Eliza's heart was beating furiously. She couldn't figure out if her heart was beating fast because she was in fear or love or that she got the idea of fear or love from her heart pounding so hard. It was hard for her to distinguish her feelings as she watched Captain von Trapp walking towards her.

They were face to face, Eliza could hardly feel her body except for the little tingles that went up and down her back. The Captain wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards his body. They were pressed up against each other and looking deeply into each others eyes. Both trying to read the others mind. He leaned down and softly pressed his lips on top hers. He smelled like the ocean and he felt strong. He lifted his face from hers and whispered, "I love you Mary…"

Eliza gasped for breath as she woke-up in a cold sweat. She had twisted her self into her blankets and sheets. She blinked her eyes hard, trying to get the images from her dream out of her memory. She leaned over to her bedside to look at her clock sitting on the edge of her table. It was almost 6:30 pm and dinner was served at 6:45pm. Eliza quickly slid herself out of her bed and slipped on her only dress that she was wearing for the day and began to brush her hair. She peered into her dresser mirror, realizing that was as good as it was going to get, she ran down the hallway and down the stairs to where she figured the dinning room was.

Eliza burst around the corner into the dinning room to find everybody sitting around the rectangular table waiting for her arrival. Captain von Trapp sat at the head with three children on one side and four on the other. The seat across from Captain von Trapp was empty lingering for Eliza to sit in it.

"Good evening Fraulein Eliza," the children said in unison as Eliza slowed down to walk to her seat.

Eliza scooted out her chair and sat down without looking down to see what was lying in her chair. During the children's walk Liesl had come up with an awful plan for Eliza from Julia's and Kurt's little game of kicking the pinecone in the garden. The plan went without fail, Eliza plopped down in her seat and quickly jumped back out of it with an "OH!". Something extremely prickly and large had just pricked her bottom. All the children but Julia was laughing under their breath.

"What an unusual little ritual. Where did you learn that from?" The Captain had on his usual smirk, which was starting to annoy Eliza.

"Umm… No, rumatism," Eliza lied, hitting her bottom to make her lie look true and it was still in pain over the pinecone still laying in her chair. As she sat down she swept away the pinecone and the children sighed with relief and grinned at one another for surviving their trick. "Excuse me Captain," Eliza interrupting everyone who was about to take their first bite of their cold food, "have you forgotten to thank the Lord?" The Captain gave her an irritated smirk and set his fork down and the children followed along. Eliza waited until everyone's hands were clasped together to say her prayer. "In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost, Lord truly bless us for what we are about to receive, Amen, in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost." Everyone did the sign of the cross and began eating again.

"I would like to thank each and every one of you for the gift you left in my pocket earlier." Eliza said as she took another bite of her meal. Freidrich swooped his eyes to Liesl who only glanced back at her brother.

"Gift? What kind of gift?" The Captain asked Eliza as he glimpsed around at his children. They weren't known to give spermatic gifts.

Eliza looked around the table and she could see a stern and frightened look in Kurt's eyes and the glares of Freidrich's. "It's meant to be a secret, Captain, between the children and me."

"Well then, I suggest you keep it that way."

Eliza just nodded her head and smiled. However, she took another bite and continued "Knowing how scared and frightened I must have been in a new place, wanting to fit in. You all made me feel so warm and welcomed."

"I'm not hungry anymore, father," Freidrich said as he pushed his plate away.

"Me either," Louisa pushed her plate away as well. Julia looked at them both and followed Louisa's lead.

"I'm not very hungry either, mother," Julia took one last bite and pushed her plate away.

"Is it to be every meal? Or just perhaps dinner, that you will lead us to the wonderful world of… indigestion?" Captain remarked as he set his fork down. "Eat your food, all of you." The children quickly grabbed their forks and forced food into their mouths.

"They're alright Captain, they're just happy." Eliza smiled to herself as her plan was working.

All throughout dinner Eliza felt embarrassed to even make eye contact with Captain von Trapp. Whenever she did make eye contact with him, images from her dream came flashing back and her heart would start racing again. She would have to look away from him for it to stop pounding so loud. Her heart kept pounding so loud she was afraid someone would hear it and what the thumping sound was.

"Is there something wrong Fraulein?" The Captain von Trapp asked he had realized that he had been stared at from across the table by the women for sometime.

"No, nothing," Eliza answered as she diverged her eyes from him again.

"Then why do you stare at me?" the Captain inquired.

"No reason, sir," Eliza answered feeling like a complete idiot for being caught staring at him. She still couldn't figure out why her heart was beating so hard.