A Time and Place for Us

The Calm Before the Storm

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I hope you have the merriest of times and that you like this update xxx

The aftermath of such passionate evening set the foundations for a new chapter in their relationship and it was safe to say that things seemed to be going better than ever.

Sweeney was fully prepared for an all but sure return to what had regretfully become their normal, without significant changes except for perhaps less of a reluctance to get intimate again. Yet he was elated to observe that for the first time in their relationship, they seemed to be at peace with it, and with one another.

And not only that, he was quick to notice the return of a certain warm acceptance in the baker when she interacted with him. Just like when he showed up at her pie shop after more than a decade in hell, she was once again patient, kind, maybe even devoted. Back then she was just glad to have him back, with her, even if he was not the same man who left 15 years ago. Even if he didn't treat her like should have.

But that was a thing of the past. The Sweeney of today was changing, for her, and he wanted more. Not content with the absence of woes, he wanted to take the plunge; to give her the ring that symbolises his commitment, and to tell her how he felt, looking into her eyes as he told her he loved her. Her face lighting up, giving him one of those smiles that that always take his breath away...

The Sweeney from a few months back would have surely cringed at those thoughts, somehow find a way to blame her for them and retaliating accordingly, being as nasty as he could be. Not anymore, he was no longer the cold, unfeeling demon barber who only cared about his revenge; and he was not the sweet, naïve Benjamin Barker either. He was someone else entirely, with a bit of both, but different to either at the same time.

He was just Sweeney. A man who was tired of suffering, who wanted nothing but to move on with the woman he loved. His Nellie, his wife.

He would make the moment special for her, for the woman who accomplished the impossible: to bring his heart back to life and make him love again. Given that his job as the ship barber's took up more time that he'd liked, he begrudgingly had to enlist the annoying Dentons' help to have everything ready.

And everything had gone according to plan. Today at sunset, Nellie Lovett would know how much he loved her.

"Sweeney, love?" she called out groggily when she noticed him sat on the bed, lost in thought. "Everything alright?"

He turned around sharply, but his eyes instantly softened when they fell on her. She was so beautiful, her nude shoulders peeking out of the covers brought back memories from the pleasurable experience they'd shared just hours ago. He wanted her again, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of wanting her, but his feelings went beyond that now... Nellie just stared back, the way he was looking at her sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, which only intensified when he reached down to stroke her cheek.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. It had been a night devoid of nightmares, and he thanked Heaven for that. As far as he knew, she hadn't had any since the other day and he liked to think he had something to do with it. That he was helping her overcome whatever was afflicting her, just like she did for him.

"Like a babe" she replied, grabbing the hand that was cupping her cheek to place a soft kiss on it. And she meant it, because for the first time in a while, she'd rather be fully awake, with her feet firmly on the ground instead of flying away with her head in the clouds. It could be a mirage, a short-lived respite, but she could not deny that these couple of days reality had been better than a dream.

She made a motion to get up, but he stopped her. "It's early, Nell, you can sleep a bit longer" he said, aware that now that she was pregnant, she needed more sleep to function, and he needed her wide awake this evening. "I have to go work now but I'd like to do something later today. Something special. Just the two of us."