I want to dedicate this to ForeverJulie, even though she'll probably kick my ass for not letting her beta it first. November 10th is the anniversary of six months of amazing friendship between her and I – here's to many, many more!

Disclaimer – I only own the ability to write bad fan fiction. I own nothing else. Don't sue me, because you're not going to get anything... because I don't have anything!

Warmth

The sound of rain hitting the tin roof of the barn had lulled the children into deep sleep as the Captain and his new wife huddled together for warmth. It had been a long few days, filled with terror, and they had nothing to exchange with the farmers who lent them their barn for shelter except their undying appreciation for the family.

Georg's fingers brushed Maria's skin as he wrapped his jacket around her, and she shivered at the slight touch of his skin against her shoulder. The rain had soaked her own jacket moments earlier when she left to get water for the family, and staying warm with the wet garment was futile. She had been furious to find that her clothes were also wet, forcing her to strip to her chemise.

His arms closed around her and pulled her close to him, allowing her to bury her head in his shoulders. He felt her body suddenly quiver, and rubbed his hands gently across her back. If she needed to cry, who was he to stop her? He understood her completely, and knowing that the stress of the past few days was catching up to her, he simply held her closely and kissed the top of her head, hoping she'd understand his silent gestures.

"Georg, how can you know me so well?" she whispered in his ear before leaning back to look him in the eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing, Maria," he answered.

She brought her hand up to caress his cheek and smiled when he turned his face towards her palm and kissed it gently.

"Yesterday, all our troubles seemed so far away. I can't believe things have happened so quickly."

"I know, Maria," his voice trailed off as they observed a moment of silence together.

Maria strained for a moment to find a happier subject to converse about.

"I've ached to touch you. All day, all night, we've been so far apart Georg." The way her eyes stared into the depths of his own didn't make him doubt Maria's need for him.

"Let's go where the children won't be able to see us, Maria," he suggested, and looked towards the loft above them.

They rose silently together and began climbing the ladder, which led them to a wooden floor covered in hay. Maria grabbed her husband's hand and led him away from the edge of the barn's upper floor.

In a surprising move, Maria sat atop a large pile of hay and pulled Georg down on top of her, giggling at his confusion and momentary lack of balance.

"Maria, I've been waiting for a moment alone with you for two days. You can't imagine the torture I've been through, looking at you and not being able to touch you." He emphasized his statement by touching her cheek with the palm of his hand, then brushing his lips against hers gently.

"Yes, I can." Maria wrapped her arms around his back, effectively pushing his body closer to hers. She could feel every part of his body touching hers. Her arousal grew. So did his.

"Georg..."

The urgency in her voice didn't go unnoticed. His lips found her way to her neck, where he began to lightly suck her skin.

"Mmm, Georg..."

She felt his lips lightly touching her shoulder, and she felt his fingers push back the thin strap of her chemise. Georg supported himself by his elbows as he unbuttoned it slowly, torturing her with anticipation.

"I love teasing you, Maria. I love seeing that you want this as badly as I do."

His lips resumed their attack on her neck, but this time trailed down her shoulders to the valley between her breasts.

"All good things to those who wait, Fräulein," he continued to tease.

The words against her chest made her gasp.

"I'm beginning to think you don't want me, that you only want to make me suffer," she managed to whisper.

Maria finally began undressing him. He helped her remove his shirt and pants, leaving only their undergarments to separate their skin.

"Oh, oh Maria... it seems like it's been so long."

He lifted the hem of her slip and was pleasantly surprised when he realized that she wasn't wearing panties. He raised an eyebrow, and her only answer was, "well, they got wet too." Maria blushed as she realized the double meaning of her statement. He raised the rest of the fabric and kissed her newly exposed breasts. Maria pulled the slip off herself and placed it in the surrounding hay.

Maria's breathing was increasing rapidly just by the touch of his lips against her body. Georg wanted to please her thoroughly though, and random kisses weren't going to do the trick.

He smiled. Maria was taking matters into her own hands by removing his thin silk boxers. The palm of her hand brushed against his arousal, making him groan in response. Maria continued removing his boxers and placed them atop of her chemise in the hay.

Georg paused for a moment, not quite sure how to continue.

Maria ended his momentary confusion by giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but love, and desire, reflected in them. Georg pressed his lips firmly against Maria's. Maria's eyes closed, but he continued to watch her contently. When he broke the kiss, he almost heard the sound of Maria whimpering in disappointment, but he was too busy assaulting her breasts with his lips.

His hands blazed a trail down her stomach, then ended resting at her thighs, prying her legs open to accept him.

"All good things to those who wait, Captain," she said, almost giggling.

"Maria, let me touch you, please... I need you now."

"Do you?"

"Yes, yes, Maria..."

Maria ended her futile attempt to tease him, and let his fingers explore her.

Maria moaned – the way he moved his fingers inside her body was extraordinary. When he suddenly stopped and removed them, Maria felt empty inside. The feeling didn't last long – Georg rolled their bodies so that she was on top staring down at him. She sat up and his hands rested at her hips, guiding her body down onto his member.

She began to raise and lower herself slowly, but soon Georg couldn't stand the leisurely pace. He turned them back over so that he was on top and began to thrust into her body as quickly as he could.

The sound of lovemaking filled the entire barn, waking some of the younger children who opened their eyes lazily and closed them again, going back to sleep almost instantaneously.

Maria's orgasm hit her suddenly and Georg covered his lips with hers to muffle the sound. Georg bit her lip gently before he screamed her name in ecstasy.

Her eyes remained closed as their bodies calmed and cooled. Georg pulled out of Maria after a small protest, and laid next to her in the hay. He turned on his side to look at his beautiful wife.

"Maria, I think we should get dressed – we wouldn't want to be discovered like this. And we need to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow." He pulled a piece of straw from her hair, then caressed her cheek.

"I know, Georg, but I just want to stay like this, forever, with you."

He closed his eyes and listened to the lulling sound of the rain.

"One day, my love, we will."

He pulled her closer and they stayed like that until morning, when the rain had stopped and the sun shone brightly over the mountains that led them to safety.

El fin!

A/N: I especially want to thank Livylove for beta-ing this for me. She's a real life saver.

I also want to ask for one thing – I do love reviews, but I think at this point criticism is welcome. I'm a big girl, I can handle the good and the bad (maybe...). So, yeah, I love reviews (and feel free to tell me you like my story if you do!) but I do want criticism as well. I'm not going to stop writing, but I want to improve in any way I can.