It was cold. Well, no, it was hot, but Dr. Horrible was still shivering when he awoke. He instinctively tried to curl up on himself to increase his heat retention but found that each movement was slow, painful, and strangely exhausting. The slide of smooth silk over his skin at the movement was, perhaps, the first indication his sleep and blood-loss addled mind received that he was not where he aught to be.

No, he definitely was not in his own bed, he realized. He was evil, and silk bedding was not evil. He preferred cotton anyway. Egyptian cotton through free-trade channels that were free of slave labor. That, and he didn't sleep naked. Too easy to get killed.

Wary and weary, Dr. Horrible peeked one eye open to peer over the rather lavish bedspread placed over him. His vision was hazy at best, but workable. He could see colors at least, and his vision was fairly clear as far as the foot of the bed. It was enough to tell that he was alone, anyway.

So he was naked, alone, and sore. What had he been doing? He went to visit Dead Bowie, and then… maybe the rest was a dream. Or a nightmare. Yeah, a nightmare, that sounded about right. He was not going to turn into a goblin. And the person who threatened him with such things was not a king in a magical land.

And he was NOT covered in glitter. He raised one pale, shaking limb from beneath the covers to verify.

No glitter.

Exhaling slowly – and needing to inhale soon after as his head spun from the movement – Dr Horrible tried to analyze things. It had to have been a nightmare. There was absolutely NO other explanation. At all. Even Dead Bowie attacking him had to have been a hallucination. They were both, after all, in the Evil League of Evil. They were allies. In evilness. Right?

But then, something registered in his mind as his vision cleared and he was able to look around the room he was in. He was in a stone room lit only by a fireplace. There was a mahogany wardrobe in the corner and a desk off to the side. On the floor, a luscious rug with an intricate maze laid between the doors to the room and the bed. A thin strip of orange sunlight lay across the floor between drawn curtains.

Could it be real? Could everything that happened, have actually happened?

Suddenly realizing that he was still very much naked, Dr. Horrible tried to sit up. The room started to spin, but he refused to fall back down. He swung his legs around and rested his feet on the cold stone floor. His head cleared and he tried to stand up, but his legs buckled and he barely managed to catch himself on the bedpost. He would manage to clothe himself, even if he had to crawl across the floor.

Dr. Horrible managed to stumble over to the wardrobe, and open the doors. All of the shirts were… pirate shirts…? What the…? Maybe he would have better luck with the pants…. Leggings? Are there no real clothes in this place?

He gave an exasperated sigh and reached for a pair of black leggings, managing to put them on, one leg at a time. A dark red shirt followed, along with a pair of black leather boots. Regarding his outfit, he sighed again. The leggings were very tight and left very little to the imagination. If he had chosen any other color, it would have been much worse. He left the shirt untucked in hope to cover what was plainly visible.

Scanning the room more carefully, he noticed that there were, in fact, two doors in the room. He tried the one opposite the windows only to discover that it was locked. A seed of panic began to set in his mind. Was he trapped?

He rushed, or rather walked at a normal pace because he was still very sore and weak, to the other door, which swung open silently to reveal a bathroom. Oh thank god…. He felt as though he had been lying on that bed for days, and he desperately needed to relieve himself.

A few minutes later, he walked back into the bedchamber and sat on the warm stone floor in front of the fireplace. The heat was comforting.

After a few minutes of savoring the warmth, Dr. Horrible got up and started to head back to bed. He was still exhausted and was surprised he had managed to stay up as long as he had. As he approached the bed, he noticed there was a tray of food sitting atop it.

Suddenly realizing that he was famished, he quickly scarfed down the food. Once all the food was gone, the tray disappeared in a cloud of glitter. What the hell's with all this glitter!

He collapsed onto the bed and instantly fell asleep. He couldn't even make it under the covers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The alarm crystal that Jareth had set to go off when his guest awoke started to flash with a blue light and emit a low sound, so as to get the attention of someone not paying attention.

Jareth looked up from the map he was inspecting and grinned. Ah, he awakens at last. Dr. Horrible – Jareth was going to have to find a new name for him – had been sleeping off his fatigue for over three days. It was a wonder that he had awoken at all. His injuries had been fairly severe, but nothing Jareth couldn't handle.

Jareth's next move would be crucial. He had two options. He could go in and scare the hell out of the man, or he could take a more gentle approach and try to gain his trust. Wait…. Why would Jareth want this man to trust him? Perhaps… it would help to ensure that the man would not try to escape. Yes. It could help the man feel more comfortable and not wish to run away.

He watched closely through the crystal and noticed that the man in question had found his way into the wardrobe and had chosen what seemed to resemble most what he had arrived in. Jareth wondered why he fancied those colors so much.

As this so called doctor sat in front of the fireplace calmly, Jareth wondered how the man had managed to forget that he was locked in that room. He had tried the locked door, but after relieving himself seemed to have just not noticed anymore. Although, to be fair, the man is probably exhausted, both mentally and physically. And it was good to know that the man was able to hold down his food after so long of not eating.

Once the man had fully recovered, Jareth would have to show him the castle and set him upon his new duties as Jareth's person servant. But for now, he had some kingdom-keeping to do.

After another day or so, Jareth decided to check up on his new servant to see how much he had recovered. When Jareth opened the door to the suite, the man was, once again, sleeping. How can a human sleep so much? Jareth himself didn't sleep much. He had never needed to. Maybe only two to three hours a night, and with 26 hour days, he could get a lot of work done. Then again, he also had a lot of time to himself, and being left to himself, his emotions tended escalate.

Jareth approached the side of the bed and sat down gently, so as not to disturb the man. Jareth slowly moved his hand over the sleeping man as it began to glow, assessing all that had recovered and still had yet to do so. All of the man's mental capabilities were back up to normal levels, and his body had almost fully recuperated.

The man was dreaming. Jareth couldn't help himself. Dreams were part of his area of expertise after all. He glanced into the man's mind.

Dr. Horrible stood in the middle of a small auditorium in a grey hoodie and jeans. He was Billy, and he had just accomplished something great! He looked around at all of the huddled bystanders with a smirk. Then he saw her, cowering against a wall. A second Dr. Horrible, in a red coat and black boots, held a large piece of shrapnel in his hand, raised to strike Penny down.

Penny begged for her life. "Billy, please. I thought you were my friend."

Dr. Horrible's arm drew back, prepped to lash at her as Billy sprinted at them. Billy watched as the hunk of metal sheathed itself in the chest of the one person he truly loved. Dr. Horrible disappeared with a maniacal laugh, leaving Billy kneeling next to his dying love.

"Hold on Penny, hold on!"

She looked directly into his eyes. "Billy... Why?"

Billy watched the light fade from her eyes. He was unable to make coherent words. Just then, Dr. Horrible in red reappeared behind Billy, grabbed the back of the hoodie, and tossed him across the room. Dr Horrible held Billy's throat in one hand and lifted him off the ground.

"It's all your fault, you coward. I did it for us. This stupid girl was our weakness. And now that she's gone, we won't be held back from taking over the world. I won't be held back." Dr. Horrible gave one last squeeze and tossed Billy's lifeless body aside.

The dream began to fade in a final feeling of anguish. Jareth quickly ducked out of "Billy's" mind and exited the room, leaving the door unlocked. This new man had suffered so much at the hands of those he loved, just as Jareth had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Horrible's eyes fluttered open and he stretched his slightly sore muscles. He had dreamed of it again, but he wasn't going to let his tragic past get him down. He was past that. Of course he was. Villains can't afford to have regrets. He got up out of bed and went to bathe himself.

He emerged from the washroom with the intention of rifling through the wardrobe again, but upon reentering the room, he noticed a neatly folded pile of clothes on the bed. It was a red shirt and black leggings almost identical to the ones he had been wearing before. He shrugged and put them on, he didn't really wanna pick out a new outfit anyway.

Dr. Horrible realized he was very hungry all of a sudden, and after doing a quick survey of the room, noticed there was no magical tray of food for him. He gave an exasperated sigh and walked over the main door. May as well try, even though it's still likely to be... The door swung open.

As Dr. Horrible wandered down various hallways and such, he came across small creatures ranging from knee to waist height. They appeared to be... goblins? That was the only viable explanation of their appearance. And the strange thing was, they all seemed to just ignore him. No violence or hostility at all. Wasn't he supposed to be a prisoner or a captive or something. But they didn't seem to give a damn.

Some of the goblins seemed to be tidying up assorted sections, many were carrying diverse supplies from chamber to chamber. Dr. Horrible even saw what he believed to be guards patrolling the hall at one point. What had that guy said? He was the king or something like that... Right. Kings are usually found in throne rooms, so... "Hey," he projected at the nearest goblin, "how do I get to the throne room?"

It was an ugly little thing with pike on its hat sweeping some dirt off the floor. It looked up, startled. "You open a door with the room in mind. It will take you there." The creature looked at him as if he should have already known this.

Dr. Horrible appeared baffled and walked a bit further until he came to a door. He put the thought of a throne room in his mind and opened the door. He stood at the top of a curving stone staircase that lead to what looked like an open chamber. That must be it.

He quietly started down so as not to be known. He peered around the corner to see the king in a white loose shirt and grey leggings. He lounged sideways across his throne, tapping his riding crop against his black leather boots. He appeared to be listening to a goblin couple about the turnout of the crops for the season and how bog-water had somehow gotten into the water supply and now the field was ruined.

The king lazily informed them that there would be an investigation and the problem would be solved. They would also be reimbursed for any permanent damage done by the event. The two goblins left, thanking him.

"Hiding behind a corner does you no good." The king wasn't even looking in the same general direction as Dr. Horrible. Dr. Horrible stepped out from the staircase and strolled in front of the throne. "So tell me, William, how are you feeling?"

No one had called him that in ages. Yes it was his official name, but he told everyone his name was Billy. Wait, he hadn't told the king his name was Billy. How... Never mind. Dr. Horrible cleared his throat. "Um... Fine I guess."

"Good. You are now to be my personal servant. You will do everything I ask. And don't get too comfortable in your chambers, I will eventually get around to turning you into a goblin. Understood?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note – Reviews need to happen. I dont know where to go from here. And if I cant think of what to write, then you will never know how it ends. So help me out here.