The sun was just peeking its head over the horizon, bleeding orange and yellow hues through the bluey-black sky.

Georg von Trapp could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. He was normally awake at this time of the morning; years in the Imperial Navy had seen to that. And for Salzburg, days like this were rare, and he liked to make the best of them.

He grabbed his swimming trunks from the closet, having decided to go for a swim in the lake before breakfast was served and his attention would be in demand from the rest of the household.

He swam around the lake for just over an hour. By then, the sun was well and truly making its ascent into the sky, which was, as Georg had deduced, clear and blue.

Reluctantly he emerged from the lake, knowing he still had to shower and get dressed before breakfast. However, as he passed the kitchen on his way back to the master suite he was waylaid by a delightful smell.

The shower could wait.

Like a moth to a flame, Georg felt himself being dragged inside the kitchen. It seemed the cook had left the loaf out to cool. Not wanting to ruin the simple, mouth-watering dish, or his appetite, he decided to make himself some tea; simply as an excuse to stay in the kitchen with the bread and its delicious aroma. He pulled a cup, saucer and milk jug out of the cupboard and went to fetch his robe while the kettle was boiling.

Over on the other side of the villa, Maria had awoken at the break of day, and hadn't been able to get back to sleep again.

Knowing that no good would come just lying down waiting until breakfast time, she had got up, had a warm shower and dressed. She briefly peeped in on the children, but from the noise coming from inside their bedrooms, or lack thereof, they were all still asleep and she had nothing to worry about.

Figuring it was still too early to wake them up to get ready for breakfast, she decided to take a walk outside to get some fresh air. But as she walked down the stairs and across the ground floor, headed for the doors leading out to the terrace, she was dragged in another direction from a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen.

As she neared the kitchen, she saw that the Captain was inside, pouring himself a cup of tea. His back was to her, his hair was wet and he was wearing nothing but his bathrobe and socks.

Her mouth flew open and she let out the tiniest of gasps. She decided her best option was to get out of here now, and carry on with her intended task. She tried to tiptoe past the kitchen without causing any disturbance, but he noticed her anyway.

"Ah, Fraulein," he said, turning around. Maria's suspicions about his attire were all but confirmed as her employer stood in front of her in less articles of clothing than she'd ever seen before.

Which in itself was a sight she had never expected to see.

Thankfully, courtesy of the tie at the waist, the robe was held closed, but Maria still averted her eyes and hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Would you care to join me?"

For a second she was frozen to the spot. Was this allowed? What about the Baroness? She was the woman he was courting; the children's new mother. She was their governess. Moreover, she was going to be a nun. And here he was asking her to join her in the kitchen, before breakfast.

But for some reason, a reason she couldn't name, she found the idea of being alone with the Captain somewhat inviting. She hadn't had any time where it was just the two of them since she had arrived at the villa three weeks ago. He was her employer after all, and she felt responsible to get to know him on some level, especially after what she had heard from the children.

She nodded hesitantly and walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table, while the Captain leaned against the island. "Would you like some tea?"

She nodded again, more confidently this time, and watched him turn around to open the cupboard and take out another cup and saucer.

"Milk?"

"Yes, please," she said. "And a spoonful of sugar."

The Captain nodded. "Certainly," he chuckled, retrieving the sugar pot and a spoon and laying them on the table in front of her.

"You don't have sugar in your tea?" she asked, spooning the sugar into her cup.

He shook his head. "I never really had a sweet tooth, as they say. I think Liesl and Kurt inherited that from their mother."

Maria inhaled before giving the Captain a small smile. He smiled back.

It had been less than a week since Georg had returned from Vienna. In the past week, for the first time in years, he was slowing down, taking in everything and absorbing the beauty of the simpler things in life.

Things such as stopping by the kitchen to smell freshly baked bread and having tea with the governess before breakfast.

"Well my parents used to give me a spoonful of sugar in my drink when I was sick," she continued. "They said it helped the medicine go down."

Georg chuckled again and sat down at the table opposite the governess. "Did it work?" he asked.

"Strangely enough, it did," she giggled. "I've been doing it ever since."

"Agathe had sugar in her tea," he said, gazing off into the distance. His eyes became unfocused. It was funny how a simple thing like a cup of tea could make him remember her. It was the first time he'd mentioned his late wife in years. It was also the first time in years he could think about her without feeling like his heart was being ripped from his chest.

"I'm so sorry," was the soft reply.

Georg shook his head. "Thank you, Fraulein. But I think everything will be alright. You brought music back into the house, brought us back together as a family."

"I'm glad I could help," she murmured. "And if there's anything else I can do, please let me know."

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "And likewise, if I can help you in any way please let me know."

"I don't think that will be necessary sir."

He rose from the chair, and placed his now empty cup in the sink.

"Nevertheless…" He looked back at her. He could never repay her for what she had done; she had quite literally given him his life back.

"Please think about it."

NEW STORY! YAY! And this is going to be big. Between this and the other chapters I've already written, it's my longest story ever. And we're nowhere near close to the end. If you are part of the TSOM ProBoards, you may recognise this piece. I never ended up publishing it here, but I thought it worked very well for this story.
As I've already got more chapters written, I will be publishing one a week until they're all up. By which point there should (hopefully) be at least another one.