Chapter 14: Leaving

A/N: A short but powerful chapter of the aftermath of losing Ace. I believe the next chapter will be skipping ahead several years. I may do that two or three times in the next couple of chapters but nothing too dramatic, and obviously I'll inform you if there has been a huge time lapse. Anyways, please R&R.

Warning: Contains forshadowing, depression, and perseverance in the face of sorrow.

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Johnny had gone into hysterics when he'd been told the news. No, hysterics would've been an understatement. The child, it seemed, had completely lost his head. When he wasn't crying, he was screaming and if it wasn't that he'd sit there muttering to himself in the corner. Everybody gave him a wide birth, they all understood, they were all grieving.

Bulls-Eye would not leave Bill's side now. It seemed that since he had been the one to take control while Ace wasn't around, that Bill was the one the dog was so attached to now. But Nancy would never use that dog for tricks again. That was her and Ace's bit. Ace. Just the name made a lump swell in the young girl's throat. She had to fight bitterly against the tears that always wanted to come out of her eyes now. She supposed that in her time at Fagin's she had come to understand that what they did was dangerous. She had just never thought that anything like this could actually happen, that anyone of them would ever really get caught.

Every night when the boys settled down for bed Nancy was totally unnerved. Ace had originally slept in a spot directly across the room from her. She could see the empty sheets now, left unmade as if he had just slept in them that morning. But it had been two days since the hanging, and he would never sleep in that bed again.

The whole ordeal had been front page news as far as the London post was concerned. She had been out on the job and it was already in the morning paper. The boy shouting 'extra, extra!' had not captured her attention, but the words following it had....

"Suspected member of Fagin's gang hung this mornin'. More expected to follow!" Instantly Nancy's spine stiffened and she turned as inconspicuously as possible towards the paper boy. Was it really possible? Had they found out something else? Was everyone in danger?

Slowly Nancy crept up and waited until the boy was preoccupied with another customer to swipe a paper and take off running. She hadn't ceased her break neck pace until she'd reached the flat, somebody there had to know how to read.

As it turned out Fagin had, and he had rather grimly read out the information the paper entailed. Nancy was relieved to hear that Ace had not changed his mind about peaching, it was simply speculation as to their whereabouts (none of which were even close!) Still, the idea of Ace's hanging being front page unsettled the young girl, apparently they were all more wanted then she realized.

It was well past midnight when Nancy became aware of church bells chiming in the distance. She wondered how many times the ring was going to pierce the silence of the flat. Silence. Nancy sat bolt upright, it had never been silent in here since Ace died. Johnny was always going on in one way or another, he hadn't paused to so much as sleep. She looked around curiously and saw Johnny by his bed, yanking on his boots. Quietly, she dropped out of bed and crossed the room to him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Johnny," she said, her voice extremely hesitant. "Where're ya goin' Johnny? It's so early."

"I'm leavin' Nance," he said. The boy barely sounded like a shell of her old friend.

"You're what?" she asked in a shocked whisper. Her voice had raised just a tad, but not enough to disturb the sleeping members of the flat.

"Please don't rat me out Nance, I've got to go. There's nothin' left for me 'ere, I don't know what I'll do, but I can't go like Ace. Hell Nance, I can't even bare the thought of it." Nancy looked as though she was ready to cry as she stared at the other of her partners in crime, was he really going to leave her here all alone too? Nancy felt that lump in her throat again and this time the tears refused to stop at the border of her lashes. "Don't cry little one, yer still the best pick pocket I've ever seen. I just can't stay here anymore, especially not without Ace."

"Don't go," Nancy croaked. Her words were barely a whisper. Slowly, Johnny dropped to his knees and wrapped the tearful little girl in a hug.

"I wish I had the guts to stay here Nance, just so as I could be with you. You're not like the others 'ere, you're special you are. I want you to promise me somethin', can you do that?" Nancy nodded, not trusting her throat to be capable of words anymore. "The life we live here ain't easy, there's some things your gonna see in your lifetime that could really mess a person up bad. I want you to promise me you're goin' to stay good Nance, that you'll always be as happy and care free as you are now, no matter what. Promise me you'll never let anythin' break ya, can you do that?"

"I promise," she whispered. Johnny smiled and gave her one more quick hug before darting out the door and into the night.

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"Gone?" Fagin repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time. Nancy nodded once more. "He didn't....talk like he was going to do anything that could get us into trouble...did he my dear?"

"No, he just couldn't bare what had happened to Ace I suppose. They were best mates ya know." Fagin nodded, he knew. His face was very solemn as he tried to calculate the loss of two of his favorite boys in a matter of mere days. Finally, he managed to gain some form of composure and he smiled at the young girl before him.

"I suppose you're going to 'ave to go out on your own now my dear. Think you're up to the challenge," he asked playfully. Anything to lighten the funeral procession sort of mood that had settled on the flat. Nancy nodded and grinned despite the night's events. "Good girl," Fagin said with a smile. "Clever girl."