A/N: Happy reading.

"You look beautiful, my darling."

Looking through the dressing table mirror at her mother who was perched on the bed, Agathe smiled as she ran her fingers through her soft curls to separate them a little. It was Saturday at long last. In a matter of hours, Georg would be arriving to take tea with her family and meet her siblings and she was excited, of course, but she couldn't ignore the tightening of the knot in her stomach. She needed this to go well. She needed her siblings – her elder brothers more than anything – to like him. She needed them to feel she was making the right choice, involving herself with him. Her sisters, she had a feeling neither of them would be an issue. Joan, only being eleven, had minimal understanding of such matters and Mary, while she was slightly older at fifteen, was too caught up in her own life and her own infatuations to care all that much about hers.

Her brothers, now that was a whole other story, especially when it came to her eldest brother, John. All three of her brothers were fiercely protective of her, even Robert at more than a year younger, but John…he could be intense. He had always looked out for her, she could remember him keeping a watchful eye when she would run around in the garden as a child, but he'd never been as protective as he'd become when their father died. It was nearing on ten years ago now and he was thirteen at the time. Being the eldest, he took it upon himself to step into his shoes and become the man of the house and that meant looking out for her and their four other siblings as best he could. He was there for minor things back then, defending her when needed and cheering her up when she fell out with friends, but things had started changing when she came out in society. Of course, he realised her coming out meant that she would be viewed by men as more "accessible" and he hated any man that so much as dared to look at her.

Not even a month ago, he'd left Christian Haspel with a black eye at Anika Hausle's ball.

Well, he had cornered her on her way back from the restroom and told her in no uncertain terms what he wanted from her, so she didn't mind that one bit.

She knew what would have happened should John not have been there and it didn't bear thinking about.

It was that side of him that made her anxious though. No doubt, the second he heard about Georg he decided he didn't like him, and she feared he was going to allow that to cloud his judgement when he met him. It wouldn't matter that he was gentle with her or that he was polite and charming, he would just be another man with her in his sights that he wanted to get rid of. Of course, there was the chance that she was thinking far too much into it and that wouldn't be the case at all. For all she knew, she could introduce Georg to him, he could see that he was serious about her and wanted to do right by her and he would calm down a little and get to know him.

She prayed it would be the latter.

"I think this is all a little too much for a stupid boy." Joan's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she rolled her eyes as she rose from her chair.

"Because you're a child. You know nothing of these things," She reminded her, walking around to the full-length mirror. "And he's not a boy, thank you, he's a man."

Joan leaned back on her hands on the bed, giving her elder sister a look. "And the difference is?"

"Mama." Agathe huffed, reaching up to neaten the string of pearls around her neck.

Reaching out, Elisabeth laid a hand on Joan's knee through her dress and looked her way. "Leave her be. Go and look in on Mary for me, make sure she's nearly ready."

Joan pouted. "Oh alright."

She rose from the bed then and all but stomped across the room, slipping out into the hall before closing the door after her and leaving her mother and sister alone together. Elisabeth turned back to her eldest daughter then and, looking at her in the mirror, she sighed at the expression on her face. She knew that look. Standing from the bed, she took several slow steps towards her before stopping right behind her and bringing her hands up to run down her arms. "Deep breaths." She soothed, her voice soft.

Agathe closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath as she said, meeting her gaze in the mirror when she opened her eyes again. "Mama, what if it all goes wrong?"

"And why would it do that?"

"You know what the boys can be like. Well, what John can be like. I don't want him making Georg uncomfortable and if he decides he doesn't like him, then that's it."

Elisabeth sighed and thought for a moment before moving from behind her, taking her hand in hers and leading her back in the direction of the bed so they could sit down together. "Your brother loves you very much. He has since you were born. He worries about you too and I think – sometimes – he allows those two things to get in the way of his thinking. You forget that Lieutenant von Trapp isn't a stranger to me though. I know I don't know a lot about him, but it was clear to me from the little I saw of him at the ball that he's a good man. Not only that, but I could see that his feelings for you were genuine. I have no doubt that John will see that for himself when he meets him. He might act a little stand-offish initially, but as long as the lieutenant is himself then he'll get past it. Besides, I've given you my blessing and I have the deciding voice."

Agathe smiled, leaning her head against her shoulder with a squeeze of her hand. "You can call him Georg, you know."

"All in good time, my love," Elisabeth smirked as she buried her lips in her hair, smiling at the sound of her light chuckle. "All in good time."

Agathe was taking a little stroll, taking the time to admire the beautiful flowers growing in the flower beds her mama dedicated so much of her time to, when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Looking over her shoulder, she realized it was Georg and her heart leapt with excitement. She had been so lost in thought, she genuinely hadn't even heard his car coming up the drive. "Well, I suppose you won't be wanting these then," He teased as she rose from her crouched position and turned to face him fully, holding up the beautiful bouquet of edelweiss in his hand. "I thought it would be rather a nice gesture, but I feel these pale in comparison to the display you have."

"Don't be silly, these are just beautiful," She shook her head as she accepted them from him, smiling when she met his gaze. "Thank you."

Reaching up, he stroked an auburn curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear before bringing his hand to her cheek and letting his thumb sweep warmly over her skin. He stooped then and caught her in a kiss that was long and soft, the feeling of his mouth on hers causing her to sigh as she laid her free hand on his chest and stepped into him. He let the kiss linger for a time before pulling back again, the way she looked at him when their eyes opened only making him love her more. "Hello." He finally said.

"Hello," She echoed, amused. "I told Mama I wanted to wait out here for you so we could walk in together. I thought it might make you feel more at ease."

He nodded. "Thank you. I have been wondering these past couple of days what I'm getting myself into."

She accepted his arm when he proffered it to her and began to walk with him back in the direction of the front of the villa. "You're safe for the most part, I promise you. I have five siblings. John and Frank, my two elder brothers, and then Robert, Mary and Joan. Robert and Frank are fairly relaxed and so I think you'll find it fairly simple, getting along with them. Mary keeps herself to herself a lot of the time, so you shouldn't have any bother from her either. It's John and Joan you need to know about really. Joan doesn't know when to stop talking and, for an eleven-year-old, she can be incredibly opinionated. You might find it a challenge to get a word in edgewise with her, but for the most part she's harmless. Now, John is the one you need to be careful with. He is such a kind and gentle person, but he is incredibly protective of me and he has a hard time thinking of me being involved with men. He has a hard time thinking about me and men in general really, he just doesn't like the thought of it all that much."

"Ah." He replied.

"I just thought I should let you know that so that when we go in there, if he's a little…unwelcoming…you know that it has nothing to do with you personally. I could bring anyone home to meet the family and he would react the same way," She explained. "You just have to be yourself though and let him see the real you. You need to let him see what I see. If I can trust you and Mama can trust you, I know he and the others can learn to as well. It might take a little longer for some of them, but as long as you get off on the right foot with them then things will be alright. I...I realize that I may have just scared you off completely with all of that, so I am really hoping that I haven't."

He chuckled under his breath, turning to her at the foot of the stone steps that led up to the front door. "You never could."

She allowed him to brush his lips against her cheek before the two of them continued on up the steps and into the house, her heart racing slightly when she saw her brothers and sisters standing together in the foyer. Her mother was standing at the foot of the stairs and gave her a reassuring smile when she risked a glance in her direction. "Georg," She said after taking a breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. "These are my siblings. John, Frank, Robert, Mary and Joan. Of course, you already know Mama."

"How do you do?" He greeted her siblings with a nod.

She was relieved to see Robert and Mary smiling, but when she looked at John he was standing there with an expressionless face and that didn't help her nerves in the least. Deciding to continue on before she allowed them to get the better of her, she gestured to the fair-haired woman standing next to her eldest brother. "And this is Annalena," She told him. "She and John are due to be married at the end of this summer."

"A pleasure to meet you." He gave Annalena a smile.

"And you," She replied. "And please, call me Anna."

A silence fell over the room for a moment after that and Agathe felt her discomfort returning, but then her mother approached her and held a hand out for the flowers which she handed to her. "I'll go and put these in some water in the drawing room. Agathe, why don't you take everyone through to the dining room? I'll be there in a moment." She said, Agathe nodding before she watched her walk away from the group and disappear into the drawing room. Before she could say anything to her siblings, the five of them – along with Anna - turned and began to make their way to the dining room, her and Georg hanging back for a moment before she looked at him and took his hand.

"You're handling this so much better than I am." She sighed.

"You just need to stop fretting so much," He soothed, running the back of his spare hand down her cheek. "Come on. Have some tea and maybe you'll feel more at ease."

She gave him a small smile of thanks before heading in the same direction the others just had and leading him into the dining room. The two of them were seated at the end of the table, so she led him to their seats and that was when he released her hand so he could pull her chair out for her. Feeling the love she had for him deepen, she sat down and as he pushed her chair back in she glanced over at her eldest brother to see him watching Georg. His hard stare had softened a little. It was clear that he was glad to see he had manners at least. It was a positive sign and it made her feel a little more comfortable, enabling her to relax in her seat just as her mother entered the dining room and her brothers stood. The three of them, along with Georg, waited for her to sit before they did the same and Agathe felt him lay a hand on her knee under the table.

"So, Lieutenant," Joan spoke up from where she was seated next to Elisabeth. "What's your background like?"

"Joan, give him a minute." Her mother chided gently.

"No, I don't mind," He shook his head, amused by Agathe's little eye roll at the eagerness of her little sister. "Well, I was born in Zara, but we moved around due to Father being in the navy and being stationed in various locations. We lived in Trieste for a while, then Pola, then back to Zara and we even spent some time here in Fiume. Ultimately though, we ended up settling in Pola. It was quite a decent upbringing. Both Mother and Father were incredibly gifted musically, so music was quite a large part of my early childhood. Much like for your own family, Agathe tells me," He brushed his thumb against her knee and gave her a smile as she fixed him some coffee, watching her push it towards him before she poured herself some tea. "I had just turned four when Father died. It was typhoid fever and he was quite young. Mother never remarried following his death and we moved to Eisenach for a time to be nearer her side of the family, but we eventually settled in Graz. That was where I grew up."

Mary, sipping at her tea, looked down the table at Georg. "You said you grew up with music. Do you play any instruments?"

"I had to learn an instrument as part of my studies, so I took up the violin," He told her. "I have to say though; I think the guitar is more for me."

"John plays the guitar!" Joan piped up again.

Clearing his throat, John looked around the table for a second. "A little, I suppose."

"A little?" Annalena said from where she was sat across from her fiancé, next to Agathe. "I can never get you to put that thing down."

Those around the table chuckled gently, John's mouth twitching into a smile as he reached for another finger sandwich.

Robert was the next one to speak, sitting at the other side of his mother. "What prompted you to go into the naval forces? What's it like?"

"I think Father was the main reason. I don't remember much about him, but Mother told us of his many achievements while we were growing up and I decided at quite a young age that I wanted to do the same when I was of age," He admitted. "I decided to put in an application when I graduated from middle school and the academy accepted me. I never realized I would experience as much as I have done. One opportunity after another honestly. I've been around the world twice which has just been so incredible, one of those times being aboard the SMS Saida II-"

"The entire world? Twice?" Joan interrupted.

"Joan," Agathe hissed, her sister crossing her arms at having been chided again and sinking back in her chair. "Sorry, carry on."

He chuckled, allowing her to take his hand in hers beneath the table and lace her fingers with his own. "I shan't go into achievements and the like too much, I don't wish to sound big-headed, but I've been luckier than I ever could have imagined being. I think the one I feel most honoured for is my most recent. When I volunteered to train in the U-boats, when I first came to the factory, I never thought I'd be asked to attend the ball following the festivities. More than that though, I never thought I would meet a woman as incredible as Agathe," He met her gaze again and noticed tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I have seen and done so much in the time I've been doing this, but you are – by far – the best thing to come out of all of it and I couldn't be luckier or feel more blessed to have you as a part of my life going forward, I mean that."

Blinking back her tears, she let him bring her hand up and kiss the back of it before he brought their hands to rest in his lap beneath the table and gave her hand a squeeze.

From the far end of the table, Joan once again made her presence known with a sigh. "Mama, can I go out into the garden now? I'm bored."

Elisabeth thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Go on."

Without a moment's hesitation, Joan rose from her chair and hurried out of the dining room, her dark curls bouncing as she did so.

"I think I'm going to go for a drink," John announced next as he rose from the table, Frank and Robert doing the same. He headed for the door then, allowing his younger brothers to leave the room ahead of him, before stopping for just a moment and turning in place to look over at Georg. "Uh, Lieutenant…you're welcome to join us."

Both Agathe and Georg were taken by surprise.

He hadn't given them any indication that he was alright with him the entire time they were sitting there, but now he was inviting him for a drink?

"Would you mind?" He asked, running his thumb across the back of Agathe's palm.

"Mind? I'm delighted," She beamed. "Go before he changes his mind."

She let him brush his lips against her cheek before he rose from his chair and made his way over to John, her gaze following him before she glanced at her brother right as the pair of them were about to leave the room. It was then that he gave her a wink and a knowing smile, the adoration she had for him deepening ten-fold as she knew without a shred of doubt that he'd accepted him. Georg had proven to him, not just through words but actions too, that he was serious about her. She wasn't merely a bit of fun, something to keep him occupied for now that he would drop later without a second thought. He loved her. He wanted a future with her and John had realised that.

Once the men had left the room and the only ones left were herself, Annalena, Mary and her mother, she stood from her chair and walked along the table to the seat Robert had just vacated and sat down. Her mother immediately reached for her hand and took it in hers and she breathed a sigh of relief, giving her a smile when she caught her eye. "I told you, didn't I?" Elisabeth smiled. "You were so on edge and you had no reason to be. You need to learn to trust me more, darling, I do know one or two things."

"Alright, alright," Agathe chuckled. "So, you really do like Georg? I know this is all still new and there's a lot to be sorted, but I just know he's the one for me."

"He is a fine man. He loves you and he has the deepest respect for you and I don't feel I have the right to dislike a man like that," Elisabeth brought her free hand up to take hold of her chin and let her thumb graze her skin. "You have also been happier these past couple days than I have seen you in…well…longer than I can remember and that is so wonderful to see. Your happiness is all I have ever cared about and I know for a fact that, should your father still be here with us, he would be just as pleased as I am."

"I wish he were," Agathe sighed. "I still miss him, Mama."

Elisabeth hummed. "Me too. You are making him so proud though, my sweet girl."

Agathe gave her a small smile at that, tightening the hold she had of her hand. "Could we go and sit outside? I feel like the boys are going to be gone for a little while."

"I think that sounds like a grand idea," Elisabeth agreed. "I could do with a breath of air."

And, with that, the two of them – along with Annalena and Mary – rose from their chairs and left the dining room in order to make their way outside into the back garden.

Tightening her hold on his arm, Agathe let her head fall against Georg's shoulder with a sigh as the two of them walked around the lake with the family later that afternoon. The men had come and found her and the others in the garden when they were done drinking and, once they had sat and talked on the terrace for a while, they had decided that it would be nice to go for a stroll to end things on a high note. Joan was having a grand old time as she skipped around in front of them, John and Anna were discussing wedding plans once again, her mother and Mary were having a quiet little chat and, of course, Frank and Robert were dragging their feet as they were always prone to do.

She tilted her head back against Georg's arm and looked up at him when he buried a kiss in her hair, the two of them sharing a smile when he met her gaze before he let out a sigh. "You know; we still need to work out what to do for our first date." He pointed out, his words making her heart race with excitement as she stepped closer to him.

"Very true," She agreed. "Have you any ideas?"

"Well, I want to take you sailing at one point – you would love it – but the seas are undoubtedly going to be rough for a while yet, so that'll have to wait." He told her.

"There's the annual fair that's coming in just under a fortnight," Elisabeth said behind them, prompting them both to stop and turn for a moment to look her way. She soon caught up with them and they continued walking, Agathe and Georg both looking her way as she went on. "I think it would be a grand place for a date. Little stalls, food, games, and it's not too far from the villa either which is ideal. Of course, you'll have to have someone go with you. Perhaps John and Anna would like to accompany you."

A short distance away, John glanced over. "What was that, Mama?"

"I was just saying, it might be nice for the four of you to go to the annual fair together when it comes." She explained.

John glanced at his fiancée. "Would you like to?"

"It would be nice. We didn't manage it last year, remember? I had that cold." Anna reminded him

"Yes, of course," He nodded before turning his attention back to his mother. "Anna and I are on board."

Elisabeth grinned. "Wonderful. I'm sure you'll have a lovely time."

She turned and went back to re-join Mary then and, alone together once more, Georg and Agathe chuckled as they shared a look with each other before she looked out over the lake for a second. "Is it just me, or has my mother been the one to arrange all our get-togethers up to now?" She asked him, readjusting the hold she had of his arm.

"She has," He confirmed. "But I agree with her. It does sound fun."

"You're going to love it; I go every year with my friends and we always have the best time." She replied.

"I feel a little awkward asking this," He admitted after a few seconds. "But would you mind if I invited one or two more people?"

She looked up at him. "Who did you have in mind?"

"I have a friend – more of a pain in the neck, really – named Max Dettweiler and I made the idiotic mistake of telling him about you after the ball," He told her, rolling his eyes at his own foolishness. "I should have known better because he hasn't stopped pestering me since. He wants to know when I'll be introducing you to him and I was planning on it being never, but I know him and I know he's not going to drop it until I do. I know he's courting someone – don't ask me who she is because I have no idea – and so I thought perhaps they could join us at the fair. Of course, I don't have to invite them if that's not something you want. It was just an idea that I had, that's all."

She gave him a little smirk. "Lieutenant…you're talking about me?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her playfulness. "Only to anyone who'll listen."

She shook her head at him, chuckling under her breath. "I love you."

"I love you too," He assured her, words that came as natural to him as breathing. "So, shall I tell Max he's welcome? Or shall I do us all a favour and not even mention it?"

"Invite him," She told him. "I want to get to know your friends. If you and I are going to do this, I want to get to know all those who are important to you."

He didn't respond with words that time. Instead, he pressed his lips to her temple and breathed her in for a second before allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder once more as they continued walking. It was far from lost on him how blessed he was. What he had done to deserve her, he had no idea. For some reason though, the universe had deemed him worthy of loving and being loved by this woman. It had brought her to him and, quite honestly, that was all that really mattered to him. She was his now.

She was his to love and respect and protect and he was going to do all those things.

It was his privilege.

A/N: Thank you for reading and please review if you have the time.