To Think We Could Have Had It All

I do not own these characters and I am not making any money off of this.

Chapter 1

iThis day was dreary, the little ten year old girl thought staring at the rain, hitting the window. London was no fun on days like this and Uncle Albert was busy with his job… whatever it was he did. She didn't know…didn't ask. But he was a funny man that kept her in stitches most of the time.

She heard a knock on the door and turned her attention away from the sliding raindrops, running shakily down the windowpane. It had been coming down since she got up, Uncle Albert said it should stop by the time it got really dark and they should be able to see the stars. She had a feeling that it would last longer. The knocking persisted. She raised a brow, who would be knocking on their door in the middle of a rainy day? She got up from the chair and walked over to the door to pull it open. "One moment please!"

She fiddled with the old locks lining the opening of the door and finally swung it open.

She saw a boy standing there. He was her age, wore a patched shirt and carried a rusty, old, red toolbox. He had dark hair…dark eyes too, he smiled and they sparkled. "Hello," he said.

"…Hello." She stood there with a hand on the door, staring at him. His face was dirty and his shirt and hair were wet but his smile looked warm.

"Oh, Burt, how are you?" Uncle Albert came behind her to welcome the boy into the house. "Burt is here to fix the window that wont open," he told her. She saw the boy called Burt walk into their house when she stepped aside and look back at Uncle Albert and ask where the stuck window was. He showed him to it and she went to sit on the stairs.

She knew she should just go upstairs into her room and close the door until he left but she couldn't. Something about him made her want to stick around. Her hands wrapped around the rails of the staircase and she peered through the gaps as she watched him work. First he went to see how stuck the window was, and then he reached for a screwdriver. She saw him glance over at her and she looked away, hoping that the dark and dreary day would hide her blush. A little hesitant at first, she turned her face to look back at him. He glimpse at her again.

She fought back a shy smile and looked down. She had never had a boy notice her or anybody else for that matter. After all, she was a gangly, skinny, little girl with bad teeth. She didn't find herself attractive at all…she envied all of the other girls and their looks. Cynthia most of all, she was gorgeous, something very unlike herself. She didn't really have any friends at school and mostly kept to herself. Deep down she was very insecure. Always hiding away in this house, in books, trying desperately hard not to be noticed. But he kept taking small peeks at her while he worked. She couldn't bend her mouth out of a smile either, her cheeks hurt. She should leave…walk upstairs.

Finally she stood up and walked down the staircase and rested her hand on the last pole, subconsciously tilting her head a little. What, was there some kind of magnetic pull on her just dragging her towards him or what? He opened the window and closed it again with a satisfied smile on his face. "That should do it," he said getting the dust off his hands. He closed the rusty box and looked up at her. She took a few steps forward and tried to talk.

"Would you… ehm… like some hot chocolate, maybe…?" Did she really just ask him that? She looked away and fiddled with her fingernails. What was wrong with her?

"That would be great."

She looked up almost in shock. Did he really say yes? He was actually staying here…with bher/b! Her ears must be going bad…she was deaf. She had no idea what was going on. That was it.

He saw how big her eyes were. He nodded his head to reassure her that she had, in deed, heard him correctly. He laughed inside as her shocked face turned into a beaming smile, she sure was cute.

"Oh…Okay." She nodded her head and went into the kitchen. Wow. Most of the girls fancied him and his likable charm but this girl, she was something. Burt had always been a popular kid around school, he was everybody's friend. People enjoyed his company and he enjoyed people. He'd seen her around though. Not too often but he noticed her. She didn't seem to have too many friends or seem to want them. Maybe she did…if she did she didn't show it. Sure, she was not as outgoing as Sybil or as forward as Prudence but she certainly had an air about her that was just…something. Something he couldn't put his finger on. But he liked her.

Burt had always been dirt poor. In fact, he was an orphan but lucky enough not to have to live in London's orphanage. Ms. Patrick, an old widow who had no children of her own, housed him and a few others since he was five years old. She sure was a nice lady but when it came to feeding all those mouths, paying the bills and everything else…sometimes they just fell short a little. But he'd never complain. Why he was the luckiest boy in the world as far as he was concerned.

He set the toolbox on the windowsill and looked back at the doorway, just in time to see her bright blue eyes behind their mugs that she was carrying on a tray. She smiled as she set them down on the coffee table and handed him one.

"Wow, thanks," he said as they sat down. The warm liquid felt good on his throat. He looked over to see her studying him but once he did, she instantly looked down at her cup. He smiled warmly. "What's your name?"

She looked up at him with her eyes gleaming through the dullness of the afternoon. "Mary," she answered. "Mary Poppins." /i

"Mary Poppins…Mary Poppins? You killed her," the blonde haired girl shouted at her brother in shock and horror as they observed their lifeless nanny.

"I did not! This is all your fault!" He retorted the statement loudly back at her, defending himself. She was the one who had wanted to go downstairs to get their checkers game and bring it up to the nursery. And now she was blaming him for their nanny dying whilst they were down there!

"Nuh uh! If you hadn't been so slow…"

She blinked her eyes a few times as everything began to come into focus. This was exactly what she didn't need, her first assignment and she was already dreaming about him for goodness sakes! Her eyes were deserts and she couldn't swallow as his face hung in her mind. This wasn't good, she began to panic slightly and her heart beat increased slightly. This was exactly why sentiment ruined everything! She needed to stick to the rules or she would never get through this.

She sat up, how could she have fallen asleep in the five minutes they were gone, anyway! She was frustrating herself already and she'd barely been there for twenty four hours. "How ridiculous, I am most certainly alive, thank you. And it's time for children whom are going on an outing tomorrow to get their rest. Come along, spit spot."

"Oh, but Mary Poppins, we didn't even get to play our game yet! Please, Mary Poppins, please," Susan begged with her big eyes shining in the light of their nursery.

She gave her a small smile and handed her, her dressing gown. She'd always wanted a little girl…but that was quite impossible as they both knew.