Chapter Seven

A/N: Thanks, as always, to my reviewers, Redejeka, thelovelyflorencelovett, LeaJailbird, NicoleKidmanFanXD and calisurfingboy2. I know I can always count on you.

Nellie could still hardly breathe. It was all her worst nightmares come horrifically true.

No doubt it was Toby's worst nightmare as well, as the boy looked utterly terrified, which came as little surprise to Nellie. He did have a razorblade to his throat after all, and Nellie knew better than most how that felt to experience. Well, at least better than anyone living.

Her maternal instincts kicking in, Nellie took a tentative step towards the pair, wincing outwardly as Sweeney pressed the knife in closer to Toby's neck, before stepping slightly backwards again, causing him to ease the pressure.

"Mr. T, why are ya doin' this?" she begged him, trying to appeal to something, anything, that could remind him of their friendship all those years ago. "Why would ya do this to me?"

"Why would ya do wha' you did to me?" the madman retorted, his hand unmoving as Toby subtly struggled against it, so as not to alert the man to his escape attempts.

"Mr. T, I didn't want to 'urt ya! I just… I wanted ya to move on, to live ya life without 'er. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry, but that 'as nothing to do with my boy. Let 'im go." By the time her statement was finished, the tone of begging in her voice was quite evident. To her despair, the maniacal barber did not seem to care. That was when she pulled out the only card that remained to be played.

"Wha' if it were your Johanna? If I was standin' there, with a knife to 'er throat, would ya want me to let 'er go? Would ya?" the woman asked him, the desperation in her voice very clear as she considered the fact that, should the man decide that this was not a question she should be asking, it was not only her life she was endangering, but Toby's also. After all, he was the one with the blade at his jugular.

Either due to a good choice of words or to the heavens watching over her, Sweeney's grip began to loosen. Toby breathed out a huge sigh of relief, as large of one as he could have done without clipping his skin on the razorblade, as it remained too close for comfort to the boy's neck. Unfortunately, the boy's attempts to remain unnoticed during his efforts to escape were unsuccessful, as the man seemed to drift out of the haze her question had left over him, and had returned to the cast iron grip he had retained before.

Nellie's sigh was then one of fear, mixed with a little disappointment. She had been so close to getting her little lad away from the raving lunatic, and that chance had been so cruelly snatched away from her. She would have to work even harder now to stop him.

"Look, Mr. T. It's me ya want. It's me what ran away, it's me what lied about your Lucy. Toby 'asn't done anythin'. Let 'im go."

"I'm afraid I can't do tha', Mrs. Lovett." It was the first time Sweeney had spoken since she had made her speech, and the smooth tones of his voice made endless small bumps appear on her arms. He was still as terrifying as he had been when she had escaped from Fleet Street. "Ya see, I lost my wife, because of somethin' you did to me. It's time for me to pay ya back, my pet."

In truth, Nellie did not know what frightened her more, the threat the barber had made to her, or the use of the pet name which he had used just before he had tried to murder her the last time.

Just as the man began to move his knife, Nellie had an idea. It was extremely risky, and potentially dangerous, but with a blade at Toby's throat, she had no other choice. It was all or nothing.

And so, contorting her face, the woman began to sob. It was not difficult to do, given that her son was in so much danger, but still, it was fairly forced. The action was also effective, as Sweeney had loosened his arm slightly, looking up in confusion at his former accomplice.

She used this to her advantage, taking a large step backwards so that her lower back was flush with the dressing table. Somehow, thank Heaven, the barber did not notice her reach behind the wooden table, running her hand along the wall until it was met with the item she had been searching for, and she pulled a large musket out from its hiding place, aiming the barrel directly at the man's head.

"I'm askin' ya for the last time now, Mr. T. Let Toby go." Her voice was just as bitingly violent as Sweeney's had been, and she no longer showed any fear, though the man did not do so either, his grip once again tightening around Toby's neck. The boy was the only one seeming fearful.

"And if I don't?" the man asked, daring her to say something wrong, so that his knife closing in on the troublesome boy's throat could be considered justified.

"Take a guess and find out." the woman dared in return, her heart beating so violently that she was certain it could be heard.

Never one to turn down a dare, Sweeney's hand tightened, the blade pressing down on Toby's skin, and puncturing shallowly as the boy cried out.

This was enough for Nellie, who aimed the gun properly at the source of her son's pain, positioning her finger on the trigger and clicking it into place, only the flex of a finger away from being rid of the madman for good.

"Come on, then, pet. Do ya worst." the man tempted her, moving the blade to rest above Toby's vein and pressing it in.

Then she pulled the trigger.

A/N: I'm sorry, I know that this chapter was complete rubbish, but please review anyway, just so I know what you thought.