Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long-Blog or any of its characters. All rights go to Joss Whedon and his gifted cast and crew.

AN: I have this story listed as "Hurt/Comfort." We've seen the Hurt, now it's almost time for some Comfort :D Also, sorry if this chapter (can I call it that, they're so short) is a bit choppy, I was more excited about posting it than proofreading/revising/proofreading/rinse-lather-repeat.

Beginnings

Billy couldn't sleep.

Ever since the homeless shelter incident, sleep had come far more easily than he knew to be healthy, as if his body was eager for the darkness and hoped to never wake again.

But for the first time in a long time, Billy couldn't sleep.

It had been only hours since the girl fled from him in the alleyway. The ghost who had tortured him until his breakdown now suddenly claimed ignorance—and Billy was damned if he didn't feel betrayed.

Penny was supposed to take him by the hand and take him to his death, and by killing each other, he had hoped to have felt forgiven. But now, Penny apparently didn't find this solution to be equal to her own demise.

His eyes grew troubled at this thought.

The Penny he knew – the Penny he had done laundry with and spied through the homeless shelter windows – had never been this cruel. Would never be this cruel, ever,not even after he unintentionally murdered her.

Perhaps, he thought, perhaps this really wasn't Penny.

Penny was his friend and had wanted nothing more than world peace and happy endings—the image of this girl unraveling him until he was days away from pulling the death ray's trigger on himself was so… not Penny.

But why would the girl be following him then? What did she see in him? And yet, the instant he asked himself, Billy realized that he already knew.

A villain, he answered himself, suddenly remembering that she ever only followed him while he was dressed in red.

Except for the first time, at the cemetery.

"Damn," he thought, "This doesn't make any sense."

He sighed and flipped over on his bed as he came to terms with the fact that he would not sleep this night. Or the next night and many nights after that if he didn't do something to figure all this out. And there was only one logical way that he could formulate in which to reach the desired result of revelation.

Dr. Horrible was going to have to stalk a little orphan girl.

TBC