Illusions That Confine Us

Chapter Eighteen

The former baker's gloved hand ran over a small wooden box before opening it and pulling out a closed double frame. The evening of her and Mr. Todd's escape from Fleet Street flashed through her eyes.

Three months, one week, and one day ago…

Mrs. Lovett glanced around the barbershop, making sure that neither of them had forgotten anything when her eyes had suddenly made contact with the pictures of Lucy and Johanna. Shocked, she picked the frame up off the ground and opened it. Lucy smiled at her through the photograph as baby Johanna rested on her lap, looking just as happy in the picture beside it.

Certainly Sweeney Todd would not have left them here on purpose, but surely he wouldn't be careless about anything like this.

You would think that Mrs. Lovett would have just left them there. But for some reason, she didn't, she couldn't. She couldn't let something so precious to the man that she loved just burn down along with everything else they weren't taking with them, wherever it was that they were going.

Looking around the room for anymore forgotten items, Mrs. Lovett left with the frame and all, making her way back downstairs quickly.

"Did ya get everything, love?" She asked him hastily, glancing down the street, not forgetting the pictures clutched beneath her coat.

Sweeney's face made no expression as he grumbled a 'yes.'

-

It amazed Mrs. Lovett to this very day that he still hadn't asked her about them, maybe he really did leave them to burn…

It had been about a half hour since breakfast, which consisted of nothing other than tea and a few slices of bread being that Mrs. Lovett was in need to go to the market.

She may have been a bit hurt by him, but she wasn't going to let that ruin her last hours with him, so she decided not to ignore him, but continue to shower him with adoration in hopes that he would change his mind and stay with her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Todd was making his way down the hallway and towards the parlor when he caught sight of Mrs. Lovett.

Curious as to what she was looking at with such bewilderment, he turned quickly into her room.

"What is that?"

His sharp voice rung through her ears as she jumped and attempted to hide what she was holding. "It's nothing, Mista T. And ya realy 'ave no right to be comin' into me room-"

Sweeney suddenly grabbed her wrist and quickly let go, realizing what it was that she had.

She calmed down only just a tad when she saw the blank, almost calm expression on his face. "I'm sorry… I-"

"Where did you get that?" He asked, sitting absentmindedly beside her on the bed.

She sat the picture frame between them, speaking nervously, "I found it on the floor in your shop and I figured… I figured that ya must 'ave left it by mistake…"

She paused when she saw him move his hand over the closed frame.

"Go on." He whispered to her, staring down at the object.

"So I picked it up and brought it with us an' ya never said anything so I…" Her voice trailed off when she realized that his gaze was now brought back to her. "Please don't be mad at me, love."

"I'm not angry," He responded calmly as he shook his head, seeing the pictures that he had abanded three months ago had aroused a lot of nostalgia, but for some strange reason he was more worried about his wife's being rather than his own at the moment.

"Do you want it back?" She hesitated as she moved away from him a bit, his serene reaction frightening her a bit.

"You had it all this time…"

He moved closer to her, almost sitting on his once cherished photographs.

Surprised that he wasn't yelling at her or storming off with his pictures, Mrs. Lovett nodded a 'yes'.

Just slightly, he shifted his body to the side so that he could gently run his hands over her thighs.

She said nothing, knowing that she should push him away but…

"You're not still mad at me… Are you, pet?" He murmured as he kissed beneath her earlobe, his hands moving even more slowly to grip at her sides.

She exhaled and closed her eyes, gulping. "No…" She breathed, though the knowledge of his likeliness to pull away at any moment kept bubbling up into her mind.

He grinned against her neck as he went to kiss her scratches, muttering, "I never meant to hurt you," as he went.

Upon their haste to get closer to the other, the double frame fell and hit the floor with a mild bang, it went unnoticed, although Sweeney's pleas did not.

She placed her hands over his as they held tightly on her waist, pulling away uncomfortably.

"Then don't go…" She whispered, looking at him with painfully sad eyes when he lifted his head from her chest to gaze at her, his face barely five centimeters away from her own. "Please…"

He wanted to kiss her. Kiss her and tell her that he was never going to leave her, that his place was here, with her. But something deep inside of him pulled him back, tugging at the sensitive strings of his heart.

He moved his head so that their lips touched for a mere second, he could feel the warmth of their bodies radiating off of one another…

Noticing his sudden yet unsurprising resistance, Mrs. Lovett took one of her hands off of his and limply lifted it up to run through his hair.

He hesitated, still holding onto her waist as she leaned against her headboard and stared up at him lovingly.

Without thinking he asked, "What do you want from me?"

She frowned, the answer was so obvious and she could have sworn that she had told him at least a hundred times, "I just want ya to let me love you..."

"I can't," He said, "You know I- I…"

"Shhh…" She shushed him, moving her hand from his hair to place a finger over his lips, "Ya don't 'ave to stay, jus' let me… Let me -"

He watched her intently, she was being so calm…

"Hold me?" She requested, just barely above a whisper, "Jus' for a little while…"

They sat in silence for a few moments before he shook his head in agreement, lying down on the bed and taking her in his arms.

It was so simple. All she wanted to do was love her husband. But sadly, she had a husband that didn't want to be loved. She had a husband that wanted nothing more other than to be left alone, for he was afraid that if he let her love him, he would someday grow to love her too.

Well this chapter was a FAIL. It was very unplanned and not even close to my storyline, thus explaining the long time it took me to update… Hopefully the next will be better…

I start school tomorrow, which is the eighth of September. I really don't want to go to high school :p

Hmmm…

Scarlett M. reminds me of Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show…

WTF?! Jamie Campbell Bower is playing in "New Moon"?

NOO! DAMN YOU ANTHONY!

Dear Beta, I am sorry that I fail.