Thank you to SecretSparrowTodd, Bellatrix Nellie Le-Lovett, and Ana for your encouraging reviews. They really spurred me on to write this chapter. Please keep reviewing, they make me write.

Chapter 2

Mrs. Lovett was sat at one of the booths, gazing out the window, daydreaming. It had not stopped raining for three days straight. The storm from the first day had died down, but it had left a constant heavy downpour in its wake.

She and Mr. Todd had hardly spoken since he'd burst in on her dreaming. Every time they saw each other, her mind drifted back to his face after he'd woken her. Concern, it was definitely there. But as soon as he realised she was awake, he'd looked away, and when his eyes returned to hers, there was nothing, just his usual emotionless gaze. She sniffed slightly and sighed, picking up the bottle of gin and pouring herself a generous amount.

"Mum?" A small voice sounded from the shadows in the door of the parlour. Mrs. Lovett looked round. "Mum?" It called again. Quietly, Mrs. Lovett placed her glass down on the table.

"Toby?" She answered softly, "Wha' ya doin' up at this time o' nigh'?"

Slowly, the boy edged out of the shadows, "I 'ad a bad dream." He said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "I know 'ow ya feel." Mrs. Lovett thought. He wandered groggily over to where Mrs. Lovett was sat, dragging his feet. Shuffling up on the bench, she patted the area next to her, indicating for him to come and join her. He sat down, snuggling into her open arms.

"D'ya wanna talk 'bout it darlin'?" She asked, wrapping her arms tightly around his thin body, protecting him from the world. She felt the boy take a deep breath before nodding. Gently, she rested her cheek on his head, waiting for his to tell her about his nightmare.

"You was there, an' Mr. Todd, an' a lady from the work'ouse. She said I 'ad to go back cos I were too much trouble for ya an' I didn' work 'ard enough for me keep." He paused, sniffing. Mrs. Lovett knew he was crying and pulled him closer, hushing him softly. "I tried ta stay but the lady dragged me away. She were strong an' I couldn' ge' away from 'er. When I looked back Mr. Todd were laughin' a' ya because you was cryin'. I told the lady I wan'ed to go back bu' she started laughin' at me as well, an' jus' dragged me 'arder. We got back ta the work'ouse and she shoved me in this room an' locked the door an' said I couldn' be trusted because I'd run away." His voice began to break up.

"Sshhh, sshh, darlin'. I won' let tha' 'appen ya know tha'. You work 'arder than I do. 'Ow could I mange without ya ey?" She comforted.

"I'm sorry." She heard him whisper. She frowned.

"Wha' for darlin'?" She asked, pulling back slightly so she could see his tear streaked face.

"Fer disturbin' ya. Ya looked like ya was thinkin'. Like ya didn't wan' ta be disturbed." He said, looking up at her. She smiled sadly down at him.

"T'was nothin'. Don' ya worry yerself 'bout it." She smiled, wrapping her arms tightly around him again. In truth, she'd welcomed the interruption of her thoughts, giving her a break from running his face through her mind over and over. "Now, lets get ya a nice tumbler o' gin and get ya back ta bed shall we?" She felt him nod against her. Taking her arms away from him, she topped up her glass and handed it to him, kissing his forehead and moving back so he could get out from behind the table.

"Nigh' mum. Thanks fer listenin'." He mumbled, before turning and wondering back to his bedroom.

"Nigh' darlin'. Sleep tigh'." She called after him. The room was then silent once more, leaving her to her thoughts.

-x-

"Toby! Ale fer the gentleman!" Mrs. Lovett called, pointing at the table. It was the lunch rush and Mrs. Lovett's meat pie emporium was unusually busy. It seemed everyone had taken advantage of the break in the rain, fearing it would start up again. There was a queue starting to form outside the front door and Mrs. Lovett feared they would have to send them away. Mr. Todd's shortage of customers over the past few days had also meant she had a shortage of meat.

"Only a tray full left ma'am!" Toby called from inside. Mrs. Lovett sighed in annoyance, looking at the rapidly forming queue. She didn't have much time to dwell however as the customers who were lucky enough to get a pie were keeping her busy.

Mr. Todd was stood outside his door at the top of the stairs, watching Mrs. Lovett rush around serving the endless amount of customers. Toby was nowhere to be seen, meaning she had to serve all of the customers outside herself. She looked stressed. He felt a twinge in his stomach, a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. Shaking his head, he pushed it to the back of his mind. Sweeney Todd did not do feelings. He watched silently as she wondered past a big man with his back to him. She was carrying a jug of ale and as she walked past, he grabbed her wrist, the ale sloshing out over his arm. The man stood up quickly, arms shooting up in the, waving around. He was shouting at her and stepping towards her aggressively. Suddenly, he realised where he'd seen then man before. It was the same one that had pulled her onto his lap the week before. Subconsciously, he reached for the razor in his holster as the man stepped closer to her. He felt anger welling up inside him. Deep down, he knew he couldn't do anything, but as the man reached down with one hand and grabbed her wrist, yanking it above her head and drunkenly swinging at her with the other, he snapped. Storming down the stairs, taking them two at a time, he flicked his razor open, before shutting it, and repeating the action. Pushing his way through the oblivious customers, he finally reached the man still holding tightly onto Mrs. Lovett's wrist. Roughly, he grabbed the larger man's shoulder and wrenched him away from the baker. Spinning him round, he glared dangerously into his eyes, his own full of fire and hate. "I do apologise for the Lady's behaviour Sir. Inacceptable. Can I offer you a …shave as a way of making amends?" He asked, his voice bitterly sweet as a smirk crept across his lips.

The man grinned and nodded, "I think that'd do it." He slurred, following the barber towards his parlour.

Mrs. Lovett sank down onto the bench the man had backed her up against, breathing heavily. Mr. Todd had saved her, had come to her rescue. She thought for a moment. Had he been watching her? How did he see her and the man if he hadn't been? Shakily, she took a deep breath and stood up. She had customers to see to. She bent down and picked up the jug she'd dropped when the man had grabbed her and wondered back to the shop to refill it. She'd go and thank Mr. Todd later.

-x-

Mr. Todd led the man up the stairs to his parlour, his hand resting on his shoulder to stop him stumbling. "In here Sir." He said in mock politeness as he led him through the door. He paused, looking up. The bell hadn't sounded. He shook it off, following the man in. "Please, take a seat." He said, gesturing towards his chair.

The man staggered over, throwing himself down heavily in the chair. "Shave away." He chuckled, hiccupping.

Mr. Todd snarled, disgusted. He wasn't worth his razors. He looked down at his silver friend glittering in his palm. Softly, he ran his thumb over the handle as he edged closer to the back of the chair. In one sudden, swift movement, he lashed out, swiping the blade cleanly across the man's thick neck. Stepping back and wiping his razor, he watched with a smirk on his face as the man gargled and twitched. "No one touches my things." He growled, before pressing the pedal and watching as the man slid off the chair and fell to the bake house below.

Turning his back on the chair, he paced over to his table and wiped his hands clean, replacing his razor into his holster. He frowned. Why had he just done that? 'Because you care about her!' His subconscious taunted. 'When are you going to wake up and realise that?'

"No!" He growled, spinning round and punching the mirror in blind furry. Shards of glass flew everywhere, tinkling as they showered the floor. Recoiling, he gripped his bleeding fist, hissing in pain. Storming into his small bedroom in the corner, glass crunching under his feet, he quickly searched through his belongings for something to wrap his hand in. Rapidly getting frustrated, he tore the bottom off an old shirt and tied it tightly round his still bleeding knuckles.

Sinking down on his bed, he decided he needed to be honest with himself. He thought back to three nights ago when he'd broken Mrs. Lovett's bedroom door down and stormed in to wake her from her nightmare. He remembered her face, contorted with fear. He'd felt worried about her, seeing her writhing around on the floor screaming in terror. He wanted to know what she had been dreaming about, what had caused her to act like that but he couldn't ask her, that was far too personal. He sighed, pressing gingerly on his throbbing knuckles. He didn't think they were broken. Running his hand across his forehead, he stood up, "I don't have feelings for Mrs. Lovett. She means nothing to me. She's just my landlady until I get rid of the judge, and then things'll change. And the sooner that happens, the better." He said aloud, trying to convince himself. Happy he'd managed to convince himself, he turned towards the door to walk out when he heard a quiet creek coming from the shop. He stopped, listening. It was quiet but definitely there. Slowly, he crept to the door, pushing it slightly open and peering out. The shop was totally deserted. He pushed the door open fully and stepped out. Looking round, everything was normal, except for one thing. The door was wide open. And then he remembered, the bell wasn't working. Even if someone had come up, he wouldn't have heard. He sighed, frowning and rubbing his forehead as he walked over and closed the door again. It was only as he turned back into the shop that he realised what he had said before hearing the creek. "I don't have feelings for Mrs. Lovett. She means nothing to me. She's just my land lady until I get rid of the judge, and then things'll change. And the sooner that happens, the better." The words ran through his head again. He hoped it wasn't her that had come up into the shop.

-x-

Half an hour earlier…

Gradually, the lunch rush had died down, more and more people beginning to leave as they realised there was no chance of getting pies today. The people who had been served leaving as soon as they had finished and paid. Just as Mrs. Lovett had taken money off the last customer, the rain began again, small drops splashing in the still puddles.

Toby had begun to clear the tables as soon as the pies ran out meaning the tidying away was almost done when Mrs. Lovett joined him. They worked in silence, wiping tables and sweeping up quickly so Mrs. Lovett could get down to the bake house to make the pies for the dinner rush. After finishing up outside, Mrs. Lovett decided she should go and thank Mr. Todd before she went downstairs. As soon as she descended into the bake house, she wouldn't get out again for a few hours and she wanted to thank him before she forgot. Propping the broom up against one of the tables, she weaved in and out of the others and towards the stairs up to Mr. Todd's parlour. Quickly, she made her way up the stairs, pausing at the door. She peered in through the window, there was no one there. The man must have been 'dealt with', but Mr. Todd was nowhere to be seen. She didn't remember seeing him come down. Deciding she'd wait in there for him, she pushed the door in quietly and stepped in. She paused, looking up. The bell hadn't sounded. She shook it off, closing the door carefully behind her. Curiously, she wondered in, heading over to the chest of draws where two photos sat. She carefully picked them up, recognising the figures in them instantly. They were the pictures of Lucy and Joanna. She hadn't seen them for a while, she thought, hoped, he'd put them away. Sadly, she ran her thumb over the picture of Lucy sat holding Joanna. Could she ever live up to his precious wife and daughter? Could she, in his eyes, ever replace her? With a sad sigh, she placed the photos back on the side, deep down knowing the answer.

From the corner of the room, she heard movement. She looked over; it was coming from Mr. Todd's bedroom. She tiptoed closer, hearing a voice inside. It was him. Straining her ears to hear, not daring to move any closer, she listened to his deep voice. "I don't have feelings for Mrs. Lovett. She means nothing to me. She's just my landlady until I get rid of the judge, and then things'll change. And the sooner that happens, the better."

Mrs. Lovett was stunned, she could hardly move. So that was it, he really didn't have feeling for her, he really didn't care about her one bit. She couldn't stay there anymore; she had to get out before he came out. Panic started to rise inside her as she turned around to leave, only to step on a creaky floorboard. Gasping, she dashed out, leaving the door wide open as she bolted down the stairs, wanting to get to the safety of her shop as quick as possible. Dashing in the door, she slammed it behind her, slumping against it and sliding down to the floor, head in hands, sobbing her heart out.

"Mum?" A small voice whispered, "Mum what's wrong?" It repeated, laced with concern.

Mrs. Lovett almost screamed. She loved Toby to pieces and wouldn't be without him for the world but right now she just wanted to be alone. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her streaming eyes and looked up at the boy with the best smile she could muster. "Nothin' my darlin', nothin'." She said, trying to stop anymore tears from falling but failing as she saw the worried expression on the approaching boy's face. "I jus' found out an old friend 'as died that's all. I'll be alrigh' in a minute." Appearing satisfied with this answer, he nodded slightly and turned around, wandering back to the parlour, leaving Mrs. Lovett alone again. Pacing her head in her hands, she broke down in tears again, reaching up behind her and flipping the sign in the door over so it read 'Closed'.

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