Oh man, I am so sorry for the HUGE delay in uploading it! It's been nearly finished for ages, but I've been so busy with exams (and crippled by writers block) that I've only just finished it. Many apologise for that. I hope not to leave such huge updating gaps in the future. I'll try to push a little of the blame on BBC's Sherlock. That show has had me crippled for weeks. If you've not seen it, I'd highly recommend it: it is absolutely flipping amazing!
Anyways, thanks to everyone who has reviewed or faved my story. And I tip my hat to gcpd285 who clearly knows where their towel is. =P
So, without further ado: chapter 12. I really hope it isn't a big disappointment after waiting for so long. I'm not a huge fan of this chapter (because I suck at the romancy aspect of writing), but oh well.
Chapter 12
"NOBODY MOVE! NOBODY MOVE!" feet thudded all around as at least thirty men and women shoved their way into the minuscule sitting area. Their flashlights darted all over the shop, occasionally blinding Dr Horrible and Penny, who were huddled at the foot of the Resurrect-Ohm-Meter. As the LAPD checked that the apartment was safe, Billy tried to surreptitiously hide his discarded lab coat by shoving it beneath the mattress: well, it was somewhat incriminating evidence. Eventually, after making quite sure that none of the inhabitants had rigged the place to turn into a ball of gaseous vapour anytime soon, the police turned their attention to the four people in the house.
"What the hell is going on here?" said a very red-faced cop, puffing from exhaustion. "The door to this apartment was barricaded. We are looking for a number of fugitives. Doesn't stand you in very good stead, does it? The fact that we are looking for criminals in this building, and you just happen to have half your living room furniture in front of your door..." The Doctor gulped, trying to blend into the beige wall behind him. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work too well.
"You!" the man pointed at Billy, who shrunk back a little, holding Penny protectively. "You look horribly familiar, buddy…"
The cop frowned at Horrible, his moustache quivering like a great hairy caterpillar on his lip. He squinted, cocking his head back and forth as he tried to figure out who the scrawny man before him was. Then-
"Sergeant! Over there! Underneath a…spaceship?" the man turned to look at what his officer was talking about. The 'what' in question happened to be a rather disgruntled Captain Hammer, who trying to push a scale model of a Death Star off of his chest.
"We'll deal with him in a minute, DeLauny. Right now, we are interrogating this-"
"But Sir! That man is the man who did this!" the officer, a short and rather angry looking woman, gestured at her left arm which was in a pot.
"Shit…"
Captain Hammer scrambled backwards as all attention turned to him. His lower body was still pinned under the stupid spaceship thingy of Dr Horrible's and his foot was currently stuck in the helmet of a Stormtrooper. The task wasn't made any easier by the fact that he was lacking his superhuman strength. The hero's eyes darted around as the LAPD bore down on him.
"Are you sure that's the guy DeLauny?"
"Positive! He's even wearing the same shirt!"
"Ew. That's gross." The sergeant turned to his men. "Well? What are you waiting for? Cuff him!"
"Hey! Hey! Mind the hair!" Hammer tried to fend them off, but was quickly overpowered, his arms forced behind his back. The sergeant approached Hammer, a look of disgust slapped on his face.
"What's your name, sonny?"
"Captain Hammer."
"Oho!" the guy's facial fur danced excitedly on his face. "Men! Guns trained on this guy!" A ripple of unease spread through the group as they raised their weapons.
"Did you know that you are wanted, not only for the GBH inflicted upon my officer and theft of her communication device, but also for the damage of a certain Elementia's property, grave robbery, and the murder of a Mister Cedric O'Malley, a guard at the aforementioned Elementia's home? Not to mention, you are wanted in connection of the theft of a highly reactive compound that was being stored in a warehouse in the city!" There was a collective gasp amongst the group, but none was louder that Penny's; her eyes widened in horror, her mouth forming a perfect little 'o' of shock.
"Eu-Eugene?"
"EUGENE?" Dr Horrible's jaw crashed to the floor and tumbled somewhere behind the Resurrect-Ohm-Meter. "That's your real name?" he looked at the Captain in disbelief, who was reddening by the second. Penny looked between Billy and Hammer, confused, before continuing.
"Did you…did you kill someone?" Captain Hammer gaped like a landed fish, stunned.
"Yeah…but I don't know how they found out!" Everyone in the room gasped again. Bar Dr Horrible; he was too busy grinning in a somewhat satisfied fashion.
"We found out," said the police sergeant, through gritted teeth "because an anonymous source recovered some CCTV tape from the wreckage of Elementia's home and sent it in. That footage depicted you and two accomplices destroying the super-hero's home, causing millions of dollars' worth of damage. And quite clearly showed you murdering the aforementioned guard with some sort of…Death…Ray." At this, Horrible purposely avoided Penny's curious stares. Oh crap, he'd sort of forgotten about that…
"Accompanying this evidence, were a collection of photographs of you digging up the grave of the young woman whose body was stolen around Halloween…" the man smiled triumphantly, folding his arms with contentment. "Captain Eugene Hammer, you will be going away for a long time. Do you wish to cooperate and just admit that you stole the radioactive compound? There were plenty of witnesses, but confessing would save a lot of time. Plus, it could knock your two life sentences down to just one and a half." Hammer's eyes widened with horror. Well, this was not good at all. Not good. He was going down…
Well you know what they say; if your ship is sinking, you may as well try to take down as many with you as you can.
"I had help!" cried the Captain, pointing directly at Horrible. "He, he's Dr Horrible! He made me help him! It was all his idea! He was building this Ressy thing to bring Jenny back!"
"It's Penny!" said Horrible. "And I did not do any of that! He's insane; a fruit-loop!" the Doctor pulled the best 'I'm innocent, really!' face as he could manage. The sergeant's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He looked over to the colossal machine beside him.
"What's this?" he cautiously tapped the Resurrect-Ohm-Meter, flinching as he withdrew in case it decided to bite his hand.
"It's…it's a microwave oven."
"A microwave oven?" he didn't look convinced. "It's pretty big for a microwave."
"I, er, needed to defrost a really big turkey?" Horrible waited for a few tense moments. Honestly. A microwave? He had a PhD in Horribleness, was a creative genius, and the best he could come up with was that the great hulking metal monster taking up 90% of his living room was a device for warming up his tea?
"Are you Dr Horrible?" a very pregnant pause followed this question.
"Er, no. Do you see a lab coat?" The sergeant frowned. He did have a point…
"Is he Dr Horrible?" the cop pointed at Moist, who dropped the cup of coffee he had been quietly sipping.
"M-me?" Moist shook his head vigorously. "Naw. I'm just me. Just a guy. Drinking coffee. I'm not ELE material." The sergeant sighed.
"Fine; we'll sort you two out later. Guys, get this villain out of here and down to the station." Two burly young men grabbed Hammer underneath the arms and frog-marched him towards the door, with the disgraced hero wriggling in protest.
Just as they reached the door, a loud knocking stopped them in their tracks. Someone was banging on the door, trying to get in. The police men paused and turned to look at their sergeant, at a loss as to what to do. The sergeant sighed; clearly someone wanted him to have as hard a day as possible…
"Open the damn door then! Or do I have to do everything myself?" the door opened very quickly after that. On the other side of said door, the cops were greeted by a very peculiar sight: three men, clad in cowboy outfits. Music began to rise within the room, and the cowboys danced towards Captain Hammer, singing:
Bad Horse
Bad Horse
Bad Horse
Bad Horse
The ELE's been watching
And we're liking what you do
The Bad, Bad Horse, he's quite impressed
And wants you to join the crew!
So how 'bout it Captain Hammer
Why don't you start anew-
"NO NO NO!" cried Hammer. "I'm good! I'm a good guy!" he spun around, distraught at the sceptical looks that he was being given. "No! I'm a good guy! I'm Captain Hammer! I've saved lives, I've pulled cats from trees, I've-"
"I don't care if you put an end the X Factor, you're down for murder, therefore you're coming with me, mister." The sergeant personally grabbed the Captain hauled Hammer out of the door.
"Sorry to interrupt your little…performance, gents."
"No problem."
"We'll just get the Boss to send him a text."
"Or a fax."
"Or possibly a musical greetings card." The Bad Horse Chorus trooped out of the apartment behind the mob of LAPD. Finally, the door swung shut with a clunk, leaving only Moist, Dr Horrible and Penny.
Penny.
The poor woman was still sat on the mattress next to Billy, utterly bamboozled as to what…where…how…?
The red-head slowly got to her feet, Billy watching her every move very carefully. She put her palm to her head as her confused brain pounded angrily. She felt like she was recovering from a severe bout of flu; every muscle ached, and her memories seemed fuzzy. What day was it? She struggled to remember…
Penny scrunched up her eyes, trying to think things through. What did she last remember? The opening of the homeless shelter. Yes… Captain Hammer had been there…to open it? Yes, yes; it was dedicated to him; he managed to procure the building. But then why was she here? 'Here' being what she presumed was Billy's home. Penny cast around the small apartment, her eyes lingering on the gargantuan hulk of metal before her. What was that for? She laid a hand on the still-warm machine. She peered into the tank, and then looked down at her soaking clothes.
"Are you okay, Penny?" the woman turned around to face Billy, his face full of concern. Oddly, when she saw him, another name cropped into her head: Dr Horrible, the person the sergeant had accused him of being. A white lab coat just peeking out from under the mattress drew her attention. Her memory flashed back- Billy, striding through the rows of chairs, wielding a gun…singing…
It made no sense. Perhaps it was a dream?
"Billy?" her voice cracked- it was sore, as though she hadn't spoken in a long time.
"Yes?" he hurried towards her and gripped her hands. His brilliant blue eyes pierced hers. Eyes that she knew so well. Eyes she could trust.
"What happened?"
Billy gulped. He looked over to the man stood in the corner of the room, the man hidden in the shadow of the machine.
"You gotta tell her, Doc." The blonde nodded. Took a deep breath.
And then he told her everything.
The Doctor waited.
And waited.
Penny was sat silently on the couch in front of him. Her hands rested limply in his as she stared past him, seeing nothing in her state of complete shock. Billy could feel his heart pounding in his chest, partly because of the spark of something electric passing between their touching hands. But mostly because he was scared: scared that she would reject him. Scared that she would hate him. She hadn't spoken for the best part of ten minutes- and he still hadn't told her that he was in love with her.
Maybe he should leave that till another day?
Before him, Penny began to come back to life. She blinked a couple of times, coming out of her reverie. Cast, weary eyed, around the room, eyes landing for a moment for the man she now knew as Moist, who was perched on the counter in the kitchen. Finally, her gaze landed on the man in front of her.
"I-I'm dead?"
"Not any more. I-I brought you back." The red-head shook her head in disbelief.
"I died." She said, trying to get her head around it all "And you- you built this machine to bring me back."
"That about sums it up, yes." Penny smiled meekly.
"So, that makes you some sort of super genius then?" Billy grinned.
"That about sums it up, yes."
"This is so much to take in…" the woman sighed, twisting a strand of flaming hair around her finger. "I don't remember dying. Or being dead; I only really remember seeing you…as Dr Horrible. And then nothing. That is, until now." She paused for a moment, deep in thought.
"I still can't understand how someone as nice as you could secretly be a member of the ELE…"
"You don't seem quite as bothered by it as I thought you would be though."
"I don't agree with what you have done, and how you did it…but I understand why you did it. You were just trying to make the world a better place, like me. Except you took a different approach.
"Anyway," she continued "Doing something bad doesn't make you a bad person…" Penny trailed off, turning to gaze out of the window at the urban landscape that sprawled out beyond it. The sun was starting to rise now, and a crimson light was bathing all of LA in its warming glow. The rays reached the pair on the couch and the girl shuddered, unaccustomed to the light. It was nearly winter, yet the sun provided warmth she supposed she had not felt in almost four months.
"Hey, could I, er, use your shower? It's just, I smell like…well…something that's died." Dr Horrible smiled in the kindest, non-stalky/ creepy way he could manage whilst looking at the woman with whom he was madly in love.
"Sure. No problem. Go ahead. First door on your right." Billy watched as Penny got unsteadily to her feet and slowly walked towards the bathroom. He continued to watch until the last strand of scarlet hair was shut behind the wooden door and the sound of the water pounding the plastic tub filled the living room. Finally Horrible turned away, to find Moist standing in front of him, eating a packet of crisps.
"Well, that went well." He stated mid-mouthful. The henchman pulled a disgusted face as he swallowed the very soggy prawn cocktail chips.
"Yeah…yeah it did." Horrible frowned. "I'm kinda surprised she took it so well, actually."
"Maybe she's just really grateful."
"Maybe she's still in shock; dying and then coming back to life isn't exactly something you do every day." Moist started to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"You order anything?" he queried. The Doctor shook his head; he rarely ordered online (hence the whole 'stealing-the-processor-from-the-ELE-'cause-they-got-one-from-ebay' scheme) and he didn't recall ringing for a Chinese. At 6:37 in the morning.
Billy made his way towards the door, cautious in case it was the LAPD again and they intended on busting it open right into his face. With care and much hesitation, Horrible eased the door open. And immediately regretted it when he saw who was standing on the other side.
"P-P-Professor Normal?"
"I-er-I wasn't expecting-this is a really bad- I'm really busy-I-"
"Quit the crap Horrible and let me inside." The Doctor stepped aside, feeling his stomach plummet about ten stories.
This. Was. NOT. Good.
Normal strode into the room and cast around the dingy place. He didn't even seem remotely surprised by the replicate Resurrect-Ohm-Meter taking up half of the floor space. Moist stood in the centre of the room looking thoroughly shocked, bag of sopping crisps forgotten in his damp palm. The Professor approached the machine and began to inspect it, examining each component with much scrutiny. Meanwhile, Billy felt his heart pounding somewhere in the region of his throat. No 'maybe's' or 'might's' this time; he was well and truly done for this time.
"Is the processor installed?" the Doctor was somewhat taken aback at the question, but hastily replied.
"Yes; next to the centre console." Normal quickly located the component and nodded with a sort of grim satisfaction. Horrible held his breath.
"Well. I'm impressed." The Doctor blinked hard. Shook his head. Surely, he'd heard wrong.
"Very impressed… you've replicated it very well, with limited materials too. And right under the noses of myself and the rest of the ELE." Billy stared at the Professor. Yeah, he really should've gone for that hearing test…
"I trust it works." queried Normal, pacing around the Resurrect-Ohm-Meter.
"What works?"
"Your replica of my machine of course." okay, Billy clearly was hearing fine. And hadn't gone insane. Unless all of this was perhaps a dream or illusion…
"So? Does it work?"
"Er…yes…worked fine…" he shot a look at Moist, who looked just as flabbergasted as he felt. His henchman shrugged as Billy raised an eyebrow.
"I must say, excellent construction; I didn't think you had it in you, Doctor. I half expected it to be made of masking tape and cardboard boxes."
"You knew?"
"Only when I got a call this morning saying the processor had been stolen." Normal ran a finger over the control centre, studying the linking circuit boards. "I'm utterly stunned that I didn't suss you out; you've never been particularly discreet. Yet…I only had my suspicions…"
"You don't seem very-"
"Mad?" The Professor chuckled. "In case you didn't realize, we work for the ELE. Back-stabbing and deceit come with the territory. Why, only last week did Snake Bite try to off me with some spurge laurel." He fiddled with a couple of dials on the machine, before snapping his fingers together.
"That reminds me; did you drink the coffee at the last meeting?"
"…No?"
"That's okay then." Normal approached the tank and tapped on the glass.
"So, I suppose you're the young man that Horrible here resurrected?" Moist froze as the Professor looked over at him.
"Me? No, no- I never died!" the scientist looked confused.
"But you're…wet?"
"I'm just…always like this…" an awkward silence hung about the room.
"My name's Moist." said Moist, hoping this would help clarify things a little.
"Ah…right…henchman?" Moist nodded somewhat vigorously. Specks of, er…bodily fluid…splattered Professor Normal. The mad scientist did his best not to grimace in disgust. He failed miserably.
"Nice place you've got here…" commented Normal, in an attempt to use small talk to diffuse the awkwardness that flowed it great schismatic waves between the three men.
"Not really-it leaks. And it's smaller than our last apartment. We sort of blew a hole through that one." Normal chuckled meekly at Horrible's reply. He wasn't really sure how to, well, talk to people. It was something that literally everyone in the ELE had in common- very poor social skills.
"You, er, catch the game last night?"
"I was sort of…stealing your processor…"
"Ah. Of course." The Professor wrung his hands together, trying to think of something to say or a way to get back on topic.
"Is there anything else you'll be needing, Professor, or are you-?"
"Just a couple of things, then I'll be off." He replied, glad that the Doctor was as fond of the niceties as he was.
"First things first: your future at the ELE." Horrible felt his stomach jolt. What? He thought that he wasn't getting booted?
"You aren't getting kicked out for this; this act has actually boosted your reputation amongst your fellow villains. But I warn you- we don't like repeat performances. The same old joke gets boring, right? From now on, we expect you to carry out any of your plots with us, not against us. You are allowed to freelance, of course, but no more of this, right?" Dr Horrible nodded- he had what he wanted, there would be no need for him to betray the ELE again.
"Second of all: this machine. I expect it dismantled. I don't want to see you using it again. No more resurrecting from you. Else you'll steal all my lime light. And I don't like that.
"And finally, I want my processor back. I want it dropping off at my lab by six tomorrow evening. And I expect to see you at work Monday 7am, prompt."
"I'll make sure to do that, Professor." said Billy, very relieved that Normal hadn't ripped his head off with that large metal hand of his. He had got of incredibly lightly. Maybe karma was on his side for once; after years of a pretty crap life, maybe, just maybe, things were starting to pick up for him.
Judging that this was probably the opportune moment to take his leave, Normal headed towards the door. He felt this had gone fairly well and a small (to emphasise, small) part of him was beginning to like Dr Horrible a little bit more. Just a bit, mind. He was still a blundering idiot, and this tiny act that made him slightly less detestable was probably going to be over-shadowed by some moronic plot which would make the ELE look like a joke, but nevertheless, the Professor found himself able to look at Horrible without wanting to bludgeon him to death with a raw chicken.
The Professor had just made his way to the door when a figure caught his eye. He turned, curiosity getting the better of him. A woman was peeking from behind a door down the corridor that led towards what Normal presumed were the bedrooms. She was about as ginger as a Weasley, with freckles to match, and was clutching the door in a vice-like grip.
"Horrible…there's someone at the door for you." He nodded over towards Penny, who froze, terrified of the strange man with the large metal hand.
"Penny are you okay?" The Doctor's tone was concerned as he started towards the red-head. That was when it clicked for the Professor.
Well, that made sense…
"Yes, yes, I'm fine Billy. I just- heard voices. So I was wondering…" trailed off the girl. She watched Normal fearfully as his steely gaze appraised her. He smiled as nicely as he could at her.
"A soul ensnared; for doe- like eyes do captivate
The heart of man."
Billy looked at Professor Normal in surprise. Did he just…?
"Oh come on!" cried the scientist, sounding very miffed. "Just because I'm an evil mad scientist doesn't mean that I don't have a heart! Is it now illegal to quote poetry?" he grumbled to himself in annoyance as he pulled open the door.
"The processor, Horrible; my desk, tomorrow! If it's not there, I promise that your head will experience a sudden, unpleasant separation from your body!" for 975th time that day, the great wooden barrier to the world slammed shut. Horrible breathed a sigh of relief.
"Um, Billy? Who the hell was he?"
"Er, just Professor Normal; a 'work' college."
"He had a metal hand!"
"Yeah; if he comes around again, try not to stare at it or bring it up. He's still very touchy about the subject." Penny chuckled at the Doctor for a moment, before lapsing into a thoughtful silence. Twiddled with her damp hair. Fiddled with her still-sopping attire.
"We should…get you some new clothes." said Billy in a quiet voice. "I'm afraid I don't have any, seeing as though I'm not a woman. Although maybe Moist-"
"I DON'T WEAR WOMEN'S CLOTHING!" both Penny and the Doctor lapsed into fits of giggles, with the odd snort leaping out now and then.
"Okay, maybe not then. But, seriously, we can go down to Wal-Mart or wherever, get you some clothes, shoes, etcetera. And food. Food would probably be a good idea. I think all we have is a very mouldy brie-"
"Billy?"
"Hmm?"
"This…this is all real, right? I mean, this isn't all a dream and I'm gonna wake up or I'm not going wake up because I'm dead and this is all just some sort-"
"Penny, Penny!" Horrible grabbed a hold of the reeling woman's hands. "Calm down! This is real, it's all real! Your real, I'm real, this is all very much real. Except for the now-headless Stormtrooper; he's a replica." Tentatively, Billy drew Penny into a hug. Her wet hair tickled his nose, and smelled strongly of his strawberry-scented shampoo. At that very moment in time, Horrible felt that is someone had cared to attach the pair to a voltmeter, the reading would be off the scale; the electricity buzzed through his arms, all down his back and stunned his brain so much that it actually ceased its frantic whirring through a multitude of equations and chemical formulas. He felt so alive, like he had never lived before that moment. It was then he realized just how perfect Penny was. He had always known she was perfect: she was smart, funny, caring, beautiful, wonderful and a million other adjectives that would take him a lifetime to list. But it was at that very moment, the first moment that he had held her (not counting the time he had lifted her lifeless corpse onto the stretcher), he really knew just how perfect she was for him.
This was why he had brought her back from the dead. Not just because he loved her. But because he needed her. They were two parts of a jigsaw; neither fit in any other place except for with one another. She was the one for him, the only one; there was no other and there never would be another. At least, that was how the Doctor felt. They were both outcasts. Both rejected by society. They belonged together. He just hoped Penny felt the same way. He wanted to tell her he loved her, right then and there. But he was still scared. He was scared she'd reject him, or that she'd leave. And scared that she might be still in love with Captain Hammer.
"If this is real…why did you do it?" murmured Penny, her head buried into the Doctor's shoulder.
"Do what?"
"Bring me back." Horrible bit his lip. This put him in a bit of a pickle. He desperately, desperately wanted to tell her how he felt. But still with the whole scared thing. He didn't want to freak her out, or have her rip his still-beating heart out of his chest and rend it apart with an outright rejection.
"Because…that's what friends do. Reanimate one another when they get killed by flying debris." Penny drew away from him and regarded him carefully. Billy shifted uncomfortably; he wasn't sure she'd bought his (really crap) excuse.
"Well, thank you Billy." Penny smiled shyly at him. "It was…really-"
"Don't mention it." said the reddening Doctor. He looked down at his T-shirt to avoid her eyes, and noticed a large damp patch on his chest.
"Aww, jeez Penny, I'm soaking!" cried Horrible.
"Sorry Billy; you don't have a hair-dryer!"
"Well…I did. It's sort of part of the Resurrect-Ohm-Meter…" he nodded at the metal monster behind him. Penny looked at it curiously, opened her mouth and then shut it again. She figured that it was probably best not to ask why his scientific construct required a hair-dryer.
"Come on; we best get you some form of clothing. I don't want you to get hypothermia or something."
"Is that even possible?"
"Um… I think so." Billy grabbed one of his many boring grey hoodies from a cardboard box labelled 'Dr H's stuff' and yanked it on over his head.
"Hey Moist?" the henchman appeared quickly, peering at the Doctor from around his bedroom door.
"We're going shopping. Wanna come with?" Moist looked a little startled at the invitation. Of late, the Doctor had taken to leaving him out of his little ventures. He hadn't complained, (because normally it involved some form of physical activity, which Moist was...less than inclined to do) but he had missed the company of his good friend. Best friend. Only friend.
"'Kay. Cool. Yeah, I'll come."
A number of long, shopping-filled hours later, the two men and the re-animated love interest collapsed onto the low leather chairs that furnished the cramped coffee shop that they had stumbled into. Each was carrying a mountain of purchase from a number of America's best known labels: Wal Mart, The Gap, Abercromie and Fitch and Mr. Schmee's Slightly Shady No-Questions-Asked Acid Suppliers. Billy sighed as relieved his feet of their load, placing the bags carefully beside him (especially the Mr. Schmee's one: If broken, the contents of the litre bottles would probably kill everyone in a 200 yard radius). The Doctor scanned the darkened and cosy room, taking in the strong scent of lattes and cappuccinos. For the first time in…what seemed like forever, he could appreciate the sights and the smells. Everything seemed so perfect! He had never thought shopping could actually be fun. He had found himself laughing at Moist's jokes, smiling as Penny took in the world around her after her long period of being dead. As they had walked through LA's shopping district, he couldn't help but notice the glint of her hair in the sunlight. Against the background of grey tower blocks, she seemed so bright and colourful: a little sun walking on the sidewalk beside him. She stood out against the streets of Los Angeles, a supernova in the cosmos. It was odd; it was almost as if she…shimmered in the sun's rays to his eyes. Even now, Penny appeared to glow in the steamy little coffee shop, her red hair a weave of gleaming copper, her pale skin more luminous than the moon. The Doctor was in the danger zone of looking like a complete gorm, staring at the woman before him.
"So, what do you guys want?" said Billy, clapping his hands together.
"An espresso for me, Doc."
"Um, would it be okay if I had a green tea, please?" the Doctor manoeuvred his way towards the barista, trying to avoid the mass of armchairs and shin-height coffee tables which seemed intent on blocking his path. He finally reached the centre-of-coffee-making, where a young and bored-looking man stood revelling in the misery that was his ten-hour shift.
"An espresso, a green tea and a latte please." The barista gave him a funny look, eyeing up the Doctor with suspicion. Billy twitched uncomfortably; every now and then, someone who wasn't totally blind (like much of the rest of LA) recognised him without his coat and goggles.
"The coffees please?" Horrible said, his voice breaking a little, sweat beginning to form on his forehead. The youth let out a bored sigh and turned away to pour the drinks. Moments later, three steaming hot cups clanked onto the tray before Billy. Just as he was about to make his escape, the barista spoke up.
"That girl over there…" he said, nodding to where Penny and Moist sat, talking. "She with you?" Billy felt heat prickle the back of his neck.
"Yes." He replied, in a defensive, tone. "She's not a piece of meat you know: Penny is smart, she's funny, she's-"
"Who the hell is Penny?"
"The girl you were just making eyes at!"
"What girl?" The Doctor gave the young man an incredulous look, picked up the coffees, and returned to the table. Honestly, there were some idiots in this world.
"Tea for Penny, espresso for Moist." said Billy, setting the tray down a little harder than intended, still glaring at the moronic barista.
"You alright?" said Moist as his friend angrily gulped his scalding hot drink.
"Yeah…fine Moist." replied the Doctor, his throat now hoarse due to the fact that his tongue now resembled a well-done stake. "Just the idiot serving coffee." He set down his cup and looked over at Penny, who was looking curiously at Moist.
"What's your real name, Moist?"
"Huh?" the henchman frowned at the redhead.
"Your real name: I assume it isn't actually Moist." said Penny, stirring her tea. "Unless it is, then I'm really sorry." she added quickly.
"Moist isn't my original name- I did, once, have another name, the name I used in my previous life. But it is the name I took after my rebirth as the man I am today- the perpetually perspiring human you see before you. The old me, the me before Moist, is dead. Moist is the only name I use now." Penny looked rather confuzled by Moist's little soliloquy.
"Just go with it. I don't even know Moist's real name."
"'Just go with it' seems to be the rule for a lot of things to do with you two…" said Penny, smiling slightly.
"That's because it's a hell of a lot easier. And safer." Dr Horrible made a second assault on his latte, watching over the rim as Penny mirrored his movements. He watched as she took a sip. How did she always manage to look so serene, so calm, so beautiful, all the time?
Heck, she even looked beautiful now, as she spat the tea back into the cup.
"Ugh, that is vile!" Penny shuddered and put the cup back down. "That's the worst cup of tea I've ever drunk, including that weird herbal infusion stuff my Auntie Maude used to make." she cringed again, the muscles of her tiny frame clenching in utter disgust.
"Okay, shall we skip this place," said Horrible, putting his cup on the tray too "and head over to Echo Park? It's a nice day we can…I don't know, go for a walk, feed the birds…"
"I'd like that." Horrible grinned widely at Penny. Beside him, Moist stifled a giggle: he looked like the Cheshire Cat. Or Drunk Doctor Horrible (which was something both no one and everyone would want to see simultaneously).
"Echo Park it is!" Horrible got to his feet and, ever the gentleman (without any ulterior motives what so ever) offered Penny his hand. She took it, and he felt the jolt of electricity again.
And Penny didn't let go of his hand. Even when they reached the park. It was all the Doctor could think about: she wasn't letting go. He could feel her palm, cool and soft in his own fingers as they stood, watching the last of autumn's leaves falling into the great lake. She didn't let go even as they laughed at Moist's jokes, or as the fed the geese. Not even as the sun began to slip beyond the horizon, making the lake dance in a million shades of sunlight, the glassy water reflecting the three of them. Together. The almost glistening dark-haired fellow who stood beside the red-head. Whose hand clutched the blonde man's. The blonde man whose smile was wider than the ocean and eyes were so happy, and brighter than any fading sun.
This was perfect. Everything was just so perfect.
Unfortunately, perfection never lingers…
Perfection fades.
