Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Songs aren't mine either.
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-Three drabbles exploring what Nellie Lovett doesn't know about Tobias Ragg.-
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"If you believe that dreams come true
There's one that's waiting there for you
Cause I believed when I saw you." – Rachel Lampa, "If You Believe"
The first time he sees anything resembling sympathy directed at him is in her eyes. In the crowd, she had looked almost ghostly, with the dark clothing and the dark circles under her eyes contrasting sharply against the white pallor of her skin. He recalled something he had once heard, about eyes being the window to the soul and whatnot. There was no doubting the sincerity in her gaze.
He had thought he would never see her again, and some flicker of hope inside him had died - only for it to reappear again when Pirelli brought him to Fleet Street, and he saw her. She immediately directed the same concerned look at him, and rushed him into her shop to get him a meat pie.
He wanted so desperately to believe in her. She seemed nice, actually seeming to care about him, unlike anyone he had ever met. And then she asked him to stay and help her in the shop. That was all he needed; he didn't completely trust her yet, but he would have the chance to try.
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"Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now
As she falls to the ground?" – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Face Down"
He knows how Mrs. Lovett feels about Sweeney Todd. He isn't smart, but he isn't dumb either. Sometimes, he feels that adults underestimate how observant he is. He has done some traveling with Pirelli, after all; he knows about such matters, despite his young age.
He sees the way Mrs. Lovett looks at him, and everything she does for him. He sees how she looks like she is about to fall apart whenever Mr. Todd snaps at her. He sees how hurt she looks when his meals are returned untouched. And he swears he always sees Mrs. Lovett leave the barbershop in a hurry, as if she had been threatened.
But he also sees that no matter what Mr. Todd does, Mrs. Lovett still returns to him. He sees how happy Mrs. Lovett is when she catches him watching the pie shop, as if doing so was proof that he cared. It is these little things that stop him from confronting Mr. Todd. And despite his distrust of the barber, he wouldn't interfere with Mrs. Lovett's feelings. He didn't understand her love, he didn't have to like it, but he would respect it.
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"Demons'll charm you with a smile for a while,
But in time nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around..." - Edward Sanders, "Not While I'm Around"
That day he had visited the workhouse, he wanted to make a visit to someplace else – the Beadle, to report Mr. Todd. He had noticed some strange things about the barber, things that he didn't like. His distant behavior and his costumers' tendencies not to be seen again were only a few of the reasons for his suspicions.
But what had stilled him was the thought of Mrs. Lovett. She was like a mum to him, treating him like her own son. If it hadn't been for her, he probably still be in the workhouse. And he knew how much she cared for Mr. Todd, no matter how he treated her. And how upset she would be if Mr. Todd was arrested – and he would never let anything hurt her, least of all himself.
Author's Note(s): Isn't Toby awesome? Especially the way Ed Sanders plays him. I was like, AWWW! when he sang "Not While I'm Around". But I'm getting off topic. Just please R&R!