Family Time at Home
Disclaimers: I don't own The Sound of Music. And the format for the flashbacks in this story comes from watching (and reading) OUAT.
Before dinner that evening, Georg sat all of his children down in the drawing room and explained to his children that people who used words like "Aryan," "Jewish," and "Hitler" often said things that weren't true these days. He commanded that the children ask him or Maria whether to believe these people any time they heard someone use these words, even if the words came from their teachers.
"Really, Father?" Marta asked in shock.
"Even Fraulein Protz, my literature teacher?" Brigitta asked, sounding just as shocked.
"Absolutely," Georg snapped. Were his children really questioning him on this? Georg's heartrate sped up more than it already was as he began to prepare for a battle. How dare they? Suddenly he felt Maria's wonderful hands begin caressing his arm and his heart slowed slightly. He smiled at her, marveling how well she was already becoming at realizing what he needed and giving it to him without a second thought. He reminded himself that his children weren't enemies and they were only surprised by his request. Unfortunately, talking about the Nazis always made Georg see red.
"Teachers do their best, and they are often very good at teaching what they do," Maria explained, taking over in a much calmer voice. She also continued rubbing Georg's arm as she spoke. "But unfortunately, there are things even they don't understand as much as they try to. Your Father and I just don't want you repeating things you may have heard without understanding them. All right?" Maria finished, looking at each of the children one by one.
Each of the children nodded their heads obediently.
Georg, who felt as if he was finally calm enough to speak because of Maria's touches, also added they should also stay away from Herr Zeller, who he knew was Hitler's chief stooge in Salzburg.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
After that, the next few days past smoothly. Neither the children nor Maria mentioned any comments about Nazism from school, fortunately. Even Max didn't mention trying to "get along" with the Nazis, as he had attempted to in the past. Maria took Marta, Gretl, and Brigitta to church as usual. To Georg's surprise Louisa had decided to join them a few days earlier. And at the last minute, Liesl decided to attend as well, thinking Maria may need some help caring for the younger children. Georg still had a difficult time with God and religion, but he had to admit, it might be nice that his children were embracing more faith. Perhaps it would give them a better attitude about life and make them more like Maria. At any rate, Georg loved how happy Louisa and Liesl's decision made his fiancée.
In an effort to give Maria even more happiness, Georg reluctantly allowed Maria and the girls to go to their next dress fitting without his presence. The gossip they might hear as well as the insults, nasty looks, and veiled comments they might receive still worried him, but Maria had made it very clear that following her and the children everywhere wasn't really helping her deal with that. It wasn't as if he actually enjoyed looking at clothing while he waited for Maria and the other girls, anyway. Georg had to admit, a part of him was disappointed he wasn't' able to see any details about Maria's wedding gown, although he knew the groom wasn't really supposed to see it before the wedding. Still, if he happened to hear one of the children discuss Maria's dress, that wasn't his fault, was it? And since his children had been so happy lately, they might just do that. Of course, even if he wasn't able to discover any specifics about Maria's wedding gown, Georg had to admit, he'd always enjoyed her surprises.
OOOOOOOOO
That Friday night as they were finishing dessert, Maria announced in would be nice if they spent some time singing in the drawing room again, especially considering how well everyone had been behaving lately and school was only half - day on Saturday. Georg wasn't sure if he liked the idea, especially as he could see Max ready to start taking notes on how to exploit his family again. Perhaps there were surprises from Maria that he wouldn't be fond of.
But everyone else obviously thought it sounded wonderful. Liesl, Friedrich, and Louisa all nodded eagerly. "Yes, Fraulein Maria!" Gretl exclaimed eagerly as she swallowed the last of her chocolate cake. "We do sing in kindergarten, but the nuns don't let us sing my favorites. I want to start with 'The Sound of Music.'" She smiled as she said that, leaving a ring of chocolate frosting around her face.
Maria carefully got up from her chair and wiped the child's mouth with a napkin. "That sounds like a marvelous idea, Gretl," she replied in her happy canary voice.
"When can we start?" Brigitta asked, putting her fork down as she finished her cake. She also had smudge of chocolate around her lips.
"As soon as everyone is ready," Maria replied.
Georg sighed, realizing he would have to agree to this plan if he was going to make his family happy. Maria really could cause him to agree to almost anything. "All of you must make sure you clean up first," He told them firmly. He looked deliberately at Brigitta's chocolate lips and at Kurt, who was still scraping the chocolate crumbs off his plate and trying to fit as many into his mouth, yet getting chocolate crumbs all over himself instead.
"Yes, Father," they all agreed obediently, taking napkins and wiping their faces clean. Kurt finally put his fork down and wiped his mouth as well as all the crumbs off his outfit.
"And we will go into the music room, and I'll start with some piano music," he told everyone firmly, determined to take some control of his family. Besides, the less time they spent singing the less time Max would have to plan more of his exploitation of the family Georg needed to protect.
Everyone nodded, accepting the plan. Then they all left the dining room. Maria leaned in and whispered, "That sounds like an even better idea. I love the music room, and hearing you play the piano will be a wonderful treat for all of us."
Georg's heart soared at the way she thought his plan was even better than hers and his neck tingled as he felt her breath brush up against it. He gave her neck a soft kiss in response, grateful that everyone, even Max, was more interested in going to the music room than they were in watching Georg and Maria.
Eventually, they all arrived in the music room at the end of the hall. Georg was so grateful he'd finally let Maria talk him into using this room again. It smelled as if it had been dusted recently and the hardwood floor polished as well. He was glad he'd told Frau Schmidt to begin taking care of this room once again. Sitting in the center of the room was a beautiful, dust – free, black grand piano complete with a piano bench big enough for two. Nearby were shelves full of sheet music. On the other side of the room was a wooden shelf that held a beautiful violin which had once belonged to Agathe, and sheet music for that instrument as well.
Georg's mind drifted back to the happy times of him on the piano and Agathe on the violin in the evenings. The children had eagerly listened to them play Bach, Mozart, Johann Strauss and son, Beethoven, and many others. Georg had always thought of their music as a love language that they gave to their children. They would begin by choosing the correct piece, and then as Georg put his hands on the piano, Agathe would bring her violin up to her beautiful cheek, and they would both caress their instruments with the same care that they always caressed each other's bodies later on. Their string instruments always blended together, filling the large room like there was no beginning or end to either one as they both became lost in the music and in each other. Just like he and Agathe's relationship was.
After they finished and returned to the present, Liesl, Louisa, and Kurt would plead for one more song. It always made Georg's heart soar that his children appreciated the music he and their mother created so much, but he had to say no. After all, they couldn't allow the children to get away with staying up later than they should.
As Georg's mind drifted back to the present, he revealed in the fact that Maria had allowed him to experience the joy of music again, especially in this room. Even after the children had begun singing once more, he'd kept this room hidden, afraid the large room would suffocate in memories. But Maria had finally convinced him that the room that he and his children once loved so much should be cherished, especially considering it housed such a lovely piano.* It was also a wonderful room for singing, especially considering the room had been designed specifically to produce music.
Georg looked at the violin, still in it's case, sadly for a moment. He should have given the instrument to one of his children when Agathe died. Louisa used to be particularly fascinated with to her mother's violin. Perhaps she'd be interested in learning to play it as well. Georg would have to give it to her soon.
But for now, Georg planted himself right in the middle of the room, on the piano bench. "Brigitta, will you find the music by Johann Strauss I?" He was beginning to realize, with her keen observation, that Brigitta could find almost anything.
Brigitta's blue eyes lit up at being trusted with such a request. "Of course, Father," she replied, searching the shelves of piano music immediately. Georg had to admit he was quite impressed with how carefully his daughter was searching for what he'd asked.
Meanwhile, Maria gave a small nod and smiled lovingly at him as she sat next to him on the bench. She obviously approved of him allowing Brigitta to help him. A warm, tender feeling for Maria and his ten – year old daughter swelled up in his chest just then. He wrapped his arm around Maria and pulled her body closer to him, trying to show how much he loved her.
The rest of the children sat on the floor, just as they had the night Georg had sang "Edelweiss." A red area rug in the middle of the room was placed up for them sit, just as it always had been. Max stood in the corner with a happy smile on his face. Georg just wished he could believe Max was happy for the right reasons. Eventually Brigitta finally retrieved the proper music and placed it right in front of Georg. "Thank you," he told her sincerely. Brigitta smiled back and then sat on the floor along with the other children. All of them had eager smiles on their faces.
Georg began playing the music, starting out with the happiness and then becoming more serious as he continued, just as the song required. He nearly lost himself in the piece, although he was still aware of Maria's body snuggled next to him and was vaguely aware of his children's presence in the background. Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March was, after all, one of his all – time favorite piano tunes. It was, after all composed for a great victory for the Austrian – Hungarian Empire. Georg had grown up hearing it and performing it on national holidays and even many times at the naval academy. Finally he finished the song with the happiness of victory that ended it.**
When he finished, everyone's happy clapping and Maria's whispers of "That was beautiful," brought him back to the present. He turned around and drank in how wonderful the atmosphere was in the large room, with all the bright eyes and big smiles. But Georg should have known better than to expect his children to remain calm for very long. Just then, Gretl launched herself at both him and Maria. "Now can we all sing 'The Sound of Music?'" she asked tugging at both of her parents' clothing.
"Of course," Maria agreed immediately, giving Gretl a hug and then placing her back on the floor with the other children.
Georg nodded as well, deciding it was acceptable. He and Maria remained on the piano bench, but faced the children. Then he and Maria began singing "The hills are alive," at the same time, and the children quickly joined in with "with the sound of music." The lovely singing filled the room with a sweet harmony, as they all reminded themselves of something they enjoyed doing together. But despite what a nice moment it was for their family, Georg also made sure to keep an eye on Max. He didn't want the man to have any more ideas about his family singing in pubic.
After that was finished, Maria suggested that Georg and Liesl both sing "Edelweiss," as they had both done a wonderful job before. Georg sighed, still not thrilled at being told what to do, but he couldn't resist Maria's beautiful blue pleading eyes any more than he could before. Especially with Liesl nodding brightly and all the other children agreeing to the plan. At least this time he didn't have to worry about performing poorly because his singing voice was so unused.
Maria carefully changed places with Liesl so that it would be easier for the young girl to harmonize with him. And then they both launched into the beautiful song about Austria that they used to sing often when Liesl was Gretl's age. As his oldest daughter echoed him perfectly, Georg marveled how much more mature Liesl's voice sounded. Liesl truly was a young woman. A young woman he could be proud of because of Maria.
As they both finished, "Bless my homeland forever," their little audience clapped even louder than they had before.
"That was even better than the last time," Brigitta commented, making her observation skills known again. He supposed that made sense, as Georg had been using his singing voice more over the summer. He briefly recalled times he'd sang with Maria and other times they'd sang as a family.
"Have you been practicing singing without my knowledge, Georg?" Max asked from the background, in mock horror.
"When and where I sing is not really you're concern, Max," he replied to his friend firmly. It sounded as if his friend was still joking, but Georg couldn't let Max make any other plans for his family singing in public.
"I do think your voice sounds even more mature, Liesl," he told his daughter carefully as she stepped off the piano bench. "Or perhaps…I'm just noticing it's more mature this time," Georg admitted slowly, hating to admit how grown – up his daughter really was and how much time he'd missed with her.
But the joy in Liesl's eyes at his comment made what he'd said completely worth it. "Thank you, Father." Then she looked between him and Maria, who was standing on the other side of the piano. "Now can you and Fraulein Maria sing something together? I think that would be wonderful, too."
"Yes!" agreed Brigitta and Louisa at the same time.
"Please, Father? Fraulein Maria?" Marta asked more softly, yet much louder than she would have at the beginning of the summer.
Georg had to admit that sounded like a magnificent idea. Music was a language that spoke to him and Maria, and in many ways it had allowed them to fall in love. "Of course we will," he replied quickly.
From the look on Maria's face, she was surprised he had answered before she did. "Well as fast as you usually talk, I can talk faster if necessary," Georg whispered to her in a teasing voice. As wonderful as this evening was turning out to be, there was no way he'd allow her to have all the control. It was nice to "beat" Maria at answering a question occasionally.
Maria chuckled and replied, "I see," into his ear and her breath made him tingle all over. "Could we try sinning, 'Something Good'?"
Georg's chest tightened at the thought. He knew Maria thought of the song they'd created for each other that night in the gazebo as 'their song,' and it certainly was a special song. But as a song they'd essentially written together, it was a rather private song, and Georg wasn't comfortable sharing things like that. Not even with his children and his closest friend. He and Agathe used to play music for the children in this room, but they always used proper sheet music.
Yes, this was a perfect room for Maria and Georg to sing to the children together, just as it was a perfect room for him and Agathe to play instruments together. Still as much as Georg loved "Something Good" he wasn't ready to sing it to his children. He shook his head slowly, hoping not to hurt Maria's feelings too much. "Perhaps we can sing that one another time, darling," he whispered back carefully. "Do you know, 'Swallow's Song'? He had a feeling she probably did, as Maria seemed to know most every German folk song in existence.
Maria nodded, "Of course, I'd love to sing that with you again," she agreed eagerly.
Georg sighed in relief that she wasn't hurt by his request. And written songs, from his experience, were just as wonderful to express love through music.
So they began singing the lovely song that fit them very well, too. As it was a song about love and nature.
Mother, under the roof a nest is built
Look, look, look, yes, look
The bullfinch has married a couple there
Married, married, yes, married
There, look, how happy the two of them are
They fly back and forth
They fly every which way
Oh mother, I'd love to be a swallow's child
How beautiful, how beautiful this would be.
Up and down, every which way
Flies the swallow couple
Without rest and peace
Wonderful, beautiful how they get along
I love to watch them
The merl else singing and laughing
Is very silent today and then gently thought1
All the time without rest like the swallows
I wonder if they are happy
Even though they'd never sung it together, they both picked up the melody quickly. Georg's deep baritone fit Maria's clear soprano perfectly, just as it had the last time they'd sung a duet. Their music filled the room in beautiful harmony, and Georg lost himself in the music and in Maria's beautiful voice. When they finished, the children eagerly clapped and there were several requests for them to sing another song. He and Maria grinned at each other, both loving that their children enjoyed their duet so much.
But just as he always had before, Georg had to say "no" when they requested one more song. "It's late children. You must go upstairs." He could see from the windows in the distance that it was pitch black outside and had been for some time.
"But Father – " Kurt protested.
"I mean it, Kurt," Georg told him in his Captain voice. He could tell his children were more tired than they were willing to admit. "And I will warn you, if you try hiding again, you'll have to go upstairs earlier than everyone else tomorrow."
Kurt pouted but nodded.
"Your father is right," Maria agreed, looking at Marta and Gretl as she spoke. Gretl had almost fallen asleep against Liesl's shoulder and Marta's head was drooping. Even Brigitta was beginning to yawn.
The children sighed and nodded, standing up slowly. Maria gently picked Gretl and guided them all upstairs. Georg smiled again at the way his Maria took such good care of his children. Then suddenly he remembered his plans for Agathe's violin. He carefully picked up the case and carried it to the room that belonged to Louisa and Brigitta.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Maria had just finished helping Marta and Gretl into bed and making certain Fredrick and especially Kurt were upstairs reading or at least talking quietly. When she entered Brigitta and Louisa's room to do the same, she found Georg had just exited the room holding Agathe's violin, with a wonderful contented smile on his face. What had just happened? "Georg, what did you just do?" she whispered, full of curiosity, as always.
Georg gave her a smug grin. "I'm certain you'll find out soon enough. Don't worry; I know you'll approve."
When she entered the bedroom, Louisa exclaimed, "Guess what Fraulein Maria? Father just told me I could have Mother's violin! And I can start taking lessons as soon as he can find me an instructor!"
Maria smiled at how Georg had realized the violin should be used again. And her heart swelled with love that he was willing to give it to one of his children, even as Louisa's comment about her mother hurt a little. She reminded herself what Georg had said, that the older children may take a little more time to truly see Maria as a mother. Besides, Agathe would always be their mother.
"I remember how Mother would play wonderful music on that violin. I was fascinated that each string created a different sound. Father plays lovely piano music, of course. And you're great with the guitar, too Fraulein Maria," Louisa added quickly. Maria smiled, appreciating being included and reminded herself how much the girl really did care about her. "But Mother's violin was just…amazing," Louisa gushed.
Maria gave the girl a small hug with her arm. "Then you're father made the perfect choice, giving it to you, Louisa." It was nice that even though her Captain still sometimes struggled with knowing who his children were now that he remembered what they enjoyed when they were younger. And it was even more wonderful that the violin was just as important to Louisa as it had been before, if not more.
Brigitta briefly looked up from her copy of Through the Looking Glass to congratulate her sister and then say goodnight. After wishing the boys and Liesl well, Maria returned downstairs.
Max was already pouring more liquor for the three of them, although as Maria smelled her glass, she suspected it might be stronger than wine this time. She carefully put it down and began talking, as always. "I'm sorry I asked you to sing something you were uncomfortable with," Maria began sitting down next to her fiancée on the sofa, as usual. She loved "their song" and admittedly, she was a little hurt when he didn't want to share it. But Maria was beginning to realize that Georg saw that as something private. And even though he'd loosened up since the beginning of the summer, Maria had a feeling Georg would always be quite reserved.
Georg smiled and took a drink and then pulled her a little closer to him. "I'm just glad we found something we enjoyed singing instead. I hated to hurt your feelings like that, and I know it did."
Maria tried to shake her head, not wanting him to feel bad, but Georg looked at her seriously and she sighed. She'd never be able to hide her emotions, least of all from him. "I guess I'm still knew at what's between us," she told him. "I don't know what's supposed to be private and what isn't."
Georg nodded. "Don't worry, I can teach you. Just like you're still teaching me about the children." It warmed Maria that he didn't mind there was so much for her to learn. "And in another three weeks, I can teach you everything about what's private," he added in a lower voice.
Maria's face heated up at that, wondering exactly what things he might instruct her. "Like what?" she asked before she could stop herself, her voice lower than usual as well.
"Things that we can't really talk about with a chaperone nearby," he replied a little louder, looking over at Maria's shoulder at Max, who was still guzzling the liquor. Max gave them both his famous cheeky grin and Maria blushed again. Sometimes things between her and Georg got so intense, she almost forgot he was there.
"Well, I think you're doing quite well with the children, even without my help," Maria commented, trying to bring them back to a more neutral topic. "I hear you gave Agathe's violin to Louisa. It sounds as if you've picked the perfect person to pass it down to."
Georg smiled smugly again. "I thought so. It needs to be played again. And Agathe would want Louisa to have it. But don't ever think I don't need your help with the children, Maria," he told her more seriously. "I wouldn't know them at all if it wasn't for you, much less be willing to give the violin to the person it should belong to now. And you know how I still struggle with disciplining them properly and making the right decisions about them. I'll always need you to take care of our children." As he finished talking he began running his strong hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her.
But as Maria felt his hands on her, she remembered how much she loved his hands. They played the beautiful music on the piano. They lifted puppet show theaters and removed huge obstacles from in front of the music room. They caressed his children lovingly. The touched her with tenderness and with passion. And those hands were all hers now. "I love your hands," she told him, taking her right hand and caressing his, as he still rubbed her shoulders.
"I love your hands, too, Maria. You know that, right?" he asked her as he picked up her right hand and began covering it with small kisses. Then he picked up her other hand which bore her beautiful, sparkling engagement ring and covered that with kisses as well
Maria nodded, remembering how Georg explained to her how special he thought her hands were. She smiled and took his his other hand and covered it with kisses. Things were heating up between them, and Maria was beginning to forget about everything but the two of them again. She leaned over and gave him a deep kiss, loving the way he tasted and the way it felt to be with him this way.
Georg chuckled when they came up for air and pulled her closer then gave her a deep kiss of his own. As they finally broke apart this time, Maria suddenly remembered their earlier discussion about privacy. Was this appropriate behavior? She was just about to ask that when they heard a loud snort coming from the chair next to them.
They both laughed as they realized Max had fallen asleep and was snoring with his liquor glass still in his hand.
Georg looked from Maria to Max and then back to Maria again with a smug grin on his face. Maria knew what he was thinking. They were alone. Well sort of. Max was still there, but he wouldn't stop them as long as he was asleep, would he? Georg pulled Maria onto his lap and she smiled. She'd felt even closer to him than usual tonight after singing together, and Maria was happy to be able to be a little closer physically as well. Then he paused for a second. "Do you think we should wake him up?" he asked carefully, his deep blue eyes looking straight into hers.
"No," Maria replied after a moment. "He probably needs his sleep, right?" And it wasn't as if they would go too far if Max was still in the room, anyway. If this was private enough for her reserved Captain than it was private enough for her. She nuzzled her head against his neck, enjoying the smell of his cologne and his unique scent while Georg ran his fingers though Maria's hair and nuzzled her neck as well.
"I'm glad we were able to sing tonight," Georg murmured as he began peppering her neck with small kisses. "Your voice is gorgeous, and I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to hear it, let alone sing with you."
Maria sighed in contentment at his words and the way his kisses made her feel. "I think your voice is just as wonderful," she told him, wiggling her body a little so she could look into his deep blue eyes again. Then she gave him another deep kiss. As they kissed, Maria felt something growing in his lap. She wiggled again, becoming more and more curious about what was happening between the two of them.
"Maria," Georg groaned, beginning to run his wonderful hands over her breasts, which made them tingle.
She sighed and gave him another kiss, pushing her body even more firmly to her fiancé's strong, muscular chest. And that's when they heard it. Gretl's voice exclaimed, "Fraulein Maria! I need you!" Maria suddenly broke away from Georg to find Gretl standing in the doorway of the living room. She made a dash for the girl, hoping she wouldn't realize what exactly had been going on between her father and her future mother.
Gretl immediately wrapped her five – year – old arms around Maria tighter than a boa constrictor. "I had a bad dream!" she exclaimed, sounding almost angry about it. "And I went to your room and you weren't there and I didn't know where you were! I thought maybe…"
Maria cuddled Gretl's little body into her arms as she returned the girl upstairs. She thought I left again, Maria realized, feeling ashamed of herself once more. "Gretl, I'm not going to leave again, I promise. Do you understand me?" she asked, bringing the girl's face close to hers so Maria could look into Gretl's eyes, which she could make out from the light of the windows.
"Yes, I understand," Gretl replied, still clutching to Maria. "But that dream, Fraulein Maria! The monster came down from the sky and ate everyone!"
"Don't worry Gretl," Maria replied, rubbing her hands all over the girl's back. "There will be no monsters coming from the sky." With that, she arrived in Gretl's room and tugged her back in.
"Will you sing about our 'Favorite Things' again?" Gretl pleaded as Maria stood back up.
"Of course, dear," Maria replied, and began singing another one of her favorite songs.
*See "The Music Room" for details.
**I did my best to describe the piano piece that Georg is playing (as well as the history of it, which I definitely think would be important to him). But if you want the full effect of it, you should try listening to it yourself. It's available on Youtube.
Come on, we've all been interrupted by our children, right?
I will remind you that I have to have reviews to write this story, as I'm trying to do so without a beta. So I need to know what works and what doesn't.
As an added incentive this week, I'll mention that tomorrow is my birthday, and reviews are still my favorite birthday presents.
Here's some responses from the last chapter.
Bloomandgrow: The movie did imply things between the Captain and the children were fixed a little quickly, but I also think it's canon that they were still terrified of him when he caught them misbehaving. (The berry – picking scene. "And having him boiling mad at us?") So I figure that's the most difficult thing for the Captain to handle.
I'm glad you noticed the way Maria is "leading" him in parenting, as it is important to me for couples to be well – balanced. (Both with the amount of love they have for each other and what they're able learn from the other.) In M & G's case, I think Maria can teach him more about parenting and how to look at things more positively, while Georg can teach Maria more about relationships and the aristocracy.
And yes, the Natis propaganda. I know most of it would start after the Anschluss, but I also think there had to be a fair amount of "sleeper" Hitler supporters in Austria before then who were subtly trying to "support the cause" in every way they could.
Yes, how "involved" to have Georg with the children is a tricky thing to decide. On one hand, like you said, fathers were very removed from their children back then. (That's part of the reason why I make it clear that Maria is "leading" in the child – care.) But on the other hand, as I'm sure you know, one of my favorite types of scenes are how the parents interact with the children and how that affects their relationship. So sometimes I kind of "bend the rules" one what was normal fatherhood behavior for that time.
Srhittson: Thank you. I think a lot of what they were learning about Hitler was from people who supported him, but couldn't say it openly because this is before the Anschluss. (Brigitta's teacher for example, was using the "current events" as an excuse to have the children learn more about the "great leader" she admired so much. Ugh.) But yes, objectively speaking Hitler was an important political leader at that time, so teachers would have to look at him for that reason, too, if nothing else.