Author: Crofton77

“Ready?” Charlie asked Webster as
they stood outside of City Hall on Monday.

“I had to deal with the Noble Knights
of the Last Order for the past two days. I'm ready for anything.”
Webster replied.

“I'm gonna go sit in the audience.
Good luck!” Belle kissed Charlie on the cheek and rushed to the
gallery.

“Are you two dating?” Webster asked
innocently.

“NO.” Charlie replied.

“Okaaay…” Webster didn't look
convinced. “Come on. Let's go.”

The pair walked up the steps towards
destiny.

—

Belle scooted in and sat in the gallery
just as Demon, Andrew Haiter and Judge Constance Dougherty walked in
and took their positions. Behind Charlie in the wings were about
sixty of the signatories Charlie had gotten together. Everything was
ready to go.

Of course, first there was the swearing
in. Then the Businesses and Commerce Act was read. Finally, Judge
Constance got to the point.

“We're here today to discuss the
possible establishment of a Chamber of Commerce in Pleasantville.”
Constance started proceedings. “As per the Businesses and Commerce
Act, in order to establish a Chamber of Commerce within a City
Council there needs to be a proven demand for it, as evidenced by the
gathering of 100 signatures of business owners within the City
Council limits. For Pleasantville City Council, this extends to
Oaksville, Fallsville, Greensville and Treesville. Charles Thurlow
Begly, as the one who has initiated this discussion, do you have the
required signatures?”

Charlie gulped, shaking. “Yes Your
Honour. I also have the required verifications for each signature.”

“Good, that will save us some time.”
Constance took the paperwork and looked through it. Satisfied, she
nodded. “Mr. Jones, are you happy that all of these signatures are
legitimate?”

Demon took the paperwork and leafed
through it. “I'm satisfied.” He said.

Constance took the paperwork back, and
gave it to Haiter. He too leafed through it, and agreed that it was
legitimate, although he didn't look pleased doing it.

“I now need a member of the public to
legitimize these. Can I please have a volunteer?” Constance turned
to the audience, which was pretty large considering. A young man
raised his hand, and went through all the paperwork. It took him a
while, but he finally agreed that everything was in order.

“Excellent. It will be noted in the
records.” Constance took the paperwork back and put it in a special
envelope. Charlie tried not to yawn. This was already taking forever!

“As per regulations, we require the
backing of at least six government officials, three of which must
come from Pleasantville City Council.” She continued. “You have
three from Brisvegas, along with Councillor Judith Jofery, Councillor
Peter Masters and Mayor Arnold Jones.” Constance shuffled through
her papers. “Do we have any objections to this undertaking?”

“I do.”

Everyone froze. The Inspector of Police
for Pleasantville, Andrew Haiter, had arisen.

“We have a solid police force, which
have taken care of business disputes for nearly two hundred years.”
He said silkily. “We do not need to add more red tape and more
bureaucracy to hinder citizens trying to start their own businesses or
continuing to do business in Pleasantville.”

Demon looked livid. Charlie grimaced,
but he'd known that there was always a chance something like this
would happen. Only he'd expected it from Demon, not from Haiter.

“A response from you, Mr. Begly?”
Constance asked.

“The businesses of Pleasantville, and
the consumers of Pleasantville deserve to have dedicated protections
against corruption, poor practices and bad service. They also deserve
to have help navigating the hardships that come with starting their
own businesses, and recourse when unfair practices stop them from
achieving their dreams.” Charlie started his rebuttal. “The
Pleasantville Police are a fine outfit,” (Belle snorted) “And
they should not be wasted on civil business issues, when they could
be better serving our community.”

Belle grinned. That had been a solid
rebuttal, and the only contribution she'd made was reading it over
for grammar!

“That may be true, but creating more
channels creates more opportunity for corruption. Plus, a Chamber of
Commerce is run by business owners with a Councillor overseeing.
Honestly, I think that makes it MORE likely that something is going
to go wrong.” Haiter replied coolly.

Charlie groaned. Webster looked through
his papers, trying to find a rebuttal.

“I'll allow a recess for two hours to
organise a rebuttal. Dismissed.” Constance got up and walked away.
Charlie felt angry as the crowds around him dispersed.

“I don't know what we're supposed to
do. I never expected HAITER of all people to turn on us.” Webster
groaned.

“He doesn't want to lose power in
Pleasantville. As of now, everything goes through him. Of course he
doesn't want to lose that.” Charlie gritted his teeth.

Belle rushed over. “Are you okay?”
She asked.

“No. I can't believe we're gonna be
stopped before we get started!” Charlie slammed the table with his
fist.

“Especially by a police force that is
known for their corruption!” Belle snapped.

Then she felt her eye twitch.

“Charlie…what are you planning
now?” She asked as she saw him turn his frown upside-down.

—

“No WAY can I turn Dingbat in! First
of all, he's DEAD and can't defend himself, and secondly if I
implicate him in pulling strings to get Demon in as Mayor I can kiss
my job goodbye and say hello to a nice cushy GAOL CELL.” Judith
cried over the phone.

“Judith PLEASE, Pleasantville needs
you!” Charlie cried.

“I'm sorry, I can't, and neither can
Marion.” Judith hung up.

“Well that was a bust. Shame we don't
know anyone else!” Belle sighed.

“But we do.” Charlie was
determined. “We know your grand-parents. And you have an hour and a
half to help me.”

“WHAT?!” Belle cried.

—

“I hate him. We are totally not best
friends anymore.” Belle grumbled.

Pinned just inside her shirt was a
police camera (Webster being a big-city lawyer always had a few on
hand for various occasions), and she was sitting at Bill Restaurant.

“So, you want to talk to us at last.”
Harold and Lady showed up.

“Be grateful I'm giving you the time
of day.” Belle snapped.

“No need to be rude.” Lady frowned
at her grand-daughter.

“Why on earth should I give up my
nice, cushy job at the Council?” Belle dived straight in.

“But you wouldn't my dear, you'd
still keep your job. You'd just have a few extra duties is all.”
Harold pointed out.

“Like what? Killing children?”
Belle snapped.

“Not KILLING children at all, just
creating a future market for our wares.” Lady pointed out.

“And career progression?” Belle
asked.

“Oh, the possibilities are ENDLESS!
You could move anywhere!” Harold gushed.

“Like?” Belle pushed.

“Well, not only is there a pathway
through the Council, but through the police force too! Andrew Haiter
has actually been a member of the Haunted Maze Troupe since before he
became Inspector!” Harold pointed out. “That's how he GOT the
position in the first place!”

“I'll consider what you've said.
Thanks!” Belle got up and bolted from the restaurant.

“Are you guys gonna order?” Bill
asked as the two elderly Troupers looked bemused..

“Sure. The food here is great!”
Lady grabbed a menu.

—

“WHAT IS YOUR ISSUE?!” Demon
growled at Andrew Haiter, who lit himself a cigarette.

“I am the highest ranking lieutenant
of the Hidden Maze Troupe.” Haiter smiled. “Do you really think
we would simply knuckle down under you?”

Demon gritted his teeth.

“We knew if we backed you, you would
rely on us. It was just sheer luck that Dingbat got himself
murdered.” Haiter continued. “And you played your part perfectly.
After you, I'm the most powerful entity in this city.”

“I can change that.” Demon snapped.

“And lose the backing of the Troupe?”
Haiter snorted. “Given that the only reason you're in charge right
now is because of the Death Valley Gang and the Mobsters of Misneach,
you shouldn't be making threats. You need power behind you, otherwise
you're nothing.”

Haiter walked up to Demon, and stood
almost nose-to-nose with him. “I mean, you DID have the police
force, but we swiped that from right underneath your nose.”

Haiter finished his cigarette.
“Remember who is REALLY in charge here.”

He walked off smugly, leaving Demon to
stew in his anger.

It was a few days later, and Belle had
driven out to pick up Charlie from outside Treesville, where he had
been canvassing for his last few signatures.

“I got them all.” He said. “We
have enough signatures for the Pleasantville City Council to be
forced to create a Chamber of Commerce. More than enough really. 107
signatures.”

“Well done!” Belle grinned. Charlie
just stared stonily forward. Belle sighed. “So what's next?”

“Webster will be out here tomorrow,
and then on Monday we take the case to Demon, with our approvals from
the Brisvegas Mega Council.” Charlie told her.

Belle nodded. They drove along silently
for a while. Silence wasn't usual between the pair, and Belle felt
uncomfortable.

“Do you feel confident?” She asked.

“Of getting a Chamber of Commerce?
Yes.” Charlie told her. “Of being the President? Nope.”

“It won't be Demon though. Not with
how public opinion is on him right now.” Belle pointed out.

Charlie growled. “Yeah, and it took
an innocent nurse dying to turn people against him.”

Belle watched the road, as she sped
along the highway back to Pleasantville. “Let's make her death not
be in vain then.”

They continued driving. Belle kept an
eye on her best friend. Of the two, Charlie was the one who felt
things more. Things affected him more than they affected Belle. He
would get himself caught up in his feelings and thoughts, getting
churned up to the point he acted rashly. That's why he ran away to
Awesomica after Joe died. That's why he'd dragged Giggles out of bed
to discover that the Death Valley Gang and the Mobsters of Misneach
had merged after his own grand-father Charles died. She knew she had
to keep an eye on him now. One rash move could undo everything.

Charlie meanwhile was going over the
signatures in his mind, thinking about what would happen in court on
Monday.

“You can't lose your temper at him.”
Belle said suddenly, making him jump slightly. “You have to stick
to the facts, and not let him bait you. I'll be in the audience, but
I can't say or do anything. I can't stop you from doing anything.”

Charlie hissed. He thought about the
Pleasantville Riots, when he had charged at Demon with the Lions Claw
Blade, only stopped by Giggles and the Lucky Seven Gun.

“He's managed to get into both of our
heads at some point.” Belle continued. “But you can't let him
this time. There's too much at stake. I know you're the more
passionate of the two of us – you can afford to be, you don't have
a stupid violent gene like I do – but you have to keep it in check
on Monday.”

Charlie looked at his best friend.

“You can do it though. Even if you
have to somehow Improbability it.” Belle told him. She pulled up to
a red light and smiled at him. “You're gonna hit the first real
strike against the corruption in this city.”

“I couldn't have done it without you.
If you hadn't put the ideas in everyones heads, I couldn't do this.”
Charlie told her. “The protest and the PRO and the PCC might have
failed, but they set the stage for me.”

Belle smiled at Charlie. He smiled
back. The rest of the trip was filled with discussions about what
would happen on Monday…and lamenting that the Brisvegas Leos would
be facing the Crate Hill Falcons that weekend and would probably be
in for another loss!

—

“Oh will you STOP IT.” Judith
Jofrey snapped at the father of her unborn child. “Honestly, the
way you sulk, I don't know how you ever became the leader of a
crime-fighting group.”

“I'm NOT sulking!” Sulked Daniel.

“Sure you're not.” Judith lay back
in her hospital bed after another walk with Marion. “Everything
will be fine. I don't think that Crusader will be trying anything
again.”

“What makes you so sure about that?”
Daniel snapped.

“Watch your tone.” Judith narrowed
her eyes at him. “I'm sure about it, because the Crusader has
killed someone. That puts a target on your back. Especially if this
wasn't sanctioned by Roger.”

Daniel pouted.

“Has anyone been in contact with
Roger recently? Might pay to let him know he has a rogue agent.”
Judith pointed out. “That would keep that Crusader under control.”

“Or give Roger ideas.” Daniel said.

“You're insisting on being
disagreeable.” Judith sighed. “Have you apologised to Petunia
yet?”

“I don't see why I should apologise
for anything!” Daniel snapped.

“She has been looking after me for
the past week with expert devotion and skill. She has made sure that
our child is still surviving. You have NO right to be angry at her
about anything.” Judith told him off.

Daniel continued to pout.

“You are such a child.” Judith
sighed. “I'm going to have a nap. Please leave me in peace, you're
ruining the vibe.”

“Vibe?” Daniel said incredulously.

“Yes. Marion bought me some healing
crystals, and they can't work properly with negativity around. Shoo!”
Judith snapped. Daniel couldn't help but chuckle as he gave her a
small kiss and let her rest.

He walked out into the waiting room,
where the rest of the Knights (sans Petunia, who had gone to do
paperwork) were waiting for him.

They all looked at him. He looked back
at them.

“Hey fellow Knights!” Suddenly
Webster burst in, Charlie behind him, looking happy to see everyone.
“Whoa….whoa….oh dear…” His reception quickly cooled as he
took stock of the tension in the room.

“Hey Webster.” Sammy tried to smile
at the former Noble Knight of the Last Order. “How are things?”

“About to get better. Once Charlie
gets this Chamber of Commerce up and running I'll be in a better
position to mount a case against Demon. I have a lot of evidence
already, I just need him voted out.” Webster told them. “And I
think the Chamber of Commerce will be a huge blow to him if he can't
get control of it.”

“A case against Demon?” Suddenly
everyone in the room was interested.

“If my evidence is correct, I can get
him put away for a very, VERY long time. Especially if Sunny includes
evidence of her child abuse.” Webster looked at Sunny, who dared to
look hopeful. “And if I can get Demon put away, then it's only a
matter of time before I take down the Mobsters of Misneach and the
Death Valley Gang. Including the corrupt Counsellors that let them
rule in the first place.”

Daniel tensed up. Everyone else
gulped.

“There's no way to avoid it Dan. If
things are to get better, than everyone who is guilty needs to pay.”
Webster told him.

“And who made you judge, jury and
executioner?” Daniel growled. Charlie watched him as he said the
words, before shaking it off. Daniel couldn't be a killer.

“I just have evidence. Enough to put
a lot of people away.” Webster looked slightly frazzled.

“Hmph.” Daniel walked off. “I'm
getting myself a coffee.”

The group watched as he stalked off.

“I did warn you things were frosty.”
Charlie said as Webster tried to regain his composure.

“FROSTY? That was downright frozen
solid! What the heck HAPPENED?!” Webster squeaked. “I was no
where near as antsy when Tate was born, and she nearly died twice!”

“Yeah, but someone is actually trying
to murder Judith and by extension, the baby.” TJ said. “I can
understand that he's a bit on edge.”

“But hasn't he been on edge for a
while?” Webster looked at the door.

“It's been a hard road since you left
mate.” Sammy sighed.

“There's a long, long trail,
a-winding, into the land of my dreams.” Charlie sang.

“Old war songs Charlie? You're really
getting worn down!” Webster chuckled.

“Belle made me listen to it.
Sometimes it feels like a bit of a war.” Charlie said. “Anyway,
I'm gonna go finalize my speech for Monday. You all have fun
reconnecting.”

“Fun?!” The former Sir Hedgehog
squeaked as Charlie left.

—

Master Revolver didn't look his best.
Ever since the Death Valley Mobsters had lost power in Pleasantville
he hadn't been doing too well.

His biggest worry? Mobster Marion, and
her mental health. Thankfully, after Judith got pregnant, Marion
seemed to calm down a bit. That was good, but then there was the fact
that the Death Valley Gang and the Mobsters of Misneach had become
almost a non-entity in the grand scheme of things. Even the March
Hill Crusaders were more active.

He sighed, and looked at his reflection
in the mirror. Brown eyes looked back at him. The brown eyes of the
Masters clan. He knew full well that Belle Masters was the enigma
known as Giggles. He had known it from the first time he had seen her
use the Lucky Seven Gun. The Seven Weapons of the Seer could only be
used by those of extraordinary skill, or matching bloodline. The
Masters clan and the Begly clan were two such bloodlines, as was the
Misneach bloodline. So was the Lightheart clan, but as far as
Revolver knew they'd been wiped out in the Silent Lake massacre.

He knew the original mission of the
Death Valley Gang. He knew it had been lost by his grand-father, Toby
Masters, who had stylized himself as Lone Revolver. Knowing
everything that had happened, how everything was going…maybe it was
time to return to the Masters clan.

 Nurses screamed and rushed to protect
their patients. Doctors scrambled to get the high-risk patients out
of the way. The Masked Crusader walked down the hall, kicking down
doors and looking into the rooms, shooting wildly and nearly hitting
many innocent people.

“Where are the police?!” The head
nurse cried, trying to keep things under control.

“Haiter says they have more important
things to do, the Mayor is having guests and needs the security.”
Another nurse spat.

The head nurse went white. “No, no I
will NOT let any of these patients die!” She rushed out into the
hallway blindly, and tore after the Crusader. She grabbed him, not
sure WHAT she was doing, only knowing she had to save her patients.

“Get off you old hag!” The Crusader
her threw her to the floor and put a bullet through her chest.

“How DARE you!”

The Crusader spun around to see
Chuckles and Giggles rushing towards him. He grinned to himself, and
started firing at them. He knew they wouldn't kill him.

Both Chuckles and Giggles dodged out of
the way of the bullets. Giggles fired back, but the Crusader didn't
even flinch, knowing he was safe.

“He has to run out of ammo
eventually, right?” Chuckles groaned.

“We have to save that nurse!”
Giggles aimed and fired at the Crusader, hitting his shoulder.

The Crusaders eyes grew wide. He turned
and began to run out of the building, with Chuckles and Giggles close
behind.

Meanwhile the other nurses gathered
around their coworker, calling for a doctor and trying to keep her
alive.

—

“Did you see where he went?”
Chuckles asked Giggles as she landed beside him. The Crusader had
taken a set of fire exit stairs out of the building and had managed
to evade the two heroes pursuing him.

“No. Darn it!” Giggles kicked a
nearby bin. “OW!”

“I just hope that nurse he shot is
okay. Darn it, if only I hadn't made us go back to get the Lions
Claw!” Chuckles groaned.

“Well, what's done is done. The
police should have done something about it, not us.” Giggles
snapped. “Haiter is worse than Dingbat ever was, at least Dingbat
would have sent a few interns.”

“And gotten them killed.” Chuckles
snapped back. “Of course, that was one of three hospitals in
Pleasantville. He's got a fifty-fifty chance of hitting the right one
next time.”

“And plenty of chances to kill
someone who isn't even involved.” Giggles slumped against a wall.
“This whole situation stinks. Why are the Crusaders after Judith?”

“It could be another stab at power.”
Chuckles suggested.

“Then why isn't Roger taking care of
it himself?” Giggles pointed out.

Chuckles sighed. “I think there's a
disgruntled member of the March Hill Crusaders trying to cause
trouble.”

“Of course. Now their problems are
our problems.” Giggles sighed. “Come on, let's go.”

The pair flew back to the tip,
dejected.

—

“The only victim of the Masked
Crusader was nurse Margaret Able, age 43. We pass on our condolences
to her family.” The news droned in the background as the Knights of
the Last Order continued to haunt the waiting room outside of Judiths
room.

“Petunia!” TJ cried as his wife
came out of Judiths room. “You look exhausted.”

“It's been touch and go for a while.
Especially with Marion in there.” Petunia giggled. “But Judith is
able to walk around now and the baby is fine for now. Just gotta fill
out reams of paperwork now.”

“Anything we can do to help?”
Daniel asked. “As far as I'm concerned nothing is too good for you
right now.”

“Coffee would be great.” Petunia
admitted. “Any news from Belle and Charlie?”

“I don't think they're going to be
happy. A nurse was killed at Pleasantville Ultra-Care, and Chuckles
and Giggles didn't get there in time.” Tammy pointed to the
television that was hanging off the wall.

“Damn!” TJ groaned. “Why didn't
Haiter do anything?!”

“Something about a party at Demons
place.” Sunny spat. “Mum messaged. She wants to stay with me
until the press backs off.”

“Are you kidding?! Someone died and
all your mother can think about is herself?!” TJ yelped.

Sunny looked sad. “Yeah, well, that's
my family for you.”

Daniel exhaled. “We can't really
afford to argue right now. 'Tuney, is Judy able to go home yet?” He
asked.

“Wellllll…” Petunia hesitated.
“If she had a nurse with her, maybe. I'd have to check with the
doctor.”

“Would you be able to be that nurse?”
Daniel pressed.

“Are you kidding? On top of a
full-time job here?!” TJ yelped.

“Exactly! No way could I do it!”
Petunia cried.

“Come on, can't you take leave or
something?!” Daniel groaned.

“Uh, NO, because I used up nearly all
my leave taking days off whenever one of YOU guys got injured, and I
can't afford to take time without pay. Plus, if I start doing that I
could lose my job!” Petunia pointed out.

“But this is about Judy and my baby!”
Daniel cried.

“I know you're worried about them,
but I have my own life to live too!” Petunia fired back.

Sammy watched Daniel, wondering if this
was the same Daniel who he had looked up to for all of his life. The
Daniel who had looked out for his friends no matter what.

“Never mind!” Daniel spat. “We'll
just have to continue risking Judy and my childs life here!”

“You guys surely are able to hire a
nurse.” Sammy piped up.

“Do you know how much those cost?!”
Daniel snapped.

“So you were going to make 'Tuney
work for free?!” TJ asked.

“I thought we were friends!” Daniel
accused.

“We still have rent and bills to
pay!” Petunia said.

Suddenly Sammy felt a hand wrap around
his. He turned to see his twin sister looking at him, worried. As the
argument raged on, the siblings wondered what had happened to change
things so much.

—

Both Belle and Charlie were dejected
and devastated as they walked home from the tip.

“I'm so, so sorry. I killed someone.”
Charlie kept mumbling.

“It wasn't your fault Charlie. The
police should have been there, not us. The Crusader shouldn't have
killed that nurse…it's not our fault…” Belle kept trying to
tell him.

They made it home, and walked up to the
tree.

“It's not fair. Why are we the only
ones trying to change things?” Charlie wiped the tears from his
eyes.

Belle didn't think it was fair at that
moment to point out that since the ill-fated protest, there were now
a lot of people trying to make a difference. She instead hugged her
best friend tightly.

“I have to get those signatures. I
have to get those signatures…” Charlie began to mutter to
himself. Belle gulped. How much more could Charlie give before it
became too much?

—

The dumb nurse had died. GREAT. Not.

Daryl seethed. Now security would be
heightened and he'd never get near Judith. He was just lucky news
didn't seem to implicate the March Hill Crusaders, otherwise Roger
would get wind of it and the plan would be ruined.

He sighed, listening to his fellow
Crusaders sleeping in bunks around him. He couldn't be certain any of
them were sleeping though, he wouldn't be surprised if Roger had a
mole or two in the bunks.

He shifted uncomfortably. Damn that
Giggles! His shoulder hurt like nothing else, but he couldn't get it
looked at without giving himself away. He'd had to steal first-aid
supplies from a Pharmacy on the outskirts of Pleasantville, and had
sort-of patched up his shoulder, digging out the bullet and throwing
it in the trash.

He exhaled. He had suffered for a long
time already. What was a little longer until Judith had given birth
to her brat and was no longer under protection? It would give him
time to heal too.

His father was a patient man. Daryl
could be patient too.

Sammy, Tammy, Sunny and TJ were
intensely watching the little screen in front of Sammy.

Well, at least until he got game over.

“Wow, just as bad at cricket in the
virtual world as you are in the real world.” Tammy quipped.

“DON'T start, we don't want to get
kicked out of here!” TJ quickly stepped in. “Besides your bowling
leaves a lot to be desired.”

“GUYS!” Sunny hissed.

Daniel walked in.

“Hey guys. Everything is still
stable, and Judy's allowed to walk around for a bit.” He told them.
He looked at the little gaming screen in front of Sammy and chuckled.
“Your in-game batting as bad as your real life huh?”

Sammy didn't hold back, dropping the
game console (which Tammy quickly caught and placed safely in her
bag) and going straight for Daniel's throat.

“SAMMY!” Sunny groaned. “Dan why
did you have to say anything when you're the LBW King?!”

Naturally Daniel pushed Sammy off him
and took a swing at Sunny. Within five minutes, it was Last Order
chaos.

“Now just a gentle walk around the
hospital. Maybe we can go to the gift shop and get something?”
Marion carefully guided her sister out of the room.

“Sounds fun.” Judith smiled up at
her older sister, grateful. Then she noticed the brawl.

“What the – ?” Marion looked
horrified as Tammy choked her twin out. “I thought they were
friends!”

“Cricket.” Judith said as Petunia
pinned Sunny to the ground and pummelled her.

“Aaah.” Marion nodded knowingly,
dodging Daniel throwing TJ against a wall. “Which way to the gift
shop?”

“Back down the lifts and down the end
of the corridor.” Judith told her, and the two sisters left a pair
of orderlies to try and stop the brawling friends from disturbing
anyone.

—

Belle was exhausted. But not too
exhausted to put on her Giggles outfit and chase a group of Haunted
Maze Troupers out of Bills restaurant.

“AND STAY OUT!” Giggles roared as
Bill watched the group leave (after leaving a very generous tip too).

“They weren't hurting anyone Giggles,
I don't know why you kicked them out.” Bill said as he and Giggles
walked back to the kitchen.

“They had baggies on them. They were
gonna turn this into one of their shops, and then when the heat came,
they would have blamed you.” Giggles groaned as she pulled her
helmet off. “Plus my grandparents were with them.”

“Yes, they did ask if I knew how to
get you to see reason.” Bill washed his hands then got a side of
fish out of the freezer. “I just laughed and said there was no way
to get you to change your mind once it was stuck.”

“They tipped amazingly though.”
Lizzy put her tips into a small bag.

“I'd wash my hands after handling
that.” Belle said drily. “Who knows what sort of drugs are on
that money…”

“Anyway, how's work? Getting things
under control?” Bill asked as he put the fish into a bowl and then
covered it with water.

“Not really, but there's honestly not
much more I can do until Judith gets back. I just hope I've done
enough.” Belle sighed.

They heard the bell on the door rattle,
and in walked Charlie, looking VERY pleased with himself.

“You got the signatures?” Belle
asked.

“No, still have twenty to go, and
thirty more businesses to canvas.” He said. “So I'll head out to
Oaksville tomorrow.”

“So what's with the grin?” Belle
grumbled.

“Webster called. Next week he's
coming out with three officials to help us get the Chamber
established.” Charlie told her.

“You've only got until next week to
get everything organised?!” Belle yelped.

“Hey, come on, it only took me a
couple of days to get twenty signatures, I'll be fine!” Charlie
beamed at her.

“Charlie Begly, you drive me up the
wall.” Belle said drily.

Suddenly her mobile phone rang.

“Hi Sunny-Bunny…your Mum called?
Why? Oh, Demon and Daryl had a fight, of course…why do you sound
like you've been in a fight too? Ah, Sammys bowling…Judith is
allowed to walk around a bit? Great, she can sign some forms for
me…no I WON'T overwhelm her with work! Yes, I know Marion won't be
happy…yeah, you too. Love ya!” Belle hung up. “Sounds like
they're having fun. Marion's getting overprotective though.”

“Do you blame her?” Lizzy started
peeling potatoes. “If anyone went after Izzy or Charlie, I'd go
after them.” She paused for a second. “I DID go after them.”
She corrected herself.

“You did?” Bill inquired. Lizzy
went pale, remembering that her parents had no idea about Lady
Starlight!

“Anyway, I'm gonna go…” Charlie
started when his phone went off again. “Oh, hi Mum…a Crusader at
Pleasantville Ultra-Care Hospital?! Chuckles and Giggles will be
there shortly!” He hung up.

“Are you serious?!” Belle cried.

“Yup, glad I keep my suit in my bag!”
Charlie grabbed his bag and fished out his Chuckles suit.

“The Crusader is probably hitting all
the hospitals looking for Judith.” Giggles pulled on her helmet as
Charlie got into his Chuckles attire.

“Also…we need to pick up the Lions
Claw from the tip, I left it there while canvassing.” Chuckles said
sheepishly as they were about to leave.

“I hope we're in time to make sure no
one gets hurt.” Giggles grumbled as they flew to retrieve the
sword.

—

Crusader Roger had just finished his
walk around Fallsville, getting his dues and making sure the populace
were still scared of him. He was looking forward to having an
afternoon nap and maybe a sandwich.

“I'll have a BLT brought up to my
office, thank you.” He walked past a few Crusaders who were hanging
out near the front gates of the March Hill compound.

“Yes sir!” Was the reply. Once
Roger was out of earshot however, the attitude changed. “Jerk.”
One of the Crusaders muttered.

“Where's Daryl, make HIM do it.”
Another Crusader suggested.

“Won't work. Daryl's gone missing
again, as usual.” Crusader Alex grumbled. “He'll do anything to
avoid pulling his own weight.”

“Doesn't he know we're not allowed
outside the compound without a pass?!” Another Crusader complained.

“I don't think Roger cares, as long
as he's not getting in anyone's way. The spoilt little runt gets
spoiled some more.” Alex said.

“What say we give him a good
thrashing when we find him?” One of the Crusaders grinned. “Teach
the spoiled little piggy that he can't just flake out on us?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me!”
The other grinned back.

“AFTER you've gotten Rogers BLT. Get
to it!” Alex barked at them, making them scatter. He smirked as
they raced to get the sandwich ready, while he looked out the window.
It was a fine day with barely a hint of a cloud in the sky, and a
cool breeze to offset the warm sun. It was starting to head into late
afternoon though, and Alex knew that no matter how painful having
Daryl around was, if the little twerp wasn't back by sundown that
Roger would wallop him.

“The little sod is in for a poor time
of it when he gets back, and I definitely am looking forward to it.”
Alex grinned to himself. “I do wonder though. Where does someone as
stupid as Daryl Jones run off to?” He murmured as the other
Crusaders quickly rushed to get Roger his food.

The Knights of the Last Order and
Chuckles stood completely terrified against Marion, who was looking
at them suspiciously.

Charlie looked at TJ, who was pale.
They had completely forgotten about Marion in this equation.

“What's going on out here?” Daniel
walked out as well. “You all look like ghosts. Don't worry, Marion
isn't going to kill you.”

THAT drew a gasp from the group. Daniel
groaned.

“Am I REALLY that scary?” Marion
asked.

“Yes.” Replied Sammy and TJ. Sunny
scowled at them.

“It's not you…it's just…there was
an incident at City Hall today.” Charlie swallowed back his fear.
“A Crusader broke into Judiths office and started firing. Belle
called and let me know.”

“Belle Masters?” Marion asked.
“She's doing all of Judy's work while she's in hospital, right?”

Charlie nodded.

Marion sucked in a deep breath. This
was NOT what she needed with her sister in hospital with a baby on
the way. Especially with the condition both Judith and the baby were
currently in. If Judith was stressed out or hurt in any way, the baby
would die, and that would destroy Judith. Marion couldn't let that
happen. No matter what the family rules decreed, Judith would ALWAYS
be Marions baby sister, and NO ONE messed with Marions baby sister.

“This is NOT what we need right now.
Not with Judy and the baby in danger as it is.” Daniel groaned.

“And the Crusaders have Daryl, who I
know still talks to Mum, who hears about everything that goes on
through City Hall from Dad.” Sunny said. “So it wouldn't surprise
me if the Crusaders quickly found out that Judith's in hospital.”

“You're Daryls sister aren't you?”
Marion asked. Sunny nodded. “He's always been a little prick hasn't
he?”

“Understatement of the year.” Sunny
muttered. Marion looked at the younger woman, with her dark hair and
the scar under her eye. Marion suddenly realised that it could very
well have been Daryl who gave Sunny that scar.

“What are we going to do?” Tammy
said in a small voice. Marion nearly jumped a foot in the air –
where did SHE come from?!

“I don't know what we can do, except
try to keep Judith as safe as we can.” Daniel said. “Which means
staying around the hospital as much as possible.”

“Well, we've been doing that anyway.”
TJ pointed out.

Marion meanwhile quickly composed
herself, Judith was counting on her.

“I'll handle it from here. Best you
stay away and don't get involved.” Marion stalked out of the
hospital building, determined to have a word with Demon Jones and
sort out this mess before her beloved little sister got hurt…or
worse. The doors slammed shut behind her, leaving the friends
stunned.

“You know, I completely forgot that
Judith and Marion are sisters.” Charlie piped up after a minute of
stunned silence.

“I totally did too.” Sammy added.

“I wasn't allowed to forget. Judith
talks about Marion a lot.” Daniel shrugged. “They might have had
their issues recently, but once upon a time they were really, really
close.”

“They're not any more?” TJ asked.

“Not really, more's the pity.”
Daniel sighed. “It was pretty awkward in there while Marion
visited. It's like they want to be best friends but because of the
Misneach rules there's always going to be a wall between them. Like
it or not, Marion is always going to be a Misneach and Judith is
always going to be a Jofrey, and the Jofreys are always going to
suffer because of the Misneaches.”

The group sat in silence for a while,
letting that sink in. Two sisters who couldn't be sisters because of
their family rules.

Charlie got up. “I need to go canvass
for more signatures. I still have forty I need to collect.”

The others looked up at him, blinking.

“You're going to canvass for
signatures NOW?” TJ asked.

“We just talked about staying around
the hospital to protect Judith didn't we?” Sammy added.

Charlie groaned at their complete lack
of understanding.

“Don't you get it? If there was no
Mobsters of Misneach, then Marion and Judy would still be best
friends. They'd be doing things like hosting baby showers and going
maternity bra shopping together – BUT THEY CAN'T.” Charlie
gritted his teeth. “If I got seperated from Lizzy and Izzy like
that…”

Gritting his teeth, he stomped out of
the room, not wanting to finish that sentence. Not wanting to even
think about what it would be like to go through what Mobster Marion
Misneach and Counsellor Judith Jofrey had to go through.

But he was going to do everything in
his power to make sure it never happened again.

—

“CHARITY!” Demon Jones yelled as he
walked into his manor. “For Glob's sake woman, get down here NOW!”

“Yes dear?” Charity Jones nee
Denison made her way down the stairs to the front hall.

“I need you to talk to that son of
yours. Someone tried to kill Judith Jofrey while she's on maternity
leave.” Demon glared at his wfie.

“I'll have you know 'that son of
hers' is right here.”

Demon looked up to the top of the
stairs. Sure enough, Daryl Jones was standing there, glaring at his
father.

“I've told you he's not to come into
this house!” Demon yelled at Charity, who flinched.

“My stuff is still here thank you,
I'm allowed to get it.” Daryl sulked.

“YOUR stuff? You mean the stuff I
paid for.” Demon shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Charity.

“Stuff you. I didn't ask to be
brought into this world, yet you dragged me here.” Daryl fought
back.

Charity sighed. The father and son had
once been so close. Where had it all gone wrong?

“I can fix that.” Demon glared at
his boy. “What do you know about what happened to Judiths office
today?”

“Why should I know anything?!”
Daryl snapped.

“Because it was a Crusader that tried
to kill her!” Demon yelled.

Charity slipped out of the hallway to
the heavily decorated lounge room. She went to one of the cupboards
and pulled out a small vial of white powder. She opened the vial and
shoved it up her nostril and breathed deeply. It was the only way she
could cope nowadays, with neither of her children being particularly
fond of her and her husband being stressed out all the time. What had
happened to their dream family? A strong, handsome son and a
beautiful, submissive daughter. They should have been a family that
was the envy of the Bridge Club, but now they were broken.

Suddenly there was a crash from the
hallway. Charity capped the vial and shoved it back into it's hiding
spot and bolted out to the hallway, where Demon and Daryl were at
each others throats, knocking over a table into one of the ornate
mirrors in the hall.

“STOP IT! THOSE MIRRORS ARE
EXPENSIVE!” She shrieked, watching her idyllic life continue to
fall around her ears..

Daryl shoved his father away. “I told
you I know nothing. It wouldn't surprise me if Crusaders started
acting on their own, but it's not my problem!”

He stormed out of the house, slamming
the door and making his mother shriek again.

Demon growled to himself, before
turning to Charity. “Oh shut up you.” He grumbled, before
storming off to his office.

Charity looked shocked. Then she began
to cry. Why had everything gone wrong?

In his office, her husband was thinking
the same thing. Only his answer was more disturbing – he blamed it
all on the birth of his daughter Sunny.

“To think we produced that unwanted
bastard.” He muttered to himself.

 “What is going on at
the hospital?!” Belle whined under her breath as she filled out the
forms that Judith should have been filling out. “I wish they'd tell
me something other than 'WE DON'T KNOW WILL YOU STOP TEXTING'
already!”

You see, in order to
stop Demon from putting a asterisk next to Judith Jofrey's
counsellorship, Belle was doing her best to do both her own job and
Judiths. This meant that she couldn't be at the hospital with her
friends, which (along with being extremely overworked) meant she was
rather testy.

“I see your friend is
trying to get a Chamber of Commerce together.” She heard a slimy
voice behind her.

“You might be my boss
but if you don't sod off and let me not only do my job but everyone
elses job I will end you right here and now!” Belle snapped. Demon
Jones wisely backed off. Angry Belle was not a pretty sight!

She carefully finished
off the form she was filling out, stamped it with Judiths seal, and
put it in the official envelope. She then put it carefully in the
correct tray (all trays were stacked sky high) so that it would be
ready to be picked up with the mail run the next morning. Suddenly
her phone buzzed.

She bolted from Judiths
office, leapt over Merediths desk, slid under Theodores desk, rolled
past Hamish, pushed Undines chair out of the way and just got to her
phone as the message notification sound finished playing.

“Having casserole for
dinner tonight, Bill is bringing this weeks girlfriend over.” Was
the text from her father.

The wail of agony could
be heard several blocks away.

—

Sammy lifted up his
head as Daniel walked out of the hospital room. As much as he wanted
to swarm his hero and find out if Judith was okay, he didn't.
Something had changed since Sir Lionheart had rejoined the Knights of
the Last Order.

And it didn't escape
his notice that Charlie didn't swarm Daniel either.

“What's going on? Is
Judith okay? Is the baby okay?” Tammy asked.

“Judith and the baby
are fine for now. They think it was a false labour or something like
that. 'Tuney is looking after her now.” Daniel sat down next to
Sammy. The pair shared a grin. Maybe things hadn't changed as much as
he thought…

“Petunia's got this.
She's the best nurse in this city. Judith will be fine with her.”
TJ grinned.

“I wouldn't trust
anyone else with my baby.” Daniel grinned back.

“I hope Belle is
okay, she's trying to do Judiths job for her so Demon can't cause too
much grief.” Charlie told them as he checked his phone.

“We're grateful.
Really.” Daniel said. “Judiths job means a lot to her.”

Suddenly Mobster Marion
burst in.

“Is my sister okay?!”
She barked at the group, who were stunned. “I heard the baby was in
danger!”

“Uh…yeah…sure…everything
is stable for now….she's being well looked after…she'll want to
see you…” Daniel got up. “I'll take you in.”

“You're the father,
aren't you?” Marion glared at him.

“Yeah…” Daniel
swallowed. Oh boy…

“Thank you. For
caring for my sister.” Marions face softened just slightly. “Now
I want to see Judith!”

“Right this way!”
Daniel took Marion in to see Judith.

“Imagine having THAT
for a sister-in-law.” Tammy said after the pair had headed back
into Judiths room.

—

Belle carefully put the
last of the forms into its spot on Judiths desk. Everything was
FINALLY done, and Belle could head the hospital for a bit before
crashing into bed. It had been a hard, frantic sort of day and poor
Belle-Belle was exhausted.

“So, are you still
busy Miss Masters?”

“Please don't
Arnold.” Belle groaned as Demon approached. “I am exhausted, my
arms are sore, I want to see my friend and make sure she's okay. Just
let me go home.”

“Oh, of course. You
can go. After you've sat in my office and had a chat about your
friend, Mr. Begly.” Demon tried to coral Belle into the office.

“No. I'm going home.”
Belle tried to walk past him, but she was blocked. “Please, I'm
exhausted. We can talk about this tomorrow.”

“Why put off 'til
tomorrow what can be done today?” Demon smiled. “My office, Miss
Masters.”

“Fine, what about
Charlie?” Belle groaned, trying not to yawn.

“About his little
plan for a Chamber of Commerce. I do hope he knows he has the full
support of the Council on this matter.” Demon ushered her into his
office.

“Oh he does, does
he?” Belle wasn't too tired to be suspicious of this declaration.

“Why wouldn't we want
to tighten control over the businesses of Pleasantville?” Demon
asked.

“Should've guessed.”
Belle grumbled.

Suddenly they heard
something smash outside.

“What was that?”
Demon and Belle shared a look before rushing out to find what looked
to be a masked March Hill Crusader heading straight for Judiths
office!

“NO!” Belle
screamed. “Don't knock over my…WORK!”

The masked Crusader
kicked open the office door and began firing their shotgun,
destroying all the work Belle had done that day. Once he'd finished
firing, he looked around. He shook his head, then made his escape
through the shot-out window.

“Well then. I guess
you have some cleaning up to do.” Demon grinned as Belle sank to
her knees in defeat.

—

“Wait, a Crusader
broke into Judiths office and shot it up?” Charlie asked into the
phone. “Yes, I GOT the bit about your work being ruined and how you
can't be here because you had to spend an extra three hours fixing
everything back up again, you can stop whinging about that now…I AM
sympathetic! I just think we need to look a little more into why the
Crusaders want Judith dead.”

“WHAT?!” Everyone
in the waiting room cried.

“Yeah, everyone says
hi and to not overwork yourself…look, just go to bed Belle, you're
exhausted and you know you can't think straight when you're tired.”
Charlie sighed. “Yeah, I'll pass on the message. Take care of
yourself mate, okay? I worry about you.”

He got up to finish the
conversation outside the waiting room, which IMMEDIATELY got the
Gossips of the Last Order talking!

“I wish I could hear
what they're saying!” Tammy groaned.

“Why don't you use
your introversion to find out?” Sunny asked.

“Doesn't work on you
guys for some reason.” Tammy told her.

“It's because we love
ya!” TJ hugged his friend tightly and kissed her cheek.

“Thanks Teej.”
Tammy smiled.

“So, Belle witnessed
a masked Crusader breaking into City Hall and shooting up Judiths
office. A Crusader who didn't want to be identified.” Charlie
walked back in. “I think there might be some problems in the March
Hill Crusaders.”

“Because the Crusader
wore a mask?” Sammy asked.

“Exactly. They didn't
want anyone knowing who they were, which doesn't make sense because
we already know they're a Crusader and where to find them. No, if
they're wearing a mask, it's because they don't want Roger finding
out what they're up to.” Charlie told them. “Which means Judith
could be in danger.”

“Do we tell Dan?”
TJ asked.

“Got no choice. He'll
be able to manage it from here.” Charlie told them.

“What are we telling
Daniel?”

The group froze as
Marion walked back out of Judiths hospital room

“Are you guys SURE
you want me to do this? I still think you should give Charlie a
chance.” Peter said that night as the two families sat around the
dinner table.

“Honestly, this isn't
about me.” Charlie said. “This is about doing what is right for
the people of Pleasantville.”

“Exactly!” Belle
stood by her best friend.

“Things in
Pleasantville have gotten too far for me to make things about me.”
Charlie said as his mother put a roast dinner in front of him.

“Is this about what I
said to you that day in the tip?” Belle asked.

Charlie, who had been
about to dig into his roast lamb, stopped.

“What happened at the
tip?” Lara asked.

Charlie twirled his
fork around.

“Charlie?” Betty
pushed.

“I found out I'm a
racist, okay?!” Charlie snapped.

The table was silent.

“What happened?”
Betty questioned. Belle then told the whole tale as Charlie slumped
in his seat.

“So you found out
something you don't like about yourself, and you're using it as an
excuse to shirk on your plans?” Thomas shoved mashed potato into
his mouth.

“WHAT?!” Charlie
and Belle cried.

“So you found out
that you have racist parts. Instead of facing it and doing your best
to combat the systems that are helping cultivate racism in
Pleasantville, you're using it as an excuse to pass the buck to
Peter.” Thomas swallowed and started on his beans.

“But there IS a
chance that they won't want to vote for me!” Charlie pouted.

“MAKE THEM WANT TO
VOTE FOR YOU!” Peter groaned. “Or is it too hard for you?”

“Don't you want to
help Pleasantville?!” Charlie fought back.

“I'm a Counsellor
now! Do you KNOW how much work both being a Counsellor AND the
President of the Chamber of Commerce would be?” Peter snapped. “If
I took on both, one would have to suffer, and we need all bases
covered if we're going to make a difference.”

Charlie slowly turned
to face Belle.

“Don't even think
about it.” Lara said. “This is your beast.”

“And it's high time
you stopped hiding behind your best friend.” Betty finished.

“Wow Charlie, you're
getting RIPPED tonight!” Oscar commented innocently. The table
couldn't help but laugh.

—

“And that is why I
need YOU to put your name forward for a Chamber of Commerce and to
elect me, the owner of Begly Metalworks, as the President. I might be
young, but that just means I can listen, learn and grow more.”
Charlie said to the owner of West Pleasantville Jewellers, who was a
strong PCC supporter.

The old woman rocked
back in her seat. “You have some fantastic points there young man,
and I must admit, it heartens me to see young people taking a stand.
Where do I sign up?”

“If you could fill
out this form and send it to the Council building that would be
great. You can also fill in your details online.” Charlie handed
her the forms.

“Excellent, I'll get
this done today. Stay for a cup of tea and some scones?” The woman
asked, getting up and opening a cupboard.

“Sure, why not?”
Charlie smiled.

It had been a long day
canvassing for subscriptions, but already Charlie had forty
signatures to add to the ten he already had. Stopping by one of the
businesses and having a bit of afternoon tea with them was an added
bonus.

“You know, if this
goes through I might be able to start helping the PRO.” The owner
said as she brought the tea and scones back.

“You want to join the
PRO?!” Charlie looked surprised.

“Most of us would in
a heartbeat.” The woman poured Charlie a cup of hot tea, and
offered him milk and sugar. “But we know the score. Openly
supporting the PRO would mean suicide for our livelihoods. The Mayor
would destroy us all in retaliation.”

Charlie sipped his tea
thoughtfully.

“This place needs a
shake-up, but not at the expense of our lives.” The woman
continued.

The rest of the tea was
lovely, and Charlie was sure to thank her profusely. He then left,
thinking about everything she had said about wanting to change
Pleasantville but being too scared to do it.

He was still thinking
about it heavily when Sammy nearly barrelled him over in the street
as he walked home later on that same day.

“SAMMY! Geez mate,
you gonna take someone out!” Charlie woke from his thoughts. “Wait,
are you okay?”

“Judith's in the
hospital, the baby is coming early!” Sammy cried. “I gotta get to
the hospital! I gotta be there for Daniel!”

“Hold up, I'll come
with you!” Charlie followed Sammy as he broke out into a run again.

—

TJ was pacing up and
down. Sammy and Tammy were hunched over on the couch, trying to stay
awake. Sunny was rocking Melody, trying to keep her daughter asleep.

“Belle just messaged.
She's keeping Demon under control while Judith is out.” Charlie
checked his phone. “Apparently he's not impressed that she's in
hospital.”

“Of course he
wouldn't. He's a jerk.” Tammy mumbled.

“Tell Belle we
appreciate it.” TJ said.

“I will. She's devo
she can't be here.” Charlie sighed. “But she's busy.”

“She's doing the
world a favour. Like you and your Chamber of Commerce.” Sunny said.

“Yeah…”Charlie
sighed.

“Isn't it going
well?” Sammy asked.

“It's going better
that I thought. I just wonder if I'm the right person to take care of
it all.” Charlie looked down.

“If it's going well
then clearly you ARE the right person for the job.” Sammy
stretched. He looked over at Charlie, sizing him up. “You're
worried about something though.”

“I just keep thinking
about what happened at the tip that day and what I said.” Charlie
sighed.

“That was WEEKS ago!”
Sammy groaned. “And we worked it out!”

“Yeah, but if I'm a
racist…” Charlie started.

“Oh shut up.” Tammy
snapped.

Everyone turned to look
at her.

“Self-flagellation is
boring to watch. So what if you messed up. Belle nearly got all of us
killed with her protest stunt a few years ago, and she's still
working her butt off!” Tammy snapped at him. “If you're so upset
about being a racist, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT instead of wallowing in
self-pity.”

Charlie shut up and
looked at the clock.

“Thank you.” Tammy
looked at her phone. “You know, if you're scared of not being as
smart as Belle is, you can just say so.”

Charlie flinched.

“You ARE as smart as
her though, so I don't see why you're acting like this. I mean,
without you there's no Improbability Clause. Belle might be great at
finding things out, but it's your brain that puts it together.”
Sunny said.

“Just like with the
Chamber of Commerce. Belle found all the little pieces of the problem
and you're the one putting it all together not to just find the
solution, but make it work.” Sammy added. “I wish 'Tuney or Dan
would come out here already and tell us what's going on!”

Tammy checked her phone
again. “And Belle needs to stop texting me.” She texted back
furiously the same text as the past ten texts.

“STOP TEXTING ME!”

 “Do you think it's
safe?” Izzy whispered to her sister.

“I don't know, he
might rip us a new one if we try.” Lizzy replied, peering
cautiously into the dining room.

“I mean, if we were
super quiet we might get past.”

“Are you kidding me,
he'd hear us the moment we stepped in!”

“I CAN HEAR THE BOTH
OF YOU NOW!” Charlie roared, making both girls jump.

Charlie did not take to
paperwork and studying well, which made life in the Begly household
tense as the family tip-toed around him, trying to be as quiet as
possible as to not incur the wrath of Chuckles.

“You know, I thought
it'd be fun having a smart brother, but I was wrong.” Lizzy threw
her brother a dirty look as the two sisters walked through the dining
room to get to the front door.

“Anyway, I got a date
with Hugo. It sucks that you don't hang with us anymore.” Izzy said
as she pulled on her shoes.

“I still don't like
Hugo!” Charlie called from the dining room.

“Get back to work!”
Izzy yelled back.

“I'm going out with
Sammy. Making up for lost time. I can't believe Mum and Dad are
letting me date a gaolbird.” Lizzy joked.

“And they still don't
like Hugo. HE'S never been to gaol!” Izzy complained.

“Parents are weird.”

“So are brothers.”

“I HEARD THAT!”

The twins headed out
the door just as Belle walked in.

“Good luck with HIM,
he's in a mood.” Lizzy warned the Masters as they passed each
other.

“I can handle him.”
Belle grinned.

“Probably the only
one who can.” Muttered Izzy, sharing THAT look with her sister as
they walked out of the house. Her sister shrugged back. Would
Chuckles and Giggles EVER admit to their love for each other?!

“So Charlie, how goes
the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce?” Belle sat down at the
dining room table.

“Don't ask. Just
don't. Bloody. Ask.” Charlie groaned. “I've looked through all
these books you gave me plus those websites and I can't find a way
around Demon.”

“You mean the proviso
that it HAS to go through a Council review?” Belle asked. “I
thought there was about ten ways to circumvent that.”

“Yeah, well, I'd need
Higher Government support, and that's not exactly forthcoming is
it?!” Charlie snapped. “Unless you want to call Dickson again and
have him try to kill your Dad!”

“Easy! Easy!” Belle
threw up her arms to protect herself. “Geez, you studying is a
pain. You're all prickly, like a hedgehog.”

Charlie snorted. Then
he froze. Then his face lifted into a grin. He immediately grabbed
for his phone.

“This totally doesn't
count as Improbability by the way.” Belle grumbled.

–

“Thanks Webster!”
Charlie finally got off the phone as Belle sat at the table, waiting.
“Wait, is that my chocolate ice cream?”

“I'm your best
friend. We share everything.” Belle replied as she ate. “What did
Webster say?”

“He's gonna talk to
some of his friends on the Brisvegas City Council and have them come
up here to help establish it.” Charlie grinned. “We're in!”

“All right!” Belle
cheered. “Have some ice-cream!”

“Don't mind if I do!”
Charlie grinned, digging a spoon into the ice-cream. “I've been
researching legislation too, and there is SO much that we can stick
on the Council if we can pull this off.”

“IF we can pull this
off. Have you got any more signatures?” Belle asked.

“Noooo…” Charlie
admitted.

“Charlie, you NEED
those signatures, otherwise there's no Chamber of Commerce.” Belle
frowned at him.

“I KNOW, but there
just aren't enough non-PCC businesses in the Pleasantville Council
area!” Charlie whined.

“Well, why aren't you
canvassing PCC businesses?” Belle asked.

“I THOUGHT OF THAT.”
Charlie snapped. “That'd never work.”

“PCC businesses would
LOVE a Chamber of Commerce. They could weaponize it easily.” Belle
pointed out.

“Yeah, but then they
wouldn't be voting for ME to run it, would they?!” Charlie snapped.
“The whole point of this is to get me in a position to run this
joint!”

“Technically it
doesn't have to be you.” Belle pointed out. “It just needs to be
someone fair and impartial.”

Charlie's face fell.

“But it definitely
should be you.” Belle quickly tried to backtrack.

Charlie sighed. “Let's
face it, no one will vote for me even if they WERE all PRO. No one
knows who I am, and I'm only 23 years old.”

Charlie felt his lip
wobble.

“Don't be like that
Charlie! We can find someone who will do things right.” Belle
rubbed his arm. “I'm sure it will be you, but in case it isn't
maybe we should have a backup?”

“I guess.” Charlie
looked defeated.

Just then, Peter walked
in.

“AGAIN!?” Belle
groaned as Charlie perked up.

“Hi you two. Where's
Tom?” Peter asked.

“Hey Peter, do you
want to head up the Chamber of Commerce? Might help your chances of
getting elected Mayor in the next election!” Charlie beamed.

Peter looked at the
pair and blinked. “Excuse me?”

–

Poison didn't work.
Straight out shooting him wouldn't work either, because he was too
well protected. Plus after the poison tea episode he KNEW that his
underling wanted him dead.

Crusader Daryl sat on
the edge of Pleasant Gorge, looking down to the dusty road below.
Something in the air made him think of Charlie Begly.

“If only I had a best
friend like he does. Someone who has all the good ideas.” Daryl
chortled, but it was bitter. How that loser managed to snag himself a
pretty little best friend was beyond Daryl. Charlie wasn't rich, or
popular, not like Daryl had been when they were in school. Back when
Daryl had been School Captain and the richest, most popular kid in
school. Before he lost everything.

Daryl sighed. This
wasn't getting him anywhere. He had to get rid of Crusader Roger, and
he had to do it in a way that kept himself safe. Then his father
would come crawling back. Daryl was definitely going to ask for an
allowance raise.

Daryl groaned, and
looked down the gorge again. Maybe he should just throw himself down
and end it all. Serve them all right. His mother would scream and
wail at his father, who would finally have to feel guilty about
something for the first time in his life.

Except that would mean
that Sunny won. Everything would be left to Sunny, and Daryl couldn't
allow that. Sunny was an unwanted bastard. Sunny should never have
been born to begin with. Sunny only existed because his parents were
stupid and couldn't keep their hands off each other. If only he could
get rid of HER as well. Heck, get rid of Sunny, Lady Courage,
Chuckles, Giggles, Belle, Charlie…ROGER.

“Why can't I THINK of
anything?!” Daryl groaned. “Why can't I just…get…someone…”

Then Daryl grinned.

Charlie stretched and
yawned, toothpaste drooling from the side of his mouth where his
toothbrush hung.

“Charming look
there.” Betty frowned at her son as he picked up the mail and
looked through it.

“Hmmmpph…HMMMPH!”
Charlie found a letter addressed to him! “Hmmmppphhhhh hmmmph!”

“Whatever that
meant.” Thomas watched as Charlie bolted back up the stairs.

Charlie came back down
a minute later fully dressed and toothpaste cleaned up.

“It's a letter from
the PRO!” Charlie waved it around.

“Have you actually
READ the letter?” Thomas asked drily.

Charlie grinned
sheepishly. “Might be a good idea eh Dad?”

“My son the font of
intelligence.” Thomas sighed as Charlie tore open the letter.
“Well?”

Charlie scanned the
letter, his face falling.

“Well?” Thomas
asked again.

“There's only ten
business owners in the PRO. I mean, they've all pledged their
support…but only ten?” Charlie slumped.

“It takes privilege
to own a business Charlie, you know that.” Thomas said. “A lot of
the PRO don't have that privilege, which is why they want change.”

Charlie growled. He
picked up his wallet, phone and keys and stalked off.

“See you later too.”
Thomas frowned at the slammed door.

—

“PRIVILEGE. My arse.”
Charlie grumbled as he sat with his friends at the tip as Daniel
prepared to hit the ball out of the country.

“He's right though.”
Belle said.

“Oh get off it
Belle.” Charlie snapped. “All you need to open a business is hard
work.”

“And the right skin
colour.” Sammy piped up before bowling an extremely nasty bouncer.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO
KILL ME?!” Daniel roared.

“Oh come ON.”
Charlie groaned. “I know the cops are racist but you can't blame
everything on racism!”

The fight stopped
before it even started as everyone stared at Charlie.

“You're coming with
me.” Belle grabbed her best friend by the ear.

“Ow ow ow!” Charlie
cried as Belle dragged him away from the group.

“I can't believe
you!” Belle cried as she threw him into a pile of old bikes. “You
were in my BP class, and you STILL say stuff like that?!”

“Belle-,” Charlie
started.

“You KNOW that trying
to register a business in Pleasantville is down to whether or not
City Hall likes you!” Belle snapped. “And you REALLY think they'd
let someone of colour register a business?”

“Sammy's parents run
the garage!” Charlie tried to defend himself.

“They RUN it, they
don't OWN it!” Belle cried, exasperated. “They tried to buy it
years ago and got blocked!”

“Well that's not
because of the colour of their skin!” Charlie fought back.

“YES IT WAS.” Belle
snapped. “I've read the documentation.”

“Well, my Dad was
hated by City Hall, but HE managed to open up his own business!”
Charlie tried.

“At THAT point, Jones
didn't have half the power he has now for a start, plus your father
went all the way to Brisvegas to get the money required.” Belle
countered.

“So why aren't these
so-called less privileged people doing that then?!” Charlie tried.

“Don't be an idiot.
Do you know how many days it took for your father to get those loans
and approvals?! The only reason you didn't starve while he was gone
is because you owned the house you lived in and didn't need to pay
rent!” Belle pointed out.

Charlie winced.

“Charlie, our
families have it really easy compared to most. Both of our families
have homes that were paid off generations ago, so we don't have to
worry about a roof over our heads, and if we get desperate we can get
loans against the houses. A lot of people in Pleasantville don't have
that. Look at how hard TJ and Petunia have it. They've been saving up
for years, but still can't buy their own home.”

Charlie felt the
familiar feeling of the Improbability Clause in the back of his brain
as all the pieces came together to tell him he was an idiot.

“So you look at
someone of colour in Pleasantville. They have next to no chance.
Those are the bulk of the people in the PRO.” Belle sat down.

Charlie sighed. He knew
that Belle was right, and he owed Sammy a huge apology.

“I guess I still have
to learn not to be racist after all.” He said.

“We all do.” Belle
replied.

Charlie got up and
headed back to the group, who had resumed hostilities.

“Maybe if you'd learn
how to actually hit the ball you wouldn't have to worry about a
bouncer!” Sammy yelled at Daniel.

“Maybe if you'd learn
how to actually bowl you wouldn't have to resort to bullying
tactics!” Daniel fired back.

“Hey guys.” Charlie
said.

“Hey Charlie.”
Sammy and Daniel said, before returning to trying to kill each other.

“Get him Sammy!”
Tammy cheered.

“Get over it!” TJ
fired at her.

“You know, maybe we
should wait it out before your grand apology.” Belle scratched her
head.

—

Crusader Daryl Jones
was sulking.

“I mean, trying to
poison Roger?” He heard Alex on the other side of the wall
laughing. “What an idiot.”

“Yet had it been any
one of us, we'd have been killed where we stood. Daryl just gets away
with it because of who his Daddy is.” He heard Alice say bitterly.

“That's all he is
really, a Daddys boy who never got told no in his life.” Alex said.

“Well, he's getting
an education here, that's for certain.” Aiden said.

Daryl continued to
sulk. He hated all of them! The moment he figured out how to get rid
of Roger, he'd then get rid of the rest of them!

He just had to find a
way to do it that wouldn't get traced back to him.

—

“And so I'm sorry for
what I said. I was way out of line.” Charlie said to the group who
had finally stopped trying to kill each other again.

“It's ok.” Sammy
shrugged.

“It isn't.” Charlie
sighed. “This whole time all I've been worried about is getting
revenge on Demon for messing up my business. I forgot there's a
bigger picture here, and that bigger picture means making things fair
for everyone.”

“It's okay, really.
We're used to it.” Sammy said.

“Well, you shouldn't
be. No one should be.” Charlie said. “And if I have privilege,
then it's up to me to use it responsibly and make things right.”

“Exactly.” Belle
said.

“And I know you guys
can do it.” Tammy smiled. “We're gonna land the first blow on the
corruption in Pleasantville!”

“Yeah!” The team
cheered together.

Charlie grinned, but
inside he chided himself. Just because he didn't want to be a racist,
it didn't mean there weren't parts of him that were racist. It was up
to him to be on the alert and make those changes to not be racist.