Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Two: Back at City Hall

“I TOLD you dumping my Dad would
drive him up the wall!” Sunny laughed as she sat at the tip on a
chilly Saturday morning. At her feet, Melody was smacking a tennis
ball with a plastic cricket bat. “You are so cute!” Sunny
couldn't help but coo over her daughter.

“He went bright red, then pale, then
said “Fine” and signed the bill.” Belle grinned, sitting on an
old sofa. “Still felt sick afterwards, just being close to him
makes me feel ick.”

“While that's nice and all, can we
please get on with it?” Daniel said, holding his replica Dragon
Scale Scythe. Since Marcus had been born, Daniel had become his old
bossy self.

“Yeah, it's go time!” Sammy swung
his nun-chucks around. Charlie, who was sitting on a fridge, noticed
that Sammy tended to agree with Daniel a lot recently.

“We're having a CONVERSATION,
training can wait.” Sunny said.

“We're the DEFENDERS OF THE CITY,
training CAN'T wait. This isn't your fast bowling.” Daniel frowned
at her.

“WHAT was that?!” Sunny was
suddenly up on her feet.

“Your over rate makes the
International Cricket Authority's wallets wish you were an actual
cricketer.” Daniel fired.

“I'm so glad we're all friends
again!” Belle smiled as Sunny punched Daniel with all the force she
could muster.

“I know, now I can go back to ratting
on your economy.” Charlie smiled back.

“THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY
ECONOMY!”

—

“Stupid Charlie and his stupid
batting average and there's nothing wrong with my economy!” Belle
continued to sulk the next day at work.

“Hey Belle. Oooooh, that shiner looks
like it hurt!” Harriet from Community Services said as they stood
at the water cooler.

“Not as much as what I did.” Belle
grinned.

“Which was?”

“Quoted back his past four cricket
scores at him.”

“Oh Belle you are NAUGHTY!” Harriet
giggled. “By the way, have you seen Judith around?”

“Not today, she probably has to take
Marcus to the doctor or something.” Belle replied, sipping her
water.

“How is Marcus doing? I hope she
brings him in one day.” Harriet asked. “Counsellor Barry bought
his little girl in yesterday, she was telling me all about her
gymnastics medal.”

“Kids are so adorable, aren't they?”
Belle smiled. “Marcus is doing fine for a premmie. According to his
father his lungs definitely aren't premature!”

The two chuckled. Then Harriets phone
rang.

“Let me just get this.” Harriet
answered the call. “Hello? Yes! Absolutely!”

Belle checked her own phone and
continued to sip water.

“Will do! Thank you!” Harriet
finished the call. She turned to Belle. “The only reason I'm
telling you this is because I like you – GO HOME NOW.”

“Why?” Asked Belle, but Harriet was
already heading back to her desk. Belle shrugged. She went back to
her desk, sent an email to Judith saying she was heading off for the
day, and headed for Bills restaurant.

“Hey Belle. Aren't you supposed to be
at work?” Bill asked as Belle walked in.

“Hey Belle! I was picking up lunch
for the guys at work, you want something?” Charlie asked.

“No thanks Charlie. Harriet from
Community Services got a call while we were talking at the water
cooler. She then advised I should get out of there.” Belle shrugged
as she sat down.

“Harriet?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, really nice. Would be a friend
if she hadn't been an ex-Mobster.” Belle poured herself some water
from the jug that sat on the table.

Charlie froze. Belles eye started
twitching.

“Mobster Marion has been pretty spry
since Marcus was born…do you think she's going to try something?”
Charlie asked.

“My stuff is at home. I'll meet you
at the tip.” Belle downed her glass of water and got up. “See if
you can't get onto a few of the Knights.”

“Will do.” Charlie agreed. “I'll
have to drop this all off at work first. Never get on the wrong side
of hungry blacksmiths.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Bill
smiled as the pair bolted.

—

Harriet had been wise to tell Belle to
escape. Sure enough, the Mobsters of Misneach still had plenty of
loyalists in the Council ranks. So when Harriet got the call from her
former lieutenant, they were all ready to storm City Hall from the
inside.

“Of course they would!” Demon
barricaded himself in his office. He ran to his phone, and put the
call in to Haiter. “Get your cops here NOW, and get your Troupe
here as well!” He barked into the phone. He then slammed it down
into its cradle. Damn! How had Marion kept her spies in the Council?!
They all should have changed allegiance to the Haunted Maze Troupe!
Especially as Marion had gone crazy.

He peeked out of the peephole in his
door. Several of the Haunted Maze Troupe plants in the office had
started fighting back. Two of them had stationed themselves in front
of his door. Demon gritted his teeth. He knew full well that those
Troupers weren't protecting him.

—

Meanwhile, the Masked Crusader had made
his way to Pleasantville. It hadn't been too hard to find out that
Judith Jofrey was out of hospital, especially as his mother had told
him all about how his father had spent a full hour in Judiths office
when she got back – was he sleeping with her again?

Daryl really didn't give a toss either
way if the baby was his sibling or not. He just knew that if he went
in as an unidentifiable Crusader and killed Judith, then Marion
wouldn't give two hoots about getting the right Crusader – she
would do him a huge favour and get rid of Crusader Roger.

So Daryl had made his way into the city
to make his kill – the only thing he hadn't counted on was Marion
and Sidewinder coming in to take the Council back for the Mob.

So instead of going in, he watched,
knowing that Chuckles and Giggles would be arriving soon.

Sure enough, they arrived, bringing Sir
Lionheart, Sir Hyper and Lady Silent with them.

“Gets me out of marking. Man I hate
school holidays.” Sir Hyper had pointed out when the others had
asked how he could be attending a fight in the middle of the work
day.

“Now, this is going to be a very
tense situation. It's basically Mob vs Troupe. We have to be CHUCKLES
GET BACK HERE NOW!” Giggles cried as Chuckles merely walked into
the building.

“Please tell me this is a JOKE. IT'S
A CHANDELIER!” Chuckles cried as he surveyed the scene in front of
him. A new chandelier to replace the one that Giggles had so
callously destroyed was being installed just as the Mob had attacked.
Now the Troupe had the chandelier surrounded and were threatening to
destroy it.

“This isn't going to end well is it?”
Lady Silent asked her brother as Chuckles and Giggles rushed in
between the warring factions, Sir Lionheart on their heels.

“There'll be tears.” Sir Hyper
agreed.

“Okay, okay, break it up you lot.”
Chuckles pulled out the Lions Claw Blade. “There's no need for
this, you all have citizens to serve.”

“Stay out of this you…sword-thief.”
Mobster Marion stepped forward.

“Razor-sharp wit there.” Giggles
said, hand on the Lucky Seven Gun, ready to draw if anything went
wrong.

“We're here to take back what ours.”
Sidewinder said. “Especially as the Haunted Maze Troupe rightly and
royally stuffed up letting a Chamber of Commerce be formed.”

A drug-laded dagger came flying out of
no where towards Sidewinder, who used the Emerald Suit to block it.

“Rude.” Giggles frowned at the
Trouper who threw it, who she suspected was Terry from Public
Relations.

“Look, can't you all just get back to
work?” Chuckles groaned.

“This IS work!” Lisa from Amenities
yelled.

“Noooo, you should be serving the
public and making life better for the citizens you serve!” Giggles
yelled.

Everyone laughed.

“I hate you all.” Giggles grumbled.

“Look, Sidewinder, give this up or
I'll tell everyone.” Sir Lionheart warned.

“Tell us what?” Giggles asked.

“You wouldn't dare!” Sidewinder
went white.

“Come on, the Troupe have our
chandelier, we need to get it back!” Luke from Accounting cried.

“We'll handle the chandelier. Sir
Lionheart will handle the Mob.” Chuckles said. Giggles followed him
to where the Troupers had surrounded the chandelier.

“You know there's a quick way to sort
this out, right?” Giggles said.

“You wouldn't.” One of the Troupers
said, sounding suspiciously like Tessa from Gardens and Parks.

“I've done it before.” Giggles
aimed the Lucky Seven Gun at the chandelier. The Troupers looked at
each other, panicked.

“Okay you win we'll leave it alone!”
Another Trouper who sounded like Bailey from HR cried.

“This workplace is pathetic.”
Chuckles groaned as the Troupers scattered.

“I'm warning you two, I will let
everyone know the truth.” Sir Lionheart was still debating with
Marion and Sidewinder.

“Again, you're bluffing.”
Sidewinder glared at him. When he got home that evening she was going
to have some very stern words with the father of her son!

“No. I'm not.” Sir Lionheart took a
deep breath. “I know for a fact that you two, and your father, and
all your ancestors…you're not natural blondes.”

Marion screeched with fury and swung
her sword at Sir Lionheart while Sidewinder groaned and wondered why
her life turned out like this.