I'm sorry I haven't updated. I have been rather busy with work but I'll try to update more. Please read and review! (I also rewrote some stuff in chapter 1 but nothing that is crucial to the story.)

/Linda

Chapter 2

The day was clear and warm as seven children and one governess made their way through the city of Salzburg towards their final destination, the mountain Untersberg, for a picnic. Shopping for some fruits and vegetables in the market first, they were soon on their way towards the children's first outing in many years. The play clothes that Maria had made for them had been frequently used, this day was no exception, and they were finally free to act like children again.

Skipping along the river of Salsach and taking the mountain railway to reach higher they soon found themselves on the upper parts of the mountain, where they spread their blankets and started to play. Maria summoned them for lunch after a while and when they were all full she suddenly had an idea.

"Let's learn something to sing for your mother and father when they get back from Vienna." At Maria's words the children looked extremely uncomfortable and sad, causing Maria to raise her eyebrows.

"You do not want to sing?"

"We don't know how to; and besides, father wouldn't want us to sing. Please don't call the Baroness our mother either," Brigitta answered gloomily, the other children nodding in agreement.

"Why is that? You really should sing; it's fun and I'm sure they would only enjoy it," Maria answered truthfully.

"Well, we have never liked the Baroness. She made father even more distant and it was her decision to send us away to Boarding School, breaking apart our family like never before," Liesl stated, her eyes full of sorrow. Maria took her hand and squeezed it gently, trying to silently reassure her that everything was going to be alright eventually.

"The least you can do is to be happy for your father, no matter what. Maybe some singing will melt his heart a little, letting you in?" The children nodded and decided that it couldn't get worse than it already was. They all liked Maria like a mother already and as long as she was with them everything was going to be alright. Soon, they all found out that singing was very pleasing and good for lifting your spirits, especially when being led by an enthusiastic governess who took them all over town in the process. Never had the children of von Trapp felt as lucky as they did the day they let Maria into their lives.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Georg couldn't stop thinking about the governess he had left to tend for his children. She was so different from all the others. Sure, enough of them had been pretty, but there was something else, something he couldn't pinpoint even when debating it with himself, that made his mind wander to her constantly. Soon enough they would be home and he could take a good look at her to reason with himself and finally realise that she really wasn't something for him, being at least 10 years her senior none the less. The car bumped as they turned on to the last part of the small road to take them to the villa.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Maria and the children had decided that this particular day was perfect for rowing and they quickly assembled in the small boat before rowing off to the small island in the middle of the lake to have a picnic there instead of eating lunch on the terrace. The sky was clear and the weather hot, making the children long for a swim. As soon as Maria found out that only Liesl, Friedrich and Louisa could swim she made it her personal task to teach the rest. They all changed to swimsuits and jumped into the cool water, Maria first of them all to the children's delight. When she had made sure that everyone knew the theory of swimming, Maria taught each child individually how to actually use their knowledge. Marta and Gretl were, naturally, having some problems but could almost swim a couple of metres when Maria, or Kurt's stomach depending on viewpoint, called for lunch.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Finally at home, the Captain stepped out of the car and immediately took off towards the house, not even stopping to help Elsa like he usually did. The Baroness wrinkled her nose, slightly put off by his actions but decided to leave him alone for the time being.

Having searched through the entire house without being able to find his children, the Captain was now getting annoyed and went out onto the terrace looking for solitude. The Baroness sneaked up behind him and startled him slightly by touching his arm. The Captain realized he was being foolish, immediately trying to remedy it with a hug and a peck on the Baroness's cheek.

Suddenly the heavenly sound of children laughing happily disturbed their moment, but the Captain didn't mind. After all, his children were more important than Elsa, right? His thoughts made him stop in the middle of a step, realizing that this was no ordinary thought of his. Apparently the governess had failed in following his strict orders but he felt no need to reprimand her at all, despite the fact that that was utterly out of character for him. He walked down to the lake to greet his children and saw them attempting to row the boat and singing at the same time, their governess in the front directing them and singing loudest of them all.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Maria was happily looking at the children while singing loud and clear, not noticing their little audience at all.

"Look! It's father!" Gretl suddenly exclaimed, making everyone in the boat turn around and stand up.

"Oh Captain, you're home! Aaah!" Maria screamed before the boat tipped over, making all the children, and the governess, soaking wet when they landed with a splash in the water. The Captain couldn't help himself; he chuckled heartily at the scene before him, earning a displeased glance from Elsa that he chose to ignore.

Maria and the children emerged from the water, the latter quickly forming a straight line in front of the Captain, their faces stern again in contrast to the looks of happiness shown only a minute ago. Sighing, the Captain waited for Maria to get out of the water completely, letting his eyes trail over her figure a little longer than necessary, before he took a breath and got ready to apologize to them all for being so harsh. Then he felt Elsa's hand in his, making his heart cold again for reasons he did not know.