Nanny McPhee: A ThesLally AU

Ten

Samantha and Isabella sat on their beds, laughing about their victory. Oliver walked into the room with Ernie, setting him in the crib.

"Papa's coming." he told them.

All of them sat expectantly in their beds as Theseus walked into the room. Theseus looked at all of them.

"She's gone." he said. The children exchanged happy glances with each other as he continued, "The only person in the whole world who stands between all of us and total ruin." the children's smiles dropped, "And she's gone."

Isabella looked at him, "What's 'ruin'?"

Theseus sat on a chair, "There's no time to mince words." he said, looking out at them, "I can't support my own family. I never have been able to. There are so many of you. But you are all so delicious." the children listened, curious, "And when Ernie came along and your mother was so ill, I..." he paused to breath, "...I said to her, 'I think we're going to have to stop now, dear,' and she said..." Nanny McPhee stood in the doorway listening, "...and she said, 'I know.'" he made eye contact with Oliver and saw a small flick in the eye, "The fact of the matter is, your Great-Aunt Cordelia has been supporting us for years with a monthly allowance. A little while ago, she told me that I had to remarry, or the allowance would stop. This woman today was my last chance." the children were all shocked and ashamed, "Our last chance."

"Ours?" Oliver inquired.

Theseus looked at him, sadly, "When the money stops, the house will be taken. Some of you will perhaps be put into the workhouse. Some will be put into the care of... into the care of others." he looked at his children, "I don't know if you will be allowed to stay together." he got to his feet and looked around at the small faces, "I'm sorry to have failed you, children. You deserve so much better."

The children watched as their father left the room. Then, Samantha turned to Nanny McPhee and said, "Do something."

Nanny McPhee looked down at her, "What would you suggest?"

"Change what happened." she responded, "Bang your stick. Make it undo itself."

"I cannot." she told her, "These were your own actions. Oliver promised that you would accept the consequences."

Samantha flopped against her pillow as Oliver got off his bed, "What shall we do?" he asked, "Help us, Nanny McPhee. Tell us what to do."

"You must undo it for yourselves."

Oliver's face changed to frustration, "How? HOW!?"

"Think." she told him, "You are very clever, children. Think."

Bunty laughed as she retold the entire story, with some exaggerated details, to her friend.

"So, he was keen?" Mary Lou inquired.

"Keen?" Bunty exhaled, "Oh, Mary, he was in a maddened condition. He couldn't keep his hands off me. But I held firm. I said, 'Theshish...' I mean, 'Theseus, I have my reputation to uphold. It's marriage, or nothing! What do you take me for. Some common..." Bunty heard a faint knock on the door.

"Tart?" Mary Lou asked.

"Not for me. I'm bloated."

"No, 'some common tart' You said..."

The knocking sounded again and Bunty couldn't ignore it, "Who's that knocking?" Bunty got to her feet to answer the door.

"It might be him!"

The two woman giggled and ran to the door. Bunty opened the door, "If you've come to fumble with my..." she looked down, "Oh."

The children stood on her doorstep, looking ashamed.

"Mrs. Broadacre?" Oliver said, "We're very sorry about the tea you had with our father."

"Typical of a man." Bunty let out, "Sending his little ones to do the dirty work."

"No." Oliver said, "He doesn't know we're... what I mean is, he very much wants to marry you."

"It was all too clear what he wanted, and marriage had nothing to do with it." Bunty told him, "No wonder there's so many of you."

She tried to close the door, but Samantha cut in with, "Wait! Father wasn't being rude! No one on Earth could be less rude." she explained, "He was just trying to protect you from all the naughty things we were doing."

Isabella said, "The toad in the teapot."

"And the wormy sandwiches." Samantha added.

Bunty, still clueless, said, "I have no idea to what you can be referring. Don't try to make excuses for him. He's a flounder and a gad."

"No, he's not." Oliver cut in, "He's a good man. He was just trying to save us. Cause if he doesn't marry, all the money will go and we'll be thrown out onto the streets."

Bunty's posture changed, "Money? What money?"

"Our Great-Aunt Cordelia's money." Isabella told her.

Samantha thought of something, "Lady Cordelia Lestrange."

"Lady?" Bunty suddenly had a change of heart.

Bunty burst into Theseus' study, "Mr. Scamander!"

"Mrs. Broadacre!" Theseus exhaled, surprised.

"You're children have explained everything to me!"

"Explained?"

"That their little tricks during tea was just a natural result of their motherless condition." Bunty said, "That they only need a woman's presence in the house to calm their tempers, and that you could benefit quite as much from that comforting presence. Pathetic and lonely as you are. And all it takes is one little question, Theseus."

Theseus stared at his children, confused. Oliver made a little demonstration and Theseus knew exactly what they had done, "Oh, yes." he leaned over to a drawer and opened it, "Yes, of course. Just give me... um, yes." he turned back to her and lowered himself down, "Mrs. Broadacre..."

"Bunty." she whispered.

Theseus swallowed, "Yes. I mean, Bunty." he lifted her hand, "Would you do me the honor of becoming my..." but he paused, "Of becoming my..."

"Wife!" Samantha whispered harshly.

"Exactly. Wife. That's the word."

"Yes!" Bunty said, "Yes, Theseus!" she leaned and pressed a very long kiss to Theseus' cheek. He stared at his children with a blank expression in his eyes. Was this really going to have to be his life? Bunty looked at the children, "Off you go now, dears." she walked across the room to shut the door, "Let Daddy have a little moment to himself with your new mummy."

Theseus walked into the children's room that night, slowly. He sat down on Isabella's bed and lifted her into his lap.

"I'm sorry." was what he started with, "I should've told you. I can see that now. If I had discussed matters with you beforehand, we wouldn't be in all this awful mess, would we?"

"No, it was our fault." Oliver said to him, "We should've known you had a good reason for getting married again."

"Well, whatever happens, at least we'll all be together." Theseus told them, "That's what matters most, isn't it?" he glanced around at them, "And I promise I'll never hide anything that affects us from you again. I can see you're all more than capable of understanding it."

Isabella looked at him full-on, "Papa?"

"Yes, Izzy?"

"Do you think Mama still thinks about us where she is?"

Theseus pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'm sure she does." he smiled kindly, "I know she does. Now why don't you choose us a story."

Theseus read all four of his children to sleep and was heading to bed himself when he heard, "Lesson four is complete."

He turned to Nanny McPhee, "Lesson four?"

She stepped towards him, "To listen." that made him smile just a little bit, "Well done."

And she walked away. He went into his bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window to the stars. Theseus didn't sleep much that night.