Splintered Dreams

BlossomedSerenity

(Chapter 18)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

A disturbing cackle brought her out of her reverie. It was him. Something about that musical yet diabolical laughter was enough to bring a slight shiver down her spine. Toby...

Though weak she was from all the blood she had lost, her maternal side kicked in and she managed, though with a great amount of difficulty, to arise from the mattress. With it, came a wave of nausea that almost made her fall right back down again. But if there was something that Nellie Lovett possessed, it was willpower. Especially in drastic situations such as this. The baker placed one hand on the bedpost to gain at least some composure. She was not strong enough to protect her Toby with her failing body. Hell, she had no strength to protect herself from that monster...

But she had already decided that she wanted to die. That thought had not been banished from her debilitated mind. However, she was the one that would face the blood thirsty Demon, not the child. He had no part in this! It was only him and her.

The dance of death.

Without uttering one single word, Eleanor reached for the candle holder that laid on the side table. Before Toby questioned her actions, the silver ornament was slammed semi-hard on his young skull. In an instant, the lad was sailing towards the ground. With only Love as her aid, Mrs. Lovett somehow managed to grab a hold on Tobias and drag him towards her wooden wardrobe; clutching on to him with her left arm and utilizing her right to shove out her various skirts and clothing.

She was in no position to use the Lord's name after her disgusting actions that made the true content inside her pies. Nevertheless, she did not halt herself from thanking Him for making Toby small enough to fit inside her decade old wardrobe. Placing one last kiss upon his bleeding noggin, Nellie cringed. To reassure herself he was alive, she placed her hand upon his throat. One. Two. Three... Yes, he was alive. Three strong pulse beats. Quickly, she closed the doors. The moment that she turned from the wardrobe, a loud slam was heard and managed to frighten her enough to lose her fragile balance. She cursed her weak state but did not try to get up. She simply raised her head and eyed her tormenter.

Eyes as black as a raven's onyx feather glared at her. They promised her a world of pain and torture. A demented hell that would have no end and would last as long as he deemed necessary. A never ending cycle of abuse and agonizing distress...

She welcomed it with open arms.

His lean figure stood in the doorway. Raindrops slid down his drenched locks and landed upon his strained mouth. Eleanor did her damn best to ignore the stab of pain that she felt in the instance that she locked her gaze with his burning one.

It seemed like an eternity occurred before the Demon took his first few steps towards his fallen accomplice. He looked at her through narrowed eyes; eyeing her to see if she would scuttle away from his seething wrath. He chuckled lightly as he progressed towards her.

"Care to share some of that humor, love?" Eleanor said in a voice rusty with disuse. Mr. Todd stopped before her; looking quite menacing as he stared her down. 'Sick bastard enjoys this,' Mrs. Lovett thought darkly. Seeming satisfied with himself, Sweeney kneeled down and grabbed a handful of hair at the back of Lovett's head. Knowing that it would only bring him more satisfaction, Eleanor managed to swallow the scream that she was about to let out. The barber tilted her head back roughly and ran his nose along her throat; taking in her scent. Nellie felt herself gain goose flesh.

"Why of course, pet. I just find it quite appropriate for you to be kneeling before me. Begging for mercy, Mrs. Lovett?" The baker snorted.

"You think I'm begging for mercy? Why I'm sorry to turn your amusement sour, Mr. T, but I'm no beggar. You're bleedin' wife Lucy was." Now that was a death wish...

Mr. Todd's eyes somehow managed to gain a deeper shade than before. Nostrils flaring, he yanked upon her hair again. This time managing to get out a moan of pain from her.

"Don't," he snarled in a trembling voice filled with rage, "Ever use her name in such a manner again!"

"Or what? You'll kill me? Why don't you have at it already, love? I'm sure that anything that you put me through cannot compare to the hell that you made my life for twenty years of my godforsaken life!" The hand loosened. At this, Eleanor managed to shove his hand away from her and distanced herself from him; massaging the back of her head. Eleanor managed to see a few strands of fiery locks within the barber's grasp.

"Twenty years? What the hell are you talking about?" The rage was replaced momentarily with a look of complete puzzlement. Eleanor looked away and listened to the patter of the heavy rain outside. Ever since she was a young kiddie, the sound of the rain always managed to calm her down. No matter what situation she was in. This time was no different.

"Answer me!" With rain was always thunder.

A sad smile crossed her chapped lips. She looked at him and gave a soft sigh. "Twenty years, love. What's not to get? I've been in love with you for about twenty years now." Mr. Todd stared at Eleanor for a few minutes. She, however, turned towards the window. He was waiting for the explanation. The secret that had been dormant within her heart for two decades. Well, mother did always say that no secret was kept hidden forever...

Though her gaze remained on the window, she licked her lips and continued. "Ever since I first laid my eyes on Benjamin Barker, I knew there was something that drew me to him. He was so different from all the other men that I knew. I became his friend through Albert, my fiancee at the time. If I had known him before Albert, I know I wouldn't have accepted the proposal. But no matter how much one wishes to change the past, what's done is done. Eh, Mr. T?

"Five years later, Mr. Barker and a Mrs. Barker ended up on our establishment seeking refuge. Gladly, I agreed! Though I knew it was a terrible idea, I was moonstruck. And in the few years that they both lived with us, I found myself falling deeply in love with Mr. Barker. Ironic, isn't it? To be so close to the one you love, yet at the same time so far away. Yet I was happy. To see him everyday, drink his presence, see him smile that enchanting grin; that always helped me endure it.

"Then came the day Mr. Barker was arrested. Oh, God! I felt as if I was the one being dragged by those cursed bastards! Everyday I though of the pain that he was going through. The torture that he was enduring. But I was there when you promised Lucy that you'd be back. So I strove myself to believe you. It was the only way for me to get up in the mornings. The only way I'd be able to bear the pain. But the fates are never satisfied when hurting a person, it seems. Albert was taken away from me shortly after as well by the damned gout and it was just your Lucy, babe Johanna, and me. I took care of em' as if they were my real family. Why? Simple. For him. It was always just for him. Then...well you know what happened next..."

Eleanor paused but did not dare turn her gaze towards Mr. Todd. She felt it was necessary to finish this absurd story before seeing his reaction.

"When I found out who you were...who you had been...I just couldn't believe it. Though I know you're not Benjamin, I loved you just as much as him, if not more. The way that I saw it was that Benjamin Barker belonged to Lucy. But that you...Sweeney Todd, would be mine." Mrs. Lovett gave out a dry cackle. "How wrong and delillusional one can get, hmm?" Eleanor's look then changed into that of anger. Yet still she refused to look at him.

"Which leads to me lying about your Lucy. Well I won't lie to ya' anymore, Mr. T. I did have my greedy purpose for lying to you about her being dead. I did imply it! Why? Because twenty bleedin' years is quite enough! I became me for being human!" Then the tone softened. "But it wasn't all out of malice, ya' know. I also did it because I knew that if it had been the first thing that I mentioned to you...well you would have been completely gone...Point of no return for you..."

The rain continued to fall. A whisper of wind accompanying the delightful rhythm of the shower.

Slowly, Nellie turned her head to the side to gather Mr. Todd's countenance. As always, the expression was stoic and unreadable. His jaw was tightened and his eyes were set on the floor. Still and silent like a statue. Eleanor continued to stare at him. No matter what he did to her, he would always manage to entice her. Like a moth to a flame.

"It rained like this when you fell." The sudden sound of his voice startled Nellie.

"Yes. It did."

"You fell down. Because of me."

"No...I was clumsy. It was-"

"All of it. Because of me and Barker. We harmed you, each in our own ways and yet you..."

"I what, Mr. T?" He looked at her then. His dark eyebrows furrowed together.

"You still love...me?"

Thunder.

"Yes. I still love you."

He scoffed at her. "After I ridiculed you, hurt you, tried to kill you..." He shook his head.

"I still love you."

"Eleanor...what I am...I can't...I don't know if I can...what I did to you..."

"I still love you, Mr. Todd."

The rain continued to gently slam on the hard cobblestone outside. Millions of droplets descending from the heavens to wash away the sin that bathed the streets of the foul city. Yet as "far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us..."

Yep! That was the end. But worry not my fellow dearies! I do have an epilogue! Thank you for bearing with me and for sticking with this story till' the very end! I love each and every one of you and I do hope that you enjoyed my first story! ^^