A/N: Yes, I know, I should be working on the final chapter of “Breathe On Me” (shameless endorsement for those of you who haven’t read it yet. Wink wink. Ha), but I got the idea for this little diddy (oh lord, I can’t believe I just wrote that) when I was listening to the song Better Than Me by Hinder. Beautiful song.

This story revolves around an alternate ending, as if Todd and Lovett had made it out alive, now having a life “by the sea”. Todd never found out about Lucy, and, thus the plot of the story, the guilt plagues Mrs. Lovett.

Make sure to review. As always, I base my characters more around the Sweeney Todd 2005 revival, but Carter and Depp always seem to fit in the plot.

Once again, review. Kelsey loves reviews.

I think you can do much better than me

After all the lies that I made you believe

Guilt kicks in and I start to see

The edge of the bed

Where your nightgown used to be

As normal, Lovett couldn’t sleep. Regardless of the soothing sounds of the ocean, the soft pattering against their tiny abode as high tide came, nothing seemed to relax her enough for slumber. She knew why, of course—why her own plague continued. Guilt, shameless, unforgivable guilt.

She shivered as she remembered the deafening crackling of the fire as she watched (as did he, unknowingly) Lucy Barker--whom all his vengeance and repayment involved—burn. When he had left, she had made sure to dispose of the “meat”, so to speak. Even with her strong demeanor, she didn’t have the heart to cook his wife--his true beloved—into pies for sale.

So it was this evening, this routine evening, that she the lay awake, staring at Mr. Sweeney Todd--more Barker now--hoping that he would awaken to pull her into his embrace. He had changed since Turpin was killed. Sure, he wasn’t the doting husband she wanted, but she never expected it from him. He had, however, let go of some of the anger and hatred that boiled within him for all the years. Slowly, he had begun to let her into his life, and, she hoped, also begun (dare she say it?) to love her.

But how could anyone learn to love a beast? A hidden beast—mind you. She had only lied to him for his love, but was that a legit way to gain someone’s affections?

Lovett bit her tongue, forcing the tears back in her throat. ‘Grow up,’ she thought to herself. ‘You knew good and well that this would happen—that your lies would come back to haunt you. You did this to yourself, Nellie Lovett, now learn to deal with the consequences.’

She could never tell him the truth, of course. That would ruin everything--everything they had gained over the past year ‘down by the sea’. Besides, she didn’t think she could physically live without him by her side--whether it was a soft lover, a companion, a friend, an enemy. Even in his past hatred, he gave her company, something she had missed dreadfully since Albert had died.

She knew he deserved better. She realized that she should have let them be together again--let him take that damned beggar into his arms, coaxing her back to recovery slowly. But the beast in her let the lie lose, and there wasn’t a countering angel behind that façade to come clean.

Pulling the sheets up to her chin, she turned her back to him, sleeping on her side. She couldn’t bare to look at him any more, even in his sleep.

She had to tell him.

Someday.

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me