Part 12

-Max and Elsa-

By now Elsa was strong enough to be walking around the cottage a few times during the day. She was careful not to exert herself too much. She was getting healthy again, that was true, but it had been quite some time since she'd been on her feet for such an extended period of time. Max made sure that when they went on their little walks they kept them short, but went at an even pace for Elsa. Rashel had warned them about leaving their cottage, but sympathized with Elsa's situation and realized she couldn't be cooped up all the time.

Max and Elsa were on their way back from another brisk walk when Elsa signaled she needed a break.

"Just a few minutes here darling and then I'll be ready to go in for a nice nap."

Max gingerly guided his beloved to sit down on a flat rock to rest.

"There you are, my dear. A few minutes and you'll be as good as new!"

He plopped down beside her and gave a sharp exhalation as they looked out at the scenery. It was very seldom they had a chance to truly appreciate their mountainous view during their walks. Usually they went out and in so quickly that it left no time at all for them to take in their surroundings. Max's silent thoughts were interrupted by Elsa's loud ones.

"I've been thinking about the Von Trapps a lot lately, darling..."

"I have as well, Elsa. I was hoping to have heard some news from Georg by now. They were traveling in such a larger group...I'm worried someone may have grown suspicious."

"Do you think they're in any trouble?" Elsa's eyes grew wide and her pulse quickened.

"Calm down, Elsa. I know Georg and I know how high his survival and protective instincts are. I'd be willing to bet the entire family is safely together, but still it would have been nice to hear some news with him actually saying that."

"But how would we have heard anything from him? Why, he doesn't even know where we are, Max."

"Oh I'm sure he does," Max said with a mischievous twinkle to his hazel eyes.

"What - do you know something I don't" Elsa was puzzled.

"It just so happens he and I did speak to each other before his brief wedding on what to do if things should go awry for either of us." Max turned to place a comforting hand over Elsa's.

"He knows exactly how to get to Rashel's if anything were to ever happen. But seeing as you and I made it here before them, I'm sure Georg's found a way to avoid anything disastrous."

Elsa felt a twinge of relief at Max's words, but she still wasn't one-hundred percent convinced.

"All right, the sun will be setting soon and I'm feeling better now. Let's head back"

-Roxanne and Maria-

Roxanne was catching on. No matter how many times she tried erasing the thought of Maria being pregnant, she kept finding ways to alter her thinking.

Every meal they'd had since first arriving in Innsbruck, Maria had avoided anything with alcohol in it. Roxanne and Maria used to always enjoy glasses of wine with dinner on all their previous assignments together, so immediately that caught Roxanne's attention. Of course she had confronted her friend, but Maria very casually admitted she was feeling out of sorts and didn't feel like upsetting her stomach any further.

For a while, Roxanne let it slide, occasionally forgetting about it. But now, as another day was about to begin, Roxanne laid in bed listening to Maria getting sick in the adjoining bathroom of their hotel room. It had become a daily ritual and Roxanne was growing worried for her friend. Maria wasn't usually a private person so it was concerning for Roxanne to not know exactly what was going on with her friend.

What happened exactly after she went on assignment in Salzburg? Maria was a virgin, wasn't she? So how did she leave to shadow the great Captain Von Trapp and then come back with child?

And then suddenly it hit her - Maria and the Captain must have slept together!

Roxanne shot up in bed like a bolt of lightning. Her eyes widened at her sudden revelation and her breath grew heavy, realizing what she had just processed. Her friend had finally given herself up to a man, but the worst thing of it all was with whom she did it. Captain Von Trapp was an opposition to the Third Reich. She wondered if Herr Zeller knew of this...

-The Von Trapps-

After his outburst with Margaret and Helen, Georg did his best to avoid them as much as possible. He felt humiliated and disgraced. He had been brought up to never show weakness, and he viewed pain and emotion as weaknesses. He was not going to allow anyone to find him in that kind of situation again. He had tried to sooth Louisa that night, but he had really been trying to fool himself everything would turn out fine. Yet, here he was, and there had been no change of anything.

The children were helping clean up after another function at the hotel. The guests had been long gone and now it was just them making the room decent again. Helen had been complaining of a headache all evening so she was sent to her room before the function even began. So they were all present, with the exception of Margaret who had left with Marta and Gretl to put them to bed.

Kurt and Freidrich were busy stacking chairs in one corner of the room, while Louisa and Brigitta kept themselves occupied sweeping the floor.

Liesl was helping her father fold up the tables and roll them into the far closet. They had two left when she finally broke the silence.

"Father I know you're upset, probably more so than the seven of us combined, but please, talk to us, we're losing you again." Her eyes pleaded with him.

Georg had made up his mind, however, and he wasn't going to break. He snapped the last leg of the table in place, perhaps a little too roughly, and moved to roll the table across the room.

"Liesl, what I'm feeling is my business. You children have a right to feel saddened by what has happened, but please do not ask me to weep alongside you all. You couldn't possibly have a clue what I'm feeling."

He let the table slide in next to the others and brushed past his oldest daughter for the last one. By now the girls were done sweeping and helped their brothers finish with the chairs ahead of schedule. The four of them now stood to the side and watched as a fight between their sister and father was about to unfold.

"But how can you stay there idly by and not say anything to comfort us. Father please! We've already gone through this once, don't slip away from us again!"

"Exactly!" Georg spun around to face his daughter, his face beet red.

"This is the second time we have all experienced this and I will not be kidded into thinking that things will suddenly be fine once again."

Liesl's mouth dropped in shock.

"How can you even think that! Especially after everything mother did for us before you two were married. Do you think she'd be proud of how you're acting now?"

Louisa and Brigitta gasped at their sister's boldness. The boys stood with mouths agape. Nobody spoke to their father like that.

"Liesl, how dare you cross me! I said leave me be, I will not warn you again, so help me!"

By now Georg was breathing so heavily his chest was puffing in and out at a very rapid pace. His grip on the table was too tight, his knuckles were white. But Liesl wasn't backing down. She stood firm, arms crossed, ready to fire back at her father.

"You know what, I think the five of you are capable of finishing this without me seeing as how you four are standing doing nothing in the back corner!"

Georg let the last table fall with a loud thud. He turned his back on the oldest children and swiftly left the room. Freidrich, Kurt, Louisa, and Brigitta moved across the room to stand next to their sister.

"Should we go after him?" Brigitta looked up at her four older siblings. Kurt shook his head and put a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I think we need to leave him alone, right?" He looked up at Louisa and Freidrich who nodded in agreement at their brother's statement.

Liesl, on the other hand, still stood with her arms folded across her body as tears silently fell down her cheeks.

Authors note: Hey, sorry if its been a while, been busy! anyways, heres the new chapter, hope you enjoy it and review! please review as we always love to hear what you think! Thankyou! :D This chapter written by 'lovesbroadway'