OH MY GOODNESS. It's been literally FOREVER since I've updated. I wanted to update over the summer, but we had summer homework and couldnt update it. Anyways I've started high school (its going pretty well btw), BUT Im probably going to be able to update a lot because of school. Anyways! Heres chapter 11, hope you enjoy.
Discaimer: I DO NOT own sweeney todd (i so totally wish though) or any of the songs written. Credit all goes to Stephen Sondheim and Tim Burton and whoever else is a genious of making such a wonderful musical and movie.
Fifteen years passed.
London had changed, everything changed. So dark, so gloomy. Clouds of darkness, towered over London.
Mrs. Lovett always saw Lucy or now, an old beggar woman outside her shop, muttering things people could not understand, or even begging for alms. Pitiful, she thought.
Mrs. Lovett was in her pie shop, no customers for weeks! She didn't know how long she could go like this, food was getting harder to buy, she mostly ate the pies she made, which were very dry and well, nasty. She thought and thought as she saw a cockroach skittering across the counter. She was chopping up some pie dough, when she heard the door open, the bell tolled.
There stood a tall man. He was lean and pale. He had a mass of unruly, black hair, with one white streak. Most of all, his eyes were so dark. He had a small scowl on his face. He stood there watching her, but started making his way back out the door.
Startled by him, she gasped "A customer!" she stuck the knife in the cutting board
"Wait what's yer rush? Whats your hurry? You gave me such a, fright I thought you was a ghost. 'Alf a minute can't ya? Sit-sit ya down, SIT! All I meant is that I 'avent seen a customer for weeks." She ran over and pushed the man into the booth, who looked dumbstruck.
"Did ya come here for a pie sir? Do forgive me if me heads a little vague" she saw another cockroach running across the counter and picked it up. "Ughh what is that?" She dropped it on the floor and stomped on it with her boot. "But you'd think we've had the plague, from the way that people keep avoiding, no you don't!" She saw, what looked like a fly who was in the flour and smashed it with her hand.
"Heavens knows I try sir, but there's no one comes in even to inhale." She took a pie and put it on a plate and blew the flour off. She gave it to the man who looked at it with distaste.
"Right you are sir, would you like a drop ale?" She walked back over to the counter and started making one of her many pies.
"Mind you I can hardly blame 'em, these are probably the worst pies in London, I know why nobody cares to take 'em I should know, I make 'em but good, no! The worst pies in London. Even thats polite, the worst pies in London. If you doubt it take a bite…" She waited and the man took one, small bite out of his pie. It made a loud crunching sound. "Is that just disgusting, you have to concede it, its nothing but crusting, here drink this you'll need it, the worst pies in London." Mrs. Lovett gave the man a glass of ale but didn't see him spit out the bit of pie.
She walked over to the counter and started pounding a lump of dough almost violently.
"And no wonder with the price of meat wot it is, when you get it. Never thought I'd live to see the day, mend think it was a treat findin' poor animals, wot are dyin' in the street."
She took her rolling pin and continued her story. "Mrs. Mooney 'as a pie shop" she hit the dough. "Does 'er business, but I notice somethin' weird" Another pound. "Lately all 'er neighbors cats have disappeared." Another pound. ""ave to hand to to her, wot I calls, enterprise, poppin' pussies into pies."
She pounded the dough about three times and starting rolling it with the pin. "Wouldn't do in my shop, just the thought of its enough to make ya sick" She sighed and remembered her own past. "And im telling you them pussycats is quick. No denying times is hard sir. Even 'arder than the worst pies in London… only lard and nothing more. Is that just disgusting? And greasy and gritty, it looks like its molting and tastes like…Well, pity a woman alone."
She put the little pie onto a tray with others and put it in the mini oven. She didn't see the man almost gagging on his ale. She was surprised he didn't object or say anything while she complained about the pies.
"With limited wind, and the worst pies in London!" She leaned on the counter and put her palm to her face. "Ah sir!… Times is hard. Times is hard!" She saw another cockroach skittering across the counter, picked up her rolling pin and gave one big hit.
She sighed again.
"Trust me dearie, its gonna take a lil' more than ale to wash that taste down. Follow me, we'll get ya nice tumbler of gin eh?" She started brushing the flour off her corset as she lead the strange man into the living room. "Aint this homey now? The cheery wallpaper was a real bargain. Only partly singed when the chapel burned down." Mrs. Lovett poured him a small shot glass of gin. "You sit down and warm ye bones." she handed him the glass.
"You have a room above this shop?…" he finally spoke. "Times are so hard, why don't you rent it out?" he looked at her finally and sat down in a sofa. "Up there?" She motioned her eyes upward to the ceiling. "No, I wont go near it…. People think its haunted."
"Haunted?" he asked.
"Yeah, and whos to say they're wrong? See, years ago, something 'append up there, something not very nice." She sat down in the chair in front of him.
"There was a barber and his wife, and he was beautiful. A proper artist, with a knife. But they transported him for life, and he was beautiful." The man stared off into space like he was thinking hard. "Barker 'is name was, Benjamin Barker." she said.
"What was his crime?" he asked without looking at Mrs. Lovett.
"Foolishness" she said and told him the story.
Like she said there was a barber and his wife. He was transported and the wife was left all alone. A Judge, by the name of Judge Turpin fell in love with her. He had to find some way of getting to her, and so he did by sending the barber on a false charge. He tried every possible way he could to romance her, but it wouldn't work. He took her to his house and well, he raped her for he was a villainous vulture.
When Mrs. Lovett finished telling the story to the man, he yelled out.
"Would no one… have mercy on her?" he looked at Mrs. Lovett with dark eyes.
Somewhere in those eyes, Mrs. Lovett saw something familiar. So changed yet, so familiar. She remembered. It was him from so long ago.
"So it is you….Benjamin Barker…" she gasped.
"Where's Lucy? Where's my wife?" he asked her.
Mrs. Lovett looked at Benjamin, he was so changed and couldn't believe it. What could they possible have done to him while his was imprisoned? However, she thought he was so very handsome.
Lucy? He asked. Oh, he couldn't know about her. He'd die if he found out the state his wife was in.
Her selfish side started to kick in. She had loved Mr. Barker for a long time. Maybe if he thought his wife was dead. He would love her.
"Um, she poisoned herself… arsenic from the apothecary around the corner. Tried to stop her… she wouldn't listen to me." She looked at him sadly.
Mrs. Lovett could have sworn she saw tears well up in his eyes.
"And 'e's got your daughter." which was the truth of her story.
"He? Judge Turpin?"
"Adopted her, like 'is own."
His eyes grew darker, he stood up. "Fifteen years of sweating in a living hell… fifteen years dreaming I might come home to a wife and child."
"Well, I can't say the years 'ave been particularly kind to ya Mr. Barker." Mrs. Lovett stood up too.
"No! Not Barker" he almost cut her off. "Its Todd now, Sweeney Todd… and he will have his revenge."
Mrs. Lovett thought for a moment. Maybe she could help him. Poor dear, she thought. Maybe she could help him get his business back up. He was the best barber in London before. Maybe even help him with the judge.
"Follow me" she said. They went outside the back door and up the stairway.
She took a small ring of keys from out of the pocket of her dress and opened the door.
She walked in, but Sweeney stood in the doorway frozen, tragic things happened up here. Mrs. Lovett hadn't seen the place in years it grew very dusty and the wallpaper was peeling.
"Come in, nothing to be afraid of love." Sweeney Todd looked around the room.
She was sure memories overflowed him. He walked over to a crib covered in a ratty blanket. Johanna's crib. "Come here." she called.
He found her kneeling down on the hard wooden floor. He knelt down with. Poor thing, he wasn't much of a talker. The transport probably scarred him for life.
Mrs. Lovett lifted up a floor board and brought up a small box with a velvet cloth over it. She unwrapped it and gave it to Sweeney. "When they came for the girl, I hid 'em. Could have sold 'em, but didn't.
He slowly opened the box and saw a set of beautiful, shiny razors. Mrs. Lovett let out a small gasp.
"Those handles is chased in silver ain't they?" Sweeney remembered the razors. So beautiful, they cut and shaved so smoothly. He was so entranced by them. "Silver… yes" he said with a small smile and a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"These are my friends… see how they glisten. See this one shine" he took one and flicked it open. "How he smiles in the light, my friend, my faithful friend." He stood up holding the razor to the light. He turned around and started walking slowly.
"Speak to me friend, whisper I'll listen. I know, I know, you've been locked out of sight all these years. Like me my friend. Well I've come home to find you waiting. Home and we're together… and we'll do wonders… won't we?"
He didn't notice Mrs. Lovett walking behind him as he was too entranced by the beautifully crafted razors.
"You there my friend" he flicked another razor open.
"I'm your friend too Mr. Todd" she said as Sweeney spoke: "Come let me hold you."
"If you only knew Mr. Todd"
"Now move aside"
"Ooh Mr. Todd"
"You grow warm in my hand" they both spoke.
"My Friend…"
"You've come home"
"My clever friend"
"Always had a fondness for you I did" she put her hand on his shoulder, but he turned away quickly.
Sweeney spoke: "Rest now my friends"
"Never you fear Mr. Todd" she turned around to look at him.
"Soon I'll unfold you."
"You can move in hear Mr. Todd"
"Soon you'll know"
"Splendors you'll never have dreamed all you days" They both spoke.
"Will be yours" she said.
"My lucky friends"
"I'm your friend" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"'Till now your shine"
"Now your mine, don't they shine beautiful?" She bended over next to him to admire the gorgeous silver razors.
"Was merely silver"
"Silver's good enough for me"
"Friends!"
"Mr. T"
"You shall drip rubies… you'll soon drip precious… rubies."
As they both admired them, Sweeney suddenly said "Leave me!" Mrs. Lovett looked at him and stood up. She slowly walked out of the room.
As she walked down the steps, she swore she could have heard Sweeney Todd say 'At last my arm is complete again!' but didn't worry.
She had other things to worry about for now.
She knew that Sweeney needed her help, and she would do anything to help him.
A/N: YESS!!! SWEENEY'S HERE!! Btw we're not really going to worry about Lucy for this story. Not an essential part. Anyways. OKAY im sorry if this chapter was lame to you since it was out of the movie. But im telling you it was necessary because i need this for the next chapter. BTW NEXT chapter is going to be EXTREMELY important. NO its not the end of the story but it will just be important. PLZ leave reviews. They are my life!