Under Cover of Darkness ch 2
Leaving the Abbey at dusk, Maria slowly walked the several blocks back toward the stop where she'd get the bus out to the outskirts of Salzburg. The breeze was rather stiff, and clouds had begun to gather over the western sky, giving breaks here and there where the setting sun glowed through like embers in a fireplace log. She clutched her arms around her, wishing she'd thought to bring a sweater though it had been quite hot earlier when she'd made the trip into town.
She'd been hoping to speak to the Reverend Mother, seeking her counsel-and perhaps her absolution-regarding the dreams, and now the daydreams Maria had been having about Captain von Trapp. The dreams had started soon after his return from Vienna. At first, they were quite innocent really; dreams of him accompanying her and the children on outings, or of playing on the grounds of the villa.
Then she began dreaming of the two of them alone, and those too were innocent at first. A touch of the hand, a look, a shared laugh over something silly the children did. When those dreams began turning to reality during the day, her nighttime incursions took a different turn.
Maria had never been one for reading romance novels, or of seeing the types of movies others girls swooned over. Now, her imagination was working overtime during her slumber; the handsome Captain, calling her into his study, capturing her lips with his own. Other nights they'd be on the terrace, in the gardens, in the gazebo, at the lakeside-but always she woke up at his first touch, or kiss. And during her waking hours, now she was beginning to have those thoughts intrude, as well. Watching the children during their studies, or playing tag, or supervising the littlest girls at bath time, her thoughts would wander to their father. How handsome he looked in his suit each morning, how intriguing he was when he sat thoughtfully behind his newspaper, how alluring each evening, when he would come upstairs to say goodnight to the children.
None of it had worried her too terribly much, until the dream last night which had been, well, downright sinful. Maria had so hoped that the Reverend Mother could explain to her why she was having these thoughts; did it mean she shouldn't, or couldn't, be a nun? Was committing such a sinful act while one was sleeping just as bad as if one were awake? What could she do to stop them?
She had been terribly disappointed upon finding out the Mother was not even at the Abbey that day; she'd been summoned to Vienna for some reason Maria was not privy to. She did accept the offer of seeking solace and prayer on her own in the chapel, after attending the midday prayer service. The quiet contemplation following the singing of psalms and readings did help to set her mind at ease, and she had been assured that the Reverend Mother would enjoy a visit from her upon her return.
Maria had reached the bus stop, and waited for a few moments before realizing it was later than she'd thought, and the next one wouldn't arrive for nearly an hour. She sat down on a nearby bench and watched the clouds building, hoping the rain would hold off until the bus arrived. Never one to sit still for very long, she got back up, and began wandering up and down the block, looking at the gardens of the houses along the street. One particular landscape caught her eye, and when she looked closer she saw that the blue cornflowers that proliferated near the fence were nearly the same color as Captain von Trapp's eyes. Those eyes, oh, how she could get lost in them! Sometimes when he caught her looking at him, she'd look into his eyes and she could hardly breathe…
"Hello, Fraulein."
She jumped, unaware that anyone had been nearby. Maria knew who it was without even turning around; she knew because of the way her heart clenched and her stomach fluttered and her lungs stopped functioning.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you. What were you daydreaming about?" The Captain asked. She turned and looked at him, and his expression changed ever so slightly.
"Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost," he pressed, and she realized she'd not responded yet to anything he'd said.
"Oh, no, yes, I mean, I'm fine, and no, I haven't seen a ghost, I was just surprised, as I hadn't heard you," she stammered.
"You didn't hear me because you were staring at those flowers," he replied. "A favorite of yours?"
"Not particularly, I was, um, just admiring the color," Maria answered, sure from the flush she felt that her cheeks were now bright red.
"Quite lovely, I agree. They, ah, nearly match your eyes," he offered, his voice unusually soft.
Maria looked up in surprise, then laughed. "That was exactly what I'd been thinking, that they are almost the same color as yours."
The Captain smiled, a gentle, kind smile that raised a dimple in his cheek and made him almost completely irresistible. They were interrupted by the slow roll of thunder.
"Well, I'm glad I passed by here on my way back, as I don't think this storm will hold off much longer, and I believe you've already missed the bus," he said. "Come on with me, hopefully we'll get home before the rain gets too bad." He held out his hand to her, and she paused for the briefest moment before taking it, as he led her quickly back to his car.
As they walked the short distance back to where the Captain had parked the car, they passed several people walking hurriedly in the opposite direction. The Captain dropped Maria's hand that he'd been holding and stepped aside to let the others pass. As they continued on, Maria was surprised when the Captain moved to place his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her in the direction of the car. This gesture was not unknown to her as she had seen him do it many times with the Baroness when escorting her out of a room, but as his hand touched her body, it felt like a bolt of electricity running through her.
She held her breath as they walked the final few yards to the car, feeling his fingers lightly stroking her back as they moved along. The Captain opened the door for her before proceeding to pull up the cover to the black Mercedes-Benz convertible just as the first few drops of rain started to fall.
The Captain quickly got in the car as the rain began to come down heavier. "Looks like we got to the car just in time!" He threw her a quick glance and laughed as he brushed a few stray raindrops from the brim of his hat. Maria merely nodded, lost for words as she was totally captivated by the sparkle of his eyes as he laughed. Now that they were sitting in such close proximity to each other in the car, Maria could also smell the faint aroma of his aftershave. Any attempts that she might have made before to block her daydreams of him from her thoughts were now totally destroyed.
As the Captain started the car and drove off, they sat there in an awkward silence. Wanting to break the discomfort, Maria finally found her voice. "So, Captain? What were you doing in town today?"
"Well," the Captain replied pleasantly as he drove along, "I had a business appointment in town which…"
Maria started to listen to him but quickly found that she had no idea what the business appointment in town was about. She'd stopped listening to his words since she'd become distracted by watching him as he talked. She saw the way his lips curled up slightly when he spoke about something vaguely amusing, how his eyes narrowed just a fraction when he mentioned the minor irritations he'd encountered. She was mesmerized by the way his fingers tapped the steering wheel playfully while he spoke, and the way his head tilted to the side as he paused mid-story to think of the next event from that afternoon.
She was so enthralled with observing those tiny details about him that she barely noticed that the rain had become torrential and the sky was now dark. The shadows danced across his face as the headlights flashed and reflected off the wet the road up ahead. The Captain gripped the steering wheel more tightly as the drenching rain, despite the wipers going at full speed, dramatically reduced the visibility through the windscreen.
All of a sudden the Captain slammed on the brakes. Maria gave a yelp and instinctively reached out to tightly grasp his leg, stopping herself from being flung forward.
The car came to a complete stop. They sat there in silence for a moment; the only sounds were the beating rain and the wipers continuing to swipe furiously across the windscreen. The headlights beaming through the pelting rain showed a large tree blocking the road just in front of them.
Maria still gripped his leg tightly, slightly shaken by the shock of the car's sudden halt. The Captain glanced down at her hand gripping his leg and slowly placed his own hand over hers gently encouraging her to release her grip. As she relaxed her grasp, the warmth of his hand surprised her. Slowly she raised her eyes to look at his face, his eyes were probing her face with a level of intensity she had not experienced before. It took her breath away.
"Are you all right?" the concern in his voice grabbed at her heart.
"Yes, I think so."
A second later, the moment was gone as the Captain tore his eyes from hers and looked back out through the windscreen to the large tree blocking the road.
"Well that's inconvenient," the Captain muttered under his breath as he observed the situation.
"Is there any way around it?" Maria asked.
"Hmm, perhaps. I'll just get out and take a look," the Captain told her as he was starting to open his door.
Maria gasped. "But sir, you'll get drenched!"
"I'll just be a moment. Wait here would you?" He asked her, flashing her a smile. He quickly got out of the car and hurried over top the fallen tree. After examining it for a moment and taking a quick look around at their surroundings, he dashed back inside the car.
"What did you see? Is there any way around the tree?" Maria quickly asked.
"It appears that I might be able to drive around it." He told her confidently.
The Captain started the car up again and slowly inched forward, turning the car to the right in order to manoeuver around the tree. The car lurched off the surfaced road onto the dirt beside it, but of course after the amount of rain that had fallen, the dirt had now turned to mud. The car crawled slowly forward until it came to an unexpected stop. The Captain put his foot on the gas but the car did not move. Only the sound of spinning wheels could be heard above the storm. He wound down the window and poked his head out trying to see what was the matter as he tried the gas pedal again. The wheels spun in the mud but the car stayed stationary. They were stuck.
"Well Fraulein," the Captain said as he wound up the window. "It looks like the car is bogged. We won't be able to get it out of the mud until the rain stops."
"What do we do until then?" Maria asked.
"I guess we spend the night here together in the car." He replied just as a bolt of lightening struck. For just that split second, Maria thought that she saw a look of delight on his face.
"Are you sure there's no way out?" She questioned, trying in vain to look out of the window on her side of the car. It was useless, as it was dark as pitch even though sunset was still a few hours away.
"I'm sorry, Fraulein, trying again will just get the wheels stuck deeper in the mud. And I for one do not fancy trying to walk home out there," he said, trying to brush the rain off his suit coat. It was no use, as it was already soaked. "Don't worry, we're perfectly safe here."
"In that case, you'd best take off that jacket. You'll catch your death of cold in that." She blushed at what she'd said, and looked down, as the Captain struggled to take his jacket while sitting in the driver's seat.
"Fraulein, would you mind….?" He held his arm out, and immediately Maria knew he needed her to pull the sleeve of the jacket so he could remove it. She nodded, and pulled the sleeve down over his hand, the back of hers brushing against his. Again she felt the electric current run between them, and suddenly it felt very warm in the car.
"What, um, what would you like me to do…?" she asked, as she held the jacket in her hands, the scent of him strong, and his warmth still contained in the fabric. The combination was heady, and kept bringing to the front of her mind the delicious, no, distinctly inappropriate, dreams she'd been having recently. Stop that right now, she scolded herself.
"Oh, here, I'll take that," the Captain replied. Once he held the lightweight woolen garment in his hands, though, he was at a loss. He looked around the interior of the vehicle, then simply tossed the jacket in the back seat. He then removed his hat, and tossed that along with it. Maria watched as he ran his hands through his hair, leaving it mussed with a lock falling across his forehead. It was all she could do to keep her breathing steady, as he looked even more handsome that way.
"So, Fraulein, how did your visit to the Abbey go?"
Maria thought for a moment-how to answer his question, without revealing the real reason she was seeking counsel?
"Oh, ah, not as well as I'd hoped, actually. The Reverend Mother wasn't there. I did spend some time in prayer, and that helped a bit." Not enough, though, she thought, as she fought the urge to brush his hair back from his face.
"I'm sorry you weren't able to seek her counsel. You hold her in very high regard. She must be a very special woman," he said.
"Oh, yes." Maria continued on, telling him all about the Mother Abbess, and how she was willing to take Maria in against all protocol and advice. She noticed how the Captain seemed very interested in what she was saying, never taking his eyes off of her once. Maria felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. Naturally, the Captain noticed that, as well.
"I can't say that's anything to be embarrassed about, Fraulein," he teased. "I'm sure you weren't the first postulant ever in trouble for sliding down the banister." He smirked, trying to hide a laugh, but when she grinned back he couldn't contain it.
"Yes, you were," and "Yes, I was," were spoken simultaneously, and they dissolved into laughter together.
After a few moments, they quieted down. This time, the silence was quite comfortable, and Maria felt no need to break it. That is, until she noticed the Captain starting to remove his tie.
"Captain? What are you doing?" she asked, not quite sure she actually needed an answer.
"I'm removing this horrid noose from around my neck, Fraulein." He gave her a sidelong glance that made her wonder if he thought her mad, as what he was doing was quite obvious.
She looked back at him in surprise. "But you wear a tie all of the time."
"Yes, which is why I'm removing it now." He pulled the narrow strip of fabric out from his collar, and tossed it onto the dashboard. Maria watched as he then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and prayed that he hadn't noticed the hitch in her breath as she watched. Quickly, she turned her head to look out of the window.
"No need to look away, I won't be disrobing completely," he chuckled. "But if we're to be stuck in this car all night, I'd like to be as comfortable as possible."
"Certainly, sir," Maria replied, her voice unusually husky. She cleared her throat. "I don't blame you for wanting to be comfortable."
"Please, call me Georg. It will be an exceedingly long night if you use my title or honorifics, Maria." She looked at him when she heard him say her name, and the way it rolled off his tongue made her heart sing.
"Yes, Georg," she replied, and watched as his eyes sparkled and he smiled once again.
Quickly they fell back into easy conversation but this time the topic turned to the children. Maria told him more about the time she had spent with the children while he was away in Vienna and he, in return, spoke to her of stories of the children growing up. Soon Maria relaxed, so enthralled by their pleasant conversation that she'd almost forgotten all about her dreams of him.
Finally as Georg finished telling her the amusing story of how Louisa put a snake in Frauline Helga's bed, Maria let out a large yawn.
"Oh, I'm sorry Maria," Georg said. "Have I been boring you with these tales of your predecessors?"
"No, not at all," Maria replied with a smile. "They are quite amusing. I have always been astounded how children as nice as yours are can play such nasty tricks on people."
"I suppose to get my attention," Georg muttered as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know Maria, I really can't thank you enough for what you did."
"What I did?" Maria asked surprised.
"Yes, telling me how I wrong I was. I'd been shutting my children out. They really do want to be close to me and I to them. Thank you for showing me that." His voice was soft and low, soothing, almost musical as he spoke.
He reached out and slowly took her hand, raising it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. Maria's gaze locked upon his as his lips lingered on her hand and she felt heat rushing to her face. He moved her hand down to his lap, but did not break eye contact. Maria wasn't sure, but it appeared that Georg started to lean slightly in towards her, almost as if he was just about to kiss her.
CRASH! A loud clap of thunder sounded causing Maria to jump. Instinctively Georg pulled back from her and the moment was gone.
Georg let go of her hand and giving her an awkward smile, he cleared his throat. "Yes, well…" The fingers on his left hand twitched nervously. He gave another cough. "Now, what were we talking about? Oh that's right, you were yawning. You must be tired, Maria."
"I am, I mean I'm not... Oh..." Maria struggled to get out the words, somewhat shaken by what almost happened between them only moments before.
Georg glanced down at the time on his wristwatch. "Ah, no wonder. It's close to midnight. I'm afraid I lost track of the time." He shrugged and threw her an apologetic grin. "Perhaps we should try and get some sleep. How about you take the backseat? I'm sure you will have enough room to lie down back there."
Maria started to protest which Georg, ever the gentleman, quickly stifled. Maria then reluctantly climbed into the backseat of the car. She passed his suit coat and hat back over to him in the front seat where he placed them on the passenger's seat. Maria glanced around the backseat. Yes it was certainly spacious, being large enough to transport all seven children.
She lay down and tried to get comfortable. The heavy rain was still beating down on the car but somehow she found the sound soothing. In the front seat she could hear Georg trying to get comfortable too, but from the amount of groans and huffing and puffing that she could hear, she knew he was not having much success.
She sat up. "Georg," she called out to him. He turned to look back at her. "You don't sound like you're that comfortable there. Would you like to come back here? There is more than enough room for both of us..."
He appeared uncertain. "Maria, are you sure? I don't want to intrude."
"Not at all." She smiled at him as he agreed and climbed over to the back seat to sit beside her. She edged away from him over to one side of the car, while he took the other side and she tried to get comfortable again. Minutes passed and Maria was wide-awake, knowing it was going to be almost impossible for her to go off to sleep. Sleep meant dreams, dreams of Georg. How could she sleep with him so close to her? Not after the way he almost kissed her. She had been plagued by dreams of him kissing her for nights now, and here she was alone with him. Oh, and what if she talked in her sleep?
How long had she been lying there? It felt like hours, although it must have only been minutes. She let out a deep sigh. "Trouble getting to sleep, Maria?" Georg's voice roused her from her thoughts.
She sat up. He was looking at her. "Yes, I'm afraid."
"Me, too. I suppose the back seat of a car isn't the most comfortable to sleep in at the best of times," he told her sympathetically.
"I thought I would be able to sleep, I'm certainly tired enough," Maria replied off-handedly.
"Perhaps you have too much on your mind?" Georg suggested, his eyebrows raised.
"My mind?" Maria repeated. Her heart started to race slightly as she knew that that was the exact reason why she couldn't sleep. Surely he didn't know, couldn't know what she had been thinking about him.
"Yes, forgive me Maria, I don't wish to pry but this morning you did seem especially tired. Have you not been sleeping well? It seems as though you have something on your mind. I know you weren't able to seek the Reverend Mother's counsel today, and I'm sorry for that. But you might be surprised to learn that I can be a good listener, if you wish to confide in me." Georg had slid over the back seat towards her as he spoke, taking her hand in his.
Maria's breath tightened in her chest. She looked down, not meeting his eyes. How could she confide in him about her dreams when he was the object of those dreams? How could she tell him what she had dreamt about, about his kissing her and about her being naked with him and him doing things to her that exhilarated her yet terrified her at the same time?
"Maria?" His voice was soft, tender. "You can trust me." He lifted her chin with his finger so she was looking directly into his eyes. Despite the darkness, his clear blue eyes shone. Those eyes that she found herself now lost in, those eyes that intoxicated her right down to her soul. She knew she could trust him.
"Dreams. I've been having dreams…" Maria began, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Dreams? Were these good dreams or bad dreams?" He asked her gently. She shook her head, not answering him. Were they good or bad dreams? Part of her looked forward each night to her dreams about him, until that last dream the night before. She was frightened by what she was dreaming and the things she was dreaming about him.
"And what were these dreams about?" His next question was expected, but she didn't expect herself to answer the way she did until she heard the words escape from her mouth. "About you…"
He was silent for a moment as he searched her face for the answers to the questions he wanted to ask but didn't, questions that he already knew the answer to by the way she was looking at him.
Slowly he moved forward towards her, affectionately cupping her face with his hand. She could feel his soft breath on her face as his lips, now only an inch away from hers, parted slightly. Maria closed her eyes as his lips met hers in a tender kiss. Soft, sweet, gentle, his kiss was everything she'd imagined, and more.
He pulled back from her, just enough to look into her eyes again. "Dreams like that?" he murmured, his voice thick and sensuous to her ears.
"I...ah...yes," she answered quietly. "I didn't know quite what to make of them."
Georg brushed her hair from her eyes, and let his fingers linger along her cheek, then he heard her gasp as he traced her full, pink lips.
"I think I can help with that," he said. "You see, I've been finding myself quite enamored of you, and it seems that you may share those feelings?" She swallowed hard, and nodded, her head barely moving as she held his gaze.
He smiled at her, the lopsided grin that she found so alluring. She felt every muscle in her body quiver as he leaned forward again, kissing her a second time. This kiss was more sensual than the first, more intimate. Georg lightly massaged Maria's lips with his own, then tentatively his tongue moistened her bottom lip. Her mouth opened ever so slightly, and his tongue slipped inside, searching for hers. Maria was a quick learner, and within moments their mouths were engaged in a dance of pleasure.
Georg wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer, and Maria did likewise, her hands grasping at the back of his shirt, his hands playing with the hair at the nape of her neck. It was only when Georg's hand strayed down her back, stopping at her waist with his thumb stroking the side of her breast that she pulled away, breathless.
"So, that's a 'yes', then?" He murmured, moving to feather light kisses along Maria's jaw and down her neck. She let her head fall back, and moaned her assent.
"Mmmm, yes." Georg continued kissing Maria, across the open neckline of her dress, then resting his cheek on her bosom. His hand continued the tickling, tracing motion as he drew it up from her side to the front of her dress. He felt her body tense, and she placed a hand over his.
"I think we need to stop, now," she stated. "I've never, well..." her voice trailed off.
"You've never what, Maria?" he whispered, picking his head up and gazing into her eyes.
"I've never done this, any of this, except in my dreams," she admitted. "All these things I've been feeling and dreaming about you. I want… I mean... Oh, I don't know…" Maria found she struggling to find the words to express how she was feeling. "It's all so new… I want to be with you but not like this, not here. I'm sorry."
"Oh, mein Liebe, you have nothing to be sorry for," his voice was a bit louder, but very comforting. "I have no intention of doing anything that you aren't ready for, or don't want to do." He sat up, leaned against the inside of the car door, and indicated to Maria she should join him. She did, snuggling under his arm, her back against the seat back.
"Are you comfortable, like this?" he inquired. She nodded her head against his chest, inhaling his masculine scent, which made her insides quake again. "Mmm-hmmm," she sighed, trying to suppress a yawn. "Very comfortable, and warm," she added, as the storm's chill was making its way into the car.
"Good," he said, squeezing her closer. She didn't hear him, as she was already falling into a sweet, restful slumber. "Sweet dreams, Maria," he murmured as he kissed the top of her head.