A/N: Betas fricking rock, and my's the best! So nah! Haha, I'm kinda hyper, I don't know why. Maybe because my aunt just had her baby up in Indiana, but I'll never to get see my new cousin except on major holidays that I go out to my dad's, but that's a whole 'nother story...Okay, so you know, how when you do something that you want to, you feel guilty if there's something you REALLY need to be doing...yea...that's how I feel right now. So, enjoy the fruits of my guilty labor! Hey, that sounds really cool!
Disclaimer: Do you think if I killed the head of 20th Century Fox, I could get the rights to "The Sound of Music?" Yea, I didn't think so either.
Review Repiles: My faithful reviewers...to the tune of 'you are my sunshine'you are my sunshine, you are my joy, you have your own folder, in my inbox...
iluvwriting: I know just how you feel with life! And don't little brothers just suck! If my brother interuppted a moment like that, he wouldn't be seeing his permit test!
Lapwolf: Thanks for reviewing, glad you're enjoying the story. Lisel's always been my favorite Von Trapp child, probably because I felt I could relate to her the most, being the oldest myself. Course, there's only two of us, and both are parents are still alive, but my daddy was in the navy when I was little! You didn't need to know that...
Shannah: Tell your friend to review the story! I don't really feel pressured about school right now, just that slight pressure that comes with those damn AP courses. Damn my brain...
AlineBanhara: What happened! You were last! I got worried! I hate that feeling of not being able to breath, it just sucks, doesn't it? But take deep, claming breaths, and read this chapter!
Throughout the week, Fräulein Maria took us all over town. One day, Fräulein had brought up bikes from a certain telegram center for us to ride all over town. Another day, we went for a carriage ride through town, just looking around. We had such fun trying to squeeze seven children into one. Fräulein had to sit up front with the driver! Finally, the high point came on the day before Father was due home. Fräulein took us to an orchard near by, and we all had a climbing contest. Friedrich and Kurt were so hurt when Louisa not only out-climbed them, but did it faster too! We spent the rest of the morning, hanging in the trees like little monkeys.
And all during this week, Fräulein taught us the most beautiful songs. We finally came upon one that we all could sing and was easy for me to play on the guitar, since Fräulein thought it would be a little inappropriate for her to do it. All week we worked on it, but in between, we always kept up with our studies, so Father wouldn't get suspicious when he got back.
I guess you could also say that the low point was also the day before Father was due home. More because that was also the day that Father did come home. And he brought Uncle Max, just like he said he would. And he brought the Baroness.
When we first meet her, we were soaked to the skin. We had been rowing along, because Fräulein thought it was high time that we "get our feet wet." So we took the rowboat that Father had tied farther down river that day, and went for a row. As we were rowing past the house, we saw Father and someone who was obviously the Baroness, standing there. Somebody stood up, then we all stood up, and then…
Well, let's say we all got a little wet…
"Come out of that water at once!" Father was mad, but no one seemed to notice or care. We were all laughing and giggling too much. Louisa pulled Gretl out of the water, because we nearly forgot that Gretl couldn't swim. No one ever had the chance to teach her. We were never allowed to after we taught Marta how. Father told us that there shouldn't be any opportunity for Marta or Gretl to swim. How that put Louisa in a twist!
Fräulein pulled the boat up the steps and tied it up as we walked up the stairs.
"I'm soaked to the skin!" Louisa had been the one who had her hair tied back, yet hers seemed to be the wettest. She probably took the opportunity to take a quick dive.
After standing around for a second or two, Father pulled out the whistle and gave a shrill blow. We had forgotten all about the whistle. Right before we had gone up to the mountains, we had made a big ceremony of throwing the one Fräulein had received into the river. It was such fun to hear it scream!
"Straight line!" Father was furious. He walked up and down the line, stopped in front of Louisa and pulled the handkerchief off her head. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fräulein smiling sadly. She had worked so hard on the outfits and now Father was silently yelling at us because of them.
Smiling at us in that furious way, he stated coldly "This is Baroness Schrader…" and turning back to her, his smile faded "…and these, are my children." It cut me that he said it as if he was ashamed to see us.
"How do you do?" Apparently Father had told her not to except a reply. I could see briefly out of the corner of my eye that Gretl was grimacing. She could see that this person was exactly like our previous governesses. Except this one wouldn't even care for her or Marta.
"All right. Go inside, dry off, clean up, change your clothes, report back here! Immediately!" He barked out his orders and expected them to be followed. We scrambled up the stairs, and could hear Father tell Fräulein to stop. Gretl stopped in front of me, but Brigitta gently shoved her on.
"No Gretl. Stopping now will only get her in more trouble." I whispered, looking back, seeing the Baroness following us up the stairs. "Come on, hurry up. I'll be right back." I fell back behind the rest and came to the side of the Baroness.
"Baroness Schrader, how do you do? I'm Lisel." I said politely.
She smiled at me as though she was entertaining a child. "How do you do Lisel? It's very nice to meet you."
"Thank you. I was wondering if you would please join my brothers, sisters, and I in the sitting room in a few moments. We have something we'd like to give you."
She seemed startled, but, being the polite society women she made herself out to be, she nodded gracefully and said she would.
I nodded my thanks, and ran up stairs, to find that nobody had moved to get changed. "What are you all doing, standing around?" I said, looking at them.
"We feel bad about what we did." Brigitta said stepping forward, looking abashed.
"Why? You did nothing wrong. What we did is just not normal for us. That doesn't mean it's wrong!" I stated. "Go get changed. The Baroness has accepted our offer to sing for her! We need to change! Quickly!"
They all ran into their rooms, and were out in five minutes, though everybody's hair was still a tad bit wet.
"Go on down, and wait for me. I have to run up the Fräuleins room and get the guitar." I said, pushing the little ones down the steps after the landing.
"Hurry Lisel!" Gretl said, squeezing my hand.
"I will!" I said, running up the stairs.
The guitar was right where Fräulein said it would be, lying across her bed, with a note.
"Dear Lisel, I know that you and your siblings will do an excellent job today! Sing your best and don't be afraid. You know the song just as well as you know 'Edelweiss.' Love always, Fräulein Maria."
I took the note, and put it in the pocket of my dress, smiling. Fräulein knew how nervous I was about playing.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I hurried down the stairs, where my brothers and sisters were grouped outside the sitting room door.
I walked up behind Louisa. "Why aren't you in there?" I whispered.
"Ah!" She jumped and turned around, glaring at me. "Lisel!"
I laughed. "Sorry, come on, don't be nervous. Are you ready?" I looked mainly at Marta and Gretl. They had never done anything like this before and I wasn't sure how they were in front of people. They nodded shyly, and I pushed them in.
As we walked in, the Baroness looked up from where she was talking with Uncle Max. While my brothers and sisters stepped into the positions that Fräulein had told them to, I stepped forward. "Baroness Schrader, it is our pleasure at this time to welcome you to our household with a song." I performed the best curtsey I could with a guitar in my hand, and stepped back beside my siblings.
Pulling the guitar up into position, I strummed the first few chords as Fräulein had taught me to. Looking at the rest of them, I nodded my head and we began our song.
"The hills are alive
With the sound of music
Ah-ah-ah-ah
With songs they have sung
For a thousand years
The hills fill my heart
With the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears
My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise
From the lake to the trees (to the trees)
My heart wants sigh like a chime that flies
From a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls
Over stones on its way (on its way)"
Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw someone standing in the doorway. Thinking it was only Fräulein, coming to see how we were doing; I smiled and thought nothing of it. I knew she would be proud of us.
But then they walked in the room. I knew that Fräulein wouldn't do that. Just keep singing. I thought to myself. Glancing over I saw that it was Father.
"To sing thru the night
Like a lark who is learning to pray
I go to the hills
When my heart is lonely"
Stumbling over the words, I realized that he was singing with us! I could only look on in amazement as he kept singing the song that he apparently knew himself.
"I know I will hear
What I heard before
My heart will be blessed
With the sound of music
And I'll sing once more."
As he finished the song, all any of us could do was stare. Our Father, the naval sea captain, who called us with whistles, was singing! About hills! He opened his arms hesitantly to us, as though he wasn't sure we would want to hug him. Brigitta was the first one to rush to his arms. Marta and Gretl nearly threw him over with their excitement. Walking over, I smiled broadly.
Glancing out the door, this time it really was Fräulein. She motioned for Gretl to go over to the Baroness.
She pulled out a small bouquet of edelweiss that she had picked for her yesterday. Doing her own curtsey, Gretl was pulled into a hug by the Baroness.
"You never told me how enchanting your children were!" She smiled. I guess she was a nice lady after all. But what did it matter?
Father was back!
A/N: I know some of you are probably kicking the ass on the little voodoo doll thing of me you have (though how, I don't know) for not putting in Do-Re-Mi, but think...that song is five minutes long, and it took me twice as long as the "Sixteen going on Seventeen" song to put that one up. It would take me much longer to go thru "Do-Re-Mi!" Sorry guys, but yell at me in reviews, because I still answer you, and I'll feel special too! Double bonus!
