Thank-yous: tardisandafirebolt , DarkFireAngel00 , -my-forgotten-rose- , xBelekinax , Kitty243 , uknowyuuna13 , kurounue13 , VampWolf92 (btw i am amused by your name haha), ScrawledHearts , peaches , and of course the ever wonderful ThePurpleness, love ya babe and sorry for the lateness again **sheepish grin**

What you should know: yes, I've upped the rating to M however just like when I wrote for pirates, it's really more of a T+ as I'm not too comfortable writing lemons. I do my best but despite having read many, I don't think I could write a descriptive scene myself so please be easy on me in that department, hopefully I don't disappoint too much ^_^

IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE BOTTOM OF CHAPTER, PLEASE READ!

Silences have a climax, when you have got to speak.

~ Elizabeth Bowen

Mrs. Lovett gathered a breakfast tray as she contemplated what she would say to Mr. Todd. Obviously her plan to catch Linnet off guard with Reuben had not worked too well. That infuriating woman had been more than ready and had disposed of the bloody idiot. She just couldn't win! If Benjamin had never met Lucy then perhaps-Lucy. A devious smirk overtook Nellie Lovett's face. All she would have to do was bring back Lucy. Figuratively of course. If she could evoke Benjamin, Linnet wouldn't stand a chance. He would be so enamored with the precious memory of Lucy that he'd be damned if he sullied it by pursuing Linnet. Of course then she, herself would lose out as well. But at least Linnet wouldn't have him either.

"I brought you some breakfast, dear." She said as she pushed through the door. Now that there was no threat of Reuben, Linnet had found it alright to return to her shop alone. Sweeney stood at the window regardless, watching over her as she crossed the street. Mrs. Lovett found this as the prime time to put doubt in his mind, "Mr. T, can I ask you a question?"

It took a moment for Sweeney to pull himself away from his musings of Linnet, "What?"

"What did your Lucy look like?" Sweeney stood ramrod, not moving an inch, and as the silence grew longer between her question and his response, Nellie struck once more, "Can't really remember can you?"

"She had yellow hair." He responded, desperate to prove her wrong.

Nellie smiled, that was all he could give her, "You've gotta leave this all behind, you know." She approached him slowly, "She's gone." She placed her hand tentatively on his back, "Life is for the alive, my dear."

Sweeney's gaze snapped to Lovett, the mere notion of forgetting his quest to avenge the life of Benjamin Barker! Was she mad? What was it she said? Life is for the alive. His gaze drifted hesitantly to the window, observing the door behind which Linnet had just disappeared.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Lovett interjected once more, "We could have a life us two." She was not going to push him into that woman's arms; he was supposed to give up the notion of 'love' all together! She would just have to improvise, "Maybe not like I dreamed. Maybe not like you remember." She allowed the thought to marinate for a moment, "But we could get by."

Sweeney turned to look at her, he had come to respect and (in the case of Toby, grudgingly) care for the few people he had left in his life. He didn't want to destroy her dreams, but he could not come to care for her the way she wanted. He knew she would not be content with just being a part of his happy family with Linnet. She had said 'us two'. So what would she do with Toby? He opened his mouth to question her when the door burst open.

"Mr. Todd! Mrs. Lovett, ma'am." Antony stood, catching his breath.

"What is it Antony?" Mr. Todd asked.

"He has her locked in a madhouse."

"Johanna?"

"Fogg's Asylum." Antony replied, "I've circled the place a dozen times, there's no way in. It's a fortress."

Sweeney's face broke into a smug grin, "I've got him."

"Mr. Todd?"

"We've got her." He smiled, placing a warm hand on Antony's shoulder, more than delighted to share his master plan, "Where do you suppose all the wigmakers of London go to obtain their hair?" Upon receiving nothing but a blank stare from a cautious Antony he continued, "Bedlam. They get it from the lunatics at Bedlam."

"I don't understand."

Sweeney's warm hand slipped ever so slightly, perhaps he wasn't as sharp a boy as he'd originally thought, "We shall set you up as a wigmaker's apprentice. That'll gain you access. And then you take her." Antony stared in awe at the barber before Sweeney lost his patience, "Go. Quickly, go! Just before nightfall, you will tell the boy I have need of him." He said to Lovett as Antony disappeared down the stairs.

"Don't you think you should leave the boy behind?" She pled. When all Sweeney did was glare at her question, she turned and left the man to his business. Sweeney looked out the window at the crisp morning and figured he had a few hours before his plan would be set to motion, leaving ample time to run over to Linnet's. He clambered down the stairs with purpose and swiftly made it over to Linnet's shop, pulling out the spare key he had found a while back in case of emergency. He invited himself into the house and made his way to her bedroom where he waited for her to come out of the bath.

Linnet had just finished her morning routine when she opened the door to find Sweeney sitting morosely on her bed, his elbows rested on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him, his shoulders hunched over, and his eyes trained solely on the floorboards in front of him. Linnet jumped and placed a hand to her heart, "Sweeny, love, you gave me quite the fright. What are you doing here so early? I was just ready to make breakfast and come over to see you." She smiled, walking closer.

Sweeney's head tilted, he looked up at her with the largest brown eyes she had ever seen and said pathetically, "Tell me. Tell me about your friend. The one whom you say I resemble. Tell me about him, about his life. Tell me about his…his life."

Linnet looked at him, confused by what he was asking and wondering as to what he had stumbled over before the reason for the dejected look hit her, "He was the most kind and loving man I had ever met. I hadn't a friend in the world until he showed up one day in my life. You could say he saved me from myself. Saved me from my own wandering and desolate mind. His wife, Lucy, was beautiful. She was everything I ever wanted to be. Everything I ever hoped I would be."

Linnet wasn't sure if saying the words now was wise, but she knew she would get no better opportunity to tell Sweeney exactly how it was she once felt. And anyway she had already begun, she couldn't back track now as she saw Sweeney's inquisitive face telling her to continue, "Reluctantly, I'm afraid I have to admit I was in love with my friend." She turned away from his face, not wanting to see his reaction and instead moved to the bay window on the far side of the room, "I would settle for having only his friendship because I knew he would never see me in the way that he saw her. And why should he have? She was perfection in human form. Kind, loving, doting, and beautiful, an angel among us. He'd have been a fool not to love her."

"Seems to me he was a fool to love her too." Sweeney injected.

"Horrifyingly sad little world, isn't it?"

"It would seem so."

The silence stretched uncomfortably between the two of them, Linnet begging to have not lost Sweeney as well as Benjamin, and Sweeney contemplating the mistakes of the foolishly naïve Benjamin. Finally, Linnet heard slow and steady footsteps make their way to her before a warm and gentle hand tilted her face upwards, "You are not Lucy." Sweeney said softly.

"And you are not Benjamin." Linnet replied equally as soft, standing to bring them closer.

"Benjamin belonged to Lucy and lost his life for it." Sweeney mumbled, "So what do I choose?"

"I love you." Linnet whispered, her forehead resting on his cheek, her eyes clenched shut as if anticipating the pain of rejection. Sweeney moved one hand along her jaw, barely skimming her soft skin, simultaneously squeezing her waist, bringing her closer to him still. He threaded his fingers gently through her silken hair and pressed his lips to hers.

Tears welled in Linnet's eyes as a feeling of almost completeness filled her heart. As she responded to Sweeney's kiss with fervor he tasted the salty wetness of the few drops that escaped her lower lid. His attempt to pull away and inquire to their purpose ended fruitless as something in Linnet snapped and she pushed forward wanting nothing more than their two lips to tangle forever. This was right. This was the man she wanted to erase the memory of what that horrid man did to her so many years ago. This was the man that was meant to be her first experience in the world of men. This was the man that would make everything all right in the end; the man that would, in time, mend her shattered world.

It took less than a moment for Sweeney to abandon his quest for answers and respond in kind to her passion. His arms squeezed her as tightly as he could, not being close enough, wishing he could pull her very essence into him. While the one hand twisted her hair and demanded her lips, his other roved her back, releasing her from the confines of her clothing. Her fingers trailed over his shoulders and down his chest plucking the buttons of his shirt and exploring his chest as inch by inch it was revealed.

She tore her lips from his and sucked in a large breath as without missing a beat he pressed his lips over her racing pulse. Following the sweet river of blood hidden beneath her skin, he kissed his way down to the juncture of her neck, reveling in the euphoric sensation of her hands touching his bare flesh and traveling ever so maddeningly slow to the place he craved her most. Panting heavily, she removed his trousers as he steered them towards the bed. Writhing together atop the previously pristine linens, the two lost themselves in each other. The feeling of bliss fabricated in that exact moment when their bodies connected beyond all other, eradicated all other emotions and gave hope for their future together. As they lay together in a heaving, sweaty entanglement, both Sweeney and Linnet vowed silently to themselves to find happiness. When all lose ends were finally tied and snipped, they would both move on from the torrential ache of yesteryear and live for a brighter day.

Eyes pulling heavily, Sweeney brought a drowsy Linnet into the crook of his arm and allowed them both a few more hours of sleep. He would divulge his ingenious plot to her when they awoke.

!PLEASE READ!

If you plan on reading future stories from me, or if you follow my version of Pirates of the Caribbean, or if you are interested in reading Harry Potter/Twilight crossover please continue reading this note, if neither of the previous situations apply to you, please review this chapter and have a nice day :)

I have had an idea for a Harry Potter/Twilight crossover in my mind for quite sometime, it would be an AU post-war and a romance between Hermione and Jacob but with heavy involvement from the Cullens considering Hermione had a strong brother/sister relationship with Cedric Diggory who is actually Edward Cullen. On top of that I have a bit of comedy with Remus as Hermione's surrogate father and not too happy about the young wolf interested in his female cub ;) Hopefully a story with lots of laughs and drama combined.

What I need to know is this: First of all would anyone actually want to read this story, secondly whether I should attempt to write this along with Pirates 3 or concentrate on Pirates 3 and come back to this after? The poll is up on my profile page, please take a moment to vote for what you would like me to do. Of course neither Pirates nor crossover will be written until after I've finished with Sweeney which should be no more than 2 or 3 chapters now!

SO! Again I ask you to please vote for your opinion on my profile page, the poll will be up until the first chapter of Pirates 3 goes up because regardless, I will be writing that one next as I've kept all the pirate fans out there waiting far too long haha and as always, please review for this chapter!