Elli came racing back into the room, only to discover Claire was now by herself.

"They're gone?" She shouted at her daughter who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Claire, I couldn't get a hold of Father Fitzpatrick. The woman who answered the phone at the rectory said he was out for a while, we have to find him! He's the only one who can help us!"

At that very moment, almost by fate, Elli and Claire saw Father Fitzpatrick walking up the front steps with Susan by his side, the two happily chatting. When they got inside, their happy expressions faded as they saw Claire and Elli.

"Mom, grandma, what's the matter?" Susan looked at the two women in the living room, "Where's Kurt and Maria?" She nervously went to run upstairs to their room when Claire stopped her.

"They're not here hunny," she said with tears trickling down her face.

Obviously confused, Susan looked at her mother with desperation in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Father Fitzpatrick looked on, worry now etched on his face.

"Yes, Claire. Where are they?"

"The police came and took them, just now. Bill Thompson was with them and they beat Kurt and dragged him and Maria out without as much as an explanation as to why they were here!"

"What?" Father Fitzpatrick didn't mean to shout, but he couldn't contain his emotions. He had taken an obvious liking to the Von Trapps, there was no secret about that. He had been looking after the Winter family ever since Peter died in the war, and when Maria and Kurt moved in with them, he vowed he would do his best to protect the newest addition to their family. He cursed himself at failing...

-SOM-

Kurt tried opening his eyes, but could barely blink them open. His left one was swollen shut, he remembered the blow that sent him to the ground as his hand moved to his face. With his right eye open as a mere slit, he could make out he was in some sort of concrete room. A cell? Prison? Am I in prison?

He was in too much pain to move. He was lying on the floor, he doubted if there was even a bed where he was. He didn't care, all he wanted was the pain in his head to stop, he wanted the throbbing to stop. But he did care about his mother. Oh God - where is she?

-SOM-

"Nothing." Father Fitzpatrick hung up the phone that hung on the wall of the Winters' kitchen. Claire, Susan, and Elli were all seated at the round kitchen table. Father Fitzpatrick had made calls to the police department, fire department, church, and town hall, but nothing had come up of two prisons being taken into custody. He would keep checking in. It was getting late. They had already miss the European Extension by a few hours and the cake for Kurt's birthday was left untouched on the counter.

The clock chimed, signaling it was midnight. Susan's eyes were beginning to droop closed. Claire was about to suggest they all get some sleep for the night when there was a sharp knock at the kitchen door. They all looked around at each other. Finally, it was Elli who got up and peaked behind the curtain on the window to see who it was.

"It's Maria!" Quickly she unlocked the door and Maria barreled into the room, eyes bloodshot, but other than that, completely unharmed.

"Elli!" She rushed into the older woman's arms and held on tightly, tears threatening to fall. Elli in turn held on just as tightly if not tighter, kicking the door closed with her feet. She ran her hands over Maria's face checking to see is she was injured. Satisfied with her inspection, she ushered Maria to the table.

"What happened?" Are you all right?" The questions coming all at once from the others.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Where's Kurt? Is he here, too?" Maria looked from one face to the next, hoping her son was somewhere at the inn.

"We figured he was with you, you mean you don't know where he is?" Father Fitzpatrick was the first to speak. Maria shook her head back and forth, she didn't know where he was.

"When they dragged me out of here, they put me in a car with three officers and Kurt was put in another with the other three policemen. They took me to the police station and handcuffed me to a chair and left me in a room by myself. Nobody came or went into my room the entire time I sat there. Then finally one man came and unlocked me and brought me here just now. I tried asking him questions, but he didn't say a word, not a single thing. When we got here, he opened the door and made me get out then drove away." Tears were falling rapidly down her cheeks as she looked around the table.

"Why isn't he here? Where the hell is he? He shouldn't be alone - today is his birthday!" By now Maria was hysterical. Elli pulled her into her arms again, trying to settle her down. When it finally looked like she was okay, she'd lapse into another fit of hysterics. Father Fitzpatrick tried talking to her, but he didn't get anything out of her.

After an hour of this happening, he left and went back to the rectory to make some more calls. Elli put Susan to bed, knowing she'd have to be up early for school in the morning. Claire walked Maria up the stairs to bed and laid down with her until she fell asleep.

* Sorry for the short chapter! But I really wanted to make a solid cliffhanger for once, without everything being resolved so quickly. Please keep reading to see if Kurt makes it back soon! The reviews are keeping me going per usual. *