Life is for the Alive My Dear
Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd.
Chapter 2: Nothin's Gonna Harm You
"Where's the boy?" Sweeney Todd said fingering his razor while looking around the bake house. He had to get rid of Toby, because the little rat would run to the law and it would be the gallows for both him and Mrs. Lovett.
"No, not Toby. 'E's a simple thing, 'e won't tell nobody." Nellie said quickly, trying to convince Sweeney to leave Toby alone. Truth is she didn't actually know whether or not Toby would want to keep such a horrible secret.
He stared at her for a long moment. There was something about the way her eyes pleaded for him to leave her Toby alive. A look that could only come from a mother who desperately cared about her child. It made his heart feel as if it was being constricted, but what emotion could be so powerful? Why in the hell did he care anyway, this daft woman was just begging to be arrested by trying to leave the boy alive. However, that look was just so powerful that it clouded his judgment. "We'll see," he said as he walked toward the sewers.
Mrs. Lovett felt her body swell with hope and relief. Hope that Toby was still here and that he wouldn't tell anybody, and relief that Sweeney might not kill him. If she played her cards right and got Toby to promise not to tell a soul then she might get to keep her little boy.
"Toby, where are you love?" Nellie sang as she walked alongside Mr. Todd. "Nothin's gonna harm you, not while I'm around….Nothin's gonna harm you darlin'….not while I'm around."
They had just walked over a sewer grate when they heard a scraping sound and turned around. Mrs. Lovett looked down to see Toby poking his head out of the drain. "Toby!" she called out happily.
Toby practically flew out of the drain and into Nellie's waiting arms. "Mum!" He yelled joyfully as he hugged her tighter than he ever has before. "I won't tell a soul. I swear mum!" Toby sobbed into her shoulder.
Mrs. Lovett looked up to Mr. Todd with pleading eyes, "Mr. Todd…please" she whispered as tears brimmed her eyes.
"Fine" he growled out, then he stomped angrily up the stairs of the bake house toward his shop.
Nellie watched him stomp away like a child, "great stupid thing" she muttered still holding the crying Toby.
She pulled him away from her and looked at him. His face was smudged and dirty, and he reeked of sewage. "Now Toby dear, how 'bout we go an' get you cleaned up, hmm?" she cooed to him sensing that he was still frightened out of his mind.
"Alrigh', but mum, can I ask you a question?" Toby asked as he stopped crying.
"Wha' is it love?" Nellie asked as she gingerly combed out his ratty hair with her fingers.
Toby looked around uncomfortably before he spoke, "Why…um..why didn't Mr. Todd… ya know…kill me?"
Ah, 'e is a smart one. I was 'oping 'e wouldn't figure out Mista Todd's true intentions. Mrs. Lovett didn't have an answer for Toby, because that bloody man was harder to figure out than a rubiks cube. So she just answered with a simple "I dunno dear" and lead Toby up the stairs so that they both could get cleaned up.
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Damn that woman. Damn her straight to hell for making him spare that stupid boy. Damn her for making him second-guess himself. But most of all damn her for making him feel anything besides hate and disgust for the world.
Sweeney abruptly stopped pacing in front of his window and realized something that both shocked him and made his blood boil with rage. She made him feel. She, Nellie Lovett, made him, Sweeney Todd feel. What. The. Hell.
What had he felt anyway? What was it that he felt as he stared down into her chesnutt eyes that were brimmed with tears as she held the sobbing boy, her son, in her arms.
Before he could allow himself to thing about feelings, another question popped into his mind. Why did he spare Toby's life? What in the world could have possibly possessed him to go against his own wishes and listen to those of his landlady? Maybe it was because he didn't want to take away the little sliver of happiness that Mrs. Lovett and Toby had together. No! I did it because my mind was so jumbled from finally killing the judge and the beadle that my judgment was impaired. Yes that must be it. Sweeney tried his hardest to convince himself that that was the only reason for his actions, but there was a tiny insignificant voice in the back of his head telling him that it was something far deeper and much more complicated.
He resumed his pacing once more with thoughts of Judge Turpin filling his mind. It was then that the words he thought mere minutes ago actually hit him. It's done. It's over. Actually….over. That meant everything he had lived for, everything he had waited for since he came back from Australia was done. He had done everything he needed to do.
He plopped down heavily into his still bloody chair and thought, What's left for me now? I don't have a reason to live anymore.
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Nellie sighed as she sat in her chair next to a roaring fire with a cup of gin in her hand. She had finally gotten Toby cleaned up and into bed. It took a lot of persuasion and more than a few cups of gin. She was glad that he was asleep because it would give her a chance to think and come up with some good answers for his questions.
She couldn't even explain how happy she was that Sweeney had spared Toby. The boy was a good help, and she loved him a lot. Maybe someday Mr. Todd could learn to appreciate and maybe even love Toby too.
Mrs. Lovett was confused. Questions kept swirling in her mind. What was going to happen to them now? Would they go to the sea like she dreamed? Or would they stay here and continue to kill people and bake them into pies? All questions she had to get answered by Sweeney Todd.
Her thoughts drifted to the demon barber as she heard his heavy footsteps from upstairs. She knew the sound all too well, he was pacing in front of the window again, as usual. As she thought about Sweeney, she was wondering what could be troubling him now. He had his revenge on all the people who wronged him. Well maybe not all. She was still alive, but he didn't know about Lucy. Suddenly her body began to fill with grief and regret. She didn't know what to do, she had burned Lucy's body. Should she tell him, or should she keep it a secret for the rest of her life. I don' think I could live with the fact tha' I lied to Mista T about somethin' so troublin' to 'im.
As these thoughts swam in her head, she wondered if she actually had lied to Mr. Todd. It was true that she did only tell him that Lucy poisoned herself, and never said she died. But is it lying if she knows he killed her and doesn't tell him. Well these things would have to be dealt with another day when Sweeney wasn't likely to slit her throat and throw her into the oven. Maybe she would try and melt his heart and have him warm up to her before she told him.
She sighed as her thoughts drifted back to Toby. Ah, speakin' of Toby, I've got ta go an' thank Mista T for sparin' me boys life. With that, she got up from her chair and walked out of the parlor towards Sweeney's shop.
tbc...
A/N: yay! Another chapter. And sooner than I thought too! I just hope it's long enough. I'll update again soon. I love any ideas you guys have for this story. Know that they will be taken to heart. :D