Part 2: Smooth Criminal
Dodger and Rory waited by the river in the forest outside of Storybrooke. Dodger looked at his pocket watch.
"Can't we go back to the cabin?" Rory asked him.
"It ain't safe" replied Dodger "Oliver disappeared last night and we don't know if he's been caught. We gotta want for intel from the other boys before we make a move".
Just then, Mickey and Harry arrived.
"We saw Oliver" Harry said.
"He's with a nice looking family" Mickey elaborated.
"Yeah, nice looking" added Harry "they're probably gonna dump him after they get him to peach on us".
Charlie came up behind them.
"I heard the old guy is a toymaker. Probably bribing the kid with all kinds of goodies".
"Poor Oliver" Dodger said "the lad wants a home so badly and they're probably playing games with him. But we'll fix everything when we take over this town. We'll save him".
"But how?" Asked Harry "Oliver took the diamond wand, they've probably taken it back from him".
"I have my ways" Dodger replied "it ain't time to talk about it yet".
He then turned to Charlie "Did you find Gretel and her brother?"
"I saw them" said Charlie "but they were with their father and I fear he may be on to us".
"Dangit" said Dodger "we're a few men short and we need a plan for our next heist and find a place to move our hideout".
A long time ago in The Realm Dickens Wrote About
A younger Rory walked down a dark alleyway. A younger Dodger jumped from a low window in a cool, hunched over, burglar pose.
"Being a little dramatic, aren't we?" Rory asked.
Dodger put his finger to his nose to shush Rory.
"This is a dramatic situation" he said "we're robbing medicine from the hospital and then I have to disappear into the night and hitail it outta London".
"And I have to go underground" Rory reminded himself out loud.
"Yes!" said Dodger urgently "now, you got a place to hide the goods?"
"Right over here" Rory opened a trapdoor to an abandoned basement filled with cobwebs.
"Okay, great" Dodger said "I've found the fastest way from the hospital to here with minimal chance of detection. It's the perfect crime".
"I'll owe you one" said Rory.
"No problem" said Dodger "we made a deal, I get you the medicine and you get me passage outta this place".
They snuck across town and climbed into a hospital window Dodger had pried open. They grabbed as much medicine as they could carry and brought it back to the hideaway, using the way Dodger had mapped out through the buildings. They made three trips before they saw the sky was beginning to get light and it was time for Dodger to go. Rory helped him sneak aboard a carriage he had arranged to take Dodger out of London undetected.
"Good luck, my friend" Rory said.
Dodger gave him a thumbs up and then hid away.
A long time later in Storybrooke
Emma and Hook were at the sheriff's station. Emma was at the desk, where a device with an antenna was propped up.
"Simply using cellphone thingies wouldn't suffice?" Hook asked.
Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"It's faster" she said "for them to send us a signal through this radio so we can follow them to a location, or for us to ask them to come to a location. Sending a text with Dodger and his gang around is risky".
"I'm still amazed their father agreed to this" said Hook.
"He says he wants them to get practice being on the right side of the law" Emma replied "besides I wouldn't ask them to do it if I didn't think it was necessary. Dodger trusts Hansel and Gretel".
Hook looked at her strangely.
"I know asking them to betray his trust is morally questionable" Emma said, sensing what he was thinking "but he has to be stopped for his own sake as well as everyone else's".
Hook nodded.
Later In The Woods
Hansel and Gretel were near the well with Harry and Dodger. Gretel presented Dodger with a piece of the diamond wand.
"Snatched this from the sheriff's station" she said.
Dodger was impressed.
"Quite gutsy of you" he said "if you get much gutsier you'll be caught".
He seemed concerned, not only for himself, but for Gretel as well.
"We can handle the sheriff" she said matter-of-factly.
"We can't go back to the cabin anymore" said Dodger "cause who knows what those people are torturing or tricking poor little Oliver into telling them. And don't tell me he's being treated well cause I ain't buying it! He ain't theirs and they know he was with us".
Gretel knew it was useless to argue.
"We may not have to break into the vault" she said "I saw an urn just outside the Queen's vault, but it's magically locked as well".
"I wanna try the wand on it!" Harry piped up, excitedly.
"Alright" said Dodger "but we gotta find a way for you to do it undetected".
"Will you do it tonight?" Asked Hansel.
"Can't tell you that" said Dodger "we have to extra careful now that the grownups may be on to us. We'll come find you when we need you though".
"Don't you trust us?" Asked Hansel.
"Yes" said Dodger "but I'm concerned about your safety from the powers that be".
A long time ago in the Realm That Dickens Wrote About
Young Dodger was back on the streets of London. It was evening, when the city was full of hustle and bustle. He was on the corner selling jewellery. After selling the last piece, he went into an alley between two large buildings, where a man awaited.
"Here's your money" Dodger said, handing a bag of coins over to the man "now we're square and I can be on my way".
"Good lad" the man said "have a cigar!" He shoved a cigar into Dodger's hand.
Dodger tipped his hat in thanks and went on his way. He was a couple blocks down the street when he was suddenly stopped by a police officer.
"What's the trouble, officer?" He asked, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Don't play dumb!" The officer commanded "I've been tailing you. We've traced a bunch of stolen items back to you. You've been selling stolen goods. Now what'd you do with the money?"
"If you cared about that, you'd've found me before I got rid of it" Dodger snarked.
"Don't be fresh!" Commanded the officer.
The officer reached into Dodger's pocket and pulled out a necklace.
"Where'd you get this?" He demanded.
"I swear I didn't know that was there" said Dodger.
"You're under arrest, filthy thief!" Shouted the police officer, slapping a pair of cuffs on the boy.
A long time later in Storybrooke
Emma, Hook, Regina, Henry, Hansel, and Gretel were gathered at Hansel and Gretel's house. They met there because meeting somewhere like the sheriff's station might blow Hansel and Gretel's cover if the gang saw them enter.
"They seem to be taking the bait" Gretel said "they're planning to go for the urn but won't tell us when. I think Harry will be the one to do it though, he's about 13 years old. Mickey is the youngest now that Oliver isn't with them".
"I've put an enchantment on the urn" Regina said "whoever goes for it will be trapped, not for long but hopefully long enough for us to catch them. Then there will be one less reason for everyone to watch their pockets".
"David's staking out the place now" said Emma.
Hansel approached Emma.
"Sheriff Swan, I have a question" he said "you want me and Gretel to find out what Dodger is up to and tell you, but my Dad always tells me it's wrong to tattle. I'm confused."
Emma looked uncomfortable.
"Well Hansel" Emma answered in the maternal voice she usually used while dealing with children "tattling is when your goal is to get someone in trouble, what I'm asking of you is to protect Dodger and his friends from themselves. You're not betraying them, you're helping them".
Hansel seemed satisfied.
Henry's phone made a noise. He looked at it.
"It's Grandma and Grandpa" he said excitedly "they caught one of the gang!"
Emma and Hook got up to leave.
"I wanna help" said Henry.
"Okay" said Emma "why don't you go to the sheriff's station and you can help make the boy feel safer when he gets there. Show him that he does't have to be afraid of us just because we're in authority. He probably hasn't had many good experiences with the law".
Henry gave a bittersweet smile and nodded.
Meanwhile near the graveyard
Dodger and Charlie looked on as Harry attempted to steal from the urn but suddenly became immobilized.
"drat!" Said Dodger.
Snow White and Prince Charming came, seemingly out of nowhere, to apprehend Harry. Charlie started to get up to fight them but Dodger stopped him.
"We'll save hime later" Dodger said "right now we can't afford to all get caught. He's brave enough to take one for the team".
Emma and Hook arrived on the scene as well. Dodger looked angry. After everyone else left the scene, Charlie ran and grabbed some powder from the urn. The mobilizing enchantment had already been used and didn't affect him. He and Dodger made a run for it.
A long time ago in the realm Dickens wrote about
Young Dodger stood in line for food in a prison cafeteria. A taller, tougher, boy turned around and looked at him.
"You're new here aren't you?" The tall boy said.
"Yes" Dodger said, trying to hide his fear.
"What are you in for?" Asked the tall boy.
"Selling stolen goods" said Dodger.
"That it?" Asked the older boy.
"I ran away from London a few years ago after stealing medicine and then came back by making shady deals with underground criminals, then stole some jewelry to pay a debt, and then got caught" Dodger explained "the police didn't even track down the money, they just wanted my blood".
"Word of advice, kid" said the tall boy "half the people in here are in for violent crimes, I stabbed a guy, they'll hurt you unless they're afraid of you. Want respect around here? Tell people you're in for really big violent crimes. They won't respect you unless they fear you".
Dodger was fearful and couldn't understand why a supposedly civilized system would put a little kid, who was mostly just guilty of non-violent robbery, in with people who could hurt him. Before he could thank the tall boy for his advice, the tall boy grabbed him by the shirt collar.
"That advice ain't free" the tall boy growled "nobody will stop me from hurting you, they either respect me too much or got bigger fish to fry, you have to give me most of your food today and every day until you find a way to stop me from taking it".
"Yes, sir" Dodger said.
"Good!" Said the tall boy, then he violently pushed Dodger to the ground just to show his strength.
A long time later in Storybrooke
Emma and Hook were at the sheriff's station. Henry was in the interrogation room showing Harry some Marvel comic books.
"Can we do good cop, bad cop?" Hook asked Emma excitedly.
"I knew I shouldn't have let Henry show you all those old cop movies" Emma said.
"Come on" said Hook "I'll only scare him a little. And then you can be the hero and he'll respect you more".
"Alright" Emma conceded "we'll try it this one time".
They entered the interrogation room and Henry left.
"You ain't getting nothing out of me" Harry said, toughly "I've been in the slammer before, I'm tough".
"Tough enough for me" Hook asked, over-dramatically "have you ever been up against a fearsome pirate captain before? I've pillaged, plundered, and gotten rid of anyone in my way! And your little friends will have a real problem if I don't get my way".
Hook got up in Harry's face. Emma pulled him back.
"Okay, Captain" she said "I think the boy gets it. We don't want to scare him senseless".
Hook flashed his hook and raised an eyebrow evilly.
"Harry" said Emma "we want to help you and the others. Give us what information you can so we can stop them from hurting themselves".
"I don't believe you" said Harry.
"Well" growled Hook "maybe you'll believe it when we lock you up and feed you gruel".
"Okay, that's enough of that" said Emma "you can go now, Captain" she looked at Harry "he's kidding about the gruel" she told him.
Then she pushed Hook out the door while Harry looked on with a grin.
"Now" Emma said "sorry about him, my son showed him one too many cop movies and power is going to his head. I promise, everything will be fine if you just tell me how to find Dodger and the gang. No harm will come to any of you".
"I'll tell you something" said Harry "as long as you keep that guy away".
Emma nodded.
"I won't tell you where he's planning to strike next, but I will tell you that Dodger learned a lot from his mentor, Fagin, who gave him his only real home, and he believes that what he's doing is the only way to fulfill Fagin's legacy. If you catch him, it'll take a hell of a lot more than threats or promises to get him to give up on taking over this town. He trusts nobody, especially not those who represent the law".
A long time earlier in the realm Dickens wrote about
Dodger, now having been in jail for a couple of years, walked through the hallway on the way out. Other boys sat in cells along the sides of the hallway. Some spit at him, while others quivered with fear. He had become one of the toughest and most feared inmates. He glared evilly at some tough boys who were rivals of his. One rival congratulated him on his reign of terror and how far he'd come since being a small timid boy who hardly got to eat and wished him luck on his release. Dodger remained stone-faced as he was finally let out of the prison after years without sunshine.
"Happy release day. Enjoy being out, you'll probably be back soon" the guard said indifferently.
"Well guys like me don't have many other places to go" Dodger replied dryly.
Dodger got off the property and sat under a nearby tree, waiting for Harry to be released soon after. Harry had thankfully only been there for about six months and Dodger had looked out for him. He was glad Harry didn't have to stay there long enough to have to become tough like him. Surviving in jail had taken a lot out of Dodger and made him a less decent person. He stood up when Harry came out.
"So where are we going?" Harry asked.
"I've been in touch with a man" said Dodger "one who will take in guys like us and give us shelter in exchange for committing crimes for him. Not the best arrangement but, where else can we go? At least this guy is going to give us a place to go besides the streets, workhouses, and jailhouses. To my mind, that makes him kinder than the supposedly decent people we're expected to aspire to be like but won't take care of orphans".
Harry nodded and the two went off together.
A long time later in Storybrooke
"Swan!" Hook called out "Hansel and Gretel sent a signal, they're at the clock tower".
"Watch Harry, make sure he doesn't go anywhere" Emma said to her parents and then went off with Hook.
Emma and Hook arrived at the clock tower. Hansel was waiting outside and motioned for them to come over. They did.
"I'm on lookout at this entrance" he said "Charlie's on the other side, hopefully he didn't see you".
Dodger looked out from inside the top of the tower, Gretel and Rory were inside with him.
"I didn't see a signal" he said "but the sheriff can be sneaky. We better sneak our way out".
"But how?" Asked Gretel.
Dodger leaped down to a lower area and then used the number 7 he had taken from the clock face to open a secret passageway, a trapdoor opened below Gretel and Rory.
"You go" Dodger said "I gotta find Mickey"
Gretel and Rory obeyed. Emma and Hook started up the stair, guns in hand. They found nobody there.
"Drat" said Emma "They somehow knew we were coming".
She looked down at the now closed trapdoor when suddenly she heard a loud noise. She followed it down the stairs and briefly saw Dodger with Mickey.
"Hey!" She yelled but they were out of sight.
Hook came down and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I think we've lost this round, Swan" he said.
Suddenly they were trapped inside a barrier around the clock tower. Emma went back up to the top and figured out that magic had been stolen from the clock face in the form of the number 7.
"Whatever Dodger needs magic for, it can't be good" she said.
"We will win the war" Hook reassured her "we always do".
The barrier lifted. It hadn't lasted long, but long enough that Dodger and his gang had escaped Emma again. They came out of the tower.
"The only problem I see" said Hook "is what will we do about Dodger and his gang after we catch them?"
"Snow is already looking for homes for them" Emma answered.
"But who will adopt Dodger?" Asked Hook "he's almost fully grown, troubled, and incoragable, will he be able to have a happy ending?"
A long time ago in the realm that Dickens wrote about
Dodger and his gang, including Rory, Charlie, Harry, Mickey, and another boy named Devin, presented their ill-gotten gains to Fagin. Fagin cheered and talked about how proud he was of all of them. Noah Claypole was also present, Fagin spoke about how Noah had book smarts while Dodger had street smarts; how Noah knew his way around polite society and Dodger knew his way around the crime world. Dodger admired Fagin and very much wanted to impress him. He didn't just want to be equal to Fagin's other protege, but to beat him.
The next day, Dodger was out walking and came across a boy with scars on his face. The scarred boy stood in front of Dodger, staring.
"How do you do?" Asked Dodger, wondering what the boy wanted.
"The name's Felix" said the scarred boy "I work for a gang leader in another land. Peter Pan. He has a proposition for you".
"And what might that be?" Asked Dodger.
"He knows you want to impress your mentor, Fagin, the one who took you and your boys in when nobody else would and taught you everything you knew, I can teach you something that Noah doesn't know, but there's a catch".
"I already know a lot more than Noah" said Dodger "He ain't been to the pokey".
"But he passes as a gentlemen" replied Felix "he has strengths you don't. I can give you strength that he turned down, if you give up one of your prized possessions".
Dodger agreed.
"Why should I worry?" He asked "why should I care what I lose in order to gain an advantage?"
Later that night, Pan's shadow came into Fagin's home and took Devin.
"No, no, no" Dodger cried and tried to hold on to Devin but it was no use, he was gone.
Rory was in shock but tried to comfort Dodger.
"There was nothing you could have done" Rory said,
"I failed him" Dodger said "I made a deal with a mysterious boy to give myself better fighting skills. It was test that Noah passed but I failed. I will not fail any of my boys again".
A long time later in Storybrooke
Dodger was walking along the riverbank at night. Suddenly, he was approached by another boy.
"Fancy seeing you in Storybrooke, Jack" said Devin.
"Devin!" Exclaimed Dodger "I never thought I'd see you again. I have always regretted letting you get taken, you gotta believe me. I tried to be a better person after that, I tried to be less selfish but sometimes I failed, I had to take the rest of our boys away from our realm when some of my bad deeds caught up to me. I'm going to make everything fine now though, when I take over this town, it'll be better for all of us".
"I've long forgiven you, Dodger" said Devin "Peter Pan told me about your deal with him. Neverland was kind of a nightmare, but eventually I got to come here, to Storybrooke, and found a home with new parents. I went back with them to the Enchanted Forest for a while, when they were being sent back there I wished really hard to stay with them. We were in the Enchanted Forest for a while and then returned to Storybrooke. I love my adoptive parents and I'm happy here. You and the rest of the gang can find homes and be happy here too".
"Did the sheriff send you?" Asked Dodger, suspiciously.
"She has no idea that I'm from the realm Dickens wrote about or that we know each other. I heard about you being here and came to talk to you on my own. You can have a home here, you don't have to use magic".
"And who would want to give me a home?" Dodger asked "I'm almost fully grown and a criminal. Only a guy like Fagin is decent enough to give a guy like me a home, and there ain't nobody like him here. Ain't nobody with sympathy for us. Fagin wasn't even a good person, he''s the one who taught me that nobody is".
"I believed that back in our realm" said Devin "and when I was in Neverland with Peter Pan; but it isn't true, there are good people here".
"It's too late for me" said Dodger "I'm corrupted. But not as corrupted as the law is".
"Peter Pan thought like you" said Devin "told us all that he was our only real family and that the adult world was corrupt. He tried to take over this town too, by crushing his friend Felix's heart!" He shouted.
"Relax" said Dodger coolly "I'm not crushing any hearts. I found a way, I only need one more bit of magic from this town and I can make it my way. Children will have comfort but also freedom".
"This isn't the way" Devin argued.
"It's the way to honour Fagin!" Dodger shouted.
A long time ago in the realm that Dickens wrote about
Dodger stood by the bedside of Fagin as he was dying.
"Dodger, my boy" said Fagin "when I die, I'll no longer be able to protect you from any enemies you've made".
"Pff, I can handle them" replied Dodger with a smirk.
"No, Dodger" said Fagin "I've been visited by the ghosts of past, present, and future. They were worried about you, boy".
Dodger started listening attentively.
"Noah can find his way among the gentlemen" Fagin continued "but you, I fear you have no future in this realm. But the spirits gave me a magic gift to pass onto you. It's a portal to a place called The Land Of Untold Stories, you can take your boys there and lay low. The spirits tell me you will eventually find your way to a magical village".
He handed Dodger a magical pocket watch.
"That's not all" Fagin continued "this watch not only contains a portal, but you can use it to steal magic. I wanted to make a village that would be a refuge for boys like you, to give comfort and freedom, but I never had the opportunity. When you come to the magical village, find out where the magic is, steal items and load their magic into this watch, and you will rule the magical village and make it the way you and your boys need it to be".
"I will do it, for my boys and for you, Fagin" said Dodger affectionately "you taught me many of my tricks, how to be a leader, challenged me, and taught me that nobody is really good but to take what I can get".
"I've taught you well, my boy" Fagin said proudly "now get out of here, before Noah makes you and your boys pay for your mistakes".
"But I can't leave without Oliver Twist!" Dodger cried urgently.
"Leave him!" Cried Fagin "or you may never make it".
Dodger had an urgent look on his face. Fagin passed away in front of him, at peace knowing he had given Dodger his best chance.
A long time later in Storybrooke
Hansel and Gretel convened with Emma, Hook, and Regina at the toll bridge.
"We got Dodger to tell us his next move!" Gretel said excitedly.
"It actually wasn't hard" Hansel added "he's real worked up about something".
"It's actually the least rational I've ever seen him" Gretel said in a worried tone "but that might make catching him easier".
"Yeah, something apparently happened by the river last night to rile him up" chirped Hansel "he wants to get things done quickly now!"
The twins were starting to have trouble catching their breath.
"Okay, breathe" said Emma "and tell me where he's planning to go and when".
After a minute or two, Gretel was able to answer.
"He's going to steal something from the hospital" Gretel said "I'm not sure where exactly but he's striking at six o'clock and wants us to help him blend in".
"I know where he's going" declared Regina.
Everyone looked at her with surprise.
"I created this town, remember?" Regina explained "He seeks magic so he must be going after the trance beamer. It's the thing that kept people from noticing inconsistencies during the curse. It's been deactivated since it broke but who knows what can be done with it?"
"You'd think you would have told us about all this a few years sooner" Hook snarled.
"Well I didn't think it mattered until now" Regina said defensively.
Hook tilted his head up in exasperation.
"Forget worrying about the past!" Emma exclaimed "we just need to know where it is".
"Under the floorboards of the operating room" answered Regina "the room which, ironically, was never used during the curse".
A long time ago in the realm Dickens wrote about
Dodger stood with his gang; Rory, Charlie, Harry, and Mickey. He had just explained that they needed to leave their realm but that first he needed them to help save Oliver Twist.
"Whatever you do, wherever you go, we're with you buddy" declared Rory sentimentally.
"I concur" said Charlie "without you selling those trinkets to pay off my debt, I'd be toast. I'm sorry you had to go to jail for me".
"At least I found Harry there" Dodger said with a smile.
"Yeah" said Harry "without you, I don't know where I would have gone".
"And we saved Mickey from being sold to that other gang" added Rory "and remember the whole reason you started a life of crime was I was homeless and needed medicine".
"I remember" said Dodger "hopefully those good deeds I did make up for all the bad I've done to people. People like Noah and Devin".
"But don't forget the reason you came back to London" urged Charlie "you made shady deals to get Devin back here to reconcile with his father before he died. I'm sure he's grateful, even in whatever awful place he was taken to".
Dodger smiled "I'm glad to have you all with me, and I will do my best to take care of us all in the next realm" he said.
A long time later in Storybrooke
Dodger and his gang, minus Harry, stood near the hospital. Hansel was with them. Gretel emerged to tell them the best path to sneak into the operating room without arousing suspicion. Dodger was determined to get there and not let anyone stop him. He couldn't afford to lose any more boys before fulfilling his goal. One at a time, they all crept into the hospital. Mickey distracted the nurse on duty by pretending to be injured. The others made their way through, Hansel and Gretel peeking around to make sure nobody was coming. Gretel went into the TV room, where Emma, Hook, and David secretly waited. She gave them a thumbs-up. Dodger, Charlie, and Rory pushed one another into the operating room and began to feel out the floorboards with their feet. Suddenly, Emma, Hook, and David came in from three separate doors and pointed their guns at the boys.
"Alright, no more games" David said "we have you now".
Gretel came up behind Emma and gave Dodger an apologetic look. He glared at her.
"Dodger" Emma called while slightly lowering her gun "I promise, everything will be alright".
Dodger looked at Emma sceptically but raised his hands in surrender.
Stay tuned for part three, where Dodger spending time in Storybrooke's jail gives him and Emma a chance to learn more about each other and possibly gain respect for one another, while flashbacks shed light on some of Emma's experiences on both sides of the law. Dodger's ultimate destiny will be revealed.