The Crow: Care for a shave? Ch Fourteen: Fighter, a sweeney todd fanfic

The Crow: Care for a Shave?

Summery:

The Crow/Sweeney Todd Cross over. ToddXOC.

People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right; or in this case, fix a mistake that shouldn't have happened.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sweeney Todd, or The crow. If I did, I wouldn't be typing this on a shitty ass computer. I also don't own the songs that are going to be 'sung', since it is a musical. I'll put the title and who's it by before I start typing the lyrics. But I do own my OC's and this idea.

Chapter Fourteen: Thanks for making me a fighter

Kevin Taylor leans against his chair. He's been in that office for several hours, and it's nearly midnight. He currently has nothing to do; he finished his paper work, and gave the hairs to Veronica Quinn the DNA expert in forensics. The young adult nearly fell asleep when a knocking erupts his relaxation.

"Sorry!" Says a shy east Asian woman, Veronica, "but I've got the results from Miss Hastings's hairs."

"Oh?" Kevin stands up straight in his chair now looking at her, "were the hairs from the crime scene the same match?"

"No. Dawn's profile shows up, so it's obviously not her hairs. What do you suppose it could be?"

Kevin shrugs, "I have no idea. Have you told Brown yet?"

"I've sent him an email, he already went home."

Kevin nods then thinks of something, "hey, do you think it's just hairs from a coat or something?"

"…no… I thought we established that the hairs are from a human."

"Oh right," he sighs, and pauses. "Hey, what does courting mean?"

"What?"

"What's courting mean?"

"Er, I think it's some old fashioned way of saying going out together. Y'know boyfriend, and girlfriend. Why do you ask?"

"Well when I went to go see Hastings today, I guess her boyfriend came by. He just said something like 'you do realize Miss Hastings and I are courting with each other,'" Kevin says in his best impression of the odd man.

"I never knew she had a boyfriend," Quinn cocks her head to the side.

"Yeah, neither did I. Though Brown never asked that when he was questioning her…"

"Hmm… Well, what's his name?"

"Smith. No first name, so that can be just about anyone in all of England."

"Then what did he look like?"

"Uh," Kevin pauses trying to remember "Kinda shady character: pale skin, gray bags under his eyes, which where near to black, and black hair with a streak of white near his forehead."

There's a hesitation before Veronica says anything, "black hair you say?"

Kevin slowly looks up to her as it finally clicks in his mind, "you don't think--?"

"Hmm, let's see. Murky character, pale, goes by the name 'Smith', has black hair… anything else?"

"He was wearing some old black trench coat and a really old blouse, and I've never seen him in my life if he were homeless."

"So I think we have a suspect!" Veronica takes out a note pad and starts jotting down notes.

"Yeah…All we need now is a name."

1:00 am, and Dawn lays on the bed, not sleeping, not awake, but in her own world. Sweeney kicks off his shoes and his coat and vest leaving him in his blouse and trousers. He made himself comfortable on the couch using his elbow as a pillow, ignoring the one that is on the floor. He doesn't shut his eyes, they're fixed on the table in front of him. Zoning out Sweeney hears a door slam downstairs, which could only mean that Gabriel is back. Dawn is awake also, so she obviously hears it as well. It isn't till 10 minutes after that Sweeney finally said something.

"Do you want me to drop off that plate?"

"What plate?" Dawn asks, her voice distant.

"The plate you brought up a week ago when…" he stops himself, "with toast and butter, and a glass of milk?"

"Oh," She sighs, "no, I'll get it."

At this Sweeney looks up at his hostess as she slowly makes her way to the small table. He doesn't protest, thinking it would be best if she brought it down incase Gabriel would pop up.

Dawn trudges over to the table and picks up the plate, but something suddenly stops her. Or rather some memory.

"Well," Dawn pauses, quickly thinking of a lie. "I saw her walking out of the pub, heading towards the corner store, for what ever reason—" she motions over to the plastic bags with the contents all over the floor, the milk is leaking everywhere, going into the cracks of the cobblestones.

The contents in the groceries were mainly bread and milk, and medicine for Dawn when she was "sick". "But we had milk and bread," Dawn mummers to herself.

"What?" Sweeney raises an eyebrow at her.

"We had it…Gabriel…" the plate falls from her trembling fingers smashing into dozens of pieces, and yet another memory flashes before her.

Dawn is sitting at the curb of the road watching Gabriel talking to Chief Brown, whom is questioning him. "We had no milk and bread, so I politely asked her to go get it," Gabriel answers. Brown nods, "and what time was this?"

"'Round 10 or 11 I believe, sir."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sweeney is now sitting up right watching Dawn tremble with anxiety. Her wide bright eyes are wild and staring hard at the floor.

"We had it! We had it!"

"Had what?!" Sweeney says in the brink of frustration.

Dawn snaps her gaze at the serial killer, her wild eyes now show malice. "Gabriel," she says through gritted teeth, "said he sent Abigail to get milk and bread!"

"So?"

"So?! So, we already had milk and bread! Tons of it from when I saw it! HE SENT ABIGAIL TO HER DEATH! HE KNEW OF THIS!"

"Now, now, calm down," Sweeney suddenly feels like he is in Mrs. Lovett's place when she tried to calm him down.

"NO! He did this! It's his fault!" Without warning Dawn turns on her heel and whips the glass that is in her hand at the wall. At this Sweeney stands up and grabs her arm before she could take off.

"Dawn," he says firmly. Dawn turns to look at him her expression not changing, if anything it is much worse. "Here," he takes her hand and places something smooth and cold in it. Looking down she sees the razor; his razor. Never taking her eyes off of his, and neither does he, she raises her arm to her chest and clutches the weapon close to her heart. Without a word, but only a lingering look she marches out the door.

Gabriel heard every crash and yell from upstairs, though he is still completely unaware that his adoptive daughter isn't alone up there. He walks out of his bedroom and is heading towards the bar area, but it's too late, Dawn is already standing at the archway.

"What the hell are you doin' up there?" Gabriel barks, but slowly has to back away since Dawn herself starts to advance on him.

"Why?" She says feeling the length of the razor on her thigh inside of her pocket.

"What're you talking about, girl?"

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, YOU BASTARD!"

"WHA—" Gabriel is outraged, never had one of his girls spoke to him so boldly, not even Dawn. Regardless, Dawn cuts him off.

"You sent Abigail to go get bread and milk. I'm not stupid, Gabriel, I know we already had it!"

"I have know clue what you are talking about, you crazy bitch—" Dawn back hands him across the face causing him to stumble and fall against a wall.

"Why'd you do it?"

Feeling that there is no use in denying it, Gabriel chuckles a little bit, which irritates her more so she kicks him in the shins, "answer the fucking question!"

"If anything were to happen to her," Gabriel starts with a mocking smile on his now bleeding lip, "then I will be getting her parents' money. I would've gotten the property too, if I only read the will properly. Didn't know a whore like you is remotely related to her—"

Dawn punches him square in the eye causing the larger man to sink down the floor, but he still laughs.

"You planned this all along?" Dawn says, her hands twitching itching to get at the razor in her pocket. Be patient.

"Nah, I only thought about it. But my dream did come true when a certain familiar face came at my door with a proposal."

"Who?"

"Oh, you know him, Dawn."

Dawn kicks him in the face, causing him to spit out blood from his bleeding gums, "tell me who it is!"

"Oh, believe me, you'll find out," he laughs looking up at her amused. "And after you're gone, I'll get the money back, and the property is mine."

Dawn's eyes narrow down at him, her hand twitching still. Gabriel takes this moment to get on his feet, and just as he is about to grab the 21 year old's neck, she turns away whipping out the blade from the handle and sinking it into his abs and stomach cutting it all the way across.

Gabriel halts, and sinks back a foot behind hitting the wall. He puts a hand on his bleeding abdomen and looks up at Dawn who now seems so much taller than him.

(This song is called Fighter by Christina Aguilera)

"After all you put me through," Dawn raises the razor, the light reflecting off it's surface, and the blood standing out proudly. "You'd think I'd despise you, but in the end, I wanna thank you 'cause you made me that much stronger." She walks around him like a wolf circling her wounded pray just before she will devour it.

"Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true.
Guess I, I couldn't trust, called your bluff time is up,
'Cause I've had enough.
You were there by my side, always down for the ride,
But your joy ride just came down in flames

Cause your greed sold me out of shame, mhm…

Sweeney is standing just outside the door watching this whole ordeal. He wouldn't, couldn't miss this for the world.

"After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that
I hold resentment for you,
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong…

Dawn waves her finger in front of the cowering Gabriel. His eyes watch her very step and move, but mainly which direction she points the razor that shines with his blood.

"'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know
Just how capable I am to pull through.
So I wanna say thank you
'Cause it…

Makes me that much stronger,
Makes me work a little bit harder,
Makes me that much wiser,
So thanks for making me a fighter,
Made me learn a little bit faster,
Made my skin a little bit thicker,
Makes me that much smarter,
So thanks for making me a fighter!

In the heap of her adrenaline she kicks down an innocent chair off to the side and stands in it's place singing, yelling at her former adoptive father. She points the razor in his face, and he cautiously stares back at it.

"Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing,
Just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game.
I heard you're goin' round playin' the victim now,
But don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame,
'Cause you dug your own grave!

She growls the last word and then walks back and forth like a caged tiger. "After all of the fights and the lies, 'cause you're wanting to haunt me," she stops pacing and glowers down at Gabriel who shrinks further to the floor, "But that won't work anymore, no more, no, no," she waves the blade back and forth for emphases, "It's over." She turns around for a moment facing the pictures nailed to the wall, none of which were of her or Abigail, just posters, bands, and his friends.

"'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture,
I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down.

She turns around on her heel and crouches down a bit almost at his eye-level.

"So I wanna say thank you,
'Cause it…

Makes me that much stronger,
Makes me work a little bit harder,
It makes me that much wiser,
So thanks for making me a fighter,
Made me learn a little bit faster,
Made my skin a little bit thicker,
Makes me that much smarter,
So thanks for making me a fighter!

She turns away from him as if ashamed that this man raised her since she was 6 years old. Walking to the other side of the room she sinks to the floor, and sings more delicately.

"How could this man I thought I knew,
Turn out to be unjust so cruel.
Could only see the good in you,
Pretended to not to see the truth.
You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself
Through living in denial…

She turns back to him, he never left his possession, but his eyes always followed her. Dawn's own eyes flare, still on her knees she crawls over to his bleeding form, and yells more forcefully: "but in the end you'll see, YOU-WON'T-STOP-ME!" She forces herself back up to her feet and towers over him.

"I am a fighter and I,
I ain't goin' stop.
There is no turning back,
I've had enough.

She picks him up from his collar and roughly shoves him in an arm chair. Gabriel winces in pain clutching his slit stomach. He isn't dying just yet, but he already knows that this is the end of him.

"Thought I would forget, but I,
I remember!
Cause I remember,
I remember,
I remember,
I REMEMBER!

If it were possible, Dawn just looks more ferocious. Gabriel's breathing quickened as Dawn put the razor right in-between his eyes and her body leaning back to survey his trembling form. Enjoying-every-last-minute of it.

"Makes me that much stronger,
Makes me work a little bit harder,
It makes me that much wiser,
So thanks for making me a fighter,
Made me learn a little bit faster,
Made my skin a little bit thicker,
Makes me that much smarter…

She bares her teeth, her pupils shrink until it's hard to notice them, and then raises her knew friend above her head. "So thanks for making me a—" She doesn't finish the sentence, there's no time for Gabriel to hear it. The blade grazes over his neck splitting the flesh and muscles into two. His head tilts back, his throat now exposed squirts blood as his mouth gargles the same substance. Droplets of red are dotting the wall and Dawn's face and clothes. Gabriel's eyes roll to the back of his head just as soon as the gargling stops.

Gabriel Potter is now dead. Former foster father, and bar owner is dead. And so is Dawn Hastings. In her empty shell is someone new, someone that once lurked in the shadows of her mind and now took the place of the soul that lived inside the young adult's body. The only thing keeping her sane.

A/N: Ooooo, her first kill! Didn't see that coming did you? Anyway, I had to keep it short because I don't want to make it look like I'm rushing anything, and if I add anymore it will be too much too soon. Besides, I think that was a good ending, and I wanted a quick update. I hope the whole Fighter song wasn't cheesy. I couldn't find a right song other than that one to fit this part of the story. Not to mention this song is about Christina's abusive father which I thought was fit for the meaning of Gabriel's relationship with the girls. Anyway, wanna know what would be super cool? If y'all vote in my poll:D Oh, and…someone to be my BETA reader (sheepish smile). Thanks for the support, xoxox, love ya!

Xpunkiex: Thanks for the suggestion, but I have a strict "no taking ideas from fans" policy, only because I like to think of plot ideas on my own. It just shows that I don't need a crutch when it comes to making up stories. Also I've already planned what's going to happen and how it's going to end. As you may or may not have noticed, I like to drop A LOT of hints about future situations in the story. One I revealed in chapter 13 was the whole creaking of the floor and the hole. If you paid attention to scenes (don't worry if you didn't. I suspected that half my readers wouldn't notice these things) it shows that whenever Dawn walks over that area, the floor creaks. But that's the only hint that I made obvious now. Within the story more will be revealed, if not I'll make a whole Author's note chapter to explain what happened if people don't understand.