*I do not own Mrs. Lovett or Sweeney, but if they go on sale any time soon I call dibs. Thanks for the great characters Sondheim! This is based upon the 2005 Broadway revival cast with the lovely Patti and Michael. This may be added to in the future, not sure yet.*

"No Point Dwelling in the Past"

Nellie placed her hands open palmed against her cheeks, slightly tugging her skin up towards her ears. She reveled in the small glimpse into the past she was allowing herself. She thought back, testing her own memory, Is that what I looked like all them years ago when Benjamin Barker left? Is this how Mr. T remembered me face? All smooth and tight? Did he remember me a'tall? she wondered. This thought caused her hands to drop slowly to her side. She continued to stare at the unfamiliar sight in the mirror, wondering whether her work-worn hands had left dirt on her face, or if it was an illusion created by stains on the battered full-length mirror standing in front of her. Deciding that if the dirt was indeed on her face, it wouldn't be worth wiping off, she sashayed out of her small dingy bedroom, through the parlor and to the front of the shop, her hips dramatically but involuntary swaying with each step.

Only three hours 'til the supper rush, and no pies made she thought to herself as she rushed about the room searching for various ingredients. After searching all the flimsy shelves on the back wall of the shop, she realized there was hardly enough "meat" to make one pie, let alone the five batches worth needed to feed the coming crowd. A clever grin stretched across her face, What a nice excuse to pop in on Mr. T she thought before scurrying outside the shop and up the creaky wooden steps to Mr. Todd's loft.

She swung the door open slowly and quietly before walking into the large, cold attic without introduction. Seeing the light shine off top of Sweeney's head, Nellie approached the turned-around barber's chair in the middle of the room, only to be stopped halfway by the low, muffled sound of sobs from behind the black leather chair. He was crying, and she couldn't believe it. The only other time she had seen him show any emotion besides rage was when she had told him of Lucy's fate, and even then he had barely let a tear roll down his cheek. Now he was sobbing uncontrollably, his hands gripping the arms of the chair tight enough to turn his knuckles white. She dared to inch closer, and pushed her stomach up against the back of the chair, placing her hands down over Sweeney's shoulders and proceeding to rub down his chest.

"You okay there Mr. T?" she croaked in her thick cockney accent just loud enough for him to hear, as she continued to rub small soothing circles over his chest.

"Of course I am foolish woman!" Sweeney spat out as he readjusted himself in the chair, shaking her hands away from him. "Who let you in anyway Mrs. Lovett? You could have walked in while the judge was here." He wiped his face with the sleeves of his white shirt and stood up to face her directly.

"I would've heard you rustlin' about up here if you'd had a client! Dontcha trust me, love? Now tell me what's botherin' yah." She reached out towards him with both hands only to have him step back to avoid contact. Her slender arms dropped to her sides while concern and disappointment painted her face.

"SOMEONE COULD HAVE SAVED HER!" he screamed with his eyes closed tightly "My Lucy, my poor Lucy…" he shook his head slowly and tears began to roll down his cheeks again. Mrs. Lovett stepped around the chair, and found herself standing inches from her love. Knowing that her actions may send him into a fit of rage, her hands began to shake in fear as she slowly wrapped both arms around Sweeney's warm, muscular frame. Surprisingly he did not shy away, although he did not reciprocate her tenderness either, keeping both of his hands between the two of them. Through his grief he didn't realize that the plump softness his knuckles pushed into were the bottoms of her full breasts. She, however, did notice and it only encouraged her to push her cheek against his with more pressure, nuzzling his ear with her nose. She began rubbing the same circles she had traced on his chest onto his back and softly shushing him causing his sobs to soften and eventually stop. She had never been in contact with him for this long, and the warmth of his hard, muscular chest against hers inspired her to test her luck and his temper. She turned her head and traced the tip of her long nose from his ear to the side of his nose, proceeding to slowly close the almost nonexistent gap between their lips with a long chaste kiss. She began to pull her full red lips from his, only to have him lean further in to prevent the break, and his arms snake out from between the two of them to encompass her properly. Her eyes flew open in surprise, but quickly fluttered closed again when she felt his tongue run across her lower lip.

Please review, I would love to hear what you think!