A Time and Place for Us

Her Executioner

He put the ring back into his pocket and stalked towards Nellie, who jumped in startlement when he reached her. He didn't say a word, just opened the cabin and grabbed her arm to pull her inside, closing the door behind him. There they were once again, barber and baker in absolute darkness.

"Sweeney I..." Nellie began somewhat apologetically, realising he hadn't been in the cabin and thus couldn't have opened the door for her no matter how loud she screamed. He wasn't ignoring her... and she felt guilty, but also scared to be at the receiving end of his likely fury at her insults. And that was precisely the problem. Remembering her purpose, she summoned back that fieriness she was exhibiting in the corridor. "Let go of me!"

He released her arm and took a step back, determined not to lose control this time and say and do things he would later regret. However, he was going to be very clear with her. "You're not leaving me, Eleanor. Now or ever."

"You can't keep me with you against my will. I'm not your prisoner" she said but her delivery was weaker than she'd expected. There was something about being in the dark with him that had her on edge even if this time he wasn't as close and he had yet to take a razor out. Perhaps because it was a metaphor for their relationship, never knowing what to expect. "Just like I could never keep you with me against yours..."

Sweeney frowned. "What are you even on about now? I never attempted to leave you."

"No, you just planned to toss me into a bleeding fire, pregnant or not" she spat. She was so tired, she was no longer mincing her words. But the panic that invaded her whenever she dared to speak her mind like this, to be more forceful or firm or do something she knew he didn't approve of was the very reason she was doing all that now. Only that this time, she came prepared.

In her travel bag was a small gun she'd bought years ago when she was a lone widow at mercy of thugs and whatnot. It was a form of protection though she fortunately never had to use it. That was the same reason she decided to bring it to America with her, not knowing what dangers they could encounter. And what Nellie feared the most at the moment was standing mere inches from her. She was determined to pull the trigger if she had to, regardless of whether her target was the man she'd always loved. Because there was someone she loved even more now, an innocent being she would not fail even if that was the last thing she did.

Sweeney was silently pondering her words, thinking of what to say to that as Nellie took a couple of steps back until she felt the wall behind her. She edged left towards the side of the bed where she remembered seeing her travel bag last time the corridor door was fully open and light came in. Sure enough, the back of her legs soon collided with the old leather bag. Knowing she had the weapon close; she took a deep breath before saying with surprising vehemence: "This... what we have now has to end."

Nellie Lovett was determined to leave him, no matter how much it hurt. She would be lying if she said this was first time the idea crossed her mind. Temptation to just give up on him was always at the back of her mind whenever she felt her efforts to reach him where in vain, that she was just crashing against the hard wall of his impenetrable heart over and over again. But her delusions always held her back and she managed to convince herself without fail that if she waited just a tiny bit longer, he would love her, and they would have their happy ending by the sea. All good things come to those who can wait, but she was done waiting and hoping.

She was leaving him for her child. She could never forgive herself if something happened to it because she was a blind fool whose fantasies about Sweeney changing weighed more than his actual actions. And Nellie knew that if they kept this up, she would spend the rest of her life walking on eggshells round him, afraid of upsetting him, afraid of accidentally getting on his bad side and unleashing his fury to the point of no return. Perhaps she deserved it, for lying to him, for all the sins she'd committed, but her child was blameless even if its parents were monsters. She would keep her baby safe.