First attempt at Sweeny/Lovette Fanfiction, forgive mispellings of character's names and moments of OOCness. Thought up when I was making gingerbread 8D There may be more chapters to this, depending on reactions.
It was always slow when it got to spring. People didn't want hot meat pies if the weather was nice enough to warm them without the aid of food. So she cleaned, tidied and swept until there really was no point in it, the house had not been so clean for years.
She set Tobias to re-painting the old signs, re-varnishing furniture that had long since dried to the core, nailing down all those old panels that sprang up and re-attaching cupboard doors until not a single part of the house looked out-of place.
She even spent the money they'd been gathering so easily now Mr.Todd was back and looking after them, though not stupidly, as Mr. Todd said, she was ever a practical woman, not new chairs, but new covers for them. The only little luxuries she allowed was the new dress, Tobias' new sets of clothes, and of course, the haircut.
Madame Louise' salon did a wonderful job, considering how little raw material they had to work with. Her rough red curls that she usually tied up into a bun on her head were now soft crimson, tumbling over her shoulders in deep waves of fire.
Toby had said she looked beautiful, like a right real queen. Mr. Todd didn't say anything, Mrs.Lovett wasn't sure he even noticed.
Still barely any customers came, and finally Nellie Lovett gave in, got together what she needed, and started baking away in the kitchen.
Toby ventured out of the parlour and stared at her, in a flurry of flour and sugar and warm, delicious smells.
"Whot'cher making m'um?" he squeaked, staring at her hands, he always did when she baked, pies or buns, it was incredible to watch, just as Sweeny was an artist with a blade, Mrs.Lovette had a magic touch with dough when she had the chance.
She barely looked up from the dough as she kneaded, it looked like rough treatment, but she knew it took a gentle touch in just the right place.
"Gingerbread." She replied, her tongue sticking out one side of her mouth in concentration. "May as well, no customers're comin for th' pies, so we may as well 'ave a treat."
Toby's eyes lit up and he hurried to sit on one of the stools near the little kitchen and watch her longer. "We could try sellin' them m'um, I could make up a little song, I'm dead good at that I am, wotch!" he cleared his throat and sang out happily, "Come try Mrs. Lovett's magic gingerbread men, even all the dead men sing of them-"
Nellie Lovett shuddered and turned quickly, popping a ball of dough into his wide open mouth. "Now you hush up eh? They're for us to 'ave an' no-one else…. Well…" she let her eyes wander to the window where she could see the steps up to Sweeny's shop.
Tobias visibly sulked, chewing the raw dough for a moment before swallowing and replying, "'E won't wont one m'um, he's a miserable bugger and no mistake."
That remark fetched him a clip around the ear.
Soon the kitchen smelled not of death and blood as was the norm, but spices and baking and, dare she even think it, mother's love.
As she was taking the tray from the oven a voice that never failed to make her tremble sailed into the room;
"That doesn't smell like pies."
She turned and carefully placed the tray on a counter, keeping one eye on Toby as he stared greedily at the little golden people. Only then did she allow herself to look at him.
Ye Gods, he was beautiful. How could he stay so beautiful after all those crimes? Oh his eyes were growing darker and sunken, but that was the only true change she could see to him. Still so slender and pale and fine, like a china doll.
He walked like an animal stalking prey towards the counter and glared down at the biscuits.
"…Why gingerbread?"
Nellie shrugged and tossed her hair, moving along the counter to the icing and currants and cherries she'd made ready for decorating them. "We've not 'ad a customer for a while and I fancied somethin sweet."
"Mm."
Toby piped up suddenly, "They smell right nice M'um, can I 'ave one now?"
Mrs. Lovette shook her head and rolled her eyes, she could see something odd developing in Sweeny's eyes, suddenly she wanted Toby away.
"Tell you what love, take some biccies and some rum and go have a lie down outside, the suns too nice to stay indoors."
Toby looked for a moment as though he may object, after all, he didn't trust Mr.Todd and he didn't want to leave poor Mrs.Lovett on her own with him. But the temptation of rum and sweetness out in the sunlight was too much, and off he scampered.
Once the boy was gone, Sweeny stopped even attempting to act normally, he picked up one of the little golden biscuits and glared at it for a moment, then calmly bit off it's head.
For a moment the two adults were silent.
Then he coughed and forced a swallow, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the woman, "You might 'ave told me they're hot."
Nellie smirked, "Y'didn't ask. Ruined yer dramatic moment there?"
Sweeny scowled and folded his arms, slumping into a chair like a sulky child, chewing thoughtfully on leftover crumbs for a moment.
He knew then.
Nellie swallowed and pretended to be very interested in how the little currants and cherries looked on the gingerbread people.
"…Lucy used to make these…"
She didn't say a word. He'd be furious with her, wouldn't he? For using Lucy's recipes with her ungodly hands. She thought sarcastically, no matter how beautiful and blonde that silly girl was, she'd never had the magic touch with baking, she used to burn things. And still her besotted hubby ate dutifully and called her a master chef, at least she could make things without burning all the time…
"…She never could stop the edges from burning."
Nellie looked up.
He was staring down at the batch now, unblinking, as though re-living a memory. "And there was always one or two with broken arms and legs…"
Nellie rolled her eyes, "That so? Well I'm afraid I'm rather good at baking, so mine come out proper, an' I ain't burning and breakin perfectly good food so's you can remember her."
They had been friends once, Nellie Lovett and Lucy Barker, they'd made cakes and things together, swapped recipes, chattered about their husbands and dreams of the future.
Then she'd introduced Nellie to Benjamin.
After that Mr. Lovett was never good enough, and jealousy consumed Nellie. And all she had been able to do through every moment of every day was curse her own bad luck that Lucy had met him first. She could have made him happy, she knew it, she could have been an ideal wife, but Lucy got there first.
Then Joanna had been born, and Nellie's boy, Jerry.
Gerry died not long after he was born.
Nellie hated Lucy for that. Lucy was the weaker of them, it should have been her babe who didn't survive, scrawny little blonde thing that she was, but no, Gerry, with his bright copper hair, he'd been the one to die.
She could make Sweeny happy, she was sure of it. Even if it meant dying her hair blonde and pretending she couldn't bake.
All the time these thoughts ran through her head he stared down at the little golden men. Then finally he said;
"They're a lot nicer than hers were."
She looked up and blinked. Then curtseyed, "Thank you Mr. Todd."
Sweeny looked up then, appearing to notice her for the first time. "…When did you get your hair done?"
Nellie rolled her eyes, "Few days ago, not that you noticed."
He nodded, blinking. "…You look different…" he started advancing on her, and as she always did, she backed away until she was against the counter.
"Good different?" She questioned, "I ought to, for that much money."
He nodded vaguely and appeared to once again go into a daydream.
"Joanna loved to watch her mother make these… she gnawed at the edges with her little teeth."
Nellie felt a twinge of grief then. Joanna, damn the little pale thing, and her boy, tiny Gerry with a mass of crimson hair like hers, and how strong he'd been, she knew he was strong because of how loudly he could cry…
Then one night he didn't cry once.
And in the morning when she went to feed him…
"Why are you crying?"
She hadn't realised she was. She reached up and touched her face, yes, there was a tear.
Sweeny's expression barely changed. "It's not over my plight. I know you don't like Lucy… or Joanna."
Nellie steeled herself. Better tell him half a truth than none at all. "No ill will for your little Joanna. Or Lucy really, jus'… annoyed for you."
Sweeny appeared to accept this, but persisted, "But why the tears? You're not one for such deep emotions on behalf of someone you don't adore."
For a moment she considered lying, or distracting him, or something….
Then his eyes met hers. Cold, steely, daring her to try and lie.
And oh so beautiful.
"You talkin' bout your Joanna… reminds me of my baby."
Silence for a moment. Maybe he doesn't remember that she had a baby boy, around about the same time as his Joanna was born. Maybe he doesn't remember how he even held the little boy once, on a visit, and commented on his long red hair.
"...Gerald, wasn't it?"
She nodded wordlessly.
"That's why you took Toby in."
She nodded again, letting her eyes wander to the window. Toby was sitting at a bench outside, dozing in the afternoon sun.
"…Lucy called him 'my future son in law'. I remember…" Sweeny hesitated then, hand tightening on the woodwork of the counter-top, like he was going to snap it. "I…always said no-one would ever be good enough for our Joanna…"
"Shut up." Nellie snapped, then blinked, surprised at herself, she'd never been able to bring herself to speak back to him before. Not like her husband, the late Mr.Lovett, he'd felt the rough edge of her tongue plenty of times.
She tried to stop herself, but hot rage of a mother had taken control of her now. "My Gerry would have been too good for your scrawny little white rat of a baby!"
He caught her a slap around the face that turned one cheek bright red.
For a moment they stared into each others eyes.
Then they both lunged forwards and kissed deeply. Out of shared anger and grief in one moment, conflicting emotions mixing like cheap liquor with plain, old fashioned lust.
It was a long time before they drew apart.
