A/N: ok so this is a little shorter than previous chapters and maybe I took them there too fast. I'm not sure. Tell me what you guys think!

Oh and I think I might be going out of character a bit with this story, I'm trying to get them to stay in character but I don't know really what's going on with the characters in this story… I'm just figuring them out as I go :)

Happy reading!

He really didn't waste any time for the next night just before closing he visited the tavern again hoping to see the Maria

"see you left the hat here after all?" Jacob asked Georg upon entering

"Oh, I'm not here to pick up the hat, I'm here to pick up the girl"

Maria stopped dead in her tracks, almost dropping the plates she was carrying in the process. When he said he would come by another time she didn't think he would be here the next day!

"You're here…" Maria breathed

"I'm here" Georg replied giving a half smile. Seeing Maria's slight state of distress, he told her: "It's only a walk you know"

"Oh, I know- It's just- I need- oh-" Maria tried to come up with reasons not to come with him, but before anything reasonable came out of her mouth Anna had fetched her coat and pushed Maria and her coat straight out the door.

"Have fun!" She said pushing Georg out the door after.

Maria quickly turned around trying to get inside again but instead she bumped into the captain. "Oh! I'm sorry- I- maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Her cheeks turned bright crimson. Embarrassed of her foolish and nervous behavior she turned around so not to face him.

"Oh no fräulein, I didn't come all the way up here just to go back home again," He took her coat from her and added "I deserve at least one block" He opened up the coat so that she could slip into it.

Twenty, thirty, or maybe fifty- By now he'd lost count- blocks and almost an hour later the the two were still walking. They had talked about numerous things. About his children, about his time in the navy, about- come to think of it they only talked about him. There was a short silence and Georg took this moment to ask Maria some questions of his own.

"Say, Maria, we have been talking only about me, tell my something about you" he said breaking the silence

"Well, I work at the tavern, I also live there and I-" she heard Georg chuckle. Looking up at him he started he interrupted her.

"I know those things already, tell me something about…" He thought for a moment, what did he want to know about her? "Tell me something about why you came to Salzburg"

Oh help! Think Maria, Think! She swallowed hard. Of course she couldn't tell him the real reason she came here. Thinking hard she came up with an answer that would do.

"Well, I came back to Salzburg because I was looking for some…" She paused for a moment "Solace?" Georg added for her.

How would he know why she came here? She wanted lie to him, say something like- a job- excitement- or new experiences, but the word he used captured her thoughts exactly "err… yes… you could say that yes…" She looked down at the floor.

"Whom, or what would make you find solace in Salzburg, of all places?" The captain asked carefully not to overstep his boundaries, and 'til thus far he seemed to keep within his bounds.

"Well, I was born here you see," She started "And my parents they-" "are buried here" she was about to add but her talking abruptly stopped and she slowed her pace.

"Yes, your parents?" Tears threatened to come out of the corner of her eyes. His expression got worried and he wanted so badly to look at her but her eyes were still cast at the ground.

"Captain, I think it's best if you return me home now…" She looked up at him the tears now evident in her eyes "And it's for the best that you don't ask me out again… what you see is what you get captain, but what you see won't always be a pretty sight… especially not with me, excuse me!" Not able to even let him walk her home she quickly walked away from him out of sight.

Georg ran after her as quickly as he could. Once he was around the corner he couldn't see her anymore, but he kept on running. Even if she didn't want to talk to him much more this evening he wasn't going to let her walk home all by herself!

"Maria!" He called out for her, but to no avail.

Maria was nowhere to be found. He took a seat on the stone bench around the fountain. Suddenly he heard what seemed to be muffled cries from around him somewhere. He looked around but didn't see anyone. He stood up and walked around the fountain until there at the other side he saw Maria sitting on the stone edge leaning on the fountain railing softly sobbing and hiccupping. He touched her shoulder which made her jump up slightly.

"C-captain!" She quickly tried to hide her tears by wiping them away with the back of her hand. "I-I am so sorry!" She got up and started furiously apologizing "You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble to find me! I mean like I said I just wanted to get home!"

"Oh, and I couldn't have taken you there?" He asked "Because I think just before all this we were doing just fine,"

"Well, that's because we were talking about you… and not about me…" She looked at the ground

"And what makes it so difficult to talk about one selves? I've talked about me for over an hour, mustn't I be an arrogant tool." His last sentence came out more sarcastic and irritated then he'd hoped.

"Captain, it's complicated and I'd rather not discuss it."

"well, I find things all but complicated, I only asked you why you came to Salzburg, that isn't a very complicated question, is it?" he again sounded very irritated, more than he'd wished to.

"Maria, I do not wish to make you uncomfortable," He searched for her eyes "But I'd really like to get to know you better" His eyes found hers

"You'll just run from me after I tell you. I'm broken and no good." She hugged herself and looked at the ground again. She felt something wrap around her. Looking up she saw it was the captain pulling his coat over her shoulders.

"Try me" He said giving that half smile again. He sat down again and motioned for her to sit next to him.

"Well- I- what I was about to tell you about my parents-" she paused for a moment "they are buried here- well I mean not here here, on the cemetery"

"They died when I was seven" She cleared her throat before continuing "I- I was sent to live with my uncle, I had seen him a couple of times before. I didn't like him, but where else could I go to? I was only seven."

Georg's eyes told her to continue. Hesitantly she started speaking again.

"Things weren't exactly happy while I lived with him, I couldn't do anything right, he would tell me so multiple times a day, I was lucky enough to go to school during most of the day, but after school I'd do the cleaning and cooking"

He would tell me so multiple times a day… that sentence rung in Georg's head long after she finished talking. Could a man be that cruel? Maybe more happened than Maria let on. That man! She came here to run away from him. That's why she was back in Salzburg, because it was probably the only other city she knew.

"Sometimes he'd hi-" Suddenly Georg grabbed her hand in his

"Maria, please don't stress yourself," He pleaded "You should be telling me this because you want to, not because I behaved like an utter and complete fool by fighting you to do it"

Maria became silent. Never. Never had a man said something like this to her. Normally it would be man sitting in the tavern having had a few to many who were just trying to get into her nickers. But this man, he actually cared more about her feelings than his own. Maria was dumbstruck and lost for words. Normally she could hold her emotions in tact quite well but tonight they were everywhere. It was their first- could she call it a date?- and he hadn't tried anything, just talking and listening. She tried to keep from crying but tears came rolling down her cheeks.

A worried expression came upon Georg's face. I was soon replaced by a look of misunderstanding, for Maria now started laughing.

"I'm s-sorry b-but-" she couldn't even get the words out. Taking a deep breath she tried again "I've never had any man be so lovely and understanding to me," she softly smiled

"Oh, so it weren't tears of sadness then I hope?" Georg now too had a smile on his face.

"Oh no definitely n-"

"e-excuse me" Georg cut her off before moving his hand to her cheek. With his thumb he wiped away the tears still evident on her face. Searching her eyes for permission he asked: "May I kiss you?"

She slowly nodded. And before she knew it her eyes were closed and she felt his mouth pressed to hers. Soft and gentle, just lips to lips. No forcing, just a sweet kiss. Yes, this is nice… Now she could be the one initiating for once and that she did. She opened her mouth and let her tongue explore his mouth as did he in return. Slowly and hesitantly her arms move around his neck. She smiled against his lips when he felt his arms moving around her waist.

Pulling away they both smiled.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Georg asked her.

She nodded not even knowing if he meant her talking about herself or the kiss they just shared, but it didn't matter. She felt like she was floating among the clouds.