Interlude in the Gazebo

Georg stood on the balcony watching her drift quietly across the grounds, stopping at the iron gate by the lake in quiet contemplation. She would be wearing that blue dress, he thought, an amused smirk curling the corner of his mouth. He had to believe she wore it just for him, though he couldn't for the life of him remember ever letting her know how much he liked it.

He waited for her to disappear out of view before leaving the balcony, but it took all his will power to do it. It seemed like forever since he found the note telling him that she had gone to the Abbey. Her arrival those many months ago brought upheaval and chaos to his tightly run ship of a household, but her absence, well… her absence was even more profound. But now she was back. Finally.

"I thought I might find you here," he said, approaching from behind a tree. She turned at the sound of his voice, and smiled briefly.

"Was there something you wanted, Captain?"

"Oh, no, no…well, maybe. May I join you?" She nodded and watched as he set down on the bench, his body turned to face her. He let out a low whistle during the moment of silence that followed, his hand nervously twitching as it rested on the space between them.

"So. You're back?" It wasn't a question, it was a statement really, and rather silly one at that. He shrugged at the absurdity of it.

"Yes," Maria replied simply, biting her lower lip, encouraging him to continue.

"You were gone a long time. You didn't even say good-bye, only left a note. I'm still not even sure why you left."

"Oh, Captain," she said, her voice light. "You had to know I'd come back. I missed the children too much to stay away."

"Oh," he said, nodding. "Only the children?"

"Well… isn't it right that I should have missed them?"

"Yes, of course, I just guess I hoped that, well… you know."

"No. No, I don't know. Tell me." She leaned toward him and looked at him with urgency.

"What am I supposed to say? That I missed you? That everything was all wrong while you were gone?" His hands twitched again, his fingers flexing with the need to reach out and touch her. When he finally dared to meet her eyes, he could see a brief flash of disappointment. He would have to try to do better than that. "Because it's true. I did miss you. And I couldn't stop thinking about you the whole time you were gone." A light triumphant laugh drifted from her as she stood up and began to walk toward the gazebo.

"I missed you, too," she confessed. Georg hurried to follow her, though he thought it best to maintain a certain distance.

"You did?"

"Mm-hmm," she answered, adding with an exasperated shake of her head, "Oh, it was awful. There I was, trying to listen to the Reverend Mother speak to me and all I could do was wonder what was happening here. And when I tried to pray, oh my… impossible. Thoughts of you flooded my mind. And not the kind of thoughts that prompt heartfelt petitions, I assure you. Scandalous, truly scandalous. If the Mother only knew…" Georg followed her into the gazebo and spun her to face him. Maria gasped as he brought his face close to hers, his lips hovering so near that she could almost feel them touching her.

"Maria," he spoke to her tenderly. "I love you."

"That's good," she managed, flustered by his nearness and the anticipation of what was clearly on his mind. "Because I love you, too. The question now, Captain, is what are you going to do about it?" Georg's eyes flickered slightly at her blatant enticement, but faded into intense desire as he gently lifted her chin and reached for her lips.

He brushed his mouth to hers lightly at first, pulling back in a tease. But she chased after him and leaned forward into his embrace. She whimpered at his cruelty, but not for long. He finally succumbed to the need to fully kiss her, to taste her. She pressed herself even closer, opening her mouth to his. His response was to run his hands across her blushing cheeks, down her slender throat and over her shoulders. He felt his hand get caught in the flowing sleeves of her dress, allowing him to feel the coolness of her back. He let himself to explore this development while covering her face with small kisses until he reached the top of her head.

Suddenly he felt the muscles on her back tense as a small shudder ran through her body. She pulled away from him, placing her hands on his chest to push him away. He watched as her face contorted and twisted before she covered it with her hands and turned away from him.

"Maria?" She shook her head, then reared back.

"A-a-choo!" They stood frozen, staring at each other for a brief moment.

"Alright, that's it," Georg finally spoke, exhaling deeply as he rolled his eyes. He released her from his arms and quickly shed his jacket and tossed it around her shoulders.

"Oh, it was just a sneeze," Maria grumbled, pulling the jacket closer around her shivering torso.

"Well, what did you expect, coming out here in that dress in this weather?"

"It would have been fine if you hadn't taken so long. What were you doing up there on the balcony anyway? Waiting for a starting pistol?"

"O-ho, so this is my fault after all," he laughed. "Well, it doesn't matter. This little trip down memory lane was quite pleasant while it lasted, but I won't have my wife catching a cold."

"Very well," Maria relented, following him out of the gazebo. She took his hand as they walked slowly toward the house. "Hard to recapture the mood, anyway."

"Oh, we're just relocating, my love," Georg said, pulling her to his side and rubbing her arm for warmth. "Trust me, this is not over yet." Maria giggled.

"You know, I often wondered what would have happened that night if you hadn't been such a gentleman."

"Yes, well…" He shot her a sidelong glance, cleared his throat and returned to guiding her along the path. "I do have some thoughts on the matter. But right now I need to get you somewhere warmer. So, how is the Reverend Mother?"

"She's fine and sends her regards," Maria reported. "I decided to stay for vespers. That's why I'm so late."

"So that bit about praying…"

"Entirely true, may God forgive me."

A/N: So, here's the thing… I wrote this scene and asked for some feedback, specifically what happens next KEEPING IN MIND that I don't write 'M' rated stories… and utility-singer stepped up with her own story of what happens between Georg and Maria when they make it back to the house. It is pretty hot. And rated 'M'… so you'll have to set your filter to find it. I promise it will be soooo worth it if you do.

It's titled "Interlude in the Study".

And again… it's 'M'. Just so there is no confusion.

Please leave a review. Please. Pretty please.