Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! And welcome back to another chapter of Raise Me Up! We are back at it again with CHAPTER 24, and in this chapter, we will see Peter get into a little bit of trouble and Tony is going to have to help him out a little! Let's see what he can do! I hope you all enjoy it! But before we get to the chapter, REVIEW REPLIES!

RosePetal7: Lol, yyyyeeessss Tony has an amazing poker face! He knows how to use that with people like that! Yeah, if only! Unfortunately, Ross is sticking around for a little while longer!

Radiant Arabian Nights: Lol, thanks so much for your kind words, my friend! I really hope you continue to enjoy the stories!

SapphireRuby24: It sure is! UGH I LOVE IT! Well…that's part of how you play it.

Wandamarie: Thanks so much, my friend! Hope you continue to enjoy it! And Happy Belated 4th of July (I know I'm over a month late, but it's fine!)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


Chapter 24

Another week had passed since that day in Washington, D.C., and Peter was once again back in his red and blue suit patrolling Queens on a warm Friday night. He and Tony had spent a few hours in the lab before he took off towards his old borough promising to be back in about two hours. The teen could tell his guardian and Pepper weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of Spider-Man patrolling when Ross had his sights on the vigilante. It wasn't that they wanted him to stop being Spider-Man. They knew they couldn't stop him, so all they told him was to be careful whenever he was out patrolling. This also prompted Tony to add a new rule for Peter to check in every hour, which Peter accepted. Tony was his guardian, and it was his job to protect him…just as May asked him to. Then again, he had been doing that even before May died…when he created the suit for him with all the protocols…at the gala when he had the panic attack…when he got stuck in the collapsed warehouse again… This time around, May wasn't with them. She was gone, so Tony had to take the reins in terms of taking care of him and protecting him. It was almost like he was a parent, but was that even the right word? Or was Tony only his guardian?

He had been noticing that Tony….and even Pepper had been referring to him as Tony's kid…or boy depending on who was talking. Then again, it made sense. He was a kid…a teenaged boy, and he was in Tony's custody. So…logically, it made sense that he was seen and referred to as…Tony's kid, but…what did that mean for Tony? What was Tony to Peter? Was he just Peter's guardian? Was it okay that he saw him as a…parental figure…as a father? Where did being a guardian end and being a parent begin? There was a reason paperwork said "Parent/Guardian." They weren't the same thing.

"Peter, I'm detecting some suspicious activity by the warehouse," Karen suddenly said as Peter perched himself on a roof.

Peter jolted out of his thoughts once he heard his AI mention a warehouse. "Wait…t-the warehouse, Karen?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Karen replied. "It appears to be the one you engaged in battle with the Vulture in. Shall I alert Mr. Stark?"

"Uhh…n-not yet" Peter said. "Let's check it out first, and if things get out of hand, then you can call Tony."

"Very well," Karen replied.

Peter then began swinging from building to building toward the warehouse. As much as he hated the idea of visiting the very place that caused some of his trauma, he couldn't help but wonder what was happening at a collapsed warehouse. There was only one way to find out.


The web-slinger made his way over to the warehouses…where the one he confronted Toomes in almost a year ago once stood. Peter quickly found himself sticking to a nearby building and peering around a corner only to see all the commotion surrounding the spot where the warehouse once stood. His brown eyes widened under his mask at the sight. There were armed soldiers everywhere, flashlights shining everywhere, trucks and jeeps surrounding the perimeter. The teen furrowed his eyebrows together as he asked Karen who the people were.

"According to my scans," Karen said as her scans worked through the numerous people below, "I'm detecting Secretary Thaddeus Ross. The men appear to be his soldiers. I'm unsure as to why they are here to begin with."

This made Peter's heart drop to his stomach hearing that the Secretary of State was back in New York…after he interrogated Tony. Why was he back at the warehouse? Why was he looking at the warehouse? Tony and Pepper had told him that Ross was setting his sights on Spider-Man, but he didn't think it would happen so soon. It was very quickly that Peter realized that he wasn't sure as to what he should do. Should he make himself known or keep going on hoping that Ross didn't see him?

"Peter, might I suggest that we alert Mr. Stark about this?" Karen said in a whisper.

"Uhh…yeah…yeah…" he said, "that might be a good idea. He should know about this."

"Very well," Karen replied.

"What should I do, Karen?" Peter whispered to his AI. "Should I go talk to them?"

"I would advise against that, Peter," Karen replied. "We don't know Ross' reasons for being here, and we don't know what he plans for Spider-Man."

"Right, that's a good point," Peter replied nodding. "Then let's at least get a closer look. Maybe we can listen in and find something for Tony."

"Very well, Peter," Karen said as the teenaged vigilante moved along the wall of the building making sure to not be seen or spotted by a flashlight or a soldier. "Activating Eavesdropper Protocol."

Peter was able to zero in on the Secretary of State as he stood at a table not too far from the demolished warehouse site, and with Karen's help, he was able to hear the conversation from where he was stuck above.

"We're checking every nook, cranny, and stone of this site," a man in uniform—probably the commanding officer. "No sign of a fight or that Spider-Man was even here, Mr. Secretary."

Ross clearly had his back to the building, which meant that he couldn't see Peter, and it was a huge relief. So long as he stayed put, he wouldn't be seen by Ross or his men. It wouldn't look good if Spider-Man was seen where he fought the Vulture, especially by the Secretary of State.

"Well, keep looking," Ross replied. "Queens is mainly where Spider-Man is seen, and Stark even said so himself after his plane went down."

"With all due respect, why don't we question any witnesses?"

"No, not yet, if we question anyone but Stark, it could give that vigilante advanced notice," Ross replied.

Peter felt his heart pounding as he listened to Ross and his men. They were going to try to catch him, but why? Because of the Accords? To use him against Tony? Were they going to try to bring him in for questioning? What could he do? Should he do anything to fix it? Before he could say or do anything, he felt a tingling sensation—his spider-sense—wash over him. The hairs on his arms raised, but Peter didn't even have time to look as he slowly turned around.

BOOM!

The bullet grazed Peter's side causing him to scream in pain, and in doing so, he lost his grip on the wall and fell to the cold hard concrete below onto his back. He felt as though the wind was knocked out of him from the impact, and before he could even register what happened, he felt two pairs of arms grab him on each arm forcing him to stand up.

"Welcome, Spider-Man," a voice said as they picked Peter up from the ground by the arms.

Peter let out a scream as the movement caused the pain in his side to flare up, but neither of the men seemed to care as they forced him to his feet and pushed him toward the table, where the Secretary of State was waiting for them.

"Mr. Secretary, we have a visitor for you," the guard said as they pushed Spider-Man to the ground completely ignoring his grunts of pain.

"Ah, Spider-Man," Ross said with a smirk on his face as he got down on one knee in front of the webslinger, "we finally meet. I have to say, I've been looking forward to this day since you helped Stark in Germany."

"Yeah, you really have a weird way to introduce yourself to new friends, Ross," Peter said as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows. However, he was forced down when a boot stepped on his back and pushed him down again.

"That's Mr. Secretary to you," one of the guards said.

"Easy, easy, men," Ross said holding a hand up to silence the commotion. "Let's all settle down. It's not Spider-Man's fault he has no respect for authority."

Peter was thankful for the mask covering his face because seeing Ross as Spider-Man made him slightly uncomfortable. He didn't know Peter was Spider-Man, and he only saw snippets of how Ross acted toward Tony. Once Tony and Pepper told him the Secretary of State had his sights set on him, he had a feeling Ross would have some sort of animosity toward him.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked glaring at Ross through his pain. "I helped T-Mr. Stark bring in the Rogues. I'm on your side. What did I do?"

Ross chuckled. "What did you do?" he repeated. "Well, it's just as I told your buddy, Stark. You haven't signed the Accords. We don't have your DNA sample, and you have not announced your civilian name to the public. That's not good, Spider-Man."

"Mr. Stark said you can't force me," Peter retorted. "He said it was up to me to decide when I was ready to sign the Accords and if I wanted to reveal my identity. That's not for you to decide."

"Hmm…did he now?" Ross asked raising an eyebrow. "Well, see, the thing is…Spider-Man, you don't have a choice. Now, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. You reveal yourself now and agree to sign the Accords…or we bring you in and make you do it. Your choice."

Peter's eyes widened under his mask as his heart continued to pound…and as the blood slowly trickled down his side. He wanted nothing more than for Tony to come help him, but could he really call his guardian right in front of the Secretary of State? Would he even be allowed to?

"Listen, Ross," Peter said with a shaky voice, "l-let me call Mr. Stark. M-Maybe he can help us straighten this out. I'm not ready to—"

"Mmm…sorry, Spider-Man," Ross said, "that's not what I wanted to—"

"HEY!" a voice suddenly shouted as metal boots landed on the ground behind Ross.

Peter heard the voice and felt the immense relief wash over him as he watched Ross' face go completely pail. It didn't take long for him to see a certain red and gold suit behind the Secretary of State. "Mr. Stark!" Peter said excitedly.

"Ross, step away from the web-slinger and tell your men to do the same…now," Tony said staring at Ross with his hand raised to fire a repulsor blast.

Ross simply stood up and turned to face Tony. "Really, Tony?" he began. "Threatening a man of office? That's some dangerous territory there, my friend."

"I've got lawyers," Tony retorted. "You, however, are wrongfully detaining an enhanced individual with little to no evidence…an enhanced individual, who happens to be my mentee, so I'm strongly suggesting you step away from him now so that I can get him the medical attention that he clearly needs right now."

Ross stared at Tony yet again clearly thinking about as to what he could do…if he could stand a chance in going against Tony's request. The silence seemed to last an eternity before he finally spoke again, "Fine," he turned to his men. "Step away from Spider-Man."

The men wasted no time in doing exactly what their boss asked and stepped away from the vigilante. As soon as the men were clear, Peter tried to push himself up, but the pain in his side flared up again causing him to scream in pain. Tony wasted no time in going to his kid's side kneeling to his level.

"You okay, Spider-Man?" Tony asked hating that Ross and his men were watching and listening to this. He had no doubt the Secretary of State was hoping he or Peter would slip in revealing who Spider-Man was, but he refused to let that happen.

"Y-Yeah, I-I'm good, Mr. Stark," Peter replied. "Just a small pain in my side."

"Okay, let me take you back to the tower," Tony said as he gently picked Peter up bridal style. "We'll take a look at that graze." As soon as he picked up his kid, he turned to Ross glaring at him under his face mask. "Spider-Man is my responsibility, Mr. Secretary. If you have any issues with his work, you talk to me directly, not go behind my back and poke your nose and mustache where they don't belong."

"I did, Tony," Ross retorted, "and you refuse to acknowledge that he is not following the Accords."

"It's an agreement, Ross," Tony snapped back, "not the law or the Constitution. Do well to remember that…Oh, and that this is a free country." Before Ross could say anything else, Tony kept Peter secure in his arms and rocketed away back toward the tower.


"As soon as we get inside, buddy," Tony said as he flew toward the tower, "we'll head down to the lab and look at the graze."

"Okay," Peter said nodding. The whole flight back, he couldn't help but think back on his encounter with Ross, and he was more understanding as to why Tony tried to keep him out of the big leagues after Germany. There was no doubt that Ross would've pounced on him for the whole Vulture incident if Tony didn't try to cover for him, and not only that, but if Tony said Spider-Man was his responsibility, he likely would've gotten in trouble as well. Just from tonight, Peter could tell that Ross was just ruthless, and he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if Tony didn't step in when he did. Would he have taken Peter to the RAFT? Would he be stuck there forever and never see Tony and Pepper again? He hugged Tony's neck just a little tighter at that thought. What was Ross going to do now?

"Hey," Tony's gentle voice said jolting Peter out of his thoughts, "I know what you're thinking, buddy, and don't worry. Nothing's going to happen. Ross won't try anything."

"Not tonight at least," Peter said.

"I know," Tony replied, "but it's okay. If he wants to, he's going to have to go through me first."

Peter loved and hated that statement at the same time. He was honored and felt loved and cared for knowing that Tony would always stand by him, but he hated it because the last thing he wanted was for anything to happen to Tony because of him. It was bad enough that Ben was killed because of his mistakes and May because he didn't sense the car in time, but to lose Tony or Pepper or both…that scared him. That was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to tell Tony that, but for now, he just nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Okay." Tony nodded. He had a feeling there was something else on Peter's mind, but…as he learned over the past few months, it was best to let Peter decide on when he wanted to talk about something. He always did eventually.

Nevertheless, he focused on something on getting his kid back home so that he could fix his wound. As soon as they reached the tower, Tony brought Peter in through the penthouse, and sure enough, Pepper was there waiting for them on the couch.

"Peter? What happened?" Pepper asked as she immediately stood up in shock. Then she stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw the wound on his side. "Is that a bullet wound?"

"Had a little run-in with Ross," Tony said as he kept walking out of the penthouse. "I got to get him down to the Med Bay."

"I'll go with you," Pepper added tagging along behind her fiancé.

"Oh, Pep, you don't have to," Peter said. "I'm fine. I—"

"Don't even try to argue with her, buddy," Tony interjected. "Trust me, I've tried for years…before and after we started dating."


Tony and Pepper wasted no time in bringing Peter down to the Med Bay so that the doctor could look at his wound. Thankfully, the doctors other than Helen Cho knew that Peter was Spider-Man, so they didn't need to worry about someone seeing Peter in his suit. After a brief check to make sure there were no other injuries, the doctor stitched Peter's graze within a matter of minutes.

"Okay, Peter," the doctor said as he stood up and placed a large bandage over the wound. "You're all set. Just be careful and make sure you don't pop the stitches. It should heal within a day or so though as they dissolve."

"Thank you, Doctor," Pepper replied with a smile.

"Thanks, Doc," Tony added shaking hands with the doctor.

"You're welcome," he said. "I'll come back in a bit to check him and make sure everything is all good. If everything checks out, then he should be good to go back upstairs."

"Thanks, Doctor," Peter said as they watched the doctor leave the room leaving the three of them alone. "I'm sorry about the suit, Tony…and everything else," Peter added.

"Kid, don't even apologize," Tony said as he sat down on the edge of the cot Peter was resting in. "Suits can be fixed. I can't go to a store and get another Peter. I'm just glad I got there when I did."

"Do either of you want to explain to me what happened in this…run-in with Ross?" Pepper interjected with her arms crossed.

"It's okay, Pepper, really," Peter said as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"Clearly not if Tony had to rush out of here with his suit," Pepper said. "What happened?"

Peter sighed in defeat as he looked at Tony, who nodded urging his kid to explain what happened. He wasn't planning on keeping it a secret, but he didn't want Tony and Pepper to worry much. Nevertheless, he had to tell them what happened. So, he took a deep breath. "I was patrolling and was ready to call it a night and come back here," he began, "but…then Karen picked up some suspicious activity at the…collapsed warehouse." He glanced up at Tony.

"And you saw Ross there with his goons," Tony finished. He knew it was the same warehouse Toomes trapped Peter in all those months ago.

"Yeah," he said nodding. "I didn't say or do anything. I just watched from a wall of a building. They're trying…trying to dig up dirt on me... on Spider-Man."

"To see if you went against the Accords," Tony mused.

"Yeah," Peter nodded, "I told Karen to alert you, and I was wondering if maybe I should just try talking to him or just come back home. That was when one of his goons shot me, and I fell. Thief brought back me to him, and he demanded that either I reveal myself now or…they bring me in…and make me do it…that and sign the Accords."

Tony clenched his jaw tightly. He was fuming before, but now…as he thought about how he saw Ross crouching down in front of his kid…his and Pepper's kid…and threatening him.

"I-I'm sorry, Tony," Peter said after a moment of silence. "I—"

"Sweetie, no," Pepper interjected, "you have nothing to apologize for."

"Pep's right, kid," Tony said snapping out of his thoughts and placing his hand on Peter's. "You did nothing wrong. Ross is the asshole here."

"But I didn't sign the Accords…or reveal my identity," Peter said. "Maybe if I did…Ross would—"

"Peter, you are a minor," Pepper said quickly. "You should not be expected to sign a piece of paper for the United Nations when you're just a teenager…or reveal such a huge secret to everyone."

"But we did the press conference," Peter said.

"Because, buddy," Tony began, "that was to protect you from the paparazzi digging up dirt on you, especially about Spider-Man. Revealing your identity when you're not ready for it and when you're just a minor is going to blow things up…in the worst way possible. It won't just stop at pulling that at a press conference. Ross and the UN will ask you to do things no kid should ever have to do."

Peter closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. He knew Tony was right. Tony explained the Accords to him when they first met, and he learned about it from school. He and May also watched the news. The UN and Ross would surely use Spider-Man for things he wasn't ready to face, but he sighed. "But what about you guys?" Peter asked.

Tony and Pepper furrowed their eyebrows together and looked at each other and then back at Peter. "What do you mean, bud?" Tony asked.

"What if Ross…does something to you guys…to get to me?" Peter asked. "You both are all I have, and I don't want anything to happen to you…because I didn't do what Ross asked. I want to protect you…just like you protect me. I can't stand the idea of…never seeing you again…not just because I don't want to go into the system…but I…care about you guys…a lot."

"Sweetie, we appreciate that," Pepper said running a soothing hand through Peter's hair.

"And we care about you, too, buddy," Tony said, "but it's our job to protect you. I'm the one May asked to be your guardian, I'm the one who was granted custody. That's what it means to be a guardian." He gave Peter a gentle smile. "Pepper and I will deal with Ross…whatever he decides to throw at us, and like I told you, if I need you to do anything, I will tell you, okay? You're not old enough to sign the Accords or reveal your identity, and we will make Ross doesn't try anything like that again, okay?"

Peter smiled feeling his heart swell at the love and care Pepper and Tony had for him. "Okay," he said, "thanks, guys."

"You're welcome, kid," Tony said. "We'll wait for the doctor to come back, and then we'll head back up."


Not long after Peter spoke about what happened with Ross, the doctor came back and gave Peter the all-clear, and after thanking the doctor for his help, Pepper and Tony wasted no time in taking Peter back to the penthouse so that Peter could get some sleep, which he didn't protest one bit. His side stung a little with the stitches and the gauze, but the doctor assured him that it would go away once his wound healed. As soon as they got back to the penthouse, Peter wasted no time in getting out of his suit and putting his pajamas on. Once he was ready, Pepper and Tony made sure he didn't pop his stitches as he climbed into bed and tucked him in wishing him good night before turning off the light and closing the door.

"Good night, buddy," Tony said as he closed the door on Peter as he fell asleep. Once the door closed, he turned to his fiancée with his jaw clenched.

Thankfully, Pepper quickly ushered him into the bedroom so that they didn't disturb Peter.

"Is this asshole serious, Pep?" Tony asked as they walked into the bedroom. "He had the balls to threaten my kid…our kid. Is he fucking serious?"

"First of all, you need to be careful, Tony," Pepper said firmly, "because Spider-Man is not your kid. Peter Parker is, and if Ross…or anyone for that matter hear you say that, then you'll basically expose Peter in seconds flat."

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded realizing that Pepper was right. "Okay, okay, you're right," he said.

"Good," Pepper said. "Second of all, we had a feeling this could happen."

"I know," Tony said pacing back and forth, "but, Pep, one of his goons shot at Peter…They shot at Peter when he wasn't doing anything, and Ross was ready to force him to sign those Accords." He got physically sick at the thought of one of Ross' men firing a bullet at Peter and Ross threatening him. "Can we use this against him?"

"Tony, you know we can't," Pepper said calmly. "If we do anything too drastic, it could ruin yours and Rhodey's chances of changing the Accords, and it could make people suspicious as to who Spider-Man is. They could see it's a way to hide something, and Rhodey and Vision will tell you the exact same thing. We need to be careful with this, especially now that Ross has tried to go after Spider-Man."

Once again, Pepper was right, and Tony knew this. He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything to Ross…not without physical evidence or something that he wouldn't be able to stop. He sighed in defeat as he sat on the bed running a hand through his hair. "I know you're right," he said looking up at Pepper. "I just want to protect him, Pep. All I can think about is how Ross could've found out his secret, and I wouldn't be able to do anything to help him."

Pepper sighed herself as she walked over to Tony and sat next to him on the bed. "Honey, you did protect him," she said. "You have been protecting him. We both have, and I know you love him. I love him, too, but we can't go guns blazing whenever Ross tries something. As far as he knows, Spider-Man is not a teenager. He's a hero…an enhanced individual, who didn't sign the Accords or reveal his identity. He is going to look into it, especially when he's got several Rogues on the run."

"I know," Tony said. "So…what can we do? Peter isn't going to stop being Spider-Man."

"Of course not," Pepper said. "The best thing we can do now is continue to try to change the Accords and to proceed as normally as we can. Peter can stick to Queens and small crimes…crimes that won't go off on Ross' radar."

Tony nodded and sighed. "And if that still doesn't work?" he asked.

"Then we'll deal with it in whatever way we can," Pepper replied before kissing Tony on the cheek.

"Okay," Tony said wrapping an arm around Pepper and pulling her close. "You're an angel, my dear."

Pepper chuckled. "I try," she said. "Everything will be okay, Tony."

"I hope you're right on that one," Tony retorted.

"Well, I've been right on plenty of things so far," Pepper said, "so I'm fairly confident I have a winning streak."


However, the next morning…Tony seriously began to doubt that statement from Pepper…when his phone rang as he looked over the Accords. He sighed in exasperation when he saw that it was…Secretary Ross. He was tempted to not answer…to just let the phone ring, but…when the memories of last night flashed through his head…of Peter being injured, cornered, and threatened, he decided against it and decided to bite the bullet…for Peter. So, he pressed the green button on the screen accepting the call. Thankfully, Pepper was in her office, and Peter was in his room probably still sleeping.

"This is Stark," Tony answered trying to keep his tone in check.

"Stark, I didn't think you would answer," Ross said with a smirk on his face.

"What do you want, Ross?" Tony asked wanting to make this as quick and painless as possible.

"Oh, come on now, Tony," Ross said. "I just wanted to let you know that I am about to return to DC as we speak, and I wanted to check to see how your pet Spider-Man was doing. He had quite a scrape from our encounter last night."

"Not that it's any of your business," Tony began through clenched teeth, "but my guy is just fine no thanks to you. Maybe you can tell me what the hell you were doing in New York anyay."

"Oh relax, Stark," Ross said with that smirk possibly never leaving his face, "I was simply following up on our discussion about Spider-Man. The UN asked me more about the warehouse incident, I was simply looking into it in a little more detail. I need to make sure he doesn't go against the Accords."

"Yeah, well, let's get this straight," Tony retorted. "That warehouse collapsing wasn't Spider-Man's fault. It was the Vulture's fault."

"As far as I was concerned and the UN was concerned," Ross replied, "I had to look for solid evidence to prove that and to make sure there were no casualties involved…especially when he and you for that matter were involved in the Staten Island Ferry incident. If this vigilante had signed the Accords and followed protocol, we wouldn't have a need for all this, Tony."

"Spider-Man is my responsibility, Ross," Tony retorted, "and as far as I'm concerned, he's not ready to deal with Avengers-level threats, including signing the Accords…at least not until we agree to change them."

"And that remains to be seen," Ross said. "I am meeting with the UN to talk about yours and Col. Rhodes'…suggestion, so will see what they say. Until then…make sure your spider-pet stays out of said 'Avengers-level threats.' If not…I will not hesitate to arrest him and send him to the RAFT for not following the Accords."

He didn't give Tony to chance to reply as he quickly hung up the phone leaving the billionaire in a stunned silence.

Tony felt his blood run cold. Fear and fury mized together inside him as he brought his phone down, and he began to breathe heavily. Pepper…he needed to get to Pepper.

"FRIDAY," he said as he stood up from his chair, "tell Pepper I'm coming down. I need to speak to her."

"Yes, boss," FRIDAY replied.

He didn't even bother to wait for FRIDAY as he quickly walked out of his office to go to his fiancée.


Author's Note: That's all for now, boys and girls! I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter, we'll get to see the outcome of Ross' meeting with the UN and Peter will get more of an understanding as to what Ross and the UN would do with him if he signs the Accords now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all in CHAPTER 25! OH, and before I forget, I wanted to let you know that I have officially planned out an outline for this story, and I'm happy to tell you that Raise Me Up is 58 chapters IN ALL! So, we are already almost halfway through! Don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys! See you in the next chapter!