Haunted Dreams
Chapter 25
Guys I just realized that I'm going to be here forever. I'm nowhere close to finishing this story. I've also been thinking about writing a fanfiction for the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series. I finished the books and oh my goodness they're so good! I want more of them though so I'll just make up my own epilogue, so if any of you are interested I shall get tarted on that soon.
Now I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. And oh yeah Happy birthday to Helena Bonham Carter!
It was September 1803. Eighteen years. Eighteen years since he was shipped away on a false charge.
He was in prison for fifteen years, and its been three years since he has been out. Three years of happiness he thought he would never be granted. And frankly it blew his mind. But he was so thankful. So thankful for those three years of freedom. Those three years of love.
One year of the massacres on Fleet street, leading to being on the run. One year of living by the sea with a new wife and a son. And one year of peace in a new home, a new town, and a new country.
And Eleanor and him were still so young. They still had so much life yet to live. He was only 34 years old, as was she, being born the same year. Her in May, him in June. He still had plenty of time. He should have more than a two year old son who ran all over the house in his diapers. That son should have a little sister to play with. All in good time, he thought. All in good time.
Him and Nellie had been "going at it" for months. Nothing. No babies... yet.
Even though Nellie hasn't exactly been feeling well, though he hasn't either. A doctor told them it was just stress. Which is true they were stressed. But the house is done. And everything should be calming down, but Nellie has still been driving him and little Jeramey crazy with her constant complaining about what all she has to do.
They both have been sharing the constant headaches they face day after day. Except that his are not as frequent and bad as Nellie's are. Though Sweeney blames his throbbing temples and the few sleepless nights on that little hallucination he had down in their "haunted" cellar. At least Nellie says it's haunted.
"I saw the judge." She said.
Just like she said when she saw Lucy last year, Sweeney handled it the same way, he just shook his head at her, telling her that their is no such things as ghosts.
Even though that voice of Toby made him shudder. He assures himself that it was just an hallucination from the past. Those sewers looked similar to the Fleet Street ones after all. It just triggered something.
"Don't tell me you've gone back to your brooding days?" His wife said from the doorway.
"I'm just enjoying the view." Sweeney said, standing at the window, looking out at the landscape in his new "office" or "man cave", whatever you'd like to call it.
Nellie walked over to him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "That view will look better if you go outside. All the leaves are starting to change." She said, hugging him from behind, her hand on his shoulder.
She moved to lean on the window sill, facing him. She looked up at him and frowned. He was staring off into nowhere with a concentrated frown on his face. He looked like that all the time back on Fleet Street. The pacing would start next. "What's the matter?" She asked him.
Instead of replying he looked at her, wrapped an arm around her waste, pulled her toward him, and kissed her passionately. She rolled her eyes in confusion. There was no understanding this man.
He broke the kiss and looked at her. "Are you alright? You look like you don't feel well."
"Just headaches."
He looked at her frowning. "Shouldn't you go to the doctor then?"
"I did she said it was stress related, remember?"
"But that was two months ago?"
Nellie shrugged, "I'm still stressed then."
"About what? The house is done."
Nellie sighed, she has been suffering from headaches and fatigue for the past few months. She even felt a little nauseous on a few days. She has been stressed. But Sweeney was right, the house is finally 100 percent done! What was broken is now fixed, all the furniture is placed, clothes are in the closets, groceries in the cabinets, there is a fence on the right side of the house near the lake where a goat lives. Her name is Skiddo (Jeramey named her).
Things should be calm but Nellie's head would not stop spinning. Sweeney's nightly thrusts of pleasure to create that imaginary daughter of his were certainly not helping either.
She felt exhausted. All the time. And she still had to get school books, because she's going to home school Jeramey. Which reminded her that she needs to go to the book store.
"Would you come to the book store with me?"
"I can't I have to leave for work soon. It's almost 10:00 A.M." Did I mention that Sweeney also took over the old barber shop in town. It was a dump of a small building, but it would have to do for now.
"Please." She smiled weakly.
"I can't. You need to go though. I want Jeramey to start learning how to read and write."
"You know It's still a little early. Don't you think? He's only two." She said holding a hand to her forehead. The room started spinning and wouldn't stop. She moved forward and almost fell over if it wasn't for Sweeney catching her.
"On second thought maybe you should go to the doctor instead of the book store." He said looking concerned.
A wave a nausea hit her, but it faded just as fast as it came. What is happening to her? She waved her hand and shook her head. "Nah I'll be fine, it's just a headache. Nothing new."
He let her go and she straightened herself back up, looking fine. He still looked at her doubtfully though. "If you say so."
He looked at the clock on the wall, and grabbed his jacket. "I have to go. I'll pick up something for lunch, so you don't need to go to the trouble of preparing something and bringing it. I don't want to inconvenience you."
"It's not an inconvenience." She said sweetly.
He pecked her lips. "I love you."
"What?" She smiled playfully. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you there?" She grinned.
"How come every time I say it you do something annoying to make me regret it?"
She threw herself in his arms and kissed him. "I love you too. Now get going you'll be late."
"Well stop distracting me." He said walking out of the room. "Bye Jer." He said to his son who was playing on the living room floor.
"Bye papa." He waved.
He opened the front door then turned back around to look at Nellie who was standing right behind him. "And I can't be late because I'm mine own boss." She pecked his cheek then pushed him out the door and closed it smiling playfully.
She leaned against the door smiling and blushing. Sweeney Todd has officially given in to love. He says those three sweet words to her. Not often of course, he's still adjusting. But it's a good start.
"Mama come play" Jeramey said jumping up and down.
She smiled at her son. Her head was still pounding sickly but she managed to run to him and trap him in her arms, showering his little face with kisses until he was giggling and squirming to be let down.
She played with her son for the remainder of the morning until she was worn out. Her headache stayed around the whole time. Jeramey got tuckered out and finally fell asleep for his afternoon nap. Nellie was so thankful because now should could get a few minutes of peace to rest before she had to start making dinner. After having a little nap herself she got up around 3:00 and headed for the kitchen. Jeramey was running all over the house, just full of energy.
"Jeramey don't run in the house!" Nellie hollowered. He came in the kitchen and sat down on the floor. "You stayed right there okay?" She asked sweetly.
"Okay." He said playing with his toy razor. Nellie smiled at him, he looked so cute. She likes to picture that that was how Benjamin looked when he was two. Jeramey really looked just like his father, same dark eyes, dark hair, and handsome features. It was already certain that he would have a girls after him.
Nellie turned her attention back to vegetables she was chopping up. She glanced out the window and noticed a woman was walking toward the front door caring a pie.
Nellie walked toward the front door to see who it was, probably one of their neighbors. A wave of dizziness hit her hard and fast. "Mama" Jeramey called as she hit the floor unconscious.
A 40 year old woman with long, dirty blonde hair stood at door, when no answer came after a few minutes she started to get worried. Any ordinary person would have just walked away, but she had a feeling that something wasn't right. She knew it was a creepy thing to do, but she stepped up to one of windows a peered in. She gasped at what she saw. A two year old boy pushing on his unconscious mother trying to get her to wake up. She went back to the door and jiggled the knob. Happy to find that it was unlocked. She stepped into the house. She came to visit the new couple that moved in on the hill, always being a friendly person. Her husband is the judge of this town and is friends with Mayor Waters. So she hears quite the gossip. She knew that the husband of this home was off at working running the new barber shop.
"Ma'am? Ma'am?" She asked shaking Nellie shoulders. The boy started crying. "Who are you?" He asked her, his eyes puffy.
"It's alright sweetheart. I'm a friend I'm going to help her." She tried shaking her awake one last time, then decided to go to the barber shop and get the woman's husband. "Alright dear, I want you to stay right here with your mum okay? I'm going to get your father." The little boy nodded, and she ran out of the house.
"Mr. Todd!" She cried running into the barber shop. The man stared at her confused. He was cleaning up loose hairs from the floor.
"Can I help you?" He asked.
The woman huffed out of breath "My name is Alicia Bloom. I'm the judge's wife. I live near your home, down the hill. I was visiting your wife and when I got to your house the door was unlocked and she was collapsed on the floor."
Sweeney dropped what he was doing and bolted out the door and up to the house, Mrs. Bloom following in his footsteps.
"Nellie?" He went to her and picked her up carrying her to the couch. Cursing himself for leaving her.
"I don't know what could of happened?" Alicia said.
"She's been having bad headaches and dizziness and hasn't been sleeping well for months now. I don't know what's wrong with her. I told her to go back to the doctor."
"Well here I'm a retired nurse let me have a look at her."
Sweeney looked at her cautiously. He didn't like this stranger touching his Nell but he let her have a look at her. He stayed next to this Alison Whoever, razors in his holster. Any sudden moves and he would strike.
Alicia studied Nellie's breathing for a moment. "You said she's been feeling dizzy for months, was it?"
"Yes."
She placed her hands on Nellie's stomach, and waited like she was listening or something. After awhile she looked back to Sweeney. "I know this is personal, but have you two been... sexually active?"
Sweeney looked like he was going to punch her.
"I'm sorry. Do you know if she's had her period?"
"I think she did about two months ago maybe. I don't know exactly." Sweeney said getting impatient.
"I think your wife might be pregnant." Alicia said smiling.
Okay I promise I'll stop making Nellie unconscious, I'll do other bad things to her though, but I'll stop making her pass out. :)
