Okay, so this takes place during the time of the movie, but through Carmella's eyes. She's the only daughter of Mrs. Lovett and most of this will be told through her eyes. Bernadette Mooney is the daughter of Mrs. Mooney (whom I've given the first name Lynette).

Song lyrics have been changed into dialogue.

Dedicated to Bernadette and Caite - love you guys! XD

Chapter One : Meetings

Tonight was one of the darkest mornings Carmella could remember in a long time. Not only had the rising sun been blocked out by thick grey clouds, but the gloomy atmosphere outside had seemed to leak inside, past the walls of Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies.

Carmella sat at the old oak desk in her small room, with a quill pen held firmly between her thumb and index finger. She had been in this position for some time as she stared idly at the blank piece of paper in front of her. There were so many ideas fluttering around in her mind; too many to pick from and write about. But that wasn't just the problem, Carmella knew, there was also a lack of inspiration.

Pulling back one of the dusty purple curtains, the fifteen-year-old watched as a lone carriage disappeared down the cobblestone street. Some of the oil lamps were already burning low, and the clock read 6 A.M. Carmella sighed and moved away from the desk to sit on the edge of her floral patterned bed. Yesterday had been an extremely bad day business-wise; not one customer in her mother's shop, even after Carmella had helped her bake all day long.

"That's how the meat pie crumbles, I suppose," she whispered, closing her eyes and laying back on the lumpy mattress. She had nearly fallen asleep when suddenly she heard her mother's voice from down the hallway.

Carmella blinked back sleep and made her way over to the slightly ajar door where her mother was standing and telling a strange man with black and white hair about Mrs. Mooney's Pie Shop.

"Mrs. Mooney's got herself a pie shop, just down the street. Does her business, but I can't help wondering… all her neighbor's cats have disappeared, you know. Has to hand it to her though, puttin' pussies into pies, enterprise - that's what I calls it. Enough to make you sick, sure, and them pussycats is quick, wouldn't you know."

Overcome with curiosity, Carmella slipped out into the hallway to spy. Pressed up against the wall, she craned her neck to hear a little better.

"Times is hard, sir. What with the worst pies in London… disgustin', ain't they? Not easy bein' alone and the business declining."

As Carmella turned to head back to her room, the hemline of her dress became caught on a nail on the floorboards. She cursed inwardly, attempting to free herself. 'Bloody well enough dress material costs are unreasonable, but now I may very well be discovered.' Bending down, Carmella became unsteady and fell on the floor with a thud! "Bloody lovely," she grumbled as Mrs. Lovett and the man jumped up in shock.

Mrs. Lovett walked over to Carmella to help her up. "Up at this hour? Thought you'd be in bed still."

Carmella shook her head. "I heard voices… and it's just, well, we've not had a customer in weeks…" Carmella's brown eyes shifted over to the arcane stranger.

Mrs. Lovett caught her daughter's gaze and turned to the man as well. "Oh, were are me manners? Carmella, this is Mr. - …"

"…Todd," the stranger replied. "Sweeney Todd, at your service." He bowed slightly, dark eyes shining bright as he took in the new arrival.

Carmella curtsied in return as best she could, looking rather uncertain. "Carmella Lovett, sir. Pleased to meet you."

Mrs. Lovett placed a hand on Carmella's shoulder. "Say, Mel, why don't you be a dear and get Mr. Todd a nice tumbler of gin, eh?" Carmella nodded quickly and made her way to the parlor at the end of the hallway.

After she had left, Mr. Todd spoke. "I noticed you've a room up there - above the shop. Why not rent it out? Make quite a nice profit."

"No, no," Mrs. Lovett shook her head, "no one's been up there for quite some time. People say it's haunted, you know. Somethin' happened up there, a long time ago. Was a barber, deported for life, and his wife. Took care of a baby all by herself, she did. Poor thing."

"And… what was said crime he committed?"

"Foolishness," Carmella replied, handing him the glass. She had caught the tail end of the conversation and hoped they didn't mind her jumping in. She glanced at the shop window, watching the people pass by.

Sweeney accepted the tumbler and looked at it thoughtfully. "Where's Lucy?"

A look of realization struck Mrs. Lovett. "So, you're him then… Benjamin Barker…"

"No," Sweeney growled tersely, slamming the glass down on the table. "Not anymore. It's Todd now - Sweeney Todd!"

There was a moment of silence, in which the muffled voices of citizens outside could be heard. "Lucy poisoned herself," Mrs. Lovett said after a while. "After the incident with Judge Turpin, she didn't see fit to live. So she went to the apothecary 'round the corner." She bit her lower lip. "He's got your daughter, you know."

Upon hearing this, disbelief washed over Sweeney's pale face. A breathless whisper carried a single word, "Johanna."

Mrs. Lovett stood up and opened the curtains of the windows. "Why don't you start opening up the shop, Carmella, while I show Mr. Todd around upstairs? I don't 'spect customers anyway."

Carmella nodded obediently and got to work as Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney left the room. She wiped off the wooden table with an old dust rag and removed the plate Mr. Todd had used. 'Just who is this man; why did he pick now to come back? This is mother's shop - is he going to help us make a profit? We don't need a man around here. Things are perfectly fine the way they are.'

After a good half hour, Carmella watched as her mother returned back downstairs. "Good news, love, Mr. Todd is going to be moving in upstairs."

"He seems rather…mysterious…" Carmella mused, taking a sip of water.

"Rather attractive, I think," Mrs. Lovett smiled, beginning to flatten the dough with her rolling pin.

Carmella cocked her head. "I suppose he is rather interesting… but I've got this feeling about him. It's not a good one, either."

Mrs. Lovett placed a rack of meat pies into the oven. "Now, now, Mel, we'll need to give Mr. Todd a chance. Can't go assuming things about people. Wouldn't be right." Carmella reluctantly nodded, knowing that her mother was right. "Now listen - Mr. Todd and I are going to the market to see Adolfo Pirelli… would you like to accompany us?"

"Sure," Carmella smiled, placing her glass in the sink. "Bernadette is coming over later, though."

"Oh, what for?"

"To exchange writings… she's working on a novel that takes place in America. I'm quite interested to read about it." Carmella knew all too well that her mother didn't like her hanging out with Lynette Mooney's daughter, but she couldn't help the fact she and Bernadette attended school together. They'd secretly been best friends for eight years, until the secret slipped.

"All right then… but I want nothing to do with Lynette, understand?" Mrs. Lovett wiped her flour-covered hands with a threadbare cloth. "I'm in need of some supplies… the meat, if you'd even call it that, has gone bad again and I'm running low on spices." Taking in her daughter's battered appearance, she then added, "and why don't you get dressed in fancier clothing? Though we may be poor, doesn't mean we should look it, by any means."

A/N: Hope that was good for a first chapter - of course there's going to be more when I get around to actually writing something...