But We Could Get By

Chapter 41

Nellie found herself thinking about what had happened earlier, how the Judge had come in unannounced asking for Johanna's hand. He clearly didn't actually care about getting permission, he had intended to get what he wanted, just as he always has. She was so frightened in that moment, mostly for Johanna, but also for herself, for Toby, and even for Sweeney. She knew that the Judge could and probably would do something terrible to all of them if he saw them as being in the way. He had even threatened to send Anthony away, just like he had done to Sweeney all those years ago. She feared for him too, for he was a nice kid who definitely didn't deserve such trauma, not to mention, Johanna cared so deeply about him, and it would really hurt her if anything had happened to him. She wasn't quite sure how Johanna had come up with the plan that she ended up making.
   This wasn't to say she was surprised at her intelligence, for Johanna was very clever, definitely not someone to be underestimated. It just didn't seem much like her to actually be involved in Sweeney's revenge plans, though she supposed it made sense for such actions to be taken, considering how desperate the situation was. How relieved Nellie felt to know that the situation had been dealt with, and to know that soon, they'd never have to worry about the Judge again. He'd no longer be around to hurt anybody, and Sweeney could finally move on from his thoughts of revenge. How nice everything would finally be.
   "Mrs. Lovett!" She heard Sweeney's voice from a distance. She glanced up at the balcony and saw him standing there. "Mr. Todd!" She said with a smile. He rushed downstairs and threw his arms around her, slightly lifting her off the ground. "You seem to be in a good mood." She said, laughing a little. "Johanna came up with such a brilliant plan!" Sweeney exclaimed, gently setting her down. "Soon Judge Turpin will get what's coming to him!" "It really is a brilliant plan, isn't it?" Nellie responded. "Quite clever, she is." "She gets it from you." Sweeney said. "You really think so?" Nellie asked. Sweeney nodded and twirled her around. "Dance with me?" He asked. Nellie nodded, and the two began to dance across the pie shop. How she loved dancing with him. Twirling around, smiling, laughing, being so close to him, it was wonderful. It was also wonderful to see how happy he was now. She had seen him happy before, his mood seemed to be improving as time passed, but now was different. He seemed to no longer have that weight on his shoulders, it was as if he finally felt truly alive again. And who knew, maybe once he got his revenge, he'd happily embrace this new life that he had with her, this new family.
   After a while, the two stopped dancing, though Nellie continued to cling tightly to Sweeney. "If only I could hold you forever." She said softly. "Who said you couldn't?" Sweeney mumbled. Nellie's eyes widened. "What?" She had heard him, but was in such disbelief. He seemed to have only now realized what he had said, for his expression turned into an expression of nervousness. "I mean, um..." His voice trailed off. Nellie laughed a little. "Oh Mr. T, you're so adorable!" "I don't know if that's the word I'd use to describe myself." Sweeney responded. "It's true!" Nellie said. "You are absolutely adorable, my love." Sweeney reached out and gently caressed her face, though he said nothing. "Mr. T?" She said. "Yes?" Sweeney replied. "When you finally get your revenge, once this is all over, do you think we'll have a normal life together?" Nellie asked. "I mean, as normal as things can be for us. I suppose I ask more for happiness than normalcy." She said. "Just the two of us and the kids, all living happily together. How lovely it would be, the four of us being a nice, happy family. The kids will finally no longer have to worry about the pain and trauma that they've dealt with in the past, and neither will we. Oh, how happy we could be together!"
   She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And maybe one day, I will be your Mrs. Todd. We'd spend the rest of our lives with each other, we'd grow old together! And even if we never get to live by the sea, at least we'd still have this wonderful family, at least we'd still have each other! Oh, how wonderful life would be!" For a moment, she was worried that mentioning marriage and growing old together might've not been the best idea. For all she knew, he was still completely uninterested in her and wanted nothing to do with this new life, though she felt her fears melt away when she noticed a bright look in his eyes. He actually appeared to be interested in what she was saying, or at the very least not opposed. "Oh Mrs. Lovett, I..." He paused for a moment. "I- Well, um..." He closed his mouth, deciding against speaking. He still seemed quite flustered.
   "Mum?" She heard a voice say. She let go of Sweeney and turned around, noticing Toby standing before her. "What are you doing awake, dear?" She asked. "I can't sleep." Toby replied. "Can you stay with me?" "Of course, dear." Nellie said. She walked alongside Toby to his room, and Sweeney followed them. "Is everything alright, Toby?" She asked. "I don't know." Toby replied. "I'm worried about Johanna. What's her plan? Do you think she'll manage to get away from the Judge?" "She'll be alright, dearie. Don't you fret." Nellie said. "I'm sure she'll tell you about her plan tomorrow, don't you worry." She gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Toby." Toby wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight, mum."
   "I suppose I should go." Sweeney said. "Goodnight, love." "Stay with me?" Nellie asked. "I don't think all three of us are going to fit on that bed." Sweeney responded. Nellie sighed sadly. "I suppose you're right." Sweeney brought a chair over next to the bed and sat down. "I suppose I could sleep here." "Oh love, you don't have to do that." Nellie said. "You can go sleep in your own room, I'll see you tomorrow." "It's alright, I want to stay here." Sweeney replied. "Are you sure?" Nellie asked. "I'm sure." Sweeney said. Nellie smiled, keeping one arm around Toby, and reaching out for Sweeney's hand with her other. Sweeney took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Goodnight, Mrs. Lovett." He said, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Mr. Todd."

"Anthony!" Johanna exclaimed as he walked through the door. "Here, take a seat!" She gestured towards one of the tables. He walked towards the table, and she and Toby followed. "So, what's going on?" Anthony asked. "You said you needed to talk to us?" Johanna nodded. "Last night, the Judge visited the shop." Anthony's eyes widened. "Judge Turpin was here?" He asked. "He didn't do anything to you, did he? Are you alright?" "I'm fine, don't worry." Johanna replied. "He asked me to marry him." "What?" Anthony asked, completely in disbelief. "I know, the absolute nerve." Johanna said. "He was getting real angry too. Mum tried to help, and so did Toby, but all that did was make him direct his anger towards them. He even threatened you a couple of times." "I suppose that's not surprising." Anthony responded. "I was so worried for all of you, but I got an idea." Johanna said. "I didn't really want to have to tell you two my plan. It's rather..." She paused for a moment. "It's rather concerning." "I know you've decided to trick the Judge into thinking you're interested in marrying him." Toby said. "What comes after that? Why is it important that he visits Mr. Todd first?"
   Johanna sighed. She knew she had to tell them, and she was actually a bit relieved to finally get it off of her chest, but for the most part, she was scared. What if they thought differently of her? What if they really did turn against her and her father? "No!" She thought to herself. "They wouldn't, they'd never!" "You remember my father's story, don't you?" She asked. "Yes." Anthony replied. Toby simply nodded. "Well, you know how after all those years in prison, he wound up severely traumatized, and Toby, you've seen how angry he's seemed. Well..." She paused for a moment. "Truth is, dad is angry. He's angry at how he's been treated, at how life has been, but most of his anger is towards Judge Turpin, and he wants to make him pay." "Make him pay how?" Anthony asked. Toby didn't say a word, though he seemed to have caught onto what Johanna was saying.
   "Dad wants revenge. He's wanted revenge on the Judge this whole time. Soon, he'll get that revenge." She said. "I swear, I usually don't condone such actions, but really, I had no other choice!" "So, is Mr. Todd going to, well-?" Anthony did a throat slitting hand motion. Johanna nodded, but chose not to say anything. "Oh." He mumbled. "Please don't get upset, and I really hope you don't see me any differently after this!" Johanna exclaimed. "I don't care at all about Judge Turpin's life, but I really do feel so strange about being part of this, and I swear I'm usually not the type to turn to such violence! I promise, I'll never be a part of something like this ever again!" "It's okay, Johanna." Toby replied. "Just breathe." "You don't-? You're not-?" Johanna didn't even seem to know what she was going to say. "We're not upset at you, Johanna." Toby reassured. "I definitely don't condone violence, but like you said, you had no other choice. Who knows, the Judge could've been quite violent towards us." "This feels very strange to learn, I won't lie." Anthony said. "But don't you worry, my darling Johanna. I'll stand by you through it all."
   Johanna's eyes widened. Were they really not going to get upset with her? "Really?" She asked. "Yes, dear." Anthony replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I think it's facing such difficult times and decisions like this that you'd need support the most." Johanna wrapped her arms around him. "You'd be right about that." She said. "You're really not upset about what my dad has planned, and the fact that I'm leading the Judge right to him?" Anthony held her as tightly as he could. "Like I said, this is very strange, and it'll probably take a moment for me to fully process it, but I love you. That's not gonna stop because of what your father does." He responded. "But by telling the Judge to go to him, I'm helping my dad with his plan." Johanna said. "What other choice did you have?" Toby asked. "Things seemed quite desperate." "They were." Johanna replied. "And what about dad? You won't be upset with him, will you?" She then asked. "I know he's decided to turn to extreme measures, but he's still family, please don't sell him out! I mean, I don't think you would, but-"
   "It's alright, Johanna." Toby said. "If this were any other situation it would be different, but this time, I'll let it slide." He added. "I know Mr. Todd means a lot to you and mum. I wouldn't want to take that away from you both. Also, to be completely honest, I've started to warm up to him too." He then wrapped his arms around Johanna and Anthony. "Group hug!" Johanna laughed a little and allowed Toby to join in. "You're both a lot more chill about this than I thought you'd be." "Trust me, I didn't think this is how I'd be reacting either." Toby said. "Me either." Anthony replied. "Like Toby said though, I suppose this situation is a little different. You were desperate, and Mr. Todd, well..." He paused for a moment. "I don't know if I can excuse Mr. Todd, but I suppose he is rather traumatized." "He is." Johanna said. "And I hope no one else has to go through what he did."