Okay, anyone who reads my stories knows I love it when people put quotes and little references into their fics. So I set myself a challenge: How many references could I make to other things Julie Andrews has done, while still maintaining a story that made sense. I think I succeeded, and I hope you all like it, and have fun looking for the references.

Also, it is a 'missing scenes' story from my engagement fic Love Isn't Love 'Til You Give It Away, so there won't be any other chapters; go read that fic if you want to see the whole story.

Maria awoke with a start. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and she was covered all over with a sticky sweat. The dream had been terrible. She couldn't remember it, but it had scared her enough to wake her up, so she knew it couldn't have been good. It had been her second one in a row. Ever since her fiancé had received invitations to a ball being held by one of his old friends.

Her fiancé. Some part of her brain thought it might still be dreaming, but the engagement ring on her finger told her that she was wide awake.

She glanced over at her alarm clock. It was very early; the children wouldn't be awake yet and breakfast wouldn't be served for quite a while. But Maria was certain that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again after a dream like that.

Meanwhile, right outside Maria's bedroom door a certain somebody was pacing up and down the corridor. Captain Georg von Trapp had heard the sounds coming from inside his fiancée's bedroom and was debating whether or not he should go inside and comfort her.

Eventually, he decided he would risk it and see what had upset his Maria. Taking a deep breath he rapped lightly on the door. "Maria..." he said softly.

The knock on her door had startled Maria even more, but she had immediately relaxed when she heard his voice. "Come in," was all she said.

Her eyes lit up and her spirit soared when he entered the room and walked up to the end of her bed. Georg, on the other hand, looked concerned about the state of his beloved, lying pale and tired on the pillows in front of him. "Maria?" he asked again. "Are you alright?"

"I am now that you're here. What were you doing outside my door?" she asked him light-heartedly.

Georg's concerned expression vanished and he gulped. For once, he was the one blushing and not his beautiful bride. "It's become sort of a habit," he admitted guiltily. "For about a week now."

Maria seemed momentarily stunned. "Georg, I wasn't here a week ago," she said.

"I know," he replied. "I hoped that walking past your bedroom would make me feel closer to you. It didn't, but despite that I couldn't stop. I loved you too much. Then this morning, I heard a groaning noise coming from inside, and needed to investigate. I thought perhaps your tummy was upset," his voice was clearly full of concern.

"No, my tummy isn't upset," she sighed, stifling a yawn. "I guess I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping all that well."

However, when Maria looked up she saw her fiancé standing there with a grim expression on his face. "I don't think that's what's really bothering you," he said simply.

Maria sighed, burying her face in her hands. "No," sobbed. "You're right; it isn't. I'm nervous about...about the ball."

Georg exhaled and sat down beside Maria on the bed. "Maria, I've told you that you have nothing to worry about. You can tell me anything and everything that's on your mind. You know that, right?"

Maria nodded.

"Good," Georg continued. "In that case, I think you should tell me exactly what's got you so upset about the ball, and I'll convince you that you needn't be concerned. Just you wait. So, are you sure your tummy's alright?"

She nodded slowly. "Why?"

"I thought we'd go for a picnic."

Maria looked at him in speculation. "But, the children?" she asked. "And Max? Won't they be expecting us at breakfast?"

"Don't worry liebling*," he said kissing her softly on the nose. "Frau Schmidt's down in the kitchen. I'll have her and the cook pack a basket for us, and ask her to help the children get ready for the day. Then, I'll leave a note for Max explaining where we are. Meet me in the foyer in twenty minutes."

The thought of going on a picnic with her Captain banished all the previous thoughts from Maria's mind. She was out of bed in a flash and after a quick wash she was hurrying downstairs to wait for Georg.

"Good morning Maria," said Frau Schmidt. The housekeeper had just entered the foyer, coming from the direction of the kitchen. She was carrying a big wicker picnic basket. "The Captain told me he was planning to take you out for a picnic. I hope you two have a lovely time."

"Thank you Lili," Maria smiled, reaching out and taking the basket from the older woman. The housekeeper smiled in return and then continued on up the stairs, heading towards the children's bedrooms.

A few seconds later, Maria heard footsteps and saw her fiancé appear on the edge of her vision. When she turned around to face him, his appearance made her breath catch in her throat. He was wearing thigh high boots, dark trousers and a grey-brown shirt. The first couple of buttons were undone and he wasn't wearing a tie. Aside from earlier this morning, in her bedroom; when he'd been wearing his pyjamas, she'd never seen Georg without a tie. Even his hair seemed freer and more loose. This laidback, relaxed Captain surprised Maria but it also thrilled her; although she would never admit that out loud.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Maria shook her head, but her giggles were barely disguised. "I've just never seen you look like that; and to be honest I never thought I would."

"Maria," Georg smiled. "I would hope that once we're married, you'll be seeing me dress like this a lot more often."

Maria's cheeks flushed crimson as the meaning behind Georg's words sank in, but before she could say anything, he interrupted her by kissing her cheek. "I know, I know," he said. "You hadn't thought that far ahead. That's perfectly fine. But are we going to stand here giggling over my dress code or are we going for our picnic?"

Half an hour later Maria found herself sitting next to her fiancé on a picnic blanket in the middle of one of the green meadows on the Untersberg. The sky was a pale blue and the sun cast a golden light onto her mountain.

Georg opened the picnic basket and withdrew the items that the housekeeper and the cook had packed for him and Maria; which included fresh fruit, miniature sandwiches, assorted pastries a couple of bratwursts** and a big bottle of juice.

They ate in relative silence and by the time the meal was finished, Maria's heart felt lighter than it had for the past two days; and she still hadn't told her husband-to-be what was on her mind.

"Oh Georg," she sighed leaning back into her lover's embrace. "You certainly know how to make a girl feel wanted."

"That was general idea," he smiled. "Maria, I love you. I want you to feel wanted and loved and desired because I feel all those emotions for you. And now," he said, placing his hand on her chin and turn her face him. "I want you to tell me why you're so worried about the ball."

"Well," she began, "For one thing, I'll never fit in. I couldn't even fit in to the circles of society that I was supposed to live in; when I first turned up at the Abbey, Sister Berthe was just as impressed with my record as you were on my first day here. Impressed: not convinced. I'll stick out like a sore thumb amongst all the aristocrats that are going to be there."

Georg pressed another soft kiss against the side of Maria's face. "Mein liebe*," he said. "Don't worry about that; I've told you before that I don't care about the rules and guidelines of society, and neither do Werner and Johanna; which is one of the reasons we stayed friends as long as we did. I can assure you that they wouldn't care if I'd met you at a brothel; if we were in love they'd be happy for us."

"But it's more than that, Georg," she said, her voice faltering at every word. "When I met you I was your children's governess. And I'd pledged my life to God. Surely there will be rumours circulating about the nature of our engagement. Werner and Johanna may be lenient with our situation, but I know there will be at least ten times that many people who only want to gossip and make fun of the fact that Captain von Trapp's marrying the governess, who was a would-be nun."

"There is no way I would allow that to happen," Georg exclaimed. "I wouldn't dare."

Maria's next words were very soft. "But you have dared. By getting engaged to me that's exactly what you've done. And now that it's started, there's no way to stop it."

"I would never dream of introducing you as an ex-postulant who came to be my children's governess. I will introduce you as my beautiful, amazing fiancée. We are living in a world that's disappearing, Maria. The last thing on my mind is whether or not my bride is what society thinks a Baroness should be."

Maria smiled, and then her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Georg," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything,"

"Why aren't you wearing a tie?" she giggled.

Georg couldn't help laughing a little at that comment himself. He hadn't be expecting that. "When we came here the other day I remember I was very uncomfortable; and I said I needed to dress accordingly the next time you brought me up here," he said. "And besides, it is much more comfortable without a tie."

"Well," Maria said, her voice soft by strong. "I like it. I think you should dress like this more often."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to take my tie off everytime I'm in your prescence."

That earned him another giggle from his fiancée. Georg leaned back and drank in the sight of the beautiful woman in his arms. He sighed. "Ah, I can't believe it," he teased. "You look so...young. And then look at me. Perhaps I'm just growing old."

"Never," Maria teased back playfully. "Perhaps you're just growing up."

Georg grinned as he playfully ruffled Maria's hair. He couldn't imagine it longer; it just wasn't her. Yet, at the same time, he wondered what his bride would look like with hair like Agathe or Elsa, or his daughters. Maria smiled as she leaned back against his chest. She had a pretty good idea what he was thinking. And when she spoke, it appeared she was spot on.

"My hair was long when I was younger; maybe I'll grow it out for you," she said. "You think your daughters have curls. You wait. Just you wait."

*Darling and my love respectively

**Forgive me if that isn't the correct plural form; I don't know German