Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I don't own the Sound of Music…mmyep.

So, I've been caught on the topic that Euros weren't the currency in the 1930s. But I searched for what it was and couldn't find the actual name of the currency back then, so if some knows and could tell me, so I could go change it, I would really appreciate it! Now on with the story!

Oh, by the way, this chapter deals with a bit of violence, and implied "acts" if you get what I mean, you've been warned!

I Trust In My Heart-
-Chapter Twenty-Two: Trust In Me

Max quietly paced the small room in the cottage. He and the children had just arrived in the small cottage that Georg and Werner had bought when planning this entire escapade of an escape that seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. The train ride had taken the entire night from the festival to dusk the next day, and the drive in the car the rest of that night. Having seven children confined to such small spaces, without any idea where their father was, was something Max made a note of to never do again.

They hadn't heard from Georg at all. And this was their second day in the cottage. The children were restless and scared. Liesl had been a help in keeping her siblings occupied, and worry free, but it was a task that left her temper running short. Her siblings were quick to realize that Liesl didn't handle arguments well, and it was smart not to get involved in one with her watch on you. Louisa and Friedrich had a hard time trying to control their constant nagging at each other, but the result meant not being on Liels's bad side.

Max sighed as he sat down on the small chair in the room. The children were upstairs in bed at the moment, crammed into a tiny room. It was the same thing every night. The childerns voices would fill the small cottage with the words of My Favorite Things, giving them some sort of hope. Foot steps coming down the stairs told Max that he would soon be joined by someone. He was right, Liesl soon appeared in front of him.

"Uncle Max?"

"Yes, Liesl?"

"Have you heard anything from Father?" the young woman's voice was desperate.

"I'm afraid not Liesl, but I'm sure he's fine."

"Uncle Max, it's been two days since we left Salzburg, and we haven't heard anything from him. If he was fine, he would have contacted us."

Max knew she was right and he felt a rush of sympathy for the young girl sitting next to him. In the past years she matured early then most her age, when she had to look after her siblings when their Father had shut them out of his life. And now, the leap into woman hood was forced upon her, against her will. After this, Max had a feeling Liesl would refuse to be treated like a child.

He didn't say anything to her comment, not knowing what to say.

"You know, Uncle Max, it's funny. I-" she paused.

"Yes Liesl?"

"Well, it's just. A part of me is worried sick about Father. I hope he's safe, but something tells me he's not. And yet, at the same time, I some how feel that where ever he is, he's in good hands." she said, shaking her head at her own contradictory thoughts.

Max nodded his head. "I know what you mean Liesl. But, no worries! You're Father will be alright, I'm sure we'll hear from him in a day or two. Now, you should be getting to bed." he said, standing and ushering the girl up the stairs.

"Alright, goodnight Uncle Max. I hope you're right, about Father."

Max nodded as Liesl disappeared from view, "I do too, Liesl, I do too." Dear Lord, he thought, let Georg call.

It had taken Maria and the Captain two more days to leave the district of Tirol and enter Vorarlberg. In those long two days Maria felt herself falling in love all over again, much to her disliking. She told herself time after time as she would fall asleep that she didn't want to get hurt again, that she wouldn't allow herself to. But time after time again her feelings for the Captain intensified. He was the one who had shown her how to love, and gave her a life, a family. And now, he was her only form of survival at the moment. Her backbone in this intense rush of emotion and fatigue their flee brought forth.

During the day the type of relationship they used to have slowly returned. Talking about anything and everything, from the children to music, to nature. The slight bantering that led them into laughing fits of hysterics. It was this type of communication that Maria had imagined would fill their honeymoon, had they gone on it. And ironically, this could almost be like a honeymoon, in the slightest of ways. But Maria shook that thought from her head when ever it appeared, she shouldn't think such things.

They slept in the car, along the road every night, saving as much money as they could: for food, in Georg's case: clothes, and for any emergency, if it came. It was on these nights that Maria's mind wandered to the man that slept in the front seats. His gentle snoring filling the air. It was this way, the second night from leaving Tirol, when they had just entered Vorarlberg.

The Captain's quiet snore once again filled this still air, and Maria rolled onto her side, staring into the back of the front seat. She couldn't sleep. Her thoughts were to preoccupied. Sighing, she sat up, opened the back door and stood outside. The night air was warm, and welcoming. It's scent more than welcome. She stretched her legs as she walked, feeling the blood streaming through her veins. She sat on the front of the car, deeply sighing.

There was a soft chuckle from behind her. "Couldn't sleep?" the laugh and the voice made Maria jump.

"CAPTAIN! Oh, you scared me!" she said, settling down, and sitting once again on the car.

"My apologies. What in the world are you doing up though?"

"Your snoring was keeping me awake," she said, smiling. "So I thought I would get some fresh air."

"Ha, I see." he said, sitting next to her.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh no, I suppose the car door opened and closed by itself." he said, teasingly.

She blushed. "Sorry."

"No, it's alright. I was in a light sleep anyways."

There was silence. Maria stared into the night. "We'll be there soon, you know." the Captain said, after a while. "We'll be away from it all, and safe."

Maria smiled softly. "I know. It's seems so close."

But with this wave of relief came an uneasy feeling in Maria. They would be out of Austria and away from the Nazi's. But what would happen then? Would she say her final goodbye to the man she loved, and never see him again? There was no doubt in her that they would probably go their separate ways. And it was this thought that made Maria wish their escape would never end.

The reached the town of Bludenz the next day in the late afternoon. They allowed themselves a break from driving and roamed the town. Now, Maria truly felt like she was on her honeymoon. Traveling around a town she had never been too, with the Captain. She inwardly groaned.

Around dusk they headed back to the car, hoping to drive a little more before the night was over, or driving as late as possible. They truly were so close. They couldn't physically see the border, but it was there, within their reach.

The car was parked by a small woodworkers shop. The door was open, letting the cool summer's air fill the room. The man who ran the shop had a small wireless was on, and the announcer's voice filled the streets. Maria's hand was on the car door when she heard it:

"That's correct everyone. The border's of Austria have been closed." The words rang through her ears. Closed, closed, closed, closed. Her heart nearly stopped, as pure horror spread through her body and onto her face. What in the world were they gong to do?

She looked to the Captain. His face showed no fear, but shock. He met her eyes, and gave a small reassuring comforting smile. He brought his hand into her view, crossed his fingers, and nodded his head, reassuring her all would be well. She gave a small smile of relief as they both got into the car.

They drove in silence until the left the city, and Maria couldn't take it anymore. "What are we going to do?" her voice was shaky, and so was her body.

Georg sighed, he wasn't sure. Their whole plan had been stopped in a single instant. He looked to see the sun setting just behind the mountains. And an idea struck him. "If I remember correctly, there's a small mountain range that acts as a border between Austria and Switzerland. We'll drive as far as we can up the mountain, and then climb the rest of it. It'll take longer, but it's our only hope, now."

Maria looked at him eyes wide, and mouth hanging open. "Climb a mountain?" She was positive his idea was from lack of sleep. It sounded absurd, and yet logical at the same time.

Georg nodded. "Climb a mountain."

Maria groaned, and let her head fall back against the seat. "We'll never leave." she whispered. "We'll get caught."

Before he could stop himself, Georg reached over and grabbed Maria's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "It will be alright, Maria" he assured her. "I promise."

She didn't answer him, but she didn't let go of his hand.

The next day was a tedious one. They had redirected their route, towards the mountain range that led to Switzerland. But without the help of some sort of guide or map, it was stressful, and neither Maria nor Georg talked that much during the day. If they had thought the days leading up to this were long, they were quickly proved wrong with the length of this day. By early evening they had reached Eldritch a town very close to the border. It was here that they were able to finally get good directions on where they were going. They had to go Northeast, and by late evening they had come, once again upon a town.

It was small, and they didn't know the name. They had missed the sign when entering. It was getting too dark to see, so Maria and Georg finally decided to use some of the money they had to get a place to stay for the night, it would probably look odd for someone to wake up to see two people sleeping in a car. Attention was something they didn't need. They weren't sure the Nazi population of the town, at the moment, and since this town was close to the border, they had an idea it was quite a few. It would be too much to get to separate rooms, so they would get one, even if it was improper and look rather bad. Impropriety needed to be forgotten in a time like this.

There didn't seem to be any life in the town. Maria had a funny feeling in her stomach. She didn't like this place at all. Dread was beginning to fill her. "Maybe we should just leave." she whispered, as Georg drove on.

"We can't, it's too dark to see, and we need to be pointed in the right direction. I thought we agreed on finding a small inn, to stay at for the night."

"I know." she said weakly. "But there's something I don't like about this town. I have a bad feeling."

"We'll be alright." he said, stopping the car. He had finally spotted some form of residence that was still open in the late night. And from the car both he and Maria could tell the place was full and lively inside. "Come on." he said, opening the door and getting out. Maria got out of the door, and followed Georg inside. Her heart stopping. It was a tavern.

Men, drunk out of their wits sat at tables, laughing at who knew what. While men sober as can be slowly joined their mates to pigheadedness. Maria had never set foot inside a place like this, and was quickly reminded why. It was horrible. She looked at the Captain who didn't seemed to be fazed by the disgusting air. She guessed it had to do with being in the Navy. She followed him sheepishly to the bar, where a man stood.

"What can I do you for?" he asked, as they approached.

"A place to stay." Georg said, before quickly telling the man what he and Maria where looking for.

As the Captain talked, Maria looked around the room. She felt herself getting sick off the stench in the air. She didn't know if she could stand staying in here much longer. "I'm going to go wait in the car." Maria whispered to Georg. He looked at her quickly, "Be careful." he warned. She nodded and left his side.

On her way out she tripped and ran into two men, "sorry." she said, pushing past them.

"Ah, don't be…" she heard one man begin to talk, as she left.

She let the warm summer air fill her lungs and calm her stomach. She sighed, and began to make her way towards the car. "Hey! Wait!" she heard a voice call from behind her, and she turned around to see the two men she ran into the tavern were coming out of it.

She backed away slightly as they approached her. Even from this distance she could smell the alcohol on their breaths. "Yes?" her voice was unsteady, but she tried to stay calm.

"You dropped this when you ran into us." the second man said, holding out a handkerchief. His words were slurred and Maria felt her heart drop. She didn't have a handkerchief on her, it was in her bag in the car.

"No, I didn't." she said, backing away some more.

The men smiled. "Smart one,"

"So we lied."

"Could we help it if we wanted to see your pretty face again?"

Maria gagged. These men were trouble, she knew it. She needed to run. "It was nice meeting you, but I have to go." she said, turning, ready to sprint towards the car.

The first man's hand grabbed her arm. "What's the rush, you don't even know out names" he said, as he pulled her back around, and closer to himself. He lightly stroked her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." she said, pushing his hand away, and backing away.

"Nor do we know yours." the second man said, acting like she hadn't said anything, and making to grab her hand.

She slapped his hand away. "I said don't, leave me alone." she went to turn again.

She was once again grabbed, this time more forcefully by both wrists. "Don't you want to know our names?" the second man asked, as he ran his hand up he shoulder and across her collar bone, daring to go lower as his friend held Maria's other wrist.

Maria used her freed hand to slap the second man, and then the first. Once his grip on her was free she ran. She had no idea where she was going, but all she knew was that it was away from the car. As the feeling of leaving the men behind began to overcome her she felt herself being pulled at the waist, and thrust into a wall. She gave a grunt of pain as the wind was knocked out of her just as her head hit the wall.

She was pinned to the wall on the side of the tavern, both of the men who were pursuing her keeping her from moving anywhere. The first man had one arm pinned above her head and a hand on her stomach, while the second had her left arm pinned at her side and his other hand on her waist. She was trapped, and they were in the shadows.

"We are nice fellows, Fraulein." man one whispered in her ear. She jerked her head away.

The second man chuckled. "Very generous men. Why not give us a chance?" he asked. When she had moved her head away from the first man it had gone right into the seconds, so when he spoke into her ear his lips brushed her ear. She shivered and tried to get away.

"Come now, Fraulein." the first spoke again. "Don't fight."

"I'm sure you'll like us once you get to know us." the second added on.

"MARIA?" a questioning voice filled the air. Maria's head shot up to see Georg standing by the car with the door open, looking for her in the night. Oh thank God!

"CAPTAIN!" she yelled with all her might, making the second man cover her mouth with his hand as Maria began to fight her way away more.

But that single cry was all Georg needed to draw his attention towards the trio. He could see movement in the shadows just on the side of the tavern and he quickly made his way over to it.

By the time the Captain had arrived at where Maria was, she had managed to free her left hand and punch the second man. She was in the process of pushing the first man off of her. Georg quickly realized what was going on and grabbed the first man, pulling him away from Maria and punching him hard in the mouth then stomach. The force of the punch was so hard, that the man was knocked to the ground. The man quickly got up and charged back at Georg.

As Georg fought away the first man, the second made his way back for Maria, but she was ready. When he was near enough, she punched him again, and kicked him in the shins, making him cry out in pain. As the man backed away from pain, Maria pushed past him and towards the car. But she wasn't quick enough, the man threw himself towards Maria, grabbing her around the waist, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

"CAPTAIN!" Maria yelled, before she came into full force with the damp ground and a resounding crack filled the air.

Georg looked over in time to see Maria being slammed to the ground by the second man, just as he himself was finally able to knock the first man into unconsciousness. When he was sure that man number one would not be a problem, he ran towards Maria. He picked the second man off of her and punched him hard into the stomach. The man was knocked backwards, hitting his head on the wall and fell into unconsciousness.

Georg quickly knelt by Maria, who hadn't moved. "Maria" he whispered, slightly rolling her over. The sight Georg was met with filled him with a rage he never knew existed.

Maria had her eyes shut tightly, clutching her right arm, that she had fallen on. Her face had a long scrape along her cheek from felling on a rock. Her ankle looked swollen and her breathing was shallow.

"Maria" he whispered again, moving hair off of her forehead. "Where does it hurt?" he asked.

"Everywhere." she breathed out, barely able to say anything. When she spoke she felt a pain like no other fun through her chest.

Georg moved her one hand that was cradling her arm, so he could see it. He nearly gagged when he saw what she had been holding. A definite broken bone that had broken the skin. Georg felt more anger for the man who caused this, as he picked Maria up slightly, and rested her upper body in his lap. She winced at the movement.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, soothingly.

"It hurts so bad. So bad." she cried, barely audible.

"I know it does, I know. It will be ok."

"So bad…"

"You'll be alright, Maria. Trust me."

"I do trust you Georg, I do…." she said, as she let darkness overcome her and her body fall into the unconscious world, the only relief from the pain her body could find.

Author's Note: Well, there you have it! I know, just the slightest bit cliché, but hey! Oh well!. I was going to say something, but I forget, so oh well….it will come to me later…

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

Until next time!
Your humble author,
The Lonely Goatherd