This fic was done for a prompt on my TSOM Fanfiction Board. We had to choose a song lyric and tie that into the fic. I chose One Direction's I Should Have Kissed You.
He was spinning; twirling around on the floor and for all he knew there might not even be a floor. Every ounce of his attention was focused on the beautiful woman in his arms. He had never liked to dance, but at this present he had never felt happier or more alive. They were in perfect synchronisation with one another that their movements seemed effortless. They weren't just dancing, they were flying.
The dance inched closer to it's ending, bringing them closer together as it did so. When he heard what he subconsciously knew to be the final strains of the music, he dipped her in his arms, bending over as he did and pressing his lips to hers.
The kiss was amazing. Every memory of every kiss he'd experienced before, every dream of every kiss he'd hoped to experience was exceeded when their lips met. Time stood still and all that mattered were her lips on his.
But it didn't last. They hadn't been kissing for more than a second – two at the most, when the angel in his arms vanished into thin air and he was left in an empty courtyard with a gaping hole torn out of his heart.
Georg von Trapp sat in his study. With his shirt unbuttoned, his tie loosened, his hair mussed, and two days worth of beard growth, he looked more dishevelled than he had since his wife had first died.
There were a pile of papers spread across the desk in front of him, but Georg barely noticed them. His mind was completely preoccupied with thoughts of something else as the images from the dream that had awoken him were fresh in his mind. Or, more specifically, someone else.
Maria.
His conscious was taunting him. He'd been having this recurring dream since the night of the party, almost a week ago. It was just like the night; he was dancing the Laendler with Maria, feeling like he was floating on clouds. Except, when the dance ended, she didn't rush away, claiming to have forgotten the steps; he would lean over and kiss her, only to have her disappear as soon as their lips touched.
Only now, looking back did he realise it. He loved her. After Agathe had died he had never counted on finding love again, not even with Elsa. Elsa knew that of course.
But ever since his return from Vienna with Elsa and Max, he had found his attention drifting more and more towards Maria – so much so that he no longer thought of her as merely the children's governess, but simply Maria; his Maria who had now disappeared without a trace.
'You're not going to let this girl get away.' That's what Max had said on the night of the party. The night she left.
But that's exactly what he had done.
'I can't believe I let you walk away,' he thought sadly, visions of her face filling his head. 'When I should have kissed you.'
He was still in his study, sitting at his desk, trying to get his mind to focus on something, anything but her, when he heard the children singing. They sounded happier than they'd been for the past week. And when he looked out the window, who should be standing there, singing with them, but Maria.
When he walked outside the children called out to him joyfully, once again cheerful at the fact that their beloved governess had returned. Upon see her face, as if in a new light; as if he was realising for the first time that she was his true love; his soulmate, he had a change of heart and told the children to go inside for dinner, despite the fact that only a little while ago had told them dinner was cancelled because they were "berry picking".
For now he just needed to be alone with her.
"You left without saying goodbye," he said. "Even to the children." Georg could tell from her expression that something was on her mind and he did his best to be gentle. But the woman he had grown to know and love had disappeared behind a mask.
"Well, it was wrong of me," she answered simply. "Forgive me."
"Why did you?"
"Please don't ask me," she replied, again keeping her response short, simple and emotionless . "Anyway the reason no longer exists."
Georg didn't even realised Elsa had come up behind him until she greeted Maria with faked happiness. And Maria gave them her blessings for their upcoming marriage.
That was when the severity of the situation hit him. As of now, he was officially engaged to Elsa. But Maria was back. He couldn't marry someone when he was in love with someone else. Especially if that someone else was standing in front of him. He didn't want to lose her again. He couldn't.
"You are back to stay?" he asked as Maria headed inside the house.
She turned around. "Only until arrangements can be made for another governess," she said, before disappearing through the door.
What had he done? He'd let her walk away again, when he should have left Elsa then and there, and gone straight over to Maria and kissed her.