Disclaimer: I don't own Sweeney Todd or any Sweeney characters.
A sigh escaped from between Nellie Lovett's lips as she dropped down onto her bed. Despite having the assistance of young Toby, the dinner rush had completely exhausted her. She stretched briefly, groaning at the soreness in her muscles. To take her mind off the ache in her legs, she turned her thoughts to the man responsible for the seemingly sudden success of her pie shop. At the moment, Mr. T was most likely polishing off another customer.
Poor buggers, she thought, though without pity
Pity or not, it was Mr. Todd's recent drive to kill that had given her the "supplies" she needed to really make her own business thrive. And, with Mr. T's constant need to spill blood, there didn't appear to be any shortage in supplies any time soon. But oh, how she wished that he'd break away from his murderous intentions long enough to spend just a few, calm moments with her…
The now-familiar sound of the door to the shop jolted her from the doze she had begun to slip into to. She figured it was Mr. T, coming in for the night to wash and sleep. It was such a wonder to her that he even slept at all, with revenge laced in his mind in all waking hours. On some nights, she herself would struggle to drift off into lush dreams. It was in these nights that her otherwise empty bed seemed so much bigger…and much more vacant. What she wouldn't give to awake and see him sleeping soundly beside her; to feel his warmth surround her, comforting her better than any of the ratty blankets she'd been using in the colder nights.
She could hear him shuffling around in the kitchen, probably pouring himself a "nice tot of gin"; the stuff IS quite useful for restless souls who can't seem to let dreams come to them.
"Mistuh T," she called out
"What?"
"Come in 'ere."
A thud of glass against wood suggested that Mr. Todd had indeed been indulging in the "workhouse drink". She listened to his footsteps bringing him closer until he appeared in the doorway, another noticeable red stain on his shirt.
"What?" he repeated, more than a touch of irritation in his voice
"Come 'ere," Mrs. Lovett said, "Lie with me."
Mr. Todd raised an eyebrow. The slightest touch of puzzlement crossed his face; even so, his usual expression remained, apparently unchanged.
"Come on, dearie," Nellie coaxed, "You need your rest."
Looking like death warmed over wasn't a good look for him.
"Then I'll rest in my own bed," he said, and left her alone again
Mrs. Lovett sighed. Mr. T could be such a stubborn man. But if rest in his bed is what he wants, then she wouldn't argue.
She sat up, fighting against her aching muscles, and a smile slowly formed across her face.
No, she wouldn't argue.
--
Mr. T took the half empty glass of gin and downed the rest of its contents. First considering pouring himself another glass, he simply took the entire bottle with him and headed off to doze for a while. He stopped at his bed, set the bottle aside and stripped himself of his waistcoat and scarf. He climbed onto the bed and tried to block out all thought; this, he failed abysmally to do.
When will I get to the Judge? he thought miserably, as he had been for longer than he cared to remember
His obsessive thoughts were broken by the sudden sound of footsteps approaching. He vaguely hoped that the footsteps would fade away as soon as they'd first sounded, but to his dismay, they grew more pronounced with every step. Knowing full well who it must be, he rolled over on his side, away from the doorway.
Nellie's voice came drifting from said doorway, "Mistuh T?"
"What is it?" he said, attempting to conceal his exasperation
Her footsteps sounded again, clearly getting closer to where he rested. A sudden indent on the other side of the bed told him that Mrs. Lovett had most likely sat herself next to him. This made him start slightly, and he turned to see that she, with a smile, was lying by side as though it were a regular action.
"What are you…" he began, but his voice trailed off as a slight twinge of amusement mixed with his growing irritation.
"Well," Nellie stated in a matter-of-fact manner, "you won't lie with me, so I'll lie with you."
To this, he made no objections.
A/N: I really ought to sleep as well. Yeah, if I woke up and saw Mr. Sweeney Todd lying next to me (or anywhere else, for that matter), my brain would orgasm. With that, feel free to leave a review.