Note: After way too long, here is Chapter 13, finally - sorry for the wait! I had a fair chunk of it written a while ago and got stuck, and life happened, and also what on earth is going on with the world right now? I hope everyone reading this is doing as well as they can be in the current circumstances. I want to say a big thank you to all of the people who took the time to leave a review on this fic over the last months, it was encouraging to see that people were still interested and keen to find out what happened next. To the guest reviewer who left a review today, you can feel satisfied knowing that yours was the review that provided the final impetus for me to wrap up the chapter and get it on here - but keep your $2 :) Hopefully you will all enjoy this chapter and the hints of what is coming - please let me know your thoughts, I love knowing people are out there enjoying this and getting into the story and characters! I know better than to promise another chapter soon, but I'll do my best to keep updating this as often as I can. Thanks for sticking with the fic! p.s. opening microwaves before they are finished does sometimes have an effect: wiki/Peryton_(astronomy) - so be nice to radio astronomers and avoid generating perytons ;)

We storm the gates
Raise the flags
Just the same old story
We seize the throne, subjugate
We should have burned it to the ground
Whoa
Some might say we've lost our way
But I believe we've not gone far enough

- A Gentlemen's Coup, Rise Against

"You know, these aren't really necessary right?" George gestured from the caged back seat of the police car, raising his hands from behind his back to show the handcuffs. "This is a complete misunderstanding, and I would have come without needing restraint anyway."

The police officer driving the car glanced at him briefly in the rearview mirror, then at his partner next to him but she just shrugged.

"Sorry Mr Denbrough, we've got to follow procedure," he said.

"But why do you think I would have been involved?" George asked, still genuinely confused about what was going on, or how Pennywise has managed to set him up quite so well. Was this somehow one of the clown's tricks? It had to be, there was no other explanation for it.

"You'll have to wait till we get to the station," the female officer said shortly, clearly not about to elaborate on the situation. Sometime in her tone made George feel uneasy, because until this point he'd assume it really was a misunderstanding that would all be cleared up once they arrived and he'd be sent home with their apologies. All of a sudden, he wasn't so sure.

It was an uncomfortable silence that followed the car to the station, where the two officers infrequently exchanged nervous glances and George just mostly stared out the window wondering what was going to transpire upon their arrival. At least the others would know where he'd disappeared to, since Stan had luckily been with him at the time the police arrived.

The car pulled up with a slight shudder (the police budget had always been worn thin in Derry), and George was ushered from the car and towards the police building entrance. The two officers each had a grip on his upper arms, not overly tightly but certainly enough to cause him discomfort. He realised the officers seemed... scared of him? It had taken him a little while to place the vibe he was getting from them but that did seem to be the overall sense. They couldn't even look directly at him.

As the glass doors slid open into the entrance, George's gaze fell on a woman bent over her lap, seemingly trying to suppress sobs. She looked up when she heard the doors, and his heart sank. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks stained with tears, but there was no mistaking who she was.

"George, I'm sorry," she burst between sobs, getting to her feet. "He's missing and there was no one else, they asked me if there was anyone new, or unfamiliar and I knew it couldn't be you of course, how could it be, but you're the only one and he..."

She looked so distraught, wringing her hands and looking around the room wildly.

"Margaret, what happened?" George asked, a tiny voice inside him screaming at him not to find out the answer to that question. Even though really, he already knew.

"Alex, he-"

"That's enough, ma'am," said the female officer sternly. "We need to take the suspect to the interrogation room."

"Oh George, I'm so sorry," Margaret sobbed apologetically, covering her face with her hands. "There was no one else..."

"It's okay, don't worry, it'll be okay," George tried to reassure her as the officers pulled him away, feeling the emptiness of his words echo off the aged foyer of the police station. As if to mock him, the fluorescent lights flickered weakly. He was led into a small dimly-lit questioning room, and the door was closed, and locked, behind him. The implications of Margaret's words were beginning to become clear. If she was here, in that state, and if George had been the only person the police could bring in as a suspect... His heart began to beat faster, and against his will, he was starting to panic. There were no coincidences in Derry, after all.

He wasn't given long to stew before an officer with hard eyes and something more akin to a 9 o'clock shadow entered the room, gesturing expectantly for George to sit. He obeyed, his heart still pounding. He needed to be out there, looking for Alex, not trapped in here with questions that would lead nowhere and help no one.

"George Denbrough, hmm?" said the officer coolly. "Long way from home, aren't you?"

"Technically, this was my home," George said, then wondered if he should be even admitting things like that when he was clearly the best suspect in this case.

"Right, you grew up here," the officer agreed, looking down at the notes in front of him. George dropped his gaze to the name tag, which simply said Wong.

"Look, Officer Wong," George began. "This is a mistake, I have nothing to do with her son going missing. I want to go help find him, but I can't do that from in here."

"Mr Denbrough, we wouldn't have brought you down here if it wasn't a serious set of circumstances," Officer Wong said with a stern look. "A 10 year old goes missing just hours after you show up on the doorstep of the family, claiming you used to live there-"

"I did live there," George interjected.

"Regardless, you went in the boy's room, the mother said. She also said you were extremely distracted and looked quite upset. These are not the signs of normal adult behaviour, Mr Denbrough."

George almost laughed, because Officer Wong was entirely correct in that statement, even if he was wrong about the rest.

"We have several missing kids, Mr Denbrough," Officer Wong said, eyes narrowed. "If you are connected to one of them, how do we know you're not connected to the rest?"

"Well, for one thing I only flew into the country a day ago," George said irritably. "I had nothing to do with Alex's disappearance, all I did was drop by the house because I used to live there, talk to them a bit and leave again."

"Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts after leaving the house?"

George hesitated. He didn't remember passing anyone in particular on the way back to the hotel, nor did he think he had left any lasting impressions on anyone.

"A neighbour also reported seeing you outside the house the day before," Officer Wong continued, in George's silence. "Standing outside the front of it, without moving, for a long time."

"It was the same reason," George said numbly, remembering his spaced-out revisiting of the day he lost his arm. "I haven't been back here in a long time... there are a lot of memories."

"How did you lose the arm?" George blinked, not expecting that question all of a sudden.

"I was a kid," he said. "And a wild animal..."

He trailed off, not knowing how to continue that lie anymore, hoping the officer would let it drop.

"Why did you come back?" Officer Wong chose to ask instead, which was not exactly much easier to answer.

"A group of my friends, we decided to get together and catch up," George said, somewhat truthfully. "Everyone came back, even though we'd all been away from Derry for several years. Well, almost all of us."

He felt bad again for forgetting that, unlikely the rest of them, Mike had never left. Not even once.

"Almost all? Who is the exception?"

"Mike... Michael Hanlon."

"Oh," the officer said knowingly. George realised with some surprise that Mike was known to him, and he wondered why. Maybe Officer Wong had been a victim of Mike's relentless pursuit of information about Pennywise.

"Did you see anything near the house that was suspicious, when you left?"

You mean, aside from a murderous clown that is only visible to those he chooses to reveal himself to?

George grimaced and shook his head.

"Where was he last seen? When?" George asked, wondering how much of a head start Pennywise might have gotten. Or if it was already too late... who knew what kind of game the clown was playing?

"Woah, slow down, I'm the one asking the questions, eh," Officer Wong said, shaking his head. "I get you're playing up this notion of wanting to go find him, but right now I see no reason to believe you had nothing to do with his disappearance."

At that moment, the pager on the officer's waist buzzed. He glanced down at it, back at George, and then left the room with a hand gesture that indicated for him to wait where he was.

Like I can go anywhere else, George thought to himself.

Some minutes passed, with George staring blankly into the reflective window across from him, and then a different officer entered the room. It wasn't Officer Wong this time, but a younger officer. He was dressed the same as Officer Wong, but the label on his shirt said Gray. He sat down in front of George, wordlessly.

"What happened to Officer Wong?" George asked.

"Occupied," said Officer Gray simply. "What did you do with the kid, Mr Denbrough?"

"Excuse me?" George said, looking at the man more closely. He had light hair swept back and light green, almost grey eyes. The hint of a smile danced on his lips.

"If this is some kind of weird interview technique, it won't work," George said coldly. "I had nothing to do with Alex's disappearance, and you have no evidence proving otherwise."

George paused, wondering what his rights were. He realised he'd never known either the American or Australian systems to that extent, never thought he'd end up where he was.

"I'd like my phone call," he said finally, hoping that was a thing. The movies and TV shows he'd watched seemed consistent on that much, at least.

"We're not obliged to give you one right now," Officer Gray shrugged. "Not when you are suspected of such a serious crime."

"I'm pretty sure that's not true," George said, feeling a bit confused. He glanced at the door, and the silent reflective window, but there was no movement anywhere.

"Did you enjoy his blind trust in you as you led him away?" The officer's voice was low, suddenly. "Did ya, Georgie?"

George's gaze snapped back to the man in front of him, his breath catching in his throat. It was the same officer as before, but a malicious look twisted his features into something terrifying. He was looking at what seemed to be a completely normal human, but in his heart he knew the truth: Pennywise was sitting across the table from him.

Without thinking, he lunged forward at the clown masquerading as a human, jumping across the table and tackling him. In the blur of tumbling that following, Officer Gray easily used George's uncoordinated motion against him. George hit the ground with a hard thump, the wind knocked out of him. Pennywise pinned him to the ground, one hand on his chest to prevent him from getting up and the other holding down his right shoulder. Though he looked human, his strength was immense and George felt the air being pressed out of his lungs.

"Where's Alex?" he gasped, grasping at the officer's arms, trying to get free.

Officer Gray, still wearing the human smile, leant down so his mouth was right next to George's ear.

"I warned you... I warned you all," he breathed. "Now he's mine."

George felt sick, the clown's hot breath in his ear, all of this somehow made worse by the fact that Pennywise was wearing a human suit. He felt ridiculous for thinking so, but it was almost easier to deal with his normal clown persona. The thought of Pennywise passing for a human like this was much more horrifying.

"Why?" he choked. "Why... him?"

"Poor boy, all alone in the sewers with no one to save him," sang the officer-clown in a lilting tone. "Just like another little boy all those years ago. But this time no one's coming for him."

George gritted his teeth and tried to shove the man off him, but couldn't shift his weight in the slightest. Officer Gray looked down at him, eyes clouded and distant, an odd expression on his face.

"You know, I'd take you over him any day, Georgie," he smiled coldly, his green eyes glinting of silver. "But - in the meantime, since you've gone and gotten yourself arrested... I'll settle for the boy. And the confused humans can have their fun with you, so desperate are they to cling to the fumes of a suspect... even as they actively look the other way whenever I surface."

Pennywise shifted his hand up to George's throat and gently squeezing it, then tightening his grip.

"Oh Mr Denbrough, is this what you want to do to poor little Alex?" the man whispered cruelly, leaning in again, seeming to take great pleasure in George's gasps. "You, the murderer of all the children, their suspect numero uno? I've never had such a convenient scapegoat before."

He giggled at the thought, suddenly more reminiscent of his clown self. George felt his lungs running out of air, and his vision was beginning to get hazy. The officer's creepily human face swam in front of him, smiling wider and wider (were his teeth getting sharper?), as things began to fade to black.

"I'll get him to send you a postcard," the clown whispered darkly from the shadows of George's consciousness.

Suddenly, there was a noise and George felt all of the pressure on him release at once. He blinked hazily, seeing a blurry shape come towards him. Once he managed to focus, he saw it was Officer Wong, offering a hand to help him to his feet with a mix of concern and confusion on his face.

"I... fell," George mumbled, hating how raspy his voice suddenly sounded.

"Mr Denbrough... you've been cleared for release," the officer said, a bit warily, once George was standing. "We have witness testimony of you being at the Derry Inn at the time of Alex's disappearance, and his mother doesn't want to hold you without any evidence, she still doesn't believe you had anything to do with it."

George nodded without speaking, not trusting his voice. Something in the officer's tone told him that he wasn't in agreement with Alex's mother on the matter of his innocence.

"Someone is here to pick you up. Don't leave town," the officer added. "If more evidence surfaces or anything changes, we'll be wanting to bring you in again. So don't go anywhere just yet."

George just nodded again, allowing the officer to lead him from the room. It was with much relief that he saw Mike and Stan waiting for him at the front desk, but their faces told him a different story. They said nothing until the three of them were out of earshot from the police staff, all completely unaware of Officer Wong's contemplative gaze following them as they headed towards the exit.

"George, your throat," Stan whispered. "What happened?"

George ran his finders absentmindedly along his throat, wondering how bad it was. He glanced around the front reception area, but Margaret was nowhere to be seen. In the reflection of the glass doors, he saw that his throat had the very clear imprints of hands, though he'd bet any money on it that only the Losers could see the mark Pennywise had left on him.

"Surprise visit from Officer Gray," he said wryly.

"Who?" Mike said in confusion. "There isn't-"

"Pennywise," George said. "Masquerading as a police officer."

"Shit," Stan said, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," George said dismissively, waving his hand. "But Alex isn't. We need to get down to the sewers right away and find him before it's too late."

Stan and Mike looked at him like he was crazy. Night had already fallen outside, with only the faintest reddish hints of the sun on the horizon.

"Firstly, who's Alex, and secondly, are you mad?" Stan said, the expression of shock and horror not leaving his features. Mike looked less shocked, but very skeptical about George's sudden imperative.

"Alex is the kid who disappeared," George said, a bit impatiently. "He lives in my old house, I met him and his mother earlier today. I should have seen it coming, I should have known better - Pennywise was in the fucking window when I left the house, but I thought it was just a dig at me, I didn't think he'd..."

Mike held up a hand, gesturing for him to calm down as they arrived at his car in the carpark.

"George, even if what you're saying is true, what makes you think Alex is even still alive? We can't just go down into the sewers without a plan, especially if the kid isn't down there or if he's..." He trailed off, seeing the expression on George's face.

"Yeah, I know, it might be a trap, it is probably exactly what the clown wants me to do," George said, clenching his fists. "But damn it, Mike, that kid is only in his sights because of me, so if there is a chance that he's still alive and this is one of Pennywise's messed up games, then I'm going to play it. And from what he said... I think Alex is still alive."

Mike and Stan exchanged a glance.

"Okay, but let's regroup first with the others," Mike suggested carefully. "We need to let them know you're okay as well, and figure out the best way to get down there quickly."

George nodded slowly, and the three of them got into Mike's car to head back to Derry Inn.

Noticing there were a few seconds left on the microwave, Andi pulled the door open without waiting for it to ding. A vague voice in her head chastened her for not being patient enough to wait those last seconds before it was officially done, but then what was the harm of that anyway? It wasn't like a few seconds really made the difference between cooked and not.

She peeled back the plastic, hissing as the steam burnt her. The smell of overheated tuna mornay wafted up and filled the kitchen, giving her an odd nostalgic feeling. She hadn't had microwaved tuna mornay since she was last in Derry, and somehow the smell of it had become a signal of the past, of an existence she once had many years ago. Suppressing the feelings, she piled some grated cheese on top, mixed it around and threw the plastic covering into the bin. It didn't seem worth it to transport the microwaved contents to a bowl, so she just carried it outside to the living room.

It was dark in the room except for the TV screen, which lit up the walls with unnatural light. Some kind of game show was playing, she wasn't sure which. It had been a long time since she watched that kind of mindless television. Her gaze turned to the couch, where a grey-bearded man had passed out, slumped to the side, a bit of drool glinting in the light from the TV.

Oh, Dad...

She put her meal down on the dining table, and grabbed a blanket and pillow from the side of the couch. She carefully propped the pillow under her sleeping father, and covered him gently with the blanket. He mumbled something in his sleep but didn't stir otherwise. Glancing at the table, she noticed he was a few beers in, so probably would be out for quite a while. She took a quick moment to look at him closely, noting the way time had worn deep lines into his face. He seemed so old and fragile now, compared to her memory of him from when she was a child.

She turned back to the tuna mornay, and took a seat at the table, half-heartedly watching the game show play out as she chewed the soggy pasta. Having come back to Derry, she was quickly realising she hadn't really missed it. There was a sad aura that permeated throughout the entire town, a feeling of hopelessness that seemed to be in everyone and everything, perhaps even a hint of darkness. She wondered how much of that could really be blamed on the clown, versus the town itself. The optimistic part of her wanted to believe everything could be blamed on Pennywise, because it sure felt like that sometimes.

A buzz on the table drew her attention, and she picked up her phone absentmindedly. It was a message from Mike Hanlon. She instantly swiped to reveal its contents, ignoring the sinking feeling she had in her stomach upon seeing the message arrive.

Urgent - Pennywise took another child. Meeting at the Inn (Kenduskeag) at 20:00.

She breathed out, the weight of a child going missing during their presence here suddenly seeming a lot more real than all the missing posters stuck up around the town. It wasn't surprising in a way that Pennywise would continue to strike while the group was assembled in town, but it did beg the question of what Mike and the others planned to do about it.

She looked down at the remaining tuna mornay, and back at her phone. The timestamp was 19:48. If she left now, she'd get there in time. And if they did plan to do something, there was no way she was going to miss out on a chance at the clown. She pushed the pasta aside, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door.

George, Stan and Mike were the last to come into the room, arriving back in the Derry Inn carpark at just after eight. They entered a heavy room, and George was taken aback by Eddie suddenly jumping on him and almost causing him to stumble backwards.

"You're okay!" Eddie exclaimed. "We were so worried."

Richie, in a shadow of his normal self, just nodded sombrely.

"Pennywise, huh?" he said shortly. George nodded back. He looked around the room and saw that everyone was there, including Andi. Ben and Beverly were sat next to each other on the windowsill, matching expressions of concern on their face. George noted with passing interest that they were sitting much closer than perhaps they normally would, especially given how many empty chairs were scattered around the room. But his thoughts evaporated as Stan spoke.

"Are you serious, George?" Stan prompted, as Mike shut the door behind them. There was a small shake in his voice. "You really... you want to go down there?"

"Down there?" Richie repeated in disbelief. "Like, sewers down there?"

"You're kidding, right," Ben said, shaking his head. "We just concluded earlier that we need to be more prepared before we go anywhere near the clown, especially the clown's damned lair. Why?"

"It's my fault the kid is missing," George confessed, the weight of the words he was saying suddenly making it more real. "I went back to my house, and Pennywise took him because of that. I need to go get him back."

His words were met with silence around the room, as everyone took in the implications of what he was saying. Beverly was the first to break the silence.

"George, I'm all for taking on the clown, you know that... but Ben's right. And it's not your fault, Pennywise could have taken anyone and you had no control over that."

"Alex wouldn't even have been on the radar if it wasn't for me," George insisted angrily, more angry at himself than anyone else for being so stupid to bring someone else into this mess. "I saw Pennywise in the window when I left... I should have made the connection sooner but I didn't. I thought he was just trying to get to me."

"We can keep it simple, right?" Andi offered. "Go in, get the kid, get out? Engage if we have to, but otherwise save the fight against Pennywise for another day?"

Mike nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's a good suggestion," he said. "We know we're not prepared for anything like Chüd, but we've been down there before, and if we get out as soon as we find Alex... maybe we can even do it before Pennywise knows we're there."

His last words were overly hopeful and everyone in the room felt it, but it still seemed like a better plan than actively trying to fight the clown without adequate preparation. His next words surprised the room.

"Only some of us should go," he added. "We shouldn't take the risk of everyone going down there for a rescue mission, in case something happens."

"Mike, if we split up, couldn't that be worse?" Beverly said doubtfully. "We know some kind of power comes from us being together. And if something does happen... then what?"

"She has a point," Richie agreed. "Plus, bags not going down there."

"Yeah, me neither," Eddie shook his head quickly. Beverly looked at the two of them witheringly, then back at Mike.

"I'll go," she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Me too," came Ben's quick agreement.

"I'm obviously going," George said firmly.

"Woah, slow down guys," Mike interrupted. "Let's think carefully about this. A solid number of people is good so that some of us can potentially distract Pennywise if needed while the others get Alex out of there. Let's say, at least 2 for Alex and 3 for distraction, so 5 people total?"

"Of course I'm in," Andi said, shrugging. "I have weapons, remember."

Mike hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"Okay, so Ben, Beverly, George, Andi. I'll go too, and that makes 5. Eddie, Richie, Stan, you guys will have back-up duty in case something happens."

"And what exactly are we supposed to do if you don't come back?" Stan asked wryly. "Call the police?"

"Get as far away from Derry as possible," Mike said darkly. "If we don't come back, then we have no chance against Pennywise."

The risk associated with their planned endeavour was suddenly made quite apparent by Mike's very-much-not-joking tone, and George noticed a little wariness appear on the faces of Ben and Beverly. He knew they were going down into the sewers much less prepared than they should be and that it was a bad idea, but the clock was ticking and time was running out for Alex.

"Guys, this is because of me, I don't want you to risk yourselves because of my mistake."

"George, don't be silly," Beverly said, smiling a little. "Of course we're in it together."

"Yeah, strength in numbers, and we'll just get out of there as quickly as we can," Ben said, though he sounded less confident than Beverly did. George gave them both a small appreciative smile, and nodded.

"In normal circumstances, I'd say we should wait till the morning, but here... the sooner the better," Mike said. "Gather whatever useful equipment you have with you, even if you are not going down to the sewers, and meet back here in 15 minutes. We'll go in through the Barrens entrance that Richie and Eddie were checking out today, that should be a bit safer than the well."

Everyone nodded, and left the room silently, leaving only the two who were not staying at the Derry Inn: Andi and Mike. Which was exactly what Mike had hoped for, because now was the time to find out exactly what Andi was hiding in case it was something he should be concerned about.

"Andi," he said, as her gaze snapped quickly to him. "I need you to tell me what you're hiding."

She paused, her brow furrowing and eyes narrowing.

"I'm not hiding anything," she said defensively. "I'm trying to help you guys, at great personal risk I might add."

"There's something you're not telling us about Pennywise and what you know about him, what is it?" His pressing tone made her cross her arms and step back slightly. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to give it up easily.

"I already told you, he came after my uncle and that's how I found out about him. I'm literally here to help, I'm not some figment of your imagination sent by the clown, and honestly, if I want to go down there, you can't stop me."

He took a step towards her, looking at her with a very measured expression, and she faltered slightly.

"What we're about to do is dangerous, and all five of us will be at risk. We know that. If there is something you're not telling me that could increase the risk, I need to know it now. I don't know what it is you're not saying, but I know when someone isn't telling the whole story. I spent enough of my life around people telling their stories, and I know you know it too. If you really insist on not telling me at this point, then at least promise me that you are good, and that I shouldn't be concerned about you coming with us."

She looked at him, still cross-armed, considering his words. Finally, slowly, she nodded.

"I'm good, Mike. Don't worry, I'm not going to go off on some crazed vengeance rampage against the clown."

Despite the situation, he laughed a little at the thought.

"I don't mind one grenade or two in the clown's face," he said, and she smirked at him, but shook her head.

"Sorry... didn't bring grenades, but I do have a couple of Molotov cocktails," she said with a small grin.

"That will do."

The mood in the room a little bit lighter, the two of them took seats to wait, somewhat anxiously, for the return of the others. Mike wondered again if this was really the right idea, whether they should be running headfirst into what was almost certainly a trap laid out by Pennywise, all for the sake of a kid that George barely knew and certainly wasn't responsible for. But even though the logical side of him said it was crazy, he knew that they had to, because if there was even a small chance for them to do something, then they had to try. There was enough blood in the rivers of Derry without the Losers becoming another group of adults willing to turn a blind eye to the plights of the town's children.

He just hoped they could somehow, against the odds, pull this off.