Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
A/N: Please read and REVIEW!!!! (you know you wanna)
DISCLAIMER: Anything that you recognize, I don't own. Chances are that even if you don't recognize it, it's not mine.
~*~
As soon as the Baroness found out that her relaxing morning with Georg was going to be pushed off because he wanted to go bike-riding, she insisted that she come along as well.
The children, the Captain and Maria were all forced to wait as yet another person changed. Nearly fifteen minutes later, the Baroness came down the steps, her hair pulled up in an extravagant traveling shawl and wearing a dainty outfit beige to match, all the way down to the painful looking beige slippers.
"I'm ready, Darling!" she waved to the Captain, and Maria noted her particular stress on the word 'darling'.
"Are you sure you want to wear that?" asked the Captain as he eyed her outfit reproachfully.
"Why, don't you think it's pretty?" she asked in mock contempt.
"It's lovely, only-"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Father," Leisl stated firmly, a glint in her eyes, "but we're getting quite restless, and we should go." The Captain nodded and waited at the bottom of the stairs for the Baroness to descend to him before following Maria and the children out the door.
~*~
"Maria, did you see me?!" marveled Gretl.
"Yes, darling, you were wonderful!" exclaimed the freulein stooping down to encompass the little girl in her embrace.
The Baroness limped in behind them, the skirt of her outfit dirtied on the bottom and her knee bleeding and dirty. She was leaning on the Captain for support and as soon as they entered the house, she smoothed her dress over and announced she was going to nap before lunch. The children giggled quietly between themselves until they were silences by a stern glare from their father.
Frau Schmidt approached them.
"Lunch will be ready in about half an hour," she stated.
"Gretl, you were wonderful!" their father declared, "are you certain that you've never ridden a bike before?" Gretl nodded happily.
"Never!" she exclaimed.
Freidrich piped up, "last time we went riding, you had to sit on the back of Maria's bike." All the children laughed in remembrance of the week that their father had been in Vienna. It had been upsetting that he was gone, of course, but it had also been their time of rediscovery. That was when Maria was re-teaching them the meaning of happiness.
The Captain glanced at his children uncomfortably. He hated himself for what he had put them through after Agathe died. Maria noticed his discomfort.
"Children, go clean up for lunch!" she said. They all obeyed, Marta stopping to give Maria a kiss on the cheek before heading up the stairs.
The Captain watched after them thoughtfully.
"They don't blame you," Maria stated softly, reading his mind. He shook his head, startled.
"I know," he finally said sadly, "but I do." Maria gazed at the Captain. He tried so hard to seem tough, but deep down; he was suffering as badly as anyone else. He faced her and returned the gaze.
"Maria…" he said wistfully. Her face was becoming hot and she couldn't seem to stop looking at him with that same intense gaze.
"I-" she began, "I should get ready for lunch," she said finally, tearing her eyes away from his, she moved slowly towards the staircase.
She ascended the staircase, her mind muddled in thought.
~*~
Lunch was set when the children sat at the table. Their father walked in seconds later followed by the Baroness. Max was out to lunch with an old chum.
"Is Maria late… again?" he asked. Frau Schmidt approached the table bearing platters of food.
"Of course not, Captain," she stated briskly with a glance at the Baroness, "she is in the kitchen as you asked." Leisl looked at her father angrily and the Captain looked at Frau Schmidt shocked.
"But, I would never-!" he cried flabbergasted.
"Maybe," began Frau Schmidt, "you should consul the Baroness." All eyes turned to the Baroness who looked back at them sheepishly.