Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Disney.
Author's Note: All of the characters. Even the two that aren't Mary Poppins characters. :)
"Anyone can do our job, eh?"
"Can't even afford to buy bread for my family!"
The shouts echoed off the buildings, catching the attention of two men stepping out of a pub down the road. "Hear that?" one of them asked. He was wearing a blue shirt and gray vest, cap pulled low over his eyes and cocked at an angle. He grinned at his companion.
His taller friend, in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and an argyle sweater vest, shook his head. "Sounds a little too familiar," he replied. "Let's head the other way," he suggested, knowing even as he said it that it was a pointless thing to say. "This's supposed to be a sightseeing trip," he reminded him. "Sounds like more than I wanna see!"
His friend was already headed toward the sound of the noise. "Great," he said, sighing, and ran to catch up. The two of them rounded the corner to see a crowd of about thirty men, all working-class guys like the two of them, shouting and raising fists and picket signs to the sky.
The man in blue laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Looks like a strike," he yelled over the din.
"You would know!" his friend shot back, shaking his head. "C'mon, this doesn't concern us; we should go before we get our asses kicked-again!"
"That was one time!" the man in blue argued.
"This is gonna get ugly," his friend warned. Across the street, he saw two women passing out flyers, a cute blonde in green and a brunette in blue. He watched as a large man approached them, a menacing look on his face. The man in white nudged his friend, nodded with his chin in their direction. The two of them kept one eye on the rowdy crowd behind them and the scene unfolding in front of them.
"You two need to move along," the man was telling the two women.
"We're not doing anything," the woman in green informed him. "There's no law saying we can't pass out flyers here." She shoved one in his face. "Perhaps you ought to take one, educate yourself on why these gentlemen are yelling at you," she suggested.
The man in white couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like someone you know," he teased his friend.
"These gentlemen are causing a public nuisance, and you're right in the middle of it," the bigger man told them.
"We wouldn't have to be if people like you would work with us instead of against us!" the brunette countered. "Everyone's got the right to get paid a fair wage!"
"Hear, hear," muttered the man in blue.
"The two of you need to move along, or I will move you myself," the large man threatened them.
"Think it's time we stepped in?" the man in blue asked his friend, curling his fingers into a fist.
"No," his friend said, "but I get the feelin' we're gonna anyway." He jogged to keep up with the other man, crossing the street, threading through the crowd.
"Maybe you need to take a flyer and move along yourself," the man in blue was suggesting to the larger man. "These nice young ladies asked you nicely," he added.
Jane Banks and Katherine Reilly took a step back, watching the two men who had come running across the street. They exchanged a look. Where did these two come from? They definitely weren't from London.
The larger man's eyes widened at the new arrivals. "Where're you from, then? This business don't concern you!"
"Oh, we know a few things about fightin' for a fair shake," the man in blue said. "Ain't that right?" he asked his friend.
"Wouldn't be the first time," his friend in white agreed. "You've got bigger fish to worry about than a couple of gals handing out flyers," he added.
"Yeah, like me rearrangin' your face if you don't scram," the larger man said.
The man in blue scoffed. "I'd like to see you try," he said. He looked him up and down. "I've handled bigger."
"Uglier, too," his friend put in.
It had the desired effect. The large man took a swing at the man in blue, who dodged it with practiced ease, leaving him wide open for the man in the white shirt to throw a punch into his gut. He doubled over and the man in blue drove an elbow where his neck met his shoulders, knocking him to the sidewalk.
He tipped his hat to the ladies. "Sorry about that," he said.
"I suppose we should be thanking you," Jane said. "Or that might have been one of us on the ground instead of him."
"She means thank you," Katherine clarified. She stuck out a hand. "Katherine Reilly," she introduced herself. "This is my friend Jane Banks," she pointed to Jane.
"Katherine, huh?" the man in white grinned. He jabbed his friend with his elbow. "What a coincidence."
"Yeah, seems I can't get away from 'em, even across the Atlantic." The man in blue offered Katherine a hand. "Jack Kelly." He tossed a thumb at his friend. "Davey."
"What are two New Yorkers doing over here in the middle of a labor dispute?" Jane asked the two of them.
"Not that we're not grateful," Katherine cut in with a grin.
Jane eyed her roommate and best friend. "Ahem," she whispered loudly. "I believe you're dating my brother."
Kate grinned. "This isn't flirting," she said, making a face at Jane. "This is being grateful."
"Right, then," Jane rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what are the two of you doing here?"
Jack glanced at Davey who gestured to him to continue. "Seizin' the day," Jack shrugged.