'ello! I thought I'd mix it up a bit since I'm doing a Sweeney one now! They need a happy ending, Sondheim! I turn off the DVD after "By the Sea" and murmur to myself "They live happily ever after" while in the fetal position! Anyway, this is the closest you will ever get to smut from me, you dirty dirty people! I giggle too much. Even during this I was laughing a bit.
Disclaimer: Must I be reminded that I don't own Johnny Depp? Why!
We sit in the shop drinking whatever gin that Toby hasn't drunk yet. I glance her way. She's staring and looks away nervously. I know she loves me, even with all my problems. She thinks that all that ever crosses my mind is revenge on the Judge. That's not true. Thoughts of Lucy and Johanna find their way in there too. But I think about her almost as much as the Judge. After losing Lucy, I didn't think I could ever let someone into my heart again. Then, when I walked into the shop that fateful day, I saw her. So pale, eyes sunken, hair unruly. I had to remind myself that I needed to breathe. The pie she gave me was perfect though it was rancid. It was perfect because it was made by her.
"What are you smilin' at?" she interrupts my thoughts. I wipe the smile from my face.
"Nothing." Smart response, I mentally scold myself.
She gets up and walks to the counter to chop already chopped parsley.
It's my turn to stare. It takes what feels like forever but she finally feels my eyes on her.
"What?" she demands.
"Nothing," I reply innocently. She doesn't buy it.
"You've been acting strange all day, Mr. T. You sure you're okay?"
"As well as I can be."
She finally leaves me alone. She walks to her bedroom. I resist the urge to follow her. I'm falling in love with her. No! I can't be! You can't be! I scream at myself. My hands fly to my eyes in frustration. The doorknob turns. I regain my cynical composure. She gives me one of those long stares that seem to bore into my soul. I try to glare at her but between the beauty and mercilessness of her stare I can't. I turn to look out the window behind me.
"Mr. T can I tell you something?" she asks. I still feel her stare.
"No," I say flatly. I know my answer won' stop her.
"I think you love me," she says anyway.
My heart stops. How can she tell? Must be those stares.
"Mr. T? Mr. Todd? Mr. T can you hear me?"
I wonder how long I've been silent. I couldn't care less.
"Yes."
"Yes, what?" I look at her. The stare seems to have softened. If she's nervous, she hides it well.
"Yes, I love you."
She gasps lightly. I'm not sure but I think her eyes well up. I stand and offer her my hand. She obliges. I pull her up and into my chest. I feel the tears soak through my shirt. I start to dance with her. I rest my head on her shoulder.
"I love you, Nellie Lovett," I whisper to her.
"I love you, too," she mumbles into my shirt.
I remove one of my hands from the small of her back and lift her chin. My breath hitches in my throat. She's so beautiful. I stare longingly into her warm, chocolate eyes. He breathing sounds shallow. At least she can breathe. I bend my neck slightly and very gently press my lips to hers. She reacts passionately. It stuns me. Her hands reach up to my head pushing me gently as if she can't get close enough. I break the kiss to murmur my love. She mumbles hers back. We reconnect. She grabs the lapels of my jacket and pulls me into her bedroom. She shuts the door and pushes me onto the bed. Our clothes seem to disappear. I kiss every inch of her, and she covers me with her kisses too. We come together. Our names are gasped, spoken, and screamed by each other. We collapse into each other's arms.
I feel happier here than I ever thought possible. I hear her breathing become steady. She's asleep. I shift so she's more comfortable. I don't sleep. I stare at her. She's so pale, hair even messier, if possible, and eyes more sunken from sleep deprivation. I gingerly move a fallen hair from her face. I can't look away.
"I love you, Nellie. More than you could ever know. More than I could ever understand."
A thought Lucy tries to break through. I push it back. She's gone. I'll always love her but she'd want me to be happy. Her eyes flutter open. She smiles at me while the light from the fireplace plays with her skin tone.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks.
"Lucy," I answer honestly. "I was thinking that even though she's gone, I still love her."
Her eyes fill with heartbreak and tears. It breaks my heart that she looks that way.
"I was also thinking about how she'd want me to be happy. And right now, I couldn't be happier. Happier than I ever thought I could be again."
Her heartbreak turns into love and the tears turn to one's of joy. Her eyes, curiously, looked as if she were fighting with herself over something.
"I have to tell you something about Lucy," she says, her voice barely audible. "She's not dead."
"What?" I feel my fingers flinch instinctively towards my 'friends.'
"She took the arsenic but it didn't kill her. It left her mad. I let you assume that she was dead because, to her, you were. She couldn't remember you or your pretty little Johanna. She couldn't do anything. I couldn't let you go through the pain because she was worse than dead," she said, her tears spilling over.
"Oh." That's all I can say. The Lucy I left behind was dead. The man she knew was dead too. I do love Mrs. Lovett, but she lied.
I look at her. She was staring at me, awaiting my reaction. I think for a little longer. I look back at her. Her face is barely an inch from mine. I close that distance. She seems as shocked as I am. We break apart.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," she says, snuggling into my chest.
I wrap my arms around her protectively, instinctively. I feel consciousness slowly slipping away. For the first time in fifteen years, I can sleep.
So…………………………….. What'd ya think? Please tell me! Bonus points to those who review!