Disclaimer - I do not own Oliver! or Oliver Twist :) - if I did, I would have a beard and be called Charles

Hello hello!!!!

Here we are, the sequel to The Story Of Emilia King

How exciting :)

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter - oh, and I'm going to say it now, updates may take a while, as this story has only just been started... and I haven't finished writing it yet, so give me a chance :)

Oh, and one more thing... I don't care what colour Oliver's eyes are in the film. In this, they are blue :D

This story is set when Dodger and Emmy are 18 years old.

Right, off we go...

Chapter 1 - A house break...

Dodger crept across the dark wood floor, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He glanced over his shoulder, to check that Emmy was still there. As he watched, she slipped through the large window, and joined him, standing quite still at the edge of the large hallway. He watched her midnight blue eyes flit over the expensive looking table and chair that hugged the far wall, and onto the staircase, which snaked upwards into the pitch black upper floors.

Emmy's lips tugged into a half smile as she caught him watching, but quickly returned to the slight frown that she always wore while house breaking, her front teeth biting her bottom lip.

Dodger tore his eyes away, and returned to the task in hand, namely finding their way through this house to anything worth anything...

As they slid up the staircase, like two dark shadows, hand in hand, he thought about how this dangerous business of breaking and entering had become far too frequent... The pickpockets had once again fallen on hard times, but no-one else seemed to be putting themselves on the line this often...

Tightening his grip on Emmy's hand, he stepped onto the first landing. Readjusting his top hat with the other hand, he turned to look at her. Thanks to the darkness he could only see a sliver of pale skin and two glittering eyes, lit by a narrow strip of light spilling in through a gap in the plush curtains. The eyes narrowed slightly, indicating that somewhere in the thick darkness, she was smiling. He grinned back nervously, and continued creeping across the landing.

"Where d'you think it is?" she whispered, the sound tickling his ear like a feather,

"No idea... if I'm honest, I don't even 'ave a clue what we're supposed to be lookin' fo-"

"HUSH!" Emmy's interruption cut him off in mid sentence, but instead of being quiet he continued whispering,

"What?"

"I thought I 'eard somethin'..."

Dodger drew closer to her, his hand gripping hers tightly. He could feel her shivering slightly...

"C'mon, let's get somethin' an' go... Emmy we're goin' to get caught if you don't move!"

They shuffled silently into a small room. Emmy peered around herself, trying to see through the darkness. When her eyes eventually adjusted to the dark she had to hold back a groan,

"Dodge, they're repaintin' this room, there ain't nothin' in here!"

"Urgh..."

"Sshh! C'mon, next room..."

They crept back out onto the landing, Emmy's heart beating so fast that she thought it would burst... or at least wake up everyone in the house... Only Dodger's warm presence beside her kept her from running as fast as she could, out of this cavernous, dark house.

But just as she reminded herself that they had never been caught before, a door clicked shut on the floor below. Emmy's heart leapt with fear, her breath catching in her throat, and her hand holding Dodger's in a vice-like grip.

Dodger was the first to recover from the shock,

"HIDE!" he breathed, in as urgent a tone as was possible, "back in the empty room!"

The desperate teenagers slipped across the landing and back into the room they had first entered,

"Dodge..." Emmy said in awful realisation as she looked around the room "There ain't nowhere to 'ide in 'ere..."

And so there wasn't.

Every piece of furniture had been removed for the room being painted. If anyone came through the door, Dodger and Emmy would be completely exposed...

They flattened themselves against the wall in one corner, and waited, listening intently.

Nothing.

For several minutes they stayed there, still as they could manage. And still there was no further noise.

"Dodge, we're goin' to 'ave to chance it... We can't stay 'ere all night" Emmy's voice shook.

"Right..." Dodger breathed in deeply "let's go"

Holding his breath, he eased open the door, put an eye to the crack between the door and the frame... and froze.

Looking back at him, lit by the light of a candle, was a pair of startled blue eyes.

He knew those eyes. They had been imprinted on his memory many years ago, and he had not forgotten.

"Oliver..." Dodger breathed, his own eyes wide with shock

Oliver's face was puzzled for an instant, before a look of realisation glided across his features,

"Dodger?" for a second, Oliver looked as if he was going to smile, but then a dark shadow clouded his eyes, "What are you doing in my house?"

Dodger took a shaky breath, and squeezed Emmy's hand, trying to send her the message to keep quiet behind the door,

"Well, I... I 'ad no idea tha' this was your 'ouse... I" Dodger took a deep breath, and, deciding that Oliver did not seem to be about to call the alarm, spoke clearly "We've fallen on 'ard times again Oliver"

The boy raised his eyebrows,

"So you're breaking into honest people's houses and stealing-"

"Sshh"

"Did you just 'sshh' me in my own house?"

"D'you want all your servants up an' askin' questions?"

Oliver fell into a mutinous silence, his eyes steadily fixed on Dodger's. Dodger quickly spoke again,

"I'm sorr-"

"We're both sorry" Emmy said, emphasising the word 'both' as she interrupted Dodger and emerged from behind the door.

Dodger sighed in exasperation as Oliver's eyebrows shot up into his tufty blond fringe, but neither he nor Oliver got a chance to speak before Emmy launched into a tirade,

"We 'aven't got no money, or food, and no-one will give us any, so we take it, from people 'o can afford it. We don't take nothin' sentimental, just stuff we can sell so as we can ea-"

Dodger cut her off,

"Jus'... don't take us to the bobbies?"

Never had Dodger imagined that one day he would be so afraid of that young, naive boy, but now... this was a young man he was talking to, not a small child. If Oliver said anything, it could be the end of them...

Oliver breathed out in a long sigh,

"Come down to the kitchen"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

The three teenagers were sat around a rough oak table, a candle in the middle, lighting two thin pale faces and one slightly rounder.

"So everything has changed then?" Oliver asked

"Yes... the kids are more cheerful now's Bill's gone an' no-one don't get beaten no more... Fagin's gettin' frail though" Dodger replied, still wary of the young gentleman across the table, and not wanting to say too much.

Dodger couldn't help wondering what Oliver looked like now a good nine years later, as all he could see was flicker of Oliver's features, lit by the guttering candle. But he kept his thoughts to himself, thinking that it would probably be best for both him and Oliver if they never saw each other again...

Oliver too had thoughts racing through his head. What a bizarre coincidence that the Artful Dodger and this girl had decided to break into his house... In a way, Oliver could not help but feel curious as to what Dodger was doing now, how the people who had first looked after him were faring...

"Just go" he said wearily, "I don't want you to get in any trouble. You or..."

"Emmy" Emmy said quickly

"You or Emmy. Just go. And take this" Oliver held out a five pound note, "If it means you won't have to steal for a few days."

Dodger gaped at him,

"You're givin' us money for... for breakin' int-"

Oliver grinned unexpectedly, and thrust the note into Dodger's hand

"Yes, well, go on, I'll show you out"

"D'you want to know which window's broke?"

Oliver fixed Dodger with a despairing gaze

"I'm sure I will find out. Go"

"We owe you Olive-"

The door shut behind them.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O--O-O-O-O-O

Emmy breathed out heavily.

"Blimey"

"I know!"

The old sense of relief kicked in as they slunk away from the house, the knowledge that they were getting away sending a dreamy calm to their minds

"So, 'o hexactly wasthat, eh Dodge?" Emmy asked curiously "'Ow on earth d'you know a toff?"

"'E used to live with us"

Emmy raised a black eyebrow,

"With us?"

"Before you came, I'll tell you later,"

They turned into a small alleyway, the safety of the darkness settling around their shoulders

"Why not now?"

Dodger groaned

"Alrigh' alrigh'..."

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Distantly, Big Ben chimed, as it hit three o'clock in the morning. Dodger raised a hand to the door and said

"Dodger"

A small boy peered around the door, his matted blond hair falling into sleepy eyes

"You're late" he said unceremoniously, and let them in.

The two stepped into the dark house, and walked straight through to the room that the older pickpockets slept in, the younger ones seemed to have moved themselves into the main room with the decrepit sofa.

"We'll give Fagin the money in the mornin' eh Dodge?" Emmy yawned

"Yeah" Dodger pulled off his coat, so that he stood in his trousers, shirt and waistcoat. Knocking his hat to a jaunty angle he grinned at Emmy,

"What d'you think?"

"Fool" came Emmy's reply, laced with laughter, and slightly muffled (partly by the muggy London summer air, and partly because she was struggling to undo her dress so that she could sleep in her petticoat)

"Lemme 'elp" Dodger started to carefully undo the buttons at the back of Emmy's dress. Shivering at his touch, Emmy grinned,

"That ain't proper, Dodge"

"I've seen you in your petticoat many times" Dodger smirked back, undoing the last button and pushing the dress off her shoulders so that she stood in simply her once-white petticoat.

Emmy turned to face him, putting her face very close to his

"Thank you"

She brushed a butterfly soft kiss over his lips, then pulled away, teasing him

"No you don't" he smirked, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back to him

"It ain't proper, remember" Emmy tried to keep herself from laughing

"No-one will know"

Emmy pressed her lips against his once again, smiling against his mouth as he nibbled her bottom lip. As the kisses became more passionate and heated, Emmy broke away, a half smile gracing her lovely face,

"We 'ave to go to bed Dodge, it's late"

"You're evil you are"

"Good night Dodge"

Dodger laughed as Emmy strutted away across the room and collapsed onto her pile of sacks and rugs.

"Night Emmy"

Well!!! I tell you what, it was weird writing this story again!!

But fun )

OK, what do you think?

No flames please, but other than that D

Let me know...

I'll update when I have reviews, and when I have had time to write the next chapter!!

Love

Blackfishy

xxxx