The little girl and the sea captain Chapter 16: Happiness again, part three, a sound of music fanfic

I'm back! Here's chapter 16... Enjoy!

Many many thanx to my prereaders and all the reviewers!

Usual disclaimer here.

By the way, read till the very end, there's a surprise...^_^

Salzburg, Von Trapp's villa, August 5th 1937, afternoon

Baroness Elsa Schraeder never had felt so out of place in her entire life. She had never felt more alone too. Yet, when Georg had invited her to spend some time in Salzburg with him weeks ago, she had considered it as a good omen. And, for a few hours, she had been right, he even had talked about marriage. Of course, it had not been a formal proposition. However, after more than a year of dating, she had started to think that her hopes would not be deceived. He was so secretive and silent that, at times, she did not know how to manage with him! But that day, he almost proposed to her. For a few moments, she had been happy, until she made her reappearance. Then everything went out of control.

Sighing, Elsa looked up from the chair where she was sitting on the terrace, her favourite place in the whole villa. There she could think. At least, she was able to reflect when a bunch of boys were not playing at some crazy football game in the park along with their fathers. She was so out of place. The once aristocratic villa was now full with children and teenagers who kept on running everywhere, joking, singing, laughing... When she had told Georg to throw a reception, she had not thought of that at all! He had wanted to invite some friends he had not see in a long time along with their families. He was at home after all. Nevertheless, she had asked him to throw that party to help her to regain control of things. Family duties were not her ground at all, but social duties were. She wanted to find the man she had infatuated with in Vienna so bad. Yet, nothing went as she had planned once again. As hard as she tried, she never got him to get interested in the organization of the party. When his friends arrived three days ago, things got worse, if it was even possible. Fräulein Maria and he spent all day long with them, chatting endlessly, happily remembering the past. A past she did not belong to at all. Even Max, that lazy sponge, was part of it, in a strange way she did not quite understand yet. It was all the girl's fault...

While Elsa was sadly reflecting upon her current situation, things were going out of control in the children's rooms. Poor Maria would have needed two more pair of arms at least to attend to everything she had to...

"Maria! Where's my brush?" an anxious Louisa shouted.

"Maria! Where's the ribbon of my dress?" Marta cried.

"Maria! I'm ready now; you can come and comb my hair!" Gretl called.

Maria did not know where to start first. She never had seen the children in such an excited state since her arrival. So much excitement because of a party? Unbelievable! And the boys who were playing outside with Mani and the others... Without forgetting she had to find some time to prepare herself too! Too many things to attend to within three hours! Breathing deeply to relieve her growing stress, she walked towards the girl's room. First, she scolded Brigitta who was doing nothing but reading kindly but firmly:

"Okay, now you stop reading and go prepare yourself, young girl!"

"Just one chapter more, please?" the quiet girl asked tentatively.

"No, Brigitta, another time."

Sighing, the girl put her book aside and went to the bathroom.

One.

"Now Louisa, as far as I remember, your brush is in the bathroom, go and find it before Brigitta takes her shower. You should remember where you're leaving your things, you know. One untidy person in the family is largely enough!"

The girl almost burst out laughing at the allusion, even if she had a hard time to imagine her father could have been an untidy person. Then, she ran to the bathroom to catch the item.

Two.

"Your ribbon, you said Marta? I have put it on the chest board along with the others. No need to panic," she said as she came in Marta and Gretl's room. The girl ran immediately to the said chest board and shouted happily: "I've found it! Thank you Maria!" The young woman sighed in frustration. "And you don't need to shout like that, I'm in the same room as you, you know, darling," she added gently while stroking Marta's hair. For a few weeks, she unconsciously had begun to imitate Mani's old gesture.

Three.

Then, she sat next to Gretl and began to comb her hair smoothly.

"I'm not pulling too hard, Gretl?" she inquired, smiling at the remembrance of Mani combing her own her. She had to admit that he was really, really patient since she was not as quiet as the little one...

"Not at all, Maria," the little girl answered dreamingly. She was certainly thinking of the party already...

Four.

Well, everything was in control again until the next red alert. If everything was going that way, she would even find some time to rest a little. However fate has a strange way to complicate things that should be simple. The children's wing was quiet once again until the boys stormed into it, still covered with sweat. "Oh no!" she thought desperately. She had not even finished with the girls! Still combing Gretl's hair, she said in a deep sigh:

"I thought I've said you were not due to come here before an hour and an half..."

A low, playful voice answered from behind the door:

"Sorry Maria, but Nikolai and Gregori had started to fight again so Dad and Mani stopped the game at once..."

She bit her lips to help to burst out of laughing.

"But, Igor, I thought your little brothers were in the same team that time..."

The two-meter-tall blond young man came in the room, smiling mischievously.

"That's the problem... Gregori missed the ball; Kurt took it, passed it to Friedrich, and, Nikolai who was playing as goalkeeper did not stop it... So they lurched at each other throat, as usual..."

She was giggling now. Ivan's youngest sons were impossible, really.

"Then, Ivan and Mani got angry and stopped the whole thing, I suppose?"

Laughing, the young man answered:

"Exactly... Now, Dad had sent them to help with the preparations downstairs to calm them down a bit!"

She smiled ironically.

"Poor little ones..."

"Poor Frau Schmidt who has to deal with two horrible boy's sulking help would be a better way to formulate it, don't you think?"

Now, Maria was clearly laughing at the thought. Poor Frau Schmidt, she did not deserve such a punishment! Still giggling, Igor gently offered:

"If I can be of any help here?"

She was not one of letting such an offer go.

"Well, if you don't mind, maybe you and Peter could deal with the boys while I'm finishing with the girls. Kathy is too busy with little Heinrich, Liesl, Elizabeth and Magda are getting themselves ready, and I have to think to prepare myself too..."

"What should I do?" another male voice said from behind Igor.

"I just said, Herr Doctor von Berg, you should help Igor with the boys, unless your wife needs you of course," she answered smiling. How strange! They had not seen each other for years and yet it seemed as if they left each other the day before... Still, when she looked at the two grown up men, she could not help to regret the time they had lost... The time Mani and she had lost... A shout woke her up from her brief reverie.

"Maria! Where's my vest?" It was Kurt's voice.

Sighing, she stared at her childhood friends desperately, silently asking for help.

"Okay, okay, Maria, we deal with them. Just don't worry!" both said with a broad smile.

Elsa just could not believe her eyes. Two of the Hungarian's sons were fighting for a reason she did not know at all. She could not believe it. She never had thought that Georg's quiet villa would become a place where stupid and restless boys would fight endlessly... It was the entire girl's fault. Since her fateful reappearance, everything was going out of control. Of course, she had noticed the way Georg was looking at her constantly, which definitely was not the way a father would stare at his daughter... She had also noticed how uneasy he was when the young woman was next to him. Even if he tried to hide it, it was so obvious he perfectly had realized how the once little girl had grown into a beautiful young woman... On the other hand, she had noticed that Maria did not look at him entirely as a daughter should gaze at her father. He seemed to be her friend or, more exactly, her Prince Charming, even if she did not realize it.

The ambiguity of this strange relationship was driving Elsa crazy. If it only were some boss' infatuation for his children's governess, she perfectly would know how to deal with it in a definitive way. If it were only that, she would have made sure that the young woman went back to the abbey from where she never should have gone out. However, she was the little girl that he had looked after. There was no way she could do that. She was losing him little by little, but, if she did that, he would hate forever, which she did not want at all. Losing him was painful enough; she would not stand losing his consideration and friendship as well.

She looked up at the park again. Gone were the boys. She did not care where they could have gone at all. More important, Georg and his friends were walking slowly along the lake, certainly laughing at some old remembrance. The Hungarian had put his hand on Georg's shoulder. It seemed to be an old habit that his great stature authorized him to do. She hated him as much he hated her. Since his arrival three days ago, they had not talked to each other, which was a blessing. Because of her, the two friends had not spoken to each other for a long time, but now, it seemed as if nothing had happened. And they were forgetting her little by little... Elsa knew too well that she was not really in love with Georg. He was handsome, kind, intelligent, mysterious, and rich. In a nutshell, the perfect mate. How could a woman not fall for his intense but sad stare? However, for a few weeks, his stare had become happier and happier. The intensity was still here but it was different: his eyes were filled by an immense thirst for freedom. It was the stare of a man who had seen the world, who had risked his life, who wanted to enjoy every seconds of life now. And that man would not stand to be locked in a cage, even if it was a golden one... Elsa knew she did not love him as much as Maria did, even if the young woman had not realized it yet. She also knew that if she could stand to lose his non-existent love, she could not stand to lose his friendship.

Georg and his friends' voices woke her up from her sad reverie. Startled, she looked up to watch Georg walking to her. He wore neither a vest nor a tie. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, revealing a scarred arm. His eyes were shining with youthful joy. He took the hand she let him catch and kissed it gently.

"Is everything alright, Elsa? Why haven't you gone to town along with the others?" he inquired politely.

"Well, let's say I'm beginning to get used to the tranquillity of that place, dear," she answered as politely as he. How could she tell him she wanted to have some time alone to think about them whereas the infuriating Hungarian stood behind him with that warning look? So she lied.

"I'm glad to hear it, darling," he said flatly, not really knowing how to go on with the artificial discussion. "Now, if you excuse me, I think it is time I go and get ready for the reception," he added, kissing her one last time, and disappeared into the house. Ivan soon followed him without looking at her whereas Isaac saluted her politely and went into the house too.

Baroness Elsa Schraeder never had felt more alone. The way Georg behaved when he was next to her was so artificial. His smile, his gestures, even his kindness were nothing but extremely polite, almost consensual. Soon, she knew it, she would have to make a decision.

Salzburg, Von Trapp's villa, August 5th 1937, evening

"Here, don't move Maria. Alright, it's over," said Svetlana as she was finishing adjusting the young woman's sky blue dress. She clearly was enjoying helping her. It was not every day she had the occasion to do that kind of things, having five restless men to deal with at home. "How do you find it?" she asked with a big smile. She could not believe that the little tomboyish girl she had known years ago had grown into such a stunning young woman. No wonder that Mani could not keep his eyes of her... In fact, the older woman, as well everybody in the gang secretly hoped that her friend would find the courage to face the reality of his new feelings for his little angel.

"Well, I don't know... I'm not used to wear that kind of things, you know..." Maria answered timidly while looking at herself in the mirror. The dress Mani had bought her was so beautiful. Simple but elegant, it innocently was revealing her delicate forms just enough. She did not recognize herself. She spoke again:

"I must thank you, Svetlana. I don't know if I..."

"Oh, don't mention it! I'm the one who have to thank you... I hope my boys did not bother you too much!" the older woman interrupted her kindly. "Ivan told me that Nikolai and Gregori had fought again."

"No, they did not bother me at all. In fact, I asked Igor and Peter to deal with them; I would not have made it without them!" Maria answered, laughing a bit.

"And it would have been a pity..." a male voice told from behind the door left ajar. "Can I come in?" Mani asked mischievously.

"Of course you can, Captain von Trapp," Svetlana playfully answered. "We just finished."

Maria felt her breath caught in her throat not quite knowing why. Maybe it was because he was about to see her in this dress for the first time. Yet, he was her Mani, her dear friend. So, why was she so nervous? The look she saw in his eyes when he came in made her get even more nervous if it was possible. These days, he often stared at her like that, when he had sung Edelweiss two weeks ago for instance, and she did not know what to think about it. Worse, she suddenly felt herself blushing with no reason at all.

The sight of Maria took his breath away. He knew that the dress he chose with Ingrid the week before would look stunning on her, but to that point... A feeling he knew too well started to submerge him once again. His breathing was getting heavier and heavier. "It's wrong, I can't love her that way..." he repeated in his mind again and again. Fortunately, Svetlana was here... Moreover, his friend fortunately decided to break the uncomfortable silence.

"So, what do you think, Mani?" she asked as if she had noticed nothing at all. Glad that the older woman had broken the spell, he answered with difficulty:

"Well, just as I expected..." Then, trying to put his raw feelings aside, he joked tentatively.

"Well, ship-girl, I do hope you're conscious you can't climb up trees with that kind of dress."

Of course, Maria reacted as he expected her to. Walking past him, she took Svetlana's arm and led her out of her room.

"I think it's time to go, your restless men must be waiting for you..." she simply said, not even wanting to answer to his pitiful joke. With that, she left the room, not without turning back a little and making a face at him.

"God, that was close..." Georg thought a bit relieved. Now he did not know if was going to live past the evening without doing anything stupid. He honestly did not know and, worse, he was not sure if really wanted to.

The evening was going smoothly. The guest had arrived little by little. Max silently was watching Elsa and Georg as they greeted the arriving guests. Something definitely was out of place. The party had been organized to introduce Elsa to the high society of Salzburg. Nevertheless, the theorically "happy" couple looked more like two strangers politely standing next to each other. The obvious reason of this discomfort was Maria, of course. She really looked stunning in that dress, he had to admit. He could feel it, something was going to change this evening yet he did not know how things were going to change. He just hoped that the upcoming tempest would not be too devastating...

Georg's friends and the children were on the terrace, happily chatting. They had formed a separated group and did not want to join with the hypocritical high society of Salzburg. They were just enjoying their own party along with the children. Ivan told them of the day, when he had seen a blue whale for the first time in the North Atlantic Ocean for the hundredth time much to the younger children's wonder. Isaac was talking with Peter, his wife and Stefan, complaining endlessly about the Swiss Bank compromising with the Third Reich. Svetlana, Sarah and Ingrid were enjoying their favourite hobby, that is to say criticizing their men. And, as usual, Georg was their favourite target. Maria, Elizabeth, Igor and Matthias were having a heated but cordial argument about the day when Maria supposedly broke Igor's plane... The two brothers were accusing her endlessly whereas Elizabeth was defending her vehemently. They still were discussing about the issue when the first notes of folk dance resounded in the ballroom. While the girls were looking at the dancing couples in awe, Kurt, as curious as usual, asked:

"Maria? What's that dance?"

"That's the Ländler, an Austrian folk dance, Kurt," she answered, glad to escape from her friends' pointless accusations for a few second.

For Maria's sake and his own sake, Georg had tried not to be too close to the young woman for the first part of the evening. Until now. When he saw her trying to dance with Kurt, he could not help it anymore. Forgetting the party, even forgetting his friends who were looking at him surprisingly, he walked to her.

"Shall I, ship-girl?" was all he asked.

Then they started to dance. He could not think properly. The only thing that was filling his mind was how much feeling her delicate body so close to him was intoxicating. He was caught, and there would be no way back.

Maria could not help to shiver deliciously when Mani put his hand on her waist. Was it the occasion? Was it the special context? This evening, it was different. Everything was so different. A strange feeling was building slowly in her stomach. "My Prince Charming," she unconsciously thought as she joined him again as the dance requested it.

The others had started to dance too, oblivious of the unusual couple at first. Ivan and Svetlana. Isaac and Sarah. Ingrid and Igor. Peter and Kathy. Elizabeth and Matthias. But, the moment of changing of partner came. Svetlana, who was next to Georg, waited for him to join her whereas her husband waited for Maria. However, much to their surprise, and unspoken pleasure too, the couple forgot them totally. The two Hungarians stopped dancing at once, staring at Georg and Maria in awe. Seeing that their friends stood still, the others stopped dancing and noticed how much close to each other the last dancing couple was.

While the other children were watching the dancing couples in wonder, Liesl, Louisa and Brigitta were looking at Maria and their father intently. Something was going on, they could tell. Or maybe it was their imagination. Still, the way he was holding her close was unusual. Of course, their father told them that they should consider her as their big sister... But they did not really want to. Instead, they were hoping for something else... And now, their unspoken hopes seemed to materialize.

They were too close. Much too close. Georg was totally intoxicated with her. Her lips were so close, it would be so easy. He could feel her shivering under his touch. He stroked her waist lightly, pulling her closer in the process. So close.

He was pulling her closer to him. Their lips were almost touching. There was nothing around her but that handsome man with intense blue eyes. All her being pleaded her to give in. "Mani..." she dreamingly thought, lightly parting her lips... Mani? Dear God, what was she doing? All of a sudden, she tore herself from his tight embrace, her hands automatically going to her flushing cheeks.

Georg stood still while Maria was walking away from him. He did not know what to do or what to say. He utterly felt helpless. When she hesitantly began to speak, he heard her without really understand what she was saying.

"Excuse me Mani, but I remembered that it was time for the children to go to bed. We've prepared a special something so you must gather all the guests in the main hall."

"Well then," was all he was able to answer, not really knowing if he was talking to her or to his shattered heart, not feeling Ivan's sympathetic hand on his shoulder, not seeing Stefan's understanding and intense stare.

Elsa and Max had gone out to enjoy the fresh air a bit and had witnessed the entire scene. "Jesus, Maria, Joseph, it's not going to be a tempest but a hurricane!" Max thought desperately while trying to get Elsa back in the house. Still, as he had expected, she did not move a single bit. Maria was approaching without seeing them. Then, the Baroness gently stared at Max: "Please, dear friend, do not worry." With that, she made a few steps towards the young woman who stared at her with fearful eyes: "Maria, dear, would you mind if we talked a bit once the children would have gone to bed?"

Author's notes:

Et voilà, c'est fini ! J'espère que vous avez aimé… A la prochaine !

(in English, something like : And there it is, it's over! Hope you liked it... Until next time!)

Meuh non, c'était une blague ! (No, it was a joke!)

The story goes on, of course! Sorry for the cliffhanger and the bad joke but I couldn't help it!!!!!! Lol! I just remembered that one of the reviewers anxiously asked if the Happiness arc was the final one, so I decided to "play" a little! You're totally free to flame my bad french and ironic humour, if you wanna... It can be fun!

More seriously, as things are getting "interesting" here (well, it's what I think, you'll find it utterly boring maybe...^_^), I decided to put a ransom again, let's say 6 or 7 reviews it would be really nice...for my "ego"...lol...and above all to give me more time to correct and write the following chapters!

Omake (just for fun):

Timeline: the few days before the party when Georg's friends stood at the villa

Ivan threw his cards on the table angrily.

"That's enough!" he exclaimed loudly while Georg and Stefan were looking at him maliciously.

Max sighed deeply, staring at his own cards unbelievingly. He had good cards, yet, those two had won once again. He did not understand anymore. Better said, he understood too well. They had been playing tarot for hours and Georg and Stefan managed to play together almost in almost every game... Something was going on... Worse, even when he had tremendous cards in hand, that is to say the 1, the 21 and two kings, they had been abale to win the game... Something was going on and he did not like it.

"Come on Ivan, it's just a game!" Georg joked, trying to soothe the Hungarian's raising anger. They had known each other for more than thirty years and the tall man was always the same bad loser.

"I know you're cheating, I know it!" the other one answered. "You promised you wouldn't!"

"Hey Ivan, you know it's impossible to cheat at tarot, especially when we're five players... If we were playing a belote game, it would be possible, but here..." Stefan said with his usual hoarse voice, smiling broadly.

Max and Isaac exchanged a knowing look. The two childhood friends always had enjoyed to make fun out of the Hungarian's excessive temper. Moreover, they perfectly knew that they were cheating shamelessly. However, how they were doing it was the question. The sound of a door opening made them turn to see who was coming to the terrace. The women, except Elsa of course, appeared on the terrace.

"You really can't help it guys," Ingrid sighed with mock despair. "You haven't been together again for a whole day and you already start to behave like a bunch of kids..." she added shaking her head.

"Come on Captain, you should give the good example to your childrens," Maria went on with a broad smile. "It's no wonder that they played so many horrible tricks to their governesses when you see what kind of man their father really is. It must be in the blood!"

"Maria..." the said Captain pleaded, blushing a little.

Max had turned a little so he was facing the women who were laughing heartily. Then it hit him. The glass window! "Now I understand why they insisted to sit at the other side of the table so bad... The little smart bastards!" he thought, clearly amused by the simple but efficient trick. Clearing his throat, he spoke again:

"Well guys, let's go for another game! But that time, I think Isaac should sit at the other side of the table..." Georg shot a surprised and guilty look at him. "You won't let your dear bald friend get an insolation because he has been sitting in the sunlight for hours, will you Captain?"

"I'm not bald!" Isaac protested vehemently then stopped talking as he understood what Max meant. "That's right, all that sun keeps me from thinking properly," he answered ironically.

"You're sure?" Georg asked timidly.

"Perfectly sure, Mani," the other said while standing up.

"Alright then," his friend answered with a frown.

The women burst out of laughter at the sight of the defeated cheating captain.

"You've been caught Mani, you'll have to think of another trick!" Maria exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder playfully.

Captain Georg von Trapp, once naval hero of the Great War, groaned and slowly walked to his new chair under his friends' amused stares, not able to answer anything to the young woman playful banter.

Fortunately, the children were too busy to play in the park.

Hope you liked it!

I you wanna some more "omakes", just tell me! I you don't want to hear any more of it, just tell me too!