Disclaimer: The Sound of Music belongs to 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended
Rating: G; or I for "insulin shot needed" This one is rather sappy
Gratitude: to emartin, who was kind enough to beta. Thank you for keeping me from making the Captain too cocky and saying, "uh, would Kurt be that studious?"
A/N: This is set in Stefanverse, where I like to go when life gets too hard. Other stories include Every Happiness and Waiting for You. This story takes place a year after Waiting for You. As is the norm in Stefanverse, there is no Anschluss. Stefan forbade it.
I hope you enjoy!
Das Boot
It wasn't often that the sound of silence would cause Maria von Trapp to wake up. Usually, the first thing that entered her conscious was some cacophony caused by her family. Whether it was Stefan's hungry wails or an argument a little ways down the hall, Maria had often been greeted by something to settle.
At that moment, however, the only thing she could hear was the gentle patter of the rain falling on the window.
Sitting up, Maria squinted in the dim glow of the room. She turned and was further puzzled by the emptiness next to her. Almost every morning, her husband was either waking up himself or in the process of getting ready. She looked around the room, not finding any indication that he was somewhere near.
"Georg?" she called and was answered by that uncommon silence. She looked over at the clock, and her mouth dropped open slightly; she had slept in.
Was I that tired? she asked herself. Glancing at the closed door to her right, she pursed her lips, listening for any noise from the other side. Again, silence. The nursery's occupant was either still sleeping or was with his father.
Probably the latter, Maria thought wryly. Like almost every other member of the Von Trapp family, Stefan was an early riser. Exhaling, Maria looked at the vacant spot next to her and ran her hand over the pillow. Georg always seemed to know when she needed some time to herself, even if was just to sleep.
Getting out of bed, Maria tiptoed to the closed door and slowly opened it. She gazed over to the far wall, and her instincts were proven correct: the crib was empty. Smiling, Maria shut the door and walked to the bathroom to prepare herself for the day.
As Maria descended the stairs, the noises she was accustomed to hearing finally greeted her. In the parlor, she could hear her children's voices, accompanied by a joyous cry or two by her youngest child. She smiled to herself as she quietly walked toward the room. Remaining subdued, she stood partially exposed by the doorframe, eager to observe her family unnoticed for as long as she could.
In the far corner, Liesl and Louisa were flipping through the latest fashion magazines. Brigitta was sitting on the couch over Marta; the former braiding her sister's hair, who, in turn, was fussing with her doll. Friedrich was hunched over his studies at the near table, and Kurt was sprawled out on the floor, forcing himself to concentrate on his latest reading assignment. Gretl was a few feet from her brother, sitting in the center of the room and working quite diligently on getting the shoes onto her own doll.
Maria's smile widened as her eyes fell upon her husband, sitting on the settee near the window and gently bouncing their year-old son. Stefan giggled with delight, flailing his arms outward as his father lifted him in the air. Maria could have watched her family unnoticed for hours; the sight was so peaceful.
Stefan, however, felt her presence, and looked up and laughed as he saw her. The other children all turned at the sound and enthusiastically greeted her.
"Good morning!" she exclaimed. She walked into the room, leaning over to kiss any of the children who were in her path to the settee. As she approached her husband and baby, she wasn't sure which set of blue eyes was brighter.
"Good morning, Baroness," Georg whispered.
"You let me sleep in," she said, not looking at all displeased as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. Stefan laughed again, reaching out for his mother. She lifted him into her embrace and kissed his forehead. "Good morning, love."
"I didn't have the heart to wake you," Georg explained, turning so Maria could sit next to him. "You looked so peaceful, and I couldn't bring myself to disturb you."
"Thank you, darling," she said softly as she sat down. "You can read my mind even when I'm asleep." She turned Stefan to sit sideways on her lap so he was facing his father. Georg grinned and held out his hand for his youngest to play with.
Glancing up at her, he winked. "Anything for you."
She smiled and looked up to survey the room again. The children had resumed their various tasks, all looking extremely focused. She cleared her throat. "And how is everyone?"
"Bored," Friedrich answered. He rubbed his eyes wearily, taking a moment from his history lesson and casting a forlorn look out the window. "I wish it was nicer out."
Maria laughed and followed his gaze. The light rain had grown into a steady downpour, blanketing the window pane in a coat of water. She had hoped autumn would still offer a few more days of warmth, but it seemed God had a different idea.
"Well, it looks like we're trapped inside today," she observed.
"I have too much work to do anyway," Louisa said before returning to the magazine.
Maria laughed again. "And how does Hans Weinmann fit in with your trigonometry lessons?"
Her daughter shot her head up, about to respond indignantly. But seeing the twinkle in her mother's eyes, she grinned. "I finished my trigonometry last night and was planning to start my essay on 16th Century Austrian poets after lunch."
Shaking her head, Maria smoothed Stefan's dark hair. "I know you're working hard, darling," she said. "Do you need any help?"
Louisa smirked. "Liesl said she'd let me copy her essay."
At that, Georg shot his own head up. Both Louisa and Liesl laughed aloud at the expressions on their parents' faces.
Georg narrowed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head at his daughters' wry sense of humor. He looked at his younger daughters. "Don't follow their lead, girls."
"We wouldn't cheat, Father!" Brigitta declared, looking affronted at the suggestion.
"No, I meant don't become surly," Georg amended, and Brigitta smiled.
Georg gave his eldest daughters another weary glance. "You were just joking, right?" he asked.
Louisa rolled her eyes. "Of course, Father," she said, looking a little slighted herself that he would have taken her seriously. "Besides, Liesl wrote her essay on 16th Century French poets."
Georg shook his head before turning to his wife, who was fussing with the buttons on Stefan's outfit. "Would you like some breakfast?" he asked. "We've already eaten, but Cook can prepare something for you."
Maria glanced up at him and cocked her head to the baby. "Has he eaten?"
"When he woke up, yes," Georg answered. "He could do with a light snack, though; he didn't eat much."
Maria knit her eyebrows and leaned over to her son's ear. "Aren't you hungry, Stefan?"
The baby turned and looked at her and made a questioning sound.
"Say, I'm hungry, Mama, " Georg encouraged gently, again waving his finger playfully at his son. A grin formed on Stefan's face as he watched his father's dancing hand.
"Can you say that?" Georg prodded. "Can you say Feed me!?"
Maria laughed as Stefan regarded his father as if he had two heads.
"You can do it," Georg continued, leaning closer to his son.
"Georg," Maria chided lightly.
"We were practicing before you came in," Georg said, still looking at the baby. "He is almost there, I know it. He just really wants to say something."
"He'll say something when he's ready to say something," Maria said, laughing as Stefan reached up to pat his father's cheek.
"Can you say Untersburg?" Georg asked.
"Georg!" Maria exclaimed. "Don't tease him!"
"What's Father doing?" Gretl asked, watching her parents. Brigitta and Marta paused and also studied the group on the settee.
"Your father is teasing your brother," Maria answered, giving Georg a pointed glance.
"You're still trying to get him to speak?" Liesl asked. The magazine she and Louisa had been looking at was discarded as both girls looked up to join the conversation. When her father looked up and smiled at her, she laughed. "He just turned one!"
Georg nodded confidently. "It's only a matter of time, then."
Maria shook her head. "He just doesn't have anything to say yet."
Georg laughed. "Oh, I know he's got plenty to say," he said, winking at Maria. "He's been watching this family for a year, taking notes."
Maria shook her head and patted Stefan's palms playfully. "He's teasing you again," she said lowly.
Georg chuckled and kissed Maria's cheek. "I'm merely stating the obvious."
"When will he say his first word?" Marta asked.
"Any time now," Maria answered, looking down at Stefan. "When you're good and ready, right, my love?"
Stefan looked up at her and giggled. Maria joined his laughter and bounced him gently.
"What was my first word?" Gretl asked, her doll completely forgotten.
Georg cocked his head. "'Why.'"
"Because I want to know!" Gretl answered loudly, clearly offended.
Georg burst out laughing. "No!" he said. "That was your first word: why."
The room filled with laughter, and Gretl's face turned red. "Why was that my first word?" she asked.
Georg shrugged. "You just wanted to know everything from the very beginning."
"What was mine?" Marta asked.
Georg smiled. "Cat," he answered. "Friedrich and Louisa had found a wayward kitten and brought it into the house. It was covered in leaves and mud, and heaven knows what else. Your mother was mortified that they brought it near you; you were just a little over a year old. But once we got it cleaned, you took one look at it and said cat."
Maria smiled as Marta's face became ten watts brighter.
"What happened to the cat?" Brigitta asked.
Georg hesitated. "It was a wild animal and wasn't happy being cooped up. We let it back out into the wild."
A thoughtful pause filled the room. Georg looked at Friedrich.
"Your first word was car," he said.
Friedrich tried to keep his smile small. "Why car?"
"We had just gotten the Beauford. You had taken a liking to it, and said car as if it was the only word you'd ever need to know," Georg explained, and shared a grin with his eldest son.
"What was mine?" Kurt asked.
"Food!" Friedrich supplied, and the group laughed again.
"Actually, it was Mama," Georg said softly, looking directly at Kurt. "You were the only one whose first word was Mama."
A light tingle formed behind Maria's eyes as she watched Kurt's usually casual grin melt into a wistful smile. Stefan made an almost comforting sound and looked at his father, who also bore a reflective expression. Maria leaned over and kissed the baby's forehead.
"Did anyone say Papa?" she asked.
Georg looked down, and Maria was surprised to see a flash of regret in his eyes. She looked around the room, most of the children watching their father expectantly.
Liesl cleared her throat after a moment, her eyes filled with compassion. "Brigitta did," she said softly, and all heads turned to her. She smiled and looked at her father. "Mother told you, didn't she?"
Georg nodded, the repentance becoming clearer. "I was away on business," he said softly, not looking at Brigitta sitting on the couch.
Liesl smiled again and looked at her sister. "Mother was showing you a picture of the family, Brigitta," she explained. "You pointed down and said, as clear as anything, Papa!"
Brigitta's eyes glistened and she turned to her father, who was watching her with a hesitant smile. She stood and walked over to him, giving him an assuring hug.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
The girl smiled again, not at all blaming him for not being there for an event she didn't even remember. "It's alright, Father," she whispered back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He squeezed her tighter for a second before releasing her.
Brigitta sat in front of the settee at her father's feet, unwilling to end her moment with him. Georg smiled down at her, hearing Stefan gurgling next to him. Turning, he saw Maria watching him, compassion in her eyes.
"You were always here," she whispered.
Georg nodded to her and reached over to stroke her cheek. After a moment, he looked over at Louisa.
"You already know your first word," he said.
The girl grinned and nodded.
"What was it?" Friedrich asked. The other children echoed his request, looking between their sister and father. Maria narrowed her eyes, not expecting a mystery.
"Yes, what was it?" she asked.
Georg laughed. "It's no big secret. But it's for Louisa to tell."
"Why does Louisa know hers and no one else did until just now?" Kurt asked.
"Because she asked," Georg answered simply.
Louisa laughed, a note of smugness in her eyes. She looked around at her siblings and laughed harder. "It isn't anything grand," she said. "It was tea."
"Like in our song?" Gretl asked.
"Yes," Louisa replied. "Mother and Father were having breakfast and drinking tea. I apparently wanted some for myself."
The other children nodded, somewhat disappointed in the banal explanation.
"What was Liesl's?" Brigitta asked. "Since we all know ours."
Georg chuckled and looked at his eldest child. "Would you like to know?"
Her interest piqued, Liesl nodded.
"It was key" he said. "You had a fascination with opening and shutting doors."
Liesl laughed. "I had thought that maybe our first words were going to unravel the secrets of our personalities!"
Maria laughed and turned Stefan so he was facing her. He giggled and reached up for her chin.
"Do you know your first word, Mother?" Brigitta asked.
Maria felt a sudden stinging behind her eyes. Instantly, it was gone, and she looked over and smiled at her daughter. "I never asked," she said softly.
Georg shifted and put his hand on her arm. She looked up to see him smiling at her, her earlier compassion reflected on his face. She pursed her lips for a second to control her sudden emotion. After a moment, she composed herself and smiled, giving Stefan a small hug.
"But," she continued, "I'd like to imagine that it was hill or song…"
She looked back at Georg, who winked at her. "Or lovely," he whispered.
Stefan's light gurgling changed into hungry whimpers, and his parents looked down at him.
"Looks like his light breakfast has worn off," Georg commented. He pushed himself from the settee, careful not to trample the still-sitting Brigitta at his heels. He turned to help Maria stand before looking around at his children. "Would anyone like to join us?"
Kurt, Brigitta, and Gretl leapt from their spots while the rest of the children declined. Stefan's whimpers grew louder, and Maria soothed him softly.
"Let's go before Stefan's first word is neglect," Georg said and led the small group to the dining room.
"I do hope the weather is nicer tomorrow," Maria said as she sat down with Stefan on the floor of the master bedroom later that evening. She held up a small stuffed bear and waved it in front of him, causing him to laugh and reach out for the toy.
"Yes," Georg agreed. He walked over to the bureau and picked up a small model boat, studying it absently as he walked to the chair next to Maria and Stefan. "Don't you have something to do tomorrow?"
Maria nodded and gave the bear to Stefan, who shrieked happily before tossing the toy over his shoulder. She laughed and tapped his nose as she continued to speak to her husband. "I have to go to the carpenter to discuss the new furniture for the second guest room. It would be nice to go into town on a sunny day."
Georg stooped over to pick up Stefan's discarded bear. He was about to hand it to the baby when he paused. "You have to ask me for it."
"Georg!" Maria exclaimed, laughing.
"Say, May I please have my toy, Papa?" Georg said slowly, waving the bear in front of Stefan, who reached for it again.
"Stop teasing him!" Maria scolded, reaching up and grabbing the toy from her husband's hand. She gave him a look of mock anger before giving the bear back to Stefan, who quickly tossed it over his shoulder again. She laughed and shook her head. "Oh, no! I'm not playing that game with you, young man!"
Georg laughed and sat on the chair next to them. He resumed his examination of the small boat. "I made this, you know," he said.
"Made it?" Maria repeated, looking up at him.
"Yes, when I was twelve," he said with a more than a little pride in his voice. "It took me five months. I nearly gave up many times, but I finished it."
Maria studied the object in his hand and grinned. "It's beautiful," she said. "Did you make any more?"
"No," he answered, chuckling, "for two reasons. One, it was too tedious and two, I discovered other things to preoccupy myself with."
She narrowed her eyes. "Such as?"
"The gentle sex."
Maria burst out laughing, causing Stefan to mimic her, their laughter filling the room. Georg smiled, relishing in the sound. He stared down at her and exhaled slowly.
After a moment, Maria looked up at him. "I enjoyed hearing about everyone's first words earlier today," she said. "It is things like that that I cherish and love to learn."
Georg smiled again. "With each child, it's always wondrous," he said softly, looking over at Stefan, who had become fascinated with the hem of his mother's dress. "It's new to them, so it's new for you too, no matter how many times you've witnessed it before."
Maria followed his gaze to their son and sighed happily. A thought came to her, and she glanced back up to her husband. "Do you know your first word?"
He stared past her for a moment before shaking his head. "Like you, I never asked," he said.
Maria frowned. "Oh."
"It wasn't like that," Georg said quickly. "My upbringing was rather different than what we've given our children. It was happy enough, and I didn't lack for anything, but things such as first words weren't discussed."
Maria nodded, looking at the small model in his hands. "I'm glad we have such an open relationship with our children," she said after a moment.
He nodded and scooted off of the chair to sit next to her and Stefan, placing the model boat on the floor. The baby noticed the more serious mood and quietly placed the edge of Maria's dress in his mouth. Georg shook his head wryly before reaching over to rub Maria's hand.
She smiled at him before leaning over to kiss his cheek. As she withdrew, Georg saw her eyes light up. "Do you want to know what I think it was?"
He laughed. "What?"
"Blue."
"Blue?" he repeated, not expecting her to say that.
She nodded. "Yes, blue," she said lowly, leaning closer to him. "For the sea, for the sky, for the color you seem to like so much…"
"When you're wearing it, yes," he murmured, inhaling the soft scent of her perfume.
"And for your eyes," she whispered and studied the features of his face.
He lifted his hand to caress her cheek. She smiled as he kissed her forehead, the gentle display of affection only a shadow of the love he felt for her.
"Boat."
Georg jerked his head back, unsure where the little voice had come from. He moved away from Maria and blinked several times, sharing a bewildered look with her.
"Boat."
Both Georg and Maria looked down simultaneously at Stefan, who had picked up Georg's childhood creation and moved it up and down. "Boat," he said.
Georg felt a large and rather silly grin plaster his face. Besides him, Maria gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.
"Boat," Stefan said again, glancing up at his parents and holding the model up for them to behold. He looked between his beaming father and watery-eyed mother and back again.
Georg laughed and nodded. "Yes, Stefan!" he said, his voice light. "Boat!"
The baby held the model out for his father to take. Accepting it, Georg looked over at Maria, who was staring at her son with a mixture of wonderment and jubilation. He rubbed her arm.
"Are you alright, Mama?" he asked.
She looked over at him, her smile wider than he had ever seen, and nodded wordlessly.
Georg laughed as he reached over to pick up his son and place him on his lap. Holding the little boat up in front of Stefan, he laughed lowly.
Not needing any further prompting, Stefan laughed and reached out for it. "Boat!" he said, the word a command.
Obeying, Georg gave the boat to him and kissed his forehead. "Our Little Sailor," he whispered before looking up at Maria again.
With her eyes shining, Maria laughed. "Oh! This is so wonderful! Stefan!" she exclaimed, a happy tear falling down her cheek. "I can't believe you're talking!"
She leaned over and took Stefan's little face in her hands and kissed his forehead. The baby scrunched his nose and shook his head in annoyance as she released him.
Maria laughed and prodded the object in his hand. "Boat!" she said, needing to hear her child speak again.
Stefan looked up at her and grinned before muttering boat to himself and studying the object carefully.
"This is absolutely amazing!" she cried.
"I knew it!" Georg declared. "It was as if he's just been waiting to say it!"
Stefan continued to stare at the model. After a studious moment, he put the bow of the boat into his mouth.
His parents burst out laughing, and Georg reached down to remove the boat from Stefan's mouth. "That's no way for a seaman to behave!" he scolded.
Stefan pursed his lips in indignation before looking to his mother for help.
She grinned and leaned past him, picking up the discarded stuffed bear. "How about this?" she offered. "It'll taste better."
"Can you say bear?" Georg asked.
"Oh, I think he's said all he needs to for the moment, Papa," Maria said, still waving the little bear in front of their son.
Stefan shrieked angrily and reached upward to the model in his father's hand.
Maria laughed again. "You are your father's son, Stefan," she said as Georg consented and gave the baby back his prize.
"I knew his first word would be important!" Georg said, placing his son back onto the floor.
"Of course," she said, nodding. "Just don't try to get him to say athwarpships."
Georg winked at her. "Oh, I'll show him first."
Maria rolled her eyes. "I take it back," she said. "Your first word wasn't blue. It was persistent."
Georg grinned. "Perhaps, but you love me even with all of my flaws."
"In spite of them, yes," she said in a lower tone before scooting over to rest her head on his shoulder. She sighed as she watched Stefan play with the boat.
Georg leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Stefan continued to study his first named object, occasionally saying boat to himself. Georg and Maria sat quietly, thrilled they could watch their child as he discovered the world, one word at a time.
Fin
A/N – A few more disclaimers: Louisa looking at a fashion magazine is a bit different than how I've previously written her. But, she'd be fifteen/sixteen in this story, and I figured she'd get more into "girly' things eventually.
Incidentally, Hans Weinmann was first mentioned in Every Happiness. He's completely fabricated.
Please forgive the formatting of this. Fanfic changed their uploading, and I haven't the patience to figure out how to manipulate it.
I have no idea if a Beauford is a car used in 1930's Austria. I googled "1930s car" and that's what I got. So, it sounded good and the picture looked nice, so that's what I used.
I know how manipulative this story may be; but, I figured Stefanverse is all about fluff, so a fluffy story that has an overall theme which concludes in a light manner would work. And the image of Stefan putting the boat into his mouth was too good for me not to use. Just supplying some nice escapism and thought I'd share.
Thanks - INAC