A/N: Hello everyone. I'm new here and this is my first Sound of Music fanfic. If you read this, please leave me some reviews so I know where to improve on. Thank you in advance for accommodating newbies like me! This story takes us back to the moment of the Laendler. It goes a different direction from there (Georg and Elsa are already engaged at this point) but pretty much ends in the happy ever after between the characters we love.


As the orchestra music slowed to a finish, Georg and Maria stopped dancing. They looked into each other's eyes, both getting lost in the blue depths of each other.

The dance started out innocently enough. He had seen Maria and Kurt trying to dance the Laendler, and failing miserably. Kurt was much too short to do the turn correctly. He chuckled and offered his hand to Maria as Kurt stepped aside to make way for him. Maria looked surprised but continued the dance with him without missing a beat. He smiled like a little boy as she pulled up her skirt a bit to do the skipping steps and he clapped with the music as she danced around him.

As the dance steps got more and more intimate, the laughter in his eyes died down, replaced by a slow burning fire which did not escape Maria. They twirled around, one hand on their partner's hand as they continued the dance. Maria could feel the warmth of his hand even through the material of his formal gloves. She held her breath unknowingly as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her so tantalizingly close near the end of the song. His eyes held her gaze, almost challenging her to come even closer. She was getting lost in the depths of his eyes.

Maria knew she had no right to feel this way. She saw in his eyes what her heart wanted her to see. Her mind said that he was only looking at her with a simple affection for someone who has become a friend... or maybe it was just plain gratefulness for everything she has done for him and his children. But her heart told her that his eyes had a look of love mixed with... could it be, desire?

No... it simply cannot be true. He was marrying the baroness and she was going to be a nun. That was the truth. She stepped back away from him.

"I don't remember anymore..."

Almost immediately, the burning fire in his eyes died down, replaced with the melancholic look that was not new to him. She doesn't feel the same way. Georg wanted to kick himself for even thinking that she would even be interested. She was a postulant, for Christ's sake! But when Brigitta said that Maria's face had turned red, he allowed himself to hope. He looked at Maria. Yes indeed, she was blushing. The corners of his mouth turned up into a quiet smile and his eyes sparkled again. Yes, there is hope.

Over dinner and the rest of the evening, he barely said a word to anyone, even to Elsa or Max. He was lost in his thoughts. Did Maria feel the same way or was he imagining something that wasn't there? He was hoping Maria would come down to dine with them after Max offered to be her dinner partner. But she never showed up. To say that he was disappointed would be an understatement. He wanted to see her at the dinner table. To simply watch her, listen to what she had to say, to look at those blue eyes again and maybe find some answers to all the questions swimming around in his mind.

He realized the moment they stopped dancing that he was in love with her. Maybe he had been for quite awhile now, he just didn't allow himself to think such thoughts before. He loved her spunk, the energy she brought around with her. He loved her for loving his children. He loved the fire in her, with which she fought for them, with which she gave him a dressing down that afternoon by the lake. He loved her gentle, caring nature, the side of her that he sees when she strokes Gretl's hair or pulls Marta in an embrace. He loved her voice. She talks and sings like an angel. She had brought music back into their lives. And on top of all that, she was breathtakingly beautiful... not in the same way Elsa or even Agathe was. She had a simple, natural beauty radiating from within her. And it captivated him right from the time he first laid eyes on her, even in that hideous dress that the poor didn't want. Her golden hair seemed to capture light wherever she was, her clear complexion, free of makeup, those brilliant blue eyes that always told the truth... Damn. He swore to himself. I should have looked in her eyes longer after she stepped away. I might have known what she felt...


After the party was over, he sought Elsa. He needed to set things right, starting with her. He found her on the veranda smoking a cigar. He quickly came up behind her.

"Elsa..." he began.

"There you are, Darling! I was just thinking about what to give you for our honeymoon and..."

"Elsa, I'm sorry... it's no use..." Georg interrupted her, his face somber.

Elsa's heart leaped into her throat. She knew deep down what Georg was about to say. She knew it since that night he sang 'edelweiss' to his children. He had been distant with her since they arrived in Salzberg. More specifically, since his heated argument with Maria by the lake. He had changed, not all at like the Georg he had known in Vienna. The old Georg was not very emotional but always a perfect gentleman, always attentive to her. This new Georg was a stranger to her. He was whimsical... singing songs with his children, cracking jokes with his guests, dancing with the governess...

He seemed to be infatuated with the young fraulein then and the governess looked equally smitten. After seeing them dance the Laendler awhile ago, she was now sure.

"When two people talk of marriage..." Georg continued but Elsa interrupted him.

"Don't say another word, Georg please..." she gave him a sad smile. "You see, there are other things I've been thinking of. Fond as I am of you, I don't think you're the right man for me. You're much too independent and I need someone who needs me desperately... or at least needs my money desperately," she said, with a bitter laugh. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will pack my little bags and return to Vienna where I belong." She looked directly at him, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he would stop her. But she knew he wouldn't. He was in love with someone else. And as much as she truly cared for him, she knew she could not allow him to be unhappy.

Georg nodded mutely, not knowing what to say. Elsa had been his savior during those dark times when he was lost. She brought him out of his despair and back into the real world, and for that he would forever be grateful to her. But gratitude wasn't enough to base a marriage on. He loved her, but only as a friend. Still, he felt guilty for hurting her. And now here she was, generously giving him a gracious exit he didn't deserve.

He reached for her and gave her a tight hug.

"Elsa, I truly am sorry. I am an ungrateful wretch. You deserve better..." Georg murmured into her hair.

Elsa rubbed his back affectionately. "Georg, you deserve better too. We're far too different. You need someone who loves you and your children passionately." She paused, remembering the pained faces of his children when he announced that she was going to be their new mother. "I think we just saved ourselves AND your children from an unhappy future, don't you agree?" Elsa said with a chuckle. Georg knew his children did not take kindly to the baroness becoming their new mother, and he laughed with her. "Besides Georg," she said, her eyes twinkling, "somewhere out there, is a young lady, who I think, will never be a nun!"

His eyes widened in surprise. She saw right through him. Elsa truly was a friend. He gazed at her fondly and then kissed her goodbye.

"Auf wiedersehen, darling."


Maria didn't go back to the dinner party after realizing three things: One, she didn't belong there. The elite of Salzberg was downstairs and she had no right to sit, let alone dine with them. Two, even if it was alright for her to join, she had nothing suitable to wear. Three, she was not sure she could sit there at the same table and pretend nothing had changed between her and the captain.

She plopped down on her bed and exhaled loudly. No, she was definitely not going back down to the party. She went to the kitchen instead and poured herself a cup of tea. She quietly walked out to the grounds through the back door with the mug in her hand.

Maria entered the gazebo and sat on a bench, setting the mug down beside her. She sighed loudly. Oh, what is wrong with you Maria? Captain Von Trapp merely danced with you to show his children how the dance goes! It didn't mean anything at all! But the more she tried to convince herself, the more confused she became. The dance didn't require him to pull her that close to his body. Nor gaze at her with smouldering eyes.

The captain looked like he wanted to kiss her then. She remembered how his hand was around her waist, gently pulling her towards him when they were already so close. He had lowered his head slightly towards her right before she stepped back. And that night he sang 'Edelweiss', he seemed unable to keep his eyes off her. Putting all that together, Maria came to the conclusion that it was indeed possible that Georg was in love with her. Wait, 'Georg'? Where did that come from? Why am I thinking of the Captain as 'Georg'? She tried saying it out loud. Georg. She liked the feel of his name on her tongue. She felt giddy with excitement.

Maria knew she was in love with him. There was no denying it anymore. But she knew that, whether or not the Captain felt the same way, it was still wrong. He was engaged to be married to the Baroness. And for her part, she was one step away from taking her vows as a nun.

Well, the only way it COULD be right is if we both profess our love for each other, he breaks off his engagement to the baroness and I leave the abbey. Then we could get married and live happily ever after! She laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. She laughed and laughed at her own craziness until tears came to her eyes. Oh, Maria, you've really lost it now! She wiped her eyes as the laughter died down. Suddenly, she sat upright and thought, was really it that absurd an idea?

Maria had no inkling of how long she had been sitting in the gazebo but the chilly gust of wind made her realize how late it must be. She picked up her mug and slowly walked back to the now-silent house. As she neared the iron gate that opens to the lake, she heard voices and looked towards the sound.

She saw Georg and the baroness on the balcony. He reached out and embraced the baroness tightly. She stroked his back sensuously as they continued to whisper sweet nothings to each other. Then she heard them laugh together. Maria's heart dropped when Georg moved towards the baroness and kissed her. Then they both went inside.

Maria stood there frozen for a moment. What was she doing, thinking that they had a chance to be together? The Captain was in love with the, baroness, and this was proof enough. She felt guilt wash over her for imagining the captain to have feelings for her. Her presence here might cause friction between him and the baroness, and it seeing them happy together was just going to cause her more pain. She knew she had to leave.

The empty mug fell from her hand and landed on the grass with a soft thud. But she didn't even realize she dropped it as she ran back inside the house, tears spilling carelessly from her eyes along the way.

To be continued...


A/N: Reviews my dear readers, pretty please? :)