Will you still love me?

02

Toby peaked out at the couple, he was so conflicted about what to do. He still didn't trust Todd, he had almost killed her after all! But he still loved Eleanor, she had cared for him as no one had ever done before. He was trying to think of something, and he had tried to push aside the idea that she had something to do with there being body parts in the pies, but he couldn't. Perhaps she had no choice? Perhaps he had forced her to get rid of the bodies that way? He knew that telling the authorities would put her in danger, and he couldn't let that happen, he needed to know the full truth, and so, after a few extra minutes of trying to come up with the perfect plan. This whole thing was confusing to him, and although he didn't completely trust her, he still cared deeply about her. All because of her, the past while had been amazing, he was treated so well, and he felt like he finally had the chance to have a normal childhood and family. So, when they weren't looking his way, he slowly and quietly sneaked out of his hiding place, he was so scared, what if they tried to kill him too? He was sure that Eleanor wouldn't let Todd do such a thing, but still, his legs were shaky with each step that he took.

"Ma'am," Toby spoke up to them, and the two stopped in their steps, Eleanor had turned around quickly, a look of relief on her pale face as she saw him, her dress dancing elegantly around her ankles as she did so, and with a blink of an eye, she hurried over to him, kneeling to his height and giving him a tight hug. He was more like a son to her than anything else, she cared so much about the little boy, and although Todd had never been as fond of him, she did everything she could to try and keep him safe. Locking him in the cellar was the hardest thing that she had done, she had no idea if he was going to be safe or what, and she was so glad that she saw him standing there, alive and well. Toby had returned the tight hug, leaving Todd awkwardly standing alone, unsure of what to do, and he wanted to tell them to hurry up and get upstairs, as he needed to figure things out, but he knew that Eleanor had worried about the boy.

"I was so worried about you Toby! Good God I thought I'd never see you again!" Eleanor was quick to say, her voice proving that she had been worried, and she pulled away a bit from the boy, looking over him to make sure that he was in fact alright and safe.

"I'm fine Ma'am," Toby meekly said to her, looking up at Todd, his gaze ensuring the older man that he knew everything, he had seen the whole thing take place.

"We need to go back up and we need to figure out what we are going to do next. I am sure that people are going to be looking for the Judge and Beedle, we need to ensure that we don't get caught." Todd said sternly to them, as Eleanor stood back up, looking over to Todd then down at Toby, who was hugging her waist gently. Toby had been through a lot, but nothing like this.

Eleanor figured that the poor boy knew everything by now, saw everything, so she didn't try to force him to let go of her, she was sure he needed that extra comfort.

So, the trio made their way carefully up stairs once again, Todd was in the front, Toby still holding onto Eleanor for any hope of comfort he could get. Todd led them into the bakery and over to a nearby table, where they all took a seat. Todd sat across from the two others, and Eleanor sat next to Toby, who had now resorted to laying his head on her chest while she gently rubbed his back. Her elegant pale fingers running soft circles against the back of his shirt fabric.

Toby had closed his eyes, he felt so safe like this, he was sure that she would never hurt a soul, he just didn't know how to ask her about what he saw that day. So he instead stayed silent as the two adults were quiet as well, both trying to figure out what to do next. Eleanor had no idea if people knew where the Judge or Beadle had gone. But she was sure that they would need to get rid of all evidence of the crimes and come up with a solid story to try and tell the authorities if need be.

Toby had fallen fast asleep, the day had been so long for him, and he was so tired from what had all happened. Eleanor just let him rest. "We need to get rid of everything. Ensure that there are no bones or fabric in the furnace, get rid of the evidence and frame it on someone else. Or we can try and get away, but then we risk having our faces and names plastered around as being wanted." Eleanor said softly to Todd, looking down to the young boy.

"We need to leave as soon as possible, get as far away as we can. But yes, we need to ensure the authorities aren't on our trail. You make sure the boy is put to bed and start to clean what you can. I'll start with the blood." Todd said sternly to her as he moved to get up, and Eleanor gave him a faint nod. These were going to be a very long few days for them