Chapter 12: Decisions

The family waited inside the barn while Georg helped Erik saddle the two horses. They worked quickly for despite knowing that the soldiers had gone, there was still a chance they would change their minds and return at any time.

At last they were ready to go. Liesl, Lousia, Brigitta and Gretl all squeezed into the back seat of the car. Maria placed Marta on the front seat of the car before turning back to embrace Friedrich and Kurt goodbye. Before she took her place in the car, she went over to Georg who gave her a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Now you'll reach the town before the three of us," he told her quietly. "Find the bus station and purchase tickets for the bus to Zurich, then find a doctor for Marta." Maria nodded. "Also," Georg continued, glancing around. "Stay out of sight as much as possible. The soldiers have our descriptions and although I won't be with you, it is possible that they may still recognise you and the girls."

Maria wrapped her arms around Georg's waist to embrace him. "Please be careful," she whispered in his ear before lightly kissing his cheek.

"We will. Now quickly, we must go."

Friedrich mounted the first horse, while Kurt had to ride with Georg on the second horse. Georg helped Kurt up onto the horse, as he was still a fraction short to accomplish it himself. Georg sat up in the saddle behind Kurt and took the reins. Erik quickly explained to Georg which route would be safest to take. Georg tipped his hat in Maria's direction and gave her a wink before kicking his heels gently and riding off.

Maria watched them go for a moment before the gentle cough from Erik reminded her of the urgency of leaving town as quickly as possible. As they drove out of town, Maria kept her eyes peeled and looked behind them every few moments, hoping they weren't being followed. But soon they were out of the town with no one else in sight. For the first time in the last hour, Maria began to relax.

As they drove along, the girls chatted amongst themselves in the backseat while Erik asked Maria how she'd met Georg. Maria told about how she'd been a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey but had been sent to the family to the governess to the children, and then how she fell in love with the dashing Captain. Just as she finished telling her story, the outskirts of the next town were visible down the hill. The town was a lot bigger than the village they'd just come from, so it was no wonder there was a regular bus service and Erik quickly negotiated the streets before pulling up outside the bus depot.

"Erik, I can't thank you enough for what you and your wife, Johanna have done for us." Maria clasped his hand after everyone had gotten out of the car. "We are so grateful, more than words can describe."

"It was our pleasure Maria," Erik replied before giving her a kiss on each cheek. Before he left them, Erik gave Maria simple directions to how to find the town's doctor, which was only a few streets away.

Maria went into the depot and bought nine tickets for the noon bus to Zurich. There were still a couple of hours before the bus left but Maria was anxious to find the doctor for Marta. The little girl's fever had returned and she was very weak. When they arrived at the doctor's there were several other townsfolk waiting to see the doctor, so they had to wait their turn.

They waited for what seemed like hours before the doctor was finally available to examine Marta. Thankfully he reassured Maria that the young girl's illness wasn't severe and it would pass in a few days. However, he did prescribe a tonic to help bring down Marta's fever and alleviate her cough. Maria thanked the doctor before she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost noon!

"Goodness! The time!" she exclaimed. "Girls, we need to hurry. We don't want to miss the bus."

Maria, carrying Marta, and the other girls rushed through the streets back to the bus depot. The bus had pulled up outside and already several other people had begun filling on board and taking their seats. As they rounded the side of the bus, Maria spied Georg pacing up and down near the entrance to the depot. He looked anxious.

"Georg!" Maria called out to him.

Georg looked up upon hearing her call. He was relieved. "Maria, girls! Thank goodness you're finally here! The boys and I arrived in town a while ago."

"I'm sorry, it took longer than I thought at the doctors," Maria explained.

"Yes, I expected that was the case. I knew you'd arrived in town safely as the woman selling the bus tickets told me you'd already been here," Georg inclined his head towards the bus. "But we must hurry, the bus is due to depart in only a few minutes time."

Maria and Georg gathered the children and they got on the bus. Maria sat next to Georg with Marta snuggled on her lap while the other children sat behind. Kurt and Friedrich excitedly told the girls about their ride from the small village to the larger town with Kurt beginning some elaborate story about being chased by soldiers.

"What's all this?" Maria asked instantly alarmed. "Were you chased?"

Georg chuckled. "Not at all, Kurt's exaggerating again. But the ride took a little longer than expected. We saw a roaming patrol of soldiers off in the distance so we had to double back and wait for them to pass. But besides that, the ride was quite enjoyable." He flashed her a wicked half-smile. "I only wish I'd had my riding crop."

Maria laughed. "What is it with you and that thing?"

"No idea," Georg replied airily. "Makes riding more enjoyable I suppose, and it does give me a sort of distinguished look, don't you agree?" Maria laughed as she gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Oh you! Distinguished indeed!" But as much as she laughed, she continued to feel in awe at how handsome her husband was, especially his newly adopted casual look of no tie, a four day-old growth of his beard and relaxed manner now they were finally safe. Maria rested her head on his shoulder and Georg wrapped one arm around her.

"So tell me, you saw the doctor. How's Marta?" he glanced down at the little girl asleep in Maria's lap. Maria recounted what the doctor told her and Georg sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it wasn't more serious. I suppose sometime I get a little apprehensive if any of the children are ill." Georg's eyes darkened over for a moment.

"You've had such heartache with illness and death, it's no wonder darling," Maria replied sympathetically knowing that he was thinking of Agathe's death. "It's only natural to feel a little anxious if anyone gets sick." Georg bit down on his lip in quiet contemplation and nodded faintly, before pulling Maria closer to him.

They sat in silence for several minutes watching the countryside zoom past them. "So how long are we going to stay in Zurich?" Maria asked Georg.

Georg paused for a few seconds while he thought. "Well, at least a week while we decide what we're going to do next. Marta needs rest and I think we'll be safe enough in Zurich for the time being. There's a certain amount of anonymity being in a large city such as Zurich, no one asks questions unlike in a small town. I have to visit the embassy to investigate about getting approval to stay in the country and our rights as refugees." He gave Maria a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't worry."

Maria sat back and lifted her head so she was looking into his eyes. "I trust you, I'm not worried as long as we're together." She sealed her statement by giving him a lingering kiss. Georg smiled to himself as Maria snuggled back into him. But although she closed her eyes, she didn't drift off to sleep. Instead enjoyed the comfort of being in Georg's arms and listening to the children behind her chatter away. She had missed them, after being away on her honeymoon for over a month, and with the stress of the past few days, it was nice hearing them so happy. Maria felt very fortunate indeed to be blessed with such a wonderful new family.

Marta slept on Maria's lap for the next few hours while the bus travelled to Zurich. Finally, just before sundown, the bus drove into the large city and it wasn't too long before it stopped and all the passengers got off. Maria and the seven children looked up at Georg expectantly as the bus left. He glanced both ways a few times, trying to get his bearings. Then Georg led Maria and the children to the nearest train station where they caught one of the city trains over to the other side of town. Georg knew a hotel where they could all stay. It was different to the hotel he'd stayed with Maria the previous week. It was a little less expensive but still comfortable and adequate for their needs. Georg expertly organised adjoining rooms for the children and a separate room across the hallway for him and Maria. The hotel porter raised his eyebrows when he noticed the family's lack of luggage. However, he refrained from asking any questions after Georg gave him an extra large tip.

Once they settled into their rooms and freshened up, they decided to go for an early dinner since everyone was hungry as they'd been on the bus most of the day. They were able to find a restaurant nearby to everyone's delight. Even Marta managed to eat something as she was beginning to feel a little better. When they finished, it was clear that the long day had taken its toll; the family returned to the hotel where the exhausted children didn't even protest as Georg and Maria tucked them into bed.

As Georg and Maria entered their room, Maria yawned loudly. "Oh I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week!" she tried saying through the yawn.

Georg chuckled. "I know what you mean. I think I could too. Last night wasn't exactly restful was it?"

"No it wasn't. All I really want now is a nice hot bath," she said, "and then bed."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How about I run a bath for you?"

Maria stripped off her clothes and wandered into the bathroom. Georg had found some scented bath oils, compliments of the hotel, and the bath was now filled with steaming, scented water. She let out a deep sigh as she slipped into the hot water and began to relax. Georg, meanwhile, decided to take a shower while Maria bathed. Scrubbing off the grime from the past few days plus shaving felt good and by the time he shut off the hot water, he felt quite rejuvenated, although still incredibly tired. As he dried himself off, Georg glanced over at Maria still soaking in the bath on the other side of the bathroom. She lay there with her eyes closed, practically asleep.

"Maria?" he asked softy, trying to rouse her. She half-opened her eyes and let out a tiny groan as she tried to sit up. Georg helped her out of the bath and got a large towel for her. After drying herself off, Georg picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed in the other room. By the time he tucked her into bed, she'd fallen asleep. Georg yawned as he got into bed and curled himself around Maria's body, feeling thankful that he had his wife by his side. Within moments, he was asleep as well.

The following morning, Georg awoke first and glanced at the clock on the wall. He wasn't that surprised to find it was way past nine o'clock in the morning. Normally he would never sleep that long, but since he'd had next to no sleep for almost a week, he knew how tired he'd been. Maria lay still sleeping peacefully next to him, her chest rising and falling gently as she breathed. He watched her for several minutes but didn't want to wake her, as he knew how exhausted she was. Instead he shifted closer to her and as he wrapped one arm around her, she stirred just enough to roll into his embrace. Georg dozed back off to sleep with his wife in his arms for the next half hour or so before he decided to get up.

Just as he finished getting dressed, Maria woke up, rolled over and gave such a big stretch that she took up almost all the bed. "Isn't it lucky I wasn't still in bed," Georg chuckled as he leant down to give her a kiss good morning, "you might have kicked me out!" Maria laughed. "Did you sleep well?' he asked as he sat on the side of the bed.

"Mmm, very," she replied contentedly. "Are the children awake?" she asked.

"I haven't heard them yet," Georg told her. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they were still asleep honestly, although it is almost ten o'clock." Maria's eyes widened when she heard what the time was. Georg laughed. "Yes I know. I was quite surprised by the time myself but the last few days have been quite an ordeal for everyone." He leant down closer to her so that he was practically whispering in her ear. "And you know, while I once loathed the thought of not getting out of bed by a certain time, I suppose you've reformed me. You managed to convince me during our honeymoon that it is perfectly acceptable to stay in bed all day long."

Maria saw the mischievous twinkle in his eye as he spoke. She blushed, recalling the many days during their honeymoon that they, in fact, didn't leave their bed all day, or the other days when they'd managed to leave their suite only in time for lunch. "I suppose since our honeymoon's over, we can't stay in bed all day together now we have the children to care for," she said with a sigh. Georg shrugged his shoulders in agreement but gave her a long, sensual kiss that assured her that they would still make time for each other whenever they could.

"Alright, this is what I propose we do today," Georg announced, as he finally pulled back from Maria and changing the topic. Maria sat up and propped herself up against one of the large pillows, hugging the sheet to her body. "We wake the children and once everybody is dressed, we'll take the children out to lunch, and then perhaps you could take them for a walk in the park. There is one nearby. I need to go as soon as I can to the embassy. I'll meet you in the park afterwards."

"How long do you think you'll be?" Maria asked.

"Not sure. I suspect ever since the Anschluss, the embassy has been overrun by people who've fled Austria. There would be some sort of policy for political refugees, such as us. I only wish I had something a little more presentable to wear than my travel suit; it's dirty, smelly and a little torn."

"Well why don't you stop off at one of those department stores we went to last week and buy a new one? With leaving Austria with only what we were wearing, we all desperately some new things: clothes, shoes, underwear, nightgowns..."

"Nightgowns? Why on earth would you need one of those?" Georg scoffed before laughing loudly. "Darling, I must say I much prefer you this way, naked under that sheet." And with that he whisked the sheet away from her body, allowing his eyes to roam over her naked form. Maria rolled her eyes as she playfully grabbed the sheet back from him. "Your desire for me is never sated is it?"

Georg quickly gave her a passionate kiss. "Never, my love."

XxXxXxXxXx

Several hours later after lunch, the family went to the department store where Georg bought a new suit, shirt, and shoes. He left Maria there to purchase everything else they needed for the children and he made his way across town to the Swiss Embassy. When he arrived, there were many people waiting before him to be seen, but when he gave his name to the first clerk, Georg was surprised to find he was escorted into an office almost straight away.

"Captain Georg von Trapp, I do believe?" the embassy officer held out his hand to Georg to shake it. "I'm Herr Kaufmann. You must be wondering why I'm seeing you straight away. Usually there is quite a wait."

"Yes, in fact I am," Georg admitted. Herr Kaufmann gestured for Georg to take a seat.

"Well, when a decorated Naval officer from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, currently on the run from the Third Reich enters the Swiss Embassy, he is going to be seen straight away."

Georg raised his eyebrows in silent question. The embassy officer continued. "Did you know, sir, that you are currently near the top of the Third Reich's most wanted list? Your infamous escape from Austria last week is all everyone's been talking about."

Georg clicked his tongue and nodded his head knowingly. "Ah, I see." He then gave a small half-smile. "I'm not sure whether I should feel worried or simply flattered that I'm such a wanted man."

Herr Kaufmann laughed loudly. "There's no need to feel worried, Captain. You're safe here. In Switzerland, we pride ourselves in remaining neutral, despite everything else going on around us in Europe."

"Well, that's exactly why I've come here today. I was hoping that now I'm here in Switzerland, I'm able to apply for sanctuary for my family and myself," Georg explained.

Herr Kaufmann nodded in understanding. "Yes, of course. Since the Anschluss, there have been many people, like you, who have left Austria wanting asylum. But here is the problem," the officer leant forward on the desk. "Switzerland's refugee laws are very strict. Asylum will only be offered to people under personal threat due to their political activities, which does not include people fleeing their countries due to race, ethnicity or religion."

"Well, wouldn't I come under the category of wanting political asylum?" Georg asked.

"Perhaps. But sir, sanctuary is only granted on a case by case basis, and from my time working here at the embassy, I've seen many people apply but only a few accepted. If your application for asylum is accepted, and I say if, you would be only allowed to live in this country but could not work at all."

Georg listened to everything Herr Kaufmann told him and he sat back in his chair, scratching his chin as he thought. After a few moments, Georg let out a deep breath and began to ask questions. "You said many people seek asylum but aren't granted it? Surely all these people aren't deported back to their home countries, are they?"

"At the moment they aren't, but I've heard rumours of a new policy coming into place by the end of the month. All Austrian passport holders will be required to have a consular visa to be allowed into Switzerland. If you don't have one of these visas, you'll be deported back to Austria immediately."

"Can I get one of these visas?" Georg quickly inquired, suddenly worried about the proposition of being sent back to Austria and into the clutches of the Third Reich. He was listed as a traitor and he had no doubt that charge had a death sentence attached to it.

"I can issue one for you and your family today, if you have all the proper documentation."

"I do," Georg told him, reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket to retrieve all the family's travel documents.

"Normally there would be a lengthy application process, but I can pull a few strings for you. You see, I'm actually quite a fan of yours," Herr Kaufmann admitted with a smile. "I've followed your military career with great admiration."

Georg gave the officer a nod of appreciation and smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, and all your help, sir. I'm very grateful."

Herr Kaufmann then explained that the visas were only temporary and they would be expected to leave the country again within a month to go to another destination. It took some hours for Herr Kaufmann to arrange everyone's visas but finally it was done. Georg shook his hand, thanking the man before leaving the embassy to go and find Maria and the children.

It didn't take long for Georg to walk to the park where he'd arranged to meet his family. When he arrived, Georg saw Liesl and Marta sitting on a park bench with Maria, while the other children were playing a game of tag. As he approached them, Brigitta saw Georg first and ran to meet her father. After a few minutes of excited chitchat where the children told Georg what they'd done during the afternoon, he ushered them away to go and play so he could speak with Maria alone.

Georg gave Maria a light kiss before he sank down onto the park bench. He loosened his tie and took it off, discarding it on the seat beside him. They sat in silence watching the children play before eventually Maria spoke. "So what happened at the embassy?" she asked.

Georg took a deep breath before beginning to speak. Maria listened patiently as he relayed everything Herr Kaufmann told him about the problems of trying to gain asylum in Switzerland, before telling her how he managed to obtain temporary visas for them all.

"So we can't go back to Austria, and we can't stay in Switzerland?" she concluded.

"No."

"But I thought…?" her voice trailed off.

"That once we were here we would be safe?" Georg finished for her. She nodded. "Maria, originally I did too. I mean, the decision to leave Austria was made in such haste, and all I could focus on was getting through the mountains to get here. Switzerland was the closest place to flee to, but I never stopped to think whether Switzerland would be the safest place for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it Maria. Even though Switzerland has chosen to remain as neutral as possible, it is bordered on one side by Nazi Germany. If war occurred, and if France and Italy became involved too, then Switzerland would be completely surrounded by a war zone. It is a small country and from a military point of view, it would be a very unsafe place to be."

"I see." Maria bit down on her lip looking worried. "What do you think we should do?" she finally asked Georg.

"Well, I thought about this while I waited at the embassy, then more as I walked to meet you here. The only place I think that's safe for us at the moment is England."

"England?" Maria exclaimed in surprise.

Georg nodded. "Yes, for many reasons. Firstly, remember I told you about some business ventures I have in England? Considering our assets in Austria are most likely now frozen, our only source of money apart from those ventures lies in the Swiss bank account, which thankfully can't be touched by the Nazis. And secondly, we at least will have somewhere to go. Agathe's parents, Lord and Lady Whitehead have an estate just outside of London."

"But didn't you tell me you weren't on the best of terms with them?" Maria questioned.

Georg nodded. "You're right, relations between us have been quite tense ever since Agathe died, not to mention how disappointed I was at their refusal to attend our wedding. However, they haven't seen the children in around two years, and with times being as they are, I'm sure they'll be hospitable to us."

Maria didn't reply, instead let out a long sigh. She turned away from Georg to focus her attention back on the children who were continuing to run around. Georg watched her carefully for a moment before speaking again. "Maria, what are you thinking? It isn't like you to be this quiet. Please talk to me."

"Oh," she replied softly. "I know you're right, it isn't safe here, and England seems the most obvious choice. But it's so far away Georg, from everything we know and love…" She shook her head. "And the language! Georg, I don't know how to speak English."

"That's alright, I'll teach you," he quickly reassured her. "And the children will help you. All of them, with the exception of Gretl, speak the language quite well. You'll pick it up in no time at all."

At hearing this, Maria felt relieved. "Alright, I suppose England it is," she nodded in agreement before flashing Georg a smile and squeezing his hand. "I love you and I trust you Georg. I'll go anywhere, and do anything as long as I'm with you."

"And as long as I'm with you," Georg replied. "I love you too." And they sealed their pact with a passionate kiss.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this story and also for the lovely reviews. As always, they are such an encouragement (please, keep them coming!)

We'll be heading with the von Trapps to England for the next little while, and I really do hope you stick with this story, as there is still lots to come.