Title: Dying Dreams
Fandom: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Characters/Parings: Penny-centric, some Billy/Penny
Rating: PG
Wordcount: approx. 880
Warning: massive spoilers, character death
Summary: The last dream Penny had was about Billy. And there was something very important to tell him.
Dying Dreams
The last dream Penny had was about Billy.
It was the night before the opening of the homeless shelter. Penny usually didn’t sleep well. However, she’d been working around the clock all week, and she knew that she’d finally made a difference (she ignored that little voice in her head that reminded her that it was technically Captain Hammer who was making a difference). So she fell asleep almost instantly.
She was in the Laundromat, completely deserted. Penny could feel the frozen yoghurt in her hand.
The door clanged open. Penny turned to face it. And there was Billy.
“Billy, where were you?” Penny asked. “You always do your laundry on Wednesdays, but this week you weren’t here.”
Billy didn’t say anything, didn’t move. Just stood there.
“Billy?” Penny went over to him. “Billy?”
He finally seemed to notice her. He smiled at her, and Penny smiled back.
She felt his hand slip into hers - her frozen yoghurt had disappeared, and Penny knew that this was a dream, but she didn’t want to wake up.
Billy’s other hand was at her waist, and she put her hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t as skinny as he looked - he really did go to the gym.
It took Penny a minute to realize what they were doing. She’d had kissing dreams, and even sex dreams, before, but a dancing dream? This was a first.
When she woke up, she was grinning.
* * *
How could he do that?
How could Captain Hammer tell everyone about their sex life?
Penny felt the accusing glares of everyone in the room. Great, now she was some slut who traded her body for... homeless shelters. No one would care that she’d liked Captain Hammer, sort of. No one would care what it had resulted in. She’d always be his girlfriend, his piece of ass.
Penny had to get out of here.
Captain Hammer was making his big speech - she didn’t want to hear it. Everything was so clear now. Penny had made a habit of dating jerks in the past - how could she think that this guy, even a superhero, would be any different?
He’d been using her. “My serious long-term girlfriend”? What the hell? Talking about her like she was a trophy, like she didn’t have feelings.
Her thoughts turned to her dancing dream. She couldn’t help but smile as she stood by the wall. Billy couldn’t be a jerk. Billy was sweet. He was her friend.
She shook her head. No, no, no. The answer was not another man. Not even a sweet man who wanted to be like Gandhi and who liked frozen yoghurt. She’d measured her life in boyfriends for too long. She’d take some time off - focus on the shelter, try and find her own feet for a while. Then, maybe...
There was a loud zap, a cry. Captain Hammer was frozen! Then a horrible, sickening laugh.
It was Doctor Horrible. She’d run into him once before, the day she’d met Captain Hammer. But now... it was like someone completely different.
He walked through the crowd, making vague references to sheep and slipping. All that Penny could focus on was his magnetism. He held the attention of the room. Penny glanced over to Captain Hammer. He wasn’t moving.
Another shriek, more loud noises. He had a gun! Penny ducked for cover. She had a vague notion that she should help people, that she should do something.
As soon as the sounds of the gun stopped, Penny looked up again. Horrible was pointing his gun at Captain Hammer.
“Head up, Billy buddy, there’s no time for mercy.”
Billy?
It couldn’t be.
There was a sound of the gun powering down. Horrible turned his face around, and Penny felt her heart sink.
Billy.
She went behind the chairs again. No, no, no. Billy couldn’t... how could he... he did laundry, for God’s sake!
But what else was she supposed to believe? That Doctor Horrible just happened to have Billy’s face? That Billy had an evil twin? That sort of thing only happened in comic books.
She should’ve known. She should’ve been able to tell. What was it that he’d mentioned? Bad Horse? Besides, when was the last time she’d known a good guy? Sure, usually her idea of a bad guy was someone who slept with you and didn’t call. She’d never imagined herself getting tangled up with a supervillain. But, then again, she’d slept with a superhero. Anything was possible.
She stood up. Penny had to stop him. Maybe Billy, the Billy she knew, was still in there. She had to reach Billy before Captain Hammer...
A crash. And then pain, more pain than she’d ever felt. Everything was black.
She’d been thinking about Billy, before. And Captain Hammer. What was it? It had been important, she knew that much.
A face came into focus.
“Billy? Is that you?”
He was talking, but she couldn’t understand. He seemed upset.
“Billy, are you all right?”
He wouldn’t calm down.
“It’s going to be all right. It’s OK.”
Something about Captain Hammer. She had Billy, but something about Captain Hammer.
“Captain Hammer will save us.”
That had to be it.
There was something else she had to say, something else to tell him. Something really important...