AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm going to keep the author's notes short, just here to say that I'm trying to get back into the regular habit of writing by doing some Christmas one-shots throughout December - Also, the title of this collection is a reference to one of my favourite Christmas songs: "Fairytale of New York"

None of the one -shots are related, but are all based around Christmas and winter prompts. I have a lot of ideas, but I', not sure how many I'll get done, I'm sure the unused ideas will get reused at some point.

Anyway, the idea for this one-shot was given to me by proboards user andhereweare, there exact suggestion was "Maria's clumsiness imperils Christmas celebrations" - so thank you!

I hope you all enjoy this!

Fairytale of Salzburg

The Christmas Tree

The von Trapp villa was a grand sight to any observer, and anyone lucky enough to pass by the stunning construction often found themselves daydreaming about what could possibly lie inside. Was the interior of the glorious home as magnificent as what could be seen on the outside? Well, one of the lucky ones to know the truth was Maria Rainer, and for whatever reason, should she be asked, she could easily gush about the luxury she had been indirectly blessed with after becoming a governess to the von Trapp children. Quite simply, the villa that the children got to call home had stunned her upon her arrival, and even after spending the entirety of the summer season there, Maria still found herself taken aback on occasions; there was just something about the place that made her want to twirl around and dance the night away…something that the Captain objected to less and less as the months rolled on.

She had been expected to leave when the summer holiday had come to an end, but when the time came, it seemed as though the von Trapps simply couldn't let her go, and after much consideration and pleading (from both the children and their father), Maria had agreed to stay on. Things stayed relatively within the bounds of normality after that, obviously there was the occasional mishap (more often than not caused by Maria's clumsiness), but the autumn season rolled on, and within the blink of an eye, Christmas had hit Salzburg.

With the Baroness and the Captain no longer engaged, Maria often took on the more motherly duties and did so with all the love in the world, and she felt a greater determination to carry said tasks out around the holiday season in the absence of the children's biological mother. In addition to her expected duty as a governess, Maria often found herself aiding the more intimate holiday wishes of the children; wrapping presents, building snowmen and all the things one would associate with the festive season. However, there was one task that she insisted that she should have no part in: decorating the Christmas tree.

"Are you sure, Fraulein? You're more than welcome to take part, in fact, we'd very much enjoy your contribution" the Captain had told her with a melting smile.

Fighting the tinge glowing in her cheeks, she smiled back – turning away and blushing only briefly before replying to him,

"That's very kind of you, Captain, but I really don't think I'm suited for the task" she said with a slight chuckle.

"You're not going to use your apparent clumsiness as an excuse, are you?" he teased.

"What do you mean 'apparent'? I'm sure you've seen me trip and fall more than you've seen me upright! And do I need to bring up the rowboat incident again?"

"No, you don't" he laughed, "Still, I hardly think it's a good enough reason for you to exclude yourself. I can keep an eye on you" he smirked.

Oh, there's no reason why his smile, his words, his very aura should send her mind reeling, her stomach dropping and her heart racing…but there was just something about him that affected her in the strangest of ways…or perhaps it was just the merriment of Christmas?

"It's quite alright…" she breathed, willing her heart to return to an acceptable pace, "…besides, I think it would be a good opportunity for you to spend some quality time alone with the children"

"I must admit that does sound appealing…"

There was a brief pause as he took her offer into consideration; truthfully, he didn't want her to leave, for some reason he always wanted her to be around, but when he looked into her eyes, he could see that her heart was set on him strengthening his bond with the children,

"I can give you the afternoon off, if you'd like"

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Captain"

"Please, I want to" he said warmly.

"Well, thank you very much, I appreciate it"

"Think nothing of it, Fraulein. So, what will you do with the time?"

"I think I'll go down to the abbey, it's been a while since I've visited, and I do so love it at Christmas time"

"Sounds wonderful. Shall I see if Franz will drive you?"

"No, it's okay. I can take the bus"

"You're sure?" he asked kindly.

"I'm sure, I don't want to trouble anyone"

"You're never any trouble, Fraulein" he smiled.

"I doubt that" she blushed.

And that was pretty much where the conversation had ended. As expected, Maria had gone to the abbey that afternoon and had enjoyed spending time with the sisters whilst the von Trapps had spent their time assembling and decorating a magnificent tree to stand proudly in the drawing room.

"Oh, it looks absolutely spectacular!" Maria exclaimed as the youngest of the von Trapp brood had practically dragged her to see the masterpiece, "well done, everyone!"

"Father let me put the star on top!" Gretl exclaimed proudly – puffing her chest out as she did so.

"Well, wasn't that nice of him" she replied as she daringly flashed their father a quick smile.

"He said that I get to do it next year" added Marta.

"Wonderful!"

She once again let her gaze cast over the tree and it really was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was a mountainous structure – almost reaching the ceiling – and was wrapping elegantly in only the most shimmering tinsel and deep gold lights, beads and baubles hung from just the right places and, as Gretl had pointed out, the star on top was the perfect finisher. It was a tree fit for royalty, Maria concluded, it glittered and gleamed like something she had only ever dreamt of as a child; in truth it was absolutely mesmerising in its grandiosity…and nothing less would suit the von Trapp household.

"Not bad for an afternoons work, wouldn't you agree, Fraulein?" the Captain's voice suddenly sounded beside her, and it took all of Maria's strength not to jump…and then to blush, as she was acutely aware that the children were still in the room.

"Most certainly, Captain. I think you've all done splendidly"

"Thank you. So, how was your visit to the abbey?"

"Wonderful! It was so lovely to see the sisters again"

"I'm very glad to hear that. Please tell me more over dinner, but if you'll excuse me, I need to get changed"

He walked away then, absent-mindedly brushing his hand across her shoulder as he did so, and Maria swore that she'd never felt so inexcusably frazzled.

She couldn't sleep that night. She wasn't sure why, she had had quite an eventful day; the younger children had been quite a handful after dinner with the added excitement of the new Christmas tree, and it had been quite an effort on Maria's part to keep them under control. Yet everyone else in the villa seemed to be sound asleep…all except for her. It frustrated her greatly, knowing that she was exhausted yet something in the back of her mind was keeping her firmly in the land of consciousness…perhaps a walk around the house would clear her head?

Sighing, Maria swung her legs out of bed before putting on her slippers and robe, and she hugged the soft fabric around her frame as she made her way through the chilled halls of the villa…Austria truly was cold in the winter. Not wanting to risk disturbing anyone, she immediately headed downstairs, and with a brief flicker of childlike excitement, made her way into the drawing room. It was dark upon her entry, the room in hibernation for the night time hours, but after some surprisingly well-placed steps and impressive muscle memory, Maria successfully managed to flick a correct switch and illuminate the tree – its glory intensified as it was surrounded by the inky blackness of the room.

She didn't think she'd ever get used to just how much awe it gave her, and as she gazed upon its twinkling glory, she found herself flushed with sentiment; how she had been blessed to work for such a wonderful family, with seven extraordinary children who loved her in a way she'd never felt before. She knew deep down that they saw her as more than a governess, but the love that they gave her still exceeded everything she'd ever dreamed of. And their father, they had fought furiously at first, and in the beginning there had been many moments when Maria was sure he'd make her employment feel like a nightmare; but all of that had changed, now she could consider him a friend and on occasions, she felt something else lingering between them, something so new yet curiously addictive. She had no idea what it was, whether she could trust it or whether it was right or wrong, but she knew that she never wanted it to stop…

Her musings were interrupted at some point when she noticed that a pieced of tinsel had fallen ever so slightly from its allocated branch and was now dangling in a way that seemed unseemly in comparison to the rest of it. She didn't even think twice about fixing it, why would she? Even the most impulsive creature would see it as harmless…then again, this was Maria.
She would never be able to tell anyone how it happened, but as she reached up and took a hold of the tinsel, she tripped. Over what she simply couldn't say, her own feet perhaps? It had happened on more than one occasion, nevertheless, she had tripped, and her reflexes simply willed her to grip tighter, and in one disastrous sweep, she fell, and the tree came tumbling down with her.

Luckily for her, she was not injured, and the toppling of the tree did not make the loudest sounds, but her heart still thundered wildly in her chest, and she was terrified that she had woken someone. Her mind became a whirlwind of paranoid visions, teary-eyed Gretl seeing the tree in ruins, a disappointed father shaking his head coldly at the clumsy governess or a scowling butler who had disliked her from day one…

She stayed completely still for a few moments longer, listening with prey-like intensity to try and detect any sign of movement from the upstairs rooms, and much to her utter delight, the house remained silent – only the ticking of the grandfather clock could be heard. She scrambled to her feet when she was certain that she was in the clear, but her heart sank when her eyes fell upon the state of the tree, flat on its side with lights, tinsel and unbroken ornaments scattered everywhere. A complete wreck.

"Oh, help…" she breathed.

Georg von Trapp had struggled to sleep that night, he had tossed and turned for most of the night before finally falling into an unsatisfactory slumber…only to be awoken a short time later by some kind of sound. He wasn't completely sure what it was, or ever if it was merely a figment of his imagination; but before he could come to a conclusion, exhaustion had caught up on him and he'd passed out almost immediately. Still, he had rose early as he always did and was the first one up with the exception of the kitchen staff; deciding that it was too cold outside to take a walk, and that his study was no place to relax, he made his way downstairs and towards the drawing room – hoping to get a few moments peace before his brood awoke and the chaos began.

Of course, the room was peaceful enough, but what he found was far from what he'd been expecting…not that he'd been expecting anything in particular, but Maria fast asleep on the sofa was the very last thing he'd thought he'd see. The surprise had caused him to freeze instantly at the door, his hand still on the handle, and he'd studied her sleeping form with wide eyes and a dropping jaw. What on earth was she doing in here? She was still in her sleepwear, surely she hadn't spent the whole night down here? She must have come down at some point, but what for?

He eventually regained the use of his legs and took slow, measured steps into the room, towards his children's governess but was still careful not to wake her…she looked so peaceful. He studied her again, searching with burning curiosity as to why she might be in here, but he found none…until he looked around the room. He hadn't noticed it at first, in fact, he would in future years claim that his particularly sharp wit and keen eye for detail was to thank for it, but when he studied the Christmas tree, he noticed that it stood in a slightly different position to where he'd placed it the day before – a few inches to the right, to be exact. Additionally, one or two ornaments now lay on different branches and he was sure that one or two strands of tinsel were higher than before.

And that's when it all made sense, the mysterious noise in the middle of the night, a sleeping governess and a slightly altered Christmas tree…with an educated guess he put the pieces together, something had happened to the tree in the night – and he had a pretty good idea as to what that was – and Maria, bless her, had clearly spent the entire night trying to fix it. His heart warmed at the very thought of it, her staying up until some ungodly hour just so that he and his children would not be upset come morning. She really was too good for this world, and he felt truly blessed that she had come into their lives.

He gave her a tender smile before standing next to her, slipping off his suit jacket and placing it gently around her sleeping frame; still smiling, he bent down slightly and stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Thank you, Maria" he whispered.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really hope you all enjoyed that! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

See you soon!