A/N: UPDATED: I started this story 5 years ago, and I have certainly changed since then. But something made me revisit this, and so I have.
When I was starting this, my first, hopefully full-length fanfiction (though that certainly did not happen), I thought that for my first story I would try a different sort of pairing...and I had this idea for a Nellie/Johanna story. Yes, a femslash, and an age difference fic, which I've become more and more into as the years progressed.
Right now, though, Johanna is about eight years old, so nothing like that is going on! Anyway, on with the story!
Johanna Barker, or Turpin, as it were, was not a terrible child. In fact, she was far from it. However, Judge Turpin seemed to make it his duty to find fault within just about everybody (but himself). So, the girl was punished for the most minor disagreements and infractions, and the Judge could not, for the life of him, understand why she was so cold towards him.
On Johanna's eighth Christmas, Judge Turpin gave thought to his problem…
He had purchased a lovely frock to give to Johanna for the holiday, but he saw the flicker of disappointment in her eyes when he presented it to her. Johanna could see out of her window just fine, and spent many hours envying other girls who had the most wonderful dolls. Turpin never bought Johanna toys, so she had imaginary ones—but every Christmas, she hoped with all her heart to receive a doll, and every Christmas she was disappointed.
"Are you unhappy," the Judge sneered, "with your gift?"
"N- no, sir," Johanna responded.
"Liar!" the judge yelled. "You think this is not lavish enough, don't you? You will be punished for your greed!"
He dragged her by the arm to her room and unceremoniously threw her into it.
"Beadle," he started, later, "why is my Johanna such a disobedient child?"
"My lord, do you think, perhaps, she is wont for motherly affection? Women, you know, are very delicate creatures, after all. They understand each other much better than we can ever hope to understand them," the Beadle offered.
"Motherly affection…" the Judge repeated, now deep in thought.
It was a well-known fact that the Judge lusted over many women. It was a little-known fact that one of these women was Eleanor Lovett, or Nellie, a nickname for whose use she gave permission to anyone whom she did not despise. However, Mrs. Lovett was too stubborn for her own good, and the Judge didn't appreciate it. Eleanor, he decided, would be perfect for the "Johanna situation", as he had taken to referring to it—and in the meantime, while waiting for his ward to age, he could seduce the woman. She could not possibly resist him after getting to know him properly, after all. Anyway, he didn't have to offer a high price; anything would be better, he was sure, then spending the hours in her pitiful pie shop. His mind was set, then.
"Beadle, please travel to Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop and tell the proprietress that her presence is requested."
"It shall be my pleasure, my lord," the Beadle answered, smiling eerily as usual.
Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop had fallen, for the most part, into a pitiful state, after the death of her late husband, Albert. She could, of course, be found rolling out pie dough on the counter, absently humming a little tune. Suddenly, she heard the bell on the door jingle.
Her head shot up, and she found the Beadle in her line of vision. "Bloody hell, it's you," she muttered, but the Beadle, luckily, did not notice her mumbling.
"Mrs. Lovett," he said. "Judge Turpin requests your presence at his house."
"And why should I listen?" she asked, cheekily.
"It would save me the trouble of having to force you," the Beadle told her.
She glared. "Why does he wish to see me?" she asked.
"It pertains to Johanna, Mrs. Lovett. She has been…disagreeable, of late. Judge Turpin will inform you more thoroughly of the situation after we arrive at his house."
Mrs. Lovett thought. She had actually begun to like Johanna as a tiny child when she looked after her, after Lucy had poisoned herself, and she wondered what was wrong with the girl.
"Fine," she grumbled, and followed him to the Judge's house.