She walked ahead of Georg with Hede as they entered the Weber's mansion for their annual Spring party. She and Georg weren't planning to attend, both entirely fed up with events and parties for a lifetime, but Hede insisted that she needed their company. She didn't mind attending parties with her sister-in-law, actually. She tended to make things very enjoyable.

Georg and Hede had stayed up quite late chatting the evening prior, and Maria sensed that he had gotten a piece of his sister's mind by the tentative way he was acting all day. She didn't ask though, she knew Hede had both of their best interests at heart and would only speak truths to him.

They greeted their hosts and sat at a table in the back of the ballroom, Hede grabbing glasses of champagne for her and Maria while Georg took a glass of water. He had promised his wife he would stop drinking, and he was determined that he was sticking to it. The fear of doing something foolish while under the influence of alcohol terrified him after he saw the damage he could cause.

"Maria, you came!" Mia caught her attention excitedly from across the room.

"This is the Nazi girl?" Maria slapped Hede's arm to silence her and smiled as her friend approached the table.

"Mia, this is Georg's sister, Hede. She refused to attend without us." Hede smiled and shook Mia's hand, giving her a gentle smile that Maria had seen before. She nearly rolled her eyes at the knowledge that her friend had unknowingly become a person of interest for Hede's next conquest.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hede. May my husband and I join you all? Our current company is quite boring." She felt Georg tense at her side, knowing full well that Mia's husband was a very serious supporter of the Nazi agenda. But she also wasn't sure how they were supposed to say no without causing alarm. She and Mia were supposed to be friends, after all.

"Of course!" She smiled widely, and Mia rushed off to collect her husband.

"Maria, how could you say yes to that?" She turned to meet Georg's eyes, shrugging.

"How in the world could I have said no?" He frowned, taking a sip of his water and finding it incredibly unfulfilling. He wished, not for the first time, that something stronger occupied his glass.

The conversation wasn't bad, if she were honest. Georg did his best to get along with Mia's husband, who was actually quite a charming man. She could have easily forgotten that they shouldn't trust him, and she realized why he must be so successful at obtaining information, as his reputation suggested. Though, she had to admit, she didn't put much stock in rumors of reputation, mostly due to the falsehoods of her own.

She excused herself to the bathroom after quite a few glasses of champagne, she lost count of how many. It wasn't intentional on her part, a pushy waiter had kept their glasses quite full for the evening. She hadn't eaten much and was feeling fairly tipsy as she walked down the hallway of the home, one she was becoming quite familiar with due to several parties they had hosted in the past months. She vaguely wondered if their son was in attendance, the man she had shared countless dances with not so long ago. He was good company, though she hadn't had a lot of time to get to know him with how harshly Georg had reacted to their dancing. Though she did smile as she walked past the mirror on the wall in their bathroom, remembering how, in a fit of rage and passion, her husband had taken her against it. She delighted in the memory.

They hadn't touched at all since the day of their argument, nearly a week having passed already. He was afraid to try touching her, and she didn't much feel like making the first move either. She wasn't afraid he would hurt her, on the contrary, she knew for a fact he wouldn't, but her heart still remained fragile. She felt vulnerable and unstable at the moment, her mind drifting in so many directions. She was worried about the state of her marriage, the children, the Anschluss, anything she could have been concerned about, she felt she was. It was all weighing so heavily on her mind.

"Baroness Von Trapp! I was hoping you would be here tonight." She smiled as she walked down the hall outside the bathroom, finding herself approaching the man she had wondered about only moments before, Baron Weber. She wasn't sure why, but she felt butterflies in her stomach as he took her hand in his in greeting. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn't wear gloves to separate their skin, which she did remember well from the time they had danced.

"Good evening, Baron. Are you enjoying the party?"

"It has suddenly become more enjoyable, I must say." She smiled and pulled her hand away, placing a bit of distance between them. Her brain felt fuzzy from the champagne, so she hoped she wasn't being too obvious.

"I wondered if you would return to England."

"I am soon, actually. I'm working out a few details of a job offer."

"Congratulations." He smiled, stepping a bit closer. She found herself quite aware that they were completely alone in the hallway.

"Baroness, I've never gotten the opportunity to apologize for getting you in trouble with your husband last time we saw one another. It was not my intention."

"No apology necessary, I assure you." She laughed a bit, stepping back from him once again.

"I was worried about what happened after you left." She suppressed a laugh, tempted to say that her husband had ravished her beautifully in the very bathroom she just stepped out of, but she only smiled.

"Nothing at all. He's here with me tonight, actually."

"Yes, I saw him sharing brandy with a man who I'm surprised he's even allowing near him. Quite the odd pairing, indeed." He laughed a bit, but she was caught on the fact that her husband was drinking alcohol. He promised he wouldn't, had been so adamant that he was going to quit drinking altogether. "Have I said something wrong?"

"Oh, no, I'm sorry." She smiled, realizing she had allowed her emotions to show upon her face. She felt dizzy. "I'm afraid I've had too much to drink myself, honestly."

"My goodness, are you going to faint?" They laughed as he grasped her shoulders in his hands as if to hold her up, and she shook her head.

"No, of course not." She slapped him away a bit, and he let go, stepping a little closer once again. His eyes sparkled as he looked into hers, and she couldn't help but notice how lovely they were. He was a dangerously attractive man, she had to admit.

"Baroness..." She rolled her eyes.

"Please call me Maria." He smiled, likely accepting her words as flirting. She merely preferred when her title wasn't used.

"Maria. What a lovely name."

"You didn't know it before?" She laughed a bit, leaning her back against the wall to hold herself upright, and he shrugged.

"Yes, but I never thought you would allow me to use it. We don't know one another well."

"I don't come from titles. I find them quite pretentious." He chuckled, and she noticed his eyes flicker about her face, resting only a fraction of a second upon her lips. They had hardly said much of anything, but he very obviously wanted to kiss her. Surely he wouldn't dare.

"I find all of this pretentious. It's very nice to find someone else who shares my opinions."

"I do like the champagne at least."

"I can see that. Your eyes are sparkling." His fingers gently caressed her cheek, and she felt her heart skip several beats in her chest. His touch was gentle, featherlight against her skin. She quietly stared at him, unmoving.

"You shouldn't do that."

"I shouldn't?"

"This is wrong."

"You're not pushing me away." She swallowed hard, not wanting to push him away at the exact same time that she wanted to slap him and run to her husband, begging forgiveness for her thoughts.

"If someone sees..."

"That's what you're worried about?" She raised her eyebrows in question, and he opened a door next to her, which appeared to be a study. He took her hand and gently pulled her with him, she didn't resist, and he closed the door behind them. She could hardly breathe, as she knew she was in trouble. Being alone with him in a small room with only the moonlight shining upon their faces through the window was not at all what she needed at the moment. Her body felt warm, his face inches from hers as her back rested against the wall once more.

"I'm confused."

"You're beautiful." She shook her head, feeling drunk and incredibly foggy at the moment. Their words were shared in quiet whispers, only for their ears, she hoped. It would be devastating if they were heard.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"You know why not."

"I want nothing more than to kiss you right now." Her brow furrowed in anguish, she wanted the same thing, but had no reason to. She loved her husband, wanted nothing more than to spend her life loving him.

"You don't even know me."

"I don't need to for this." His lips hovered above hers, and she felt herself unable to resist him. Her mind was clouded with champagne, and her soul was weary and vulnerable. He slowly pressed a kiss to her lips, and she felt her body shudder as her eyes fell closed.

He didn't waste time, renewing the kiss and pressing his body against hers. Her hands were splayed against his chest, ready to push him away, but she didn't...she couldn't say why she didn't, but she allowed him to kiss her for a moment, his lips soft and gentle against her own. Her mind was spinning, she had no idea what she was doing. It all felt incredibly surreal, as if she were watching someone else make the mistake. Suddenly, she found herself opening her mouth to him, his tongue finding hers and a sigh escaping him as he pressed closer to her, hands roaming over her backside and giving a soft squeeze. Something within her snapped, and she quickly came to her senses, pushing him away and slapping his face in her panic.

"Don't you dare touch me." He brought a hand to his cheek, clearly surprised by her change of heart.

"Maria..."

"And don't call me that."

"You kissed me back."

"Never again. You stay the hell away from me." She hurried to leave, rushing from the study and down the hall to find her husband. Her heart was pounding, tears begging to fall from her eyes at the realization of what she'd done as the rushing of her heels reverberated off the walls in the hallway. She hurried to her husband's side, and he looked at her with great alarm. He could read her quite well, after all.

"What's wrong, darling?" She leaned down to his ear, not wanting to startle the others at their table. She noticed his glass of water in his hand. She had been upset with him for drinking alcohol, and he wasn't even doing so. She felt foolish on many levels.

"Please take me home. I need to leave."

"What happened?"

"Please. I'm very drunk." He pulled away from her and met her eyes, concerned. He could see the tears threatening to fall, and he knew he needed to get her out of there immediately.

"Our apologies, it appears we must be going. Hede?" He looked to his sister apologetically, knowing she would want to stay longer. She shrugged and began to stand when Mia chimed in.

"Oh don't worry. Hede, we can take you back to their villa on our way home, if you'd like?" After a brief moment of thought, Hede accepted the offer, and Georg and Maria made their exit, her hand grasping his tightly.

She didn't look for Baron Weber as she left, never wanting to see his face again after the time they spent together that evening. He had obviously been prowling upon her, had she been lucid enough to notice, and she fell into his web like he knew she would. She chastised herself for being so weak, so in need of another person's warmth that she allowed herself to go along with his kiss, even kissed him back.

Georg didn't ask any questions as they entered the car and began to drive home. Knowing her as he did, he wanted to give her the space she needed to gather her thoughts. Even more guilt overtook her soul at that thought, knowing she had betrayed the trust of the only person in the world who knew her and loved her as he did. She began to cry uncontrollably, bringing her hands to her face as he drove. He tentatively placed a hand upon her knee in comfort, which somehow made it all so much worse. Suddenly, her stomach began to lurch, and her heart began to race.

"I'm going to be sick." She covered her mouth as he quickly pulled over to the side of the road. She rushed to open her door and stepped out of the car, hurrying to the grass before she bent over and emptied the contents of her stomach. Georg got out of the car, rushing to her side and placing a hand upon her back in comfort. As she finished, she began to weep once more at his kindness, his caring hand upon her.

"I didn't realize you'd drank so much, darling. Come to the car." Gasping for air from her tears, she nodded, allowing him to lead her back to the car. She didn't mean to be such a mess, had no idea she would be just an hour or so before, and it was startling.

"I'm so sorry." She spoke in gulps, doing her best to calm down, but it wasn't working.

"No need to apologize, we've all been there." He chuckled at a memory or two of his own, but she only shook her head. He began to put the car back into gear, but she stopped him.

"No, wait a moment." He looked confused, but obeyed, his hands falling to his lap. She wiped her face, still unable to stop crying, but composed. "There's something I need to tell you."

"You're scaring me very much right now." He was never one to admit fear, but she had heard him do so to her a few times in their relationship. She found that he always seemed a bit fearful when she breached serious topics. She certainly couldn't blame him currently.

"I kissed someone. Rather, he kissed me, and I didn't stop him right away. I don't even know why, I couldn't think..."

"Stop speaking." His voice was harsh, and she felt more tears fall down her face as she looked to her lap. She had never felt more overwhelmed with guilt and regret, and his silence made it nearly unbearable.

He put the car in gear and began driving them home, using the drive to think as she wept quietly next to him. His first reaction was anger, his usual uncontrollable kind of rage, but he held himself back. He wanted to yell at her, scream at her for her betrayal, but he didn't. Instead, he felt his own guilt bubbling to the surface. He knew he was the reason she felt so vulnerable and fragile at the moment. He was the reason their marriage had been messy lately, far before he had physically taken out his rage upon her. He was not an innocent party to his wife's misstep, and he couldn't pretend that he was. He could have easily said he had driven her to it.

He wished he hadn't taken on the work he had from the English navy. That was the moment he could pinpoint where everything had begun to go wrong. He had stopped being attentive to his new wife, stopped cuddling her at night and making love to her as often as he knew she wanted him to. He had instead used his energy on his work, and his relationship with everyone in his home had suffered. It really was no surprise to him that someone would try to step into his wife's arms while he had been absent.

He parked the car in front of the house, turning it off, but not moving to exit. She had stopped crying by then, and she was ready to accept whatever punishment or anger he deemed necessary for her betrayal. Her heart felt heavy, and her body felt useless and bare.

"Georg, please say something." Her voice sounded so weak to her own ears, and she felt fresh tears pool behind her eyes. He sighed, finally looking to meet her eyes.

"You're forgiven." Eyebrows furrowed, she looked deeply into his eyes.

"What do you mean? How could you possibly..."

"Because, I understand." She shook her head, unbelieving. "Maria, I have been a terrible husband to you."

"You haven't."

"I have. And I can't blame you for needing something that I haven't been giving to you." She looked at him in disbelief, sniffling a bit as she turned her body to face him properly.

"How can you...Georg, what I've done is unforgivable."

"And I haven't done some unforgivable things to you recently?"

"I don't feel it's the same."

"Because for once you're the one who has misstepped instead of me? It does feel terrible, doesn't it?" He looked at his hands upon his lap, taking a deep breath.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't feel I could apologize enough for what I've done."

"I feel the same way." He met her eyes, and found her to be completely taken off guard. She hadn't expected him to be understanding in the slightest. She had honestly expected yelling and hurtful words, perhaps him asking her to sleep in a guest room for a while, she wasn't sure exactly. Perhaps she expected him to ask her to leave, her misstep being the final crack in their marriage.

"I don't know what to say." He reached forward to wipe smeared makeup from beneath one of her eyes, and he noticed that she didn't flinch in the slightest at his touch. He gave her a small smile, leaning closer to her. "What are you doing? I've just been sick."

"I don't care. I will always be the last man you've kissed." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, direct and purposeful, before he pulled away and met her eyes once more. "I think we need to talk more about this, about everything."

"Yes. And I need you to hold me." He nodded, pushing some of her hair behind her ear.