May 1931

As promised, Mary came back. It took almost half a year, but Bert was just happy that his best friend was back in town. Her current family lived in central London and was thus in the immediate vicinity of him. All this she told him in a letter - she still had a guilty conscience.

On Tuesday morning, Bert was in the park, working on his chalk paintings when a shadow appeared over it. With a wry smile he turned around: "Hello Mary."

"Hello Bert", she beamed at him as she did the first time she brought Banks kids with her. Bert would never forget this smile, because it made his heart beat somersaults; it was also a rare sight. He was so distracted by her beautiful face that the rest of the world disappeared. But when her beaming turned into an amused smile, he stood up and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What?"

"I did not know you were wearing rouge now," she teased, handing him her small pocket mirror. When he took this and examined his face, she already had a handkerchief ready for him. His cheeks were red from the chalk and it looked like he had used blush.

"Maybe that ain't make-up, maybe I blushed because of you," he teased back, but there was a spark of truth in this statement. Nevertheless, he took the handkerchief and removed the chalk. "Better?"

"Better."

Bert patted the chalk dust off his clothes and offered his arm with his typical smile. "Wanna go for a walk, Miss Poppins?"

"Very much, Mr. Alfred", she accepted his offer. "Do you have a plan for today?"

"I have indeed! I thought about a leisurely day in the city. Just have a cuppa tea, talk a little ... And to be honest I 'ave to do something. If you don't mind, you could come as well. It won't take long!"

"No problem." Even if Mary did not admit it, she was glad they could spend a normal day together. Sure, she liked it when they were in one of his paintings or with the orphans, yet sometimes it was just the little things that made her happy.

She and Bert had a relationship she simply could not describe. They were more than just friends, maybe more than best friends even, but less than a couple. Did she feel something for him? She would lie if she denied it. But one thing haunted her like a shadow: guilt.

She did not show up for six years and only sporadically wrote letters - which led to them distancing themselves from each other. When they were separated, she was sure her reason for it was justified, but since she was back in his life, she doubted her reasoning very much.

Maybe she would explain the exact circumstances to him, but she just could not - at least not yet. What she wondered was that though they had distanced themselves, it was partly just as it used to be. He was never a unforgiving person and she was immensely grateful to him for always trying his best to make her laugh. Bert was just a treasure and an enrichment to her life. And as she often did, she wondered: how on earth did she deserve to have him as best friend? Even now, after treating him almost like dirt.

But she would never voice that thought to him, because she knew he would deny it.

She was so lost in thought that she did not notice that Bert was looking her up and down: "Did I mention that you look brilliant in red?"

Mary was torn from her thoughts and had to smile. "Yes, a couple of times."

"Good." He stopped at an old house and opened the door for her, "Miss Poppins after you."

"A gentleman again today?"

"For you, always." Followed by him, she stepped into the small old building and the smell of coffee and tea caressed her nose.

Both sat down at a table by the window and each ordered a tea. Bert sat opposite her. "Tell me ... how's your new family?"

"The Fletchers? Well, they are a typical upper-class family: the children are swimming in toys and are so spoiled. The parents do not take much time for them, which is why there is no happy coexistence... It is again similar to the Banks; the parents need more help than the children. "

"I understand ... And 'ow are the kids?"

"Olivia and Alice are quite stubborn and think they are better and always want to have everything; and they are only 10 and 11 years old! Evelyn is different. With her 15 years, she is a bit older than the other two. But she is fairly quiet and unfortunately never really dares to say anything. Nor is she as superficial or educated as her little sisters. "

"So it's going ter be a longer stay?" He asked timidly - to be honest, the question was somewhat selfish.

"Yes, I think so." They got their tea and thanked the staff. "After initial estimates, I suspect that I will be there for three or four months."

Three or four months, has he just heard right? That would mean that they would see each other more often! He wanted to suppress a smile, though he failed miserably- but Mary also had to smile.

"I am also happy to be here again for a longer time. After all, London is my home." 'You're my home,' she added thoughtfully.

'What's going on with me lately? Control yourself, Mary!,' She reminded herself. But since last November, more specifically since her reunion with Bert, Mary was just ... different.

She became aware again of what she had not had in recent years and the feelings for him became stronger. To be honest, she did not recognize herself when they were together. But was that bad? Probably not, because in those moments, she could finally be herself and did not have to worry about her actions. With him, she did not have to be the practically perfect nanny- No, she was just Mary when she was with him.

"What else do you have to do?"

Bert was just taking the last sip of his tea and had to smile: "I put something in my head and can finally realize it."

"And what is that exactly?"

"You'll see very soon," he winked.

After she had finished her tea, they paid and went further into the city, into the shopping streets. Mary wondered what Bert was doing here, as they were in a relatively expensive part of town. A part in which Bert could hardly afford a thing. No sooner had she finished this thought than she could have slapped herself!

After a few meters, Bert stopped and Mary saw that they were standing in front of a jeweler. 'What does he want here?' There was a slight panic in her, but she did not show it from the outside.

He scanned the shop window and muttered "damn", before he stepped in. Mary followed him, frowning.

In the small shop Bert looked around and searched for something very specific. "What are you looking for?" she asked, but she got no answer.

When Bert turned around, he accidentally threw a ring from a small table. Quickly he dropped to his knees and picked it up before he got lost and he still had to pay for it. As luck would have it, the little culprit stayed right in front of Mary's feet and Bert looked up at her. Someone else could almost have imagined that he wanted to propose to her and Mary's heart stopped for a moment.

Quickly he put the ring back on the table as something jumped into his eye at the other end of the shop- he jumped up and hurried over.

"Can I help you?" an elderly man, who was polishing a pair of earrings, asked.

"Yes, I would like this necklace here!" Mary stepped closer and raised an eyebrow.

"Which one exactly?", the man asked, coming over to the other two

"The rose gold with the heart pendant."

"What do you want with this necklace?" The nanny asked while the necklace was removed from the showcase.

"Lizzy saw the necklace 'ere in the shop window months ago and found it beautiful. So I've decided to save money. And since she 'as a birthday soon and I finally got the money together, I'll buy it."

"Do not mind me, but do you think she'll like this necklace in a few years? Would something simpler not be better? "

"She wanted this necklace, so she gets it," he said with a wink as he walked to the cashier and unpacked his purse.

When the gift was bought, both slowly headed in the direction that led to the Fletchers.

"How old will Elizabeth be? Six, seven ..? "

"Eight."

"Eight? But she looks so young! "

"Yes ... But according to Mrs. Fisher, her birthday is on the 30th. At least that's what they said 'cause she was found in front of the orphanage on May 30, 1923. But they think that she was born on the 24th or 25th. "

"I understand…"

"I'll give her the present on Saturday. Do you want to come with me? I can imagine she'll be happy to see you again."

"I can try, but cannot promise anything. Is it alright if I let you know on the day? It depends on whether Mr. Fletcher dismisses me for a few hours or not."

"O' course, not a problem."

After about five minutes, they arrived in the street where Mary was currently working.

"Thank you for the nice day, Bert."

"My pleasure!" They smiled for a moment before their paths parted.

A few days later, on Saturday afternoon, Bert was waiting for Mary on the bench in the park. Mr. Fletcher had actually released her - and she did not even have to ask! A coincidence that was just right for Bert.

Another coincidence was that Mary and Lizzy came from different directions at that moment. The girl had a big grin on her face and Mary had to smile.

The nanny arrived just before Elizabeth and gave Bert a meaningful look. As soon as she arrived at the adults, she said joyfully, "Do you know what day it is?"

"First of all- hello, Elizabeth," Mary could never quite suppress her inner nanny.

Bert pretended to think. "Umm... Saturday?"

"Yes, but it's my birthday! I'm eight now!" She showed the number with her fingers.

"We know that. But close yer eyes and stretch out yer 'ands." Elizabeth did so and Mary looked with a smile at Bert, who took the small gift out of his jacket pocket. The girl tried to peek, which of course Mary noticed directly.

"Do not cheat, Elizabeth!" she admonished. She quickly closed her eyes again and Bert put the gift in her hands.

"A little present from Mary an' me. Now you can open yer eyes." Of course, he did not need to say that twice. She tore off the paper and opened the little box. When she saw the necklace, she beamed from ear to ear. "Thank you!" She hugged first Bert and then Mary. Then she tried to put on the chain but had problems with the closure.

Mary, however, looked at her best friend in disbelief. He had bought it alone. Later, she would certainly appeal to him.

"I'll help you." Mary offered and a few seconds later, the jewel glittered on Elizabeth's neck.

"Watch out for that necklace... it's too pretty to get lost." He wanted to say that it was too expensive, but Bert would never talk about money in front of her. After all, he wanted her to learn that life was not just about material things. Nevertheless, he also wanted to give her a little pleasure and give her the necklace.

"I promise!"

"Hello." All three turned around and saw that Matthew had come with his hands in his pockets from the direction of the orphanage. His expression was sombre.

"Ello Matthew... Not in such a good mood?" In response, Bert got only a slight shake of the head and knew that Elizabeth, who was inspecting her necklace again, should not notice.

The four spent the next few hours walking the park, drinking tea, and eating cakes. Mary once asked when the children were out of earshot, why he had claimed that the gift was from both of them. He only replied, "You were there when I bought it, so it's from us."

While Elizabeth was in a good mood all day, Matthew had sad eyes all the time. Even though he tried to laugh, the other three realized he was not feeling well.

Once, when Liz asked him if he was really okay, he literally yelled at her, which nearly broke everyone's heart. Matthew was never someone who was angry or screamed at someone! And certainly not Elizabeth. Normally, he would rebuke anyone who even looked wrong at his best friend.

As the sun slowly set, they trudged back to the orphanage and when they arrived at the door, something happened that nobody expected: Matthew burst into tears.

"Matthew? Everything okay?" Elizabeth asked tentatively; she was scared to be yelled again.

"No," he shook his head and sniffed.

"Ey... what's goin' on?" Bert dropped to his knees to better look the boy in the eyes. Mary watched everything silently.

He tried to stifle the crying and took a moment before he could answer. "I'm going to be adopted."

Both Mary's and Bert's expressions dropped, knowing exactly what that meant; only Liz had no idea.

"That's good Matthew! Then you'll finally be away from here and have a family again!"

"No, Liz!" he snapped. "I'm going to move away ... Far away! And we'll not see each other anymore! "

At that moment, the world collapsed for Elizabeth.

The first part of this story is over. But of course it goes on 8D

I split the story into different parts, because at the end of each part there is either a major jump in time or the plot changes a lot.

In Part 2 there will be a time jump - so be curious;)

Furthermore, I wanted to thank you for the feedback: D

Again a big "thank you" to my beta readers :)