Haunted Dreams
Chapter 7
Nellie lays in bed with tears still running down her cheeks. Sweeney lies next to her with his arms wrapped around her waist and his nose in the crook of her neck. He sleeps peacefully as if nothing bad has even happened.
They both lay there, the bed soaked with Nellie's blood. She has cuts all over her body, on her arms, legs, back, and chest. A bunch of tiny scars and bruises. Her entire body ached, her ribs hurt from where he kicked her there. She couldn't fall asleep not like he could, she was in too much pain and the baby wouldn't stop turning and kicking inside her. It was probably in pain as well.
This is what Nellie gets for lying, she needs to know and learn to never lie to him again. She doesn't blame him for her suffering she blames herself. She wasn't upset with herself for lying to him once again she was upset with herself because of her stupidity. How dare she think that he wouldn't hurt her, of course he would hurt her, he's Sweeney Todd, he's a murder.
She was so stupid; she actually believed that he loved her or that he was falling in love with her. But he wasn't. He proved that tonight, he doesn't love her and he never will, Nellie just needs to learn to accept that. But she can't. Even with her body covered in tiny scars and bruises and aches she still holds onto the hope that one day he'll love her the way she loves him. Foolish of her isn't it?
Nellie doesn't remember closing her eyes but she apparently did, the next time she opens them it's morning. She smells blood; it's a miracle she didn't bleed to death last night.
"Hmmm I love the smell of your blood." Sweeney says sleepily kissing her neck. Well that comment is completely disgusting and scary yet sexy.
Nellie gets up and walks out of the room ignoring him, still naked and without even a single cover up she makes her way to the bathroom to take a bath. The cold draft on her skin doesn't bother her; her mind is worrying about other things. She slips into the hot bath. The water stings her skin but feels relaxing.
They had a fight last night, in between the sex, and the pain, and the blood. Nellie relieves the night's events in her head while she stares blankly at a spot in the water of the tub.
"You must be punished for lying to me my pet." He said seductively as he slashed the razor into her skin for the fifth time.
"Mr. T please... I'm... I'm sooo... soorrry..." She kept saying through her screams of terror and her sobbing. After he kicked her, she laid there on the floor in a crumpled up heap sobbing, wetting the floor with her tears and blood.
Sweeney bent down and picked her up by her hair and glared into her eyes. "Why do you love me?"
"What?" Nellie sobbed.
"Why do you love me?" He hissed his dark empty eyes boring into her wet chocolate ones.
Nellie struggled for the right answer, she dug down to the bottom of her heart, she didn't know why she loved him she just did. "I... I don't..."
Sweeney slammed her into the wall. "WHY. DO. YOU. LOVE. ME?" He spat in her face, slamming her into the wall.
"I just do." She sobbed. "I love you, I... I always have. Ever since I first met you." That wasn't the answer he was looking for; he slashed the razor across the top of her chest. Nellie wailed in pain and fell to the floor once more. "You love me too Sweeney or you will soon. I know it; I know your falling in love with me." He picked her up again flashing a look of pure hatred. "I know you love me; you just won't admit it... I wouldn't be pregnant if you didn't."
He slashed her across her arms once again, and her back, and her legs, he turned her around and pushed her front back into the wall. Ignoring her cries he thrust into her so hard it sent a wave a pain up her spine. "Why would I love someone who killed my wife?" He growled low in her ear. He spun her back around and pushed her onto the bed.
"I didn't kill her." She mumbled innocently, tears still streaming down her face.
"She's dead because of you!" He hollered.
He looked down on her wet, puffy ... beautiful face. He admitted she was beautiful even in pain, especially since she was glowing.
She looked stunning and he hated it. He was falling in love with her and it was true he didn't want to admit it because he hated it; he wanted to hate her, to hurt her, to torture her, to... kill her. But he couldn't, he wanted to kiss her, to fuck her, to tie her to the bed and set it on fire, then to stare into her beautiful chocolate eyes for the rest of his life, watching their children play on the floor. And he hated it! He punched her in the face to prove his rage.
Sweeney walked into the bathroom, bringing Nellie back to reality.
"You okay?"
Nellie didn't reply she just sat their staring at the a spot in the tub. Sweeney bent down to pick Nellie up out of the tub.
"Your not going to work today."
She looked up at him frowning in confusion.
"I'm going to get you to eat again."
"Sweeney I can't-"
"Yes you can." He interrupted "Just give it a try."
Why is he being so nice to her? Oh right this is Sweeney Todd, a man who cuts you up then acts like a nice, dissent person.
Nellie dried herself off and got dressed. Her and Sweeney walked into the kitchen for breakfast.
"So how are you going to help me eat?" Nellie asked taking a seat at the table.
"Hmm." Sweeney began pacing the room and scratched his chin trying to think of some solution. "You're almost five months along, so you should be able to keep food down by now. What foods can you keep down?"
"Salad, water, and tea."
"What kind of salad?"
"Just a standard salad, lettuce, carrots, celery. I love tomatoes but I can't keep those down, mushrooms either."
"Well tomatoes and mushrooms are gross Nell."
Nellie suddenly looked up at him. "Hang on." Sweeney stopped pacing and looked at her. "I think I figured it out." Now it all makes sense Nellie thought.
"What is it?"
"The baby is a lot like you, Sweeney." Nellie said standing up with a hand on her belly.
"A lot like me. How can you tell?"
"Oh trust me. Sometimes it feels like I'm pregnant with you."
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning... well I don't sleep that well, some nights I can never sleep at all. It kicks like it's wanting to hurt me, I know I've never felt a baby kicking before but I'm pretty certain it's not supposed to be this hard. It feels like it's trying to kick it's way out of the womb. And sometimes I can feel it slamming itself into the walls in there. And now I'm pretty certain that I can't keep food down because the baby knows that what I'm feeding it is my favorite food, and well obviously we don't share the same favorite meals." Nellie looked up at Sweeney's confused face. "What? I'm not lying, It's doing it right now, here feel." Nellie grabbed Sweeney's hand a put it on her stomach.
She was right. Sweeney could feel the thing thrashing and pounding around, it felt very rough. "Damn."
"Yes. And it only calms down when..."
"When what Nell?"
"When you're... inside of me."
"You mean it stops kicking like this when we have sex."
"Yes."
"That doesn't make any sense Nell."
"No, yes it does. That's why I figured this whole eating catastrophe out. The baby likes you more than me. So if it calms down during sex because it can feel you too, then it will be able to eat the foods I give him that are your favorites."
"Well I guess it... Wait! Him! Did you say him?"
Nellie nodded. She knows he wants a girl, but she's pretty certain that this little beast is a boy.
"And how do you know?" Sweeney demanded getting a little upset. Damn it! I want a girl, how dare she not give me a girl!
"I can just tell. Now anyway, the baby will eat your favorite foods, so what is your favorite food and I'll make it for breakfast?"
"I don't want a son Nellie."
"Well I can't help that, now what's your favorite meal?"
"I don't have a favorite-"
"Sweeney please I need you to tell me." Nellie interrupted him.
Sweeney sighed "That chicken salad sandwich you make."
"That's your favorite meal?"
"Why do you think I ask you to make it for lunch everyday?"
"Oh, well then I'll go make us that for breakfast."
"It's actually lunch my dear, we overslept."
"Oh, well for lunch then." Nellie started pulling ingredients out while Sweeney went to make up the table. "I've ate this before, I just never really preferred it that much." She said while chopping up the ingredients.
"Well it's delicious."
Nellie finished making the sandwich and they both sat down at the table to eat. Nellie held up her sandwich, looking at it nervously. Sweeney was starving so after the second he picked his sandwich up half of it was already gone. He noticed Nellie staring uncertain at her sandwich.
"It's ok just eat it."
She took a deep breath and bit into the sandwich. Her face scrounged up in dislike. "This is disgusting!" Nellie muffled, she looked at the sandwich examining it. "What did I do wrong to it?"
"Nothing, it taste fine. Just like it usually does." Sweeney said, smiling. He liked this expression on her, it was adorable.
Nellie swallowed and took another bite, again her face showed disgust and Sweeney chuckled. "This is awful. I don't remember it tasting like this."
"It's your hormones. No don't spit it out! This is a different sign, which is good, maybe the baby will keep it down."
Very slowly, Nellie finally managed to eat all of the sandwich. "Ugh!"
"How do you feel?"
"Horrible, but not like I did when I ate before. But I still don't know, we'll have to wait and see."
Nellie went to sit on the couch. She grabbed her book and continued reading. She was reading a very good book, she got so wrapped up in it so much that she didn't even realize that two hours just went by. Once she realized this is jumped up. Oh my God! I didn't throw up! "SWEENEY!" She screamed.
Sweeney came running into the room. "Nell what is it?" He asked concerned. She ran to him and through herself into his arms, grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't get sick. The food stayed down."
"Nellie that's great!" He said while he picked her up and spun her around. Nellie put her arms around his neck and wouldn't let go.
She looked into Sweeney's eyes. For the first time she stopped and realized how beautiful his eyes were, dark, like an endless tunnel. Their so dark she thought how can anyone's eyes be that dark? Sweeney started getting confused. Why is she staring at me like that? One minute she was smiling now she looks like she's examining him.
"What's wrong?" Sweeney asked her, staring into her eyes as well.
"Nothing. I'm just staring into your eyes." She reached up and kissed the cute, confused expression off of his face.
Sweeney cleared his throat, thinking of something to say to clear the air of this awkward feeling only he seemed to be feeling. "How's the baby?"
"Good. Still kicking, but not as rough."
"Probably because it's satisfied that it had something to eat."
"Yes, he does seem happy." Nellie said, lovingly stroking her belly. She went back to the couch and sat down. She was about to pick up her book and continue reading when Sweeney sat down next to her, his arm around the back of her neck and hand on her shoulder. He started stroking the back of her shoulder, drawing little circles. Just where she had a scar from where his razor cut into her the night before. It should feel painful then, but it didn't.
It didn't.
It was then that Nellie realized she wasn't in pain. At all. You would think after a night of slashing and thrusting and screaming she would be wincing everytime she moved. But she wasn't! Her body felt no pain at all. How?
Sweeney placed his hand on her belly. "Are you certain its a boy Nell?"
"Nell?"
Nellie got up from the couch, ignoring him. She ran into her bedroom and started pulling her dress off.
Sweeney followed her in there looking worried. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not in pain."
"What? Why would you be in pain?"
Nellie turned around, looking at him in shock. "From last night?" What does he not remember? Did I just imagine the whole thing?
"What do you mean? Nothing happened last night."
"No!" Nellie looked around frantically. "Last night... you... you cut me."
"I what?"
"YOU CUT ME WITH YOUR BLOODY RAZOR!"
"Nellie I never-"
"Yes you did!" She yelled interrupting him. "You attacked me... you punished me because I lied to you that I wasn't eating." Sweeney just stood there looking at her like she lost her mind. "You... abused me." Nothing. Sweeney looked confused as ever.
"Nellie, none of that happened. I didn't cut you. We got home from the Williams and you fell asleep. I was going to talked to you about how I didn't like that you lied to me. But you came home and immediately dropped on the couch. It was because of your whole eating problem, that you just passed out. That's why this morning I wanted to help you get over it. Because you passed out last night as soon as you got home."
Nellie didn't remember any of this. "No, that's not what happened... you..." The bed! Her blood on the bed, that's where the proof was. The proof of last night's events. The proof that she wasn't losing her mind. Nellie ran over to the bed and threw the covers and sheets off.
Spotless! The bed was spotless. No bloodstains.
"Did you clean it?" Nellie asked looking up at him.
"The bed? No."
"There was blood, on it. From where you cut me then dragged me in bed."
"There was never any blood Nell?"
"NO THERE WAS! FROM WHERE YOU BLOODY CUT ME UP ALL NIGHT!" Nellie started getting worked up. How can he not remember. It happened. It did happen... Didn't it? Nellie's head started hurting, she started screaming and crying and she didn't know why. I'm not crazy! She thought.
"Hallucinating isn't a good sign Nell."
"I'M NOT HALLUCINATING!" Nellie screamed. She walked back and forth in the bedroom, eyes large and frantic. "I'm not crazy! I'm not. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. I'm not insane. I'm fine. I'm fine! I'm not going mad. I'm not..." She kept mumbling to herself, pacing back and forth.
"Nellie!" Sweeney yelled urgently. "Pet, what's wrong!?"
"I'm not mad. I'm not. This is just a dream. This isn't happening."
"Nellie... Your scaring me."
"THIS IS JUST A DREAM!" She was screaming this to herself now.
"Nellie! Please, stop this!" Sweeney cried, trying to calm her down.
"She's haunting me!" Nellie screamed, looking around frantically trying to pull her hair out.
"What? Who Nellie, who's haunting you?"
"LUCY! I'M SORRY! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP TORMENTING ME! I'M SORRY!" She sunk to her knees on the floor, screaming her head off, tears pouring down her face.
She did this last night. Sweeney remembered.
After they got home and she passed out on the couch, she woke up an hour later. Sweeney looked at her worryingly. He wanted to yell at her for lying to him, but mainly for being so stupid to try to starve herself, as if that would solve the problem. The daft woman should of told him she still didn't feel well and he would of helped her. Well I'm going to help her right now he thought as she stood up from the couch and walked into the bedroom.
"Nellie, we need to talk?"
"Not now love." Her eyes were big and glassy. She didn't look like herself.
"Nell? Are you alright?"
"Just fine love. Now are you going to take me to bed?" She said flashing him a lusty look. "Or, oh! That's right your supposed to punish me."
"Well I was. But I'm a little worried about this state that your in at the moment."
"Well I am a little tired." She replied staring into nothing.
"Let's get you in bed then." Sweeney was a little worried about her. She wasn't acting like herself. He figured it was just her hormones.
Over the night, Nellie kept waking up, screaming and crying. It sounded like she was begging him not to kill her. I would never do that, Sweeney thought. Not anymore at least.
"Nellie!" Sweeney said sitting up in bed. She just closed her eyes and fell back against the pillow. Sweeney sat there listening, watching her with worry in his eyes. He would fall back to sleep himself, only to be woken up by her screaming yet again. What the hell is wrong with her? Sweeney thought to himself. He wasn't that surprised though, she always did this. Ever since they escaped Fleet Street, she has had nightmares, he's had them himself. Some nights he still wakes up in a cold sweat. And some nights Nellie wakes up screaming. But tonight she was doing it more than usual.
Now that he watched her with concern and fear in his eyes, he knew now. Ever since they left Fleet Street. That all this guilt, misery, pain, excitement, stress over the baby, and the nightmares, were causing her some sort of mental pain, mental trauma. Slowly. Slowly. Driving her insane.
It was all in her head! Crazy right? Tell me what you all think of this so far!
