This is going to get better, I promise.


May 24, 1874

Anthony was so tired of his symptoms.

It was always the same: He'd wake up, get very sick, proceed to lie through his teeth to Johanna and Kelso that he was fine, and feel absolutely wretched for the rest of the day. Even more frustrating was that he was still having all the other symptoms: The headaches, the nosebleeds, back pain, dizziness, and tenderness in his chest. And then there had been that strange dream he'd had a couple weeks back… No matter. At least the cramps had lessened somewhat. They were still happening on occasion, but they were nothing he couldn't ignore.

Currently, he was sitting and forcing himself to eat something. He hadn't eaten since the previous evening, and he was absolutely starving. He knew why he hadn't been eating; the mere thought of putting food in his mouth nauseated him, but he knew he had to eat.

Anthony sighed. At this point, he began to wonder if Johanna was right. Maybe he really did need to see a doctor. These symptoms had been plaguing him for close to three months, by his count, and he knew it wasn't normal.

What's making me feel so awful?

He thought back to the night he was mugged. He had been out in the rain for quite some time. Maybe he'd gotten sick from that.

The only problem was that his symptoms didn't match with anything that would make sense. He wasn't having any problems with his breathing, at least that he was aware of, nor had he had any problems immediately after that night.

Have you considered that maybe something else is wrong?

Anthony considered his symptoms. They didn't match any of the illnesses he'd experienced in the past, but he could recall his mother complaining of them about eight years prior.

Eight years ago… Wasn't Molly born eight years ago?

He froze.

Yes… Molly was his little sister, and if he recalled correctly, her entry into the world had been a somewhat difficult one. His mother had regularly complained about how sick she'd felt, and he remembered observing some of the other problems she'd experienced. The ones that stuck out the most in his mind were nosebleeds, headaches, nausea, and back pain.

"Exactly like I have…" He thought aloud.

All these symptoms... Three months...

Oh my God.

I'm pregnant.

Anthony just about choked.

That was impossible. Where had he even gotten that idea? He was male, and that was just something that didn't happen.

And yet...

He looked down at his still-flat stomach. He was a little bloated, sure, but aside from that, he was just as slim as he'd ever been. There was no visual evidence that there was anything growing inside him.

What if I'm wrong?

Anthony let one hand rest against his belly and his fingers firmly pressed into it. Before, his stomach had been soft, but now it was considerably harder.

This would certainly explain my problems.

He frowned. He didn't believe this. How could this happen? How could any of this be real?

He didn't have much more time to ponder before a hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder. He gave a startled cry and jumped in his seat, only to see Kelso circle around to face him. He looked concerned.

"God, Kelso, you scared me!" Anthony placed a hand over his fluttering heart.

"Sorry." Kelso glanced to his left and leaned in close. "Hope, you'd better take Johanna and hide."

"What? Why?"

"Some strange-looking men have been following me. I think they know I've been associating with you."

"The judge's men?" Anthony got up and walked to the window. He didn't see anybody.

"...Hope, what did you do?"

"What?" He turned to face his friend.

"What the fuck did you do? Why are these people suddenly everywhere?"

"Don't ask me. You're probably just being paranoid." Anthony shook his head and walked through a doorway. Johanna was sitting on the bed and tying her shoes, and Kelso shut the door behind them.

"I'm not being paranoid this time, Hope. They're after one of us, and it's not me."

"I'm sure they're not after us. It's probably fine." Anthony looked out their window and then back at Johanna. She didn't look like she had any idea what was going on.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door.

"Police! Open up!"

"Shit!" Kelso hissed.

"Fuck!" Anthony froze. He couldn't believe it. They'd been found.

"Oh God…" Johanna's eyes widened.

"It's the police! Open up!"

"Get out the window!" Kelso hissed. "I'll distract them! Go! Grab your shit and go!"

Anthony nodded before grabbing their things, opening the window, and helping Johanna climb out, and then climbing out himself. As soon as they were out, they ran.


The pair made it about four blocks before they had to stop and catch their breath. As far as they could tell, there was nobody following them, but just to be on the safe side, they ducked into an alleyway to plot their next move.

"What are we going to do?" Johanna panted. "Where will we go?"

"I don't know." Anthony planted his hands on his knees and locked his elbows. "Where are we?"

"Carey Street, last I looked."

"Carey Street?" The sailor perked up a little as if he were remembering something.

"What?"

"That means Fleet Street is just around the corner."

Johanna sighed and let her head hang.

"No, it's fine, I've got a friend we can stay with."

"Is this the same friend that let us stay in his shop?"

"The very same." Anthony poked his head out of the alley. "It looks like the coast is clear. Let's go."


The meat pie emporium was absolutely packed by the time they got there.

"So, who are we looking for?" Johanna asked as they wove their way through the thick crowd of people.

"First we'll go and find Mrs Lovett. She and Mr Todd might be open to us staying with them, and maybe they can help us stay out of trouble." Anthony dodged a small boy that looked like he was about ten years old. He looked familiar, but the sailor shrugged it off and took Johanna by the hand. "Come on. We'll find her."

Finally, after about 15 minutes of searching and asking around, they found the baker. She was bustling from the bakehouse, and she was holding a tray of fresh pies.

"Mrs Lovett!" Anthony called. She turned around to see who had called her name and her face slackened when she realized it was just him.

"Good morning, dear." She turned away to serve a pie to a customer. "Toby, more ale for this gentleman!" She turned back to the two. "So, what can I do for you two today?"

"Actually, we have a question we need to ask you."

"Ah. Well, grab a seat. We can talk once the lunch rush is over."

"Thanks!"


The lunch rush ended approximately 40 minutes later and the shop was just about empty except for Anthony, Johanna, Toby, and Mrs Lovett.

"So, what do you need to talk about?" Mrs Lovett sat down across from them at a table.

"Uh…" Anthony blinked and turned his head to Johanna. She nodded. "We're, uh…"

"We're in a bit of trouble." Johanna supplied. Anthony noticed that she had deepened her voice.

"Yeah."

"What kind of trouble?" Mrs Lovett asked. She was starting to look suspicious.

"We've been evicted from the room we've been staying in." Anthony responded. It wasn't exactly a lie; technically, they had been forced to leave.

"We don't have anywhere else to stay, and we can't afford to stay at another inn." Johanna added.

"So you'd like to rent out my guest room?"

"If it's not too much trouble, ma'am." Anthony fiddled nervously with one of the buttons on his coat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door open, and Sweeney walked into the shop.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea." Mrs Lovett glanced at Sweeney before turning her gaze back to the two teens seated in front of her. "I'm sorry, but you've caused Mr T over there a good deal of stress over the last few weeks."

"What about causin' me stress?" Sweeney sat down next to Mrs Lovett with a cup of tea. "Hey, Anthony."

"Hey, Mr Todd."

"These two want to rent out my guest room. Anthony, and…"

"John." Johanna supplied.

"Nice to meet you, John." Sweeney nodded a greeting.

"I'm not so sure it's a good idea." Mrs Lovett continued before leaning closer to the barber. "To be honest, I'm not sure I trust him and his friend."

Sweeney furrowed his brow and glanced over at Anthony and Johanna. His gaze lingered on Johanna's face for far too long, almost as if he were trying to figure out whether he knew her from somewhere.

"I don't see the harm in it." He said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Yeah, let them stay."

"You trust him?"

"Yeah, I trust him." Sweeney shrugged. "About as much as I trust you."

"Quite a bit, then." Mrs Lovett raised an eyebrow. "Well, since it's okay with Mr T, I guess you can stay here. But it's just for a little while, understand? This is not permanent."

"Thank you so much!" Anthony got up out of his seat and walked over to give her a hug. "Thank you, you have no idea what this means to us."

"All right." Mrs Lovett patted his back. She looked uncomfortable. "That's enough of that."

"Sorry." Anthony pulled away and sat back down.

"If you're going to be staying here, I expect you to help out around the shop. Deal?"

"Deal." The three of them shook on it.

"Now, the guest room is back here." Mrs Lovett got up and motioned for them to follow her. "There's only one bed, but I'm sure you two will work it out."

"We'll figure it out." Johanna nodded. She and Anthony followed the baker to the guest room and set their things down at the foot of the bed. "Thanks so much for letting us stay; we really appreciate it."

"No trouble." Mrs Lovett waved her hand dismissively. "I'll let you two get settled." She turned and walked out the door.

"Thanks again!" Anthony called after her.

As they unpacked, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That went better than expected." Anthony commented.

"Much better." Johanna agreed. "We should be safe here. Think they'll think to come here to look for us?"

"I doubt it. Unless someone saw us, we should be fine."

"I hope you're right." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Anthony?"

"Yeah?"

"I've just thought of something."

"What is it?"

"How am I going to keep this up?" Johanna gestured toward her clothes. "I mean, as much as I enjoy the freedom, I can't go around dressed in your clothes forever. No offense."

"None taken." Anthony thought for a moment. "Actually, we should probably tell Mrs Lovett about our situation. Mr Todd also might want to know."

"Please, can we not tell him?" Johanna shuddered at the way the barber's eyes had lingered on her face. His cold black eyes had left her feeling naked and vulnerable. "I know he's your friend, but he scares me."

"He scares me too." Anthony nodded in sympathy. "It's okay. We don't have to tell him if you don't want to."

"Thanks." She breathed a sigh of relief. "When do you suggest we tell Mrs Lovett?"

"Probably soon. If we don't, the jig will eventually be up anyway, so we might as well get it over with."

The two of them thought for a moment.

"Tonight after dinner?" Anthony suggested.

"Sounds good to me."


Finally, something happens.