Word count 5,363
For @RuthTomlinson1235
You close your eyes and take a deep breath of the fresh air. A soft breeze tickles your skin while the sun, which is close to setting, warms it. The breeze also causes the flowers and grass around you to rustle and brush against the skirt of your f/c dress. Sighing contently, you walk over to a large oak tree and sit down so you could lean your back against the rough bark. You had always enjoyed coming out here; it was the perfect escape when your parents were annoying you.

Lately, since you were getting old enough to be married, they were pressuring you to find a wealthy man to marry. But, even though you had a feeling it would never happen, you wanted to marry someone you loved, whether they were rich or poor.

You look down as those thoughts go through your head. But as you look down, you see a daisy, in full bloom. Smiling a little, you reach over and delicately pick the flower. Smiling, you look at its snow white petals and sunshine yellow center. "Why can't I be a daisy," you say out loud. Then, realizing how stupid that sounded, you laugh a little.

"Because you are human," you hear a shy voice say.

You jump a little when you hear the voice, since you thought you were alone. Quickly standing, you turn to see a boy about your age, maybe a year or two older, with curly, dark brown hair and matching dark brown eyes standing in front of you. He was very cute and you could see that he was very shy, since he wasn't meeting your eyes. "What did you say," you ask as you take a step towards him.

You see him awkwardly shift from his left to right foot before looking back up at you. "I said that you can't be a daisy since you are a human," he says, shyly.

You laugh a little before walking closer to the cute boy. "That is very true," you say. "But it can be nice to imagine." Then, extending your hand, you say,"My name is f/n."

The boy takes your hand and shakes it as he says,"Barker, Benjamin Barker."

"It's nice to meet you Benjamin," you say as you let go of his hand.

Benjamin nods his head in response. "You don't talk much do you," you ask with a small smile.

You see Benjamin look at you. "I've never really had a friend to talk to," he says walks over to the oak tree. He places his pale hand on the dark bark, making his hand stand out.

"Well, I can be your friend, if you want," you say as you walk up next to him.

Benjamin turns his head and looks at you. You see the faintest smile on his lips. "I would like that," he says.

"Good," you say with a small smile. You look up and see that the sun is halfway behind a hill. "My mother is going to kill me," you mentally criticize. "I have to head home, but do you want to meet up here tomorrow at four," you ask.

Benjamin nods. "I will be here," he says.

"Great," you say. "I'll see you tomorrow then." And with that, you grab your skirt and begin running home, so your mother won't kill you.

That was one year ago and since then you and Benjamin became close friends. Over the course of the year, Benjamin began getting more comfortable around you and gradually opened up to you. He began to tell you about his life. You learned that his mother had died in childbirth and his father died of hypothermia a month after he was born. So Benjamin lived in a small orphanage that was in country. He told you that no one in the orphanage liked him, making him an outcast. In return, you told him about your life.

You told him that you had both of your parents a little sister, who was three years younger than you. You told him how both of your parents were expecting you to start looking for a wealthy man to become your husband and how you wanted to marry for love, not money. And as time went by, you began to get feelings for Benjamin. You knew that you shouldn't since your parents would despise him the minute they saw him.

"Wait, you want to be a barber," you ask, surprised.

"Yes, I do," Benjamin says with a smile. You two were sitting against the trunk of the oak tree you two meet at everyday. The tree had become special to you two and was the only place you could meet without anyone finding you.

"Why do want to be a barber," you ask.

"I was asked to help do haircuts at the orphanage," he explains. "And when I finished, one of the boys gave me a compliment and said I did a good job. I also enjoyed doing it as well."

"Well, when you turn eighteen in two months, you can leave and become a barber," you say, a little sad. You didn't want Benjamin to leave, he was your only friend, the only person you could talk to.

Benjamin notices your change in behavior because you see him move so he is sitting in front of you. "F/n," he says, looking into your eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I know this sounds selfish, but I don't want you to leave," you say as your gaze shifts down to your hands, which are on your lap. "If you leave, then I'll be alone."

You see Benjamin's hand hover over yours for a second before he places his hand over yours. Looking back up, you see Benjamin looking at you, "W-what of y-you came with m-me when I left," Benjamin asks, nervously.

You were shocked by Benjamin's words. "You want me to run away with you," you ask, shocked.

Benjamin nods. "I do," he says. "Because I," Benjamin stops abruptly as his cheeks flush a little. You get a little confused, you had never seen Benjamin blush before.

"Because you what," you ask.

You hear Benjamin take a deep breath before he looks into your e/c eyes. "Because I l-l-love you," he say, nervously.

Your skips a beat when you hear those words. A smile spreads across your face. "Benjamin, I love you too," you say, happily.

You see Benjamin visibly relax before he looks at you. "F/n," he says, a little nervous. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Smiling, you lean forward and place your lips on Benjamin's. You feel Benjamin tense up before he gently places a hand on your cheek. Once you place your arms around his neck, you feel his relax a little. A moment later, you pull away to see a red cheeked Benjamin. "You don't need to ask if you want to kiss me," you say, feeling your own cheeks heat up.

Benjamin smiles before he leans forward again and kisses you gently. You smile a little as you kiss Benjamin. This was the definitely the best day of your life.

Later that day as you walk back home, in a slight daze from the day's events, you gently touch your lips and smile at the memories. You see your house as you walk up the small hill in front of your house.

You live in a large estate. The house had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a huge dining room, master kitchen, drawing room, and office for your father. You frown a little as you reach the front door. Your parents are probably wondering where you were since you were coming home a little later than usual. You walk up onto the large white porch before opening the front door.

As you enter, you hear your parents voices coming from the office. Their voices sounded.....happy, very happy. You had never seen your parents happy, let alone sound happy. So, since you were wondering what was making them happy, you headed to the office. Poking your head in, you see your parents reading a letter, for what seems like the tenth time since the paper looks very wrinkled. You fully walk into the room, causing your parents to look up.

When they see you, you see them smile, which was weird. "Oh f/n, we have the best news," your mother say, happily. "Your father has been asked to help construct another building in London, so we will be moving back to London. And we are to start packing immediately since we have a month to be back in London. Isn't that amazing?"

You felt your heart stop. You were moving back to London in a month. You couldn't! "Why a month," you ask, feeling your eyes water a little.

"Because they want to begin construction at once and this was the longest period they could give us," your mother explains, not noticing that your eyes were watering. "But I was able to find some men who would gladly move our stuff for us. So tomorrow evening, after we pack a few essentials, we will have a carriage waiting to take us to London, since your father needs to start talking with the men who want the building immediately.

"How did that just get worse," you think as you feel a tear slide down your cheek. "Excuse me," you say, barely audible as you rush out of the room. You run up the stairs and head into your room, closing and locking the door in the process.

Once in your room, you lean your back against the door as you feel your feet slide against the floor, which is slowly lowering you to the floor. Once you are sitting on the floor, tears, you didn't know you had, began to go down your cheeks. You didn't want to leave Benjamin. He was the only person you had in your life.

*The next day*
You were beginning to get nervous. You were supposed to be home getting the essentials you would need the first few days, but you had to see Benjamin. You were a little early, but it was the only time you were able to slip away unnoticed, so all you could do was wait.

You were sitting against the oak tree's trunk, looking a beautiful daisy when you heard a familiar voice say,"Last time this happened, we became friends."

Looking up, you saw Benjamin, leaning against the tree's trunk. Not wasting a second, you stood up and hugged him, once you were close enough. You felt Benjamin wrap his arms around you a second later, and then, you started crying before you could stop it.

Benjamin pulled away a second later. He gently wiped away a tear that was on your cheek. "F/n," he asks, concern apparent in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Its my parents," you say, as more tears slide down your cheeks. "My dad was asked to help construct another building in London. He accepted and we are moving back to London, but I am leaving today."

You see sadness begin to cloud Benjamin's eyes. "You're leaving," he says, his voice quiet.

You place a hand on his cheek. "I don't want to," you say. "I want to be with you."

Benjamin placed his hand over yours. "I want that too," he says sadly.

You feel a tear slide down your cheek as you lean forward and place kiss on Benjamin's lips. Once you pull away, you look in his eyes. "I love you," you say. "And I always will."

You see a small tear roll down Benjamin's cheek. "I will always love you too," he says.

As much as you wanted to stay, you knew that you had to go and Benjamin seemed to sense this because he leaned forward and placed a final kiss on your lips. You never wanted the kiss to end, but you two eventually pulled away.

"Goodbye Benjamin, I'll never forget you" you say before reluctantly turning around and heading home. You felt tears roll down your cheeks, but somewhere deep inside you, you hoped that you see each other again.

*Twenty Years Later*
You look up the dull, dirty building. Rereading the sign that read Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies. "This is it," you say as you approach the building, a small suitcase in hand. Once at the door, you turn the knob and walk inside.

The shop was completely empty, no one at tables or behind the counter. You saw the countertop covered in flour and a few bugs crawling on it. You had to hold back from making a face as your pulled your fur coat closer to your body as you shivered a little from the cold.

"Hello," you call out, looking around. "Is anyone here?'

"I'm coming, love," you hear a familiar voice call out from a back room.

You look in the direction you heard the voice come from and see a woman in her late twenties walk out. The woman's hair was messy and had some flour in it. She had a dirty apron over her old dress. The dark circles from lack of sleep under her eyes stood out against her pale skin. When the woman saw you, however, a smile spread across her face. "F/n, is that you," she says excitedly as she walked out from behind the counter.

"Hi Nellie," you say, a smile spreading across your face.

Once close enough, Nellie pulled you into a hug. You dropped your suitcase before hugging your sister back. It had been years since you last saw her. The last time you saw her was at her wedding, when she married Albert.

"It's so nice to see you again," she says, happily.

"Its nice to see you again," you say. "I missed you."

"Awww, please don't get sappy," Nellie says with a smile. "Come on to the back, its warmer back there."

You pick up your suitcase before happily following Nellie. You instantly feel warmer once you enter the back room. After setting your suitcase next a chair with a tacky floral design and taking your coat off, you turn towards Nellie, who is pouring, what looks likes gin, in two short glasses.

She walks back over to you, two glasses in hand, and offers you a glass. "Thank you," you say as you take the glass and take a small sip. The gin slightly burns your throat as you swallow.

"Well, come sit," Nellie says, excitedly as she sits down in a dark wooden chair. "We need to catch up."

You smile as you sit down in the tacky floral chair, taking another sip once you are sitting.

"So have you been," Nellie asks.

"I have been great," you say, trying to sound happy. They was a reason why you were here and it wasn't to pay your sister a visit.

"So, how's your husband Alexander doing," she asks, eagerly, which pulls you from your thoughts.

You look down. "Ummm......that's why I'm here actually," you say sadly. "Alexander died two months ago."

Alexander Leroux became your husband through an arranged marriage sixteen years ago. A month after you arrived to London twenty years ago, your parents became acquainted with the Leroux  family, which was the man who hired your father. Once your parents discovered that they had a son, who was a year older than you, they mentioned that they had you and you two were introduced. You became friends with Alexander, but you never loved him. But regardless, after four years of courting, you two were married. And, since Alexander was French, you two moved back to Paris, which is where you lived for the next sixteen years. Those sixteen years were nice; Alexander made sure you lived comfortably and gave you everything anyone could want. But you were unable to give him your love, since it belonged to Benjamin, or children, since you discovered that you were unable to have them, but Alexander loved you reguardless. And when he was diagnosed with yellow fever two months ago, you were truly devasted and felt your heart break a little. Although you never truly loved him, you still cared deeply for him.

"Oh....." Nellie says, awkwardly. Nellie was never the best at helping people who were upset, so you shook your head.

"Its fine, Nellie," you say. "I'm actually here to ask if I can stay with you. Alexander's family never really liked me and I've missed you very much."

Nellie smiles. "Of course you can stay," she says as she stands up. "I have a spare bedroom you can stay in. It's small, I hope you don't mind."

You smile as you also stand, picking up your suitcase and coat as well. "I don't mind," you say. "Thank you, Nellie."

You follow Nellie through the narrow hallway, before she stops in front of a door. Nellie opens the door and walks inside. You also walk in and realize that she wasn't kidding when she said the room was small. The room only had a small wooden dresser in a corner, a very small writing desk, and a twin sized bed on the other side of the room. You saw a closet next to the dresser, but you figured it was just as small.

"Well, I will let you settle in and then we can talk more once you finish," Nellie says as she turns to leave. You begin to unpack when you suddenly hear Nellie snap her fingers. "I almost forgot," she says as you look over at her. "There is a barber shop above us and the owner comes down here often. His name is Sweeney Todd." You noticed how Nellie said his name and you knew that she had a crush on him, but you didn't say anything as she continued. "He won't hurt you, so don't be alarmed if you see him."

You nod your head in understanding. "Thank you for letting me know," you say, grateful. "And thanks again, Nellie."

"Its the least I can do for you, sis," she says before walking out of the room.

Shaking your head, you turn back and open your suitcase, starting to unpack. You didn't pack much, only a weeks worth of dresses, some undergarments, two other pairs of shoes, a hairbrush, a mirror that was given to you as a wedding gift, and a locket with a picture of Alexander in it. Alexander gave you this as an anniversary gift and, now that he was gone, you cherished it dearly. You began putting your dresses and shoes in the closet, before putting your undergarments in the dresser. You were putting your hairbrush, mirror, and locket on top of the dresser when you heard a floorboard creek and a voice say,"Who are you?"

You jumped and turned around. Standing there was a man with curly, but messy, black hair with a single white streak. He was dressed in dark clothes that contrasted with his very pale skin. He looked exhausted, but his eyes had a kind of spark in them. As you looked at him, you realized that he looked familiar. But you didn't know why.....

"I'm f/n," you say with a curtsey. "I'm Nellie's older sister and she is letting me live with her."

You saw the man's eyes widen slightly and you didn't know why. But it was gone as soon as it came. "You must be Mr. Todd," you say after a moment of silence. "Nellie told me that you come down here often."

"You can call me Sweeney," he says, looking at the ground. "Do you know where Mrs. Lovett went."

"Yeah, she should be in the parlor," you answer.

Sweeney nods his head and leaves without another word.

"Strange man," you say. "And yet he seems so familiar......"

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"It's her," Sweeney thinks. "I can't believe it's her after all these years. I thought I would never see her again." And it was true.

The next two months were a torture for Sweeny since he wasn't allowed to leave until he was eighteen, but the day he turned eighteen, he left the orphanage and headed to London. He searched everywhere, but he never found you. After a year of searching, he opened a barber shop, which caused him to become more busy, but he always was on the lookout for you. After another year of this, he began to lose hope, but he met a woman, named Lucy. Sweeney never told Lucy about you, but you always on his mind. Sweeney courted Lucy for two years before marrying her and having Johanna. Although he never truly loved Lucy, he cared deeply for her and their baby daughter Johanna. But then that fateful day came.

Sweeney was in the market with Lucy and Johanna on a rare sunny day. They were getting some food, but Sweeney also wanted to get a few flowers since they were in full bloom. While Lucy looked at Johanna, Sweeny picked a daisy, his mind instantly going to you, remembering the day you two first met. But once Lucy turned around with Johanna, you left his mind as he smiled back at the two.

But a moment later, something hard hit the back of Sweeney's head and two arms grabbed him and dragged him away. The last thing he saw was Lucy watching him leave, looking scared, and Judge Turpin wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Sweeney was sent to prison for life, but the prison was on a different continent, so if he escaped, he would have no where to go.

After fifteen years though, Sweeney was able to escape and was brought back London once a sailor named Anthony saved him. And once he returned to Fleet Street, and learning that his wife was dead and child was in the care of the Judge Turpin, he swore vengeance and began planning, which involved reopening his barber shop.

Sweeney desperately wanted to tell f/n who he was, but Benjamin was in the past, he was Sweeney now. Besides, f/n had probably forgotten who he was now.

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You put your, now empty suitcase, under your bed before looking around in your new room. Even though it was small, it already felt a little like home now that some of your things were in it. Smiling contently, you decided to join Nellie back in her sitting room. You turn and head out of the room, making sure the door is closed behind you.

As you walk back to the sitting room, you hear two voices; you instantly recognize them as Nellies' and Sweeney Todds'. Their words were indistinct and because you were curious, you quietly walked to the doorway and listened. You didn't want to interrupt their conversation, since it seemed important.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a sister," you hear Sweeney Todd say.

"You never asked," you hear Nellie say. "Besides she moved to Paris after she got married. I missed her and I didn't want to think about it."

"Well, it happens that your sister used to know the old me," you hear Sweeney Todd say.

"What," you think. "I used to know him? But how did I........oh my God.

"Benjamin," you say as you walk into the room.

Nellie and Sweeney Todd look at you. Nellie looks confused, but Sweeney looks surprised. "Y/n," you hear him say.

"Benjamin," you say as you quickly walk closer to him. Once close enough, you wrap your arms around him, hugging him tight. You feel Sweeney tense up, but after a moment you feel his arms gingerly wrap around you.

After a moment, you pull away. "It's so good to see you again," you say as you look at him.

"It's Sweeney Todd," you hear him say. You look at his confused as he continues. "Benjamin died a long time ago."

You take a step back. "What do yout mean by that," you ask, confused.

"It means that the man you knew is no longer here," he says. "This is me now."

You look at him. "You still seem the same to me," you say. "The only difference is you look a little different and a new name."

Sweeney looks dead in your eyes. "You don't know what I have done," he says, his voice dark.

You stare at him, not knowing what to think. Suddenly Nellie clears her throat. "Well, how about I get everyone a cup of gin and we can talk," she says.

Sweeney gives you one last look before leaving. You watch him leave, feeling your heart break a little. Once he is out of view, you walk over to the chair you were sitting in earlier and sit. Nellie walks over to you and offers you the cup. You take it, out of curtesy, before setting it on the table next you. "Now, can you tell me how you know Mr. Todd," Nellie asks. And you do.

You tell her everything. You tell her about how you two met, how you two were friends, how you two eventually fell in love, and how you had to say goodbye when you two moved to London. By the time you were done, you had teared up, but no tears escapes, and Nellie seemed sadder, although no physical features showed.

You took the full glass of gin and gave in, taking a big sip. "Should I talk to him," you ask Nellie as you look at, the now, half full glass.

"You can try," you hear Nellie says. "He's very stubborn."

You finish the glass before standing. "I'll take a chance then," you say as you turn towards the door that leads to the stairs. You walk out of the room and head up the stairs. The stairs are a little steep, but you are able to climb them easily. Once at the top of the stairs, you come face to face with a door. Taking a deep breath, you put your hand on the cool metal knob before opening the door.

Once inside, you see Sweeney looking out the window, razor in hand. He doesn't seem to notice as you look around. The room is very small, maybe a little bigger than the room you are staying in. The ceiling was not very high since the roof was slanted. There was a single barber chair with a weathered vanity behind it, all of the barber tools on it. A chest rested against the wall and something covered with a blanket rested in the corner. You took a step towards it, but you stepped on a board, making a loud *creak* sound.

The sound made Sweeney jump. He turned towards you, razor pointed at you, a murderous look in his eye. Seeing the look in his eye, you were terrified. You had never seen that look in his eyes before and it was terrifying. But when Sweeeney saw that it was you, he lowered the razor. "You startled me," he says, his voice quieter than usual.

"What happened to you," you ask, still in shock of what just happened.

Sweeney looks at you. "People change," he says as he turns away.

"No," you say as you walk towards him. "You were the sweetest person I knew. What happened to you? What caused you to look murderous when you were startled?"

Sweeney looks back at you, looking annoyed. "I'm sure you don't want to know," he says. "Just leave."

"Not until you answer me," you say, firmly, crossing your arms. "And I am not leaving until you tell me."

You could see Sweeney getting very annoyed. "I hate to disappoint you, but I am not going to tell you," he says, his eyes glowering at you.

You shrug. "I guess I am staying here then," you say. You walk over to the chest so you can sit on it.

"Don't go over there," you hear Sweeney say. You are confused, but then you see something unusual. There was something red on the chest.

Confused, you walk closer and feel your heart stop; It's blood. "I told you not to not come over here," you hear Sweeney say behind you.

Turning around, you see Sweeney standing there, a blank look on his face. "Why is there b-blood on the chest," you ask, hating the fact that your voice shook a little.

Sweeney eyes are full of anger. "As I said earlier, I am not telling you," he says, anger apparent in his voice.

That did it for you. "No you are going to tell me," you snap. "Because I deserve to know what happened to the sweet boy I fell in love with all those years ago."

"You want to know," Sweeney snaps. "You want to know why there is blood on the chest and why I've changed?! It's because after you left, my life turned into a living hell! I looked fr you, for four years! I never stopped, even when I got married. But after I got married, a man was jealous of my wife and had me arrested! I was put on an island in a prison for fifteen years! I was able to escape, but those years were absolute hell and that changed me!"

When Sweeney was finished, you were looking at him, eyes wide. He never stopped looking for you. "Sweeney," you say, softly as you take a step towards him.

"Don't," he says. "I don't want your pity. You don't know what I went through. You had a good life."

That made you angry. "You did not just say that," you say, angry.

"I did because it is true," Sweeney says .

"That is far from the truth," you say. "Yes, I wasn't in poverty, but had a broken heart. I tried to look for you, but I was barely allowed out of the house. And then my parents made me court a man I was not in love with, only because he was rich. And after courting me, we got married. And to make it worse, we moved to Paris. I begged him to not move there, but he wouldn't listen. So I lived all those years with a man I do not love, and to make that worse, I wasn't able to have children." You had to stop talking since your words began to sound choked up. "So don't you dare tell me that my life was good because it wasn't. I lived all those years with a broken heart because I loved you and I still do."

Sweeney's eyes were also a little wide once you were finished. "You still love me," he says after a moment.

You look up at Sweeny. "I never stopped," you say.

Sweeney walks over to you, so he is very close to you. You feel your heart accelerate as Sweeney got close to you. "I never stopped either," he says.

You feel your breath quicken. He was so close.....You didn't think as you closed the distance between you two. Sweeney seemed shocked, but didn't object. He wrapped his arms around your waist as yours went around his neck. Sweeny pulled you closer to him as you two kissed. You felt your heart soar. This was what you missed. The way Sweeney made your heart soar since he loved you.

You two pull away a minute later. "I missed you so much," you say as you hug Sweeney.

You feel Sweeney's arms wrap around your torso. "I did too," you hear him say. "But I have changed."

Looking up at him, you smile. "Then tell me, so I can know you again," you say.

You see Sweeny's eyes widen in surprise. "What if you don't like who I have become," he says.

"Then I will learn to love the man you have become," you say. "But you won't have to worry about that."

And that was true since you were never leaving him again.