A/N Because I need the weather to be cold, this story's timeline is going to be based on the RL Maria's book where she was to stay for nine months at the von Trapp villa (so she continues to look after Marta and Gretl while the other children are at school).

Incandescent

"You fell in love with the sun
the first time it stared back at you.
You couldn't understand everyone else's passion for darkness,
because there had been nothing more alluring
than the broiling rays that cut through your skin
when you tried to touch her.
Through deaf ears you heard them call you foolish
for ever trying to make it.
Did mama never teach you not to hug a burning thing?
The flames should have been enough to keep you away.
So close your eyes,
and take the fall.
Let your heart rot and your wings melt,
remember she's above you not beneath.
You should have thought of that when hoping for arms
to soften your descent."
– Daniella Michalleni, "Incandescent"

Stamping her feet on the ground to try and keep warm, Maria waved patiently as she saw the last of the children off. She waited until the large doors had shut before she turned around and headed back to the car where Franz was waiting to take her back to the villa. Sliding awkwardly into the backseat, she peered out the window, watching as the town hall got smaller and smaller before they turned a corner and it was out of sight.

The weather had become increasingly cold since summer had faded away but it hadn't really made itself known until today. Autumn had arrived and brought the biting cold and days that dwindled into darkness much too soon. Due to the cold weather, the local school the children attended was holding a small evening full of games and story telling. Since all ages had been welcomed to attend, Maria, and an irritated Franz, had dropped all seven children off at the hall loaded with snacks and blankets. It had been with a heavy heart that Maria had waved goodbye to the children for the evening. She had not been with at least one of them over the past few months, and lately, she'd been clinging to them like a shield.

It was all because of the party a month ago. Countless nights had gone by where she dreamt that her dance with the Captain had never ended. Or if it did end, it certainly didn't end the way it really had. No, it ended in his arms with his lips clinging so sweetly to hers. It was utter nonsense. She had repeated this to herself many times, told herself that she was being a silly girl. All he had done was dance with her to show his son how to do it properly. And the way he looked at her, that was- that was- that was just her being ridiculous. It was impossible to forget that face, no matter how hard she tried – or even prayed to forget. It made her recall the conversation she had had with the Reverend Mother before she'd been sent to live at the von Trapp villa.

"The Captain, I understand, is having trouble keeping a governess and has asked us to send someone. Someone faithful."

"Maybe he is too mean – too strict! What if he makes me walk the plank!"

"Maria, you will not be on one of his ships – which were submarine ships in any case. Besides, you know there is no ocean here in Austria. You will not be going near any bodies of water."

"Yes, Mother."

Well, she had been wrong. On both counts. Maria had definitely been very much acquainted with water after the disastrous rowboat incident. And, no ocean? She saw the ocean every time she looked into those eyes. Sometimes she caught herself thinking that she wouldn't mind walking the plank if that was what was waiting for her if she jumped in.

I need to stop this, she told herself. Everything would be fine – and it had been, really. She had just focused on the children. Even with five of them at school during the day, she was still busy with both Gretl and Marta following her around wherever she went. And it was always lovely spending time with the younger girls, who got such a thrill out of the simplest things. The rest of the children did come back at lunchtime before they headed back to school for the rest of their classes, and Maria made sure to pop in and say hello. She had done her best to make sure she was not alone – well, not alone with the Captain. While she did not fear the Captain, not in the slightest, she feared for herself. After all, she was going to be taking her vows once she returned to the abbey in June. And a postulant should not be thinking of any man at all, and certainly not the man that employs her. Who also has seven children. And a Baroness.

There had been no engagement yet, but it was bound to happen soon. Maria had caught snatches of conversations, usually from the housemaids, saying that after the party it would only be a matter of time. And so Maria needed to stop letting these wicked thoughts get the better of her. After having Herr Detweiler practically force the Captain to invite her to dinner during the party, and it was clear it had been forced, he had seemed completely indifferent to her. Which gave her more reason to believe this whole nonsense was in her head – no matter what that little voice of nonsense said. He had not wanted her to join the rest of his guests for dinner. Imagine, the governess dining with the fine ladies and gentlemen! How ridiculous. No, Maria had decided to go straight to the nursery to put the little ones to bed and sent Liesl to inform Franz that she had been too busy with the children to return. It had been for the best.

Sometimes she wished she had never danced with him. As much as she knew she would treasure that memory for the rest of her life, sometimes she did fervently wish it had never happened. The other day, some man on the street had called out to her, saying he recognised her from the party and had seen her dance with the Captain. The man had been fairly pleasant until he had made a very unsavoury accusation. Maria had been furious and told him in no uncertain terms to turn his wicked mind towards a church for some much needed guidance. She had been furious for the rest of the afternoon. And it was more infuriating to find she was both outraged and hurt by the man's words. He had made it quite clear that if the Captain saw anything in Maria, it was not her mind he was interested in. As unsure as she felt in regards to what Captain von Trapp may or may not think, Maria knew he was a honourable man and would never do what that upper-class oaf had suggested.

There was the crunch of gravel as the car pulled back into the villa, distracting Maria from her troubled thoughts. After thanking Franz, who merely grunted in response, Maria headed inside and up into the nursery to tidy. Inside, she found Frau Schmidt who was looking slightly flustered as she hurried around the room.

"Frau Schmidt?" Maria asked gently as she entered. "Is everything all right?"

The housekeeper turned and gave her a smile. "Oh, there you are dear. Yes, everything is fine. Baroness Schraeder is missing a hat and I thought maybe the children had taken it, one of their little jokes." Frau Schmidt gave Maria another smile. "I cannot seem to find it so she must be mistaken."

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Maria said. "They don't mean any harm, they played so many tricks on me when I first arrived."

"Yes, it has been a while now though," Frau Schmidt said with a frown. "I don't want the Captain to get upset with them again."

"I will make sure to have a word with them if I find anything," Maria said with a smile.

"Thank you, dear," Frau Schmidt replied, giving Maria an absentminded pat on the shoulder. "She will just have to survive Vienna without it, I suppose!"

Maria frowned. "Vienna? Is she returning so soon?"

"Oh, no, both her and Herr Detweiler will be going for some event and will be back here in a few days. Franz is taking them to the station now, they were just waiting for you to return."

"I see," Maria said, trying to smile.

The housekeeper gave Maria another pat on the shoulder and hurried out of the room. Sitting on Marta's bed, Maria stared at the cheerfully patterned wall. Was she to be stuck here for the whole evening with the Captain? She wasn't sure she could bear it after carefully avoiding him for so long. Maybe she could go visit the Sisters at Nonnberg? The nursery was tidy thanks to Frau Schmidt and there was nothing else for Maria to do. With her mind made up, Maria hurried to her room, grabbed a second scarf and some worn gloves, and then headed back down the stairs. She had made it to the door when she heard the Captain speak.

"Fraulein?"

Maria looked behind her and saw the Captain standing in front of his study door.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked.

He had been about to head back into his study after saying farewell to Elsa and Max when he had heard Maria racing down the stairs.

Taking her hand off the doorhandle, she turned to face him fully. "I was going to go into town."

"It's freezing," Georg said flatly.

Was she insane? He knew she must be to want to go out in that freezing weather. Georg watched as she wrapped her coat around herself tightly.

She nodded. "Well, yes, I know that."

"Why didn't you just stay in town when Franz dropped the children?"

"Well, I…" Maria faltered.

She had no reasonable explanation. There was no way she was going to tell him that she hadn't realised it would be just them. She had no idea the Baroness and Herr Detweiler were going back to Vienna for some soiree for a couple of days.

"I thought I would have more work to do," she said finally. "But I was mistaken. I can just get the bus."

"There are no more buses for this evening."

"I will just walk then," Maria said firmly, reaching for the door again.

Georg had had enough. He walked up to her, took her wrist so her hand was off the door and turned the lock.

"No."

The anger rose up in Maria's stomach as she rounded on him. "No?"

"No," repeated the Captain, still holding her wrist.

"I'm not a member of your staff, Captain," Maria said hotly. "I can do as I wish."

Georg looked into her face and part of him practically hummed at the sight of her flushed face and bright eyes. He hadn't seen her face so animated in weeks.

"Of course, but you are under my care and I promised the Reverend Mother no harm would come to you," he said, finally letting go of her wrist. "You are not walking all the way into town in this weather. You will catch a cold."

Maria's brow furrowed further in irritation. "I do not get sick, I will be fine."

The anger finally took over. "I knew someone who said that once."

Maria flinched at the deadly tone in his voice; he hadn't spoken to her like that in months. Her heart was kicking inside her ribs and she could feel her own pulse thundering in her neck. She knew what he was going to say, but it didn't stop the flash of guilt she felt when he did.

"She died."

"I'm sorry," Maria said, letting go of the anger.

Georg watched as she deflated, her shoulders dropping as she looked anywhere but at him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. This woman was driving him insane. It was clear she would rather venture out into the frigid weather than be in the same room as him. And it was hard to ignore the pang in his chest at that thought.

"I apologise," he said. "I didn't mean to be so rude to you. But I will not have people endangering their health in this house."

"I understand," Maria said as she forced smile on her face. "I will just retire to my room then."

Georg just nodded and watched as she scurried up the stairs. He let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and retreated back into the study. It had been obvious that Maria had been avoiding him. She was never alone these days. During school hours, Gretl and Marta were glued to her side. Even when Gretl took a nap, she made sure to stay by the nursery with Marta or even retreat to her own room. And since the children were at school, there had been no real reason for her to see him every night, and so she had stopped. She had informed the school to pass along the progress of the children directly to him. Any progress on Marta and Gretl was delivered in a note, which she pushed under his door before she went to take them to bed.

It had all begun after the party. And he continually cursed himself for letting temptation overrule his head. All it had been was a dance, just one dance. But it had changed everything. It plagued his dreams – and not just his dreams, but also his waking thoughts. He had thought, and possibly hoped, that the way he was feeling wasn't one-sided. And he would catch a look in her eye or a smile on her face where he could believe that was true. But more likely, he was an old man seeing things that the dark, neglected part of his soul so desperately wanted to see.

He wished Elsa was here, and then immediately hated himself for the thought. It was selfish. He only wanted her here as a distraction. All he did was use her. She deserved more than that, she deserved a man who gave her more than half his attention. Who didn't think constantly about another woman, a woman that he certainly could never have. It was one of the reasons he also hadn't tried to seek Maria out, he had been very aware of Elsa's eye on him - especially after the party. He had considered ending their relationship but then what? He would truly be alone then, and he was far too selfish to do anything about it. Either too selfish or a coward. Maybe both. So much for being the brave Captain von Trapp, he thought bitterly.

After Maria had returned to her room, she had managed to fall asleep while reading. When she awoke, disorientated and hungry, she was confused by the sight outside her window. It was dark but she could see snow falling. It was far too early for snow, surely? But there was no mistaking the sight outside her window and the horrible chill in her room. Glancing at the clock, she groaned at the time. She had slept for far too long. The children were bound to be back home by now and dinner very much over.

Grabbing her dressing robe, she wrapped it around her and headed downstairs towards the kitchen. She was sure the cook wouldn't mind if she found something to eat. The air was cold and bit at her ankles as she headed for the kitchen. It was eerie how still the house seemed to be. Finally reaching the cold and empty kitchen, she saw there were some left overs from what must have been tonight's dinner and Maria hastily ate it. She had sat down at the worn bench to make herself a cup of tea to warm up when she heard footfalls coming down the hallway. There was no mistaking them.

"You're awake," said the Captain as he entered.

Maria couldn't help but stare at him. Her first instinct had been to laugh but that was hastily overruled by her inability to actually open her mouth. He had a large fluffy blanket around his shoulders, in a pattern of teddy bears, and was holding a teacup with a lurid pattern of flowers on it. She looked down and saw he had slippers on his feet, she couldn't hide the disappointment that they weren't shaped like Gretl's – which were like rabbits.

"Is something amusing?" asked Georg.

Maria was staring at him, her nose wrinkled in an effort not to laugh as her hand paused in its task of stirring her tea.

"Um, no," she said, letting her eyes slide back up to his face. "I just never pictured you as a teddy bear blanket type man."

"What kind of man do you picture me to be?" he asked.

Her face flushed and she looked down at her cup, and a awkwardness settled in the room.

Georg cleared his throat. "Most of the blankets were taken by the children, so I had to make do with this."

Maria nodded absentmindedly and then looked back at him. "Where are the children?"

"They are still at the hall," the Captain said as he moved to make himself a cup of tea. "The weather took a turn for the worse and the streets out of Aigen have been blocked."

Immediate panic flooded Maria's chest and she stood up quickly. "Are the children okay?"

"They are fine," he assured her. "I've been informed they are quite all right, they have plenty of bedding and food to last the night if needed. Both Max and Elsa are there too-" He waved a hand. "Well not the hall, obviously, but at the hotel as the trains have been cancelled."

"But the little ones will be so frightened on their own," Maria said, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of his hands making tea. Goodness, he has nice hands.

"They will be fine," said the Captain. "It's not a storm, and they aren't alone. There are a few parents there to help the teachers. Hopefully the weather will ease up, otherwise it should be clear to go through tomorrow." He gave her a half smile and added, "I've been told all the children are quite excited at the idea, so there is no need to worry."

Maria swallowed, and just nodded and finished making her own tea. She shivered in the cold kitchen, drawing the robe around her with one hand.

"Here."

The Captain had taken the blanket off and was handing it out to her. She hesitated briefly before she took it with a small 'Thank you" and wrapped it around herself. It was incredibly soft, and the warmth from the Captain clung to it – along with a scent. It wasn't overly strong, but she could smell some kind of spice that must have been his cologne, along with hints of firewood and something else. She recognised the smell, it was something she'd been craving lately but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She shivered again, but not from the cold.

"You are welcome to join me in the study," said the Captain. "I've had Franz light the fire."

That explains the firewood smell, Maria thought.

"It's all right, Captain," Maria said. "I will just retire back to my room."

"Please, I insist," said Georg before he could think. "It's unnaturally cold and I think the children would hate me if I let you get ill."

Unable to think of a reason not to, Maria followed him down the long hall and into the study. She tried to ignore how the sound of the door shutting seemed to constantly bounce around her head. The Captain gestured to the comfortable lounge and two armchairs that sat near the crackling fire. The immediate warmth she had felt when stepping into the room was hard to ignore and she gratefully sank into the lounge facing the fire. She watched the flames as they danced and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the Captain sit down in one of the large armchairs.

"I've never seen someone stare so hard at a fire before," Maria heard the Captain say, his tone light.

"I've always loved watching the flames, it's so hard to look away," Maria said. "The way they dance, not caring what the burn along the way. They are so free."

She shut her mouth. Why had she said that?

Georg watched her as she tore her eyes from the fire and stared back down at the teacup in her hands.

Trying to lighten the mood, he said, "Fraulein, you've been spending too much time with Brigitta." She looked over towards him at that, her brow creased in confusion. "It sounds like something woefully poetic she would say."

She gave him a small smile. "I guess so."

Standing up, Georg moved over to his drinks cabinet and poured a dash of brandy into his tea. He looked over to Maria and saw her gaze was once more locked on the fire. He was unable to take his eyes off her as the warm light lit up her hair. Even though the blanket wasn't his, of course, he found the sight of her wrapped up in something he had been previously wearing utterly enchanting. With her feet tucked up to one side on the lounge, her hands resting on her knee as she held her cup, she looked like she belonged sitting there - in his chair, in his study.

It had been warm before, in his study, with the fire crackling away. But it felt warmer with her in it. Warmer in his heart, perhaps. It always seemed to feel that way. Whenever she'd enter a room, he could feel himself brightening. Like a flower turning towards to sun, he would follow her as she moved around a room.

He pushed the thought away with a twitch of his fingers and moved back towards her.

"Would you like some?" he asked, holding the bottle of brandy up.

"No, thank you, Captain," Maria said with a small shake of the head. "Alcohol is not something permitted in the abbey."

"But you're not in the abbey right now," he said.

No, I very much am not. Maria turned to face him properly and he waved the bottle again and she watched as sent her one of his breathtaking smiles.

"I promise I won't tell," he said. "Just like I won't tell them how you ate half a strudel on your own the other day."

Oh no, Maria thought. "You, uh, saw that?" Maria said, awkwardly pushing her fringe across her forehead.

"Yes, I did," the Captain said. "You were doing pretty well though, I think you even made Max convince himself he must have eaten it all."

Maria smiled despite herself. "Well, your cook does make very good strudel. It's my favourite."

"Ah, that's right," said Georg, and nodded his head as if was he pretending to remember something. "'Crisp apple strudel' wasn't it?"

A small laugh escaped her lips as she nodded and Georg couldn't help but wink back at her. "See, I do pay attention you know. I'm not an 'ignorant and arrogant aristocrat' like you so colourfully called me the other afternoon."

Maria's smile faded from her face and she turned back towards the fire. She had been quite mad that day, and had spent a good deal of the rest of her afternoon in prayer for her horrible words. But she hadn't said them about the Captain, but the man that had stopped her on the street. Now she wasn't sure whether she should correct him or just let him believe it was him she'd been referring to. It was too embarrassing.

"I didn't mean what I said that afternoon," Maria said slowly. "I was just angry and I didn't realise anyone was around. Not that it excuses my behaviour."

Georg put the brandy bottle back in the cabinet and walked back over to her. Before he could stop himself, he sat down on the lounge with her and angled himself so that his body was facing hers. He watched as she seemed to sit up a little straighter and edge away from him slightly.

"I forgive you, Fraulein," he said pleasantly, taking a long sip of tea. "I'm sure whatever I did to inspire your wrath was probably deserved."

"I wasn't angry at you," Maria said, busying herself with taking a sip of tea and pulling the blanket around her. "I… I was talking about someone else."

Intrigued, Georg leaned in a little closer towards her. "O-ho, really now?" He grinned at her. "Please, do tell, Fraulein."

It was easy, he realised, to slip back into the easy banter he had missed so much. While he could still sense her obvious discomfit, he was trying to (possibly too much) to make her laugh again. It was a sound he had missed hearing. Well, he had heard it, usually from a distance while she played some game with the children. It was just that he hadn't heard her laugh in his presence, and he found he missed it quite more than he should. But then, there were a lot of things that he should and should not be missing.

"There was a… man in town the other day when I dropped the children at school and he made a comment which I did not like, and so I told him so," Maria said, staring at the fire so she could not see the Captain's face. "He did not take it well."

"What did this gentleman say?" Georg asked.

"He was no gentleman!" Maria burst out and then hastily bit down on her lip. She took a sip of tea and said in a calmer voice, "He said something inappropriate which I do not wish to repeat."

"You can tell me, Fraulein," said the Captain. "I don't think you can rattle me with whatever that idiot said."

"Captain," Maria said, finally looking at him. "It doesn't matter." She forced a smile. "Really, it doesn't."

There was a long silence where only the popping of burning logs and tick of the clock above the fireplace could be heard. Maria was acutely aware of the tick, it seemed to beat in time with slight pounding in her own head. She tried opening her mouth a few times to say something but found she couldn't speak and she turned to stare at the fire. The words the man on the street had said to her were on the tip of her tongue. And she wanted to say them, just so she could see the Captain's reaction. She turned to look at him and saw he was staring at her and so she hastily looked back towards the fire.

She took a shaky breath. "He said he came to the party," she heard herself say.

Georg quirked an eyebrow at that. "Oh?"

"Yes," Maria breathed. "Uh, he said he saw you dance." She paused. "With me."

"Ah," Georg said, but then managed to rally himself. "And, so?"

"He said men like you don't dance with governesses," Maria said. "Especially when they have someone like Baroness Schraeder to dance with. Unless-" Maria swallowed. "Unless they can't get the kind of dancing they really want from such a fine lady-"

"Ah," the Captain interrupted. "I get the gist, Fraulein."

Maria finally faced the Captain. "I told him he was very much mistaken and you only danced with me to show Kurt how to do the steps properly. It made me so mad that he could think you to be such a man." The anger she had felt that day had suddenly come racing back. "I wish I had hit him! I could have!"

Maria paused and realised he was just staring at her once more with an odd look on his face.

"As charming as I find your defence of my honour, I am glad you did not hit him or I would have been rescuing you from prison." He gave her a smile. "I am surprised you think so highly of me, though."

"Why wouldn't I?" Maria asked.

Georg took a breath and leaned back into the lounge. "Well, you have been avoiding me ever since the party. So I feel like I must have done something."

"I haven't been avoiding you," Maria said testily.

"Yes, you have," Georg replied, putting his empty cup on the small table next to him. "You have been avoiding me with great skill, I am actually impressed."

"I-I, uh, I haven't-"

"You are great at many things, Fraulein, but you are a terrible liar," Georg said smoothly, placing his hands on his lap to stare her down. "I think Gretl is better at it than you."

He watched as her face contorted into a scowl and her eyes flashed at him.

"Are you going to tell me?" he asked. "Because, I am getting a little tired of this."

"You are tired of this?" Maria repeated. "Do forgive me, Captain, but this-" she gestured between them. "Is clearly what you wanted."

"What?"

Maria stood up, placing her cup on the table. "You brushed me off the night of the party, you didn't care whatsoever whether I joined you for dinner or not. You made that quite clear. So, I have just made an effort to stay where I belong." She gave a mocking laugh. "I am the governess after all, as everyone is constantly reminding me."

Georg stared at her, her face was flushed and he watched as her chest heaved with each staggering breath she took. He tried to search his brain and dimly recalled himself telling her to go change. He remembered the disappointment he had felt when Franz had told him she was too busy seeing to the children to join them. It was understandable that she'd seen his actions and words as aloof but he had been so shaken by the dance they had just shared he hadn't been able to think properly. He had been desperately trying to cling onto some normalcy that he had tried to act as if she didn't have the power to undo his self-control.

"That is not true," he said. "I was just out of sorts, I don't think I heard half of what Max said to me when he forced you to come to dinner."

"Out of sorts?" Maria questioned.

As if in a dream, Georg stood up and took a small step towards her. He took the ridiculous blanket off her and placed it on the lounge with care. Reaching out he grasped both of her hands as he stepped closer to her and placed them in the same position they been in all those nights ago, before she had stepped away from him. There was a thrill that ran down his spine at being able to feel her skin against his, with no gloves to get in the way this time.

She was staring up at him, her lips slightly parted as if to protest but he spoke before she had the chance.

"Yes," he said in a low whisper. "Out of sorts." He pulled them even closer together. "Because of this."

Maria's breath had caught and she wanted to look away from his face but she found that she couldn't. There was tight knot in her stomach and every sound seemed to become louder in the warm cocoon of the study.

"Why?" Maria heard herself ask, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Too scared to speak any louder for fear of shattering the strange tension that seemed to coil in the air.

"All I wanted," said the Captain, and Maria noted how his voice had changed. It sounded deeper and it made her lean in closer towards him. "All I want," he went on, "Is to kiss you."

Maria blinked as she felt her eyes well. "But you can't."

"I shouldn't, no," he said as they still stood there. "For many reasons. But reason is something that seems to fail when it comes to you." He let go of her hands so he could bring a hand to cup her face gently. "You believe me an honourable man and I would hate to disappoint you." He let a thumb gently stroke her face. "It would also be a great crime to take one of God's angels."

Maria shook her head. "I am not an angel. And I will not be one till I die. I will be myself."*

"I would expect nothing less."

Maria wanted to just give in, to completely surrender to the temptation of his arms and the promise of his kiss. But it would make her no better than the woman that man on the street thought she was. No better than the people that horrible man thought they were. And her heart ached. Could she take one kiss? Was it possible to have just one? One kiss to keep and cherish forever. To hold onto and never forget, to keep secret from the rest of the world.

She closed her eyes and let his large hand hold her face, letting herself enjoy the warmth it offered. He brought her into his arms and her head fell on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat right under her ear. She couldn't remember the last time she had been held like this. Maybe it was when her father had passed away and her mother had held her tightly. Maybe. It was a dim memory and she couldn't be sure she hadn't just made it up. Letting her arms wrap around his middle, Maria took a deep breath and inhaled. There were the same scents that had lingered on the blanket, but the one that stood out was the one she hadn't been able to identify. She could now, that tantalising scent that had been lingering on the edge of awareness, and it was just him. It's what she had been craving, just him. Her Captain. She sighed.

Holding her in his arms, Georg tried to calm the battle raging between his head and heart. He never wanted to let her go, she seemed to fit perfectly. The scent of her hair was soft and he wondered, not for the first time, how soft her hair would feel. Elsa was never soft; she was always made of sharp edges. Her hair always irritated him, drenched in hair lacquer and horrible to touch. Though, he couldn't really recall ever holding Elsa like this. It was never about comfort, or tenderness. It was just the physical need to be close to someone and possibly pretend there was some affection there.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Maria sigh and he felt her arms wrap tighter around his middle. He took his hand, that had been tracing lazy patterns on her back, to once again cup her face and tilt it towards him.

"Forgive me," he said, "But I think I will go mad if I don't."

And, he kissed her.

A/N I just wanted to write something overly angsty because it makes me happy. What happens next it up to you!

And just to clarify incase I didn't make it clear - there was no altercation with Elsa as Maria decided to retreat to the safety of the children instead.
Some lines taken from Die Trapp Familie and mucked about with for my own use.
*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, because I had to include a reference to it at some point.