A/N: Hello dears, hope everyone is enjoying the tale of our dark love birds! Down to buisness, I must inform you that this chapter has strongly suggested adult content tried to make it as little as I could but it needed to be there to appease the plot bunnies and get the point across so please enjoy as best as you can. Thank you and happy reading!

Chapter 9.

Nearly two weeks has passed since Nellie had run into Lucy in the market and still no sign of the judge, the waiting was causing Sweeney to become impatient and more than a little moody. Nellie had learned quickly to watch herself during one of his moods, he never hurt her but he would get rather angry at her for saying the wrong thing keeping her on her toes.

It was the middle of the second week when Nellie was cleaning the tables of the court yard after a busy dinner time crowd, even she had to admit her shop had become quite popular since she began making Sweeney's customers into her pies and the money was good to so she didn't complain, humming to herself as she did so. As she finished the table she was at she moved to the next pausing to glance up at the surprisingly clear sky before a sharp gasp made her eyes come back down and look to the street on the other side of the fence. She did her best not to look surprised or disgusted as her eyes met Turpin's as they raked over her making her shudder.

Smiling welcomingly she slung the rag over her shoulder and walked to the fence leaning on her hands as she placed them on the wood offering the judge a perfect angle to see her cleavage.

"'Ello sir, come for a pie? The supper rush is over but I'm sure I can make one up for the 'onorable judge Turpin."

The judge looked her over again his eyes becoming glued to her well exposed cleavage as he worked to speak.

"Not this evening Mrs. Lovett is it?"

Nellie smiled and nodded thinking of how to draw the prevert into her trap, then it popped into her head and she returned to scrubbing tables being sure to give him a perfect view of her bodice and back side as she did so taking special care to reach as far along the table as she could so her chest was pressed against the wood.

"Then what can I do for you sir?"

Her voice was a rough purr as she looked up at him through her lashes, a frustrated flush rose to his cheeks and his jaw clenched before he spoke in a strained voice as though he didn't really want to do what he was saying.

"I should continue on my way if you are closed for the evening, but, Mrs. Lovett, do tell Mr. Todd I will accept his offer before the week is out."

With nothing more than a curt nod he walked off leaving her to growl and throw down the rag mumbling to herself as she went into her shop preparing a tray of food for Sweeney, she hoped making his favorite stew would bring him out the fowl mood he'd been in before lunch. She lifted the tray balancing it against her hip with one hand while the other held her skirts so she wouldn't trip on them.

"Once you finish that table love you can 'elp yourself to a tot of gin then off to bed."

She looked at Toby who smiled widely at her.

"Yes mum!"

She smiled then began climbing the stairs to Sweeney's shop opening the door without knocking as normal but paused seeing he still had a customer that was now looking at her. She sighed simply looking away as she took the tray to the table by the window keeping her back to the chair as Sweeney drew his razor across the man's throat only turning when the gargled choking stopped and the sound of the trap door closing filled the room, she knew she was on the ice walking in when he had a customer but her aching feet and now lightly blood splattered back screamed for a hot bath before bed.

"I brought you support, your favorite, sorry if it ain't like your mother's but I changed the recipe."

She turned to face him but found him wiping blood from his razor looking at it rather than her, she put her hands on her hips normally even in his foul moods he'd at least look at her and thank her.

"Sweeney are ya listenin' to me?"

He inclined his head the slightest bit in answer making her growl before going to stand in front of him and the chair so it was between them her hands on it's wooden arms.

"I almost 'ad 'im ya know, 'e wanted to come into my shop somethin' terrible but 'e says 'e'll be 'ere before the week's out."

He still didn't speak but he did look at her hands on the blood stained armrests before looking up into her eyes, his held something she'd never seen in them, not since he had been arrested, but it was a look Benjamin's eyes would hold whenever another man would so much as look at her, pure, seething jealousy.

"Love, don't be that way I were only doin' what needed done to bring 'im to you."

She trailed off as he closed his razor and turned away from her to rearrange his barbering tools on the vanity. She gave an exasperated sigh pushing herself away from the chair and walked to the door mumbling to herself about "bloody men and their temper tantrums" as she left the shop and walked to her bathroom shutting the door with a bit more force than needed. While the tub filled and she undressed she could hear a mix of rain hitting the window and Sweeney's pacing making her sigh and step into the tub turning off the water and laying so her head was below the surface. After washing her hair and body she drained the tub as she stepped out before filling it again and replacing the towel from the the hook now wrapped around her with a dry one. She quickly went to her room and dressed in her nighty before she pulled on her robe and made her way up the inside stairs to the barber shop watching him for a moment before clearing her throat making him glance over his shoulder at her then away.

"There's a bath for ya down stairs if you dont use it let the water out I'm turnin' in for the night."

He gave no answer making her growl and through her hands in the air walking back down to her room closing the door behind her before flopping onto the bed curling up under the covers listening to the rain before falling into an uneasy sleep. Hearing Nellie leave Sweeney sighed looking at his reflection in the vanity mirror seeing the dried blood that clung to his skin, it was becoming dry and uncomfortable, her sudden appearance earlier had caused him to be sloppy with his kill and there was more blood covering him than normal. he sighed again and went down the inside stairs making his way to the bathroom a smile tugging his lips as he found the tub of warm water waiting along with clean clothes, he shed the blood stained clothes and got into the water letting it relax his muscles and wash off the blood.

Once the blood was gone and he began to feel slightly tired he got out and dried off before dressing. As he was leaving the room he heard whines and sniffles from Nellie's bedroom, thinking she was having some kind of crying fit out of frustration he shook his head and began walking away until a loud crash of thunder rattled the house and a terrified yelp came from the baker's room followed by more sniffles. Knowing something was up he silently moved to the door and peered inside through the gap as the thunder sounded again, a smile pulled his at his lips as he watched Nellie flinch and shudder, he couldn't help but chuckle at seeing the woman that cut up the corpses of his customers before making them into pies and feeding them to the people of London was afraid of thunderstorms.

Another clap of thunder shook the window panes and as the lightning flashed Sweeney could see tears wetting her cheeks as she sniffled curling tighter into a ball, he sighed feeling his heart sink at the sight of her scared but somewhere in his mind he worried about bruising his pride by giving up the silent treatment he'd given her since he'd seen her put on her acts for the judge. Another window rattling explosion of thunder made up his mind as he entered the room and sat beside her on the bed, he lightly placed his hand on her back making her jump and flip over looking at him wide eyed before breaking down and throwing her arms around his neck sobbing into his shoulder shaking like a leaf. For a moment he was unsure what to do but instinct overtook confusion as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap whispering comforting words softly to her.

He held her close alternating between kissing her auburn crown and rubbing her back until she calmed down pulling away from his shoulder enough to look at him her eyes puffy and red with no more tears to shed. He gently cupped her cheek and wiped away the tears from it his eyes staying locked with her's until she looked away rubbing her cheeks dry on the back of her hand.

"S-sorry love...I-I just-"

She didn't get to finish speaking as a flash of lightning filled the room followed by a crash of thunder loud enough to rattle the house making her yelp and hide her face in his shoulder with enough force to knock them back onto the pillows, some how as they hit the pillows Nellie let out a giggle making Sweeney look down at her a bit relieved to see her fear gone for the moment and a smile play on her lips. Before he could even think to stop he tilted her chin up and kissed her lips distracting her from the rolling thunder as she kissed back closing her eyes and letting him move to hover over her, his lips moved from her lips to her neck drew a purr from her the storm now forgotten. Before long her nighty was on the floor with his clothes and her hands were gripping his shoulders hard enough her nails dug into the skin egging his lips on as they roamed her upper body until he paused kissing a sweet spot below her ear.

"Please Sweeney...I need you...just be gentle."

Moving away from her neck to look into her eyes before kissing her lip muffling her yelp as he entered her and her nails broke the skin of his shoulders. He broke the kiss to rest his forehead against her's keeping still as possible so she could adjust softly apologizing to her. She shook her head against his apologies before kissing him him releasing his shoulders to wrap her arms around his neck gasping as he began to move making pain and pleasure fight for dominance inside her with pleasure winning out before long as heat built in her torso.

The storm outside finally passed leaving Nellie to sleep peacefully, though she already was, against Sweeney's chest while he held her his cheek resting on her mess of curls as he slept peacefully for the first time in years feeling content and complete with her laying in his arms.

Across town Lucy watched the rolling storm clouds from the large library window her mind miles away as she recalled her husband coming home and telling her what she already knew, her sister was indeed still alive, but what was worse was that she had seen a look in his eyes, a look he'd once held for only her, as he confirmed she was in Fleet Street. She looked down at the baby girl in her arms, she was almost a carbon copy of herself, hair yellow as cornsilk and just as silky, her blue eyes could put the heavens above to shame and melt the heart of anyone near her with one look, her tiny lips were soft pale pink like little flower petals. She sighed turning away from the window watching her daughter sleep in her arms as she came to a conclusion to get her pesky sister out of her life once and for all.

"I have kill her, even if I do it myself, she must die…"

Right everyone sorry for the delay I got side tracked once more as some of you most likely have already seen from the posting of the first two parts of my new story "The Light After the Dark" but I will try and do better with updating. Thank you all!