AN/WARNING: This chapter may have some very surprising scenes in it. You have been warned. Hopefully this chapter is a little bit longer than others. See if you can spot the To Wong Foo refrence.
Halfway through the night Nellie woke up and found that she was unable to fall back to sleep. She looked over at Sweeney to find that he was sleeping soundly. He looked so peaceful, Nellie smiled and lightly caressed his cheek.
"I'll be back in a minute, love," she said, not sure if he'd heard her or not. She kissed his cheek softly before slowly crawling out of bed. She'd decided to go out and buy something that would remind them both of their love each time they looked at it. Perhaps two rings, with Sweeney and Nellie forever engraved in them. She smiled at the thought. Yes, she thought. That would suit us quite nicely. She shrugged on a jacket before leaving the pie shop.
About a block away from her home, Nellie had the feeling that she was being followed. Don't think such follishness, Nellie! she scolded herself. You're just afraid because you're walking the London streets alone. A few feet later she heard it. A crunch on the gravel behind her. She froze.
"Who's there?" she asked shakily. No answer, she was frozen in her spot, stuck with fear. What if someone was behind her? What if someone planned to hurt her? What if something happened to her and Sweeney didn't find out until it was too late? What if -
A hand grabbed her harshly by the shoulder and spun her to face them. She was staring into the face of a brown-haired, blue-eyed stranger.
"M - May I help you?" Nellie asked him, fear all throughout her body.
"'Ello there, Nellie," the man's scruff voice said. The mention of her name made Nellie's blood run cold.
"Excuse me, sir, do I know you?" she asked. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her breathing sped up.
"I know you, but I'm not quite sure you can say the same about me," the man answered. "I've been watching you for many weeks now, Nellie. I believe you can help me in so many ways," he said.
"Help you how?" Nellie asked, still scared for her life.
"By giving me your nightly services and. . .partnership in owning your wondeful pie shop," the man answered, his voice a seductive growl.
"I think I better go," Nellie said quickly turning around. The man grabbed her arm and yanked her harshly to him.
"I think not," the man said harshly. "Or else, your dear barber's days will see their end."
"Don't you dare talk of Sweeney like that!" Nellie spat in his face. "Now, let me go!" Nellie shrieked while struggling to get out of the man's grasp.
"Oooh, naughty girl," the man said in a sultry voice before roughly kissing Nellie. Nellie screamed into him. She tore her mouth away from his.
"When a lady says 'no' she means 'no'!" Nellie yelled. Anger for this man was bubbling up in her, fast.
"Indeed," the man said with a chuckle. "But I see no lady!" he said. Then he slapped her. Hard. So hard that her lip started to bleed.
"Sweeney!" she screamed. She knew that they were close enough to her home that if she screamed loud enough, Sweeney would hear her.
"Ssh. He can't hear you!" the man rasped.
"Yes he will!" Nellie yelled back at him. "Sweeney, Sweeney! Help!" she screamed.
"Not if I can help it," the man said, barely audible, but Nellie still heard him. He then began punching Nellie mercilessly. In a last desperate attempt for Sweeney to hear her cries for help she yelled at the top of her lungs,
"SWEENEY! SWEENEY! HELP! HE'S HURTING ME! HELP SWEENEY - PLEASE! RAAAAAAAAAAPE!" tears sliding down her cheeks all the while as the man continued to mercilessly punch Nellie. Shortly after, Nellie fell unconscious.
ST
Sweeney had heard Nellie's last desperate attempt to get his attention and was on a full-out sprint to where he saw Nellie being beaten on, in the distance, razor in hand. When he arrived, Nellie was already unconscious.
"Nellie," he whispered softly. He glared coldly at the man who had put her in her current state. "What did you do to her?" he barked angrily. "What did you do to MY Nellie?" he demanded.
"N-Nothing, sir," the man lied, stammering in fear. "Just a passerby, honest." Sweeney glared at him.
"Liar!" he yelled. In the next second Sweeney had his razor pressed up against the man's throat.
"Please," the man begged. "Don't kill me! I don't deserve to die!" Sweeney laughed as he slit the man's throat. That was the biggest lie he'd ever heard in his entire life. Then he remembered what exactly made him want to kill the man.
Sweeney knelt down beside Nellie. He gingerly touched the corner of her mouth where blood was still seeping from. He began to cry as he picked up Nellie's lifeless body gently. He'd come so close to losing her too many times that night. She was still unconscious when he arrived back home. He sat on the couch of the living room holding Nellie and cried. He silently prayed for her to come into consciousness.
AN: Don't worry, this is NOT over yet! Review please, every time you DON'T a certain baker gets mercilessly punched in the stomach repeatedly until she loses consciousness. . .possibly her life.