Summary: Based on the Seven Deadly Sins. The Devil will be the death of Sweeney Todd yet, tempting him with the promise of his revenge and a better life. Sweeney Todd will be the death of Nellie Lovett, tempting her with her desire for the demon barber to be hers alone. It's been acknowledged. Accepted, even. It's been accepted silently by both for months.
But nothing is ever simple.
Toby unwittingly puts the barber and the baker in danger with a passing comment, and when the Judge is found murdered, they are the main suspects – they just don't know it yet. Charles Hawthorne, a police man with a thirst for corrupted justice, will stop at nothing to see Sweeney and Nellie hang…they are thrust into the midst of a vicious game of life and death, and the game must come full circle…with Sweeney and Nellie slowly growing closer than either thought possible, a tentative life of their own almost visible on the horizon, disaster was bound to strike. Will the demons of Fleet Street be able to outwit the Devil himself? Or will they lose the game?
Sweenett, Anthony/Johanna
A/N: Greetings! :) I'm very new to the Sweeney Todd fandom (I was much too scared to watch the film when it first came out, and only mustered up the courage a few weeks ago! xD), however, it has firmly become one of my favourite movies. As soon as I saw it I became drawn by the Sweeney Todd/Nellie Lovett relationship, and I knew I just had to write a Sweenett 'Fic of my own. Despite this though, I've only seen the movie once (I know I've got it for Christmas) so the characters I am moulding are purely from memory; if they slip out of character, then you must let me know so I can amend it. :)
I haven't seen this storyline around, but since I've only read one Sweeney Todd 'Fic and haven't found the time to go moseying about the archive yet, I wouldn't know for definite. No plagiarism/copying of storylines is intended.
This 'Fic is also currently un-betaed as I don't have one for the Sweeney Todd Fandom, so if you spot any mistakes, please point them out. :)
Disclaimer: I am not Tim Burton, Stephen Sondheim nor anyone else involved with Sweeney Todd. If I was, it would've ended differently. ;)
Forgive Me For My Sins
Prologue: The Devil's Temptation
The tale I am about to tell you isn't one of love and joy. It doesn't have princesses and princes, like in the stories we are told as children. No, the account I am about to divulge is torn apart by betrayal, lust and vengeance. There are no sweet whispers of love, nor are there ways of glossing the truth.
Because that is what I'm going to tell you. Not a half-hearted story, made to have children rapt with attention, quivering in anticipation. What is to be gained from that? Nothing. For I want this tale to be passed down from generation to generation. I don't want this story to disappear as so many others have.
So, with God as my witness, I speak the truth.
I knew a barber once. A dark, brooding man. He appeared outwardly fine, if a little gloomy. No one took any notice of him. Why would they? He was just a barber, sent to shave and cut hair, nothing more. He was a tool, of sorts. Unfeeling, unmoving, insignificant.
That is where people went wrong.
They underestimated that barber. The gleam in his eyes…they did not notice it as he prowled his landlady's pie shop, restless and trapped. Driven by revenge.
The lady of the shop was again entirely different. She was chatty and friendly, moving through the crowds of customers with fluid motions, as though in a dance. She never turned anyone away, was always welcoming with a cup of ale and a fresh meat pie. And she was the only one who could indeed tolerate the barber. She fed him and kept him warm and was eventually pulled into the twisted games. Did she try to resist the temptation of growing close to such a demon? No, never. She was in too deep. Driven by love.
The boy who lived with them during this time was a sweet thing. Innocent, naïve and perhaps a little stupid, but undeniably sweet. He followed the woman he called a Mother around like a puppy, helping her when the business was booming, desperate to prove himself to her. He could never bring himself to trust the barber who lived above them, but there was nothing he could do to stop his Mum from making her choices.
Because, more often than not, our decisions are made for us. There is never any other way. No one can stop us when our mind is made up.
So the boy had to contend himself with his silent vow of protecting her no matter what.
Some decisions are not ours to make.
The world did not pay attention to the three lives on Fleet Street. Perhaps if it had, things would have been different.
I will speak no more of it now; the events will explain themselves. They are woven intricately with bloodied silver threads which cannot be ignored.
The tale of Sweeney Todd, will, in time, be told.
