A/N: Okay, so I don't think I took so long last time. School is almost starting so I want to get this finished up. Not that I'm not enjoying it....

Disclaimer: I've told you how many times before? Yeah, I think you should know by now. I do not own anything. At all. So would you stop asking me?

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A gust of wind filled the room, growing stronger and stronger as every moment passed until a vortex formed in the middle of the room. Beetlejuice's eyes widened.

"Aw, you didn't!" he protested. He slowly began to be sucked in, but he wasn't going without a fight. He grabbed on to Nellie and on to the couch. "If I'm leavin' babe," he shouted above the noise, "I'm takin' you with me!"

Mrs. Lovett screamed and kicked as hard as she could, but Beetlejuice's grip was vice-like and he was not letting go. She twisted and writhed and shoved but to no avail. Anthony, Johanna and Mr. Todd watched in horror as Beetlejuice's hold on the couch faltered. Slowly, he and Mrs. Lovett were dragged to the vortex.

Mr. Todd jumped forward and reached for Mrs. Lovett, but only caught her skirt. He tried to pull her away, but the dress ripped and they slowly started to vanish. "Eleanor!" he shouted. With a huge leap, he caught her arms. Beetlejuice was already out of sight save for his head, but he held on to Mrs. Lovett's waist for all he was worth. Mr. Todd found himself being slowly dragged in himself. "Anthony!" he yelled, "Hold on to my legs!"

Anthony sprang to life and hit the floor, hoping he was strong enough to keep the barber from disappearing. Johanna also grabbed on, afraid of what may happen. Suddenly, she was struck with an idea. "Mr. Todd!" she cried, "Remove her dress!"

Sweeney lifted one hand to unlace it, but Mrs. Lovett fell farther in with a scream. "Mr. T, that ain't gonna work." she said, "So just stop. Don't risk yourself anymore."

Mr. Todd shook his head. "I'm not letting you go again!" he shouted.

"Mr. Todd, you died for me." Mrs. Lovett said, choking back a sob, "I don't need any more than that. You have a daughter to take care of. Let go." She loosened her hold on him.

"Don't you dare leave me! I love you dammit!" Mr. Todd cried holding on to her all the tighter, "Johanna!"

"Mr. Todd?" she asked.

"Can you do it?"

"Wha-"

"Can you unlace her dress?"

Johanna nodded and began to move her way forward but Anthony pulled her back. "No!" he exclaimed, "Not Johanna."

Mr. Todd looked down. "Yes Johanna!" he replied, "She'll be fine."

"What if she gets sucked in?" Anthony protested.

"Anthony, I won't let that happen."

"Your holding onto Mrs. Lovett!"

"Trust me!"

"Mr. Todd, it's too risky."

"I promise-"

"I can't live without her!" Anthony cried, "I love her!"

"I do too!"

Johanna wrenched Anthony's arm from her. "What?" she asked incredulously.

Mr. Todd regarded her seriously for what seemed like forever but was in actuality a moment. "Johanna, I'll tell you everything when we get out of this." he said at length, "Now go!"

Johanna nodded and slowly made her way to Mrs. Lovett. Wrapping her legs around Mr. Todd in such a way as to keep her from slipping in, she swiftly unlaced the baker's dress and pushed it off, sending Beetlejuice away with it. The air became still and Mrs. Lovett fell to the ground. Mr. Todd gently picked her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Mrs. Lovett shook her head and with a sob, buried her face in his chest. Sweeney slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her close, trying not to cry himself. "I- I -I" Nellie stuttered, "You.. I...oh Mr. Todd!"

"Shhh," Mr. Todd whispered soothingly into her hair, "He's gone, it's all better now. I'm here, I got you." He continued to comfort her in this way as he held her.

Meanwhile, Anthony and Johanna were also clinging to each other, Johanna white as a sheet, and Anthony not much whiter. After several minutes had passed, everyone had calmed down somewhat. Johanna stood up and said, "I think I need a cup of tea.

Mrs. Lovett pulled away from Mr. Todd somewhat and said shakily, "I think gin would be much more appropirate. Has the old eye-talian drank all mine yet?"

Somehow, this seemed to lighten everyone's spirits a little and Mr. Todd spoke up. "Gin sounds perfect!" he said enthusiastically.

Two minutes later, they all were seated at the kitchen table, a tumbler of gin in each hand. No one had completely recovered and an occasionally sniff was heard from the two women. Sweeney had become quiet, even for himself and Anthony was toying with his gin. Just then, Toby walked in. "Wait, you were all 'aving gin and you didn't tell me?" he asked.

Mrs. Lovett smiled and slid Anthony's glass across the table to the boy. "I don't think Anthony is going to drink 'is." she said, ignoring the sailor's cry of protest, "Drink up."

Toby grinned and sat down next to her. "Yes mum!" he said earnestly. After a moment he asked, "Mum, begging your pardon, but why are you in...?" he motioned to her clothes.

Mrs. Lovett looked down. She had forgotten that her dress had been taken by Beetlejuice. She was clad only in her corset and a petticoat that stopped at her calves, revealing her striped stockings. With a blush and a gasp she sat up. "Excuse me." she said sheepishly, retreating down the hall.

She returned a few moments later to find her tumbler void of any gin. Toby silently pointed to Mr. Todd who was innocently sipping from his- or was it her's- glass.

Sliding next to him, Mrs. Lovett plucked the glass from his hands with a curt, "Thank you." and sat as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Todd," Johanna spoke up. The girl had been silent the entire time. "You said you would talk to me."

Sweeney sighed. "I'm not sure you want to hear it." he grumbled.

"I'm sure I do sir."

"I'm not sure I want to tell it." He relpied.

"Then I will." Mrs. Lovett said with a sigh. She lowered her voice. "There was a barber and his wife. And he was beautiful. A proper artist with a knife, but they transported him for life."

"Who transported him?" Johanna asked.

"A man by the name of Judge Turpin dearie. He wanted the barber's wife you see, pretty little thing, could have had anything she wanted, like mad. Sent her flowers every day. But she didn't return his affections, just stayed in her room with her baby girl. So he said the beadle to get her to come to his house, under the pretense he was going to apologise and make everything better. He didn't. Just hurt the wife worse."

"What happened to the baby girl?" Johanna asked.

"What do you think?" answered Mrs. Lovett.

Realization washed over Johanna. "You're talking about my family?" she asked, "That was my family? What was the family name?"

"Barker love," Mrs. Lovett said, "Benjamin and Lucy Barker."

Johanna frowned. "That doesn't explain why Mr. Todd.."

"Did Anthony ever tell you how he met Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett asked.

"Rescued him from the ocean." answered Johanna.

"Yes he did." Mrs. Lovett said, "Off the coast of a prison colony."

"I knew your father." Mr. Todd interrupted, "We were great friends. I knew him before he ever was married, and I helped name you. I was there when he was deported and I met him there later, when I got shipped off."

"Is my... is my father alive?" Johanna asked softly.

"No, he died shortly after I landed in Australia." Mr. Todd said quietly.

Johanna lowered her head. "Thank you sir." she said at length, "You don't know how much that means to me. To finally know about who I am."

Mr. Todd nodded and Mrs. Lovett slid her hand up his shoulder, giving him a loving squeeze. They heard a groan from the parlor and they realized that Pirelli had been unconscious the entire time.

"Alright, so what are we going to do about him anyway?" Nellie asked.

"I don't like him." Toby said with a shudder.

Just then, the Italian stumbled into the kitchen. "Boy, we're leaving!" he said, forgetting to use his accent, "They can keep the place, lets go."

Mrs. Lovett stood up. "The boy stays here." she said firmly.

"Who are you?" Pirelli asked.

"Mrs. Lovett, now leave!" Nellie replied.

"Not without the boy."

"Dammit you had better leave the boy or so help me I will rip out your eyeballs and pin them on the wall!" Mrs. Lovett all but screamed. Pirelli backed up. "Fine." he said, "Fine, fine fine. See, look, I'm leaving. I'm leaving!" The man ran out the door and down the street.

Mrs. Lovett smiled. "Guess you can stay here Toby." she said, "Welcome home."

Later on in the evening, after Toby and Anthony had been filled in on almost everything, Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd were preparing for bed.

"I noticed James didn't show up today." Mrs. Lovett said, "I was sort of expecting him to."

"I'm not too disappointed." Mr. Todd replied irritably. He was always touchy when it came to the subject of James.

"Mr. Todd, did you mean it?" Mrs. Lovett asked abruptly, changing the subject.

"Mean what?"

"Do you really love me?"

Mr. Todd grinned. "What if I did?" he asked.

"Don't give me that!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed, swatting at him playfully with a pillow.

"Stop that!" Sweeney said, grabbing the pillow and pulling Mrs. Lovett to him. He captured her lips with his and kissed her passionately. "Yeah I do." he said huskily.

"Do you mind spending 175 years with me?" she asked, breathing heavily against his mouth.

"No." he answered pulling her in for another spectacular kiss.

And as the moon rose high above the London clouds, the pair decided they weren't so hard off after all.

The End

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Dang that was long! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Thanks again to Midna Hytwilian and Pandora Spocks for reviewing every single chapter. You guys rock!