A/N: Well Halloween was a success full of being cold and dying, so I figured it would be a good time to just stay inside and update my story... So I did. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Sweeney pulled out his razor holding the boys shoulder tightly.
"Apologize to Mrs. Lovett boy..." He said deeply and slowly, the threat in his voice thick as blood.
"No, she needs to know what a horrible man ya are!" Toby said overly confident.
"Toby dear just say sorry and this will all be over..." Nellie cried, knowing Sweeney wouldn't hesitate to kill the boy.
Todd placed his razor in front of the boys throat and heard him gasp in fear, "I said apologize to her!"
Toby's stayed silent, he could feel the blade pressing into his skin ever so slowly, but he stood strong. Beads of blood appeared on his neck which caused Nellie to scream.
"Sweeney! Don't hurt him!"
"He needs to learn a lesson!" Sweeney growled in response.
"Don't hurt him!" Nellie yelled firmly.
"Your on my last string boy, you screw up one more time and I'll make your life a living hell. That includes going to the law, you stay quiet or its over."
Toby nodded sighing in relief as the blade was taken from his throat.
"But a punishments still in order."
A flash of silver and blood dripped from the boys cheek. Sweeney heard him cry out in pain and watched as Nellie ran over to him worriedly.
"I didn't kill him, consider yourself lucky..." Sweeney snarled at Nellie before turning and walking out of the shop, slamming the door behind him.
——————————————————
Sweeney hadn't joined everyone for dinner, ever since he'd lashed out at Toby all had been silent upstairs. Nellie was worried about him but when she'd gone to check on him she smelled the alcohol and decided it was best not to intrude. She'd have to deal with him later anyway, she knee what was going to happen and she was scared. He had no control over his emotions when he was drunk, he'd be fine one moment and lash out at her the next.
The table was quiet, Johanna had heard the truth of what had happened by Toby. She'd told him she would talk to her dad after dinner and Toby kept giving her looks as if encouraging her to finish eating. Of course Nellie knew of none of this and she didn't care much, she sat silently worrying about Sweeney...
Sweeney was upstairs drinking his problems away. He was halfway through his stash of gin in his room and he reached for yet another bottle.
"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and its filled with people who are filled with shit..." Sweeney slurred before tipping the bottle back and taking a swig of gin.
He was sitting in his chair shirt untucked and buttoned to his lower chest. It was dark out and he was aware he had missed dinner, or had been before getting drunk. The door opened but Todd didn't react at all he just stared at the wall taking another swig.
"Father?" Johanna's voice was timid but not fearful.
"What is it?" He snapped still not looking at her.
"Toby told me what you did..."
"THAT LITTLE SHIT!" He roared standing up and stumbling to the door.
"Dad no!" Johanna yelled. "Don't hurt him! I just want to know, what did he do?"
"He called Nell a bitch," he growled, "that little bastard called my Nellie a bitch..."
Johanna was surprised by this... She thought he loved Mrs. Lovett.
Johanna heard a loud thump causing her to snap back into reality and saw her father on the floor, passed out.
"Great..."
——————————————————
Sweeney woke up in his chair. His door was closed and he assumed Nellie was sleeping. He stood stumbling slightly and only then seeing the glass covering the floor and the empty bottles of gin on his desk. It was late afternoon and he heard angry shouts coming from outside. He walked to his door, quickly buttoning his shirt and tucking it into his trousers. As he walked onto his balcony he saw a line of angry men on his stairs.
"There he is!" One of them shouted.
"We've been waitin' out 'ere for hours!"
All of his customers who had made appointments glared at him angrily.
"I do apologize gentlemen..." He was taken by surprise by a slight slurring of his words. "I'll tame you now..."
Sweeney opened the door and watched as they all filed in. He turned back to see the group of eleven men standing in his shop one already sitting in his chair. He knew Nellie would kill him if he sent all of them to the bakehouse but he figured he'd go down and clean everything before she woke up.
Locking the door behind him he pulled out his razor and plastered a fake smile of his face.
"Well gents, this'll be over very soon."
"Oh it better be Mr. Todd or you'll be the one paying u..."
He was cut off by Sweeney's razor cutting open his throat. All the men stood, staring horrified at the body. More blood splattered the floor as he slid his razor rather calmly across their throats. Finally the ten were dead... wait... ten? There were eleven. He turned to see one of them turning the knob of the now unlocked door. Grabbing the man by the collar Sweeney dragged him into his chair and smirked at his fearful expression.
"No one leaves my shop sir, unless I choose..."
And with that the mans throat was slit and he stopped struggling.
The door burst open and Sweeney turned to see Toby standing in the doorway. He stood still staring, terrified at the bodies on the ground.
"Hello lad," Sweeney grinned pulling the boy inside the shop, "I have to send these bodies down to the bakehouse.
Tobys eyes widened. No wonder Mrs. Lovett's never let him go down there. There were bloody bodies rotting away!
"Why dont you clean up the blood," Todd smirked as he dragged the bodies to the trapdoor.
Toby didn't move. He thought about running out and yelling for the coppers but he knew if Mr. Todd saw him try to escape he'd kill him on the spot. Wanting to save his own neck he walked forward gagging as he stepped in a large puddle of blood.
"That's it lad, for once your being smart..."
Sweeneys foot hit the pedal and Toby watched as the bodies fell down into the glowing bakehouse below. He flinched at the sound of bones cracking and the loud thump the bodies made as they hit the ground. He slowly backed away to the door hoping the barber wouldn't see him. He began to turn the doorknob just as Sweeney caught his movement.
"And where do you think your going lad?"
Toby pulled open the door and ran slamming it behind him to slow Sweeney down.
"Shit," Sweeney muttered pulling on a jacket over his shirt to hide the blood.
Walking out of the shop trying to act calm he scanned the street looking for the boy. He saw Toby running up to men in the street. The main response he got was being shoved away which caused Sweeney to calm but a man suddenly crouched down to Toby's height. Immediately Todd sped towards the boy hearing him yell terrified.
"Sir I need ya help! Please come with m..." Toby stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
The man in front of him stood to meet Mr. Todd's height.
"Im sorry sir, my son," Sweeney started, he felt Toby cringe hearing the word, "he doesn't want to help me clean up my shop, I apologize for him bothering you..."
The man shook his head kindly, "no need to apologize he's a young boy, he doesn't know better, good day to you sir."
——————————————————
"Nell?" Sweeney asked, all was silent in the room, she hadn't said a word to him, she was obviously hurting.
No response.
"I love you..." He whispered.
"Then why?" She choked, trying to hold in her tears, "why does it hurt so much to love ya? Why is it that ya don't care that I'm hurting? That your so fine with taking Toby from me? That your fine with taking advantage of me when either one of us is drunk? Why? Toby was right, I was too busy fallin' head over heels for ya I didn't realize I was bein' used."
Sweeney felt the bed lift as her weight was taken off of it. He heard the door open and close quickly and then the soft sound of a bell ringing as Nellie left him. Todd tried to keep his emotion hidden, he was never a man to cry. But his feeling of loss and self-hatred brought tears to his eyes and he let out a soft sob not wanting to be found.
He was alone, he'd never felt so lonely. Mrs. Lovett's had always been there for him. But now he sat alone, no one to comfort him. And though the rain outside fell hard, the only sound echoing through the room were the heavy sobs of the demon barber of Fleet Street...