Mrs. Lovett walked up the stairs cautiously, a tray of hot pies balanced in her hands. She carefully switched to a one handed grip and opened the door with her other, not a single pie dropped. She pushed at the heavy door surprised to see: "Mr T, wot are you doin' just standin' there watching the door to me bake house?"

He didn't answer so she continued talking. "Was it you who cleaned out the bake house as well? It 'ad t' be. I really appreciate that Mista T."

Sweeney didn't answer that question either. He had done it last night, its not like he could sleep with the woman in his room. So instead he had come down here, burning all the remains of each rancid corpse and tossing pail after pail of water at the blood stained walls and floors until they where once again a soft gray. He hadn't done it to be nice, he told himself. He just needs something to do to keep his mind off the thoughts that plagued his mind, that was all.

She didn't say anything else on the mater and instead turned away, carrying the pies out to the shop section of her house. Toby rushed over, pulling a stack of pies of the plate, calling back "Just in time mum!" as he headed back out into the crowd.

She smiled slightly as she stuck the rest of the tray behind her counter, quickly waiting on the people. "You felling okay lov?" asked a familiar honey sweet voice to one side. She turned to see Murielle Mooney standing next to the counter. The other pie maker gasped at the sight of Mrs. Lovett's bruised face.

"Of course Murielle." Eleanor said and gave the woman her best smile.

"It was that gloomy barber wasn't it?" She asked , reaching out a curios finger to one of the more prominent marks on her neck. "I could send my Thornton over here and he' put that man in his rightful place in a second, he would! Or my grandson, Hugo, 'es home on shore leave 'ed-"

Mrs. Lovett smiled again, hushing the elderly woman. "Not Mista T. 'E might look a bit odd but 'es really just a kitten 'e is. No. I jus' got in a bit of a scuffle with one o me coustumas is all."

"Humm. Well I 'ad t' pop in for a visit. I 'eard yestaday th' shop was closed 'cause you 'ad taken ill an I just wanted t' be sure you where well." The woman frowned, seeming about as convinced as Toby

"Well I appreciated the gesture Murielle, I really do." She gave the woman a small hug before turning back to her customers. She didn't even notice he was behind her until he spoke.

"A kitten am I?"

She turned and caught sight of Sweeney leaning against the wall, watching her. She didn't really have an answer and instead walked over to him, catching him by the arm and leading him to an empty seat. "You must be mighty 'ungry t' come down 'ere with all these people here and wot not." She said kindly, hurrying away and quickly returning with a mug of ale and a hot pie. "There you are love, nice and hot."

He nodded and she scurried away, suspired to find her confidence somewhat buoyed by the demon barbers presence. He sat there for a great deal of time until he was called away by a customer. The man walked through the group of people, calling to Sweeney in such a loud voice heads turned. Todd gritted his teeth in anger as the two of them climbed the steps. There was no way no one would take notice if this man came back down. Curses. And he had been in the mood to kill something too.

He shaved the man as quickly as possible, taking only a moment to pack away his supplies before hurrying back down the steps. He stopped, staring through the window, catching sight of something that made his jaw drop. The beadle was in Mrs. Lovett's pie shop!

Mrs. Lovett frowned, not even able to summon the strength to ask Turpin's right hand man why he was here. "Hello." Beadle said, tipping his hat. "You look lovely today Missus Lovett."

She smiled at him, edging backwards and looking around. She didn't see either of her boys. Where was Sweeney and Toby? "I'm afraid to tell you I am here on official business though."

"Wot?" She finally managed, face paling. Had she and Sweeney some how been caught? What had Sweeney done with the bodies in the bake house? Had he not had enough sense to hide them or burn them? What would happen to them? They'd be hung for sure!

As her mind filed with thoughts of gruesome deaths the beadle kept talking. When she realized this she managed to find her voice long enough to ask quietly "could you repeat that?"

"I said Ma'am there's been a complaint filed with the authorities. Somethin' amiss in your shop 'eh?"

She didn't know what to say so she continued backing up until she was able to swing behind her counter, glad to have it between her and the rat faced man now on the opposite side.

"Ah, hello Beadle Bamford." Sweeney's cool 'friendly business man voice' stretched across the room and she relaxed instantly at the sight of him. Sweeney was frowning as he quickly strided across the room until he was right next to Mrs. Lovett.

"Every thing alright here?" He asked, eyes staring intently at the man. Mrs. Lovett reached out a shy had and, unseen by the Beadle, took Sweeney's hand behind the counter.

"Mr. Bamford was just saying someone's filled a complaint bout me pie shop." She said in a hushed voice, looking up into those dark eyes.

Sweeney's senses instantly went on high alert and he looked around the room. Almost every one had stopped eating to listen intently to the spectacle before them. He slipped from the bakers grip and stepped forward "Eat up and get out!" Sweeney barked at them. "Can't you see we have stuff to talk about?" If he had to kill the Beadle he wouldn't wont to kill an entire shop of witness as well

Eleanor smiled, shaking her head at her barber's antics. "No one 'as to leave love." She said loudly enough for her customers to hear as well, placing a gloved hand. She finally caught sight of her adoptive son coming in from the outside dining room. "Take care of things love, We're gonna 'ave a chat in the parlor."

She lead the two men to her parlor, closing the heavy mahogany doors soundly behind her. "Now wot is this about?" She asked, glad to see the irrational fear that seemed to hold her had a habit of dissipating when Sweeney was close.

"Well like I said Ma'am there's been a complaint filed." He eyed the two of them. No one had sat down and he seemed to be waiting for that invitation. When it didn't come he took the liberty of seating himself. Lovett and Todd remained standing, the bakers hand still idly resting on the skunk haired man's arm.

"It seems…" He began. "an anonymous source has tipped us off to something not so nice wot has been going on in this building." The demonic duo eyed one another and Sweeney subtlety slid his hand to his holstered razor.

"And what would that be?" Sweeney asked, voice strained with tension.

"I don't know how to say this but we received word your tenet-" He tilted his head in Sweeneys direction. "has been beating you."

"Wot?!" Elenore couldn't help it. She began laughing, more from the fact that all the tension she had felt at the thought there murderistic-cannibalistic tendency had been discovered disappeared than any hilarity in what Bamford said. Both the men eye her warily, though Sweeney too now had a small half smile on his face and his slender fingers had moved away from his blade.

"I guaranty you, I've not harmed a hair on my landlady head." Sweeney said, smoothly, looking down at her.

"That old bat Mrs. Mooney said it didn't she?" Lovett asked, not laughing anymore but a smile still upon her lip. She shook her head, maroon curls bouncing. "I'm fine Mister Bamford, now if you don't mind I'd like to get back to me coustumas." She opened the door and the three of them stepped out of the room.

Beadle reached forward catching Mrs. Lovett's slender arm and pulling her back towards him. "You would tell me if anything was wrong, wouldn't you Missus?" She nodded slightly, trying to pull her arm from him. "If something is wrong you can always place you faith in tha judicial system."

She nodded again, squirming quickly out of his grasp and moving back towards the barber who was glaring daggers at the other man. Much to her surprise he caught her around the shoulder, pulling her close until the law man had left the building. He than quickly let go of her and moved with out a word back to his seat where his pie was sure to be turning cold.

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please comment. I think I liked this chapter :)