Opheliac

Opheliac Chapter I "According to Plan"

A/N: I suddenly found myself inspired after almost a decade without writing fanfiction. I decided to have fun with this, rather than let myself get too hung up on every little detail. That being said, do not expect complete historical accuracy. I intend to do my best to keep Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett in character as much as I possibly can, however this being a "fan" fic, it obviously leaves room for fan interpretation. The characters and their likeness in this particular story are based off of the 2007 movie directed by Tim Burton, which I do not own.

"Opheliac" is a noun meaning "one who has delved into madness", in reference to Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet. The source of this word comes from Emilie Autumn's album, along with a song sharing the title name.

Opheliac 

Chapter I "According to Plan"

186 Fleet Street London, England 1846

Mrs. Lovett was as cunning as she was clever. Despite that, she was almost as delirious and twisted as her male counterpart, Sweeney Todd. The two of them were a deadly pair, each fueling the other's fires, feeding into both of their darkest desires - his pining need for revenge, and her desperate longing to be loved.

The widowed baker had spent a great deal of the last few years completely and utterly alone. As friendly as she was, she didn't have much for friends, what little family she had was dearly departed, and she spent the majority of her days puttering around her empty shop and living quarters, waiting for time to go by. By the time the man formerly known as Benjamin Barker showed up at her doorstep, the dark-haired stranger completely mesmerized her. He was like a wounded animal in need of her help, and almost instantly, he became her very own dark knight in shining armor.

She remembered him from the old days. Benjamin Barker was warm and kind, nothing like the cold and sorrowful man that stood before her now. The difference was as vast as night and day. There was something about this man, however, something hopelessly tragic that she was drawn to. He knew what it was like to be locked out of sight all these years, just like her. It was under an entirely different set of circumstances, of course. She was just a poor, childless widow, while he was a hardened fugitive that was ripped away from his family on a false charge.

Considering his reaction to the news of all that conspired after he was shipped away to Australia, Mrs. Lovett couldn't bear telling him that his beloved wife, his Lucy, was still alive. She knew that if she revealed Lucy's true fate, he would go in search of her, or at least, what was left of her. After all, she figured he had already been through enough for one lifetime and it was probably best to preserve the memories he had of his wife. The poison turned the once radiant Lucy Barker into a common beggar woman. She became nothing more than a deranged shell of what she once was, left to wander the festering streets of London. As time went on, Mrs. Lovett began to suffer the consequences of leaving out that one vital piece of information. Little did she know that the husk of Lucy Barker lingering around her shop would only be the beginning of her troubles.

Despite her almost complete lack of moral sense, Mrs. Lovett was indeed quite nurturing at heart. In fact, one of her biggest faults was that she was desperate for companionship, love, and acceptance - something of which she never truly experienced. She thought that by standing by his side and aiding him in his revenge, she could get him to return her affections and the two could live, really live, at last.

Although they were neighbors, Mrs. Lovett and Lucy never became more than acquaintances as they seldom interacted. Mrs. Lovett, being the nosey neighbor that she was, figured out very quickly exactly what happened to the Barker family upstairs. She heard Lucy and Johanna's cries through their thin walls and felt sympathetic towards her. She had hoped that the two might be able to bond over her tragedy and become friends, but unfortunately, the woman attempted suicide and ended up in Bedlam not long after. Mrs. Lovett took care of her child, Johanna, for a short time before Judge Turpin came for her. And then, just like that, she was alone once again.