Disclaimer: i do not own the sound of music iunfortunatly, so please don't sue.

Author's notes: This story is AU. Please be kind with me, this is my first fiction, and english is not my language! Any comments are welcome! Tell me if i should continue!

Summary : Maria has left the Von Trapp villa after the dance the night of the ball. She decides not to return at the abbey, but try to live her life as any other young woman: she found a job at a local school in Innsbruck, and tried to forget the captain (impossible I know). She meets this young handsom rich count, gets engaged with him. But faith leads the captain and Maria to cross path again, until they realise their love for each other.

Chapter 1: When the past comes back to hunt you

Maria stood behind her desk after the class had ended and she had said good bye to all her young little charges. She sure loved her job. She had been teaching for about 8 months now at a local school in Innsbruck. After that terrible night, the night of the ball at the villa, she had fled, without even saying goodbye to the children, or even seeing one last time the captain. She was not proud of her behaviour, but she had known that if she had done so, it was because she would have lacked the courage to leave. After closing the door of the villa, she had had to fight the urge not to open it and run back in, but she couldn't. Her heart was aching like she hadn't imagined it could ever ache. It was as if someone had pierced it with an arrow on fire. She started walking as fast as possible away from it all, away from Him… She tried to fight her tears back, but as soon as the villa was out of sight, she couldn't hold them any longer, and she collapsed against a wall, kneeling down, burring her face in her knees, and she cried and cried until, too exhausted, she couldn't anymore and just stood there, her eyes lost just staring at nothing.

She had known her feelings for the captain had grown at a very fast rate over the summer. In fact they hadn't stopped growing since their fight near the lake, after she, and the children, had been thrown off the boat, in a rather comical way. She smiled at the thought. She had been so afraid at the time, because little Gretel could not swim. But luckily, Louisa had managed to catch her just in time. But when had she really fallen in love with him? Was it after that wonderful dance they had shared at the back of the ball room, that fateful night? No, it was when he had sung Edelweiss with Liesel. They had stared at each other when the song ended, and at that moment she had forgotten all her worries in the world, she could have melted under his warm gaze. Lucky for her she had been leaning against the wall, for she was sure her legs could not have carried her anymore. It was as if there had only been the two of them in the room, as if he had sung this song just for her. What was she thinking? It hadn't been for her but for everyone, including the baroness. The baroness. He didn't love her, he loved the baroness. He was going to marry the baroness, and she was going to become the children's mother, her children's mother. Even though they weren't hers for real, she still felt they were, she knew them so well, as if they belonged to her. Their first encounter hadn't been very successful, which is the least one can say. The first thing Liesl had said to her was that she didn't need a governess. Then, they all had started giving her "advices" on how to behave in the household, or in other words, how to be fired in the quickest possible way. She even ended up with a frog in her pocket! The only ones that had taken to her immediately had bean Martha, and little Gretl. But during the thunderstorm, on her first night at the villa, they had all taken to her. Since then, they had had great fun, and they had shared everything with her: their sorrows, their joys, their fears, their hopes. They had somehow accepted her as their second mother: for Marta and Gretl, she was probably their first mother, since they had been too small at the death of Agathe, and didn't really remember anything about her.

At all this thoughts, a tear ran down her cheek. What was she doing?! She wasn't meant to cry! She was supposed to be happy! She had a wonderful job she loved, which gave her the opportunity to be surrounded by children whom she adored; she was engaged to a wonderful man who had proposed to her last night, and she was getting married in a month. Finally life seamed back on track. Then why did she feel so awfull? Why was it that she felt so guilty about marring Edward? She had nothing to feel guilty about, or did she? Wait a minute, maybe she had been in love to a wonderful, handsome, funny, caring, breathtaking sea captain, but that was a long time ago. Anyway, she had gotten over him, right? Wrong.

Who was she trying to fool? Deep inside she knew she couldn't love anyone as much as the captain, and a part of her knew he would be her one and only true love, even though he did not return her love. But that didn't mean she couldn't love anyone else. Well, in a different way, but none the less love another man. She loved Edward. He was a good man. He was handsome, clever, charming, funny, and he adored her, and had proven it on several occasions. But he wasn't the captain. Wait! Stop it! The captain is probably married to the baroness by now! A funny feeling sank in her at this thought. She just had to try not to think about him anymore. Then she wouldn't feel like the world was ending. God had given her the chance to meet this wonderful man named Edward, and she had to make the best of it.

She lifted up her head just to find Edward at the bottom of the class, a bouquet of fresh wild daisies (her favourites) in his arms, staring at her. She managed to shake her thoughts out of her mind and give him an honest loving smile.

-"How long have you been standing there for?"

- Oh, only 25 minutes. You looked miles away, and I didn't know how to bring you back to me.

- Oh Edward! "

She ran in his arms and held him tight. He gently took her lovely face in his free hand and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"Just always remember one thing: I love you.

I love you to darling" and she meant it.

They kissed again, but this time more passionately. Edward broke the kiss.

-"Darling, would you agree to meet my parents?

- I would love to!

- Then if it's all right with you, we will meet them tonight at Cristal's. I reserved a table for four just after the concert.

- Oh darling, I can't wait to meet them, I just hope they like me, she finished lowering her eyes onto the floor in a frightened manner.

- Maria, they are going to adore you! Who wouldn't?!

They left the room arms in arms.