Mine

Mr. Todd doesn't like it when Mrs. Lovett flirts with a customer? Sweenett!! 

Chapter 3: Aftermath

When he woke up, his arms were around her.

He wasn't exactly sure how it happened. He vaguely remembered sometime in the night, when the storm had settled down to a steady rain, shivering, half-awoken by the cold. He must've turned to the most obvious source of warmth … her. And here she was, curled into his chest, her breathing soft and steady, looking more content than he had ever seen her look before.

She also looked strangely ... innocent, almost child-like. Thinking of Mrs. Lovett as innocent struck him as so absurd that he almost laughed at the thought. He feared waking her, though. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when her eyes opened, but he had a feeling he had reached a point of no return with her. They could not simply pretend that nothing had happened between them. The dynamics of their relationship were permanently and fundamentally changed.

As she slept, he found himself studying her features. Her skin was so pale, it made the circles under her eyes look like dark bruises. So he wasn't the only one that slept badly, then? Why would she lose sleep? He'd never thought about that before, never let himself care enough to notice. Her nose was small, her cheekbones high, her lashes dark and long, her lips rosy and full. Her curls, an untamable and vivid red, framed her face like a strange, not-so-heavenly halo.

One of those curls trailed across her face, moving slightly as she breathed. Absently, he brushed the stray hair aside and tucked it behind her ear. This proved to be a bad impulse, however, as it caused her to stir from her slumber. She shifted and stretched in the bed as her eyes fluttered open – and they opened quite wide when they realized what they were looking at.

"Mr. T," she said softly, breathlessly, as if speaking too loud might cause him to disappear. He regarded her with what he hoped was an impassive expression.

"What?"

"You're – bloody hell – you're still here!"

"I agreed to stay, didn't I? You think I'd've changed me mind in the middle of the night?"

"Thought I'd wake up to find this all a dream, I did." She said softly, daring to smile at him. She saw the briefest hint of a smile on his face in response.

"No. That fop of yours, he was a dream, though."

Mrs. Lovett almost giggled. "Hm? He seemed real enough to me. Handsomely real –"

In an instant he was straddling her, his weight pressing on her, heavy, almost painful. "Careful, love," he whispered, with the hint of a demonic glint in his eye, "or I shall have to invite him up for a free shave."

Mrs. Lovett could not tell where her fear of him ended and her desire for him began. Whatever else Sweeney Todd was, he was exciting. He made her feel alive, whether he was putting a razor to her throat or making her scream with pleasure in bed. And, most thrilling of all, he had called her for his own, claimed her in a single word: mine.

"I was only joking, my dear," she said softly. "Don't care about him at all. You know that."

"Good." His voice was soft yet savage, and she could feel his body once again responding to hers. She pulled his head down for a kiss, and they soon found themselves riding the waves of pleasure again, coupling with an intensity that seemed close to madness, as dawn streaked the sky.

The next thing Sweeney Todd remembered, he was in the bed alone. He seemed to have nodded off again after the second time. Surprised that she had been the first to get up, he gathered up his clothes and quickly dressed himself. Of his feelings, he knew nothing for certain, except that he was desperately hungry.

For a man who slept little and ate less, this was an oddity in itself. But the scent of food coming from the kitchen made his stomach growl, so, after a moment's hesitation, he entered, to find Mrs. Lovett busy at work. There was a modest but appetizing-looking breakfast of toast and eggs set out for him, and she was busy making her pies.

"Mrs. Lovett." She started at the sound of his voice, but quickly recovered herself, smiling hesitantly at him.

"Morning. Bit of a late start for me today …" she blushed a little. "… breakfast, then?"

Feeling it was wiser not to speak, he merely nodded and sat down. He ate all that was in front of him, causing Mrs. Lovett's eyes to widen when she glanced up from her work. Surprised but pleased, she still did not feel confident enough to break the silence until he did.

"Where's the lad?"

"Sent him on an errand before the rush. Seems quite energetic today, he does. Slept right through that storm, bless him."

"Bless all that gin he drunk, is more like. They'll be none left for anyone else," Mr. Todd complained, but there was no real malice in his voice, only mild annoyance. Even in his single-minded focus, he had not failed to notice how quickly she had come to dote on the lad, as if he were he very own son.

"Well, it's a good job he drunk it, innit? Or he might've heard …" She stopped, locked eyes with Mr. Todd, and blushed even more deeply. He smirked. Part of him wanted to retreat into his usual thoughts of revenge, and forgot all the confusion last night had brought him, but another part of him was struggling with a growing sense of amusement.

"… the storm." He finished for her. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that what there calling it these days, then?" She could've sworn he almost laughed at that. It was so odd to think that she was actually joking with Mr. Todd about something other than turning his customers into meat pies.

Speaking of which … just then, she saw a man making his way up the stairs to Mr. Todd's parlor. He must've seen it too, for he stood up. "It appears it's time for me to get to work as well." There was still that bright, almost (almost?) mad glint in his eye that made her both afraid for him and afraid of him. She nodded back, watched as he ascended, looking a long time after he had gone. Only when Toby returned with the baking supplies (not meat, of course, but the rest) did she start out of her reverie. She had been think many things, her thoughts swirling together almost to the point of incoherence, but chief among them, concerning Mr. Todd, was, what the hell happens now?

A/N: Thanks to all that reviewed! Please continue; it's what keeps me writing. Also, hope you all had a very happy Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, etc. – whatever holiday you celebrate this season, hope you got lots of lovely presents (for example, a set of custom razors, a meat pie, or "Sweeney Todd" two-disc special edition DVD!) ;)