Matthew smiled excitedly as he finished his last math problem on the page. The last math problem for the last tutoring session, and even though she adored the boy very much, she was incredibly grateful to be finished with her tutoring jobs for good. She had always adored children, more or less, but with eight of her own, she found that she preferred not having to be concerned with others.
There was also the fact that Georg had been hovering like a vulture for the boy's last two sessions, which she had made sure would take place at their own home due to the last interaction she had with Mr. Jones. While she had more or less convinced herself that she had been overreacting to the possible flirtation, her husband was holding a grudge as if she had been assaulted, and he was the one responsible for exacting revenge. It certainly did feel quite silly, the more she thought about it. But, nevertheless, she obeyed her husband's request and stayed cautious. It wasn't as though he was asking for anything out of the question or inconvenient. She could most certainly get through the last sessions unscathed, she mused.
"Fraulein, I am very thankful to you for helping me. I do hope we can still see one another." She smiled as she helped the boy gather his belongings into his bag.
"Of course, dear. You know you're welcome to come over and play or chat anytime you'd like." She stepped over to the stove to stir a few things, making sure nothing was burning. The children would never let her forget if she burned supper, especially Kurt.
"I'm a little nervous about forgetting all of the things I've learned. What if I forget and do terribly at school?" She turned to find his sweet eyes boring into her own, and her heart nearly melted. She gave him a gentle smile, placing her hands upon his cheeks as she bent down to his level.
"Matthew, you are a very intelligent young man. While it's impossible to know everything, I promise you have retained more than you think. You will do marvelously."
"And if I don't?" She gave a short laugh, tousling his hair a bit.
"Then you know where to find me in an emergency." He smiled, seemingly accepting of her words. She wasn't sure where his lack of confidence came from, but the more he learned, the brighter he began to shine. She could honestly say he had a special place in her heart, more so than any of the other children she had tutored in the past. She would certainly miss their weekly meetings.
"Mother, Mr. Jones is here." She turned from the stove to find Kurt showing Matthew's father to the kitchen. She vaguely wondered why Mrs. Jones never seemed to be the one to pick him up, but she shook her head at her unkind thoughts. It was none of her business, after all.
"Good evening, Mr. Jones." She smiled pleasantly, moving to chop a few vegetables upon the counter.
"Please, you can call me Adam." She smiled, a bit tightly she knew, but she tried to be as polite as possible.
"Thank you, but my husband and I tend to prefer formality." He laughed, but smiled reassuringly.
"Understood, Baroness." The way he used her title had never felt formal, however. It felt a bit like a teasing or a nickname than anything. He leaned down to Matthew, chatting for a moment about the work he had done with her that evening, and she smiled at the praise he gave the boy. It was very much what he needed. "Why don't you go and play with Kurt for a few minutes."
"May I, Fraulein?" Her heart raced. Was he trying to get her alone? Could she say no?
"Um, it's nearly suppertime, but you could play for a bit. They're all in the back garden."
"Oh, thank you! I won't be too long." She shared a smile with the boy, and he ran off to play with the children. She tried to stop the nerves from entering her stomach at being alone with his father. Georg would certainly not approve if he happened to walk in. Part of her hoped that he would notice the boy outside and suddenly appear to save her.
"Back garden? You don't strike me as a gardener." She smiled, moving to set a stack of dinner plates on the counter for one of the children to set the table. She couldn't remember, but she believed it was Friedrich's turn.
"I believe you would call it a yard." He laughed a bit, and she felt only slightly embarrassed. She couldn't tell if he was poking fun, or if he really needed her clarification. Perhaps neither.
"Well, either way, I'm glad we have a moment together. I have something for you." She turned to find him rushing to the hallway outside the kitchen, before he quickly returned with a beautiful, dark wood guitar in his hands. It was by far the most beautiful one she had ever seen, smooth and perfect. Her breath nearly caught in her throat at how beautiful it was. "A thank you for the way you've helped my son."
"I…it is very beautiful. You made this?"
"Yes, do you like it?"
"Of course, you did great work." He stepped closer, and she looked over the instrument, smiling gently. She was afraid to touch it, afraid to give him the wrong impression. Quite the temptation indeed, she decided.
"Why don't you try it out?"
"Oh, Mr. Jones…I'm very thankful, but I'm afraid I can't accept this." She tried to step away, but he only stepped closer with the guitar outstretched before him.
"No, I insist. You've helped Matthew with so much more than we ever expected. We can't thank you enough for the time you've spent with him."
"I was happy to, I assure you."
"I made it only for you." He looked into her eyes, almost pleadingly, and she felt her body shudder at his words. She couldn't accept the guitar, there was no way, especially after the strange moment they had shared only two weeks prior. There were simply too many unspoken words between them to make any of it feel right. She honestly wasn't certain she could ever accept such a gift, no matter the circumstances.
Georg and Max walked into the house from the garden, having been throwing a ball around with the children. It was a particularly hot day, and they had decided they were much too old to be out in it. The children laughed, of course, sending away the old men while they continued their game. He readjusted Alexander upon his hip, joking with Max about something humorous that happened around the office that day, when they heard voices coming from the kitchen.
"Is that…did he say his father came today, or his mother?" Max shook his head, rolling his eyes a bit.
"Now, Georg, relax. You know she loves you..."
"That's not what I'm worried about." They began to make their way toward the kitchen as the voices stopped.
Suddenly, his lips were upon hers, and she gasped in surprise. She hurried to push him away, but he only moved closer, taking her wrists in his hands between them so she couldn't push. The guitar dropped to the floor beside them with a terrible crash as she felt her backside hit the sink behind her, trapped. She tried to turn her head, pushing at him and clamping her mouth closed tightly, but he was surprisingly strong and stood his ground. Her heart pounded as a panic began to set in, her blood racing.
Before she could even think further, Mr. Jones was forcefully pulled away from her body, and the baby was thrust into her arms. She caught him quickly, astonished by the speed and agility with which her husband moved. He grabbed the man by the back of the neck and threw him across the kitchen, the stack of dinner plates shattering upon the floor as they were caught in the crossfire.
"Georg, stop!" She yelled over the commotion, holding Alexander to her chest as he began to cry.
"What did I just see?" He yelled in the man's face, who cowered from him in fear. "This is my wife, you perverted bastard."
"Mr. Trapp…"
"Captain Von Trapp." He corrected with fire in his eyes.
"Yes, Captain…I thought she…" He looked to Maria, who couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. She hurriedly wiped them away, preferring not to show emotion in front of anyone. Max came to her side, placing a comforting hand upon her back.
"Look at me, not her. You thought she, what?"
"She…gave me signals. She came onto me! You have a very promiscuous wife, I dare say." Maria's mouth nearly hit the floor from shock, but she didn't have time to take offense before Georg pulled back and punched the man directly in the face, sending him sailing into the counter once more.
"Get out of my fucking house before I can't stop." His words were strong and even, and the man took his opportunity to run as quickly as he could out the front door, blood flowing across his hand as he covered his nose. Georg massaged his fist, quickly looking to Max. "Will you tell the boy his father needs him to follow quickly, please?"
"Yes, of course." Max gave Maria a look of support before rushing to the back garden to send Matthew home. She met her husband's eyes, completely at a loss for words as silence filled the kitchen.
"What the hell just happened?"
"You're asking me?" She sniffled, bouncing the baby against her as he calmed down. "I honestly have no idea. He wanted to give me a guitar he made as a thank you for helping Matthew, and I refused repeatedly, but he was…I don't know, he was all over me. It happened so fast."
"You said nothing to provoke that?" She scoffed, highly offended, and he rolled his eyes at himself. "I'm sorry, of course you didn't."
"Honestly." She turned to stir the contents upon the stove, thankful that nothing seemed to be burned. Her entire body was shaking.
"Did he say anything else?"
"No, just that he made the guitar as a thank you, and he wanted me to have it." She sniffled once more as tears flowed more freely from her eyes. She felt incredibly violated and quite out of control at the moment.
"I just knew it, I knew this man was trouble, and you didn't listen. You insisted on tutoring that boy. Now look what happened!" She cried harder, keeping her focus on her cooking as he ranted behind her, clearly full of adrenaline and having no idea where or how to release it. "If I hadn't been here to…"
"Enough, please."
"You could have easily been…"
"But you were here." She turned around to meet his eyes, and all of his rage melted at the sight of her face. The baby clung tightly to her, resting his head against her chest and chewing on his fist.
"I'm so sorry, darling." He stepped forward and took her into his arms, his warm embrace feeling safe and secure, and she found herself crying into his chest as he ran his hands over her back. He kissed her hair as she struggled to pull herself together, praying that none of the children would enter and see her like that.
"He just did that in our home, with everyone in the garden. I…I didn't expect…I suppose I don't know what I expected."
"You expected a man to not only respect your personal space, but your home as well." He rested his cheek against her head, taking in her scent and feeling incredibly thankful she was safe in his arms. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Yes, of course." She took a deep breath, sighing as she pulled away from their embrace to wipe her eyes with her free hand.
"I could kill him."
"You will do no such thing." He took her face in his hands, urging her to meet his eyes.
"I would move Heaven and earth for you, and I would kill that man." She frowned, a bit fearful of the rage inside of the man before her.
"I believe you would, and that frightens me. Please don't do anything more. I'm sure today was enough."
"For who?"
"For all of us. Please." He wiped stray tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, nodding in agreement as he did his best to remain calm. She was right, after all, the man would likely never show his face around them again if it could be helped.
"What should I do now, then?" She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as she brought herself back to a more practical mindset. She took his hand in hers, placing a quick kiss to his palm, before he let go of her face.
"Well, ten dinner plates are broken, and we only have twelve." He looked to the mess upon the floor, cringing just a bit.
"You finish cooking, and I'll clean up. Then I'll scrounge around here for things we can use." She nodded, sniffling one last time and clearing her throat. He looked at her for a moment longer before gently leaning forward and pressing a firm kiss to her lips, full of a tenderness she was quite unprepared for as she returned his kiss.
"What was that all about?" She smiled softly, and he pecked her lips once more for good measure.
"My kiss will always be your last."
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He sat upon the bed with ice on his hand, urging the swelling to go down from his earlier confrontation in the kitchen. He sighed as he rested his head against the headboard of the bed, waiting for Maria to finish her nightly prayer. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelashes gently brushed against her cheeks, making her look like an angel herself, in his eyes. He couldn't believe she looked so beautiful after the day she had.
He wished he regretted fighting Mr. Jones, but he had no regret whatsoever. It wasn't the classiest reaction to things, he had to admit, but he had become almost primal in his rage to protect his wife. He couldn't deny he was a bit territorial as well, but he didn't think it was necessarily about that. He supposed the thing that bothered him the most was that no matter how standoffish his wife had been toward the man, he didn't hesitate to try kissing her anyway.
"Are you still brooding?" She smiled as he met her eyes, climbing into bed next to him.
"I'm not brooding." She gave a quick laugh, pulling the sheets over her legs as she adjusted to sit against the headboard.
"Okay." He narrowed his eyes at her sarcastic tone, and she gave him a sweet smile. She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "The day is done, darling. Perhaps it's best to try getting some sleep."
"Are you really okay though?" She nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of love in his eyes as he looked into hers.
"I'm fine. It was only a little kiss, after all."
"Maria, please don't do that." Eyebrows raised in question, she stopped fussing with the blanket and met his gaze once more.
"What am I doing?"
"That thing where you make something terrible sound like it's not a big deal. You may as well begin singing about raindrops on roses…"
"Alright, stop." She sighed, wishing he wouldn't make fun of the happy songs she liked to sing with the children. "If you want complete honesty, I've fought off far worse men than Mr. Jones in my life. I promise, I'm okay."
"But he…are you really certain?"
"Yes, I'm certain. Georg, the unfortunate fact about being a woman is that there are a lot of men who think they can do things like that. While I can't say I've been in this specific situation before…well, you know about my uncle, of course." He nodded, readjusting the ice upon his hand. After they were married, she had told him about the abuse she suffered at the hand of her uncle as a child, their first time sharing secrets after making love one evening, and he would never forget every detail she gave.
"I'm sorry." She gave him a smile, reaching up to push some hair off his forehead.
"You have always been perfect to me. There's nothing to be sorry about."
"I am feeling a bit guilty though. I used to fantasize about you quite a lot, as you know." She certainly did know, as they had played Captain and Governess a couple of times in their marriage. She had enjoyed it quite a lot, though she would never admit just how much for fear of him thinking it was some sort of perversion on her part. "I feel even more disrespectful now."
"If you'll recall, it went both ways. You shouldn't feel guilty about that, I certainly don't."
"But I've treated many women like that in my life, as if I'm someone irresistible, as if they couldn't possibly mean it when they said no…"
"Georg, I know you, and I'm very confident that you never forced yourself upon a woman." He sighed, knowing he hadn't in the way she was thinking, but he had been notably persistent in the past. Before his first wife, he had been every bit of the rake his reputation dictated.
"I was pushy at times."
"But you know better now. You're not the same man you were at twenty-years-old, or God help us all." He gave a short laugh, and she felt hopeful that she was helping him find a better mood. He sighed, tossing his towel of ice into a bowl that was sitting upon the bedside table, and he turned to face her.
"Oh, Maria…the mere thought of another man laying his hands on you…"
"Then don't think about it. I'm not." She moved to turn out the light before coming close so he could hold her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him, placing kisses against her head.
"It will never happen again."
"I have no doubt you won't let me out of your sight for the foreseeable future." She tried to laugh it off, but he tilted her head toward him with his fingers beneath her chin.
"Not only that. You will follow your instincts when something feels strange. You told me weeks ago that he made you uncomfortable."
"I know…but I honestly felt it could've just been in my head. Why on earth would…" She stopped herself, shaking her head with a small smile. She knew he didn't like her opinion of herself.
"Please say it."
"I just don't know why he would have paid any attention."
"To you? All you have to do is enter a room, and all eyes are on you." She rolled her eyes and laughed, giving him a shove.
"I know you think I'm something special…"
"You are everything special and more. The fact that you don't even realize it makes you even more incredible." He kissed her, running a hand over her cheek.
"Thank you, for loving me in a way that makes me feel like everything you say could be true."
"I love you more than you could possibly imagine, darling." He kissed her forehead, her cheek, the tip of her nose, before placing a firm kiss upon her lips once more.