Chapter 10: Of Kings and Queens
A/N: Well a rather dark chapter but a bit of humor all the same. I'm quite proud of this one actually as a matter of fact. Dedicated to ScroogeMcDuck: Thank you for always reviewing, it makes my day. A lot of happy go lucky Mr. Fagin for you in here m'dear! :-D
Warning: Contains disturbing imagery, more so then the last chapter. And light implications of prostitution.
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"Bedtime I think my dears," Fagin was saying when Nancy re-entered the flat. Johnny hooked eyes with Nancy if only for a moment, curious as to what she could've had to say to the newly appointed housebreaker but she simply shook her head to indicate she was in no mood to explain. For Fagin's sake Nancy went through the motions of pretending to lay down for bed, knowing full and well there was no way in hell she'd find any kind of sleep. And, if by some miracle she did manage to go to sleep, she'd be haunted by nightmares. Terrifying nightmares of a housebreaking gone wrong....and a rope.
Groaning as if attempting to expel the venomous thoughts from her mind, she curled up on her bed, not bothering to pull back on her dress, it was probably still wet anyway. Besides, she wasn't planning on laying there for long, not if she could help it. Even if she could find the courage to just lie there helplessly and wait for the sound of a door, she doubted her body would allow it. If she wasn't going to be sick very soon she would certainly go insane for having to lie still. Fortunately enough for Nancy the rain and the cold weather outside, being more or less barred by the warmth of the fire was a comfort to those without cause to worry. The other boys were snoring within a half hour. As soon as Nancy was sure that they were all asleep she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and walked out to the table. On bare feet, she was completely silent to the old man sitting there with a card game spread out before his person.
"Queen of hearts on the King of spades," she whispered. Fagin started slightly but then smirked as he moved the cards over. Nancy looked at the two cards she had chosen to pair up. A queen, hadn't she been referred to as one of those, and hearts, there couldn't be a more fitting suit to the young girl, she was all heart. And the king, Bill was king around here, hero to them all. Spades, hadn't the kids at the orphanage played a game where the person with the ace of spades won? So spades was a powerful suit, and Bill was powerful no doubt. Silently the little red head stared at the two cards...sitting there...together.
"Clever as always my dear," was the sound that yanked Nancy from her one brief moment of being care free.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. Fagin looked up at her and, with nothing more then a slight nod, invited her to sit down.
"You're still worried," Fagin said. It wasn't a question. Nancy nodded, hearing him say it out loud started up the nausea again. She wasn't even making the attempt at looking like she was okay in front of him, there was no use in it anyway. "He'll be alright my dear," he was saying now. His voice sounded distant to her, nothing but an echo to the visions her mind was painting for her once again. Nancy laid her head down on the table and groaned, wishing something could get her out of her head.
"You don't know that," she whispered. She watched the old man, totally unaffected by her words, and suddenly something snapped inside her. Nausea, worry, anxiousness, all of it was thrown backseat to the new emotion that was driving her now. Fury. "You don't care," she accused, everything bubbling up inside of her at once. Fagin seemed to be ignoring her, still moving cards about on the table. "You don't give a damn so long as you get the cash is that it? Nevermind that your best lad might not come 'ome," she growled viciously. "That 'e might HANG!" Nancy spat the word like it was dirt on her tongue, and her voice was getting louder by the second. The young one's rage seemed to have some affect, Fagin was at least looking at her now. "He'd do anything you asked of 'im cuz 'e trusts you! And you...you don't care for 'im at all as long as 'e keeps bringing you the goods! So long as you might just retire respectable who cares who dies in the bleedin' process!" She was absolutely shaking now, her mind in overdrive. When Fagin did nothing but smirk at her in an almost amused manner, she lost it. Angrily she shoved his whole card game to the floor and then sat there brooding.
"Are you um...done now m'dear?" Nancy could've strangled him if she had any kind of strength left after that outburst. He was honestly biting back a smile! Knowing her anger would be wasted and finding worry overriding every muscle in her body, the young girl simply nodded. "First of all, I'm only gonna say this once so pay attention, I do care fer Bill, for all of you young ones. The fact of the matter is that taking care of ya ain't cheap. Bill is gonna be movin' out on 'is own soon, 'e ain't a kid anymore Nance. 'E needed to do somethin' to make 'imself some more money so 'e could afford someplace else to stay. My dear," he said clamping a hand on her shoulder "we all 'ave to grow up sometime." Now a new worry overcame Nancy, something worse then anything she'd ever felt before in her life.
"I don't ever want to 'ave to 'ousebreak to make my livin' Mr. Fagin." The young girl was absolutely trembling, her voice barely more then a whisper in the silent flat. Fagin looked forlornly at his young charge, if only she knew, but she was just an innocent little girl. Girl. With as much kindness as he could managed he reached out and ruffled her tiny red head. She didn't need to know now, there would be plenty of time for that later.
"I don't think," he said slowly "you'll ever 'ave to worry about that my dear."
"Why not Mr. Fagin?" The old man stared at her face, eyes wide with child like wonder. It almost killed him to imagine her in the profession he knew she'd probably wind up taking on one day.
"There are...other ways, opportunities even, open to you that there aren't for Bill," he continued cautiously.
"Like what?" Again those eyes, that childish curiosity practically breaking his heart. Not now, she was nowhere near needing to know all this now.
"When you're older my dear," he said with a half hearted smile. "Let us worry about that when it's time for you to move on to greater things eh? For now, just go on the way you started, you'll be the greatest woman of all time." Those words tasted bitter in Fagin's mouth, having lost all meaning to him a long time ago. "Can I get you to uh...pick up my cards for me now my dear?" Blushing, Nancy nodded and got down, picking up the cards that still lay scattered from her outburst. Nancy was counting to make sure she'd grabbed them all in the dark. 49...50....Slowly Nancy reached down and grabbed the remaining two cards, the king and queen, still stuck together despite how anger and violence had tried to tear them apart.
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Nancy sat staring out the window towards London, the moon wasn't out tonight and only the stars left the outline of the city visible to the girl. Every once in a while she'd become vaguely aware of the sounds of church bells in the distance. One a.m.....two. Nancy was hardly aware of anything except that it was late and Bill had been gone for hours. With every passing moment her imagination became more cruel towards her, instilling her with visions a thousand times worse then the ones before. They were tying him to a post and starving him to death before the town...they were transporting him to a country where it was hot and miserable and he was forced to break his back for nothing. She could see his fingers and face turning purple from suffocation as he dangled for doing nothing more then try to live.
The bells were going off again. Nancy tried to strain her ears to listen, but sound would not reach them anymore. It didn't matter what time it was, it was too late for him not to be back. Behind her she was barely cognisant of the fact that Fagin was prodding the dying fire. She felt his hand drop down on her shoulder after a moment.
"It's late my dear," he said gently. "You should at least try and sleep." Nancy shook her head and Fagin let his hand fall, knowing the moment he had said the words they were wasted on her young ears.
"Not until Bill's back," she whispered.
"Why is it you worry for Bill so much my dear?" Nancy sat there a moment, not sure even she knew the answer. Her young mind searched for something, anything, but all that came out was her voice laden with defense.
"I'd worry for them all just the same," she said. "'E just happens to be the one that's out." Fagin smiled, deciding not to prod at the girl, and left her in her worried state. Nancy's spine stiffened at that moment, as though her ears had finally settled on the sound they'd been so finely tuned to. The soft creaking of footfalls outside the door. Finally the door opened, and Bill's gruff voice echoed through the flat.
"Fagin, 'elp me drag this stuff in will ya?" That was all the more she needed to hear, the ideas of death and pain had vanished from her mind as instantly as they'd appeared. Suddenly the exhaustion brought on from worrying and staying up all night washed over her. Nancy couldn't even get up and move towards her bed before her eyes fluttered closed.
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"Did you 'ave much trouble my dear?" Fagin asked Bill as he helped him drag the stuff inside.
"Just haulin' all this back 'cross town. You 'ave no idea 'ow 'eavy it was!" Fagin chuckled lightheartedly as he pulled one of the many bags up over the stairs and attempted to catch his breath. When his wheezing died down the frail old one sat down at the table gasping delicately.
"I can imagine my dear." He sat there a moment longer until he noticed Nancy, her head resting on the window sill, breath moving evenly. The fire light was flickering across her tiny frame, giving her the illusion of simply glowing in her peaceful sleep. And how peaceful she looked after the tortured expression her face had held for the last twenty four hours. One of the sleeves of her under-dress was sliding off her shoulder as she lay slumped into the wall. Bill followed Fagin's amused gaze and quirked an eyebrow in confusion.
"What's wrong wiv 'er?" He asked confused.
"She was waiting up all night for you my dear. Little Miss Nancy was quite worried about your state of well being." Bill nodded quietly, he should've expected her to stay worried even after he'd tried to reassure her. She was a sweet kid, despite how she got on Bill's nerves sometimes. It was almost as if she was his little sister, he felt oddly attached to the innocent girl sleeping before him. Smiling at how peaceful she looked sleeping, not a care in the world, and touched that she had found the heart to wait up for him until all hours of the morning, Bill picked her up and moved her towards her bed. Ignoring the weariness in his arms, he carried her across the room and laid her down. Bill pulled the blanket up around the sleeping child and noted absentmindedly how fragile she felt in his arms, breakable.
"Give 'er the day off tomorrow Fagin, she's outright exhausted."
"No no my dear, we must 'ave 'er out on the job."
"I'll go out in the mornin' if ya want," he said yawning. "Jus' give 'er the day off."
"No, you need your rest as well Bill," Fagin said. "I want you to go out again tomorrow night." Bill nodded quietly, not having a problem at all with this news. He just hoped that after this first successful endeavor the worry Nancy had seemed plagued with would go away. She couldn't be like this every night.
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When Nancy woke up the next morning, she momentarily forgot where she was. Her breath came ragged until she was aware of snoring filling the flat. Loud snoring. Nancy had only ever known one of the boys to cause such a racket. Instantly she was on her feet and she hustled to Bill's bedside. With a wide smile she pounced on his bed, sitting cross legged on his chest.
Bill woke with a start and stared up at the smiling little girl that had taken up residence on his chest. For a moment he was furious with the rude awakening, but when he saw her smile, so full of relief...so happy! Finally, the childlike nature of the happy girl sitting on his chest won him over and he could barely keep back a smile as he looked up at her.
"What the 'ell do you think yer doin' Nance?" he grumbled sleepily.
"You're safe," she cooed happily.
"And yer 'eavy, gerrof!" He ordered drowsily. Smiling, the young girl climbed down and stood next to his bed.
"Are you goin' out today Bill?" she asked hopefully.
"No, Fagin wants me out again tonight." He caught something on her face when he said that, just a little flicker of something. Pain...worry? No. Those words weren't strong enough, nothing short of agony would describe the emotion that had derailed her smile. "No worries," he said with a smile. "Ask real nice like an' I'm sure Fagin'll show ya the stuff I nicked last night. There was some real good stuff in there, jewels an' everythin'." Nancy nodded and tried to put on a smile to cover the pain already shooting through her. She walked away as though she was ready to go ask Fagin, but she had no desire to see the finery that had endangered Bill. Suddenly Nancy was aware of the fact that she and Bill were the only children in the flat.
"Where is everyone Fagin?" she asked curiously.
"Out already my dear. It's nearly noon." Nancy's eyes boggled as she pulled on her dress and went across the room for her stockings.
"I've been asleep all day?" she asked confused.
"You were up all night," Fagin said quietly.
"Well that's jus' all screwy and backwards ain't it?" Bill commented sleepily. That comment managed to put a smile on even Nancy's worried face. Finally she pulled on her boots and reached for her shawl.
"Bout' time I was out then isn't it?" Nancy asked wrapping up, she could feel even inside that it would be chilly again today.
"I should say so my dear." As she turned to go, Nancy paused at the top of the stairs. She clutched her hand to the post on her right as if for support and turned to face the flat behind her.
"I'm glad you're safe Bill," she said quietly. Then the girl slipped out the door before either of them had the opportunity to say another word.
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Nancy smiled as she skipped away from her first pick of the day, a strapping gentleman with a watch prime for the picking. As soon as she was around the corner she pulled up her red dress and slid the watch into the pocket of her underskirt. She stopped as she felt something rough brush against her fingers. Curiously, she released the watch in exchange for whatever else was resting in her pocket. It was the cards from last night. Shivers that had nothing to do with the cold erupted down her spine as she stared at the king and the queen in her hand.