Chapter Seven: Sweeney is a Dick

A few days had passed since the barber had returned and although things were by no means smoothed between him and the baker, it could be worse. The two hardly spoke and spent their days going about their own business. Nellie returned to opening the shop every day but Sunday and running it with Toby while Sweeney worked in his shop upstairs. She no longer purposefully sent customers up to him as she had before but she did not stop the business that came flowing through on their own accord. At night when both shops were closed they did their separate cleaning and he would leave his bloodied shirts in a folded stack outside of his door. In the morning they were always returned fresh and clean where he had left them.

After one particular customer had come into his shop one day, Sweeney had been able to pilfer a wedding band from his pocket. He gave it to Nellie without a word after all the cleaning had been done. She bit her lip and turned it in her palm as he turned away from her. "Sweeney?" Nellie called softly. He froze and turned back to her.

"What is it, Mrs. Lovett?" He asked sternly. "I would like to retire for the night."

"What about your ring?" Her voice was small and she looked down at the counter, fumbling the ring between her fingers. "Won't you need one too?"

He didn't answer her. Instead he walked back up to his tonsorial parlor and opened the small cedar box on his table. In it were whatever keepsakes he had from his past life besides the razors and the photographs on his counter. Sweeney took a small white cloth in his hand and unraveled it to reveal his wedding band. He stared at it coldly for a moment. He had not worn it on his finger since his first year in incarceration. After a moment he slid it carefully on his ring finger and closed the box.

The next morning he came down from his parlor for breakfast, much to Nellie's surprise that he even bothered, he sat down and ordered the boy out. Mrs. Lovett rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be so mean to him. He's not a bloody dog." He ignored her comment and the food that she offered him. "If you aren't down here to eat, then what do you want?"

"This is what you will tell people today," he said gruffly. "You and I wed last night at the parish with the boy as witness. We wanted to do it privately and quickly to make up for my absence and begin our lives. Understood?" She sighed and put a hand to her forehead as she leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." As she went about cleaning and preparing for work he watched her closely. As much as she still angered him with her state of being he found that he could not stop his body from wanting her. When she finished the dishes he got up and left, leaving her to lean against the counter in slight frustration at their situation.

xx

After a long day at work, Nellie sighed. She had spent the whole day telling anyone who asked and more about the 'wedding' the previous night and dreading every second of it. Undoubtedly it had felt nice to say that she was married to the man she loved, but it was poisoned by everything else in her life. Upstairs she could hear him walking around, no doubt he was cleaning the blood from the floorboards and the walls. She pushed him from her thoughts with a slight nod of the head and focused herself on scrubbing her counters clean while Toby wiped down the tables.

"It's fine, love, you can put the chairs up and settle yourself down," she said as she scrubbed. "You've worked 'ard today." Toby nodded with a gleaful grin and began to put the chairs up onto the tables. A moment later, Nellie heard Mr. Todd stop moving.

"Mrs. Lovett, come here," she heard him call demandingly from above. Nellie huffed a sigh and rubbed her temples before going up and into his shop. She approached him slowly with her arms folded across her stomach.

"Mmh?"

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Sweeney asked as he sharpened his razors on the strop. She scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not letting you put your hands on me, if that's what you're asking." She started to walk away when he grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him.

"I won't force you to do anything more but you will not leave this room. You're sleeping in here with me tonight." As he spoke he stepped closer to her and she swallowed, trying to fight her fear and worse yet the attraction she always felt towards him. "We told the boy that we're married. What will he think if we don't start sharing a bed at night?" She rolled her eyes and nodded, biting her lips.

"Alright. I'll stay." He let go of her arm and she hugged her waist again tightly. Sweeney stepped back and motioned for her to sit on the bed.

"Go on, then. If we won't be doing... other activities, you might as well rest yourself." He turned back to sharpening his razors as Nellie undressed herself for bed. He scoffed when he noticed that she was wearing the red and black lingerie she always wore since he started bedding her. He stared at her coldly for a moment as she sat down. "I never did say I was not attracted to you, Mrs. Lovett."

"Well then," she said bitterly as she turned on her side to face the wall, "close your eyes."

"Come now, don't be cold." Sweeney spoke with cool affection as he came slowly towards her. "I came back. I'm here."

"Whatever, Sweeney. Just go to sleep." Nellie closed her eyes and hugged the pillow tightly. Sweeney took his shirt off and folded it neatly on the counter before laying next to her. He pulled her against his chest tightly and kissed the crook of her neck. She shivered involuntarily but did not pull away. He nipped her shoulder softly and she shuddered biting her lip.

"Sleep," she whispered, fighting the welling pang of guilt and desire in her chest.

"If you want to sleep, sleep." His breath was warm on her shoulder and she had to fight a moan as he sucked lightly at the skin there. After a moment she closed her eyes and despite her best efforts, a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Stop."

"You don't mean that, do you," he whispered against her skin, grazing his teeth along her neck. At his words she pulled away and knelt looking down at him.

"You're using me. Stop."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, laying back on the bed. "You don't know that."

"Oh, really?" She brushed the hair from her face and looked at him in frustration. "You only want to have sex, nothing else. You don't want the baby, don't fucking act like you do. You're using me."

"I took you dancing-"

"What?" Nellie could feel the hurt and frustration broiling through her.

"I took you dancing," he said with a growl as he sat up to face her. "I made you dinner. I have pleasured you far more than myself."

"Well, it's not enough." She swallowed and took a moment to breathe. "Find another whore to use, there are plenty in the streets. I'm done."

"I don't use whores." Sweeney's tone was dark and his eyes turned completely cold. "I don't sleep with anyone less than worthy."

Nellie hated how weak she was. Hearing him call her worthy... maybe just for tonight. She let out a sigh and pouted a bit before leaning forward and kissing him softly. "Promise me," she said softly, "promise me you won't leave again."

He sighed against her lips and closed his eyes. "I... can't. If the judge leaves London... I will follow him." She frowned and pulled away slightly.

"Then... promise me... promise you will come back if it ever happens."

"After the judge is dead..." He leaned forward and kissed her again, putting a hand on the back of her neck. Nellie pulled away and put a finger on his lips.

"Promise me," she whispered, running her thumb softly over his lower lip. He sighed and rested his forehead against hers.

"I... promise."

She knew he didn't mean it but she smiled anyway and kissed him deeply. Sweeney leaned back on the bed, pulling her down with him and wrapping his arms around her. He broke their kiss to nip along her neck. Nellie moaned and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

"It's been a while," she whispered, smirking a bit as she began to kiss his neck in turn. He let out a low growl of pleasure and tightened his grip on her waist.

"Yes... it has..." as he spoke he moved his hands to the laces of her corset, tugging at the laces. She smiled and kissed him again, running her hands along the sides of his torso. When the laces were loose enough, he removed her corset, barely losing space between them for more than a moment. He tossed the garment aside and ran his hands along the backs of her thighs and up her underskirts until they could rest on her hips. Smirking, he pulled her down for another kiss.

She moaned as his tongue entered her mouth and began to untie the laces of his trousers, rubbing the bulge in his pants as she worked. He groaned into the kiss and she took his shaft in hand as soon as she was able, stroking it softly. He smirked and bit her lip, drawing blood.

Nellie moaned in pain and pleasure and removed her hand to pull his pants further down. As she did so he took her breast into his mouth and sucked softly, running his teeth over the nipple. She closed her eyes in pleasure and moaned again, letting her fingers trace through his hair. He moved his mouth back to hers and pulled her skirts to her knees. She took them the rest of the way off and kicked them to the ground.

As he positioned himself to enter her, he nipped lightly at her neck and she left out a soft breath. Slowly Nellie lowered herself onto him and moved her hips back and forth. He let out a dark growl to match the carnal groan that left her own lips. Sitting up, he sat her on his lap and bit down on her shoulder as she moved against him. Nellie ignored the pain and focused solely on the pleasure of the moment. He bit harder until it was enough to scar and she let out a small gasp.

"Sweeney-" she got out before he interrupted her with his lips to hers. Her blood flowed from her shoulder but Nellie kept going as he kissed her. As he deepened the kiss he began to leave claw marks down her back, deep and jagged. She moaned in pain and moved faster and harder hoping to end it sooner. Sweeney moved his blood soaked hands to her thighs and began to leave long drag marks on each as she moved, causing the lines to be jagged and more painful than her back had been. He growled into their kiss and she could feel herself crying though she fought through the pain and continued to work to finish him.

He continued to leave the scratches down the backs of her calves and the pain finally became enough for Nellie to gasp and pull off, covering herself with the blanket. "S-stop!" Her voice was full of panic and she desperately searched his wild eyes. She could see her blood soaking through the covers.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Mrs. Lovett," he growled harshly as he tore the blanket from her body. Nellie attempted to cover herself with her arms but Sweeney forced them away and pinned her to the wall, re-entering her painfully. With each pump her back hit the wall and she gave a small cry of pain. She struggled but his grip was too firm.

"Stop!" She screamed but he didn't hear her or else ignored her. He bit down on her bleeding lip and thrusted into her harder. Nellie closed her eyes as she cried and waited for the ordeal to end. All she ever wanted was for him to just love her.

Sweeney finished with a grunt and pulled away from her entirely. Nellie covered herself immediately. "I did this..." he said slowly, out of breath from the exertion. "I did this, whether you appreciate it or not, for you, Mrs. Lovett." She didn't say anything and watched him in fear as he stood and began to dress himself. He walked over to the counter and dipped a cloth in water. Had those been there all night? Had he planned this? Turning back towards her, he approached slowly.

Nellie looked at him in disbelief and pressed herself as far as she could against the wall. "Don't touch me," she whimpered, watching him with panicked eyes.

Sweeney sighed and pulled the blanket from her. Nellie held herself and drew her knees in tight, closing her eyes. He ignored her and began to carefully press the cloth against the backs of her calves, cleaning the wounds. When he had cleaned her legs thoroughly he took the gauze from his nightstand drawer. He bound each leg carefully and pulled her ankles to bring her legs down and cleaned out the wounds on her thighs. She didn't say anything and shivered as he worked.

"These will all scar," he said as he bound her thighs and began to clean her shoulder wound. She swallowed hard and kept her gaze away from him. "Relax, Mrs. Lovett. I will not hurt you further." He taped the gauze down with medical tape on her shoulder as he spoke. "You can dress yourself as soon as I clean the scratches on your back." She nodded briefly and turned around so that he could do what he had to and she could cover herself.

As soon as he finished she dressed herself and began to walk towards the door. He got up quickly and blocked her exit. "I did not say that you could leave. If you have forgotten, we need to begin sharing a bedroom or the boy will suspect we are not wed."

Nellie sighed shakily and avoided his gaze. For the first time in a while she felt afraid of him. "I don't care. I don't want to sleep here."

"Well, then. We'll sleep in your room." Sweeney picked her up and held her tightly against him, throwing her over his shoulder like a child. She struggled but conceded when she did not have the strength to escape his grip. Sweeney carried her down the stairs and through the pie shop to her bedroom, locking the door behind him. He placed her on the bed not quite gently.

She sighed shakily looking up at him. "You don't sleep with me."

"Yes, I do," he said sharply as he layed down next to her and pulled her tightly against his chest. She closed her eyes and held in a sob, pressing her face against his chest. He placed his chin on top of her head and put a gentle kiss there. She swallowed and snuggled closer despite herself.

"You hurt me," she whispered softly.

"I know, pet," he sighed, stroking her hair. "It was for your own good..."

Her face broke for a moment and she looked up at him sadly. "Why?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Must you know the answer to everything?"

She frowned again sadly and looked away from him, snuggling closer in his arms. Even after he manages to break her more she can't help the love she has for his embrace.

"I... promise you. Once the scars are healed, I will never attack you as such again."

Nellie sighed shakily and nodded against his chest. "Okay..."

"Tell me, Mrs. Lovett, did you think I would kill you?"

She swallowed and took a deep breath. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Because..." he said softly, stroking her back. She allowed it despite the painful stinging it caused. "I need you. Without you... who would take the victims?"

She swallowed again and opened her eyes. "Of course you 'need' me."

"Do not doubt me, Mrs. Lovett. I came back. I made your silly promise."

"I don't doubt you need me, I doubt you really care about me. That's all."

"If I did not care would I be holding you so? Would I have done what I had to you?"

"You want me to be yours, but you can't be mine," she whispered into his chest. No matter what she would do, he would never be hers.

"What ever are you talking about?" He asked as he tugged lightly on a curl of her hair.

"You know."

"Tell me, I have no idea what you're getting on about."

Nellie bit her tongue and hesitated a moment. "Good night, Mr. T."

"Nellie," he said with harsh impatience, "tell me."

"Nothing," she sighed. "I'm tired. Let me sleep."

"Not until you tell me whatever it was that you were going on about!" As he spoke he tightened his grip around her painfully and growled threateningly. Nellie sighed and held in the tears she felt in the corners of her eyes.

"Why did you have to hurt me like that... to prove something? I'm already yours, love. You should know that by now." As she spoke Nellie could hear her voice crack.

"It's not you I'm trying to prove it to, or myself either," he spoke softly, easing his grip on her slightly.

"What is it then?" Her voice was exasperated and the tears came slowly down over her cheeks.

"Good night, Mrs. Lovett," he said softly, tightening his grip once more and closing his eyes. Nellie sighed heavily and wiped the tears from her face.

"Good night, Mr. T."