She was sat in the parlour whilst a storm roared outside. She shifted slightly in her sleep when the thunder clapped causing the book that had been resting in her lap to fall to the floor with a soft thud, causing her to move ever so slightly again, but not awaken.
A flash of lightning suddenly bathed the small room with light to reveal a man stood in the doorway, sopping wet. He was hidden in the shadows, watching her closely.
It had been a difficult day and he has been looking forward to that evening, sitting by her fire, drinking her Gin, listening to her voice.
Another clap of thunder echoed around the building and he hesitated. He didn't want to wake her, but he did not want to venture back outside in this pouring rain to go back to his cold, dark, lonely room.
He stepped into the room and removed his coat as quietly as possible, placing it on, what he had classed as, his chair. He then moved over to her cabinet, where she kept the Gin.
He had to pay close attention to what he was doing as the room was dark and he did not want to wake the poor woman up.
Another flash of lightning showed him he was by the cabinet, and the Gin and glass were there at the front, but the lightning has caused her to roll over and mutter something. He froze, not wanting to be caught, but then she muttered, 'Sweeney.'
His eyes widened and he moved from the cabinet to her, staring intently at her. She moved again, muttering his name and he could only stare at her, full of surprise. What was she doing, saying his name?
After a moment of staring at her small, vunerable and... oddly attractive body, Sweeney remembered why he was there. For the Gin. However, he didn't see the book. As he moved away from her, his foot caught on it and he stumbled, falling onto her.
She woke with a jump and slapped him. He fell off her and onto the floor in shock as her panting calmed down and she looked over at him on the floor. Seeing him looking utterly bewildered calmed her breathing back to normal and he just stared at her.
After a moment she cleared her throat and broke eye contact. "Wot are you doin' 'ere love?"
Sweeney stood up when the moment was over and didn't know how to answer her question. "I- eh- I came for the Gin, and you were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you, but the book, I didn't see it. Tripped," he said, rather quickly.
Nellie Lovett looked up at him, taking this rare opportunity to study him. How had the great Sweeney Todd managed to trip on a book? He was incredible graceful, never once had he injured himself or others (well...) through carelessness. He must have been preoccupied.
"S'fine love. I'll get us some Gin, can you relight the fire, seems to have died out whilst I had my doze!" she said, cheerfully enough and Sweeney simply nodded, moving to where the logs where kept, chucking a few into the fire and poking it with the poker.
When he sat down, she handed him his glass and sat too. There they remained for a few minutes as they both drank until Sweeney cleared his throat, put his glass down and looked up to her.
"Mrs Lovett, I would like to ask you somthing, if you wouldn't mind," he said softly, and she just nodded, noting how sad his tone was. "Mrs Lo-" he was cut off when she placed her hand on his knee.
"Love, it's Nellie, or Eleanor if you'd prefer," she sat back and he swallowed, continuing.
"Eleanor, please, can you tell me what happened? Everything? From the moment I left until I came back? I need to know, it- it's killing me not knowing what happened to my wife and baby." he asked, looking right into her eyes when he finished, and again, all she could do was nod. Those dark eyes had her mesmerised.
"It was so long ago, love, but I remember like it were yesterday," she started. "Worst day of my life," she added softly. "It had started out fine, as you know. We ate breakfast together as usual and then you and Lucy left, taking Baby Johanna with you, talked about seeing the flowers?" she paused, checking that he was still paying attention. His eyes had been burning a hole into his Gin glass, but when she stopped, they shot up immediately and she nodded, continuing the story.
"Well, you left and I got on with cleaning the shop and such like, but then, you'd only been gone for an hour or so, when Lucy came running back, sobbin' 'er pretty lil' 'eart out. Asked her where you were, 'course, and why she were so upset but all she could say were you were gone and that Judge had been 'ere and he had said all these things to 'er, but she ran off back 'ere. I sat 'er down and took Baby Johanna..." her voice drifted off, tears filling her eyes. Sweeney stared at her, coughing slightly when she didn't continue.
"Oh- oh sorry, love, drifted away there," she said with a sniff before continuing.
"Anyway, this went on. E'ryday I went up to your lil' room, e'ryday I'd see Lucy sat in your chair, staring blankly into space, ignoring her wailin' child. E'ry morning I force feed 'er, promising 'er you'd be back tomorrow, e'ryday. Until abou' two/ three months after you'd gone. She started moving, gettin' up on 'er own, not needin' to be drugged so she'd sleep. I stared savin' me money then, knowing she'd need some and we 'ad bills to pay. E'ry penny I saved, saved for four years.
"I also stared to look after your Baby Johanna, growing into quite the lady she were. I taught 'er 'ow to make pies on 'er fourth brithday! But that was the night the Beadle came, and took your Lucy. I told 'er not to go, I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't speak out against the Judge... would've 'ad me 'anged! So she went and I looked after Baby Johanna. Next morning, I woke up to see a note on Johanna's crib and all of me four years of savin's gone. Note said that she, Lucy, was leavin' now, that he, the Judge, 'ad 'urt 'er in ways to 'orrible to say..." she glanced up at Sweeney and she saw his eyes were filled with unshed tears and he was staring intensely at her.
"Go on," he said when she stopped, his voice cracking a little.
"So I woke me Albert, showed 'im the note and 'e, bless 'im, got outta bed and left the shop to look for 'er. 'E were gone all day, came back at sunset. Told me 'e 'adn't found 'er, but 'e'd found 'er shoe..." Nellie said softly and this time, her tears fell. She felt so sad, so guilty about everything. The guilt she had felt when she thought Lucy had died and then the guilt of not telling Sweeney the truth. That Lucy still, technically, lived. But she knew it would break his heart if he saw her the way she was; a whore.
"I still 'ave that note... an' the shoe..."
"Can I see?" Sweeney asked her gently, his eyes full of sadness and concern. She nodded her head and left the room, coming back with a small box.
"'Ere, these are me memories, stored in a locked box under me bed," she gave him the box and sat back in her seat, watching him.
Sweeney paused for a second, scared to open the box, scared that he might break down, but he knew that he had to do it. He took a deep breath and lifted the lid...
He saw the shoe first. A beautiful, cream, heeled shoe that was so obviously made for Lucy Barker. He recognised it as her wedding shoe.
"I've tried to keep i' in good condition, but after all this time, it's run down a bit..." she said, but he ignored her, too busy focusing on the box.
He was looking for Lucy's letter, Lucy's... suicide note, but before he came to that, he saw a picture.
It was of Benjamin, and Lucy, holding Johanna and Nellie. They were standing outside her meat pie emporium and Benjamin was staring at his beautiful wife and daughter, whilst his wife and daughter stared at the camera and Nellie stared at him. Her stare was sad, lost and lonely.
He glanced up at her and she was staring out at the storm, so he slipped the picture in his pocket, wanting to puzzle over it later.
"You used to love tha' one," she said suddenly, and Sweeney jumped.
"W-What?"
"Tha' picture you just took. T'was framed in your shop, bent 'cause I wasn't to be in it, just you an' them," Sweeney pulled the picture out of his pocket and realised what she meant. The picture had a fold right between her face and Benjamin's.
"Why?" he asked.
"Lucy claimed it wouldn't've fit in the frame, knew she were wrong, but I wasn't gonna argue. When she left, I went up and took everything. Put in me room, there weren't much to be honest... All the pictures you e'er 'ad are in 'ere and I 'ad to sell all of your clothes, 'ad to feed Johanna. The bottle's also in 'ere, if you want to see it," Nellie said, looking at the box.
"Bottle?"
"Lucy took all the money for arsenic, swallowed the lot upstairs, then left. Searched for years, gave up when Albert died. She's been gone eight years, didn't think I would've found 'er, not now anyway," that was all true, except, after eight years, Lucy appeared by the shop as the crazy beggar woman, but Sweeney didn't need to know that.
"Johanna? What about her?" he asked, desperate to know.
Nellie took a deep breath, as this was the most painful part of the story for her to tell. "Few days after Lucy 'ad left, the Judge showed up, lookin' smug, far too smug. 'E barged in and demanded to see your Lucy, but I 'it 'im, attacked 'im. I told 'im what 'e'd down to 'er and what I were gonna do to 'im, but one of 'is guards came in and threw me off 'im, 'ittin' me 'ead on the counter. Judge then told the guards to find Johanna and take 'er, I couldn't resist, me 'ead was losin' a lotta blood.
"Albert was out lookin' for your Lucy, so I didn't 'ave any 'elp. The Judge then leaned over and whispered to me, his voice so low an' threatnin', never forgo' that day."
"What did he say?" Sweeney asked, his anger building up at the mention of the Judge, but he needed to know what he said to her.
"'E called me your whore, I were the reason you was gone. Ben and I were sleepin' together, behind Lucy's back and that, if it weren't for 'im, the 'Onourable Judge, she would've 'ad 'er 'eart broke. 'E then said that 'e 'ad taken Lucy at his ball, she wanted it, but I knew that were wrong. I knew what he mean' by 'at. I spat at 'im, it felt good, until 'e- 'is-" she stopped, she didn't want to continue, the memory still gave her nightmares, but when she felt Sweeney's hand grasp hers, still looked up, eyes wide with shock.
"Please tell me, Nellie, please."
She swallowed and nodded, before saying quietly, "'e issed me. Put 'is vile lips on mine..." she shuddered and Sweeney held her hand tighter, willing her to go on. "When 'e finally pulled back, 'e smiled, an' 'e said I were better than Lucy- 'e said 'e could understand why you chose me! 'E said Lucy were nothin' compared to that. I knew 'e was gonna try somethin', but I couldn't move, I could barely see... But your Baby Johanna let out a loud wail, and 'e moved from me, left me to go get 'er..." that was it, Eleanor couldn't continue, she ws in tears now, and they weren't stopping.
Sweeney stood, not letting go of her hand and he moved beside her and she fell into him, her head against his chest as she cried, wrapping her arms firmly around him, as if she was scared he would vanish.
"It's okay, Nellie, it's over, it's just a memory... calm down," he said, unsure how to console another person.
After a few minutes, she sniffed and pulled away from him, drying her eyes, looking down at the floor, too embarrassed to look at him.
"M'sorry, love, don't know what came over me,"
Sweeney just nodded, but he didn't move from where he was, nor did he indicate that she had to move.
"You know, I always thought that you let them go, that you didn't care, but you've just proved different, Nellie, but why? Why did you bother to try and help them?"
She smiled weakly and looked right at him, knowing that this was the moment, "because you love them, and I love you. I wasn't going to watch you suffer when you came back when I could 'ave 'elped." she said it so matter- of factly that he just stared, eyes wide.
"What?"
"I love you, Sweeney. I mean, I thought I loved Benjamin, but that was... a passing fancy? You, you're different, and I love you, didn'th thin it were possible, but I do." he was frozen, he didn't know how to react to that, but he didn't have to.
She leaned forward and pressed a short, sweet kiss to his lips. And he didn't pull back, in fact, after a moment, he felt himself kissing her back.
Sorry! Bad ending, but sweet enough, I hope... Read and review! xD
Ellie