Thanks for all the kind words. My self esteem skyrocketed from reading those reviews.(Is that pathetic?)
This chapter is more focused on Maria and the children. However there are some Georg/Maria moments
The water plastered Maria's hair to her forehead. She held both of Gretl's slippery hands tightly, helping her maintain balance.
"Mother." Liesl was walking behind her, pestering her for answers. "Where is he?"
Maria kept her mouth shut.
"Is he…" Liesl's voice trailed off.
The weight of the almost question pounded down on Maria harder than the rain. She lost her balance briefly, her feet sliding on the mud.
"What's wrong?" Gretl asked innocently.
"Nothing." Maria whispered, barely audible of the rain.
Brigitta turned to her, narrowing her eyes. "Something must be wrong." She stated bluntly. "Otherwise, you're crying for no reason."
"I am not." Maria muttered, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. "It must just be the rain."
"Your eyes are all puffy." Brigritta observed.
"He's not going to meet us in Switzerland, is he?" Liesl guessed.
Maria snapped. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't know where he is." Her loud voice was smothered by the damp air, but not before all of the children heard its harshness.
There was no use hiding things from the children. Maria knew that. She knew that they were all most likely wondering where their father was. She knew that she had to tell them something, give them some explanation for their father's absence.
She was also painfully aware of the fact that she had no explanations to offer. She had no answers to their questions.
She realized that everyone had stopped walking. There were seven pairs of eyes staring at her, fourteen eyes which bore a striking resemblance to the two eyes whose reassuring look she desperately needed.
She swallowed down the lump in her throat, closing her eyes for a moment. Dear god, please let me help them. Please allow me to find the inner strength I need to guide them through this journey. She opened her eyes. "Keep walking children." She said firmly.
Everyone continued staring at her.
"Walk." She commanded, her voice cold and forceful.
The slosh of boots on mud resumed, accompanied by an occasional splash. Gretl pushed away and joined the others who had formed a clump slightly in front of Maria, who directed her eyes straight ahead, counting them once again. All of them were there, heads drooping, feet dragging. She heard the occasional whisper, but couldn't make out any specific words.
"Isn't father coming with us?" Marta asked as the eight of them piled into the car.
"He should be." Maria whispered.
"Lieutenant!" She heard someone shout. "They're here!"
Her heart skipped a beat. She heard running, then gunfire.
"Maria, go!" Georg's voice echoed through the church.
She leaped over into the driver's seat, shoving the key onto the ignition and slamming her foot onto the gas. The car lurched, the wheels screeched on the concrete.
Maria's legs gave out and she fell to the ground, her palms slamming against the moist ground.
"Mother!" Cried someone. She felt a series of hands pull her out of her thoughts. It had stopped raining, but the sky was now pitch black aside from a few measly stars.
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked.
Maria blinked. "Yes."
"Mother, will you stop lying to us?" Marta demanded, her voice soft but strong.
Maria, jolted slightly by Marta's assertiveness, began to feel water seeping through her dress.
Maria glanced in the rear view mirror. She could see the men in the car which was following so closely behind them it was practically attached. A shiver ran up her spine as she tried to push the worst possible scenarios out of her mind.
"Father," Gretl said from the back seat. "Why are you leaving?"
Georg turned to Maria, their eyes meeting. She could see that pain had transformed his blue eyes into a stormy grey. He didn't want to explain it.
Maria rotated her body to face the children and Max, who were sitting crushed together in the back of the car.
"Well darling," Maria began "Your father is a very talented sea captain. And those gentlemen-"
"They are not gentlemen." Georg interrupted harshly.
"Very well." She took a deep breath. "Those men want your father utilize his skills and fight in their navy." She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. His body was stiff. "But your father isn't leaving us. We are all going to Switzerland so that we can stay together."
Liesle, who understood the seriousness of the situation, asked the very question which the three adults in the car had been avoiding. "Will they try to capture father to make him join them?"
Maria glanced at her husband who nodded. "Possibly."
"What will happen if they capture you, father?"
Maria started to reassure them. "Nothing like that is going to-"
"I will meet you in Switzerland." Georg stated firmly. The car came to a halt. He grabbed Maria's hand.
She gasped lightly as his dark eyes bore into hers.
"No matter what happens I will never abandon any of you. Ever."
"Do you promise?" Gretl asked, tugging gently on her father's sleeve.
"I promise."
"I'm sorry Mother," Marta said quickly. "I didn't mean to sound cross."
"It's just that we have a right to know these things." Liesl asserted.
And Brigitta added "He is are father, after all."
"Isn't he going to meet us in Switzerland?" Gretl asked innocently. "He promised."
I have a very important question. How long do you people think I should spend on the trip from Austria to Switzerland? I might warp time and have them get there sooner than would be realistically possible. Is that okay?
Y'all had best keep reviewing otherwise I am automatically going to think this story sucks and discontinue it.
P.S. I always forget to do these disclaimer thingies.
I DO NOT OWN SOUND OF MUSIC. i wish i did. that would be swell, just swell. But let's be honest, if i owned Sound of Music i would not be writing fan fiction.
SPOILER BELLOW.
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Georg is not dead. I promise.
That is all.