Never Forgive, Always Forget | A Sweeney Todd Story [Sweeney Todd x OC]

5. The Pious and the Less Honorable

What a bloody mess, Sweeney shook his head, cursing himself as he swept a pile of shattered glass and flour into the small dustpan.

Despite the early hour, the morning had already been quite eventful. Sweeney had awoken on the sofa in the parlor, head aching with a vengeance, with no recollection of how he'd gotten there. Perhaps he'd drunk himself to sleep? No... no, that couldn't be right. Why would he have been in the parlor in the first place? The previous day had been spent upstairs, drowning his sorrows over... something...

The Judge's estate.

A twinge of anguish stabbed into his heart as he remembered the events of the day prior, but the night continued to escape him. Frowning deeply, he'd forced himself to sit up, pressing his palm hard against his aching eyes. He'd eventually opened them to see Rose, peacefully asleep in the chair beside him, knees held tightly to her chest. He'd blinked at her in confusion, puzzled as to why they were both asleep in the parlor.

Bile had risen to his throat before he could finish his thought, and he'd leapt up, tearing his way to the water closet. He returned several moments later with a cold sweat across his brow and a stinging rawness in his throat, the contents of his stomach left behind. Sweeney ached with exhaustion; he desperately longed to return to sleep's warm embrace, but he'd remembered now that there was far too much to do. He looked back at Rose, still sleeping soundly in the chair, then the realization hit him.

Today would need to be the day.

The bakehouse could wait no longer. The Judge and the Beadle had been down there rotting for a week, and Sweeney himself could not risk losing another night's sleep. The Chief would be there in the morning, and he'd need to make sure he had his wits about him. He rolled his eyes upwards with a frustrated sigh at the thought of dealing with the man again. Why had he agreed to that appointment?

Yes, he had to do it now; it'd be days before he got another chance. He'd need to send Rose on her way as soon as she woke. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his head, Sweeney began making his way toward the doorway to the pie shop with shaky strides, aiming to run upstairs and retrieve the list before waking Rose. He'd rounded the corner, and his mouth had fallen open at the sight of absolute destruction before him. The night came flooding back to him in pieces, and though he couldn't remember the exact details of what had happened, he remembered enough to make him wish he could forget. Embarrassment and guilt flushed his cheeks and spread through his chest.

She must have seen me, he'd worried, wishing he could simply fade into thin air and disappear.

What would he say? What would he say to explain this? And worse yet, what might he have said already while lost in his drunken stupor?

Stifling a groan, Sweeney had thrown his head back in frustration. He already had so much to do, but he couldn't exactly leave the pie shop in its current state. Rose was mere days from opening, and she'd likely get to work cleaning everything up as soon as she was awake. Anxiety filled him at the thought of facing her. How could he after what he'd done? How would she react? What would she say? He suspected that little would matter to her other than putting her shop back together, but he'd be damned if he let her clean up his mess. Perhaps he could finish it all before she awoke? It would take some time, but if he worked quickly and quietly, it might be possible. If she did wake before he finished, it would be difficult to keep her from helping. Even if she did agree to allow him to do it himself, there was no way he'd be able to get her out of the shop.

Unless... an idea had crossed his mind. Perhaps he could use this horrific turn of events to his advantage. Everything he had destroyed would need to be replaced: plates, bowls, glasses, pots, pans, and even the bench at the table from the looks of it. He could simply revise the list to include these items. Sweeney supposed that might be helpful anyway in convincing her of the need to go today, especially if her opening was not being delayed.