Author's Notes: The Sound of Music belongs to 20th Century Fox
Another huge thanks to my beta, Jelpy, whose fine tunings and enthusiasm for this story helped me turn it into something of which I'm extremely proud. Thank you!
I took a few liberties with the timeline of the movie. This story takes place one year (or so) after Georg and Maria's wedding, and they're still in Salzburg.
Every Happiness
The pedestrian canals of the Salzburg market place were as busy as ever on what could be the final warm Saturday of the year. Maria von Trapp found herself relishing in watching everyone, as if she hadn't seen such activity in a long time.
"Oh, Mother, come over here and look at this puppet!" Marta exclaimed as she tugged on her mother's hand.
Maria breathed a little deeper than usual and smiled as she walked after the girl. Well, not walk. Maria hadn't been able to properly walk for a few weeks now.
"Isn't it funny looking?" Marta asked. "It looks like a monkey!"
"Don't let her talk you into buying it, Mother," Liesl's calm voice came up from behind the pair.
"But it's so cute!" the girl protested.
"Yes, Darling, it is," Maria said a little breathlessly. "But you know we're not here to buy toys. Your father allowed you to come to the market to buy some food for this picnic you all have planned."
"I'm surprised he let you come with us, Mother," Kurt joked as he and the rest of the children joined them. All of them were toting at least one item from their grocery list.
"He's just being concerned, Kurt," Maria said and offered a tired smile. She had insisted she take the children into town to shop, despite her husband's protests. However, she was beginning to slightly regret being so stubborn. The car ride proved to be more than bumpy and her feet were quickly swelling with all the walking she had done.
"Mother," Liesl said as she stepped forward. "Why don't you sit down for a little while? We can finish the shopping."
The others all nodded quickly.
"Thank you, children," Maria nodded in defeat. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be as energetic today as I have been."
"I think you're forgiven," Liesl answered as they walked towards the fountain.
"Would you like me to sit with you, Mother?" Brigitta offered.
Maria shook her head and put her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Thank you, Brigitta, but I think I'll be fine."
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, soaking in the moment of being alone in a crowded area. The noises of the market place filled her ears and she smiled. Opening her eyes, she gazed after the children and was suddenly struck at the thought that so much had happened in the past year.
A warm September breeze drifted by and she felt utterly content with herself. Well, she was physically uncomfortable, but that was minor. The doctors told her that the physical discomfort would all go away in just a matter of days, only to be replaced with sleepless nights and late night feedings. She wasn't sure if she was excited or petrified at the thought. Thank God her husband was something of a veteran at the task.
The inner musings rejuvenated her, and she looked around. The children were busy picking up the remainders of the shopping list. Spying a craft table close by, she decided it was safe for her to investigate. She was still within sight of the fountain, should the children come looking for her. I'll be hard to miss, she thought wryly.
Maria rummaged through the items, fascinated at how talented people could be. While she could make clothing, anything smaller than a kerchief was beyond her grasp. She simply didn't have the patience to work on anything so tiny. Her efforts at booties and little caps were disastrous, and she left the tasks to Liesl and Brigitta.
"Maria?!" a voice caught her attention and she looked up.
"Baroness Schraeder!" Maria exclaimed in shock.
The woman gracefully walked over to her and extended her hand. Maria noted the shock of the Baroness's face when she finally got a good look at her.
"My dear!" the Baroness cried. "Look at you!"
"It is nice to see you again, Baroness," Maria shook the woman's hand heartily, happy to see someone she knew.
"Maria, please," the Baroness said in a hushed tone. "We are social equals now. Please, call me Elsa."
Maria knitted her eyebrows. Why couldn't she have called her Elsa before? "Of course, Elsa," she replied. "What brings you to Salzburg?"
The woman drew her hand in a grand gesture. "Oh, I am here for the fashion show. It's the talk of Vienna; how Weinmann decided to show his latest styles in Salzburg, of all places!"
"I thought he was from Salzburg, and that's why he chose it," Maria suggested.
The Baroness looked surprised. "You know of Hans Weinmann?"
"He designed my wedding gown last year," Maria answered.
"Oh." The silence that followed was uncomfortable to say the least.
"So," Maria started, determined to keep things friendly. "How long will you be in town?"
"For the weekend, and then I must rush off to Vienna again," the other answered, smiling a little too hard. "Life has been so busy lately!"
"Elsa," Maria said and took the woman's hand. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."
The Baroness smiled more earnestly this time. "Darling, you're very sweet, but you needn't concern yourself with my welfare," she insisted.
Maria thought about offering Elsa an invitation to the Villa, but changed her mind when she noted the faint sad expression on the Baroness' face. Suddenly a sharp movement under her stomach caused her to gasp involuntarily.
"Maria," Elsa asked, concerned. "Are you all right?"
Nodding her head, Maria tried to smile. "Just a little more active today than usual. Must be the excitement of getting out of the house."
At that, Elsa laughed. "Georg isn't letting you out, I see," she joked. Offering Maria her arm, she suggested, "Why don't we sit down?"
Smiling in gratitude, Maria nodded towards the fountain. "I said I would wait for the children by the fountain."
"Oh, the children are here, too?" Elsa said with a twinge of apprehension.
"You didn't think Georg would let me in town by myself?" Maria asked pointedly as she tried to sit with as much grace as possible.
"Oh, I don't know," Elsa shrugged as she sat next to her, trying not to cringe at the dirt on the fountain's edge. "I thought Georg might be with you."
"The children have a picnic planned and needed to go into town. He had urgent business, so he couldn't take them. He wasn't happy when I insisted that I go too," Maria explained. "But I'm beginning to see his point."
The two laughed and the tension seemed to be lessened. "How is he?" Elsa asked.
Forgetting to whom she was speaking, Maria smiled wistfully. "He's wonderful. I've never been doted on before, and I must admit that I've grown rather used to it."
Elsa tried not to let the younger woman see her own wistful expression. "He can be so charming," she agreed. "How is he handling the political events of the last few weeks?"
Maria darkened a little. "He tries to keep light of things. I guess it's not to worry me, but I know it's troubling him a great deal. He seems to be keeping a close watch on the latest news."
"He has a proud, kind heart," Elsa said, suddenly growing serious.
"Yes, he's the best man any woman could ask for," Maria declared and looked out in the direction of the market, a glow to her eyes.
Elsa studied her for a long moment. "I envy you, Maria."
Surprised, Maria turned to face her. "Elsa, I- "
"No, Maria, please," Elsa interrupted. "He's lucky to have found you. The two of you suit each other perfectly."
"You were the first one to see it," Maria observed.
It was Elsa's turn to look away. "Over the last year, I couldn't help but wonder at times what would have happened if you had never returned."
"I have wondered the same thing myself," Maria confessed. "Life certainly would have turned out differently."
"I doubt it would have been happy," Elsa said. "For anyone."
"I think you would have found a way to be happy, Elsa," Maria said, unconvincingly.
"You can't force someone to love you, Maria," the other said sagely. "I could never love Georg the way he needed to be loved. As you love him."
Surprised at the confession, Maria unconsciously rubbed her hand over her stomach. "Then why did you agree to marry him?"
Laughing in slightly bitter irony, Elsa finally turned to look at Maria. "My dear," she declared. "Not everyone marries for love. Georg and I made a good match. We were both social equals, available, affluent…"
"They don't sound like parts of a good match," Maria said sharply.
"As I said, Maria," Elsa repeated. "Not everyone marries for love."
Maria nodded. The thought of her husband and children facing such a joyless future shook her to her core.
"Maria," Elsa said. "Please don't be angry with me; Georg did propose to me after you left. He was prepared to live that life. To have his children live that life."
"He thought he loved you," Maria insisted. "He thought he was doing what was best for his children by giving them a new mother."
"And I would have been a terrible mother for them," Elsa concluded. "In that, too, Maria, I envy you."
"They're good children," Maria said, her anger melting away to compassion. "All you had to do was try."
"Not everyone can be as natural at everything as you are, Maria."
A second uncomfortable silence passed between them.
"May I ask you something, Elsa?" Maria asked tentatively. "Why did you have that talk with me the night of the party? Did you want me to leave?"
Elsa gave a rueful smile. "I was wondering if you would bring that up," she confessed. "I owe you honesty, Maria. Yes, I did want you to leave."
Maria looked down, tears forming in her eyes. She had almost lost everything, all because she had allowed her fears to drive her away.
"I would have never have told you to leave," Elsa continued. "It wasn't my place. But you came along and everything changed. Georg wasn't the same man after you came along.
"Even before we returned to the villa, he was different. Oh, the change was very small when he first arrived in Vienna, but I noticed a twinkle in his eye that I had never seen before," Elsa explained.
Maria continued to stare at the ground in silence.
"It was more a matter of pride, Maria," Elsa said urgently, "If you must, you could say that I had him first, and then you stole him away and you didn't even try."
"But you said that he was in love with me," Maria said weakly, looking up for the first time.
"And he was, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it," Elsa said, a gentleness in her voice that Maria had never heard before. "You should have seen the way he was staring at you when you were dancing in the garden. He was completely taken with you, and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it. It never occurred to me that you would actually leave. But when you did, I thought that maybe you didn't want to be in love with him."
"I didn't know what wanted," Maria confessed.
"I was jealous of what I saw between the two of you. I never had that; maybe I never will. In spite of being prepared to marry without love, I wanted it. I still want it. What woman doesn't?" Elsa asked quietly.
Maria couldn't help but feel sympathy for the woman sitting next to her. "I'm sure you'll find someone who –"
"Needs me desperately?" Elsa finished, laughing to herself. "Maybe one day. I can only hope to be half as happy as I see you are."
Again rubbing her stomach, Maria remained silent, thinking.
"It was never anything personal, Maria," Elsa said after a moment. "The fact that you've made Georg a better man is something that I will always be thankful to you for. In spite of how things ended between us, I always wanted him to be happy. I do thank you for that."
Meeting the other's eyes again, Maria felt as if she finally understood the Baroness. "Thank you, Elsa," she said. "I appreciate your honesty."
"I truly am sorry for the pain I caused you," Elsa said, a bit vulnerable.
Studying her for a long moment, Maria wasn't sure what exactly Elsa wanted her to say. "Elsa," she began slowly. "I'm just happy that everything worked out the way it did for us."
"I am too," Elsa said. "I wish you every happiness, Maria. To all of you."
Maria wanted to hug the woman, whom she realized she could never be true friends with, and settled on taking the other's hands in hers. "Thank you, Elsa. And I wish the same for you."
Meeting each other's eyes, they shared a final smile and then Elsa rose. "I should be going to change for the fashion show," she declared. "Shall I send Hans Weinmann your regards? Maybe ask him to design a Christening outfit?"
Maria laughed and shook her head. "I think the children already have something made, but thank you." She struggled to stand, but Elsa quickly sat down again to spare her the effort.
"No, dear, you must sit," she insisted.
"I'll have to stand sooner or later!"
"Well, wait until the children come back," Elsa suggested. "But I really do have to go. Thank you for this talk, Maria."
"Yes, I'm glad we had the chance to settle matters," Maria agreed.
Elsa offered her a quick peck on the
cheek. "Auf Wiedersehen, Maria."
"Auf Wiedersehen, Elsa."
Maria watched the woman retreat into the crowd, hoping that some peace had come to the socialite's heart.
The sound of the children's voices pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned to see their arms completely filled with food and flowers as they walked up to her.
"I hope that's all you need!" she joked as she hoisted herself up. "Because no one has any more arms to carry things!"