A/N You have any idea how friggin' difficult it is, having five characters in one room all interacting with one another? This chapter gave me a bit of trouble at the beginning, but it got easier as things carried on. The next few chapters are going to be a lot of fun...


27

James knew a barber had started a business above Eleanor's pie shop. He also heard a great deal of rumors surrounding the two. The apothecary had found himself peering through his windows and down the street because of them, even knowing his behavior was ridiculous and that he shouldn't have bothered.

The baker wouldn't be a part of a scandalous affair and then become incredibly famous all in one. It was ridiculous, and he didn't want to believe she was with someone else. Even in an unorthodox relationship.

No, especially in an unorthodox relationship.

Seeing her yell, cry and embrace a man had stunned him.

They had seemed quite familiar with one another, and his brain immediately said 'barber'. The man also seemed to be in possession of razors, or at least one, which was still clutched in his hand. In the hand which was still awkwardly patting Eleanor's back.

His Eleanor..

But, she wasn't anymore. So James stared, and restrained himself from trying to kill the obviously wounded man.

How he and the boy were even still alive was a miracle.

White spots began to invade Sweeney's vision, and he felt something trickle down the side of his lip. No doubt he was bleeding again…

"Mrs. Lovett…" The barber murmured, senses suddenly overcome with the scent and taste of copper. "You're squeezing the life out of me."

"Oh." She gasped, stepping back and sniffing away the remainder of her tears. "Sorry luv, I just.. wot 'appened?"

"Weren't you listening?" He grumbled wiping away the blood from his mouth, hopefully before she noticed.

"Well…"

"We don't need to hear a story in order to figure out you've been dragged through hell." James cut in, not wanting to see Eleanor so focused on the other man.

Sweeney's eyes went to the apothecary, briefly studying the man before minutely nodding his head.

"I'll just sit for a moment." He muttered, practically crawling past Mrs. Lovett and to a chair. Sweeney set himself down with a sigh, and then hissed in pain as his muscles relaxed. His dropping eyes found the form of the judge on the floor.

Mrs. Lovett was pushing him back into his chair before he realized he had exited it.

"Is that-?!"

"Yes." The baker answered, grimacing at the blood and filth on her finger tips from simply touching Sweeney. She glanced down to affirm the appearance of grime on her dress that came about from her hug.

"It's an excellent story." Johanna piped up. "Mrs. Lovett should tell it to you." Having been intent on being invisible until things played out, the girl had no idea how unnoticed she really had gone.

Sweeney stiffened at the sound of her voice, and his eyes widened.

"Yes," Mrs. Lovett sighed. "Tha's her."

The barber's mouth hung open a moment as he regained regular breathing. His jaw clicked shut and his eyes narrowed. "Where the hell is Anthony?" He growled out.

"Anthony?" Johanna gasped. "You know-? You're-?" The girl leapt from her chair. "Oh Mrs. Lovett, why didn't you say?" She looked ecstatic.

"It didn't come to mind." The baker confessed, still trying to keep Sweeney relaxed. "Ya're terribly hurt luv, best jus' stay down."

"Terribly?" He grumbled. "I came all the way here, I'm fine."

Toby frowned, trying to understand what was going on. Mr. Todd was far from fine, but that was not what weighed on the boy's mind. The man had just gone through two very strange stages, one after seeing the judge (he shuddered at the memory of Sweeney in the bake house) and another at hearing the young woman's voice. And he seemed quite irritated with Anthony, whom Toby had only briefly seen running up the shop stairs once. Mrs. Lovett had told him he was a friend of Mr. Todd's, which was odd in itself, but how was he connected to the girl?

Deciding the adults had had enough time to themselves, Toby stepped up to where Sweeney was seated. "Is tha' the man, sir?" He asked, eyes sneaking a glance at Mrs. Lovett before going back to the barber.

Sweeney's dark eyes bored into Toby's for a moment before he snarled out a 'yes'.

"Anthony what?" Johanna came to the wrong conclusion and became immediately worried.

"Not 'im dear, the judge." Mrs. Lovett sighed.

"What does the judge-" Mayhew started, but was immediately cut off by Sweeney.

"'E's the reason things are the way they are right now."

"No luv," Mrs. Lovett shook her head. "'E is." She pointed towards James. Before the apothecary or the barber could come up with a response she continued. "An' we are."

"We?" The barber snapped. "What did we do?"

"The pies." The baker reminded him, giving him a meaningful look.

"Wa-?" He stopped. "Oh."

"Yea." She bit her lip. "Gave me a bit of a start too."

"What?" James cut in, confused by the sudden turn.

"It's sick!" Toby cried out, stepping away from Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney. "'Ow can ya talk about it like it's normal?"

Eleanor put a hand to her mouth, eyes going wide. "Toby-"

"We went through the bake house to get away." Sweeney prompted, slightly amused by Mrs. Lovett's reaction.

"What did you do..?" Johanna whispered. She had rather liked Mrs. Lovett, and the woman had seemed ignorant of the judge's involvement in the city's current condition. How could she have caused any of it?

"Sick!" Toby spat out again. His mum didn't really seem to be bother by it. He had assumed the work disgusted her, that she was forced into it. The way she spoke to Mr. Todd about it, it really did seem like a collaborative effort. "Killin' those people an'-"

"Toby, tha' is enough!" Mrs. Lovett snapped. She was slightly appalled that her 'son' had found out this way. Especially with nothing to comfort him afterward. No doubt Sweeney had just put it out there and gone on. And him suddenly shouting out her and Mr. T's secret to he world most certainly was not a good thing. She supposed Johanna shouldn't be learning this, Sweeney probably wouldn't want that. Not to mention how Mayhew would react to it…

"No it's not!" The boy started to cry, backing up for the door. "'E may 'ave killed 'em but what you did was worse! Choppin' them up an' puttin' them in pies!"

Too preoccupied with Toby and her new tears Mrs. Lovett didn't notice Sweeney stand from his chair.

The barber was across the room and had Toby by the throat before anyone else realized he had stood. His injuries didn't seem to hinder him from lifting the child off the floor.

"If it wasn't for Mrs. Lovett and I you would still be with Pirelli boy. Would you prefer that? Is that what you want?" He snarled.

"Mr. T! Put 'em down!"

"No! We've taken care of him and I've had to save his hide several times already. If he can't appreciate what we've given him then we're getting rid of him!"

Feeling numb after what the boy had shouted into the room, James hardly saw the world. Nothing seemed real, and he couldn't feel his body.

Eleanor.. assisting a murdered. Baking corpses into pies..

"Oh God.. that's.." He snapped out of his reverie to see the boy getting the life crushed out of him.

James darter across the room and landed a solid punch on the barber's side. The barber collapsed onto the floor as if suddenly boneless. Toby stumbled away, grasping his throat and giving the apothecary a surprised look.

"He shouldn't have.. shit." James quickly knelt and delicately lifted the torn shirt from Sweeney's side. The massive bruise there was most definitely not caused by his punch.

Mrs. Lovett brushed away the few tears the started to fall at the sorry sight of Sweeney's unconscious form. Johanna numbly fell back into her chair.