Well, here it is. ^^

Long story short, if you haven't read Deathly Inherit already, go back and read that before even bothering to navigate into this story. Way too much confusion will ensue if you don't. XD

This MAY be edited... It depends on how much fits in the summary space. Lol.

Chapter 1

11:57

"Watch this."

"Why?"

"It'll be funny," I replied, in deep concentration.

11:58

Seville sat beside me on the sofa, eyeing me curiously.

I sat with my chin resting in my palm, being the all-knowing who knew exactly what was about to happen, and at the exact moment.

11:59

"Wait for it, Sev," I could tell he was getting ready to roll his eyes and get up from his seat, so I held his wrist down to the cushion.

Then...

12:00

The phone rang.

"Heh," I picked up the phone from the side table and put it to my ear, raising an eyebrow. "Derek?"

"Hey, Val," His heavy breathing sounded loud in my ear. "Sorry it's so late, and I know you're probably going to bed now, and I didn't know what time-"

"Oh, no, no, it's alright," I leaned back, smiling softly. "The party's just started. Wanna come?"

"What's going on over there?" Derek asked, and I could picture him leaning forward suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing much," Just as I said that, I hadn't realized Seville left my side in a flash as soon as I lifted up my hand. "They'll probably give me a - like - a-"

"Look, uh, Valerie?"

"Uh huh?"

"Happy birthday, alright?"

I sighed and layed my back against the armrest of the couch, my smiling not yet ceasing. "Thanks, Derek."

"I'd stay longer, but I have to go to bed."

"See you tomorrow?"

"After school. Yes."

Nodding silently, I hung up without a word.

"Hey, Valerie?" Seville called from the doorway. "Are you done talking to your boyfriend in there?"

I scowled, but I didn't look at him. I just then stared at the turned off TV in the corner, my eyes frozen in a roll. "He's not my boyfriend, Sev. I'd appreciate it if you'd quit..." My voice trailed off when I spotted Grandma sneaking around the sofa with a small plate in her hands. Regardless of what was on it, a lit candle was sticking up at the top.

"Oh," I sat up to cross my arms. "You shouldn't have."

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Val, Happy Birthday to you..."

Mum and Seville sat down near me somewhere in the midst of the song, and Grandma placed the plate down on the side table with a smile on her face; She hadn't attended anything close to a birthday party in most likely a long while. Not even ours.

"Thank you," I smirked. "Tis unexpected."

On the plate was a small pie with a candle sticking out of it.

How lovely, and how appetizing...

"What kind of pie is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pumpkin pie, love. Your favorite, eh?" Grandma sat down beside me. "Now blow out the bloody candle b'fore the wax melts into the top."

I did as she said. No birthday wish involved. It wasn't that I didn't believe whatever I wished for wouldn't happen. There was just nothing in the spur of the moment that I felt I wanted, besides our safety. But our safety was something I could wish for everyday, and did.

Back in the doorway, I heard the rough, distinct clearing of a throat. When I turned, Mr. Todd's ill-lighted eyes met mine. He was standing there, leaning against the frame, unblinking and expressionless.

"Mr. T," Grandma stood up and hurried over to him, pulling him into the room by his wrist. He didn't bother to fight her. He allowed her to push him down into the recliner beside the fireplace. "Yeh came a moment too late, love. Could'a 'elped us sing for Val."

Sweeney's jaw tightened out of his own accord. It sincerely was not just a reflex this time. He bleakly peered down into the fire, not speaking for a couple heartbeats. When he did, his voice was particulary low and droning... More than usual, I mean. "I don't sing."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "You just whistle. Right?"

He glared at me pointedly, but for once, I had no clue why.

"Sure yeh do, love," Grandma interjected into her speech to glance back at me. "I'd eat that pie if I was you, dearie."

With a nod, I took the fork that Mum handed to me and dug in.

"Sure yeh sing," She was poking at the fireplace with a stick. "R'member those early days in the shop, when we used to-"

"I," Sweeney interrupted her, exasperated, and stiffly nodded his head. "I do, Elle," He loosened the cravat around his neck and sunk deeper into the chair with a heavy breath. "I do."

Grandma smiled down at him affectionately and set the shaft down near the bricks surrounding the flames. She passed him up on her way to sit down beside me, reaching for his wrist only briefly to give it a squeeze.

I savored my last bite of pie. Then I placed the plate back down on the table and brought my legs up to sit more comfortably.

"...I invited Derek over."

"Yeh didn't," Grandma's head swiveled around to face me immediately, a small glare on her face. "I 'ardly cleaned a single speck of this bloody parlor, an' you're tellin' me-"

"He couldn't come, though," I cut her off. "Said he had to go to bed."

"Well, there's school tomorrow," Mum stated. "You may not have it, but that doesn't mean the other kids don't."

"It definitely gets boring during the day, then," I crossed my arms and leaned back. "...Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have a laptop?"

Mum sighed, but the answer I was expecting didn't come, unpredictably enough. "Maybe, Valerie."

I was about to ask her what exactly she meant by that, but a loud wail from inside the pie shop didn't give me the chance or time to.

"Mm," While Mum started and jumped up from the couch, I merely leaned my head over the back of it and mused without much emotion in my voice. "Maddie."

"I nearly forgot about her," Mum muttered, shaking her head. She rounded the sofa and headed back into the shop, and when she came back, there was a small, petite figure rapped up in a blanket in her arms. Mum sat down and smiled at Madeline, who was crying for, in my opinion, absolutely no reason whatsoever.

"What's her problem?" I asked, tilting my head.

The more I watched Mum with the baby, the more the idea of parenthood sounded less appealing to me.

"Just wants attention, I think," Mum murmured. Her voice then adopted a more humored tone. "She's a needy little thing."

"For now," Seville put forth.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How would you know?"

He shrugged. "Mum told me you were pretty needy at first, wanting to be the center of attention. But then you drifted away..."

He smirked at me.

"Yeah. Okay," I couldn't prevent the laugh that escaped my mouth and interrupted my steady speech. "That's gold, Sev. Real dramatic. You should be a writer for soap opera screenplay."

"It's true," Mum told me, making me turn. "I said it just like that, actually."

I resisted the urge to let my hands rest at my hips now. "So when you say I 'drifted away', did you mean it as a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"Both, really," She looked back down at Maddie, who had hushed after a few minutes. "You work better alone. I won't deny that, Valerie."

"Work better alone at what? I don't have any professions."

"I mean, you navigate through life better without anyone watching you," Mum smiled softly at me, not nearly as intense as I would've thought she'd be. "I suppose that is a better way to put it, and for that, I'm proud."

The baby mellowed her out. I knew that was it.

"So what's the bad thing?" I asked, more curious now than suspicious.

"You're not going to be liked by everyone. That's a fair warning," Mum explained. "Your views clash too much with, perhaps, someone else's."

"Well that's obvious," I pulled up the sleeve of my blouse to show Mum the bruise that never really seemed to have left. "Remember this?"

Mum rolled her eyes. "Yes, Val. I do," Her eyes were glazed over for a moment. Then they regained intent focus. "Just be careful."

"I will," I didn't give what she said any thought. It was an unconscious reflex to agree with her, to avoid an argument. I was careful, anyway, after all. Especially two months prior.

But... the Geoffrey incident was far behind us. It was 2012 now. Just turned thirteen, too. Maybe now, people would treat me more like an adult.

I stood up from the sofa and lightly touched Mum's shoulder on the way out to go get a drink.

I was at the sink, rinsing out my glass, before realizing that I'd get a can from the fridge instead. I grabbed a diet rite and wiped the cold condensation from the top with my sleeve before cracking it open and taking a swig.

For a few moments, the silence of the dark shop soothed me. But hushed speaking back in the parlor made me freeze.

Of course. They waited for me to leave before they started a real conversation.

Oh, don't worry. Little Valerie isn't gone just yet...

Grandma's voice got nearer to the archway. "Jus' go bloody tell 'er, yeh sorry storm cloud."

Grandma sure got creative with the names she called Mr. Todd.

I heard an audible hiss from Sweeney. "Don't push me, woman." And he obviously meant that literally, because no sooner did he speak did he get rammed into the shop to stand awkwardly in place there, looking about the room as though he actually hadn't been living there for over a hundred years.

"Having trouble with Grandma?" I asked, taking another sip from the can.

Sweeney's head snapped toward me, but he didn't reply. At least, not to my question. He strode over to stand across from me, raising an eyebrow. "Are you satisfied with the... party arrangements?"

It touched me for the lone fact that he'd even bother to ask.

I grinned. "I wouldn't want them any other way. Thanks."

His lips twitched into a small smile. Then he turned on his heel and walked across the room to pull back the curtains and look outside at the damp, cold street that night was just beginning to fall upon. "I have something for you, Valerie."

He caught me in the middle of a swallow, and I nearly choked. Shuddering after managing to get the liquid down, I placed the can down on the counter. "What do you mean?"

"Not tonight," He talked over his shoulder. "Come up to my shop in the morning. I'd like to give you something."

"Oh," I shifted on the spot. "Okay."

I had no clue what it was. All I knew was that I could trust him. That was, and always would be, all that solely mattered under the roof of this household.

Seville bounded in moments after I spoke. "Hey, Val, are you going to be meeting Derek, Casey, and Kat tomorrow?"

I shifted my attention over to him. "Yeah."

"Olivia's grounded. She wants to hang tomorrow, though."

"While... she's grounded?" I tilted my head inquiringly.

"She has a birthday present for you, too," Sev added.

I leaned forward. "James is coming also?"

"Yeah. He wouldn't let me get off the phone until I said he could come."

"And where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want," Seville slumped against the counter, looking somewhat bored considering what he was talking about - and with such zeal in his voice. "Though... I was thinking we could go to Hyde Park, to..."

I knew he'd either say something stupid or completely uncalled for, so I held up a hand. "We'll stand out in front of the shop until we think of something to do, alright?"

Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my left shoulder, and by the face Seville pulled, I could tell he felt it too.

I hadn't realized Sweeney was standing right in between us, and without recalling hearing him walking over to us in the midst of our conversation. How does he sneak like that?

"Don't make too much noise out there," He gnarled.

"Are you asking this of us?" I questioned, smirking.

"Val," Seville gritted his teeth.

"Oh," Sweeney looked surprised, miffed, and humored all at once. It may have sounded impossible, but certainly not for him. "No, no. It's just a suggestion, lass. Just like me telling you not to go anywhere near my razors is just a suggestion."

I laughed, despite partially not knowing how to take that statement. His voice had obvious sarcasm in it, and yet, his hand tightened its clamp on my shoulder as though he had just scolded me.

Well, to face facts, Sweeney Todd is just an unpredictably brash person at heart. No one could stop him from being so.

While I was busy smiling good humoredly, Seville was busy cringing.

"M-Mr. Todd? That, uh... that hurts a bit."

Sweeney brought his hand away from him. "Sorry, lad." His other lingered on my shoulder for a few seconds longer until he walked back around the counter. "I will silence the noise. Remember that."

"Because mostly everyone we'll be meeting tomorrow knows who you really are?" I asked.

Sweeney flinched a little at what I just said. Slowly, he nodded. "Exactly."

"But they know you're not dangerous," I reasoned. "I mean, Kat hugged you the last time she saw you. You may not have taken it well, but she did."

"I didn't take it well?" Seconds prior to that moment, he looked as though he was preparing to leave for the side door. But it seemed he got sucked back into the conversation fast.

"You never look truly happy about any human contact," I pointed out. "And do I blame you? No."

"And why is that?"

"Who knows what disease someone might be carrying around?" I brushed off my shirt at the very thought. "People are gross. Simple as that."

"Hm," Seville rolled his eyes, looking far more comfortable now that Sweeney and I were going at it, and he got to sit back and watch in contented silence.

Sweeney chuckled. "I have no argument. If I did, it'd be invalid."

I smiled and crushed the can that I just finished. "Why don't you go upstairs, barber? I can only take you in small doses."

He exchanged a small look with Seville, then he tossed his head in my direction. "I wanted to congratulate you, also, Valerie."

"For what?"

"For making it to thirteen years of age. I thought the four of you would be dead by this time."

I placed my hands on my hips just as Grandma walked in, followed by Mum with Madeline in her arms. "Death jokes are suddenly funny now, huh?"

"Please no damned death jokes, Mr. T," Grandma was carrying the plate I left on the table in the parlor to the sink to rinse it as she spoke. "God knows 'ow Maddie'll turn out 'cause o' you."

"I think she'll be a fun chick," I defended my little sister, crossing my arms. "Not that I'm saying a kid needs to hang around a certain former Demon Barber to be cool, but..."

"For goodness sake, Mr. Todd," Grandma turned back around to face us, preferably to roll her eyes naggingly at the barber. "What kind o' rally are yeh startin' up 'ere?"

Sweeney ran a hand through his jet black hair, exhaling loudly. "I don't know. Not anymore." He unknowingly backed up into Mum as he said this, and he turned to briefly smile at her quietness, along with Maddie's. But he didn't linger on them; He just flipped around and headed for the doorway.

"Now, watch, love," Grandma leaned into me to murmur in my ear. "'E's gonna start muttering nonsense about 'aving no respect now."

"I will not," Sweeney was pushing against the door with both hands, glaring irritably at Grandma over his outstretched arm.

"Off with yeh, Stormy. Quit causin' us such misery," She pointed to the door.

Sweeney swiftly replaced his glare with a smug smirk. He willingly pulled open the side door and vanished into the night, having no final word on the matter.

I, as of then, had Grandma's legal permission from then on to address Sweeney as "Stormy".

Mum was watching after him as she bounced Maddie in her arms, shaking her head fondly. "He's something. Isn't he?"

"Somethin'. Yessir. 'E's somethin' alright. A bloody pain in the arse, but overall, great with kids." She nodded to me and Seville when she said that last part. "There's a plus." So's she didn't have to look at us anymore, she grabbed the rag off the fridge handle to wipe off the counter tactfully to her own intention.

As I peered down at her drooped head, I noticed the smirk she was trying to hide in the gloom of the shop.

Nope. There was no way in hell she could ever stay mad at Mr. Todd.

Now, I'm pretty satisfied with this first chapter.

I don't know if the name Stormy was ever used for Sweeney as a humorous nickname in any fanfic before. But it definitely fits him, doesn't it?

You'll be introduced to some new characters in the next chapter. :) I still haven't gotten every picture up for my exsisting set of OC's.

Remember that the vibe for the setting of this story is SUPPOSED to be a little different. Val and her family just settled into living at Fleet Street, after all. They also settled into the groove of the way Sweeney and Grandma Lovett open fire at one another from across the room, even when Madeline is there to witness it. XD

But I'm getting carried away here.

Review? :)