Disclaimer: The Sound of Music belongs to 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended
Gratitude: I thank Jelpy, who saw this rather raw and raised some valuable points, such as making me see that a certain character was half-edited out. I also thank Ilandra who really helped me mold the end of this so that the finale that I wanted all along was finally achieved. I thank you both very, very much.
A/N: This concept was born in a conversation I had had with Ilandra. I have never corresponded and bounced ideas off while actually writing, so that was a fun new method to try. I can't say what was discussed in that conversation without giving away the plot, so I'll just say that the idea was not solely mine, and Ilandra was kind enough to let me play.
Summary: An alternate universe take on the von Trapp escape from Salzburg. They encounter someone unexpected when they hide in the Abbey
Finding Peace
The night sky lit up in the distance as a summer thunderstorm loomed closer to Salzburg. Warm, muggy humidity clung oppressively to the air, making even walking across the Abbey courtyard tiresome.
Sister Berthe moved as quickly as she could as the shrill sound of the bell echoed through the corridors. An unexpected crash of thunder caused her to jump. It wasn't just the weather that had created such an uneasy atmosphere. The Anchluss was no longer a threat; the Nazis had invaded Austria. For many, including the nuns who lived in the relative safety of the convent, the news was the terrifying end of their sanctuary.
The bell rang again. Sister Berthe hurried to answer it. A part of her was dreading the encounter of whoever was ringing it. Just the thought of the Nazis in her homeland sent shivers down her spine. She reached the entrance and stopped in shock for a moment. A handsome man was standing there, surrounded by seven children. The children, whose ages ranged from no more than six to older teens, all had terrified expressions and stood mutely around the man.
"We seek sanctuary from the storm, Sister," the man said calmly, but not without a flash of urgency. His eyes were intense and focused. Sister Berthe studied him for a moment. He had an air of confidence and of old school aristocracy, and yet she felt as if she had seen him before. While he carried himself well, it was clear that he was in a state of agitation; he kept casting quick glances behind him, as if they were hiding from someone. The nun glanced at the children again; all of them bore some resemblance to him. She hesitated; the events of the last few days made everyone wary of who could be trusted.
He cleared his throat, and Sister Berthe looked up at him again. His calm, determined eyes assured her that they meant no harm, and she was immediately ashamed for having thought so at all. She opened the gate and allowed them to pass through.
"I will summon the Mother Abbess," she told them as she shut the gate behind them.
"We don't mean to trouble you, Sister. We are en route to Switzerland. The storm has proved too close for us to continue," the man said and gestured to the children, who seemed to be relaxing.
"It's no trouble at all, I assure you," the nun replied and smiled. "You shall stay the night, all of you."
"No, really, please," the man said. "I wish to leave as soon as the storm passes."
"Nonsense," Sister Berthe said and shook her head. "A good night rest will help when you leave in the morning."
The man opened his mouth to reply, but seemed to have thought the better of it. He looked at the oldest child, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, who nodded in response.
"May I help you?" a voice came up from behind the group. Sister Margaretta walked over to them and paused when she saw the children. A flash of recognition came to her face. She looked over to the man standing next to Sister Berthe.
"These are the von Trapp children!" Margaretta exclaimed, walking over to the youngest and putting her hands on the girl's shoulders.
The man nodded. "Yes, they're my children," he said and looked at them questioningly for a moment. He looked past them as other occupants of the Abbey started to join the small group. An odd expression came upon his face, as if he were searching for someone.
Turning his attention back to Sister Berthe, he offered a small smile. "I thank you for your generosity," he started and extended his hand. "I'm Captain Georg von Trapp. I wouldn't have dreamed of disturbing you if it wasn't for the storm or for the fact that earlier this summer, you had sent one of your postulants to be my children's governess."
Sister Berthe nodded and gave a look to Sister Margaretta.
Noticing this, the Captain inhaled. "We will leave after the storm has passed," he repeated.
"No, you will stay the night," Sister Margaretta said. "We insist. We shall prepare some rooms for you all. It seems we might be in for a stormy night, so it's better you stay with us anyway."
The Captain glanced at his children, who also seemed to be searching the crowd. He gave a grateful nod to the two nuns and walked over to the little ones. Scooping the smallest into his arms, he closed his eyes.
"Father?" a slightly older girl with long dark hair asked as she stepped closer to him. "What is going on? Why are we here at the Abbey?"
He opened his eyes and offered a tight smile to her. "I'll tell you later, Brigitta," he said and looked at the rest of his children. "I'll tell all of you soon. Let's just get settled here."
"Why can't we go back home?" the little one in his arms asked.
He hugged her closer to him. "I promise I'll tell you all soon."
The child wrapped her arms around him and looked over his shoulder. "Is she here, Father?" she asked.
He shook his head. "We're not here to see her, Gretl," he told her as the other children crowded around him. "We're here because it's safe for now. We can rest here and then leave in the morning."
"But I want to see her!" the other little girl said, here voice trembling. "She didn't even say good-bye."
The oldest girl squatted next to her sister and hugged her. "We can't worry about that now, Marta," she soothed. "We have to leave Austria."
"She has to come with us," Gretl said, tears forming in her eyes. The Captain hugged her closer and looked at Sister Margaretta. The woman smiled kindly and walked over to him.
"Why don't you come with me and get some food?" she suggested. "You all look exhausted."
The Captain nodded and cocked his head for them to follow her. As she led them through the courtyard, she tried not to listen to the whispers of the older children.
"No, she's in seclusion," a girl hissed.
"That was weeks ago," a boy's voice replied. "She can't be secluded all this time. It would be too quiet, especially for her."
Sister Margaretta smiled to herself at the candid observation, and she could have sworn she could hear a low, masculine laugh. Clearly, the family knew their former governess very well.
"Well, we're not here to see her anyway," the same girl's voice, laced with anger, said. "She left, and now we are too."
They arrived in a small dining room. Sister Margaretta turned and looked at the group. "I'll see if I can get some soup for you," she said.
The Captain walked over to her, the little girl still in his arms. "I thank you all for your kindness," he said.
"It is the least we can do," she said and patted his shoulder before departing to notify the Reverend Mother of their unexpected guests.
***
Captain von Trapp looked at his children. "I'm sorry for the detour," he said.
Lighting flashed outside, highlighting seven concerned faces. The children stared back at him; the older ones looking like they expected an explanation. Sighing, he set Gretl down.
"Father," Brigitta said, feeling brave. "What is happening? Why are we here?"
He gazed down at her, smiling at her blunt approach. "We can't stay in Austria anymore," he answered. "We have to leave."
Brigitta looked up at Friedrich, who was staring at his father. "Forever?" he asked.
Georg closed his eyes, struggling to maintain his inner control over the fact that they were brought to this point, running from their home like fugitives. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance. "We can't stay in this country while the Nazis take it over."
He heard someone clearing her throat and saw Liesl staring intensely at him. She nodded in encouragement for him to continue.
"And I cannot join them," he said and looked at the other children. "They 'requested' that I join their navy, and that is something I simply cannot do."
He sighed as he watched the shock register on their faces. Friedrich put his hands on Marta's shoulders, and Louisa pulled her lips into a tight line. He returned his gaze to Brigitta, who tried to smile.
"Where are we going, Father?"
"Switzerland," he answered. "As long as we're together, then I believe everything will be alright."
Sister Margaretta returned, followed by an elderly woman whom Georg assumed was the Mother Abbess. He walked over to her, extending his hand.
"Reverend Mother," he said, "I can't tell you how grateful I—"
The woman raised her hand and waved off his speech. "I thank you for coming to us, Captain," she said. "Please understand me when we will not ask any questions, and you have our complete confidence. We shall help you in any way we can."
Their eyes met in a shrewd understanding, and the Captain nodded. Then the Reverend Mother cocked her head towards the door on the far end of the room, and Sister Margaretta walked over to it, revealing several postulants carrying trays. Mother Abbess smiled.
"It's not as grand as the meals you're used to," she said.
"Thank you," the Captain said and gestured to his children to sit at the table in the center of the room. He looked at her. "Will you join us?"
She shook her head. "I will see that we have some rooms for you to use," she declined and smiled at the children before she and the others departed.
"I thought one of them was her, but it wasn't," Brigitta said after a moment, looking down at her soup.
"She isn't coming," Louisa said hotly. "I bet she knows we're here and is hiding from us."
"Louisa," the Captain said firmly. He looked up and found an equally stern pair of eyes meeting his gaze in a stubborn challenge. "Do not speak badly of a woman who has been so kind to you."
She opened her mouth but looked over at her siblings. Seeing no support, she set her chin and glared into her bowl.
"Do you think she knows we're here?" Marta asked.
"I have no idea," the Captain replied, unsure if he should be annoyed or relieved with his children's preoccupation with their former governess.
The family resumed their meal in a tense silence. Georg felt a knot form in his stomach and he soon lost his appetite completely. It seemed as if his world had unraveled before his eyes in just a few short weeks. He had known the Anchluss was coming, and had received the actual event with a removed numbness. All throughout the summer, he had been planning a gradual move from the country; he didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to himself and had prepared his affairs quietly. The telegram he had received earlier that day had expedited his plans to leave the country, but at least he could relax knowing that they had somewhere to go and funds for their journey.
The Nazis had arrived in Salzburg a few days previously, and he had wanted to leave before they came to his home, taking him away from his family. He had only trusted Max with the details of their departure; he didn't want to involve anyone unnecessarily with his plans. He knew he could depend on Max; of others, even his servants, he had to be wary.
He had taken the children into town via the bus that afternoon, under the pretense of attending the Salzburg Music Festival. From there, he had planned to covertly meet with Max on the outskirts of town, take a car which had been purchased specifically for their escape, and drive to Switzerland, hopefully unnoticed. Everything had been going to plan; they had been successful in avoiding any pursuers, and were making good time to their rendezvous with Max.
He had not anticipated a thunderstorm.
Pushing his bowl in front of him, he closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, allowing himself a moment of rest. As much as he had prepared, there always seemed to be one thing he had not anticipated.
His plan was, at the most generous, a brave thing to do. It was risky with seven children. The older ones would be alright, but he was concerned for Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl; they simply were too young to be traveling under such dire circumstances.
The Captain would be alone with his children as they escaped. He knew they trusted him, but he felt desperate for someone to accompany him; someone who could ease his burden and help with the children. He felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards as a face flashed into his mind's eye.
His smile quickly reversed. That wasn't possible. Despite the fact that he was closer to her now than he had been in weeks, it wasn't meant to be. He shook the idea out of his head.
He looked around at his family and saw that they all had either finished their meal or, like him, couldn't eat any more. He slowly rose and turned to the entrance way.
"I'll see to our rooms," he suggested and started to leave.
He didn't get very far when Sisters Margaretta and Berthe came to meet him. The taller of the two, Sister Berthe, smiled and gestured for the family to follow them.
"If you're ready, we'll show you to your rooms," she said.
The group silently followed the two nuns to the courtyard. The Captain glanced around his surroundings, noting how simply grand the open room was. It had an air of honesty to it, like anyone could be themselves as they strolled through, surrounded by virtue and uncomplicated piety. He could see the draw someone could have to live such a simple life. He thought about how it was home to so many people; how it was her home.
Surprised at how much he was thinking about her, he shook his head and glanced back at his children. They all bore similar expressions of fatigue and wariness. He walked over to Marta, about to stoop over to pick her up. A flash of lighting lit the courtyard for a moment.
Suddenly, Marta froze and stared at the far end of the courtyard. Her eyes widened in shock and then a huge smile spread across her face.
Before the Captain could see what had made his daughter so happy, the girl had run off, dashing frantically across the courtyard. He turned and saw Gretl following her, and then Brigitta. He followed his youngest children with his eyes, and saw what they were running towards.
No, not what. Who.
"Fräulein Maria!" he heard Gretl's echoed shout as the two little girls flung themselves at the woman, who was completely surprised at the sight of them. She barely had time to register what was happening when she was knocked down by the girls' enthusiasm and the trio fell to the floor.
The Captain's stomach seemed to tighten at the sight of his daughters in her arms, their naked adoration for her plain on their faces. He saw, too, the warmth spread over her face as she got over her shock and hugged the girls to her with genuine love. Kurt, Friedrich and Liesl started to walk over to the small group, and the Captain noted how Louisa walked more slowly, staying with him. Her face bore a look of unbelieving hope. He paused and turned to Sisters Margaretta and Berthe, who both smiled at him.
"I see your children have found their governess at last," Margaretta said. "We'll give you all a moment to reunite."
Before the Captain could reply, the two stepped to far end of the courtyard, giving the family some privacy. He resumed walking over to the group piled on the floor.
"We missed you!" Marta exclaimed and hugged her governess closer.
"Why did you leave us?" Brigitta asked.
Georg noted that Maria looked truly dumbfounded at the situation. It seemed Louisa had been wrong in her assumption; Maria had no idea the family was there. Nuns, it seems, do not gossip, the Captain thought wryly.
"What are you doing here?" Maria finally asked, looked at each child in turn.
"We're escaping from Austria," Gretl answered and Friedrich quickly hushed her.
"We're seeking shelter from the storm," Friedrich explained.
"You're all…" Maria trailed as she finally looked up from the children, immediately falling silent.
The tightness in the Captain's stomach seemed to overcome him as she finally met his gaze. Everything seemed to fade away as the pair stared at each other, and the Captain felt as if suddenly, without reason or explanation, that everything was starting to come together.
To be continued…