"TOOOBYYYYY!" Was the first sound Sweeney Todd woke up to in the partly sunny morning in London.

"TOOOBYYYYY LOVE CAN YE FETCH ME SOME GINE DEAR?" She called Toby who was in the kitchen from her room

"It's so early…" was all he thought but screamed "ANYTHING FOR YOU MUM" to her, making her smile.

"Will that woman ever shut up?" Sweeney asked to himself, rubbing his temple in agony to the piercing sound.

"Well that's not very nice." Ben said, popping into his head once again.

"Well that's not very nice." Sweeney mocked the annoying Benjamin Barker inside of him.

"Now, now no need to be rude…"

"That bloody woman can howl like a wolf…"

"Why don't you go pop in on her for a tick Sweeney."

"Well if I'm going down there, I'm dragging you with me." There was a small silence.

"Right…best you stay up here chap, no need to disrupt Nellie's peaceful times right?" Sweeney grinned in satisfaction. "Right."

"Mr. Todd…" Toby knocked on the door gently, making sure not to disturb the demon barber.

"What?" He asked, not showing any joyfulness, let alone liveliness.

"Mum wants to see you." was all he could murmur out.

"I'll make it a priority to see her in my own time, boy."

"Or we don't have to see her at all… my head hurts."

"Shut up" Sweeney growled

"Me?" Toby asked with confusion in his face

"No….myself…forget it. I'm coming." Toby's face beamed as he ran down the stairs to the shop.

As they both arrived… "SWEENEYYYYY?! IS THAT YOU?!" Nellie shrieked from across the house.

"Bloody woman…" Toby and Sweeney said at the same time, both with their hands on the foreheads to block out the noise.

"Right here pet…. Shut up." Mrs. Lovett's happy face turned quickly into a frown. "What do yah want Mrs. Lovett?"

"Close the door." Sweeney gave her a look, but then did as she said. "Well love," she continued, "I never got the chance to get rid of that fat bloke downstairs… so if ya don't got no customers at this time…"

"It will be taken care of Nell." Nell? Sweeney thought to himself

"Nell?" Ben thought along with him

"Nell?" Mrs. Lovett spoke out loud.

"Sorry, Mrs. Lovett, God is everyone a fucking parrot?!" Mrs. Lovett gave him a concerned look.

"Wot ye mean everyone dearie? It's just us."

"Sorry Mrs. Lovett…"

"Is everything alright? You want me to get up and help around?" She started to sit up in bed but was pushed back down by Sweeney's strong arm.

"No Mrs. Lovett Tobias and I are perfectly capable with running everything there is needed to be done."

"Okay dearie whatever you say…"

"How are your legs?"

"Quite better actually…" Before she could finish her sentence, Sweeney lifted her nightgown to reveal her legs once again. He found nothing wrong with this, besides… it was Mrs. Lovett.

"Can you move it?" She moved her ankle around very little then she hissed in pain.

"It's not broken."

"But it hurts."

"How much does it hurt Mrs. Lovett?"

"It hurts enough for something to be wrong with it…"

"It's sprained Mrs. Lovett. You need rest and to keep it elevated so it won't swell."

"'Ow would you know that?"

"I've been in enough situations to know almost as much… or even more than a doctor." She looked down uneasily at her foot, realizing that he was right. 15 years in a hell hole where nobody treated you must have taught you a lot.

"Well whatever you say love." Sweeney then rummaged throughout her room for something.

"May I ask what you're looking for love?" She said in an annoyed tone, considering Sweeney was not putting back anything in place.

"Yes, pillows and blankets." He said while opening many drawers.

"Well you don't need to be all nosey just ask me. They are in that closet over there on the top shelf." She pointed directly across from him. Without a thank you or any other word, Sweeney swiftly went into the closet and got every single pillow and blanket she owned.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled as he threw all of the items on her bed.

"Elevation; from what I remember, your foot has to be above your heart…or it might have been your head… no matter, doesn't seem you're flexible enough for your foot to go higher then your head anyways, Mrs. Lovett." He gave himself a mental "High five" so to speak, though Nellie seemed insulted.

"Well love, me bones ain't wot they used to be…" She tried reasoning with him.

"Of course my pet."

"Oh that's sweet you called her your pet. Now why don't you be a good boy and give her a bone, or perhaps a birdcage?" Ben said rather rudely to Sweeney. Sweeney then pictured that mental high five he gave himself earlier into a mental slap in the head.

"That should do it for now dear. Get Toby to get cold water or ice on your leg every somewhat minutes…" He grimaced at the sound of calling her dear but had no need to argue with himself because he was already out her door, leaving her speechless.

The day seemed to be a lot quieter then it had started. The dinner shift roared in as quickly as it would eventually leave. Sweeney sat up in his room and thought to himself.

"Nell? What was I thinking?" Sweeney said to himself while sitting in his barber's chair.

"I don't know what you were thinking…sounds kind of funny though, rhymes with yell… ha...get it? She yells a lot… her name's Nell…nothing? Hmm."

"You think you're funny don't you..."

"I found it quite humorous."

"Glad to head someone's enjoying themselves."
"Sweeney why don't you show her some compassion… or friendship at least?"

"That is none of your concern."

"And you're not making it any of yours but it should be…"

"Lucy is my only love."

"No…let us get this straight. Lucy is MY love… not YOUR love. Johanna is MY baby girl not YOUR daughter."

"Shut up…" was all he could muster up to say.

"And if you choose not to think as rationally as I put it, think of it this way… If you died, would you want Lucy to be as miserable as you are and never love again?"

"…yes."
"Sweeney…"

"No… I would want her to move on in life but that doesn't mean I have to!"

"It doesn't mean that at all but it just means that you don't need to be as detached to the world as you are…"

Before Sweeney could say another word, a customer walked in.

"Good evening sir, have you come for a shave?"

"Yes Mr. Todd, I've heard you give the closest and best shaves in London." He said cheerfully. The man had to be very young, 19 maybe and seemed very presentable…just as a familiar old barber did a certain amount of years ago, this made Sweeney's blood boil.

"Well that is very flattering sir, sit if you please." As Sweeney began to lather the man, he began talking again. "My name is Samuel… sorry for the randomness… I find it comforting for people to know who I am… while I still live…"

"How'd he find out?" Sweeney asked himself frantically. Just as he was about to lift his razor, he spoke again.

"DAMN JUDGE!" He screamed, pouncing his hands on the arm of the chair. Sweeney was startled and took a step back. "Oh… sir I am so sorry again, it's just that bloody judge… ever since my wife died of the plague, and he took away my two darling children to his friends for fostering…" He said choking back what could only be tears. "He said since I was a widower and my wife had all the money, I couldn't take care of them… I got angry and threatened him so he's brining me to court tomorrow… doesn't seem good does it sir?" He looked up at Sweeney who still had that confused and startled face on.

"I'm sorry for your loss." was all he could say.

"Thank you but it is no burden of yours, I just want to look presentable to the courts, you know?"

"I know exactly how you feel and might I say you are very brave for threatening a man with such awful powers." Sweeney had spoken more then he had intended.

"Indeed. I swear by any means possible I will kill that man and save my two children, of course… if he doesn't send me to hang or Devil's Island… impossible to escape, but I would do anything for them."

"Nothing is impossible sir." Sweeney said, after finishing up his customer, not slitting him, but shaving him.

"Thank you so much Mr. Todd for your time." He went into his pocket to hand him money.

"No Samuel, it is on the house."
"You are very kind. I hope to see you in the future..."

"Likewise." And with that, the man had left, without a scratch.

"Aw that was awful sweet of you." Ben said in his velvety voice.

"Don't push it." was all he murmured.

"Mr. Todd, mums complaining of stomach problems… what should I do?" Toby barged in frantically.

"What's wrong?"

"She's screaming and yelling and growling in pain coz her stomach hurts… I got scared considerin' she threw a vase close to me 'ead. Wot should I do?" Sweeney rolled his eyes at the young boy.

"I don't know… it's her stomach, there's nothing I can do son." Toby raised an eyebrow at him but then left the room when he heard Lovett cry in pain again.

"What is with me today?"

"What is with you today?"

"I'm sorry, is there an ECHO in this room?"

"You called him son, how sweet. Now can I get used to it?" Sweeney could almost imagine his former half grinning.

"A man can call a younger boy son, it's common…right?"

"Of course my pet."

"You're really stepping your boundaries today…"

"Sweeney face it, you've been here for many… many months and you've grown accustom to this family-"

"They are NOT my family."

"Whatever you say Sweeney… whatever you say."

"GOD I HATE YOU!" Just as he said that, Toby was about to come in, but quickly turned his head around.

"Not you, you stupid boy…" Sweeney said quietly to himself.

Sweeney Todd slept that night, hoping that he would be back to his brooding, non-questioning quiet self in the morning.


something wrong with Sweeney?

Or are things starting to get right to where they should be?

R&R :D much appreciation!