Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Sound of Music and its characters belong to their respective owners.

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Maria's head was spinning and her initial refusal to believe there was any truth to the children's claim began to fade and disbelief regarding the possible truth value began taking over. Was this true? Was this really happening to her right now? The man standing by the opposite entrance of the lounge had nearly taken her breath away. He was tall, handsome but… she couldn't help noticing the hard edge and stern expression on his face. Yet those stern features of the striking stranger softened within a second and he stared at her as if he knew her. He certainly wasn't the first. But it was his words that brought a forceful wave of reality.

"She's… my wife."

The situation felt surreal. She felt so utterly unprepared for this. Throughout her search for her identity, she had set up meetings and had been told about visitors who came to possibly identify her. Many people had seen her in the hospital, and all those visits turned out to be false alarms. The difference was, she had always been prepared and braced herself. That wasn't the case now. Ten minutes ago she had arrived to this lodge in hopes of spending three weeks here with Ben and her son and now she was facing seven children and a complete stranger, claiming she was their mother and his wife. It began to feel like a dream and she wished she would wake up from it. All this would lead to was disappointment for sure, she didn't want to get her hopes up and awake to the cruel truth again that she was merely a foreigner without a past.

Yet a grown man surely couldn't be mistaken like children could be, right? Then again, she knew even that was unlikely. These didn't seem like seven delusional children. On the contrary, they seemed confident and quite sure in their claim. She inhaled deeply and tried to stand as straight as possible – almost as if she was standing to attention. What if this was a scam? What if they had figured she was a woman without a past and now tried to get something out of her? She was rather well known in New York after all. In her surprise and discomfort, Maria couldn't quite put the pieces together just yet and she didn't realize that this was the von Trapp family who clearly did not need money.

Georg wasn't sure if he should felt anger or relief. Maria was a sight his eyes always welcomed… a sight he had longed to see again, yet now that she was standing in front of him in flesh and blood, he was torn. He didn't remember the last time he had felt such joy and relief. Yet the years of grief and pain he had gone through reminded him of fate's cruel ways. Why did he need to go through them? But all those complicated thoughts were quickly pushed aside as he stared at his wife. She seemed so… different yet the same. What he immediately noticed was her hair. Although her initial appearance was almost the same, he realized she wasn't sporting a tomboyish short cut anymore but wore a tight bum and her considerably longer hair was carefully and stylishly covering the right side of her forehead. Yet her beautiful neck was still exposed. He finally found the strength to move and he slowly walked closer, scrutinizing her with utterly focused eyes.

Her clothes were unlike the ones he had ever seen her in. They clung to her body in an elegant manner, the seemingly soft material emphasized her curves and shape perfectly. Her skirt was long and the bottom of it brushed the floor. There was no sign of the mountain girl or the postulant in those awful clothes he had first gotten to know. No, the woman standing there was the perfect lady. Make up. She wore make up, he noted in surprise. She had never before looked so much like a part of the higher class. She was gorgeous for sure but this was unfamiliar to him. His breath had caught in his throat as he took in every part of her. She was stunning but for Georg, she had always been. Maria had modified her style a bit soon after they became engaged. She was still true to herself and although Georg never asked, he was filled with even more love when she so obviously wanted to seem like a part of his world. She had done so much for him already, yet there didn't seem to be an end to her giving and loving nature. Even if Georg himself had the taste of an aristocrat which initially led him to Elsa, his love for Maria had seen through all that and he had found her beautiful even without expensive clothes. He would be just as happy if she showed up in the very same dress he had first seen her in.

"Father, Mother doesn't remember us." Marta's voice broke the silence but it didn't seem to register in the Captain's mind.

"Maria?" He addressed her, finally gazing into her beautiful blue eyes. Yet what he saw was nothing he had ever anticipated. It wasn't just surprise that was clearly written across her features but confusion, too. He had learned to read her enough to realize she wasn't looking at him with the joy of the reunion or accusation and hurt for having been left behind. She wasn't looking at him like he knew him at all.

She had taken a step back when he approached the group and the expression on her face was the only thing holding Georg back from wrapping her in his arms and swearing never ever to let her go again. And if all this hadn't been enough for shock value, a little boy nearly colliding with Maria grabbed her skirt and when she looked down at him, he raised his arms, clearly wanting her to pick him up.

Felix appearing out of nowhere didn't even register on Maria's mind at first and only when he was getting impatient with the lack of attention did she tear her gaze away from the stranger who had approached and called her his wife. Bending down and looking into her son's face while picking him up, Maria suddenly felt as if the air had been knocked out of her. Her attention had turned from the man to her own son… and it was eerie how alike the two looked. That she wasn't dreaming and that these people were obviously convinced of what they were claiming suddenly felt more real than ever. So did the possibility that she had just met her past. Could this be happening to her?

"Sorry, he got away from me when he saw you." Ben's voice broke the tense silence that had settled in the room. 10 pairs of eyes turned to him as he came up behind Maria and he put his arm around her waist. He smiled warmly at everyone in the room but he got none in response. Even Maria looked tense as she clutched Felix to her body. He wasn't quite sure why he was receiving such a stern look from the only other grown man in the room either or what he had walked into for that matter.

"It's fine." Maria responded to Ben absent mindedly, finally finding her voice.

Georg's eyes narrowed the moment he saw the stranger wrap an arm around his wife. He had been through many things during his lifetime, including war, but this was the weirdest and most upsetting experience he had ever had. What on earth was happening? Was this really a dream after all? Was he mistaken, was this woman not Maria? Such resemblance was impossible. Maria never spoke of a twin and he certainly couldn't believe that this wasn't her. The way she stood, the way her eyes widened in her surprise… every single detail in her expression and stance was exactly like Maria's. No, this was her. But what on earth was happening?

"Hello." Ben greeted everyone in the room and the Captain held his head high when the man approached him. "I'm Benjamin Reinard. Call me Ben." He extended his hand.

"Captain von Trapp." He told him coldly. "You may call me Captain."

"Oh." Ben exclaimed, mentally noting he wasn't necessarily the warmest lodge owner he had ever met. He certainly had heard of him though and Ben realized he was facing an ex navy captain after all. Having both his own father and older brother serving in the US Army, he certainly wasn't surprised about the seriousness of the Captain.

"It's an honor, Captain." He told him and took a quick glance back at Maria who seemed even more confused than before. "I've heard about you." He addressed the Captain again.

"Have you?" Georg asked, his eyes taking in the sight of Maria and the child in her arms. Ben, getting the feeling that she was maybe distressed by the Captain's attitude, decided to return to her side and try to retreat to their own room as soon as possible. Something was amiss but he refused the urge to ask bluntly if something was up.

"We have heard about your Lodge before, Captain. Good recommendations." Ben complimented. "Seems like you have already met…" He motioned to Maria. You may have heard of this remarkable lady yourself." Ben tried, he had been extremely proud of Maria and the success she had been having in New York. She deserved all the praise she received. "She's Maria…"

"Maria von Trapp." The Captain cut him off. He didn't need some stranger to introduce him his own wife. That had rendered Ben speechless, however. To say he was confused was an understatement.

"We know her already." Gretl told Ben happily and he turned to the familiar little girl. "She's our Mother." His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"But she doesn't remember us." Marta was the next one to speak, the sadness in her voice evident to everyone in the room. This was the first time that the Captain had acknowledged his children since his entrance. He frowned at Marta's words, what nonsense was she talking about? Yet the rest of the children left him no time to speak up.

"You really don't remember, Fraulein Maria… I mean Mother?" Brigitta addressed a way too silent Maria.

"You must remember!" Kurt pleaded and then all hell broke lose.

"You were our governess!" Louisa stated.

"You taught us to sing!" Friedrich piped in.

"You taught us to climb a tree!" Soon countless statements were made and memories were told after one another and it became hard to make out anything in the loud noise the children were making once again. This was way too much and way too soon for Maria. Ben finally caught on to what was happening, these children obviously knew Maria. He had spent the last two and a half years by her side and he knew this was all turning out to be too overwhelming for her.

"Enough!" It was the Captain's loud voice that ultimately silenced everyone in the room. Even Elizabeth who had been nearly invisible during the entire exchange had been startled… and took that as her cue to leave.

She cleared her throat. "Ah, Georg. It's time for me to return home, I've got a couple of things to take care of." The attention was finally on Elizabeth Knightly yet the Captain gave very little sign of acknowledging her. A quick look and a nod was what she received and after saying her good byes to everyone, she hurried out. This afternoon was explosive… and downright shocking for her. But she had taken a thorough look at the woman the Captain had called his wife and had concluded he apparently had the taste for beautiful women. Elizabeth was utterly confused, however. She thought he was a widow. She had every intention to get to the bottom of this but this wasn't the time.

In the lounge, Louisa had given Liesl a satisfied smirk when Elizabeth had announced her departure. The children never liked the woman. While initially she had reminded them of Baroness Schroeder, they had learned to dislike Elizabeth even more. Baroness Schroeder had been a sophisticated, well cared for high society woman who wasn't good with children but one who acknowledged them. Elizabeth had very little understanding of family values when it came to children. And now that their mother was back, hopefully Elizabeth Knightly would take that as her cue to disappear once and for all. It had taken the children great restraint not to play pranks on Miss Knightly. It was their father's profound sadness and edginess that had held them back. They didn't want to give him any more grief.

Ben had taken the time to observe Maria who very much seemed apprehensive. He had a hard time believing what he had just heard so he couldn't even begin to imagine how she felt. He only knew she probably needed to take this step by step. He was feeling upset himself, too. They had concluded at one point that her family must have perished in the same accident she was in. This certainly was a shocking coincidence.

"Who is he, Fraulein Maria?" Brigitta, ever the observant one, broke the silence as soon as Elizabeth was out the door. "Are you his governess?"

The question surprised Maria but the moment she turned to her fidgety son in her arms, the first genuine and somewhat relaxed smile appeared on her face. "No. He's my son, Felix." That, again, was surprising enough to render everyone speechless. The children looked uncertainly at each other but once more it was Brigitta who stated the obvious.

"He looks just like Father." The moment the girl spoke those words, seven pair of eyes turned to the Captain while Ben, with realization, was looking between him and Felix. The moment the resemblance became undeniable, he knew this wouldn't be the kind of getaway he had initially planned.

"It's his meal time." Maria spoke up out of a sudden, her voice much stronger than before. The attention on Felix awoke her senses and finally brought her back to reality. She wasn't dreaming, she was very much awake and it was time for his son to eat. He was growing more and more fidgety and Maria was having a difficult time keeping his little hands off her hair. It also provided the perfect escape she badly needed. "I'll… ah… if you'll excuse me I need to feed him."

Her eyes briefly locked on the man apparently called Captain von Trapp but when Ben moved, she looked away. "No I'll… I'll do it alone." She told him, hoping he would understand she needed time alone. Ben indeed understood and nodded in acknowledgment. With a very quick look at everyone in the room, Maria turned and walked out of the lounge.

As for the Captain, he had been following the events with close scrutiny. It was extremely difficult not to grab her, hug her and kiss her as much as he wanted to. But being an educated, smart man who also happened to master his observation skills during war, he knew something was terribly off. Maria looked extremely startled and lost. He needed an explanation.

The intimacy, trust and closeness he had shared with Maria before her death compelled the Captain to move and follow her. While she had been the one to show him the error of his ways, someone who always had a useful input and was by his side if he needed someone to confide in, the Captain had always been there to listen to whatever she wanted to share and whenever she needed comfort, too. And there had been many things she had to share about that wicked, miserable past of hers. Their love had been strong and so was their trust. Overwhelmed by his own emotions and the knowledge that he could always help his wife if she was upset, he instinctively moved to do the same just now too. Except he was stopped by Ben.

"Captain, could I have a word with you?" He asked, politely blocking his way. "It's about Maria." The look of disapproval he received was one Ben had never ever faced before. It wasn't just the age difference between them but the strong aura of authority that was definitely a force to beckon with.

The only reason why the Captain decided to delay his own reunion with Maria was his need to control his own emotions. Surprise, happiness, outrage, confusion… it all swirled around in his head. Yet Maria always knew how to handle him whenever he was being difficult or hard to understand. Then it hit him that she had just practically ran away from him.

"Children, go up to your rooms and continue reading there. We'll have a conversation as soon as I'm done." He told them. The order was clear and the tone of his voice left no chance for any kind of protests. The children, having their very own overwhelming confusion and sensing the tension in the air, shared looks before they complied and left.

"Forgive me for the question Captain but… are you absolutely sure Maria is your wife?" Ben asked as soon as they were gone.

"Very." Came the short answer, trying to suppress his own irritation. "I know my wife."

"Yes but, under the current circumstances I'm sure you understand that it's-"

"What circumstances?"

"Well, the accident." The Captain frowned and Ben went on. "Did she not tell you about the accident?"

No. Truth was, there was no time for Maria to speak at all, not while he had been in the room anyway. The children had left her no chance to speak, nor had she seemed in any shape to form a coherent thought.

Ben, seeing the look on the Captain's face, knew there were still lots of blanks to fill in. And that was an understatement. "Due to an accident more than two years ago, Maria suffered severe head injuries among others, and has lost her memories. It was a… difficult time for her to pull through and while physically she's more or less healthy now, unfortunately she still has no recollection of who she is."

If it first felt like a beautiful dream come true in which his wife returned from the dead, now it felt more like a nightmare. The concept of Maria being alive was a shock in itself but the possibility of her not having any idea who he… or the children were just sounded unimaginable and heart breaking.

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"Felix, please!" Maria tried pleading with the boy who was much more interested in playing with the food rather than eating it. She pulled the spoon back the moment he tried grabbing it yet again. She was quickly losing patience with her child and let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't Felix' fault that life decided to drop a huge one on her. As shocking as it had been earlier to face the complete unexpected and as much as she needed time away from everyone to collect her thoughts, all those questions and anxiety she had buried so long ago broke freely to the surface now.

She wanted to know. She wanted to know everything these people could tell her. That was what she had always wanted. Yet it felt so completely different than how she always imagined it. More than two years had passed since her accident and although disappointed, she had begun to build herself a new life. Wasn't this too late now? Just a look at her son's face answered that question clearly. He needed to know about his heritage. Suddenly the thought that she had just met her son's father… and that she had practically ran away hung heavily in the air. Yes, there was no question about it, she needed to know. By the time she had finished the extremely difficult task of feeding Felix, she was certain she didn't want to wait any longer. This was her chance to fully understand who she was, a chance to stop feeling like a mystery. Because that was what she had been… a mystery, even to herself.

After she had cleaned him up, Maria set Felix down on the floor right beside herself and she opened one of the suitcases that the butler had carried up to their room. Going through her own, she tried to find her box that held many of her precious belongings. "Hah!" She exclaimed satisfied when she had found it. Pulling it out, she sat back on her heels and put it in her lap. She carefully opened it and rummaged through until she found the item she was looking for. The wedding ring had been one of her most precious possessions, her ultimate proof that she used to belong to someone. The symbol of her mysterious past. Yet as she had slowly grown desperate and sad that the ring was the only thing she had from her old life, she had tucked it carefully away in this box, safe guarding it as a part of her past that was so out of reach. And now… now she had a face to connect to it. That the face triggered no memories was something she tried not to worry with just yet.

With a heavy sigh, Maria's gaze turned to her son, the fact that they were so close to discovering who they were made her feel both happy and scared. That was until she realized what Felix was doing. Her eyes went wide and she laughed heartily while reaching for the toddler, who got himself all entangled in one of her blouses.

"Oh, my..." She smiled and pulled it off him. "You definitely got my clumsiness." She pulled him close to press a quick kiss on his cheek before setting him back down.

Ben chose this moment to enter, the expression on his face indicated he had similar thoughts to what she had: this wasn't going to be the getaway he had wanted to take her on. Grasping the ring in her palm, she shut the box and rose to her feet. She knew what he was going to ask and spoke up before he could have.

"Ben, can you watch Felix?"

"Sure, dear." He stopped in front of her and rubbed her arm gently with one hand. "Are you alright? This… is all-"

"I'm fine." She told him. "I… I was so rude, I just ran away."

"Maria..." He tried to telling her otherwise but she had made up her mind and did not intend to listen to him at the moment.

"I need to talk to the Captain." She told him and immediately moved. He grabbed her arm gently to stop her.

"Maria, take it easy. Maybe you should wait-".

"I'll be fine." She gave him a smile. "Watch Felix please?" Ben sighed and nodded, knowing there was no use protesting if she had made up her mind. He watched her leave and wondered just how much this turn of events would change their lives.

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Maria bit her lower lip and took a deep, calming breath. Returning to the lounge proved unsuccessful, she hadn't found any of the people there anymore. So after inquiring by the receptionist, she was told that Captain von Trapp was most likely in his study. He had kindly given her instructions as to where it was located and that was where she was heading. Upon arriving to her destination, she collected all her strength and gently knocked.

No answer.

Looking around she noticed there was nobody in sight in the hallway where she was standing. She knew the logical and proper thing to do would have been to leave and come back later, but that wasn't necessarily an appealing idea to her. After another, louder knock which again resulted in no response, she let her curiosity win over. Pushing the door open, she poked her head inside with a curious "Hello?" It was no surprise that the room was empty.

Her eyes immediately began scanning the spacious room and she walked further inside. The study definitely spoke of good taste. Lots of books everywhere in careful order, beautiful and fitting pictures on the walls and the entire room had its very own charisma. The desk was large and demanded immediate attention – and Maria's it definitely had. Carefully she approached it, her mind reeling all along, trying to get a feel of the man that apparently owned and regularly occupied this room. The father of her child. The door being shut behind her startled Maria and she jumped before spinning around - caught in the act.

The Captain was still in the middle of his emotional turmoil. Ben had told him everything – well, he had told him the basics. That accident where Max was gravely injured apparently did not kill Maria. To say his own grief intensified was an understatement. He should have insisted more, he should have gone back and fetch her himself on that fateful night. So lost was he in his thoughts that he didn't actually notice Maria until after he stepped through the door of his own study. Boy, was she a sight to behold. He didn't remember leaving the door open – in fact, he never did. Unlocked maybe for the maids to clean it but not open. That she was sneaking around in there wasn't particularly unfamiliar however.

The startled look on her face, despite the different clothes, different house and different country, was precisely the very same she gave him when he had caught her in the ballroom on her very first day. Instead of annoyance, this time he was delighted. Yet that hardly showed on his face. It was quite hard to accept that Maria had no memories of him. That she had been severely injured was obvious and so was the fact that she had been rather overwhelmed upon their… reunion. The last thing Georg wanted was to scare her. That caution as well as his own confusion as to how he should handle this situation was what kept the joy off his face. To strangers it could have seemed like a stern expression. He forgot the woman he was facing couldn't read him anymore.

But her expression was easy to read. She quickly stepped away from the desk and he raised a hand to stop her. "It's alright." He told her from his spot.

Maria stopped but gave no verbal response. It was unbelievable that she had finally found her past. Her eyes scrutinized the face she badly tried to remember but not surprisingly, she couldn't. She had often dreamt of this moment, imagined how a reunion with her family would go. Yet he was beyond her expectations. Maria had had an idea of some main features given how different her son's appearance was from hers but she had to admit reality was a lot different than her imagination. In fact, he was completely different from the image she had in mind of the lodge owner who happened to be an ex- naval hero.

"Why do you stare at me that way?" Georg asked confused, the look on her face puzzled him. Was she maybe remembering him?

"Well, you don't look at all like a Sea Captain."

To Be Continued…

A/N: Thanks to everyone who left me feedback! I know it's not the best part to stop yet again but the story should continue soon. :)