OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS!! Look who updated!! haha Honestly, there's no excuse for why I've been so lazy with updating. I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to guarantee that it's going to get better. :( But, don't worry, I'm not going to stop working on it. Even though it takes me forever, I am working on this whenever I can. I love these two too much to leave 'em hanging. I have an ending planned out and everything! I think what I need to do is be sure to stay two chapters ahead... I dunno. I hope you all are still interested in reading this, and don't totally hate me for taking a bajillion eons to update. To make up for it, this is seriously a super long chapter! It was 7 pages in Word. :D FINALLY, onto Chapter 15! I hope you guys like it!

P.S. The song I quoted in this chapter is "Wake Up" by Three Days Grace. It seemed appropriate. ;)

I'm not angry all the time,
You push me down, at least you try
Until we see this eye to eye…
I don't want to.
It took so long to see
You walked away from me
When I needed you
Wake up, I'm pounding on the door
I'm not the man I was before.
Where the hell were you?
When I needed you…
Wake up, I'm pounding on the door
I won't hurt you anymore
Where the hell are you…
When I needed you…

Wake Up - Three Days Grace

Soothing, orange flames danced on the wall, hypnotizing the eyes of its beholder. Nellie Lovett's eyelids slowly began to droop; the book she was attempting to read vaguely slipping from her fingertips. It seemed awfully ironic to her, how monotonous her life had suddenly become. Ever since Sweeney had first returned, she had longed for this sense of simplicity again. Well, she wasn't going to lie to herself. She had adored having him around after having been alone for so long. But… she also wasn't going to deny the fact that she'd hated cleaning up the evidence of his crusade against humanity. But now that he had gone again… she always wanted what she couldn't have.

She had opened her eyes since she had started pondering this matter yet again; a piece of dark chocolate melting into her fingers before liquefying on her toungue. The silence pressing down upon her ears was deafening, just like it had been each night before… and it was driving her insane. No, this sense of calm was overwhelmingly eerie, she couldn't handle it… Her eyes flitted about the room, almost daring something to change from the norm. She soon got her wish as the shadows shifted in the doorway.

Toby sauntered into sight, stumbling and obviously drunk. Mrs. Lovett's maternal instincts instantly kicked in, overriding her internal monologue about missing Sweeney.

"Toby!" she screeched, standing and quickly crossing over to him. She firmly grasped his shoulders as he swayed slightly. "Where 'ave ya been, I've been so worried, I've been sitting up waitin' for ya!" Toby answered her by closing his eyes and shaking his head. She shook him slightly, trying to keep him conscious. Toby hadn't been like this since he had first started living there… "Toby," she demanded, "speak to me!"

"You… 'aven't…" he slurred. Mrs. Lovett's eyebrows contorted with the attempt to understand him in his drunken stupor.

"'Aven't wot, son?" she asked. Her eyes peered down into his, almost scared to see what truly lay behind them. How long had it been since she had really listened to him?

"Ya 'aven' been worried! You don' care 'bout me, you only ever thinkin' of 'im!" He paused, silence accompanying Mrs. Lovett's heart as it fell to her feet. She closed her eyes. Was it true? Toby hiccuped once before continuing on. "You're the reason… I drink, don' care 'bout me…" Both Mrs. Lovett's and Toby's eyes were glistening with tears with this point as she knelt down to his level. Her slender hand slowly traced the outline of his sad face.

"Toby…" Her voice started to fail her. "I… I know I been thinkin' of 'im. But as much as I hate it, hate him…" Her hands instinctively clutched at her midsection. "I can't 'elp it anymo'." Toby glowered resentfully at her. "I'm sorry son!" A slight gasp escaped her vocal cords. "I'm so, so sorry. You couldn't begin to know how much I wish… how much I wish this were different. But it's something I can't change anymo', Toby." Silence befell them again before Mrs. Lovett was able to relocate her words.

"But… but I know now how unfair I've been to ya. I've been 'orrible… I'm so sorry…" Her big, brown eyes glistened as she looked at him, trying to comprehend what he was feeling. For the first time since Sweeney had left, she really saw her son instead of looking straight through.

Before she knew what was happening, Toby's eyelids fluttered shut as he collapsed, passing out. Mrs. Lovett reacted quickly, catching him awkwardly in her arms. "Bugger it…" she shakily whispered. Carefully, she hoisted his small body over her shoulder before gently resting him on the sofa. Placing a light kiss on his forehead, she stepped back, taking in the sight of Toby's defeated face. In that moment, she vowed to never allow her thoughts to completely consume her like that again. She couldn't let herself put Toby, or her little baby through that…

Silently, like a shadow, she made her way to the kitchen, where she poured herself a generous tumbler of gin. She took a large gulp, wincing slightly as she sat down with her head in her hands. As usual, she had started her evening out with the good intention of relaxing her over-stressed body and mind. And here she sat, more stressed out than she had been ten minutes ago. She felt wordlessly guilty. First and foremost for driving Toby away, and for shoving Sweeney out of her life… Not that he hadn't deserved it…

"Oooh, my little angel," she sighed, lightly stroking her fingers across her stomach. "I 'ope I don't bring you into this world, now it's all broken… Things will get better," she cooed. A sudden wave of calm washed over her senses as she sat, almost alone in the kitchen. But, staying true to herself, the calm was interrupted by a sudden realization as she stared at the clear glass of gin.

"Fuck!" she muttered beneath her breath. Rapidly, she stood up, grabbing the tumbler of gin and sloshing it out onto the floor. "No alcohol, you bloody idiot… " She took the bottle of gin and stood on her tip-toes to put it on the very top shelf. Out of sight, out of mind… Unless, of course, the subject matter was Sweeney Todd. It never mattered how far away he was. He was always haunting her mind.

His footsteps echoed through the nearly empty London alleyways, cobblestones accentuating each step he took. Somewhere in his single-minded subconscious he realized he had run directly into probably three people by this point, but he didn't care. Nothing else mattered… Sweeney quickly rounded the corner and abruptly stopped. His destination was right there, he was so close now…

He resumed storming towards that strange and familiar building. Towards her. He was probably an idiot for doing this, but what other choice did he have? Turning back now was not an option. Maybe, he realized, it never was.

She gingerly poked a toe into the hot tub of water before submerging her body in the soothing heat. It was late, and the consideration of trying to sleep had crossed her mind, but she knew her head was too full of thoughts to attempt it. Though the water relaxed her tense muscles, it did nothing for her mind. And so she sat, head tipped back against the tub without so much as a drop of gin to drown her thoughts in. Several minutes ticked slowly by, each second seeming to take a lifetime. She then realized why this was.

Every day, every hour, every minute since Sweeney had left, she'd been waiting for his return. No matter how much time she'd spent trying to loathe him, right beneath the surface she missed every fiber of his being. And the thing that scared her most was that no matter how much he hurt her, ignored her, despised her… It hurt worse when he wasn't there at all. She was becoming just as insane as he was…

Nellie was abruptly brought back to the real world by a distant, but loud knocking at the door. "Who the bloody 'ell could that be, at this hour?" she wondered aloud. A million potential scenarios flashed past her mind's eye, all involving loved ones in various states of emergency. Her heart was beating rapidly as she looked wildly about the bathroom, contemplating her next move. Should she waste potentially valuable time putting on her dress? No, she could run down in a towel, let them in and then put on her clothes… The knocking started again, more urgent this time.

"Oh, bugger it, who's gonna care…" she muttered, stepping out of the tub and wrapping a beige, cotton towel around her moist body. She rushed down the stairs, pulling the towel tighter around herself as she went , the knocking growing in volume as she approached the kitchen door.

"Calm down, calm down! I'm coming!" she yelled, collecting her unruly hair in her hands and throwing it onto her back. Finally, she reached the door, turning the handle to see who lay behind it. And there, staring back at her, was Sweeney Todd.

Her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. A million emotions rushed through her nerve endings, paralyzing her where she stood. Her mind was completely blank for a few moments before she started scrambling to find words.

"Hello, Mrs. Lovett," he simply stated. So, he had beat her to it. Six simple syllables from him completely ruined the little composure she had regained. So many different versions of this scene had played out in her mind… but none of them had featured her standing there, completely immobile and incapable of speech. She stared up into his charcoal eyes in awe. Was it actually him?

"Erm…" he started, his eyes flitting over her body for a split second. "Mrs. Lovett… Are you aware you are sufficiently naked?" Her eyes narrowed. He was definitely back. And the syrupy sarcasm that coated his voice instantaneously filled her with inconsolable rage.

"You… bastard! How DARE you come back here!" She didn't have any control over her actions anymore; all she knew was that she wanted to inflict as much pain to him as possible. And though she was punching and kicking at him with all her might, he simply stood as though carved out of marble, not taking any notice of her.

"I hate you so much, I hate…" Her voice began to fail her again, a sob escaping from her throat before she could stop it. And she collapsed into a place she fit perfectly, inhaling him as she broke down. Such a display of emotion would normally have caused Sweeney to shove her away, cursing before storming up to his parlour… But instead, he grudgingly allowed her to cry. Mrs. Lovett had snaked her arms up to grasp his shoulders as she looked up at his face, tear streaks glistening on her own.

"Why?" she asked, eyes unblinking.

Sweeney flinched a bit. "Why wot?"

Mrs. Lovett pressed her head to his chest once more before replying in a barely palpable whisper, "Why did you come back?"

He opened and closed his mouth before deciding on his words. "I didn't have a choice. You didn't give me one…"

She tore her forehead away from the perfect convex of his chest to look up at him again. "Sweeney…" she whispered. Like a majority of the things he said to her, they could be taken a million different ways…But for once, she chose not to analyze it. Instead, she let out a very long sigh. "Oh, Mr. Todd…" she lightly kissed his jawbone before settling into his chest again.

"I've missed you." She clung more tightly to him, almost as if she couldn't believe it was really him just yet.

Instead of answering her, Sweeney tucked two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her gaze up to meet his. He stared into her smouldering eyes until he couldn't handle it anymore. He hungrily brought his lips down on hers. Nellie's eyes fluttered closed, unable to breathe. She'd missed this so badly… She moaned into his mouth, opening her own to deepen their kiss. Sweeney's hands went to the small of her back, pulling her in closer, while Mrs. Lovett's hands roamed up to run through his coarse head of hair. She could already feel the heat rising in her stomach; feel Sweeney's erection up against her leg…

"Wait," Sweeney mumbled, pulling away from her mouth but pressing his forehead to her's. "Where's the boy?"

Mrs. Lovett was temporarily shocked. That certainly had never stopped him before… "E's passed out love." She quickly kissed him. "Too much to drink." A smirk flashed across her lips, guiltily thanking the fact Toby wouldn't witness any of this.

"Well then, Mrs. Lovett," he said in his wonderfully familiar growl, "I seem to have chosen the perfect night to return." Wasting no time, he quickly resumed their passionate kissing. Sweeney soon picked her up, eager to relocate them to Mrs. Lovett's bedroom. Returning to the place where it almost ended… Mrs. Lovett smiled as she kissed the curve where his neck met his shoulder, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Nothing could ruin this night, nothing…

Until flashes of that night in the bakehouse passed before her eyes. The flames, the death, his cold, black, unforgiving eyes… Though they were ascending the stairs to her bedroom, all she could see was that night, as they ascended the stairs from the bakehouse into a totally different world… She could feel her back sting. The scars that still remained there didn't lie.

Sweeney abruptly brought her back to reality by lightly tossing her onto her bed, immediately unwrapping her towel to reveal the beautiful porcelain canvas that lay beneath. He quickly stripped down to nothing but his underwear, rapidly returning to her; his infatuation, and trailed kisses all the way down her inner thigh. Her breathing became more ragged as she closed her eyes, her own hands beginning to rove over her moist skin.

"No," Sweeney said, looking up at her caressing herself.

She looked up at him, propping herself up on her elbows. "Wot are you talkin' about, love?" 'Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?'

He got closer to her, kissing the skin above her racing heart. "I don't want you to do anything. I hurt you… last time…" He moved down, kissing the tops of her breasts. "It'll be different now." They both paused, equally shocked at the blatant honesty of his words. He stared into her chocolate eyes for a while before moving further down her body. She smiled, spreading her legs wider for him before closing her eyes again. Maybe things would be different now… But all thoughts of their future vanished into the present as Sweeney's velvet tongue ran over her clit as her back arched involuntarily. And as his tongue delved deeper inside her moans began falling from her parted lips.

"Mmmmm, Sweeney, God, don't stop now…" He kissed her clit once before he did stop, smirking at the angry remarks Nellie was giving him. He placed several kisses on her stomach before inserting a finger inside her. That certainly stopped her complaining… He looked up, reveling in the pleasure he was giving her was painted across her beautiful face. He went in and out of her, picking up the pace. Mrs. Lovett responded by writhing beneath him.

"No, Sweeney, stop, I'm-" She moaned exceptionally loudly as she came, loving the feeling of herself pulsing around Sweeney's fingers. He continued shoving them in and out of her as she rode out her climax before pulling them out of her, licking his fingers clean of her juices. He positioned himself so he was on top of her before kissing her passionately. Nellie adored the taste of him and herself combined as her hands clutched at his shoulder blades, already feeling the heat burning up in her abdomen again.

She pulled her tongue from his mouth. "I want you making me come this time," she said, her voice low with lust.

"Well, my pet, I'm fairly certain I made you come this last time, too," Sweeney smartly retorted. She rolled her eyes.

"No, you bloody idiot. I want you. Inside me. Now," she demanded.

"I'm sorry, love, but, that was me inside you just now as well," he said, just as sarcastically. He couldn't resist working her up like this, it was far too entertaining.

"Fine! I'm gonna bloody spell it out for ya," she said, secretly enjoying his playfulness. Oh, how she'd missed this… "I. Want. Your. Penis. Inside. Me. Now." She said, obnoxiously stressing each word. This was so perfect…

"Oooh, well, Mrs. Lovett, why didn't you just say so?" Sweeney said. They smirked at each other before she sat up, skillfully pulling his underwear down to his knees to reveal his almost painful erection. He immediately shifted on top of her again, positioning herself at her entrance… and didn't go any further. Oh, it was taking every ounce of will power he had to not take her right then and there; he so painfully wanted to slam inside her… But she had to ask for it.

"Damnit Sweeney, just fuck me already!" she practically yelled at him. How could he possibly resist when she phrased it like that? He shoved himself inside of her honeyed walls, his passion fueled by the way she tipped her head back and opened her mouth at the sensation. He went slow for a while, savouring the fact that he was inside her again. For a moment, he marveled at how much he had her under his control… But he then remembered that she was the entire reason he had come back to this place.

He then slammed into her relentlessly, making her scream in the most deliciously familiar way. And he continued to move in and out of her, going faster and penetrating her deeper than he ever had before. He soon hit a spot inside her that made her scream so loudly, he wouldn't have been even mildly surprised if the whole of London had heard her. As she climaxed, her silk walls contracting around him, he grunted with each thrust, truly surrendering to his primal instincts. He let out a low roar himself, melding with her quieter moans as he came inside her. He collapsed on top of her, though careful to support his weight with his arms.

Eleanor looked up at him, falling in love with him all over again. He was so beautiful... She tilted her head up, lightly kissing his lips in a loving, innocent way. Though her eyes fluttered closed, his own eyes flew open. She was so delicate, so loving… everything he wasn't. He didn't know how to express to her how he felt. Mostly because he didn't know how he felt. But he kissed her back, slowly but lustfully: the only way he knew how.

Her eyes flew open too. Sweeney was kissing her back. She hadn't expected him to react well when she kissed him like that… Maybe things really would be different now. She moved to turn on her side, and Sweeney finally pulled out of her. Tears sprung up in her eyes; but not because she felt empty. She was too full. He kissed her temple before he noticed she was crying again.

"Wot is it?" he inquired of her. She smiled an ironic smile.

"Just because you came home… doesn't mean I forgive you," she whispered, almost as though the softness in her voice would hurt him less. He inhaled the floral, spicy aroma of her hair.

"I know. I'm sorry." He said simply. He stood up and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. Nellie closed her eyes and smiled at the warmth of the gesture.

"I've got the scars to prove it, Sweeney. They don't lie." Sweeney moved the sheets to expose her back. Yes, her otherwise perfect skin was interrupted by the angry lines of the burns he had given her... He didn't say anything. What could he say, really?

"Um… Sweeney? I… I need to tell ya something…" Her tears started flowing again. She knew she couldn't avoid it, it needed to be said… But would it make him leave her for good? Sweeney got back onto the bed, coaxing her to sit up. He looked at the sorrow in her eyes, knowing this was something bigger than them.

"Nellie, damnit, wot is it?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Her breath shuddered as she drew her knees up to her chest. "God, I dunno how to say this… I… I'm pregnant, love." Her heart fell as she truly started sobbing into the silence. Sweeney's mouth fell open, trying to comprehend the seriousness of what she had just said.

"No. No, you're not," he said firmly.

"Yes! Yes, I bloody am, Sweeney!" she said. Why the hell didn't he believe her? Why would she make something like this up? Silence fell over them as she waited for him to say something. "Sweeney… say something," she whispered.

"Go to sleep," he said simply.

And with that he laid down, turning away from her. She sat there, trying to come up with brilliant words that would force him to talk to her… but nothing came to mind. So she laid down beside him, staring through the teary film over her eyes at his muscular back. They both lay there, completely awake, connected by the tiny, growing being in between them. Yes. Everything really would be different now…

I'm not the man I was before... I won't hurt you anymore.

Yay! I hope you all like that as much as I loved writing that; I love writing these two when Sweeney's being a sarcastic jerk. XD Hope everyone was happy with Sweeney's homecoming! haha Remember, please review!! They seriously make my day. Every single one of them. I love you all!!