Whatever Happened to Dodger?

DISCLAIMER: Believe it or not, I am not Charles Dickens. Gasp! Sorry to disappoint all of you. I assure you that most of these characters and some of the plot belongs to him, wherever he may be buried.

SUMMARY: Did you ever wonder what happened to the Dodger? Charles Dickens gladly tells us what happened to Oliver, Fagin, Charley, Nancy, and Bill, but what happened to that funny boy with the top hat who disappeared from the text around chapter 43? I hope this will clear up any questions you have and explain to you exactly what happened to the Artful Dodger.

A/N: Here is chapter 6! In this chapter, the story might actually develop a plot. Yay! Plotless stories are great fun because you can do anything with them, but all good stories have a plot so they aren't as confusing. That's what I want to do here- make this a good story. That might take a little work… Right, sorry for the delay on this chapter. I really wanted to get it out sooner but I simply couldn't because I had too much to do. Last week, I was in the Nutcracker and we practiced every night from 4 until 9. Then, this week I had about 4 different projects to do and three piano recitals. I haven't slept in two weeks. I'm so tired. Now that it's Christmas holidays, I have a bit more time to write. I'm hoping to get chapter 7 out too before I go back to school. Ha! Wishful thinking.

Chapter 6: Visiting Hours

Although Dodger was compelled to beat the boy out of frustration at least five times a day, he managed to control his temper. They got along fine and, after a while, Timothy only angered Dodger about twice a day. It was an improvement.

One day, the subject of Timothy's parents rose once again. It was not a common topic of conversation between the two boys, but it had come up once or twice before. This time, instead of just making sure the child actually had parents who would come back at some point to take their son away, Dodger actually decided to find out a bit about these parents.

They were eating breakfast before going out to work.

"Me mum cooks much better than you do," Timothy offered, staring at the watery soup he was expected to eat.

"Thanks," Dodger replied. What did this child want? A three-course meal like the rich people ate? There was no possible way. Not only could they not afford much more than they had, but Dodger had just escaped from six years of prison. When was he supposed to learn how to cook? That certainly was not taught where he had been.

"When Mum comes back, I'll have her cook a meal for you," Timothy continued like a steam engine going full speed.

"Thanks," Dodger repeated, but then, deciding to take advantage of the conversation changed from his sarcastic state of being to one where he seemed interested.

"Where did you say you mother was?" he inquired.

"Prison," came the child's quick and ready answer as he continued to play with his soup.

"The one here in London?"

"Yes, the one next to the flower stand."

"How would you like to visit her?"

The boy's face immediately lit up.

"Can we really, Dodger? When can we go? Can we go now? I'll get my shoes!"

Dodger barely had time to comprehend what the child was saying before Timothy was halfway out the door.

"Whoa!" cried Dodger. "Not so fast. We can go see her later today."

Timothy's smile did not falter a bit.

"Alright. I suppose that's fine."

And with that he went back to playing with his breakfast.

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As they walked down the crowded street toward the prison, Dodger could not help but remember the last time he had taken this journey. Unlike that time however, he was not being pulled along by an angry policeman now, but by a six-year-old eager to see his mother.

"Hurry up!" the boy screamed, tugging at Dodger's hand.

Dodger refrained from pointing out that this boy's mother was not going anywhere anytime soon unless it was court or the drop. He really hoped it would not be the latter for that could mean he would be stuck with the boy forever.

Timothy dragged Dodger into the courthouse located next to the prison.

"May I help you?" asked the policeman sitting behind a desk.

"Yes," Timothy responded.

The policeman leaned over his desk to look at the child. He did not look like a pleasant man.

Dodger quickly clamped his hand over the boy's mouth and pushed him out of the way.

"Yes," Dodger said in response to the man's previous question. "We are looking for this boy's mother. She may be a prisoner here."

"There is only one woman presently in our cells. What is the name of the woman you are looking to see?"

"Timothy," Dodger asked. "What is your mother's name?"

Dodger released his hand from over the boy's mouth to hear his response.

"Mum," Timothy replied matter-of-factly.

Dodger sighed and turned back to the policeman who was getting annoyed.

"Look," he said. "We don't know her name. You said you only have one woman here. Bring her out. If it's not her, the boy will know and we'll leave."

The policeman looked skeptical, but nodded and turned to where the cells were located, his keys in his hand.

He returned before long with a woman.

"Mum!" Timothy shouted excitedly.

"Timmy!" his mother cried as she hugged him.

Dodger shrank back into the shadows so as not to interrupt this reunion. He did not bother to pay attention to what was going on. All he wanted to know was when Timothy's mother would be released so he would not have to look after him any longer.

He was brought back from his thoughts at the mention of his name.

"How did you get here?" Timothy's mother asked.

"Dodger brought me."

"Ah, you've been making friends? Well, tell Dodger I said thank you."

"Tell him yourself. He's right behind you."

"Oh?" the woman turned to face Dodger who stepped out of the shadows he had been hiding in.

The woman looked at him and smiled. Suddenly, her smile faltered and she looked as though she were studying him.

She peered at him through narrowed eyes.

"Dodger?" she whispered.

He was a bit confused. What was wrong with this woman? Surely she belonged in a mental institute rather than a prison. Then, he recognized something about her.

"Bet?" he asked incredulously.

She smiled and ran to hug him. Dodger, not being used to hugs just stood there and let her hug him.

"But what are you doing here?" she asked. "Last time I saw you, you were twelve and in prison, 'bout to be transported."

"I was transported," he answered. "I was shipped overseas, but I escaped. Just recently, I did. Been away from London for six years. Just came here by ship illegally a couple weeks ago. But what about you? I didn't hear from anyone the whole six years I was away. Where is everyone? What happened? From what I saw, it seems like there was a bit of trouble."

"Oh, there was," Bet lowered her voice so the jailor would not hear. "It was all that Oliver Twist's fault. You shouldn't have picked him up off the street, Dodger. He was nothing but trouble. I'm not sure what happened, but I think he peached. He told that rich gentleman that took him in where Fagin lived. The beak came. They took Fagin and a good number of the boys. Then, they went to the Three Cripples. They arrested everyone in there. It was not pretty, Dodger. Not at all."

Dodger was shocked. It took him a moment to clear his head of all the questions he needed answered.

Once he had found his voice again, he spoke.

"What about you? You got away."

"Oh, hardly. When I saw them taking everyone away, I started screaming. They finally decided I'd gone mad and took me away to the hospital. I hadn't gone mad though. I was just afraid. It was like one big nightmare. They let me go once they had decided I was fine and I had convinced them I had nothing to do with the other group of people they had arrested and that I just happened to be walking through at the wrong time. You were lucky to have gotten away before then, Dodger because I doubt even you would have been able to dodge that one."

"What about Bill and Nancy?"

"Dead. Both of them. Nancy had been trying to get Oliver to the rich people behind Bill and Fagin's backs. Bill killed her for it. Then he was killed for murdering Nancy."

"And Fagin?"

"He was arrested. It was the drop for him."

Dodger was almost afraid to ask any more questions, but he had to know the answer to just one more.

"Charley?"

At the sound of this name, Bet's face brightened.

"He got away," she whispered urgently. "He was a lucky one, he was. He managed to escape. Last I heard of him, he was up in Northamptonshire working as a farmer's drudge."

Dodger laughed.

"Can you imagine Charley doing work?"

He could not help but laugh at the mental image of his best friend milking cows and planting vegetables. It was so much easier to just take all the milk and vegetables you wanted. Charley, of all people, knew that. So, why was he out there working?

Timothy, growing bored with the story telling, began to tug on Bet's dress.

"Mum, are you coming home with us? I told Dodger you would cook for him. He's a terrible cook!"

Bet smiled.

"No, Timmy, I'm sorry. I can't come home today. I will soon though. I promise."

"How long are you here for?" Dodger asked.

"Oh, only another three or four weeks," she replied. "They didn't have any evidence that I stole anything. It was a summary conviction. I was only given six weeks for it."

"You were lucky," Dodger said. "Not all of us are."

"Hm, yes you did get yourself into quite a bit of trouble, didn't you? Even weeks after you had been arrested, Charley couldn't stop talking about how brilliant your performance in court had been and insisted that you'd make a name for yourself someday even if you had to do it from inside a prison cell."

Dodger chuckled. That was Charley for you.

The jailor appeared to be getting angry that the visit had lasted so long already, so Dodger decided it was probably a good time to go.

"Um, Bet, where is Timothy's father?" he asked.

"Oh," Bet replied. "You remember Tom."

"Chitling?" Dodger asked incredulously.

Bet blushed slightly.

"Yes."

"He's the father?"

"Yes, I was pregnant with Timothy when they invaded our homes and took Fagin and the rest. Tom managed to escape. After I was released from the hospital, I went back to him. He helped me raise Timmy. A couple weeks ago, he left to work in the mill, as he is accustomed to do every few months or so. It provides extra money. He left before I was arrested and doesn't know anything about it. He will be worried when he gets back and finds nobody home."

"When do you expect he'll be back?" Dodger asked.

"In about two or three weeks, probably before I am released."

Dodger was silent for a moment.

"I'll look after Timothy until either you or Tom are capable of taking him home."

Bet thanked him profusely. Dodger did not like the fact that he had just promised to do something that he knew he would regret.

The impatient jailor came forward at that time.

"Alright," he said. "You've had plenty of time to socialize. Now, it's time for you to go about your business and leave this place."

Dodger did not like the sound of the jailor's voice. It was rude and commanding and somewhat familiar. The officer addressed Dodger as Bet and Timothy exchanged farewells.

"Oy, you there," he said, referring to Dodger. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Something clicked in Dodger's mind. Uh oh. This was the jailor who had been given the task of looking after the Artful when he had been arrested and given one of these dirty cells to sleep in. This very officer had accompanied Dodger to court. Of course this man would know him, he had seen him many times on the street as well as in prison. But why was he still here? Surely he should have died off by now. What was the average lifespan of a jailor who had nothing better to do than to look after convicted thieves anyway?

"I said, do I know you?" the jailor repeated. "Were you here before?"

"No," Dodger replied, silently grabbing Timothy's arm and edging towards the door. "Of course I've never been here before. What do you take me for, some low-life pickpocket? Certainly not. I am your everyday hard-working gentleman, I am. All I need is a hat to top it off."

Dodger saw the realization in the man's face, but before the jailor had a chance to say or do anything, Dodger had pulled Timothy out the door and was gone.


A/N: Wow! I never expected so many reviews for one chapter! I was so excited. They just kept coming. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

The Lady Quotes: Thanks! I'm glad you cousin likes this story. I've certainly been having fun writing it. Ha! My computer doesn't always cooperate, but it always lets me update. The delay is always because I am too lazy to turn on my computer and write. I hope I never go three months without updating. That could be bad.

look it! i can review!: Congratulations, Kelly. Thanks. I'm glad you approve of my characters. You're approval means so much to me (in case the sarcasm was lost between my computer and yours, it's there). Don't worry, I will try my best to keep you from making corny jokes ever again. I have no problem with that. If you seriously expect 30 chapters of this, you've got another thing coming. There is no possible way I could write 30 chapters. I'm thinking there will probably be about 15 chapters altogether, 20 if you're lucky.

Starkiller: Thanks! I've noticed the lack of Oliver Twist stories and decided to do something about it. I haven't read Jackanapes. I've heard of the book and I've read the sample chapter on the website but I haven't actually read the book. It seems like a really good book. I'd like to read it. It seems very well written. I could never write that well. Wish I could though. Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway!

Crazyfairy: Thank you! I'm glad you like this story so far. Thanks for your constructive criticism. It is greatly appreciated. The only thing I wasn't sure of was where it said he went to Australia. I've never read that before. I've read the unabridged version of this book three times, once when I was eight, once when I was twelve, and once when I was fifteen. I also reread the last eleven chapters of the book after reading your review. I still have never heard of him going to Australia. I really don't feel like changing the whole first chapter, but if you can show me where it says that in the book, I will gladly fix it. Thanks for the review!

Hannah the Fly: Thanks!I actually have seen the 1948 version of Oliver Twist. It was good. The 1968 musical is not only my favorite adaptation of the story, but it is quite possibly my all-time favorite movie. I don't know why I like it so much, I just do. I don't like the 1998 version so much. I like it but not as much as the others. Have you seen that one? I've also heard that they are filming another version right now and it will be released in 2005. This chapter is for you. Dodger found out about Fagin and the others. His reaction to what he just heard will be shown more in the next chapter. Thanks again! Keep writing your story too. It's really good.

Thanks again to everybody! I have no clue when chapter 7 will be up. Hopefully, I can write it before I go back to school, but I seriously doubt that will happen.

Happy Holidays!

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