I do not own Sweeney Todd
Mrs. Lovett marched down the stairs and bumped into the false Italian, "Signora? Is Signor Todd at home?" He asked politely.
"Plying his trade, him and the girl is, don't'cher know." She stood before them, blocking the way up, she looked down sweetly at a miserable looking Toby. "Would you look at it now?" she cooed, "Don't looks like it's heard a kind word since half past never."
She looked up at the boy's master, "You don't mind if I give him a nice juicy meat pie do you?"
"Si, si, whatever you like." He waved her off and ascended the stairs as the baker took Toby by the hand, "come along now, yer teeth's strong I hope."
Ellie grabbed a long handled broom and began to sweep the wood floor as Pirelli stormed into the shop. "Mr. Todd" he greeted. "Signor Pirelli." Sweeney nodded curtly. Pirelli glanced at Ellie who watched the tense exchange with interest.
"Call me Davie." He requested in a natural sounding Irish accent, "Davie, Collins the name, when it's not professional." Ellie was taken aback, but hardly surprised. Sweeney's face was unreadable.
Davie removed his top hat and tucked it under his arm, "And I'll be havin me five quid back it you don't mind."
"Why?" Sweeney asked slightly defensive. "Because you entered you little wager under false pretenses me friend." Davie looked around the room with a wistful air of nostalgia. "And you might remember to be more forthright, from now on, you'll be handing over half your earnings to me." The Irishmen wore a cocky, annoyingly arrogant smile, "Share and Share alike."
"Ellie," Sweeney turned to her with a slightly amused smile, "Put the kettle on will you?"
Ellie nodded silently and set aside her unused broom, and fumbled with a box of matches, lighting the small stove and setting the heavy iron kettle over the small flame.
"Mr. Benjamin Barker." Davie finished and both father and daughter froze in their tracks. "I thought so." Davie gloated, "And that must mean this here would be the recently deceased Elinor Barker."
The Irishman looked her up and down, "I must say you're lookin well for a corpse." He grinned and Ellie froze stiff, It was over, they were finish. Her father would go back to prison, or worse be sent to the noose, and who knew what would become of her and Mrs. Lovett.
The man began to stroll around the shop, "Yes, this'll do very nicely." He turned to Sweeney, "I don't suppose you remember me. But why would you?" he chuckled. "I was just a down an' out Irish pug you hired for a few weeks to sweep up hair and the like."
Davie picked up one of Sweeney's silver razors "but I remember these, and how could I ever forget you, Benjamin Barker?" Ellie slid her way away from the table, subconsciously moving toward the trunk where her knitting lay.
"I remember, Me an Lil Ellie would sit right on that trunk, and I would watch you and dream of the day I would be a proper barber like you."
Ellie's hand from the cold, hard metal of the long, sharp, narrow knitting needle, un-burdened by the thick yarn and wrapped her fingers around it tightly.
"You might say you were an inspiration to me." Davie grinned, unaware of Ellie's cold brown eyes boring holes into his back. The kettle began to whistle but went un noticed by the three. Ellie's hand tightened around the slim, smooth needle as Sweeney stood with his back to the Irishman.
"So do we have a deal? Or should I run down the street to me good friend Beetle Bamford?" Davie laughed loudly at the thought, "What do you think off that?"
"Mr. Sweeney T…"
The kettle whistle turned into a shriek as Ellie leapt into action without warning, driving the end of the large metal needle though the con man's neck. Pirelli let out a strangled scream as he turned to her and held out his arms in a tangled attempt of counter attack, Sweeney grabbed the heavy kettle and began to beat Pirelli mercilessly until he stopped struggling, thick, red blood seeping at a heavy pace on the floor.
After about a minute the two realized what they had down. "Open the Trunk up." Sweeney ordered.
"What?!"
"Just do it."
Ellie rushed to the trunk and lifted the heavy lid that squealed and squeaked as Sweeney lifted a heavily bleeding, yet still alive, Pirelli into the deep box he just barely fit in at and Ellie quickly shut the lid, accidentally slamming a few of his fingers between the rim and the lid so they poked out like tiny, grotesque sausages.
The sound of feet on the stairs alerted them and Sweeney glanced at the Ellie, whose Grey dress was now stained with contrasting dark red spots. "Get to your room and change, quickly!" Ellie rushed into one of the back two rooms, and left the door open a crack to hear what was happening outside.
"Signor! You have an appointment…" it was the boy from before, Pirelli's assistant, Toby.
"Signor Pirelli's been called away, you better run after him." Sweeney said calmly.
"No, I think I should stay here, or I'm liable to get a whipping, and he's a great one for the whippings he is." Toby said nervously, but not half as nervous as Sweeney and Ellie felt. Sweeney was soon able to talk Toby out of the room with the promise of more gin as Ellie finished changing her dress and stuffing the blood spattered one under her cot.
Ellie rushed out to find her father staring at his largest razor, the one Davie was holding before he was stuffed in the trunk. "Father?" she whispered as Sweeney Strode over to the razor and grabbed it swiftly.
"Go back in the room Ellie." He ordered firmly in a sinister low voice. Ellie knew exactly what her father was about to do and stood firm. Instead of turning back to retreat in the safety of the room Ellie took the initiative and strode forward and lifted the lid for her father who looked at her with surprise.
Ellie glanced at the sorry excuse for a man wading in a pool of his own Blood before her and the looked up at her father. "Do it." She nodded
Sweeney lifted Pirelli's limp neck and dragged the blade across his neck, splattering the Barber's sleeve with red blood. They stood in silence as his razor dripped perfect circles of blood onto the wood floor.
Ellie watched over to the table in a trance and poured what little hot water was left into two tea cups and prepared two cups of the strong drink.
Soon Mrs. Lovett was walking through the door, "Lord that boy is drinking me outta house and home!" she glanced at the two, When will Pirelli be back?"
"He won't" Ellie sighed, sipping the steaming drink and staring at the trunk. "Mister T you didn't!" Nellie Gasped.
Sweeney pointed his razor at the trunk casually and Nellie stalked toward the trunk, lifted it for a slit second and then snapped it shut again. "You're barking mad you are! The both of you!" the baker said in a loud whisper. "Killin a man what done you no harm."
"He recognized me from the old days." Sweeney sighed, "He was going to tell the beetle unless with paid the blackmail." Ellie finished.
"Oh well." Nellie smiled, "That's a different Matter." The baker dusted off her knees as she stood, "For a second I thought you'd lost your marbles."
Ellie opened up the lid of the trunk again and shuttered, "OoooH All that blood." She squealed. "Gives me goose skin just looking at it."
Nellie joined her and sighed, "Well" she plucked a decorated coin purse from the bloody body, "Waste not want not."
"What are we going to do about the boy?" Ellie asked, "Send him up." Sweeney muttered, gripping his razor again.
"Now Mr. T I don't think there's any need for that." Nellie rejected the idea.
"Send him up woman."
"Father he's just a boy, we could probably just pop him off with some story easy." Ellie insisted. "I was thinking of keeping him around the shop, me old bone aint what they used to be." Nellie suggested.
Sweeney grunted unhappily and took his place by the window.
"Course we'd have to stock up on Gin." Nellie puled the bloody knitting needle from Pirelli's neck and handed it to Ellie. "Here you go dear."
Ellie ran the need under a leaky water tap, cleansing it of blood as the baker continued. "That boy can drink like a sailor."
Sweeney gasped sharply and drew the attention of both women, "The judge."
Ellie scrambled over to the window and peered out to see the judge walking toward the shop, looking just as he had three years ago, only a bit older. "Justice." She whispered, "Justice."
The baker quickly scrambled down the stairs and Ellie glanced at her shaken Father, "Father!" she gasped. "Your Sleeve!"
Sweeney looked down at his white sleeve now stained with brownish red blood. "Quickly!" she urged him, "go change, I will stall him"
The Barber rushed to change his shirt as fast as he could as Ellie armed her self with a tall broom and began to sweep up imaginary dust as the shop door jingled. She looked up casually and fought the urge to tence up when she was face to face with her old foe.
"Good Day sir." She curtsied politely. "Good day young lady, is your master about?" the judge asked coolly, looking her up and down and taking in her appearance, from her delicate pale skin, to her dark purple rings that contrasted greatly with her ivory completion, to finally the striking white streak that broke the peace of her soft black waves.
"My father is in the back sir." She smiled sweetly, inwardly wanting to kill the wretched man right then and there. To take her knitting needle and ram it through his throat just as she had done not moments ago. "You're the young woman My good friend told me off, at the market with your father last Tuesday." The judge seemed to move closer to her.
"Yes sir." She nodded.
"He says your father in a barber of great skill." He commented, Ellie's blood was pounding in her ears.
"I believe so sir, though I'm afraid my opinion may be a bit biased sir." She did not meet his eye. "What is your name girl?" the judge asked
"Eileen Todd, Sir."
The sound of heavy foot fall behind her drew their attention as Ellie thanked God for small miracles, "Father." She turned to him with a slightly deranged smile,
"We have a guest"