Max watched from across the terrace as Georg led Maria to a bench, conveniently made for two, he mused. The moment he saw her at the wedding, he knew his friend would be completely at her mercy, and he was right. There were many nights he had been the confidant to a conversation or two over the years, typically when there was alcohol involved. The results of these conversations inevitably being that Georg was in love with her, plain and simple. No matter his loyalty to Elsa, Max couldn't stand the sight of his best friend living in the mistake he had made, suffering silently as he played the role of doting fiancé. But wedding plans never came, Elsa never moved to the villa, nothing ever seemed to move forward, and he knew without a doubt that they were heading for destruction.

He had expected the misstep would be on Georg's part, if he were honest. The man was obviously thinking of another woman for years, even though he never said a thing about it to Elsa. It was unfortunately quite obvious, and he imagined at some point he would receive the gossip of his friend finding his former governess and taking to her bed. However, when Elsa called off their engagement due to her own affair with a man in Vienna, Max couldn't believe his ears. They had been two people living in an unhappy, unloving relationship for years, at what cost?

But suddenly, Maria had appeared back in their lives, and Georg's face was immediately younger, excited about life. His demeanor had changed, and his spirit had lifted. She was obviously incredibly guarded with him, Max could tell by the way she sat just far enough away from him that he had to lean in to speak, the way she held her purse tightly over her stomach to keep her hands occupied. They belonged together, there was no question about it, but at the rate they were going, he feared Maria would run away far before they would make much progress.

"You there!" He waved down a waiter carrying a tray of champagne. "Do me a favor, and make sure that man and woman there have a full glass in their hands all night." He tucked some cash into the man's hand, and he immediately nodded and walked over to give both Georg and Maria a glass of champagne.

"Oh, thank you, but I don't drink." She smiled to the waiter, but Georg took her glass in his hand so they could be alone again.

"The new Maria is a lot like the old one." She gave a short laugh as he took a drink of his own champagne. "This is very good, you should try some."

"Yes, get me smashed so I can make a fool of myself." He laughed, handing her the glass, which she hesitantly took from him.

"If one glass is enough to send you over the edge, there's no help for you anyway." She eyed him for a moment before ultimately giving him a smile and taking a drink. She was taken aback by the taste, it was actually quite lovely. Eyebrows raised in surprise, she nodded.

"Alright, you win." He laughed, somehow managing to scoot a bit closer to her without her knowledge. He couldn't help himself.

"I haven't seen any of the children around since we've gotten here."

"The girls saw me at the wedding, so I'm certain they're all hiding." She took another drink, enjoying the feeling of the bubbles in her throat. She vaguely wondered why she was so adamant about refusing alcohol in the past if it tasted that good. Though she was aware that tasting so good could be a dangerous thing for her, so she vowed to keep herself in line. It would do no good to try talking to the children if she became inebriated.

"They go to the schoolroom to commiserate. We'll find them soon if they don't return." She nodded, finding the waiter immediately by her side with another glass as she took her last drink. He didn't give her much choice, so she shrugged and accepted the glass. Two wouldn't hurt, after all. "I have to ask, have you lived all alone all these years?"

"Yes, besides the cat. She doesn't talk much." They laughed, his stomach tightening at the sound as she smiled brightly. "It's a nice enough place though. It's become quite comfortable the more I've decorated."

"Well, you wouldn't let me enter your apartment, so how would I know?"

"My landlady is also my boss. I can't lose my home and my job if she sees a random man joining me inside." He nodded, understanding that as a young woman living alone, she needed to uphold certain standards. "Don't worry, you would hate it anyway. I made my bedspread out of old drapes."

"You didn't…"

"Oh, yes I did. And I even thought about how you would hate it the whole time I did it." He laughed at the thought of her being spiteful, and she took another drink of her champagne, joining in his laughter. It felt so good to laugh, she couldn't remember the last time she had done so wholeheartedly. "And what have I missed with you?"

"Absolutely nothing. I feel as though I've been living in a fog, you know?" She nodded, understanding that feeling very well. He finished his second glass of champagne, and the ever-present waiter was by his side again. Maria quickly drained her second glass as well, as he was pushy about placing a new one in her hand before rushing away.

"I don't want to complain, but that man is incredibly attentive."

"Incredibly pushy, you mean." She smiled, watching the man walk about the other guests. She didn't necessarily mind some attention, if she were honest, but it was a bit much. Aside from work, she could honestly say she had zero social life. She had simply closed herself off from the world to live in peace in her heartbreak.

"What happened between you?" She didn't meet his eyes, knowing it wasn't her business to ask. She could have thanked the champagne for that little bit of added courage, she supposed. He sighed heavily, weighing his words.

"She cheated on me, and we parted ways. Apparently, I was never there for her as a fiancé should be. She thought my heart was still with someone else." She frowned, knowing he was speaking of her, but it didn't feel right. She ignored his final thought, focusing elsewhere.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been quite painful." She took a longer drink, an attempt at just a bit more courage as she avoided his sentiment.

"Actually, I have to admit, I was somehow grateful for it. Aside from a blow to my pride, I felt relieved." She had many more questions for him, so many questions, but she decided to be gentle with him for the moment. There would certainly be time for them to talk more about their past, and she was beginning to have a good time with simply enjoying his presence.

"Well then, I suppose this means you're happy now, and that is a wonderful thing to hear." She took another drink, and the waiter suddenly returned. Georg became annoyed by the pushing of drinks.

"Piss off, man. Is there a reason you're trying to get her drunk?" Eyes wide, the waiter began to stutter, nervous he had been caught.

"Stop that." Maria spoke up on his behalf before turning to the young man herself. "Maybe more of a break between, please?"

"Or any break?" Georg chimed in, and she narrowed her eyes at him. The waiter nodded apologetically and rushed away.

"You don't have to be cruel to the poor boy."

"Cruel? He's been staring at you ever since we sat down."

"He looks like he's twelve-years-old, I don't think there's reason for concern." She rolled her eyes, taking another drink of her champagne. She was certainly beginning to feel the affects of the alcohol, but it was so gentle that she didn't mind too much.

"Fraulein Maria?" She looked up from her glass to see Kurt standing before them, and she couldn't stop the smile from shining across her face.

"Kurt, look how you've grown. You're so tall now." He looked at her for a moment, unamused by her greeting. She shrugged, shifting a bit in her seat.

"May we have a word with you, please?" She looked around for the other children, but saw no one in sight. "We're in the schoolroom."

"Of course." She stood, looking to Georg for support, but Kurt stopped him.

"We would like to talk to her alone, please." Georg chuckled and nodded, reaching for her glass to hold while she stepped away. She allowed him to take it, nervous about why she was needed alone, but trusting enough of the children that she didn't ask any questions as she followed Kurt into the house.

"Have you done well in your studies this past year?" She tried to keep up with him as they walked, but he was very fast, perhaps due to his complete change in height; it must have been a more recent growth spurt. He had her rushing behind him the entire way.

"Yes, I liked school this year." She nodded, but he remained quiet. They approached the schoolroom quickly, and he held open the door for her to enter. She hesitated, afraid of what was awaiting her inside.

"You know, several people saw me come up here." Kurt finally smiled, seeming a bit nervous for the first time himself.

"I promise we have no tricks planned." She raised an eyebrow, finally stepping forward.

"I'm afraid I've heard that one before." She stepped into the room to find seven sets of eyes staring at her, including Liesl, who had taken a moment away from her reception for some quiet time too. The room looked exactly the same as she remembered, even smelled the same. She smiled a bit at the sight of her own handwriting upon the blackboard stating "do unto others." Kurt closed the door immediately, joining his siblings as Maria stood silently and looked everyone over, afraid to say the wrong thing. Friedrich stepped forward.

"Why didn't you stay in touch? You abandoned us." Mouth agape, she looked around to meet their eyes, each wondering the same thing, minus Liesl who already knew the truth. His directness came as quite the shock.

"Children, I didn't abandon you. I knew you were getting a new mother, and in order to respect that, it was right of me to leave." She shrugged, entirely unsure of how to make things right with them. "I was only a governess. You've had plenty…"

"You know you were different." Louisa's voice came out of nowhere, as if she couldn't handle remaining silent any longer.

"I didn't want to impose on…"

"Impose on what? Our Father's relationship? We wished you would have, we even dreamed about it. You should have been our new mother all along, not her." She shook her head, looking to Liesl in question. She had prepared herself to face some anger, but she was getting complete hostility.

"Let's not attack her, everyone. Perhaps her side of the story is a bit different. Brigitta, maybe you can tell her what you heard?" Liesl's words seemed to calm the tone of the conversation, and Brigitta stepped forward, looking Maria in the eyes. Maria smiled at how beautifully the young lady had grown.

"I overheard the Baroness on the phone with a friend last time she was here. She said something about doing everything she could to stop it, but Father was still in love with a postulant tramp. You're the only one of those we know." She smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Postulant or tramp?"

"Don't be cute, Fraulein Maria, we're quite serious." She bit her lip, stifling the humor she found in the words. After all, the children were in need of answers. "The look on your face when you found out he was engaged to marry was quite similar to the one you had when you left us…I was always so certain it wasn't your choice."

"Oh, Brigitta…you've always been a bit too smart for your own good."

"It is quite anxiety-provoking, Fraulein." She smiled supportively, her heart saddened a bit at the truth in the poor girl's words.

"Please, tell us the truth, Fraulein Maria. We've missed you terribly." Gretl's voice was still quite soft, and she felt herself aching for the days when the girl would have crawled into her lap to cuddle.

"Okay, the truth…" She sighed, looking for the best possible way to say it without speaking ill of anyone involved. The last thing she wanted to do was incriminate anyone, look as if she were placing blame somewhere specific. They were all to blame in their own way, after all.

"You once told me that you don't have to think about your story if it's true."

"Oh, Kurt." She laughed, running a hand through her hair as she leaned back to rest against the top of a table. "Okay, the truth is, I didn't want to leave you for a second. I loved you all, I still love you all, as if you were my own children."

"But you left…" Marta urged her on, and she sighed. Perhaps the champagne had gone a bit more to her head than she anticipated. She felt a bit wobbly all of a sudden.

"There were some things that transpired between your father and I, and with the Baroness here to take over as the lady of the house, it would have been inappropriate for me to stay." Louisa eyed her suspiciously, doing her best to read between the lines.

"You mean you and Father had an affair?"

"Of course not! No, we would never have done that." She wasn't so sure about the truth in her statement, but she was fairly certain it would have never come to that. Though she had loved him so deeply, she couldn't say what she would have done to be with him in those days.

"But the Baroness thought you might and ordered that you leave…it all makes sense now." Maria hesitated to respond, still doing her best to keep everything neutral and place no blame.

"She strongly suggested that it was time for me to go, and I agreed." She looked down to her feet, frowning. She felt emotional about it all of a sudden, surprising herself that she still felt so strongly after so much time had passed. Though, she wasn't really certain she had ever dealt with it much.

"And she told you to break all contact with us?" It was Friedrich who posed the question, and she wasn't sure she could make it sound any better. Her eyes filled with tears, but she tried her best to hang onto them.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me." She covered her face, but couldn't stop the tears from falling. She wasn't sure who moved first, but she was quickly enveloped in a comforting hug from all seven children. She cried harder at the fact that it had been three years since she had made such physical contact with another person, and suddenly the children had come back into her life and brought an affection she had no idea she was missing.

They hugged for a while, cried together before Kurt inevitably broke the tension with a joke. And then they all laughed together too. She couldn't believe the joy she felt in their presence. Without ever expecting it, they were forgiving her for the pain she had caused. Perhaps then she wondered if she could begin to forgive herself.

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