Well, the last update took awhile, so let's hope this one comes a little easier. I started it after spring midterms, so we'll see how long it takes me to do.


June 3, 1874

For awhile, things went well. Anthony and Johanna had settled in and started helping out around the house, and Mrs Lovett had kept her word about remaining quiet about their situation. She had even let Johanna borrow some old clothes that had belonged to her son when he was younger.

Unfortunately, Anthony was still plagued by his symptoms, and he still didn't know what was wrong. After a particularly nasty bout of nausea one morning, he had decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to record what was happening. Luckily, he'd always kept a journal in his knapsack, and since he wasn't using it for much of anything at the moment, he figured it would be a good place to start.

This peace went on for about a week before it was interrupted.

Johanna was helping Mrs Lovett serve customers downstairs during the lunch rush, and Sweeney had wandered down to fetch some tea. Neither was watching where they were walking, and they bumped into one another.

"Oi, watch it!" Sweeney glared at her.

"Sorry!" Johanna's hand flew up to the top of her head to keep her hat on, only to feel nothing but the soft cascade of her hair. When she looked behind her, she could see her cap lying on the ground. She picked it up and put it back on, and then looked back at Sweeney at the sound of a shattering noise. He was frozen in place, staring at her in what she assumed was shock. His eyes were wide and his mouth was ajar, and his face had gone several shades paler. Johanna could see the remains of the mug at his feet.

Oh no.

"J-Johanna?"

Johanna blinked in disbelief.

He knows my name?

"Oh God." Sweeney swayed a little before falling backward onto the floor.

"Oh my God!"

Johanna looked to her right and saw Mrs Lovett and Anthony rush over.

"What happened here?" Mrs Lovett asked as she knelt down by Sweeney and began to fan his face with her hand.

"I don't know what happened! He just dropped his mug and fainted!"

"Oi!" Anthony knelt down and gently slapped Sweeney's cheek with his hand. "Mr Todd! Wake up!"

Sweeney's eyelids fluttered slightly and he groaned.

"Are you all right?" Anthony asked him. "What happened?"

"For God's sake, let him open his eyes first!" Mrs Lovett supported the back of the barber's head with her hand and fanned his face until he opened his eyes. "Hey there, love. Everything all right?"

"Yeah..." Sweeney squinted up at the baker. "Oh God... Did I just pass out?"

"Yes, you did." Anthony took him by the arm and helped him sit up. "Come on, up you get." He helped Sweeney up and steadied him with a hand on his back. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sweeney cringed and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow..."

"Come on. I'll take you back upstairs."

"Thanks."

The two wandered in the direction of the stairs, and Johanna turned to Mrs Lovett.

"What was that all about?" Mrs Lovett asked.

"Search me." Johanna shrugged. "I bumped into him and my hat fell off, and when I put it back on and looked back, he fainted."

"I see." Mrs Lovett's brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed slightly. "I think I see the problem."

"What is it?"

"Not now." The baker glanced around at her customers. "Once the lunch rush slows down, we'll discuss it, but for now, we have customers."

"All right."


True to her word, once the lunch rush slowed to a near stop, Mrs Lovett pulled Johanna aside.

"What was the problem you mentioned earlier?" Johanna asked. "Why did Mr Todd faint?"

"Keep your voice down." Mrs Lovett glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. "Okay. I have something to tell you. It might be difficult to process, but you need to hear it sooner or later, so it might as well be now."

"What is it?" Johanna leaned in close. Mrs Lovett motioned for her to moved closer before further lowering her voice.

"Mr Todd is your father."

"What?!" Johanna turned to look at her, incredulous. "No. That's impossible. My father is dead."

"Did Turpin tell you that?" Mrs Lovett raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he di-..." Johanna paused. "Wait... How did you...?"

"I was there."

"You were?"

"I was their landlady, yes. Your mother told me about it after it happened."

"My mother?"

Mrs Lovett sighed.

"I think you'd better sit down, love."

Johanna sat down at a table, and the baker sat down across from her.

"15 years ago, your father was sent away to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Your poor mother was devastated, and after she poisoned herself, the judge adopted you as his ward."

"She poisoned herself?"

"It was tragic. She couldn't bear the idea of living without your father." Mrs Lovett shook her head. "Poor woman suffered for months."

"That's horrible!" Johanna's eyes widened in horror. "I knew the judge was a terrible man, but I didn't think he'd go to that level!"

"It was difficult for all of us, and when he came back, he wasn't the same. Something happened to him back there. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but he's wanted revenge ever since."

"I don't blame him." Johanna steepled her fingers. "I'd want revenge too if I'd been in that position. This sort of explains why he looked like he'd seen a ghost."

"Yeah." Mrs Lovett nodded. "He didn't think he'd ever see you again, and now that he has, he's in shock. You have to remember, he hasn't seen you since you were a baby."

"How did he recognize me, though?"

"I think he mainly goes off memories of your mother. You have to admit, you look just like her."

"So I've been told." Johanna stared off into space for a moment as if she were remembering something. "Never mind that." She shook her head. "What do I do now?"

"At some point, you'll have to talk to Mr Todd. I know he scares you, but he's your father. I'm sure he would be happy to get to know you."

Johanna looked up at Mrs Lovett with uncertainty.

"How about this: I'll talk to him tonight. You can always talk to him later on."

"That sounds fine." Johanna nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."


Later that night, after closing the shop, Mrs Lovett went upstairs to check on Sweeney. When she walked into the shop, he was pacing.

"Yoo-hoo." She knocked on the door and he paused. "Mr T?"

"Mrs Lovett." He nodded at her and continued pacing.

"How are you feeling?" She closed the door. "Are you still dizzy?"

"No, I'm fine." Sweeney walked over to his chair and sat down.

"You sure?" Mrs Lovett walked over and stood next to him.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I don't know, I'm just... I'm not sure what happened back there."

"How do you mean that?"

"What do you think?" Sweeney turned to face her. "Did I hallucinate? Did I imagine all that, or did you see her too?"

"No, love, you didn't hallucinate." Mrs Lovett knelt down and gently placed a hand on his knee. "That was Johanna."

"How long has she been here?"

"About ten days."

"...Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mr T, you were there when they asked to rent."

"Yeah, I didn't know that John was just my daughter dressed in men's clothing." Sweeney leaned forward and rested his head in his hands.

Mrs Lovett sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, love." She began to rub his back. "I should have told you. I know that. But she did request that I stay quiet about it."

"She did?" Sweeney turned his head in her direction. "Why?"

"You might've scared her a bit."

"That figures." He cradled his head in his hands once more and let out a groan of despair. "Wonderful. My own daughter's afraid of me."

"You have to admit, you are pretty intimidating. It's your eyes."

"Mrs Lovett, I don't want her to be afraid of me. I love her. I want to be there for her." Sweeney looked up at the baker. "She doesn't even know we're related. How am I going to bring that up without sounding like a madman?"

"Um..." Mrs Lovett bit her lip. "I might have already taken care of that for you."

"...What did you say to her?"

"Nothing! I only said that you were her father, and I gave her a quick summary of what really happened. Nothing too detailed, but just enough that she knows the truth."

"Oh." Sweeney blinked. "That's a relief, I suppose." He wrapped his arms around his midsection and leaned on his elbows. "I'm still not sure how to approach her, though. What would I even say? I haven't seen her since she was a baby. I've missed almost everything! How do I even talk to a teenaged girl?"

"It takes skill."

"Skill I don't have. I spent the last 15 years in prison, remember? I didn't develop those skills or that bond a parent should have with their child. I am completely lost! There's no way I'd be fit to act as her father!"

"Don't say that. You've still got time. You've only been around her for a few days, so you're bound to be uneasy around each other. It's going to take some time to get used to this."

Sweeney looked at her with uncertainty.

"What if she doesn't like me?" He asked softly. "What if I do this wrong?"

"Mr T, nobody's perfect. Even if you don't get it right the first time, you have to try again the next time, and you keep trying until you get it right."

His shoulders sagged and he looked down at his feet.

"Look at it this way." Mrs Lovett placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to help you. She'll have more than one person to talk to, and it'll put her at ease."

"You think it'll work?" Sweeney asked.

"I do." She nodded.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"More or less." She patted his back. "Just trust me on that. Can you do that?"

"I trust you." He nodded.

"Good." Mrs Lovett stood up. "Anything else you need to get off your chest?"

"No." Sweeney shook his head. "Actually, I think I want to be alone for awhile. I need to think about how to approach this."

"Take your time." Mrs Lovett headed for the door. "Good night, Mr T."

"Good night."


Okay, so I finished it a couple weeks before finals. Not too bad, all things considered.