Haunted Dreams

Chapter 21

It was the year 1785, London England. I was sixteen years old, I've been married to Albert for a year. Ben and Lucy were living upstairs. I was sitting in my parlor trying not to cry my eyes out. I had a bruise on my cheek where Albert smacked me. I wished I could drink some alcohol. But I couldn't. I was pregnant. Three months now. I suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs. That immediately perked me up. I lifted my head excitedly, knowing the person who was about to come into my shop.

"Hey Mrs. Lovett, sorry to bother you at this hour but we were wondering if we could borrow some tea bags?" Benjamin Barker said very cheery.

"Uh yeah, no problem." I said, wiping a tear from my cheek, which Ben noticed.

"Hey, you aright?" He asked me as he took a seat across from me.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine, no need to worry. Here's some tea bags." I smiled setting them in front of him.

"Hey is that a bruise?" He asked noticing the mark on my cheek.

"Oh that. It's just a spot or something, no matter." I said rubbing the mark with my hand.

Ben chuckled at me. "It's a bruise Mrs. Lovett."

I giggled. I couldn't help it, he was too adorable. And that smile... how could I not smile back. "How many times have I told you Mr. B, that you can call me Nellie."

"Why do you stay with a man that treats you this way?"

"I'm alright. I can take care of myself."

"I know. That's why I asked. Why do you stay with such a monster?" I took a deep sigh. Hand on my stomach, under the table so Ben couldn't see. I have thought of leaving Albert before. Several times. But there's no way I could now. Besides I don't care how much Albert hurts me, as long as I get to see Ben in my life.

"Mrs. Lovett?"

"I'm not leaving."

"Why not?"

"Because your my friend, and I don't want to leave you."

He smiled at me and sweetly brushed my bruise cheek with his hand.

"Ben! What are you doing down here?" Lucy asked rudely from the doorway. Neither one of us heard her come down.

"I was just asking Mrs. Lovett for some tea bags, dear."

"Well we don't need them that badly, come on." She glared at me and went back upstairs hands clutching her huge belly.

"Sorry, she's about to give birth any day now, so she's a little hormonal. Well I better get back to her." He said standing up.

I looked sadly at the floor.

Ben turned back to face me from the doorway. "Goodnight Mrs... Nellie." He smiled and turned to go upstairs.

The second he was gone, my tears returned.

Flash forward one months ahead. I was on my way to the bake house to prepare the pies for the day.

"Eleanor?" Lucy called at me. Why the hell she was in my house without an invitation I didn't know, and I tried not to slap her face off.

"What do you want? And I do have a front door for you to knock on by the way."

"I'm just stopping by real quick to tell you something. I have a baby to take care of you know."

I rolled my eyes.

"Well I'm very busy too, so what is it you'd like to tell me?"

"Stay away from my husband."

"Excuse me?"

"I see you talking to him, flirting with him behind my back all the time."

"We're friends."

"I see you flirt with him!" She screamed. "So stop if you'd please."

"Ha! You can't tell me what to do."

I was standing on the stairs to my bake house, facing Lucy, my back to the bottom of the stairs. Lucy glared at me, I glared back. She was at a lost for words, I felt proud of myself for winning our little verbal fight.

She gave an annoyed grunt and shoved my shoulders hard. I lost my balance and fell down the stairs.

I leaned up on the floor and immediately saw red. I was bleeding. Hard. From... down there. My baby! No! I screamed and cried, looking up at Lucy like she was the most evil thing I've ever seen in my life.

Her eyes got wide with horror and guilt as the realization hit her. But instead of helping me, she just walked away.

heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I weakly lifted my head up. I hoped it was Ben, but it wasn't. It would never have been him coming to comfort me. Albert leaned over me.

"You clumsy bitch." He said and roughly picked me up and threw me down on the coach. Then left to go to the pub.

"Miss. Hey. Can you hear me?" That voice sounded far away. Nellie could barely understand it. "Can you hear me?" The female voice kept saying. Nellie felt like she was falling. The feeling shook her awake. Her eyes shot open. Where am I?

"Miss? You're awake!" A nurse said cheerily in an Irish accent. Nellie put her hand on her head. She felt like she got ran over by a carriage. "Easy miss, rest. You almost froze to death, your husband got you here just in time."

Her husband. Albert? No, not Albert he was dead. It was Sweeney. Sweeney Todd. She was in the present now. She just had the most haunting dream of her life, because it wasn't a dream. It was a memory.

When she had enough strength to be on her feet again, she walked into the hospital's lobby. Sweeney was sitting there in the floor, playing with Jeramey. Her face lit up seeing them, her real family, the loves of her life. She walked over to them. "Nellie!" Sweeney said excitedly. He quickly stood up and hugged her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's go then." He said. That made Nellie laugh. Poor man had to wait around in a hospital full of sick and injured to wait on her to wake up.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a day."

"Oh. Well that's better than a month." She laughed.

He joined her. "Yeah, thank god."

He slung the bag over his shoulder and picked up Jeramey. "So where is our house?" Sweeney asked.

"The deed to it should be in the bag or..." Nellie looked down at his pants remembering how they got thrown into an ocean. "Or your pocket."

"Oh shit." He muttered under his breath. He fished around in his pocket and found the deed. It was wet but still read-able. "It'll have to do."

"Then let's go." Nellie smiled.

They made their way to the mayors house to discuss the deed they had, and take over the ownership of Nettie's lake house.

"Mama." A little voice said that made them both stop in their tracks.

"Oh yeah. While you were asleep he learned how to speak." Sweeney said.

Nellie looked at Jeramey and her heart melted. She took her baby in her arms and kissed him on his little forehead. "mama" She laughed and hugged him to her chest as Sweeney grabbed her hand.

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