Georg had returned by the time the kids started to wake up. As Maria helped the youngest prepare for the day, he disappeared into his room, presumably to change and prepare for the day as well. When he joined them at breakfast, he looked as impeccable as ever though Maria noted that the dark circles under his eyes were especially prominent. He had discarded the tie which kept his arm against his body, something Maria would have advised against if he asked, but she knew he would not listen. He at least seemed to be working hard to keep his arm still. "Something's going on," Liesl observed as soon as she sat down.

Georg looked at her sharply and then glanced over at her younger siblings who were following the conversation with interest–except Gretl who seemed to delight in seeing how much of her breakfast she could toss on the floor. "We will talk about it after breakfast," he said firmly. Liesl's eyes narrowed but she said nothing, merely turning back to her food. The rest of breakfast passed mostly in silence apart from the occasional remark from one of the younger children. When they finished, Georg carefully wiped his mouth before meeting Maria's eyes. He nodded, and she understood what he wanted at once.

"Brigitta, Gretl, Marta, Kurt, let's go play upstairs for a bit," she told the youngest four. Kurt and Brigitta stared at her suspiciously, but they allowed her to shoo them out of the room. As the door closed behind them, she heard the Captain clearing his throat.

"Some things did happen yesterday," he confirmed to his eldest three children, but Maria lost the rest of his words as she moved to the stairs with the younger children.

"Can we go swimming today?" Kurt questioned as they started up the steps.

"Not today, Kurt."

"Why not? It looks like a nice day!"

"I just don't feel like being outside today."

"This has something to do with what Papa's telling the others, doesn't it?" Brigitta observed.

"Look, children, let's go find something to play with in the nursery. Maybe we can build an even bigger block tower than we did before." That idea caught their interest, and they followed Maria up to the nursery a bit more eagerly. The oldest three children joined them a few minutes later, all looking unusually subdued. Maria had to give them credit, however, for they made an effort to push aside their fears and play with the younger children as if nothing was wrong. When she caught their eye, she tried to smile to show them she appreciated their efforts, but she suspected that her expression looked forced.

Much to Maria's surprise, Georg actually entered the nursery mid-morning, a small smile on his face as he surveyed the rather chaotic scene in front of him. "I thought I might join you," he remarked, causing many squeals of delight and the first smiles Maria had seen from the older children all morning. Maria caught his eye, raising her eyebrows in question. Though he had been spending more time with his children in the past few months, even going so far as to discard his coat and tie from time to time, she had suspected that he would want to rest and recover after his injury the previous night. He gave her a soft smile in return, stepping into the room and leaning closer to her. "Copious quantities of painkillers. I could tell the children needed something to distract them and, truth be told, so did I," he whispered in her ear. His breath was hot against her flesh, and Maria fought back shivers with some difficulty.

"Just don't overdo it, please," she told him. He smiled in a most distracting manner before turning back to his children who were all begging him to play with them first.

Georg excused himself after lunch, and Maria could see the pain on his face despite his attempts to hide it. She frowned, but she could not say anything in front of the children. Maria quickly settled the younger children down for their naps before helping the older ones with their summer lessons. Though distracted, they still finished relatively quickly before disappearing to their own rooms to play. Liesl was the last to leave, and she paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Is Father really okay, Fraulein?" she asked. "He just seemed. . . off."

"Your father is fine," Maria promised her, praying that she spoke the truth. Liesl relaxed, smiling slightly, before leaving. Maria let out a long sigh, straightening the school books before catching her lip between her teeth. She knew what she wanted to do, but she was not sure that she should. After a few moments of internal debate, however, she reasoned that after everything that had happened the previous night, she at least had a right to ask how he was doing.

She knocked on the door, and his low voice bid her enter almost immediately. She found him sitting behind his desk, a crumpled piece of paper in front of him and a tumbler of amber liquid in his hand. She could not stop the first words out of her mouth. "Are you sure you should be drinking while on painkillers?"

His eyebrows rose in challenge, but after a minute or so, he sighed, setting aside the glass. 'You're right, as always, Fraulein."

"How are you doing? Truly?"

"It feels like I got shot."

"Do you want me to check for infection?"

"Are you just trying to get my clothes off again, Fraulein?" She cursed her pale skin as she blushed scarlet. He chuckled slightly. "I am fine. I checked it myself less than an hour ago. I do thank you for your concern however."

Maria could not have stopped the next question out of her mouth if she tried; sometimes, her natural curiosity simply got the better of her. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her sharply. "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You're brooding." They stared at each other for a moment before his face broke into a small smile.

"You truly do know me quite well, Fraulein. I just received a telegram that I suspect does not bode well." At her raised eyebrows, he continued. "Fraulein, I told you last night that I have made my own choices and have my own cross to bear. I do not expect anyone to share that burden."

"And I told you that I want to." He studied her for a moment, his face shadowed by the dim light from his desk lamp. After what she had seen last night, Maria half expected to be scared while under such intense scrutiny, but surprisingly, she felt nothing of the sort. In fact, for the first time in her life, she felt absolutely, completely safe. Even in the Abbey, she had never felt completely safe, for she had always feared that someone might discover that she did not belong there and ask her to leave. Now, however, she had no fear of not belonging or of what might happen in the future. Somehow, she knew that her future was here, and things would work out fine.

"I just want to make it absolutely clear that getting involved in this mess could put you in grave danger. Are you sure you are ready for that?" Maria did not even hesitate before nodding. A small smile graced his features. "You are truly one of a kind, Fraulein," he told her. Before she could ask him exactly what he meant, he turned back to the telegram. "It's a message from my contact in the British government. He's coming to Salzburg and planning to meet me tomorrow."

"Is that. . . bad?"

"It is certainly not good. We rarely meet in person, especially not here–it's quite dangerous. They tried to talk me into coming to Britain, but I could not leave you and the children with the country in turmoil, so this was their solution. I am a bit worried about what is so important they felt they needed to talk with me immediately instead of waiting for the riots to settle so I can travel to Britain."

"Do you think we're in danger?"

He opened his mouth but seemed to think better of what he was going to say. "I honestly do not know," he finally told her. Though his words frightened Maria, she was grateful that he was being honest with her.

"Can I do anything?"

"Not right now. I will know more tomorrow, I suppose."

Maria could see that Georg was distracted the remainder of the day, and she had to work hard to keep herself focused on the children. If they noticed anything, however, they did not say it for which Maria was grateful. They played outside until dinnertime, and they all went to bed relatively easily that night, tired from a full day. Once they were all in their rooms, Maria went down to Georg's study as she usually did when he was home. She found him sitting on the sofa, a book open in his lap though she suspected he was not really reading it. He glanced up when he heard her enter, smiling slightly. "Are the children abed already?" he questioned.

"I think they were all tired," she told him.

"Me too," he agreed. He set the book aside. "I'll go say goodnight and return shortly so we can talk." Maria nodded, taking a seat on the couch. True to his word, he returned less than ten minutes later, smiling slightly at her as he took a seat next to her.

"I thought I could check the wound," Maria told him.

"You don't have to."

"Please." They stared at one another for a moment before he finally sighed.

"I do not know why I bother arguing." He began unbuttoning his shirt with his good hand, and Maria forced her eyes to remain on his face.

"How does it feel?"

"Painful, but I can handle it." His hand stilled as it finished the last button, and he grunted slightly as he began to slip the shirt off. Maria saw the pain cross his face, and she immediately scooted toward him to help him pull the shirt off the rest of the way. As she did so, the backs of her fingers brushed against his chest, and he inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately, afraid she had hurt him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he told her, his voice low. Maria looked up at him, and she noted that his bright blue eyes were darker than normal. He stared at her with an intensity that set her heart pounding, and she immediately dropped her gaze. Unfortunately, that simply brought his well-muscled chest into focus which did nothing to slow her heart. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop her reaction. She had undressed many men before in a clinical setting and was always able to remain calm and detached. She just needed to treat the current situation in the same way.

However, her traitorous body seemed determine to prove the current situation was not at all the same. She had to slide her hand into the sleeve to help guide it gently over his bandaged arm, and her full palm came in contact with his warm skin. She heard him suck in a deep breath. "Maria." She had never heard him say her name like that before. She had never heard anyone say her name like that before, in fact–it was soft, but there was an intensity to his words that caused her to flush.

"Captain," she said, hoping he did not hear the slight waver in her own voice.

"Georg," he corrected. She looked up at him, a bit confused. "I feel that after all we've been through together, you have more right than anyone to use my given name."

She wanted to look away from his penetrating gaze, but she could not bring herself to do so. "That wouldn't be proper," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I think we left propriety behind when you pulled a bullet out of me."

"Cap-Georg," she corrected at a look. "I. . . I don't know what to think anymore." And she did not. She felt for him things she had never felt for anyone before, things she never could have imagined she would feel. Less than a year before, she was planning to dedicate her life to God. She knew that meant she would never be able to have a romantic relationship, but she had not cared about such things at the time, for she did not want such a relationship. Her experience with men told her that they would hurt you at the first opportunity, and she certainly did not want to give them such an opportunity. But now, she realized that perhaps she had been too hasty to judge all men based on a few negative experiences. She could not believe that Georg would ever hurt her.

"Maria." His tone was gentle now, but it still caused her heart to flutter. Reaching up with his good arm, he grabbed her hand, placing it on his bare chest right over his heart. She could feel it beating strongly beneath his warm flesh, and hers responded in kind. "That's what you do to me," he told her. "I never thought I could love again after Agathe. I thought the children and my work would be enough, and I certainly did not want to involve anyone in my complicated life. But then you came and turned my world upside down and brought my children back to me. Still, I tried to fight my attraction to you, telling myself it was just a passing thing, that I would get over it once you had been here awhile. But I did not. In fact, I found myself falling harder. When I was gone, I did not miss just the children–I missed our late night talks, the way you never hesitated to argue with me when I was being especially stubborn, watching you bond with my children and treat them as your own. I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with you, but I knew I could not tell you. It was too dangerous–I would never forgive myself if someone found out and tried to use you against me. And besides, I never thought you could possibly love me back, a man ten years your senior with seven children who's been damaged by life. I thought if I kept you at a distance, stayed professional and aloof, everything would work out. Until last night." He dropped her hand so that he could gently caress her cheek. "Maria, I love you. I would like nothing more than to give you all of myself, but as I am sure you know by now, there are parts of that self that are not pretty or easy to live with. There are parts that are downright dangerous. And I want you to make sure that you are ready for those parts, too. Because if you are not, I will walk away."

"Georg, I-"

He slid his hand down her cheek and placed a finger over her lips. "I don't want you to answer now. I want you to think about it, to be sure of your answer."

"But I am," Maria told him honestly. She may never have felt love before, but she knew enough to realize it was what she was feeling now. She also knew she would not be able to live without him. Even the mere suggestion that he could walk away had left her wanting to shout at him to stay.

He searched her face for a moment, and a slow smile formed on his own face as he saw the honest emotion there. "Feel free to stop me if I move too quickly," he whispered. And then, slowly, he leaned forward. His hand slid back to her cheek, cupping it gently, and his lips met hers in a gentle but nevertheless passionate kiss. Maria's eyes slid shut as she felt the gentle press of his lips on hers. Her only experience with kissing was the brutal press of lips that was almost bruising in its intensity, a violent act that did not even deserve the name kissing. It was a night and day difference between that action and the kiss Georg was currently bestowing on her lips. Georg's kiss was soft, a massage of his lips against hers that sent goosebumps down her arm.

After a few moments, he pulled back, his fingers brushing against her cheeks. As he did so, Maria felt moisture there, and she realized it had come from her eyes. She opened them now to see him watching her with concern. "Maria, I'm sorry. Did I-"

"Don't be sorry," she told him. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to reveal her secret, the one she had never told a single person, not even the Reverend Mother though she knew the kindly older woman had suspected something. "I need to tell you something, and I ask that you let me finish before you say anything." He nodded, starting to pull away, but she grabbed his hand with hers and pressed it back to her cheek. She needed him close, needed his strength. He seemed to understand, letting his fingers continue to caress her cheeks and lips. "I told you last night that I trained to be a nurse," she said. "What I didn't tell you was why I left. I was actually just a few weeks shy of graduation and was working in the hospital late one night. We were short-staffed at the time, so they often let the students who were nearly graduated work alone instead of insisting on having a mentor present. In hindsight, I wish they didn't." She took a deep breath, dropping her gaze from his. She focused on a spot over his shoulder, telling her story to the couch. "The doctor working that night was also relatively inexperienced, having just graduated a few months prior–it was one of the least desirable shifts, I guess. I had never liked him much, for he had always seemed arrogant, thinking he was better than us because he was a doctor while we were just nurses, but I never thought. . ." She took another deep breath, focusing on the soothing motion of his fingers. "I was at the nurse's desk finishing up some reports when I heard him. I thought he had just come to change his orders, but when I turned around, I saw. . . I don't know how to describe it except that his eyes weren't right. He stepped closer, pinning me against the desk, and I could smell alcohol on him. He started talking, saying awful things about how I was such a temptress, that I was asking for him to. . ." She broke off, feeling the tears flowing freely now. She chanced a glance at Georg, noting he was rigid with tension, a scowl deepening on his face though he kept his word and did not interrupt. Maria was grateful for that–she did not think she would be able to continue if she stopped now.

"He kissed me roughly and grabbed my wrists, pinning them behind my back. He was strong, and I was so terrified I didn't fight for a minute or so. But when he started to pull down his pants, I realized I couldn't just stand there. I. . . bit his tongue when he forced it into my mouth, and that made him jump back enough that I could get away. I ran back to the patient area, and I stayed there until someone came to relieve me the next morning. I dropped out of school the next day and went straight to the Abbey. After that experience, I didn't want to be near men ever again, so I thought dedicating myself to a life as a nun was the solution. And then I came here and. . . well, you know the rest of that story." Maria looked at Georg again, a bit frightened when she saw the rage burning in his eyes. He took a deep breath, the hand on his injured arm clenching and unclenching as his other continued to caress her face. After a few moments, he seemed to bring himself back under control.

"Men like that do not deserve to exist," he told her fiercely.

"I never told anyone else about this before," Maria admitted. "I was afraid they would think less of me. Maybe I did do something to tempt him or-"

"Don't ever blame yourself for that!" Georg hissed, his eyes blazing again. "There is nothing you could do that would give a man permission to take such brutal actions with you." Maria nodded, wide-eyed. He softened his tone slightly. "I do apologize for my earlier actions. I should never have moved so quickly."

"No," Maria told him, realizing he had misunderstood her reason for telling him the story. "I did not realize until tonight what a kiss could feel like. The difference between you and him was overwhelming."

Georg seemed determined to continue his path of self-flagellation, however. "Still, I should not have pushed you so fast. I should have-" Maria realized that no words would calm him, so she resorted to actions instead. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips carefully to his, trying to mimic his actions from before. He responded almost instantly, his lips gliding over hers sensually, and she moaned softly at the sensation. She was beginning to see why the fairy tale heroines seemed to enjoy this action so much.

He pulled back, now bringing both hands up to frame her face despite his injuries. "Maria," he whispered.

"Georg," she responded, her voice just as soft. "I love you. I want this. I want you–all of you." His grin was like the sun coming out, and this time he initiated the kiss though Maria noted he watched her the entire time for any signs of hesitation. They kissed languidly for a few minutes before Maria reached for him automatically. When her hand came into contact with the soft hair on his bare chest, he pulled away. His eyes were dark again, and his breathing was heavy.

"We should stop," he told her firmly.

"Yes," she agreed, willing her heart to settle and the pounding in her ears to lessen. "I still need to check your wound." He swallowed hard but nodded. She reached forward, pulling his shirt off as quickly as she could without hurting him. He flinched slightly, but Maria was not sure it was from pain. He stared at a spot behind her as she quickly removed the bandages and checked the wound before grabbing the first aid kit to put on a fresh dressing. "It's healing nicely," she said, keeping her tone as even as possible. "No signs of infection."

"Good. That's good." He sounded distracted, and she saw him swallow hard. Once she finished with the dressing, she held out his shirt.

"Do you need me to help?"

"No," he said quickly. "I can do it." She nodded, handing him the shirt before letting her hands drop into her lap. He grimaced as he slid the fabric over his shoulders, but he did manage to put on the shirt by himself. When he finished, he reached out and took her hand, running his thumb lightly over her knuckles. "Maria, is there anyone I should ask for your hand?" he asked softly. Her eyes widened slightly at the question. She had never before considered marriage–as far as she was concerned, no one would actually want to marry her.

"I don't have any family left. But I suppose we should ask-"

"The children," they said together before both chuckled.

"I will talk to them tomorrow," Georg promised.

"So soon?"

"Is it too fast?"

"No! I just. . . this is going to take some time before I trust it isn't a wonderful dream."

"For me as well," Georg told her. Leaning forward, he kissed her softly again on the lips before letting his lips move to her cheek and then her forehead. "I love you," he murmured into her hair.

"I love you, too."

A/N: So since our first time watching, my children have become rather obsessed with Sound of Music (they've watched it 5 or 6 times in the past few months which is saying something since they usually only get an hour-maybe two if we go to Grandma's-of screen time a week). The other day, I had to laugh when we were driving somewhere and my four-year-old remarked, "That man looks like Captain!" My husband looked at me, completely confused, and I had to clarify, "She means Captain von Trapp" (which she did).