A/N-I'm back with another update...yays! Anyways, I don't have much to say except that I saw Meet The Spartans last night and about only the first half was hilarious. After that it was okay. Anyways, enjoy my pets!

Disclaimer-You guys know what I do and what I don't own, if you don't go look a few chapters back. I do own Tyler, Steven, Jennifer, Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Alex, and the plot...yays for fanfiction! The song I used for this chapter is The Beatle's 'With A Little Help From My Friends'.


With A Little Help From My Friends

Toby watched as his newly shaven costumer left the shop, a smile on his face as he put the razor back in the box. He lifted his eyes to see Mr.Todd's reflection in the mirror, a small smile on the ghost's face.

"Wot?" Toby asked as he turned around, leaning against the vanity.

"Ain't I allowed to smile?" Mr.Todd's face dropped.

"It depends wot yer smiling for."

"I'm smiling at you, boy." Toby raised eyebrow. "You remind me of myself."

''e's right, Tobias. Yer a barber and a murderer...very much like 'im.' Daniel agreed.

'Not now, Daniel.' Toby thought, his knuckles turning white from where he gripped the edge of the vanity, the pain in his sliced hand returning again.

"'earing that voice again, lad?" the barber wondered, giving him a knowing smirk.

"Wot makes ya think that?"

"Yer face," Mr.Todd began. "Ya look tense and pissed off."

Toby let go of the vanity, much to relief to his throbbing hand, and walked over to the window, his dark eyes looking down on the busy street. The sun was shinning down on the street, something that always amazed Toby.

"Funny, ain't it Mr.T?"

"Wot?"

"Don't matter how bright the sun shines, it's always darker than it should be on this street." Toby glanced over at the barber. "I prefer it that way though. Fleet Street's a dark place in nature wot with everyone in poverty, competein' for business, and strugglin' to make a decent amount of money. The sun don't need to shine on a place like this."

He noticed Mr.Todd staring at him, a hint of amusement in his cold eyes.

"Wot?" he asked.

"Yer not the same as the boy who had worked for Mrs.Lovett." the amusement was still there.

Toby didn't acknowledge the ghost, his mind flashing back to a few years back. The images of a terrified John, an angry Elizabeth, and a beaten John all played in his mind.

'Why do you act as if it never 'appened, Tobias? Seems the 'arder you try to forget it, the more yer reminded of it.' Daniel's voice shattered the memory. 'Ya keep lettin' 'im down, Tobias...no wonder he ran off yesterday. Looked like you were bout to...'

"Mr.T?" Toby asked, turning to look at him. "Do you consider yerself insane?"

"I 'ad my moments. Just like you do, boy." Mr.Todd answered, a knowing smile on his face.

"I don't deserve 'em, Mr.T."

"Yer family?"

"Yes, sir. Bout two years ago I did something to John, something that I normally wouldn't do. We don't talk bout it anymore, and for the most part John don't remember it, or 'e don't think bout it." Toby explained, glancing out the window to see his son over at Adam's shop. "But for some reason, 'e 'as been lately."

"Wot did you do?" the barber asked.

"I...I let 'im down and almost lost 'im." Toby couldn't help but let one tear fall as he remembered the damage. "Elizabeth's never trusted me after that, and I don't blame 'er to tell the truth."

"Did you mean to do it, Toby?" the ghost asked once he saw the expression on his pale face.

"No, but that don't seem to matter much to 'er. I've told 'er over and over again that I was sorry, I told John the same. 'e's forgiven me, but Elizabeth 'asn't and I don't think she ever will. 'ell, I don't even forgive myself for I let 'appen."

"I don't think she 'as any right not to trust you then,"

"But Mr.T...you ain't got no idea wot it was I did." Toby pointed out, staring at Mr.Todd with a somber expression.

"You ain't the type of person to do, wotever it is ya did, on purpose." The barber reminded, putting a reassuring hand on Toby's shoulder.

Toby just looked down to the floor, not saying a word. He wanted to believe the ghost, but the images continued to play in his mind.

"I dunno 'ow to protect 'em from me," Toby was looking at the barber, hoping for some advice. "'ow do I stop myself from giving into the madness?"

"You can't, lad." The ghost whispered. "That voice is always gonna be in yer 'ead, for as long as you live. And as long as that voice is there, so is the madness."

Toby looked down to the floor just as the door opened, the sound of the bell filling the room.

"Are you open, Toby?" he looked up to see Ben Hope walk into the room, a smile on his face.

"Take a seat,"

As the young man sat in the chair, Toby began to prepare to shave his friend. A few minutes went by in silence as Toby lathered Ben's face, one of the razors now his hand as he got to get rid of the stubble.

"Don't move, Ben. Unless you want a nice cut on yer face," Toby warned, starting the shave.

"I know..." Ben went silent as Toby put the blade to his cheek and flicked his wrist. "The rules, Toby."

The next few minutes went by rather quickly and soon, Ben was paying for the shave.

"Tell everyone I said hello, would you Ben?" Toby requested as he cleaned the razor.

"Toby, I was wondering something." He saw Ben sit on the old trunk by the door.

"Okay," he set the razor down before turning to face the young man.

"How come you and my father don't get along?"
"It ain't that we don't get along, Ben. We just 'ave different ideas for my father."

"You mean Sweeney Todd?"

"Yes," Toby gave Ben a small smile, remembering when he would tell Ben stories when they were younger. "Yer father didn't like 'ow I thought of Mr.T. 'e said it wasn't very...natural to consider a murderer my father."

"He didn't want to buy the shops for you," Ben was looking at Toby with a blank expression, like the one he had seen on Mr.Todd so many times.

Silence.

'I don't like, 'im, Tobias.' Daniel's voice sounded.

'This is Ben, ya never 'ad a problem with 'im before.' Toby thought.

"Toby?" Ben's voice brought him back,

"Wot's with all the questions, Ben?"

"Just wondering," the younger man replied. "If I tell you something important, would you tell my parents? Even if I didn't want them to know yet?"

"Wot is it?"

Ben didn't say anything right, just as Toby expected. That was one thing about Benjamin Hope, if he had something important to say Toby was the first to know. But it took Ben a while to say what was on his mind; and when that happened, Toby knew it was serious.

"How do I tell them that I don't want to marry this woman they're having arranged to be my wife?" he finally asked.

"'ow do you mean?"

"You remember Abigail?"

"Yes,"

"Well...I love her, but she's not the one my parents want me to marry. And I want to marry her, but I don't want to disappointment Mother and Father either." Ben explained, looking at the floor. "How do I tell them Abigail's the woman I want to marry?"

"Ben," Toby started as he looked at the man. "Go find 'er and tell 'er 'ow ya feel. If she feels the same, ask 'er to marry you. When she says yes, cos she will say yes..."

"How do you know?"

"I just know." Toby smiled. "After she accepts, you tell both 'er parents and yer parents."

"What if they won't allow it, Toby?" Ben was looking at him with a look of helplessness.

"Then you both pack yer things and come live 'ere. We 'ave a spare bedroom," a smile came to Toby's face as he saw Ben's face light up. "And if you want to, you can work 'ere with me. That way when you 'ave enough money, you can 'ave a home of yer own."

Ben gave Toby a grin and left the barber shop. Barely a minute passed before the door opened again and a man in desperate need of a shave entered.

"Care for a shave, sir?" Toby smiled.


I promise that you will know what Toby did in the past in the next chapter. Until then, you guys can tell me what he did in reviews!

If you review, you get an afternoon with either Toby or mini-Todd. You also get another meat pie! The flavors are as follows:

We have priest, student, Judge, Beadle, another random bloke off the street, lawyer, Depp-bashing friends, politician, friar, royal marine, grocer, poet, fop, shepard, Tim Burton-bashing friends, and the old beggar woman (I know, I'm horrible).

If you don't review mini-Todd will come after you, Sweeney and Mrs.Lovett will come after you, I'll pull a Mr.T and/or Mrs.Lovett, or you just won't get a meat pie.

S.M.Hoffman