Chapter Eight: Reconciliation
Two weeks had passed since Mr. Todd had viciously attacked Mrs. Lovett in the bedroom. Keeping to his word, he had not laid a hand on her since the incident and had made an effort to keep a respectable distance from her when they were together. He even chose to sleep in his parlor after Toby had gone to bed and waking early so that there would be no suspicion that they had had a falling out. The deep cuts he had left on her back and thighs were healing though the scabbing still cracked open occasionally when Mrs. Lovett bent at the waist or sat down too quickly.
To hide the bite marks on her neck and shoulders, Nellie had taken to wearing more conservative dresses than she normally chose to. After all, she could not have customers or, God forbid, Toby asking what had happened to her when they would know the obvious answer from the evidence she was giving. 'Poor Toby,' she often thought to herself as she cleaned the tables after work. 'Poor boy already hears far more than 'e should from that room. Doesn't need to see what 'e does to me, too.'
However, both Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett knew that sooner or later they would have to face each other again as they once had. Mrs. Lovett purely because she knew in her heart that no matter what awful thing he did to her, she was his, heart and soul, and would always come back to him. She hated it, but it was a truth she could not deny. At least with Albert she had the comfort of knowing that if she left him she would not miss him, just what comfort he brought with a roof over her head and an income to feed and clothe herself. She could get by on the streets without him but with Sweeney... she could never leave. She loved him and no matter what condition her body was in, her heart would always ache far worse than anything else.
As for Mr. Todd... he could not deny that he did need Mrs. Lovett. If assuaging her emotional needs meant that he had a roof under which to practice his trade and a way in which to eliminate those who did not leave his barber shop, then he would do so. As much as he tried to keep it to just that, he also could not deny that he needed her for his own emotional benefit. Without Lucy... it was a relief in a lot of ways to have someone be so devoted to him. Someone who would do his dirty work, lay in his bed, listen to him... All of that was wonderful but the thoughts that came with it were what haunted him. The way that he found that he increasingly thought of her throughout the day and her condition. At first his thoughts had only pertained to whether or not she needed help moving bodies in the bake house or whether she had remembered to dismember last night's victims for this morning's meat pies.
Now, however... now his thoughts included whether she had eaten that day and if he should perhaps go downstairs during the morning break and the slow period of the pie shop to check that she had, or what she might be doing below him in her own shop. Was she serving a customer at the moment? Fussing over the orphan boy? Maybe she was fixing her hair in that little cracked mirror in the kitchen. Those more than anything were the thoughts that disturbed him. When had she turned into something that truly mattered to him? How much did she matter to him? Surely not as much as Lucy... or Johanna. No, they were his focus. They were why he was here. They are what will matter most in a few months time when Mrs. Lovett has her child. It will always be them.
Slowly but surely, Sweeney had started to sleep in the bed with Mrs. Lovett once more, holding on tightly to her as he slept, almost as though he were afraid that she might run if he let his grip relax by even a tenth of what it was. Though at times the grip was painful and she found it hard to breathe, she let him do so; even after slight bruises on her side began to form. After all, he was holding her and as much as she wanted to hate him and herself, she would never pull away from his embrace. One particular night after work, Sweeney had decided that he would break their refrain from touching further. Getting to the bedroom first, he leaned against the wall in the upper right corner of the room and waited for her.
"Mrs. Lovett," he said darkly as she finally entered. Nellie jumped hearing his voice and held a hand to her heart as she caught her breath and looked for him, her eyes searching the dark room until they found him in the corner. His eyes boring into her.
"Mr. T..." she said softly, "you gave me such a fright!" Nellie sighed a bit shakily and closed the door, walking towards the vanity and starting to remove the pins from her hair for bed.
"How are... your wounds healing?" He asked a bit more kindly, standing up straighter and taking in her nervous expression. She lowered her gaze from the mirror, not wanting to even look at his reflection.
"How do you think?" Her voice was soft as she spoke and she worked a bit faster on her hair though her fingers were trembling.
Waiting until she was finished with removing the pins, he began to approach her slowly. Nellie swallowed and stood stiffly. Waiting to see what his intentions were. As he got nearer she felt her breath constrict and when he pulled the shoulders of her dress away to look at the still evident bite marks she inhaled a sharp breath but stayed where she was.
"Undress. Let me take a look at them all."He said a bit harshly, pulling the sleeve back in place.
Nellie stepped back looking at him and swallowing down the anxiety she felt broiling in the pit of her stomach. "Forget that," she said a bit shakily, meeting his gaze. She had not taken off the entirety of her clothing in front of him since he had attacked her.
Sweeney sighed, looking at her slightly panicked expression. "Mrs. Lovett, I've kept my word. I have not hurt you and had I intended to, you know very well I already would have." Nellie bit the inside of her cheek as he spoke and lowered her gaze. Hating that she still felt intimidated by him and so utterly devoted.
"I don't want you to touch me," she managed to say firmly, walking past him slowly to sit on the bed.
"Just undress yourself," he said a bit frustrated. "I need to look to see that they're all healing well and you know as well as I do that you cannot check them all yourself." Nellie sighed a bit shakily hearing the edge in his voice and nodded a bit, biting her lower lip. Standing, she starting to loosen the laces of her dress, letting it fall from her body and stepping out of it. She blushed a bit as he watched her and felt a prick of shame in her heart that she had been wearing her red and black lingerie beneath her clothing for days now. Even when she didn't want him to touch her... she was ready to let him.
Sweeney let a small smirk come to his face as he saw what she was hiding beneath her skirts. "If you did not want me to touch you... then why bother with this?" He gestured, coming a bit closer.
Nellie raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and trying to put on a brave face. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said simply.
"I think..." he said as he stepped closer and began to pull at the strings of her corset, "you do."
Nellie swallowed and smirked a bit back at him, feeling her breathing quicken with him so close and her self disgust growing, though not as quickly as her need for him to be closer. "Well... I'm always ready. You should know that by now."
"I thought you didn't want me to touch you?" Sweeney commented, helping her out of her bloomers and tights once the corset fell from her chest. Turning her back to face him, he began to examine the scratches down her back, running a hand over the ruts.
"It always depends, love..." she whispered, shivering as his hand went down her back. "On you."
He turned her again to face him, kneeling to examine the ruts on her thighs, running a hand along the inside and up towards her hips. "You will understand one day why I did this to you," he muttered to himself more than to Mrs. Lovett.
"Oh, 'cause you think I don't understand?" Nellie grabbed his hand, stopping it midway towards its destination. "It's not that I don't know what was on your mind. It's that I don't agree with it. That's all."
"It had to be done," he said a bit harshly, finishing his examination and standing back up. Taking one of his clean shirts from a nearby chair, he handed it to her roughly. "If you would still I rather not touch you."
Nellie bit her lips, looking at the shirt and closed her eyes for a moment, hating the ache in her stomach arguing with the need in her heart. Letting out a sigh she dropped the shirt and looked at him. "Do it."
Raising an eyebrow he began to take off his vest and denim over shirt. "Are you sure?"
"Mhm," she hummed, giving a small nod and dropping her gaze as he continued to undress. Sweeney watched her intently, searching her face as he removed his shirt and began to unlace his pants. Nellie looked back for a moment, giving him a quick smile before looking away again and dreading the awkward tension that warred inside her.
He stopped as she looked away and approached her until he was only a few inches apart from her. "You do not have to do this," he reminded her gently.
"I do," she whispered sadly, knowing if she didn't she would only feel guilty and even more shameful the next morning. He raised an eyebrow but did not press the subject. Sweeney put his hands on her arms and leaned in slowly, beginning to kiss her lightly and waited for a reaction.
Nellie closed her eyes as his lips pressed against hers and began to kiss him back softy, feeling her heart start to beat a bit quicker. Mr. Todd deepened the kiss once he felt her lips move against his own and held her against him as close as he could, his arms encircling her waist lightly; aware that she was just beginning to show signs of weight gain from the pregnancy. She could not help but smile a bit despite herself as she felt his arms surround her and broke the kiss softly.
"Mr. T?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and she kept her gaze below his eyes as she spoke. He loosened his grip a bit and looked down at her, taking in her expression and looking for hints of doubts.
"What is it, pet?" His voice was not unkind, but neither was it necessarily warm causing her to swallow a bit and hesitate before speaking again.
"I... I know you don't love me, and it's okay... but..." Nellie paused, forcing herself to look up into his eyes, ignoring the tension in her stomach. "Do you at least like me? Just... just a bit?"
Sweeney could not stop himself from smirking a bit. She really was a silly woman. "If I did not like you, would I even be so... intimate?" Nellie bit her lip as he finished and smiled slightly, feeling a tiny flood of relief dispelling some of the tension and shame; even though she knew that he could be lying.
"No, you wouldn't..." she whispered softly, kissing him again. He pulled her to him once again and deepened the kiss, trailing his hands down her back. Slowly, not breaking the kiss, he lifted her up against him, her legs wrapping around his waist on instinct. Sweeney walked them over to the bed and sat down, keeping her on his lap.
Smirking, Nellie broke the kiss softly and moved her lips to his ear, whispering "I wanna take a ride..." hotly into it. As she whispered he smirked and began to kiss at her neck.
"Be patient, Mrs. Lovett... be patient." He whispered back, biting her neck softly and eliciting a quiet moan. Moving back to her lips, he kissed her again before moving her onto her back and leaning over her softly. He kissed from her jaw to her shoulders, pressing light kisses over the bite marks on her skin and being careful not to press against any part still colored purple or red. Nellie swallowed a bit, unsure of whether he would bite again and smiled softly as he continued the kisses over the ruts on her thighs and calves, kissing every scratch he could find.
She moaned softly, encouraging him and hoping he would stay sweet and gentle as they went on. He moved himself back over her body and kissed her again lightly before whispering into her ear.
"Are you sure you want this?"
Nellie hesitated and slowly brought his gaze back to her so that she could look into his eyes. "I want you to make love to me," she whispered back, stroking his cheek softly and dispelling any last bit of tension and shame from her mind and body. She could feel ashamed in the morning when he wasn't being so caring.
Sweeney nodded softly and kissed her again before adjusting himself between her thighs. He guided the tip of his cock into her entrance and began to thrust into her softly, holding back a groan of pleasure and relief. Nellie moaned feeling him move inside of her once again and put her hands on his back softly, appreciating the gentle pace after what had happened last time.
He kept his pace slow and steady, not wanting to tear her if any damage had been done inside of her from his attack. He pressed his body against her lightly, trailing kisses along her shoulders. "Nellie..." Sweeney whispered in her ear, letting a soft growl escape him.
Mrs. Lovett bit her lip as he whispered her name in her ear, feeling her heart melt once again for him. She desperately wanted him to call her name again but kept the thought to herself, not wanting to spoil a good moment by upsetting him. She moaned again instead and moved her hands into his hair softly.
Hearing her moans he began to thrust faster, trying not to keep himself from going as fast and as hard as he wanted to. He missed being inside of her and feeling her wetness and warmth was driving him mad with relief and desire. Nellie moaned louder, ignoring a small bit of pain in the pleasure and caressed his back with her hands, wanting to pull him closer over her. "Oh, Sweeney..." she moaned, biting her lip.
His skin tingled wherever her hands touched him and it was all he could do not to go harder, burying his face in her neck, going faster instead. Nellie gasped as the speed picked up again and moaned loudly. "Fuck, Sweeney!"
Not wanting to be overheard by Toby and likely interrupted after so many quiet nights, Sweeney covered her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply and holding onto her waist tightly as they both reached climax. Nellie moaned loudly into the kiss as she felt the orgasm roll through her and relief flooded her body when it finished. Smiling tiredly she broke the kiss softly and looked into his eyes.
Pulling out slowly, Mr. Todd shivered a bit and looked between her thighs for a moment before laying down next to her on the bed. Without looking at her, he drew her against his chest, allowing her to face him and kissed her brow softly, rubbing her back as he ignored a tinge of guilt in his stomach. "Nellie... little Nellie..." he whispered to himself, sighing a bit.
"I love you so much..." she whispered quietly, not able to help herself and feeling the shame start to slip slowly back into her being. Instead of responding verbally or ignoring her, he hugged her to him tighter, unaware that the grip was painfully so. Nellie did not complain even though it was a bit hard to breathe and nuzzled against his chest lightly, breathing in his scent as she closed her eyes. "So much..."
He loosened his grip and pulled away slightly, sitting on the edge of the bed and running a hand through his hair. He could feel a slice of guilt in his heart and he could not deny that it was getting harder to simply use Mrs. Lovett as a means of relief and move on with his day. He hated it, but he needed to have some form of interaction with her. He looked back at her for a moment, noting the confusion and guilt in her eyes and the hesitation on her face. His gaze drifted down to her stomach, taking in the slight bump that was unnoticeable when she wore clothing before looking away again.
"W-what" Mrs. Lovett stuttered a bit, sitting up and cringing a bit as a scab on her thigh cracked open slightly. He kept his back to her and swallowed a bit thinking. He knew that if he went up to his shop he would not sleep at all this night and that most of the night would be spent pacing or fixated on guilt and anger as he looked at the portraits of his wife and child. If he stayed... if he stayed, he would feel less guilty in the morning for abandoning Mrs. Lovett again and there was a chance that he might sleep an hour or two before having to get up.
Sighing, he ran his hands over his face and forced a smirk before turning back and quickly putting Mrs. Lovett back onto her back, leaning over her once more. She gasped, her eyes widening with slight panic, unsure of whether he was being playful or worse. "S-Sweeney?"
He pinned her hands down and gave her a kiss, starting gently and slowly growing more passionate with each second, his thoughts centered only on the moment at hand. "I haven't finished with you yet, pet," he whispered into her ear, keeping her pinned beneath him. Nellie hesitantly kissed him back and bit her lip as he whispered into her ear, her heart beating madly against her chest in fear and excitement.
"Oh really?" She managed to say as he growled softly into her ear, kissing his way to her neck and shoulders and down over her chest and stomach to her thighs.
"No," he said a bit huskily, pushing her thighs apart, "I haven't."
Mrs. Lovett slowly calmed as he kissed her body and smiled widely at how evidently he wanted her again. She let out a quiet slightly teasing moan as he stroked her thighs and watched as he moved his face between her legs. He swirled his tongue over her clit and she closed her eyes, letting her head rest back on the bed and moaned again as he ran his tongue over her entrance. Nellie arched her back and placed a hand in his hair. "Oh, Sweeney," she sighed in pleasure, completely relaxed again.
Sweeney smirked as she moaned and said his name and began to rub her clit with his thumb as his tongue delved into her. Nellie gasped and moaned, holding back from pulling on his hair as he moved his tongue and thumb faster. He kept going until she came, licking her clean and kissing her clit softly before moving back over her and kissing her lips. Pulling away, he gave her a devilish smirk.
"How do you like the taste, Mrs. Lovett?"
Nellie licked her lips slowly and looked in his eyes seductively a bit dazed, not saying anything. Sweeney smirked and gave her a small kiss, biting softly on her lower lip before getting into a kneeling position in front of her on the bed, pulling her up so his erection was in front of her face. "If you're not going to speak, you might as well put those lips to good use."
She smirked looking in his eyes before looking over his cock.
"Well then," he smirked, putting her hand on his erection, "go on, my pet."
Nellie's smirk widened and she put her other hand on his erection as well. "Say you want me," she pouted as she spoke, looking up at him.
"Isn't that pretty obvious, love?" He smirked down at her, putting a hand in her hair softly.
"Aw, you called me"love,"" Nellie smiled a bit before moving her hands and taking him into her mouth slowly. Mr. Todd groaned at the feeling of her tongue against his erection and pushed on her head slightly.
"Nellie..." he said softly, swallowing a bit.
Mrs. Lovett smirked and twirled her tongue around the tip of his cock, stroking him with one of her hands. He pulled her hair a bit and closed his eyes, growling softly. Encouraged, Nellie stroked him harder with her hand before taking him into her mouth deeply, bobbing her head back and forth and moaning teasingly.
Sweeney managed to remain silent, pulling softly on her hair and moving his hips a bit until he was ready to come, growling deeply and releasing inside of her mouth as he let go of the back of her head. Mrs. Lovett swallowed and got on her knees slowly, kissing his chest, neck, and finally his lips.
"Love the taste, sweetie?" She whispered, smirking against his lips. He smirked and kissed her again, biting lightly down on her lower lip. He reached a hand between her thighs and began to rub her clit softly in circles, looking in her eyes. He deepened the kiss before growling against her lips as she moaned.
"Shall I enter you one last time, pet?"
"Anytime," she smirked against his lips, looking back into his eyes.
Placing a kiss lightly on her forehead, Mr. Todd pushed her gently onto her back once more and placed himself between her legs. She smiled watching him, thankful that this night had thus far turned out even better than previous nights they had spent together. As he guided himself into her, she closed her eyes and moaned softly, her hands going to his sides. No longer overly concerned with accidentally injuring her, Mr. Todd began to move harder and faster with each thrust, getting rougher.
"Oh God, Sweeney... Y-yes!" Mrs. Lovett moaned loudly, ignoring any pain that came from his roughness and focusing solely on the pleasure and comfort of having him so close to her.
Mr. Todd continued to go harder and faster as she moaned until he reached his limit, tangling his hands in her hair and pulling her close to him. He kissed her hard and deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth passionately. Nellie moaned and kissed back just as passionately, her hands going into his hair and pushing him closer to her as they both climaxed.
Sweeney pulled off of her softly after they finished and lay back down on his back. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her over to him and pulled her by the waist on top of him. He held her tightly to his chest, allowing her to snuggle against him softly. Trailing soft bites from her shoulder to her neck, he whispered softly. "Little Nellie Lovett... you never loved Albert, did you?"
Nellie sighed and moved so that her head could rest more comfortably on his chest. "Never."
"I know..." he replied softly, trailing his hands along her back softly, "you never moaned for him. The house beneath us was always stone quiet at night for such a newly wed couple." Sweeney smirked a bit and looked down at her after he spoke.
She smirked sadly in return, looking up at him and propping her chin up on his chest before looking away again. "I wanted you. Not him." Nellie swallowed a bit, trying to force memories of her marriage out of her head as they started to come sliding back to the forefront. Sweeney sighed and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"I know, pet. You weren't exactly secretive about it. I had Lucy though... and she was my life."
Nellie sighed a bit shakily as his wife was mentioned again. He could never forget her could he? Not for one fucking night? "I know that..." she bit her lip and kept her gaze down, frowning sadly. "I couldn't compete with her. The perfect Lucy..." she let herself smile quickly, hoping he would drop the subject. "What a lucky girl she was." Her voice was a bit bitter but soft.
"Come now, pet. Now is not the time to become bitter." He sighed, tracing her spine softly and causing her to shiver involuntarily. "I believe we've just had four very... strenuous encounters." He smirked and pulled her up a bit higher on his chest, sucking and nibbling on her earlobe. Nellie smiled sadly as he sucked on her ear.
"Mmh," she hummed a bit, sighing. Sighing himself, he tightened his grip on her and changed his tone to a bit more serious one.
"How is the child?"
"Everything is okay," she said softly, stroking his arm a bit with her thumb and biting her lip.
He loosened his grip slightly and turned onto his side, bringing her with him and holding her close to his chest. "That is... well, I suppose." Feeling a draft coming in from the open window, he looked over her small frame softly. "Here," he sighed, getting out of bed and retrieving the shirt she had dropped earlier. "You're going to get cold."
Mrs. Lovett smiled slightly, feeling her heart start to melt away again despite the jealously and shame she felt clawing their way back through her. "Thank you, love," she said softly, taking the shirt and putting it on over her head before laying back down and turning onto her side.
Deciding not to get dressed he lay back down beside her and pulled her back into his arms more tightly than before. His eyes darkened a bit as he felt the usual unease that came with tiredness and the slight mixture of anxiety and fear starting to churn in his stomach as the threat of nightmares and visions started to hone in on him again. Without meaning to, he let out a soft warning growl and closed his eyes. Mrs. Lovett frowned a bit, having never heard him growl like that before. "Love?"
He cleared his throat and opened his eyes. Loosening his grip a bit on her, he placed a hand at the back of her head protectively and stroked her hair softly. "It's nothing, pet... Just thoughts." Nellie nodded a bit and snuggled against his chest softly.
"You can tell me, love... I'm here for you. I will always stay..."
"No." He said firmly. "I can't. You may think that you understand why I have done what I have to you, pet, but I don't think you quite do." He tightened his grip almost painfully around her and she felt tears prick at her eyes a bit as a few cracks in the scabs on her back appeared. Pushing against his chest slightly, she pulled off enough to look up at him.
"You don't hold me that tightly, love. I'm here. I'm yours. I won't leave. Ever."
"I do not do what I do to prevent you from leaving, Mrs. Lovett," he sighed, looking back into her eyes; his own dark and thoughtful.
"I'm yours, love... what do you need now?" Mrs. Lovett frowned sadly watching his face. No matter what she seemed to do it was never going to be enough for him. Not even for a night.
"I know this..." he muttered, looking away. "As I've told you, it's not you that I worry about, pet." He pulled her against him once more and held her though not quite as tightly as he had before.
"Then what?" She asked softly against his chest.
"It's nothing, pet. Sleep." Mr. Todd pulled her tighter against him and she ignored the slight pain of it. He rain his hand through her hair softly and down over her back, feeling the scabs beneath the shirt and tightening his grip further as the guilt began to surface again. Nellie sighed and closed her eyes, kissing his neck softly.
"Night, love..."
After a while, when it was clear that she had fallen asleep in his arms, he kissed the top of hr head once more and whispered, "I only hurt you so that he cannot take you from me..." Then, after a few hours of silence and feeling her steady breath against him, he too succumbed to his nightmares.