Title - It's A Fine Life
Chapter Title - Consider Yourself
Author - OblivionsGarden
Genre - Romance/Crime/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort/Drama
Disclaimer - I do not own Oliver Twist or Oliver! in anyway, shape or form. I entirely own the plot for this fic and my original characters.

A/n - Let me know what you think about using the songs in the fic. Good, bad, incredibly cheesy?
Please leave a review if you read, I'd greatly appreciate it. x

C.4

Lyra glared at Dodger as he stood beside Fagin with a smug smile fixed onto his features. Fagin stepped forward and gestured to the room.
"Inspect away, my dear. It's not much but it's better than the streets anyhow."
"I didn't come to look around." Snapped Lyra. "I'm only 'ere cause 'e stole my-"
"I've already told you it ain't yours. It belonged to that gentleman in the market." Dodger's grin doubled in size.
"I stole it so it's mine."
"Well, I stole it from you. So now it's mine."
Lyra opened her mouth to retort a comeback but her brain failed her. He was right and she knew it. What annoyed her most was that the look on Dodger's face told her he knew too. "Don't be so smug, it ain't a good look." She spat as she turned and headed for the door. However, before she could reach it, a boy a little shorter than the Dodger blocked her way.
"May aswell look around now your 'ere." He smiled.
"Charley's right, ." Said Fagin from behind her.
"If I look around will you leave me alone?" She asked. Everybody nodded. "Fine."
Lyra turned back to the room and glanced around. It was dark and musty with a long table and bench on one side with a large bucket of water on the surface. On the other side of the room was what seemed to be a make shift stove with a small pile of metal pans, pots and a kettle. On the far wall were three archways in the wall, each looking as though someone had made them with a hammer and covered partially with a now tied back sheet. In between two of the archways there was a small hole just above the floor, in the wall, filled with Coal.
"I can give you a tour if you like." Lyra glanced at the boy she now knew as Charley and gave a curt nod. He gestured around the current room, telling her that it was their sort of living room/dining room/kitchen. As they approached the coal filled hole, he stopped to point at it. "Out home made fire place for the winter." He smiled proudly and Lyra guessed that he had helped to make it. "That's Fagin's room." He pointed to the arch closest to the far wall. "This is the young'uns room." He pointed to the arch on the left of the fire place. "And this," He pulled Lyra through the third arch. "Is where us older kids sleep. Course at the moment there's only me, Eddie, Dave and Dodge in 'ere so there's plenty o'room for you." The room was small with makeshift bunk-beds along the walls and two large basket beds in the corner beside a small dirty window. She and Charley went back into the main room where once again all eyes were upon her.
"Well?" Asked Dodger.
"I wouldn't belong here." She said in a quiet voice unlike the one everybody had heard. "Sorry."
"Course you would." Countered Charley.
", you've just got to...to consider yourself at home." Added Fagin placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Consider yourself one of the family." Sang Charley placing a hand on her other shoulder.
"We've taken to you so strong." Sang Fagin as Dodger stepped in front of her.
"It's clear we're, going to get along." He sang before the rest of the boys joined in.
"Consider yourself well in. Consider yourself part of the furniture. There isn't alot to spare. Who cares? Whatever we've got we share!"
Dodger linked his arm through Lyra and pulled her around the room. "If it should chance to be, we should see some harder days, empty larder days, why grouse? Always a chance we'll meet somebody to foot the bill, then the drinks are on the house. Consider yourself, our mate. We don't want to have, no fuss. For after some consideration, we can state, consider yourself, one of us!"
Charley took Lyra's hand and pulled her away from Dodger as another blonde haired boy appeared at her side. "Name's Eddie." He grinned. "Now...consider youself..."
"At home?" Lyra didn't' know what was coming over her. She'd been adamant she wouldn't agree to live here and yet, somehow, she didn't think she'd have the heart to turn them down now. Not after this.
"Consider youself..." Prompted Charley.
"One of the family." Lyra smiled softly.
"We've taken to you..." Fagin pulled Lyra to his side and place an arm around her shoulders.
"So strong."
"It's clear we're going to get along." Fagin took her hands in his and started to dance her around the room whilst the boys chorused around her.
"Consider yourself, well in! Consider yourself, part of the furniture! There isn't alot to spare! Who care? Whatever we got we share."
Eddie, Charley, Dodger and a tall brunette boy who Lyra guessed to be Dave started to dance down the room. "Nobody tries to be lah-di-dah or uppity. There's a cup o'tea for all. Only it's wise to be handy with a rolling pin, when the landlord comes to call!"
Lyra joined with the group, singing along and dancing around with whoever was beside her and by the end of it, she found herself grinning from ear to ear and sitting atop the long table in between Charley and Eddie. The Dodger, Fagin, Dave and the rest of the group stood around her, waiting for her to speak.
"Alright, alright." She chuckled. "I'll stay."