Author's Note: Yay! My third Sweeney fic! I'm trying to get better at writing the accents so that's why I just keep writing Sweeney fics. Anyways, the summary kinda sucked. But the fic is basically how Toby finds out that Mrs. Lovett uses people in her pies. Read and review! Enjoy!
"Aw, darling, you drink too much gin," Mrs. Lovett said, shaking her head. Nellie took the empty gin bottle and sighed.
"Sorry, Mum. I'm jus' used ta drinkin' it," Toby apologized.
" 'Tis fine, love. I'm just gonna 'ave ta but more when I go to th' shop," Mrs. Lovett said, tossing the bottle out. She opened a couple of cabinets and searched through them. As Mrs. Lovett shut the last cabinet she could hear the small bell chiming upstairs. "Fresh supplies," she murmured under her breath.
Then Mrs. Lovett turned and walked over to the door. She grabbed her jacket and then glanced back at Toby. "I'll be back, love. Jus' goin' ta run out an' get yer gin an' a few other things. Stay outta Mr. T.'s way, savvy?"
"Yes, Mum," Toby said.
"That's me boy," she replied with a smile. Then Mrs. Lovett opened the door and left the shop.
A few minutes after Mrs. Lovett left, Toby heard banging upstairs. Wot's he doin' up there? Toby thought to himself. The young boy stood up and started to walk upstairs. When he got to the door he stopped. Mum said not ta bother Mr. T., he thought.
As Toby walked back to the booth he thought he heard something hit the basement floor. Should I go an' see wot's down there? he thought.
Toby took a step towards the basement door when Sweeney entered the shop. The young boy stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Mr. T.
"Wot you doin' there, lad?" Sweeney asked, looking at Toby.
"Nothin' sir. Jus' puttin' my plate away," Toby replied, nervously looking at Mr. Todd. Toby eyed Sweeney's shirt. There were fresh blood stains on his white shirt. "Mr. T., wot's that on yer shirt? Is tha'…blood?" Toby asked nervously.
Mr. Todd examined himself and then laughed. To Toby, the laugh seemed like a demon's laugh.
Then Mr. T. said, "I accidentally nicked the guy's chin. But 'tis fine. 'E's alive."
Toby looked at Sweeney, skeptical. There's too many stains fer it ta 'ave been jus' a nick, he thought. "I 'eard somethin' 'it th' basement floor," Toby said.
"You did?"
"Yes. Sounded like it 'as 'eavy."
"It did?"
"Yes."
"Well, me and Mrs. Lovett with 'ave ta look fer it later," Sweeney said.
"But wot if it's somethin' bad?"
"Like wot, Toby?"
"I dunno. Jus' somethin' Mum doesn't need ta see."
"Yer protectin' yer mum? Don't want 'er hurt?"
"Mum's all I 'ave."
"Ah. Righ'."
"Yes. Let's go down there now an' see wot it 'as."
"I'll go down. You stay up 'ere."
"Wot, Mr. T.? Why can't I come wit' you?"
" 'Cause, lad. It migh' be a 'orrible sight."
Toby was silent. He thought about it for a moment. The banging around, the blood, the thing that fell to the basement…
"You killed someone, didn't you?" Toby asked.
Sweeney stared at Toby, taken aback. "No, me boy. Why do ya thin' that?" he asked.
" 'Cause, it all makes sense then. Th' blood on yer shirt, th' bangin' that 'as upstairs, and th' thing tha' 'it th' basement floor."
"Yer a smart boy, Toby," Sweeney muttered.
He smiled even though he was freaked out by this…demon barber. "So I 'as righ'?" he asked.
"Yes," Sweeney reluctantly said.
Toby backed away from Mr. Todd. "You killed a person. Wot 'bout me an' Mum? You gonna kill us too?"
Mr. Todd was silent. "I would ne'er kill yer mum," he finally said.
"Why do ya kill 'em then? Yer customers."
"Toby, me boy, 'tis nothin' you need ta worry 'bout."
"Mum's meat pies were always disgusting. But now…they're delicious," Toby muttered to himself. Then the young boy gasped.
"Mum uses 'em, don't she? The bodies. She uses 'em in 'er meat pies. Don't she, Mr. Todd?" he asked.
Mr. T. looked at the boy. "Yer mum was righ'. You are smart."
Toby's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as the door to the shop opened. Toby turned and saw his mum walk in, carrying a bag.
Mrs. Lovett looked at Mr. T. and then she looked at Toby. "Darling, wot's wrong I though' I told you not ta bother Mr. T.," she said, walking over to the counter. Her black dress swayed back and forth as she walked. When Nellie got to the counter she set the bag down and placed her hand on Toby's shoulder.
"Love, did ya tell Toby the truth 'bout wot we do?"
Sweeney shook his head as Toby walked away from Mrs. Lovett.
" 'E didn't tell me, Mum. I guessed. An' I 'as righ'. 'E is a demon! I told ya and an' ya didn't listen to me!" Toby said, looking up at his mum.
"Darling, Mr. T. ain't a demon. 'E's a good man."
"Mum, 'e kills people!"
"An' do you wan' ta be next?" Sweeney said, looking at Toby.
Toby violently shook his head. "No, sir. No," he stuttered.
"Then scurry off. Me an' yer mum need ta 'ave a nice lil' chat. Savvy?"
Toby nodded. "Yes, sir," he said.
" 'Ere, darling. Take th' gin and go to yer room. I'll be in as soon as Mr. T. an' I are done talkin'."
He nodded once more, took the gin, and hurried off to his room.
"Mr. T., love, di' you tell 'im?" Nellie asked as soon as Toby was out of earshot. She looked at her beloved Mr. T. with a frown.
"No, my pet. 'E guessed. You were righ'. Yer son is a smart boy," Sweeney said.
Mrs. Lovett looked at Sweeney's bloodied shirt and sighed. "Love, why di'n't you change shirts?" she asked.
"I 'eard you leave. I though' 'e wen' wit' you."
"An' you didn't even bother ta change shirts? Wot if a customer came in when you were in 'ere?"
"Then I would 'ave killed 'im," Mr. Todd said with a shrug.
Nellie rolled her eyes. "Well, now me son knows. Wot are we gonna do?" she asked.
"There's nothin' we can do. We 'ave ta 'ave 'im 'elp us. 'E knows the bloody truth now. We can't le' 'im go."
Mrs. Lovett sighed. "Well then I 'ave ta go tell 'im."
Mr. Todd nodded. "Yes. He needs ta understand th' mess we've made."
Mrs. Lovett left Mr. T. and walked to Toby's room.
"Toby, darlin', open up th' door. I need ta talk to you," Mrs. Lovett said, knocking on the door gently. "Toby, love, please."
Finally Toby opened the door. The gin bottle was opened and almost half of it was gone. "Wot, Mum?" he asked.
Mrs. Lovett walked into the room and shut the door. She took the bottle from Toby and set her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm sorry you had to find out this way," she apologized.
He reached for the bottle and took a swig of the gin. "Mum, I told you 'e 'as a demon barber an' you denied it. Bu' you knew all along, didn't you? The whole time. You knew," Toby said.
Mrs. Lovett bowed her head. "I'm sorry, love," she whispered.
"And Signor Pirelli…you used 'im in 'em? The pies?"
"Yes."
"Mum, why di' you star' doin' this?"
Mrs. Lovett looked up. "We needed th' bus'ness. I though' of th' idea after Mr. Todd killed Pirelli," she said.
"You were th' one who thought of th' plan?"
"Yes, darling."
Toby looked up at her, shocked. "An' wot now? Is 'e waitin' out there…waitin' to kill me?"
"No, love. No. 'E won't kill you. I won't let 'im, darling."
"Then wot are you goin' ta do now that I know the bloody truth? Bodies an' all?"
"We nee' you to 'elp us."
"Wit' wot, Mum?"
"Mos' likely in th' basement. Or up in Mr. T.'s shop."
"You wan' me ta 'elp kill people. Do I 'ave any other choice?"
Nellie shook her head. "No, love. I'm sorry," she whispered.
Toby drank the rest of the gin and handed the empty bottle to Mrs. Lovett. "Fine. I'll 'elp," he said with a sigh. Then he walked over to his bed and laid down.
" 'Night, love. When you wake up I'll give you yer dinner and then you can start 'elping," she said sadly. Mrs. Lovett turned around and walked out of her son's room, shutting the door behind her.
" 'E knows, then?" Mr. Todd asked as Nellie sat down in the booth across from him.
"Yes, Mr. T., 'e knows. 'E knows the whole bloody truth. An' 'e even guessed tha' you killed Pirelli."
"You were right, Mrs. Lovett. 'E is smart."
She nodded. "Yes. Maybe too smart though," she said.
" 'Ere, pet. 'Ave me pie. Made it meself, I did," Sweeney said, sliding the plate over to Mrs. Lovett.
Nellie ate the meat pie, lost in her thoughts. Toby finally knew the bloody truth.