A Time of Beginnings

Maria didn't know that she had dozed off until she woke up and saw the sky had become brighter outside of the window. They would arrive in Zurich soon, no doubt.

Her gaze then fell on her brother, lying across the cushioned seats. He was awake, his jaw set slightly and his breathing determinedly even. Gently, she slipped out of Georg's limp hold – he had dozed off too – and sat down on the floor of the compartment beside her brother. He smiled at her. "Hello, Ria."

Maria smiled back, glad that his voice, though quiet, was no longer filled with pain and fear. "Hello, Dom. How are you doing? Is there much pain?"

"Not as bad as last night, or a few hours ago," said Dom, who then smirked. "But the alcohol has left me a bit hungover."

Maria finally managed to laugh. "Georg told me his cousin's neighbor is a doctor, so you'll be able to have medication for the pain."

Dominik nodded. He gingerly reached out a hand to grasp her shoulder. "Thank you for saving my life."

Maria was shocked by this, and a lump rose in her throat which she suppressed. "Dom, you heard Georg, it was only in the shoulder –"

"I know, Maria," he interrupted, his hazel eyes asking her to hear him out. "I don't mean just for last night…I don't know what my life would have been like if I didn't have you. My parents didn't give a damn about me, just their money; according to them, I was never supposed to be born."

Maria's eyes filled with tears and she cupped Dominik's cheek. "Yes you were. We've been over this a thousand times, Dom: just because your parents are stupid enough to believe you're a mistake doesn't make it true. If it hadn't been for you, my uncle would probably have beaten me to death eventually."

Now Dominik's eyes filled with tears that had nothing to do with his gunshot wound. "Oh, Ria…" He sighed and composed himself somewhat. "You don't know how much it meant to me when, last night, you were so adamant that I would not be left behind. For a long time, you were the only person in my life who cared about me at all."

"Touché," replied Maria, who then sighed with a smile. "Look, we could debate forever about who saved whom more…can we settle for saying that we saved each other equally?"

Dominik smiled and nodded. "You know that last night, if it had been you, I would have done no differently."

Maria kissed his cheek. "I know," she whispered in his ear. The brother and sister just held each other for a while, until the train began to slow down. They could hear a conductor from the hallway announce their arrival in Zurich, and they smiled at each other.

As the train came to a bit of a screeching halt, Georg woke up grumbling and confused. The siblings laughed and waved at him, both saying, "Good morning!" at the same time, which sent them into another fit of giggles.

Georg quickly overcame his morning grumpiness and smiled at the sight and sound of their amusement. After seeing the states both of them had been in the previous night, it was a wonderful sight to behold.


Minutes later, the three of them were walking towards the main lobby of the station, Dominik still between the couple, but he could walk better than he could last night. Georg acted as their eyes, being the only one who knew what Ernst looked like.

Like Georg had assured the siblings earlier, Ernst was there to pick them up and drive them to his home. He was built like Dominik – very tall and slender, but with wavy dark-blond hair and green eyes. He looked to be in his early thirties. "Georg, thank goodness you made it through!"

The cousins met and briefly embraced; it had been over a year since they'd last seen each other. "Thank you, Ernst, it's good to see you. May I introduce my wife, Maria, and her brother, Dominik."

Ernst kissed Maria's cheeks and shook Dominik's hand. That was when Ernst noticed the way both Maria and Georg were slightly supporting Dominik. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Georg gave a frustrated sigh. "Ran into a bit of trouble getting out. Gunshot wound to the shoulder."

Ernst grimaced in pain and immediately led them out of the station to his car, which was thankfully parked close to the entrance. Once everyone was in the car, Ernst said as they drove away, "The children went on an outing to the park with Frau Schmidt after breakfast, but they said they would be back in time for lunch. So we can arrive quietly and get the three of you settled right away. I'll call Reb-, Dr. Bergman, once we get there."

"How are the children doing?" asked Maria anxiously from the back seat.

"They miss you both, but otherwise are just fine," said Ernst.

"Ernst, I can't thank you enough for looking after them for me," said Georg sincerely.

Ernst smiled at Georg. "It was no trouble. That house gets very lonely at times, and it's good to fill up the rooms and have some pleasant noise in the house."

"Pleasant?" asked Georg, grinning.

"Most of the time," replied Ernst in the same tone, and the two men shared a laugh. Maria and Dominik smiled at the playful banter.


After ten minutes of driving, Ernst pulled the car up to his spacious Victorian home, almost a mansion. While Ernst called his doctor neighbor, Georg and Maria set Dominik up in the bedroom that would temporarily be his during their stay. While this happened, Georg told Maria and Dominik more about his favorite cousin: He was thirty-one-years-old, and had lived in Zurich his whole life. Ernst's mother was Georg's father's sister, and Ernst's father had been a very well-to-do banker in Zurich. When he'd passed ten years ago, Ernst had inherited his business and house, and now made a very good living for himself. He was also a confirmed bachelor, and his family sometimes wondered if he would ever marry. He and Georg had always gotten on very well, despite the nearly ten year age difference. In the years following Agathe's death, Georg would sometimes visit Ernst in Zurich rather than go to Vienna, when the thought of all those salons and balls disgusted him more than usual.

A few minutes after Dominik had been settled on the bed, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Georg opened it to reveal a woman in her early thirties, black hair pulled back in a bun and her dark eyes gleaming with kindness and intelligence. "Hello, I'm Dr. Rebecca Bergman. You must be Captain Von Trapp?"

"Yes, I am, and your patient is on the bed."

After all of the introductions had been made and Dr. Bergman opened her medical bag, Dominik suggested to Maria and Georg that they go to their own room, unpack and freshen up before the children returned.

The two of them didn't need to be asked twice.


They showered together, nothing more and yet nothing less. They needed this – to be completely vulnerable to each other after what had happened, and to wash each other clean in a kind of baptism – just as on their wedding night.

Maria let herself cry in Georg's arms, letting what she had been holding back out, thinking of how much worse it could have been, for both her brother and for themselves.

"I'll never forget it," she murmured in a tired, haunted voice. "My hands soaked with my brother's blood."

Georg, who had seen more than his fair share of battle wounds and watched his wife die, understood how she felt completely – that helplessness and horror. He massaged and washed her back soothingly, and gave her temple a kiss.

"I remember my hands shaking horribly as I put them under the pump, watching the water wash it all away. Thank God you came in right then and there – I was about ready to break down." She gave a shaky sigh as tears fell from her eyes. "What if…That's all I can think, Georg. What if the bullet had hit him in the heart, like I first thought? What if they'd found you out? What if they had shot me instead?"

"Oh, please don't say that, my love," Georg softly pleaded, his hands stopping in his task in favor of wrapping his arms securely around her.

Maria turned in his arms, and it broke her heart to see the anguish on his face. "I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her own arms around him and kissing his neck comfortingly.

Georg rested his forehead on Maria's shoulder. "I was so frightened," he breathed, pressing her body to him, his tears mingling with the hot water pouring over them. "When I heard that gunshot, all I could see was an image of you bleeding to death on the ground. I thought I would go crazy in that garden, knowing I couldn't just run in there blind for I didn't know the way, and not having knowledge of what happened. When Sister Berthe told us that it hadn't been you, I didn't trust her words; I had to see you to believe that."

Maria lifted his head to press her forehead to his. "I'm right here, my sea captain, I'll always be right here."

Georg kissed her. "Always," he murmured against her lips.


An hour later, Maria and Georg watched their children and Frau Schmidt walking up the lane towards the house from the front window. Maria looked at her husband's face and smiled at the pure happiness and relief she saw there, remembering that he had not seen his children for nearly five months. "Go," she said. "They've missed you so much."

His eyes full, Georg kissed his wife and went to the front door. He took a deep breath and, before he opened the door, held out his hand for her with a look that clearly said they would meet their children together. Still smiling, she took it as he opened the door.

Once the sunlight hit them, the party of eight spotted them. One short moment of shock, and then the joy exploded like a glorious firework. All of the children ran to their parents, but none were faster than Marta, who turned eight this day. She flew straight into her father's arms, and they both cried. Louisa followed, flying into her mother's arms.

No eye was dry as each child shared hugs and kisses with their parents. Liesl cried just as much as little Gretl, the boys were not shy or hesitant about embracing their father, and Louisa, for the first time, showed no restraint with her emotions.

And the witnesses to this blessed reunion were just as touched. Frau Schmidt, who rarely emoted in public, could not help her tears from falling. Ernst and Rebecca watched, smiling, from the window. Dominik, though from his bed could not see it, heard it, and breathed a sigh of relief and happiness.

At last, the family was all together again.


For Liesl, seeing her parents again gave her no less joy than her siblings, even though she had known of the plan. But after everyone had calmed down somewhat, Liesl noticed that the third person who was supposed to be here was not. It made sense that Dominik would hang back from the immediate family reunion, but Liesl wanted to see him. So she pulled her mother aside and asked where he was.

When she saw her mother's face fall a little and her eyes sparkle with worry and painful memories, Liesl became instantly afraid. "Mother, what happened?"

"Don't worry, Liesl, he's here," said Maria quickly. "But you should know what happened…"

As Maria told Liesl the story of what had happened, Liesl felt herself reeling through every emotion in the book. By the end, she stood before her mother with a hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes, and all she could ask was, "He's really going to be all right?"

"Yes, sweetheart," said Maria, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "He'll be better than new in a month or so."

Like her father after Sister Berthe had told him reassuring news, Liesl knew she had to see Dominik to truly believe it. Maria seemed to read this in her eyes and told her which bedroom he was in. Kissing her mother's cheek, Liesl quietly slipped away from the family as they headed inside to have lunch.

She went upstairs and found the room her mother had told her was Dominik's. After knocking softly on the door, her heart lifted when she heard him call, "Come in."

The seventeen-year-old opened the door slowly and felt her heart lift and break at the same time when she saw Dominik. He lay on the bed, propped up on some pillows, paler than she'd ever seen him and his shoulder tightly bandaged. Bright blue met bright hazel, and both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of each other.

Liesl approached the bed without saying a word, her eyes saying everything, and sat on the edge of his bed. Dominik, too, did not say anything, and let his eyes tell her everything and answer her questions and worries.

Eventually, both looked down and found that their hands were joined. But they were not afraid, and still they did not speak a word – they were not necessary. Gently, Liesl lifted his hand and kissed it, the simple act expressing how relieved she was to have him here alive. Dominik then guided her hand to rest over his heart, expressing the very same sentiment.

There was no doubt from that moment on. It had taken the shooting to make them both realize just how much they meant to each other – there was a reason Dominik had tried to ask his sister to tell Liesl something when he thought he was dying, and there was a reason Liesl had looked forward as much to seeing Dominik as her parents today. They were soulmates, always had been and always would be. Somehow, both knew that eventually, their relationship would grow and mature into something even more beautiful, but neither would rush that, not while both were so young and wanted to expand their horizons.

But their newfound knowledge that day was as great a relief as knowing Dominik would be all right: somehow, someway, these soulmates, as soulmates always do, would always fine a way back to each other.


For the next month, no happier household existed on this earth; at least, the Von Trapp family were sure of that. After five months of varying degrees of separation, their happiness of being together again could not be measured. That first night was spent celebrating Marta's eighth birthday, with gifts and a big chocolate cake. She never left her father's side, for to Marta, she could not have asked for a better gift.

Ernst could not have been a more gracious host, for he loved having his house full. It was not long before he revealed to his cousin that he didn't mean to keep his house empty for the rest of his life. It turned out that him and Dr. Bergman were courting, and had been for quite a few months now.

Georg clapped his cousin on the shoulder with a radiant smile; Ernst had confided in him more than once his fear that he was meant to be a bachelor forever. Maria, too, was thrilled; she and Rebecca were becoming friends and had frequent talks with each other. Both shared the same type of independent spirit. Georg liked her too; it was not easy to be a female doctor in a male-dominated field in that day and age.

"Thank you both," said Ernst, smiling shyly. "I haven't felt like this since I was a teenager, except then I could never get a girl to notice me beyond my father's name. I must admit: I'm surprised every day that she returns my feelings, and I'm terrified of making a mistake. Tell me, Georg, for I can see how much you two are in love: how did you court Maria?"

Safe to say, neither of them knew how to reply to that question. Georg opened and closed his mouth for a few moments like a fish gasping for words, until Maria found them. "You just have to be yourself, Ernst. That's how Georg won my heart: by being himself and being honest with me."

Ernst smiled, satisfied with the answer. And by the look on Georg's face as she said that, Ernst did not think it odd that the pair of them were late for lunch.

Georg, in their month in Zurich, had plenty to keep him busy during the day: withdrawing his money, making travel plans to Annapolis, contacting the American government to set everything up, organizing everything. Even with this workload, he found time each day to be with his family. And he never worked at night – the nights belonged to his wife. The work he did during the day was made a lot easier, not only by the knowledge that it was all for making his family truly safe, but by knowing Maria was his at night, whether to massage out the tension or surrender to him completely when they made love.

Maria kept busy by devoting herself to the children and preparing them for their journey. This mostly consisted of continuing their English lessons, so the children would have more than a basic grasp of the language before they arrived. It would be hard for most of them, she knew, to leave their homeland behind, but it helped the children to know that it would be hard for their parents and uncle as well.

Dominik improved with each passing day, and by the end of the first week at Ernst's house he was able to walk around – with some support, though. When Rebecca was not checking up on his progress, Liesl took over his care, though she gladly shared it with her mother. Liesl was devoted to him, and Dominik knew he was in the best hands. Though their relationship had not truly changed – yet – their new knowledge brought a new closeness and trust to their relationship that they were more than happy to just let be and grow on its own in its own good time – there was enough change and transition going on at the moment.


And so the month passed. Two days before the family would leave Zurich to begin their journey to America, two surprise visitors came to wish them a safe journey.

Maria and Georg rushed out to meet them, Dominik and Liesl walking behind at a more steady pace. First, Max embraced Georg while Philomena embraced Maria.

"Somehow, I knew I couldn't get rid of you that easily!" exclaimed Georg in happiness, looking at his brother from another mother.

"You know me too well," Max replied, truly happy to see his friend again.

"Oh, I'm so glad I can say a proper good-bye to you, sister," said Maria, who couldn't help hugging Philomena a second time.

"How could I not?" replied Philomena fondly.

Both were anxious and happy to see that Dominik was recovering very well from his gunshot wound. The both of them got the full story from their friends when they were all seated in Ernst's drawing room.

"Well," said Max, smiling slightly. "That explains the good news I brought for you all."

"What's that?" asked Maria.

"Well, the day after you three fled the country, Hans told me that Zeller had been stripped of his office and disgraced to the Nazis forever. Apparently, he had a long history of alcohol and power abuse, and the incident at the abbey was the final straw. All they know was that he went there in an attempt to kidnap the captain's widow for his own, and instead some unknown groundskeeper got shot. That soldier got seriously reprimanded, and I believe his name was Rolf Gruber."

Maria, Georg, Dominik and especially Liesl gasped, and the three former all looked at the seventeen-year-old. Liesl didn't know whether to laugh or scream, faced with the irony of the entire situation. Finally, she turned to look at Dominik and said in a serious voice, "He's very lucky he didn't kill you, or I would have killed him."

Dominik said nothing, just squeezed her hand and gave her a powerful look only she could see and understand.


The afternoon of that early July day was beautiful, and everyone of the household was outside. Georg, Ernst and six of the children were engaged in a ball game on the lawn. Max, Philomena, Ellen, Liesl, Dominik and Maria all sat on lawn chairs, watching and rooting in amusement. At half past one, Maria got up and dismissed herself, saying she had a visit to make to Rebecca.

This was true. What she didn't tell them was that this was not a mere social call.

One thing that was changing, amidst everything else, was Maria's body, and at first she didn't know why. Now that things had settled and the danger had passed, Maria was able to really feel what was going on. She felt like she had put on a little weight, for when she put on her dressed, the tops were a little tight. She found herself having a new love of pickles, a vegetable she had never been fond of before. When she and Georg made love, she not only found that her breasts were quite a bit more sensitive, but her need for him was as strong as ever – any touch from him sparked her longing.

The final clue had come the previous day, when Louisa asked for some feminine supplies for herself and Liesl. When Maria had replied she had plenty, a solution to all of her symptoms hit her like a freight train, when she realized she had missed three of her cycles. The next thing she had done was ask Rebecca to look at her the next day, which was now today...


Maria sat in the drawing room of Rebecca's house (smaller than Ernst's house, but still very lovely), fidgeting everywhere. She had a very good idea of what was going on, but there was always the possibility it could be something bad. But when Rebecca came into the room with her test results, a smile was on her face.

"There's no doubt about it, Maria," said Rebecca, sitting down beside Maria. "You're pregnant."

As the word echoed in Maria's being, she was filled with every emotion, most of all awe and sheer joy. Tears came to her eyes as she felt her heart flutter strongly. "Oh, my goodness…" said Maria, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "I can't believe it…"

"Well, believe it, my friend," said Rebecca. "According to the test results, you're fifteen weeks along."

"Fifteen weeks?" asked Maria in shock. "That would mean…our weekend in Italy…How could I have not found out sooner?"

"This is your first pregnancy, Maria, and it's only natural that you wouldn't know what to expect. Add to that the fact that your life has been quite tumultuous the past few months, and it would be a miracle if you had known. The sickness you told me about that you had sounds like a mixture of what Dr. Falk said they were and the normal morning sickness." Rebecca reached out and squeezed Maria's hand. "Don't worry, Maria. Your tests show that both you and the baby are healthy and doing very well."

Maria exhaled in relief and looked down at their hands. She gasped when she saw the elegant, simple diamond ring. "Oh, Rebecca! Why haven't you told us?"

Rebecca blushed but smiled. "He only proposed last night, and we were hoping to announce it at dinner tonight. Well, can I trust you to keep our secret until then? I'll keep yours, for we'll both have announcements to make."

Maria nodded and the two women embraced. When they pulled back, Maria asked, "How are you?"

Rebecca sighed emotionally. "I still can't really believe it. I've been focused on my career for so long that I didn't think any man would be interested in someone like me. I never thought I would be able to experience something like this."

Maria smiled and squeezed her hands. "I know exactly what you mean."


Soon after, Maria was walking back to her family, feeling like she was floating on a cloud. She noticed the children were still playing, but Ernst and Georg were not. Looking at the group of adults as she approached, she saw Ernst but not her husband. "Where is Georg?" she asked, once within earshot.

"Oh, his children tired him out, so he went inside to take a nap," said Max with a chuckle.

"My dear, you're positively glowing!" said Philomena, looking at Maria with happy yet suspicious eyes. Liesl and Dominik looked at her in much the same way.

"Well, it's a beautiful day, isn't it?" replied Maria with a smile; she was not about to tell anyone her news before she told her husband. She pulled Georg's watch out (which she still sometimes carried around) and saw that it was nearly four o'clock. "We may be a little late for dinner."

Ignoring their giggling, Maria hurried into the house and up the stairs to their bedroom. She entered quietly when she saw his sleeping form on the bed. Her heart filled with tenderness at the adorable sight of her husband asleep, and felt both anxious-nervous and anxious-excited to tell him her news. Carefully, she sat on the bed beside him, leaned down, and kissed his lips until he woke up responding.

"Mmm," he mumbled, pulling his lips away to look at her. "What a wonderful way to wake up. How was your visit with Rebecca, darling?"

Maria suddenly found herself at a loss for words, nervousness rising inside her. Would Georg be as happy as her about the news? Would he want another child after having seven already? The topic of future children was one that hadn't really discussed before; there had been so many other things to sort out.

Georg saw tears fill her nervous eyes, and sat up, worried. "Maria, what is it? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong," said Maria shakily, which was true enough.

He caressed her cheeks. "Maria, please tell me what's going on. You're making me nervous."

"I…" She took a deep breath, and said it in a quiet voice. "I'm pregnant, Georg."

Georg's fingers ceased in their caressing, and his eyes widened. Maria searched them anxiously for any sign of anger or disappointment, but she found none; instead, she found all of the emotions she felt about this.

A smile slowly spread across his face. "Really, my love? Are you sure?"

Maria nodded. "Rebecca confirmed it, that's why I went to see it. I'm fifteen weeks along."

Georg's jaw dropped a little. "Italy…"

Maria nodded, smiling and so happy about her husband's reaction.

Georg placed a hand over Maria's stomach, just a slight rounding there. "Oh, I should have noticed this before!"

"Not even I did, Georg, and it's my body," said Maria. "With everything else that has been going on, how could we have? So…you're really happy about this?"

In response, Georg wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss that left no room for doubts. "Does that answer your question?" he finally replied breathlessly when the kiss had ended, his eyes shining with joy and love.

Maria nodded, smiling radiantly. He was about to kiss her again when the sound of the children's laughter from the slightly open window caused him to look at the clock. When he looked at his wife, her cheeks were a pretty pink and a mischievous smile was on her face. "I told them we would be late for dinner."

Now he smiled wickedly, and lowered her onto the bed, one hand tenderly caressing her stomach. His blue eyes were dancing with joy. "How I love you, my angel."

Maria smiled and touched his face, her heart swelling with more happiness it had ever felt. "As I love you, my hero."


A/N: Nice and long, just the way I like it! An epilogue will be next very soon to round this story up. I'm sorry it has to end, but the main conflicts have been resolved – they're in love with each other and are happy and safe! The more reviews I get, the faster the epilogue will be up!