And so a routine had developed over the course of the next few months: When James would leave at dawn for work, He would wake Nellie and she'd make breakfast while he'd readied for work, also nudging Kagome awake in the parlor. They'd all sit and eat like the perfect little family they'd all wanted and the girl's would bid him goodbye and good day. Then, the baker and the girl would get things ready for the shop; clean the floor and tables, Nellie would bake the pies, Kagome would help make the pie dough as well as kill off the roaches and rats that had come to infest the shop so fiercely
Above them, Sweeney would watch James leave with a wicked smirk etched on his features, knowing that the longer the man was gone, the more time he'd have to steal his wife right from under his nose. Not that it was that hard of a task, a grin here, a smirk there, maybe a few words of kindness her way on rare occasions The baker returned the affections without discretion, blushing at every dazed glance he sent her way, calling him those little endearments such as, 'Love', 'Dearie' or sometimes if no one was around, ' My love.
The only thing Sweeney regretted about James leaving for work every morning was how he wasn't there to watch his wife fall head over heels for him himself.
Ever since the use of the new 'meat', to say the business was successful would be an understatement Customers were pouring in like the rain water to the grates of London, keeping both females below more than hectically busy. Of course this only made the relationship of Nellie and James all the more strained; with the pie shop in its most successful state its ever been in, the baker has had to get up far earlier than her husband had, preparing for another work day like she never had to do before. IN this way she either didn't have time to hug and farewell James as she had done all those years before in their marriage or had ignored him all together, Kagome the same way.
This morning was no different. Sweeney watched, with sick satisfaction, the apothecary stand in the middle of the courtyard just below him looking somewhat awkward as he opened and closed his mouth in fail attempts to talk to his wife as she bustled around him, the girl following her and mimicking all her movements.
Just when he was about to say something, a cheery smile plastered on his pale skin, Nellie waved him off, not even bothering to face him.
"Yes, Yes, dear, Do 'ave a good day at work an' all the sweet fixin's!" the baker spoke exasperated with a silent sigh. "Now do ge' along, love, me an' Kagome 'ave work to do!" if she had missed the depressed and heart wrenching frown on his face, his brown locks hanging over his eyes to hide the unshed tears in them or had caught it in the corner of her eye and ignored him, she didn't show any sign of the sort.
James whispered in a shaky breath, "I love you." and went off. Sweeney almost felt as though he'd chuckle as he felt a twisted smile on his cold face.
After he saw the man disappear down the street, the barber made his way downstairs to 'help' the two in getting things ready. If I'm going to do this, he thought to himself with a grunt. I might as well do it right.
His firm footsteps on the wooden steps gave away his supposedly surprise arrival on her. She turned around, rag and bucket in her hands, looking surprised. The surprise on her face melted into a cheery smile, her eyes, unbeknownst to her, glittering with affection as he grinned at her. She had missed the certain malice in it completely.
"W-Wot can I do for you, Mr. T?" she asked humbly, turning to wipe down a table. Sweeney crossed his arms and put on the most convincing 'happy' smile he as a demon barber could. "I just thought I'd come down and helped you get the shop ready for the work day." Sweeney replied, his voice dripping honey and laced with a little smart sarcasm But she only paid mind to the honey.
Nellie turned to face him with a surprised, almost shocked expression, her eyes wide with her eye brows shooting to her hairline. In all her time knowing Sweeney Todd, which, had she been honest with herself, wasn't very long, but long enough to know his exterior better than anyone. Hence the reason for the shocked reaction to the small offer of assistance.
He could barely contain his chuckle at her face, It was absolutely comical! Still, the barber's smile only widened and plucked the rag and bucket from her hands and walked off inside, leaving her to stand there, her face unchanging as she stared at the spot where he once stood.
Nellie quickly gathered herself and rushed inside to find him wiping at the booths and windows, the murky brown water in the bucket darkening as he dipped the dirty rag in and made figure eights on the glass.
"Mr. T, you really don't 'ave to do this," she huffed as she snatched the rag out of his hand and bent over to get the bucket. "You've enough on your plate as it is. Wot with you bein' the Best barber in London an' all." she made to leave the room, but he caught her wrist, holding it firmly in his grip, but not so that it was painful in any way.
"Now, Nellie-" Sweeney paused, rather amused at the light rosy blush that bubbled up on her porcelain skin over her high cheek bones. Even though ever since the barber returned he'd call her by this little nickname, as if even thinking of calling her by her last name would land him a bloody pit in hell, it never ceased to make her blush like a giddy school girl
"If I were to be a man to let a woman do all the work that there need be, surely I am no better than any then you ex-husband." she made no comment but looked at him strangely, as if he weren't the same person.
Sweeney snatched the rag back and ushered her out. "Now get out there and do what needs doing, if you would." he urged in his sweetly, convincing tone. Nellie only nodded nervously and went out as told, leaving the barber to smirk to himself cleverly.
That particular day proved to be especially busy and tiring, the sea of customers never seeming to end to either girl's eye. It also didn't help that the crowd all seemed to be in a vile mood, screaming for their food, pounding their fists angrily on the tables, and occasionally throwing their forks and knives across the courtyard or the room inside with a vicious sneer.
Nellie wasn't sure to either call up to Sweeney for help or just close up. However, being so awfully practical as the baker was, she knew the money would help in various ways and stood her ground. She weaved through the crowd with difficulty, barley keeping her boots from getting caught up in her voluminous skirts and midnight black fabrics With both hands full of steaming hot pies she couldn't hike them up, making moving even harder as opposed to simply lifting her dress more or less above her ankles.
A man in the far corner of the room yelled for another pie as well as five others in the opposite corner. "Be there in jus' a tick, sir!" Nellie gasped, wiping a few droplets of sweat that dribbled from her hair line against her bare shoulder as she made her way to the man.
Across the room others called out for Ale angrily, the scowls on their faces deep and unsettling. "KAGOME!" the baker called almost desperately, her throat raw from having to yell so loudly over the roaring customers.
The girl was not having any better luck. Her small legs shook terribly beneath her trembling body, both very tired form the running about the courtyard. Nellie had thought putting her outside with the fresh air, or however fresh London fog was, would be better for her than the stuffy and very cramped and crowded room inside the shop. But she was very wrong.
There were just as many impatient and angry people outside as there were inside, if not more. Kagome's midnight black hair stuck to her pale face from the sweating, clouding her vision a little. Her chest rose and fell rabidly with her quick breaths that grew more rabid with every passing minuet, quickly turning into gasps of panic.
The men as well as the women took no pity on the poor girl, yelling and screaming in her face if so much as a drop of ale or gravy form a pie fell onto the table. They shouted insults of her incompetence and terrible waiting skills. Kagome tried her very hardest not to cry, really she did, but a few tears managed to slip past her.
However she paid them no mind and went about doing as she was told as quickly as possible.
"Yes, Mrs. Stewart?" she asked in a loud shout, yet not exactly loud enough to disturb the customers around her who dug into their food like they haven't eaten in weeks .
"I need some Ale in here, love!" came the baker's strained reply. Kagome nodded to herself once and scurried inside, making sure not to trip over her new Baby blue dress that she and the baker had gotten that very day when out and about in the market. She sighed to herself and muttered irritably under her breath, "Of all the days to finally have something decent to wear, not to mention new!"
Kagome scanned the room, her breath quickly from the stuffiness of it and saw the man in the corner. He looked around the room with a sneer on his face. He spotted her before she could find Nellie.
"OI! LASS!" He called out to her while motioning hastily for her to come over, his Scottish brogue shining through his frustrated tone. "I NEED SOME DAMNED ALE O'ER HEREYEH DAFT LASS!"
She sucked in a breath and hurried over, practically throwing the Ale into his cup and turned to find the baker, hoping she could convince her to close the shop due to the beastly and ill tempered customers, when she felt her petite wrist being grabbed roughly by a calloused hand.
"WHAT DO YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?" The man screamed in her face angrily. "JUST SPLASHIN' MY DRINK EVERY WHICH WAY YEH WANT! WHAT KIND OF WENCH ARE YEH?" He roughly threw her onto the floor, his scowl deepening and his face flushing with rage. "ARE YEH CRAZY? OR ARE YEH JUST ACTIN' DAFTTEH GET AWAY WITH SUCH THIN'S?" the man pulled back his beefy fist, ready to strike.
Kagome let out a loud yelp of panic, throwing her arms over her head as she tried to protect herself the best she could and closed her eyes tightly. She waited for the blow.
But the blow never came.
There was a loud, distinct SMACK! of metal against skin and soon after, a CRASH!as the metal hit the floor. It trembled against the wood before going silent, as well as the room. Had she not been cowering in fear for her very life not but a minuet ago, the girl would have stood up, a big goofy grin on her face, laughed happily, and gladly basked in the dead silence of it all.
Kagome slowly peeled back an eye lid. She saw the man leaning heavily against the table, his large hand holding the side of his head, a pained expression on his fuzzy face. The metal tray lay idly on the wooden floor, the pies that sat on it scattered.
She opened her other eye and glanced up. She saw Nellie standing in front of him, her hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides. Her face was flushed with rage, her eyes on fire as she bared her teeth like a wild animal. The baker's heavy breathing filled the deadly silence.
Suddenly, she exploded, waving her arms about and screaming at the top of her lungs.
"OUT! EVERYONE! GET OUT!"
Nellie shoved the man roughly toward the door, not caring if she'd badly injured him or not. The rest of the people hurried out, scrambling over each other as they ran in fear of the baker's fury. The shop and courtyard was cleared not a minuet after.
Kagome just sat there, wide eyed in both fear and awe at her outburst, her mouth in wide open. Nellie panted heavily and glared at the door angrily, as if it were the cause of all her problems. Then, her anger melted and she knelled by the girl on the floor, her face full of concern and sadness
"Oh, love, are you alright?" she asked sadly, stroking her hair and holding her close. Kagome nodded slowly and Nellie held her even tighter against her, choking on a heavy sob. "I'm so sorry, love! I-I never should 'ave let you out 'ere, no' with all 'em people yellin' and screamin' like they were!" she cried into the girl's black hair.
At first Kagome just sat in her arms, not really sure what to do or say. Then she slowly wrapped her arms around her. "Its not your fault, Mrs. Stewart," she tried to comfort her calmly. "Its mine. I should have-", "No its not!" she yelled out angrily, causing the girl to jump in surprise.
"Its MY fault! I'm so sorry, love, its all MY fault! None of it is your fault! You didn' do a damned thing wrong! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed loudly into her hair, bitter tears running down her face. Kagome could only shake her head slowly and hold her tighter.
A/N: Sorry I had to stop it so abruptly, I'm just really tired. And sorry for not updating sooner. I'm gonna be honest and say that my updates are gonna take sometime because I got this drawing tablet for Christmas and I just love it (even if I can't do shit with it)
I'm kinda out of it because I haven't been sleeping very well and its 2 a.m. right now so I hope you like what you've got here and review, even though its crappy.