Well! Here again with another update! I'm gonna try and work more efficiently here because it's almost July and I promised to finish this by then. XD I'll be slightly side tracked with my cousins visiting, so that's why I'm working like a storm here before they arrive. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update!

"ROBIN!"

I snapped my eyes open at the sound of a furious shout, but I didn't bother to sit up and rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face into the pillow and ignoring the angry voice. I heard footsteps stomping up towards my room and heard the door slam open. Obviously someone was pissed today.

"I know you're awake!" I heard Alan growl.

I mumbled and lifted my head, looking up at him blearily, "Now I am," I said tiredly, my voice betraying my irritation, "The fuck you want, dummy?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" he said, "I know what you did!"

"What'd I do?" I sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from my eyes and then stretching my arms out.

"You tampered with my equipment again!"

I yawned and blinked a few times, "Yeah, yeah, sounds very interesting," I said, not really paying attention.

"You have to stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Messing with my stuff!"

"I didn't mess with your stuff," I argued, more awake now.

"You did! You're the only one who could mess with it!" he retorted, "Dammit, Robin! Peggy told you no mischief!"

"Calm down," I said, "It's not like I broke anything!"

"It messes up my data!"

"Well you'll get better data with a second run, anyway," I countered, "Besides, what Peggy and Steve don't know won't hurt them."

"Is that your motto for everything?" Alan asked bitterly.

I thought for a few moments and then nodded with a snide smirk, "Yep! Pretty much!"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Obviously your friends don't know how much trouble you actually are."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Steve thinks I'm an innocent little girl, so that could be a factor."

"Which you sure as hell aren't innocent, that's for sure!"

"I can be if I want to!" I argued, "Besides, I respect them more than I respect you, so obviously I don't cause them as much shit, duh!"

"I really hope they get back soon," Alan mumbled, "I can't stand having to babysit you any longer."

"Aww, am I too much for the giant baby?" I asked mockingly.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Hey, that makes two of us!"

Alan clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, "Stop messing with my stuff!" he snarled before exiting the room in pure, unfiltered fury.

I watched him leave my room and snickered softly before I got out of bed and went back to practicing with my knives and combat. I felt confident every time I trained my skills, feeling more powerful each day. It really was refreshing. And the best part? I didn't have anyone belittling my every single move. Well, aside from Alan, but he didn't matter. And while Alan had to watch over me, I took great pleasure in making his life miserable. It was actually pretty fun, and I enjoyed pranking him. I found that my stealth training gave me a great aptitude for pranks, and I felt like a genius when I was successful with my trickery. Plus, when I tampered with his science equipment, I learned a lot more about modern technology.

I was stuck under Alan's care for about a month longer, and I thought that the days were becoming endless. I was beginning to wonder when Steve and Peggy would come back from their mission, especially since Alan was getting under my nerves every day. But then again, I was getting under his nerves, too. I'm pretty sure I was driving him crazy, which made every day tense. In fact, he started retaliating against my pranks with his own, and the house was soon engulfed in a major prank war between a scientist and a genetic experiment. Of course, I was always far more superior when it came to mischief, but I appreciated his effort. It made the days a little more fun.

I was hiding behind the couch when I heard a small explosion and a few bouts of coughing from Alan. I heard him growl angrily and I peeked above the couch, giggling as I saw the frazzled man emerged from a nearby room, cake frosting covering his face. He looked at me and glared slightly, and I smirked impishly.

"Exploding cake," Alan said, his voice a tad irritated, "Really?"

I grinned, "Yep!"

"Should I dare ask how you managed that?"

"Probably not."

"I don't know whether to be awed or furious," he said, "on one hand, that was actually pretty creative, but on the other hand, you wasted a perfectly good cake!"

"You can still lick the frosting off your face!" I said while laughing, climbing over the couch and plopping down on the cushions.

"But still-!" Alan was about to argue, but then the doorbell rang.

I leaped off of the couch and scampered towards the front door, heaving it open and seeing Peggy. "You're back!" I said happily, and then widened my eyes, "The place is kinda messy right now, but I'll clean it up, I promise! I'm just glad that I don't have to stay with-" I faltered when I noticed the solemn expression on Peggy's face. And then I noticed something else, or lack thereof, to be more precise. "Hey . . . where's Steve . . . ?"

Peggy's eyes filled with tears that finally spilled and she drew me into a tight hug, sobbing softly. "Oh, Robin," she said through sobs, "I'm so sorry."

It didn't take me long to realize why she was crying or why she was apologizing. Between her expression and the lack of Steve, I already guessed what happened. I felt a cold sense of dread fill my heart, and my own eyes started watering. I could only assume that Steve was dead.

*hides from rotten tomatoes that will probably be thrown at me*

I know, this is a horrible place to end a chapter. I'm back to evil endings!