Ok please don't hate me! I know I changed the POV a lot in the last chapter, but it was absolutely necessary so we could get into their heads, and it won't happen again! In this chapter it only changes a few times! Originally this and chapter 4 were one chapter, but after I realized that chapter 2 (19 handwritten pages) was 4000 words, I needed to split the 30-page chapter 3 into two different chapters. So here is chapter 3: Wedding Plans!

One last thing: I'm going to use 888's POV888 to show where points of view change. The asertics () didn't show up.

888Maria's POV888

"I cannot believe this!" I cried, slamming the phone down. One more thing on top of everything that had gone wrong so far! First it was the florist. She didn't possibly have enough flower petals for both Marta and Gretl to spread while they walked down the aisle. That's fine, I thought. We could just pick the flowers ourselves. Then it was the hotel we had planned the reception at. They didn't have nearly enough room for everyone we had invited. Invited? Oh, don't get me started on that.

First we had planned on a small wedding: just the children, the rest of Georg's family (mine was all dead), and a few close friends. Then we had to take into consideration Georg's social status as a naval Captain. Of course I didn't know anyone, but the amount of acquaintances Georg had accumulated over the years was astounding! Honestly, how could he remember them all? There had to be at least 300 people invited! The aspect of writing and addressing all the invitations was my responsibility, simply because I had better handwriting. Me and my perfect penmanship!

Another thing to go wrong was the caterer. 300 people were much too many for him to feed, he said. So we tried another one. And another. And another. Finally, we found a decent catering company, but there was one problem. They didn't serve dessert. So we decided to have the von Trapp family cook make the dessert.

The final thing was the one I had just gotten a phone call about. It was the dressmaker. The fabric we had picked for the girls' dresses was simply too thin, they said. The only way we could continue with that fabric was if we chose a simpler design for the dresses. Finally we agreed on one that wasn't floral and purple. At least my dress was fine. Or at least I hoped it was. It was times like these when I wished I was male, only having to worry about a suit (which Georg already had, by the way. He was getting married in his old uniform. I couldn't wait to see him.)

I rubbed my temples, trying to get rid of the headache that had been accumulating since last night when the florist called. Cracking my neck, I wondered why Georg and I couldn't just elope. As my thoughts lingered on my fiancée, I felt something (or someone) on my neck. When I realized that it was Georg's hands massaging the tension out of my neck, I relaxed into him.

"Rough day?" he asked gently.

"You have no idea! Why can't we just elope?" I said desperately.

"I wish we could, too," he replied, although by the look in his eyes, I could tell he wanted to elope for a slightly different reason than mine.

"Georg! Don't be indecent!" I cried, getting up out of my chair and confronting him.

"I'm not being indecent, I'm just stating the truth," he explained.

"Well what if I don't want to- you know-"

"Yes, I know- wait, you don't? Oh," he said softly, looking down at his toes.

"Oh Georg, I was just joking!" I tried to comfort him. Putting my arms around him, I laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and rocked back and forth.

"I love you," I whispered into his neck.

"I love you too," he murmured. I looked up at him and he smiled. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You deserve it," he said as I protested. "We can go on a picnic," he tried to persuade me.

"But the children-!"

"The children have conveniently gone into town with their Uncle Mac. We have the house to ourselves," he twitched eyebrows up and down suggestively.

"We're not married yet," I said, backing out of his embrace. He tried to pull me closer, but I resisted. "No, let's go on a picnic. I'll ask Cook to pack us a lunch." I slipped out of the room, leaving him standing there with a look like a hurt puppy upon his face. It broke my heart, but I had to do it. Anyways, it was fun to torture him.

888Georg's POV888

As we hiked up Maria's mountain (as she liked to call it), I thought about the conversation we had earlier. Was she serious about only joking? I didn't think that was something you'd joke about. I desperately needed her. Sometimes our heated embraces almost became too much for me, and I felt myself fighting for self control. Maria didn't seem to understand how desirable she was. She didn't know how wonderful you could feel with the person you loved. Oh, my young, naïve Maria. I wanted to make her into a woman. I certainly hoped she needed me as much as I needed her.

We finally reached the best spot on the mountain. Maria had said that this was where she taught the children to sing.

"It's so beautiful," she sighed, spinning around to drink it all in.

"Anywhere is beautiful with you there," I said, staring at her, captivated by the way the sunlight danced in her eyes.

"Anywhere is beautiful if I'm there," she repeated, almost snorting. "Honestly Georg, where do you get all these crazy ideas?"

"It's easy when they're about you," I said, still mesmerized by her beauty in the morning sun.

"Stop it, Georg," she demanded, obviously uncomfortable with the attention she was receiving.

"Maria, darling, if you're going to get married, you have to get used to getting complimented," I informed her. It was true; I could hardly go more than an hour without telling her she was beautiful.

"What if I told you that you were handsome every five minutes?"

"I wouldn't mind because I know it's true."

"Wow, handsome and modest, too!" she said sardonically.

"Hey!" I wrapped my arm around her wais and drew her to me. She put her arms around my neck and kissed me. I gladly accepted. We stood there for a few minutes, content in each other's arms, until my stomach growled.

"Perhaps we should eat now?" she said playfully, grinning.

"Perhaps we should." We commenced to eat the delicious lunch Cook had prepared for us. Afterwards, I lay down and pulled Maria down next to me. She settled her head on my chest and I sighed.

"I can't wait until you're my wife," I told her. I wanted to have her next to me for the rest of my life. She turned her head to look at me. "Not like that. Honestly, Maria, you don't think I'd marry you just to-to do-that-"

"I understand, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't think you would be so-so-indecent? No, so-ummm-"

"So what?"

"I don't know. I just- I don't- I don't want to be- to be used," she finished in a whisper.

"Maria, you know I would never do anything you don't want me to," I gently reminded her.

"I know, and I thank you for that. I'm just- just scared."

"Maria, darling, there's no reason to be scared. I would never do anything to harm you."

"I know you wouldn't intentionally, but what if-"

"If I do anything you don't like, just tell me to stop, and I will. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Georg."

"It was my pleasure, darling."

We laid there for a few more minutes until a cold wind started blowing and it looked like rain. Maria folded the picnic blanked while I gathered our things. We ran part of the way down the mountain until we (or rather, I) got tired, then we walked. Finally we got home.

"Thank you, Georg, for wonderful day. I really needed a break from that horrible wedding. Really, can't we just elope?"

"I wish we could, darling, but can't. I'm sorry," I added, catching the disappointed look on her face.

"Because of course it's not your fault you're a respected ex-naval Captain and Baron, now is it?"

"No, it's not." I played along with her little game. "And it's not your fault that you just happen to be a wonderful woman?"

"I-"

"I'm not finished yet, Fräulien!" We both laughed at that, memories of our fight coming to mind. "That you just happen to be the most beautiful woman in the world?" she started to protest, but I stopped her. "You're just the best governess my children have ever had? You're only the love of my life?"

"Come on Georg. I'm not all that, I'm just-"

"Just what?" I interrupted. "Just the most amazing person I've ever met?"

"Georg-"

"Maria, listen to me. You are perhaps the best thing that's ever happened to me and the children. There's no use denying it," I said as she opened her mouth to speak. "You have truly blessed our family, and for that I am eternally grateful."

"Georg, that was beautiful," she mumbled, tears welling in her eyes.

"Oh, Maria," I murmured, and took her in my arms. I kissed her tears away and she smiled up at me.

"Thank you, Georg. I love you."

"I love you too, darling." We separated as we heard a car pull up behind us. Joyful laughter met our ears and seven excited children piled out of Max's car to greet us.

"Hello, hello, hello! How was your trip into town?" I asked the children who were crowded around us, all eager to speak first. They all started talking at once.

"We went to Mirabell Gardens!"

"There was a pony!"

"I've never seen so many toys!"

"I rode the pony!"

"There was a whole aisle filled with sports stuff!"

"I rode the pony!"

"You should've seen all the beautiful dresses, Fräulien Maria!"

"I RODE THE PONY!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sure you all had a marvelous time, but take turns. Gretl, you first."

"I rode the pony, Father!"

"Yes we know, but Father all the sports equipment!"

"And the toys!"

"And the dresses!"

"And the garden!"

"And the PONY!"

"Georg, can I speak to you for a moment?" The happy chattering stopped as Max's serious voice broke through. Maria looked at us questioningly. "You'd better come too, Maria," Max said. I let them into my study inside, leaving the children outside. Max sat down in a chair by the fireplace, and Maria and I made ourselves comfortable on the sofa. Max sighed.

"In town today, people were-er-talking."

"Talking about what?" I asked.

"You two," he said, looking at us, then down at his shoes.

"What about us?" Maria spoke up.

"About- about why you're getting married," he muttered.

"What are they saying, Max? Tell me," I ordered.

"They- Elsa's friends- are saying- they're saying- that you broke up with her because you're having- having an affair with the governess." He said this last part in a very small voice.

"They think- they think-" I couldn't speak, I was so mad.

"They called you a-a-" Max said to Maria.

"A what, Max?" Maria asked.

"A- a- whore."

"WHAT!" I exploded. No one could call my fiancée a slut and get away with it! I looked over at my darling Maria to see tears glistening in her eyes.

"It's true, Georg. They think that because she's young and beautiful, that you- you- well, let's just say that they said that at least you had the decency to marry her after getting her pregnant."

"How could they think such a thing?" Maria whispered, tears now streaming down her face.

"Thank you for telling us, Max." He stood up to leave. When I heard the door click shut behind him, I pulled Maria to me and hugged her tightly. She shook in my arms, sobs wracking her body.

"Why would they think something like that?" she cried. "They should know that we would never do something like that! They should know that you're too much of a gentleman to do anything! And I'd never put up with that! How could they think such things?"

"I don't know, darling, I don't know." Maria gradually stopped crying. Soon she just lay in my arms.

"Georg?" she suddenly asked. "Would you have any reason for making them say such things?"

"No! Of course not! I can assure you, Maria, that I've never- I've never- well, there's been no one but you and Agathe in my life. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I'm just nervous I guess.

"Nervous? Why?"

"Georg, when I'm with you, I feel things I've never felt before. I feel like I couldn't live without you."

"Maria, I don't think I could live without you," I confessed.

"You're so sweet," she smiled tearily up at me and pulled my head down to hers. We kissed.

"Maria," I said after a long moment of holding each other, "How would you like it if we went to town tomorrow and put a stop to all these rumors?"

"Really? But how?"

"I have an idea…"

8888888888

2159 words. 13 (handwritten) pages. Not a very long chapter, but there's more to come! Next chapter: rumor stopping! Then: the wedding!