Kurt sat on the hillside behind the lodge. The cool wind was blowing and the breeze felt nice on his back. He had had a very emotional past few weeks. He had gone to Austria and brought back Maria. Then he had gotten her and his father to finally confess their love for each other. And he had won the approval of his father and been called a gentleman. Life just doesn't get any better than this. While he thought he was alone in his thoughts, Kurt was interrupted but Maria who slowly walked over to her future son and placed her arms around his neck in a loving embrace.

Kurt didn't even have to look, he knew who it was and he smiled. "You know I never thanked you for bringing me here, Kurt. This place is wonderful and I feel so happy being with you and your family again." Maria squeezed her hands a little tighter around Kurt.

"It's your family now too, you know. I still can't believe that you're going to be my mother. After all these years of waiting and hoping it's finally going to happen."

Kurt pulled Maria around to face him and pulled her into, yet, another giant and appreciative hug. "I love you. I'm so glad that you ended up coming back with me." Then Kurt laid down, resting his head in her lap and closing his eyes, allowing for the beautiful moment to sink in.

Maria sat there and looked around her. She had gotten the life she had always wanted. The life that she had never had as a child. She stroked Kurt's hair and began to sing to him. Kurt loved hearing her voice again. And he felt himself giving into some much needed sleep as he drifted off lying in his mother's lap as she peacefully sang to him.

Georg walked onto the porch in search of Maria and Kurt and found them sitting together in the backyard. He was about to go join them when he realized that Maria was singing. He sat down on the steps and listened. She was singing a lull-a-bye to him. It was beautiful. The moment was so magical and Georg didn't want to ruin it, but the rest of the family was inside waiting for their brother and mother as dinner was ready for them.

Walking over to them, Georg heard Maria break into Edelweiss and his heart melted. He had not heard that song since he and Liesl had sung it back in Austria. Quietly, he sat down next to Maria and Kurt and startled Maria when he joined in. She looked over at him smiling and they finished the song together. When the song ended Georg reached out and pulled Maria's face so that their lips met.

"Alright it's enough that I had to sit through the two of you singing, but now I certainly do not want to witness this." Georg and Maria laughed at Kurt's outburst and their lips met for an even more passionate kiss to entice their son.

"I see that you're finally awake." Maria said to him as Kurt sat up and stretched out his arms.

"Yes, I'm awake and completely starved!"

"Well it's a good thing I came out here then, because your brother and sisters are sitting at the table ready to eat dinner as we speak. Why don't we all join them?" Georg was the first to rise and he helped Maria up and offered his arm for her, which she gladly accepted. And together the trio walked back into the lodge.

Once at the dinner table, Maria and Georg were ready to make their announcement to the children. Georg wanted to do it as soon as they sat down, but Maria suggested that they wait until they were eating dessert. So once nine plates of chocolate cake were placed on the table, Georg began to talk to his children.

"Children as you all know Maria and I want to get married as soon as possible so we decided that we all will be going back to Salzburg for the ceremony next week." He stopped for a moment to see the reactions of his seven children. His eyes landed on Kurt's. Kurt only smiled back at his father.

"But father," Louisa said. "I thought that you said you never wanted to go back to Austria?"

"Well, Louisa, times do change and plus Maria still has to gather the rest of her things so she can bring them back here for good."

"How long will we all be gone, father?" Liesl asked in hopes that it wasn't longer than a week so she could return to Stowe to continue planning her wedding.

"Well you all will be staying just next week with the two of us before and after the ceremony and then you seven will be returning back here."

"What about you and Fraulein Maria?" Gretl, still being the littlest and most naïve didn't understand what her father and Maria would be doing alone in Austria.

"Actually darling your father and I plan on staying in Salzburg for our honeymoon and possibly touring through Europe for a few weeks afterwards." Maria looked over at her fiancé and winked at him. She's going to be a wonderful mother to them all. Georg thought to himself.

"So it's all settled then. Since today is Thursday you all have three days to pack. We leave for Europe on Sunday evening." So many happy and delighted thoughts were running through all nine heads at the dinner table. But there was one feeling that was going through everyone's head simultaneously: only a few more days and we'll finally be a real family.

Not to worry there is still a final chapter coming. I didn't like the idea of leaving the story like that….it needs a little something more. Let me know what you think. My first piece is drawing to a close and I love hearing the comments!