When Ben opened his eyes, he was in a human town he's never seen before...which seemed to be decorated for Christmas. "Where and when are we?"
"Burgess, during Christmas time." said Mary.
"Burgess? Never heard of it," Ben replied, rubbing his arms from slightly feeling cold.
"That's because it's Lea's cousins' hometown. We're in her dimension. I'm assuming Lea went to find her grandparents." Mary checked the page in her book. "They're still alive in this time period."
"So, how do we even find them?"
"Well, since this is the past, I suggest we start at the Bennett's house. That's where Lea's cousins' live and the rest of her family staying during the holidays," Mary answered, already moving forward. "Come along, Benjamin."
"I know how we can get there faster." Ben activated the Omnitrix and became XLR8. He grabbed Mary, put her on his back, and zoomed off.
"Oooh! How exhilarating!" Mary exclaimed, only to notice they were about to pass the house. "Ben, stop! We're already here!"
XLR8 stopped, but slid due to an icy patch. He and Mary screamed as they crashed into a neighbor's snowman.
Mary got up and brushed the snow off her clothes before helping Ben up. "And that is why you never run on cold conditions like this."
"Can't catch me, Jamie!" a young girl's voice shouted.
"Oh, yes, I will!" a young boy's voice shouted back.
Both voices were coming from the backyard of a nearby house.
"I think that's our target." XLR8 said as he returned to Ben. "Let's go!"
"Remember. Our objective is to find Present Lea, not her past self. We need to be careful," Mary warned.
"Okay." Ben peered into the yard.
When he and Mary did that, they could see a five-year-old boy with matching brown hair and eyes chasing after a girl that's half-older than him with golden curls hair in pigtails and autumn eyes. Both had on winter clothes during their snowy fun. The two young kids were laughing and running around the backyard.
"I told ya! You can't catch me!" the little girl teased in a singing tone before sticking her tongue out at him.
"I'm so gonna get you, Lea!" Jamie exclaimed, already jumping forward and tackling her into the snow.
Once the two popped out of the snow, they looked at each other before dissolving into more giggles.
"Okay, you win, Jamie," Young Lea replied, smiling happily.
"Whoa! So, if that's young Lea, where's our Lea?" Ben wondered.
"I'm not sure. She should be around here somewhere," Mary thought out loud.
Just then, soft guitar music came from inside the house.
"I'll bet if we follow that music, we'll find Lea!" Ben said, as he activated the Omnitrix. "I'll go Ghostfreak and spook around for Lea." The boy turned into his ghostly alien form and went toward the house.
Mary stayed outside to watch the young past kids run back inside the house to meet with two elderly people in the living room. One was an old man with white short hair, brown eyes, and glasses. He was also playing an acoustic guitar. The other was an elderly woman with platinum wavy hair and green eyes. Both their skin was lightly wrinkly but a bit healthy.
"There's my two favorite grandkids! How was your game of tag?" the older man asked happily, still playing the guitar.
"It was awesome, grandpa!" Young Lea answered excitedly, as she hurried over to him. "I can't wait to sing carols, hear fun stories, and eat delicious treats together!"
Jamie sniffed the air. "Is grandma baking cookies?"
"I sure am, Jamie! Would you like to help me work on the next batch?" the old woman asked from across the kitchen.
"Okay!" Jamie, without hesitation, hurried over to help.
Ghostfreak was invisible as he entered the kitchen. He sniffed the air and saw a scrumptious plate of cookies on the table. I could go for one of those babies! he thought to himself.
Jamie tried to sneak one baked cookie from the tray, but got his hand gently smacked by Grandma Laura.
"Ah, ah, ah. No nibbling when the cookies just got out of the oven," His grandmother replied, waving an index finger on that. "You need to wait until they're cooled down."
"Awww! But they smell so good!" Jamie whined.
"Eating a cookie when it's still too hot is bad for you. There's a right time for snacking,"
"Hey! Someone snatched a cookie!" said Young Lea, as she finally got in the kitchen.
Jamie turned around to see one cookie was missing.
"That wasn't me! I was talking to grandma the whole time!" Jamie defended. "Maybe it was you!"
"Na-uh! I just got here! Grandpa was showing me a few guitar lessons and I came to see how the cookies are!" Little Lea argued.
The young girl looked around the kitchen for clues. She saw a trail of crumbs and followed it to a dead end. It was the wall to the guest bedroom where she was sleeping in.
"Huh?" Young Lea, letting her curiosity get the better of her, went to the door of her guest bedroom to see an actual ghost floating there.
She gasped in shock. "A ghost?! In my guest room!? And eating our cookies!?"
Ghostfreak dropped the cookie and flew himself into Lea's body, possessing her.
"Lea!" Grandma Laura rushed in. "Is something wrong?!"
'Lea' shook her head. "Nothing, Grandma." she said sweetly.
"Are you sure? You sounded scared about something," Grandma pointed out.
Jamie came running in. "Did I just heard you say ghost?!"
"Uh...no? I said, um...toast! Yeah, toast!" the possessed young girl answered, smiling sheepishly. "Grandma! Can I have some toast and jam to go with those cookies?" asked possessed Lea.
"Well...I would, Sweetie. But we're out of jam. But I think there's a spare jar in your grandpa's fridge in the garage."
"Oh! Then, I'll go bring it in!" Grabbing her coat, possessed Lea dashed to the garage and locked the door. He exited Young Lea's body.
The poor girl placed a hand on her dizzy head. "Ohhhh...what happened?" Young Lea looked at Ghostfreak and screamed. "A GHOST! IT'S A GHOST! AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Whoa, whoa, easy, kid! I'm not gonna hurt you," Ghostfreak gently assured.
Just then, Mary and the Present Lea showed up in the garage.
"So much for playing it careful," Mary muttered.
"Ben, what are you doing?!" Lea exclaimed; a bit mad at him. "I spent the whole night getting chased by some early shadow Nightmare creatures and I see you scaring-" she quickly stopped from making things worse on the whole time-situation. "...This little kid in her own home?!"
"Uh...Who are all of you?" Young Lea asked, seriously confused here.
"Um, well, they call me Ghostfreak." said Ben. He didn't want to risk a time paradox. "And this is...Carrie and Lisa."
"Hello, little one," Mary waved sweetly at the young girl.
"Nice to meet you," Lea greeted. "It's okay. Ghostfreak is a friendly ghost. He won't hurt you."
Young Lea didn't seem convinced, as she slowly tried walking backward towards the door and unlocked it.
"Oh, no ya don't!" Ghostfreak used his tentacles to grab Lea's arms and lifted her up until her feet couldn't touch the ground. She opened her mouth to scream until Ghostfreak tickled the girl stomach with his clawed fingers.
"Coochy, coochy, coo!" Ghostfreak cooed.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EEEE! NO! DON'T TICKLE MEHEEHEEHEEEE!"
"Even as a small child, you were very ticklish," Mary muttered to Lea.
"I'll say. Hey, Ghostfreak! Let me help you!" Lea called out, already taking off her past-self's shoes and socks.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, NOHOHOHOOO! DON'T TIHIHIHICKLE ME THERE!" Young Lea squealed, now feeling Ghostfreak's tentacles squirm around her neck and underarms. "IT'S MY WORST SPOHOHOHOHOHOT!"
"Not a good idea to reveal where you're very ticklish," Mary warned, grinning and nodding her head to Ben. "You know what to do."
Ghostfreak nodded and his tickly tentacles attacked Lea's feet.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lea squealed. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PLEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE, STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAKE HIM STAHAHAHAHAHAP!"
"Only if you won't be scared of me anymore!" Ghostfreak said with a teasing voice.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OKAY, OKAHAHAHAY! I WON'T!" Young Lea shouted, feeling tears run down her face from all the tickling.
Ghostfreak stopped at last and returned her to solid grown before letting go. Young Lea sat down to catch her breath as Ghostfreak comforted her.
"See? He's very sweet and gentle," Lea assured.
"Ghostfreak would never hurt curious little girls like you," Mary added, walking forward and gently caressed the little one's head.
Young Lea let out a small yawn, completely tired out from laughing. "I... see that...now," she managed to say, her eyes halfway closing and trying to weakly fight off the urge to sleep but couldn't.
Ghostfreak picked up Lea in his arms, already hearing her snore softly. "Poor little cutie." he cooed, stroking Lea's head.
Lea cleared her throat. Ben looked at Lea and felt very awkward. "Oh...right."
"Don't worry. I'm actually glad to see you and Mary Poppins again. Even after what happened during your past cousin's 8th birthday," Lea replied.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ghostfreak apologized before switching back to Ben in human form. "So, you were never around here the whole time?"
"Sadly, no. After you tore Mary's page, I found myself in my cousins' hometown and saw a small group of shadow versioned Nightmares causing trouble," Lea answered. "I think they were before Pitch discovered the secret in turning the Sandman's Dreamsand into Nightmare Sand."
"And, while I was waiting outside keeping an eye on you, I overhead Lea running from those ghastly monsters and slashed them down," Mary added, unsheathing her cane to reveal it's also a sword.
"Yeah. Then, Mary explained everything to me on what was going on and we hurried into the garage to see you with my past-self," Lea concluded.
"Sorry, Lea." said Ben, rubbing the back of his head. "So, those Nightmare things are gone now?"
"Yeah. Thanks to Mary Poppins," Lea answered, turning her head at Mary with curiosity. "Are you sure we haven't met before? I feel like I should know you from somewhere."
"Maybe we have. Maybe we haven't," Mary replied.
Ben's stomach grumbled, interrupting the two ladies. "Sorry, guess one cookie wasn't enough to tide me over."
"You ate my family's cookies without me?! This is what I get for being chased by Nightmares around Burgess for half an hour!" Lea nearly shouted.
"There's actually plenty more," replied a voice behind the group.
They turned their heads to see Lea's grandparents standing at the entrance of the garage. They noticed the two elders were smiling at them.
Lea was completely stunned to actually see her grandparents in person again. She felt like crying tears of joy.
"Uh...uh..." Ben racked through his brain to find the right lie. He jumped in front of Mary and Lea. "We can explain, folks! We were on our way to...a Christmas party and got lost!"
"You don't have to lie to us, son. We know a strange occurrence when we see one," Grandpa James assured.
"Especially when it comes to time travel," Grandma Laura added. "Why do you think we brought a plate of cookies here for all of you?"
"And we may be old, but our minds are still sharp to notice things. Like how our granddaughter was acting out of character before shouting a ghost and asking for jam on such a random time,"
Lea looked at Ben, raising an eyebrow on what they said. "Really?"
"Don't judge me." Ben said quickly.
"I still see you're as lovely as ever, Miss Poppins," Grandma Laura said, smiling caringly. "Truly a great surprise in seeing you again after so long."
"Wait, you know her?!" Lea exclaimed.
"Of course, we know Mary Poppins. How do you think we get our incredible stories?" Grandpa James questioned.
"You could say that adventure and curiosity runs in the family," Mary replied, smirking.
Ben shook his head. "Just when you think you've seen it all, something else comes around."
"Now, seeing that you're here, Mary Poppins, you must be on another time lesson for these two," Grandpa James guessed.
"Right as ever, James," Mary answered.
"And I don't suppose one of them happens to be from our own family but years ahead of now?" Grandma Laura questioned.
"Well, I won't say who." Mary said with a wink.
"Of course not. We can't be messing up the time stream now. But you don't have to tell us. We have a pretty good guess on who it is. Don't we, James?" Grandma Laura asked.
"We sure do," Grandpa James replied, already carrying Young Lea from Ben's arms. "I'll be sure to take our Lea back to her guest room. She'll only think the whole thing was a dream."
Ben's stomach grumbled even louder than before, catching everyone's attention.
Grandma Laura laughed. "How'd you like some cookies, son?"
"Yes, please!" Ben said as he happily took a few cookies.
"You're allowed to have some, too, dearie," Grandma Laura said, talking to Lea. "You might want to hurry before your friend eats them all up the way our family does."
"Good call. Thanks," Lea chuckled, already taking two cookies and eating one. "Mmmmm, chocolate chip and marshmallow cookies will always be my favorite."
"And now they're my fav too!" Ben said with his mouth full.
Lea, her grandparents, and Mary couldn't help but laugh at Ben's reaction.
"Better take these for the road on your way back home to your proper timeline," Grandma Laura suggested to Lea, already grabbing a paper bag to place all the fresh warm cookies inside before giving it to her. "He may like them more than you and your cousin, Jamie."
"You make a good poi-" Lea paused when realizing that her grandmother said her cousin's name. "...What did you just say?"
Grandpa James laughed heartily. "Oh, Snowflake. You think we wouldn't recognize our own family members? Even if they're a few years older?"
"No matter how old you look and get, you will always be our little girl. Don't ever let go of what matters to you as a child. It's what makes you the positive, creative, and imaginative person you are now," Grandma Laura concluded, placing a caring hand on Lea's cheek.
The blonde teen now felt tears running down her cheeks before setting the bag of cookies down and quickly giving both her grandparents a long, loving hug. She never thought that she would ever feel this much sadness yet joy in her life again.
Mary heard sniffling, but it wasn't Lea's. She looked over and saw Ben wiping a few fallen tears.
"Still think that Lea's problem involving her grandparents is not important?" Mary remarked, folding her arms while giving a tiny knowing smile.
Ben gave a glare as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. "No! But I'm not tearing up because this is beautiful! I...just got a stomach ache from too many cookies!"
"Whatever you say, Benjamin," Mary replied, looking back at Lea's heartfelt reunion before talking to Ben in a low voice. "I don't think there's any need for anyone in this timeline forgetting what has happened now. Considering that Lea's grandparents won't be around very long. And they're very good at keeping secrets like this."
"So...I guess...this is goodbye?" Lea asked, her words stung a little.
"It would seem so, Snowflake," Grandma Laura said, already finishing her hug.
"I'm...really going to miss you both," Lea managed to say, giving a sad smile. "Thanks for everything."
"Same here. It's wonderful to see how far our family has grown. No doubt you'll be having amazing adventures and continuing to help others that matter to you," Grandpa James said.
"Just remember, if you ever meet Jack Frost, don't let him nip your nose," Grandma Laura teased.
Lea couldn't help but laugh at that classic advice that her grandmother would always tell her. "You don't know the half of it."
If only her grandmother were around to know how half-right she was about that happening. Especially when it happened the other way around when Lea smacked him back with a snowball on the first meet.
Mary opened her book. The pages began to glow. "Lea, it's time."
Nodding her head, Lea grabbed the bag of cookies and hurried back with her friends.
"Goodbye, Grandpa James. Goodbye, Grandma Laura. You'll always be a part of me," Lea muttered, smiling while letting a few more tears form in her eyes.
"Same to you, Lea. We love you," Grandpa James replied.
"Look after your cousin for us," Grandma Laura added.
Lea joined her friends' side and the glow engulfed them. When they finally opened their eyes, they were back on the sidewalk where it all began.
"Mary Poppins, thank you for letting us see both of our pasts. We definitely needed this," Lea replied.
"Yeah, I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought." Ben turned to Lea. "Lea, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I should have known better not to say things like that."
"It's okay. I just didn't understand how you felt that caused this pain. The same way you didn't know about me. Now we both do. And we couldn't have done it without-" Lea turned her head to see their 1950's Guide has mysteriously vanished. "Uh...Where did Mary Poppins go?"
Ben looked around. "Whoa! Did she just...disappear?!"
"Well, I guess we now know that Mary Poppins exists in real life. I still think I've seen her somewhere before. I just can't place it," Lea admitted.
"Maybe that's it." said Ben. "You faintly remember Mary from the back of your head when we met your younger self in the past."
"Yeah...Maybe," Lea said, still unsure.
Meanwhile, somewhere around the rooftops of a city building, Mary Poppins was watching the night sky. As if she was waiting for someone.
"I know you're here," Mary spoke, not keeping her eyes off the sky. "Ben and Lea got to see both of their pasts. Exactly how you predicted."
"And you did well!"
Mary turned to see Professor Paradox behind her. "A little bumpy, but you made it right in the end."
"Yeah. I'm glad I was finally able to use my ability of time right. It was better than what I once did centuries ago that nearly messed everything up and lost this form," Mary admitted, looking down in slight guilt. "...You think it was wise of me to be Mary Poppins for this situation, Father Time?"
"Why not? You can't beat the classics." said the professor.
"No, I guess not," Mary Poppins shrugged with a sigh.
She closed her eyes and focused deeply, letting her body glow until she transformed into Katherine, the Guardian of Imagination!
"Sometimes, I wish it was easier for me to helping the Guardian I really like without making matters worse. I was almost similar to Ben on wanting to change the past in assisting him so he wouldn't feel so upset. Maybe...maybe I'm destined not to love."
"Oh, balderdash, Katherine. Everyone needs love in their life. In fact, there is love in your life right now."
"There is?" Katherine asked with hope in her heart.
Paradox nodded. "Of course, there's all kinds of love out there. You have the love of your beloved friends Jack, Ben, Lea, and the other Guardians just to name a few."
Katherine lightly smiled. "Thanks, Father Time. But you know well that there's a specific love I'm hoping for. One I hope the Guardian I care for feels the same when knowing me better. Just like how I felt of him for three centuries."
Paradox patted Katherine on the shoulder. "Only time will tell, my beloved friend."
Redbat132: From the book series, Katherine can go back in time and remember and actually become her childhood self. It's a special ability that she has kept in secret from the other Guardians. So, for this fan fiction, I thought that she might try to do the same for Ben but slightly different.
I always thought of this idea that Mary Poppins was actually inspired by Katherine one time when helping the children. Like the actual author of Mary Poppins was writing stories but struggled until meeting Katherine, whom had a different name (Mary), that just popped in at the area. ;) See what I did there?
Also, this chapter release is an honor memory of William Joyce's (creator of 'Rise of the Guardians' and 'Guardians of Childhood') daughter, Mary Katherine, whom died from a brain tumor at the age of 18 on May 2, 2010, and the movie that was dedicated to her memory. So, to Mary Katherine Joyce. As William Joyce once described her, 'A Guardian who was fierce, fun, kind, and true'.