Maria sat alone on a stone bench behind the Villa. She looked downward to her lap and tears began to well in her eyes as she thought about how complicated her life had become in the past few weeks.
She had come to the Von Trapp's home as a postulant, resolute on spending some time with the family and then returning to the abbey to fulfill her vows. But now she did not know where she belonged. She was certain that she did not belong in the novitiate, and her shoulders slouched as she thought of the Captain's pending marriage to Baroness Schraeder; Maria knew she was not meant to stay here either.
Startled, she quickly sat up and spun herself around to find the object of her grief standing by a tree watching her intently.
"I thought I just might find you here," the Captain continued with a small smile.
"Please," he persisted with a pleading look, motioning to the bench when he noticed that she had not moved at all.
Reluctantly Maria sat down again. Upon hearing the awkward silence in the air, she cast her gaze to her lap, nervous that making eye contact with the Captain would allow him to see right through her.
Maria softly nodded. She felt her heart rate quicken, fearing the conversation that she knew the Captain would initiate.
Georg sat down and looked out over the lake, collecting his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to tell Maria, but didn't know how to begin. The last thing that he wanted to do was frighten or hurt her more than she already was, so he knew that he had to be very careful in how he approached her.
Absently, Maria glanced at him, but just as quickly returned her gaze to her lap, when she found him watching her with a small half-smile on his face.
Finally confident, he began to speak. "You know, I've been thinking...and wondering…uh...two things. Why did you run away to the abbey and what was it that made you come back?"
Maria closed her eyes and looked Heavenward for a moment. "Well, I had an obligation to fulfill and I came back to fulfill it," she told him softly.
"And I missed the children, " she sighed, again looking Heavenward. With each thought she revealed to him, she felt her façade being slowly stripped away.
"No," she replied absently. However, suddenly realizing what she had just said, Maria turned defensively to him. "Yes! Isn't it right I should have missed them?"
"Oh yes, yes, of course!" he reassured her with a hint of amusement in his voice at her reaction. "I was only hoping that perhaps you...perhaps you might…" he trailed.
"Yes?" she asked softly.
He looked at her, hoping that she had understood his hidden plea, but her slouched shoulders and sad eyes immediately told him that she had not.
Feeling her heart break at the thought of being asked to stay at the Villa and watch the man she loved marry another woman, Maria took a deep breath to try to control her tears. She stood up, needing to get away from him, and praying that her voice would not reveal how she felt when she answered him.
"I'm sure the Baroness will make everything fine for you," she retorted while walking towards the nearby gazebo. A pain filled her heart as she realized that she had just made the decision that had been plaguing her for weeks; she would have to leave the family again, this time for good. She just couldn't stay here, even for the children.
She hesitated slightly, uncertain that she had heard correctly. "There isn't?"
"I don't understand," she said with a questioning glance at him.
"Well, we've called off our engagement you see and…" he trailed, feeling an unfamiliar sense of nervousness consume him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Maria absently muttered.
However, suddenly realizing what he had just told her- that he was no longer engaged- Maria turned to him wide-eyed. "You did?"
Slowly they moved toward the glass wall of the gazebo, each initially looking to the other with curiosity. Nervousness consumed both of them as they locked eyes and felt their hearts call out to each other, as they had so many times before. As they gazed deep into each other's souls, they knew. Just as they had the night when they had danced together at the party. However, there was no more denying it, no more distractions stopping them from giving their souls completely to each other.
Slowly Maria shook her head, never removing her gaze from his. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and felt as if she could have fainted on the spot if she had not been so completely in shock.
Intensifying his gaze, Georg reached up and tenderly caressed her chin. He urged her towards him with a gentle touch, and their lips met.
They pulled apart and for a moment mutely gazed into each other's eyes.
Maria instinctively sighed and placed her head on his chest. "The Reverend Mother always says that 'when the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window'."
Georg urged her away from him and cocked her chin upwards, meeting her gaze. "What else does the Reverend Mother say?" he asked her with a small smile.
"That you have to look for your life."
"Is that why you came back?" he asked earnestly.
Maria closed her eyes and nodded. As the question she had been dreading all evening finally surfaced, she no longer was embarrassed of her answer. She had followed her heart and the Lord had led her into the arms of the man that she loved.
"And have you found it, Maria?"
He could feel in her kiss and see in her eyes that she reciprocated his love and wanted to be with him. However, he wanted to make sure that she fully realized what this meant so that she would not regret leaving her life at the abbey later.
After a brief moment of thought, she locked eyes with him, knowing how certain she was herself, but needing Georg to also know this. "I know I have."
Slowly, Georg leaned forward to kiss her, softly at first yet growing more passionate when she placed her arms around his neck. He embraced the woman he loved and drew her closer to him, loving the way she felt in his arms and never wanting to let her go.
"Maria?" he whispered into her ear as she tenderly kissed his cheeks. "Is there anyone I should go to to ask permission to marry you?"
Maria moved away from him so that she could look him in the eyes. His words rang in her ears and she felt a smile forming on her face. She pulled him closer to her and placed her forehead against his. "Well, why don't we ask…" she started with a small smile.
"…the children," they simultaneously completed together, and dissolved into broad grins.
Georg's smile slowly faded and he reached upwards and stroked Maria's cheek, regarding her with a serious expression. "Will you be my wife, Maria?"
Her demeanor became more serious and she locked eyes with him. Unable to control her happiness, she beamed with joy and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will, Georg," she told him as tears of joy formed in her eyes.
Georg drew her to him and left light kisses from her temple down her hairline as he ran his hands over her back. "I've been dreaming of hearing you say that to me," he whispered in her ear.
As he reached upwards to wipe a tear away from her eye, Maria sighed deeply, thinking about how quickly her world had changed. "I feel like I'm dreaming," she admitted while meeting his gaze.
"Well if I'm dreaming, then I don't ever want to wake up," he murmured. Leaning forward, Georg placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.
He reached his hands upward and placed one on either one of her cheeks. Gently, he moved towards her and placed his lips to hers. "Does this feel like you're dreaming," he barely whispered, again kissing her softly.
They parted after a moment and Maria shook her head mutely, her face serious and her eyes focused on him.
"You're beautiful," Georg told her in a low voice. His eyes shone with happiness as he regarded her closely. He brushed her cheek with the back of his palm and smiled slightly.
Maria felt her cheeks redden at the compliment and leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. "How long have you known?" She smiled and paused a brief moment as she opened her eyes. "How you felt."
"Too long," he admitted with a light shake of his head. He brushed a loose strand of hair off of her forehead. "But I just didn't realize it until that night at the party when we danced. I remember holding you and looking into your eyes. There was no doubt anymore."
"Me too," she confided with a sigh of relief. She knit her brow and cast her gaze downward for a second. "I was just scared to death of the truth. I thought I had done something wrong."
"So you left," Georg added, looking at her closely. "I thought I had lost you forever and the idea nearly drove me mad during those two weeks. I would have come to the abbey to find you if you hadn't come back when you did."
Maria's gaze softened and she began to run her hands across the nape of his neck. "I thought about you day and night the entire time. As much as I tried to forget."
Georg closed his eyes at Maria's soft touch, trying to suppress the spark that it was igniting in him. Opening his eyes slowly, he reached upwards to trace the outline of her lips. "Every day I'd answer a million questions about whether or not you were coming back and each time I told the children 'no', it felt like another stake was driven into my heart. At night, I'd walk by your room, hoping that you'd be there. But you never were, so I would just go back to my room and spend most of the night reliving our last moment together in my mind."
"I'm back now and I'll never leave again," she assured him with a loving smile, leaning very close to his chest.
"Oh my love," he mused, drawing her to him and holding her tightly in his arms.
Maria smiled lowly and closed her eyes. She sighed when Georg urged her away from him and kissed her forehead. Slowly, she re-opened her eyes to meet his gaze. "When should we tell the children?"
He grinned. "I don't see any reason to wait longer than breakfast tomorrow. In fact, I don't know if I could keep it a secret much longer," he quipped as he leaned forward to brush Maria's temple with his lips.
She smiled with genuine excitement. "I hope they'll be as excited as we are."
Georg released a low chuckle. "They'll be beyond excited. Trust me. They love you almost as much as I do," he assured her with a small half-smile.
"Almost?" Maria asked with feigned surprise. Slowly her gaze softened into a playful grin.
He smiled at her response. "All right. As much as I do. You do know they already consider you their mother, don't you?" he asked her with a warm smile.
Maria felt tears well in her eyes at the implication. She nodded. "I love them all so dearly, Georg."
"I know you do. You'll be a wonderful mother to them," he told her with a serious look. Placing his hands upon her shoulders and gently massaging them, he leaned forward and left a kiss on her forehead.
"I'll do my best," she said earnestly, looking at him wide-eyed.
"You don't even have to try, Maria," he barely whispered, watching her with awe. "You're a natural."
Slowly, he leaned forward and found her lips with his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her to him, savoring the closeness of the woman he loved. The smell of her hair and the sweetness of her breath gave him sensations that he had not felt for a long time and instinctively he tightened his arms around her.
Maria let out a low moan and absently began to run her hands through his hair, not realizing the affect such an action could have on a man. She had never felt such excitement, such longing for more, and found herself getting completely lost in the moment.
"Maria," Georg lowly growled in her ear. Moving his head back, he looked her deep in the eyes and could see the love and spark of desire from deep within her.
Softly he sighed and leaned forward to place a kiss on either one of her eyelids. "Let me walk you to your room. It's getting late."
Maria smiled innocently and without realizing it, moved her hand over the nape of his neck again. "I'm not tired," she said with a grin.
Georg's initial smile upon hearing her protest slowly faded into a serious look as she continued to caress his skin. Despite his reluctance, he knew that he would need to initiate the boundaries for their physical intimacy. The idea of even putting Maria in a situation where she would not be able to say 'no' and then might regret her choice later was not even an option; he cared for her too much.
"I certainly don't want to leave you either. But we really must—" he trailed, still regarding her with an intensity that spoke for itself.
Suddenly Maria's eyes opened wide with realization and she laid her hands stationary against his collar. She felt a heat creeping up on her cheeks and smiled sheepishly. "I'm new to this, Georg."
He reached upwards and stroked her chin with his thumb, urging her to look at him. "I love you," he told her with a reassruing look
Maria smiled at him, the seriousness on his face assuring her that she did not have to be embarassed or scared of her naivete; Georg would be with her and guide her through these new experiences. "And I love you," she replied, the crimson color in her face slowly fading.
He leaned forward and brushed her temple with his lips. "Come, darling," he said while offering her his arm.
She took it and they began to move up the walkway to the terrace when Maria suddenly stopped and turned to Georg warily. "Is the Baroness still here?"
He shook his head. "No, she left for Vienna. It's just us."
Maria sighed with relief and they resumed their stroll. "Us. And seven children," she reminded him with a smile to herself. She stroked his hand as he escorted her up the steps of the terrace and leaned her head against his shoulder
"Ah yes," he smiled, but then paused and feigned annoyance. "And Max."
"I know he isn't. But he is just too much fun to tease," Georg quipped. Glancing towards her and smiling he continued in a more serious tone. "He thinks very highly of you, Maria."
"Really?" she asked, surprised.
Georg nodded as they began to ascend the stairwell in the foyer to the second floor. "He's amazed how someone can, oh how did he phrase it, 'wrap seven hooligans and one stubborn captain around her finger and still have time to direct a first-rate performance.' He's referring to the puppet show of course. He's convinced there's a partnership in his future- you'll do the work and he'll get all the money."
Maria laughed more loudly than she should have and Georg had to place his hand over her mouth to stifle the sound, all the while chuckling himself.
"He's quite a character," Maria smiled as they walked down the hallway and approached her bedroom door. Becoming more serious, she turned to him when they stopped in front of her room. "Do you think he'll be happy for us? Since he's so friendly with the Baroness."
Georg shook his head lightly to wave off her question. "He's a friend of mine who happened to get along quite well with Elsa when I introduced them," he assured her.
"Must be the similarity in their personalities," he continued wryly.
Maria nodded and smiled with understanding.
"He'll be delighted for us, my dear," Georg added in a soft voice. He paused. Taking a step closer to her, he placed his hand around her waist and drew her to him, gazing deep into her eyes. "You've made me the happiest man on earth tonight, Maria."
"I still can't believe that this is really happening," Maria sighed, locking eyes with him and reaching her arms upward around his neck. "You've made all of my dreams come true tonight, Georg."
Leaning forward, he captured her lips with his own and tightened his embrace around her, pressing her firmly against his chest. They savored each other's kiss and relished in their love until Georg finally pulled away, breathless.
He moved his head back slightly and merely regarded Maria for a moment; his look filled with total love and desire. He reached upwards and brushed one of her reddened cheeks with the back of his palm. "Good night, Maria. I love you."
Reluctantly he dropped his arms to his sides, but reached forward for one of her hands. He brought it to his lips and kissed her fingers tenderly.
Maria smiled at him and reached upwards to stroke his cheek. "Good night, Georg. I love you too," she told him while looking deep into his eyes. With one final smile, she turned around to open her bedroom door and walked inside, closing it lightly behind her.
As Georg watched her go, he sighed deeply and smiled to himself. He felt a calmness come over him that he had not felt in some time; he finally felt complete.