Title: Starts With Goodbye
Summary: Sweeney died leaving behind Nellie and their children.
A/N: When I originally wrote this, Toby wasn't one of their children, but I decided to add Toby as one of their children after I'd already written it out entirely and so I typed it up and added him. And last chapter I lied. I actually have written a Sweeney fic less than a year ago. It's just been a few months since I'd worked on it and I forgot about it.
She stared at the letter as it fluttered to the table, hand covering her mouth. He was dead. Her husband was dead. He left behind a wife and three children – her, her adoptive son Tobias, his daughter Johanna, and their son Daniel. All three children were now full-grown and married with children of their own, leaving the woman now alone with her memories and thoughts.
She was forced to wear black for the second time in her life, widowed again. She hated black, but she couldn't not wear it. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't been blessed with black hair instead of having red hair that brought attention that she almost never wanted, but now it was mostly grey because of old age. Her children were black for a week after their father died, but it wasn't much consolation for her.
He knew his time had come when he'd been shot two weeks before his death. He'd been shocked when the bullet hadn't killed him, but he knew he didn't have much time left. He wrote the letters to his wife and children the day after he was hospitalized. He wanted them hand-delivered the day he died, didn't want them with him when he passed. But his wife had been the last one to see him.
He didn't want to die, didn't want to leave his family, his life. He knew he had to, though. He'd lived the time the Good Lord had given him and was just waiting for him to end it and take him home. He knew that his family would be safe and looked after now. He just knew they would be.
Nellie was the first to know about the death of her husband. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. She answered and her eyes immediately went to the letters in the man's hands. "Yes?"
"Mrs. Todd?" She nodded. He held out one of the letters. "A letter. From your husband."
She took the letter with a shaking hand. She knew he'd written the letters, knew why he'd written them. She weakly thanked him as he left to the next house and turned to walk to the kitchen, shutting the door. She knew what had happened before she'd even read the letter.
My dearest Nellie,
If you are reading this, my time on Earth is through. I hate leaving you and the children, but I must. I will be in good hands now and will look over you as best I can.
Nellie, you are the sweetest person I've met, even sweeter than Lucy. You helped me when I came back, you helped me get established, you helped me hide the victims, you helped with everything, and for that I thank you.
Nellie, I love you, even if I didn't say it much. You are the best friend, business partner, and wife that anyone could have. I think Alfred and I are very lucky to call you our own. I'll tell him you said hello, all right?
Your faithful husband,
Sweeney
She let go of the letter and started crying into her hands, not bothering to try and composed herself when her children came in, letters in hand, and tried to comfort her.