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Chapter 12: When it All Comes Apart

Tony was angry. This was not supposed to happen. "How the hell does he have any idea as to what Rhodes and I were talking about?" Tony thought to himself nervously. As soon as they were secured inside the conference room, Tony went over to the cabinet to pour himself a glass of whiskey, the time of day be damned. Any unexpected meeting with Thaddeus Ross was a reason to have a hard drink in hand. He didn't bother offering Ross a glass. That would be a waste of good whiskey.

Tony stood by the cabinet and glared at Ross from across the room. The man remained standing and leveled Tony with a glare of his own.

Tony spoke first, "So… you going to tell me specifically why you're here? Or are you just going to continue pining for me from across the room?"

"I don't have time for your games, Tony." Ross snapped.

"Funny…" Tony answered, "…I was about to tell you the same thing!"

"Some of my men overheard Rhodes on his phone when he returned back to DC yesterday," Ross gave Tony a look.

Tony took a sip of whiskey, "Overheard? Or they were monitoring his calls?" he asked.

Ross didn't feel the need to clarify. "Apparently Rhodes seemed to be talking to someone about the ability to contact a fugitive. One whose whereabouts you claimed to know nothing about," he accused.

Tony's mind worked quickly, "Is he referring to Spider-Man or…"

Tony's thoughts were interrupted when Ross finally got to the point, "How long have you had a way to contact Rogers?" Ross demanded.

Tony added more whiskey to his glass before putting the bottle away and making his way over towards Ross. "Thank god," He thought, "at least this isn't about the kid."

"I've told you before," Tony began, "I have no intention of going after that traitorous son-of-a-bitch. He turned his back on me by protecting his boyfriend!"

"You have the resources to…"

"Nope! I am not wasting my valuable resources on Rogers. We're not on speaking terms, and I'm through with him! Finding Rogers is not in my job description, that's on you," he pointed towards Ross. "Unless he turns into some kind of star-spangled terrorist with his buddy, you can't ask Iron Man to go after him!"

Ross gave Tony an annoyed look and took a step in his direction. "You're avoiding my question, Stark… talking in circles. You didn't answer the real question. I don't care about whether or not you want to talk to Rogers. I want to know how to talk to him. I know you have a way, and I want it." Ross' tone was deadly serious.

"Is that what you know?" Tony challenged. He lifted his glass and finished the remaining whiskey in one gulp. "Well… I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary, but I'm afraid you were misinformed."

Ross was red in the face and trying to keep his anger in check. It wasn't working too well. "You selfish, arrogant bastard! I should place you under arrest right now!"

"On what grounds?!" Tony demanded. "Eavesdropping on one side of a phone conversation will hardly hold up in court. You can't even come close to taking me down!" Tony got in Ross' face and added, "You never will."

Ross stepped back and shook his head. "You're all talk, Tony. Always putting on a show. Always trying to present a picture of being the good guy… someone the people can trust." Ross growled. "It's bullshit. You signed the Accords as part of your show. You have no intention of cooperating with authorities!" he accused. "You can't be trusted! You're lying about Rogers, and I have no doubt you've lied to me about your knowledge of Spider-Man, too!"

Tony fought to keep his face unreadable for Ross, and he hoped that he was successful. "I will cooperate with the UN authorities. I do not need to cooperate with your agenda," he glared. "Now… you've over-stayed your welcome here today. Get the hell out!"

With that, Tony walked over to the door and held it open for Ross and his crew to leave.

Ross stood for a moment and examined Tony. "Ok, Stark," Ross sounded dangerous. He stepped closer to the door and made sure Tony was looking him dead in the eye when he said, "but when the shit hits the fan, just remember… it's your fault." He left those words hang in the air and motioned for his men to follow. Ross didn't feel the need to bring up his other news. He had an Ace up his sleeve, and he intended to use it.

Tony watched Ross leave. He wanted to be sure the man was gone for good before he made his way back to Peter. "What the hell just happened?" he thought.

Peter was trying to distract himself upstairs. May and Vision were sitting with him in front of the TV in lounge area.

Nothing on the TV was helping and he kept flipping through the channels:

ABC NEWS ANCHOR: "Today we're going to be talking to some representatives from the U.N. about possible changes to the Sokovia Accords…"

CLICK

HISTORY CHANNEL: "During the war, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was believed to have been killed in action. Captain Steve Rogers mourned…"

CLICK

CELEBRITY NEWS SHOW: "Tony Stark is expected to make an appearance at Times Square tomorrow with his fiancé, Pepper Potts. Some people are hoping that we may have "Tony Stark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" someday in the near future…"

CLICK

A RE-RUN OF LAW AND ORDER: A prison door slides closed with an audible crash. The prisoner looks forlorn and yells something about being innocent.

AUNT MAY GRABS THE REMOTE AND TURNS OFF THE TV.

"That's not helping," she said.

Peter didn't say anything. He was staring at the blank screen in front of him. Time was moving so slowly that he felt like the first 37 minutes at the DODC Vault went by faster.

"You seem distressed, young Peter," Vision commented. "There is no need to fret. Mr. Stark will tell you what he can."

"Ugh! I just hate this waiting part!" Peter whined. Suddenly, he had an idea. "FRIDAY, can you show us the feed of what's happening in the conference room with Ross?" Peter asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Peter, but you do not have access to that feed," FRIDAY replied.

"What?!" Peter was annoyed. "Why not?"

"Mr. Stark has given you limited access. You cannot access anything that puts you unnecessarily at risk. It's called the BABY GATE protocol," the AI explained.

"Are you kidding me?" Peter exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Ugh! Of course, it is!" He stood up and began to pace.

May and Vision shared a look.

"You are not yet an Avenger, young Peter. You cannot expect to have full privileges at this time," Vision stated simply.

"But you do!" Peter stood up and stared at Vision. "You can ask FRIDAY for the live feed! Please, Vision, I need to know what's happening! Maybe I should be getting Aunt May out of here! It may not be safe!"

"Peter…" May cut into his rambling. She looked towards Vision, "I don't think it's a good idea," she said.

"I am in agreement with you, Mrs. Parker," Vision replied. "It is best we wait for Mr. Stark."

They only had to wait a couple more minutes before the elevator opened and Tony himself stepped into the room.

"I thought I told you to wait in the lab? What if Ross demanded to go up and see what we were working on?" Tony snapped at Peter as he came forward.

Peter looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you were serious." He looked thoughtful, "Would it be a good idea to let Ross see the labs? Wouldn't he see the Spider-Man projects?" Peter asked.

"Of course it would be a bad idea to take Ross there… that's not the point," Tony complained. "I didn't know where you were at first! I thought maybe you ran off or something… at least until FRIDAY told me you were up here," he admitted.

"Tony…" May warned, "You need to tell us what is going on! We've been worried."

Tony rubbed a hand over his face before making his way over to the kitchen counter and leaning against it. He looked up at the three other people in the room. "Everything is fine," he said, "for now," he added.

"May we inquire as to the nature of your meeting?" Vision asked. "Young Peter and his aunt have been waiting anxiously."

Tony sighed and gave Vision a look, but he decided that they deserved some explanation. "Yesterday, Rhodey and I talked about Steve Rogers. Rhodes wanted to discuss whether or not we should try to contact Steve and give him any updates about what we're trying to accomplish with amendments to the Accords. I told Rhodey that Cap is a big boy and can get information on his own," Tony spat out. "Somehow, he overheard Rhodes talking to someone later on the phone… I'll have to find out who it was, but I suspect he was talking to Pepper. Those two are always working together to discuss my health and well-being or something!" He rolled his eyes, "Anyway…someone informed Ross that Rhodey was talking with someone about the ability to contact Rogers. Naturally, Ross thought he needed to get in my face and demand that I tell him how he might be able to reach out to Grandpa Steve for himself," Tony explained.

"So, this wasn't about Peter at all?" May asked hopefully.

Peter collapsed on a nearby chair in relief.

"Well…" Tony began. May noticed that Tony looked a bit anxious, and Peter sat up in his seat.

"Well? What?" May prompted.

Tony stepped forward and pushed his hands into his pockets. He sighed and answered, "Ross believes that I am lying about my knowledge of Steve Rogers; therefore, he felt the need to accuse of me of also lying about my knowledge of Spider-Man," Tony admitted.

Peter threw his head back in frustration and closed his eyes, "Shit!" he said. Mostly to himself, but the others heard him.

"Yeah…" Tony agreed. "The good news is that I don't think he gave my intern a second thought. He hasn't connected those dots yet, kid. That's a good thing."

Peter opened his eyes to look at Tony. Tony met his gaze and added, "Good job, Mr. Parker. We dodged a bullet…" he said, "at least for now."

May went and sat down near Peter. Vision was standing off to the side and quietly absorbing the information.

"I think…" Peter started and began to stand up. "I think I need to be alone. I'm going to go to my room for a while," he stated.

Tony looked disappointed. "I was hoping we could go to lab… get our minds on something else?" he offered.

"Maybe later…" Peter said. "…I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I just need to be alone." He walked towards his room, but turned back to add, "Maybe we can catch up in the training room later? I think I'd like to work of some anxiety this afternoon."

"Sure, kid," Tony said, "I can agree to that."

Peter went into his room, leaving the other three to stand in the lounge.

"He's worried," May said to Tony. "So am I. This was too close."

"I know," Tony said. "I need to call Rhodes and Pepper. Maybe I can fill you in more later. I'll see if Pepper's able to meet us all for dinner."

With that, Tony made his way to the elevator. May and Vision watched him go.

"I fear things may take a turn," Vision stated.

She sighed, "Let's hope it's not a turn for the worse."

Vision didn't answer, but she could tell that he didn't think things were going to be better.

The rest of the time at the compound went by quickly. Peter and Tony were able to spend time together before the group had dinner that evening. Tony and Pepper left Sunday morning for the city. Peter and May spent the day together before watching the ball drop on TV. They laughed at Tony's antics whenever the camera panned to show him and Pepper in Times Square. Vision joined Peter and May to watch the ball drop, but he didn't seem overly interested in the show. They were all distracted by Ross's appearance the day before.

Tony and Pepper made it back in time on Monday morning to bid farewell to May and Peter. They had a late breakfast together, and Pepper talked about throwing a party for Peter's birthday during his visit for spring break. She wanted to distract him and give him something to look forward to.

Midtown Tech always had a long break. This year, their break was from March 17 through March 27. Peter's 16th birthday fell on Thursday, March 22nd. They decided that MJ and Ned could come up for a party at the compound that day. Peter would go back with them that evening, and May would have another party back in Queens for him on Friday. Peter would be allowed to invite more friends to that party. They would determine the location for the second party later.

By the time Happy was ready to take them home, Peter was back to being more upbeat. He gave both Pepper and Tony a hug before joining May in the car to head home. Peter would return to school the next day, and he was eager to give MJ a call when they returned. He would call Ned, too. He just had some unfinished business with Michelle. He smiled to himself as they pulled away.

Pepper and Tony watched them leave.

"You okay?" Pepper asked Tony when they pulled away.

"I'll be fine," Tony responded. "I just can't shake this feeling that our plans for his next break will be interrupted." He looked at Pepper. "Ross is up to something, Pep. I can feel it. I just wish I knew what it was."

Time again moved by quickly. Peter settled back into his school routine. He and MJ were officially a couple now. At first, Ned was annoyed, but Peter and MJ weren't going overboard with any public displays of affection. Therefore, things didn't feel too different, and Ned was grateful. Life was comfortable. They continued to help Peter with his patrols after school. Everything seemed to be perfectly fine. They didn't need to worry about Thaddeus Ross.

Or so they thought.

It was the end of February when Ross was finally able to arrange a private meeting with Adrian Toomes, the Ace up his sleeve. During his investigation into Spider-Man, his men heard rumors about the man avoiding some of the other inmates, especially those who believed that he knew the identity of Spider-Man. Ross wanted to question the man for himself, but he needed to do it under-the-radar. He didn't want Stark or anyone else to know that he would be questioning the man known as the Vulture. It took some time to work with the officials at the prison to keep his visit off the books.

When Ross made his way into the private interrogation room, he found Toomes handcuffed to the table in front of him. Ross sat down and met the man's eyes from across the table.

Toomes wasn't an idiot. He recognized the man sitting across from him. "Well, well, well…" Toomes began, "Secretary Thaddeus Ross… to what do I owe this honor? It's not every day that I get a visit from an important man such as yourself," he said. He spoke with arrogance and he seemed bored. Ross noticed the man acted as if he had better things to do with his time, and he wondered how prison could possibly be more interesting.

"Adrian Toomes," Ross stated, "also known as 'The Vulture.'" Ross rolled his eyes a little, "you all need a special name these days, don't you?"

Toomes just shrugged his shoulders and continued to look bored.

"I'm going to get right to the point, Mr. Toomes. I'm a very busy man," Ross gave Toomes a pointed glare from across the table.

"I'm not going anywhere," Toomes motioned towards the cuffs, "I'm all ears."

"I want whatever information you have on the Spider-Man," Ross demanded. "He got involved in with the Avengers in Germany, and he caused trouble when he went after you on that plane. He needs to be held accountable, and I want to know who he is!"

Toomes laughed, "Just look for the guy running around in red and blue tights! What do you need me for?" he asked.

"I hear…" Ross leaned forward on the table, "…that you know who he is. I want the name."

"You're wasting your time, Mr. Secretary. I don't know who he is," Toomes replied smugly.

"Bullshit," Ross thought. "If that's how you want to do this, Mr. Toomes," Ross nodded to one of his men in the corner. "Wade, if you please…"

Wade was a big, military-looking man that stepped forward. Toomes craned his neck to look behind him, and he flinched when he saw the man with something in his hand.

"Woah, woah…hey! Wait a minute!" Toomes protested. It was no use. A second later, a needle was plunged into Toomes' neck. Wade nodded at Ross and stepped back. "What the hell was that?" Toomes demanded.

"Something to help you give me the truth," Ross explained calmly. "I told you… I am a busy man. I want answers, and you are going to tell me what you know."

"Truth serum?!" Toomes yelled. "You bastard! You gave me truth serum?" Toomes shook his head back and forth rapidly, as if he could rid his system of the contents that were now moving through his veins. "Shit!" he cried.

"Listen to me, Vulture," Ross began. "You made your living on taking things that didn't belong to you. I believe you have some information that belongs to me now. Who. Is. Spider-Man?" he emphasized his last words.

Toomes was breathing heavily, clearly trying to fight the drugs in his system. "He's mine!" he said, "That little web-slinger is supposed to be mine!"

"So, you do know him?" Ross clarified. "I want a name."

"The little prick took my daughter to homecoming! He was in my car! I should've known sooner. He was so strange back at the house," Toomes laughed and was clearly more disoriented, "I chalked it up to him being some nervous nerd who was afraid of his girlfriend's dad."

Ross looked confused. "What the hell is he rambling on about?" He looked towards Wade who just shrugged. "His name… what is his NAME?" Ross was practically yelling now.

Toomes looked like he was fighting a battle within himself. Sweat was beading on his forehead. "Agh! PARKER!" He finally answered, "The little shit's name is Peter Parker! He went to Midtown Tech with my daughter… he lives in Queens." Toomes admitted, breathing heavily.

"Parker?" Ross furrowed his brows and looked over to Wade. "Why the hell does that sound familiar?" he asked.

Wade was pulling up information on his phone. "I got his school picture, boss," he said. "What do you know? It sounds familiar because you met him already, sir…"

Wade handed the phone with Peter's picture to Ross. Upon seeing the image, Ross clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared in anger.

"…isn't that the kid we met when you went to see Stark?" Wade asked.

"SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Ross yelled. He stood up so fast that he knocked over the chair he'd been sitting on. "It's the fu****g intern! I should have known!" Ross stared back at the picture. "He's just a kid! How is this even possible?!" He looked back at Toomes.

"I don't have a clue. I dropped a building on the little bastard, and he still got up and came after me!" Toomes whined.

"What do you wanna do about it, boss?" Wade asked.

A wicked smile pulled across Ross's face. "Oh… I know exactly what we are going to do!" He nodded his head back towards Toomes.

"Take care of him, Wade," he said. "We have some things to take care of." With that, Ross made his way out of the room.

Adrian Toomes never even saw the second syringe before Wade plunged it into his neck.

Ned, MJ, and Peter were having dinner with May at the apartment. Tonight, they brought home some Chinese food, and they were eager to dig in. With spring break a few weeks away, their homework load increased. They were planning to spend the night studying together for a History exam.

Suddenly, May stopped and stared at the TV that was muted in the background. "Oh my god," she whispered, stepping forward to unmute it and listen to the story that was playing on the news.

The teenagers turned to see what she was looking at, and their jaws dropped open.

"Oh no…" MJ gasped.

"Can't be…" Ned commented.

Peter looked sad, "Poor Liz… turn it up, Aunt May."

NEWS REPORTER: "Earlier this morning, Adrian Toomes (AKA "The Vulture") was found dead in his prison cell. While his death is still under investigation, officials believe that Toomes killed himself. He was found hanging from his bunk with what the guards believed to be his bed sheets. There does not appear to be any foul play involved…"

"I can't watch anymore," Aunt May said as she quickly turned the TV off. "We don't need to see that." She shook her head. "That poor family."

The teenagers were quiet. There just wasn't anymore that needed to be said.

"I guess I don't have to worry about him revealing my secret," Peter thought. "I just hope he didn't kill himself because of me… I would never be able to live with that. Poor Liz!"

Peter never seemed to think about himself. If he had, he might have realized that this was his chance to speak up and tell Aunt May that Toomes had known his secret. Perhaps May would have helped him realize that there was something fishy about Toomes killing himself, especially when the man had wanted so desperately to get back to his family.

By the time Peter would realize his mistake, it would be too late.

A/N: Uh oh! There it is. Don't forget to share your thoughts and review! Please and thank you!