A/N:Oh Sweet Jesus. I'm back. *cringes and waits for the blows to rain down upon me from my wronged readers* I'm so sorry. No words can express my depth of self loathing for putting this off for so long. It's been nearly a year…I can't believe it. A lot has happened and I actually got to see Sweeney Todd on stage! It was one of the highlights of my life *happy sigh*. I nearly tripped the guy that played Toby by the way. He was walking right past me and I wanted to do it so bad but I mustered up all my self control to let him pass…and then he tripped over the stairs. Karma is good. Anyway… Happy Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, Christmas, New Years, and Valentines Day! w I feel like such an ass. I shan't make you wait any longer for that would be an unforgivable sin on my part. Here we are: the epic conclusion of "There's No Place Like London"!

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I opened my eyes blearily and the world slowly swirled back into focus. My head hurt but my heart was light and the man of my dreams was cradling my head in his lap. I smiled at him and he returned it with a small grin of his own.

"I've done it," I whispered, hardly believing my own words.

"Yes," he said softly. I reached up to run my fingers through his hair and sighed, "I'll just have to do something 'bout that dreadful last name attached to the end of mine."

He appeared to be considering for a moment and then said, "How does Kelsey Todd sound?"

I blinked stupidly up at him, "…What?"

"Marry me."

My heart stopped and so did all the world. I just stared at him, struggling to comprehend his words. 'Marry Me?' did he actually say that or was I dreaming? He was beginning to look nervous at my lack of response and I quickly came to.

"Y-yes…Yes! Of course!" I replied, trembling with joy, tears welling in my eyes and I was laughing as I sat up to hug him. I proceeded to cover his face with kisses, lingering when I came to his lips and he kissed me back. When we broke apart, I rested my forehead against his for a moment, catching my breath and thinking to myself how perfectly right his arms felt wrapped around me.

"When shall we do it, then?" I asked excitedly.

"What?"

"Get married I mean," I said, giggling and sitting back on my heels to look at him.

"Whenever you want," he replied with a shrug.

"Perhaps we should just run down to the justice of the peace an' do it right now!" I suggested giddily.

He smirked, "Anxious, are we?"

I nodded, beaming, "I dunno, I think I might like a nice church weddin'. Do it right, ya know?"

He said nothing but watched me fondly, his eyes softer than I had ever seen them. I hoped beyond hope that I could make him happy. I knew that he would never be Benjamin Barker again but I didn't love him; I loved Sweeney Todd. He rose to his feet and held out his hand to me. I took it and he helped me up. I brushed off my skirts, though it hardly mattered, they were drenched in blood anyway. The thought almost made me laugh.

"Come on," I said, taking his hand in my own again and tugging him towards the door, "Let's go celebrate!"

"Celebrate with what?"

"Champagne, what else?" I answered and led him out the door and down the stairs to the pie shop.

We entered to find Mrs. Lovett cleaning up the mess of the day's work. She glanced up at us and fixed her gaze on our still joined hands.

"Is there any champagne in the house?" I inquired, grinning from ear to ear.

"Champagne? You finally kill ol' What's-'is-Face?"

"Well yes that, and…Sweeney and I are getting married!" I announced, wishing I could be screaming it from the highest mountain.

At the time, I was too deliriously happy to notice the strange look that flitted across Nellie Lovett's features before she beamed and congratulated us. "We don't 'ave any champagne though," she said.

"We can drink gin instead. I'm not picky," I replied.

"Oh…can you come down to the bake house with me for a moment? I need your 'elp with somethin'," she asked me hopefully.

I glanced at Sweeney and then turned my gaze back to her, "Sure." I reluctantly let go of Sweeney's hand, telling him I would be back soon and followed Nellie down the stairs to the bake house. She held the door open for me and I stepped through, looking around. Everything appeared to be in order; she had even taken care of Mathew's body. How long had I been unconscious? I heard the low sound of the door being shut and turned around. There was a smacking noise and a stinging pain bloomed across my left cheek.

I reeled backwards, blinking in shock as she came at me again: torrents of slaps and punches and curses that knocked me to the ground. I came out of my stupor and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking hard until she cried out. I then kicked her swiftly in the stomach and pushed her off of me. I stood panting, staring down at the venomous monster that had previously been Mrs. Lovett.

She was pulling her self to her feet and I knew she would come for me again. I reached behind me on the table and wrapped my hand around the handle of a meat cleaver, holding it out of her sight. She was not as discrete as I and grabbed a heavy tenderizer, wielding it like a sword as she ran at me. I dodged, not wanting to hurt her but holding the cleaver where she could see it. She didn't seem to care though and kept swinging it about like she was crazy with tears of anger running down her face.

"Nellie, please stop!" I begged, narrowly escaping a concussion.

"He was mine!" she shrieked and caught me in the side. My corset and dress took most of the blow but it still hurt like hell. I coughed and spluttered, trying to catch my breath and swung the cleaver in her direction. I missed but I hadn't really intended to hit her.

"No, damn it! He's mine! You love a dead man! He's not Benjamin anymore!" She let out a yell of rage and reached out with a claw-like hand, tearing at my dress and flesh. I swung the cleaver again, this time cutting through her skirt grazing her leg.

She screamed and hit me in the stomach with the tenderizer and threw me to the ground. The cleaver flew out of my hand clattering somewhere in the darkness that was out of my reach. I fumbled for it but she had begun to hit me with her fists and the tool and I lashed out blindly, screaming for her to stop all the while. Suddenly, her weight was lifted from my body and I sat up to see Sweeney holding her back as she struggled and fought against him.

"Sweeney," I gasped out and clambered to my feet, wiping the blood from my split lip.

He held firm against Nellie's writhing and I managed to wrench the tenderizer from her hand. After a few minutes she stopped, breathing hard, before she descended into hopeless sobbing. Sweeney let her go and she collapsed to her knees, head bent as she cried and I felt overwhelming pity and guilt.

"Why?" was all Sweeney said.

"You know why!" she managed between wracking sobs, "I love you! I've loved you all along! I used to watch ya all the time and ya always looked so 'appy with that twit of a wife and I wished I was the one that you looked at so fondly. I wasn't sorry that she poisoned 'erself; I was only sorry that you were gone! And then you came back but you already 'ad h-her!" she pointed at me furiously before dissolving into her crying hysterics again, "I'm jus' so tired of it all! I'm tired of London and I'm tired of this shop and I'm tired of never getting what I want!"

For a few moments, there was nothing but the sound of her weeping and it gnawed at my conscience like a rat. I blurted it out as soon as it came to me, "Leave it all to me. Don't worry about the shop anymore."

She looked up at me, confusion mingling with hatred. "What'd ya mean?"

I was desperate to give her some sort of happiness back, "Remember how you always said ya wanted to live by the sea? Ya even talked about it when we was kids."

"So?" she sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her gloved hand.

"So go. Take all the money you need and leave the shop to us. Go to the sea and settle down and be happy. Take Toby with ya and adopt him all legal-like."

She blinked a few times, considering and I felt the need to say more. "Please, Nellie. I can't stand thinkin' I've ruined everything for you. You were my friend after all. Even after everything that's 'appened, I'd like to think ya still are."

"I just tried to kill you."

"If ya leave and go to the sea, we can put all o' that behind us. I'm sorry for everythin' I've done to ya but if you don't accept, I can't say we'll be hangin' around much longer. It's your decision."

She pulled herself to her feet and looked around the putrid-smelling bake house. I imagine she was thinking of how different and refreshing the sea air would be. Finally she turned back to me and nodded slightly, "It's a deal."

I smiled at her and held out my hand to be shaken. She took it, casting me a weak smile of her own. I hoped someday we could come to truly forgive each other and leave the past behind…but it would take time.

ST

We all decided it would be best to wait until the next day to forgo any of the changes that were to be made. It would be strange in the pie shop without Mrs. Lovett but we weren't altogether sure that we were going to keep it. If we cleaned it up real nice and covered up all the evidence of the real activities that went on, Sweeney and I could go anywhere we wanted. But that was just an idea to be tossed around. We let our tired and frazzled minds rest for the remainder of the night and an odd calm surrounded the house.

Sweeney and I retired to the barbershop where we sat together and drank gin to celebrate our engagement (and also, one couldn't help wanting to get hammered after a day like that).

"Sorry I didn't give you a ring," he said quietly, taking another drink.

I laughed, "Don't worry yourself about it, love."

"It was a spontaneous sort of thing…the engagement I mean," he looked down at the glass in his hands, swirling the liquid about, before he did something truly unexpected. He removed the silver ring from his pinky finger and slid it onto my ring finger. It was a near perfect fit. "I'll get you a proper one soon," he promised.

I gazed, transfixed, down at the ring on my finger and I felt a happy blush blossoming on my cheeks. I threw my arms around his neck, catching him off guard and kissed him deeply, threading my fingers through his dark hair. His tongue ran along my bottom lip and I moaned softly, responding with my own. His hands roamed over my waist and hips and I gave his lip a gentle bite before pulling back.

"Wait for the wedding night," I teased, giggling.

He dug his hand into my hair, ruffling the curls around until any semblance of style it had left had vanished into a black mass. "Hey!" I exclaimed, pushing him playfully and trying to smooth it back down. He let out a low chuckle and refilled our glasses. I held mine up in a toast and he followed suit.

"To us!" I announced and we clinked our glasses together.

A/N: And there you have it, folks! I was considering doing a sequel but I haven't really thought it through. I might be more inclined to do an epilogue though, if any of you want it. Wow I can't believe this story has finally come to a close. I've been working on it for how long now? XD I just want to say thank you again to all of you that have been wonderful and reviewed or favorited this and I hope you'll stick with me if this continues any further. You really do mean a lot to me, contrary to popular belief I'm sure (due to lack of on time updates). I love you all and I really hoped this lived up to your expectations. *kisses* ~ johnnydspiratequeen.