Chapter 25

Hey y'all!

Ok it's super late here, but I wanted to get this done before I go visit my parents tomorrow. Also I am half asleep by now, after working 13 hours without a real break, so don't mind any mistakes.

Thank you so so much for all your comments, dedication and ideas! You guys are the best!

That's why the next few lines are breaking my heart.

Let me start by saying: Yes this is going to be a Pepperony chapter. But I can't fulfill some your wishes from the comments. If you don't want to read on, because I disappointed you, that's ok and I get it. But like all of you said in December, this is my story and I want to be happy with what I am writing, too. So please give me a chance to explain.

First: There will be no secret child or any child or what so ever. I won't ever write Tony and Pepper as parents. It's like one of my cardinal rules.
Don't get me wrong, I loved Morgan in Endgame to pieces and I love Lexi Rabe to pieces. But until Endgame I was always like: Tony and Pepper can't have a child. Ok, Endgame proofed me wrong obviously.
Yet, to me, and I know this is a very unpopular und controversial opinion, I just don't see them as parents. In my tiny Pepperony bubble in my head I just can't stand the thought of them having kids. I'm sorry if I upset you, but I just don't see it. Maybe it is because I put a lot of myself into my characterization and I can't see myself having kids either. So I am sorry to disappoint, but no kids here.

Second, and this is hurting me even more, because so many of you requested it:
I don't want to spoil anything, but I don't want to give false hope either. There will be no sex in the hayloft. In fact in this chapter there's no sex at all. I feel like my character haven't reached this point yet.
I know, we are all yearning for Pepperony and - like some of you put it - the good, hot stuff. Believe me it is coming, actually the chapter is already written and sitting on my computer, so it's not too far away.
But after 23 chapters of them only having fear to geting hurt and trying to do the right thing and thus hurting each other, I can't and I won't go on like: and now all morals go out the window and screw everything, lets just fuck like bunnies.
I took time destroying our favorite couple, so I want to at least take a little more time to make the good stuff really good and most importantly more meaningful than just a pity fuck out of pent up emotions in a hayloft.
I don't see my characters like this here, and I am so so SO sorry to not grant your wish here. But no.
That doesn't mean sex in the hayloft would't be an awesome Epilogue/Bonus Chapter! Thanks for the idea guys.

Like I said, I understand if you don't want to continue reading from now on, because I didn't use your ideas here. I totally get it. But I will not publish something, I'm not even remotely happy with. And your idea, which is great on it's own and I totally get where you're coming from, if I were you I'd probably want the same, just doesn't feel right. So I am sorry but I just can't, though it's breaking my heart, cause your support ist overwhelming!

I think I've said enough now. Happy reading. I hope you still enjoy it a little bit.

Song: Show Yourself by Idina Menzel Frozen 2


Show Yourself

"The problem is you liked it." Tony finished for her, happiness spreading through him.

Pepper didn't answer him, she just looked at him, guilt evident in her eyes. To be honest, she didn't know how to feel.

Yes, she felt horrible for cheating on Alex. It was a situation she had never believed to find herself in. She had a very fine moral compass and she had always loathed people who cheated, hated them even. And now she wasn't any better than those people. Had she not told Tony off month ago in fear of him cheating on her, and now she wasn't any better herself? She really felt like a hypocrite.

In her head a battle was raging, because what was even worse, the longer she stared at those big, brown chocolate eyes the bigger got the burning desire inside of her to grab his face and kiss him again.

Ever fibre of her being felt like it was on fire, electrocuted. A warmth had settled in the pit of her stomach and if she had thought she had had butterflies in her stomach before, it was nothing compared to the swarm of -apparently- bees which took hostage in her belly. The way he was looking at her now, made her melt, funnel before his feet like a puddle of melted chocolate. Never ever had someone looked at her with so much love and devotion in his eyes like he did now, and the certainty and sureness in his features scared her senseless.

He had been right. Had known it from the beginning. Had seen right through her walls of fear, self-consciousness and distrust in him and herself, and had known what she had truly desired the whole time. She really felt like the biggest coward of all time.

And yet, she wanted to do it again. The moment he had kissed her felt like the first ray of sunlight after a cloudy storm. It was like her lungs had gotten oxygen for the first time after a 10 minute dive and like her head had finally stopped spinning after turning and turning on a Mary go round for hours. Every nerve ending was hypersensitive and numb at the same time. Everything was him. There was no concept of time anymore. No past, no future. Just this. Just him. Just them.

And she hated herself for feeling like this.

This wasn't suppose to happen. Nothing of this mess. They weren't suppose to be here, hiding behind a corner of the house in the middle of the night after a mind blowing kiss. They weren't supposed to be here at all.
He wasn't supposed to be in Texas at all. And she wasn't suppose to give in to his charms at all. Not when she had a boyfriend running around the property, looking for her. And most importantly she wasn't supposed to fall for him even harder than she had before.
But she did.
"Pep?" She heard him talking to her. Without noticing her glance had shifted away from him, lost in her own thoughts. He was now crouched in front of her, his warm hands on her knees. She only then realized how cold she actually was.

"Come on, Pepper. Let's get you up from the ground. The grass is damp and you're getting cold. I don't want you to get ill."

She grabbed his outstretched hands, without saying a word and let hm pull her up to her feet, before taking her hands back and wrapping her arms around her torso to protect herself from the cold. They stood now next no each other, looking into the darkness of the backyard. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, and a thousand things she couldn't put in words. She had never felt so lost, yet she still could feel the heat radiating off his body next to her and it made her feel more alive than she had ever felt.

She wasn't sure what she was going to say as soon as she'd open her mouth. She'd either scream and be a coward again, run and never return or she was gonna come clear this exact moment and break apart in front of him, telling him what fools they made out of themselves and two innocent, wonderful people those last month.
Pepper found she did't know what she would say, and what feared her even more, she wasn't sure what she liked better, admitting she was a horrible human or continuing lying to him and herself. So she kept her mouth shut.
And it was enough.

In this moment nothing made sense, but everything had a significance to it. The way they were standing next to each other, without even touching, yet having a connection on a so much deeper lever, than physically possible.
The way no things needed to be said and the way he knew she needed space at the moment, yet not straying too far away from her, knowing she would crumble to pieces with doubt in herself and her actions. They way he was just there, without intruding. The way he was able to read her like a book and the way she was able to make the ever confident Tony Stark waver and run after her.

After a while Tony finally spoke again. "Do you wanna take a walk?"

Pepper didn't know what to answer, didn't know what she wanted. And maybe her silence spoke louder than a thousand words.

"May I suggest something?" Tony asked carefully. He didn't want to send her off running, not when he had a silver lining on his horizon now. But he knew Pepper, a war was raging in her head, and hopefully in her heart as well. And he had a shot at winning.
He looked at her carefully, studying her features. Her face was calm, blank even. And he knew it could only mean one thing. Pepper ofter wore her emotions on her sleeve. Well, not exactly visible for everyone, but he could normally see them.

When she was furious, she looked calm and collected, preparing in her mind to run you over like a bulldozer in the most professional and intelligent manner.
When she was happy her eyes glistened and when she was sad she looked determined and tried to smile, being compassionate and more sweet, as if she could change the worlds fate by making the life of others even the tiniest bit better.

But blank, he rarely saw. Once only to be exact, when she found out her fiancé had been cheating on her.
It meant she was losing a battle against herself. It meant she was about to become something she had never seen herself become.
So he continued.

"How about, we go get dressed a bit more. And if you want to talk or just don't want to think alone, we meet at the back door in 15 minutes. I'll be there. If you don't come that's fine. I won't hold it against you, Pepper. And I promise to never bring this night up again. I, however think we should at least talk about that. And I think I still owe you an apology and an explanation. So I hope to see you in 15 minutes." Without waiting for her answer he pressed a kiss into her hair and was on his way back in to the house, not daring to look back.

Pepper felt tears prickling in her eyes, she felt so lost. When goosebumps started rising up her naked legs again, she too turned and went inside. But she honestly didn't trust herself to return.


Approximately twelve minutes later Tony was standing outside, hoping, no praying Pepper would come. He didn't dare to turn and look at the door so he kept staring out into the dim light of the night, feeling the cool night air breezing around his bare shins.

It wasn't until then, that he felt he was slightly trembling. Funny, because in his thick blue Stark Industries hoodie and his basketball shorts, along with sneakers he actually was pretty warm. He found he was trembling, but not because of the cold, rather because he was nervous and excited. Nervous, because of whether Pepper would come or not.

If not… He wasn't sure what he would do. He had fought tooth and nail for this woman, for the slightest glimpse of a chance, and eventually she had caved. He had never been happier in his entire life, than in the moment twenty minutes ago when she had pressed her lips against his, and had finally surrendered to what he had known she had been too frightened to accept.
She had kissed him first, not the other way round and that alone gave him hope beyond reason. And she had liked it. She had told him so herself.
If she'd come he really had a chance to make this temporary, to show her they'd be amazing together, instead of separated. He could make her his, and his only.

Pepper really was his best friend. The day they had first kissed he felt whole for the first time again, since his parents died. But she had been afraid he'd break her heart, and to be honest, with his past, he couldn't blame her. For years it had been her duty to escort his conquests out of his home after he had used one after another like a paper wipe. He knew he was a changed man since Afghanistan, but he couldn't blame other people, and certainly not Pepper - who had seen his worst - for doubting his change. And to diminish his alleged change he had been dying and maybe hadn't reacted in the most mature way to it. Ok, he had been an asshole, especially to Pepper. He as well had been afraid. Afraid to tell her he was dying, afraid to tell her he loved her, afraid of his own feelings. Who was he to blame her for being afraid of her own feelings.

But she had finally snapped, acted on her feelings and it was the best feeling in the world to him. He could still feel her lips on his, taste the faint traces of her toothpaste on his tongue and the breeze that played with the leaves on the ground around his calves still held a whiff of her scent. It was like she was there with him again, just standing next to him. Not quite touching, but close enough to feel her body heat. Tony realized he missed her already. His body, but more is heart yearned for her, ached for her to return and give him the chance they both deserved.

Then, before he heard her soft steps on the wooden patio, before her soft "Tony? - unsure, sad, asking, and yet so steady and warm - reached his ears, even before her scent reached his nose again, he knew she was there. It had always been this way with her around. It was like Pepper was a magnet and Tony was the iron, always drawn to her, always aligning in her direction.

Pepper carefully lay a hand on Tony's shoulder when she reached him and felt him inhale deeply. His shoulder warmed her hand through his sweater and the muscles under her hand tighten for a second, before he turned. She let her hand fall to her side, but Tony caught it before it reached its mark, holding it in his own, while his brown eyes searched her blue ones in the dim light. He was looking for any clue what she was thinking, his own eyes conveying a mix of hope and happiness, but also fear and some sort of sadness and guilt. Yet, when he found no doubt, but was rather greeted with uncertainty and a softness beyond compare, the emotions behind his eyes changed to pure affection.
He smiled and Pepper felt the corners of her mouth twitch, as well in return. Before she knew what was happening Tony had lowered his forehead to hers, now both of her hands closed in both of his between them. Her eyes had involuntarily closed, as soon as his forehead had touched hers and she inhaled his scent, filling her lungs and her head with it. He smelled like him, rich cologne, soap and faint trace of gasoline and metal. It almost felt like home. But there was something lingering underneath. Something flowery, feminine. It was wrong. So wrong. The other smell bothered her to no end, and she knew exactly what she was smelling. It was his girlfriend. She could still smell his girlfriend on him, on his clothes. And what was even worse, it didn't only repel her because she knew they were basically cheating right now, no it bothered her, because she wanted that scent gone from him, for ever. This scent didn't belong on him. It had no right to kling to him. Everything in her screamed at her to get rid off it forever. He should not smell like another girl, he should smell like him, and only him. Ok maybe like herself, too.

"You came." Tony breathed out into the tiny space between them.

"I -" But he didn't let her finish. His hands had left hers and were back left and right on her cheeks, holding her face carefully while he was kissing her. It was soft and loving. She felt his tongue gently trace her lower lip and as badly as she wanted to give in and just kiss him, she just couldn't… shouldn't…
Her body unfortunately betrayed her, and Pepper had the slight suspicion for once her heart managed to shut her head out and take control over her actions. Her mouth opened to him, kissing him back with an enthusiasm that even surprised herself. She could feel him smile into the kiss and let herself fall for the second time this night. Her own hands settled on his waist, gripping his hoodie while she tried to get closer to him. Tony's hands slowly transitioned from her cheeks, one to the back of her head, tangling itself in her hair, pulling and angling her head to kiss her even deeper, the other one made its way to her waist, pulling her body tighter to his.
And for the third time that night, her body betrayed her when a moan escaped into his mouth.

They continued kissing for quite some time until air became an absolute necessity and Pepper pulled back, panting slightly. She actually managed to regain some control over her body and brought a few inches of space between them, yet she was smiling awkwardly at him and her voice was somewhat hoarse and unsteady when she spoke.
"I think we need to talk, Stark."

"As much as I hate to admit it, but I think you're right." Tony sighed.

"I think we ne a little… space from… the house." Pepper said, still trying to regain her breath. She had just let herself be kissed by Tony, again. Both of their partners only a few feet away, unaware and peacefully sleeping.

"Let's go to the treehouse. It's only a few hours until sunrise…" She didn't say anything, she just looked at him, pondering his words. "I bet it is spectacular." He finished sheepishly.

"Ok." She answered. "But I don't have the key with me. It's upstairs…" She trailed off, not yet willing to touch the elephant in the room. "Do you have a phone?" She said while inhaling. Tony duck ihn hands into his pocket and took his phone out, showing it to her.
"We need a flashlight." Pepper explained.

After Tony switched the light on Pepper moved to walk past him, further into the backyard, but Tony caught her arm and spun her back to him, kissing her again hard, pouring all of his own uncertainty and fear into the kiss and trying to show her that he was maybe just as lost as she was.
"Pepper," he whispered her name like a prayer, desperation lingering in his voice, "please promise me one thing. No matter what happens, no matter what I say or what we… do, promise me you won't run away tonight."

Pepper sighed, the realty and gravity of theirs situation suddenly crashing back down on her. "Tony, I -"

"Promise me." He asked. "Give me until dawn. I just want your time until sunrise. No interruptions, no distractions. I even promise to not touch you anymore, unless you want me to. I just need a chance to explain and express a few things." His eyes were pleading with her in the darkness and it made her melt inside and filled her with fear at the same time. After a moment she nodded in response and Tony let go of her arm.

They walked trough the trees towards the hill in silence. The sky was still clear and the stars looked down on them. In the distance a few crickets were chirping and occasionally some small animal rumbled through the bushes. Pepper made them stop at the barn briefly to get two outdoor pillows and a blanket. They would be sitting on the wooden porch, which could become very uncomfortable over time.

Once they were comfortably seated next to each other, backs leaned against the wall of the tree house, Tony had his legs propped up against the railing of the porch, while Pepper had her knees drawn up to her chest again. Her grey hoodie stood out against the dark blue blanket she had thrown over her yoga pants clad legs and her hair was still vibrant against the grey in the darkness. They just sat there for a few minutes, neither saying anything, not knowing how to start the conversation both knew would either make or break them.
At one point Tony thought Pepper might have fallen asleep, but when he looked over at her, she was looking at the sky in front of them, gazing at the stars, studying their constellations.

"A year ago I would have given anything to be able to get this view for only one more night." Tony said while looking at her.

Pepper's gaze shifted from the stars to his face. "The stars?" She asked clueless.

"No." He smiled softly and felt sheepish again. "Yes, the stars, the sun, a sunrise." He corrected. "You, with tousled hair, in a hoodie, sleep-drunk next to me in the wee hours of the morning." He continued and scratched the back of his head with his hand, ruffling his hair.

Tony noticed how Pepper clutched the blanket with unsteady hands, but when she spoke her voice was soft. "So long?" She simply asked, but Tony knew she was asking when he knew he fell for her.

"No." He stated and chuckled lowly. "I've been in love with you for years." He confessed, rather matter of factly. "I first recognized it two years ago. In a dirty bed in an even dirtier cave in Afghanistan, when I heard your voice in my head, while they…" He couldn't continue. He knew they had to touch on the unpleasant matters eventually, but not in the same moment he basically confessed his love for her. "And in my dreams at night, you'd come and comfort me."

"Why did you never act updon it back then?" Pepper asked, not responding to his hesitation. "Why did you wait another year?"

"I said I recognized it back then. I came to terms with it about nine month later. And in my honor, I asked you before my "I am Iron Man" press conference whether you wanted to be my girlfriend." He had to laugh himself at his statement.

"Oh please, even you couldn't take that proposal serious." In this statement the Pepper he knew was back for a glimpse of time.

"Well, you did hurt me back then." He responded.

"Don't you think, we have fought enough about this day already?" She dared and crinkled her nose at him.

"Maybe." Tony agreed and laughed, his head falling back against the wall, eyes to the sky again. Silence settled over them once more, it wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't light either.

"When you were in that cave," Pepper started after a while, "I hate the thought, that the last person who had slept in your bed was that blonde bimbo from Vanity Fair. The the last woman who had touched you was her and not me. That day I didn't go with you to the airport like I normally did, because it was my birthday and I wanted to make you jealous, so I said I had plans." She was quiet for a minute or two. Before she continued she sighed as to strain herself. "I never regretted anything more in my life than that. I don't know if you know, if Happy or Rhodey told you, but I was a wreck the entire time you were gone."

"Yeah, I know. Happy told me after the stunt I pulled, with being missing again. I overrode your protocol and had JARVIS show me the videos. Well, I tried to watch them, I couldn't. Not after I saw you break down in my hallway. Gosh, I was such an asshole." He confessed and ran a hand trough his hair again, a nervous habit, like Pepper knew.

"I can't argue with that." Pepper smiled at him sadly and looked away again. "But I think we might share that trait." Now it was her stroking a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear with a trembling hand.

"Why, Pepper?" He asked after a minute or two. "Why did you shoot me down again and again?" The was no remorse or bitterness in his voice, just a sense of curiosity and uncertainty.

She inhaled a few times before answering. "I was afraid." There was the silence again, and Tony yearned to reach out and touch her hand again, but his promise kept him from doing so. "I was afraid of my feelings. It is unprofessional to fall in love with your boss. And I was afraid of you. You are… a lot sometimes." They both chuckled, before she continued. "I noticed the change after Afghanistan. Hell, how couldn't I? I didn't have to drive through the whole town to get the dry-cleaning for one of your conquests anymore." Her chuckle was dry and unpleasant, but her voice was gentle when she continued. "You were more responsible. More focused and serious. And after… Obi, you took responsibility and stepped up as CEO. It took some time readjusting to the new you and I wasn't sure I could trust the new you yet, that's why I turned you down at the conference." She explained and Tony got it. Before he could elaborate his question, Pepper answered it, without knowing. "After that, however I began looking at you more closely. I wanted to know whether you were serious or not. Whether your feelings were maybe the same as mine. Looks like we're both good at hiding, don't you think?" She asked sadly.

"You have no idea, how close I came to telling you that one time in your office before you left for Washington." Tony said, chuckling bitterly to himself.

"You did?" Pepper sounded surprised.

This time both his hands ran through his hair, he was frustrated with himself. Why was this so hard?
This time a petite, steady hand took hold of his mid-stroke and brought it down into her lap. When he looked over at her he saw her blue orbs staring into his soul expectantly.

She wasn't trembling anymore. She knew he had started a story he wanted to finish so desperately, but didn't know how. He wanted to protect her, to not send her off running again, but he was bursting at the seems with what he was keeping in.

What he didn't know, Pepper was done running. She was done with letting things hang in the air between them, where they would rot and someday explode. She wanted to know everything, wanted to finally learn who he really was, she was dying to meet him. The real him, no more reservation, no more hiding.
"Tell me." She whispered.

"I almost died." He stated, simple as that. "I almost died and all I wanted to do was tell you was how much I love you and how much more you deserved, but I somehow couldn't. I'm as big as a coward as you are."

Pepper was silent, she had known since his tamponade, but this was now his story to tell and she didn't wanted to interrupt him, not when he was opening up to her for the first time. So she stayed silent and encouraged him to keep talking. He shouldn't feel like he needed to hide himself from her and she knew, sometimes the most she could do was just be there for him and listen.

"The reactor was poisoning me…" He rasped out, not able to meet her eyes. He felt too embarrassed, too wounded. "Palladium leaked trough the core into my blood system. I went through cores for the reactor rapidly, each time each one was more scattered and porous than before, leaking more palladium into my system." He took his hand back from her grip, twisting is fingers in his lap, looking at them instead of her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, her voice steady but soft.

"I was too scared of your rejection. And I didn't want to hurt you. I never wanted to. And when I realized how much I had already hurt you with not telling you, it was too late. Our relationship was too damaged. You wouldn't listen to me anymore and I couldn't blame you. I still can't blame you." He finished quietly.

"You should have made me listen. I should have listened." Her hands trembling again as she kneaded them together. "I should have noticed, Tony. I am so so sorry I didn't see you were screaming at me for help. I wasn't there for you when you needed me most." It all returned when she spoke, the dread of figuring out he had been dying while he was laying in a hospital bed month ago. I can pick my successor. My successor is you. It's always been you. He had known he was dying. He had been dying and he had known it. He had been dying. And she hadn't realized it. She felt like she had let him down, like she had thrown away their trust and knowledge of each other, they had built over the years. "I'm sorry…"

"No, Pep, stop apologizing." He finally turned to her, she was staring at the sky, swallowing, her mouth slightly open and her breath even. Tears were glistening in her eyes while she drew in another shaky breath. "It was me. I didn't say anything, I constantly pushed you away, it was me behaving like a giant asshole. You had every right to doubt me, to turn on me, to question me. I am sorry."

"So it was all real?" She asked after a while, still not looking at him.

"What?" Tony asked softly.

"The things you said at your party?" She concluded quietly, almost ashamed. "That you love me." The last was whispered.

"I think I already pretty much told you so earlier." He said, his voice light hearted and a little taunting.

"I know, but I still have a hard time believing it." She confessed awkwardly. Pepper felt heat rising in her cheeks and a small smile played her lips, at the mere thought of Tony Stark actually wanting her. Loving her.

"Why?" He asked softly.

"It just seems so surreal. Here we are on a vacation. You with your girlfriend, me with with-"

He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "Pepper, no matter where we will go from here, I think we both know: Emily has to go. I can't and won't speak for yourself, but Emily won't be an issue anymore. Either way I'm gonna break up with her."

"Are you sure about this?" Pepper asked, feeling uncertain and guilty again. They had just cheated, Tony was about to leave his girlfriend, presumably for her. And she? Would she leave Alex? Could she finally surrender herself and be with Tony. She wasn't sure whether she was strong enough or not.

"I am. Emily has to go. She is nice and deserves more than this. I could never give her what she truly wants and the other way round." He said and looked at her hard and stern.

Pepper considered his word for a moment, not sure what she should say and not able to look at him either. She wanted to be with him and he was right. Alex deserved a woman who loved him and only him unconditionally. Pepper didn't. And he deserved more than her cheating on him. So if she wanted to be with Tony, really be with him, she had to break things off with Alex first. That thought left her somewhat nauseous. The only thing worse, than getting you heart broken, was breaking a heart yourself. "Tony, I -"

But he cut her off again. "Don't say anything. Like I said I won't speak for yourself, Pepper." The first glimpses of dawn painted the sky a light teal-greenish color. "It's dawn." He observed with a sigh and smiled at her when she looked at him and then back to the sky. "My time's up."

They kept looking at the fading stars and the shades of blue for a long time, without saying a word. Her with her knees drawn to her chest again, her hand folded on her shins, him with his legs crossed and his hands folded on his lap.

"You deserve the world, Pepper." He whispered suddenly into the sound of the birds chirping in the morning light. "You deserve to be as happy as you could possibly be. Even if it's not with me. But I want you to take your time and think about it. I'll leave it alone until the conference with the UN in New York in two weeks. After that I'll have my answer."

He was up and down the ladder before his words had sunken in. Was he setting her free? Within a heart beat she was up and after him.
"Tony," she called and he turned. Her eyes were watery again and the doubt and confusion had returned, but she looked certain as well. "You said I should give you til sunrise." She glanced at her watch, that was still on her arm. "You owe me two more minutes."


Well this was super long! I hope you still liked it, though it wasn't what you asked for. I hope I will see you all next chapter.

I will have the next chapter posted by no later than March 8th.

Sneak: Tony had made his way back towards the house and he didn't look exactly thrilled at what he saw before him.
"Alex," He greeted. "slept well?" He asked and for a nano-second his eyes flickered to Pepper, seeing her unnerved expression and the redness that spread on her face. "I wanted to go collect the eggs and give a few carrots to Mildred. Care to join, Pepper?"

Leave a little love (:

P.S.: though the sneak might sound like it, there's no fight in the next chapter, don't worry. :D