Dead Shattered Hearts {Sweeney Todd Fanfiction}

Disrupting Order

~Noon~
"Ma'am, a black coffee please!" A customer called.
"Make that two!" Another added.
Mrs. Lovett made her way around the emporium like a mouse in a maze. Her shop was again like a busy bee hive; her customers doing nothing but buzzing. She quickly made the two cups of black coffee and delivered them; almost spilling one of them. Neither of the customers said thank you which only ticked her off.
Even though as skilled the baker was in a bakery, all the running around was too much. When things seemed settled down for just a moment, she plopped down at an empty table and brushed a strain an auburn curl behind her ear. She exhaled greatly and shut her eyes.
"Running a bakery was a mistake," she muttered to herself. "At least back in the good days I had Toby 'elping out."
Then it hit her. She didn't hate running a bakery. She adored running one. What she hated was running one alone.
The years before the Fleet Street barber came back, she was just a depressed, isolated baker. She barley had any friends except for a few ladies who held businesses down at the market. Then Todd and little Toby came along and running Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium was the best thing that'd ever happened to her.
"Ma'am, you still have a nice fresh pie by any chance?" A young male asked. He stood behind her and tapped at her shoulder. Lovett turned around and there standing before her was a boy about seventeen of age with sandy blonde hair. His skin was a little tan, but not as pale as her or Todd. They were white as paper as if they'd never seen the sun in their life. His voice was just a tad high pitch and clothes were a bit raggedy.
"Of course, love," Lovett smiled genuinely and jumped up from her seat. She then scurried over to the main counter with all the baked goods. She then popped a nice, still warm pie on a green plate and handed it to the boy. "'ere ya, lad."
"Thank you ma'am!" The boy's face lit up like a light bulb. Oh how he reminded her so much of Toby. His smile and politeness. It was like Toby's genuine soul only in a different body.
"Would you like something to drink to wash it down, dearie?" Lovett added as she shifted to a pitcher of ale.
"...I don't think I have enough money for a drop, ma'am," the boy replied as he eyes drifted down at the pie. It wasn't a meat pie (thank god) and it wasn't a sloppy looking one either. It actually looked truly eatable.
"Money tight eh? You know what, it's on the house, love. You seem like a sweet boy," Lovett responded with a smile and patted the boy on the shoulder.
"Oh no, I can't just have stuff for free. I-"
"I insist," she smiled. She actually adored his stubbornness; reminded her of Todd. "Now you just take a seat right on over there and I'll bring ya cup of ale, alrighty?"
"Thank you!" The boy smiled and darted over to the table she pointed to; nearly tripping over the other customers and dropping the pie and breaking the plate.
Lovett filled up a glass of ale and made her way to the table. The boy took no delay in taking a bite out of the pie. The baker came over and sat the mug next to the plate and smiled.
"What's your name, love?" She questioned as she took a seat across from the teen.
"Thomas... Thomas Pierce, ma'am," he replied while taking another bite.
"That's a lovely name," Lovett replied. "I'm Eleanor, but you can call me Nellie. So um, where ya from?"
Thomas took a while to reply; as if he had to think about his answer. "France, ma'am. The place of love I suppose they say... I sure didn't see it," he softly muttered that last part. "Where are you from? And you're a recent deceased aren't you?"
"Yes I am," Lovett replied and glanced behind her to see the other customers content. "I'm from London. Some would say it's one beautiful place, that's if you consider dark cloudy skies for months on end beautiful. But hey, that was the past."
Thomas took another bite out of the pie and kept his eyes lowered to the table. "London huh? That was on my list of places to go. London, Tibet, Thailand, Spain, and perhaps the New World. But the farthest I could get was Belgium," he sighed.
Lovett didn't know much to say. The boy had wonders to see, but passed away at such a young age. She couldn't tell the way the lad passed on. There were no obvious wounds, unless hidden underneath his clothes.
"Mrs. Lovett, ma'am!" A customer then called from the other side of the shop. "A few baked goods if ya don't mind!" He had an Irish accent and waved his hand; trying to flag down the baker.
Lovett looked back and eyed the customer. She then looked back at Thomas and smiled. "Well, love, looks like work is calling. You just continue with your meal and I'll be back in a few," she told Thomas. She shot up out of her seat and went to attend the other pleading customer.
~
While the bakery ran on it's breakfast hour, Sweeney Todd had yet to make it to his room. After leaving the hospital room, he stopped by an information booth. Only a few people stood in line and not even Todd could wait that long. After waiting for at least three minutes, the man grunted and marched off to the another line. It was the line he had arrived in. Yes, the line was quite long, but he had no plans to wait in it. He darted to the front of the line; shoving the man behind him to the side of the line.
"Hey I was first buddy!" The man hissed with a Yankee accent.
Todd ignored the man, not giving a single fuck. His eyes lowered down the same, rotting corpse he met on his first day.
"Is Lucy Barker in your records?" He quickly asked; not even sure if the corpse fully heard him.
"Sir you can't just-"
"Just answer my question dammit!" Todd roared and pounded his fist on the counter. His voice echoed throughout the room as everyone else went silent. "...Is Lucille Lynette Barker in your records?" He asked a bit calmer. "Please," he softly whispered.
"Mr. Barker you're holding up the-"
"I don't fucking care if I'm holding up the line! I'm here in this godforsaken world not by choice and the least you could do is answer just one question!" His chest was rising from yelling and breathing hard. Before the corpse who sat in the small booth could answer, men who made sure things kept in order approached Todd. They were the men who stood around the perimeter of the room and only watched the line. They made sure everything stayed in order, and Todd was disrupting the order.
Todd didn't notice the men until one of them took hold of his right arm and tried to pull him to the side. Todd gripped on tight to the counter and glared straight at the corpse.
"She's here! I know she's here!" Todd screamed and stood his ground.
Another man, all buff and large, took hold of Todd's other arm and both men raised Todd off his feet.
The demon's eyes widened as he realized he was lifted off the ground. "Hey let me go!" Todd screeched and began kicking and squirming around. The men ignored him and began their way down one of the two main halls.
"Lucy!!" Todd screamed at the very top of his lungs. "You're here, right?! Tell me I'm right! Tell me I'm right!" He cried and tried to fight free, but it was all no use. The men were too strong to have one little slip up. They held his arms firm and merciless; nearly breaking them.
"I didn't do anything wrong! I asked one question! And I need just one answer!" Todd continued screaming; his voice echoing down the hall. Other souls and employees of the Authority all shifted to the sides of the hall to make room for Todd and the men. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Todd shouted repeatedly; his voice never once giving up.
"Do you have an off switch?" One man who held his left arm questioned. His eyes locked on Todd's. Looking directly into the demon's eyes sent a painful chill down the man's spine. Todd only looked at him; a strong, terrifying glare.
Realization suddenly hit him. Lucy wasn't here. Not in this hell. He knew it was a fact set in stone, but he didn't want to acknowledge that fact. He wanted to still believe she was here.
Sweeney Todd immediately went back to crying 'let me go' as he continued kicking his feet in the air like a child. The men ignored him the whole way as they walked all the way to Discipline and Consequences Centre, or in other words, the Afterworld's jail.
~Half an Hour Later~
"Mrs. Lovett! Nellie!" A voice called frantically along with a pitter-patter of footsteps.
The baker's head turned towards the shop of her door. She was sitting across the table from the young teen Thomas Pierce.
Edward Travis came rushing into the shop. The customers had died down from the lunch hour, so Lovett wasn't busy. Travis stumbled into the shop; his briefcase flying in his hand.
"Mrs. Lovett! Nellie!" He repeated and slammed his briefcase on a table. "Not good, no good, bad news, not good," he frantically muttered under his breath.
"Woah, woah, calm down, love," Lovett quickly responded and jumped from her seat. "It's not Mr. T is it?" She asked; already knowing the answer.
Travis didn't answer, but the look he gave her was an obvious yes.
"Oh no what he'd do now? It wasn't that bloody Margery was it?" Lovett asked as she watched Travis fumble with his papers.
Thomas watched the scene with full interest.
"No, it wasn't Margery," Travis breathed and slammed his briefcase shut. "But he said he won't say anything unless to you."
Lovett stood there for a moment. Why would he want to talk to her? Only her? If her heart could beat, then it just skipped a beat.
"...Why me?" She whispered as she glanced back to Thomas.
"How should I know? He won't speak. Please just come with me to the Discipline and Consequence Centra, I honestly don't want Mr. Barker in that place," Travis explained and made his way to the door.
Lovett didn't budge. She was still refraining.
"Are you coming? I thought you were fond of the man."
She only nodded and looked back to Thomas. "Dear, could you watch over the shop, please? I won't be gone long."
Thomas nodded with a smile and watched Travis and Lovett rush out of the bakery.