Wow…don’t even ASK me where the HECK this came from! I was just sitting at my computer, minding my own business when WHAM! IDEA! And it just wouldn’t leave me alone, so…here. Kind of depressing, but it has a happy (ish…) ending:)

I DO NOT OWN SWEENEY TODD! (Meh…)

The blade which Sweeney Todd normally held so lovingly fell to the wooden floor with a clatter that broke the hellish silence. He looked at his hands; the vessels which had driven the blade into the flesh of countless nameless victims. They were clean now—physically—but the blood remained fresh in his mind.

Bloody murder…bloody murder…

All of them…dead. It did not affect him at all during the day when the sun broke through the gloom of his shop, or even just the sound of rain beating against the roof. But in the clutches of night…he was exposed. Nothing protected him from the words that echoed in his mind over and over…

Bloody murder…bloody murder…

“No…” he whispered, closing his eyes tightly and covering his ears with his hands. He gritted his teeth. Flashes of their wide eyes, their silent screams, their bleeding throats shot through his head. What thoughts were racing through their minds before the life slipped from their bodies completely? What could it possibly be like to feel your life’s blood spill over your chest at the hands of a barber?

Bloody murder…bloody murder…BLOODY MURDER!

“NO!” Todd dropped to his knees on the hard wood floor, his eyes still tightly shut. “NO! NO! NO!” He shook his head.

His entire body trembled in the cold night, though it had nothing to do with the temperature. Even if he avenged her, how could his Lucy love him now? How could anyone love such a monster? How could Johanna…?

“Mr. T?” Mrs. Lovett asked as she pushed the door open without bothering to knock first. She was still in her night gown, her hair fell messily over her shoulders and her face was absent its usual makeup. She spotted Sweeney in the center of the room and gasped. “My God…Mr. T!” Nellie grabbed the heavy blanket she had placed on the trunk earlier that day and rushed over to him.

She quickly draped the blanket around his quivering shoulders and held him close, dropping to her knees as well. Now, this was something he never would have allowed under any normal conditions, but this was different. The barber was so hopelessly out of it that he hardly noticed her presence. He continued staring at the floor, his breathing and heart beat frantic.

“Mr. Todd, wot’s ‘appened to ya?” she asked him. She got no response. Turning to face him, she put a hand on both of his cheeks and forced him to look at her in the eyes. In his own she saw not rage or anguish, as she normally did, but fear. Pure unrelenting fear.

Suddenly, through the silence, two words escaped the barber’s lips: “Bloody murder…” He spoke them so softly that Nellie could barely hear them.

“Wot was tha’, love?”

“BLOODY MURDER, MRS. LOVETT!!!” She was taken aback by his sudden outburst. For a moment, the rage returned to his steely eyes. She removed her hands from his face and put them on his shoulders once more.

The silence took the shop again, and the two just stared at each other. The only sound that could be heard was the heavy breathing of Mr. Todd. “They’re haunting me, Nellie…” he stated, his voice barely a whisper, “They’re everywhere, all around me. I can’t get their screams out of my head…” He again placed his hands over his ears.

Mrs. Lovett just kneeled beside them, dumbfounded. What was she supposed to say to something like this? Sweeney Todd had always been mad, but she feared he may finally be going completely bonkers. Still, she couldn’t rightly just tell him that, could she?

Todd stared out into space in front of him. What little color he may have had in his face was long gone, completely drained from his features. The blade was a little ways in front of him, glimmering slightly in the faint moonlight.

Nellie wanted more than anything to say something reassuring, but bless her, she just couldn’t think of anything! Was there anything she could say? She doubted any combination of words could do anything to help. Instead, she just held him closer, pulling him into a…dare she think it…hug, feeling his frantic breathing against her own body.

For Todd, it began to have an effect. To feel the heat of another human being instead of the cold clutches of a restless spirit…He felt his heart begin to slow, along with his breathing, and he felt the voices begin to become silent. The shaking stopped.

As his mind began to clear and function once more, he became aware of everything around him, namely the blanket around his shoulders and Mrs. Lovett…so close to him. She turned her face toward him and their eyes met. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help the light blush that crept onto her face then. She was glad it was dark.

Sweeney sighed deeply. “Are you…alrigh’, love?” Mrs. Lovett asked. The barber quickly looked away from her, picking up his razor from the floor and standing shakily. Slowly, he moved toward the table and placed his “friend” in its case.

Nellie stood and faced him. He had his back to her, and didn’t turn as he spoke: “I’m sorry you had to see that…” he whispered, his voice conveying next to no emotion.

“Oh…well…” Again, she was at a loss for words. Once more, silence descended upon the room. Todd quietly closed the case, still not turning. “As long as…you’re okay, dear…” She moved toward the door and turned the handle. As an afterthought, she added “Be sure to keep that blanket around ya, Mr. T. Gets awful cold in London ‘round this time of year.” With that, she exited, pausing slightly before descending the stairs to go back to bed.

In the tonsorial parlor, Todd pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and listened. All that reached his ears was silence. There were no voices plaguing his thoughts. With a sigh, he sat down on the cot in the corner of the room. How long had it been since he last slept? He couldn’t remember ever even feeling tired.

The barber laid his head on the pillow. If he hadn’t felt exhausted before, he certainly did now. For once, there was nothing to keep him awake.

He closed his eyes.

Again, not all too happy with the ending. But it’s not my opinion I’m worrying about. It’s yours! So come on! Push the button…