Chapter 1: She Lied To Me
Note: This is my next Sweeney Todd fic. It will not be a Sweetnett, so I figured I'd warn you. This is a what if fic, and I hope it will be acceptable.
They were out there, the vermin of the world. I paced impatiently as I waited for my next victim. I had already killed two today. The first was an old man, who had to watch his wife die, and I reunited them in death. The next was a man who once overheard beating his daughter, and I sent him to hell. I made sure he suffered before he died.
What worthless bastard beat his own child. I could never hold mine again, and he beat his. I turned to my portrait of my wife and daughter. My beautiful Lucy and Johanna. Never cold I hold my daughter, Never could I feel my wife kiss my lips. My name was Benjamin Barker, and I had these amazing ladies in my life.
But that vile judge wanted my wife to himself, and sent me away after a false charge. Blaming me for breaking into his home, as if he didn't have his lackey do the deed for him. He sent me to hell on earth where many had been worked to death. But I survived. I was stronger, physically and mentally, I was no longer naive, I was no longer the weak man who didn't have the strength to protect his family. Starting a prison fight, I had used it to slip away.
But the boat I used couldn't survive the storm. Thankfully the sailor Anthony found me and saved my life. We sailed through so many places and it took about a year to return. Every night I dream of my family, my world, my everything. But when I finally returned to this black pit my dreams were destroyed.
I had come across my old home, but a baker had taken it in my place. The very baker that was out there feeding them her pies. She had told me what had happened to my family. That worthless, subhuman judge had hounded my wife. She refused his advances until he had tricked her to come to a party to apologize. He drugged and DEFILED her.
One of my reasons for breathing and he did that to her. She was driven to suicide and took her own life with arsenic. That ANIMAl DESTROYED HER! Then he took my daughter for his own. He is not worthy to touch them. No one was worthy to touch them.
The judge would die, even if I had to kill him with my bare hands. After I killed a man I knew from before. Who wanted to use his knowledge of who I was to extort him, just because I humiliated him in a shaving contest. Lovett took the man's ward for her own. And she came up with the brilliant idea of baking him into a pie. I could kill people and kill the judge.
And when I had my opportunity, Anthony barged in and ruined everything. I vowed after that I would kill everyone I could get away with. So this was what I was doing now. "Someday my angels, you will be avenged." I looked out the window to see if anyone was coming. I saw Toby trying to remove the beggar woman once again.
I wondered why Lovett seemed to hate her so much. As I was about to turn the boy accidentally knocked the woman over. As he helped her back up her hat had fallen and I could see her face, and her hair. That yellow hair. I turned to pick up my family's portrait. The face matched as well. That woman is my Lucy, but she is dead, it cannot be.
Then it dawned on me. I could feel my rage burning. That woman let me think my wife was dead. I was going to confront her tonight, and she would pay. "So, you are vermin after all." After the day had ended I waited for her to retire to bed.
Grabbing my razor I crept down the stairs. Once I got to her room I kicked the door wide open. Lovett screamed and leapt off her bed. "Mr T, what the hell do you think you're doing?" "I know about my Lucy. She is the beggar woman, and you knew it."
"I, I can explain," Lovett whimpered. "No explanations. I know you want me to yourself." "I love you sweeney. I did it for you I swear." "I've seen you treat her like a dog, Lovett, you don't give a damn about her."
"You're right I don't. She doesn't deserve you, but I will make you happy. How could that thing care for you like me? I would be twice the wife she was." thing, she called my Lucy a thing, and no, she'd never be the wife like Lucy was. Lucy wouldn't let me believe a lie to have me for herself.
"Thing, Mrs Lovett, My Lucy is just a thing." She began to try to sneak around me. I grabbed her and pulled her in front of me. I squeezed her arm so hard she whimpered. "That thing was twice the woman you will ever be. And you shall suffer for your lies my pet."
I grabbed her by the neck of her nightgown with one hand and lifted her off the ground with one arm. I aimed my razor at her neck with my other. "I will see you in hell." Just then a sharp pain went through my back and I dropped the baker. She leapt to her feet and took off. "Run mum" I heard the brat say.
"I'll slow him down." I turned to see the boy holding a rolling pin. He rushed at me with it and I grabbed it, yanking it from him. He tried to hold it, but he was no match for me. "I won't let you kill my mum." "She left you here to be killed by me" I snarled.
I wrestled the boy to the ground, laying on top of him. Aiming at his neck I slew him like many others. I then tore out of the room to see she rushed outside. I tore after her seeing her turn around into a dark alley. I spun into the alley and couldn't see her, but there was no way out without getting past me. "There was a barber and his wife," I said.
"A man sent him away to have her for himself. When he returned he learned he lost his light. Oh but the baker was a selfish witch and lied. His Lucy was still alive, being treated like garbage by the world. Now the barber will remove another piece of filth." I heard a scream and I felt myself slam hard into the ground.
I felt a weight drop on top of me and felt fists smashing into me. "You killed my son you bastard" Lovett screamed as she hit me. She had her knees pressed into me, and her legs were surprisingly strong. But I grabbed her wrists stopping her punches and after a brief struggle wrestled her off me. She went to slap me but I grabbed her wrist and wrenched it behind her back. As I was about to kill her, I was startled by a crash.
She took advantage of my distraction to break my hold and escape. There was a man she rushed past. "What's happening back here?" I realized this was an officer. I walked toward him holding my razor, and I pulled out the one I always had holstered. "put down the razors sir" he ordered.
I walked out of the shadows and he began to quiver. The officer's eyes widened at the cold glare in my eyes. "I have a gun, sir, I'm warning you" he stammered. I rushed him and slammed him into the alley wall. But he was strong and shoved me back. He reached for his gun and I grabbed it.
We wrestled for the gun, and battled with all our strength. He was damn strong, but I was far from weak. I wasn't a big man at all, but almost fifteen years of hard labor did much for me. Was one last ram from my shoulder his gun hit the ground with a clang. I pinned him to the wall in a way that his arms were trapped behind him. "Anyone who tries to kill the demon barber shall die."
My friend ended him. I left the alley but the baker was long gone. I walked back home and disposed of Toby. I collapsed in my chair and grabbed the picture of my wife and child. I will save Johanna, I will avenge my Lucy, and I will kill Mrs Lovett. I also will save my angel somehow.
Meanwhile I didn't realize a certain baker made a similar vow. "I will avenge you Toby, I will kill him." As for me, I couldn't sleep last night. The world will pay, it will suffer.
Note: So here we go, everything will change now. Will Sweeney rescue Johanna, will he kill the judge. As for Sweeney and Lovett who will kill who. I will try to keep this one on a weekly schedule to hopefully write it better. I'll probably make this M for on screen killing and fights though I will keep them light. There will be time skips through the story, and Lovett will get stronger as she prepares to kill Sweeney, but this fic isn't about dominance and it isn't the main focus.
Her attempted vengeance is only one of the many things that will happen in this story. There will also be POV switches at times but they will stay in first person.
