A/N: Wow, you all still care about this story. I have to say, I'm shocked and flattered. Thank you all for your support.
Me no own, you no sue.
Tourniquet - Chapter 10: Hearts
A few short weeks after the proposal in the park, the couple was married in nearby Saint Dustan's church. The ceremony was a small and quiet one; far from the extravagant wedding day that Nellie Lovett had dreamed about since she was a young girl. Her dress wasn't quite as elaborate as she would have wished and the attendance was to a minimum. (The only other person present besides her, Sweeney and the rather nervous looking priest was Toby.) But, the purpose was served. You don't need much when you are truly in love. She was now joined to her beloved Sweeney until death do they part.
Soon after their marriage, the duo was planning to depart for their honeymoon by the sea.
"Mum, it's your 'oneymoon. You two deserve some time by yourselves. I'll be perfectly fine 'ere by myself for a few days. It's nothing I can't 'andle." Toby said, looking up at Mrs. Lovett.
"Are you sure, darling. I mean…"
"Mum, I'll be fine." Toby quickly replied, taking her hand in his. "I told you, it's nothing I can't 'andle. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be all right. I promise. And besides, it's only for a few short days." He smiled up at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Need he remind her that he spent over twelve years living in a workhouse and he worked for Pirelli. As far as he was concerned he could handle just about anything.
"The boy's right, Nellie. I'm sure he's old enough and capable enough to cope with being left alone for a few days." Sweeney said approvingly.
Nellie looked back and forth between her new husband and her adoptive son for a moment. She sighed.
"I suppose you're both right. You can stay." She bent forward slightly and looked Toby straight in the eyes. "I promise we'll be back in a few days. There's still a loaf of bread or two in the cupboard and some money in case you need to go buy anything."
"All right, mum. I'll be fine. I promise you." Toby said, smiling at her reassuringly. She still looked a bit worried.
"I know you will, darling." she replied and gave him a tight hug. "I love you, Toby."
"I…love you…too…mum." He gasped out. She released her vise-like grip of him and straightened herself.
"We'll be back in about three days or so. Good-bye, darling."
"The shop better still be intact when we return." Sweeney gruffly added in.
"Of course, sir." Toby replied. He still referred to the barber as "sir" or "Mr. Todd" even though Sweeney could now be considered something of a parental figure to the boy; but a familiarity such as one of "father" still just didn't seem to fit.
"It'll be like you never left…maybe even better. Good-bye."
Nellie waved to the boy before picking up her luggage and following Sweeney out the door to where a cab and very impatient driver waited. Sweeney loaded both of their luggage and then preceded to help his new wife into the carriage, but not without her first waving a final good-bye to Toby who stood in the doorway. He returned the gesture. Sweeney gave a small wave as well then hopped into the carriage. The driver clicked to his horse and snapped the reins which then sent them on their way.
Toby waved one last goodbye to the newlyweds and then turned back into the shop, closing the door behind him. He gazed about the darkened shop and let out an overdramatic sigh. Three days alone. What am I to do with myself! The boy mused. He walked over to the cupboard and retrieved a bottle of gin, then wandered into the parlor. He set the bottle on an end table and walked towards the bookshelf. Most of the literature in the collection were penny romance novels, some thumbed through so many times that their covers were beginning to wear off. A few of the volumes, though, were collection of poems and short stories; interspersed here and there with the occasional Shakespearian romance-tragedy. Toby retrieved one of the volumes containing a collection of short stories from the shelf and took it back with him to the settee.
He opened the book to a random page and began to read. The story at hand was a tale of a series of incidents of people who had the misfortune of being buried alive. How awful. Toby thought to himself. The story was getting far too morbid for his taste and the author's (a person who to Toby seemed like someone who had spent a good deal of time in a loony-bin) use of very large words which the boy's minimal vocabulary could not quite comprehend was giving him a headache. He shut the book with a huff and took a swig of gin. He set the book down next to him, stood up and ventured to the back of the humble residence to where his bedroom was.
After rummaging through his room for a few minutes he finally found what he was looking for: a deck of cards. With the deck in hand he returned to the parlor and sat down on the floor. He picked up two of the cards and built an A-frame structure. He repeated the process with several more pairs of cards until soon he had created a decent sized house of cards. He was just about to begin working on the fourth floor of his tower when it collapsed on him, sending cards tumbling down. A three of hearts skidded across the floor. He gathered the cards back up and began working on another tower.
After several hours, multiple fallen towers and half a bottle of gin, Toby finally gave up building the flimsy structures and retired to bed.
Toby sauntered into the shop the next morning, stomach growling. He half expected to see Mrs. Lovett preparing breakfast, then remembered that her and Mr. Todd were on their honeymoon. This made him feel a bit lonely. He opened one of the cupboards and took out a loaf of bread. He broke off a small piece and began to eat it, chewing slowly as he surveyed the empty pie shop. A thin film of dust had settled on the tables and counter, and the windows were starting to get dingy. The shop sure does need cleaning, Toby thought to himself. I did promise to keep the place in order and I really don't 'ave anything to do today. He quickly finished eating and then went to retrieve the cleaning supplies.
The morning was spent scrubbing the floor, dusting counter and table tops and washing windows, all while merrily singing old parlor songs in an attempt to ward off the gloom which hung about the deserted shop.
It was well after noon when he had finished. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stood back, marveling at his handy work. The counter an table tops as well as the floor shone. You could finally see clearly out of the windows. He smiled to himself and went to procure a bottle of gin; a reward to himself for a job well done. He walked into the parlor and plopped himself down on the settee. He was about to take a drink of gin when he noticed all the dust that had gathered on the mantel as well as the cob webs which clung to the mirror. He sat the bottle down and frowned. Might as well clean in here, too. He thought and went to retrieve the dust rag.
As he was dusting off the series of knickknacks that lined the mantel, he happened to glance towards the door that led back to the bedrooms. "Well, I might as well clean the entire 'ouse while I'm at it."
The evening had far advanced when he had finished cleaning. The house was immaculate, but Toby was exhausted. He grabbed the bottle of gin from where he had left it in the parlor and then headed back to his bedroom to finally relax.
Toby awoke the next morning feeling absolutely miserable. His head as well as the rest of his body ached and he felt nauseous. He looked to the empty gin bottle that he still held in his hand and set it on his bed-side table. The bottle swayed when he let go of it, but he caught it before it could fall to the floor and shatter. He went to sit up, but was overcome by a wave of nauseating dizziness and slid back down onto the pillow. I've just 'ad a bit too much to drink. He thought. It'll pass shortly, I'm sure. After a few minutes he felt slightly better, but not much. He rolled out of bed with a groan and stood up. He began to feel dizzy again, but it soon passed.
He walked into the parlor and shivered. He was freezing. He pulled back the curtains and peered out the window to see the sun peeking out from the clouds. People walked the streets without heavy jackets on. It was a lovely late spring morning, but as far as Toby was concerned it might as well have been the dead of winter. He haphazardly threw a small log into the hearth and promptly set it alight, his fingers shaking slightly as he lit the match. He sat down on the floor in front of the fire and closed his eyes, taking in the needed warmth. Even though he had gotten a full night of sleep, the boy still felt absolutely exhausted and his entire body had a dull ache. Must've overworked myself yesterday, he thought sleepily.
After a few minutes of basking in the heat of the fire he got up, joints popping, and ventured into the shop to get something to eat. He reached up to get some bread from the cupboard, aching arms protesting at him. He took one bite, then realized that he really wasn't all that hungry. What he really wanted was a nice hot cup of tea, but he felt that he didn't have quite enough energy to make himself one. He wearily shuffled back into the parlor. He grabbed a blanket that was hanging over a chair and curled up in the settee with it, the fire burning brightly. He promptly fell asleep.
Sweeney and Nellie sat together on the sun drenched beach. It was a gorgeous day. A few fair weather clouds floated lazily across the bright azure sky as seagulls flew through the air overhead. A light breeze playfully tossed the baker's auburn locks. The barber had his arms around his love's waist and was nuzzling at her neck. Nellie on the other hand was staring absentmindedly into the waves that crashed onto the shore, not seeming to pay much heed to Sweeney's advances. He unwrapped one of his arms from her waist and placed a finger under her chin, turning her face towards his.
"Is there something wrong, my pet?" he asked.
The baker shook her head and smiled slightly. "Just wondering about 'ow Toby's doing."
"I'm sure the lad is doing just fine." he replied with a smile. The smile on Nellie's face grew larger as she put her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.
The carriage stopped in front of the duel shops on Fleet Street around early afternoon. The door opened and out stepped a rather chipper looking Sweeney Todd who turned around to help out an even more chipper looking Mrs. Lovett. They unloaded their luggage from the vehicle and made their way to the door of the shop. Sweeney unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was dead quiet.
"I wonder where Toby is?" Nellie asked.
They headed into the parlor, luggage in hand to find Toby curled up on the settee fast asleep. Any fire that had been in the fireplace had since died and the boy had a blanket tightly wrapped around him. His sleeping face was gaunt and pale looking. Mrs. Lovett set her bags on the floor and walked over to where he lay sleeping. She knelt down beside him.
"Toby, darling." she said gently.
His eyes flickered open. "Mum?" he asked weakly.
"'Ello, dear." she said and brushed a few stray hairs from his pallid forehead.
"You're home." he said and attempted to sit upright. His very bones still ached.
"Indeed I am." she replied.
"Did you 'ave a nice trip?"
"Yes, very much so." she answered, glancing up at Sweeney who had a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Good, I'm glad." the boy smiled, eyelids drooping.
"Are you feeling all right, darling?" Mrs. Lovett asked.
"I'm fine. Just a bit worn out, but I'm fine." he said. He didn't exactly feel "fine", but he hated to worry her. He had promised her that he would be all right for a few days on his on and he didn't want her to go back on her judgment.
"Are you sure?"
"Mum, I'm perfectly f-ACHOO! …Fine." he wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. "I'm all right. I must've kick up a lot of dust when I cleaned yesterday."
She looked at him questionably and placed a hand on his cheek. It felt warmer than normal. "You look very tired, dear."
Toby nodded in agreement. He wasn't going to try and deny that.
"Why don't you go lay down in your room for awhile. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there."
He nodded again and let her help him up, shivering slightly as he let his blanket drop to the floor. Sweeney turned to start putting their luggage away while Mrs. Lovett escorted Toby to his room.
Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry if this chapter ended up being at tad on the boring side, but I assure you that the story gets more interesting as it continues. I want to "try" to get another chapter up by next week because I start school again on the 29th, but I cannot make you any promises.
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