(A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this up. There’s an explanation at the end of the chapter.)

Nancy felt her heart seem to stop. Fagin loved her? She hardly dared to believe it. He was just bored like her. Lonely. Right?

Oliver looked up at Nancy.

“Are you all right?” he asked. His blue eyes were wide and a look of concern crossed his face.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said softly, staring at the ceiling where Fagin and Bill were.

Chapter 6: Magic

Nancy jumped as she heard Bill and Fagin enter the room. She glanced over her shoulder at them, tried extremely hard to look nonchalant, and stood up. When she faced them, she smiled widely. After realizing that this look might appear superficial, she worked it into a look of indifference. Luckily, neither Bill nor Fagin had looked in her direction yet.

“C’mon, Nance,” Bill grunted at her.

Nancy turned to look at Oliver.

“Goodbye, Oliver. I hope I will get to see you again soon.”

“I hope to see you again soon, too.” His eyes lit up suddenly and Nancy could see that he had thought of something. “Maybe Mr. Fagin,” he glanced over at the old Jew before continuing, “will let me visit you some time - or you could just come over here!”

Nancy smiled at him and brushed some hair away from his face.

“I would enjoy either one.” She smiled at him. Slowly she turned and followed Bill and Bullseye, who were already being guided down the stairs by Fagin. Once they reached the front door, Bill and Bullseye exited quickly. Nancy lingered a moment, staring at Fagin.

“What is it, Nancy, my dear?” he asked innocently, even though he had an inkling of what she was doing.

“Nothing,” Nancy answered softly. She gave Fagin one short, meaningful look and then turned and followed Bill’s retreating form.

Fagin closed the door softly. He turned is head thoughtfully to one side. There was something in Nancy’s look that unsettled him. She almost had a knowing air about her – something females regularly used to unsettle their male counterparts. He thought about Nancy for a few short minutes, then, giving up on the whole issue, made his way back up the stairs and entered the main living space.

Oliver was still sitting quietly, working on the ever-decreasing stack of handkerchiefs beside him. Fagin approached him and watched his progress slowly. Gradually, the embroidered “M” disappeared from the cloth.

“How am I doing, sir?” Oliver was now staring up at the Jew with those honest, blue eyes.

“Just lovely, my dear! You have real talent!” Fagin encouraged him, patting him on the shoulder.

Oliver bent his head back down as he began work on the letter “R” that had previously been next to the “M”. He silently wondered how someone could have a “talent” like removing stitches that were, in the old Jew’s mind, badly sewn in. After a moment, he gave up on contemplating this and let his mind wander to the many queer aspects of the boys, particularly the Artful Dodger, who was another one of the old Jew’s fascinations.

“Sir?” Oliver looked up at Fagin again. “Will I get to go out with the Dodger anytime soon?”

“Ah, you would like to see him on-the-job, would you, Oliver?” Fagin gripped Oliver’s shoulder.

“Yes, sir. Very much so, sir,” Oliver responded enthusiastically.

“Soon, Oliver, my dear. Very soon. You just have to learn a few more things before going out on-the-job. Soon, though.”

Oliver smiled and bent back over his work again, now removing stitches at a furious pace, suddenly filled with hope at the thought of going out.

Fagin watched him for a moment. An unfamiliar, guilty feeling was filling him. Slowly, he turned away, not wishing to look at the boy. He stared unfocusedly at the floor, then closed his eyes, waiting for the guilty feeling to pass. There was just something about that boy that caused even his most intricate and profitable plans to seem less than pleasant. He opened his eyes as he realized that the feeling of guilt would not disappear – not yet at least. After glancing around himself bewilderedly, he remembered what he should be employing himself in. With one final look at Oliver, he made his way to the kitchen.

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Fagin sighed tranquilly as he closed the door behind him. The cool evening air rushed against his face and whipped his coat around him. Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, he made his way through the streets. He didn’t really know where he was going – probably The Three Cripples. He was just tired of being inside the apartment. It was not easy being cooped up in a musty apartment with a young boy who wanted to go out just as much as he did. Fagin smiled, knowing that the boys would keep a careful watch on Oliver and (hopefully) teach him something in the process.

He felt his hat pull away from him in the wind and he quickly reached up to catch it. After placing it firmly back on his head, he looked up and saw The Three Cripples ahead of him. The laughter and singing could already be heard and he smiled at the warmth it seemed to emit. He began to pick up his pace, already thinking of that nice glass of scotch he would get, but someone grabbed his coat and pulled him into a dark alleyway. Experience told him to keep his mouth shut and not draw attention to him or whoever had grabbed him. Fagin felt the tight grip on his coat loosen and then disappear altogether. He breathed out slowly and then looked up at his assailant. Shadow hid the person from view. Fagin opened his mouth slowly as many questions formed in his mind.

“I knew you’d be by here,” he heard a friendly, familiar voice hiss in his ear.

“Nancy? My dear! You scared me to death!”

“Yes, well, I’m sorry about that… I just wanted to speak with you.”

“Odd way to get a word with me, my dear. You know, I am not opposed to you visiting me at the apartment…”

“I know, but Bill and I were at The Three Cripples. I figured you’d be coming there tonight, but I wanted a word alone with you. So, I excused myself – said I needed a bit of air – and came out here to wait for you.” Nancy paused then continued, “Come to think of it, I need to get back in there soon or Bill will get suspicious!”

“Alright my dear, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to bother you with unnecessary questions. Please say what you have to say.”

“Well, there really isn’t enough time for all that and this really isn’t the place either… Bill’s going out on the job tomorrow night remember?”

“Yes, you were just over earlier today,” Fagin commented dryly as though she was implying that he had a bad memory.

“Anyway,” Nancy said pointedly, “I want to meet you while he’s out. At midnight. Outside the Branson Bakery.”

Fagin agreed to it, all the while wondering why Bill couldn’t have any ordinary job at ordinary hours.

“I have to go,” Nancy said sharply as she headed for the street. She halted and turned to face Fagin. “Don’t come into the bar too quick or it will look suspicious. I don’t need to walk in there with you trailing after me.”

Fagin nodded and glanced around at the dark alleyway. He listened to her footsteps echo in the distance. After a moment, he pulled out his pocket-watch and, after stepping out of the alleyway, studied it. Slowly, he began to count down the minutes until he could enter the warm, cheery atmosphere of the bar.

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Nancy leaned against the wall of the bakery, trying to keep from glancing around anxiously for Fagin. She was beginning to wonder if he might have forgotten. She hugged her shawl tightly around herself and shivered in the prickly night air. After a moment, she gave in to pacing back and forth. She was cold, tired, and lonely. She halted and stared up at the starry sky. It was unusually clear out. There was a tap on her shoulder and she forced her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Turning around, she saw Fagin. Her eyes were wide with surprise.

“I’m sorry, my dear. Did I scare you?” His look was apologetic. Slowly Nancy relaxed into a smile.

“The way you come up behind people – you’d think that you just float everywhere you go, not making a sound!”

Fagin chuckled and Nancy shivered.

“I’m glad you came,” she said softly.

Fagin just smiled and glanced up at the sky.

Nancy bit her bottom lip nervously and fidgeted where she stood.

“Do you mind if we walk and talk?” she asked.

The old Jew shook his head indifferently. They both began to walk, side by side.

“Stars are pretty tonight,” Fagin said matter-of-factly.

“Yes, they are.”

They walked on in silence for a minute.

“I love you,” Nancy said out of nowhere. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to stare at Fagin, trying to gauge his reaction.

At first, his look was unreadable – almost as though he hadn’t heard what she said. Then, he turned to face her.

His heart was pounding, his mouth felt dry, and he felt like every bone in his body had been removed. He was sure he would melt into a puddle at her feet.

He opened his mouth to speak, trying to get words to come out.

“Nancy!” he said hoarsely.

She stared intently at him, desperately praying that she hadn’t misinterpreted what Oliver had told her.

“I love you, too.” Fagin stared at her in disbelief. His breathing was ragged and his body felt like it was made of stone. Slowly, he reached his a shaking hand up and brushed his fingers against Nancy’s cheek.

The corners of her mouth turned up slowly in a small, gentle smile. Her eyes glistened with moisture as she looked directly into his eyes. Bill was the furthest from her mind that he had ever been.

Fagin moved a step closer to her, not breaking their gaze. Everything in his mind seemed to stop.

It felt as though some force was pulling them towards each other. Slowly, his arms encircled her and he leaned in even closer to her. Their lips met in a tender kiss - unlike any they had ever shared; it felt so pure and honest. Languidly, they broke the kiss. Nancy relaxed against him, resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She closed her eyes and smiled contentedly.

Fagin stroked her hair with one hand and held her to him with the other.

They stood in silence for a long while. Nancy eventually pulled away. Fagin put his arm around her waist and glanced up at the sky. One wispy cloud moved aside revealing a bright, silvery-white moon. Nancy gaped at the sphere suspended in the night sky. She walked towards it, her eyes transfixed. Fagin walked slowly up behind her. After a moment, Nancy halted. She let her eyes drift down from the sky and realized that they had walked into a park. She glanced around at the trees, grass, and benches. There was a fountain in the center. She turned to look at Fagin. Something behind him caught her eye and a gleeful smile lit her face. Fagin’s eyebrows raised inquiringly as he glanced behind him.

“A swing set,” Nancy said breathlessly. “They were always my favorite thing to play on when I was a child.”

Fagin nodded as he stared at the metal structure that suspended two wooden seats by ropes. He often saw children grouped around it, waiting for their turn to use it.

Nancy approached it haltingly. Fagin watched as she reached out and touched the metal posts. He watched her smile as childhood memories flowed through her head. Thoughtfully, she fingered the ropes, remembering the itch and burn they produced as you held on. She gripped the rope tightly in her hand. Fagin kept his distance, not wanting to break the odd spell that the structure seemed to cast over her. Dreamily, Nancy lowered herself onto one of the seats. Reaching her other arm up, she gripped the other rope tightly.

Fagin stepped forward and stood in front of her, watching amusedly.

Nancy looked up and seemed to come back to reality. She smiled bashfully and let out a gentle laugh.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” She shook her head and looked away from the old Jew. He walked closer to her and placed his hand over one of hers. Nancy looked down at her feet, looking embarrassed, but she didn’t get up.

Fagin moved softly over to the seat next to her. After a moment’s thought, he sat down on it and smiled in spite of himself. Nancy watched him out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, they began to waver back and forth on the swings. Fagin looked up and met her eye. Smiling secretively at each other, they both gave in to the strange spell and pushed against the earth with their feet.

Nancy grinned as she felt the air rush underneath her. She no longer cared that the wind was cold and biting. She pumped her legs back and forth getting more height. She felt a tug in her heart and a feeling of endless possibilities flowed through her. She was sure that every dream she ever had could come true.

Fagin was chuckling softly as he, too, felt the tug in his heart and the hope that all his dreams could become a reality if he only let them.

Their eyes met and they both laughed. Fagin was surprised to find that he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed to be swinging on a child’s toy. Nancy wondered at the special feelings they were sharing; feelings neither of them had felt in a long time.

They talked back and forth about their dreams and aspirations - both believing thoroughly that they would all come true. Laughing as they shared deep secrets and emotions, yet meaning everything they said with deep seriousness.

Finally, both their swings slowed, lost height, and eventually stopped altogether.

Fagin was the first to stand up, groaning as he did so; he had forgotten how much pain something so fun could inflict on someone of his age.

Nancy giggled, but winced as she, too, stood up.

Fagin stared at Nancy. They both took one last long look at the swings. Fagin took her hand in his. Leisurely, they made their way back to Branson Bakery, where they had met that night. Exchanging one last sparkling look, they headed their separate ways wordlessly.

Hello! Yeah, I know, “What happened?” “Why haven’t you updated?” “Lazy bum!” Yeah, well, SORRY! I’ve been doing a lot of stuff recently! Mostly, I have been working on my newest website, stay wild as jack wild .wetpaint .com, (had to make the url weird so it would keep it - there aren't usually spaces in it) which is a site devoted to Jack Wild (played the Artful Dodger in Oliver! and was Ornshaw in Melody). I’m sorry I focused so much on it and not on my story! About my story… I didn’t weird anyone out, did I? Probably did. Well, I think that one of the most romantic things is a swing set! Forget barefoot walks on the beach; give me a swing set and one of my dream guys! Okay, I’ll let you review now! I really must have scared some of you… Ah, well, I believe I am nearing the end of the story, so prepare yourself for an intense (last) chapter! I don’t know if it will be zero, one, two, or more chapters before the end, we’ll just have to see. Now, REVIEW!