Disclaimer – I don't own any of these characters, Charles Dickens does... and everyone else who made the films and the musical...

Hey there...

i have never written an Oliver! Story before, but i love the film, and just had to!

Some of the facts may be wrong, and if there are things that don't fit with the film please let me know... kindly ( Some ages might be wrong, but I'm afraid that they need to be like this for the story to work . Oh yeah, and Nancy lives in my version...

Special thanks to Ash Light, because one of the characters in her version has the same name as one of mine, and is the same boy, simply because, after reading Black and Purple Stockings, I couldn't think of him with any other name!

Chapter 1 – A new recruit...

Emilia King was no ordinary girl. She had been living on the streets of London since her mother died of consumption. She had been six then. Now, at the age of fourteen she was as streetwise as any urchin. She stole and begged her living, by cunning... and by looking sad and innocent in front of wealthy ladies and gentlemen...

She was an attractive girl, although she herself didn't know it (and she'd never really thought about it either!), with large blue eyes. Her hair, in loose black curls, hung frizzy and tangled in loose bunches reaching just past her shoulders. She was slender, but lithe and strong. Her face was pale and thin, but dark lashes and fairly good features just about made up for her scrawniness. She wore a tattered dark green dress, and stockings that were once upon a time grey, but were now full of holes and muddy. Her clothes were getting a little small, uncomfortably tight around her chest and the top of her arms, but clothes were so expensive... She had a floppy dark green woollen hat on the back of her head, like a beret.

She skulked behind the market stalls, pursing her lips. She wiped the sweat and grime from her forehead, London was like an oven in the summer months. Swiping an apple from a nearby stall, she slunk down an alleyway, rummaging in the pocket of her filthy apron for her money, just to check it was still there. Swearing like a sailor at the discovery that she had lost two of her precious pennies, she didn't see a stooping man coming the other way.

Fagin stumped out of the Whipping Stocks Inn, scowling at the thought of his three oldest lads, who had just left him to find honest work (why he couldn't imagine) They had been some of his best 'earners' and without them, cash had decreased rapidly, although the Dodger was doing his best... Fagin smiled wanly at the thought of what was now his best worker. Everything seemed to be going wrong at the moment. Seeing as they had been thrown out of the warehouse by the police when Bill was shot a few weeks ago, he had had to find an old house to inhabit. He had then had to regather his posessions and round up his pickpockets. All this and Nancy was in a state about Bill's death...

Too busy thinking about his own misfortunes, the whole house was in uproar because Bill was no longer there to scare the boys when they got out of hand, and Fagin was sick of it. At least one of them staggered home drunk just about every night. Oliver had left too, to go and live with his rich family, so that was another worker lost...

He suddenly walked straight into someone coming the other way. He helped them up grudgingly, then realised that she was a girl. She looked young, thirteen or fourteen, and was shouting something about money and mud.

Fagin looked her up and down, 'An urchin alright' his brain prompted.

"What's your name gel?"

The girl looked up, startled by the question, he long side fringe falling in her eyes

"Emmy" she said warily, "And yourself?"

"Fagin," he replied shortly "Now, erm, Emmy, y'll be needin' to make some money?"

"I ain't no prostitute" came the icy reply

Fagin winced 'there's one plan outta the window...'

"Course you're not darlin', I'm talkin' 'bout thievin', pick pocketin'"

Emmy nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his face, her eyes narrowed with suspicion,

Fagin continued "You give me some of your earnin's, and I feed and 'ouse you"

She nodded again, he felt her icy demeanour begin to melt

"OK Mister Fagin"

"This way" he led her down winding back alleys and streets for a couple of minutes, then they reached the house.

"Now go inside, tell 'em I sent you, and ask for Nancy"

Emmy nodded

"And where would you be off to sir?"

Fagin hesitated,
"Business, darlin' business..." and he hurried off.

Emmy trod slowly towards the door. When she got in, she shut the door behind her and looked around. There was a moth eaten sofa on one side of the room, a stove in the corner, and two doors leading off.

Before a minute had passed, the door on the left opened, and a boy about her ages stumbled out. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and was a good looking lad. He had on his head a very battered top hat, and wore clothes that, although they were a strange assortment and rather frayed and dirty, suited him. When he saw her, he froze.

"Hullo" greeted Emmy "Fagin sent me 'ere, could you give me an 'and? I don't really know where anything i-"

"What's your name?" the boy interrupted

"Emmy"

"Jack Dawkins, but you can call me the Artful Dodger, or just Dodger"

'I'm honoured' Emmy thought sarcastically

Dodger stared at Emmy, this girl who had just walked in and announced that she was working with him and the others. It worried him. He was a normal teenage boy, he would make a fool of himself with a girl around... ah well, he would adopt his favourite tactic, piss the hell out of her...

'her eyes are scary, and she's a bit headstrong' he thought 'but I bet she's pretty under all that grime...' he mentally slapped himself.

"A lass can't work here" he said a trifle sulkily

"Why not?" the scorn in her voice was enough to make warning bells go off in his head

'RUN NOW, BEFORE SHE KILLS YOU, FOOL RUN!!'

But he didn't.

"'cause girls need lookin' after"

She shot him a withering look, he quailed.

"Where's Nancy?" she had abandoned the argument, and basically dismissed him.

"I'll take you to 'er," he spat, feeling a stronger and stronger urge to annoy this girl, but refusing to bow down to it. He led Emmy up the stairs that were through the other door, and into another room, just as shabby as the other one, but this one had a pretty lady, sat darning in a wooden chair.

"Nancy, I've got a new 'un for you, it's a gel" Dodger said moodily, before exiting and slamming the door.

"What a... a... 'orrid... argh!" Emmy flung her hands up in the air.

Nancy laughed

"He don't mean any 'arm, 'e's just not used to gels, 'e'll come around. What's your name darlin'?"

"Emmy King"

"You are a pretty gel aren't you?! We must try and clean you up a bit at least..."

An hour later, a much cleaner Emmy struggled from Nancy's clutches. Her hair now coiled neatly in spiralling curls, although it was once again put in loose, low bunches. Most of the grime had gone from her face and hands, and her fringe was untangled, although her clothes were as filthy as ever.

Nancy smiled, she was feeling happier with this girl around, she gave her someone to look after and mother.

"Much better Emmy, not that it'll last," Nancy gestured towards a dirty mirror in the corner of the room.

Emmy peered at her reflection, and couldn't help but crack a grin. She looked nicer than she had ever thought herself.

"Thanks Nancy" she mumbled

"S'alright, you'd better go back down, Fagin will 'ave 'dinner' if you can call it that, and Dodger should be waiting to apologise... although I say should. You mustn't take what 'e says to 'eart darlin'"

"OK" Emmy slipped out of the room.

She opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and stepped out. She immediately felt as if she had been thrown onto a stage. All heads turned to look at her. The room was now full of boys her age and younger. She felt her face grow slightly warm as they all looked at her.

Then Fagin spoke

"Ah, Emmy m'dear... food" he handed her a few chunks of bread and a bit of cheese, "Boys! This here is Emmy, she'll be workin' with you now, just show 'er the ropes, y'know!" Fagin grinned a gap toothed smile, unusual for him, and disappeared up the stairs.

The boys all started talking again, and Emmy sat down on the nearest crate 'seat'. She noticed Dodger looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Then she was distracted as a few of the boys started talking to her.

Dodger let out a low whistle to himself, she didn't half clean up well, but he was not her friend, so he was not going to think of her like that

'bloody hell I'm immature today' he thought moodily. He caught her gaze for a minute, but then Barnsey started to talk to her, and she looked away.

"God" he murmured.

"What's up Dodge?" Charlie asked curiously "I would've thought you'd be eyin' 'er up!"

"'er and me don't get on"

"What? We've never met 'er before!"

"I 'ave, I met 'er earlier, and I was all messed up, so I acted really annoyin'"

Charlie raised his eyebrows

"Ah..."

Dodger examined his hunk of bread moodily

"So we mutually don't like each other now"

Charlie snorted

"Whatever you say Dodge"

Dodger opened his mouth to retort, but Charlie had gone to try and get more food.

He sighed and rested his head on the wall behind him, this girl was going to bring him no end of trouble.

OK guys, tell me what you think, should I carry on?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Please review

But be kind, remember I'm not an Oliver! expert, so if there are any major mistakes tell me, but really tiny ones... i dunno, just no flames please!

Oh yeah, the hyperlink on my profile goes to a character guide, so if you wanna know what they look like, go to the hyperlink!

I'll update soon, if I get reviews.

.xXBlackfishyXx.