AN: This fanfiction is the rewriting of a roleplay between myself, C, and my friend E on Tumblr. Our roleplay blogs are: TheBarberTodd (me) and IamMrsLovett (E). We wanted to do this so that any future followers that did not know all the drama that goes on between our characters would have a reference to look at without having to dig through our archives to do so! (Especially since we tend to have very long roleplay threads that go on for a long time XD)

Chapter Six: At Least He Came Back:

Two weeks had passed since Mr. Todd had left in an angry rush. He had not wanted to go back, not wanting to face what was there. A child by Mrs. Lovett? That simply was not possible and could never be. However, he soon found that operating on the streets was not very fruitful. Not only was he completely exposed and therefore could not betray his customers but he was reduced to shaving men of less means than those he was used to. When finally he had become sick of the little profit and poor conditions he braced himself and made his way back to Fleet Street.

As the pie shop came into view he got an unsettled feeling, not only from the waiting argument but also because the shop appeared to be closed and nothing looked like it had been touched since he had left. Shaking it off he entered and made his way into the parlor where he was surprised to see that Mrs. Lovett was sleeping on the couch instead of in her bedroom or that she was even sleeping at all given the time of the day. Her face was not peaceful as it usually was when she slept beside him but wet from recent tears and frozen in a look of discomfort.

Sighing, Sweeney sat in the chair opposite the couch and cleared his throat. She woke up with a gasp and sat up quickly on the couch, expecting a burglar or some other menace. When she saw that it was Mr. Todd she swallowed and looked down, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Mrs. Lovett," he said slowly, examining her and preparing the argument in his mind. "Sleeping during the day, shop closed... whatever's gotten into you?" The tone of his voice took on a cruel edge as he glared at her though he tried to suppress the anger he felt in her presence. She merely swallowed again and took a shaky breath.

"M-Mr. T," she managed to say weakly, "you came back..."

"I did," he confirmed, sitting up straighter in his seat. "I'm re-opening the tonsorial parlor. I need it." As he spoke Mrs. Lovett kept her eyes shut and swallowed hard at his words. When he finished she opened them slowly and stood, brushing her dress straight.

"You'll pay a rent," she spoke softly before passing him and going into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow having expected an argument from her and followed her slowly. "I fully intend on paying you as I always have, Mrs. Lovett." As he spoke he dug into his pocket and took what earnings he had made on the streets and placed them on the counter.

"Good," she said coldly, ignoring the coins and refusing to meet his demanding gaze.

"Come now, Mrs. Lovett," he tried sweetly. "I did come back." She bit her tongue and looked at him, meeting his gaze slowly.

"Oh, right. You did "come back," didn't you?" She swallowed again and bit the corner of her lip as she searched his gaze. "You know, I've been crying every day, every night since you left? Did you know that? And now you're here, you're finally here again and the only reason why, and don't you dare play me for a fool on this, the only reason why you came back to stay is because you "need" to. You don't want me. You "need" to have your fucking revenge." She sighed shakily and looked away from him, waving her hand dismissively at him. "Just go upstairs in your shop and stare and that bloody window mumbling to yourself about the fucking past."

With every sentence he could feel the anger flaring high within him. He knew what she was saying was true but he also could not deny that somewhere in him he had missed her and that whether he wanted to or not, he did care for her on some level. "Watch yourself, Mrs. Lovett. You're placing yourself in a very... precarious situation."

"You already broke me, Mr. T," she warned back softly, meeting his gaze. "I'm not afraid anymore. You can't break a broken heart." Eleanor pushed past him and walked out to the shop, changing the sign to 'open' in an attempt to be busy so that he would have no choice but to leave her be.

Sighing he followed her out and immediately flipped the sign back over, grabbing her by the wrist causing her to gasp and dragging her into the parlor. Once there he locked the door and leaned against it, preventing her from leaving. She looked away from him, holding her arms across her stomach like a shield; protection more for her than the baby. Going towards her he put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit onto the sofa in front of him.

"Now listen to me, Mrs. Lovett and listen well. I have returned, I will pay your rent, I do not expect you to... adhere to my needs but I expect to be respected as a partner. I will be... staying." He spoke authoritatively and she kept her gaze low, shaking slightly and holding tightly to her sides. "And I suppose," he said slowly, calming a bit, "if it will return you to a more tolerable state, I will provide for whatever it is you need during your... condition."

Hearing him say the word 'condition' she looked back up at him sharply, glaring. "I'm pregnant, dear. You can fucking say it. I'm pregnant and you're the father and we're not even married. All these people will think I'm a fucking whore thanks to you." When she finished she got up and attempted to go past him but he forced her back into her seat.

"If that's what you're bloody worried about then we'll fucking well just tell everyone we've married. Will that make your insufferable attitude stop?" She bit her tongue and he sighed in frustration.

"They're not stupid. I don't have a bloody ring."

"If I get you a bloody ring will you stop this nonsense?" She sighed heavily and met his gaze, nodding a bit and biting her cheek.

"Fine then, it's settled. Until then clean yourself up and start behaving appropriately. You'll draw attention otherwise." Sighing again he looked at her more closely and noticed the trembling. Softening his voice he spoke again. "Come here."

She let out a small breath and closed her eyes for a moment before standing slowly and coming closer to him. Putting his hand on her hips he drew her close and wrapped his arms around her firmly. He had meant to comfort her but the embrace was not entirely warm. Still she closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest, attempting not to cry. "I missed you..."

"I know," he said gruffly, breaking the embrace. "Now go on, you have a shop to open."

Nellie looked up and smiled softly though she could feel her heart aching. She had known the embrace meant less to him than it did to her but it still hurt when he pushed her away. Going to the parlor door she unlocked it and went out into the pie shop to re-open it. As soon as she had gone he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

While the argument he had anticipated had not occurred he knew he still had work to do if he was truly going to bring things back to the way that they had been. He just could not keep looking at her, shaking and tearful. At first he had thought it annoyance but he knew whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, it bothered him when she was upset.