AN: - Written for the Proboards June writing prompt. Thank you so much for all the reviews that I received for chapter 1 and thank you to Clare, a guest reviewer who will see that I decided to include the idea that she suggested.

Disclaimer: - Written for pleasure not profit… I own nothing!

Rating: - T

Chapter 2

Smoky grey clouds gathered ominously above him. The air was eerily still and not a sound could be heard as Georg von Trapp gradually acknowledged his surroundings.

A cold chill gnawed at his bones as he stood, an onlooker, unable to help his children, watching them break down in front of him. Frozen to the spot he looked on as Liesl tried desperately to console her younger sisters, whilst frantically wiping the cascade of tears that fell down her own cheeks. Friedrich and Kurt stood motionless with fear stricken faces, as they stared at their father, terrified to cry in case they incurred his wrath. Unable to move he suddenly felt clammy as he began to panic when the black shrouded Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey began to swarm around him, pressing against him, suffocating him. He heard a sombre voice in the distance getting closer and closer.

"For as much as it has pleased our Heavenly Father in His wise providence to take unto Himself our beloved Maria, we therefore commit her body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…"

The Priests words faded away as did the unsettling images of the nuns and his children. At his right hand side, Georg felt an icy cold hand take his own. As he turned his head to look he saw the ashen features of his late wife staring back at him through hollow, empty eyes. To his left, he felt the uncomfortably warm body of Baroness Schrader pressed to his side. She was clutching his other hand tightly whilst desperately pleading for his forgiveness. Disgusted, he tried to wrench his hand away from Elsa's grasp and as he did so he felt Agathe's cold sinewy hand slip from his. He reached out to grab it but it was no longer there and as he glanced down, he saw his wife's grave, standing overgrown and neglected, next to the newly dug hole that lay before them.

Looking up helplessly, he became aware of Herr Detweiler who watched him with critical eyes before taking Elsa's hand and leading her away.

A ghostly white mist surrounded the trees. Smoky tendrils snaked around the trunks until they completely enveloped the rugged bark. The swirling vapour rolled across the sodden grass to his feet and then crept up his body, covering him like a shroud until he could see nothing.

Complete silence.

He tried to speak, to call out for help, he opened his mouth but no words came.

Then, as quickly as it had descended upon him, it cleared. The mist dispersed and there, above him, the birds darted and dived, serenading him with the sweetest songs he had ever heard. The sky was a brilliant blue and the air was filled with the fragrant smell of summer flowers.

Standing amongst a carpet of edelweiss, bathed in warm sunshine, was Maria. She held her bag and guitar tightly. Her beautiful sun kissed hair was covered by her ridiculous leather hat and her smile was so bright that it warmed his heart.

He immediately reached out for her, relieved to see her comforting smile but her image began to fade as she stepped slowly back from him.

"I'm sorry, Captain… but I have to go. This is not the path that God has chosen for me."

The air became stale and mist danced and swirled once again and then she was gone.

xXx

Georg cried out desperately in panic. His body jerked violently and he awoke, terrified and covered in sweat. He groaned in pain as his limbs protested against the cramped chair in which he had been sleeping. His aches quickly forgotten, he turned to see Maria, lying still in the bed beside him. Four nights and always the nightmares ended in the same way, with Maria disappearing before him as he was powerless to do anything to stop it.

The early morning sunshine streamed in between chinks in the drapes. He felt the warmth on his face and observed as the rays fell softly on Maria as she slept, bringing a golden glow to her deathly pale skin.

Reaching across, he took her limp hand between his own and brought it to his lips before slumping forward on his elbows, bringing her hand up to his forehead. In his lifetime he had fought and won many battles, both naval and personal. He considered himself to be a resilient man, strong willed and not prone to surrendering to his emotions but since Maria had come into his life she had made him rethink his whole outlook and she had brought out the sides to him which had been long buried since the death of his wife. If he lost Maria now, without even having had the opportunity of telling her how deeply he loved her, then he wasn't at all sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself. Perhaps the greatest and most important battle he had ever had to face in his lifetime, would prove to be the one that finally defeated him.

xXx

During the preceding four days, whilst Maria had lain lifeless in her bed he had tended to her diligently and had only left her side when forced to by Frau Schmidt. She had made him take time for a meal and to see his children who were all very concerned about their Fraulein.

They asked him many questions about why Maria had been out during the storm and he couldn't admit to them that he had been the reason why she had fled the villa. He started to doubt his integrity. He should never have let the situation arise where Elsa had felt so jealous of Maria that she had driven her away. He should have been more disciplined, after all, he prided himself on his ability to run his household as if he was still on one of his submarines… but hindsight is a wonderful thing and something that Georg certainly did not have the advantage of.

In the evenings he had refused to retire to his own room, instead, insisting on resting by Maria's bed on an uncomfortable chair. Needless to say, sleep had not been easily forthcoming and in the twilight hours his mind often wandered. He recalled special moments that he had witnessed between Maria and his children and he came to realise that he had loved her far earlier than he had ever thought.

xXx

A soft knock on Maria's door woke him from his reverie. He lovingly placed Maria's hand back down by her side before wiping his eyes and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to at least regain some semblance of the man that his servants had come to expect. He stood and then opened the door slightly, peering through the crack.

To his surprise, instead of Frau Schmidt, he found his old friend standing by the door.

"Max… its rather early for you to be up and around," he smiled feebly at his friend who just nodded before looking towards his own feet uncomfortably.

"Was there something you wanted?" Georg enquired a little impatiently, as Max continued to just stare at the ground.

"Err, yes, old fellow. I think it's time that I took Elsa back to Vienna. There's little point her staying here. She is fully aware of her involvement in this whole sorry situation and she feels that her presence here is only hurting you."

Georg edged out of the door and closed it quietly behind him before guiding Max by the arm along to his suite. Once inside, Georg could not restrain his anger and frustration any longer.

"You can tell Elsa that I have not thought about her once since I found Maria lying by the side of that road. Contrary to her obvious delusion, the whole world does not revolve around her," Georg paced around the room flexing and twitching his fingers by his sides before turning to face Max.

"The sooner you remove her from my house the better."

Max fidgeted in obvious discomfort as he chose his next words carefully.

"Perhaps you should speak to her, Georg. I think you need to, so that you can move on with your life, for the sake of the children if nothing else."

Georg turned and stared out of the window. The clouds that drifted peacefully across the sky were reflected in the tranquil lake. The image of Maria and his children singing at the tops of their voices and rocking precariously in the rickety old rowing boat came to him and the recollection of all their excited faces when they had spotted him, made him smile to himself. It instantly soothed him and without turning he spoke calmly to his friend.

"If Maria dies then I will have no life to move on with… I wish that I had come to my senses earlier. I realise now that I loved her almost from the beginning and I should never have run away to Vienna. My children have come to rely on Maria, she is the only constant in their life. She has brought happiness back into this old house and love back into our hearts," Georg turned now to face his friend, the smile no longer visible on his lips.

"The only reason Maria was out in that storm is because of the vile lies that Elsa fed her. Do you honestly believe that I have anything left to say to her? If Elsa feels guilty for her involvement, then I am glad. I will not grant her the relief of my forgiveness." The anger was consuming him once again. He took a deep breath to compose himself and his voice became low but firm.

"Please take her back to Vienna but I would be grateful if you would consider returning?"

Max nodded. He knew that there was nothing further he could do to convince Georg that he should talk to Elsa. He bade farewell to his friend knowing that he would immediately return to Maria's side.

xXx

The only person within the household who truly had any idea about Georg's feelings for Maria was Frau Schmidt. Yes, the children were intrigued by their father's absence but they just assumed that he had returned to his previous behaviour of shutting himself away from them, just as he had before their Fraulein had come into their lives. They had no idea that he was spending his time with their Governess.

Georg knew that the housekeeper had figured out his reasons for remaining at Maria's side, but he didn't care. For too long he had bottled up his emotions, worn a mask of deception which hid behind it a man struggling to understand his own feelings. If only Maria were well he would shout his love for her from the rooftops and he knew that he wouldn't care one bit who heard him. Let the gossip mongers spread their vicious lies. He loved her, more than he had ever loved anyone before.

Hearing a knock on Maria's door once again he pushed himself wearily out of the chair and opened it to see Frau Schmidt, holding a cup and saucer.

"Thank you," he smiled and gratefully took the steaming hot drink from her hands.

"Doctor Haas will be visiting shortly. I thought perhaps you might like to freshen up before he arrives. I'll see to Fraulein Maria and maybe change her nightgown."

Georg nodded. Whilst he had tended to Maria in most aspects of her recovery he had drawn the line at undressing her. Somehow it would have been wrong for him to interfere with her in such a way.

He opened the door wide enough for Frau Schmidt to enter and then took one final glance behind at Maria before heading for his own room to change.

xXx

Frau Schmidt sat beside Maria and tenderly stroked the stricken Governess's cheek. It had come as no surprise to her to find out that her employer had fallen in love with Maria. Almost as soon as she had arrived, the housekeeper had noticed a change in the Captain.

"Maria…" she whispered, "…you must fight my dear. There are so many people here who need you so much. The children ask about you every single day. They miss your smile and your songs and the Captain, well… he is lost. I doubt that you can hear the loving words that he whispers into your ear every day but he loves you so much that it is physically hurting him to see you like this. I know he blames himself for what happened, so you see, you must come back to us to make him realise that it was not his fault."

Maria remained unconscious but her eyes flickered slightly and so Frau Schmidt continued in the hope that perhaps Maria did understand.

"The doctor will be coming soon, to see if you have made any progress. He believes that you were hit by a car in the storm."

Maria's eyes flickered again and this time her fingers twitched.

"The Captain found you, he saved your life. He would even give up his own life if it would bring you back. If he ever finds out who did this to you, well… I fear what he might do." The housekeeper started to push herself up from the chair when Maria groaned.

"Zeller… Herr Zeller." Her words were slurred and pained but Frau Schmidt understood immediately and everything made sense to her. She knew what had to be done, but telling the Captain was the last thing that she would do.

xXx

After changing Maria's nightgown, she let the Doctor in and went to tell the Captain of his arrival. She also told him that Maria had spoken a few words, although she decided that a few white lies would not see her banished to hell on this occasion.

Georg immediately rushed to Maria's room and flung the door open, much to the Doctors vexation.

"Please, Captain. The Fraulein may be showing promising signs but she still needs to rest without any loud interruptions. I will speak to Frau Schmidt presently about her continuing care on my way out." The doctor shut his bag and left them alone.

Ignoring the Doctor, Georg quickly settled at Maria's side, perching on the bed, he took her hand between his own.

"Maria, darling. Please, just show me that you can hear me," he pleaded quietly, but Maria remained still. He brushed a few stray strands of hair from her forehead with the back of his fingers and then stroked her cheek with his fingertips. Slowly he brought his lips to within inches of hers. He could feel her warm steady breath on his mouth as he hovered above her. Closing the gap, he kissed her tenderly.

It lasted only a moment and then he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before whispering, "I love you, Maria. With all my heart."

Lifting his face from hers he looked down at her lips and then gradually her eyes flickered and opened and the tears started to well. He could see her try to focus through the tears and confusion. She smiled fleetingly and he stared at her, lovingly placing his hand on her cheek, he brushed away a tear with his thumb.

Shock waves spread up his arm as to his horror Maria began to jerk and convulse violently. He held her shoulders and spoke to her with soothing words but the frantic jerking movements spread to the rest of her body and her arms and legs began to flail uncontrollably.

Georg nearly ripped the door off its hinges as he ran to the balcony and leaned as far over as he could.

"Doctor Haas… DOCTOR HAAS… I need you here now."

The Doctor, who had just collected his bag and coat, quickly ran up the stairs aware that there must be some emergency to cause the usually calm and collected Captain von Trapp to lose so much self-control.

When he entered Maria's room, her convulsions had begun to subside. He examined Maria and took her temperature and blood pressure. He checked for any injuries that the seizure may have inflicted and then snapped his bag shut once more.

"She doesn't have a fever so the convulsions were most likely as a result of the blow to the head. It is very difficult to know how severe her injury was. If she does recover there may be some lasting effects. I think the fact that she is beginning to respond is a good sign and we should not be disheartened by this. However, if she begins to deteriorate you must call me immediately and we may have to reconsider about her remaining here for her convalescence."

Georg just nodded. He had very little fight left in him. He had gone from near elation at Maria regaining consciousness to the most crippling sense of fear he had ever had in his life. She had understood him; he knew that but had his words been so abhorrent that he had caused her relapse?

All along he had been convinced that she had feelings for him but perhaps he had misjudged her, perhaps she was just such a warm and loving person that treated everyone in the same way as she had treated him; with friendly glances, small touches and trust.

Looking down at how peaceful Maria looked once again, he slumped into the chair beside the bed. Guilt and despair overwhelmed him and his shoulders began to rock as four days of pain and frustration overtook him. Sobs shook his body, his throat began to tighten and his strangled cries rang out along the corridor.

Frau Schmidt burst into the room fearing the worst but she was stopped in her tracks by the heart-breaking image of the Captain, rocking himself in the chair. She walked up to him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. He looked at her through blood shot eyes and allowed himself to be slowly guided to the door.

The housekeeper watched as her dejected employer made his way wearily to his room.

xXx

So, I have to admit that this story is just developing as it goes along, I hope that it's still enjoyable. There will be one further chapter to tie up all the loose ends. Thank you again for reading and I hope you think it worthy of a review… I always appreciate it!