Chapter 27: Lesson Learned

A/N: An oh so sad chapter and it focuses a lot more on Fagin then it does Nancy. Also, I reference the Jewish religion in this. I am not Jewish by any stretch of the imagination so I hope I have everything right. Feel free to correct me if I screwed something up. Anyways, R&R. Enjoy!

Warning: Contains sad, some more sad, and a bit of sad.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dodge?" The boy looked up at her with weary eyes, as if he were ready to drop at any second. Nancy was all dressed up to go out on the job for the evening, and, after enduring a fit from Charley over not being allowed to accompany her, had just stepped out the door to Fagin's flat when she bumped into the charming young thief. The bells were tolling the eleventh hour of the evening as poor little Dodger made his way towards the door. She wanted to hug him, burst into tears, and thank him for what he had done for her that day, but the smile on his face stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You should see what I picked Nance," he said smiling.

"Dodger, I'm so sorry, you didn't 'ave to-"

"She was a real toff you know that?" Dodger said, continuing as if Nancy hadn't spoken. "But boy oh boy is Fagin going to be proud."

"You're not listening to me Dodge," Nancy said, still bent on apologizing.

"Yeah yeah I'm a bleedin' 'ero and I saved the day now will you shut up and look at this," he said. The boy dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a necklace. A diamond necklace. Nancy's breath caught in her throat and everything about her felt like it was on fire. The thing was extraordinary!

"How....my God Dodger....how did you manage this?"

"Faulty clasp," he said grinning. "Nearly got caught, but it was so worth it." Nancy's mouth was still wide open in shock as she stared at the thing, this was unreal.

"Those are diamonds," she said dumbly.

"An' they're real too, I know, tried to break one by throwing the thing against a wall and stomping on it, not a scratch."

"Those are diamonds," she repeated. Somewhere in the very furthest recesses of her mind Nancy was cognoscente of the fact that her voice was raspy. She couldn't help it, every muscle in her body had gone numb, her throat dry. Those were diamonds!

"I know," the Dodger replied. His grin was ear to ear, he was proud as could be. As very well he should be. Nancy smiled, Fagin was going to be so pleased with the kid for this.

"That's...unreal Dodger." Even in her younger days with all that she had had to her advantage, Nancy had not managed to pick something so fine. This was a work of genius, and undoubtedly the only possession on the young thief's person.

"I know." The grin stretched another few centimeters if that was even possible.

"Well go show Fagin for God's sake!" she cried jubilantly. Instantly the child scuttled past her and into the flat while Nancy watched dumbfoundedly after him. That was without a doubt the most impressive thing she'd ever seen, Bill's pickings included. Which was why what Dodger had in his hand had upset the young girl so. Those were diamonds, real diamonds unlike anything else Bill had ever managed to swipe. That would look like a challenge to Sikes. Nancy headed off to the tavern with a heavy heart, Bill would try to out do Dodger now, and Dodger would return the favor. Whether it was one or the other, that necklace could only result in the loss of one of her dearest friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The quiet crackling of the fire and soft snoring was the only sound that greeted Nancy when she returned home that night. She could have expected as much seeing as it was well past four in the morning. You can imagine her shock then, when she came up the stairs to find Fagin still awake, and seated at the table waiting for her.

"Still awake are we then Fagin?" she whispered dropping the cash onto the table. Nancy averted her eyes while Fagin very slowly pulled the cash from the table and tucked it in a pocket of his jacket. Just looking at the money made her feel dirty. "What'd you think of what Dodge brought back? Some necklace huh!"

"It was nice," Fagin said. Nancy's eyes widened in shock as she stared at him.

"I should 'ope you said it was a bit more then fine to Dodge over there," she said nodding towards the sleeping child. She noticed with a small smile that Charley had taken up residence at the foot of Dodge's bed.

"Of course I did." All was quiet between them for a moment before Fagin commented once more. "When are you...planning on telling me that you didn't pick anything earlier today?" Nancy's stomach did a somersault and it was quite a long time before she spoke.

"Did....did Dodger tell you that?" she breathed. Her throat was dry, her mind was reeling. She was waiting to be slapped, thrown out in the streets, Fagin was too calm. Too dangerously calm.

"No no my dear." That's not right Nancy thought. She could hear the smile in his voice, he wasn't mad at all. "I knew from the moment I saw what the two of you brought back."

"You assume a lot," she snapped in a cheeky way.

"No no," he said chuckling. "I assume nothing my dear, if you could pick like that then you wouldn't be down at the tavern every night." Nancy wanted to slap him but she was overcome by her curiosity.

"If you knew," she growled "that Dodger picked what I brought back, then why did you send the poor thing out again."

"I should do so more often," Fagin said smiling "he might bring back the crown jewels next time." The old one may have been chuckling but Nancy was not amused. The death glare engraved on her face instantly stunted Fagin's laughter.

"Why did you send 'im back out if you knew?" she demanded once more.

"I 'ad to teach the lad a lesson," Fagin whispered.

"What lesson?" Nancy asked incredulous.

"My dear," Fagin said looking her in the eyes. "Listen closely, this is a lesson you would do well to learn as well. In the lives we lead, we can not afford to do the right thing."

"So thieves 'ave to be villains, is that your game?"

"Not just with thieves, with everyone. When you do the right thing for somebody else, it is out of sacrifice. The right thing for somebody else is almost never the right thing by you. The lives we lead, Nancy my dear, the lives we lead demand that we always do what's right by us, and by nobody else." Nancy was gawking at him as if he'd completely lost his mind when he continued on with something that actually made sense to the young woman. "Think about it Nancy, if we did the right thing by somebody else always, we wouldn't steal, therefore we wouldn't eat. We would not live Nancy my dear. Dodger 'ad to learn that lesson, 'e's young, and I find the young are best taught by experience."

"And 'ow, might I ask, do you know that Fagin?"

"It's 'ow I always learned," Fagin said morbidly.

"Who was it that taught you that lesson?"

The flat was silent. For a moment it seemed all breath stopped and the fire had chosen that moment to stop crackling. Even the air was still and it was a long, long time before Fagin made up his mind to answer her.

"My father was a thief my dear, did I ever tell you that?" Nancy shook her head mutely, now was not the time to interrupt. "I didn't know myself until I saw him. We were Jewish my dear, devoutly so. The commandments said plain as day that though shalt not steal. I feared for my father, feared his very soul. On the next sabbath I told the rabbi, seeking advice." She stared at him, her eyes wide. Fagin wasn't really talking to her anymore, he was staring at something very far off. "The following morning the police showed up and took him away. I was the oldest of seven siblings," he whispered "and I was only ten. My mother she cried and begged of them not to take him, he had just been trying to provide for us. He stopped just inside the door and looked at me. 'Fagin,' he told me 'you are the man of the house now.' I was ten!" He was so distant now, seeing not the den before him, he was reliving the events of which he spoke. "It was my fault he was gone. I had tried to do what was right my dear, but I hadn't thought of what was right by us. That is a lesson I never forgot, and I learned through experience."

"I'm sorry Fagin," she whispered. She felt as though her mind was being sent on a roller coaster when she saw the old man was once again smiling.

"For what my dear? I learned my lesson as I was meant to, and the Artful learned his. Now," he said nodding towards where her bed was located "to bed I think, it's late." Nancy nodded and headed off, yawning all the while.