Chapter 9

Somehow, miracuously, the trio wasn't too late for dinner.

The familiar scents and sounds of home flooded over Georg as they emerged from the car. They were a welcome, soothing force that made the events of the day feel like a strange, otherworldly dream. It was only when his freshly-bandaged shoulder twinged that he remembered that he had been involved in a chase and fistfight with fortune hunters while searching through catacombs and churches for a near-ancient artifact.

"You weren't kidding with the whole Baron thing…"

Georg's attention was drawn to the other reminder that the day had been completely real. Dr. Indiana Jones had managed to keep his reaction in check to the opulence around him, but he was clearly impressed.

"It looks a lot more formal that it feels," Georg replied and opened the door for Maria. Brave and sparkling, her cheeks had a fresh brightness to them, even as the evening stars started to shine down. Her hand was warm and soft, and she smiled at him.

"Home now!" she said.

He nodded. "Indeed. No rings hidden by well meaning priests and no more bandits out for fortune."

"Poor Father Gärtner had no idea his parochial vicars had moved the ring." Maria shook her head.

"They'll have plenty to talk about," Georg added. "And so will we when the children see us."

"Life will go back to normal. Back to boring yodeling," she said, although she looked relieved at the idea.

"Nothing about you is boring, Fraulein," Georg said softly.

Maria glanced up, her eyes wide. Georg didn't know why he'd said such a thing, but he didn't regret it, for it was the truth. Perhaps the echo of Dr. Jones' words remained in his head. But he quickly shoved them away as he took a respectful step away from her.

"Seven kids, you say?" Indiana asked.

Georg and Maria's attention was diverted by a distant thundering of footsteps that grew louder. The din of several young voices accompanied the stampede and the three adults all turned to see seven wide-eyed faces standing in the doorway as the shocked von Trapp children encountered a sight they'd never expected.

Georg grinned, feeling rather excited to tell his family of the adventure he and Maria had had. "Hello, children."

"Father!" Liesl exclaimed and hesitantly approached. The others soon followed, about to crowd their father.

"Children please! Give your father some space!" Maria pleaded.

Georg was almost tempted to dismiss her caution; seeing his children also had an unexpected effect on him. It hadn't occurred to him until that very moment, that things could have gone very differently that day, and he might not have seen them again. Sobered away from the excitement, he smiled and wrapped his good arm around Marta, whose birthday present had been the reason he and Maria had been in town in the first place.

Friedrich frowned. "What happened?"

"Why are you hurt?" Gretl asked.

Maria stepped forward to guide the little girl closer to her. "Your father and I have a strange and exciting tale to tell you all. But first, please do not ignore our guest!"

The von Trapp children all noticed Dr. Jones for the first time. The American gulped and tipped his hat. "Hello," he said.

"This is Dr. Jones," Gerog supplied.

"But you can call me Indiana, if you'd like," the man added.

"You talk funny!" Gretl said.

"Gretl!" Liesl exclaimed, horrified.

"Well he does," Kurt muttered.

"He's from America," Maria explained, which made every single child stare in amazement at this stranger. They'd never met an American before, and the man before them seemed to fit every stereotype they could think of.

Georg smirked at their reactions… that was until he saw Liesl and Louisa staring at their guest with something more than fascination… and something that made Georg frown if he thought about it for too long.

"American?" Brigitta asked. "Are you a cowboy?"

Indiana laughed. "No, I'm a professor."

Lisel, blushing, stepped forward into the overhead light, eager to be a good hostess. "It's nice to meet you."

Indiana's eyes widened for a second, a frightened recognition falling over his face. It lasted only a moment, but Maria caught it. The man cleared his throat and mumbled his thanks.

"Where is your Uncle Max?" Georg asked.

"Still in the dining room. He said he would watch over our food for us," Brigitta answered, and Georg rolled his eyes.

Maria turned Gretl and the nearby Kurt toward the house. "Let's go inside and eat our dinner before it gets cold."

"I'll tell Cook to make another plate," Friedrich said and ran inside. The children, eager to learn about what on earth had happened to bring their father home with his arm in a sling and accompanied by an American professor, charged through the doors.

Maria lingered behind with her new friend. Indiana nodded at her, a half smile tugging on his lips. "That's a lot of kids," he said.

She grinned. "They're wonderful children," she said.

"They have good guidance," he said kindly.

She blushed and then looked as the crowd was getting further into the house. Glancing nervously at her companion, she tugged on the fabric of her skirt. "Forgive me if I'm out of turn."

Indiana's smile grew. "Out of turn? You?"

She grinned but ignored him. "I couldn't help but notice…. When you saw Liesl."

He frowned. "Liesl?"

"The eldest."

"Oh…" He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

She stopped. "Is everything all right?"

He turned to her, feeling warm in the cooler night air. "She…" He sighed. "She reminded me of someone. Same dark hair and lighter eyes."

Maria nodded. "Someone special."

"Err.. yeah." He cleared his throat again. "It, uh, I ended it badly."

"Oh," Maria said softly. "I'm sorry."

He snorted. "I got you shot at, chased, and mixed up in some dangerous sh, er, stuff, Maria. Don't you go apologizing to me."

Her eyes lit. "I am glad we helped," she said.

"Fraulein Maria, come get dinner!" a voice, Kurt's, shouted most improperly.

The pair smiled but before obeying, Maria looked up at her new friend. "You do good work, Dr. Jones, and I hope you have peace with whoever she is."

Indiana smiled. "You're kind to think that, Maria, and when you say I can have peace with anything, I might believe it."

To be concluded...