"I love you." She smiled as he held her close from behind, his kisses showering her shoulder as she awoke.

"I'll never get tired of hearing that." He chuckled, one of his warm hands sliding over her bare stomach to pull her close.

"I'll never get tired of saying it."

"I can't believe this is real." He kissed her neck, and she closed her eyes in pure bliss. She had never felt so happy in her entire life, she was sure of it. There hadn't been a moment when she had ever thought the life she found was even possible, but there she was in his warm embrace, deliriously happy. "I never thought I could love someone like I love you."

"Maria, I want to talk about something with you." Brow furrowed, she turned to lie upon her back, meeting his eyes. He gave her a gentle kiss to show it was nothing to be worried about, but it didn't stop her nerves.

"You're using your serious, Captain voice." She mocked him a bit, and he laughed before running a hand through her hair.

"Well, it is a serious matter. I'm curious to know if our age difference bothers you."

"Yes, I do find you to be quite a frail, fragile, old man. I'm a bit concerned about breaking you sometimes." He began to tickle her, and she giggled as she squirmed away.

"I'm being serious." She smiled as he stopped tickling, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body close to his.

"I don't mind in the least, darling. In fact, I don't know that I've really thought about it until now." She kissed him, noticing his look of relief. "Does it bother you?"

"No, I suppose not. Think about twenty years from now though. Will it bother you then?" She smiled brightly at the mention of their future, excited by the prospect of a life with him. They hadn't discussed much besides their love for one another up until that point. She moved a bit further beneath him so they were chest-to-chest, their naked bodies pressed gently against one another.

"No, it won't. I love every part of you, and I have no concern about doing the math." He smiled before kissing her deeply, as she caressed his cheek with her hand.

"Will you marry me?" Her eyes widened, not expecting his proposal at all. She assumed they would court out in the open for a bit before they even began to discuss marriage, but it was very clear by his tone of voice that he meant exactly what he said.

"Georg, you're serious?"

"Yes, of course." She kissed him hard on the mouth, holding him tightly to her.

"Yes, I'll marry you. Let's do it today." He laughed, holding her closer in excitement. Even though he was confident she would accept his proposal, it was still such a relief when she said yes. He kissed her deeply, and she excitedly responded, pressing her pelvis to his beneath the covers of the bed. He immediately took the lead and pressed her onto her back, positioning himself between her legs as they continued to kiss, their excitement showing with each movement of their lips.

His warm hand caressed one of her breasts as she dipped her tongue into his mouth, spreading her legs and wrapping one around his waist to feel his hardening arousal against her. She moved her hips against him, hearing him groan at the feeling of how wet she already was for him, before he moved a bit and slipped into her.

After making passionate love, Maria returned to her own room for a quick shower. She dressed herself for the day, wearing the purple dress she made when the children were away in Venice, which seemed like ages ago. She couldn't keep the smile off her face, unable to fathom the idea of becoming Georg's wife. Frau...no, wait, she thought; Baroness Von Trapp.

She looked in the mirror after buttoning her dress, tilting her head to the side a bit to see if the view would change. She feared she didn't look much like a Baroness at all. Quite frankly, she looked more like a Fraulein through and through. Was it her clothes, her hair, her lack of makeup? How was she supposed to look if she were marrying a Baron, a Captain? She sighed nervously. It didn't even sound right at all that someone like her would be marrying someone like him.

Throughout the duration of their affair, being his mistress made more sense to her. She was from a poor family, from a farm in the mountains, and her status as a governess made sense. She was 'the help' after all, and her place was never in question; she knew her place. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, her place was changing. She would have to be much more than she ever imagined, and that thought terrified her.

She shook her head, grabbing a makeup brush and adding a bit more eyeshadow than she normally would use, hoping it would help. She knew she should have been the happiest woman in the world, and she was quite happy, but her doubts in herself were far outweighing the excitement she felt only an hour before. The eyeshadow didn't seem to help much, so she applied a bit of eyeliner as well. Shaking her head, she ran her fingers through her hair. Should a Baroness have longer hair instead? She hadn't seen many women with hair like her own, which she only kept short as a matter of convenience. She had no idea how to style hair, other than minimal braiding for the children, so there was no reason not to keep it short and manageable. But would she be expected to grow it out so it could be styled?

Her heart raced as she hurried away from the mirror, not needing to go overboard and make herself into a clown, she mused. She was incredibly scared by the future, even though she knew for a fact that Georg would not have proposed if he didn't mean it, if he didn't think she could handle it all. He loved her no matter where she came from, and he knew everything about where she came from at that point.

As she rallied the children and sat down for breakfast, she looked around the table. Finally she felt more relaxed about the future, as she knew it also meant that she would be their new mother. She loved them as desperately as she loved Georg, and the thought of watching them grow and learn and raise their own families made her beam with excitement. All the other nonsense was formality, at that point, she decided. She was never one to fit into the mold created for her, she created her own mold and did what she saw best. She was not ready to compromise herself for anything, so she would simply have to be good enough as she was. Georg would not have proposed if he didn't know that, and he knew her better than anyone she had ever met.

"Good morning, Father." The children greeted Georg in unison, causing him to smile. They hadn't discussed how they would tell the children, but agreed it would be soon. After months of sneaking around and hiding, they were both quite ready to get their relationship out into the open.

Rather than sitting in his chair as she expected, he quietly walked around the table, the children watching with a great deal of interest. He approached her chair, and she raised her eyebrows in question, nervous about what he was up to. Instead of speaking, he simply leaned down and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, lingering only for a moment before pulling away.

"Good morning, darling." He began walking back to his chair, acting as if what he had done was the most natural thing in the world.

"Good morning." She mumbled, watching as he retreated to his place at the head of the table. She looked around, meeting the eyes of the completely awestruck children before her. Their eyes were wide, some of them attempting to speak, but unsure what to say.

"Children, how would you feel about me marrying Fraulein Maria?" There were audible gasps, and complete shock from a few of them, before they erupted into excited questions. Maria smiled as they all stood and rushed to her, hugging her and expressing their excitement at having her as their new mother. She couldn't stop a tear from escaping one of her eyes as she looked to Georg, who was laughing and smiling at the sight.

She knew in that moment that she was exactly where she belonged.