Title: Anything For You (1/3)  (Part Two)  (Part Three)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Dr. Horrible/Penny
Word Count: This part, ~3500 (overall, ~10,600)
Summary: Dr. Horrible loves Penny too much to let her go, whatever the cost.
Warnings: Torture, rape/non-con, dub con, emotional abuse, character death, murder, dark themes.
Written for: dark_fest using the prompt I'd give anything to have you. And I'll do anything to make you mine. Stalking, violence, dub/non-con, torture and murder pretty much a given. I'm also using this fic for the fanfic100 prompt 048. Diamond.
A/N: AU from Slipping. Andddd: it's finally getting posted! Part two will be tomorrow and part three on Wednesday. Thank you so much to smthwallflower for the wonderful beta-ing, and who also let me complain to her when the fic wasn't working and plot-vomit over her when it was. *kudos-five!*

 

It’s amazing how quickly your life can fall apart.

One moment, the homeless shelter Penny had tirelessly campaigned for was finally opening. She had a boyfriend, friends; the future looked bright. The next moment, the shelter’s grand opening was a battleground, filled with screaming and terror; her boyfriend was lying dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood, a horrific hole ripped into his chest and her new friend was evil, a killer.

Penny hunches down behind the chairs, feeling numb. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, praying that this is all a dream, because it just can’t be happening. She must be mistaken – Captain Hammer can’t be dead, just injured, because he’s supposed to be invulnerable after all. But she knows in her heart that he’s laying too still, that the blast from the ray was too powerful for him to still be alive.

Billy, then. She must be wrong about Billy. Her Billy-buddy, who buys her frozen yoghurt and smiles shyly at her when he thinks she isn’t looking, can’t be evil. He’s good and kind and sweet. But it was his voice she heard. It was more confident, more terrible, than she was used to, but nonetheless it was his. It was Billy who hadn’t seen her, who was glad when he thought she wasn’t around to see. It was Billy that pulled the trigger.

It was Billy that tore her world apart.

So Penny hides behind the chairs, her eyes closed and her knees pulled into her chest, trying not to cry. She waits quietly and when the press burst into the room a few minutes later, all equally desperate to get an interview with the villain who defeated Captain Hammer, she silently slips out the door.

--

It’s amazing how quickly the whole world can fall apart.

Within three months, the League controlled the city. Within six, they controlled the entire country; the rest of the world within their grasp. There was no epic fight between Good and Evil; no battle for the world. The heroes were unprepared, or perhaps they were just frightened. After all, Dr. Horrible had killed Captain Hammer, who’d been apparently invulnerable. They had simply surrendered in the face of the League’s might. Rumour had it that most of them were allowed to live, although they had all been stripped of their superpowers by a device Dr. Horrible and Professor Normal had invented.

The press was full of speculation about the cause of the sudden rise in the Evil League of Evil’s power. The tabloids assumed that the destruction was all thanks to Dr. Horrible, that he was a greater villain than even Bad Horse, that soon he’d rule the world alone. Other papers theorised that the League had simply been biding their time, waiting until they were at full strength before putting their plans into action. Then one morning, the editors of the five largest papers in the city were found in their offices, each brutally murdered. After that, the press didn’t speculate about anything at all.

--

Penny still helps at the homeless shelter. She still buys frozen yoghurt from the little shop on the corner, and she still does her laundry every Wednesday and Saturday, still carrying her clothes in the blue plastic basket that her college roommate left behind years ago. She goes to a different Laundromat now, though. The old one has too many memories, and she can’t face bumping into Billy again. She knows that it’s stupid – he’s a super villain, surely he doesn’t go to a Laundromat anymore and besides, he could easily track her down if he wanted to. Nonetheless, she’s never been back there.

Life is surprisingly mundane. Most people seem to be going about their daily lives as they always did. Yes, there is a persistent presence of fear lingering in the air. There’s the odd public murder; sometimes people disappear. For the most part though, people just keep their heads down and try not to attract unwanted attention. The few that do rock the boat soon vanish, and what with the 10,000% increase in applications to join the Henchmen’s Union it’s hard to know whom to trust. It seems to Penny that rather than going out with a bang, the world is ending with a whimper.

She just quietly goes about her days as normal. The homeless still need her help and besides, there are a lot more of them these days. Apparently villains like to celebrate or let off some steam by blowing up people’s homes. Then there are the old heroes and people connected to them, mainly sidekicks and families. Many of them have been shunned by the public – including people they once considered friends – for not stopping the new regime or for not supporting it. Whether they are for or against the League, everyone hates the heroes now.

For six long months since Dr. Horrible joined the Evil League of Evil, Penny’s life continues pretty much as it always did. She tries her best to forget about that night at the homeless shelter. She tries her best to forget about Billy.

She almost does a good job of it until one day, with a foreboding knock at the door, her fears find her.

--

Somehow she knows before she opens the door. Later, she’ll wonder what would have happened if she’d listened to her instinct and not answered. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Dr. Horrible never did give up easily.

She pulls open the door to her apartment, and there he is: skinnier than she remembers, dressed in jeans and a loose-fitting grey hoody, two cartons of frozen yoghurt in his hands.

“You’re not in costume,” she says.

He looks surprised at her comment and to be honest she is too. Of all the things to worry about, she notices his clothes? It must be the shock of seeing him.

“Yes, I –I wanted you to see me as Billy, not Dr. Horrible.”

Penny stares at him like he’s crazy. “I think it’ll take more than a hoody for me to forget you’re Dr. Horrible.”

“Don’t, Penny.”

“Don’t what? You killed my boyfriend, remember?”

“He wasn’t your boyfriend,” he snaps, eyes darkening.

“Yes he was. He was, and you killed him…” After six months of keeping her emotions locked tightly away, it shocks her a little by how easily all the pain rises to the surface. She can already feel tears pricking the back of her eyes.

“He was my nemesis first. He only showed an interest in you to hurt me.”

“Oh, of course. Because the whole world revolves around the magnificent Dr. Horrible, doesn’t it?” She snorts. “Well, I suppose it does now. Congratulations. Is it everything you wanted?”

Billy shakes his head. “Not everything,” he replies softly. “Penny, I – look, can I come in?”

“No.”

He sighs and hands her the cartons of frozen yoghurt. He then starts rummaging through his pockets, pulling out various candy wrappers, loose change, and several vials of a brightly glowing green liquid before he locates what he’s searching for. He smiles at Penny, and then produces a small white box. He sinks down onto one knee, popping open the box to show an engagement ring.

“Penny, I love you. I always have…”

“Billy, what the hell are you doing?” Penny interrupts. He ignores her and carries on talking, he speech obviously rehearsed.

“Nobody could ever love you as much as I do. I’d do anything for you. I’ve waited for so long, but I’m finally ready to give you everything you want. Soon, I’ll have the whole world, and I’ll gladly give it all to you if you say you’ll spend your life with me. Please, be my wife.”

He pulls the ring out of the box and holds it out to her. Penny backs away, looking disgusted.

“You’re insane. As if I’d marry you… you’re evil. You kill people, Billy. You killed Captain Hammer…” The tears start falling, tracing their way down her cheeks.

“He never loved you like I do. And you never loved him like I know you love me.”

Penny laughs, a little hysterically. “Love you? I don’t love you. I never have and I never will.”

He looks like she’s slapped him. “But… you nearly kissed me.”

“When?”

“In the Laundromat. It was the last day we did our laundry together.” He smiles at her hopefully.

Penny frowns, trying to remember. “Maybe I liked you, a little. But that doesn’t mean I loved you, and anyway, I didn’t know what you were then.”

“Penny, please listen…”

“No. I’m not marrying you, Billy. Get out; I never want to see you again.”

For a second she thinks he’ll leave. But then something shuts off behind his eyes, his jaw setting with determination as his lips twist into a cold smirk. Penny often had trouble equating the shy man she thought she’d known with the infamous super villain, but after seeing the transformation before her eyes it really hits home how little she’d known him. She backs away from him and he stands up, stalking after her.

“Leave me alone,” she says, but there is now a hint of fear in her voice. Her back hits the wall opposite the door and he grabs her arms, pinning her in place so she can’t move.

“You will agree to marry me,” he sneers quietly. “You will learn to love me.”

“Never,” she whispers, her voice quivering slightly.

“I’ll come back in one week. You’ll have changed your mind by then.” With that, he turns and marches out of the apartment. Penny slides down the wall and pulls her knees into her chest. She leans forwards, her hair falling across her face as she sobs in the empty room.

--

She turns on the TV while she’s rummaging through the kitchen cupboards for something to eat the next morning. The new EvilOne channel flickers to life. Penny had never usually watched much television, but endless sitcom reruns and reality shows now seem like quality entertainment in comparison to all the new “evil-orientated” channels.

“…and instead of our scheduled make-over show “From Hero to Henchman”, we bring you a special news bulletin. The infamous Dr. Horrible…”

Penny spins around at the newscaster’s words, dread already pooling in her stomach.

“…has taken over a homeless shelter in LA. We understand he is holding several members of staff hostage.”

Penny walks over to the couch and collapses into the cushions, staring numbly at the TV as the Caring Hands shelter appears on the screen.

“We have been told by our inside source from the Henchmen’s Union that Dr. Horrible is expected to release a video blog from inside the shelter at 10AM. Stay tuned with EvilOne to be one of the first to see it.”

Penny chews nervously on her nails. There’s no way this is a coincidence – he turns up at her apartment, proposes, and the next morning he’s holding her workplace hostage?

Maybe he was expecting her to be there, she thinks. But that doesn’t make sense – he knows where she lives, if he wanted to kidnap her he could quite easily do it without any other people getting in the way.

Besides, she has odd working hours – he wouldn’t know if she was there or not. Somehow Dr. Horrible doesn’t seem the type to gamble on a plan.

All she can do is wait until the blog airs. She glances at the clock on the fridge, its digital numbers reading 08:37. She stares back at the television screen as the newscasters speculate on Dr. Horrible’s motives, how many hostages he has, and what he’s subjecting them too.

Penny feels nauseous, all thoughts of hunger lost.

When the digits on the fridge read 09:15, they show the “highlights” of Dr. Horrible’s career so far, complete with graphs of his total number of victims, his high-profile cases, and his position on the “100 Most Feared Villains” list.

The minutes creep by with infinite slowness. When the clock shows 09:45, they bring an expert criminologist who specialises in super villains on the show.

“At the moment, Dr. Horrible has a relatively low murder count. However, we should not let ourselves be fooled into believing this means he is not dangerous – quite the contrary, in fact. Remember, six months ago no one had heard of him. Then, out of the blue, he killed Captain Hammer who had until that point, shown all the signs of full invulnerability. Next thing we know, he’s in the Evil League of Evil. Now, Bad Horse isn’t the type to suffer fools. He would not have given Dr. Horrible a place in the League if he had no evil potential. Now all of the heroes are gone, the ELE run the country, and all of this has happened in an astonishingly fast time. It is my belief that Dr. Horrible lets people underestimate him so he can get under their defences before making his attack.”

“Tell me about it,” Penny mutters.

“So, in your opinion, his attack on the shelter will reveal a new, more terrifying side of him?” asks the newscaster.

“Exactly. We should prepare for the worst,” replies the expert.

Suddenly the screen fills with static, only to be replaced by Dr. Horrible’s face. “Why, hello America,” he smirks. “I figured that rather than depend on some corporate TV channel to air my speech, I’d hack into the broadcast and do it myself. After all, I really want this to be live.”

The camera zooms out to show his whole body. He’s standing on the stage in the main hall of the Caring Hands Homeless Shelter. On the floor in front of him sit five of the volunteers. They all have their wrists and ankles bound and several of them are sporting injuries.

“So, Penny, I have a few of your friends here,” he says, jumping down from the stage to stalk along the line of his prisoners.

Penny closes her eyes in pain. She’d been holding on the small hope that she was wrong, that Dr. Horrible wasn’t doing this because of her.

“I really didn’t want it to come to this, Penny, but you’ve left me with no choice.” He grabs the nearest man by his jacket and throws him to the floor. The man groans in pain. “Do you know him, Penny? Is he one of your friends? I hope you’re close. I want you to understand just how it feels when someone you love is taken from you.”

“You already did,” Penny whispers to the TV. But she remembers how he refuses to accept her feelings for Captain Hammer; how he’s deluded himself into believing she loves him.

“I’ve built a very special ray for your friends, Penny.” He signals to someone behind the camera and the view zooms in again, focussing on his weapon. Penny’s stomach clenches in fear as she reads the neatly painted letters on the barrel of the gun, spelling out the words Pain Ray.

The camera pulls back. “Shall I give you a taster, Penny? Shall I show you what my ray can do?”

He aims the gun at the man lying on the floor and pulls the trigger. Immediately, a blue streak of light whips out of the mouth of the ray and strikes the man’s chest. He arches his back and screams in agony, twisting on the floor, his limbs thrashing out uncontrollably. After several seconds of this Dr. Horrible presses another button on the gun and the beam instantly vanishes. The man rolls over and retches violently through coughs. Penny’s horrified to see him spit out a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

“Let me explain how it works,” Dr. Horrible says calmly. “The ray will slowly destroy his internal organs, blood vessels, nerves and so on, eventually killing him. However, it’s specifically programmed to destroy the lesser organs first, leaving the lungs, heart and brain intact for as long as possible, therefore prolonging his life as long as possible.”

The man on the floor whimpers. “Please, please don’t…”

“Shut up.” Dr. Horrible kicks him hard in the side, and the man lets out another yell of pain. “It’s not me you need to beg.” He looks back up at the camera. “Is it, Penny? If you want to live, you’ll have to ask Penny. She’s the one who’s made me do this.”

The man coughs up another mouthful of blood. “Please, Penny…” he whispers.

“I don’t think she can hear you,” Dr. Horrible says coldly, letting another short burst of light hit the man.

He screams in pain. “Penny, please make him stop!” he shouts.

Penny covers her mouth with her hands, feeling sick. Tears are running down her face but she can’t tear her eyes away.

Dr. Horrible switches off the ray. “I can make him last for an hour, maybe two if I’m careful. I have five of your friends here, Penny. That gives you ten hours, tops, before you have five deaths on your conscience. And, of course, everyone else will know what you’ve done. Can you live with it?”

He aims the gun at the man again and gives him another shock, this one lasting for nearly a minute, the man shrieking horrifically from the pain.

“Although,” Dr Horrible says quietly as he stops the ray. “You could get here in twenty minutes. You could stop this. Who knows, he might even still be alive. They might all survive this.” He kicks the man hard again. “Beg her,” he hisses.

“Pl-please, Penny. Please, don’t leave me here, please don’t…”

“Better hurry, Penny,” Dr. Horrible smirks. “I might just get carried away with this ray. I don’t know how long I can hold back…”

As he fires the ray again, the screen dissolves into static.

Penny bolts to the bathroom and throws up violently, retching again and again even after her stomach is completely empty. She shakily stands up and looks at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes are red from crying, her face deathly pale.

She can’t let them die. Whatever Dr. Horrible will do to her won’t be as bad as what he’s putting them through.

She grabs her coat and runs out of the door before she can change her mind.

--

There’s a large group of henchmen guarding the door of the homeless shelter from a crowd that’s gathered outside it. However, when Penny pushes her way to the front of the crowd one of the henchmen, a small, dark-haired man, apparently recognises her although she’s never met him before.

“That’s Penny, let her through,” he says quickly. The other henchmen hastily move to let her inside.

She runs into the main hall and skids to a halt on the wooden floor. Dr. Horrible glances up.

“Glad to see you got here so fast,” he says calmly. “He’s not dead yet.” He pulls the man into a kneeling position, and it’s clear from the moan of pain that even the simple manoeuvre is now agony for him.

“Well?” he asks her expectantly.

Penny hesitates, and Dr. Horrible aims the gun squarely at the man’s head.

“Billy, don’t!” she cries.

He looks up, his expression unreadable behind the black goggles, the ray gun still aimed at the man’s head. He stares silently at her, waiting.

Penny closes her eyes. She can’t do this… But her eyes jolt open again when the man cries out, Dr. Horrible’s free hand now twisted in his hair, the muzzle of the gun flush against the back of his skull.

“Did you have something to say, Penny?” Dr. Horrible asks her quietly.

Penny takes a deep breath. “I’ll do it, Billy. I – I’ll marry you…” She takes a deep breath, trying to force out the next words. “I… love you, Billy. Please, just don’t hurt him…” She stares pleadingly at him and hopes it’s enough.

Slowly, Dr. Horrible releases his grip on the man’s hair, raising his hand to push the goggles up and off his eyes.

“Really?” he asks quietly.

She nods shakily. His face breaks into a wide grin and he pulls out the little white box from the pocket of his lab coat, opening it up to reveal the delicate engagement ring. Penny walks slowly over to him and lets him slide the ring onto her finger.

“It’s your lucky day,” Dr. Horrible says to the man kneeling at his feet. He lets the gun fall to his side, then reaches out and gently holds Penny’s hand with his own. She feels how her small hand is dwarfed by his large black glove, how he’s holding her gently but is so much stronger, could so easily hurt her. Somehow, it seems like a metaphor for the events she’s irreversibly caught up in.

--

(Part Two)