Hello there! This is my first Sweeney fic "Ghosts" GASP! Cue dramatic music! :P hahaha well, for this fic, I'm extending the movie timeline a little, so instead of having it take place all in one month- its going to be longer :) And this all starts after Sweeney has been living above Mrs. Lovett for a week (Pirelli hasn't happened yet).

ENJOY! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd... *sob*

Prologue:

The sky above the city thundered, the dark clouds alerting the inhabitants that a storm was at their doorstep. The residents all ran for cover, either popping out their umbrellas, hopping into their carriages, or running for shelter in their fire-warmed, cozy homes. And as these citizens escaped the impending rain, they were unaware of the other unfortunate city dwellers who, not owning even an umbrella, had to hide in alleyways, under anything they could find.

Among these unlucky people, consisting of crazy beggars, scary old drunks, and the disturbed, were two female orphans, ditching their crates to find a better refuge from the storm.

Both were skinny and pale- an indication of their life in the streets. It was obvious that they were no aristocrats. The older girl grabbed her companion's shivering hand, taking off in a run, tattered, dirty, and stained dress flapping. Her dark eyes were narrowed with determination, ignoring the younger girl's complaints about her going too fast.

They rounded a corner and found themselves on Fleet Street- home of old buildings and some sketchy shops with questionable origin. And Mrs. Lovett's pie shop. The one said to be haunted by the ghost of an unfortunate man taken away from his family and shipped away to Australia. The older girl recalled the tale sadly from her toddler days.

"Val! Slow down!" the younger child hissed, trying to fix one of her worn out, too-big boots.

"Quiet, Bella. We can go in here!" The older girl said, pulling her in the direction of the pie shop, darting in front of an angry coach that was clearly, like everyone else, in a rush.

"But, isn't that-"

"Hush!" she gripped the doorknob and turned back to the younger child. "We'll take what we can get. Now let's go!" She yanked open the door and dragged the reluctant child behind her, into, what they didn't know, would be a lot more than just a temporary shelter.

Into the life of a vengeful barber and a shop with pies that were so much more than they appeared. Or tasted.

Mrs. Eleanor "Nellie" Lovett stood at the counter, leaning on her elbow, as she watched the people outside scuttle about, seeking shelter from the storm. She sighed, her eyes moving to follow a bug crawling across the floor with disinterest. No matter how hard she tried, the damn pests wouldn't leave. She had given up. It wasn't like people visited her shop anyway... Well... except for Mr. T. He was there. But even though he was occupying part of her property, she wasn't about to fluster herself over a problem that she had already tried to solve and failed.

"Ugh, maybe if I had some bloody money I'd be able to make this damn building more appealing," she thought aloud bitterly. "Or even an assistant..."

Her head jerked up as the bell attached to the front door clanged violently. She blinked.

Standing in front of her were two girls, neither looking too happy or healthy. One was older than the other by a substantial amount, but they both shared a dark expression that made her immediately jump to the conclusion that they were related. The older girl looked like she was around 16 or 17- but her face showed signs of immense maturity obviously gained through some type of hardship or struggle. It reminded her of Mr. T's... the way her eyes betrayed no emotion and seemed to be clouded by darkness was nearly identical to his.

She wore a plain black dress that had definitely seen better days, considering the edges were torn in many places, and there were stains that looked permanent... and questionable. Her brown hair was extremely straight, but greasy- looking like it had been neglected proper care, but had, at one point in time, been beautiful. Her skin was pale, and her face held a beauty that was hidden behind her hard expression.

Her younger companion was dressed in a similar black dress, except more abused and looking like it was a hand-me-down, as opposed to just seeming worn. Her hair was dark, the true color hiding behind the grit and grease. It was in two long braids reaching her mid-back, tied with what looked like scrap ribbon. She was scowling and her green eyes revealing her frustration with the world.

In short, they both looked positively dreadful.

"Oh my..." Mrs. Lovett sighed. "How can I help you, dearies?"

"We were wondering if we may take refuge from the storm here- just until it lightens up, Mrs. Lovett," the older girl spoke calmly and with an almost aristocratic air. Mrs. Lovett was shocked at the refined way the girl spoke- not at all expecting such smooth, perfect English to come from a girl who looked like she slept in the streets.

"Of course, of course." Mrs. Lovett said, motioning towards the booth next to the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." The girls nodded their thanks and sat down. The baker narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her visitors once more.

They walked lightly, with an almost dancer-like grace . The way they carried themselves did not match their appearances at all... and the way they whispered amongst themselves... it was as if they didn't want the world to know anything about them.

The sky outside thundered loudly, rain pelting against the dusty windows of Mrs. Lovett's shop. It was like that for hours, yet the girls continued their hushed conversation, unfazed by the horrid weather outside. For the most part, Mrs. Lovett didn't pay much attention to them, but her curiosity arose once more when she saw the older girl pull a small pouch out from her dress and dump the contents on the table.

Money.

There seemed to be a plentiful supply of it, at least in that pouch, for when the girls began counting, they both brightened up ever so slightly. Their whispering became more excited, and it took all of the baker's willpower to not poke her nose in their business. However, she did notice that it was now slipping into the evening, and the storm hadn't lightened up at all. If anything, it had gotten stronger.

She knew that Mr. T would be coming down soon, looking to see if she had made any dinner for him to take back to his shop and eat in solitude, and, though they didn't bother her, needed to find out what she was going to do with the girls.

She took a deep breath, finding herself slightly intimidated by their presence, and walked over- their conversation cutting off as they saw her approach.

"Er, loves, I don't mean to barge in on your conversation, but-" she squirmed slightly under their gazes. It was incredibly unnerving... "It's getting late and since it's impossible to go anywhere in weather as horrid as this, why don't you just stay the night? I'm sure it'll clear up in the mornin'," she smiled, trying to convey her sincerity. She didn't want them to think that she was merely doing it out of pity... even though she was.

"We can leave," the younger girl said bluntly, giving Mrs. Lovett a hard stare.

"No, no! Stay! No one should be walkin' out in this!" the baker said. She placed her hand on the table and leaned toward the girls. "Come now, why don't you wash up. I'm sure I have some spare clothes for you." She began walking away, waving for them to follow. The girls glanced at each other, but got up and started off behind her, unaware of the man who was observing from the side-door window, scowling.

I hope you liked it :) please review!