I wanted to tell you first that I will use the phrase, "Slammed on the brakes" in my story, that means, she was trying to stop, but skidded anyway. And I think i may have a winner with this one, it came to me by looking at a picture on a website of like a teenage Bert and Mary being mean to one another, and then it changed to something else, so I hope you enjoy this story!

Ashton (Written with Disney Hart)

"STOOOOOOOP!!" Miss Lark yelled and as soon as the 17 year old slammed on the brakes, she flipped over the gate and onto the hard snow covered ground.

"Mary Poppins! You are so clumsy, at least you didn't hit my dear Andrew, you need to be more careful, now come on inside, and I'll lend you one of my old dresses, you're all covered in snow." The old woman picked up her puppy and stepped over Mary, who was still on her back looking up at the gray sky.

When Miss lark had gone through the door, Mary let out a whimper and added "Ow." As she got up and dusted the snow off herself, what she could anyway.

"Well, well and well, if isn't the the snowman of the north." 17 year old Bert Alfred said as he came out of no where and propped up against the fence.

"Go away." Mary said, she hated Bert, he was so mean to her, when she'd first moved to Greenwhich when she was 12, he caused trouble for her all the time, and she didn't do anything to make him sour to her at all.

"Aw come on now, if you think about it, you did look kinda funny when you went and flipped over the gate, running on ice never 'elped anyone." Bert snickered.

"Hubert Alfred! Leave me alone, or I will kill you! Go on! Shoo!" Mary said slapping at him, trying to make him go away.

"All right, all right, see you later your 'ighness." He pulled on her hair and then took of running.

Mary stuck her tongue out at him and she turned on her heel and ventured into Miss Lark's house, she was about to freeze out there.

"Here you go Mary." Miss Lark said as she gave Mary a gray dress to put on.

Mary went and put her soaked one by the fire and noticed the dress fit perfectly. That was strange, even though Mary had never seen Miss Lark as a teenager, she thought she would have been bigger than her, like she was now.

A few moments later, Mary was looking back at herself in the mirror as Miss Lark brushed her hair.

"My goodness, how is one young woman so clumsy? It's like your a walking nightmare." Miss Lark said helping Mary get the remaining snow out of her hair.

"Gee Miss Lark, thank you so much." Mary said sarcastically.

"I did not mean to offend you, just promise me, you'll be more careful, Andrews is only a puppy and, just be careful ok?" Miss Lark said as she put the brush down and looked at Mary's appearance with satisfaction.

"It's ok, I realize how clumsy I am, but hey, everyone in my family is, I guess I'll just have to bare it as everyone else has. Oh shoot! Uncle Albert's going to kill me if I don't get home in time to help with that old mare of his, I'll return the dress later, bye Miss Lark!" Mary jumped up and rushed out into the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door.

As Mary ran down to the end of Cherry Tree Lane, she ran into her nemesis again, this time, they both fell on the ground, except Mary landed on top of Bert, and he was in the snow.

"Watch where you're a goin'! Now look what you did!" He said shoving her off and getting up.

"Well don't be in the middle of the street! What are you doing anyway!?" She said looking at the drawings in the snow.

"Wot does it look like stupid?" He asked pointing at the smeared pictures.

"Sor-ry." Mary rolled her eyes.

"Now it's my turn, get away from me, or I will unfreeze the lake and stick you in it!" Bert snarled.

"Fine." Mary said sweetly, as she walked by, she changed her mood and kicked him in the shin with her boot and then she ran away again, as Bert fell to the ground clutching at his shin.

When Mary reached her Uncle Albert's house, he was there at the door, waiting for her, and her explanation.

"I slipped..and fell... then...fought with Bert, and...ran...straight... here." She said as she gasped for air. She must've run over a mile, just trying to remember exactly where to go.

"Mary, Mary, Mary, I'm all right with the slipping and falling part, but why do you always fight with Bert? His parents are nice people, and from what I've seen of him, he is a very nice young man."

"Sure and I am the Queen of England, He is a bully! He has hated me ever since I came here after my parents died, and I hate him to, that's all we have in common, end of story." Mary said tweaking with her hair, she always did this when she was either lying or up to something.

"Mary, what am I going to do with you? Come along, Old Nellie needs some tending to, as soon as we're finished with that, I'll see if I can't get that darned chimney unclogged, I think a bird may have nested in there." Uncle Albert said.

"No, I'll look, I'm smaller than you." She said as they walked out to the old shed where Uncle Albert's draft horse, Nellie, was waiting for them to rewrap her leg. She'd slipped while Uncle Albert's friends had borowed her for driving their buggy one day.

As soon as that was done, Uncle Albert said that he had to go and ask a favor of one of his neighbors, Mary didn't stick around long enough to ask, she was about to freeze, and was ready to go inside.

Once Mary got back inside, she went over to the chimney and looked up. It was dark, big surprise. Mary rooted around as far as she could and she could feel some twigs and found that her Uncle had been right.

When she went to pull it out, the front door opening and slamming made her step back and she bumpped her head on the fireplace wall, and she bit her tongue, trying not to scream and soot fell onto her, oh Miss Lark wasn't going to get her dress back ever again.

"We meet again, eh?" Mary stopped rubbing the back of her head and opened her eyes wide.

"Not again." She mumbled under her breath.

"Bert, you know Mary, who is in the chimney." Uncle Albert said as he followed Bert into the living room.

"That I do." He replied as Mary stepped out from under the chimney, and Bert started laughing, her face was covered in soot, and for the first time in his life, he did something nice for her. He gave her his handkerchief to wipe her face off with, and he took out the nest himself.

He and Uncle Albert sat around for an hour, and Mary, who didn't want to be anywhere near hi, went out and talked with Nellie, who was a great listener.

"Nellie, I don't see why he hates me, I haven't done anything wrong. Oh just look at me, I'm talking to a horse, I've lost my mind." She smiled as she patted the horse's muzzle.

Nellie bobbed her head up and down as if saying yes, and Mary just laughed.

"Mary! Escort Bert to the door, I have to do something." Uncle Albert called as he walked outside.

"OK." said Mary, but in her mind she was thinking "Damn it."

When she walked in the house, Bert was about to walk out the door, when Mary stopped him.

"Thank you for doing what you did, you saved me from making a bigger klutz out of myself." Mary said nicely.

"Your welcome." He replied smiling at her.

Mary stared at him for a minute and then shook her head, and frowned.

"Remember, this doesn't mean that I like you." She hissed.

"And this doesn't mean I like you either." He kissed her on the cheek and rushed out the door, leaving Mary still standing there with a shocked look on her face.

I know this was short, but hey, it is 5:00 in the morning and this idea woke me up, so I hope you liked the first chapter, so see Bert doesn't hate Mary, but she still hates him, and is going to get him back for this. And Elizabeth Lakrest, if you read this, I hope you know that I wrote the her moving part with you in mind, you made a good point about the kid part, but hey, they were 12 in my story. lol. Bye yall! Gonna go back to sleep!

Ashton