Passing Strange
If you don't control your mind someone else will...
Her eyes fly open as if from some horrible nightmare, and she sits straight up in bed, breathing heavily. Disoriented for a moment before realizing where she is, the woman glances around curiously before spotting the man lying next to her, still fast asleep and oblivious to her rude awakening. Silent as the grave, she slips from bed and pads softly to the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. Practically running to the sink, she skids to a stop in front of the mirror, peering into it eagerly.
"Hmm..." She breathes, looking satisfied with what she sees and laying a slim hand to her rosy cheek. "Not bad. What do you think? Convincing?"
Anyone listening in would think this woman to be a complete nutcase, but in fact, this woman is quite sane, and she isn't talking to herself. Not really.
A very familiar voice inside her head answers her question critically. "You look convincing enough. However, I believe I'll wait and see your acting skills before I pass judgment."
The woman scowls into the mirror, wrinkling her forehead. "Oh hush, you're just jealous because you didn't get to come to earth too."
"At least I don't have bedhead," the voice answers back snippily.
Reaching up, she smooths down short blonde hair, tucking it primly behind her ears. "There Skuld, you happy?"
"Ecstatic," comes the dry response.
Ignoring her sister, the woman returns her attention to her reflection, stepping back to admire her new figure and smoothing a hand down her backside. "I look good," she says approvingly. Moving a hand to tug at the neck of her pajama shirt, she glances at her chest with glee. "Very good. Although, being inside someone else's head is going to take some getting used to. It's been centuries, after all."
"Just act natural," comes another voice, much softer and tentative. "And try not to get distracted. You're here for a purpose, not to play."
Frowning, Urd lifts her eyes up to her face, but instead of what she usually sees when she glances in a mirror, she is met with the sight of the perky blonde who had befriended Eleanor Lovett. "No, Verdandi, I think I'll go make a snowman and then head back. Todd and Lovett can figure this out all on their own." She rolls her eyes, blue now, instead of green. "Give me a little credit, would you?"
As her sisters begin to mumble about the power going to her head, Urd looks over herself one more time, giving a satisfactory nod and squaring her shoulders before heading out to put on a show, all in the name of Fate.
--
Christmas morning arrives all too quickly for Sweeney and Eleanor, and both are reluctant to leave their warm cocoon of blankets to go downstairs and listen to Carol make her way through every Christmas song known to man.
Yawning into her pillow, Nellie stretches lazily. "I can't believe she 'asn't been up to get us yet," she muses, wondering what occupies Carol enough to keep her from pulling them out of bed.
"Be quiet you'll jinx it, woman," Sweeney grumbles, eyes still closed. "Don't question good fortune."
Eleanor rolls her eyes, sliding closer to him beneath the covers and pressing her lips to his bare forearm. "Merry Christmas, love."
He raises his head briefly from his pillow, long enough to plant a good morning kiss on her lips, before dropping back down with a content sigh. "Happy New Year," he says dryly in return.
Punching him on the arm, Eleanor turns from him, slipping from bed to let her bare feet hit the cold, hardwood floors. Wrapping her arms around herself, she steps to the window, pulling back the curtains to peer outside. White flecks of snow drift from the overcast sky, resting heavily on the already sagging tree branches. The cars in the driveway are covered already; it looks like Winter Wonderland come to life. Resisting the urge to crawl back into bed, Eleanor abandons her spot at the window and makes her way to the closet to find something to wear.
"You best be gettin' up, love," Eleanor calls from inside the closet, head buried beneath a pile of coats as she searches for her snow boots. "Want to be ready when Kurtis comes by, don't ya?" A sleepy groan of protest mingled with annoyance reaches her ears, and Eleanor grins to herself. "Louie!" She calls.
The basset hound, lying unhappily at the foot of the bed, raises its head to look at her.
"Wake Mr. Todd up, love," she encourages in her best baby voice. "Go get 'im!"
Louie gets to his feet lazily, glances around, sniffing curiously.
Eleanor huffs impatiently. "Louie, get Sweeney."
This time, the hound seems to understand, and tail wagging excitedly, he jumps with some effort, onto the chair next to the bed, and from the chair, hops onto the mattress. Pawing his way through blankets and sheets, Louie presses his wet nose to Sweeney's forehead, and then licks his dark hair enthusiastically.
Sweeney jumps up in alarm, having been woken up rather rudely by a strange wet sensation and the sound of Eleanor's laughter. Sitting up in bed, he glances down sleepily to find the dog staring up at him, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and Eleanor lying on the floor, clutching her stomach and giggling uncontrollably at the look of outrage on his face.
"Wench," he mutters, grumbling to himself as he slides out of bed and heads for the shower, all the while wiping at the moisture on his forehead. He casts one last dark look at the drooling dog on the bed before shutting the door behind him. When he has finished his shower, still sulking a little, Sweeney emerges from the bathroom with his hair dripping all over the floor to find Eleanor fully dressed on the edge of the bed and painting her nails a deep red.
Coming up behind her, Sweeney wraps an arm around her, pulling her into his bare chest. She settles into him, not seeming to care that he is still damp. "Don't like it when you shower without me," she complains, tilting her face up to regard his.
Ignoring her pout, Sweeney drops a hand to her thigh, running his fingers over the material of her black pants. "Sorry, pet," he says, watching her blow on her nails to get them to dry faster. "I actually wanted to get clean this time." She flashes him a wicked grin over her shoulder, and he stands up, moving away in an effort to distance himself from his temptress. "Hurry up and finish with that. I want to get down to the lodge for coffee before that idiot student of mine makes it there."
--
The lodge down the hill is fairly empty, considering it is Christmas morning and most people are still in their pajamas and opening presents. Eleanor is still feeling half asleep when she finally gets her coffee, and she takes a long sip gratefully, not even wincing when the hot liquid scalds her tongue.
Making it to an empty table near a window, Eleanor sits across from Sweeney, watching as he nurses his own caffeine fix, immersed in an old newspaper someone had left at their table.
Suddenly, a girlish squeak very close to her jolts Nellie from her sleep-induced fog, and she jumps, turning to see what all the fuss is about. Standing next to their table is a young girl, maybe sixteen, staring at them with something resembling awe. Sweeney glances up from his paper to regard her with an annoyed look.
"Omigosh," the girl squeals. "It's Helena and Tim!" She holds up her cup of coffee, looking teary eyed. "Will you sign my coffee cup? The name's Mandy."
Eleanor can only stare at her for a moment, before finally realizing that the girl has mistaken them for another couple. "Sorry, love," she smiles at her kindly, trying to form words in her shock. "You've got the wrong people. Just lookalikes, I'm afraid."
The girl blushes, drawing her coat tighter around her and gripping her cup to her chest. "Oh gosh," she laughs nervously. "I'm so sorry. You look just like her, and your husband - "
"Quite alright dearie," Eleanor interrupts quickly, casting a sidelong glance at Sweeney to see if the word 'husband' had sent him into convulsions. He looks relatively unfazed, to her relief. "Just a lil' mistake is all."
"Well it was nice meeting you anyway," Mandy smiles. "And again, I'm really sorry." She hurries off, cheeks still bright red from her mistake.
Eleanor watches her go sympathetically, and it's quiet for a couple of seconds before she hears Sweeney say worriedly, "Did she call me Tim?"
"Yeah," she faces him again with an apologetic nod.
Sweeney touches his hair self-consciously. "My hair doesn't look like - "
"Of course not love," Eleanor reaches across the table and pats his arm reassuringly. "Your 'air is much fuller an' neater than 'is." She smiles. "Don't 'ave those funny lookin' glasses neither."
The two finally make it back to the cabin a few minutes later, and upon walking through the front door, the smell of eggs and bacon comes wafting through the house from the kitchen. They enter the room hand in hand to find Tom standing over the stove, sliding bacon onto a plate.
"Merry Christmas Tommy-boy," Eleanor smiles, taking up her plate and leaning in to ruffle his hair affectionately.
"To you too, Ellie May," he laughs, handing Sweeney his plate.
They take their seats at the dining room table, eating in companionable silence for a few minutes while Eleanor tries to sneak Louie pieces of bacon under the table without anyone noticing. "Where's your wife this mornin'?" She asks, sipping her orange juice. "Didn't she say last night that she was goin' to get us all up at the crack of dawn?"
Tom frowns, spearing a piece of sausage with his fork. "Actually, I haven't even seen her this morning. She was in the bathroom when I got up, and she hasn't come downstairs yet." He reclines in his chair leisurely. "It's been...very tranquil this morning."
Nellie smirks at this, but before she can reply, Carol comes bounding into the room with a sunny smile, dressed in jeans and a red sweater. "Good morning you wonderful people," she sighs, dropping into her seat next to Tom.
The three other people sitting at the table exchange amused glances. "You're up awful late today, love," Eleanor says, hand darting under the table with a strip of bacon.
Sweeney catches the movement and gives her a look. "No wonder he's so bloody fat, you stuff him with your leftovers!"
" 'E likes bacon," Eleanor insists with a frown. " 'Sides, not like 'e ain't fat to begin with. I'm just keepin' the meat on 'is bones, is all."
"You're contributing to his obesity," Sweeney counters. "And any veterinary visits relating to your indulgence is not coming out of my pocket."
Eleanor rolls her eyes. "Like I can't bloody pay for it myself. Y'know, I did know 'ow to take care of myself before you came along, love."
"God only knows how," he mumbles to himself, turning back to his plate.
Sticking out her tongue at him, Eleanor picks up her glass of orange juice, finally taking notice of the way Carol is looking at both of them, beaming. "Are you alright, love?" She asks, brow furrowed.
Carol nods vigorously. "Yeah, you're both just so...adorable together. I did good."
Eleanor quirks an eyebrow at her last statement, but chooses to ignore it in favor of her first. "Adorable? Last night you said we disgusted you, and kindly asked us to get a room."
"I was mistaken. You're so cute, I could just eat you both up." She pops a piece of bacon into her mouth and her eyes widen in surprise. Mumbling around a mouthful of food, she says, "Woah, this is really good. Did you make this?" She looks at Tom, and he nods. "Hmm...now I know why I married you."
Exchanging an odd look with Tom over Carol's peculiar behavior, Eleanor pushes her plate away and stands up. "I think I need a cigarette." She squeezes Sweeney's shoulder as she passes by, picking up her pack of cigarettes from the counter on her way out the back door.
Tom shakes his head as Louie comes around to his side of the table and whines, holding out a paw as if willing to do a trick in exchange for food. "No way," he says, looking down at the dog. "I'm hungry." Louie sneezes on his pant leg and ambles over to Carol instead. Tom nods his head in the direction Eleanor had gone. "She really should quit smoking, she's going to kill herself with those things. You'd think being a doctor, she'd be wary of the health risks."
Sweeney tries not to laugh at this, covering his smirk with a mouthful of coffee, and manages to nod in concern.
Carol bends down to Louie, feeding him something out the palm of her hand and muttering about how she owes him one for being her baby step. She straightens when her palm is empty, turning to Sweeney with a smile, watching him closely. For some reason, he is more ill at ease under her stare today than ever before. It isn't the dreamy sort of glaze she usually has when she looks at him, but something altogether different, that he can't quite put his finger on. He doesn't get a chance to contemplate it before Eleanor comes stomping back through the door, shaking snow out of her curls.
"Bloody 'ell," she says, shivering. "It's freezin' out there."
Sweeney raises his eyebrows at her. "Thank you, my dear. The snow hadn't tipped us off to that particular fact."
She shoots him a withering glare. "Bugger off."
"Merry Christmas to you too," he says, on the verge of laughing at her when the doorbell rings. His eyes widen immediately. "Don't answer that."
A perfectly malicious grin spreads across Eleanor's face. "I wonder who that could be, eh? Couldn't be Kurtis Russell you're tryin' to avoid, is it?"
Sweeney stands up, holding out his hands in a sign of peace. "Eleanor, don't do anything rash."
"Kurtis Russell?" Carol pipes up, looking pleased. She dips another handful of sunflower seeds out of the bag on the table. "These are delicious, by the way. What are they?"
"Sunflower seeds," Nellie says slowly, as though talking to a small child.
"Carol, honey," Tom looks at her strangely. "You hate sunflower seeds."
Carol regards him oddly, popping a handful into her mouth. "Well that's just silly. How can anyone hate these delectable seeds of yumminess?"
Tom and Eleanor trade worried glances as the doorbell rings again.
Jumping to her feet, Carol darts out of the kitchen and down the hall, scattering sunflower seeds in her wake. "I'll get it!"
"No!" Sweeney shouts after her. They hear the front door swing open, followed by the voice of Kurtis himself. Sweeney groans softly, dropping down onto a stool at the bar and banging his head against the counter. "Bollocks."
Eleanor giggles, wandering up to him and patting his shoulder. "Sorry, love."
Footsteps sound in the hallway, and seconds later, Carol is ushering Kurtis into the kitchen. "There's plenty of food left if you're hungry," she says, pushing him into a chair at the table. "Help yourself."
"Actually," Kurtis says, filching a link of sausage from Sweeney's half-finished plate. "I'm just here to challenge Professor Todd to a snowboarding competition." He grins, taking a bite of sausage. "You up for it?"
Sweeney stares, torn between annoyance at Kurtis for eating his food, and annoyance at Kurtis for existing. "I don't think I - "
"Of course he will," Carol interrupts good naturedly. "But first, why don't you take Lovett out - "
"What did you call me?" Eleanor asks, looking perplexed.
For some reason, Carol blushes. "I mean...Ellie. Why don't you take Ellie out and teach her a few moves? She's done nothing but talk about how fun it looks."
"Sure," Kurtis turns in his seat to look at her. "If you want me to, I can teach you a couple of things. I'll have you going down Dead Man's Hill before the end of the day."
Eleanor laughs. "I don't think so, love. You'll be lucky if you get me on that thing at all."
Kurtis grins at her, raising his eyebrows challengingly. "My board is outside. Let's roll, pretty lady."
As Kurtis grabs another piece of sausage from Sweeney's plate before heading back down the hall, Eleanor turns to Sweeney. "You go get your gear on love, and we'll meet you outside. Oh, and grab my scarf on your way out." She leans up, pressing a kiss to his cheek before skipping off down the hall after Kurtis.
As the front door shuts behind her, Sweeney slides from his stool, grumbling to himself. The boy is once again butting in on his personal life, and the thought of him out there 'teaching' Eleanor is not comforting in the slightest. Hurrying up the steps to get ready and break up their little party, Sweeney is too distracted to notice Carol's triumphant smile.
Once outside, holding Eleanor's colorful wool scarf in his hands, Sweeney finds the two in the middle of the front yard, with Eleanor standing on Kurtis' snowboard. The little punk has his hands on her waist, trying to show her which way to move, and Sweeney doesn't notice that he is wringing the scarf in his hands until Carol comes up from behind him and tugs at it.
"Don't hurt the scarf, Sweeney," she says, sounding amused. "It never did anything to you." Looking down and seeing his white-knuckled grip, Sweeney relinquishes his hold on it, letting Carol take it. They stand in silence for a few minutes, watching Kurtis and Eleanor interact with one another.
He stands behind her, moving his hands from her waist to her outstretched arms, sliding them slowly from her elbows to her hands and lacing his fingers through hers. Using his grip on her hands to show her when to lean to the side or forward, Kurtis is way too close for Sweeney's comfort, his chest pressed against her back. Eleanor furrows her brow, looking confused, and tilts her head back to look at Kurtis as she talks to him. Kurtis says something in her ear with a sly grin that causes Eleanor to gasp and turn around, shoving his chest, and nearly knocking him off balance.
Laughing hysterically, Kurtis doubles over, hands on his knees, while Eleanor glares down at him with a half-smile on her lips, shaking her head. When Kurtis finally straightens up, he takes Eleanor by the shoulders and directs her back onto the board, smiling at her. Sweeney doesn't care for the look in the boy's eyes. Eleanor steps back onto the board and holds out her hand impatiently, beckoning Kurtis back over to her.
"They're being pretty friendly," Carol says suggestively, elbowing Sweeney gently in the side.
Sweeney tears his eyes from the scene in front of him long enough to glance at her. "Are you trying to imply something?"
Carol shrugs nonchalantly. "Nope. Just saying."
Silence reigns for another several seconds before Carol speaks again, unable to contain herself.
"I just mean, if Tom were to act like that with another woman, I'd - "
"I trust her," Sweeney says through gritted teeth, never taking his eyes from Eleanor, where she stands on Kurtis' snowboard, knees bent and leaning forward, with Kurtis' hand on the small of her back.
"Yeah," Carol says skeptically. "That's why you're watching her like a hawk."
Sweeney frowns, looking down at her in annoyance. "Don't you have something you need to be doing?"
Carol shakes her head. "No. And it's not like I can blame you for being suspicious. Eleanor is a beautiful woman, it's only natural that other men are going to look at her like that."
"Like what?" He asks warily, as if he really doesn't want to know but can't stop himself from asking anyway.
"Oh, you know," Carol says breezily. "Like she's sex on a stick." With that said, Carol directs a sweet smile in his direction and hands the scarf to Sweeney, who looks rather dazed, before flouncing back into the house to look for Tom.
As Carol's words reverberate in his head disconcertingly, Sweeney grips Eleanor's scarf tightly in his fist, picks up his snowboard and makes his way over to them. The two are in the middle of laughing at something Eleanor had just said when Sweeney drops his board at their feet and tosses Eleanor her scarf.
She catches it deftly. "Love, 'e was just teaching me a," she stops, looking bemused. "A 'Soup', was it?"
Kurtis nods. "Soup." He turns to Sweeney to explain, not seeming to notice the look of disdain on his professor's face. "It's where you do an Ollie, and then you land on the nose of the board - "
"I know what it is," Sweeney interrupts tersely. "I have done this before."
"Right," Kurtis shoots him an apologetic smile. "Anyway, it's an awesome beginner trick."
"Beginner trick?" Eleanor looks put out. "Lord, I can't even master a beginner's trick."
He laughs. "No, you're doing great, trust me. Try it again, then we'll take it to the slopes and get you some air."
"Actually, Mr. Russell," Sweeney says brusquely, not even close to caring that he'd interrupted Eleanor's lesson. "I believe you challenged me to a competition?"
Kurtis nods, turning his attention from Eleanor to flash Sweeney a skeptical smirk. "I did, but those are some pretty killer jumps. You sure you can handle it, old man?"
Eleanor laughs, wrapping her scarf snugly around her neck. "I believe you just signed your own death warrant, boy." If he hadn't been so distracted by thoughts of burying Kurtis in the snow in some remote location on the slopes, Sweeney might have taken the time to admire how becoming she looked, her cheeks rosy from the cold. "Don't 'urt the lad, dear."
A devilish smirk makes its way across Sweeney Todd's face, and Eleanor looks slightly alarmed. "No promises, pet."
She stands in the middle of the yard and watches the two walk off down the hill, carrying their boards under their arms, before heading back into the warmth of the house. As she stands in the foyer, pulling off her snow boots, Eleanor thinks about how odd Sweeney's behavior had been. Last night he had been utterly inconsolable at the prospect of spending time snowboarding with Kurtis, and this morning Sweeney had been ready to hide from him in order to get out of it, but then, during her lesson, he was gung-ho and ready to head out. It just didn't make sense to her. Even Sweeney Todd's moods didn't change that frequently.
Still puzzling over this, Eleanor pads into the kitchen in the hopes of finding a friendly face, and is rewarded with Carol just flipping through a catalogue, looking thoroughly engrossed. Slumping down into a chair at the table, Eleanor puts her elbows on the table top and her chin in her palms.
"My intuition tells me you're troubled," Carol says, watching Eleanor stare glumly at the fruit bowl centerpiece.
Nellie shrugs. "It's nothin'. Just Sweeney bein' 'is usual confusin' self." She shakes her head. "The man is an enigma surrounded by a riddle an' wrapped in a mystery."
Carol snorts at this, and then puts a hand over her mouth, as if surprised to hear such a thing come from herself. "He's a man," she continues, still frowning. "His thoughts consist of beer, sex, and video games."
Eleanor grabs an apple from the centerpiece, tossing it from hand to hand effortlessly. "If only that stereotype applied to 'im. My life would be much simpler."
Hopping up onto the counter, still popping sunflower seeds into her mouth, Carol sighs, letting her dangling legs swing back and forth rhythmically. "You like that he's complicated, and you know it. You'd have a hard time loving him if he wasn't."
Eleanor looks at her sharply, the apple falling from her hands and dropping to the table with a resounding thud. "What are you - "
Carol rolls her eyes. "We've had this conversation already, and I believe we established that you love that hunk of a man, whether you want to admit it or not." She wriggles her eyebrows playfully. "You ready to admit it now?"
Bristling slightly, Eleanor turns back to the apple, scooping it up and dropping it back into the bowl. "I don't know what you're talkin' about," she says airily, avoiding the blonde's all-knowing gaze.
"Well he obviously adores you," Carol continues, seemingly oblivious to Nellie's reluctance to talk about it. "I mean, when I was out there, watching you and Kurtis with him, he wouldn't take his eyes off of you. I think he was jealous, isn't that cute?"
Realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, Eleanor slowly turns to look at her friend. "That actually explains quite a bit concernin' 'is behavior this mornin'."
Carol squints at her warily. "I don't like that look. What are you thinking?"
Jaw clenched in irritation for the man she shares a bed with, Eleanor only says, "I'm thinkin' that Sweeney and I need to 'ave a little chat about this newfangled thing called trust."
Coming up behind her, Carol takes a seat at the table next to Nellie, and scoots her chair as close as humanly possible to the other woman. Putting an arm around Eleanor's shoulders, Carol hugs her tightly. "I just want you to know," she says tearfully into her hair. "That you're my favorite human, and I'm so proud of you."
Eleanor pats her back awkwardly, brow knit in confusion. "Um, thanks, love."
As they wait for Sweeney and Kurtis to get back from their snowboarding venture, Eleanor becomes increasingly aware of Carol's strange actions, from eating sunflower seeds that she usually hates, to playing with the blender like she has never seen one before. "Are you feelin' alright today?" She finally asks when Carol accidentally hits a button on the microwave, and then jumps back as if it is going to bite her.
She smiles, and it is a grin Nellie has seen often in their friendship, but today, there is something off about it. "Yeah, great. Why?"
She shrugs, hearing the front door open and shut, knowing Sweeney and Kurtis are back. "No reason." She reaches out and squeezes Carol's arm affectionately, deciding to put aside her worries for later.
Stomping comes from the hallway, and Eleanor can only wince at the thought of all the snow those two are probably tracking in. Sweeney comes through the kitchen first, unzipping his jacket and looking quite satisfied with himself. Kurtis trails after him, and Eleanor has to bite back a laugh when she sees all the snow plastered to one side of his head, and all down the front of his suit.
"Don't ask," Kurtis holds up a hand, defeated. "And I can't believe I'm saying this, but he kicked my ass."
Tom, hearing their arrival from the study down hall, enters the kitchen with a grin. "Sweet," he says, punching Sweeney on the arm, much to the other man's annoyance. "We've got to go out again later, I want to see the man of the hour in action."
Eleanor rolls her eyes, unable to muster up enough enthusiasm to stand up and congratulate Sweeney on his victory. She knows he is going to gloat about this to his class for the rest of the semester, and while the thought amuses her, she can't get her conversation with Carol out of her head. So that was why he'd interrupted her lesson with Kurtis? He was jealous? It's like he doesn't trust her at all, and this irks her more than she cares to admit.
Kurtis laughs, standing over the sink and shaking the snow out of his hair. "Sure dude, we can all go out again. But first, I think I owe Doctor Lovett a snowboarding lesson."
The words shake Nellie from her reverie, and she looks up to see Sweeney appearing less than pleased, standing stiffly in the corner. She can see how tightly his jaw is clenched even from across the room, but she manages to smile at Kurtis, nodding. "Sure, just me go upstairs and grab a coat. I'll try not to upstage you in front of your friends, eh?"
He snorts at this. "Don't be talking smack to me, Lovett. You're going down."
Eleanor is halfway up the stairs when she gets the sense that she is being followed, but she ignores it until she reaches the doorway to the bedroom. Whirling around in the doorframe, Eleanor comes face to face with Sweeney, and she glares up at him. "You want somethin', love?"
Sweeney looks surprised by the irritation in her voice, but he doesn't back down. He nods, ushering her into their bedroom and shutting the door behind them. She watches as he ignores her in favor of removing his shirt, and her mind is filled with all sorts of inappropriate thoughts until she sees he is looking for another one to put on in its place. "What are you doin'?" She asks suspiciously.
He gives her a look as he holds up a shirt to inspect. "Making pancakes, Eleanor. I'm changing, what does it look like, woman?"
Ignoring his less -than-friendly response, Eleanor leans casually against the bedpost. "Right, makes sense. Soaked from the snow, no doubt." She nods, almost to herself, watching him carefully. "Goin' to change and go 'ang out with Tom for a while? Play some video games or take Louie for a walk, maybe?"
"Not exactly," he says after a moment of hesitation.
"And what does 'not exactly' mean?" She asks, already knowing the answer.
Sweeney sighs, turning to look at her. "It means I'm going with you and Kurtis, if you're so intent on dragging it out of me."
"Going with me and Kurtis?" She asks, trying to sound surprised and only barely succeeding. "And why is that?"
"Just want to watch," he shrugs, turning from her again to rummage through another set of drawers, obviously determined to find a certain shirt.
Nellie is unconvinced, and folds her arms across her chest. "Really? You want to watch Kurtis teach me how to do a bloody Ollie on top of a hill in the freezin' cold? You're actually interested in that?"
He nods slowly. "You might fall, it could be funny."
"Wouldn't you rather stay 'ere and 'elp Tom eat all those Christmas cookies Carol made last night?" She asks, moving to perch on the edge of the bed. "And then when I get back, you and I can go do somethin' together." Pausing thoughtfully, she says in her best suggestive voice, "There's a jacuzzi around back. We could...make use of it later. Why don't you stay 'ere and get everythin' ready? Champagne and all that? I won't be gone long."
"Hmm," he says distractedly, sounding as if he's barely paying attention to her. "Not really one for jacuzzis. I think I'll just go with you and the boy."
She doesn't miss the way he says 'boy' with the utmost contempt. Watching him through narrowed eyes, Eleanor sighs. "Why can't you just be straight forward about it and tell me the truth? What 'appened to bein' honest? Wasn't that one of our rules, love?"
She sounds disappointed to Sweeney's ears, and he furrows his brow, pausing in the middle of perusing his dresser drawers. "I'm not sure I follow you."
Turning away as he pulls his long sleeved shirt over his head and tosses it to the side, Eleanor crosses to the window, pulling back the curtain and staring out into the snow-covered yard. "Earlier, I couldn't 'elp but wonder why you 'ad changed your mind so quickly about snowboardin'. You were ready to 'ide from Kurtis to avoid it this mornin', and then suddenly you interrupted my lesson, all impatient to get out there. I 'ad my suspicions then, but you just proved 'em to me."
"Oh really?" Sweeney asks dryly, still not taking her very seriously. "And what did I prove, pet?"
She turns to look at him, mouth set in a thin line. "That you don't trust me."
The shirt Sweeney is holding drops to the floor, and he stares at her, open-mouthed. "I trust you," he says defensively.
"Oh right," she scoffs. "That's why you're so eager to go trampin' out in the snow with us, because you trust me. I offered you time in the jacuzzi with champagne and me in a bloody bikini and you turned it down in favor of keepin' an eye on us! You won't leave me alone with 'im for one second if you can 'elp it!"
"Me?" Sweeney eyes her with incredulity. "I'm not the one so bloody anxious to be alone with the brat! Is there any other excuse you can come up with to keep me here so you two can go traipsing off into the woods together?"
Lips parted slightly in disbelief, Eleanor jumps from her perch on the bed, and has to reign in the urge to stamp her foot like a child. "What?! Are you listenin' to yourself? You're bloody mad!" She begins stalking angrily around the room, too indignant to stand still. "Yes, Sweeney, I'm goin' around behind your back with a man two 'undred years younger than I am, and who uses the word 'dude' in every other sentence! Yes, that's exactly my type, love! Brilliant deduction!"
"Well it's not that far of a leap when you want so badly to be alone with him, Eleanor," Sweeney snaps, watching her pace back and forth, fists clenched at her sides. "What the hell did you want me to think?"
"I wanted you to think that you could trust me to be alone with a man without feelin' the need to jump 'im!" Eleanor shrieks, and the volume of her voice is very close to sounding hysterical. Moving to the window, she looks out through sheer curtains, leaning against the window frame. Her voice is much softer as she says, "Do you really think so little of me?"
"I do trust you!" Sweeney insists huffily. "I don't trust him, the filthy lecherous pervert!"
Her eyes widen and she whirls around to face him. "Sweeney!"
He doesn't look even slightly perturbed, only more determined to get his point across. "He was looking at you like-like you were-"
"I don't care 'ow 'e was lookin' at me!" Eleanor puts a hand on her hip, and Sweeney notices that her whole body seems to radiate her fury. "What about me? You saw us out there, was I lookin' at 'im any differently? Did I look particularly infatuated with your bloody college student?!"
Ignoring her eminently practical logic, Sweeney changes tactics quickly. "Fine! Forget how he looked at you! What about his hands? Did you not notice where his sodding hands were, Eleanor?!"
She rolls her eyes heavenward, as though asking for patience. "For cripes sake, Sweeney! 'E was teachin' me to snowboard! It involves physical contact! Why are you bein' so bloody impossible?"
Frustrated in a way he hasn't been in years, and all thanks to this tiny doctor so intent on driving him mad, Sweeney isn't thinking clearly. He isn't thinking about a logical or snappy answer to her retort, he isn't even thinking about hitting Kurtis over the head with his snowboard. He is only thinking of how lovely she looks, and how her eyes seem to ignite from a fire within when she is angry. He is thinking about how much he loves that particular look, and how he wants to spend the rest of eternity provoking her to this state of mind. And so, he cannot be blamed for the rash words that leave his mouth at this moment, with her staring at him like that, cheeks flushed and chest heaving charmingly.
"Because I love you, damn it!" Sweeney shouts at her, sounding for all the world like a defeated man brought to his knees. "And I don't want him touching you like that!"
This stops Eleanor right where she stands, and she freezes, afraid to move, afraid to break the spell for fear that he will take it back again. He doesn't, only gives the floor his best murderous glare, panting as if he has run a marathon. Completely forgetting her irritation, she asks in a voice no louder than a whisper, "You-you what?" She realizes her eyes must be comically wide, but she can't bring herself to care, staring at him with her mouth slightly agape.
"I love you," he snaps again, dragging his eyes up to hers and holding her steady gaze.
"You-you do?" She manages, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
He sighs, and snarls grumpily, "Of course I do, I love every bloody thing about you, you little harpy! There, are you happy?!"
It finally dawns on her that he isn't going to take it back, that the words are here to stay. It hadn't been the scenario she'd had in mind when she'd pictured him confessing these long awaited words, but she supposes he wouldn't be Sweeney Todd if he didn't shout declarations of love in the heat of an argument. She stares at him, face pinched in a way that suggests she is just seconds from crying, but instead, a soft giggle escapes her lips. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she struggles to keep from bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation, knowing Sweeney would take it as her laughing at his confession, which is far from the truth. Taking her hand away from her mouth, she says, "Well that wasn't exactly the romantic candlelit dinner I imagined." She beams at him. "But I'll take it."
He looks disgruntled at this, opening his mouth in what is no doubt some sort of snappy retort, but she cuts him off.
"It's about bloody time you said it, ya ruddy bastard!" She crosses the short distance between them in two quick steps, launching herself into his arms. He catches her, blinking in surprise as his arms automatically wrap around her waist. "You mean it?" She breathes, her arms coming up to rest around his neck.
"Yes, yes," he grumbles, shifting uncomfortably. "It's not a big deal, don't get excited, woman."
She smiles into his neck, breathing him in. "It took you two hundred years to say three bleedin' words, and I'm not s'pposed to get excited when you finally spit it out?" Eleanor pulls back slightly to cup his cheek in her palm, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I love you too, you stubborn git."
A reluctant smile tugs at his lips. "Well," he says haughtily. "That much is obvious with the way you just threw yourself at me, Eleanor."
She chokes on a laugh, shoving him half-heartedly. "You're infuriatin'," she says softly, resting her head on his bare chest. "Why do I like you?"
"Love," he corrects smugly. "And I haven't the faintest idea. I believe you're a glutton for punishment, my dear."
Tilting her face up to look at him, Eleanor smiles. "Maybe. But you're not bad as far as punishments go, y'know."
He nods, only half paying attention now, his eyes focused on her lips. "Good to know." His finger traces her bottom lip gently, and her eyes grow heavy at his touch. His lips drift lightly over her forehead, her cheeks, her eyelids, before finally meeting hers in a soft, sensual kiss that makes her want to melt into him and forget anyone else has ever existed, or ever will.
Standing on her tiptoes to be closer to him, Eleanor locks her arms around his neck and opens her mouth voraciously against his. As Sweeney's grip around her waist tightens and he picks her up to carry her to the bed, Eleanor wonders if his kisses will always make her so weak in the knees, as cliché as it sounds. She knows the answer is yes before her back even hits the mattress.
Sweeney hovers over her, his lips warm and insistent on her neck and his hands slip beneath the hem of her shirt. Eleanor shivers, bringing her fingers up to run through his hair, head tilted back and eyes closed in perfect bliss. "I love you," she breathes into his ear. It feels good to finally be able to say it after all this time keeping it to herself, and while she doesn't expect any sort of response from her beloved, she is happy in the knowledge that he feels the same way.
--
The wheel is come full circle...
Time is an ever rotating wheel, it never stops, not for anyone. Except Sweeney Todd and Eleanor Lovett. For them, time paused for over a century, waiting for them to catch up...
When the words are said, Skuld and Verdandi look at each other, faces blank for a few seconds before they both break into huge grins, and taking each others hands, they begin to bounce up and down excitedly, squealing like teenage girls at a rock concert.
"They said it! They said it!" They chant together, as though singing along to the chorus of an 80's rock ballad.
This is their moment. The moment they have been waiting for since they reversed time for Todd and Lovett nearly two hundred years ago, the moment where everything has fallen into place. Their project for the last century and a half has finally come to a close. If such a thing really existed, the heavenly choir of angels would be rejoicing in their ears at this very moment.
In the midst of their gleeful celebrating, Urd appears once again, popping onto the scene out of thin air, straightening her robes. She is smiling in a self-satisfied manner, and she waves a hand, conjuring the image of Carol back on earth. Her sisters gather around her, still grinning, and they watch together as Carol blinks several times, finally coming back to herself. They giggle like schoolchildren when she grimaces at the taste of sunflower seeds in her mouth, running to the garbage can to spit them out. "Tom!" She calls out. "Why am I eating sunflower seeds?"
Cackling, Urd waves the image away. "So tell me," she asks, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. "What is it like having such a genius for a sister?"
Skuld sighs happily, linking arms with her sister. "Positively exquisite."
"I can't believe we did it," Verdandi says, sounding dazed. "It feels like a dream. Someone pinch me."
Skuld reaches out a pinches her arm.
"Ow!" Verdandi complains, cradling her wounded arm to her chest. "I didn't mean it!"
Skuld shrugs uninterestedly, still too happy to start an argument. "Are you disappointed?" She asks Urd. "I know you planned on spending more than a day on earth."
Shaking her head, Urd waves her hand again, showing them the image of Todd and Lovett sleeping on a sofa by the fireplace in their room, with Louie at their feet. "It is impossible to be disappointed that those two didn't need much coaxing."
"True," Skuld concedes with a smile.
"Well," Urd says, examining her reflection in a mirror, bemoaning the loss of youthful skin. Being in Carol's body had been much more fun, she'll have to consider doing it more often. "I suppose we should restore their mortality now."
The three sisters glance at each other uneasily.
"Verdandi," Skuld glances at her. "Go ahead."
Verdandi, spinner of the thread of life, hesitates. "Is it wrong that I...that I don't want to give their mortality back to them?"
Skuld crosses to her sister's side, laying a consoling hand on her back. "It's only natural to want them to remain young and healthy. Do you think I enjoy cutting those threads and ending a person's life?" She shakes her head. "But everyone has to die sister, it's the price of being human. They get to live their lives with an intensity that no other being in this universe can. That intensity comes from knowing they could die at any moment, it makes them take risks, live in the moment. It's a tradeoff."
Verdandi nods silently and Skuld bites her lip. Neither of them show any sign of getting up to move to the loom of Fate in order to restore the world to its rightful order.
Urd sighs, coming down off of her high long enough to sympathize with her sisters. "We all know that dying is hardly the end of the road. Actually, death is only the beginning, another adventure to embark upon in another world. And with all of that magic coursing through their veins from immortality, they'll still age slowly. If it was the 1700's, people would be whispering about witchcraft!"
A dreamy expression clouds Skuld's eyes. "Lovett would have made a remarkable witch."
Verdandi gives her a look. "Don't get any ideas."
"I wasn't," Skuld says defensively. Urd's speech has helped though, and she looks determined now. "It's not like their time on earth is anywhere near over. They have a lot of life left to live."
Looking between her two sisters quizzically, Verdandi asks, "What will they do now?"
Urd smiles. "Why, they'll just keep living it."
A/N-They finally said it! Can you believe it? It only took them 200 years, too.Haha Oh, and hopefully I made it clear enough that Urd sort of took over Carol's body for a while. The quote in italics the beginning is from John Allston, I thought it fit nicely;) And the other quote in italics is from Shakespeare's King Lear. This chapter is sort of a dedication/belated birthday present for Robynne(Phantomfr33k24601), who made me the most amazing banner for my oneshot Getting By and helped me out MAJORLY with this chapter. She's fantabulous. She even listened to me rant about my lost muse and how much I suck.LOL The new banner is in my bio, so go look at it. And also, AniMesXVIII drew a couple of pictures on deviantART for this story, which are awesome. The link's in my bio, and if you have an account, please comment! Well darlings, I'm sorry to say that we are nearing the end of this strange little tale. The last chapter is next, while I'm absolutely heartbroken about it because I LOVE hearing from you all, I think it's time. So, please review and let me know what you think, and be on the lookout for the final chapter. Hugs and kisses!
Bloody Pumpkinhead - Haha, The fact that I could reduce you to dancing around the room is amazing. You totally made my day with that. The image of Sweeney blushing is so cute, I honestly don't know how Nellie doesn't just squeeze him to death.LOL I'm actually planning a story about their pasts at the moment, so be on the lookout for that later. And I'm sure whatever you want to post is great, you should definitely go for it. After you've translated them into English, you're welcome to send them to me, and I'll be happy to tell you what I think. But yes, you should post them, I'm a fan of Sweeney oneshots, for sure. Thanks for reviewing dear!
Everto Tonsor - LOL, Yeah, Sweeney definitely beat Kurtis at snowboarding. I think he had jealousy fueling him on:D Thanks for the book recommendation, I'll have to check it out. Thank you for reviewing!
Felicia Loves Passing Strange - LOL, I officially love your name. I'm glad you like the story, and I hope this chapter met all of your qualifications:D Thanks for the review!