I know I've been lazy, but I truly have been busy! I swear it! Anywho, here's another chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy this, because I've struggled to write it. Please review, because June, meh sis, is evil with a razor!

June- Heh heh, I will keel joo all!

Right. Enjoy the chapter. Once again, please review. It makes us happy.

For several nights after that, it was very awkward when Del stepped into the room. She had no idea why because she remembered nothing. That didn't mean that Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett would forget anytime soon. Lately, Mr. Todd had been avoiding Del, and though she respected him enough to keep out of his way, she still felt hurt. She had asked Mrs. Lovett one day about his strange behavior.

"Don't worry, dearie. It's probably the weather that's been draggin' 'im down. 'E'll be 'is ole self in 'alf a tick, you'll see. 'Course, this pretty much is 'is old self, ain't it? I remember when Benjamin, not the poor bloke upstairs, mind you, 'e once was fiddling around with this gadget o' 'is-" Del tuned her out as Mrs. Lovett began to babble. The gears in the girl's head were turning, trying to remember a time when she had done her employer wrong. She couldn't recall one time.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, interrupting the baker, " I'm gonna' find out what I did!" Mrs. Lovett tried to protest as Del ran out of the shop and up the stairs into her employer's.

"Mr. Todd I want to talk about….what the hell are you doing?" What Mr. Todd was currently doing was sawing a piece of wood from his chair. He looked up sharply as he heard her voice. He smirked as he saw her standing in the doorway. He motioned for her to come closer. As soon as she was kneeled down next to him, he started explaining.

"It's a waste of time and risky to be caught if Mrs. Lovett carries the bodies down, so I came up with this. I'm going to put a pedal right here, and after I spill the rubies, I shall step on the pedal, the chair tilts backwards, and the body falls down into the bake house underneath." He pointed out the parts he was going to use and how he was going to do it to the wide-eyed Del. She enjoyed learning when she could, and asked if she could help him. He agreed, and they set to work, spending the whole night fixing up the chair. Del smiled proudly when it was finished. She yawned and laid on the floor, curling up and falling asleep instantly. Mr. Todd stared at her as she breathed deeply in sleep, then proceeded to pace around the room, though quieter than normal.

A week passed, and there was still no sign of Johanna and Anthony. Del was beginning to get worried for her friend. Anthony getting hurt by the Judge haunted her dreams at night, but she would not show it in the least. Her motto was, best expect the worst, unless the best comes. More than once, while Del was sleeping the shop, she heard Mr. Todd sing about his beautiful Johanna. It made her heart ache that they hadn't killed the Judge sooner, ridding everyone of these problems a lot quicker. Sure, Anthony had interrupted the moment, but later on she had found him and apologized for her and Mr. T's behavior. Of course she did not give him the real reason why they wanted the Judge. She had told them they had wanted to shave the Judge because he was wealthy and might have given a good tip, with times so hard and all. He had accepted this lie and apologized himself.

Del had gotten used to the blood that was shed almost everyday, though she couldn't help cringing every time she saw a pie laying out on the counter and wondering if it had someone in it. Mr. Todd kept to his word, and only killed people with no backgrounds. She had been afraid that one day that a mother and daughter had followed a man inside. She didn't have to be nervous, though, because Mr. Todd had given the man a clean shave and let him leave. Del had sighed with relief that day. No matter how intent she was on killing the Judge, an innocent child getting killed would pray on her conscious for a long time.

If she were to last a long time.

Another week later, Mrs. Lovett announced that that day would be the day of Grand Opening. Over the last couple days she had had Toby, and even some days, Del, if Mr. Todd would allow, to hang up posters all around Fleet Street. Everyone had gathered to see the new, well not so new, pie shop. With permission from Mr. Todd, Del was helping serving ale to the customers. She enjoyed getting called by Mrs. Lovett to get more pies for the men and women, and she also enjoyed working with Toby. Even though Mr. Todd hated him, she quite enjoyed his company. He looked up to her as a sister, and she enjoyed spoiling him and slipping him glasses of gin on his breaks.

At one point Mr. Todd had come out, watching the bustling crowd. Del had spotted him and smiled, giving him a small wave. He smirked at her, and that smirk grew wider when she pointed a man who had asked for a shave up to the barber.

"Toby, throw the old woman out!" Mrs. Lovett ordered. The boy was about to make his way over to a beggar woman who had invaded the shop, but Del interceded.

"Go help Mrs. Lovett, Toby. I'll take care of her." The boy smiled and nodded. Del walked toward the beggar woman.

"Ma'am, I suggest you leave. You can't be here." The woman completely ignored her, walking around and continuing exploring. Del's eyes narrowed, and she reached out to touch the woman. "Now see here-"

As soon as Del's hand made contact with the woman, the woman screeched. Del was subjected to scratches, bites, kicks, and punches. The young girl had tried to pull away, but now the beggar woman was holding her, so she couldn't escape. Toby had noticed the commotion, running over there, prying off the delirious woman and forcing her outside. He closed the door behind her, and ran over to where Del was now lying, bleeding from scratches and bite marks, bruises all over her skin.

"Mum! Mum! Mrs. Lovett!" The young boy screamed. The baker looked up sharply, startled from the conversation she was having.

"What is it Toby? What's the matt- oh!" The baker gasped as she saw Del lying, bruised and bleeding. "Toby, pick the girl up and bring her to Mr. T's! I'll be right there to help!" The boy nodded and gently lifted Del up. He positioned one of her arms around his shoulders and kind of dragged her along. He found it difficult to get up the stairs, but he was finally at the top. He opened the door and struggled inside.

Mr. Todd looked up as Toby entered his shop, dragging Del along with him. He rushed over and caught her before she hit the ground, letting Toby fall to the floor from exhaustion. He narrowed his eyes at the fallen boy.

"What happened?" He demanded. The boy opened his mouth to reply, but was saved the trouble as Mrs. Lovett bustled, carrying loads of bandages. She ordered Mr. Todd to place the girl on the chair. Normally he would have put up a fight for her ordering him around, but this time he complied without a fuss.

"What happened?" He asked again, a dark and deadly tone lacing his tone. Mrs. Lovett kneeled before Del, applying pressure on the bleeding and wrapping the wounds while explaining.

"I ordered Toby to take an old beggar woman out o' the shop. She was scarin' the customers away. Del did it instead. From wot the customers told me, Del 'ad asked politely for the woman ta leave, and the woman ignored 'er. Del tried ta pull 'er out, but the woman pitched a fit. She started ta scream, bitin' an' kickin' up a storm. Toby noticed and pushed 'er out. Del was already unconscious by then. That's all that I've been told." Mrs. Lovett was wiping the blood off of Del's arms, trying to find her real wounds.

The young girl had scratches and bruises on her face, bites, scratches, and bruises on her arms, bruises on her legs, and most likely a sprained wrist and ankle, from the way they were swollen up. All the while Mrs. Lovett was bandaging, Mr. Todd had been pacing. The little voice inside his head was whispering that the blame was on him, and though he argued with it, he knew it was right.

Del was not Mrs. Lovett's lackey, she was his apprentice. Anything that happened to her was his responsibility. The little voice had warned that something like this was going to happen, that fate would push him down when he was finally ready to gain triumph. He thought that it would have to do with him, so he prepared himself by keeping away from everyone. It was luck when Del came and helped him with the chair, and he had forgotten all about the whispered warning. But now this happens, and he blamed himself.

He helped Mrs. Lovett carry Del into her room and set her on the bed. They quietly closed the door, and the barber returned to pacing in his shop. That night, the barber made a vow.

"Del is too clumsy and ignorant to watch out for herself from now on. I will follow her every where she goes, now" He whispered quietly to himself.

Ummmm, stalkerish much? This took a long time to squeeze out of my system, because I have another idea for another story, and when that happens, I tend to not be able to think about the original. In this case, this story. I finally did it though, and it would be nice if I had some reviews. Oh look, here comes June!

June- I keel joo! –slits random person's throat and runs off-

Righty then! Try to review, okey dokey?