DISCLAIMER: I own it. Everything. (Look for hints of sarcasm or irony!)
Details:
Author: Zimtsternchen
Title: The Ring – an alternative ending to Sweeney Todd
Movie: Sweeney Todd
Pairing: Sweenett, one-sided of course
Genre: Drama/Horror
Rated:
And? I'm still german. Have pity for my english skills.
Author's Note:
I hate Lucy. So I had to write this.
I love Nellie, but still this will end unfortunately for her, because loving someone will never, never, end with a "happily ever after". I know that.
And Sweeney's quite okay, for a crazy, murdering barber.
Please comment, if you read this, otherwise Nessa and Boq, who are still living in my head, will come and punish you!
The Ring
Suddenly there was a scream, coming up from the cellar.
'The judge is still alive!' This thought ran through Sweeney's head this very moment
Furiously he ran down the stairs.
"Mrs. Lovett, everything alright?", he shouted, halfway to the cellar.
"Everything alright, love", she answered. "He just grabbed my skirts, a reflex, that's all. You really don't need to come down here.
"
He decided to do what she had said. She would do what was necessary and he could relax while she was working. As always.
A smile appeared on his face. Judge Turpin was dead. He would never do any harm again. Sweeney had finally had his revenge. He was free now.
No. They were free.
Although he did not very like the idea of living by the sea with that annoying woman, maybw he would somehow get used to that idea. The sea was baeutiful, after all, if with Mrs. Lovett or without her. And seh was not even that bad. She was quite pretty, at least.
Maybe... maybe they would have an okay life. At least, it was worth trying.
And the boy... well... really, who would give much for what a little street child said?
Nellie missed Toby. She missed him a lot.
It had been just two days since he had gone away but it seemed as if it had been forever to her. She had really loved the poor little thing. And she worried a lot about him. Would he be able to find another one who cared about him? Like she had done? She really doubted it.
But because she had loved him so much. She had told him to run away and never come bacl. She knew, Mr. T would immediately kill him if he ever saw him again, just for suspecting him.
Well, about Mr. T... Really, she almost began to think about if he even was worth committing so much crime and experiencing so much misery.
But the moment he entered the room, she had no doubt anymore. He was worth all this and more.
Even losing Toby was the lesser evil than losing Mr. Todd.
"What's wrong, Mr. T?", she asked. He looked mad and she prayed for not so bad news.
"None of your business, Mrs. Lovett", he answered harshly.
Then he went to the kitchen, grabbed the sharpening stone and went upstairs to his shop.
She waited a few minutes for him to calm down. Went down to make a couple of new pies and put some fresh meat into the mincer.
After that, she picked up the best, most delicious looking pie she could find and a bottle of Ale and went up to give that to Mr. Todd.
"Here, love. Got 'cha a fresh pie, made with much love. Eat, my dear, and you'll feel better."
"I'm not hungry." He stood in the corner of his shop, back to her, and wildly sharpened his blades, faster and more fiercely than usual.
"What's wrong with you?", she askes, her hands on the hips. "You've had your revenge, haven't you? So what's the matter?"
Slowly she moved towards him, fully aware of the danger coming from him. She slightly touched his shoulder and when he slowed down, she gently wrapped her arms around him. Finally, he put the blae aside.
They stood there for a few seconds, then he seemed to get his consciousness back and moved away from her. She let go of him with a sigh.
"What is it, Mr.T?", she asked, the third time.
"Nothing. Just... there was this man, looking a lot like him."
She sighed again. He was stuck to what happened in the past. And to Lucy. He would never forget her. This was one thing to be sure about. But maybe there was a little space for her in his heart, Next to the big space Lucy would fill forever, of course.
"It's over now, love." She hugged him a second time.
He did not enjoy this and she knew it. But somehow she would get him to enjoy her hugs and kisses, she was optimistic about that. And someday he would love her back.
"Now, eat, dear. It's really good." She handed out the pie to him.
And he ate it, though doubtful. But seemed to like it. Nellie would never expect a compliment or so from Mr. Todd, but she could see in his eyes he liked her meat pie and that was compliment enough.
Then suddenly, his face expression changed. It was so quiet in the little barber shop, she could hear metal clinch against his teeth.
'What the...', she thought.
He opened his mouth slowly, almost in slow-motion, and got out something, glissening in the poor light that came from outside.
A golden ring.
"Oh my god", she whispered. She knew that ring. It was hers.
"My god!", Mr. Todd shouted. He looked at her, furiously, totally mad. "Lucy!"
Nellie was scared to death. He would beat her up or worse. Yes, she was really scared. But still the jealousy was stronger. Which, again, showed how much she loved him, even after all he had done.
"This is her? I just ate my wife?" He stared at her in disbelief. "You put her into your pies?! And I thought she died a long time ago..."
"Well, I didn't know", she murmured. "And you killed her!"
He dropped the pie in disgust.
"You want to come down with me, my pet? Save the rest of what's been left of her?", he asked calmly. "I don't like the idea of other people eating my beloved."
Did that really happen? Had he just given up? She hardly believed. But it was better to do what he told her. All she could do was somehow trying to calm him down. Because she could never run away from the man she loved, no matter, how evil or crazy he was.
So, they went down to the cellar and stopped right in front of the mincer.
It now looked more terrifying to her than usual. She realised how many people she had put into this thing. Real human beings. Why did this now feel so wrong?
"You're so right, Mrs. Lovett", he admitted. "It's not right to think as much about the past as I do. Maybe I should just try to forget. And I think that maybe I could make you mean the same to me as she did." He smiled so gently, it almost seemed scary to her.
Then he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and though she never enjoyed anything as much as this, it was even scarier than the smile. He acted so out of character.
Her head knew there was anything terribly wrong, but her heart could not just push him from her and run away.
Then, in a sudden, he lifted her up.
Her consciousness came back. This man was evil. He would never love her. He could feel nothing but hatred, nothing more.
"No, no, no!", she screamed. "Let me down, let me down!"
But it was too late. Too late to escape.
"Please, love, have pity. Don't do something, you'll regret!"
She did not just imagine, she knew what was going to happen. Mr. Todd had no pity at all.
"You'll be exactly like her, Mrs. Lovett. You'll suffer the same and you'll end up the same. Only, you'll still be alive."
He then lifted her right into the mincer and pushed her down.
Nellie screamed. She screamed so loudly, maybe now he would at least have the pity to slide her throat first.
She was not able to climb out of that damn thing, it was too high, and she knew she was going to die and she knew she should blame him for all the things he had done and she knew she had to hate him – but still, she loved him.
Mr. Todd began to turn the winder. Once again, she tried to jump up and climbed out. But she could not. The damn thing was covered with blood, all over, and it was too wet and slippery.
There was the first moment she felt pain, as if blades were cutting her feet. She felt the blood rushing out of her wounds. It was nauseating. Next, she would feel her bones break and, even worse, she could her it. Now she really felt sick. Besides the pain. It was almost unbearable.
As far as she could sense, Mr. Todd was laughing now, a mad, unconscious laughter. But she coul hardly sense anything but pain.
She saw blood spreading all around her and it made her sick. It was everywhere. It spurted in every direction. Her face, her hair, everything was covered with blood, she hardly could see anything but blood. Her blood, she realised. This was one of the last thoughts, running through her head, while she only waited for cure.
There was pain, pain, nothing but pain, pain – and she still loved him more than anything – pain, pain, pain.
And then, finally, there was darkness.
So this may be the death of Nellie Lovett, a woman who suffered and died from love.