All of your wonderful reviews got my creative juices flowing and I was able to finish this just in time for the holidays. This is my gift to all of you!

Merry Christmas!

AVENGERSAVENGERS

"Are you sure about this?"

True looked at her only friend at the wretched school she was made to attend. "For the last time Ellie stop worrying!"

"But we could get into big trouble! Do you even know what you're doing?"

True smirked. If her friend only knew. "Yeah me and my friends back home used to do stuff like this all the time."

"Maybe we shouldn't..."

"That bitch Arden has picked on you for the last time." True could see real fear on her friends face and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There's is no way they will catch us. I've put the security cameras on a loop and no one is supposed to come in for another 30 minutes. Even if they do you are just the look out and you don't know what I plan to do so you'll have plausible deniability. This will all fall on me okay?"

Ellie sighed then nodded. She did want to do something to get back at Arden.

True easily override the security system and picked the lock to the service entry door. She smiled at Ellie and disappeared into the school.

AVENGERSAVENGERS

True saw Arden coming and tapped Ellie's shoulder. "Here we go." The two girls watched as Arden finished getting her books from her locker before slamming the door shut. As True expected the resulting explosion shot the door off of the hinges and threw blue ink all over the items inside, including the white coat she and her cronies wore to denote their group. What she didn't expect was the door to fly down the hallway and hit Mrs Henry in the legs causing her to fall. The snap her arm made when she landed made everyone in the hall cringe. Chaos ensued after that as two teachers helped her up took her to the nurse while the rest herded the kids into their classrooms.

Ellie grabbed Trues arm in a death grip. "Oh my god. Oh my god."

"Ok that wasn't supposed to happen but pull it together or your going to get me caught." True hissed.

"But..."

"Shhh. Keep quiet and let me deal with any fall out. Remember plausible deniability."

True's anxiety lessened as the day wore on. She made sure to cover her tracks but a part of her still worried that she'd hear her name over the loudspeaker calling her to the office. Not that anyone paying her any attention would know. She was a professional after all. The bell rang indicating her last class of the day, PE, was to start so she followed her classmates out the door only to stop short when she saw Mr. Coleman leaning against the lockers across the hall with his arms crossed. She intended on walking right by him but he had other ideas.

"True McCallan. Here. Now." He pointed time a spot directly in front of him.

True forced a smile on her face and did as instructed. "Hey Mr C. What's up?"

"Come with me."

She followed him into his office and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. She nervously picked at her cuticles then chided herself that she needed to pull herself together. He might suspect she was involved but she knew there wasn't any proof so all she needed to do was maintain her innocence.

Mr. Coleman took his seat and pinned her with a look. "Did you have anything to do with what happened to Ardens locker?"

"I'm wounded Mr. C. Do you think I would do something so dangerous and reckless?"

"I think you planned and executed a vicious prank that went wrong."

"Now why would I do something like that?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Well since I didn't have anything to do with it I can't tell you anything to help answer that."

Mr. Coleman dry washed his face with his hands and sighed. "Ok obviously I'm not getting anywhere with you by asking. Let's try this." He spun his monitor around.

True felt her stomach drop to her feet as she watched herself walk down the hall to Ardens locker. "This is impossible. I hacked the..." she snapped her mouth shut.

"Hacked the security cameras? Yes I'm aware of that. These images are from the hidden cameras Tony installed in case someone found out about you and tried to get into the school to kidnap you." He turned the monitor to its normal position and leaned back in his chair. "Now what I want to know is why?"

True knew the gig was up and slumped down into her seat. "She's a bitch that needed to be brought down a peg. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"Now that I do believe. Regardless Mrs Henry was hurt and you destroyed the schools and Ardens property."

"Will Mrs Henry be ok? I really didn't mean for that to happen."

Mr. Coleman stood and walked around his desk to her side. "She has a broken arm but she should be ok in a few weeks. I can't say the same for you. Go into the outer office and have a seat. I need to call Steve."

When Steve arrived he didn't even look at her. He simply grabbed her by the back of her T-shirt and pulled her back into Mr Coleman's office. She went to sit but Steve's grip tightened and he forced her to stand in front of him facing the desk. He then stood so close behind her that she could feel the heat from his body.

"Did you do what Mr Coleman said?"

"What did he say I did?" She yelped as two hard swats landed on her rear. Now she understood why she was put into this position.

"Don't. Just don't."

"Didn't you see the video?"

"I don't need to see it because I'm asking you. Now answer me."

True had never directly lied to Steve and gotten away with it and didn't expect it to happen now. "Yes sir."

"True will pay for the girls ruined property and Mrs Henry's doctor bills and do anything she needs done while she is recovering."

"What? Ow!" True tried to rub her rear but Steve pushed her hands away.

"What is her punishment?"

Mr Coleman loved that Steve could control the little hellion before him. It made his job so much easier when he didn't have to pull the story or admittance of guilt out of her. "She will be suspended for five days and have a month of detentions when she returns. She will also be expected to apologize to Arden and Mrs Henry."

"I'm not apologizing to that little bitch!" The smacks that landed brought her up on her toes and tears filled her eyes.

"You will do as you are told understood?"

True wanted to argue but she knew this was just the beginning of what Steve planned to do to her. She didn't need to make it even worse. "Yes sir."

"Let's go."

The ride home was done in complete silence. True got up the courage to look over at Steve but quickly looked away when she saw his jaw muscles flexing angrily as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. They rode the elevator up to their floor and True was surprised to see Tony and Pepper waiting. At her questioning glance Tony spoke, not one ounce of his normal jocular sarcastic self heard in his voice. "Steve called us to help with this mess you created. I can't believe you would do something like this." He was all for pranking but not anything that would damage properly or cause harm to someone.

"You better hope Ardens family or Mrs Henry do not want to sue young lady or you will have to deal with me!" Pepper added angrily.

"I'm sorry."

Steve spoke for the first time since leaving Mr Coleman's office. "Not yet you aren't. Go sit down." He pushed her in the direction of the sofa.

True wondered why she wasn't sent her room but was too afraid to ask. Her answer came a few minutes later when the elevator doors opened revealing Happy and Ellie. She opened her mouth to speak but Steve threw her a look that had her snapping it shut.

"Sit next to your partner in crime." Happy directed.

Once situated Steve took up position on the coffee table in front of them while Happy and Pepper sat in the chairs to either side and Tony took up a spot behind Pepper. "Now both of you are going to tell me exactly what happened today and why."

"Why is Ellie here? She didn't have anything to do with this."

"Well she thinks she did because she called me and confessed." Happy replied. He had become more involved in the girls life when he started dating her mother Anna. It took a few months before he realized how often Ellie was left alone so Anna could work. Knowing what being unsupervised at a young age could lead to he vowed to give her whatever support she needed and made sure she had his number in case she needed anything. The anonymous scholarship he asked Tony to arrange for Ellie helped but it wasn't cheap living in New York and Anna still struggled to make ends meet.

"Ellie!"

"I'm sorry but I feel so bad that Mrs Henry got hurt all because of me!" She said and buried her face in her hands.

Steve reached over pulled them away. "What do you mean your fault?"

"Arden and her friends were already picking on me about things like being so small and not having a brand name jacket and the fact I didn't have a Dad. Then they found out I was going to the school on scholarship and kept calling me charity case. They spread it around the school and now everyone is calling me that." She said with tears in her eyes.

"I suppose this is when True decided to get Arden back." Tony said.

Ellie nodded.

"Did you know what True planned?"

"No. I was just lookout."

"And you convinced us that True needed to meet you early to help you with a science packet that was due today." Neither Steve or Tony liked the idea but the girls wanted to meet at the cafe down the street from the school where Ellies mom worked the morning shift. They promised they would do their work and then she would watch them walk to school. After talking to Anna they agreed. "Did you lie to your mom too?"

When she didn't reply Happy spoke up. "Answer him Ellery."

"I told my mom the school opened early so kids could go to the library if they needed to." She said quietly.

Steve looked at True. "I already know you hacked the cameras, overrode the security system and picked the lock on the service door so let's skip that. What did you do to Ardens locker?"

"I set up some mini explosive devices linked to ink packets so they'd blow when she slammed her locker shut."

"You better not have taken anything from my lab to do that." Tony growled.

"I didn't. Honest!"

"Where did you get the materials True?" Steve asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"I made it from a bunch of stuff I had in my room."

"What did you use as your explosive?" When True didn't answer Steve lifted her from the sofa and swatted her hard. "Do you need more incentive or are you going to answer me?"

"Gunpowder." She said quietly.

"You have gunpowder in your room?!"

"Had. I had gunpowder in my room."

"Where did you get it?!"

"I lifted some bullets from the rookies Fury saddled me with but I needed to empty them all to get enough to blow the door so I don't have anymore. I didn't expect it to fly they far though. I didn't plan on anyone getting hurt!"

"No you just planned to destroy property. Does that make this whole thing better? No." Tony snarked.

"Ellie do you have anything to add?"

"No sir." She said deciding that adding sir like True did couldn't hurt.

"Okay." Steve stood. "True go to your room. I'll be in shortly."

"What about Ellie?"

"Don't worry about her. Just do as you're told."

Happy waited until they heard Trues bedroom door shut before he spoke. "C'mon Ellie. Let me take you home. I'll wait with you until your mom gets home."

"Please don't tell her about Arden picking on me. She has so much to deal with and she doesn't need to worry about this too!"

"We'll talk about it in the car." He said as he took her hand and led her into the elevator.

Steve watched them go then took a steadying breath. "I can't believe her! This is over the top, even for her!"

"To her defense she didn't think the door would fly so far and seemed to feel really bad someone got hurt." Pepper said.

"I know but if she didn't decide to set up such a dangerous prank it wouldn't have happened. It can't happen again." He stood and went to deal with True.

AVENGERSAVENGERS

True flopped down on her bed wondering why she she thought using an explosive was a good idea. She surely could have come up with something else but she saw the bullets when she was brainstorming and the idea wouldn't leave her alone. Now she was waiting for Steve to come kill her. When he opened her door she sat up and scooted back towards her pillows deciding that the farther away from him she could get was best.

"We talked about why what you did was wrong. Anything else you want to say?"

"No sir."

"You understand why you're being punished."

"Yes sir."

Steve pulled his belt off. "Lower your shorts and panties and bend over the bed."

True looked at him in surprise. He'd never whipped her without spanking her first. This was going to really suck. She slowly slid off of the bed as he instructed. He lifted her skirt and her hands shot back to cover her butt. "Move them."

It took all her will to pull them away. Once she did Steve brought the belt down hard. He continued laying down searing last after searing lash until she was sobbing and her backside was red and burning along with the top of her thighs. He knew he was hard on her but what she did could have gone even worse that it did and he didn't want her

to even entertain the idea again. He rethreaded his belt then pulled her up and into his arms.

True clung to him and tried to come to terms with the pain. This was the most painful punishment he'd given her to date and she struggled to pull herself together. After what felt like hours she pulled away and looked up at him. "You believe me about not intending anyone to get hurt right?" For some reason it was important to her that he believed her.

"Yes I believe you." He kissed her head and laid her on her bed. "Stay here until you are called for dinner."

"Yes sir."

Steve turned when he was at the door. "Oh and Fury wanted me to remind you of his promise of what he would do if you were suspended. He will be stopping by as soon as he has a chance." He said then left the room quickly so she didn't see him laugh at the look of abject horror on her face.

Sometimes it was nice to be the adult!