Hi guyz~ Didja miss me? If you were here to read my note I left, then you know all about my absence, if you weren't and are new here, then welcome! o3o

Thanks for the reviews~

Fanta Talon Kingsley, JDLuvaSQEE, Hyper24 7 (yes, you may have a Sweeney horsey XD), talk-ape, valley of the dead oaks, Anneliese, SparrowofTruth93, mizukicrandall, deathroman13, and BethQueenOfRoses!

Chapter 3

Later that day, Toby found himself laying outside on one of the dining tables starring up at the clouds. True, it had started out as a relatively sunny day, but it didn't last very long. It never did. Toby sighed, for about the fifth time, as he found yet another cloud that looked like a rabbit. He was so bored with no work to do. He rolled over to his side and watched people walk up and down the street. The few that looked over to him either waved to him, or just ignored him. Toby couldn't believe how many different people there actually were on one street. A priest, a poet, a lawyer, a marine; all living different lives and yet all on one street. All in one pie. Toby groaned and shook his head. Little thoughts like that had been sneaking up on him ever since he had bolted from Sweeney's shop, and he couldn't get them to stop. Every time a thought hit him, he felt a lurch in his stomach.

Toby sat up and slid off the table, stretching his arms over his head. He was going to find something to do if it killed him. He searched around under the tables, and under the stairs, finding nothing. He went in the pie shop and searched around there. He found an old chess board in the cabinet that held the gin glasses, but he didn't feel like playing against himself at the moment. He'd save that when he was really desperate for something to do. He looked around the living room, finding a couple books. He opened one up, making out a few words in the first sentence before giving up and putting it back where he found it. He had never been formally educated, and Mrs. Lovett, bless her heart, had tried to teach him to read, but she was not much better than he. It had taken him a couple minutes to read the note that she left him, but luckily she had used small words. He wandered into his room and looked around. It was quiet drab, what with only a bed and a dresser. Toby searched all through the drawers, finding a broken yo-yo, with origins unknown, and a sock with no match. Sighing again, he turned towards his closet. Pulling open the doors, be felt around on the high shelf, only successful in finding dust bunnies. He sneezed as a dust cloud hit him smack dab in the face. He sniffed and started searching the floor, moving all his shoes that Mrs. Lovett had bought for him, until his fingers touched something round and rubber in the far corner. He pulled it out and discovered it to be a fairly sized ball! Toby grinned and darted back outside.

Moving the tables to one side of the yard, Toby made a pretty good space to kick the ball around in. At first he simply just dribbling it around in circles and bouncing it on his knees, but soon he started role-playing in his head. Tobias is on the outside of the court. He's running, he's running, he's almost to the goal! He circled around the fence and started heading towards the pie shop, the ball at the tip of his toes. Oh no! The other team has stolen the ball from right under his feet! Toby kicked the ball into opposite direction he was going and chased after it. He mentally pictured other boys about his age running next to him and all cheering his name. Catching up to the ball, he snagged it and began heading back the way he came. He's got the ball! There he goes! Is he going to make it? I think he's going to make it! He shoots! HE SCO- CRASH! Toby froze on the spot. Oooohhh, crap.

Toby's feet started moving before his brain told them too, and he ended up stumbling into the pie shop rather ungraciously. He stepped around all the broken glass and found his ball rolling lazily under the table. He pulled at his hair and a long stream of curse words flew through his mind. The window on the door connecting the shop to the outside dining area was now in pieces on the ground. Only a few shards of glass managed to hold onto to their wooden frame. Toby put a hand to his hyperventilating chest and tried to steady his breathing, but the only thing going through his head was how dead he was. If not because of Mrs. Lovett yelling at him, but Sweeney was sure to find out before her. He probably heard the whole thing! Quickly, Toby began gathering the larger of the pieces of glass and throwing them into the rubbish bin. He figured he'd clean it up now, and if anyone asked, he'd say a bird flew through the window. Yeah. That'll work. He was just about to throw another piece away when heavy footsteps started coming the stairs. Toby froze again, though he was yelling at his legs to run, he couldn't move.

Of course, even before the door opened Toby could see that it was, in fact, Sweeney coming down the steps, and not by some miracle, someone else. No, of course not. Toby saw a quick flash of surprise fly over Sweeney's face before it was replaced with a scowl. The barber opened the door, dislodging the pieces of glass that had held on so long, and set his sights on Toby in the form of an intense glare. Toby shook in his spot and is hand tightened around the piece of glass that he still held.

"What the bloody hell happened here?" Sweeney demanded to know in a voice that could kill puppies yet that was not louder than his usual voice. Toby just shook harder and tried to get his feet to move. Sweeney stomped over to him, not caring about the glass he was stepping on, and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. True, Toby had grown in the past years, but Mr. Todd still had about an inch advantage, and that was all it took to be that much more intimidating. Toby's eyes were as wide as saucers and only grew wider as he felt cold metal against his neck. "Open your mouth and tell me what happened, right now, or so help me, I'll-," Sweeney growled and pushed his razor harder into Toby's neck. To tell the truth, it was the blunt side of the razor, so even if he wanted to cut his throat, he couldn't, but Toby didn't know that. Toby thought his life was going to end right there, and all because he had broken a window and couldn't speak up about it. He tried to say something, but no sound escaped his mouth. Tears started to well up in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away, but one still fell. Sweeney's expression immediately softened, but not by much. He mumbled under his breath and put his razor away. Toby sniffed and quickly raised his hand to swipe at his eyes. That's when he realized that he was still gripping the glass shard. Hard. He opened his hand, letting the glass fall to the ground, and stared at his bloody hand. He froze again.

Sweeney had watched this all play out, and he let go of the boys collar. Toby didn't seem to notice as his eyes were focused on the blood, and were swimming with emotions Sweeney couldn't name. The barber sighed and roughly grabbed Toby's wrist and dragged him over to the sink where a basin of water sat. He placed the boy's hand into the water, which turned a deep red, and whipped his handkerchief off of his belt loop. Pulling Toby's hand out of the water, he quickly wrapped the fabric around the cut and tied it in a tight knot before shoving Toby's hand back at him. Toby blinked at him before examining his hand, running his fingers over the quickly made bandage. He wanted to thank the barber, but again, no sound could be made from his vocal cords. He felt his stomach lurch, but not in a bad way. He looked down at his feet.

Sweeney let out a low scoff before moving over to the floor with all the glass. Most had been picked up by Toby already, so Sweeney grabbed a nearby broom and swept up the tinier pieces. He casted a glance to Toby, who had sort of shuffled over to watch, and hit the broom against the floor causing Toby to look up at him, his eyes wide. Sweeney relaxed and scooped up the pile of glass, putting it in the rubbish bin. He turned back to Toby, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me how this happened. Now," he said. Toby quickly scrambled under the table and retrieved his ball and held it out to Sweeney who raised an eyebrow at it. Toby quickly chucked it out the open window as Sweeney watched. "Ah, I see," The barber made his way to the broken window and examined it. "Well, it looks like a clean break. All we need to do is get a new pane of glass and slip it right in," He turned back to leer at Toby who shrunk back some. "You're very lucky it did not splinter the wood, or you'd be paying for a new door," Toby looked down in shame. Surely Sweeney knew he hadn't meant to break the window. He sighed.

"As for right now," The barber continued. "We're going to need to cover this with something," Toby perked up and made his way to the front door of the shop, opening the door and stooping down to pick up the newspaper that had been left there. He snatched some bent nails off the cabinet in the corner and the rolling pin off the counter. He held it all out to Sweeney who had been watching with interest. Plucking the newspaper from the boys hands, Sweeney unrolled it and held it up against the window. It fit perfectly. "Alright, hold this here," He motioned towards the paper with a tilt of his head. Toby followed orders, handing Sweeney the other items before stretching up to hold the top of the paper against the wood. He could feel the barber behind him as a nail was roughly driven into the wood with the rolling pin (in which Sweeney felt absolutely ridiculous using). His breath hitched in his throat when Sweeney brushed against him, and he felt the strange flopping in his stomach again. As soon as both top nails were in, Toby backed out as quick as he could, trying to breath calmly. Sweeney gave him a look, but didn't press as he finished nailing the corners of the paper. He stood back and looked at his handy work when he was done, holding the rolling pin over his shoulder. He nodded and turned to Toby, who was slowly trying to inch from the room. Sweeney froze the boy with a sharp look. "Tomorrow," he stated. "We get new glass, and yes, I mean we. Apparently, you can't be left alone for a few days without breaking something, let alone a few hours. We will be picking up so other stuff also, so be ready to go by nine," Toby nodded solemnly and watched as Sweeney dropped the rolling pin on the table and exited the room, careful not to slam the newly repaired door. Toby only let out the breath he had been holding when he heard the shop door above him close. He fell to the floor, his shaking knees unable to keep him up. He could barely survive these few moments alone with the demon, but to go out and spend the day shopping with him? Toby didn't know how he was going to survive. He ran his fingers over the slightly blood soaked cloth that was wrapped around his hand, and his stomach fluttered. He sighed. He really didn't know how he was going to live through this.

Short yes, but atleast it's an update and we're moving right along with the story! 8D

What do you guys like better, short chapters but more updates, or longer chapters but less updates?

Answer in a review? Please and thanks!

Oh, by the way. I don't know if you've ever been told this or not, but writing "MORE PLEASE" on a review, will not get you more. I don't care if you talk to me about the weather or about your favorite icecream flavor, but anyone who writes just "more more please!" won't be in my review list next chapter because I'm deleting yours. You can say it at the end of your review, maybe after chatting about how adorable Toby is, but please, don't make it your whole review. Thanks.