Maria had no idea where she was. Or had she been here before but had no memory of it? Some sort of meadow, that much was clear, but the heavy mists offered no other indicators of a specific location. The air was a bit chilly, and her dress was thin, so she shivered. The wind ruffled the hem and wrapped it round her legs. Was it night or day, or somewhere in between? She couldn't tell, especially with this mist.

The wind seemed to have a voice of its own…and was it just her imagination, or was it calling her name? Feeling drawn towards it, Maria walked against the breeze. Some kind of string had wrapped around her heart and was pulling her forward in the most difficult direction.

"Maria . . ." She heard her name again, more clearly. And the voice was Georg's. It was so far away, but that didn't mean she couldn't hear the urgency, even desperation in the tone. "Maria!"

Now she started in a run, not knowing where on Earth she was going, just following that voice. "Georg?" she called, the wind blowing against her face and body, but she struggled on.

Again she heard the voice calling her name, over and over, louder and louder. She screamed back, going as fast as she good in the wind, until her foot caught on something and tripped, then –

Maria woke from her dream with a gasp, and it took her a moment to figure out just where she was. Realizing it was only a nightmare, she exhaled with relief and sank back into the pillows. But exhaustion was fleeting from her quickly, and she knew that efforts to go back to sleep would be futile. Judging from the light coming in from her windows, Maria determined she had about an hour before waking the children, giving her some time to herself. So she stayed in bed, and her mind drifted back to the previous evening and remembered the most poignant moments . . .

"I am the man who loves you."

Time really had stopped in that moment, hadn't it? While Dominik had told her and others had hinted at it, it wasn't unti he'd said it himself that she dared believe it to be true. After all that had happened between, especially his mistakes and her journey of self-discovery, Maria knew he would not lie to her. Once he had spoken those words, though she was scared to embrace it at first for fear of her being in a dream, that fact had become engrained in her heart as an absolute truth.

"I am in love with you, Maria Rainer."

Maria took a deep breath in order to calm the rapid rising feeling in her chest, as if her heart were flying with joy. Finally, she embraced another absolute truth she had only fully discovered just before she'd fallen asleep: She was in love with Captain Georg Von Trapp. Totally and completely.

"I know now I've loved you since the day I met you, though it took me a long time to fully realize it."

How long had she loved him without knowing it? At least since the Laendler, that much was certain. That was the first evening she felt that something had truly changed in her, and the way she viewed him. But then again, there were moments before that when she felt so entirely drawn to him. Times when they would look at each other, and she could hardly breathe. When he had sung "Edelweiss" . . . when he'd asked her to stay that fateful day of the rowboat incident . . . Oh, yes, she'd loved him for a very long time, perhaps even from that first day. Even then, she'd been intrigued and fascinated by this man who did not look at all like a sea captain.

"Whatever path you choose in life, Maria, I need you to know: nothing can stop me from loving you. With all my heart, I do."

Maria sat up in bed and covered her heart with her hands. She said to the empty room with her eyes closed, "Oh, Georg . . . I love you too. With all my heart, I do." Tears came to her eyes as she let this absolute truth wash over her. For a moment, she lost herself in the feeling and then prayed in silence.

After a while, Maria got out of the bed and put on her robe. Coming to the closed door to her room, Maria saw an envelope sticking between the door frame and the door, and she remembered: He was in Vienna, and would be gone for a week. Maria felt her heart sink. A week seemed like an eternity now.

Maria pulled it out from the crack and saw her name on the envelope in his familiar handwriting. She quickly opened it and pulled out a small note, which she promptly read:

Maria,

I hope that nothing I said or did last night distressed you or scared you. You seemed speechless for a while, and the last thing I want to do is cause you any discomfort. But I had to tell you what I felt, and it seemed like the right moment. With all you've done for me and my family, how can I feel anything less for you, my love? Perhaps the reason I chose to tell you before leaving is to give you some time to yourself and make your own decision. I don't want to push you or pressure you at all. While I am gone, I will miss you very much, and will think of last night many times: your beautiful voice, the gentle lips you gave me, the feeling of you in my arms, and the blue dream we shared.

You will always have a home with us, Maria. Think about it. Please.

All my love, Georg

As she read the letter, Maria realized that the only person who knew of her own true feelings was herself. He'd opened his heart to her and what had she done? She'd been struck speechless and couldn't tell him anything, other than the fact she didn't want him to go. Pretty weak compared to what he'd said.

Maria instantly felt guilty as she sat back down on the bed. Was he in doubt now? That she would not want to leave at the end of the summer? She sighed and traced her fingers over the handwriting, already missing him. Not only did she know now she loved him, but that she would never be happy without him now.

But, on a deeper level, she was grateful that she was given time to get used to this, and think of how best to tell him how she felt. It had to be perfect – his had sure been. Never in her life would she forget that magical night. Ce rêve bleu . . .

Maria sank back onto the bed, pressing his note to her heart and staring at the ceiling. Minutes passed and she watched the morning light spread across the white paint, like the joy in her heart of finally being understood.

Turn the clock fast, Father, bring him back soon. Please.

One week later . . .

Georg had never packed so fast in his life. At last, this eternally long week was done and he was free to go home. To see his children. To see Maria.

All week long, he'd been able to think of little else than their last night together. It had been so perfect. At last, he'd been able to hold her to him, kiss her lovely lips, and declare his love.

Georg was anxious too; a week away and not seeing her meant that he also thought the worst at times. For the first time since he'd known her, she'd been entirely speechless, and by what he'd told her, no less. Did that mean she did not love him in return? Was she scared of what their love would mean? How her life might change? Oh, thoughts like that were torture at night!

But now that could all be resolved. He was free to go home and see her. That thought alone was enough to make him smile.

After putting his suitcases in the trunk, he got into the car as quickly as he could. The sun had just set, according to his watch. No one could have told that by the dark, storm cloud sky that was pouring rain and a distant storm. Perhaps it would be better to wait until morning . . . but Georg was eager to get home and wanted to waste no time. Besides, he was confident with his driving skills, headlights, and windshield wipers.

Driving through the city wasn't bad at all; plenty of streetlights, lights from buildings and other headlights to guide his way. But once out of the downtown area and on the private, more country-like roads where the rich homes were spread apart, those advantages disappeared.

The rain was coming down in buckets, and the windshield wipers were barely helping. So it sure didn't help when they suddenly stopped working.

Georg cursed and pounded on the lever, but it was no use; they wouldn't budge. Now he could barely see where he was going down this dark road. It would be wise to pull over now and wait for the rain to stop, but Georg just wanted to get home.

Out of the blue, a pair of headlights almost blinded him and honked loudly. Without thinking, Georg turned the car sharply to avoid a crash, but ended up going off the road and onto the muddy ground. He managed to slam down on the breaks when he saw a tree in his path, but not quite fast enough.

A small impact, force from the break slamming him forward into the airbag. A bump, the world went black, and Georg knew no more.

A/N: This marks the end of Act III; one more act to go in my story. Promise not to leave my faithful readers and reviewers in suspense for long!