Hi, this is my very first fanfic. I hope you all enjoy it, it's my take on the story if Mrs. Lovett had told the truth about Lucy. Please read and review!

Sweeney Todd made his way through the twisted streets of London on one rainy, Thursday morning in mid August. His mind was far from easy as he brushed by familiar scenes from his haunted past. Every time the troubled man would make a wrong turn, he'd growl in frustration. After twenty minutes of wondering, Sweeney Todd found what he was looking for, Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shoppe.

It was another boring day for Eleanor Lovett, the infamous meat pie maker of London. She turned her head slightly and glared at the foul-looking pies that were cooking in her little oven. With a sigh, she turned back to her current task of chopping up vegetables, not hearing her shop door opening or seeing the man who entered.

Sweeney Todd was shocked when he saw how much time had changed his former landlady, Eleanor Lovett. Her, once flowing red hair was messy and tied up on the top of her head. She had heavy shadows under her eyes and looked depressed. Sweeney let the door close loudly to catch the pie maker's attention.

"Oh! A customer!" Mrs. Lovett gasped, jumping up and rushing to the man at her door. She took him by the shoulders and led him to a near-by table.

"Ye gave me quite the fright, dear," Eleanor stated as the pushed him into a seat. He looked up at her, taken aback by her pushiness.

"Wot I mean to say is tha' I haven't seen a customer for weeks! Sit tight, I'll get ye a pie…" She rushed back to her counter and pulled her nasty pies out of the oven, where she became defeated again.

"Mind you, I can hardly blame them…these are probably the worst pies in London…" She muttered as she took a plate out of her dusty cabinet. Sweeney Todd watched her as she prepared his food. Mrs. Lovett slowly made her way back to him, setting the food on the table.

"Here ye go, dearie. Hopes ye got a strong stomach!" She added as she watched him pick up the pie. He stared at it unsurely, eventually taking a bite. After almost gagging, Sweeney forced himself to eat the nasty food. Again, the baker sighed heavily.

"I know it's foul…meat's gotten so sodden expensive tha' I couldn' afford it any more… Wot's ye eatin' is only filling, dear." Sweeney, after a bit of hesitation, went to take another bite, but Mrs. Lovett snatched the pie from him.

"No need for that, sir. I'll get ye some Ale to wash out the taste instead."

"Uh…" Ignoring the protest, Mrs. Lovett went back to the counter and threw the pie in the trash. She then poured some Ale into a dusty mug and brought it back to Sweeney Todd. She gave him a weak smile.

"You can have tha' on the house, dear," She said as she went back to the vegetable she was cutting. After a few minutes of silence, Mrs. Lovett looked up to see that the man was still in the shop, staring at her as he drank his Ale.

"Ah…Ye probably wonderin' why I can't afford meat, aren't'cha?" She asked, smirking slightly. He didn't say anything.

"Well, y'see sir, me 'usband died five years back, he did. So, it became harder to run the shop on me own, y'see…" She gestured her head towards the window behind Sweeney, glaring out of it as she spoke.

"An' wot really did me in was tha' little Nit across th' street. Mrs. Mooney, she is. 'as her own pie shop, too. Stole me remainin' customers, she did…" Mrs. Lovett hit an unlucky Cockroach with her rolling pin as she spoke.

"I think I know her secret, though. Eva since she's come along, I noticed tha' all of her neighbors' cat's 'ave gone missin'. Seeing meat's so expensive an' she's a widow like me, I think she's been poppin' pussies in her pies!

"Course, could be tha' I'm bitter, but she does seem th' type to do that…" Mrs. Lovett finally finished the vegetable she was cutting. She watched her mystery customer as he took another sip from his mug.

"Trust me, dearie. It'll take more than that to get tha' taste out. Come with me," She said as she left her post, "I got some fine gin in me Parlor." As Mrs. Lovett headed out of the shop, Sweeney followed close behind. He took a seat on Mrs. Lovett's couch as she got the bottle of Gin from her drawer. It was then that he finally spoke to her.

"You've got a room over the shop, haven't you?" She glanced at him, nodding.

"If times are so hard, why don't you rent it out?"

"Up there? No one will go near it," She said as she put the Gin away. She slowly looked over to him, recognizing his voice from a far away memory.

"People think it's haunted…" She said softly, bringing his Gin to him. Sweeney raised his eyebrows.

"Haunted?"

"Yeah…and, who's to say they're wrong?" She sat beside him, taking a sip from her glass. He looked at his own glass as she looked him over.

"Y'see, years ago, something 'appened up there…somethin' not very nice…" Mrs. Lovett took another sip, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she continued her tale.

"There was a barber an' his wife who used to live up there fifteen years back. The barber was a nice bloke who wouldn' harm a fly. He was the proper artist with a knife, but got transported for life on wot I call a trumped up charge…he was so beautiful…

"Barker his name was…Benjamin Barker."

"What was his crime?" Sweeney asked without looking at Mrs. Lovett.

"Foolishness, nothing more. He had this wife, y'see. Her name was Lucy. Sweetest thing ye'd eva meet. Ye can kinda say tha' she was the reason tha' her 'usband was transported. The thing is, this Judge by the name o' Turpin was mad for her. It was him who transported poor Ben off to Australia. Wonted him out of 'is way, he did. Nasty bloke still resides in London…

"That's beside the point. Anyway, Turpin would send Lucy a flower ever'day before an' after Ben was shipped off. Course, she'd ignore 'im. She'd just stay up in tha' apartment, taking care of her child, Johanna, an' cryin' 'bout the loss of her 'usband.

"One night, the Beadle comes to pay her a visit. He tells her that the Judge is all contrite. Wonts her to come to his house tha' night to talk things over. So, she goes with the Beadle to Turpin's place." Mrs. Lovett took another sip of Gin, not taking her eyes off of Sweeney.

"Of course, when she goes there, they're 'aving this ball all in masks. When she realizes tha' she knows none o' the guests, she get's so tormented tha' she starts to drink! All in the while, she asks for Judge Turpin, but can't find 'im. Wot she doesn't realize is tha' 'e was there all along! An' he was anythin' but contrite!

"Poor Lucy was slumped on this rounded couch, wasted from drinkin'. Suddenly, Judge Turpin shows up and jumps her, rapin' her right then and there! She cries out for help, poor dear, but no one helps atoll! Instead they all pointed and laughed--"

"NOOO!" Sweeney Todd shouted, jumping out of his seat. Mrs. Lovett looked up at him, a bit startled by the sudden action.

"Would no one…have mercy on her?"

"…so, it is you…! Benjamin Barker…!" Mrs. Lovett whispered, slowly standing up. Sweeney turned and looked at her.

"Where is she…where's Lucy?"

"Lucy…is not how ye remember her, Ben…shortly after the rape; she tried to poison herself with Arsenic. Instead o' killing her, it made her go mad…she got shipped off to Bedlam for a few years before me an' Albert paid to get 'er out…but, tha' didn't last too long 'cause me Albert kicked her out to live on the streets…" Mrs. Lovett whispered. Sweeney took a step closer to Mrs. Lovett; his eyes were full of mixed emotions.

"But, she's still in London? Not Bedlam?"

"Yes, she's still in London. I'll take you to her if ye want, Mr. Barker…"

"…yes…take me to her, Mrs. Lovett…"