AN: I'm really, really sorry about lack of updates, but I've had exams and stuff. But I never forgot this story – even as I studied dreaded Chemistry I was plotting my next move – and so we progress to the return of our dashing Captain from Vienna with the Baroness on his arm. Also, I skip a good bit of the scene by eh lake when Maria and the Captain have their argument, but that's only because the amount of fan fictions I've read that literally have dialogue straight from the movie and "he felt angry" is humongous and it really annoys me. Instead, I sort of skip from bit to bit, like in between the bits of dialogue by the lake – hopefully you'll all be able to follow!

Who uses the word "urchin"?! The Captain, that's who!

Georg felt strangely excited as him drove the slick, black car down the quite road out of Salzburg as he brought Elsa and Max homewards, well to his home. He told himself it was the prospect of having Elsa meet the children that was making his stomach somersault but he couldn't shake a nagging memory of his wretched dream from the very back of his head.

It had been following him throughout his stay in the capital, there when he dinned, danced and made mundane conversation with loathsome creatures. It was only then that Georg realised that Max and Elsa were trying to engage him in conversation and he joined in, rather half heartedly, about the monasteries of the area when his attention was pulled away by the screaming of children.

They party in the car all looked up and saw, unbeknownst to them, the Von Trapp children swinging from branches, but it was not the children that set Georg's heart racing like a piston; it was what they were wearing.

Trying to catch his breath back, he internally cursed those damn curtains – they were following him! Had he not asked for them to be removed from the wretched governess's room so that this kind of…of temptation wouldn't happen again.

That was why Elsa was here, in the car beside him, he reasoned. To prevent him from getting carried away, from getting into hot water. Just because he had one tiny dream about her didn't mean he felt anything more than the appropriate employer/employee relationship.

"But then there was the thunderstorm". Georg nearly drove the car off the road as Elsa's polished voice cut through the warm air. "Georg, whatever is the matter?" demanded Max, fixing his hat firmly back onto his head. "My apologies, there was a squirrel that I had to avoid." Georg lied swiftly wondering how Elsa knew about that night.

"Why Georg, I never would have thought you as an animal lover; what with all that venison you ate at Baron Doblhoff's sending off party!" laughed Elsa. Georg ignored her comment and endeavoured to turn the conversation back to the thunderstorm. "Really Georg, do pay attention, or I shall just have to go back to Vienna! Well, I was just telling Max about how the last time I planned to come to your pretty little villa there was the most dreadful thunderstorm and I was unable to take the train because the track was flooded all the way from Linz!"

Georg pulled his concentration away from the conversation that was turning into a Baroness monologue and tried valiantly to concentrate properly on the road but couldn't get the image of those children in the trees, and more importantly, their outfits out of his head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Georg arrived home at precisely 12 noon as he had told Frau Schmidt, he was of course angered that his children were not there to great him, but he was also slightly relived – where ever his children were, the governess was sure to follow. He was for once focusing his undivided attention of Elsa as they ambled along, arm in arm along the lake.

As Georg confessed his feelings to Elsa he saw a snapshot of what his life could be like. Not wildly exciting, but comfortable and secure. He wasn't marrying her for the security that her money would bring, but rather the security that she would prevent him from going off the edge and making a mistake he would soon regret.

He began to wonder if he could just propose right here and get it over with when he was disrupted by tuneless singing. Furious with himself for not talking the opportunity to ask Elsa sooner, he wheeled round only to see his children and their governess waving at him before falling out of their boat.

"Get out of that water immediately!" he roared as they waded out and onto the shore, chattering noisily. His house had descended into chaos in the brief time he was gone, and he quickly restored order. He turned on Fraulein Maria, she had to be responsible for his children's clothes. As if she was mocking him, as if she knew, but that was absurd. He took Louisa's headscarf and hurled it away into the nearby trees, wanting to get it and the meddlesome memories it created as far away from him as possible.

He was going to marry Elsa and he couldn't let Maria get in the way of it. But she was, she dared to talk back to him, to him Captain Georg Von Trapp, pride of Austria, the favourite of the Emperor! Not allowing the flicker of amusement he felt to show in the slightest on his face, he quickly pushed down the swelling feeling in his chest and took a deep breath, thinking of his future with Elsa, not daring to look at Maria, whose wet clothes hung against her slender frame.

He couldn't take another minute of it – if the curtains insisted in following him, then he'd just have to take the next, far more drastic step. With his insides being torn into tiny ribbons, he sent Maria to pack her bags, not daring to watch her retreating figure. He turned to avoid the attraction she held, and to prevent himself from calling after her, from running after her and holding her in his arms. As he scuffed his shoes against the ground to keep his mind off of her, he noticed Louisa's headscarf just a few feet away, leering up at him.

Frustration overtook him as he ran up and kicked it, sending it high into the air where it got caught in the branches of an overhanging tree. Would the fates ever leave him in peace? But as he heard the sweet, melodic voices of his children float down from the house, he knew he could never be at peace, especially as Maria now had to stay.

Yeah, I know I changed the scene order a bit, but it works so much better now and it means I can put in a final ending chapter because I've set the curtain bit up now. (That is, if anyone's still interested in this story!) It's actually remarkably hard to work curtains into the plot! Emm, review if you want or have the time, but no pressure – but it honestly is great encouragement to write some more!