Her Return

Her Return pt4

Drink.

And then another

Then another

And then...

"Another" Sweeney ordered the bar tender swinging the empty gin glass around causing the bar tender to shake his head at the clearly very drunk man slumped up at his bar. It was late gone midnight and Sweeney Todd had been drinking heavily since the late afternoon.

Anthony was seated beside him at the bar a look of concern apparent as the man was clearly very intoxicated. When Mr Todd had decided to go out drinking today Johanna had asked Anthony to keep him company, after what they had discovered about their mother today she was sure he would be drinking away his sorrows.

"Mr Todd I don't think-.."

"I'm fine" he snapped excepting the next drink from the clearly fed up bartender. The public house was full tonight and Sweeney Todd wasn't the only one to have too much to drink. He had inwardly cursed when his daughter had suggested that Anthony accompany him, it was like having a chaperone by his side at every bloody minute.

Sweeney hadn't be all that found of Anthony but then the boy was very much involved with his daughter and so at the start of the evening made some effort with the young lad. The sailor turned out to be quite nice company when he wasn't telling him to slow down, it was different hanging out with another man than it was to be surrounded by women. It had been a week now since Lucy's return to Fleet Street and although they should have been happy together it seemed neither of them could cope to the change of being together again. He loved her, at least he told himself he did....

This was the woman he had dreamed of returning too, the one person that kept him from dying alone in that awful cell back in Australia. She was his purpose his everything...

And yet.... Things were so different now.

Today had been extremely hard. Hearing Lucy talk about the past and how Turpin had ruined her into nothing, so much so that she didn't have the strength or mentality to raise their daughter. It had been a shock to hear her confess that she left Johanna in Turpin's so called care. The whole afternoon had been off between them, he also didn't know how to act around her.

As soon as the evening fell the only thing he wanted to do was drink. He knew all too well if he went down into the pie shop he'd end up drinking with Eleanore and if they were drinking he was sure it would end up with them sleeping together as neither of them had any self control when it came to each other. For that he decided the best place for him would be the local bar.

"Mr Todd, I hope you don't mind me saying but you seem so unlike yourself" the Sailors judgment on him had Sweeney scoffing before throwing back another drink.

"D-do I nottt look happy?" He slurred in a mocking tone.

"No sir, you don't....you were and now..."

"Aaand now m-my worllld has beennn switched upside d-down" he really sounded ever so drunk now, clearly he had had enough in Anthony's eyes.

"...Anthony lett me ask y-you somethingg my friend" it was clear the barber was trying his best not to slur but it was proving difficult and the weight of Mr Todd's hand on his shoulder was just as heavy as the sadness in the man's eyes.

"I-imagine bbe- being taken frommm Johanna" He began much to Anthony's surprise and rather discomfort.

"What an awful thought" you young sailor interrupted before Sweeney continued.

"S-say you were falselyyy accused of somethin' an senttt to prison f-ffor a large chunk of y-your now miserable life....whileeee rotting in theeee deep pits of h-hell....the only thingggg to get you through issssss to one day see your beloved Johannaaaa again....only, when youu do escape an r-return home you discoverrrr she died"