I don't own Sweeney Todd.

July 15, 1874

They spent the next few days mulling over their options. Johanna had been hinting that she thought they should announce the pregnancy, but Anthony just couldn't bring himself to do it. What if it didn't go over well? What would happen to him? He would never survive on the streets, especially not with a child to think about. At least here, he had a place to sleep and a decent meal every day. Was he really willing to risk that?

Since their chat last week, Anthony's mind had been constantly racing with thoughts that he really did not want to be thinking. Johanna had said that she would stay with him and offer support, but what if she changed her mind? He may have loved her, but what if she didn't feel the same and was only staying because she felt obligated to? If that were true, then it was only a matter of time before she decided to leave, and he would be left alone with the baby. Anthony really didn't want to entertain that notion.

On top of all that, he had been experiencing unusually high amounts of paranoia. He knew that the judge would still be after him. He had to be. After all, he'd just taken Johanna and brought her here. Yes, he had rescued her from awful circumstances, but he had no doubt that a jury wouldn't see it that way. All they would see is a boy that had kidnapped the daughter of a prominent judge out of lust. It would be his word against Turpin's, and who on God's green earth would believe anything a sailor said? After that, it would be a trip to the gallows, or he'd be shipped off to Australia, where he'd be beaten and broken until he ended up like Mr Todd.

To make matters worse, Anthony had seen the judge in Mrs Lovett's shop that Thursday. He had gone downstairs to fetch a cup of tea for Mr Todd between customers, and he'd walked right past Judge Turpin. He wasn't sure if he'd been spotted, but if so, he and Johanna were in a heap of trouble.

So, needless to say, Anthony was a nervous wreck.

After the shops had closed for the night, Johanna would find him hiding out in Sweeney's shop when she came up to tell them to wash up for supper. The barber was resting in his chair for the moment, and Anthony was sweeping stray hair into a dust pan. He'd seemed startled when she walked in, and she wasn't sure why. On top of looking startled, he was pale as a ghost, and she could detect a slight tremor in his hand.

During dinner, he barely ate, as usual. He barely spoke. In fact, he hardly said a word that night at all, except for a quick "Good night" and peck on the cheek at bedtime.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Johanna awoke to the sensation of the bed shaking slightly as Anthony rolled over in his sleep yet again.

Again.

Johanna sighed internally. This had been going on for some time now, and she wasn't getting much sleep because of it. She had always been a light sleeper, and it was normal for her to wake up during the night because of the smallest of sounds. But this had to stop.

She sat up and turned her head toward the sailor lying next to her. The poor boy looked absolutely exhausted. He was curled up on his side, facing away from her. His hair was an absolute mess, and was hanging in his face. It was difficult to tell whether or not he was asleep, but if he was, she really couldn't blame him. After all, Anthony was four months pregnant, and that had to be absolutely exhausting.

However, the question was answered very quickly when he looked over his shoulder to see her staring at him.

"You're awake." Johanna stated.

"I can't sleep." Anthony let his head fall back down onto his pillow. "I guess you're having trouble sleeping too, eh?"

"Sort of." She propped herself up on her elbow. "It's a little difficult to sleep when the bed keeps shaking."

"I'm sorry." He groaned. "I've just been so worried lately, I've hardly slept."

"That makes two of us." Johanna gave him a small smile. "Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Do I have to?"

"Might as well. Tell me, what has you so anxious?"

Anthony rolled onto his back and scooted back into a sitting position against his pillow. His hands came to rest on top of his now slightly protruding stomach.

"Everything." He sighed.

"All right, that's a start. How about we narrow that down a bit?"

"Gonna be a bit difficult, that."

"Give me a list, then."

"Alphabetical or chronological?"

"Yes." Johanna sat up and turned to face him. "Let's start with what you're feeling right now."

"Nervous. Scared." Anthony let out a breathless chuckle and looked down at his hands. "I mean, why wouldn't I be? Everything is just moving so fast, I... I can't fathom how I'm going to get through this. I've never even been alone with a baby, how am I supposed to know what to do?"

"Didn't you mention once that you had a younger sister?"

"I was eight years old when she was born, Johanna. I can hardly remember what I had for supper, let alone that far back."

"Don't you remember anything your mother did to take care of her?"

"Well, yes, I remember things like feeding and whatnot, it's just the specifics that escape me." He sighed and ran a hand along his stomach. "I wish I could ask my mum how she did it."

"You'll have to tell her sometime, so maybe ask her the next time you send her something through the post."

"That's another thing. How are we going to to tell people? Everyone we tell is going to assume that you're the mother." Anthony groaned and let his head fall back. "Oh God... Mr Todd is going to kill me."

"He is not going to kill you. Remember, I'm not the one having symptoms. You are."

"Fair enough." He paused. "Really, though, what are we going to do? You've been telling me to just say it, but I don't think I have it in me."

"I think you do." Johanna reached over and placed her hand over his. "I know you've got it in you. After all, you've done crazier things than announce a pregnancy. You've sprung me from a lunatic asylum, and that couldn't have been easy, especially if you were already pregnant by then."

"Oh God, I was terrified..."

"But you did it anyway." She thought for a moment and then continued. "Before that, you offered to marry me to get me away from the judge, even though you barely knew me. That was remarkably stupid, but your heart was in the right place."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better."

"Let me put it this way: You're the type of person that does the right thing, even when the right thing isn't necessarily the smart thing."

"So you're saying that my heart is bigger than my brain?"

"I mean, yes, but that's beside the point." Johanna sighed. "I guess what I'm getting at is that you have to move forward sometime, y'know? Go and take the plunge like you always do. Sometimes the only way to go is to just go on."

"I guess you're right. I can't exactly go back to how things were before." Anthony turned his head to look at Johanna. "Got to keep moving forward, even if we don't know what we're moving toward."

"Exactly. They say life's too short, but they're wrong. It's the longest thing you'll ever do, and it's far too long to spend regretting the decisions you've made. Or didn't."

Anthony shrugged.

"So I guess it's settled, then." He said. "I'm gonna have to say something sooner or later. I just have no idea how."

"We'll do it together."

"When? Should we do it now, or should we wait until the baby is bigger? I mean, it's not exactly obvious..."

"Might as well do it soon. You're starting to show, so I think now's as good a time as any." Johanna eyed his stomach curiously. "Have you felt it move yet?"

"Not yet. Well... I'm not sure. It's hard to tell. Sometimes I think I can feel them, but it's just small things, like little flutters."

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

"I couldn't say for sure." Anthony smiled. "But I think it's a boy. Just a feeling I have."

"Any ideas for names?"

"I definitely want a Russian name. Maybe Ivan if it's a boy, or Irina if it's a girl. I haven't decided on anything yet, so those are just a couple of ideas."

"Why Russian?"

"My mother came from a small village in Russia." He looked down and ran his hand over his stomach again. "Russian culture has always been a part of my life, so I want to continue the tradition with my own child."

"That's a nice idea." Johanna yawned. "I hate to cut this short, but I think we should at least try to go back to sleep. We'll think better when we're well-rested."

"Agreed." Anthony looked at her and noted the dark circles under her eyes. "We'll talk more tomorrow, yeah?"

"We will." She laid back down and rolled onto her side. "Good night."

"Good night, Johanna."

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Writer's block is a bitch. That's pretty much the only excuse I have.