The Adventures of Martha Ridley Wayne

Chapter Sixteen: Aunt Dinah

             The next morning, I stole Dick's bike once again and began my journey to Starling City. Aunt Dinah and Uncle Oliver were always so fun to be around when I was a kid. My dad and Oliver would get very competitive around Christmas time to see who could buy me the best presents. Dinah always disapproved of their childish competition, but I thought it was hilarious. It was Dinah who taught me all of the important girl things.

            When I got my period for the first time, dad freaked and called Aunt Dinah. He sent me off to Starling for a week so Dinah and I could spend time together and so that she could help me deal with the horror that periods are. Dinah and I both thought it was hilarious how both dad and Ollie ran for the hills the moment that they heard what had happened to me. That was the week that Auntie Dinah taught me how women are definitely not the weaker sex.

            I learned so much from Dinah about being a woman in a world that hates equality. She had to work twice as hard as her male counterparts and she got half the recognition. When I got home, I gave dad a lecture about respecting the value of the women in The League and not taking all of the credit when they did all of the work. He was shocked to say the least, but he did listen to me and he made sure the others did too.

            When I got to Starling, I started to feel my anxiety rear its ugly head once again. What if Dinah didn't want to see me after that display on my birthday? What if she had found a new niece to spoil? What if she kicked me out? There was no way that she didn't know about me and Roy, because it was a hot topic of conversation at the time. Everyone talked about Batman's daughter and Green Arrow's disgraced addict of a sidekick.

            Dinah would forgive me for fighting with Tim and she'd forgive me for trying to kill the Joker, but I had no idea if she'd forgive me for screwing someone who she viewed as a son. Is she had said anything to Roy about us, he hadn't told me. I was so sure that she didn't approve and that was half of the reason why I started to cut our visits short as I got older. My life had become such a mess and I couldn't stand to see the look on Dinah's face when she found out just how much of a mess it was.

            The Queen mansion got closer and closer while I got closer and closer to passing out. I needed to calm down, but it wasn't happening. Despite my erratic state, I was still smart enough to pull over and wait out the panic attack. I was in no state to drive without something bad happening and there was only one person who I needed in that moment.

            "Jason," I gasped as he picked up the phone.

            "What's wrong, Marty? Where are you? Bruce said you stole Dick's bike and took off," Jason fretted.

            "Starling City. Going to see Dinah. Panic attack," I choked out.

            "Oh. Hey, listen to me, okay? You're going to be fine, everything is going to be fine. Don't think about anything else, just focus on my voice, and focus on me. No matter what happens I will always love you, Marty. We'll get through this together," he coaxed.

            "She's gonna hate me. I'm sleeping with Roy and she's gonna hate me for that. I wish you were here, Jay."

            "I can be there in five minutes if that's what you need."

            "How? You aren't Wally, you can't get here that quickly," I asked.

            "He's not Wally, but I am. If you need him there, if you need any of us there, just say the word," Wally's voice came over the speaker.

            "I want you here, but this is something I need to do myself. Sorry for bothering you, Jaybird. I'm better now though so thank you. Oh, and don't tell dad where I am, let him think what he will. It's not like he's worried, he just can't wait to punish me," I said before hanging up to avoid the lecture.

            I hop back on Dick's bike and think about why Wally and Jason would have even been together in the first place. Sure they probably knew each other from Wally always being over at the manor and Jason's failed attempt to join the Teen Titans, but they were never friends. Roy and Jason were closer, but they still weren't what I'd classify as friends. Maybe Jay was trying to make amends or maybe he was threatening them.

            We did go to Roy and Wally's a few weeks ago and they got along just fine. Maybe my brother is finally making some friends who aren't his irritating younger sister. Roy was both happy and sad that Jason had agreed to hang out with us, happy that Jason was making an effort and sad because he never got laid that weekend. Well, that was what he told me, but I knew it was just a joke to him. He has never been the best with emotions and I had become fluent in Roy's way of showing that he's happy for someone over the years.

            The Queen mansion was looming in front of me as I parked Dick's bike outside of the gates. It had become sort of a tradition for me to sneak into the mansion and avoid all of Oliver's security. I liked the challenge and the look on Uncle Ollie's face when he saw that he had once again been foiled by a little girl. Actually asking to come in like a normal person would have just didn't feel right.

            Once I made my way past the gates and through all of Oliver's traps, I found myself standing at the front door. Slowly and with shaking hands, I turned the doorknob. Dinah was most likely either in her and Ollie's room or in the training room. I checked the training room first and there was nobody there except Diggle who grinned at me. My attempt at a smile in return was pathetic, but he didn't seem to care.

Dinah was in her room, singing some song that sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it. For a few minutes, I stood there watching her and hoping to whatever deity that was listening that she would be able to forgive me. She jumped and readied herself for a fight when I stepped into the room, but relaxed when she realized it was me. Dinah smiled at me as if everything was fine, like nothing had changed. It was a smile that made me ache for the girl I used to be and wish that she was still there.

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I dropped out of Gotham Academy, Alfred's homeschooling me now. It's just easier that way," I replied.

"Just because it's easy doesn't mean it's better for you. However, I know you and other kids tend to slow you down. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm trying to fix my life and that starts with repairing my relationships with people. Since Jason died, I've done a lot of terrible things and I don't expect it to happen right away, but I hope you can forgive me."

"There's nothing for me to forgive, little bird. You needed help, but none of us knew how to give you that. If anything, I should be the one asking you for your forgiveness," Dinah admitted.

"It's already done, Auntie. What about me and Roy though? There's no way you approve of that."

"You two need each other. It helps me sleep at night knowing that you're looking after each other."

"But it's not like that! We sleep together, we get drunk together, and we get high together. You can't approve of that," I exclaimed.

"So you're telling me that there is no underlying friendship there at all? You don't call him when you're sad or excited or just because? He doesn't get protective of you when Bruce is being, well, himself?"

"Well, yeah, but we still do all of those other things too," I mumbled.

"Honey, that doesn't really matter to me. I still love you and so does Ollie, that will never change. What you and Roy do behind closed doors is not my business even though Bruce thinks that it's his," Dinah reasoned.

"I believe that you still love me, but there's no way Uncle Oliver does. He doesn't love Roy anymore and he probably hates me for being his friend," I sniffed.

"You of all people should know what it's like to have a complicated relationship with your father or father figure. Roy and Oliver just have a hard time communicating."

"Roy thinks Oliver hates him, he gets really upset about it sometimes. That's not just a fucking communication problem and we both know it," I said.

"I know, Ridley, I know," Dinah said with a sigh.