A/N: So there is a long and involved backstory to this but the short version is this story was "inspired" by many jokes and long hours of online conversations with lemacd who helped keep me sane (or insane, take your pick) during studying this semester. Hope you enjoy it. Please read and review.

Georg von Trapp strode purposefully into the grand foyer. It was empty. He was expecting to find her there. Where had she gone? Glancing around, he saw the doors to the ballroom slightly ajar. What on earth was she doing in there?

Taking a quickly look inside the darkened room, he could see her on the other side of the room. Taking a deep breath, Georg swiftly and violently pushed both doors to the ballroom open.

SLAM!

Maria turned around, startled. She could see him standing in the doorway, both hands still holding open the ballroom doors, his silhouette illuminated by the light steaming through from the foyer behind him.

Maria closed her eyes and placed her hand over her heart, letting out a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she gave Georg a wicked smile. "You scared me!"

"Apologies, my dear." Georg replied as he went to join her over where she stood at the doorway between the ballroom and adjoining courtyard. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I couldn't help myself," he explained, "I do know how much you enjoy me… errr... slamming those doors." He smirked.

"Oh," Maria gasped, turning bright red. "I do, I mean I don't. I mean, we agreed not to talk about that again."

"You agreed. I did no such thing." Georg told her dryly. "Besides, I'm still hoping that you would ah... change your mind?" He added eyebrows raised, a question in his voice.

Maria did not think it was possible for her to turn a brighter shade of red, but she did.

"Georg, that was one time and everyone was out, including the children. You don't really expect me to agree to doing um... that again with a household full of people now do you?"

"Well, maybe if you learnt to be quiet..."

"Really Georg, when have you ever known me to be quiet?"

"Yes, fair point." Georg paused. "But what if…?"

"The answer is no." Maria answered firmly.

There was awkward silence between them, as neither knew how to continue the conversation.

"So... Did the children go to sleep alright?" Maria asked, breaking the silence.

"You're changing the subject." Georg commented. Maria gave him a pointed look so he let out a deep groan before continuing. "Yes, read stories to both Marta and Gretl and then played a quick game of chess with the boys. The older girls were happy to read by themselves."

Maria nodded, pleased that Georg was now so comfortable in his 'fatherly duties', knowing of the time before she came to them how removed he had been from his children. She smiled at him before looking out of the doorway back out to the courtyard.

"So what are you doing in here?" Georg was suddenly curious.

"Oh I was just watching the last of the sunset. It is such a nice aspect from this courtyard." She sighed as she leant her head against the doorframe. Georg moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You know," Maria continued, "my favourite part of seeing the setting sun is when the last of the light disappears and the sky turns from day to night. I love looking at that bright star that comes out right at that moment." Maria moved out into the courtyard to get a better view before pointing to the bright light in the sky.

"Hmm..." Georg replied as he followed her out. "Yes, I love that part of the evening too, but darling. That's not a star, it's a planet."

"Oh?" Maria asked, turning slightly in surprise to look back at him. "A planet? Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, the way you can tell is stars twinkle and planets glow. That one" he said pointing, "is Venus, also called the Evening Star."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I know a lot of things about the stars. I learnt it all in the Navy. It is how we were taught to navigate the seas at night. So that one," Georg pointed in the sky in the other direction, "is the North Star."

For the next few minutes Georg pointed out several constellations to Maria. Maria was fascinated by everything he was telling her.

"...and that one is Orion, and those ones over there, do you see them? Those stars that are set up in a sort of rectangle with triangle shape on top? That constellation is called the singing nun."

"The singing nun? Georg, now I think you are playing games with me. I really don't think there is a star constellation called 'the singing nun'!"

Georg chuckled as he held his hands up in defeat. "Alright I made that one up." Maria laughed too.

He wrapped his arms around her again drawing her close. Maria responded by laying her head back onto his shoulder.

"Oh I do love it out here in this courtyard." She sighed as she looked around wistfully.

"I think I know why you love it out here so much." He replied giving her neck a gentle kiss.

"Why's that?" Maria asked, curious.

Georg didn't reply immediately. Instead he started to hum a tune into her ear. It took her a few moments to realise what he was humming. When she did realise it, she began to laugh softy.

"You remembered." She murmured back to him as she tilted her head further back.

"Of course. Our first dance." Georg pulled away from her and held out his hand. "Join me now?" He asked.

"Now? But we don't have any music!" Maria replied.

"Doesn't my humming the music count?"

Maria gave a short giggle. "Yes that counts."

She took his hand and as he softly hummed the tune of the Laendler, they danced the dance slowly together, relishing in every step, every movement, every turn. On the final turn as they spun around each other, arms raised above their heads, they stopped and gazed into each other's eyes just as they had about a year earlier. Only this time, Maria didn't pull away. Only this time Georg leant in and kissed her.

Moments past as they stood there kissing, quickly the passion and intensity of their kisses escalating. Bodies pressed up together, hands roaming all over each other's bodies, groans of desire escaping their lips.

Finally pulling apart, both breathless, Georg whispered to Maria: "perhaps we should take this upstairs?"

Maria nodded and let Georg lead her across the courtyard back into the ballroom. Georg paused only for a moment to gently close the doors to the outside before walking across with room with Maria towards the ballroom doors that were still standing wide open. The only sound was the sound of their shoes walking quietly over the polished floor.

Georg started to lead Maria out of the ballroom and into the foyer when Maria stopped. Georg turned to her, confused. Maria was studying the ballroom doors intently.

"Maria?" Georg asked.

"So if I was quiet...?" She started to ask.

"Yes? Does that mean...?"

Maria turned to face his squarely. Her heart started to race as she took a deep breath. "Yes. I've changed my mind."

"Really?"

Maria nodded, her breathing heavy with anticipation. "Georg... Slam those doors!"

"Yes ma'am!" Georg took a step backwards back into the ballroom and using both his hands, he slammed those ballroom doors shut, plunging the room into darkness save for the star light coming in from the courtyard doors.

Georg roughly pushed Maria up against the ballroom doors. He covered her mouth with his to keep her quiet as they quickly discarded their clothes and proceeded to make passionate love up against the door.