She took a deep breath of his scent, feeling safer than she ever had in her life as she lay in his arms. His skin was warm beneath her cheek, his muscular body so comforting. She hadn't slept much, her nerves quite shot from the night before, so she found herself simply enjoying his presence by her side. His breathing changed a bit, and she could tell he was awake, but she held onto the moment for just a second longer. She never wanted to forget how perfect it felt to be held the way he was holding her.

"Did you sleep at all?" She smiled at the sound of his voice after sleep, quiet and tired. He moved his hand over her back comfortingly, and she could feel the warmth of his palm through the silk of her nightgown.

"No, not much."

"You really do need to, especially if you have a concussion." She gave a quick laugh, pressing a kiss to his chest as she readjusted herself against him. She would have loved to have gotten more sleep.

"Yes, I know that. I just can't turn off my mind long enough." He kissed her forehead, gently and lovingly, and she smiled as she adjusted to be closer to him, if it were at all possible.

"I'm here with you, darling. You are safe, and you can sleep now." She nodded, knowing he was right. Not only was he there by her side, there had been a police officer outside her front door all night. Otto had stormed off and was nowhere to be found. She was certain he ran to his parents, the same people who created the monster he had become.

"You know, I have always wanted to invite you to my home. I hoped it would be under much more enjoyable circumstances." He snorted, running his fingers across her back. He had stripped down and slept in his underwear the night before, and the feeling of her body against his skin was making him feel a bit weak.

"It is a beautiful house. I would have loved to come to a party you hosted."

"Well, I've only hosted one so far, and I found it to be utterly exhausting." He laughed, glad he could distract her and talk about nothing special with her. He wondered if perhaps the distraction would relax her enough to sleep a bit more. "I'm certain I won't be accepted by the social scene ever again."

"Why wouldn't you?" She scoffed, looking up so she could meet his eyes.

"I'm an adulteress."

"I know plenty of men in our circle who have done the same…and far worse besides, I should think."

"Yes, but they're men. A woman is held to much higher standards." He laughed, shaking his head a bit. "You're laughing, but tell me it's not true."

"Unfortunately, it is true. I'm laughing because I find it ridiculous." She smiled, somehow loving him even more for the fact that he had always treated her like his equal.

"It's not just that either. I'm sure talk of what happened last night will get around. People will gossip…I won't be able to show my face." He frowned, pressing a kiss to her forehead in comfort.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"This is all just more proof that I don't belong here. I'm the poor, orphaned, mountain girl who's been playing pretend…"

"You stop that right now." He rolled her over so that he was on top of her, fully meeting her eyes. She was taken aback by the movement, the edge to his words. "Maria, you are so much more than all of those things. You belong anywhere you go. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise can kindly piss off."

"Oh, really?" She laughed at his words, glad he continued to pull her out of the darkness of her own mind. It wasn't in her nature to be so low.

"Yes, really." She gave him a gentle smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to her for a kiss. His lips were soft, gentle as he deepened their kiss for a moment. She felt her stomach flutter between them, a constant occurrence when his lips touched hers, and she smiled into his kiss. He reluctantly pulled away after a moment, not wishing to take things too far.

"I'm so glad you're here."

"You wouldn't have called me if Liesl wasn't here." She bit her lip, knowing he was right. She had been quite frustrated at first when Liesl had chosen to call him so quickly after the argument with her husband.

"No, not right away. I wouldn't have wanted to talk about how much of a mistake I made coming back here."

"You know I would never try to make you feel guilty for a thing."

"You don't have to. The guilt is buried inside of me. I feel so stupid for leaving you, Georg. Twice I've done it, and I've never once wanted to." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, noticing the tears welling in her eyes.

"I've understood both times, my love."

"But how can you want me when all I've done is make you feel like I don't want you in return? Why don't you feel hatred toward me?" The tears finally fell from her eyes, and he shook his head. He wiped her cheeks with his fingers, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"There will never be a moment that I won't be wholeheartedly in love with you, no matter what happens. I know you feel the same about me." She nodded, knowing she would have felt the same even if the roles were reversed, and he had been the one to leave. "I won't pretend it didn't hurt to watch you go, but I understand. It wasn't the right time for us yet."

"But now look what I've caused."

"You think you deserved what he did to you?"

"I…I don't mean to feel that way." She looked away as she spoke, unable to meet his eyes. She felt ashamed of herself, ashamed of everything she had done in her marriage up until that point. "And the things Liesl witnessed…I have failed so miserably."

"Honestly, darling, stop this. You cannot be so hard on yourself." He hadn't realized just how broken she was on the inside, and perhaps she hadn't realized it either, until she felt safe enough to let it all out. She hadn't felt that she held control of her life for such a long while, she wasn't sure what to do with herself anymore. "You need to get some sleep. Everything feels like too much when you're exhausted."

"I'm afraid to close my eyes."

"It's alright, I promise. I'm awake for the day and will be here if you need anything at all." She nodded, and he moved from on top of her to help her get comfortable beneath the blankets. She sighed and closed her eyes, cuddling close to his side as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I love you."

"I love you so much, Maria." He kissed her once more, and it seemed to take no time at all for her breathing to even out and her body to give in. He took a deep breath, relieved that she finally allowed her body the sleep it needed. He fully planned to let her sleep as long as the day would allow.

xxxxx

He adjusted in his seat, a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the maid who happened to be dusting the furniture in that moment. She clearly had no idea who he was, but also had been put in her place enough times not to inquire. Liesl was with him, so she must have assumed he wasn't reason for alarm. Though it was the same maid who had watched him leave Maria's bedroom earlier that morning, so he had given up on determining what she must have thought of him.

He phoned the villa to check on the children, giving Max a better explanation than the scattered words he gave the night before. He had left in such a panic, Max really was given no choice but to agree and await further instruction. He didn't mind though, he liked to be in charge of the villa when Georg was away. Though the wine cellar certainly seemed to take a hit in times like those, he mused.

"Are you alright, Liesl?" She nodded, looking up from her book and giving him a small smile.

"Yes, of course."

"It's just that you haven't turned the page of your book once since you sat down." She looked to her lap again and quietly closed the book, realizing he was right. "Is there anything you'd like to discuss?"

"I'm afraid none of it is any of my business." He shook his head, knowing full well that she had so many questions by then.

"I'm willing to give you a pass on that, if there are things you need to talk about." She licked her lips, adjusting in her seat as she worked up the courage to speak. She could hardly decide where to begin.

"I suppose I didn't realize that…I didn't know you and Fraulein Maria were so…close." She was blushing a bit, and he knew exactly what she meant by her words. He gave a short chuckle, unsure how exactly Maria would have wanted him to respond.

"It wasn't until she came back to Salzburg that we admitted our feelings to one another, if that's what you're asking. Everything was completely appropriate when she was your governess." She smiled, remembering when they danced the Laendler at their party. She wasn't certain it had been completely appropriate, but it had been respectful enough of certain boundaries, she supposed.

"I always knew there was something special between you, I think we all felt it. I suppose I'm just surprised that…" She sighed, unable to continue for a moment. She wasn't intending to be disrespectful by any means. "I've always held her on a pedestal, perhaps so high that I sometimes forget she's only human like the rest of us."

"Yes, I do see where that would be difficult to process."

"I never imagined she would be unfaithful to her husband. She intended to be a nun, after all." He sighed, knowing his daughter was taking in everything that had happened in her own way. He felt sick that she found out about their night together, truly wishing she could have been spared that particular detail. She knew entirely too much.

"I was just as much at fault. It was an error in judgement. She has been unhappy for a very long time." Liesl nodded, understanding why she would be unhappy with all she had personally witnessed with Otto during her stay. "I'm not saying any of that justifies our actions, but it was a perfect storm, so to speak."

"I don't understand why she would have even thought about marrying a man like him in the first place. He is absolutely dreadful." Georg smiled, leaning forward to rest his elbows upon his knees.

"I hurt her very deeply when I became engaged to marry Elsa. She was on her way back to us to share her feelings with me, and she found out in the newspaper." He shook his head, still unable to believe that an announcement he asked Elsa not to place in the paper was what changed the course of their lives so drastically. "She thought I didn't love her, and she found someone who did…or rather, said he did."

"The things he was screaming at her last night…that's not love. He was so close to her face, just screaming. Oh, Father, I have never heard some of the things he was calling her. I heard them yelling all the way up the stairs, and then I heard her cry out…and I just knew he struck her. And he had his hands around her throat, she couldn't breathe, I…" She shook her head, sighing as she reminded herself that it was all over.

"I am so sorry you witnessed that. Maria is distraught, worried that she may have put you in harm's way." She met his eyes, confused.

"It wasn't her fault." He didn't say anything further, as Maria had clearly let him know that she did in fact feel at fault for all of it. "I've decided that I was supposed to be here all along, perhaps it was part of God's plan. Had I not been here, I'm afraid she would have just pretended it wasn't happening."

"Yes, she is frustratingly good at that, isn't she?" Liesl smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Or perhaps worse would've happened."

"Yes...I've thought about that too."

"We aren't letting her stay, are we? We simply have to bring her home with us, and give her no choice." He smiled, having decided the same thing before he even made it there himself. He knew she would be fragile in many ways, and he was not willing to take no for an answer if she did try to stay. He would have been packing her bags himself had she not been asleep still.

"She's coming home with us."