XXX

"Hang on a minute, you want me to do what?" Nellie exclaimed.

"All you have to do is repeat the words after me. I'll be channeling both our magic, and it should be able to heal some of the damage done to his mind," Bella told her.

"And what then? Will he be how Benjamin Barker was years ago? Or will he be like he is now?" Nellie asked.

"I…don't really know. It could go both ways. He could either end up as a slightly more narcissistic version of Benjamin, or a less broody Sweeney Todd. We'll only know until after the ritual is completed," Bella told her.

"And you're sure? This is the only way we can help him?" Nellie asked worriedly.

"Yes. I can't think of any other way. If we leave him like this, you may want to start looking into asylums," Bella replied gravely.

Nellie bit her lip as she wondered what on earth she was going to do. Part of her screamed not to involve Mr. Todd in any of this magic business, but another part of her argued that if she didn't, then Mr. Todd could be lost to her forever.

Suddenly they were interrupted as the man himself entered the room, yawning and stretching after his nap in the parlour. His eyes lit up as they fell on her, and he scooped her up as soon as she was within reach, planting kisses all over her face and lips. Nice as this was, however, Nellie couldn't help but be slightly annoyed. She supposed that it could be chalked up to the fact that they had both changed over the years, and while this kind of greeting had been welcome when they were younger, it only served to irritate her now. She was used to her quiet, murderous and devilishly handsome Mr. Todd, who was maybe not as different to her as she originally thought. But Benjamin Barker just reeked of naivety to her, and it only served as a reminder to Nellie of how awfully they had been separated.

"Hello, Nellie," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck. The feeling of his nose brushing along the side of her neck was a pleasant feeling, but unwelcome when there were other people in the room. Slightly annoyed that he would do such an intimate gesture in a relatively public place, Nellie pushed him off gently.

"Hello, Benjamin," she replied, trying not to allow her irritation to show through.

"You look pale darling, are you alright?" he asked, brushing her cheek with the back of one hand.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Oh, Ben, I've almost run out of flour, would you mind running to the market and getting me some?" she said, feigning a pouty look on her face.

"Of course, my love. Anything for you," he replied, and kissed her one last time before leaving to do as she asked him.

Bella looked at her with a smirk.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. He can be slightly irritating in his own way, after all, he's as daft as he was when we were young when he's like that," she said, annoyed.

Bella only laughed.

"Seriously, though. I think…I think we'll have to go through with your plan," Nellie said, wringing her hands.

Bella sobered instantly, and nodded, pulling a small vial from her pocket.

"Make some tea and have it ready for when he comes back. Make sure to put this in his cup. It will keep him sedated long enough to perform the ritual," Bella told her as she gave her the small bottle.

Nellie nodded as Bella left her to go prepare the bakehouse for the ritual.

XXX

"Benjamin, luv, is that you?" Nellie called as she heard the shop door open.

She appeared in the doorway of the parlour to see a slightly disgruntled looking Sweeney Todd slowly carrying the heavy bag of flour over to the counter. It fell to the dusty surface with a thud, raising even more of the white powder. He looked down on his clothes, patting them roughly to get rid of the white streaks.

"You all right there, love?" she asked amusedly, raising a brow as she leant up in the doorway.

He looked up and caught sight of her, and his eyes instantly brightened, his face lighting up in a smile that for some reason made her heart stutter like it used to.

"Yes! Yes, I'm fine of course," he said as he came closer, "I got that flour you asked me to."

She couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, I can see that," she replied as she grinned up at him, "come on, why don't I make us some tea, eh?"

Within ten minutes, he's slumped against the table, snoring loudly. Nellie smiles fondly and strokes his head of crazy hair. She's interrupted when Bella appears in the kitchen.

"Is he asleep?" Nellie nods, "Good. Let's get him going."

XXX

Nellie was surprised when Bella slit the inside of Mr. Todd's wrist and collected some of the blood in a small bowl.

"What are you doing?" she asked, worried for the man himself.

"I need some of his blood to perform the ritual. Sh, now, I need to concentrate," Bella told her, dipping her finger in the blood. She drew strange symbols on Mr. Todd's forehead and temples, before stepping back.

"Okay, I need you to rest two fingers on his temples. You're limited magic will be the starter, like the spark to start the fire. I'll kindle it with my own, just repeat after me, okay?"

Nellie nodded and pressed her forefinger and middle finger of each hand to Mr. Todd's temples. Bella's hands covered hers, and together they started to chant.

Nellie could feel a weird sort of power rushing through her veins as their chanting got louder, and Mr. Todd appeared to be surrounded by a bright, red light. The light got brighter and brighter, and Nellie watched as it pulsed wildly. A softer, pure silver light penetrated it, and Nellie watched with fascination as the two seemed locked in a battle, until it flared out in a sudden burst, one that pushed both Nellie and Bella back into the bake house wall.

Nellie felt her vision darkening, and wondered again if performing this ritual was the best of ideas.