I have no doubt that Max is doing a superb job with looking after the children, I will feel better once we are back in Salzburg."

"What do you think will happen once we get home?" Maria asked.

Georg sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know, Maria. I don't know, although I suspect our return will not go unnoticed by the officers of the Third Reich."

Just as Maria opened her mouth to ask Georg what he meant by his last remark, he changed the topic completely. "Ah, darling. I happen to spy your favourite ice cream seller over there. One last strawberry ice cream before we go?"

As they continued to stroll along the banks of the river while she ate her ice cream, Maria tried again to question Georg about his remark, however he quite successfully managed to change the topic. It became obvious to Maria that Georg didn't wish to continue speaking about the political situation. She knew Georg well enough by now to know not to push him when he didn't want to talk about something.

Just as she finished her ice cream, Georg turned to her and said, "Well, my dear, our last afternoon in Paris. Have you given any more thought to what you would like to do?"

Maria sighed. "Oh, I don't know. I still don't feel like sightseeing. I just feel tired, Georg. Would you be disappointed if we went back to the hotel for a rest?"

"A rest?" Georg questioned, his eyebrows raised. "O-ho! Something tells me you won't get much rest if we go back to the hotel." He said wickedly with a bit of a smirk.

Knowing the meaning behind his words, Maria rolled her eyes and playfully slapped his hand.

"Georg," she said with a hint of exasperation, "is that all you ever think of?"

He just shrugged and gave her a small smile before putting his arm around her and whispering in her ear. "Need I remind you, Baroness, of a confession you made to me not that long ago that was exactly along those same lines?"

Immediately Maria blushed and cast her eyes downward, a little embarrassed that Georg had brought up their conversation from a few weeks ago where she had shyly confessed to him how much she daydreamed about him and their intimate time together.

Maria decided to ignore his comment, lest she become the object of his unrelenting teasing. She pulled herself out of his arms and started to walk towards the hotel.

"Maria?" Georg called out after her. "I'm sorry. I only meant to tease."

Maria paused to glance back at him. "I know." She said with a little laugh. "I'm going back to the hotel for a rest. I think I can resist you… you're not that attractive you know!" And with that, she walked off, leaving him to follow her.

Several hours later, they were dressing for dinner. Georg stood at the mirror doing up his tie, while Maria put the finishing touches on her outfit. Glancing in the mirror over to the unmade, very dishevelled bed, he started to chuckle out loud.

"What's so funny darling?" Maria asked.

"I knew you couldn't resist me!" He said thinking back to the last few hours that they spent together in that bed, Maria powerless to resist him once they arrived back at their suite.

Maria turned to him and finished tying his tie for him. Then playfully using his tie to pull him close to her, she kissed him passionately before saying, "I didn't hear you complaining. Besides I was under the impression, Captain that it was you who couldn't resist me!"

She gave him a pointed, yet innocent look as she straightened his tie and turned back toward the mirror to finish combing her hair. Georg was left struck speechless by her sudden boldness.

"So, where are you taking me for dinner?" Maria asked him, changing the topic. "You said it was a surprise."

"Sorry, what?" Georg stammered, still a little flustered by her previous bold move. "Dinner? Yes, dinner! Of course! Ah, you will just have to wait and find out."

Shortly after, they left the hotel and took a taxi to the bottom of Le Champs de Mars. As they got out of the taxi, Maria asked. "So, where are we going?"

"Up."

"What's 'up'?"

"Your dinner, Madam." Georg said, giving her a little bow with a flourish of his hand.

Maria could only stare up at the Eiffel Tower, magically lit up at night with what seemed to be thousands of little lights. Georg had taken her there on their first week in Paris during the day to see the views of Paris but they had not been back there at night. What's more, she never realised that there was actually a restaurant up in the tower. She was still struck by the wonder as Georg led her over to the lifts that ascended the tower, seemingly into the sky.

They lingered at the restaurant until late in the evening, enjoying the finest French cuisine and sharing a bottle of wine, something that had become quite a habit since early in their engagement.

Maria sat admiring the Paris skyline, lit up like a fairyland.

"Oh Georg," she exclaimed, "It's just so beautiful! Thank you for bringing me here. What a perfect end to such a wonderful honeymoon!"

"My pleasure, darling." Georg replied and it really was his pleasure; to make Maria happy and to see her smile, especially after the news they had received that morning.

The past month of their honeymoon had been nothing short of remarkable. The time they had spent together and the things they had learnt about one another; he hoped were enough to build a solid foundation to their marriage, enough to withstand what was to lie ahead upon their return to Austria. The things he knew were bound to happen and the things he hoped would not happen.

Georg tried to put those thoughts out of his mind for the moment. That would be something to deal with tomorrow. But for now, on their last night in Paris, being with Maria was just perfect.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review and be nice :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Sound of Music or any of its characters.