My first multiple chapter story! And to add to that, this might be a cross-over with whom you'll just have to wait until the next chapter (if I ever post a second chapter). My inspiration for this story is The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and a twist to the String of Pearls (the Sweeney Todd story). So I hope you enjoy and you'll excuse any occ.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

An Endeavoring Affair

Chapter I

Mr. Todd was brought out of his musings when the small bell on the door rang, announcing someone had entered his scarlet sanctuary. His first thought was it was Mrs. Lovett who had entered to ask him downstairs and eat something (anything but those pies of hers), but he was proven wrong when he saw the top of a recently polished top hat.

He turned his attention to the door, his expression aloof and cold, but easily enough a cynical smile tugged the corners of his lips, accompanying the cynical twinkle in his dark eyes. He placed his hands on the back of his chair and welcomed his customer.

"Good day sir. What may I be good for? Perhaps a trimming of the hair or a shave, sir?" Mr. Todd said darkly with forged pleasantry laced in his monotone voice.

The man, obviously a gentleman, from his fancy attire, seemed to hesitate as he made his way across the room and took a seat in barber chair; his fate yet unknown to him.

"A shave my good sir. But I must ask that you hurry, I have a very important meeting which I cannot afford to be late for personal matters." The man urged as he sat down and unlaced his collar and bared his throat.

Mr. Todd smiled, knowing the man would never get to his appointment, and applied the froth on the man's face and neck. He drew his razor from the holster at his side and gave it a painfully slow sharpening before placing it any where near the man's throat.

"Of course, sir; I wouldn't dream of making this any longer then it has to. I'll be done with you and soon you'll be off." He assured the man acerbically, but his tone went disregarded by the man whose thoughts were somewhere else.

He pushed the man back against the chair and began to shave him. His strokes were clean and precious, almost mechanical; he cleaned the blade on the towel draped over his left arm. He brought the razor away from the man's throat and was about to polish him off, when he spoke and postponed his end.

Mr. Todd quickly lowered the razor from the air, caught by surprise, and returned it to his throat, endeavoring to be as causal and indifferent as before, as the other spoke or rather interrogated.

"How odd, I've walked up and down Fleet Street many a time, and I must admit this is the first time I have ever seen you before, Mr.—" Here the man dressed in a rich manner paused, silently asking for his name.

This caught him off guard; usually those he shaved never asked his name or never had the chance to. His surprise did not show on his face; he remained stoic and impassive when he answered.

"Sweeney Todd. I've just opened up my shop here in Fleet Street some few months ago, returning from an extensive trip." Mr. Todd explained laconically. He knew he was going to have to be careful if this man knew Fleet Street as well as he did; he seemed to be ten years his senior, making it highly possible if he got a good look at him, he might identify him as Benjamin Barker. That was something he could not afford again. Pirelli had been enough for him. Another attempt of blackmail would only piss him off more.

"Mr. Sweeney Todd, what a peculiar name. So you have. Where did you go, if you don't mind my asking?" the man asked, detaining information about himself (though Sweeney could care less about the man and his character) and extracting information for Sweeney. It took some effort for Sweeney to control the strong urge he had to just run his razor cross this pestering, chaffing fool's throat and be done with him and return to his solitude—but not without first admiring the rubies.

"Not at all, sir. I've just returned from a private matter that had me leave London some time ago and travel to…Australia." He spat the continent's name venomously. Just the name was enough to make him remember his fifteen years in that hellhole prison the Judge sent him to rot in. The man grew unsteady with Mr. Todd's turn of character and tensed as he shaved him.

Mr. Todd felt him stiffen and composed himself; just a bit longer and this exasperating conversation would end. An icy silence descended upon them with only the scratching sound of the cool silver against fleshed echoed throughout the room. It was an unnerving silence that was proving too much to bear, and propelled the man to attempt conversation again, much to Mr. Todd's annoyance. Why couldn't this man shut up?

"Australia, it must be an exotic and pleasant place to travel to." The man offered unknowingly fueling Sweeney's ire and taxing his patience.

"Yes, it is an exotic place to travel to, but I can't say it was pleasant." He said through his teeth all the while smiling murderously.

"I've heard many things about Australia," the man said, "but I can't recall anyone saying it was unpleasant."

"Then surely your associates did not go under the acrimonious circumstances in which I did." Sweeney's tone was sharp yet dangerously composed.

Hitherto the man had thought the barber's foul mood was due to lack of sleep or rent-related troubles, but with each passing second, he became uncertain. At that moment Sweeney heard steps coming up the stairs, and they were mounting them quickly from what he could tell. Without thought or care, he ran his razor over the man's neck, causing rubies to escape from their prison and bath everything they could touch. The well dressed man proved to not only be rich in gold and silver, but also in rare rubies.

The stream of blood gurgled at the throat then turned into a small insufficient trickle of dark red. Sweeney yanked his razor from that man's throat and prepared to welcome his guest with the same fate he had just dealt. The door was pushed opened, but he stopped in mid-step when it was just Mrs. Lovett who had entered.

Her eyes quickly looked the mess over and shut the door behind her, locking it and looking worried. It was then that Sweeney heard the shouts and voices of the customers Mrs. Lovett's pies brought and understood her concern. He yanked the rag he tucked in his belt and cleaned his razor before putting it away in the holster and proceeded to send their new meat supplies down into the chute.

"It seems like each day more an' more of these blokes bleed more, don't they, Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett observed as she gingerly stepped through the fast spreading pool of blood and replaced the man's fall arms in his lap. As she dropped the man's limp arms into his lap, the movement caused something to fall out of the man's pant's pocket and cluttered to the floor.

Mrs. Lovett looked down at the floor to see what it was and gasped. Sweeney faced her, thinking something was wrong, and saw her astonished expression. He frowned and walked around his chair to see what had caused her astonishment. Mrs. Lovett knelt down and retrieved the fallen object, carefully picking it up and standing again. A exult smile came to her lips as she gazed up from the heavy object in her hands to her Mr. Todd.

"Mr. Todd, look what 'e was carryng with 'im!" She showed him the object of her astonishment and couldn't believe what he was seeing. There cradled in her hands, covered in its deceased master's blood, was a large sapphire stone. It gleamed underneath the coat of red it was currently wearing as they studied it.

Sweeney took the stone in to his hands, but instead of admiring its' subtle beauty, he swore underneath his breath and shoved it back into Mrs. Lovett's hands. Baffled by his sudden change, Mrs. Lovett stood behind him as he angrily looked out the window, his eyes ablaze.

"What's wrong Mr. T? Image what this will bring us! Why we can move to the sea an' start a new life there, just the three of us, love." Mrs. Lovett tried to persuade him.

He spun around and pinned her with his intimidating glare, making her recoil in fear. "What it will bring us indeed, my pet! This man," he pointed to the dead man, "obviously is being expected somewhere by someone who is undoubtedly expecting this damn stone. He'll be traced here and we'll have the bloody government on us!"

Mrs. Lovett bit her lower lip, understanding what he was trying to say. She looked down at the sapphire stone in her hands and asked quietly, "What are we gonna do with the stone then, love?" Sweeney pressed down on the lever with his foot, making the body of the recent owner of the stone slide down the chute and enter the baking-room below. Just as the trap door snapped close, they heard the cracking of the skull and the crunching of bones.

He walked over to the corner and retrieved the pail and mop and unceremoniously dropped them in front of the window. In just that short amount of time Sweeney had added more to his worries and troubles then he could all ready handled. The little color on his face disappeared and he grew more serious.

She waited impatiently for his plan; she knew he had one. Sweeney rubbed his temples and sighed. He looked away from the window and ordered sharply, "What you're going do to Mrs. Lovett, is go into the bake house and prepare him into a fresh batch of your delectable meat pies and hide the jewel someplace where no one will think of looking. And I mean someplace not obvious either."

"I 'ave the perfect place Mr. Todd, but what are you gonna do?" She inquired curiously.

Sweeney smiled mischievously and replied, "I'm going to close the shop and see what business this man was conducting with such a large stone and who was expecting him."

So what did you think? Was it good or bad? Please tell me what you think!