A/N: So this chapter definitely references some adult themes, but I did not include anything explicit so that it stays at a T rating. If people are interested in M related content, I have entertained the idea of a separate story with M rated one-shots in this universe- let me know if that is something that people would want to read.

Maria was still floating on cloud nine the following day when they went down to the lake with the children. Once she had finally recovered her voice the previous day, she had thanked Georg profusely for the proposal, telling him that he had not needed to go to such trouble for she was happy with the first proposal of marriage. He had simply smiled and told her that she might have been content with it, but he most certainly was not.

When she had gone to his room that night for their nightly talk, she had been expecting it to turn into something more given the events of the day. However, they had done nothing but talk and share a few sweet but comparatively chaste kisses. When he had suggested they retire for the night, she had finally worked up the courage to ask him about his plans. "Are you sure? I thought. . ." He had understood what she thought without her needing to say it fortunately.

"While today was a necessary step for I refuse to take you into my bed without my ring on your finger, today was about asking you to be a part of the family. If you still want to take that final step, then the day will go a bit. . . differently."

"When?"

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. "We are going to the opera in two days. If you still want to move forward, pack an overnight bag."

"Overnight? But the children. . ."

"I have already arranged childcare for the opera, and extending it overnight should not be a problem. Trust me, it will be better this way."

"I trust you."

Something wet splashed on Maria, breaking her from her memories. She looked over to see Georg smirking at her as he flicked his fingers again, showering her once more. She was about to object when a voice interrupted, saying something in English. Maria and Georg both turned to see a young maid that Maria vaguely recognized but could not name.

"Thank you, Harriet," he told her, and Maria recognized the name as Emma's friend. As he took a stack of clean towels from her hands, the woman glanced between Maria and Georg before dropping her eyes to the ring. With a muffled comment that Maria did not understand, she turned and practically ran away. Georg snorted.

"Subtle," he remarked.

"Was I not supposed to wear the ring?" Maria wondered, worried he had not wanted news of their relationship to spread so quickly.

"No, I hope you never take that ring off."

"But the gossip-"

"Oh, they're not gossiping about the fact that we're getting married, at least not much. Most seem to think as your friend Emma did, that I'm using the marriage to get what I want."

"Emma doesn't think that anymore."

"Perhaps. But she's the only one." From his expression, Maria knew there was more to the story than he was telling.

"How do you know what the servants are gossiping about?"

"Harriet told me. Indirectly."

"When?"

"When you were helping the children get ready this morning. She approached me and strongly implied that she would be interested in. . . getting to know me better." He gave her a significant look, and she gasped.

"Really?" He nodded, chuckling. "I fail to see the humor in this."

"You have to admit, Darling, there's a certain irony here. While I am single, no one even considers proposing such a thing. However, as soon as I make my engagement public, it apparently means that I would be open to such things." He grabbed a towel from the stack and started to dry out his hair when a piece of paper fell out. He picked it up, read it quickly, and snorted before crumpling it and placing it with his clothes.

"What is it?" Maria asked.

"Just what you'd expect." At her confused look, he clarified further. "A time and a place."

"For what." He gave her a significant look. "Oh. What are you planning to do?"

"Ignore her."

"Do you think that will work? She seems quite persistent."

Georg shrugged. "I do not have much experience in these matters, so I cannot think of anything else to try."

"I find that hard to believe." The words left Maria's mouth before she could stop them, and Georg turned to her with an arched eyebrow.

"What exactly are you implying?"

"I know you were never unfaithful, Georg. I just thought. . . well, you're a very handsome man and a naval hero to boot. I assumed it would not be the first time you had unwanted attention."

He considered his answer for a moment. "In my social circles, everyone knows who is open to those sort of attentions and who is not. It was well known that Agathe and I were not, so I never had a problem on that front. As for closer to home, you have Frau Schmidt to thank for taking care of things there."

"Frau Schmidt?"

"Mmm-hmm. She makes it quite clear to anyone who comes to work in the villa that there will be no fooling around, and if there is so much as a suggestion of such a thing, that person is gone rather quickly. You're lucky she likes you so much."

Maria blushed slightly. "I suppose I am."

"Now, I have it on good authority that you have only waded in the water up to this point which I find unacceptable. So I will watch the children for a bit while you have a swim."

"I'm not a very good swimmer."

"All the more reason to practice then." Maria knew when he spoke with such a tone that it was useless to argue with him, so she removed the cotton dress she used to cover her bathing suit and stepped into the water.

The following day, Liesl once more helped Maria ready herself for an outing with Georg. This time, however, Louisa sat on the bed behind them, offering suggestions from time to time. "You do not have to stay here if you don't want to," Maria assured the younger girl. "I know helping me prepare for the opera is not top of your list of things to do."

Louisa shrugged. "I'm not one for getting dressed up myself, but I don't mind helping others."

"In that case, I greatly appreciate your help." The girls finished dressing Maria before she left to find the other children who were playing in the boys' room, closely watched by an elderly woman Georg had hired to look after them for the night. With Louisa's help translating, Maria gave the woman some final instructions before saying goodbye to the children. Marta expressed a desire to see her off, but when she started to move toward the door, Liesl held her back.

"We can watch their car leave from the window," the older girl suggested.

"But I wanna say goodbye to Father, too!"

"He already came up and said goodbye," Friedrich pointed out.

"Why can't I go down?"

Liesl glanced at Maria. "I think Father and Fraulein Maria would prefer it to be just the two of them. We will see them both tomorrow." Marta pouted a bit but Louisa managed to distract her with her dolls, allowing Maria to slip out of the room. She stopped at her room, grabbing the small bag she had earlier packed. As she carried it out, she paused briefly at the top of the steps, smoothing her skirts before descending. In the foyer below, Georg waited, and a smile spread across his face as she came into view.

"Breathtaking," he told her, holding out a hand as she stepped off the staircase. Her heart fluttered as he pulled her closer, pressing a long kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he looked down at the bag in her hands, taking it with a small smile. "Shall we?" He held out his free arm, and she took it. They walked together to the car, and he put the bag in the boot before opening her door for her.

They had dinner first at an elegant restaurant that served Italian food, which Maria had always loved. Both ate heartily, talking of mundane things, mostly the children but also some about their favorite parts of the trip or places they hoped to go in the future. For most of the meal, Maria managed to avoid thinking about the plans for the night's end, but by the time Georg had paid the check, those plans had worked their way to the forefront of her mind. Her heart beat a bit wildly, but she tamped it down, reminding herself that this was what she wanted.

The opera was beautiful, so beautiful that Maria forgot all about her nerves until the entire audience stood to clap at the end of the final act. Suddenly, Maria's anxiety returned in full force, and she glanced over at Georg. He continued to clap, but he glanced her way, and their eyes met. He gave a soft smile, calming her somewhat. As they gathered their belongings to leave, he took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back. "Maria," he said gently, and she looked up at him. "I know we both have expectations for this night, but I truly do not mind if we change our plans. I want you to be comfortable."

"I am."

"Okay. But if that changes at all, please tell me." She nodded. He kissed her hand again before placing it on his arm, leading her out to the valet station. As they walked through the lobby, a voice suddenly stopped them. Maria heard Georg's name but could not make out any of the other words the man said. However, Georg's low German curse told her that the person's presence was an unwanted surprise.

They turned to see a man in his late fifties approaching, a wide smile on his face. His hair had gone almost completely gray, and wrinkles lined much of his face, but his blue eyes had a spark of intelligence that Maria liked. She wondered why Georg had reacted so strongly to his presence. As if reading her mind, he gave her hand a squeeze, a sure indication they would talk later. He then had a short conversation in English of which Maria could make out only two words—her own name and "Goodbye." After the man walked away, Georg looked after him for a moment before cursing again, more colorfully this time. Maria raised her eyebrows in question. "He's an old friend of Agathe's parents," Georg explained. "Which means it will not be long before news of my—well, our, because he was most interested in the fact that I was here with you—presence in England will be reported to them. And once that happens, we will have no choice but to visit."

"What worries you about that?"

Georg sighed heavily. "Agathe's parents never much liked me. Her mother thought I was too lowborn for her daughter, and I think her father still felt like I was the enemy since I had fought against Britain in the war."

"Surely he doesn't still think that, not now-"

Georg gave her a warning look. "He doesn't know," he said simply.

"But he's your father-in-law!"

"Who I barely talked to even when my wife was alive and have spoken with a grand total of twice since her death. We are not close. Even Agathe, as much as she loved him, was not especially close to him. You certainly would not have found them having a water fight in the lake." Maria gave a small smile at the memory of him doing just that with his children that afternoon.

"But if he knew, wouldn't-"

"Out of the question," Georg said immediately. "Even if I wanted to, I would not be allowed to say anything. And that is all I am willing to say on the subject here." He glanced around significantly. Maria forced back her curiosity, knowing he was correct to rebuke her. "Now, as upset as my in-laws are likely to be, it is extremely unlikely that anything will happen tonight, so I suggest we do not allow thoughts of them to spoil our evening."

Maria nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

"Would you prefer to go home or would you like to continue?"

"Continue. Please." Georg nodded, leading her to the valet stand. He handed his key to the young man there, and they were soon on the road. Georg drove them to a nearby hotel, and it was not long before they were standing in the doorway of a luxurious suite as Georg spoke to the bellman in English. After a minute or so, the door closed behind the younger man, and Georg locked it. He stepped to Maria, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would you like the bathroom first?"

She looked at him, her eyes questioning, and he smiled. "I thought you would like to change into something more comfortable. As lovely as you are in that dress, I doubt you want to wear it all night." Maria nodded quickly, taking her bag and starting for the bathroom. She stopped before she reached it, however.

"The clasps," she remarked hesitantly. "I needed Liesl to help do them up, and I am not sure I could undo them alone."

"Of course." He stepped towards her, and she dropped her bag and swept her hair out of the way so he could begin to unclasp the dress. It slipped slightly in the front as it loosened, and she quickly pressed her free arm to the top of it to hold it in place. His fingers brushed the silk of her underclothes as he finished unbuttoning, and she heard him take a sharp breath before stepping away. "Let me know if you need any other help," he told her.

"I will." Still holding the dress up, Maria grabbed her bag and stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Once safely in private, she let the dress drop the floor. She spent a few minutes studying her reflection critically in the mirror. She had never particularly liked her figure—she had always thought she was too thin and angular. She was still not sure how she had ever attracted a man as handsome as Georg von Trapp, but he had told her many times that he found her quite beautiful, and she was even beginning to believe him.

Reminding herself that he was waiting, she rummaged in her bag for her nightgown but before she pulled it out, her hand came into contact with something else. Frowning, she pulled out a light pink nightgown that she knew she had not packed into her bag that morning. She had, in fact, never seen it before in her life. It certainly was not the type of thing she would buy for herself—though she was sure there were far more risque outfits available, it was still much shorter than anything else she owned and had a good deal more lace than her usual nightclothes. It was quite pretty, she noted, and the material was much softer than she had expected. Gathering her courage, she slipped out of her underclothes and into the pink nightgown. It did feel heavenly on her skin. She spent another few seconds adjusting it so that it covered as much as it could—which turned out to be more than she expected—before walking out of the bathroom.

Georg turned when he heard the door open, and his eyes darkened slightly when he saw her. "Good. You found it."

"I assumed you wanted me to wear it."

"You assumed correctly."

"It's quite pretty. And soft. I've never owned anything like it." She tugged self-consciously at the hem of it. He reached out to still her hand.

"You will own more like it soon enough, I promise. In the meantime, please do not worry so. You are beautiful." He kissed her once, pulling back quickly. "I am just going to change as well before I join you." With that, he took his own bag and entered the bathroom. Maria stood in the room for a moment, unsure what she should do next. She was suddenly quite aware that she was standing only a few feet from the largest bed she had ever seen wearing the least amount of clothing she had ever worn when not swimming. Those thoughts caused a heady mix of nerves and desire to rush through her body.

Before Maria could decide what to do, the door clicked open again and she turned to see Georg emerge from the bathroom in a set of navy blue silk pajamas. The intimacy of seeing him in such clothing caused her to blush, and she dropped her eyes. He stepped forward, cupping her chin and lifting her head to face him. "All you need to do is tell me to stop, and I will."

She shook her head. "I don't want to stop."

"Okay." He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a deep kiss. She responded immediately, opening her mouth to him as her own hands moved to his shoulder blades. On the surface, the kiss seemed no different than others they had shared, but underneath, there was something unique about it, an intensity that Maria had never experienced. It simultaneously thrilled and terrified her.

"I need you to talk to me," he said, pulling back slightly from the kiss. "I want to make sure that you are completely comfortable with everything that happens between us."

Maria nodded, slightly breathless already even though they had done no more than kiss. She knew where he wanted the night to go, and in many ways, she wanted the same thing. But after eight days of over-thinking, she found herself quite frightened, and she was struggling a bit to overcome that fright. "I just. . . can we go slow?"

"Of course, Darling." He kissed her again, slow and sensual, and she felt his hands move from her hips up her sides, caressing her through the thin fabric of the nightgown. "You're tense," he murmured against her lips.

"I'm sorry." It was just as she had feared–her past had ruined her for him. She would probably never be able to relax enough to make love to him and then why would he even want to marry her?

"Let's get you relaxed," he said, for once oblivious to the thoughts running through her head. Gently, he led her to the bed, helping her to lay down on her stomach.

"Don't I need to be the other way?" she asked, trying to turn over, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She was inexperienced, but she had some medical training and she knew the basic mechanics of what was going to happen.

"Not just yet, my love," he told her. She felt him straddle her legs, felt the silky texture of his pajama bottoms brush against her calves. Before she could wonder long what he was doing, she felt his hands on her back, gently massaging the tense muscles there. It felt wonderful, and she could not stop the small moan from falling from her lips. "That's it," he coaxed, his warm hands relaxing her taut muscles. "Just let yourself relax and feel." She did as he asked, and her muscles slowly loosened as her entire body lost much of its tension.

Maria was not sure how long he massaged her for, but she was feeling quite relaxed when she felt his warm hands directly on her skin just above her knee. He continued to move them slowly upwards, pushing her nightgown up as well as he went. Maria expected the intimate touch to scare her further, but it surprisingly felt natural. "Are you still enjoying yourself?"

"Mm-hmm," she hummed, too lost in sensation to say anything more coherent. He chuckled slightly, his hands gliding over her shoulder blades and down to her lower back before dropping lower still. She gasped, part surprise, part pleasure, as he placed them on her buttocks, squeezing gently.

"Do you mind if I take off your nightgown?" he questioned after another couple minutes. She shook her head, raising her torso off the bed so he could pull it over her head. The cool air of the room raised goosebumps on her exposed back, but he quickly chased them away with his warm hands. He leaned forward, and she felt his lips press against her shoulder blade, his tongue darting out to gently caress her skin. She now felt something building between her thighs, a heat that she had never experienced before but one which she instinctively wanted to satisfy. Her hips pressed forward, pushing the spot where the heat was most intense against the mattress in an attempt to get some relief of the pressure. As she did so, she felt Georg's hands slide down her legs before moving upwards again, his fingers sweeping her inner thighs this time. He stopped just before reaching the place where she wanted him most, and she moaned in disappointment. "Turn around for me, Darling," he whispered, and she complied immediately, willing to do anything he asked in order to feel more of the heady feelings coursing through her blood. He smiled at her as his hands continued to work their magic on her skin, skipping over her breasts in favor of caressing her stomach and thighs.

At some point, her eyes slid shut in pleasure, trusting Georg to take care of her. Suddenly, she felt one warm hand cup her left breast, massaging gently, and she gasped as she opened her eyes to see him watching her carefully, a smile on his face. She returned the smile, and he continued to squeeze her breast gently before moving on to the right one. Though he had briefly touched her there before, it had been over her clothes and was for a far shorter duration than the current time. It certainly had not left her nearly dizzy with pleasure as she currently was.

His hands slipped downwards again, briefly caressing her thighs once more before they came to rest on the waistband of her underwear. "Can I take these off, my love?"

She nodded then swallowed hard when she remembered his instructions from earlier. "Yes," she told him, and he smiled gently upon hearing her speak. Slowly, he pulled the last piece of fabric from her body. With that, they lost themselves to sensation.

Sometime later, he collapsed against her, his full weight resting against her for a few seconds before he managed to push himself to one side. He reached down to remove the prophylactic, quickly tying it and excusing himself to discard it in the bathroom. When he returned, he had a wet washcloth in his hands. She stared at him curiously for a moment, and he gave her a small, almost shy smile. "May I?" he asked, gesturing at her legs. She nodded, confused as to his intention but trusting him implicitly. Much to her surprise, he began to run the washcloth over her upper thighs and into her most intimate area.

"What are you. . .oh!" Realization dawned on Maria as he pulled away the washcloth and she saw it red with blood. He folded it over and returned to his task. "I can do that," she told him, reaching down, but he shook his head.

"Please. I enjoy taking care of you. How are you feeling?"

Maria considered the question for a moment. "Loved," she finally answered, and he gave her a crooked smile, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as he finished his ministrations.

"Any pain?"

"Perhaps a bit, but it is barely noticeable. You were very gentle."

"Good." He stood again, returning the washcloth to the bathroom before sliding back into bed beside her. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body against his. She relaxed against him, feeling safe and warm and content. Focusing on the feel of his heart beat against her back, she fell into a deep slumber.

When she woke the next morning, it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. Once she did, however, she smiled. After the previous night, all her nerves had disappeared. She no longer even felt ashamed of their actions, for one emotion drowned out all other feelings—love. Love for the man lying behind her, the man who had captured her heart and would have it for all eternity. "Good morning," he mumbled, his voice a low rumble in her ear. She turned so she could face him.

"Good morning," she answered, smiling at his sleep-tousled appearance. In some ways, seeing him like that—eyes still a bit hazy with sleep, hair askew, features shadowed by the early morning light—seemed even more intimate than what they had done the previous night.

"How did you sleep?"

"Better than I ever have."

"Must be the bed."

"Mmm, I credit the company." He smiled, closing the small distance between them to press a long, lingering kiss to her lips. She shifted towards him, pressing their naked bodies together. He groaned, pulling away from her lips to give her a questioning look.

"Maria?"

"When do we need to leave?" She responded to his question with one of her own.

A slow, almost feral, smile spread over his lips. "Not for another couple hours." With that, he captured her lips again and no words were spoken for quite some time.

Some time later, they lay together in the tangled bedsheets, still joined intimately as sweat cooled on their body. His hands drew lazy patterns over her back, dipping lower from time to time. Eventually, he pulled away. "I need to deal with this before it becomes ineffective," he remarked, gesturing to the prophylactic. Maria nodded, and he quickly disposed of it in the bathroom. As he returned to bed, Maria finally worked up the courage to ask something that had been in the back of her mind since he had first mentioned the prophylactic's purpose the previous night.

"Do you want more children? After we're married, I mean." He sighed, and Maria saw his smile dim. She quickly backpedaled, feeling his reaction was answer enough. "I see. That makes sense, I suppose; after all, seven can be difficult enough. I can't even imagine-"

He placed a finger against her lips to stop the torrent of words. "I don't think you quite see," he told her. "In many ways, I do want more children. I have always loved the children and truly believe they are gifts from God. And watching you interact with them makes me fall in love with you a little more each time. I would love to see you with more."

"But?" Maria prompted, sensing there was more.

His eyes took on a faraway look. "Agathe died in childbirth," he reminded her.

"Oh, Georg."

He sighed, turning his attention back to her. "I know circumstances are different. I know that plenty of children are born without complications. I know all the facts, but it does not stop me from worrying."

"Understandably so." They were silent for a minute or so, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Maria finally broke the silence. "You said you believed they were gifts from God. What if we accepted them as such?" At his confused look, she clarified. "We put the question of more children in God's hands. If he blesses us with more, we accept that and if not, we enjoy the seven blessings he has already given us. And if he sees fit to take me-"

"Don't say it," Georg whispered fiercely.

"I have always believed God has a plan for our lives. We just have to put our trust in him."

"A year ago, I would have scoffed at that idea. I did not believe a truly loving God would have taken my wife away from me. And now. . . how could one of the worst moments in my life bring one of the best?"

"I don't pretend to have all the answers. I failed as a nun, remember?" The comment had the desired effect of lightening the tone of the conversation somewhat, and Georg smiled.

"Trust in God?"

"I believe that is the best policy."

"Even if he sees fit to give us a dozen more children? I am rather fertile you know, and you are still young." Maria rolled her eyes at him, and he laughed as he kissed her. After a pleasant interlude, Maria pulled away, serious once more.

"You promised to do everything in your power to return to me. Well, I make the same promise to you. Like you, I cannot guarantee nothing will ever happen in childbirth, but I do know that you give me more strength than I ever imagined, and that strength will take me far. I intend to watch all of my children and hopefully many of my grandchildren grow up, and I can be very stubborn."

He nodded at her, his eyes clearly reflecting her gratitude for her words and understanding. "Thank you," he said sincerely. With that, he gave her a kiss full of promise.