Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! And welcome back to another chapter of Raise Me Up! I am so sorry for taking so long with this one. I was busy with work, and I had other writing projects to work on! This was all written out, and I didn't get around to typing it out until now! But nevertheless, I'm back with CHAPTER 23! So this one is where we'll get to see Ross a little more and Peter has a conversation with Tony and Pepper about Ross wanting to question Tony! I really hope you all enjoy it! But before we get to that…REVIEW REPLIES!
Ferryboats1: Lol, no worries, friend, I will be writing that in Many Adventures! It will be coming up soon! Many Adventures is my canon Iron Dad and Spider Son series that takes place between Homecoming and Infinity War, and given that this is canon divergence, it diverts from canon and Many Adventures at a certain point after the kidnapping incident.
RosePetal7: Lol, I do too! They are the best! Indeed she is! Lol I'm really glad you loved that line! I wanted Tony to have a good one-liner, so I'm glad to have delivered.
GodlyGuest: AHHHHHH! Thank you so much, friend! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! Thank you for your kind words and for reading it! I really hope you enjoy what's next!
Wandamarie: Thank you so much!
SapphireRuby24: Yessssss! We love Ned and MJ in this house!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter 23
Peter knew Tony and Pepper made the right call to not talk about what happened with Ross earlier when they took his friends and him out to dinner. It would've dampened the night for sure, and while that didn't happen, he could sense the tension coming from a mile away. Tony tried to put up a front, but it was easy to see that Ross got to him. Nevertheless, he kept it to himself for the rest of the dinner, and it worked as they were able to forget about it for the most part. Plus, he knew that Tony planned to talk to him about it once they would return home to the Tower.
After Tony paid for dinner, they all left the restaurant and piled back into the car, so that they could drop off Ned and MJ at their respective homes. Once Ned and MJ each said their goodbyes to Peter and thanked Tony and Pepper, they then began to make their way back home. The teenager could still feel the tension in the air once his best friends left, but he decided to wait until they were back in the penthouse.
"So…what happened?" Peter asked as soon as he, his guardian, and his guardian's fiancée walked off the elevator and into the penthouse.
"I told you he would only wait until he walked in," Tony said to Pepper. "He looked like he was going to implode."
Pepper could only chuckle and shake her head at Tony. "Yes, honey, you called it," she said.
"Indeed, I did," Tony said as he wrapped an arm around Peter pulling him close to his side. "I know you too well, kid."
Peter scoffed and shook his head as he returned the gesture. "Yeah, yeah," he said. His smile fell again. "So…what did Ross want?"
Tony sighed. As much as he wanted to keep Peter in the loop, he wanted to keep him out of it as much as possible. He hated the idea of Peter being involved in anything related to Ross, but Peter was a teenager and a part of his family. He had a right to know. So, he and Pepper silently guided Peter over to the couch and sat down on either side of him.
"Okay, umm…Ross came earlier today while you were with MJ and Ned," Tony began, "and he was talking to both Pepper and me about the Rogues. Rogers was spotted last week around the outskirts of the city."
Peter felt his blood run cold hearing that as he remembered that was around the time Steve Rogers came into the penthouse to warn Tony about Ross. It seemed the former leader of the Avengers coming to warn his guardian did more harm than good. It was a blip on Ross' radar, and he really had turned his sights on Tony. "W-What did he say?" he asked carefully.
"He asked if I knew about it or why they were spotted so close to the city," Tony replied. "I told him I didn't, both Pepper and I did, but it didn't convince him. He wants me to go to D.C. on Friday for questioning."
"What?" Peter asked remembering Ross essentially threatening his guardian to come to D.C. "Can he really do that?"
"Unfortunately, buddy, he can," Tony said rubbing Peter's shoulder. "Between the two of us, he has all the cards, especially with the Accords."
"Are you really going to go?" Peter asked.
"I am," Tony said nodding looking at Pepper as she nodded and rubbed Peter's back. "If I don't, it could make things look worse, and I'm hoping that maybe it will placate him so to speak."
"So, Tony and I are going to go to D.C.," Pepper chimed in to Peter, "and it'll be probably overnight. So, maybe we can have Rhodey spend the day with you—"
"I'll go with you guys," Peter said quickly turning to Pepper.
"Pete, buddy, I know it's not pleasant, but—" Tony began.
"I don't care," Peter quickly retorted. "I don't like the idea of you going to deal with this guy alone. I'm going with you. What if you need back-up?"
"Honey, I'll be with him," Pepper quickly said before Tony could respond. "I promise, everything will be—"
"Hold on, hold on, Pep," Tony quickly said holding a hand up. "M-Maybe, it…it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him come with us…not as back-up," he gave the teen a pointed look, "but…this way, we're all together. As much as I hate the idea of Ross having some sick satisfaction, maybe we can turn this into some sort of a positive…family outing?" He didn't like the idea of leaving Peter alone while he and Pepper were in D.C. with Ross. It wasn't that he didn't trust his best friend, his fellow teammate, or his kid, but knowing that Peter was within the same state as him and Pepper…in case anything was to go wrong, especially when Steve Rogers was able to break in so easily, would put his mind at ease.
"Are you sure?" Pepper asked.
"Yeah, are you sure?" Peter asked raising an eyebrow at his guardian.
"Positive," Tony said. "I'm not sure what this asshole has up his sleeve, and I would feel a lot better knowing that you both were close enough for me to get to you in case something goes down."
Pepper nodded completely understanding where Tony was coming from and where Peter was coming from. Until they knew for sure how this interrogation was going to go, they needed to stay together as much as possible. "Well then, I guess we're taking a little trip to D.C.," she said, "on Friday."
"Looks like it," Tony said with a small smile.
Tony held his breath as he waited to be transferred to Ross' phone the next morning. As much as he hated the idea of giving the Secretary of State exactly what he wanted, he knew that it was the best route to go. Like he told Peter and Pepper, it would make him look more suspicious, and the last thing he wanted was to put his family at risk. After May's death, that was the last thing Peter needed right now. So, after texting Rhodey…briefly explaining what happened, he called Ross' office.
"Ah, good morning, Stark," Ross' voice suddenly said on the other line. Tony could just feel the smugness in his voice. "I had a feeling I'd hear from you."
"And I had a feeling you would be a pain in the ass," Tony replied, "so I guess we're amazing fortune tellers. Maybe between the two of us, we can take a crack at winning the New York Powerball Jackpot."
"I do hope there is a reason for this conversation," Ross retorted. "I have some fugitives to find."
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath steadying himself. He promised Pepper that he would remain calm, and with Peter still in his room, while he was in his office, he didn't want to start trouble. "You asked me to come on Friday," he said after a moment, "and that you wanted me to call you. Well, here I am, and…I'll be there on Friday. I have nothing to hide."
"Looks like I'll have to be the judge of that then," Ross retorted. "10AM on Friday. My assistant will send you directions and where to meet me. Would you be needing accommodations for Ms. Potts and Peter?"
"I don't need anything from you when it comes to my family," Tony said coolly. "I'll see you on Friday." He then quickly hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose feeling a headache coming on. He could only hope this meeting with Ross would be quick and painless, and having Pepper and Peter nearby would keep him somewhat at ease…keep them all somewhat at ease.
Friday morning came at the blink of an eye, and Pepper, Tony, and Peter all woke up that morning to take the Stark jet to Washington D.C. The plan was to stay at a hotel for an overnight, so that they didn't have to rush back to New York and could have a chance to enjoy the sights in D.C. As soon as they arrived, Tony took Pepper and Peter to the hotel, that they were staying at for the night. Thankfully, they managed to arrive exactly one hour before Tony was supposed to meet with Ross, and while Pepper and Peter clearly didn't want Tony to go alone, they reassured him that they would keep themselves busy and wait for him to come back once he was done.
With his family's blessings, Tony promised to come back to the room to meet up with his family and that they would go to the Washington Monument together. Tony told Peter that he wanted to see where Spider-Man saved his friends. As he stepped out of the hotel lobby, he was about to go to the rental car when he stopped…and saw that there was a car…already waiting for him. It didn't take long for Tony to figure out who sent the car, especially once he saw that the driver waiting in the front seat had dark sunglasses and an earpiece in his ear. However, he honestly wasn't sure If this was a way for Ross to show common courtesy or to try to intimidate him. Perhaps, it was a little bit of both, but he didn't question it as he climbed into the car before it finally pulled away from the sidewalk.
"Right this way, Mr. Stark," a young woman with brown hair tied back into a brim and in a blue blazer and skirt said as she led Tony down the hall…a blank, lifeless hall to a white door.
Tony nodded in acknowledgement as he came in front of the door.
"Wait here, please," she said before knocking on the door.
He didn't have Peter's super-hearing, but he could hear a male voice on the other side talking to the woman before she closed the door and turned back to Tony. "Wait right there, Mr. Stark," she said with a—probably—phony smile. "Secretary Ross will be right with you."
"Thanks," Tony muttered as the woman walked away. He couldn't help but think about his fiancée and his kid wishing that they were with him so that they could keep each other company. However, he knew that it was for the best. There was no telling what Ross had up his sleeve, and the farther Pepper and Peter were from the Secretary of State the better.
About 10 minutes passed before the door opened, and Tony saw a man in a black suit with a very grim expression on his face. "We're ready for you, Mr. Stark," he said.
The billionaire kept a straight face as he nodded and walked in the small interrogation room, and it was just as he expected it to look like. An empty…bleak room with cinderblock walls painted a sickly gray, and in the middle was a metal table with two chairs. Ross sat in the chair facing the door with his arms crossed.
"So, I wouldn't be able to just leave," he thought to himself.
"Ah, Stark," Ross said with a smug smile on his face, "so glad you could make it. I trust that Pepper and Peter are settled in at the hotel?"
"Not that it's any of your business," Tony began as he walked up to the table and crossed his arms, "but my family is just fine. In fact, we are going to sight-seeing today after we're done here, so I would appreciate it if we didn't take too long."
"Well, that depends on whether or not you tell the truth," Ross replied.
"Oh, so you're threatening to throw me in jail and calling the truth a lie now," Tony said as he sat down in the chair across from Ross. "That's a good start."
"Not if you give me the information that I know you have," Ross retorted.
"Well, what's this information that you think I have?"
"Can you at least try to be serious?"
"You know, it's a shame you and Rogers didn't get along. You both have asked me if I think everything is funny and questioned my maturity."
"Well, we don't. So, let's get straight to the point, Stark. I want the locations of Thor, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, and James Barnes…now."
"Ross, I'm telling you," Tony said leaning forward looking directly at Ross, "I don't know where they are. I haven't seen them since I visited them at the RAFT, and I haven't seen Bruce or Thor since the whole thing with Ultron."
Ross took a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair clearly not wanting to hear that. "Is that so?" he asked. "Because…" he reached into his suitcase and pulled out a manila folder putting it in front of Tony and opening it, "I have some evidence saying otherwise."
The Secretary of State opened the folder revealing two pictures of…Steve and Natasha in what looked to be a city, but that wasn't what made his heart drop. He saw the date in the corner of both pictures…July 14, 2017…the night Steve made a surprise visit to Stark Tower…waking him, Pepper, and Peter up.
"Security cameras in the area found these two fugitives just outside…your tower…just a week after the press conference."
He also eyed the timestamps and what each of the Rogues were doing. Steve was clearly scaling the tower, and Natasha was working on a tablet…probably hacking into FRIDAY so that the AI wouldn't alarm Tony, Pepper, or Peter before Steve would get a chance to talk to him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary," Tony said shrugging, "but…I know nothing about this. You see…if this were to happen, then my AI would've alerted me."
"You're telling me that two Rogues were near your tower," Ross began, "and you, your fiancée, and your boy had no clue about this?"
"Nope," Tony said shrugging nonchalantly. "For all I know, that might not be my tower. It could be a building nearby, who's to say?"
"These were taken right outside your building by security cameras," Ross retorted.
"Okay, fine," Tony said, "but if that's the case, I have no idea why they were there to begin with. I didn't either see or interact with them. My family and I were sound asleep. It was 2:30 in the morning for crying out loud, so neither of us were up. When we woke up the next morning, we had no evidence that anyone came into the penthouse unannounced."
To say that Tony felt uncomfortable as Ross stared him down would be an understatement of the millennium. He wanted nothing more than to leave the room and find his fiancée and kid. The billionaire simply sat there staring back at the Secretary of State trying to figure out what was coming next…if Ross would simply let him go…or if Ross would stoop to even more drastic measures. He had never seen Ross stoop to violent ways since the time Bruce first became the Hulk and broke Harlem, and it was hard to compare and to see if Ross mellowed with age. The billionaire had no clue, especially when he now had Pepper and Peter to think about. His heart pounded as he watched the Secretary of State for what felt like an eternity.
"Very well," Ross suddenly said leaning back in his chair. "I can see that you…appear to be telling the truth, but don't think this means you're off the hook, Stark. If I see even the smallest indication that you're lying, I won't hesitate to bring you back here, and I won't hesitate to bring in your little fiancée and your kid in here…to see if they will talk."
"There will be no need for that…sir," Tony said through clenched teeth. "I have no reason to be, and Pepper and Peter have nothing to do with any of this."
"So you say," Ross replied. "Nevertheless, you're good to go…for now."
The glare on Tony's face didn't leave as he stood up and began to walk out of the room.
"Oh, one more thing, Stark," Ross suddenly said causing the billionaire to stop and to turn to face him, "I may reach out again…regarding Spider-Man."
This made Tony's heart drop to his stomach as he tried his hardest to keep a straight face. "W-What are you talking about?" he asked trying to keep his voice steady.
"I did some digging," Ross said, "and I've seen that you've been…working with that vigilante Spider-Man for quite a while now. Is there any reason why his signature is not on the Accords? Or why his secret identity hasn't been revealed? Or why he hasn't been held accountable for what happened at the Monument or the Staten Island Ferry…or that warehouse?"
"I have been mentoring Spider-Man," Tony said quickly. "He's a rookie and only restricted to Queens and small crimes. He's not ready for Avengers-level threats, and I'm helping him out. Nothing more, and I wish to keep it that way." He didn't wait for Ross to respond as he quickly brushed past Ross' bodyguard and walked out. He wanted to get as far away from there as possible and to get back to his family.
Tony had been gone for about an hour and a half, but for Pepper and Peter, it felt like an eternity as they waited for him in the hotel room. Peter tried to keep himself busy by texting Ned and MJ, but he was filling them in on what was happening. When he had nothing else to report, he felt more nervous. So, he told them that he would text them later and put his phone on the charger, and that was when Pepper suggested they could play a game. Peter knew that it was to distract him. May and Ben used to do this all the time when he was a kid…whether it was because he was impatient or if they were trying to distract him from something. It didn't take long for them to decide on UNO out of the few games Tony had packed for them.
"UNO," Peter said holding up the one card he had in his hand with a small smile on his face.
"Hmm…" Pepper said with a playful smirk as she took one look at the three cards in her hand. "We'll see about that." She took one card and placed it on the table. "Draw four cards and they have to be blue."
Peter chuckled and groaned playfully as he gathered four cards from the deck with what was going to be his last card. However, it dropped to three cards as he put two blue cards on the deck. "I almost had it that time," he said.
Pepper chuckled to herself as she turned to look at her cards before placing one on the deck to continue the game. "Never underestimate my skills in UNO," she said knowingly.
Peter then took another look at his cards before smirking at his guardian's fiancée…before taking one from his pile and looking back at Pepper and taking another card and placing it on the deck. "Draw 2 cards and they have to be…yellow."
Pepper couldn't help but laugh again at the smirk on Peter's face, and as she picked 2 cards from the deck adding them to her hand, she then placed two yellow cards above Peter's latest wild card. She then couldn't help but think about how Tony would be longing to be there with them instead of in an interrogation room with Secretary Ross. The CEO had tried to offer that she and Peter to go with him, but Tony quickly turned it down not wanting his family to be anywhere near Ross. So, they had no choice but to let Tony go alone, even though she and Peter hated every minute of it.
"Do you think Tony will come back soon?' Peter asked her after a moment as he placed another card on the pile.
"I hope so, sweetheart," Pepper replied with a small smile. "I managed to pull some strings, so once he comes back, we can sneak in some sightseeing. How does that sound?"
"That would be great," Peter said with a smile of his own. "It would be nice to go see the Monument without worrying about the Vulture."
Pepper chuckled again, but before she could say anything else, the hotel room door opened causing both her and Peter to look up. Sure enough, Tony walked in, and Pepper didn't miss the smile on Peter's face. However, she also didn't miss the shaken look in Tony's eyes.
"Tony!" Peter said as he practically jumped out of his seat and ran over to the billionaire hugging him.
Tony gave a small smile and wasted no time in returning the gesture hugging Peter just as tightly. "Hey, buddy," he said carding a hand through Peter's hair, and Pepper couldn't help but feel as if Tony was trying to ground himself…trying to reassure himself that he was back with them.
"Honey, are you okay?" Pepper quickly asked as she stood up and walked over to him.
"I am now," Tony said pulling Pepper into the hug hugging both his fiancée and kid tightly. "Are you both okay? Did Ross have anyone call you or anything?"
Peter and Pepper furrowed their eyebrows together as they pulled away still in the group hug.
"No…no one called or anything, why?" Peter asked.
"Did Ross…? Was everything okay?" Pepper asked.
"Yeah…yeah, everything was fine," Tony replied. "He asked me about the Rogues…especially about Rogers dropping by."
Pepper's eyes widened. "How did he know about that?" she asked.
"Security cameras…outside the tower," Tony replied, "but I told him we knew nothing about it. He seemed to believe me…for now anyway."
"As far as he knows, there's no way to prove anything about that," Peter said, "so it should be okay, right?"
Tony smiled as he pulled both of them into another hug realizing that Peter was right. So long as Ross found nothing to prove he knew about Steve coming to the tower or that they chatted, there was nothing the Secretary of State could do. However, what was to stop him from going after Spider-Man?
"You're right, bud," he said. He took a deep breath feeling Pepper and Peter in his arms before he was able to pull away. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I could go out for some fresh air and sightseeing. What do you say?"
Sightseeing in Washington, D.C. turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for Tony, Pepper, and Peter because not only did Ross leave them alone for the rest of the day, but it was so refreshing to get to spend the day together as a family in the nation's capital. Peter enjoyed getting to see more of Washington D.C. without worrying about weapons-smugglers or any other kind of criminal running around.
However, like everything else, the day eventually had come to an end, and after a nice dinner, they made their way back to the room to pack for their flight home tomorrow. After watching a movie, they all decided to head to bed after such a long day. However, Pepper and Peter ended up only going to sleep…as Tony decided to sit on the balcony to get some fresh air as soon as Peter was asleep. Of course, once she was ready for bed, the CEO made her way to the door leading out to the balcony.
Sure enough, she found him sitting in a chair with his back to her looking at the Accords. She sighed and shook her head hating that Ross was getting to him like this, and the fact that this was after Steve Rogers warned him didn't help things either. She took a step toward him. "Tony?" she said.
He jumped slightly and turned around making eye contact with Pepper. "Oh, hey, honey," he said rubbing his face, "I'm sorry, I just—uhh…is Peter asleep?"
"Uh, yeah, he must've been exhausted because he conked out as soon as he hit the pillow," Pepper said as she sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"
Tony sighed as he ran a hand down his face thinking back on his "meeting" with the Secretary of State.
"I won't hesitate to bring in your little fiancée and your kid in here."
"…you have been…working with that vigilante Spider-Man for quite a while now. Is there any reason why his signature is not on the Accords? Or why his secret identity hasn't been revealed? Or why he hasn't been held accountable for what happened at the Monument or the Staten Island Ferry…or that warehouse?"
He let out a shaky sigh as he gripped his left hand to stop it from shaking. "I've been better," he said.
"You didn't tell us everything that happened with Ross today," Pepper said holding his hand to stop the shaking…to calm him down. "You want to talk about it?"
Tony sighed yet again. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Peter," he said, "but…uhh…Ross said some things."
"Like what?" Pepper asked still holding onto his hand.
The billionaire took a deep breath. "Uhh…well…he believed me when I told him neither of us knew about Rogers being in New York, but…he also said that if he finds out that I'm lying—"
"—which you are—" Pepper interjected.
"—which I am—" Tony continued, "he wouldn't hesitate to bring you or Peter in to interrogate you two as well."
Pepper sighed completely understanding why he could be shaken up about that as she continued to grip his hand to keep him grounded. "Look, I know it's unnerving," she said, "but Peter was right. So long as he can't find any evidence and we're all extra careful, he can't touch us."
"Just because he can't doesn't mean he won't, Pep," Tony said, "especially when our kid is also a teenaged vigilante, who hasn't signed the Accords."
Pepper's eyes widened even more once she realized what Tony was talking about. "He's going after Spider-Man?" she asked in shock.
"He knows that Spider-Man hasn't signed the Accords and that I've been working with him," Tony said, "and the Accords as it stands says that all enhanced individuals have to reveal their identities…and have to undergo DNA tests and all that nonsense, but there's nothing in the Accords that prevents that if said enhanced individual is a minor or if he's being mentored by someone who did sign the Accords."
"Which we're not sure if Ross will even agree to," Pepper concluded.
"Yeah," he said. "Pep, I can't let Ross anywhere near him. We can't let Ross anywhere near him. He was more than willing to kill Steve and the others. There's no telling what would happen if Ross found out Peter was Spider-Man."
"That's not going to happen," Pepper said quickly. "Look, as soon as we get home tomorrow, we'll talk to Peter and tell him what's going on. He needs to know so that he can keep an eye out."
"We can't stop him from being Spider-Man," Tony said.
"You're right," Pepper said, "but we can keep him safe and keep him in the loop…like you promised him."
Tony sighed and nodded. "I don't have plans to break that promise," he said.
"Good," Pepper said nodding.
Author's Note: That's all for now, boys and girls! I hope you all enjoyed it! We'll see what measures Ross will take in the next chapter to get to Spider-Man! Don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys! See you in the next chapter!