A/N:

What if the Captain, after breaking up with Elsa, waited another day or two to talk to Maria in the gazebo?

My thanks to my new beta (yes, now I have one!), Mellie D, for her advice and words of encouragement. I must give credit to her for a few lines in this chapter, as well as in the next chapter.

I have been forgetting to thank you for your wonderful reviews. I had no idea this story would please you all so much. A huge thank you to all of you - it is your words that keep me going.

Disclaimer: The usual – I do not own "The Sound of Music".

What is it, that fills the soul?

Ah, love fills it, love!

It is filled not by gold, nor its worth,

not by what the bleak world desires:

it is filled only with love!

What is it that stills our yearnings?

Ah, love stills them, love!

They are stilled not by titles, status or rank,

and not by the ringing bells of renown;

they are stilled only by love, love!

What is it that the heart desires?

It desires love!

It does not yearn for sudden kisses

nor the enjoyment of lust;

it yearns only for love!

(…)

Everything for love (Alles um Liebe) – words by Ludwig Gotthard Theobul Kosegarten (1758-1818), music by Franz Schubert. Transl. by Emily Ezust.

Unexpected sounds greeted Liesl and Maria when they neared the drawing room. Someone was singing – or at least trying to.

The good Lord told us to make a joyful noise – he never said anything about being a pretty noise, Maria thought.

"I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news –
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse." (1)

"What is that?" Maria asked.

"The Pirates of Penzance. I believe," said Liesl.

"I know. Maybe I should ask - who is that?"

"It is not father, then it can only be…" Liesl smiled broadly, "Uncle Max! He must be very amused. I don't remember hearing him before."

That may be a blessing, Maria thought, looking upward as if thanking the Lord. "I did not know Herr Detweiler could sing." Or could not sing, she should have said. The man was absolutely tone deaf.

"Neither did I. Oh God, this is terrible. I wonder why father is not yelling at him…"

"I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General."

"Max, will you please stop that infernal cacophony!" the Captain bellowed, before Liesl could finish her sentence. "I cannot even think straight."

"I did not know you could – uh - sing too, Herr Detweiler," said Maria as soon as they entered the room.

"That is because he cannot," the Captain returned dryly. "Or do you consider the squealing you just heard singing?" Maria did not reply. The look in his face was rancorous, his voice wry and sarcastic – no, he had not liked her absence during dinner. "Well, I am glad you could finally join the rest of us mortals."

"You told me specifically last night that I had no other choice but to join you and the family after dinner."

"Oh yes. Dinner. Which reminds me - you missed it!"

"I excused myself, didn't I?"

"You did, and I did not accept your excuse."

"I refuse to obey a command when…"

"Watch it. You are contradicting yourself, Fraülein!"

"How?!" Maria crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, defiantly.

"You said you are here because I ordered you to, and yet you say you refuse to obey me. That is not very logical, is it?"

"Well, it would not be so illogical, Captain, if you at least let me finish one sentence once in a while."

"If I let you finish all your sentences, I would be listening to your incessant rambling and blabbering twenty four hours a day."

"I never ramble, and I am not a blabbermouth. I just say what I have to say. Some people call it honesty."

"Oh really? Who?"

"The Reverend Mother."

"Well, no offense to the Mother Abbess, but I call it yakking."

Maria's mouth fell open. Behind her, Liesl giggled. Max just shook his head and laughed, throwing himself at the closest chair and taking a healthy sip of his champagne glass. Liesl had been right – he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Are you familiar with any of Schubert's Lieder?" the Captain asked abruptly. Maria blinked. He was looking at her intently, and at first she was rendered speechless. His own words from earlier in the day came back to her. Get used to it.

Clearing her throat, she answered. "Not as much as would have liked to, since I am usually too busy yakking.."

He ignored her taunt. "I thought so. Love songs are not exactly a part of Nonnberg´s repertoire, are they?"

"No, Captain, they are not. Except for those with religious themes, naturally."

"Naturally. Well, I have none of those in mind for tonight, but I am sure you'll do just fine. We have to humor Liesl, otherwise she won't leave us alone. And Max will slowly torture us with his… singing."

"What can I do, Georg?" Max spoke. "Those who can, sing, those who cannot…"

"… explore those who can and inflict unbearable pain and suffering upon those who cannot. Yes, I know that, Max."

"Father, you promised," Liesl protested, sensing that their musical evening was about to be ruined. "You know how much I miss this. You know, from the old days."

"Yes, darling, that I know too," his voice softened as he spoke to his daughter. He handled Maria some music sheets. "Here. I am not sure this is entirely appropriate for your vocal range, but…"

"Oh, I am sure can manage something," she whispered, while her eyes tried to make sense of the notes and words in the pages she held in front of her eyes. A deep frown marred her brow. Schubert had written the music for over five hundred Lieder, maybe one thousand, and the Captain had to choose that one!

"What's wrong?" the Captain asked, after she had been silent for almost half a minute.

"Nothing. Do you think we could choose something less…"

"Romantic?" he echoed her thoughts cynically, raising his eyebrows.

"I was going to say tragic and depressing. Love does not have to be depressing, does it?" She spoke before she could think about what she was saying.

"If you say so," he shrugged, looking away from her.

She kept her gaze fixed on the music, refusing to look anywhere else – his eyes most of all. "This one speaks of unfriendly wildernesses, darkness of death and dying young. Enough to give any impressionable girl nightmares."

"Do you think you can bear it?" It was an odd question to ask.

That is a good question, Maria thought.

Franz appeared at the door at this point. "Excuse me, Captain von Trapp!"

"Yes, Franz."

"Your… mother-in-law on the telephone, Sir. Again. Calling from Paris this time."

"Again!" Liesl exclaimed. "That makes two phone calls in less than a week. Father, what does Gromi want after all?"

"The connection was lost and I could not actually talk to her the last time, Liesl." Then he turned to Max. "Do you think the news have reached her already?"

"What news father? Have told her about the engagement?" Liesl asked, but both men ignored her.

"Already? Are you joking? Georg. I am surprised the woman has not called you weeks ago!"

Maria was puzzled by Max's statement – the Captain and the Baroness had not been engaged weeks ago.

"There is nothing extraordinary going on here that could be any of her business."

"Georg, you have to admit there is nothing ordinary about a condecorated Naval commander pursuing a..."

"Max!" The Captain silenced him so briskly that Maria jumped. She could swear that Her Detweiler was... blushing. What was happening tonight? What mysterious phenomenon had altered the balance of the universe as she knew it? No one was behaving normally, and that included herself, Maria. Everybody was acting in a very peculiar manner.

Georg´s voice softened again, as he addressed his daughter. "Liesl, I am afraid that your Schubert will have to wait yet another night."

"I understand, father. Is there anything wrong with Grandmother? Is she ill?"

"She… is doing just fine. The trouble is that she seems to have a little too much time in her hands at the moment."

"Is she coming for a visit soon?"

"I would think so, yes! In fact, I would be surprised if she did not, considering the circumstances."

The Captain left the room in order to answer the phone. When he reached the door, he turned around, and faced Maria.

"Fraülein –"

"Yes?"

"Please don't - just don't go away before I have a chance to do talk to you." He left without waiting for her answer. Max scurried after him with the obvious intention of eavesdropping.

"Grandmother never ever calls," Liesl told her when they were alone. "It is always father who calls her. I mean, she rings when she wants to talk to me or the other children, but she never calls father."

"Why is that?"

"She believed my mother's family outrank the von Trapps, if you know what I mean. She always said that father was not aristocratic enough for my mother. Er... she believes her blue blood is bluer than father's. Her words, not mine."

"But that is such an awful thing to say. I didn't know there were shades of blue to those who had blue blood. I used to know one color only - red!"

"I know. She is not entirely a bad person, but she still clings to certain old ideas."

"Why do you think she called?"

"I have no idea. This is strange, very strange."

A/N:

(1) Max's singing is from Gilbert & Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance.

(2) If you haven´t guessed already, you will discover why Georg´s mother-in-law has been calling in my next story.