The end was near for the unsuspecting Nellie Lovett. Sweeney twirled them around the dank cobblestone floor inching her closer to the open oven. Finally, I'm going to make her pay for her lies. Sweeneythought, looking at the broad smile stretched across Mrs. Lovett's face, her eyes filled with joy. She thought she won. 'Well, Mrs. Lovett,' Sweeney wanted to say. 'You're wrong. You're dead wrong.' Just as he shoved his hand against her a bright flash blinded them both.
When they opened their eyes they found themselves no longer in the dark bakehouse but in a bright, flower-covered marketplace. They looked at each other, confused expressions on their faces. Sweeney knew where they were. They were in St. Dunstan's market fifteen years ago, when Benjamin Barker was arrested.
"Mrs. Lovett, do you know where we are?" Sweeney asked her, looking around the market. "No, why, luv?" Mrs. Lovett answered. "This is where I was arrested." Before she could answer to that, a young couple with a baby carriage strolled in to the square, smiles on their faces. The Barkers; Benjamin, Lucy, and baby Johanna. Sweeney stared at his former self as he watched the scene fold out before him. He and Lucy stopped amongst the flowers as she bent down to take their infant into her arms.
Sweeney knew he had to act fast. To much of Mrs. Lovett's surprise he rushed towards his old family. "Sweeney, no!" Mrs. Lovett called after him. "Don't change the past." But it was no use, Sweeney walked right up to his former self.
"Sir, I know you're enjoying your day, but I need to ask you to leave." Sweeney said, feeling awkward talking to himself. The Barkers looked at Sweeney a mixture of confusion and fear on their faces. "What for?" Benjamin asked, stepping closer to Lucy and baby Johanna. "Um, I saw a couple suspicious-looking men back there a ways. Who knows what they're up to." Sweeney tried. "But why us?" Lucy spoke up. "You have a baby You don't want her getting hurt." The Barkers looked at him, relief on their faces. "Thank you, sir." Benjamin said, taking Johanna from Lucy and putting her back in the carriage.
Sweeney watched his family walk away a moment before Judge Turpin could lay his eyes on Lucy. "That man looked oddly familiar, Ben." He heard Lucy mumble. When Sweeney turned around he saw Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford come out of the shadows. "Good day, sir." He said to Judge Turpin. The Judge nodded his head, a false smile on his lips.
Mrs. Lovett had a hurt expression on her face, tears welling in her eyes. "How dare you." She said. "We were supposed to be together." Sweeney looked at her. "Lucy and I are supposed to be with each other." Mrs. Lovett stood there, arms folded across her chest. The bright light blinded them again.
Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett landed in the bakehouse. There were no bodies on the floor or in the meat grinder, and the oven was unused. "Sweeney, your hair!" Nellie exclaimed. Sweeney ran his hand through his hair finding it soft and tousled instead of snarly. "You're Benjamin again." Mrs. Lovett couldn't believe her eyes. Sweeney was wearing a clean suit in place of his wrinkled white shirt and dirty trousers. A smile lit up his face as he realized that he had changed the past, made everything the way it should've been.
"Yes, my name is Benjamin Barker." He looked at Mrs. Lovett to see that she was different looking, too. Instead of being pulled up in snarled pigtails her hair hung down to her shoulders. Her dress had also changed, a shade of dark blue compared to her low-cut black dresses.
They looked at each other once more and ran for the stairs. They burst through the dorr and into the pie shop. The shop was empty and the sun shone through the curtained windows. "Well, looks like business is bad again." Nellie mumbled. "Where's Lucy and Johanna?" Sweeney wondered, his heart sinking a little. Abandoning Mrs. Lovett in her shop her ran out the door and up the stairs to his. He paused outside the door unable to see inside for the curtains were drawn. Slowly, Sweeney reached out and grabbed the door handle praying that he'd find his wife and daughter on the other side. The door swung open, the bell tinkling merrily.
Lucy and Johanna looked up at the door. "There you are, Benjamin!" Lucy said, walking over to him. Sweeney's heart nearly left his chest. He pulled her to him in a tight embrace. "Can't stand to stay away from us for fifteen minutes, eh?" She said, her head resting against his shoulder. "Mum and I were making plans for Christmas, Father." Johanna said, a smile on her face. "We're going to get a tree and put it over there in the corner." She pointed to where Pirelli's trunk had once been.
Sweeney stepped back and took in the sight of his barber shop. The dull gray walls once again had their yellow-and-green striped wallpaper, and a different barber chair sat in the corner of the room near the stove facing onto the street below. The rest of the room was furnished with a sofa and chair and a small dining table with three chairs surrounding it, along with Christmas decorations Lucy and Johanna must have put up.
"Come here, Johanna." He said, opening his arms. Johanna came over and stepped into his embrace. Sweeney held her tight to him as he had done with Lucy. "I'll never lose you again." He whispered, too quiet for them to hear. Benjamin Barker was the happy man he used to be again. He was given the unbelievable chance set things right so he could spend the rest of his days with his wife and daughter. Good things can come to those that are given the chance to change the past.
The End