Together

Chapter one - A peculiar Thing

I flitted about merrily, cleaning the counters with great speed as Toby gazed at me in wonderment, cherry juices leaking down his chin. Amazingly, even in my euphoric state I still found it in me somehow to make the lad another pie. One wot Sweeney bloody well knew wasn't, well, bloody. I chuckled at the thought, and Sweeney finally looked up from his own plate and directly at me, a vague trace of a smile on his lips. Toby's mouth dropped open visibly, and when Sweeney followed my amused gaze, he scrunched his eyebrows together before reaching over to somewhat gently snap the boy's mouth shut.

"You'll catch flies like that, lad" He admonished, and I laughed as Toby chimed in timidly,

"An' Spiders?"

"Sure, and spiders, whatever bloody well keeps that trap of yours shut."

Toby sat silently for awhile as if thinking this over, before turning to Sweeney again with child like amazement and asking, "Is it cos of all the cherries in my mouth? They'd crawl in an get 'em?"

Sweeney opened his own mouth to respond, before closing it with a snap and thumpin' down his head to rest upon his arms on the counter, shaking his head.

"Mum?" Toby questioned, alarmed.

"It's just a saying lad, calm down. Mr. T's bein' dramatic, as always." I saw him shift somewhat at this statement, and smirked even more visibly than I was currently. I smiled kindly at Toby and waltzed around the counter to playfully hoist him off the stool and place him on the floor.

"Muuum!" He protested, like a typical embarrassed and overly prideful young boy. I laughed and left him alone, well, of course not before tousling his hair - jus' cos.

"Go wash up love, I have a feeling Mr. Todd will be needin' yer help in his shop tomorrow, it's best you get some sleep." He scurried off like a good lad, or rather, to get away from my overbearing attention, more like, and Sweeney lifted his head up with something between a smile and a scowl. I think it was a grimace o' sorts.

"I'll be wanting him in my shop, then, will I?"

"Yes, you will." I asserted, "Did ya see how confused the poor bugger was? He probably thinks I've gone mad!"

The bloody man gave me one of his charmin' smirks I would quickly get used to and stated playful- like,

"Actually, we both already agreed you're a bit o' a mad woman..." Hoppin' up on the stool next to him I slapped his shoulder in annoyance, making him grunt.

"Wot was tha' for?" He demanded, still grumblin' o' course.

"If yeh plan on becomin' part of our family, love, he should hear it. N' he should damn well hear it from you."

I watched as Sweeney's face became very serious, and gasped quietly to meself as he got a strange look in his eyes and seemed to stare right through me. Don't tell me the git was tryin' to back out of it all already! I was about to snap him out of it when he did so himself, looking at me carefully and saying in quiet awe, "...a family..."

"Oh Sweeney," I murmured softly, in awe myself, throwing my arms around him. He growled in surprise before giving in and leaning into my touch. I wos in heaven, I tell ya. After a moment though, sadly, he lifted my arms off o' him and for the second time that night grasped me firmly by the shoulders.

But then he grinned a grin that woulda sent me to the floor had he not been holdin' me up, and chuckled.

"What a bloody strange family we'll make", he muttered, before pulling me close again.