Notice: the reference to Lucy propositioning Sweeney comes from the theatrical play, not the movie, as is the reference to the rest of Lucy's antics :)

Thank yous: -my-forgotten-rose- , DarkFireAngel00 , Scars In2 Stars , but most importantly ThePurpleness not only for remembering to badger me for missing my self-made deadline, but for helping me dig myself out of the holes I get stuck in ^.^

There is no squabbling so violent as that between people who accepted an idea yesterday, and those who will accept the same idea tomorrow.

~ Christopher Marley

Linnet turned back to the gory mass that once was Nellie Lovett. Her stomach clenching, she knelt down to retrieve the razor still embedded within the demonical wretch and cleaned the blood with the dish rag hanging from her belt. She would have to do something with the body before Antony and Johanna came. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when Sweeney walked into the room with a splash of blood staining his face and shirt. Saying nothing, he stooped down and hefted Lovett over his shoulder before descending the stairs to the bake house to dispose of her.

Linnet moved the crumpled throw rug to cover the blackish-red stain marring the floorboards. She then used the same dish rag to wipe down the hearth before throwing the bloody scrap into the fire and retrieving a second one to clean Sweeney's face. She dampened the cloth with warm water and wiped clean his face in complete silence as he stared back at her.

"The boy had some use after all." Sweeney said; which would be the only acknowledgment of the boy's bravery from his part.

"I'm sorry about Nellie." She whispered, unbuttoning his shirt to wipe his chest. It wouldn't do for Antony and Johanna, or the judge for that matter, to see him like this.

Sweeney shrugged, "At least her true colors shone now and we have nothing more to.."

Linnet placed two fingers on his lips before he could finish, "Don't jinx anything love." She replaced her fingers with her lips for a brief kiss, "We still need to rid ourselves of the judge and disappear from this cursed place before we're home free."

Sweeney chuckled, returning the kiss while removing the blood stained shirt from himself. Pulling away from Linnet he looked at the shirt in his hand, shrugged once more, and threw it too in the fire. He pecked her lips once more, "I'm off to fetch a shirt then."

"Hurry back, love."

Cocking an eyebrow, Sweeney smirked, "I don't think there's quite enough time."

Throwing her head back in laughter, Linnet pushed him up the stairs, "Antony and Johanna will be here soon you sex-crazed lout." His face brightened as he hurried up the stairs, Linnet's laughter echoing behind him. Antony was already leaving to fetch the reserved carriage in the short time it took Sweeney to come back down. "Johanna darling this is the man I was telling you about, Mr. Sweeney Todd."

Johanna stood from the sofa to curtsey politely, "A pleasure sir, Mum has told me such wonderful things." Sweeney stood in shock at the sight of Benjamin's daughter; the spitting image of Benjamin's wife. He felt a tug on his heartstrings as the baby blue eyes of an innocent child stared up at him, eyes that brought back memories long buried. Sweeney swallowed the lump in his throat as he realized the remnants of Benjamin were rising. "Mum told me that Antony and I would be joining you," Johanna continued as an awkward silence hung in the air, "that I would be able to call you Dad." Sweeney let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, "I've never had a real father before. At least none that I remember." She hung her head and stared at her clasped hands in front of her with the confession and Sweeney finally broke. Crossing the distance between them in two quick strides, he gathered the girl into his arms and placed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I would love nothing more," Sweeney began, having to clear his throat once more, "than for you to call me Dad."

Johanna wrapped her arms around him, feeling an odd sense of comfort from a man that she had never before met. She knew she should question why she trusted this man so quickly, but as he held her tightly in a manner purely befitting of a father, she could not bring herself to care. In that one moment, she felt so safe, so secure, that she would overlook everything just to hold on.

Linnet's eyes filled with tears at the site of them. She could not wait to leave London, they could take care of the estates and all else later. All she wanted was to finish things as quickly as possible so that she and Sweeney could just join Antony in the same carriage, "Sweeney, love." She hated interrupting the moment but the judge would be coming soon and if he caught sight of Johanna all would be lost, "Your final customer should be arriving soon. Best you wait upstairs so that he doesn't catch sight of Johanna here."

Coming to his senses, Sweeney nodded and released Johanna from his hold, "There'll be more time later. Tonight we make a hasty retreat from this city." Johanna nodded and followed Linnet into a bedroom away from any windows.

Sweeney ascended the stairs once more, slowing his steps before opening the door as he heard inane chatter from inside, "I saw you! Are you in there still, Beadle? Beadle? Beadle! Dear Beadle! Beadle-deedle-deedle-deedle dumpling! Beadle dumpling! Ba-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-deedle.."

Sweeney burst through the door having heard more than enough, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Evil is here sir." She cried, "The stink of evil from below! From her!" Sweeney took note of her placement on top of the trap door as she continued, "Oh, she's the devil's wife! Beware her, sir. She with no pity in her heart." She spat before a glossy look covered her face, "Hey! Don't I know you, mister?" Sweeny rolled his eyes, obviously the beggar woman remembered him from when she propositioned him and Antony as they walked off the ship.

"Mr. Todd?" Turpin's voice called from the steps outside. Acting quickly, Sweeney slit the mindless woman's throat, pushed the pedal before she could fall and stain the shop with more blood, and whipped out his vest, buttoning it over his shirt as Judge Turpin burst through the door. "Where is she?"

"Below, your honor. With my apprentice, a woman rest assured." He said quickly as Turpin moved to rush downstairs, "A woman who is wonderful at calming the troubled mind. Thank heavens though, the sailor did not molest her. Thank heavens, too, she has seen the error of her ways."

"She has?"

"Oh, yes. Your lesson was well-learned. She speaks only of you. Longing for forgiveness."

"Then, she shall have it." Turpin smiled, oblivious to the murderous thoughts of the man in front of him, "She's downstairs you say? In the meat shop?"

"Yes your honor." Sweeney intercepted the man's path to the door and slung an arm across his shoulders leading him to the barber chair, "Forgive me if I am too forward but she speaks to my apprentice of the many ways in which she has seen you."

"Oh?"

"It would seem the girl is partial to a smooth cheek," he whispered as if sharing a secret, " and I feel in order to atone for my foolishness in having dealings with the boy," he spat as if disgusted with himself, "well the least I can do is offer you a free shave." He smirked, "Clear the air, perhaps?"

"Well Mr. Todd, when you put it that way, I suppose it can't do any harm to let the women talk a bit longer, hmm?" Turpin followed willingly to the chair.

"Sit, sir. Sit."

"Oh, Mum. It was magical when we met. The way he spoke to me, such kindness and chivalry. You've raised a wonderful, wonderful man." Johanna gushed, smiling largely as she and Linnet had their girl talk. She barely remembered her own mother after all, just a small tune she would hum over and over and she clutched her baby to her chest.

"Thank you, my dear. I am very proud of my son, and I'm so happy he's found a young lady like yourself. I can think of no one better for him than yourself."

"You flatter me, Mum."

"Not at all, darling." Linnet hugged the girl, resting her head atop Johanna's. She thought of what it would have been like if she had never had Antony. She would never have had reason to leave London and would have helped raise this beautiful girl, only to be forced one day to hand her off to a man that would never be worthy of her. Funny how life worked sometimes.

"How seldom it is one meets a fellow spirit."

"With fellow tastes? In women, at least." Sweeney spat, momentarily remembering Benjamin once more.

"What's that?" Turpin asked, more than a little confused.

"The years have no doubt changed me, sir. But then, I suppose the face of a barber, the face of a prisoner, a dog, is not particularly memorable."

Realization dawned on Turpin too late, "Benjamin Barker."

"BENJAMIN BARKER!"

"What was that?" Johanna pulled away, looking towards the ceiling.

"The sound of demons; of a hell-born nemesis finally falling into the fiery pits where he belongs." Linnet answered, "No more nightmares, no more worries. All is finally put to rest."

Johanna sighed in relief as she sagged back into the welcome arms of her lover's mother, soon to be her own. Though she didn't quite understand what had truly happened, she understood enough to know that her life, from then on, would be nothing but fair sleep and sweet dreams.

Thinking to help Sweeney clean up downstairs, Linnet took Johanna to the living room to wait for Antony by the fire before heading to the bake house. Sweeney was already there, drenched in blood, opening the over door. "Something tells me we'll need to buy you an entirely new wardrobe, love." She mused. Sweeney smirked as he turned around, the ruby droplets making him look more than just devilish, "For now we'll have to settle with wiping down your face yet again and covering you in a nice long robe. Antony should be back any minute with that carriage and we'll be all set."

Sweeney hummed in agreeance, still too overwhelmed with the feeling of freedom to say anything. He leaned against the stone wall for a moment, letting the feeling sink in before letting out the deepest, most freeing sigh of his entire life. The weight was gone, the objective complete. He could move on with Linnet, and finally have the family he had dreamed of from the very beginning.

A small, startled cry disrupted his musings.

Linnet was crouched by the body of the beggar, her hand shaking as she swept more scraggly blonde hair away, "You told me she was dead!" She hissed.

The weights returned without mercy as Sweeney crouched next to her, observing the body of the throat he had recently slit, "Don't I know you, she said." Sweeney's brows clenched together in grief as the true meaning of what he had done slammed into his body with full force, "I told you what Lovett told me." He whispered, "What have I done?" The tears leaked through his eyes and fell onto her face as he picked up the body and held it as close to himself as possibly, "Lucy!"

Linnet stood, backing away slowly from the scene unfolding, "Sweeney?" She asked, uncertainly, "Sweeney, there's nothing more we can do." She cried. Over the weeks, she had come to accept her friend's death. Though knowing she was alive all this time changed things a bit, she realized that Lucy truly had died the moment the poison had passed her lips. Linnet had seen the crazed woman begging for money, attempting to offer her body for merely a morsel of food, screeching in a horrid, mangled voice to strangers about her misery. That woman was not the Lucy they had known; Lovett had been telling a half truth in claiming her dead. Though it hurt no less, Lucy was gone; she was never coming back, and had Sweeney not slit her throat, they would not have had another thought to her aside from the resemblance of her daughter, and the life that was taken too soon.

"I killed her." He cried, still clutching her body, "I killed her."

"Sweeney she was already dead! She died by her own hand! That woman is not Lucy."

"I killed her."

"Sweeney, now she can rest in peace. She can be with her Benjamin, please Sweeney."

"I killed her."

"Sweeney?"

"I killed her."

Tears flowed endlessly through Linnet's eyes and she clutched her chest, attempting to ease the torturous throbbing beneath her breast. She was losing him already. Losing him to the memory of the man and wife he had killed.

"Mum?" Antony's voice called from the top of the stairs.

"Sweeney," She tried one more time, hurrying before Antony could make it down, "Sweeney please, the coach is here it's time to leave."

His reply came in silence as she staggered to her feet and to the door. She caught Antony just before he reached the bottom of the stairs, "Sweeney won't be coming with us." She sobbed, and Antony only nodded, helping his mother up the stairs and into the loaded carriage.

THIS IS NOT THE END!

A/N: It has come to my attention that I've lost a lot of reviewers, and I completely understand because I did take forever to get back into the swing of this story, but it has also come to my attention that new people are still adding this story to favorite lists and alert lists without reviewing. The bottom line is this - Writing is my passion, I hope to make a career out of it someday and your reviews not only ensure that I'll stick to that path but they help encourage me that my passion isn't wasted. I understand I'm not the best writer, and there's a lot I can improve on (if you notice something, point it out no matter how small or how big), but the will to improve comes from knowing there are people who care to see it happen.

I sincerely thank the people who have supported me thus far, and I hope the rest of you understand how much it means to me to hear from you.