Light

5. Together

The next day, the Banks' woke up bright and early to start their day. Excited by yesterday's events, they were already cleaned, dressed and ready for breakfast. In the kitchen, Mary Poppins was preparing breakfast.

"Good to see you bright and early" she teased "quite rare"

"We're just excited" Georgie grinned "Jack won't be here forever so we've got to make the most of it!"

"And right you are" Placing the plates on the table, she seated them down and soon the breakfast was quickly devoured.

"I'll wash up!" Annabel volunteered

Flying by, the knock on the door made them all shriek with excitement. John opened it up, Jack's figure in the doorway made them happier than even receiving ice cream.

"Jack!" They yelled

"Good morning! Hope I didn't disrupt anything"

"No not at all!" They grinned

"Nothing at all but you did make them wake up early" Mary Poppins commented as she walked out of the kitchen

"Glad to hear" he laughed

"Should we go out for a walk?" Georgie asked "we can bring the kite!"

"Sounds like a good plan" Jack nodded as Georgie ran upstairs to get it

They were soon off, venturing around in the countryside. The wind was blowing hard, the breeze whistling as it flew by the trees. Holding onto her hat, Mary Poppins walked behind the excited trio. By her side, Jack matched his pace to hers.

"Glad to know you're well" he smiled "I feel like this scene is familiar"

"Yes indeed..."

"I guess going on walks is just our thing" he smiled "This time the family isn't happily together are they..."

"Unfortunately not, but what else can we do" Mary Poppins sighed "they just miss their family"

"Michael must miss them too, as must Jane" with his hands in his pockets, Jack trudged along silently watching them try to fly the kite

"Patience is a key isn't it... in this dark time" Mary Poppins said

"But as you know, light comes with a lifetime guarantee" he gave her a reassuring smile "light will come back, I'm sure of it"

Rolling her eyes she grinned "must not judge a book by its cover then"

"Ah, there we go" he laughed "that's more like it"

In a wide field, they settled down and watched the three Banks' run wild with the kite in hand. Soaring in the sky, everyone felt at ease watching the kite flying up high.

Annabel grabbed John "Am I the only one who thinks Jack didn't come here for us...?" She whispered to him

"What do you mean?" He asked

"I mean, even in the letter I noticed it was talking about how much he wanted to see Mary Poppins" she giggled

"You think he fancies her?" He grinned

"Think? No, I know" she laughed

From a distance, Mary Poppins could see the two whispering to each other while Georgie continued to play with his kite.

"There they go again, whispering away" she rolled her eyes "What on earth do they keep whispering about?"

"Beats me" Jack laughed

For the rest of the afternoon, they spent most of their time playing around in the field. It was soon time to go and the five of them made their way back home. Walking through the village, the Banks' were especially hyper as they skipped along. Before leaving, they walked into a bakery to get some bread. The owner was a short elderly woman who seemed pretty excited to see Mary Poppins.

"Mary Poppins again, eh"

"Hello, Daisy" Mary Poppins smiled "good to see that you're still out and about"

"Yes yes of course, this bakery can't run by itself"

"We'd like to take some bread then"

"Pick whatever you want"

Mary Poppins looked at the children who were so close to drooling. Laughing, she beckoned them to choose.

"When I heard you were taking in evacuated children, I couldn't believe my ears" Daisy smiled "for the first time you actually let people into your house, must be special they are"

"Well, I've taken care of their family on multiple occasions now, I know them very well"

"I see" Daisy paused "and so who's the handsome young man?"

Taking off his cap, Jack nodded his head "Jack. Pleasure to meet you"

"Take care of Mary Poppins! She may seem like she knows what she's doing but even she doesn't know it all"

"Oh do stop it" Mary Poppins sighed "I'm perfectly capable in taking care of myself"

"Heh, that's what you think"

"We've picked!" Georgie exclaimed suddenly

"Right, we'll pay for that and we'll head home" Mary Poppins paid for the bread before leading the children out

"Hey, Jack" Daisy hissed

Turning around, Jack walked over to Daisy who was beckoning him over.

"I mean it, take care of her. I know her all too well and she definitely is different to most people. She's used to minding others but not herself. Somebody needs to be there for her, by her side."

"I'll try my best" Jack smiled

"I know you will, now hurry along, she gets suspicious very quickly"

Running out the store, he caught up with them as they headed up a hill.

"Where were you Jack?" Mary Poppins asked

"I uh... had to tie a shoelace"

Mary Poppins glanced down at his shoes and noticed they weren't in need of laces "I see but you've really got to lie better than that"

Jack laughed in embarrassment as they headed onwards. Up ahead, Annabel nudged her brothers.

"Let's run ahead" she whispered "let's leave them two by themselves"

"What? Why?" Georgie asked confused

"Just do it" John laughed "Ready... steady... go!"

With that, the three raced on ahead, leaving the two adults to walk together by themselves. Jack smirked as he figured out what they were doing but decided to dismiss it. Completely clueless, Mary Poppins continued to walk without thinking about it. Slowly walking together, the birds sang above their heads as they walked on the narrow dirty path. With her umbrella in hand, the sound of the wind, birds and their footsteps echoed in that wide space. With hands in his pockets, Jack matched his footsteps with hers once again. Not a word was spoken but they were satisfied walking together and just being in each other's company.