He watched his eldest daughter from the doorway of her bedroom as she happily packed her suitcase for her trip to Vienna. She could not have been more excited for the adventure, as well as the time she would get to spend with Maria. She had dreamed to visit Vienna for as long as she could remember, and the opportunity to finally make the trip made her feel incredibly lucky. Not only did Maria plan to take her to view museums and the university options, she also made plans to take her to the opera and buy her first dress for a night out. Liesl was over the moon with excitement.

The other children were completely filled with jealousy, of course, but pacified when Maria promised she would bring them all to her home in due time. She needed sufficient time to plan for seven houseguests, and she knew they would require constant entertainment. The trip to Salzburg was exhausting in so many ways, and she honestly needed to get herself acclimated to her home once more before bringing them into her world…which suddenly felt like a world that even she didn't recognize.

"I promise I'll be alright, Father." Liesl laughed as he was brought out of his thoughts, having been watching her for quite a while, he imagined.

"Of course, I know." She smiled as he entered the bedroom, taking a seat upon the edge of her bed. "I just can't believe you're so grown. You've never been away from home like this before."

"You're quite sentimental these days." He laughed, and she joined him after a moment, waiting to be certain he accepted her words as a joke. "Don't worry, I'll be with Fraulein Maria. She'll watch me just as closely as you would, I'm certain."

"You've always proven yourself to make good decisions. But, yes, knowing she will be looking after you is the only reason I will be able to sleep at night." She smiled, beginning to zip her suitcase.

"Please don't worry, Father. I will be in good hands, and I will be experiencing so many new and wonderful things." She smiled excitedly as she began to walk away, but he grabbed her arm to stop her exit. Her eyes met his with confusion, and he motioned for her to join him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just…well, I want you to be certain you know what you're getting into." She gave a quick laugh, but stopped when she saw he was quite serious. As much as he trusted Maria, and he trusted her completely, he knew that she could not predict her husband's moods. He was more than nervous that Liesl would witness something she didn't deserve to witness.

"I'm certain I will be fine. What exactly are you concerned about?"

"I…I don't want you to see or hear things you shouldn't." She seemed puzzled, and he rolled his eyes at his inability to simply say the words. "Maria's marriage is not exactly perfect."

"I don't know if anybody's is." He smiled; she was wise beyond her years.

"No, I mean…they are going through a rough patch at the moment." He shook his head, wanting to be delicate so he wouldn't frighten her. "It seems that they argue quite a lot. Just, please call me if things get heated, I don't know."

"Father, it's going to be alright. I'll call you if anything makes me uncomfortable." She had no idea what he was going on about, but she was certain her former governess lived nothing short of a perfect, glamorous life. "You know that Fraulein Maria would never allow me to see anything that would upset me."

"Yes, of course I know that." He chuckled a bit, shaking his head as he stood from the bed. He wasn't afraid of Maria's ability to hide the harsher side of her marriage, she had always been great at redirecting others to the more sunny side of literally anything. He was more concerned about the things that would fall out of her control.

He helped her carry her bags downstairs as Maria said her goodbyes to the other children, everyone hugging and hoping to get their one last word in. Otto gave a tight smile as he handed over his daughter's suitcase, and it took everything in his power not to murder the man right there. Their eyes met in a challenging way, and he would not hesitate to accept whatever challenge was presented. He hated everything about him, and he didn't mind allowing his mind to wander to dark places about it, as Otto stepped outside with the suitcase.

Liesl began hugging her siblings as Georg met Maria's eyes, nodding his head toward his study. He wanted one last word with her before he allowed her to leave his sight. In all actuality, he was very nervous to allow her to go home with Otto after the things he had witnessed in just their short time visiting Salzburg. He wished with all of his heart that she would reconsider and simply stay with him.

She followed him to his study, knowing he was wounded by her decision to give her marriage another chance. She wanted him more than anything, she could easily admit that to herself and him, if he needed to hear it, but she made a commitment. Plain and simple, she was married, and she felt it was her duty to do whatever she could to try to make it work. She barely understood it all herself, if she were honest, but she knew it was the right thing for her to do.

"It still looks exactly the same in here." She laughed a bit, trying to break the tension as she closed the door behind them.

"Are you allowed to be alone with me?" She frowned at his tone of voice, knowing how wounded he was. Her heart ached for how she was hurting him by not staying.

"Please don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't act like it isn't killing me to leave you." He glared at her, wishing she hadn't admitted her own heartache as well. It was easier to be upset with her if she would have pretended it didn't hurt her just as badly.

"I just can't believe you." He looked down to his feet, shaking his head. "After what he did."

"Georg, please don't be angry with me. I'm only trying to do the right thing."

"The right thing by who?" She sighed, truly out of energy for arguing. She felt all she did was create and manage conflict in her life, and it was weighing her down so much that she couldn't breathe sometimes.

"I made a commitment."

"Out of impulse."

"Stop."

"No! Maria, you do not need to punish yourself for your transgressions. You don't deserve to be unhappy just because you were unfaithful to him." She felt herself blush at his words, but she knew he was right. He was always right, and it pained her to go against him.

"Please. Try to understand that I need to do what I can to make things right. I promised him one more chance." They stared at one another in silence for a moment, weighing everything that had happened between them. "Honestly, what choice do I have? He isn't going to let go of me."

"You are breaking my heart." His words were sincere and devastating, and she felt tears begin to roll down her face. Her heart was more than shattered as well, and the anguish in his voice was all it took to push her emotions over the edge.

"I know…and I am so sorry." She wiped her eyes, stifling a sob as he allowed a few tears to fall from his own eyes. She sniffled, shaking her head. "I love you so much, Georg. I've meant every word I've said and cherished every moment spent with you while I've been here."

"Then don't go. I'm not one to beg, Maria, but you're making me feel so desperate right now." She stepped forward and took his hands in her own, glad that he allowed it.

"Please understand." He met her eyes deeply, and on some level he did understand. It didn't make it hurt any less. "If it were that simple, you know I would…"

"Don't say anything else." He interrupted, and she nodded her head. Their eyes remained locked, and they silently shared their pain with one another. The clock on the wall chimed, and a few more tears escaped her eyes at the knowledge that it was time for them to leave if they wanted to make it home before nightfall.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks when I bring Liesl home."

"Yes." She took a chance and stood upon her toes, slowly pressing a kiss to his lips in a form of goodbye. He returned her kiss, a bit against his own will at first, but he knew he would never be able to resist her. If it would be their last kiss, he would cherish it as such. She pulled away after a moment, and he wiped the tears from her face with his fingers before she walked out of his sight.

xxxxx

"To think I allowed myself to fall even harder for her, to be so vulnerable with her." Max took a sip of his wine, doing his best to be supportive of his best friend.

"People don't just get divorced in our circle, and to top it off, they're Catholics, who really don't get divorced. What choice does she have?"

"I should have known you would take her side. Some friend." He stood from his seat upon the terrace, looking out over the water in hopes that it would calm his nerves.

"Georg, she's only been married for three months. Can you blame her for not wanting to try sticking it out a bit longer?"

"With a man who is not me? Yes I can." He paced back and forth, his pain manifesting into complete rage. "If she thinks she can just wait until he shows his ass or hits her again, then she can come running back to me, she had better think again. I will not be her second choice."

"You will always be her first choice." He stopped pacing and met his friend's eyes. "You chose Elsa over her, when it was more than obvious she was in love with you, because you were doing the 'right thing' didn't you?"

"This is completely different."

"Only because she is a married woman. It's not a simple break up, she can't just walk away and be done like you're expecting." Georg sat heavily in his chair, rigid with anger, but knowing his friend was right, after all. He wasn't a fool, he knew exactly the kind of position she was in. "Would you like some advice?"

"No."

"Be still. When everything around you feels wrong and chaotic, it is best to be still. Things will work themselves out they way they're supposed to. Don't add to the chaos." He met his friend's eyes, surprised by the depth of his observation.

"That actually is not bad advice, Max. Thank you." Max stood, patting his friend upon the shoulder as he began to make his way back into the villa for another bottle of wine.

"I learned that from Maria." Georg turned to yell at him once more, but he was out of sight. He shook his head in annoyance, looking back out over the water. It was calm and serene, rippling in the soft breeze. He looked up to her mountain in the distance, looming high and powerful as the sun set behind it.

"Be still." He said, as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to try.

xxxxx

Otto sighed to himself as Maria and Liesl chattered incessantly on the car ride to their home. Maria craned herself around so she could face Liesl in the backseat, bumping his arm and apologizing many times as they entered the city. He was doing his best to keep his temper under control as he had promised, but he was already finding it quite difficult. He knew he was on the verge of losing his wife completely, and he needed to be on his very best behavior if he didn't want her to leave. He could see in her eyes how she wanted to leave him, and it was all he could do to convince her to stay.

"It is a beautiful city. What's that over there?" Liesl pointed, and Maria followed her hand before turning back around to face her. She bumped Otto's arm in the process.

"Sorry, darling." He bit his lip in annoyance, but said nothing. She could tell that her enthusiasm was driving him mad, but it was so hard to contain it when she had an entire city to show Liesl. "That is the opera house. We'll go next week, so we must go shopping for a dress immediately. Tomorrow, perhaps."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! I've never been to an opera before."

"I hadn't either until I went to teachers college. I saved money for months to afford a ticket, and it certainly did not disappoint." Otto pulled the car in front of their house, and Liesl gasped with excitement.

"Your home is so lovely, Fraulein. I never expected it to be so beautiful." Maria began to respond with gratitude, unable to take credit for the house at all, as it had belonged to her husband's family for years, but her response was quickly interrupted.

"Liesl, I must ask that you refrain from calling Maria 'Fraulein' while you're here, please. She is a Baroness." Maria laughed a bit, turning to face him in surprise.

"Honestly, darling, is that really…"

"Yes. You are not a Fraulein, and I will not have the staff thinking less of you." She was taken aback by his sternness, and she met eyes with Liesl, who seemed just as shocked.

"Yes, sir." Otto nodded as he opened his car door and walked around to open Maria's and Liesl's before motioning to their butler to begin unloading their bags from the trunk. Maria felt her heart drop at the look of embarrassment upon Liesl's face, feeling immense guilt for putting her in a position of being spoken to in such a way. They hadn't even made it inside yet.

"Wait here." She spoke quietly as she and Liesl exited the car, and she turned them around to face the street together, as if they were viewing something. "I'm sorry he was cross, it's been a long drive."

"It's alright, I understand. I do hope you don't feel I've been disrespectful to you…"

"No, of course not, dear." She pulled the girl into a hug, which was quickly returned. "I even give you permission to call me Maria, just to spite him."

"Oh, I couldn't." She pulled away quickly to find Maria smiling, clearly doing her best to lighten the mood. She returned the smile, thankful that her former governess always knew exactly what to say to make things feel better.

"Don't think another thing about it. Let me show you to your room." Liesl smiled, and they linked arms as Maria led her into her home to give her the tour.

She maintained her smile well, truly happy to bring Liesl into her world, but she felt as if she had been cut wide open in that moment. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, and how much she had tried to pretend and convince herself otherwise, she quickly realized what a terrible mistake she had made.