Title - It's A Fine Life
Chapter Title - Loverly
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 - More singing! Yay!
Please leave a review if you read, I'd greatly appreciate
C.9
Lyra Blackwell was sat on the edge of the roof, hugging her knees to her chest and looking down over the city.
"Lyra?" Came a soft voice behind her.
"Go away." She knew it was Dodger and she didn't want to talk to him yet. She couldn't. Not like this.
"Why are you so mad at me? What've I done?"
"Nothin' just go away, Dodge!"
"I ain't goin' until you tell me what I've done wrong. You're clearly mad at me for somethin'."
Lyra used the sleeve of her coat to wipe her cheeks. "Where were you?" She asked.
"I told you I 'ad someone I needed to see today."
"You also told me you'd come find us in the afternoon."
"I got 'eld up. Why's that so bad?"
"Every time someone has ever made me a promise they always bloody break it. I never thought you would."
Understanding, Dodger moved to sit beside Lyra but she turned her head away. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to take so long, I just 'ad to sort somethings out." He saw Lyra wipe her face again before she returned her gaze to the city below her. From the side, Dodger could see the tracks on her cheeks that had been made by her tears. "We'll go out together tomorrow. Just you an' me. An' Charley if you want," Dodger gently wrapped his arm around Lyra's waist and she tilted her head so that it rested on his shoulder.
"Sorry, Dodge. I shouldn't o'got mad."
"Don't worry about it." A few drops of water landed on Dodger's shoes. "Come on. It's startin' to rain." Together, the pair returned to the hideout in silence and sat down at the now empty table to eat the dinner they'd ignored previously.
A month and a week later-
"Christmas soon." Muttered Charley as he stared around at the brightly decorated shops.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Lyra frowned and she rubbed her numbly cold hands together.
"I hate Christmas. Everyone's always 'appy and buying presents. And what do us lot get? Same as always: sausages, bread and watery gin."
"Fagin tries his best, Charley. If 'e could get us presents 'e would. I'm sure of it." Dodger commented.
"If 'e could get me some chocolate, that'd be brilliant." Lyra smiled as they passed a confectionery. "Or some bloody gloves."
"Come 'ere." Dodger pulled one of Lyra's hands towards him and placed his either side, rubbing it to make it warm. He did the same with her other hand and told her to keep them in her pockets. Charley watched the gesture with a smirk on his face. Dodger had told him how he felt about Lyra and sworn him to secrecy. So now all he could do was smile knowingly at Dodger every time Lyra was near. Of course he always received a glare from in return.
It was only early afternoon but the streets were void of any life besides the three pickpockets walking together through the cold. "Oh, come on." Lyra huffed. "I'm going back. There's no one 'ere and I'm freezin'."
That night as everyone sat around in the main room, Lyra was sat by Nancy who'd decided to join the gang for the evening. The two women were chatting idly about everything until Nancy asked Lyra what she wanted more than anything.
"All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air. With one enormous chair, oh wouldn't it be loverly?" She sang and the boys closest to them turned to listen. "Lots of chocolate for me to eat. Lots of coal, makin' lots of 'eat. Warm face, warm 'ands, warm feet, oh wouldn't it be loverly?" She slid down low in her chair, everyone in the room now watching and listening. "Oh, so, loverly sittin' abso-bloomin'-lutely still. I would never budge 'till spring...crept over me window sill." She sat back up and patted her knee. "Someones 'ead restin' on my knee. Warm and tender as 'e can be. Who takes good care o'me, oh wouldn't it be loverly?" She glanced at Dodger as she sang and saw that he wore a huge smile on his face. She skipped over to him and pulled him up. They joined hands and started to dance around the room whilst the other boys joined in.
"All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air. With one enormous chair..."
"Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?" Lyra sang along with the boys, never taking her eyes away from Dodger's, whose were twinkling as he twirled the girl around.
Eventually everyone tired and went off to relax in bed, leaving just Lyra and Nancy in the main room.
"That really what you want more than anything?" Nancy asked as she pulled her shawl tighter around her.
"What do you mean?" Lyra frowned.
"Well, this life's a good'un if you got someone." Nancy picked up Dodger's discarded top hat and handed it to Lyra. "Goodnight love." With her words hanging in the air, Nancy left.
Lyra stared at the hat in her hands and thought about Dodger. Would she be happy if she was in a warm house without him? She couldn't even imagine what she'd do if he hadn't managed to get her to come back to Fagin's place. She'd probably be starving to death on the streets or hanging from a noose having been caught by the beak. Of course at Fagin's there weren't feasts every night and tea in the mornings. The beds weren't the most comfortable and the place was never toasty warm. But it was where she'd found the first home she'd ever been accepted in and the boys were like her family. Fagin the unconventional father and Nancy the loving mother. Charley was her big brother along with Eddie and Dave and all the others were her younger siblings. And Dodger...well, she didn't think of him as a brother but he wasn't just a friend either. People didn't want to kiss their friends or their brothers.
Smiling, she placed the hat on her head and pulled her glass of watery gin towards her. "Small pleasures, small pleasures. Who could deny us these?" She half whispered before taking a sip of her drink. "Gin toddies, large measures, no skimpin' if you please. I rough it, I love it, life is a game of chance." She downed her drink and stood up. "I never tire of it, leading this merry dance. If you don't mind having to go without things it's a fine life." She twirled around the main room, not noticing Fagin watching her from the doorway of his bedroom. "Though it ain't all jolly old pleasure outings, it's a fine life." Dodger, Charley, Eddie and Dave now came wondering into the room, awoken by Lyra's singing. Lyra stared at Dodger for a moment before she continued. "When you got someone to love, you forget your cares and strife. Let the prudes look down on us, let the wide world frown on us, it's a fine, fine life!"
"You changed your tune." Charley commented.
"Nancy put things into perspective." Lyra continued dancing in between the boys. "Who cares if straight laces, sneer at us in the street? Fine airs and fine graces don't 'ave to sin to eat! We wander through London, who knows what we may find? there's pockets left undone on many a behind." Lyra laughed loudly as she danced with the boys. "If you don't mind taking it as it turns out, it's a fine life! Keep the candle burning until it burns out, it's a fine life!" Lyra thought back to her old life and her parents. "Though you sometimes do come by, the occasional black eye. You can always cover one, 'till they black the other one but you don't dare cry!" She pulled one of the larger handkerchiefs from the line and wrapped it around her waist like a skirt and held up one corner. "No flounces, no feathers, no frills and furbelows. All winds and all weathers ain't good for fancy clothes. These trappings, these taters! These we can just afford." She dropped the material to the floor and let Charley twirl her around. "What future, what maters? We've got our bed and board." She spotted Fagin in the doorway and pulled him to dance with her. "If you don't mind havin' to deal with Fagin it's a fine life!" She giggled."Though diseased rats threaten to bring the plague in, it's a fine life!" Fagin passed her over to Eddie who skipped around in circles with her. "But the grass is green and dense, on the right side of the fence. And we take good care of it, that we get our share of it and we don't mean pence." Dave pulled her from Eddie's grasp so he could have a dance with her. "If you don't mind having to life or lump it, it's a fine life. Though there's no tea supping and eating crumpet, it's a fine, fine life!"
The group collapsed onto the floor, panting and chuckling as Fagin told them all to get to bed. Lyra watched the boys return to their room with a soft smile on her face. "Not for me, the happy home. Happy husband, happy wife. Though it sometimes touches me, for the likes of such as me. Mines a fine, fine life." She whispered before retiring for the evening, a contented smile on her face and a wonky top hat on her head.
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A/n - Songs are:
1. Wouldn't it be loverly - Eliza Doolittle - My Fair Lady
2. It's A Fine Life - Shani Willis - Nancy - Oliver!