Chapter 36: I'd Do Anything...

A/N: Yay an update! Lol. Possibly the saddest song reference for this song ever in the world. Sorry about the sort of odd ending but this is a nice if not violent and sad chapter. Oh! And if anybody is interested in seeing clips of me as Nancy, I have them up on youtube. Let me know and I'll tell you what to search for. :-D

Warning: Contains violence, sobbing, and the return to prostitution.

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Bill and Nancy spent a good chunk of the day together, laughing and talking, even doing so much as to stroll through the streets of London town. This was quite comical because Dodger and Charley along with the other boys were often seen picking a pocket not inches from where they were standing. The one time Dodger had seen them, dipped his hand in and out of a man's pocket so quickly it was astounding, before giving them a cheeky wink and disappearing into the crowd. The pair of them had laughed at their friend's comical maneuver before strolling on, hand in hand.

Too soon however, the day was fading to night, and as the sun set on the world, it was time once again for rather villainous deeds to resume their proper place in the couple's daily lives. Nancy sighed only a bit as Bill went to exit the house, not liking one bit how lonely she knew she would feel once he departed. Bill, smiling, turned from the door and kissed her sweetly before turning and exiting the house, a smile on his face. Nancy smiled after him, and finished fixing things up about the place before returning to bed, thankful for her life, and her Bill.

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"Get up woman," Bill growled intensely. Nancy stirred from her sleep to this rather rude awakening some hours later.

"Bill?" she yawned as she rolled over to face him fully. Her eyes were barely open enough to squint at his form in the shadows.

"I says get up woman," he commanded harshly. Nancy yawned furiously as she sat up, wondering what on earth could be going on.

"What time is it?" she asked as she stood up, still not happy at all with her rude awakening. This awakening grew more rude by the minute when Bill responded by grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her to her feet. Nancy cried out at the sharp pain and whimpered as he pulled her close to him, still by the hair in her very tender skull.

"The damn owners were home, they woke up as I got upstairs. I 'ad to leave almost everything."

"Bill are you alright?" Nancy cried. Instantly she forgot the pain in her skull in worry for her beloved.

"It was all. Your. Fault." he growled.

"Bill," she whimpered as his grip on her hair grew tighter still.

"You distracted me," he said harshly, his grip sliding from her hair to her neck now. He was choking her. Nancy gasped under the weight of his hands crushing her throat, and even more painful his thumbs were shoving the gem on her choker into the hollow at the base of it.

"Bill," she gasped, loosing air fast.

"I can't be weak," he muttered.

"Bill," she gasped, her breath so faint that she could hardly get words out anymore. Nancy's head was swimming, things were beginning to get black. Suddenly Bill's hands were released and he stared at her rather oddly. Nancy's hand flew to the base of her throat as she gasped for air, she was trembling now, she'd never seen Bill like this before in her life.

"Gimme this," he said running his hand over the cord of the choker.

"Bill...why? You're not makin' any sense," she said beginning to feel angry now. "You've 'ad a 'ard night, come lay down and in the mornin'..."

"Gimme that damn choker or there won't be a mornin' for you woman." Nancy took a step back in shock, she felt as though she might cry. This was not Bill, not the one she knew and loved. This was not the same man at all. "I said give it 'ere!" he roared. Instantly he reached out, wrapped his thick fingers around the cord and ripped it off Nancy's neck.

"It's your fault I lost the pickin's Nance," he said outraged. "I can't be weak do you 'ere me!" he was shouting now. "I won't be weak! Not on your accord or anyone else's!" He turned the choker over in his fingers a few times before looking back up at her. "This'll turn a pretty penny at the pawn shop," he said. He was no longer shouting but his voice had switched to a tone that was dangerously low.

"Bill, I don't understand," she whispered while cowering in fear.

"You're the reason I lost my pay my girl, therefore you will make it up. This'll 'elp, but it won't be enough." Nancy shuddered violently at the words my girl, he'd said them like she'd never heard them before. Dark, threatening. She was trembling away from him as he advanced on her, looking more and more like a monster by the second. "Get out," he ordered.

"W-what?" she asked. Her head was reeling, he truly wasn't making any sense.

"To the Cripples Nance. If you insist on distracting me from my job then you can get the cash my girl."

"Bill...Bill I thought-"

"I said," he ordered darkly "Get. Out."

"Bill-"

"GET OUT!" He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to the door, her screaming in pain all the way. He opened the door and threw her screeching form before him. He hurled the trembling girl with such force that she missed the landing completely before tumbling down the stairs in a sickening mixture of cloth and pain. "And don't come back until you 'ave somethin' to show for it." Nancy heard a slam of the door and then she was alone at the bottom of a dark stairwell, with nothing but pain as company. At first she froze there, feeling absolutely numb, and then she broke instantly. The girl, too sore to move, simply lay on her side, drew her knees up to the point she could hug them, and wept.

She wept for the pain that was tearing through her. Every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire and hot sticky blood was pouring from where she'd caught her head on the corner of a step. She wept for confusion. She couldn't understand what Bill had been talking about, she'd been nowhere near the house he'd tried to rob, how could she have distracted him? And what had he kept rambling about, being weak? Most of all...she cried for the sorrow. She loved him, and he loved her, so why had he thrown her down the stairs? She sobbed hysterically until she'd cried herself dry and then she tried to sit up. Nancy succeeded, only after wincing from the intense pain.

Perhaps he's right, she reasoned as she thought about all that had just gone on. It's my fault he didn't get the cash. And I really ought to help out around here money wise, it ain't all on Bill's shoulders that way. Nancy cried out as she clutched at her ribs, throbbing violently against her the longer she stayed sitting. She managed to haul herself to her feet and take a few unstable steps towards the door before finally exiting and heading out into the bone chilling night. Her shawl was up in the room, so she'd have to make the journey without. Nancy blinked back more tears which served to simultaneously bat snowflakes from her lashes. Her bare chest and paper thin dress were not helping her at all as the snow fell in light flurries around her. Teeth chattering, she continued to think on what had just gone on. He didn't mean to throw me down the stairs, she reasoned he was just angry and meant to get me out of the room. He probably didn't want me to see him that way, all upset, she thought. But he doesn't know his own strength, so I went down the stairs. Nancy was nodded and a sad little smile spread across her face in spite of the pain, That's it, she thought that has to be it. He didn't do it on purpose. Never on purpose.

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"Nancy!" Bet called jubilantly as soon as Nancy walked into Clara's room. She instantly wrapped the sad faced red head in a bone crushing hug.

"OUCH! BET!" Instantly Bet flew away from Nancy as the red head crumpled back against the wall.

"Sorry!" Bet cried in shock. "Sorry."

"S'alright," she said wincing violently against the pain now refreshed by Bet's affection. "I um...tripped going down the stairs. Snow on my shoes, made everything slippery."

"Oh!" Bet cried, seeing the now bloody cut on her head. "Come on let's get you cleaned up." Nancy was led to Bet's room before Bet set to work rubbing the cut clean with a wash cloth.

"Thanks Bet," she said.

"What're you doing 'ere? And without a shawl in this weather, it's freezing!" Nancy nodded her agreement as she stared at her face in the mirror. The cut was nearly clean.

"Bill an' I decided it was best that I come back to work again," Nancy said, noting how painfully fake her smile looked. "That way it's not all on Bill's shoulders, ya know?" Bet nodded with a smile. Nancy couldn't think of anything decent to explain the question about the shawl so she let it slide. The two of them went downstairs soon after, laughing and talking, Nancy doing her very best to make sure Bet couldn't see through her happy facade.

Nancy knew she shouldn't be working, she knew the pain would be unbearable, but she had to do it. And she would, for her Bill. She'd do anything for him. So, without the make-up, just a broken face as a mask, she soon found her first customer. And Nancy returned to her job, just so she could go home to her love.