Stephen Sondheim and Tim Burton owns Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I own my own people.
A/N Several issues to address here. Some people have been inquiring whether or not this will be a Sweenet. I doubt it. Maybe you'll see some slight one sided Sweenet on Sweeney's side, but it'll mainly be Lovett/OC (but you can't really call it a romance because of what he's planning to do to her.)
Also, I know this chapter is short, but I had to set up the crime, and the fact that Sweeney is getting a lot more suspicious about him. Next one will be longer, hopefully. (In all honesty I'm kind of just making this up as I go along.)
Next Day
"'Ere you are, love, a nice hot pie," Mrs. Lovett said, placing a hot pie in front of a customer.
It was the end of there dinner rush, and both Mrs. Lovett and Toby were working hard to meet the demands of there last customers. She had been on the look out for Thomas since breakfast, and made sure to get up early to make herself look presentable. So far however, she hadn't seen head or hair of him. She was beginning to think that he would never show up.
"'Scuse me, a little more gin over 'ere if you please," a man yelled out. She walked over to the man who had asked for gin.
"Thank ya," the man said as Mrs. Lovett began to pour before turning to a man beside him.
"So anyways, I get there and it's a blood bath! The coroner said they couldn't o' been dead fo' more then a few hours."
Mrs. Lovett was about to walk away before the next sentence of the two men caught her ear.
"Yeah, poor thing. I used to git me meats from Finneys all the time. Wonder what'll happen to it now that Emily's dead."
Mrs. Lovett stopped dead and turned toward the two patrons.
"Finney's meats, over on West end road?"
"Yes, miss, the very same."
"An' this woman you're talking 'bout, 'er name Emily Finney?"
"'Ow'd you know that?"
"Emily Finney was the daughter 'o the man who apprenticed my 'late 'usband. Wot you say happen to her?"
"Pull up a chair, love," the first man said pulling up a chair next to him.
Mrs. Lovett looked around for a moment. There was only three customers left, she saw no harm in sitting down for a chat.
She set down her large pitcher of gin and sat next to the men.
"They found 'er daughter and her dead in there home last night."
"Wot?!" cried Mrs. Lovett. "Dead? but 'ow? Emily was no older then me and 'er daughter was only fifteen."
"Murdered, both of 'um. Er daughter was found tied to a chair, in 'er mothers bedroom, stabbed five times. Emily, well," he took a swig of gin before motioning her closer. "Emily," he repeated in a low whisper, "she was found tied to 'er bed, wit' bruises coverin' 'er whole body, stabbed thirteen times, and three times right between 'er legs."
Mrs. Lovett leaned back in disgust, and had to hold down a gag. Yes she dealt with corpses everyday, but that was just to much.
"And," the man continued, "was found without a shred of clothin' on 'er. 'Er little boy found her. They had to transport 'im to Figgs, 'cause he couldn't take the shock 'o seein' 'is mum and sister in that state."
"'Ow do I know your just not pullin' me leg?" she asked shortly, not being able to believe that someone would be able to commit such a heinous crime.
"I'm the detective that investigated it. Theres been 'bout five 'o these murders ll over the poorer sides 'o London. All beautiful woman, kids, single. Wot's worse is this man don't just concentrate on the woman, he makes her kids watch one was as young as four year old. Then, after he makes them watch him defile and murder the mother, he kills 'um."
Mrs. Lovett cast a look towards Toby who was taking advantage of the momentary absence of customers and sitting down at one of the empty tables, taking a drink of water, for Mrs. Lovett refused to give him gin while he worked.
She don't know what she would do if she ever lost him. She may have only had him for a few months, but she loved him, and she would do anything for him.
"I've sorry if I upsetted you, miss," the man said sympathetically watching her saddened face. "But I figured you'd be on alert more if you know wot was happening, not the whishy washy details the paper and rumor mills gives ya."
"Do you have any idea who it is?" she asked, turning her gaze from Toby and back to the detective.
"Not a clue, the boy basically told us that 'is mum was dating someone before she was murdered, but thats about it, and 'ee's too damaged to try to get anythin' more out 'o 'im right now."
She stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before the man looked at his pocket watch and downed the rest of his ale and stood up.
"I must be going miss. Excellent pie, I must say however." He threw down some money before he and his companion stood up and walked away.
She stared after them a moment before she picked up their plates and made her way to the kitchen.
She put them in the sink and turned on the water.
"That poor girl," she thought to herself adding soap to the water. "tortured like that. Damn the man who did that to hell! And to make her daughter watch, It's disgusting!"
She was so lost in her train of thought that she didn't hear the bell nor the footsteps heading towards the kitchen.
She was still thinking about Emily when she felt two hands grab her roughly around the waist and pulled her backwards.
She screamed in fear and began to fight against the man before he whispered in her ear.
"I surprise you?"
Her attacker released her and she whipped around, ready to lay out on whoever had grabbed her, but she softened when she saw who it was. She was too preoccupied to hear the footsteps running down the steps.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," Thomas said sincerely picking up a bouquet of flowers from the ground and handing them to her. "I really didn't mean too."
"No, no, it's alright, love. I jus' had other things on me mind right now."
She took the flowers and put them in a vase.
"You mind if I asked what?"
"A woman I knew was murdered yesterday."
"I heard about that. "Orrible death it was. Raped and tortured the girl, and he made her child watch the whole thing, didn't he?"
"How did you-"
"I applied as a job at a local hospital today. They brought in a bobby who became physically sick at the sight. I overheard everything," he explained."
"Yeah well," she turned back to the vase, missing the cold smile and demonious glint in his eyes, "It's a sad day in London when a woman 'as to worry 'bout those types o' things in 'er own home."
Thomas nodded in agreement. He opened his mouth to speak before the door to her parlor slammed open and Sweeney Todd and Toby stood there, a razor opened in Sweeney's hand. Toby looking frightened, but he held a large kitchen knife.
"Why did you scre-" Sweeney began, but his sight landed on Thomas, and his eyes narrowed.
"Are you okay, mum?" Toby asked nervously, looking between Thomas and Mrs. Lovett.
"I'm fine, love. Thomas just gave me a scare, that's all," Mrs. Lovett said, looking at Sweeney with apprehension.
"What are you doing here?" Sweeney asked, not lowering his razor.
"Just relax. I just came here to ask Nellie if she wanted to join me for a night time stroll." He turned to her, "so how 'bout it? We can get to know each other better, talk, and it may be late but I'll buy you dinner."
"No," Sweeney said quickly. "She has to much work to do here."
"Forgive me, but I think she's perfectly capable to make decisions on her own. Plus I'm sure Toby wouldn't mind doing a bit of cleaning while she stepped out for a bit."
"I, I don't know, "she said looking at the large pile of dishes in her kitchen. "I do 'ave a lot of work to be doing."
"So do it later. Come in, Nellie," he took her hand in his and smiled at her, "you can trust me."
Sweeney looked from Mrs. Lovett's smiling face then to Thomas es, and he knew. He had made that exact same look whenever he had a customer, and he knew what it meant.
"Mrs. Lovett, I really don't-"
"Okay. Jus' let me get cleaned up a bit and we'll go." She started to walk toward her bathroom, but he grabbed her by the wrist. Mrs. Lovett turned towards him.
"You look perfect."
"I'm covered with flour and must look a fright."
"If a woman as beautiful as you ever looked a fright, I'd kill myself."
"That can be arraigned," Sweeney muttered. Thomas shot him a angry look before turning back to Mrs. Lovett and offering his arm.
"Shall we, my pet?"
Sweeney's hand grew tight around the razor. That was his name for her, only he was allowed to call her that. That was the one thing he had saved from his days of Benjamen Barker. Even back then he had been the only one allowed called her that.
Mrs. Lovett, however, didn't seem to care as she smiled and took his arm.
He smirked at Sweeney for a moment before they walked out of the bake house, both Sweeney and Toby looking after them.
"I don't trust him," Sweeney said after they heard the tiny bell above the shop ring
"Why?"
Sweeney looked down at him for a moment, surprised at how dimwitted the boy was. He knew not to trust Sweeney, could it be possible that he actually trusted this man?
Sweeney said nothing as he looked back at the closed shop door and griped his razor tighter.
"Get this work done before she gets back," he muttered before leaving the kitchen and making his way up the steps to his shop.
"Why should I care whose interested in her or not?" he thought to himself as he entered the shop. "She means nothing to me." But he still couldn't shake that feeling. He had known that look he gave her. He did it himself all the time. He would say one thing, but the look clearly said 'you have no idea what I'm about to do to you."
He stopped pacing and perked up his ears, not exactley sure what he would hear. A scream for help, perhaps, or maybe even a struggle, but it was as silent as the day that he arrived in Fleet Street, as silent as the grave.
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