Liesl sat mutely in the rear seat of the Nazi vehicle between two soldiers and stared out the window into the darkness. The landmarks that passed were familiar and once dear to her; however, they now appeared unwelcoming and the joyous memories of her homeland seemed distant.

In the front seat, Herr Zeller and another soldier were conversing in low voices. Liesl narrowed her eyes and glanced in their direction, straining her ears to hear their grumbles, but to no avail.

A sudden jab in her shoulder interrupted her train of thought and Liesl quickly spun her head around to face the source of her distraction.

"Mind your ears!" Ludwig scolded while grasping Liesl's chin between his two fingers and forcing her to return her gaze to the window.

Liesl obeyed without protest and continued to stare out into the darkness as tears welled in her eyes.

"Is something wrong with Fräulein Von Trapp's ears, Ludwig?" Zeller questioned shrewdly, glancing in the rear view mirror at Liesl with a phoney smile.

Liesl turned away from the window upon hearing her name and met Zeller's stare in the mirror. "No, Sir. My ears are just fine," she retorted with a slight lift of her brow.

"Damn it, girl! I was not speaking to you," Zeller said icily.

"Ludwig, Viktor, put a stop to this," he continued as he slowly nodded his head and looked unrelentingly at Liesl's unwavering stare in the mirror.

"Yes, Sir," Viktor replied. The young Nazi reached into his inner coat pocket and removed a dirty handkerchief, which he forced around Liesl's head and into her mouth so that she could not speak. Ludwig grasped her shoulders as Viktor tightened the cloth around Liesl's head and secured it behind. She writhed in her seat, moaning in protest through a series of muffled cries. However, Liesl's bound arms prevented her from freeing herself from Ludwig's constraint.

Zeller grinned smugly as he again glanced in the rear view mirror and beheld Liesl's angry and terror-stricken glare once the cloth had been fully secured over her mouth. "Good. Now, I believe we were speaking of Fräulein Von Trapp's over-zealous sense of hearing," Zeller said cynically.

"In fact, I have no objections to her eavesdropping. Listen if you would like," he taunted while narrowing his eyes at her in the mirror. "After all, the Captain's daughter must be kept aware of how her father will be punished once we find him."

Liesl closed her eyes in anger and fear, urging her mind to believe that Zeller was merely threatening her and struggling to not succumb to his intimidation

"Ah yes, how shall he be punished once we find him? What would you suggest, hmm?" Zeller questioned Liesl with sarcasm. Again, he glanced in the rear view mirror and met Liesl's fear-stricken eyes. "Remember, he has caused a lot of trouble, so his punishment must be well-suited for his behaviour."

Liesl stared unrelentingly at Zeller in the mirror.

"There are plenty of prisons I know of that have handled deserters in the past. Too bad these prisoners are no longer here to warn the Captain of his fate, but their empty cells might tell the tale themselves."

Liesl looked away from Zeller's stare and took a deep breath, expelling some of her nerves. She had confidence in her father and knew that she must not let Zeller's torments bother her. However, the plaguing fear she could not deter was that Zeller might not only be threatening her.

Suddenly Zeller brought the vehicle to a halt and veered around to face the backseat. He reached toward Liesl and lifted her chin with his fingers. He held her face in his touch and lightly stroked her cheek in spite while he spoke, his voice a contrived gentle tone. "I have not doubt that the Captain will be back very soon."

Zeller smiled with victory and pushed Liesl's cheek roughly, causing the girl's head to turn abruptly to the side. "Ludwig, Johannes, take her inside and bring her to the cellar," he ordered his subordinates.

Ludwig and Johannes hailed their leader and nodded. The four Nazis stepped out of the vehicle. Viktor urged Liesl to a standing position and Johannes scooped her up into his arms as they stood in front of the Nazi headquarters.

They began to walk towards the entrance to the building when Zeller's orders resounded once more. "Ludwig, tell Schuhmacher and Grüber to guard her at all times. Keep her tied up, but do not forget that she is not to be harmed. At all," Zeller reiterated.

Ludwig nodded curtly.

Zeller slammed his car door shut and slowly walked towards Liesl. As he stood before her, he narrowed his eyes at the trembling girl. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to Captain Von Trapp's bait, would we?" he said smugly.

Liesl's heart raced and her breathing increased, despite knowing that Zeller did not plan to hurt her. She glanced down at the ground, not wanting to meet the Nazi's cold stare, and couldn't help but hope that Zeller kept his word and was merely trying to intimidate her.

"Now get going! You're dismissed!" he ordered his troops.

Maria and Georg stood motionless in the rear of the Salzburg Train Station, looks of disbelief on both of their faces. Maria's arm remained around her husband as the couple absently watched the train disappear into the darkness. The only sound filling the crisp night air was the puff of the train's smokestack as the Von Trapp children were carried further away from their parents.

Seemingly without emotion, Georg took Maria's hand and led her behind an out-of-service railroad car that was positioned alongside the train station. Their refuge hid them from any passers-by and the moonlight cast a soft glow on the partially shadowed couple.

Maria turned her gaze upwards to Georg, a puzzled and worried look upon her face. She placed a hand on his forearm and finally broke the silence. "Are you certain?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes with anxiety as she spoke.

Georg pulled Maria to him in a comforting embrace and placed his hands on her hips. He spoke with a flat voice. "Emil would not do anything to worry me unless there was good cause. There was no mistaking what he said."

Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breath upon hearing the dreaded truth. Words escaped her for a moment and the couple fell quiet once more.

"Maybe she's still in the train station?" Maria suddenly suggested, breaking the silence again.

"Yes. Yes, let's hope so. I hadn't thought of that. Come, let's go back inside and check," Georg said in reply, his tone renewed with hope.

Georg turned to Maria and saw that her eyes were closed and that she was looking Heavenward, silently mouthing a word of prayer. She crossed herself hurriedly and turned to her husband. "Ready," she said with a nod.

Georg took Maria's hand and squeezed it once. "Let's go. Stay right behind me."

The duo re-entered the storage room and crept through the stuffy area toward the door through which they had entered earlier. Georg moved the barrier he had placed in front of the entrance and held his hand up to Maria, ordering her to remain where she was. He peeked his head out the door and noted that nobody was on the stairwell.

Beckoning to Maria to follow his lead, Georg stepped into the illuminated landing. Maria reached forward and tugged on his shirt, causing him to turn around.

"Their platform was three flights up. We should check there first," she barely whispered.

Georg nodded his head and motioned Maria to follow him with his hand. "Let's hope nobody recognizes us, " he whispered.

They walked quickly up one flights of stairs in silence and halted at the bottom of the second flight when they heard footsteps and a fussing child approaching from above.

With no escape route, Georg turned to Maria and held both hands up, urging her to act casual. She opened her eyes wide and nervously cast him a questioning look. Georg held his finger to his lips and patted his right side to beckon Maria towards him. She shook her head absently, but placed herself close to him.

Georg leaned over to Maria and barely whispered into her ear, "Play along."

"All right," she said while grasping one of Georg's hands in her own and giving it a quick squeeze.

He tightened his grip on Maria's hand and put his other arm around her shoulder. He leaned close to her ear. "And pray that we aren't recognized."

"Of course," she answered with a serious nod. With one last fearful glance at each other, the couple continued their ascent. Maria closed her eyes for a quick prayer, and soon after murmured "Amen," under her breath.

The footsteps were getting louder and Maria could hear a man and a woman lowly conversing as they approached, and the sounds of a cooing baby. When the intruders' feet came into view, Georg squeezed Maria's hand tightly and he heard her inhale her breath sharply.

"On which platform are Jens and Gretchen arriving, darling?" Georg asked with contrived calmness. He met Maria's gaze and his eyes urged her to follow his lead.

"Um… platform four I believe."

"Yes, that sounds right. I am quite excited to see their children," he said while placing a kiss on Maria's temple.

"Gretchen tells me that Heidi is really no longer a baby. Asking all types of questions and keeping her mother very busy," Maria added with a forced smile.

Georg chuckled. "Yes, I have no doubt. She always was a frisky child."

Maria laughed in contrived response, although a hint of nervousness was present in her tone as she listened to the approaching footsteps growing louder. "Yes she was. I can't even imagine—"

As Maria and Georg reached the top of the landing, they were faced with a young couple and their toddler.

"Guten abend," Georg bid the couple with a friendly nod. Maria smiled and gave a quick tip of her head.

"Guten abend."

The young couple smiled and non-chalantly continued on their path, descending the stairwell. Georg and Maria froze once the intruders were out of view, listening to the echo of their footsteps becoming more distant.

Georg looked at his wife's nervous face and smiled. He raised a hand to her cheek and gently caressed her soft skin. "Don't worry. You were perfect."

Maria let out an exaggerated sigh and then slumped against the stair railing. "Well I'm sure they saw my heart beating through all of these layers of clothing."

Georg smiled. "You handled it well, Maria."

"We were lucky that time. What if they had recognized us?" she whispered.

Georg held a finger to her lip and took her other hand in his. "Shh. No 'what ifs'. Come on, let's go."

As Georg spoke to Maria he noticed that she had a strange look on her face and that she seemed to no longer be focused on their conversation. Her face was turned to the side and her wrinkled brow seemed to be in deep thought, oblivious to everything around her. Suddenly her hand dropped from Georg's grasp and she began to walk past him, down a few steps, as if in a trance.

"Maria, what is it?"

She continued to walk down another few steps and then stooped down low, her back to Georg.

"Maria?"

Maria stood up, still not facing Georg, and remained motionless. Her head was cast downwards and her hand was held in front of her, as if she was examining something. Georg could see the heaving of her shoulders as she breathed more rapidly than usual.

"Maria! What is going on?" Georg asked a third time.

Maria let her hand fall to her side and slowly turned to face Georg. The tension on her face showed her terror, although her eyes were glazed over with total compassion. Maria slowly walked up the few steps to Georg and reached for one of his hands. She squeezed it tightly and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and turning her gaze upwards to her husband's questioning stare. She opened her palm, revealing a gleaming object.

Georg stared at the shining trinket and the worry and fear that Maria saw surface on his face revealed his recognition of it. He reached his hand forward and picked the object up, gently caressing it with his thumb. Absently he opened the locket.

Georg read the inscription aloud, still stroking the golden necklace gently. "'Happy 16TH Birthday, Dear Liesl.' Her first grown-up piece of jewelry. She treasures it more than anything, since the day that I gave it to her."

Maria's shoulders slouched with sadness. "The chain is broken, Georg," she said with hesitation, not wanting to further upset him.

Silence filled the stairwell and Georg moved his attention to the delicate golden chain, noting the broken links. He moved his thumb over the damage and then suddenly looked upwards. His eyes were filled with worry.

"She'd never lose this on her own. They have her, Maria. I'm certain."

Maria closed her eyes and forced the lump that had formed in her throat to settle. She did not dare speak, out of fear that her emotions would erupt, so she merely gathered Georg in her arms and held him. He clung to her tightly, but neither spoke a word.

Breaking the silence, Maria removed herself from the embrace and touched Georg's chin so that he would meet her gaze. "We mustn't stay here. It isn't safe. Let's go back outside."

Georg nodded his head and took Maria's hand. "Follow me," he said and proceeded to lead her down the stairs, once again toward the rear of the train station.

The couple arrived outside without being seen and reassumed their hiding place behind the out-of-service railroad car, so that they would be hidden from view.

Maria approached Georg and placed her hand on his forearm. She could not, however, ignore his stiff posture and also noted the icy stare that had returned to his eyes.

"I can't believe this," he growled.

"I'm finding it hard to believe myself," Maria muttered with worry.

Georg took a half step away from her, turning slightly to the side and casting his gaze upwards into the darkness.

"How in the world could this have happened?" he scowled, the lines on his brow deepening and his eyes glazing over with ire.

"I wish I knew," Maria said with a shake of her head.

"He has my little girl," Georg muttered with a frown. He clenched his teeth and pursed his lips with fury. "Just the thought of that makes me sick to my stomach."

"Calm down, Georg."

"Well, I want her back, damnit!" he grumbled Heavenward.

"We'll find her. We just have to be strong and have faith," Maria urged her husband.

Georg chuckled sarcastically. "Much easier said than done. This should never have happened in the first place."

"But it did, and we will get through it," Maria said with encouragement. "I just know that we---"

"Zeller's a tough fight, Maria," Georg interrupted.

Suddenly, he turned around abruptly so that he was staring out into the darkness with his back to his wife. "Damn them, Maria! If they do anything to hurt her, I swear I will--!" he growled.

"Georg!"

"How could it have come to this?" he shouted into the night. He turned toward the railroad car and angrily slammed the palm of his hand against the cold metal. Leaning his head against the car, he remained stationary for a moment, allowing his anger to calm.

"I feel so helpless," Georg sighed, his temper back in check.

"Don't say that," Maria lowly told him. "You can't let Zeller get to you. It's what he wants."

Standing a few paces behind him, Maria observed Georg's back as he leaned against the deserted railroad car, his body stiff and immobile. She tilted her head to the side and watched with woe as her Sea Captain's shoulders slouched for a moment when he let his stoic façade dissolve. Just as quickly, he resumed his normal posture.

A moment of silence passed, and Maria continued speaking, noticing her husband's seeming lack of words.

"Zeller's threatened you in the past and it was just that. A threat. We must believe that this will not be any different," she urged him. She approached Georg and moved closer until she stood just behind him. She reached forward to gently place her arm around his waist and brushed his forearm with her fingertips.

"It is different because this time involves my family," Georg retorted with a step away from Maria's embrace. He inhaled a deep breath and his voice softened as he spoke. "I will never forgive myself if something happens to her, Maria."

"Georg…" Maria trailed, her voice soft with compassion.

"I've put my family in danger," he murmured while turning further away from Maria and walking a few paces in the direction of the children's train that had left.

"Look at me, Georg," Maria said in a stern voice. Reluctantly, he turned around and faced his wife, as she moved closer to him and took both of his hands in hers.

"You know we had no choice. The whole family would have been in danger if we had planned to stay in Austria," she urged him.

Georg nodded mutely with agreement and continued to look at Maria as she resumed speaking.

"Six of the children are headed safely out of the country and we will get Liesl," Maria softly vowed, her voice catching as she spoke.

Georg gently stroked Maria's hand, but diverted his gaze from her eyes as he contemplated his wife's words.

"You only did what seemed right at the time and blaming yourself will do no good," Maria continued in a soft voice.

Georg sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he met Maria's gaze, noticing that it was filled with sorrow and fear. He stared at her for an eternity. "You're right."

"We have to have faith that this is just another one of Zeller's threats."

"Yes, I know," he agreed, nodding his head. "He is just capable of so much and she's a sixteen-year-old girl. A young woman," Georg trailed, the fear in his voice evidencing his concerns.

Maria softly caressed the top of Georg's hand. "We'll get her back," she asserted as she reached upwards to touch his cheek.

"We'll find her, darling," Maria encouraged with a forced smile.

Georg squeezed Maria's hands and held them tightly while looking her in the eyes. His gaze was filled with love and trust. "I believe you," he whispered and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

Moving his head back to once again look Maria in the eyes, Georg's worry and fear disappeared from his countenance, and tenderness prevailed. "I know you are hurting too, Maria," he whispered, placing a soft kiss at his wife's temple.

Maria gently nodded and closed her eyes as she faced her husband. "I am," she confirmed in a low voice.

Instinctively Georg drew Maria to him in a comforting embrace. "We'll get our daughter back," he promised with a soft whisper in her ear.

Maria smiled and hugged Georg closer to her. "Yes we will," she agreed with confidence. She hesitated for a moment, reflecting on the seriousness of their situation.

"But how?" she posed quietly.

"Very carefully. We do not want to do anything to upset them," Georg stated with caution as he continued to weigh their options in his mind.

Maria laughed nervously. "Well, they're quite upset with us as it is."

"Yes, well we must be careful to not further upset them," Georg warned. He turned again toward Maria and she cocked her chin upwards to look at her husband.

"I must play Zeller's game, Maria. The only way to appease him at this point is to make him believe that I will join him, so that is what I must doy. I will need to be convincing," he stated as he rubbed his wife's shoulders in a comforting manner.

Maria nodded her head softly with understanding. "Whatever it takes to bring Liesl back. I'll support you with whatever you think is best."

Georg took Maria's face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "We'll need some time to devise a plan, but we'll do what it takes," he assured both himself and his wife.

The couple stared at each other for a tense moment, knowing that they both meant what they spoke.

"May we go to the abbey?" Georg posed after some thought.

"It's not a far walk and we'll be safer there. We can make a plan," he suggested while gazing intently at his wife to note her reaction to the idea.

Without hesitation, Maria nodded with surety. "Yes. That's a good idea," she confirmed her husband's suggestion.

Georg placed his hand on Maria's chin and gently stroked her jaw line as he spoke. "We could endanger the Sisters, Maria," he added cautiously.

"Nobody is safe anymore," Maria countered with a sigh.

"They will not turn us away," she said with determination while taking Georg's hand in her own.

Georg smiled softly at his wife, knowing that their decision had been finalized. He placed a quick kiss on her lips and squeezed her hand tightly. "Come," he whispered as he led Maria into the night toward Nonnberg Abbey.