AN- Thank you for all the reviews. As always, none of the characters are mine.
Mary Poppins was not at all surprised by the knock on her bedroom door the next morning. After what she and Bert revealed to Mr. and Mrs. Banks, she knew they would have many questions. She hadn't sleep at all the night before, her thoughts much too loud to allow for rest. "Mary Poppins? The master wishes to speak with you." came Ellen's rushed voice on the other side of the door.
The maid was surprised to see the door open suddenly. "What are we discussing this morning?" The nanny asked, though she knew. The entire household knew.
"He just told me to send for you." The other woman answered quietly. Even softer still, she whispered. "Mrs. Brill and I are happy for you and Bert."
The nanny didn't smile nor say another word. Ellen wasn't even sure she had heard her until Mary Poppins told her to keep quiet as to not wake the children.
She left Ellen to dust the shelf at the top of the stairs while she walked downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Banks were standing in front of the fireplace. Mary Poppins' voice was very matter of fact when she spoke. "Ellen said you wished to see me?"
"We wish to talk with you about last night…" Mr. Banks said. As he trailed off he added. "Tell us about your marriage with Bert."
The nanny didn't even blink as she said. "I never explain anything."
"If you would like to keep your job, Mary Poppins, you will explain this." Inwardly, she sighed. Outwardly, she nodded.
"Very well." Mary Poppins said calmly.
"No tricks." He said quickly.
"I beg your pardon?" the nanny asked as though she had no idea what he was talking about.
"No tricks." He repeated. "No twisting words. No half-truths. I want the truth. The full truth, Mary Poppins."
"I never lie." She said, indignant that he would even suggest such a thing. "But I will answer your questions."
"What of your outings with Bert in the park?" Mr. Banks asked.
"Our outings?"
"With the children, of course." Mrs. Banks added, quickly. "He means with the children present."
The smile on her face was a tight-lipped one, but it was a smile just the same. "You have seen how he acts here, ma'am." She figured her best course of action would to be just a bit submissive. It seemed the only thing to do was to make it clear she was simply among the servant class. Though, in truth, Mary Poppins hated acting this way. But if it kept her her job with these children, she wouldn't object. "In front of the children, we are not married. He escorts us on our walks in the park, but that is all. He loves the children so." As do I she thought to herself.
"But the nature of your outings… You seem to go to the park more often than not." Mr. Banks noted.
And you spend more time at work than with your family Mary Poppins thought, but would never dare speak it aloud. "The children ask me to take them to the park. You have seen how they've been the past week, sir. Must I remind you that he is a sweep and does not spend his days lollygagging about in the park?"
"How long have you been married?" Mrs. Banks asked. Mary Poppins knew that question had been on her mind since last night.
Mary Poppins smiled. It pleased her sincerely that the question was phrased that way. "Not very long." It was the truth. Though one hundred years would seem long to the Banks, when one had forever, one hundred years was not long at all.
"Are you happy with him?" Mr. Banks asked.
"Are you?" She turned towards Mrs. Banks to ask her response.
Mr. Banks' face was turning red in anger and frustration. "I do not understand the relevance."
"Neither do I, Mr. Banks." she answered. He blinked and she could see she had made her point. He frowned.
The questioning continued until all three of them heard movement upstairs. The children were awake. Mr. Banks frowned as she would not answer about where she has worked previously. "I have worked for many families. That is all I will say on the matter."
"Did the children know of your marriage to Bert?"
"Jane and Michael did, yes. But John, Barbara, and Annabel did not until last night." That was the wrong thing to say. She knew that as soon as the words left her mouth. He began speaking again, but Mary Poppins was more focused on the children upstairs.
His frown deepened when they heard Michael's voice calling for Mary Poppins. "…But for now, Mary Poppins, you are dismissed."
"Dismissed?" She blinked.
He seemed annoyed by her question. "I worry that the children are getting too attached to you. We will continue this conversation later. I ask that you get the children ready for an outing now."
"An outing?" She didn't understand. He had just said that they were getting too attached and that she was as Michael put it… 'sacked'.
"With their grandmother. She is going to spend a day with them today."
"Yes of course, Mr. Banks." She said before heading back up the stairs to her room.
If she was any less practically perfect, Mary Poppins would have plopped on the bed and groaned, burying her face in her hands, but that is not how Mary Poppins behaves. But all she did was sit on the edge of her bed and look at the Umbrella. "Are we to be leaving?" the Parrot Head asked in a disinterested fashion.
"The Winds haven't changed." She snapped, but they both knew that wasn't true. The winds are getting closer and closer to changing every day, plus the winds were making an awful racket outside. "We must prepare to leave." She said softly, her eyes looking out the window.
"I told you it would only complicate things… coming back here… But did you listen?"
"Enough." She closed her fingers on his beak. He rolled his eyes.
"There are other children you know." He added, trying to make up for it. She doesn't say anything, but stands up to finish packing. Most of it was done last night, but she still had to put away her mirror and the lamp. She took one last long look in the mirror. A smile on her reflection's face. She places her hands on the mirror to remove it when there is a knock.
"Mary Poppins? May we come in?" Quickly her hands move to just stroke the sides as the children come in. She didn't want them to know she was leaving. The children never knew until after she was gone.
"You should be getting ready for a day with your grandmother." This is the way it must be, the way it always is.
"We want to stay with you." Jane says and the other nod.
"And why, might I ask, do you have this idea that I require your company?" It's better to create a distance.
"I overheard Father and Mother…." Michael tells her. The Wind howls outside.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to eavesdrop?"
"Yes, but why would—"
"What Michael means, is why did you keep your marriage a secret?" Jane asked. Mary Poppins smiled at the girl.
"Nobody would hire a married nanny."
"But why?" Barbara asked. "I would. You're nice." Wait until you have children of your own.
"They'd think I couldn't do my job as well as an unmarried woman." She shouldn't have even told them that. It wasn't proper to discuss these things with children. But there was more to it than just that. Employers would think my heart and thoughts wouldn't be fully with my charges where they belong. Employers would think I couldn't be focused enough because I have my own family at home. But the truth was most unmarried woman became nannies because they couldn't get married for whatever reason. Her powers were definitely a big reason as to why she would remain unmarried, until of course, she met Bert. It was extremely uncommon for employers to hire a married nanny, so it was just better to not tell anyone of her marriage.
The Winds are getting louder, angrier. She glared out the window. She'd curse the wind if she was alone. "You're not leaving are you?" John asks quickly. He is worried, as are his siblings.
"Enough questions, children. Your grandmother will be here very soon and your parents will not be pleased if you keep her waiting." With that, she ushers them out.
Once the children are out of the house, Mr. Banks wants to speak with Mary Poppins again. Afterwards, she returns up to her room. Bert is waiting in the center of the room. She stares at him, he is grinning at her, but he looks nervous. "What are you doing here?" she questions calmly. She is quite pleased to see him; she needs him now.
He nodded towards the window. The Winds had been getting worse all morning. "I wanted to check on you, Miss Mary." He gives a lopsided grin.
"While that was very kind, love, you should not have come. If anyone knows you are here…"
"They won't. I had to see how you were doin' though." He opens his arms and pulls her into an embrace. She doesn't say anything, just burying her face in his chest. "Do you- do you need help packing?" They both know the real question he is asking.
"I might need help unpacking, love." She says to let him know she will be staying. She grins suspiciously. Though she always found packing unpleasant, it was a task she needed no help with, nor did she ever need help unpacking.
He studies her a moment before a grin spreads across his face. "Ya mean, you're not sacked?" he asks using Michael's words.
"Certainly not! I am never sacked… as you know." He laughs and lifts her into the air. He twirls her a moment as they laugh.
"But I thought… you wasn't dismissed?" he wants to be sure.
"Not from my job. From the conversation, I was. Though I will have you know, even if it was from my position, I wouldn't accept it."
"That's the Mary Poppins I know." Bert says happily. "You'd find a way to 'elp these kids even if you weren't the nanny no more."
She smiled at him. "Though you must leave. I'm already walking a thin line… Mr. Banks assured me of that. I'm sure I will be sacked if they learn that my husband snuck into my room…"
He frowned and looked so much like scolded child that she couldn't help but laugh. He laced his fingers around hers. "Love you." he kissed the top of her head. "What did they say then?"
"He is angry. But for now I am staying." The Winds are getting louder. She frowns and closes her eyes. Leaning against him, she sighs.
"Are you alright?" he asks, concerned. "You're not trying to fight the winds again, are you?" She'd only done it once, but it caused her to be so sick. He'd never seen her look so weak and fragile. Three days, only three days until she couldn't fight it anymore. Until she let the winds carry her away. Away from him.
"Never again." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You know that."
"I just don't want you to fight it. You know you'll never win." He was playing with her hair a moment before looking up suddenly. "Someone's s'posed to clean the chimney."
"Today?" she complains. He was just working on it last night, but she knew yesterday was just about fixing the leak.
He shakes his head. "A week or so. But I don't think they're real pleased with me, right now—"
"So are you going to still clean the chimney…?"
"Nope. I'm busy that day." He grins. There was no day scheduled yet. "I'll send someone else to do the Banks."
"Not James." She says. "Jane's upset enough as it is about William. Adding James to the mix would complicate things even more."
He nods. "Maybe Charlie, but I think Mr. Banks'll want someone older—"
"Do you think Tom will mind, love?"
"Naw. Tom'll be fine with it. We'll switch up then. I'll take over 'is jobs and e'll take over this one. Their chimney doesn't need it for about a week… maybe more?" He wanted to give things time to settle. He had his arms around her and her head was on his shoulder.
"I'm becoming spoiled." She whispered.
"You? Impossible. Mary Poppins ain't never gonna be spoiled." He gave her another kiss. "You're too perfect for that."
"Nobody is perfect." She answered. "But I am becoming spoiled. Staying in London, I've grown accustomed to seeing you every day or nearly every day. But we won't always have that luxury. Sometimes I'll just be too far away for you to just jump in a painting to come to me."
He grinned. "Well then you don't gotta leave London.." But they both knew she did. She was needed all over the world. "Or I can come with you." He liked that one better as did she.
"Perhaps." She mused, but she knew they'd just have to get along without each other as they always do until they can be together again. He laughed and stood up. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms into a dance.
"The children aren't 'ere." He notes.
"They are with their grandmother."
"Why?"
"They need a day away from us, love." She tells him. He looks as though that thought never crossed his mind.
"But you're the nanny?"
She sighs. "But she is their grandmother. Besides, we need to give them space today."
"You saw 'em earlier today." He pointed out. She shushed him with a kiss. "You're perfect, you know that?"
"Nobody is perfect." She reminds him.
"That's true. 'Specially not you." He agrees with a teasing smile.
"Excuse me?" She stares at him. First he claims she is perfect, and now he doesn't? Sometimes she just can't follow his train of thought.
"Yeah. Practically perfect people don't try to take over the whole bed, nor do they steal the covers. Mary Poppins, only practically perfect since she's the stealer of the covers." He's teasing her now.
"Well, you have the whole bed all to yourself now, love."
He frowned. "I like it much better when you are there." Yes, he'd lose the covers, but nothing beat the feeling of when she would snuggle deeper against him.
She smiled at him. "I might be home sooner than we planned. Mr. Banks is not—"
"Forget that for moment, Miss Mary." He says, and he smiles.
"I love you." She says into his neck.
"Now why does that sound like a goodbye?" He holds her shoulders away from him, so he can look into her eyes.
"I don't want it to be." She said sadly, "But it has to be… for now anyway."
He nods and leaves her with a long, slow kiss.
Mary Poppins smiles when the children come bursting through the door. She's sitting in front of the fireplace, now. Just warming herself by the fire with her book in her hand. "You're back!" All the children cry when they see her.
"One can't be back when one hasn't left." She said dismissively.
"How was your day?" Barbara asked innocently.
"I spent my day in my room. How was yours?" She looked up and saw their grandmother staring at her.
"So she is the nanny I've heard so much about. Such stories, she's taught my grandchildren. Utter foolishness. Dreadful, you know, to have hired one with such circumstances. Well, George, it isn't your fault when the help lie to you." She sniffed looking directly at Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins balled her fist, and then opened her hand as she took a deep breath.
"How was your day, Jane?" Mary Poppins continued as though the Grandmother was not even in the room.
"Wonderful! The play was simply marvelous." The girl grinned.
"It was amazing. They even had a nanny!" Annabel cut in.
"Didn't have a nanny, they had a dog." Michael said.
"But she was their nanny dog." John reminded his brother as Mary Poppins hid her smile.
"Mother? May we get a dog?" Barbara asked but before she even had time to answer, Jane was already onto the next question.
"Do you have a dog, Mary Poppins? You seem like the type of person who would have a dog."
Mary Poppins shook her head." In my line of work, I've no time for a dog."
"Well, I want a dog." Michael said.
"Michael was even in the play!" Annabel told their nanny.
"He was not. He was just named the same." John told her.
"Still it was incredible. They learned how to fly! Could you teach us flying?" Barbara asked, flapping her wings as though she might take off at any moment.
"People do not fly, Barbara. Even if they could, it simply couldn't be taught." Mary Poppins told the children.
"But they had magic!" John insisted.
"Magic isn't real, John." Mr. Banks said. "It's time you've learned that."
"Your father is right, children. Flying is good for make believe or plays, but now that is over. Time to go upstairs." Mary Poppins said leading the children into the nursery.
AN- I had really bad writer's block and I feel like this was not one of my better chapters. I'm sorry for the late update but school has been crazy and it is definitely a new experience being away from home.