"Just the Way You Are"

Rita and Charl join the Company, Hell's Kitchen, 1989

Rita, Charl, and Dodger left the mansion bright and early the next morning. Dodger hated to leave his new family behind, even if only for a day, but Nancy assured him she'd be more than fine with the Foxworths and Oliver and Adena to take care of them all. Dodger reluctantly left with Rita and Charl.

Soon they were out and about in the city, crossing through Central Park and hopping taxi cabs and frustrated street drivers to get to their location: Hell's Kitchen, New York. They rode on car tops till they reached their destination, finally jumping down outside the Company's crowded new apartment home. "Okay, guys, just remember. I do tha talking. Don't come inside until I give ya tha bark."

And with that, Dodger entered the apartment through their doggy door. "Hey, hey, my friends. Look who's returned!" Dodger proudly sauntered into the apartment, where he was immediately greeted with a licked face courtesy of Stud and Kitten. Tito and Francis also bounded up to him, crying out, "Dodger man, good to see ya!" and "I knew you would return to us forthwith. I ever so knew it!"

"Yeah, good to see all of ya again. Great to see ya, actually. But, uh, guys… I didn't come alone. This might take ya by surprise, so just hold calm, okay?" Dodger gave the bark.

Rita and Charl came into the apartment same as Dodger had, only they didn't get quite so warm a welcome. Tito and Francis looked at them like they were something that crawled out of a dumpster, while the pups greeted them with confusion, at best.

"What are they doing here, Dodger old boy?" Francis huffed.

"Yeah, and like, she brought him!" Tito yapped.

"Cool it, guys! Rita an' Charl ain't done nothing to hurt nobody in this room. Least ya could do is give them a polite welcome." Dodger scoffed at the Company for their rudeness. "We all came a long way to see ya guys, an' it wasn't so ya could treat them poorly."

"But Dodger man, Rita quit! An' Charl is just tha worst."

"Don't ya guys think ya all got off on tha wrong paw earlier? Maybe Charl ain't that bad. I can tell ya, he's done some bad things, but at tha end of tha day, he's my oldest friend. An' Rita? Why, we all know how long Rita's been a part of this gang. She was here before yourself, Tito." Dodger looked at Tito and Francis, who he could see he was slowly winning over. "Who are ya to say they can't be part of tha Company no more? Besides, I think ya guys need a fearless leader like Rita over here. What do ya say, fellas?"

Everyone paused to just look at one another. Rita looked at Francis and Tito, who were mutually glowering at Charl, who was giving them a big, cheesy smile. The pups alone seemed content with everyone's presence, Stud and Kitten just sitting patiently on the floor.

Suddenly, Dodger noticed one amongst their number wasn't currently with them. "Hey, guys, where did old Einstein do? It ain't like him to just wander off."

"I dunno, man. Fagin took him someplace earlier today," Tito explained to him. "Haven't seen old Einy since. I'm sure they'll be back anytime now."

"Yeah, I hope so. I dunno. Something don't seem right about it."

Einy's strange absence forced the gang to check themselves. Tito and Francis were still being huffy about Rita and Charl's presence, but Dodger could tell he was slowly winning them over. "What do ya say, fellas? Will ya give them another shot?"

"Oh, alright. But we don't have to like it." Francis said with a pout.

"Yeah, yeah, they can both stay. Why tha heck not?" Tito yapped.

"Hurray! Ya won't regret it, I promise!" Charl bounded over to Tito and Francis and covered them in happy licks. Neither dog seemed too happy about it.

"Geez, Charl, ya smell like an ash tray," Tito frowned. "Ya need a bath!"

"Ya don't think Fagin's gonna give me a bath, do ya?" Charl turned to Rita in horror. "I ain't ever had a bath in my life, an' I ain't planning to start now!"

"If you wanna live in the Company, then you gotta be a more civilized dog. That means baths when Fagin says so. No buts about it." Rita ordered Charl like she ordered any of the other Company dogs. Francis and Tito were happy to see him ordered about, too.

"So, Rita, I assume you'll be reassuming your position as leader of the gang?"

"Someone has to, Frankie. Might as well be me." Rita said with a great sigh. She knew what she had to say, but she couldn't find the right words. Reluctantly, she began with, "Listen, guys, Dodger told me all about what happened to Billy. Said he died to save Dodger and Oliver's lives. I can't help feeling guilty about the whole thing, given that I helped push him away in the first place. If I hadn't been so hard on Billy, maybe he'd have never joined the Kings."

Rita slowed her breathing down. She felt like she was going to pass out. Luckily, Charl was there. She'd already admitted her biggest secret to him. If she could tell Charl, she could tell the Company, and that was that. She just had to buck up the courage to do it.

"I tried to mother him, like I mothered all the pups. Billy the hardest, probably cause he reminded me so much of a little Dodger. I did always like bossing you around, huh Dodge?" He gave her a supportive smile. "I always wanted to mother the gang because… well, I always wanted to be a mother. And seeing Dodger with his new family, which I'm so happy, tremendously happy about, it just made me realize how much I wanted that. To have puppies all my own. Not Annie's, not Nancy's, just my own puppies."

"Then why don't ya have them? Ya an' Charl could start a family," Dodger said.

"We don't have puppies because we can't. I can't have puppies. It must've been something my old family did to me, before I wound up on the streets. They took me to the vet one day, and I've never been the same inside. I always knew something was wrong with me, and this is it. I can't give Charl the family he wanted. Not like Nancy can do for you, Dodger."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sounds of Rita sniffing back tears. Dodger moved to embrace Rita in a warm, friendly hug. She thanked him for it. The rest of the gang slowly came up and hugged her, one by one, first Francis, then Tito, then the puppies, Stud and finally Kitten. Then it was Charl's turn to embrace her. But he did more than that, licking her face and making her smile again. He always loved to see Rita smile.

"There ain't nothing wrong with ya, babe. I told ya that before, an' I'll tell ya again now. You're perfect just tha way ya are, an' there ain't a thing I'd change about ya if I could." Charl gave her his dopiest grin, and Rita couldn't help bursting into sweet laughter. "I love ya, babe. Imperfections an' all."

"Thank you, Charl. And thanks guys, for not thinking I'm being stupid or anything. I was worried you wouldn't understand how much this all meant to be, getting to mother you all, and mother the pups especially." Rita was jumped by Stud and Kitten, who gave her plenty of lickings. She grinned and knocked them off of her.

"We couldn't ask for a better mother, Rita!" Stud told her.

"Yeah! You've done a great job of raising us." Kitten chimed in.

"Thanks, you two. I guess I'm done raising you both now. You're practically full-grown!" Rita laughed at how big the pups had gotten. It was true—they were both full-grown and didn't need much mothering anymore.

It made Rita stop and think back to Billy, who was also full-grown at the time of his death. He was old enough to make his own choices, she realized, and that took some of the weight off her shoulders. Maybe she had pushed him away, but it was like Charl said, he joined the Kings out of his own volition. Maybe it wasn't all her fault after all.

The Company was finally all together, Rita and Charl and Tito and Francis and Stud and Kitten, and yes, even Dodger. She couldn't be happier that they were finally all where they were supposed to be. It was only missing Einstein, she sadly realized.

It was at that very moment that Fagin burst into the room, with old Einstein limping at his feet. Einstein limped over to the bed and collapsed, his breathing heavy and irregular. Rita immediately ran to his side, while the rest of the Company, Charl included, crowded around Fagin. The poor man looked like he had some very bad news for them.

"We just came back from visiting the vet. And it's worse than I feared," Fagin took a deep breath, then broke the bad news to the gang. He had tears in his eyes while he said, "Einstein has cancer. A brain tumor that's likely been affecting his memory. The vet says he doesn't have much longer to live. Maybe a few days at most."

The gang understood what was said to mean there was something very wrong with Einstein, something none of them could fix. Rita didn't know what a brain tumor was or what it did, but it didn't sound good. And their old friend had just days to live.

The Company crowded around Einstein, whimpering together for their impending loss.

Goodbye Einstein, Hell's Kitchen, 1989

They stayed in that apartment for several days with Einstein. He was worse than ever before, struggling to remember the names of his cohorts. "Ya know me, man. Tito. I'm Tito."

"Tito… nice to meet you," Einstein would begin. "Uh… who are you?"

It was the same every time. Soon he forgot Francis's name, Rita's name, and even Dodger's. It stung to see an old comrade forget who you were, but what could they do? They couldn't fight a brain tumor the way you fought the Kings off. The tumor was there, and Fagin certainly didn't have the money to make it go away. No, the only choice he had to was to simply wait it out and let the old dog go when it was time.

Finally, the day came that Einstein's breaths became so ragged and torn that Dodger feared his lungs were about to collapse. "Einy, don't speak, man. Don't strain yourself," Dodger told him. Regardless, Einstein would try to say something, like, "I remember you now. Really I do. Your name is… is.. uh, I… I don't know."

"It's okay, buddy. You don't have to remember specifics. You still know who we are."

Dodger was confident of that. But the glassy look in Einstein's eyes made him less and less certain that Einstein knew who he was at all. But as it turned out, there was one person Einstein had not forgotten.

"I miss… Annie. I miss Annie. Where is she?" Einstein would ask. None of the gang had the heart to tell him she was long since dead. "Where is she, everyone? Where's Annie?"

"Annie's coming real soon. I promise." Dodger lied through his teeth, but what else was he supposed to say to him? He couldn't break the old dog's heart any more than it already was.

"I miss Annie. I miss her. Where is she? Where did she go?"

"You'll see her real soon, old timer. You'll see her real soon."

Einstein nodded, his eyes bleary, until they finally closed. His chest moved up and down until it didn't. Fagin pressed his head to Einstein's chest to hear if there was a heartbeat left, and came up shaking his head. The moment had finally come. Einy was gone.

Fagin cried and cried over his beloved pet. Einstein had been his oldest dog, his most loyal, and his friendliest. Fagin wrapped him in a blanket, and for a while, he simply sat with him. Just Fagin and Einstein, together for the last time, in that small Hell's Kitchen apartment. Finally, Fagin stood up and said, "We're going to bury him. Beside Momma."

The gang nodded. They all followed Fagin out the door and loaded up into his shaky motor-cart, which steamed to life by emitting a cloud of black smoke. Fagin carried Einstein, wrapped in the blanket, and set in his the basket with the rest of his dogs. He got on the motor-cart, pressed down on the gas pedal, and sped off through the city.

They found the place much unchanged. A willow tree shadowed the pet cemetery, its leaves falling thin and wispy over the dog and cat graves. They came to the one where Annie had been buried, and after a bit of digging and explaining to the cemetery park ranger, they buried Einstein in the spot beside Annie.

"He'd like it here. With tha tree overlooking them." Dodger said to the gang. "Beside by mom. Geez, I miss her. I miss her so much. An' now I miss him, too."

"We all miss them, Dodger," Rita said to him in a low voice. "Nothing wrong with missing them. It won't bring them back, but it won't hurt them none either."

"Here's to Einstein. He truly was the best of us." Francis gave a loud ruff.

The rest of the gang followed suit, barking and yipping and ruffing a salute to their fallen friend. The gang mourned yet another loss, only this one didn't feel as harsh and brutal as Annie's or Billy's deaths had been. This one was, in a way, almost more peaceful. Dodger hoped he'd been at peace when he went.

Confronted by the Hellhounds, Hell's Kitchen, 1989

Everyone had returned to the Hell's Kitchen apartment, weary from the day and still in mourning. Dodger just couldn't believe Einstein was gone. He'd always been a part of the gang, right from day one. Before day one, even. He'd been with Fagin the longest out of any of them, and now he was just gone. Just like that.

They piled into the small, one-room apartment. Francis and Tito took the couch, while Rita and Charl laid on Fagin's bed. Stud and Kitten were in the living room, and from the looks of things, they didn't feel like playing. Dodger couldn't blame them.

"Well, guys, I guess I'm gonna head on," Dodger announced to them. "I'll be back real soon to check on ya, but I gotta go spend some more time with my family. I'm sure ya understand." He turned to leave them.

"Hey," Rita came over to him, "go get them, Dodger. You've earned it."

"I'm so happy for ya, my brother," Charl grinned. Dodger grinned right back.

With that, he was out the doggy door and down the steps of their apartment complex. Dodger turned onto the sidewalk, but before he could make it onto a passing car top, a dog ran up to him. It wasn't a very big dog, just a small Schnauzer, but he was panting heavily. "I know who you are. You're the Artful Dodger!"

"Ah, so you've heard of me. How can I help you, friend?"

"You're no help to me! I'm one of the Hellhounds, and now you're going to betray our gang to the Kings, just like you've done to every other gang in the city!" The Schnauzer growled at him, backing away defensively. He then turned and cried out, "Backup! I need backup!"

"No, no, ya got it all wrong! I ain't one of tha Kings! I was framed!"

But it was too late. More and more dogs came running to the scene, till Dodger was surrounded by a pack of Dobermans, Rottweilers, Retrievers, and Labradors. All rather large dogs. This gang was, presumably, the Hellhounds. Dodger had been wondering when he would get to meet them. Looks like that time was now.

"Listen, Hellhounds, I don't want no trouble. I'm just passing through."

"Yeah right. We know how you operate. First you find a gang, then you find their home turf, then you sell out their location to the Kings, who come and attack not a day later. So should we be expecting an attack on our territory?" a massive black Labrador who he assumed was their leader spoke to him. "Not if we kill you first."

"No one's killing anyone here," Dodger said quickly. "Like I already explained, tha Kings have framed me to look like I'm in their gang. I'm really not. They made it seem like I betrayed everyone, when really, they been framing me tha whole time. Honest. I've never once sold out a gang, an' I never will."

"Okay… say we believe you. Why are you on our turf now?"

"Like I said, I was just passing through. I was visiting with tha Company. Ya know, tha gang that also lives on your turf? Not that they're a threat or nothing."

Dodger had always heard that the Hellhounds were a gang to be feared. And now, surrounded by all these large, frightening dogs, he could see where they were coming from. "I promise ya, I don't want no trouble with tha Hellhounds."

"You're afraid of us, aren't you?" the black Labrador said. He laughed at that. "Everyone's afraid of us. We like to keep it that way. But I'll tell you something, Dodger. There's nothing to fear. We only spread tha word that our gang is super tough an' intimidating. We ain't really all that bad. Just want people thinking we are."

"Ya mean… ya ain't gonna hurt me?"

"Nah. I believe you. You seem like a good dog, to be honest." The black Labrador came up and sniffed him. As was customary in the dog world, they sniffed each other's rears. After a rear end sniff, two dogs were instantly on good terms. "My name is Diablo. Nice to meet you."

"Ya too, Diablo. Great to befriend a gang for a change." Dodger got to thinking for a moment. The Hellhounds' strategy of spreading word that they were a rough and tough gang had sparked a lightbulb in his brain. "Ya know… ya gave me an idea. Ya know how we're all struggling to fight tha Kings? Well, I think I might know a way we can beat them once an' for all." Dodger was excited by this new plan.

"Care to share what your new plan is?" Diablo asked.

"Not just yet. I'm still working on it, but I'll let ya guys know how ya can help."

Dodger left them at that, sniffing noses with Diablo one more time to be friendly. He turned and immediately raced back to the Company's apartment. He ran back up the steps and through the doggy door. He had to let the Company know of his new plan.

Dodger Makes a Plan of Action, Hell's Kitchen, 1989

"Listen up, fellas. I think I know how we can defeat tha Kings."

"Really, Dodger?" Charl asked. "Ya got a plan?"

"I have a plan. When I was out there, I ran into tha Hellhounds. Ya know how everyone says they're a big, scary gang ya don't wanna mess with? Well, none of that's true. But it doesn't matter what's true or not. On tha streets, what matters is what people say an' believe. It's tha same with my ruined reputation. Tha Kings nearly beat me by spreading word that I was in their gang. By making me look like a traitor, they controlled what dogs believed about me. It doesn't matter what's true or not, what matters is what people believe."

"Okay, Dodger, I get that much," Rita said, "but what's this big plan of yours?"

"I say we do to tha Kings what tha Kings done to me. We get someone to go undercover in tha Kings, then spread word about how tha Kings are falling apart an' looking to lose tha gang war. We can spread dissent from tha inside. Even reveal how Noah is tha secret leader. I bet that wouldn't go over too well with everyone who supports Ruscoe, huh?"

"We fracture them from the inside. Dodger, that's genius!" Rita woofed.

"A novel plan of action, I say! We could truly break them up," Francis added.

"An' ya know what they say! Divided, they fall!" Tito yapped happily.

"I knew you'd come up with something, my brother." Charl grinned.

Dodger knew this plan would work. If they could slip someone inside the gang, that person would be able to spread lies and deceit about how the Kings were falling apart, their leadership was all a lie, and how the gang was looking to lose the gang war. Once they got the Kings believing what they were being told, dissent and distrust would spread from the inside. And once rumor took hold, they're would be no stopping them.

"Problem is, we need someone to go undercover to spread tha word about tha Kings." Dodger grimaced. "It won't be easy, but I figured I should be tha one to do it."

"No way, Dodger. If you go undercover in tha Kings, they'll all know you're bluffing. Plus it would completely destroy the reputation you're working so hard to build back up." Rita explained. Dodger had to admit, she had a point. Rita turned to him and said, "I'll do it."

"Rita… are ya sure? It could be awful dangerous, going undercover."

"Word's probably spread about how I quit tha Company. We can spin it from there. Say I never rejoined. Say I decided my place was with the Kings instead." Rita seemed confident about her decision, and Dodger knew there was no arguing with her. "Plus, I bet I can convince Ruscoe that he should be leader of the Kings. He'd like that idea. He'd like it so much that he just might turn on Noah, and suddenly there's an inner-gang struggle for leadership."

"That's brilliant, babe! Ya come up with tha best plans," Charl said with a grin.

"We'll get them believing tha gang is falling apart, an' once ya disrupt their leadership, it just might seriously be falling apart." Dodger laughed triumphantly. Finally, they had a plan to defeat the Kings. It was risky, to be sure, but it was the best plan they had.

"I'll sneak into the King's turf first thing tomorrow. Say I want to join up with their gang." Rita said with a nod of her head. "I'm sure Ruscoe won't turn away an attractive girl like me." Charl didn't seem too thrilled about that, but it was all part of the plan, he understood.

Tomorrow, they'd see how the plan worked. Tomorrow, they'd work on taking down the Kings. Tomorrow, they'd win this gang war before it ever began.

Fagin Takes Dodger Home, Lower East Side, 1986

Fagin came down the steps of the old boathouse, Dodger trotting alongside him. It was a real junkyard of a home, with trash strewn all over the place. Newspapers littered the floor, stale doggy treats were everywhere, and Dodger smelled a few overturned bottles of beer. Home sweet home, it seemed like.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our newest friend. This is Dodger." Fagin introduced him to the two dogs already on the boathouse. They were a large brown English Bulldog and an even large grey Great Dane. "Dodger, this is Francis and Einstein. They're gonna be your new best friends."

Dodger sniffed them both, then they sniffed each other's rears, as was customary in the doggy world. They decided that each other checked out okay. Dodger barked happily, and both Francis and Einstein responded with barks of their own. They seemed friendly enough. Dodger decided he could get along with them pretty okay.

"Oh, you must be so hungry. Here, let me fix you some kibble." Fagin poured the dog food into a bowl and set it down beside two other bowls that he assumed were for Einstein and Francis. "Go on, boy, eat up! Hee hee hee!"

Fagin had a wheezy laugh, but it was nice to hear. Dodger gratefully ate up the kibble. He'd barely eaten in days, and now he had this nice man feeding him kibble from a bowl. Looks like Dodger had made the right decision after all, coming to live with him.

"I think I'm gonna like it here," Dodger said to no one in particular.

"Fagin is quite wonderful, is he not old Einstein?" Francis woofed.

"Oh yes, Fagin… Fagin is just great." Einstein nodded happily.

Dodger even found a doggy bed and blankets lying in the corner. It didn't seem to be being used by anyone, so he helped himself to it. Dodger flopped down lazily, content to lie there and rest his weary head. He finally had a place to live that wasn't a dangerous back alley.

Yes sir-ree, Dodger was gonna like it here just fine.