[Understandings and Endings – Part 2]

"I don't know what you guys learnt at the Imperial Academy, but I'm very sure that running away with the young master of your household was not a chapter to be studied there." Keyron announced in his grave Head Butler voice, a deep frown drawn on his face as he stared down at the guilty boys –young men in their own rights –sitting on the couch in front of him.

The stern lecture session was very quickly ruined when his wife stepped up beside him, cups of warm tea in her hands. It was clear in the Reyes household that despite all the power Keyron held as the Head Butler, Kiera was still the most authoritative figure as she nudged him aside, placing the cups on the low table in front of the couch with a gentle smile only relieved mothers could make.

"Drink the tea while it's hot. It must have been a hard week for you boys."

"We're fine, Mum." Kylar did his best to smile back, but everyone could see how much his bandaged hand was trembling when they reached for the tea. As if embarrassed by the fact of his trembling hands, the young man retracted his hand immediately, folding his arms hurriedly.

"Don't do that!" Kiera's order was gentle yet authoritative at the same time, surprising the Reyes men. "Don't ever be embarrassed at what you suffered in order to protect your young master. The doctors said it was temporary, but even if it were to be a permanent thing, Kylar, we will never abandon you. You will not be less of a butler with shaking hands."

"But, I won't be able to serve Kyren well in the future... You heard what the doctors said; I'm going to have recurrent pain in my arms and I am not going to be able to control them once they start trembling." At his mother's order, Kylar had his hands uncrossed and laid limply on his lap, still trembling. "Dad, maybe you should assign Kyvan to serve Kyren personally from now onwards."

"No!" The protest came loudest from the younger brother, and all members of the Reyes family turned to find that Kyvan's eyes were already brimming with tears. Kyvan might have made it through all sorts of difficult training alongside Kylar –might have gotten the golden coat of arms similar to his brother's -but it was during times like these that Keyron and Kiera were forced to admit that Kyvan had not matured in the same way Kylar had.

Still, it was a childishness that Keyron was secretly glad to see –the fact that Kyvan reminded him of his younger self.

"Kyvan, you need to think about it. If-" Kylar's attempt at a calm, rationalization exercise was ruined when Kyvan put his hands over his ears desperately.

"I'm not listening! If you're not serving Kyren beside me, then I won't serve anyone! I don't care; I'm not listening!" Kyvan shouted, the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Kyvan, you have to listen-"

"Enough." Keyron stepped in, disbelieving of how spectacularly he had lost all semblance of authority within his own family. He had been trying to start a lecture session with his sons on how they had allowed –and even supported -their young master to roam out in the open dangerously, but somehow they had completely ignored that.

"Nobody is making any decisions to remove anybody from anybody's side. We all got our injuries and scars from this incident, but nobody is dead or gone. Nothing is going to change just because your hand trembles a little." Keyron announced strongly, crossing his arms to show that he meant business this time.

"But, Dad-"

"But nothing." Keyron interrupted before Kylar could continue more. "Your mum made tea for the both of you, so stop acting like kids and drink up. Kiera has been super worried about the two of you this whole time, so accept her love."

The stern order worked well and both boys hung their head in silence as they carefully retrieved the cups from the table. Keyron understood the small touch on his hand that his wife gave him and allowed her to guide him to the opposite couch, the both of them sitting down. The movements strained Keyron's tightly bandaged shoulder back from when he had been ruthlessly shot and then slashed during the whole mess when James Hague and his men had rushed into Kyrano's apartment.

Unfortunately, that had not been the worst thing he had received from the entire incident –the worst was the additional information he had learnt as a side effect to the incident, though it was not remaining a secret for much longer.

"I know that you two did what you had to do as Young Master Kyren's butlers, but it still remains a fact that you let him be put in a situation of danger. Instead of forcing Kyren to come back safely, you two made Mr. Brandon and Miss Louise, and us very worried for a whole week. I think we deserve an apology for that." Kiera –true to her position of the wife of the Butler in White –started the topic with a serious note, to which their sons obeyed in a flash. "Will you two explain to us all that happened in the past week?"

"After we were forced through the trapdoor underneath the bed by... uh... this man named Kay-" Kyvan started, hesitating.

Kiera's sternness was quick to fall away into the gentle smile in response.

"You can tell us everything, boys. I know Kyrano is alive and has been watching over us –especially Young Master Kyren and Miss Louise."

"What? How did you know about Uncle Kyrano?" The wide-eyed wonder response also hid a dash of awe.

"Your father tells me everything." Kiera gave her husband a side glance, to which the sheepish husband smiled awkwardly. "But I have met Kyrano personally as well. When the two of you were at the Imperial Academy, there was once your father, Miss Louise and Mr. Brandon had to go overseas for business and Young Master Kyren was left with me. On our way back from the airport, we were ambushed, but Kyrano saved us all. He left as quietly as he came."

"That sounds like Uncle Kyrano alright." Kyvan nodded in understanding. "Yes, so after we emerged from the other end of the trapdoor tunnel, we appeared in this room in an apartment building at the other side of town. There were supplies for a hideout, so we stayed there to wait for help. Kylar went out to scout the area, but he found Uncle Kyrano all bloodied and basically half-conscious and dragged him back. Kyren told us he didn't have any intention about coming back until we brought down James Hague, and we saw that he couldn't be dissuaded –he looked like Miss Louise when he declared his intentions. So, we planned to send Miss Kaylen back first, and we started planning."

"Not alone?" Keyron cut in this time with a short question, and was answered by honest nods.

"Uncle Kyrano is a... scary man." Kylar spoke up this time, looking embarrassed at his inability to find an appropriate descriptor for his impression of the man. "He had all sorts of back-up plans and stashes of cash and whatever we needed all over town. While he was dipping between consciousness, he told us where we could get those things to help us, so we took turns to collect those things to help us."

"To be rather fair, I helped him maintain some of those stashes." Keyron admitted. "It takes two to tango –I helped him in places where I spotted traces of his involvement, and he continued to watch over us."

"Is that the reason why Ryder Flint was never a concern for the Greaves-Crawford Household?" Kylar questioned, honest curiosity blank in his eyes.

"I had my suspicions the first time Ryder's name appeared in my radar, but after a few times I guessed it was him. I always received testimonies of how our enemies had gotten in touch with this Ryder Flint person, and how they had trusted him because he displayed intense, almost-obsessive hatred against the Greaves-Crawford Household. But Ryder never tried anything against us directly, and I put two and two together." Keyron confessed. "Is that why Kyren went approaching James Hague pretending to be Ryder's son?"

"You knew about that?"

"Your uncle isn't the only scary person in the Reyes family." Keyron reminded, feeling the childish need to match up against his twin despite the fact that he had already been the capable Butler in White for so long. "Miss Louise instructed me to let you boys do what you want and support you along the way, so I did."

"Then those coincidences of the police appearing when James Hague was on the run..."

"It was me." Keyron nodded, smiling lightly when twin looks of awe appeared. While he knew he could hardly match his twin brother in the area of supernatural abilities, at least he could match Kyrano in being a capable butler worthy of the Greaves-Crawford Household.

"That explains why it went so surprisingly easy for us... Do you think Uncle Kyrano knew about it?"

"He sure did. Why do you think we knew where you boys were meeting James Hague that day? He knew you boys were going to end things, and he could guess that James was going for a Hail-Mary move. He was in no shape to deal with any big emergencies, so he contacted me. Brandon insisted on coming along when he found out that I was still getting updates on your boys from Kyrano, and... well, Miss Louise knew we were keeping secrets and insisted on coming along."

"Did she find out about him?"

"I don't know." Keyron shook his head with complete honesty. "Ever since she came to terms with the fact that Kyrano is gone, Miss Louise has developed this defense mechanism –and honestly, it is precisely because of this defense mechanism that the Greaves-Crawford Household has been able to survive thus far. Miss Louise stops thinking –I think 'suspend logic process' might be a better way of describing this –when she is faced with any piece of information that even remotely suggests that Kyrano is alive. She never questions and never pushes the point when the topic even so much hints that Kyrano might be responsible any incident. Miss Louise never entertains the thought that Kyrano might be alive, because if she does, then she cannot be the Mistress of the Greaves-Crawford Household anymore."

There was understanding silence that stewed in the living room of the Reyes quarters within the Greaves-Crawford Mansion.

"Boys." Keyron finally broke the silence after a short while, deciding that it was time for them to face the truth –a truth that was going to be hard to face, but still something they would have to deal with regardless of what happened. "I have bad news."

Kiera placed a comforting hand over her husband and did her best to smile comfortingly at the alarmed expressions of their sons.

"In the future... there might be a time that you two may have to serve Miss Louise and Brandon in my stead, and when you do, don't be afraid."

"Dad, what are you..." Kyvan breathed in deep, but Kylar's frozen expression meant that the elder of the twins had more or less understood the situation.

"When I was at the hospital to get my shoulder patched up after that day, I started bleeding from my nose for no reason. Since I was already at the hospital, Brandon made me do a check-up and... well, I have the same cancer that took my sister and mother so many years ago."

"This... this can't be!" Kyvan denied. "You've always been so healthy!"

"Because your grandmother and your aunt passed on with the same illness, it was natural that I had a higher tendency of being on the receiving end. It was inevitable, just saddening that it had to show itself so early." Keyron explained calmly, threading his fingers through his wife's and a gentle, serene smile spread across his face.

"How far are you? What stage is it?" Kylar was quick –as usual –to focus on the important bits. It was very butler-like, and Keyron could only smile at that character trait of his son's.

"It is not too late for me just yet –it can still be controlled with medicine. But it may get worse anytime, and when it does..." Keyron took in a deep breath, leaving the remaining words unspoken.

"The reason why your father decided to tell the two of you about this is because we believe that you boys are old enough to understand the weight of your positions. In a few years, Young Master Kyren will be out in the business world to join his parents. The Greaves-Crawford Household is the household we have pledged our lives to, and even if your father falls to his illness, it is up to you two to step in his place." Kiera spoke up to fill in the somber silence.

"Does... Does Miss Louise and Mr. Brandon know about this?" Kylar swallowed.

"Of course, they do. There's nothing Brandon doesn't know about me, and if he does, then Miss Louise does as well." Keyron chuckled despite the heaviness of the atmosphere. "But for the first time in his life, he is actually like an adult about this –at least in front of me. I think he may have cried in his wife's arms in bed for a few nights, but he acted like nothing was wrong in front of me."

"Dear, you shouldn't say things like that about Mr. Brandon. Where else are you going to find a master who cries over his butler?"

"My sons found a master like that." Keyron turned to face his wife, the struggle between sadness and strength bright in her eyes. As the wife of the Butler in White, Kiera had picked up a thing or two to acting like everything was fine, but Keyron knew his wife had cried quietly by herself a few times after receiving the news. Nothing he could say was going to change the truth of his illness, and so he had allowed her to cry by herself.

"Dad..." The sniffles were loud and Keyron could not help his chuckles again when he spied the complex expressions displayed on his sons' faces, the liquid free-falling.

"I guess I was wrong." Keyron's mirth was paired with hotness stinging in his eyes and he wiped consciously at the corner of his eyes, not surprised to find hot liquid smudging his fingers.

"Brandon hit the nail on the head back when we were young: it seems like we're all cry-babies."

________________________________________________________________________________

"My dear, I know the bow is heavy for you, but you have to do your best to square your back when holding it up." Louise spoke gently as light hands pulled hunched shoulders apart. The young 10-year-old held the position for a short moment, aimed quickly and let the arrow fly. It pierced through the air with a quick 'whoosh' and landed with a dull thud –hitting the board although it was not the best shot possible.

"It's hard, Mama." Kaylen complained, rolling her protesting shoulders.

"I know." Louise clapped lightly at the results of her daughter's hard work as consolation. "But look, you hit the board this time. With more practice, you will be hitting centre without problem."

"Did you have to practice for long like this as well when you were younger?" Kaylen asked curiously, fiddling with her pouch to free another arrow from the bunch.

"I started holding the bow when I was 8 years old, but I only became better at it around your age." Louise answered honestly, thinking quickly back to her younger days when she had similar struggled with the same problems as her daughter now. "My butler taught me the right position to draw the bow and once I had my posture fixed, it became a matter of getting used to it."

"Are you still good at archery, Mama?" The innocent question was asked with no hint of a deeper meaning –just simply the curiosity of a ten-year-old who had not watched her mother shoot arrows before.

"I am probably no good for competitions anymore." Louise answered casually, stepping to the rack of bows that had been set up and picking out hers together with the bag of arrows.

"Don't listen to your mother's lies." Brandon must be out to make his wife a liar as he cut in with a laugh, a bow of his own in his hand and the bag of arrow slung across his back. Dressed in sensible clothes, Louise was had to admit that her husband looked more like a huntsman than the businessman he was –and that in itself only spoke of how a man's clothes clearly spoke louder than his actions at time. "If Louise were to enter into a competition right now, I have no doubts that she will make it out to the top. In fact, I have heard of a scandalous story about your mother back when she was still at the Rose Academy of how a fellow young noblewomen challenged her to an archery competition for the possession of her butler, and your mother absolutely crushed her."

"Brandon." Louise's warning frown was dangerous in its own rights, but there were certainly some immunities that the man enjoyed being married to the most dangerous businesswoman in the world.

"Really?" Kaylen's surprise was understandable considering the impression of goddess grace that she had built around her mother –still too young to understand all that Louise had to go through to exude that exact grace in the first place. "Tell me more about this story, Papa!"

"This story was before your papa and Keyron had entered the Rose Academy, my princess." Brandon casually spoke as he strolled to install himself beside the beautiful ladies of his family. "It was when your mother was the Rose of the Academy –the strongest and most powerful lady in the academy –and there was a noblewoman named Amelle... Amelie...Emmy...?"

"Amelia." Louise corrected despite her warning to her husband, sighing in resignation that her husband had gone full-on story-telling mood. The man might be one of the strongest businessmen in the world, but when he went on such story-telling moods, he was certainly the most long-winded man Louise ever knew. It also did not help that Brandon was fond of exaggerating the facts of the story, often making them out to be grander and more spectacular than they actually were. They had made for entertaining stories for Kyren and Kaylen back when they were young and innocent, but such exaggerated stories were quickly becoming too childish for their growing children.

"Yes, right, Amelia. Miss Amelia was in love with her butler Jet, but Jet had rejected Miss Amelia's fragile heart. Distraught and desperate for the attention and undevoted love of another, Miss Amelia turned to target the most capable butler in the whole Rose Academy –your mother's. Your mother refused to let anyone take away her possession, and so when Miss Amelia –a champion in the National Archery Championship –challenged your mother to a round for the possession of her butler... well, let's just say Miss Amelia had to run away in shame that day." The grandeur at which Brandon painted the story was classic Brandon-like. Unfortunately, there was more to the story that met the eyes... and the details of that story were not good for an innocent nine-year-old like Kaylen.

"If this was before you and Uncle Keyron went to the Rose Academy, Papa, then does this mean that Mama was fighting for her butler Kyrano?" The innocent question glinted bright in beautiful eyes that had yet been opened to the harshness of her mother's reality in the past.

"That's right. Your mother was fighting for Kyrano, and she showed off her archery skills to the world while doing so." Brandon could not help but put a hand to his daughter's hair to tousle it, endearing protests of how he was destroying her careful hairstyle.

"Mama, show me! I want to see you shoot!" Kaylen rested her bow on the floor, pointing excitedly at the target board not very far away –having taken into account Kaylen's premature muscles that had yet developed enough to shoot far.

"For you, my princess." Louise was definitely caught in a good mood as she obeyed, turning to walk to a decent distance away from the target board while Brandon wisely brought their daughter to stand in a safe zone. Breathing in deep once to gather her wits, the familiarity of the weight of her bow was comfortable as she fixed an arrow upon the bowstring, then raised it in position.

Louise had truly forgotten the last time she held her bow for any reason –archery had slowly become a skill that noblewomen gave up on since it demanded unlady-like arm muscles. Unfortunately, to Louise's soft regret, it appeared that the unpopularity of the sport was due to the lack of role-models like Louise herself –the ability to be a stellar shooter with a graceful poise without obvious arm muscles.

The Mistress of the Greaves-Crawford Household took aim, held in another deep breath, then let her fingers loose as she breathed out in the same moment. The sound of the arrow cutting through the air was a much cleaner sound as compared to her daughter's arrow, and the thud was louder as well when eyes turned to find that Louise had indeed not lost her skills over the years.

"Wow! Mama you're so good!" Kaylen clapped in gleeful awe. "I wanna be like you when I grow up!"

"You don't have to try very hard, my princess." Brandon himself was clapping lightly in congratulation to his wife, having fallen in love all over again at the sight of the effortlessly elegant posture the woman had shown in the brief moment she had taken to aim at the target board. "You're already so pretty. All you have to do is learn a bit on how to run a business, then you will be another Louise!"

"It's much more complicated than that, don't let your father cheat you into thinking otherwise." Louise corrected cautiously, then finally seemed to remember the question that had been hanging on her lips the moment her husband had intruded into the conversation. "Where is Kyren, Brandon? Was he not with you?"

"He said he wanted to talk to his butlers and went running off before I could ask him more." Brandon shrugged, always an easily-forgiving man when it came to his children. "The Reyes family will be here anytime. I came first to enjoy a bit of peaceful silence with you and Kaylen before the noisy ones arrive."

"We had our peace before you arrived." Louise answered in a matter-of-fact tone, and Kaylen was clearly old enough to understand the connotation as she giggled.

"What- Louise, how can you say this of your husband!" Brandon's dramatic splutter of shock was clearly exaggerated, but it was all that was needed to draw the gentle smile of amusement across Louise's face.

"What has Miss Louise said to you this time? I'll bet the entire Greaves-Crawford fortune that it's something about you being noisy or childish." The intruding voice came in the form of a raised voice, and the trio turned to find that the Reyes family –together with Kyren –had indeed arrived to the Greaves-Crawford's seaside villa. It was a rare time to see Keyron and his sons without their usual butler outfit, and Louise could not help but wonder how many eyes had turned towards this family of handsome features during their journey from the Main Mansion to where they were.

"What kind of butler are you; using the fortunes of your master's to make a bet?" Brandon certainly did not miss his cue to offer a protest. "Watch your words, Keyron, or I'm going to shoot you with this bow and arrow."

"Please." The Head Butler was totally at ease –setting a very casual atmosphere to this get-away that Louise had arranged for their families. "I was at your side when you were learning archery, remember? You couldn't even hit an apple if it was right in front of you."

"You're here." Louise ignored the childish argument between the men, walking to meet the approaching group. "I hope the journey was not too tiring."

"Dad snored on the plane. I couldn't sleep." Kylar answered honestly, earning an offended 'Hey!' from the man in topic, and inviting more light-hearted insults from the Master of the Greaves-Crawford family in response.

"You can take a break in your room if you are too tired." Louise answered with concern. "While we are here, there is no need for anyone to serve anyone. There is no need to address us formally as well; we are all family."

"Yes, Miss Louise." Kylar nodded, but Louise simply held a gentle smile of silence, raising her brow.

"I mean, yes... uh... Aunt Louise?"

"Aunt Louise will do fine." She gave her consent with a gentle smile, finally turning her attention to the young man's mother. "Kiera, I hope Kyren did not bother you too much in the journey."

"Mum, I'm 15 years old! Why do you think I'm not old enough to be on a plane without bothering Aunt Kiera?" The boy protested quickly.

"I defer my answer to the situation at hand." Louise answered, gesturing over to where the two grown men were still arguing about one thing or another. "You and your butlers were born to those two over there, and apples do not fall far from trees."

"Big Brothers, you're all here! Mum was teaching me how to do archery; shall we practice together?" Kaylen finally spoke up gleefully, brandishing her child-bow as visual evidence.

"Kaylen, your big brothers just got off the plane not too long ago. Let them rest for a bit indoors before we invite them out to practice, shall we?" Louise spoke kindly.

"Miss- I mean, Aunt Louise, we are fine. If you don't mind, I would like to practice shooting some arrows with Kaylen myself. I haven't picked up a bow since our days at the Imperial Academy, and I want to see if my skills have deteriorated since." Kyvan volunteered, and Louise helplessly gave way to the faithful butlers who genuinely seemed to enjoy entertaining her daughter. Given how close her sons have gotten to his butlers through the recent incidents, Louise wasn't surprised when Kyren declared that he wasn't tired and that he wanted to join in as well, running off back to the target board and leaving the adults behind.

"How have you been?" Louise asked Kiera since the men were still caught in their childish arguments and were moving indoors to the villa, leaving the ladies to watch over the children.

"We have been well." Kiera answered, but Louise had dealt with the woman's husband enough to know that there were things she was not saying.

"Kiera, we are simply family during this vacation in this villa. You don't have to hide anything from me – I don't want you to hide anything from me." Louise said, the women returning to where the equipment were displayed so that Louise could return her bow and arrows.

"We told the children about Keyron's condition." Kiera admitted with the light encouragement, a heavy sigh following the confession. "Expectedly the boys don't know how to take it. We all don't know how to live with this knowledge, but we just have to do it somehow."

"If you need any help –anything –don't be afraid to ask it from us, Kiera. You know Keyron; he won't ever admit that he needs the help even if he were on his deathbed. I'm going to have to rely on you to let us know what your family needs." Louise was quick to put a comforting arm around the only woman she could consider her close female friend in the harsh reality of life –a woman that Louise would trust with her children, her family and her life.

"What about Kylar? Are his hands still trembling?"

"Yes, but I think it is getting better. We're being cautiously hopeful that it will all go away in a short period of time, and well... my son is just like his father –if he has someone he has to protect and serve with his heart, he is able to get over whatever weakness he has to fulfil the role required for him. We're forever grateful that you and Brandon still want Kylar to serve Kyren despite everything."

"We told you and Keyron from the start, and we have no plans to change our minds. Both of them will serve Kyren for as long as they are willing to serve the Greaves-Crawford Household. I'm just sorry that Kylar had to suffer permanent injuries for my decision to make Kyren learn a lesson."

"Nonsense, Louise." Kiera was quick to stop the guilt from setting in with a serious voice. "I know you may blame yourself for what happened, but nobody else blames you for anything. The boys were the ones who made their decisions, and they have to take responsibility for their own actions. In fact, trembling hands being the only thing that Kylar suffers from after hitting his head in the car-bomb explosion is a blessing for all of us."

"Yes." Louise agreed, the ladies coming to a stop at the edge of the archery field, watching as their children entertained each other –Kyvan helpfully teaching and correcting Kaylen's posture while Kylar and Kyren engaged in a friendly competition on who could score more points.

The mothers stood side by side, watching the scene with quiet comfort for a long time, finally feeling the peace of a calm atmosphere that had thankfully settled in after the whole incident. Louise didn't know if there would ever be a time that she would feel such peace –the boys would fully become men in a few years and would no longer hold the small shred of childhood innocence –and she relished every moment of it watching the scene.

The feelings and words that Louise didn't know had been stewing inside rose in silence as the mothers watched the scene in front of them. She didn't know why she felt the urge to share her feelings, but she knew that even if she did, Kiera would understand her.

"You know, I lost a butler long ago." She started, surprising Kiera with the topic of conversation.

"Yes, Keyron's twin brother. Why?"

"I loved Kyrano, a very similar way how Brandon loves Keyron, and how Kyren loves Kylar and Kyvan now." Louise continued, watching as Kyren sneakily attempted to tickle Kylar on the waist to distract the butler in his focused aiming at the target board.

"I understood that from the stories Keyron used to tell me..." Kiera responded, not very sure where the topic was going. Was Louise about to show signs that she finally acknowledged that Kyrano was actually still alive and out there?

"I was the only one who have ever lost a butler I loved, but now with Keyron's illness..." Louise faded away softly, eyes never straying from the sight in front of them. "I never want Brandon to have to go through the same thing as I did. I never want Kyren to face any situation where he has to give up either Kylar or Kyvan. Kaylen should never have to face a day where she loses her big brothers in their line of duty."

"I know." Kiera agreed softly.

"If Kyrano was able to hear me now, he would tell me his usual line: A butler's happiness is his mistress's happiness. A butler's weakness is his mistress's weakness. But, as usual, it works the same way vice versa. A mistress's happiness is her butler's happiness, and a mistress's weakness is her butler's weakness." Louise continued, and Kiera understood that the woman was going through an internal soliloquy rather than holding a real conversation.

"Keyron is going to be fine because the Greaves-Crawford Household is strong. An illness like that is never going to bring him down –not when he has Brandon standing at his side. Brandon is the strongest man left alive in this world, and we're all really lucky to have him. I'm really lucky to have chosen him." There was love in Louise's voice as she continued the verbalized introspection, and Kiera could not help but smile to herself at how love-sick the usually cold and emotionless Louise sounded at the moment.

"Yes, Louise." Kiera could not help but agree once more to her mistress –her best friend ever since she found herself married to a certain Butler in White.

"We're all lucky to have chosen Brandon and Keyron to stand by our side."