Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

6

Gotham City, New Jersey

December 24, 2002

"That was embarrassing" Ashley snorted as Wally fell down. The boy who had recently had his birthday looked at her and squinted.

"You're an ass" He said firmly. Ashley opened her eyes wide and threw a ball at the speedster, hitting him on the head. "Hey!" Wally angrily exclaimed.

"You can't say bad words Wallace" Ashley told him and folded her arms over her chest.

"You say way worse things than I do" Wally said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"That's because I'm me" Ashley said smugly. "What's dad going to do? Throw me out? I'd be living it up with Aunt Dinah and Uncle Ollie" Ashley said rolling her eyes.

"What're we doing for Christmas tomorrow?" Wally wondered.

"Dinah and Ollie are coming over. Clark is going to Smallville so if Diana gets bored she'll probably show up and I invited a friend from school over so if you do any weird stuff Wally, I'll knock you out" Ashley promised. "Oh!" Ashley exclaimed and snapped her fingers. "Garth is coming with Arthur and if Diana comes she'll bring Donna!" Ashley told him happily.

"You act like you never see Garth and Donna" Wally snorted.

"With a father like Bruce Wayne?" Ashley asked rhetorically. "I'm barely allowed out for school and piano recitals. The only time he's happy that I'm out is when he's dressing me up like a bat and telling me to beat up ugly dudes in alleys" She complained.

"Your life is so hard" Wally sympathized.

"Oh, hush" Ashley said and shook her head. "So, what do you think of Dick?" Ashley asked him.

"Dick is Dick" Wally shrugged. "I guess he's cool, but I've only known him a few days" Wally said honestly.

Ashley nodded and said "He's calmed down a lot these last two weeks."

"What do you mean?" Wally asked as he laid down Ashley's bed.

"He stole Dad's Porsche back whenever the fourteenth was" Ashley told him honestly. "It was a whole thing and then I ran away" Ashley said to him.

"Did your dad drag you back home by your ears?" Wally asked sarcastically.

"No, Clark found me" Ashley shrugged. "Then he tore Dad a new one" Ashley said.

"What?" Wally asked confused.

"He grilled Dad so hard that he may as well have a new butthole" Ashley laughed. "Then Diana got mad at Dad too!" Ashley snickered.

"No" He said in disbelief.

"Ask Roy" Ashley shrugged. "He saw it all" She told him and laid down on her bed as well. She yawned and stretched out and winced as she felt a 'pop' happen.

"You can't be tired already" Wally said as Ashley yawned.

"You try being out till five a.m. beating up criminals in alleyways while your father critiques and the kid follows you around" Ashley said. "And then not getting to take a single nap!" She said.

"It can't be that bad" Wally said waving it off.

"I'd love to see you survive even one patrol with my father" Ashley said, sarcasm dripping throughout the sentence.

"Wow, such love" Wally said, placing a hand over his heart as if he was wounded by the implication that he couldn't keep up with Batman.

"Drama queen" Ashley said and rolled her eyes. There was a knock on the door and Dick's head peeked in.