REVIEW RESPOSE
Nightw2: Thanks for your idea about Cecil Turtle. The Gremlin was also able to outwit Bugs in the episode 'Falling Hare' which is why he's Jessica's first training target. I think a game of Martian dodgeball would be a bit too dangerous for Jessica at the moment as she's only training. Perhaps it could be material for a future FoxFang fic. Thanks for more suggestions on Jessica's sparing partners. I'll use a mixture of yours and acosta's. Don't be embarrassed about your guess being wrong; we're only human (I hope, lol) and I didn't leave many clues.
acosta pérez josé ramiro: I was aware of Shirley's energy attack power but for the purpose of a stealth attack, I thought a mental assault on the mind would be better. Great suggestion with the nerdlucks, I'll certainly do that for the more dangerous adversaries. You'll see who I chose in this chapter. Your wait is over; Jessica will begin her training now since she has a rescue plan.
Purplecobra247: I understand about the updating issue. I use dial-up when I'm at home and that can be iffy. Take as long as you need to update your stories. Glad you like the story. I try and come up with interesting ideas to attract attention.
There are about three chapters left (including this one). This chapter and possibly the next will be longer than the others, not that it matters.
Final preparationsBatcane had teleported herself, Batduck and Decoy away from the warehouse to escape from certain death. The teleportation had warped them back outside Plucky's house. They went inside and sat on the couch in the living room, closing the curtains as they entered the room.
"That was too close for comfort." Shirley muttered, taking off her mask and allowing her hair to drop down again. Everyone else followed suit.
"At least we're all ok." Hamton said.
"Thanks to me." Shirley replied smugly. Hamton glared at her.
"No need to boast." Hamton snapped.
"We've gotten too rusty. We haven't done anything like that for ages." Plucky said in despair.
"Then what do we do?" Hamton asked.
"I say we do some training and try again in a few nights." Shirley suggested.
"Well, it's better than admitting defeat." Plucky replied.
"Well, I'm heading home. Goodnight you two." Hamton said.
"Meet here at 9:00 tomorrow evening for some training." Plucky said.
"Ok." Hamton replied.
"Goodnight Hamton." Plucky said.
"Say hi to Fifi for me if you get the chance." Shirley added.
"Will do." Hamton replied. He walked out of the door, leaving his Decoy outfit on the couch. Shirley then yawned.
"Phew, I'm too tired to walk." Shirley muttered.
"You're not normally so tired." Plucky said with concern.
"That teleport power I used to get us away wore me out. It's not easy to do." Shirley replied. She leaned on Plucky's shoulder.
"So, what are you going to do about heading home?" Plucky asked.
"I'm too tired." Shirley replied.
"But you need to sleep somewhere." Plucky said.
"You don't mind if I stay here for tonight do you?" Shirley asked. Plucky thought for a moment.
Ok, you can stay." Plucky replied. Shirley kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you." Shirley said.
"It's ok. Where are you going to sleep?" Plucky asked.
"I'll be fine on the couch." Shirley replied.
"Well, I'll head to bed as well then." Plucky said.
"Ok, see you in the morning." Shirley replied. They kissed and Plucky went to his room. Shirley lied down on the couch and promptly fell asleep.
The following morning Jessica awoke at 9:15. As soon as she woke up, she opened her bedside cabinet and looked at the plan she had drawn up last night. She planned to locate where her parents were being held and infiltrate the area. She looked at the scribble with glee.
"All I need to know is where mum and dad are." Jessica muttered to herself. She put the paper back into the cabinet and reached for her TV remote.
"I wonder if the news finally knows." Jessica said to herself. She turned on the TV and turned to a news channel. Sure enough, the press were now aware of the situation.
"In a shock to the whole town, Mega stars Bugs and Lola bunny are being held to ransom by a mysterious group. The two rabbits were abducted yesterday afternoon outside the toon supermarket. The attack also left stars Daffy and Melissa duck in a bad shape, although they are currently recovering in the hospital. The police suspect Caesar Feralo, the hostage mastermind behind several abductions worldwide, to be behind this case. Last night, Batduck and his allies tried to make a rescue attempt at the old snack storage warehouse in the centre of town. Reports suggest that they were forced to flee from the scene. The police are unsure of what to do as the gang is thought to be extremely dangerous." Carol Cobra, the news reporter said. As she spoke, Jessica's eyes lit up.
"Great, I now know where mum and dad are." Jessica said to herself. She then looked at the mirror.
"When my training is complete, I'll make my move." Jessica said. She changed into her normal clothes (Similar to Lola's, shorts and a tank top) and went into the lounge. Tweety and Aaooga were in the kitchen preparing some breakfast.
"Morning Jessica." Tweety greeted.
"Morning, what's for breakfast?" Jessica asked.
"We're frying some carrots for you." Aaooga replied.
"Well, trying to." Tweety joked. Aaooga just smiled.
"True, we're not used to such large equipment." Aaooga added.
"Want me to help?" Jessica asked.
"Thank you, that would be most appreciated." Aaooga replied. Jessica went into the kitchen and climbed up onto the workbench. So far, Tweety and Aaooga had been able to turn on a heat ring and put a frying pan over the ring. Jessica picked up a bottle of oil and poured a tiny amount into the frying pan. She then opened the cupboard that had the carrots and pulled out 3, which she placed in the frying pan.
"You're pretty handy at cooking." Tweety complimented.
"Being an only child means I catch on quick." Jessica replied.
"I see." Aaooga muttered.
"What are we doing today?" Jessica asked. Tweety and Aaooga looked at each other.
"We thought we'd take you to see your friend Zach in the hospital." Tweety replied. Jessica's eyes lit up.
"You'd do that for me?" Jessica asked.
"Sure we would. We phoned the hospital earlier and he's ok. He'll be in hospital for a few days but he'll live." Tweety replied.
"When are we going?" Jessica asked.
"As soon as we've finished breakfast." Aaooga replied. Jessica grabbed a fork and stuck it into the carrots that were on the frying pan. It went in cleanly.
"My carrots are done, let's eat." Jessica said excitedly and impatiently. Tweety and Aaooga laughed. Jessica used the fork to place the carrots on a plate. She then jumped down and ran to the lounge. Tweety and Aaooga turned off the electricity and went after her.
"Have you two eaten?" Jessica asked when the two canaries sat down.
"Yeah, we've eaten, and so has Becky." Aaooga replied.
"So we'll be ready to go when you've finished." Tweety added.
"Ok." Jessica replied. She began to eat as fast as she could.
"Just like her father." Tweety muttered.
(Nightw2 suggested what happens in this chapter)
Later on, Jessica was walking to the hospital with Tweety and Aaooga following behind. Becky was in her little basket. Her head was peeping out over the side and admiring the scenery. Along the way, they met Cecil Turtle, who was going for a stroll. As soon as she saw him, Jessica glared harshly at him, remembering the times he'd been able to outwit her father.
"Why hello there." Cecil greeted. Jessica continued glaring at him.
"Where are you going?" Tweety asked.
"Why, I'm just having my daily walk." Cecil replied. Jessica continued glaring at him.
"Where are you going?" Aaooga asked.
"To the hospital and back." Cecil replied. This gave Jessica an idea.
"Cecil, do you wanna race to the hospital?" Jessica asked.
"You know your father couldn't beat me so what chance do you have?" Cecil asked.
"It's because that you constantly outwitted dad that I have to beat you." Jessica replied.
'And it will make a good training exercise.' She thought to herself.
"Very well, but don't cry to me when you lose." Cecil said.
"If I win, you give back the $10 that you tricked out of my father all of those years ago." Jessica said.
"Fine with me, and if I won, I get another 10 bucks." Cecil replied.
"Fine." Jessica said slyly. She was fortunate enough to have $10 in her pocket.
"Do you think Jessica can win?" Aaooga asked.
"I don't know. Cecil was always able to outwit Bugs." Tweety replied.
"Oh well, I'll judge the race." Aaooga muttered. Jessica and Cecil lined up next to a tree. Jessica remembered some of the tricks Cecil had used to outwit her father.
"I wonder what Cecil will think if I use his tricks against him?" Jessica said to herself. Cecil didn't hear what Jessica said.
"Ready?" Cecil asked.
"Ready!" Jessica replied. Aaooga did her wolf howl to signal the race to begin. Rather than zoom ahead like her father did, Jessica went slower and just stayed in line with Cecil. Cecil looked at her.
"Hmm, she's pretty smart for a rabbit." Cecil commented. They continued racing (Well, walking) up to a tree up ahead. Jessica gave Cecil an opportunity to take the lead, which Cecil took up quickly.
"I'll take it easy on her." Cecil said to himself. He opened up his shell to reveal a small rocket, which he used to increase his speed and zoom past Jessica.
"See you later!" Cecil taunted.
"That's what he thinks." Jessica muttered slyly. She jumped to the ground and started burrowing through. She went passed Cecil without him realising, after all she was faster underground and she could take sneaky shortcuts. She found a tree and surfaced so the hole she dug wouldn't be visible. She then went back on the road and started running again. After a few seconds, she heard Cecil coming.
"Here he comes." Jessica muttered. Eventually Cecil came zooming past, but he was only slightly faster then Jessica.
"Hi buddy." Jessica taunted as Cecil came by. Cecil looked back and waved absent-mindedly. He then realised who he'd passed and then stopped suddenly.
"How'd you get past?" Cecil asked.
"I ran." Jessica replied with a giggle. Cecil took off again to try and get ahead of her. Jessica went underground again and burrowed right up to the hospital entrance. She surfaced near a tree and went inside the lobby. She sat on a chair, picked up a comic and waited for Cecil to arrive. A few minutes later, Cecil came through the door and then looked outside the doors.
"Well, no sign of her." Cecil muttered.
"Looking for me?" Jessica asked sarcastically. Cecil turned and saw Jessica with the comic in her hand. Cecil couldn't believe it.
"How did you win anyway?" Cecil asked. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"How about the $10 you tricked out of dad?" Jessica asked. Cecil took out a $10 bill.
"Fine, here." Cecil said angrily as he gave the money to Jessica. He then stormed out of the hospital doors. Jessica couldn't help herself laughing.
"Ha, can't take his own medicine." Jessica joked.
Tweety and Aaooga flew into the hospital a few minutes after Cecil had stormed out. They saw Jessica sitting on a chair holding the $10 bill.
"So, you won?" Tweety asked.
"Yep, he couldn't take his own medicine." Jessica replied.
"How did you get ahead of him?" Aaooga asked. Jessica smiled.
"I went underground." Jessica replied slyly.
"Isn't that cheating?" Aaooga asked.
"Isn't using a rocket jet cheating?" Jessica asked.
"Point." Aaooga replied.
"Haven't we got someone to see?" Tweety asked. Jessica's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, let's find Zach." Jessica replied.
"The receptionist said he was in the children's ward." Tweety said. They walked to the children's ward. When they got there, they found Daffy and Melissa standing around a bed.
"That has to be Zach's bed." Aaooga said. They went up to the bed and looked. They saw Zach looking at Daffy. Daffy turned and saw Tweety and Aaooga.
"Hi guys." Daffy greeted.
"What brings you here?" Melissa asked.
"We've brought Jessica to come and see Zach." Tweety replied. Zach's eyes lit up.
"Jessica, where is she?" Zach asked.
"Right here." Jessica replied. She was sitting on the edge of Zach's bed and looking at him.
"How are you feeling?" Jessica asked.
"I feel ok but when the incident happened, I felt like I'd been hit by a steam roller." Zach replied. Jessica giggled.
"What about you, how do you feel about your parents?" Zach asked.
"I'm still depressed about it but I can control it now." Jessica replied.
"What did you mean by what you said yesterday?" Zach asked. Jessica looked confused.
"Refresh my memory." Jessica said. Zach motioned her to come closer, which she did.
"When you said that I looked cute." Zach said. Jessica blushed lightly.
"I don't want to say with these adults around. I'll tell you when you're out of hospital." Jessica replied.
"Ok." Zach said.
"Batduck and his allies made a rescue attempt on my parents." Jessica said.
"How did they do?" Zach asked.
"Apparently they were forced to retreat." Jessica replied.
"Oh dear, looks like there's not much that can be done." Zach said sadly.
"Don't say that." Jessica scolded. She then turned solemn.
"I'm sure Batduck will try again" Jessica said.
"Probably, he's very determined." Zach replied.
"So, you're looking after Jessica for a while eh?" Daffy asked.
"Yep, we are doing so to help out a good friend." Tweety replied.
"Good on you." Daffy said.
"Thanks." Aaooga replied.
"We've just been discharged but we'll be going home later." Melissa said.
"How are you?" Tweety asked.
"We're ok, still rather shaken." Melissa replied.
"Who wouldn't be." Tweety muttered. Aaooga looked at the clock.
"Golly, time sure flies, we'd better head off home for lunch." Aaooga said.
"Can't we stay for a little longer?" Jessica moaned.
"Not really." Tweety said. Jessica had a quick thought.
"Well, can I ask Zach something private?" Jessica asked.
"Ok." Melissa replied. The adults backed off a little so Jessica and Zach could have a private chat.
"What did you want?" Zach asked.
"I thought I'd better explain what I said." Jessica replied.
"I'm listening." Zach said. Jessica gulped and blushed.
"Zach…I…love you." Jessica said nervously. She was blushing. Zach blushed after hearing what she'd just said.
"Y-you do?" Zach asked, somewhat bashfully.
"Would I make something like that up?" Jessica asked. Zach blushed.
"Can I think about your offer?" Zach asked.
"Sure." Jessica replied.
"I'll tell you my answer when I come out of hospital." Zach said.
"Ok, get Daffy to ring me when you do." Jessica replied.
"Will do." Zach said. Jessica walked off and back to Tweety and Aaooga.
"Well, see you another time." Tweety said.
"Take care of yourselves." Daffy replied. Melissa went up to Jessica.
"Try not to worry about your parents." Melissa said.
"Easier said than done." Jessica muttered.
"See you." Tweety said. He and Aaooga started to fly out of the hospital. Jessica followed them. On the way out, Tweety turned to Jessica.
"Jessica, me and Aaooga have a previous appointment tonight." Tweety said.
"Where to?" Jessica asked.
"We take Becky to a specialist clinic as she has a problem with her feathers." Tweety replied.
"Sounds nasty." Jessica muttered.
"It's from my side of the family. I had it when I was Becky's age." Aaooga said.
"It causes the feathers to turn black and decay." Tweety added.
"Wow, sounds nasty." Jessica replied.
"Anyway, she needs weekly baths at a specialist spa on the outskirts of town. Her appointment is tonight from 9:00 to 11:00." Tweety said.
"But the price went up quite a lot recently, but we have no choice." Aaooga added.
"I'll probably be asleep when you get back then." Jessica muttered, slightly suspicious about the price rise.
"Will you be ok on your own?" Tweety asked.
"I'll be fine." Jessica replied.
"Ok. We'll leave at about 8:00." Aaooga said.
"Ok." Jessica replied. They continued on their way home.
That night, after Tweety and Aaooga had gone to take Becky to her appointment Jessica was in her room and putting on the FoxFang outfit, waiting for the arrival of Brett. She admired herself in the mirror when the suit was on. She then pulled out a small gun from her suit.
"Wonder what this is?" FoxFang asked herself. She fired it at the ceiling and a hook attached to a chain was fired from the gun.
"Oh, a grapple gun." FoxFang muttered. She pressed a red button underneath the trigger and the chain retracted back into the gun. She put the gun back in her suit and looked at the clock in the room.
"Brett should be here any minute. Hopefully, after training tonight, I'll be ready." FoxFang said to herself. As she said this, the room began to fill with mist.
"He's here." FoxFang said to herself. The mist took on the form of Brett Bunny.
"I see you're prepared." Brett complimented.
"What will the training involve?" FoxFang asked.
"You shall infiltrate the hideout of Rocky and Mugsy." Brett replied.
"I know those two. They are common thugs." FoxFang said.
"Yes, but not very smart." Brett replied. He then looked around briefly.
"By the way, I saw your race with Cecil Turtle." Brett said.
"What did you think?" FoxFang asked.
"I say you have the wit but what you need now is good hand-to-hand and stealth." Brett replied.
"Which is why I'm infiltrating Rocky?" FoxFang asked.
"Indeed." Brett replied.
"Where are they?" FoxFang asked.
"They secretly took over a skin treatment spa on the edge of town." Brett replied. FoxFang gasped.
"That's the spa where Tweety and Aaooga went." FoxFang exclaimed.
"Of course, the two that are looking after you." Brett said.
"I won't allow anymore rip-offs on behalf of my friends. They have no choice but to go to that spa." FoxFang exclaimed.
"I see. You've already demonstrated your unequalled courage. Let's go." Brett said. FoxFang burrowed out of her room and went to the surface. She then followed Brett to the spa that Rocky had taken control of.
(Thanks to acosta pérez josé ramiro for the idea of the opponents in this scenario.)
FoxFang and Brett eventually reached the spa. The building was a large building that was mostly blue and red. The spa was named 'Happy skin spa'. However, it was clear that someone had sprayed the letters U and N in front of the word 'happy'. FoxFang looked up the building and saw a window near the roof.
"I can see an entrance that I can use." FoxFang said. Brett looked up at the window.
"Did you figure out your grapple gun?" Brett asked.
"Yeah." FoxFang replied. She pulled out the grapple gun.
"Ok, aim up so the gun latches onto the roof and pull yourself up." Brett instructed.
"I'd like to try this by myself." FoxFang said. She aimed the grapple gun up high and fired. The hook latched onto the roof perfectly and she climbed up to the window, but being careful to look inside the room before she jumped in. Brett watched this with intrigue.
"You're better than I hoped. I have no worries." Brett said to himself. FoxFang held onto the chain and looked into the window from the side. The room was completely empty of people but there were several cases in the room. Using the sharp end of a Fangmerang, FoxFang cut a circular hole in the glass. She reeled in her grappling line and crept into the room. The first thing she did was to leap up to the roof and grabbed the light chain hanging from the ceiling in case anyone entered the room. Just as she had thought, a thug entered the room.
"I thought I heard a noise." The thug said. He looked around the room and saw the hole FoxFang had cut.
"I think I'll scare him a little." FoxFang muttered to herself. While his back was turned, FoxFang used her grappling line to close the door. She retracted the line before the thug saw it.
"What was that?" The thug asked. He ran to the door and looked at it. FoxFang then threw a Fang Dart at the thug's left hand side. It flew into the wall and teleported back to her hand before the Thug saw it. The thug started to sweat.
"What's going on?" The thug asked. He walked backwards and was directly under FoxFang.
"One last scare." FoxFang said to herself. She drew a Fang Dart and threw it at the light switch. The lights went out and the Dart returned to her hand. Because of light sensitive night goggles fixed into the mask, FoxFang could see perfectly in the dark, but the thug cannot.
"Did the electricity just fail?" The thug asked. Now terrified, he dropped the handgun he was holding.
"Now's my chance." FoxFang muttered. She jumped down and landed on the thug's head. She then drew a Fang Dart and thrust it into the Thug's shoulder.
"ARRRRGH! Something's bitten me!" The thug screamed. FoxFang punched the Thug in the head and knocked him to the floor. She then threw another Fang Dart at the light switch and turned the light back on. The night goggles turned off and FoxFang pinned the thug to the floor. She pulled out a pair of Foxcuffs and cuffed the thug before flipping him face up.
"Who are you?" The thug asked in terror.
"I'm your worst nightmare." FoxFang replied. She then stared into the thug's face.
"Where is Rocky?" FoxFang asked. The thug was now terrified by her presence.
"Straight down the hallway in the managers' office." The thug replied. He was too scared to resist.
"Thanks." FoxFang said blankly. She got off the thug and left the room. As soon as she was in the corridor, she grappled to the ceiling and used the plungers on the boots and gloves to traverse the ceiling without being spotted. Fortunately, the thug she'd taken out was the only thug Rocky had other than Mugsy.
The managers' door was already open due to the previous thug. FoxFang peeped through the door and saw Rocky sitting at the desk counting out some money. She then saw Mugsy in the corner of the room seemingly talking to nothing.
"Mugsy, how long to do you intend to talk to that intruder." Rocky asked.
"Intruder?" FoxFang asked in surprise.
"Sorry Rocky." Mugsy replied. He went up to the desk and FoxFang was able to see the captive.
"Sylvester Jr." FoxFang whispered. He was tied to a post and gagged. The post was placed in the corner next to a cupboard.
"Boy rocky, you did a great job of running this place." Mugsy complimented.
"We just need to concentrate on keeping this place in our grasp." Rocky replied, looking at the money on the desk.
"Wow Rocky, taking over a business and overcharging customers is well worth it." Mugsy said.
"Shut up." Rocky ordered.
"Sorry." Mugsy replied bashfully.
"I need to bust them and set Sylvester Jr. free." FoxFang muttered. She looked in the room and saw a light switch in the far side of the room. She threw a Fang dart at the switch and turned the light in the room off.
"I must be quick." FoxFang whispered. She used her grapple gun to each the light in the centre of the room. By that point, the Fang dart had returned to her hand. Rocky turned on the light and then slapped Mugsy.
"Why did you turn off the light?" Rocky asked.
"I didn't" Mugsy protested. FoxFang was holding on to the light at the top and watching their every move.
"I'll just do what I did before." FoxFang said to herself. She used her grapple gun to shut the door and retracted the chain before Rocky and Mugsy saw the chain.
"What was that Rocky?" Mugsy asked.
"Probably a rat." Rocky replied. FoxFang threw another Fang Dart at the light switch and turned the light off again.
"Stop playing with the light." Rocky scolded.
"It's not me boss." Mugsy complained. He was getting nervous about the lights constantly going off and no visible way for them to turn off. Rocky went over to the light and turned it back on. FoxFang looked around for another way to create a distraction. She saw a filing cabinet in the corner and threw a Fang Dart at it. The noise made Rocky and Mugsy look in that direction. Using the distraction, FoxFang turned the lights off again.
"Mugsy, turn the lights back on." Rocky ordered.
"Ok boss." Mugsy replied. He went over to the switch but before he could press it, FoxFang leapt on him and kicked him in the head, knocking him to the floor. Rocky heard the thump as Mugsy hit the floor.
"What was that?" Rocky asked. He was now rather scared. FoxFang used the Foxcuffs on Mugsy and then snuck behind Rocky.
"Time to strike." FoxFang muttered. She grabbed Rocky round the waist and tore the handgun that she found away from him. She took this opportunity to turn the lights back on with another Fang dart. When the lights were back on, FoxFang clubbed Rocky in the back of the head with the handle of the grapple gun and then cuffed him with the Foxcuffs. She then went over to Sylvester Jr and untied him.
"Gee thanks, hey who are you?" Sylvester Jr. asked.
"That is not important yet, what happened to you?" FoxFang asked.
"I came up here when I heard that this place had started overcharging and I was kidnapped by these thugs." Sylvester Jr. replied.
"When did this happen?" FoxFang asked.
"About 2 hours ago." Sylvester Jr. replied. FoxFang looked at the clock. It was 10:00.
"You should be careful in these times. Thugs are returning to the city, that is why I have returned." FoxFang replied. Rocky and Mugsy recovered but could do nothing because of the Foxcuffs.
"Who are you?" Rocky asked. FoxFang leapt up to the light at the top of the room.
"I am criminals worst nightmare, the Knight Toon, FoxFang!" FoxFang replied. She turned to Sylvester Jr, who wa sshocked at the revelation.
"Call the police. I must go. Those Foxcuffs will hold all the thugs until they are removed. The police should be able to remove them." FoxFang said.
"Yes sir!" Sylvester Jr. replied. FoxFang then opened the window in the room and leapt out, using her grapple gun to grab a nearby tree and swing away.
When she was a safe distance from the facility, she met up with Brett's ghost again.
"You did exceptionally well." Brett complimented.
"Thank you." FoxFang replied. The two started to return to Jessica's home.
"I'd say you are ready to rescue your parents." Brett said.
"That will be for tomorrow night though." FoxFang replied.
"Very well, rest tonight and then rescue your parents tomorrow. I now leave everything in your hands." Brett said. He then turned back into mist and disappeared.
"Well, time to head home." FoxFang said. She used her grapple gun to swing from tree to tree and reached her house in no time. She went back to her room using the tunnel she'd dun and resealed it. Finally, she removed the costume and stashed it in the usual place. She then sat down on her bed and looked at the picture on the desk.
"Mum, Dad, I'm coming for you." Jessica said to herself. She then yawned.
"I wonder if Tweety and Aaooga will be aware of what just happened." Jessica said to herself. She yawned again.
"I'd better get some sleep for tomorrow." Jessica said to herself. She got herself a glass of water from the kitchen and then changed into her nightclothes.
"It's all down to me now." Jessica said to herself. She drank her glass of water and went to sleep.
(A/N: I know this chapter is much longer than the other chapters in this story but I was feeling inspired. The next chapter is the penultimate chapter and will, hopefully, be an exciting one. Anyway, you're free to guess about how Zach will reply to Jessica's proposal, it won't change anything.)