6th March 1941

The weather in London was dull, duller than usual. It was windy and it was raining heavily. But the most dismal of the day was the atmosphere at the station: hundreds of people gathered there - many men would leave their loved ones and go to war this Thursday.

So does Bert. Slowly he entered the gigantic hall of the station and looked around: everywhere people made their own small bubbles, saying goodbye to each other. He let his gaze slowly wander over the crowd and memorised the faces. One day he would surely record this in a drawing. Not to remember, but to when the unmistakable sound of an incoming train reached his ears, he was torn from his thoughts and he tightened his grip on the strap of his the straps gave him a certain help. Not that he was afraid of passing out or anything like that, but he just needed something to claw at.

Now he stood there, had asked Mary and Elizabeth not to come as it would probably only make things worse. It was almost the same as it was in January 1916. But this time he would leave two people who meant more to him than the world. Bert was about to continue his way to the wagon when a voice from the side, which had a sarcastic but also sad touch, grabbed his attention: "Don't we get a decent good bye?"

"Lizzy?" Bert mumbled frowning and whirled around to see Liz leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed. Next to her was none other than Mary Poppins.

The chimney sweep looked at both women:Mary's clothes were neat and tidy as ever. She wore a white blouse and a pastel-blue skirt and blazer. Her coat was also in matching colours. The shoes were white and her hair was tucked under a her hand she had only her umbrella; no bag or something like that.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, wore tight black trousers, a dark green shirt, and a dark coat that looked remarkably neat. On the other hand, her new shoes, brown Budapest ankle boots, were slightly dirty. As always, she wore the necklace and cap that Bert had once given her. She just looked grown-up. And that made Bert really proud!

But both had one thing in common: the sad look and the shadow that lay over their blue eyes.

"I told ya not t' come ...", he said softly, as he walked towards them- it felt like a déjà vu. But he could not help but pull Mary and Liz into a warm hug. As soon as they returned it, he squinted to keep back the tears.

So the three remained for a felt eternity, until Liz, who had also reddened eyes now, broke away: "Did ya really think that we just let ya go?", the voice of the young woman trembled slightly - a fact that broke Bert's Heart. "I still want t' say goodbye t' you..."

At this words, Mary took a few steps backwards so that Elizabeth could say goodbye in peace. Still, she watched the situation from a safe distance. A melancholy smile crept over her red lips as she realised one thing: Elizabeth has grown into a real young woman over the past six months. And that's not just because of her height. No, in Mary's eyes Elizabeth has grown into a kind of always wanted the best for the others and always wanted to see a smile on the faces of the people. Even if it meant she had to neglect herself for it.

"Bert ...", Liz began, searching for the right and above all for appropriate words, "First… I 'ave t' thank ya... for everythin'."

"That's something normal", he waved.

"No, it's not! Without you, I'd never be where I am now! I'd never 'ave gotten this far if you 'adn't pulled me out of the shit... I know I told you that before but… you're like a father to me. The best one you can wish for! At first I want t' keep it t' meself but now I think that ya deserve t' know. And I just can't thank ya enough for that!", tears welled up in her eyes. "I wish I could go t' the front in your place... you just don't deserve it!"

Without a word, Bert pulled her into his embrace and then she lost it: Elizabeth began to cry bitterly.

"Shhh, Lizzy ..." Bert's thoughts circled and he was sure that now came the moment to say everything that was going on in his head.

So he broke the embrace: "I don't know if I already told ya, but I'm really proud of you! You've grown up so much lately, that's unbelievable!", he paused and looked at her briefly, "Promise me you'll keep doing that when I'm gone, okay? Please don't let get you down... Do ya thing! By the way, I 'ave something for you."

Bert took off his backpack and took something small, flat and black out of the side pocket. It was a small camera. Photography was a hobby, which unfortunately he pursued too rarely. It was the camera he used as he was away from home. 1916, to be exact. He did not want to use the camera to photograph the suffering at the front, but the landscapes he would surely pass by. He would want to photograph these, and later paint them with oil paints. He did that back then, but now the camera is supposed to serve something else.

"'ere" he handed Liz the camera, who looked at him in disbelief.

"What should I do with it?"

"Take photos... You always wanted a camera. And I think it would be nice if you keep in photographs what you do while I'm at war."

Carefully Elizabeth took the camera and was perplexed. She examined it before she looked at him again and said softly: "Thank you, Bert…"

"No problem! But there's one thing you 'ave t' do for me."

"Everything!" came as a prompt answer.

"Keep an eye on Mary, okay? Take care that she won't overwork 'erself and that she's not too sad. Cheer 'er up a bit... Will you promise me that? "

"I promise it! You can rely on me!"

Both embraced her one last time: "I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too, Lizzy."

Then the young woman broke and made room for Mary.

When Mary realized that Elizabeth was finished she went over to Bert. There she stopped and the two looked at each other for a moment without saying a word. No one really knew what the perfect first words for the last personal conversation were.

"I'm glad you came" Bert finally started the conversation.

"Did you expect something else?"

"Of course not."

Silence.

Again, neither of the two found the right words, so for a moment they just looked each other in the eye and memorised every detail. But it was not long before they hugged each other intimately, closing their eyes and enjoying the last few minutes together. It calmed Mary immensely to feel his heartbeat and breath. Who knows if she would ever feel it again? Unfortunately, there was a high probability that he would be injured or not return to London at all.

"Don't worry too much, okay? It isn't the first time I- "

Mary released the embrace and looked at him in disbelief before gently interrupting him: "That does not change the fact that it is dangerous! Of course I'm worried about you, Bert... "

He kissed her briefly but lovingly on the tip of her nose: "But you shouldn't get sick with worry. I know you."

"How do you manage to be in a positive mood even in those times?"

"Why should I worsen my mood even more, huh?"

He was right. Why? Still, Mary admired him for that. He was just a treasure. For a brief moment she lost herself in his dark blue eyes and forgot the fact that he would be back in the trenches very soon. But then she registered again that he was standing in front of her in uniform; her heart broke. She also realised that his eyes were sad, that he had dark circles and that he frowned.

"Oh, Bert", she raised her hand and stroked his cheek reassuringly. A smile crept over his face and he put his hand on hers.

"May I ask ya somethin', Mary?"

She simply nodded, enjoying the reverberation of her name in her ears.

"Please take care of Lizzy, okay? She's on the right track right now... It would be a shame if she drifts off again... It sounds weird but I feel like I've always been a kind of anchor for her. Who knows 'ow it develops when I'm gone? So... would you do that for me? "

"Of course."

Bert hoped inwardly that both would not talk about asking both of them to take care of each other. But on the other hand, he was sure they could already think that. When a whistle sounded, they knew it was time. "I 'ave t' go...", Bert approached Mary to kiss her one last time.

But before his lips touched hers, she paused and looked at him: "I love you."

"I love you, too" and to show her how he felt, he kissed her with all his love.

His hands moved to her waist as hers found themselves on his chest and at the back of his head. Normally, she would always do that behind closed doors. But under the circumstances she did not care! The kiss tasted salty because of their tears, but it could not be avoided - the pain of the upcoming farewell was too great. When another whistle sounded and the crowd stirred around them, they finally broke away.

"Goodbye Mary," with these words he went to the train and brought it, as in 1916, not over the heart once again to look back.

Mary, on the other hand, watched him all the time and could not believe it: Bert, her Bert, had to go to war again.

What Mary and Bert did not realise was that Elizabeth had run out of the station after her departure - because she wanted to go to a certain place: to a not some ordinary roof; No, a roof on which you could watch the trains for a relatively long time. Already as a teenager, she often sat there and watched the incoming and outgoing trains. At the time, she also dreamed of discovering the world. She ran as fast as she could through the narrow streets and just wanted to get to the roof in time. However, Elizabeth was always careful not to drop or lose the camera. As well as her cap. Not because she put so much emphasis on material things, but because they were things that Bert gave her.

As it was raining so much, she slipped now and then across the wet streets, which was made of paving stones. Nevertheless she reached the house without falling on her nose. Quickly she climbed up the fire ladder and ran the last few meters to the end of the roof. Once there, she made sure first that she arrived there on time. "Thank God" she murmured relieved and took a deep breath before she took her wet cap off. She sat down at the edge and let her legs hang down. Despite the rain and fog, she could see the station relatively well.

It was not long before the train, in which Bert was probably in, drove slowly out of the station. At the well-known sound, Elizabeth jumped up, hoping to see something. Even though she was too far away to recognise faces, she hoped she still would see a glimpse of Bert. And so it was! A silhouette leaned out the window and waved in her direction. Of course it was Bert! Because he knew that you have the perfect view from the roof. And he knew that Liz was there sometimes! She waved back with a sad smile. And then the train was out of sight just a moment later.

Bert Alfred was now officially a soldier who's gone back to the trenches.

Yes, a new chapter… again ;D I'm also a lot happier with that than with the previous one. I slowly find my flow again :3
And also the length (over 2000 words) fits more to my stories xD

Now I will start planning for the next chapters. And since I have a lot of research to do, the next chapter will probably take a while. But I want to upload something regularly again. Maybe every two weeks?

We'll see :)

And as always, I'm looking forward to your reviews! :D