Hello faithful readers~ I am alive and well and I bring to you a 8 page chapter. 4000 words. It shows my love for you. *3*

Anyway, I'd like to thank my reviewers:
Miss Annabel Lenore Ragg (who I converted to a yaoi fan. *fistpump*), darkroge, StarStorm199, Whitewolf, talk-ape (that was the shortest review ever XD), LeaJailbird (Thanks for liking my intro XD), DearPanic (Your review made me smile. XD Thank you so much!), Martin Baker (Thanks for reviewing every chapter in one review. XD But I curse you for disproving my rape theory. XD), Fanta Talon Kingsley, SparrowofTruth93, iluvaikka, piratesbabe123, and rin-paytah!

I love you guys! T3T So many more reviews here than on my fictionpress. XD Alright, enjoy the chapter, but read the bottom author comments if you want a chance to enter my little contest!

Chapter 4

Toby didn't get much sleep that night. His dreams were plagued with bits of old memories, you know, those horrible ones, and he kept waking up in a cold sweat every half hour or so. It didn't help that he was stressing out over the trip he'd be taking with the demon barber either. Once he finally got himself settled into a comfortable position with the early morning sun warming him from just outside his window, he made the mistake of looking over at the clock on the wall. It was a hour till nine, the time that Toby wished never existed. He sighed. He could either try to go back to sleep for an hour, or just screw it and get up now. His body made the decision for him when his eyes fell shut again, and he drifted off to sleep.

"Come in for a shave, lad? A handsome boy like yourself could always use a shave. Have to look good for the young lasses... or lads."

Toby gasped as he sat straight up in his bed. He ran a trembling hand through his short hair, and brought his knees to his chin. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he was afraid it would burst from his chest. That had definitely not been like the other dreams. Not at all. He glanced to the clock and saw that he only had ten minutes to get ready. Flying out of bed, he got dressed as fast as he could and tried taming his bed head by running his fingers through his hair while looking in a mirror. He noticed that a cloth was still wrapped around his hand, and he tugged it off. Washing his hand in the small basin of water below the mirror, a few hard chunks of blood came off, but the cut looked much better. He dried off his hand and deemed himself presentable. Unlocking his door, he stepped into the hallway, looking around to make sure no one was there.

Once in the kitchen, and satisfied no one, or one man in particular, was going to jump from the closet and kill him, Toby pulled one of his pies from the pantry and placed it on a cooking tray. He popped it in the oven, and poked at the fire beneath it, waiting for it to heat up. Once satisfied that his pie was warm, he took it out and snatched up the whole bottle of gin on his way to the table. He sat down heavily, and just stared at his pie. He couldn't bring himself to eat it. He felt like he was going to throw up, and his head hurt. He wished he could just go back to sleep. Popping the cork from the bottle, he took a long swig of gin before putting it back on the table. It helped a little.

He was picking at the pie, taking small nibbles, when he heard a door shut above him. He flinched at each step that sounded on the wooden stairs outside. Thunk, thunk, thunk. Not really thinking, he quickly shoved half the pie into his mouth and bit down, choking a little bit. Sweeney chose that moment to stride into the room, his jacket slung over his shoulder, the shadows under his eyes a little more apparent. One eyebrow slowly raised as he spotted Toby who, with his eyes wide and cheeks full of pie, reminded him of a chipmunk. He just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He hoped this day went by smoothly and quickly with no distractions. His hope sank as he watched the boy try to chew the pie in his mouth, looking more like a mutt eating peanut butter.

"You ready then?" He asked, monotone as ever. Toby quickly swallowed the pie, and started coughing, but nodded at Sweeney. He took a last swig from his gin bottle before putting the cork back in and placing it back on the shelf. Sweeney watched this as he put on his jacket, mentally reminding himself to hide that gin later. When Toby was finished cleaning his breakfast up, they both left and began their walk to the market.

s.t.s.t.s.t.s.s...ts..s

Fog and clouds hung in the sky, the sun nowhere in sight, and yet it was light enough to see. People were bustling everywhere, to and fro, moving like ants at a picnic. Running into each other, exchanging "Sorry"s, and carrying on with their lives. The occasional horse and buggy would pass, causing a space to made in the crowd that was quickly filled by more people. Noise seemed to buzz from everywhere, yet it wasn't quite all that loud. The sound of merchants yelling their products could be easily heard.

"Tomatoes! Get yer fresh tomatoes here!"

"Buy a pretty locket for your lass! Buy a locket, get lucky!"

"Fish! Fresh fish!"

But what caught Toby's attention was the stage that he himself used to sell an elixir on. A fake elixir, but an elixir nonetheless. A new tent was set up on it, looking rather gothic, and a man stood upon it. He was speaking and flourishing his product around, but Toby couldn't quite hear or see what it was. He began moving closer, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Oh yeah, he wasn't alone.

"And where are you going?" The barber asked, leering at Toby. Said boy gulped and pointed at the stage, a crowd already forming. Sweeney looked and sneered. "You want to see what he's selling? You should know quite well that whatever it is is a sham," Toby nodded slowly, he did know, but that didn't mean he didn't want to know what it was. He gave Sweeney his best pleading face, trying to get him to understand without words, and pointed again. Sweeney bit back a growl, and huffed out a "fine", earning a grin from Toby who darted away to join the crowd. Sweeney followed at a normal pace.

"It comes in a little glass vial, and one shot is all you need to relieve any pain, anywhere," The man on stage sang, smiling his pearly white teeth that contrasted against his dark lip stick. In his hand was a small bottle of a glowing blue liquid. "It's quick! It's clean! It's pure! Costs only a penny, rest assured,"

"Pain killer, huh?" Toby jumped at the voice next to him. He looked over to Mr. T, who looked like he was actually contemplating on buying some of the blue liquid, but he quickly shook his head. "Stuff'll probably kill you. Come along. We have things we need," Toby reluctantly followed, giving one last look over his shoulder to see a woman buying a bottle of the liquid.

The two pushed through the crowd till they reached a fork in the road. "Alright, we're going to go this way first, then come back around and get the window glass from a store down there," Sweeney explained, pointing down the opposite roads. Toby just nodded and followed along as the barber headed toward a fish stand. As Mr. T haggled with the merchant, Toby wondered what they needed a fish for. Surely Sweeney didn't expect him to cook it because the only thing he could make was pies, and he could barely do that anymore without gagging. But, surely Sweeney couldn't cook... could he?

"Stop daydreaming and hold this," A fish wrapped in butcher paper was thrusted roughly into Toby's chest, and he caught it just in time. "Come along," Toby wrinkled his nose at the fish in his hands. Why did he have to carry it? Did the barber not have two hands of his own? It was his fish after all! He should carry it. Not watching where he was walking (as he was glaring at the fish), Toby found himself suddenly stopping as he ran into somebody. He looked up to see a skinny man adjusting his top hat, a scowl on his face.

"Watch where you're going, boy!" He spat at Toby. Toby quickly nodded and backed away, scanning the crowd for a familiar white stripe of hair. When he didn't see any, he sighed. Great, just great. Now, he was lost in the middle of the crowd at a market with a fish. What was he to do -

"Can't look away for two seconds without you getting lost or distracted by something shiny, can I?" Toby was pulled roughly by the arm through the crowd, gritting his teeth against the pain of the iron grip. They finally stopped in a small clearing in front of some food booths. Sweeney turned Toby towards him, his hand still holding his arm, his face inches from his. Toby tried to pull away, but got caught in Sweeney's dark gaze. Was that a small bit of concern in his glare? "From now on, you keep your eyes up and stay where I can see you. Don't you even move a toe out of my arm length. Got it?" Toby nodded and relaxed when his arm was freed. He rubbed it, hoping there wouldn't be bruises. "There's strange people out here. Young boys should be wary," Toby made a face and crossed his arms, trying to say "I'm not young anymore". He watched as Sweeney leaned back and looked him up and down. He shivered, feeling very self conscious all of the sudden. "I guess you aren't that young anymore," Sweeney mumbled, more to himself, but Toby had caught it. When he looked up at the barber though, his eyes were on the fruit stand in front of them.

"What kind of fruit do you like?" He seemed to ask offhandedly. Toby looked at him with an expression of complete confusion, and the barber sighed, pulling Toby with him again, albeit not as hard this time. "I doubt you're going to eat that," He motioned to the fish in Toby's hands. "So, fruit. Point to what you want or you can starve for the week," His voice was dead serious. Toby quickly began motioning to different foods as Sweeney talked to the merchant who bagged them up. They left the fruit stand and headed to a vegetable one nearby and the process repeated. They visited a few more stands before heading back the way they came. Toby was holding everything they'd bought, which was mostly food, and he let out a small squeak as an orange rolled of the top of his pile. Sweeney quickly caught it, and for a few seconds it appeared that he was going to put it back on the pile, but instead he put it in his pocket and took a few things off the pile to carry himself. Toby gave him a small smile, to which he pointedly ignored.

They decided, well Sweeney decided, that they were going to drop off the food back at the shop before getting the glass for the window. Toby munched on an apple as he was made to put all the food away and Sweeney went upstairs to retrieve more money. He had to admit that so far, the day was going well. He had a lot more food to eat, and he wasn't dead in a puddle of blood. That was a plus. It even seemed as if Sweeney was warming up to him... Not that Toby wanted him to. He could go on hating him for all he cared. After all, Toby still very much disliked the barber and that's how he was going to stay. As he finished his apple, he chucked the core into the oven, watching it catch fire and burn to a crisp.

.t.h.i.s...i.s..a..b.r.e.a.k...l.i.n.e...

As the pair began walking down the other street, on their way to get the glass, Toby wished he could have stayed home. Tall, boarded up buildings lined both sides of the street, blocking out any and all sun and making it seem like the dead of night, when it was in-fact, about noon. The few streetlamps that were lit barely shined through the thick darkness, and no windows had any light. The only sound was that of their shoes tapping on the ground and of a rat squeaking in a near alleyway. Toby shivered and moved to walk closer to Sweeney, who didn't seem to move away, and for that Toby was grateful. If anyone could protect him, it'd be the demon barber.

"It's just up here," Sweeney said, his voice slicing through the silence and making Toby jump. They rounded a corner and Toby saw a couple of shops with their lights lit inside. He calmed down as he read the signs above them. "Glass Shop" and "Cherry's Bakery". The bakery sat across the street from the glass shop, and from what he could see in the large open window, they specialized in sweets. Not really thinking, Toby reached out and tugged on Sweeney's sleeve. The man smacked his hand away and was about to growl something when he saw the boy pointing anxiously at the bakery across the street. He was giving him that pleading face again, and try as he might, Sweeney couldn't resist reaching into his pocket and handing him a few coins. It'd get the boy out of his hair for a moment or two. "Meet me back here once you're done," His voice fell on deaf ears as Toby was already running across the cobblestone road heading for the warm glow that radiated from the bakery. Sweeney watched until he was inside before turning and going into the glass shop.

A wave of warmth, and the smell of icing and cake, hit Toby as soon as his feet stepped inside the bakery. The whole place was lit and pastries were scattered all over, just waiting to be eaten. A plump yet petite woman stood behind the counter and smiled a sweet smile at Toby. He smiled and gave a small wave before beginning his walk around, making sure he looked at everything there was. Did he want a piece of cake, or perhaps just a cupcake? The fudge looked good too, but check out those cookies. He finally settled on a cherry filled pastry, his mouth watering just looking at it. He paid the woman at the front and motioned for her to keep the change. She laughed and gave him an extra cookie. Toby grinned and, using the scrap piece of paper and pencil that the lady was using to keep track of her sales, wrote down 'Thank you'.

"Oh, you're quite welcome!" The woman said before bustling back to the kitchen. Toby ate his snacks, leaving not a trace behind, and began his trek back outside. His smile immediately fell when he remembered where he was. A bad feeling suddenly crept upon him. Toby quickly looked left and right down the street, ready to dash across it, when a strong hand landed on his shoulder. It jerked him backwards and into an alleyway that smelled of something most foul. He squeezed his eyes shut as he was slammed against a brick wall, and a dirty hand was on his face, turning it to and fro.

"My, my, my. Looky what we got here," An alcohol coated voice rasped. Toby opened his eyes, finding himself in the company of a raggedy, horrific looking man that could use a good shave. Toby's eyes lit up at that thought, and he opened his mouth to scream, but only a whisper of air came out. "Aah, ha ha ha!" The man laughed, showing off his blackened teeth. "This is just too easy. I've caught myself a cute little mute," He leaned forward, getting all up in Toby's face, a nasty grin on his face. Toby shook in fear as he felt the man's hand slide down his body, but he wasn't that weak. He wasn't that helpless. He wasn't giving in without a fight. So, with a well aimed fist, Toby cracked the man right across the face, throwing him off him. If living in the workhouse taught you one thing, it was how to get away.

Toby stumbled a little as he regained his footing and began dashing back to the street, aiming for the glow of light coming from the shops right outside the alley. He was almost there too, when a hand with a vice grip snatched his ankle and sent him flailing to the ground. He landed with a thud, the air whooshed out of him. He tried crawling those last couple of feet to the opening of the alleyway, but alas, the man flipped him over onto his back and held his hands above his head. Toby struggled against him, kicking and squirming, but the man just laughed and sat down on Toby. Quicker than Toby's eyes could follow, the man whipped out a handkerchief and tied Toby's wrists together, hooking them over a brick that jutted from the ground. He grinned down at Toby, his mouth just about foaming and his nose bleeding from where Toby had punched him. Toby repressed a gag at the sight of it. "Ya like ta play dirty, huh?" The stranger growled, licking his lips. "Well, I can play dirty too. It's such a shame though that I'ma have ta ruin this pretty face,"

Toby struggled again, but he couldn't avoid the punch that connected to his face. He silently cried out, only a hoarse whisper and a choked sob escaping his throat. "Ah, music to my ears," The man purred in Toby's ear. His hand slipped down Toby's hyperventilating chest as his tongue flicked out to taste the shell of his captive's ear. Toby squeezed his eyes shut, tears falling, and shook with a sob. What did he ever do to deserve this?

Then, just as the man's hand had reached a little too low to comfort, it was gone. The weight was lifted off of Toby, and his eyes flew open. Above him stood Sweeney, the man dangling from the front of his shirt that was in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, Sweeney threw the man into the brick wall nearby. He stomped over to him, grabbing his hair and forcing him to stand up. The man let out a scream of pain and Toby shuddered. There was a shimmer of silver in the darkness and the man went limp. Sheathing his razor, not really caring about cleaning it at the moment, Sweeney strode back over to Toby who had sat up and tried to get his hands untied. Sweeney helped him with that, and just then noticed that the boy seemed to be staring off into space.

"Toby," He started at his own voice. "Are you alright?" Toby's head snapped over to look at Sweeney, his eyes wide in fear. With a shaking hand, Toby reached up and rubbed his own cheek, then looked at his hand. Red blood gleamed in the dull light. Sweeney then realized that he had been covered in blood from the spray of the man's neck, and he was slightly dripping on Toby. The boy stared at him like he was looking at his own death, tears silently rolling down his cheeks and mixing with the blood. He reached a hand out to the boy, but he just flinched and quickly stood up, backing away from Sweeney. "Toby," He tried to say in a reasonable, calming voice. "It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you," He held his hands up in a 'calm down' manner and walked slowly towards the boy. Toby didn't seem to know what to do. He chewed on his bottom lip, ran his hand through his hair, and glanced around him like he was paranoid. Just as Sweeney was close enough to touch him, Toby bolted. "Bloody fuckin' hell," Sweeney growled out, turning around and kicking the dead guy to release some anger. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath. Only thing he could do now was go get cleaned up, and hope Toby was back at the shop.

o.m.g..o.m.g..o.m.g..o.m.g..o.m.g..

Sweeney arrived back at Fleet Street moments later after explaining to the glass maker that he'd be back later. He went upstairs to his shop, and shed his blood covered jacket. Using the bowl of water nearby, he cleaned off the few specks on his face and hands, and deemed himself clean. Then began the search for Toby. He obviously wasn't in the barber shop, but Sweeney looked around anyway, even in the trunk, before moving downstairs. He wasn't in the kitchen, and Sweeney thought it stupid to even consider checking in the basement, so he moved to the living room. A few things were moved around as if someone had run through without looking where they were going. A smirk of a smile graced the barber's face. Toby was here somewhere. He examined the living room, and then Mrs. Lovett's, and was left standing at Toby's door. He resisted the urge to face-palm himself. Of course he'd be in his own room. Leaning his ear against the wood, a quiet sobbing noise could be heard from inside the room. Sweeney raised his hand to the door knob and turned it slowly, finding it locked. He cursed under his breath and slowly unturned it. He'd have to knock.

Toby jolted up at the sound of knuckles on his door. He shook his head from side to side, gripping it in his hands. Tears rolled down his face, and he couldn't stop the images from flashing through his brain. All the blood. So much blood. He gritted his teeth and covered his ears when the knocking sounded again. "Toby," No, no, anyone but him! "Toby, let me in," Toby laughed bitterly in his mind. Like that would ever happen. He swiped at the tears on his face and hit his nose, groaning at the pain. He didn't think it was broken, but that punch had given him a bloody nose, which in turn had caused more freaking out, but it had stopped now. The knocking however had not. With a glare at the door, Toby stood and stomped over to it, flicking the lock and ripping it open. He glared up at a very surprised Sweeney, his face speaking 'WHAT?'. The barber blinked at him.

"I... I just... Are you ok?" Sweeney asked, not really believing his own mouth. He hesitantly reached his hand out and wiped a tear off of Toby's cheek, noting that he still had some blood on him. Toby stared up at him for a moment before his face crumpled and he started sobbing again, this time burying his face into Sweeney's chest. The barber froze. He had not expected this. Slowly, he let his arms wrap around Toby, but the boy leaned back quickly when he shifted. He pressed against his nose with his fingers and let out a low hiss. Sweeney took his hand away from his nose and looked at it himself. "That man do this?" He growled. Toby nodded, wiping at his eyes again. Sweeney sighed. "Sit down there. You've still got blood on your face. I'll be right back," Toby almost reached out as Sweeney left, taking his warmth with him, but he stopped himself and turned to go sit on his bed.

A minute later, Sweeney came back with a rag and a bowl of warm water. He knelt down in front of Toby and as gently as he could, wiped off the excess blood. Toby froze when he saw the rag, but Sweeney told him to close his eyes, and he did, feeling a little bit better. When he was done, Sweeney caught himself running his fingers over Toby's soft skin. He jerked away, causing Toby to open his eyes and look at him with confusion. The barber stood. "Alright... You're cleaned up, and your nose will be fine. I guess... I'll be going then," He turned to leave, but a hand caught his wrist. He looked back to see Toby with that pleading look on his face again, this time saying, "Don't leave,". He sat down next to Toby on the bed. Toby smiled and scooted closer, leaning his head on the barber's shoulder. Sweeney froze again before wrapping an arm around Toby's shoulders. What had Mrs. Lovett's letter said to do if something bad happened? Sing? He had scoffed at that idea before, but now... He felt a flutter in his stomach. Something that he hadn't felt in a very long time. He pulled Toby closer to him and started singing the softest song he knew. "There was a barber and his wife, and she was beautiful...".

Fweehehehe... wasn't that awesome? I think it was if I say so myself. *bricked*

Anyway, CONTEST TIME. 8D
Back at the beginning of this chapter, a man was selling a pain killer and a woman bought some. Who is the man, what is the pain killer, who is the woman, and what movie is it all from?

First person to guess ALL of them right gets a free oneshot story of their choice~

Either send the guess in a review or a private message!

And if you don't know, then still review and get your name mentioned next chapter! :D Yaayyy~

If subscribes and favorites are the cake, then reviews are the hooker inside!

EDIT: The prize has been won by JDLuvaSQEE! I'll annouce what the answer is next chapter, but anyone can keep guessing just for fun.