Hey guys... I'm so sorry for the lack of updating :( I've been super busy and the lack of internet isn't helping either. Anyways, Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, favorite-d, and so forth. You guys are awesome, and thanks to a lot of you for the encouraging comments and critique. Also, thank you to you my wonderful beta!
Read and Review, Please! They are love to me. 3
~ Rebecca
Chapter Four
The room was still. Mary stood up from the bench, and slowly walked over to the man, her heels echoing around the house. As the chimney sweep stood up, she spoke. "I'm Mary Poppins."
Wiping off his face, he finally turned around.
It rushed back to her like a burst of wind. The face, the smile, the eyes, the kisses, the hugs, the love making, the heart breaking, the tears. Most importantly, the ring. She glanced down at her right hand before looking back up at the man she once loved. Still loved?
He had hardly aged a bit, hardly looked any different from the way he was when he had left her that night one year ago. His eyes were passionate, filled with longing and sadness. His mouth was slightly agape from the recent discovery of someone he'd thought he'd never see again. And his hands shook fiercely, unsure if holding her in his arms was the right thing or even if touching her was appropriate at all.
He broke this statuary form, and embraced her, forgetting the proper person he was. This was his Mary, after all, he needed every inch of her. He missed every inch of her.
Every time the wind would blow he had hopes of seeing her float down from the sky. Every time he would walk into a household with children, he somehow hoped there would be a nanny as well, and perhaps he would be able to see this nanny. But every disappointment lasted, and every hope had been dashed, until finally he had just decided to let her come to him. Bert had waited too long for this moment to come.
"Mary, I can't believe it's actually you," he whispered into her ear and laughed quietly.
Mary didn't know what to do. It was Bert, here, holding her, as he had done every day before she left. There was a part of her, missing, that was now back within her reach. Yet there was that ring. She closed her eyes and remembered everything that she could.
Bert placing it in her palms, running off in the rain to set sail with his uncle, leaving her with that awful choice to make. Tears began to well in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, she remembered, setting it on the ground. She had left it there in the park, abandoning it and then she flew off into the sky, off to the next family that had really made things worse for her.
And then of course, she got rid of him completely.
Mary bit her lip, trying to hold back an explosion of emotions. "I'm so sorry, Bert," she whispered into his ear as he pressed closer to her.
"Sorry? For what, love?" He chuckled and buried his face into her neck.
"I didn't do it, though!" Mary pushed him away, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I didn't take the ring and wait for you."
"I know, and that's okay -"
"Okay? You should be angry with me! I left your beautiful ring in the park and flew off to God knows where, so I could be a nanny again. And you're not mad?"
Bert laughed and grabbed her hands, so he could pull her close to him again. "It's fine, Mary. Look, we're both here together, so what more could I possibly want?" He kissed her cheek and held her tightly.
At that moment, the front door opened, and a coughing Mrs. Banks could be heard from the foyer. "I tell you, Ellen, my singing voice is not what it use to be. Be a dear and brew up some tea, would you?"
Mary and Bert withdrew from their embrace and blushed rather furiously, looking at one another, until Mrs. Banks entered the drawing room. "Oh, I see you've met our chimney sweep, Mary Poppins. How are you again, Bert?"
"I'm alright, ma'am. Just about finished with your chimney." He smiled brightly at her, and why shouldn't he? His beautiful Mary had just been brought back into his life.
"Wonderful! Oh, Mary, thank you for helping him set the sheets down, and making him feel welcome. I really do appreciate it."
Mary nodded, trying not to remember the sudden and rather awkward evening she had gotten herself into. While Bert seemed all too happy he was seeing her again, she felt embarrassed and ashamed. "It wasn't a problem at all…"
"Good. Now, here is something I've picked up for each of the children on my way home. If you would, just take that upstairs for them, and see that they be surprised in the morning!" Mrs. Banks set the two packages in Mary's hands and scurried off into the kitchen for something to eat.
Mary turned back to look at Bert. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you then…"
"I haven't finished cleaning, yet," he smiled.
She nodded and began to head up the stairs with the packages. "Right. I'll just be right back, I guess."
It took her awhile, but wouldn't you, if you just ran into an old lover? She felt weak, like this was just one big mess about to happen. He had asked her to marry him, she refused and now he wasn't mad at her? It didn't make sense.
She set the packages at the ends of either of the children's beds, deep in thought. How could she have forgotten? It had been a year since she last seen him, several months since she last thought about him. It was too much for her to handle, even for the practically perfect Mary Poppins. So, she told herself to get rid of him, and that's exactly what happened. Her mind threw out his evidence of ever being a part of her, making it easy for herself to carry on, not having a load hanging over her shoulders.
Yet he was a part of her. This whole time, when she thought there was something missing, something escaping from inside her, that was it! Bert was gone, and there was nothing but a hole waiting to be filled inside her. That's why she longed for someone for so long, such as, well, a chimney sweep.
Giving a well needed sigh, Mary brushed her hair out of her eyes and cleaned her face from the tears. Descending the staircase again, she could see that Mr. Banks had come in and was already giving Bert his wages.
Bert smiled up at her, which brought Mr. Banks' attention to the nanny. "Oh, Mary Poppins. Would you kindly see this man out the door?" He placed one more shilling in Bert's hand and thanked him as he headed into the parlor.
Mary stepped down from the staircase and smiled at Bert. "You know, I'm off every second Tuesday," She said, walking him to the door.
As she opened it, Bert began to smile. "That's great! Listen, tomorrow why don't you and Jane and Michael meet me in the park?"
"Why?"
"I'm a screever, tomorrow." He grinned at this, hoping she would remember.
Mary did, and gained a dreamy look in her eyes. "Oh, Bert, I would love to. What do you plan on painting for us, then?"
"Whatever you like, Mary Poppins."
She thought for a moment, and closed her eyes, remembering their last adventure into one of his paintings. It was a beautiful spring day, the birds were lively, and the English countryside was more gorgeous than ever. Yes, that's exactly where she wanted to be.
"Will you do one like on my eighteenth birthday? Remember?"
"How could I forget. A beautiful country side? With a nice dirt road that leads into the forest?"
Mary nodded. "Mhm, and an elegant lagoon, complete with boat and willow trees. A nice picnic by the pond, and maybe a fair too, for the children."
"I'll make sure to start on it at the crack of dawn." Bert lent down and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I'll see you at noon."
Mary watched him dance down the street, whistling that same old chimney sweep song, that he always sang. He was happy, all because of her. Mary felt horrible that she had done this to him. She could only imagine what he had felt when he found out that she had left him. It broke her heart, but had broke him even more.
