A/N: Okay, so here's another one to drive everyone nuts. The problem with ideas is that once you've got them, if you don't write it down you forget, so here's yet another fic; this time, Sweeney Todd.

This story focuses on Judge Turpin's daughter.

INNOCENCE LOST

The noise from downstairs woke the young Victoria Turpin from her slumber.

She had tried to get to sleep; doing everything she could think of including reading a book to counting invisible sheep and nothing worked.

She had lay awake for at least twenty minutes, but the sounds of laughter and jollity kept her in a state of alertness.

Victoria had contemplated going down to try and ask them politely if they would mind being just a bit quieter, though thought the better of it.

If her father found out, she was sure he'd take the strap to her and she could certainly do without that.

Her father was a lawyer and, surprisingly, was not as serious as one might think.

He often held gatherings at his own home, each one, to Victoria's ears at least, louder than the last.

Perhaps it was because she'd heard it so often, it had left her with something of a ringing in her ears and it flared up every now and again when her father decided to host all these parties.

Unable to do anything about the scenario, she began to pace the floor. She often did that in times of distress to try and think of something else.

Unfortunately, however, she chose this time to think of her mother; her dear, sweet mother, Catherine, who had died of tuberculosis when Victoria was but five years old.

She had always wanted to be like her mother; sweet, kind and generous. Catherine Turpin was always considerate of others, though if something was amiss and she knew she was right, she would tell them, though in a firm manner, as opposed to an aggressive one.

Victoria didn't really remember all that much about her mother. Sometimes she felt as if she probably hadn't known her long enough to feel the grief she wanted to.

Victoria always wanted to cry for her mother, but how could she when she didn't remember the woman?

As a matter of fact, the thought of not really knowing her made her want to cry.

Sighing, she shook herself from her hopeless musings and took a look around her room.

She had a rather large bedroom with a four-poster bed, bookcase, vanity cabinet and one doll her mother gave her. Victoria had named her 'Katie' after her mother, for Catherine's own parents had always called her Katie.

Thinking on it, Victoria did remember something about her mother.

Catherine had always called her daughter 'Little Kate.' It was a name that ran in the family and Victoria's middle name was Catherine.

But, no, she was long-gone now. One look at Katie, though, reminded Victoria of her mother and she hugged the doll to her chest for the comfort she received from her own memories.

She then returned to her bed, rearranging the sheets and clambered in to try and fall asleep.

She did eventually succeed though was awaken during the early hours of the morning by a woman's shrill scream.

She was up like a shot with fright and hugged Katie closer to her. She didn't dare move, though, just sat there and tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

The screaming continued and she could hear laughing. It was as though someone was being tortured, to the evident amusement of the spectators.

Victoria could do nothing but cover her hands over her ears, and, even then, it did very little but only slightly muffled the echoes of downstairs.

One thing was for sure, Victoria Catherine Turpin would never forget what she heard before dawn on the seventeenth day of the month of September in the year of eighteen-hundred-and-thirty-one.

A/N: So, there's my own madness. Another flipping fan-fiction. I must have problems. I know it's short, but think of it as a prologue.