A/N: Okay some of you suggested a better ending for a good story. So I added more to it to make the ending better. I think I succeeded, but I don't think I want to write anymore-about Georg and Maria being reunited and telling the children. I think I have come up with four different ways they told them and I think this one is the most original, and funny, of all. So enjoy and tell me what you think!!!
Ch. 10: The Joke
The car pulled into the driveway of the home. Georg and Maria got out and entered the house.
"Children! I am home! Please come down." Georg told them. Just as he heard feet pounding, Max entered.
"Georg I have to talk to you. It is urgent, it is about the tickets to America." Max told him. He gazed up at Georg surprised to see a lady resembling Maria standing close by him. "Who is this Georg?"
"Max you know who this is. It is Maria. Now do I have to talk to you right now I want to see my children…" Georg stated.
"Georg this is important business…" He began.
"Oh alright. I will be back soon Maria. I promise." He told her giving her a kiss. Maria smiled as she watched Georg leave.
"Maria?" Came a questioning voice from on the stairs. Maria turned around and stared at seven children.
"Maria, is it really you?" Marta asked.
"Of course it is she. She doesn't have a twin. Or at least she has never told us about her twin." Kurt told his sister.
"Good Evening children." Maria told them. The children ran down the stairs and into her arms.
"Maria we were so worried!" Liesl told her.
"We thought something horrible happened to you." Louisa said. Maria sat down and answered their many questions about what had happened. When she got to the part about marrying Michael the children's faces fell.
"His wedding was today, right?" Brigitta asked while sighing.
"Yeah, Maria so you are our aunt?" Friedrich asked dejectedly. Before Maria could answer Liesl started to talk.
"Oh Maria. I wanted you to be our Mother so badly. Did Father just bring you to say hello before we go to America? You were supposed to be our Mother." Liesl said. A bunch of faces looked at her visibly upset.
"Calm down children. You have not even let me talk yet." Maria smiled at them.
"That's because we do not want you to tell us you married Uncle Michael." Brigitta answered simply.
"Father's nicer Maria. You should love him more." Gretl told her.
"I am not going to tell you I married Michael." Maria told them. The children looked at her still not comprehending. "I think it is quite a silly thought that I would be married to him when tomorrow is my wedding day."
"Oh no you are marrying him tomorrow?" Kurt said.
"No, I am marrying his brother tomorrow, though." Maria said smiling. To her utter astonishment the children did not smile back.
"Oh no you are not marrying Uncle John!" Marta cried. The children looked even more pained as they looked at her. Maria burst into sobs of laughter. She did not know why the children just did not understand.
"What is so funny Maria?" Asked an un-amused Liesl.
"I am not marrying Michael or John children." Maria stated through her laughter. "I am going to marry the only person on this Earth who I could possibly love enough to marry."
"That is?" Asked Brigitta.
"Well since you are not comprehending much today I will give you his full name. His name is Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp, also known as Captain von Trapp, also known as Georg, also known as the Baron, also known as…"
"Our Father!" Brigitta cried happily flinging herself into Maria's arms. The others caught on and were soon laughing with Maria.
"Oh Mother, I am sorry. We just have been slightly out of it since you left." Louisa told her. "We can call you Mother again right?"
"I would like it very much." Maria told her grinning.
"Mother can you help us play a trick on Father?" Louisa asked. "We could pretend that we still don't understand that you are marrying him."
"Well children your Father has had a hard passed few days…" Maria began.
"Oh come on Maria. He has tricked us numerous times and he tricked us when you came back. Please?" Marta begged.
"Alright. I have an idea. Here is what we can do." Maria began whispering to her children. "Now have I ever taught you children about theatre and dramatic acting…"
Georg entered the room watching the children's gloomy faces.
"Did you chat with Maria, darlings?" He asked. He wondered why they were so sad if they had already seen her.
"Oh yes Father. She told us the terrible news." Liesl told him.
"What terrible news?" He asked them.
"You are marrying her tomorrow Father." Brigitta stated blankly.
"Yes, you are excited aren't you?" He asked them.
"Well not really Father." Louisa told him. "I mean how can you marry her? She was going to marry your brother. Doesn't that bother you?"
"Children you were excited when I was planning on marrying her before…" He was cut off.
"That was before she betrayed us all Father! I hate her! She just goes and plans to marry someone else right after you supposedly die!" Brigitta screamed.
"Didn't I do the same thing after Agathe…"
"That is different. Maria taught you a lot, she was worthy. Michael it not he is…he is…well the thought she would even think of loving him." Liesl said disgustingly.
"Gretl are you not excited about this either?" He asked hoping the first to accept Maria would proudly say yes.
"No Father, she is a traitor." Gretl told him. He looked up at them angrily.
"Well children I do value your opinions and would usually consider them, but I love Maria more than life itself. So I am going to marry her. One day I am sure you will forgive her."
"I'll never forgive her Father." As Friedrich spoke Maria entered the room.
"Maria, my love can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked her pleadingly.
"No talking will be necessary, Georg. I am leaving on a train back to Austria to go back to the convent. Goodbye, darling. It was nice knowing you." With that Maria opened the door and closed it. She ran to a nearby tree to hide. She sat under it and started to laugh uncontrollably. Meanwhile Georg was so stunned he could not move. He slowly glared at his children and went out the door after Maria. The children ran outside to meet Maria under the tree. They laughed a little and waited until they saw Georg walking around miserably talking to himself. He sat down on a bench nearby and put his head in his hands. Maria walked over to him with the children. He sensed the children around him.
"No you are not allowed to go berry picking and no you cannot stay up past your bedtimes tonight. I am not in the mood to talk to any of you right now so please leave. And yes, I am thinking of a severe punishment." Georg told them not looking up. He failed to notice Maria's presence as she sat down next to him. She lifted up his head and began to kiss him passionately. He kissed her for a moment and then pulled away.
"What are you still doing here?" He asked astonished.
"I am marrying you tomorrow. That is what I thought I was doing here anyways. Did you forget we are getting married Georg?" She asked.
"No I just thought that you left for the convent. I was going to come and get you after…" He trailed off.
"Oh we got you good Georg!" Maria told him laughing the children came back laughing hard at Georg's look.
"Wait a moment. This was all a joke?" He asked. The children nodded their heads. "Why on Earth did you play a mean joke on me for?"
"It was to get you back for all of your jokes Father. It was pretty good too, wasn't it?" Louisa asked smiling.
"Georg, the children are just as wonderful at acting as they are at singing. They caught on so fast!" Maria proclaimed.
"Oh so you were the head of this…hmm?" He asked.
"Yes, I was. Georg you have played too many tricks on them. They wanted to play a really excellent one on you to get you back." Maria told him.
"Well you all certainly succeeded. There are you happy now?" He asked.
"Yes! Now can we help with the wedding arrangements?" Liesl asked him.
"Sure lets go inside and decide…"
"Oh my gosh Georg look at that huge spider!" Maria shrieked. The children stepped back and looked.
"Oh Father step on it please!" Marta shrieked.
"It is going to eat us for dinner!" Kurt yelled.
"Where is it I will kill it." He told them. They pointed and he walked over to the spot. "I really don't think we should kill an innocent animal, we should just…"
"Father please step on it!" Gretl yelled almost in tears.
"Oh if it will make you all feel better." Georg stepped on the spider and it did not mush into the ground. "Well maybe I can't kill it. It doesn't seem to be dying…"
"Georg darling watch out for that banana peel!" Maria yelled just as Georg lost his balance and slipped on the peel. The children went into hysteric laughter as they saw their Father fall to the ground so ungracefully.
"That was a fake spider!" He looked up at his children. They laughed and began to go inside to prepare for the wedding. Georg sat up and he couldn't hide the red on his cheeks any longer. He had really been embarrassed in front of the woman he was so in love with. Maria couldn't help but laugh, as the man she had only seen as proper and together suddenly seemed so insecure.
"I have never seen you blush before darling!" She told him. "I never thought sea captains get embarrassed enough to blush!"
"You would be surprised. I don't think I have ever been so embarrassed before." Georg looked at Maria. She sat down by him. "Will you still marry me Maria? Even after I made myself look like such an idiot?"
"Darling that question just made you sound even more like an idiot. Anyways that slip on the banana peel made me love you even more!" Maria told him. "I have never seen anyone slip so gracefully darling!"
"Do you mean that?" Georg asked her.
"Well yes because the only person I have ever seen trip has been Reverend Mother. She was not graceful at all, don't tell her I told you though." Maria said.
"Did you put that banana peel out?"
"Umhmm. I had nothing else to do there. I was bored I had to do something. I suppose that is why they didn't like me."
"What happened after that?"
"Oh nothing really. Reverend Mother had a bruise on her backside for a while, but she recovered. Then I had nothing else to do so I began singing in the mountains. I guess I was very much trouble so they sent me to you to see if a Sea Captain could get me to obey." Maria told him smiling.
"Yes and fortunately for me I couldn't get you to obey for the life of me." Georg told her giving her a kiss. They realized spirits such as yours aren't meant to be cooped up in a small abbey."
"I suppose they did and so did I. I am so grateful I found you before it was too late. I love you Georg." Maria told him helping him up. Georg began to kiss her passionately.
"Maybe we should get married tonight. I don't think I can spend another day without you by my side." He told her.
"Well I suppose we should go and plan the wedding then." Maria told him coming closer to him for another kiss. The two of them decided they better plan the wedding and went inside to join their children.