The von Trapp household was in a complete flurry in the week leading up to the wedding. Every day it seemed as though either Maria or Georg, or both of them had some prior engagement to make sure that everything would be perfect.

Friedrich and Kurt were getting incredibly bored and fed up with the endless chatter of guest lists and place settings and flower arrangements; fortunately Max was able to keep them occupied (for the most part) with games and stories. On the other hand, the girls could not get enough of it. At any given moment, all five of them would be following Maria around like she was the Pied Piper, the younger girls looking up at her as if they were in the presence of royalty and the older three looking on as though it was the wedding of their best friend.

Then, the day before the wedding, after a particularly hectic morning of finalising the menu for the reception, Maria decided that she needed to make one final trip up to her mountain. She needed time to be alone with her thoughts and process all that was happening.

And that was how, less than twenty-four hours before she was to walk down the aisle, Maria found herself once again, at the top of the Untersburg, which, like before seemed to be leading her higher and higher like it wanted her to go right through the clouds with it.

As she waltzed around the field, she could hardly believe that she had done exactly what she was doing now only two months ago. Whole lifetimes seemed to have passed in those short eight weeks. Back then, she had had only one dream and now everything had changed so dramatically that half the time she needed to remind herself that this was all true, and she hadn't just imagined it. And although her life now was as different as it could possibly be from her life two months ago, she wouldn't have it any other way.

She didn't know how long she stayed up there, running across the green meadows like she had done so many times before. She had a song in her heart, begging to be let out into the open. So that's exactly what she did; she sang. She sang because she finally found a place she belonged, sung because she had discovered the life she was born to live. But more than anything, she sang because she loved it.

It was only when the sun began it's descent over the western horizon that Maria noticed just how long she had been up here, off in her own little fantasy land. And, just like on that fateful day that changed the course of her life forever, she remembered that she did have somewhere that she needed to be, and she was quickly racing off down the hill toward the train.

She arrived back at the villa five minutes before Franz rang the dinner bell; leaving her just enough time to change her dress and freshen up. She changed into her blue and white floral patterned dress; the one she had worn when she danced the Laendler with Georg. She hadn't worn it since that night. It seemed appropriate for the eve of her wedding.

Maria and Georg had decided that Maria should spend the night before the wedding at the Abbey and the children were all sad at the fact that their governess was leaving them again, even if it was only for one night.

After dinner was over, as if to prove, to Marta and Gretl if no one else, that she was not leaving for good, Maria tucked each of the children into bed. Well all except Liesl, who wasn't in the girls' bedroom.

She was about to abandon the plan, thinking Liesl was much too old to be tucked into bed; after all, Liesl herself had said she didn't need a governess. But when she arrived back at her bedroom, to collect her overnight bag before Georg drove her to the Abbey, who should she find waiting outside her door but Liesl.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Liesl?" she teased.

"I'm sixteen, I'm not a child anymore," Liesl said jokingly. "Anyway, I wanted to make sure you got this before you left." And with that, she pulled a sparkling diamond bracelet from out behind her back.

"Every bride needs something borrowed, right?"

Maria had tears in her eyes as she carefully took the bracelet from Liesl. "It's beautiful," she cried. "Thank you so much."

Liesl simply smiled and headed off down the corridor to the girls' bedroom.

Georg was waiting for Maria at the bottom the staircase when she came down clutching her bag. She hadn't packed much; just her nightgown, her toothbrush and her hair brush. Her wedding dress had already been sent to the Abbey.

"I'm going to miss you tonight, you know," Georg told her. "But, I figured, since I do have an entire month long honeymoon to spend alone with you, I can put up with this."

Maria simply blushed. "You still haven't told me where we're going," she said.

"Yes, well, I intend to keep that fact a secret until tomorrow, darling," he smiled.

"Well, I suppose if you can deal with one night alone from me, I can wait until tomorrow to discover our honeymoon destination," she said. "I'm going to miss you tonight, too," she added. "More than you know."

They were both very quiet during the short drive through the streets of Salzburg. For most of the time, Maria was lost in thought, staring out into the night sky, glittering with it's thousand of diamond stars and the full moon shining brightly like an enormous glistening pearl.

It seemed like only seconds had passed when Georg parked the car right outside the Abbey. Maria was nervous about returning back here, although she couldn't explain quite why. But when she looked through the gates and saw everybody waiting for her, her fears immediately dissolved.

After a quiet greeting to the Sisters, she grabbed her bag and slipped inside, before turning back to face Georg. She knew it would be inappropriate to give him a kiss here, so she settled for clasping his hand through the bars of the gate and gazing into his eyes. She tried to send a message to him through her expression; a message that screamed 'I love you.'

Georg nodded ever so slightly as he clutched Maria's hand. He had read her message loud and clear and was trying to reciprocate it.

"See you tomorrow," he said softly, before releasing his grasp on her hand and heading back to the car, before driving home.

The Sisters led Maria back to the tiny bedroom that she had occupied while living here. After a tear-filled goodnight to the Sisters, Maria was left alone. Her wedding dress was hanging on the door of the old oak wardrobe in the corner of the room.

After running her hands across it's shining fabric, burying her face in the skirt and relishing in everything that this one garment represented, she set her bag on the bed, ready to unpack it. It was then that she noticed the package lying on the bed. Maria immediately recognised the handwriting as belonging to The Reverend Mother.

Maria, it read.

This is a gift from all of us here at the Abbey. We all hope that whatever happens in your life, you will approach with the amazing spirit we all know you possess. We wish you every happiness in the life you have chosen.

God be with,

The Reverend Mother and the Sisters

Upon opening the package, Maria found a pair of powder-blue stockings, with a pattern of flowers in the lace. 'Something blue,' she thought. This was why Maria loved the Sisters of Nonnberg so much; because they cared as much about others happiness as their own. Overcome with joy, Maria got ready for bed, said her prayers and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be, without a doubt, the biggest day of her life, and she wanted to make sure she had plenty of rest.

The morning of the wedding seemed to indicate a perfect day. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a clear, bright blue, with a few fluffy white clouds scattered here and there.

Georg woke up smiling. He hadn't felt like this in a very long time, and so he did something he hadn't done since the day after he asked Maria to marry him, and certainly never before that; still wearing his pyjamas, he went to wake the children up.

He wasn't at all surprised to find they were already awake, and raring to get on with the day though. He greeted them all cheerfully, kissing the little ones on the forehead and slapping the boys jokingly on the back. Since they were going to the Abbey for the wedding straight after breakfast, he even told the children they could come down for breakfast in their nightclothes, and with huge grins on their faces; all seven of them skipped out of their bedrooms and followed Georg downstairs to the dining room.

After breakfast, Louisa and Brigitta went off to get dressed with Frau Schmidt's assistance, Max took care of the boys and Liesl took Marta and Gretl upstairs to get ready. When all the children had disappeared, Georg returned to his bedroom to get ready himself.

Maria latched the clasp of her old golden locket and let it fall down onto her neck. It was hidden behind the high neckline of her wedding dress, but Maria didn't care. Simply having it there, cool against her skin made her feel at ease.

She moved her hand up to touch her cheek, hearing Liesl's bracelet tinkle as she did so. She could hardly believe that the reflection in the mirror really belonged to her. She had never seen anyone so elegant or beautiful. The fact it was her seemed to conflict with what she was seeing.

A soft knock sounded on the door. Maria turned around to find Sister Margaretta standing there, smiling at here.

"Are you ready, Maria?" she asked. "It's time,"

Okay, we all know what happens next. Which I'm sorry to say, means the next chapter will be the last chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry it took forever to get posted. Hopefully the next chapter will be up quicker than this one was. And I love all the reviews/faves/follows etc. Thanks a million.