The Captain woke up early the next morning. As he lay in his bed trying to see what time it was, he could just make out the muffled chattering of his children, the loud clanging of something, and the occasional interjection from their fräulein. Giving up on the clock across the room, he rolled over and glanced at his pocket watch on the nightstand, noting that it was only 8:00AM.

"Do they ever sleep?" he thought. Shaking his head, he got out of bed and readied himself for the day.

He headed downstairs and followed the laughter and noise until he arrived in the kitchen. The sight before him was none like he had ever seen before and he instinctively opened his eyes wide with genuine surprise. The Captain glanced around in shock, taking in the chocolate that seemed to be splattered everywhere, his two youngest daughters giggling uncontrollably while mixing something, and Louisa and Kurt complaining about something to a clearly frazzled Fräulein Maria.

"Settle down, children," Maria called to them upon noticing the Captain entering the room.

"Oh Father! Look at this!" a rather excited Brigitta exclaimed upon turning around and seeing him. She ran over and held up a bowl filled with what appeared to be some sort of chocolate. "Fräulein Maria put me in charge of making the frosting for our cake!"

"Try it. It's good," Kurt told him while running up behind his sister and sticking his finger into the bowl, taking a big taste. Laughing, he scooted out of the way to avoid Brigitta's attempted push, and ran to the other side of the room where he broke into hysterics as he relayed the story to Louisa and Friedrich.

Brigitta pouted and hugged the bowl tighter to her chest. "Fräulein Maria! Kurt's eating my frosting again!" she cried, as if it was the worst thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life.

"Kurt! What did I tell you earlier? Come over here this instant!" Maria said firmly as she approached him with her hands on her hips.

Reluctantly he walked over to her with a deep frown on his face and glanced downward toward the floor. "I'm sorry," he said glumly.

"Tell your sister," Maria answered in a curt tone, motioning for Brigitta to come over.

Kurt turned to Brigitta and began to apologize when a crash sounded from the opposite side of the room. Everyone looked upwards and beheld a wide-eyed Gretl, a big-lipped Marta, and a large pile of white mush on the ground in front of them.

"We didn't mean it," Marta barely whispered through a quivering lip. As her words broke the silence of the room, her eyes began to tear and she looked upwards to Maria.

"It just happened," Gretl said in a small voice, also looking towards Maria with wide eyes.

Maria sighed softly and walked over to the mess. She held her hand up to both of them, urging them to control their tears and stroked each of their cheeks. "Accidents happen," she told them with a soft smile and a shrug.

"Liesl, please boil some more potatoes so that Marta and Gretl can make more potato salad, and Friedrich and Louisa, please clean up your sisters' mess for me," she instructed.

Noticing the silent protests forming on Friedrich and Louisa's faces, she raised her eyebrow. "Don't think I didn't see the two of you sneaking up behind your little sisters just before this happened," she chided.

They regarded her with feigned looks of shock for a moment before breaking into mischievous smiles. "All right," Friedrich conceded with a sullen look. He and Louisa approached the mess and began to clean the pile of spilled potato salad, which more closely resembled potato soup after the vigorous mixing it had endured before its fall.

Maria glanced upwards toward the Captain and smiled meekly at him, hoping the chaos had not angered him.

He smiled faintly at her and shook his head in mock disbelief.

"All right, everyone!" Maria shouted through the once-again hectic room. She clapped her hands together to get their attention and soon everyone was looking at her. "Liesl, finish the sandwiches and keep an eye on the boiling potatoes. Brigitta and Marta, finish frosting the cake. Kurt, gather together some plates, cups, and silverware for us to use. Fried—"

"Fräuelin Maria?" Marta interrupted with a tug at her governess' sleeve.

Maria sighed with impatience, but quickly recovering, looked downwards and smiled at the shy little girl. "Yes, darling?"

"Can I decorate the top of the cake?" she asked timidly.

Maria nodded and caressed Marta's hair briefly. "Of course, dear. There are cherries and nuts you can use, but only after Brigitta's frosted it, please."

Marta smiled broadly and nodded her understanding.

Maria looked around the room and soon returned her attention to her charges. "Now, Louisa and Friedrich, finish cleaning up that mess and then start packing the picnic baskets. The lemonade and fruit salad are ready, and the rest will be finished shortly. And—" she trailed, pausing and twisting her mouth in thought.

"And, that's it I think. Now go on so we can leave at a decent hour," Maria told them with a definite nod. She glanced at her watch and sighed, noting that they were already running late.

"What about me?" Gretl said with a pout, while placing her hands on her hips.

Maria looked over at the melodramatic child and smiled. She held out her hand for the little girl, and Gretl walked to her, taking hold of it. "Sweetheart, did you forget that you're in charge today, so that means that you get to make sure everyone is doing what they should be?"

Gretl put her hands down to her sides and smiled up at her governess, nodding with enthusiasm. "Ohhh! I forgot!" She looked smugly around at the others who shook their heads softly or rolled their eyes to each other.

Bending over toward Gretl, Maria kissed her on the forehead and scooped her up in her arms, resting her weight on her hip. She didn't even have a chance to notice the Captain walking her way, as she was trying to collect her thoughts, pay attention to Gretl, and make sure that no other catastrophes occurred, all at the same time.

"Good morning, Fraulein. Your domestic skills shining through, I see?" he greeted her with a raised eyebrow.

He regarded her surprised look for a moment, before continuing to speak. "Someone should have woken me up for the fun," he said while playfully tapping Gretl on the nose and casting a small half-smile at Maria.

"Everything is completely under control, Sir," Maria retorted with a forced smile. She met his gaze and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I see," he said with a disbelieving nod and small smile.

At his display, Maria broke into a broad grin without realizing it. She met his gaze and swore she could see the laughter coming from deep within his soul through his twinkling eyes. "Oh all right. You caught me," she chuckled.

"I always catch you, Fräulein. Should I remind you of the uh, what were they called, play clothes I believe. Or of the midnight jumping on bed routine you felt the need to teach my children, was it your, uh, first night with us?" he quipped.

"You don't need to remind me," she laughed. "But your point is well taken. I apologize."

The Captain gave her a sidelong glance and smiled at the stubborn look that had suddenly appeared on her face. "Something you don't do too often?"

Maria grinned softly and intensified her gaze at him. "I'm not wrong too often," she replied.

"Oh, I see!" the Captain laughed while casting her a skeptical glance.

Maria chuckled. "All right maybe sometimes. Like when I decided to let the children pack the lunch for our outing today," she said in a low voice so that Gretl wouldn't hear.

After a brief pause, Maria continued to speak. "I thought it'd be fun for the children to do it themselves this one time instead of having Cook make our food. I hope I was not out of line for suggesting this?" she asked him honestly.

The Captain shook his head quickly, as if to dismiss her question, and his face became more serious. "Not at all. I trust your judgment. And I also remember placing you in command on your first afternoon with us. I think this would include cooking with seven children, don't you?"

Maria couldn't help but let out a small smile, despite the flutter in her stomach as the undeniable feeling that he was watching her more intently than necessary surfaced. She diverted his gaze for a moment, thinking that maybe she was reading into the situation, but instinctively turned to him again, unable to resist.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the serious expression on his face as he stood there cross-armed, staring her blank in the face. As they locked eyes, her smile faded.

After a moment, Maria looked away, forcing herself to find the breath that she seemed to have lost while under his spell. She glanced around the room absently and felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Gretl leaned her head on Maria's shoulder and played with one of the buttons on her dirndl, but Maria barely noticed in her surreal state.

Suddenly, she regained her composure and glanced upwards at the clock on the wall. Realizing once again where she was, Maria gasped and placed Gretl to the ground.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. "Children! Please go upstairs to get ready and we'll meet in the front hall in twenty minutes."

The children began to scurry from the kitchen, leaving Maria with her back to the one person she knew she should be far away from at the moment. She could feel his eyes burning into her back, as she stood motionless in front of him, and dreaded turning around to face him out of fear that she would not be able to look away again.

"Where are you taking them today?" the Captain asked softly.

"A picnic on the mountains near where I grew up. Probably my favorite place in all of Salzburg," she said lowly, her back still turned to him.

"They'll love it."

"I hope so," she replied, hoping that her voice was calm enough to hide her nervousness and anxiety.

"Maria," he said in a soft voice, making her turn toward him out of surprise. He had never called her by solely her first name before.

She looked up at him and could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she waited an eternity for him to say what it was that had prompted him to call out to her.

The Captain stared at her, a million thoughts running through his mind but none of them making their way to his lips. Softly, he smiled at her. "Have fun today," he whispered.

"Thank you, Sir," Maria said lowly, meeting his gaze one last time. Reluctantly, she moved her eyes from his and hurried from the room to check on the children.