Maria draped her arm over her husband's chest. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into his neck as he hugged her to him. Feeling his heart beat under her hand, she sighed in contentment.

A wash of peace came over her, and she returned the embrace, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. She was amazed at how normal and yet how surreal being in Georg's bed was.

Her mind wondered to the beginning of the summer, when she had been sent to the villa under an entirely different pretence. She had at first lived in this house as the governess; she was sleeping under the same roof but in a completely separate existence. Her purpose had been to attend to the children, and Georg had been the aloof and distant Captain, an enigma she had found engaging and puzzling at the same time.

The thought of anything more had never entered her mind until she had found herself breathing faster when she looked at him and her heart racing when he looked back at her. As they got to know one another more, new visions started to flood her mind, which startled and excited her at the same time.

There had been times when she had wondered what it would have been like to have the Captain's arms around her or to feel her hand in his. She had wanted to know what it felt like to have his lips press against hers. At those moments, she was confused and guilt-ridden. The reason she had been sent to the Von Trapps was not to speculate about inappropriate things concerning her employer. During those nights, she stayed up late gazing out her window, praying desperately to rid herself of the images constantly filling her head.

A private smile crossed her face as she remembered the night they had declared their feelings. In all her musings and suppressed thoughts, Maria had been unprepared for how strongly she had reacted to the physical part of their love. She now knew what it was like to be kissed by Georg, and to kiss him back. She knew how strong his arms were, how deep his laugh was, and how mesmerizing his eyes were once she was allowed to lose herself in them. Everything had been so new to her, and Maria had responded to at all with a passion that both amazed and invigorated her.

Yet, for how wondrous and exciting Georg's gentle caresses were, Maria was surprised to feel herself needing more. Just kissing him and being held by him wasn't enough. She had wanted to hold on to him all night, to hear his deep voice whisper into her ear, to lose herself in more than just his eyes. She'd wanted all of her senses to be completely consumed by him.

As they had bid each other farewell night after night leading up to their wedding, Maria had stayed awake in her bed, her heart racing once again. But this time it was with anticipation. Now that she had had a preview of what it felt like to be loved by him physically, she hadn't been able to keep her thoughts from what was coming. She needed to know what his body looked like, how his skin felt. She needed to feel his hands roam over her, to calm a fire she had never known was within her. Those nights, she was both grateful and resentful of the distance between them, and she had been amazed that she had slept at all.

Now, as she lay quietly, the surreal sensation she had felt when they had ascended the stairs returned, but in a different way. While she wasn't uneasy this time, she marveled at how strange it was to be lying in her Captain's bed, her arms wrapped around him, feeling his relaxed breaths on her forehead.

As if sensing her reflective mood, Georg pulled away and stared down at her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She looked up at him, her heart full at the look on his face. "I'm more than alright," she breathed. "I'm happier than I've ever been in my life."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "I love you too," he whispered, stroking her cheek. Silent for a moment, Georg studied her again. "What are you thinking about?"

Maria sighed. "How different things are from when I first arrived here."

"Ah, I see," he said, hugging her again. "To go from the governess to the Lady of the Manor?"

She laughed lightly. "No, not that," she said lowly, leaning her head closer to him. "I was just thinking about how you went from being my employer to being my husband."

A slow and slightly sly grin spread across his face. "That sounds almost ribald, Fräulein," he murmured.

Her cheeks reddened. "I didn't mean it like that," she said.

He stroked her cheek. "I know you didn't; I'm sorry," he said. "But, I know what you're talking about."

Maria smiled. "You do?"

"Of course; I like to think we can read each other very well," he said lightly, but his eyes locked with hers.

Her smile widened. "I think so too."

"And would you like to hear a confession?" he asked, studying her.

Maria shot her head up, intrigued. "Yes."

He stared at her. "It was better than I imagined it to be," he said, and her cheeks burned as she held his gaze.

"You mean you… you thought about it… us... too?" she stammered.

Georg nodded. "You have no idea, Maria," he said lowly. He shifted to put his hands on her sides to lift her, bringing her to lie atop him. They stared into each others eyes as he rubbed her back. "I can tell you the exact moment I started to think about you as more than the governess."

Maria placed her hands on top of each other on his chest. Resting her chin on them, she stared into his eyes, captivated. "Really?"

He smiled and nodded. "The night of the puppet show. The way you stood there, with that dress on, smiling and glowing like an angel. I couldn't take my eyes off you."

An echo of that observation crossed Maria's mind, but it sounded so different coming from her husband. When she had first heard that he couldn't take his eyes off of her that night, it had sounded accusatory and almost sinful. As she looked into Georg's eyes and heard him tell her his feelings, it felt beautiful and pure. A loving smile lit her face.

Georg, enchanted by her expression, ran his hand across her shoulders. "I tried to dismiss it, but the harder I tried, the more and more you kept coming into my thoughts," he said, reaching up to caress her cheek. "At first, it was just an urge to talk with you and be with you. I found myself constantly looking for you and engaging in any conversation, just so I could be near you. I tried to convince myself that it was just your friendship I was seeking.

"But when you returned from the abbey and we declared our feelings, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Once I started to think of you as my wife, the images wouldn't leave my head."

"I thought I was the only one who was thinking those things," she murmured, tucking her head down to rest her forehead against her hands. He laughed, and Maria smiled to herself as she felt his chest rise and fall as he did so.

"Oh, no, Maria," he said. "There were countless nights I would lie in this very bed, knowing that you were only a hallway away. Sometimes I thought I'd go insane."

Maria smiled. "I felt the same way."

Georg shifted abruptly and started to turn. Confused, Maria gave him a questioning look. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently rolled her onto her back. Lying on his side, he placed his head on his hand as his free hand rubbed her stomach. Maria inhaled at his light touch. She was about to say something when she fell silent at the wonderment she saw on his face as his eyes traveled down her body.

"I can't tell you how many times I had thought about what it would be like to touch you as no one else has touched you," he said again, his gaze resting on her stomach. His fingers moved lower to her abdomen, and he noted how her breath was starting to quicken.

"Georg…" Maria started but felt her voice melt into a deep moan as his roaming hand moved further down her body. She looked over and saw him watching her, his expression a mixture of awe and love.

"But," he began lowly, "even in my imagination, your skin wasn't this smooth."

He leaned over to kiss the nape of her neck, bringing his traveling hand back up her torso with maddening slowness. "You didn't taste this sweet." His hand stopped at her ribs. "Your voice didn't sound so soft and yet so rich.

"Even though I saw you everyday and fell more and more in love with you every minute, I didn't know how much you could completely captivate me," he confided, his voice barely above a whisper.

Moving his hand above her ribs, Georg leaned over and kissed her. She turned to her side and pulled him to her as his hand moved around her back, bringing them closer to one another.

Finally withdrawing, she gazed at him with love and amazement. "I never knew how strong this could be. How intense I could feel for you. I knew I loved you, but this… this is more than I ever thought existed."

A deep laugh sounded in his chest. "It's so strong because of our love," he said. "It's part of it."

She laughed with him. "It's a very good part," she said, and he laughed even harder.

"Well, I'm honored to share it with you," he said.

"And only you," she finished before gazing into his eyes. "It amazes me: to be here, in your room, in your arms…in your bed."

He cupped her cheek. "Our bed," he corrected softly, lowering his hand down to stroke her neck.

She sighed. "At first I thought it would be kind of, odd, making love here in the villa."

Georg studied her. "The governess and the Captain?"

Smiling at his understanding, Maria exhaled and nodded. "But it's not like that anymore," she said. "It's not so odd anymore. It feels right."

"Because it is right," he said tapping her nose.

"It's perfect," she whispered and scooted closer to him. She tucked her head under his and nuzzled his neck again. They lay in contented silence for a long while, each of them completely at ease and at peace.

Maria lifted her head and turned around, molding her body into his as he draped his arm around her. He kissed the back of her neck, and she reached up to take his hand in hers. The feeling of his chest as he breathed lulled her into a restful doze.

She was on the verge of falling asleep when the telephone rang. Both of them jumped, startled. Almost immediately, the ringing stopped. Georg sat up, listening to the silence.

"Franz must have answered it," he thought aloud. He looked around, feeling reality start to creep back into his consciousness. The warm light of the early afternoon sun seeped through the closed drapes, and he looked over at the clock on the bureau. The urge to return to a lying position with his wife in his arms was very tempting, but he knew that their children would be home eventually.

Reflecting his train of thought, Maria sighed and stretched out. "Maybe we should make ourselves presentable," she said, her reluctance evident.

Georg nodded, his mind wondering to where his children were. His thoughts darkened as he remembered the flag above his front door. "I have to remove that rag," he said lowly.

Maria inhaled, also recalling what had greeted them. She darted upwards. "Yes, before they see it," she said, starting to slide off the bed.

Georg grabbed her arm to prevent her. He hugged her close to him, eager to steal one more moment of total privacy. "Are you happy to be home?" he asked, stroking her hair.

She beamed and nodded. "Finally home," she murmured.

He smiled and exhaled slowly, knowing they had procrastinated long enough. "Let's go, Baroness," he said. Simultaneously, they got off their bed and started the next stage of their marriage as they prepared themselves for their children's arrival.

Fin

A/N: "ribald" is for Ilandra. I hope she remembers why. Thanks for all your lovely reviews; they're greatly appreciated. imnotacommittee