A/N: Wow, it's been a long time but Chapter 5 is finally here! Sorry to all of you who are enjoying this story but I was really busy and got sidetracked from writing, hopefully updates will be more regular now but I can't say anything for definite. I've started exploring some new pairings but I'm in no way abandoning Niff, just maybe writing some extra stuff from different fandoms if I get around to it :)

As you might have already seen on my profile, I'm also posting this fic and all of my others (gradually) on AO3 under a new username - check my profile for details - but I will still be posting on here at the same time so the new chapters will go up simultaneously :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and I do not own Oliver Twist.

"Nick!" he yelled, "What the hell was that all about?"

The brunette didn't stop walking so the blonde jogged hurriedly after him.

"Nick! Stop!"

Finally, Jeff caught up with the other boy and, grabbing him by the shoulders, managed to get him to turn around and face him.

"Get off me!" the brunette snapped, knocking Jeff's hands out of the way and brushing himself down.

Jeff tried not to cower under the other boy's stern gaze, instead he made sure to stand tall and speak without stuttering in any way. Nick didn't scare him. Or, at least, he hoped that he didn't.

"What was that about?" he asked, "Back there, something about wanting to have never met me, but also not being able to wish that. And don't tell me this isn't a relevant question, because I want to know. In the tavern earlier, Nick, I thought we were actually going to get along. Yes, I know that we had that argument, but I thought that we might have made some progress. Maybe you don't want it, but we're sort of stuck with each other for the time being, so could you please make this a little easier for the two of us?"

For a moment, Jeff's speech appeared to have stunned the brunette into silence, and Nick seemed to stand there in a state of awe.

"I didn't even think that you were capable of saying more than two sentences at a time," he remarked, "That was almost a speech."

Jeff blushed a little.

"That wasn't the point," he said.

Nick sighed heavily.

"I know," he said, "I know that it wasn't. I just, I guess I'm sorry, Jeff, I'm just very sorry about what I'm about to put you through, with Wes and everyone. I can't protect you all the time, no matter how hard I want to." He looked up at the blonde earnestly. "You confuse me, Jeff," he said softly, in a tone that the other boy had never heard him use before, "I've never before felt quite how I did when I first met you. I've spent my life lying, cheating, stealing, conning people, yet when I did it to you, I felt guilty; I felt bad for being myself. You're, you're everything I'm not, Jeff, you're good, and you're kind, and you're innocent; I don't think I've ever been any of those things. It scares me a little, I'll admit it though I'm not sure why, that you made me feel like that, and I don't know what to do. All I do know is that however bad I feel, I don't wish that we'd never met, I just can't find it within myself to do that."

He left out a great breath that he'd been holding, and it was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he could properly breathe again.

Jeff stood in front of him, his mouth practically hanging open.

"But you could be good and kind," he said, once he'd finally recovered, "You could be that and so much more, just let me in; let me help you."

Nick shook his head.

"There's no use," he said, "No one will be able to change me now."

"Let me try," Jeff pleaded, "Nick, please?"

Nick let out a hollow laugh.

"You can try, Sterling," he said, "You can try. I hope you don't mind a challenge."

"I welcome it," the blonde said boldly, as Nick grinned a little, and then turned to continue walking. "Nick!" Jeff's voice interrupted him.

"Yes?" Nick called back, not bothering to face the other boy; he already knew that he was running after him.

"Does this mean we're friends?"

There was a pause.

"I suppose so," the brunette replied slowly, and Jeff just knew that he was smiling.

That night, Jeff slept for the first time in his new bed, in his new home. He'd lain awake for what seemed like eternity, waiting for the other boys to fall asleep first so that he wasn't attacked in his sleep, as he feared he might be.

He discovered when he'd removed his shirt that the kick he'd received earlier that morning, which now seemed like many years ago, had indeed left a bruise painted across his left side. He didn't know whether Nick was aware that he'd seen the concerned look that accidentally slipped across the brunette's face when he saw the injury but was quickly replaced by the same hard look as before. The other boy had said nothing aloud, and Jeff had bid him a goodnight before they both climbed into their respective beds.

As Jeff lay there, his thoughts wandered to Kurt, wondering what the other boy would be doing at that moment. Sleeping most likely, that was obvious, but Jeff wondered if he'd been missing him, whether he'd thought about him as he went about his daily routine?

The blonde boy fell asleep considering what his friend would say if he knew where he had ended up.

However, it turned out that even though Nick was reasonably willing to become friends, the rest of the Warblers, as Jeff had found out they were known collectively, were not quite so forthcoming. The two that he hadn't originally learnt the names of, he later discovered were Trent and Thad, and there seemed to be one member that he had yet to meet, the elusive Hunter, who he had heard being mentioned several times after that first night at the tavern with Sebastian.

The Warblers weren't directly unkind to him, but they seemed to hold him in constant suspicion, as though he were up to something nefarious, although how anybody could suspect Jeff of anything was astonishing! There always seemed to be one of them watching him wherever he went, and he was constantly convinced that they were whispering about him behind his back.

"Just ignore them," Nick said repeatedly, this time just after David had walked past and swiped the sausage that Jeff was about to eat from the blonde's plate, throwing him a wink and a sarcastic thank you as he did so.

"It's hard to," Jeff complained, going to stand up from the bench. "I suppose that I'd better go and ask Wes for another sausage." He grimaced a little at that thought, for the Warblers never had surplus amounts of food, and asking for more would not please Wes at all; and Jeff did not want to be on the receiving end of the older man's anger.

Nick reached out and caught his arm quickly, pulling him back down into this seat.

"That wouldn't be a smart move," he said, hurriedly splitting his own sausage in two and placing one of the halves on the blonde boy's plate. "Now, eat up before someone else steals that."

Jeff grinned inwardly, the brunette rarely showed any sort of care for anyone else's welfare apart from his own, and now Jeff's it seemed, for if it had been someone else in the same position, Nick would have most probably just left them to deal with Wes' wrath. Jeff liked knowing that somehow he'd become worthy enough of Nick's protection, and despite how much he'd resented the fact that he had seemingly been handed over to the other boy at first like a possession, he was now rather grateful for it.

He'd tried to be friendly to the other boys, he really had, but none of them seemed to be reciprocating the gestures in any way at all. Trent and Thad just appeared to try to avoid interaction with him at all costs, but at least that made it harder for him to be on the receiving end of any taunts. David, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. He enjoyed making Jeff feel uncomfortable it seemed, and teasing him was his favourite pastime; it made the blonde wonder what had made him so hostile towards him, and so eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't resist asking Nick.

"Do you think the Warblers will ever like me?" he asked the brunette one evening, while the others were out on the streets somewhere, and Wes was holed up in his room.

Nick looked up in surprise from where he was attempting the pick the initials out of a pocket handkerchief.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked, frowning deeply as though he couldn't understand why Jeff was worried so much about the other boys.

"I mean," Jeff replied, "That I know the rest of the Warblers don't like me, and I was wondering whether they ever would."

Nick kept his eyes on his work while he spoke.

"It's not a case that they don't like you, exactly," he said, "It's just that they don't trust you."

Jeff let out a short, sarcastic laugh.

"Of course," he said, "That's made me feel much better about myself. What have I ever done to make them mistrust me?"

"Jeff," Nick said lowly, warning him not to go too far. "Leave it."

"Why won't you answer me?" the blonde demanded, "What have I done that has made them mistrust me?"

"What have you done to make them trust you?" the brunette shot back.

"I've tried being friendly," Jeff started, but Nick interrupted him with laughter.

"Oh, Jeff," he said, "Being friendly won't earn their trust." He paused, before adding softly: "That doesn't work anymore."

But the younger boy still wasn't satisfied.

"Why are they like that, Nick?" he asked earnestly, "What made them so untrusting?"

Nick shook his head.

"I told you about questions," he said, but his friend persisted.

"You got to tell me," Jeff said, "I'm a part of this now, and you can't keep information from me."

His arguments continued until Nick's resolve was finally broken down and he gave in, setting down his work and motioning for Jeff to pull his chair up beside him instead.

"You can't win the Warblers' trust by being kind or friendly to them, Jeff," he explained, "They were brought up to be criminals from the moment they could walk, and they've never had anyone to love them or care for them. It's been survival or nothing for as long as they can remember, and kindness gets you nowhere if you want to eat. You have to win their trust; earn it and then keep it."

"I'll prove myself to them!" Jeff declared, "You'll see! I'll prove myself to them and then they'll trust me."

"Jeff, this isn't a game."

"I know that, and I won't forget it; let me prove myself, Nick."

Grudgingly, the brunette agreed, desperately hoping that the blonde boy did not cause himself undue hostility anymore than simply his presence had done already.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, someone else had become privy to their conversation. Someone who watched with clenched fists and tried not the let the thoughts that were creeping into their mind take root. The memories of a time now lost to history and forgotten by all who had witnessed it, either through death or through sheer force of determination to forget that it even happened.

To show emotion was a sign of weakness. To ask questions was unnecessary and put you in danger. Naivety was a curse which was soon shaken off. Wes repeated it like a mantra in his head, holding onto the foundation of the life he had built for himself; had been forced to build to survive.

But the memories would not leave. They washed over him like a wave, and all he could suddenly see was another time, many years ago now, when an eager brunette had sat opposite himself. And then there was the time before that, even longer ago, in which such a familiar younger figure had sat in front of a man, long dead now, and asked the same questions.

Wes grit his teeth together, thinking with a sinking feeling about how the blonde boy in the room in front of him reminded him far too much of someone he was trying desperately to forget.

Jeff's attempts to prove himself to the Warblers, however, seemed to never be within reach, since he was still forced to stay under Nick's watch at all times and the brunette still said that he was not ready to go out on a proper job just yet. One mistake, Nick always reminded, one mistake and you're done for out there on London's streets. It was a dangerous world, one that Jeff wasn't entirely comfortable with, but where else could he go? What else could he do?

Instead, he and Nick continued to practise day in and day out with every trick of the trade that the brunette knew. It took Jeff sometime to master many of them, for while the blonde boy was light on his feet and quick, he could be extremely clumsy, and the last thing he wanted to do was trip over the person he was supposed to be robbing.

"Hold still," Nick said suddenly, causing Jeff to freeze where he was, one step behind the brunette, one hand outstretched to grab the wallet protruding from the other's back pocket.

The older boy stopped pacing as he had been in front of the blonde and instead came around in a circle and stopped behind him.

"Nick, what are you doing?" Jeff asked curiously, trying to twist around to see without moving his body too much.

"Just stay where you are, and try to relax," the brunette said, "Act normal, as though you were standing and, I don't know, looking at the latest advertisement for the latest ridiculous quack remedy."

"Nick, I really don't see…"

"Just pretend, alright?"

And so, Jeff stood stock still for several moments, staring at a spot in the corner of the room, while the brunette shuffled for a moment and then fell silent, unnerving the blonde boy a little.

Suddenly, much to the younger boy's horror, Nick plunged his hand into his back pocket and jerked his fingers a little, causing Jeff to squeal in surprise at the rather awkward sensation. Behind him, Nick chuckled to himself.

"I take it that you felt that," he said, still not removing his hand.

Jeff's mouth had gone completely dry, so he nodded dumbly instead.

"Well, that's what it feels like every time that you try to take something from my pocket," Nick said, "Or at least with wallets, it does." He removed his hand and took a step closer. "Now, can you feel this?"

Jeff felt nothing.

"No," he said slowly, "Are you actually doing anything?"

Nick didn't reply, he just stepped in front of the blonde and produced the wallet which the boy had placed in there earlier, having taken it from Nick in a previous exercise.

"That is what it should have felt like," the brunette said, "Nothing. If you're taking a wallet, there is no need to put your whole hand in the pocket. Simply grasp the top between your fingers and pull it out." He put the wallet into his own pocket. "Now, you try."

Carefully, Jeff reached out, lifting the flap of the other boy's pocket a little with the tops of his fingers, before grasping the wallet between his thumb and forefinger, and gently removing it.

"Did you feel that?" he asked, probably sounding a little too eager.

The brunette shook his head.

"Not a thing. It's a good thing you learn fast otherwise you'd do my head in."

Jeff wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or not.

Unfortunately for Jeff, the pocket incident, as he now thought of it as, did not seem to be enough for Nick, and if the brunette wasn't so good at making everything seem accidental, then Jeff would have believed that he enjoyed making him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

It was not more than three days later that they were yet again practising the art of looking inconspicuous on the streets; Jeff wasn't entirely sure why this needed such preparation, for he'd always found it easy to disappear into the background before. But Nick was especially insistent, claiming that even if something else went wrong, then not being seen might actually save his life, or at least save his freedom.

"You shall have to wear a cap," the brunette remarked, putting his hands on his hips and studying Jeff's hair. "Your hair colour is far too unique, and as soon as someone caught so much as a glimpse of it, they would recognise you immediately anywhere else."

Jeff, who'd always felt rather uncomfortable about the bright shade of blonde his hair was, touched a few strands of his fringe self-consciously.

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with it," Nick was suddenly saying, sounding like he'd already second-guessed the blonde's thoughts and was now trying to appease him. "I just don't want you to get into trouble." He scratched the back of his neck nervously as though he'd said something that he hadn't meant to and was hurriedly wracking his brains to come up with a reason to explain it. "Because then I'd get in trouble too," he continued, "And I'm not having myself being jeopardised by your incompetence."

But it was too late, Jeff had already seen the flicker of emotion under the tough mask that the brunette tried to wear as often as possible, and now all he could think of was how the other boy had actually sounded as though he cared. As though he cared about Jeff, and his wellbeing, and how if he did get in trouble, Nick would care about the consequences for him too, not just himself.

The realisation settled as a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach, and suddenly he didn't feel too bad about his hair anymore. Sure, the other Warblers would always tease him about it, for Thad's favourite joke was:

"Why do we need a light? Sterling's hair will illuminate the room for us!"

But it seemed rather insignificant in that moment, and Jeff liked that feeling.

Unfortunately, all too soon, Nick had broken him from his stupor by moving across to the other side and calling to him to try to repeat the previous exercise with more success.

Of course, it didn't take long for the blonde boy to put a foot out of place or something of the sort, for the brunette came rushing over as soon as he did so in order to right him.

"Jeff, I've told you a hundred times that the beam here is supposed to be the toff that you're…" he paused and curled his lips into a small smirk, "Er, relieving of his valuables, and so do not stare at it intently as though it were a piece of art."

Jeff had the grace to blush, for the other boy had been repeatedly reminding him of that fact.

"Look," Nick said, suddenly reaching up and taking the blonde boy's face in his hands and firmly moving it away from the temptation of looking at the beam, "Look this way, or look this way, just do not look over there."

Jeff felt his face burn at the sensation of Nick's rough hands gripping his face, and he shied away from the contact a little as he realised with horror that he was blushing deeply. He hoped desperately that Nick had not seen, that his embarrassment would not be noticed, and although the other boy did not say anything, the light brush of his fingers over the blonde's cheek made his heart sink in realisation.

But then Nick was back to instructing him on his techniques as though nothing had happened, and so Jeff put on a smile and pretended that he had not just made himself even more vulnerable in his situation than before. Emotions were not something to be simply revealed when around any of the Warblers.

It wasn't until later that week that David finally approached Nick while he and Jeff and were conversing in one corner and told him that Wes had ordered him out on a job.

"If Wes wants me to do something, then he can tell me himself," the brunette snapped, clearly annoyed that David had been sent as a messenger.

David rolled his eyes.

"Just do as he asks," he said shortly, "What's the point in angering him?"

But Nick, it seemed, was in an argumentative mood, and so he got up from his seat, leaving Jeff to sit by himself, and stalked crossly to the backroom.

"I'm not sure why he bothers," David remarked, and Jeff wondered whether the other boy was actually addressing him or not. "Wesley'll make him go whether he wants to or not."

And then he wandered away as if he'd never even spoken, and Jeff was left to wait for Nick to return.

Inside the smoky backroom, their voices muffled by stone and the roaring of the fire, Wes and Nick were arguing.

"If you're to make me go out on a job, then Jeff comes with me," Nick said.

"You haven't been out since he got here," Wes replied, "I told you to train him, not smother him, and anyway, you're hardly paying for your keep by sitting around here."

"I paid off my debts years ago," Nick retorted, "I've done enough to pay for food and lodgings for a lifetime. So I've been training him, it's what you asked me to do, so let me take him with me so that he can learn."

"Not until he's been here a little longer," Wes said firmly, "Leave him here with me and the boys."

"What, so that you can let them all rip him to shreds?"

"They're hardly likely to do that, Nicky."

"Don't care me that, and you know them just as well as I do. Let me take Jeff with me."

"I won't let any harm come to him, Nicky. Come on, trust me. Why won't you trust me? You used to, you know."

Nick's face darkened and he frowned heavily.

"Used to," he repeated, "But things change. Fine, I'll go out on a job and leave Jeff here, but if any harm comes to him…" He left the threat open-ended but it hardly needed clarification.

"There's no need to worry," Wes's tone disarmed him slightly. "As long as Jeffrey behaves himself, then he has nothing to fear from any of us."

Nick did not bother answering, he just turned on his heel and left the room swiftly.

Wes watched him go, a curious expression on his face as he reached out one tentative hand and brushed his fingers over the silver chain which hung from a nail on the wall. He repeated his own words over and over in his head.

To show emotion was a sign of weakness. To ask questions was unnecessary and put you in danger. Naivety was a curse which was soon shaken off.

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this, even after an extended break :) I am still planning on filling all of the oneshot prompts I have been given but I'm gonna need a little more time before they're all ready :) I don't think there are any historica points for this chapter, but if anyone thinks of any, then please say :)l