Hi! Look, yet another story I shouldn't be starting. I blame finals week; it sends my creative juices into overdrive as I try to procrastinate. (I promise I'm working on the My Fair Lady crossover too! It's just a bit of a challenge and I really need to focus to write it.)
Anyways, moving on, I pretty much have this entire story written (surprise, surprise, it was supposed to be a oneshot). Some scenes are based on The Dick Van Dyke Show because I love it and the Petries rather strike me as having the sort of marriage Mary and Bert might have.
Oh, and if you've read Lee Davies Mary Poppins story (which you totally should), you'll know what I mean by this... This first chapter has a mascara warning of at least a 3, in my humble opinion. (But it's the only one!)
And I'd like to take a second to dedicate this story to two amazing people. 1) Kelly, since her plea for romantic fluff gave me the push to finally publish it (this has been in the works for weeks now). And 2) Loes, because she's the Julie to my Carol and I love her to bits. To bits. (That was a Mary Poppins reference and you should at least smile at my horrible humor.) Also, she has ridiculously inappropriate conversations with me about Mary and Bert. Oh, and the color red.
Oh, look. Even after this ridiculously long author's note, I still own absolutely nothing.
He notes the change in the wind and grins. It won't be long now. Won't be long at all.
The walk home seems incredibly long. He keeps his eyes to the sky, searching for that familiar silhouette.
"Looking for someone?"
He whips around, a grin already forming on his face, even before he sees those blue eyes. It's been almost two months since he's seen her. "Well, 'ello there, Mary! As a matter of fact, I was."
"It wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"
He glances at his watch. "'Ere, Mary, I'm in a bit of a 'urry. I need to get 'ome. Join me and I'll tell ya 'oo I was looking for?"
"I'd be delighted."
He picks up her carpetbag from where she'd set it and offers his arm. She takes it and they begin to stroll. No one says anything until they come to the house—a small place with a fence around the yard. "Won't you come in?"
She nods, a slight smile playing on her lips. They continue up the walk and into the house. "You know," she mentions as they stand on the porch while he opens the door, "you never did tell me who you were looking for."
The door swings open and they enter. She closes the door, he drops her carpetbag. Within seconds, she's in his arms. "As a matter of fact," he says, pulling her close enough that their noses brush, "I was looking for a be-a-u-tiful woman, brown 'air and blue eyes who I 'aven't seen in two months. I've 'eard 'er described as practically perfect, but I'm not sure that's good enough for 'er. I mean, she can fly."
"Oh, she sounds wonderful. Did you find her?"
"You know, funniest thing. She found me."
"You're lucky to have her! And what do you call such a superwoman?"
He grins. "My wife," he replies and finally captures her lips with his. "Welcome home, Mrs. Alfred. I'm 'appy to 'ave you back. I can't tell you 'ow much."
She smiles back and wraps her arms around his neck. "Fine then," she giggles, giving him a cheeky wink. "Show me."
0ooo0
The sweeps sometimes ask him how he manages being married to a woman gone more than half the year, even if her name is Mary Poppins. He always just smiles and reminds them that you don't choose who you fall in love with.
But he knows the real reason he puts up with her absences, aside from the fact that he loves her—he's the only one to ever see her wake up. Any man lucky enough to watch Mary Poppins wake up would never give that opportunity up.
She sleeps on her side, curled up, her lips just barely parted. He always can tell when she's about to wake up because her toes will curl when she starts to stretch her legs out. Her eyes stay close but she automatically seeks the warmth of his body and scoots closer to him, her mind clinging to the last shred of sleep. When she's on the job, she's always up long before her charges and it takes her mere seconds to get out of bed. But at home, she lingers there, choosing to wake up slowly and, most importantly, in his arms.
She has been home for two days now. This is the second time he's woken up and found that her side of the bed is already cold. She's kind enough to leave her carpetbag in plain sight so that he knows she's still here, but he doesn't like it.
It goes beyond the sudden avoidance of his embrace in the morning. In the time since she last stayed in the house, her temper seems to have gotten shorter, her voice quieter, her smile rarer. It makes him nervous. Everything will be fine when all of a sudden she'll shirk out of his arms and disappear. He's afraid that he feels her putting up a wall between them—a wall that he spent years of friendship pulling down slowly and carefully, brick by brick.
He knows that he's not supposed to push her, that she trusts him to leave her be. He can't let this go though. He's worried about their marriage; more importantly, he's worried about her.
He goes downstairs and finds her in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. "Mary," he says, his mind made up.
"Good morning, Bert."
"Morning. I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."
"Certainly."
"Mary, you're my wife," he starts.
"That sounds about right," she smiles.
"An'- an' I'm your husband."
"Well, given the way we passed the night, I should certainly hope so!" she laughs.
"We're married…"
"Yes, that is the label generally afforded husbands and wives."
"Mary, what I'm trying to say 'ere is you should… you can talk to me, you know that, right?"
She looks shocked that he even has to mention it. "Of course!"
"But there's something you're not telling me!"
"Bert, I'm certain that I have no idea-" She breaks off suddenly, her face turning pale. Her eyes widen in alarm and she rushes for their washroom.
He follows, his face filling with worry when he finds her vomiting into the toilet. "Mary, are you sick?"
She stands up, wiping her mouth daintily and filling a glass with water to rinse her mouth. "I… I didn't want to tell you," she says slowly. "Not until I was sure that everything was going to be alright. But-"
"Mary-" He reaches out for her, certain she's going to tell him she's dying.
"No, Bert, it's not what you're thinking," she cuts him off quickly. "At all. I'm… That is… Bert, we're going to be parents. I'm pregnant. About two months along, I should think."
He blinks, trying to process her sentence. Individually he understands each word, but the sentence feels entirely beyond his comprehension.
"Bert? Are you… please say something."
A grin slowly spreads across his face. "Mary, that's… that's amazing!" He can't but help pull her into his arms.
"Do you… do you really mean it?"
His eyes widen in disbelief. "Of course I do! Mary, I've never meant anything so much in me 'ole life!" He uses his grip around her waist to pull her in as close as possible and kiss her soundly. "I love you an' as long as you're safe an' 'appy about it, this is the best day of my 'ole life!"
She laughs, relief coloring the happiness. "I had hoped you'd say that."
"Of course I would, Mary! We're married, aren't we? I promised you before God an' everyone to love you an' support you forever an'-"
"Bert, if you have a point, I do wish you'd make it."
"Starting a family with you… it's the only thing I want!"
She sighs. "You understand that things won't change, don't you?"
"What d'you mean? Of course they'll change!"
She rolls her eyes to the ceiling. "A child changes everything. I know that. But at the same time, I'll still be a nanny, Bert. We can't afford to lose an income and I can't afford to give that part of me up."
"Well, 'oo asked you to? We'll figure it out, Mary. We always do. I love you an' you love me an' that'll be enough to get us through."
She swallows the lump in her throat and leans in to peck him on the lips. "I love you," she says with a smile. "Now what would you like for breakfast?"
He pushes her to sit. "No, no, you an' the baby rest. I'll make breakfast."
"Bert, I am perfectly capable of-" He just gives her a pointed look. She sighs and sits down. "Fine, I'll just… sit."
He grins and pecks her lips. "That's m' girl!"
Mary sighs. As much as she loves and appreciates her husband, this is going to be a long pregnancy.
0ooo0
"Bert, stop it," Mary snaps. "You're behaving childishly."
"Well, I'm sorry," he sulks from his post in front of the door, "if I don't feel comfortable with my very pregnant wife flying off to only the 'eavens know where!"
"I'm only six months along," Mary points out. "That's hardly very pregnant. With the right coat, you can hardly even tell!"
"Mary, I don't want you to go."
Her eyes flash. "Well, that's unfortunate, but you don't have a choice in the matter. Step aside please."
"No," he refuses stubbornly. "Mary, I don't like the idea of you being off on your own, not with this war on."
Mary rolls her eyes. "I'm not even leaving the city, Bert. I'll still see you on my days off. Now I shan't ask again, please get out of my way."
She can see that she's finally baited him enough, that even his slow temper is starting to ignite. Usually she'd care, but today for some reason she just feels cruel.
"An' what if something 'appens to you, Mary? To you or the baby? What then?"
"Then I'll seek medical attention immediately! You're being ridiculous. Let me go."
"I don't want to."
"Then you're no better than a five-year-old," she snaps. "There is a family out there who needs my help. And you would deny them that help simply because you're worried over nothing? There are other families in this world, Bert, and they are every bit as important as ours!"
"Mary, I don't want you to go," he insists.
"And I understand that. But you hold no sway over what I do."
"As your 'usband, I do. An' I want you 'ere."
Tears spring to her eyes. "Why then you're… you're nothing more than a big bully."
Something in his eyes breaks. "Mary-"
"I'm going to leave before one of us says something irreparable. Please move."
He finally steps aside and she sweeps outside, opening her umbrella. Surreptitiously she brushes a tear away and allows the wind to carry her to where she's needed.
I'll post more soon! But please let me know what you think! I love getting feedback.
-Juli-
