Chapter Six

A/N: Thanks to my brilliant reviewers, dionne dance, Melanie3356, Noodlemantra, newestnightmare, Guest, calisurfingboy2, leajailbird and ScarlettClover11. I'd also just like to point out that this is now my most reviewed story, so please keep it up. Also, if you read any of my other stories, please review them as well. Now, on with the drama...

As she always did, Nellie awoke with the early sunrise, a still sleeping Toby cradled against her shoulder. She sat for a while, just watching the boy, stroking his hair absentmindedly. This had become rather a habit for the woman, as she had been having terrible nightmares ever since the day that the barber had threatened her with his razorblade.

We all deserve to die,
Even you, Mrs. Lovett, even I.

The words still haunted her to the very day. The time that the man had truly changed in her eyes, yet she had still not listened to her gut instincts, something she had cursed herself for since a long time ago, instead vowing that she could change him. A choice that was almost the death of her.

She had learnt her lesson now, or at least she prayed that she had. She could not trust Sweeney Todd ever again, not after all he had done. He most certainly wasn't the Benjamin Barker she had used to know, that much was certain. As he had told her when he returned, that man was dead, leaving only a murdering, bloodthirsty psychopath still remaining in his soul. He wasn't that kind young lodger any more. He was nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer.

She was brought to reality from her dwellings as the young boy in her arms began to stir. He raised his head in a moment, smiling as he saw the woman beside him had already woken.

"Mornin', Mum." Toby mumbled, in a cheery tone, albeit one laced with sleep.

"Good mornin', Toby." Nellie responded, her voice showing that she was utterly lost in her thoughts.

"Are you alrigh', Mum?" Toby asked the woman, more than a little concerned.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Toby." she replied, with just as little enthusiasm as there had been awareness of Toby's greeting. Truthfully, the boy still didn't quite believe in the truth behind the baker's words, but decided to push the matter no further. Instead, he sat in silence on the settee as his mother dared to walk into one of the other rooms, for the sake of propriety, as she dressed for the day.

It was a fair few minutes before she emerged, something looking like tear tracks staining her porcelain face, but still Toby made no comment. He merely reached up to wrap his arms around her as she went towards the door, holding her with all of his might. She smiled at this, wrapping her arms around him in turn.

"Goodbye, Toby, love. I'll see you tonigh', and I'll bring you 'ome something nice from the stall." Nellie told him, picking up a number of boxes before making her way out of the door and towards the Blackpool Marketplace, turning to wave to him awkwardly as she walked. Toby waved back vigorously, concentrating only on the window for a number of minutes, before remembering his mother's instructions when she had first begun doing the job at the stall.

"Lock the door, chain it, bolt, don' open it to anyone but me." Toby repeated to himself, as he precisely so. Only it was a little too late for that.

Wiping a layer of sweat from her brow, Nellie began to make her way home, a box of Toby's favourite gingerbread biscuits under one arm. It was tiring work, having a stall to run all by herself, definitely harder than when she had begun the job, when she had had Toby to watch the stall while she went and bought replacement stock, but she wouldn't let him leave the house now, not while Sweeney Todd still walked the earth. So, she had to make double her previous stock in the morning, then sell it the next day as well if she couldn't shift. It was tough, yes indeed, but the money was good, and as long as Toby was safe, Nellie didn't care how long she worked.

It was only when she approached the door that Nellie noticed something strange was happening. First of all, though the door, though chained, was not pulled to. 'That's strange.' Nellie thought, running her finger over the chain on the door. 'Toby's normally so careful about the door. I just don't understand how he could have left it open without noticing it.' Secondly, it was silent inside the house. Utterly silent. Something wasn't right.

Determined to get to the bottom of what had happened to her son, Nellie reached her hand around the pale blue door, fiddling with the silver chain until it loosened and fell, allowing her access to the house.

Once inside, Nellie had confirmed her theory. Toby wasn't there. She looked in every direction around the living room, even going so far as to bend down to check under the table or behind the settee, with no results. By this point, the baker was really getting worried. 'He's only young.' the woman began to fret. 'What could have happened to him? Where has he gone? There's nowhere else he could be.'

As soon as that thought entered her head, another landed over the top of it. The living room was not the only place in the house he could be. Though she had the keys to all the other rooms, in her rush to get to work, she had left the door of her bedroom wide open. Her eyes unconsciously directed themselves to the bedroom door, which was now firmly closed. Breathing a little more heavily in relief, Nellie made her way to the door and pushed it wide open.

"Toby, what are you doin' in 'ere? You gave me such a… fright." The end of the sentence came out almost as a squeaking sound, the relief draining out of her as she took in the contents of the room.

Toby was indeed in the room, as she had thought she was, but not alone. He was sat in a chair, near the centre of it, pressed against the back of the wood with his eyes widened in utter terror. Nellie could immediately see why, as standing behind the boy with a razor pressed against his throat was Nellie's worst nightmare.

Sweeney Todd.

A/N: Dun dun DUN! Please review for me, if you want to find out what happens next!