Dinah and The Waynes


Wayne Manor, Gotham

November 20th, 2007

To say Dinah had been confused when Oliver had asked her to head to Wayne Manor would have been an understatement. She knew that Bruce Wayne and Oliver had a friendship, she knew that it was deeper than what the media suggested, she also worked with Olly in their night time activities. The way Olly had asked her suggested that this was going to be an unusual call for her day work, though from what she understood of The Waynes it was quite likely. Her knuckles cracked against the lovely carved wood of the massive doors. The door creaked as a tall balding man with grey hair, a mustache, and blue eyes that seemed to peer into her soul.

"Hello Miss Lance, I am Alfred Pennyworth, I am sure that you have not been waiting long?" His british accent echoed in her ears and he held the door open enough that she saw the paintings and large stairway in the entryway. "Please do come in, Master Bruce and the rest of the children are in the living room awaiting your arrival."

"Thank you," Dinah bowed her head and slipped past him into the massive mansion. A shout from down one of the hallways reached her ears, a small sigh exploded from Alfred. He motioned down the aforementioned hallway and Dinah followed him. A shout that sounded fairly feminine, she was pretty sure Bruce Wayne didn't have a daughter. A girl with short cut black hair tackled a similarly haired boy with a book in his hands and hit the ground.

"Cass!" Came the boy's shout. Another boy shot out and took the girl off the other boy. This next child was definitely one she recognised, Dick Grayson, Wayne's oldest and Ward. That was when her brain processed that the one on the bottom who had the book must be his second son, Jason Todd-Wayne. The book had skidded across the floor and Dinah scooped it up off the floor. Lord of The Flies stared back at her.

"Heavy reading for someone your age, but if you understand it, it might have some application to your current situation." Dinah smirked as she stared at Jason. His eyes went wide while she watched Dick pick Cass off of him. "And I see the eldest is trying to make peace? Or get in on the action?"

Dick sent her a mischievous grin and dragged Cass back into the room. Dinah stepped up close and offered Jason her hand. His eyes flickered with some kind of almost coiled rage for half a second before he took it. She handed him his book as he got to his feet. They entered the room, and Dinah's jaw dropped. Arrayed across the room where quite a few more children than she had expected.

Dick had taken Cass and pulled her into a seat next to a slightly older redhead she recognised as Barbara Gordon daughter of Gotham's Police Commissioner. The trio was on a couch, directly next to them were another pair, the boy had the almost trademarked dark raven hair while the girl had bright blonde locks. They seemed to be sharing conspiratorial glances with Cass. Suddenly Cass broke free from the two older children, she shot over to Jason and tackled him. He spun in an instant and tossed her back into the room. Dinah dropped her case and hit the ground, her arms encircled around the girl as her shoulder made contact with a very pointy table corner.

"Jason! Cass!" Bellowed Mr. Wayne as he thundered into the room, her voice didn't sound angry, it sounded concerned. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Dinah on the floor with Cass, and Jason's wide eyes. Mr. Wayne came in and pried Cass from Dinah's grasp before he offered her his hand. Dinah gracefully took to her feet. "My apologies Miss Lance. How many times do I have to tell you not to play or wrestle in the rooms with tables and couches? That is how we get injuries and I can barely explain the bruises Dick gets when he falls from his acrobatics set."

Mr. Wayne groaned and placed Cass between Barbara and Dick again. Jason took his place, wormed in on Dick's right and pushed the other black haired boy out of the way. Which immediately led to war. The boy shoved at Jason, who pushed back. They fell into Dick who responded in kind, the blonde haired girl happily started it on the other side. Dinah watched as even the fairly proper seeming Barbara fell into it and Mr. Wayne stood beside her with his head in his hands.

"I took in one kid, one. Now I have a house full of them and they act like they run the place." He wiped his face with his hands and stared at the gaggle of children. "Miss Lance may I introduce Dick Grayson, the one in the middle whom I am certain you recognise. Barbara Gordon, she and Dick often have classes together because he skipped a few grades. The one on Dick's right, who might also know, is Jason Todd-Wayne. In between Dick and Barbara is Cassandra Cain-Wayne, my only daughter and newest addition. On Jason's right, who he shoved out of the way, is Tim Drake, the Heir to Drake Industries and my next door neighbor, his parents aren't often home so I have him here more often than not. On Barbara's left, the blonde is Stephanie Brown her father is one of Gotham's C-list villains and I offered her and her mother my home to make sure they stay safe while Cluemaster is at large."

Dinah nodded at him, nodded again, and then surveyed the children who had finally spun down slightly. She knew what the media reported on most of them. Cassandra was a complete mystery, probably purposeful by Mr. Wayne to give her time to adjust. Dick lost his parents at the age of nine in the Haley's Circus Murder perpetrated by Tony Zucco. Barbara Gordon, her mother had walked and Jim Gordon spent quite a large amount of time working to contain Gotham's extremely difficult number of villains. Jason supposedly grew up on the streets, either way, she could guess that he hated pity from his reaction to her hand in the hall. Tim looked hunched and pulled in, he made himself as small as possible, even more so when her gaze fell on him. Stephanie was loud and boisterous, especially for one so young, and constantly vied for the attention of Barbara, Dick, and Jason.

A computer like wail escaped a small speaker on Mr. Wayne's waist. He grumbled and picked it up, another cry pierced the speaker and he turned to the door.

"My apologies Miss Lance, please get acquainted with my children, my youngest appears to have woken from his nap and I need to go get him." Mr. Wayne slipped out the door, his head leaned back in, his brown eyes focused on her. "Also please call me Bruce, Olly said you were probably one of the best counselors in the United States if not the world, I expect you'll have a lot of time with them."

His eyes turned back on the kids, but there was a kind of pleased exasperation in his features. He disappeared again and Dinah slowly lowered herself into a seat, she could see the door on her right and the children on her left.

"So, apparently you've driven your father to hire me, for counseling, I'll admit this is a first that the children outnumber the adults in the house." Tim's cool blue eyes seemed to reflect like ice, and processed every move she made, and stored that information away inside his brain. Jason had his face buried back into his book, but his gaze regularly flicked up to watch her over its pages. Barbara was in the middle of a conversation, in sign language, with Cass. Stephanie had wormed her way towards Dick and waved her arms about as she went on and on about learning to do flips and tricks like he could do. Dinah didn't miss though that while everyone watched her, the harshest of them were from Barbara, Dick, and Cass. She didn't know what unnerved her more, the pain and loss she knew permeated most of their lives that reared its head in how they interacted with her, or the fact that they seemed ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice. "Tim, you spend your time here, do you prefer the company of the other kids?"

Everyone of them saw the loaded question, but Dinah hadn't picked her first on accident. Tim was the youngest of the boys present, if she directed her attention on him first she could figure more of their group dynamic, and how attached they were. The reaction was instant, the five year old's calculating gaze shuddered and he went wide eyed. She got what she needed from the others though.

She now had Barbara', Dick', and Cass's undivided attention, even if it was discreet. Stephanie stopped her animated talking, she now watched Dinah out of the corner of her eye, but kept up a facade of talking to Dick. Jason had tossed an arm around Tim, and his eyes now watched her over his book cover, not just peeked. Tim clammed up, his mouth pulled into a thin line, and his eyes sought out the others. Stephanie answered, her bubbly voice hard.

"Of course he does! Who doesn't want siblings and friends!" Dick reached around Jason and tousled Tim's hair, his hand settled on the younger boy's shoulder as well. Jason shot a side eye at Dick, but made no comment.

"Yeah Timmers is great to have around, I mean I think he is the smartest of all the boys, which makes him asterous." Dick pulled Tim into Jason, and held both of his brothers close. Tim even blushed at the comment. Dinah raised an eyebrow.

"So Jason how are you adjusting to living in Wayne Manor?" Cass' eyes narrowed on Dinah, and Barbara ceased their mock conversation to match the younger girl's glare.

"It's… It's different, but Bruce and Dickiebird really help out with the whole what's expected thing. Babs is amazing at the events and teaching me the manners needed. Plus Tim always has some obscure facts to talk to me about at events so I can laugh quietly to myself and B let's us skip out after a time." Jason closed his book and looked, for all intents, the Wayne depicted by The Media. Dinah saw the hints, his jaw muscles tightened as he spoke, his smile didn't reach his eyes, and Dick's arm around him tensed ever so slightly.

"Alright, shall we cut past all the get to know you stuff?" Dinah's gaze wandered over them all, now with all their attention on her. " , Bruce, asked me here because every single one of you has undergone some level of trauma, as such I can help you if you're willing to talk with me. I won't force you, I will protect your rights to confidentiality, even to Bruce. The records I keep about any sessions we have will be kept on secure devices and I will treat them with respect. I know what it's like to have The Paparazzi trying to burn your life down, I will not subject you to that."

"No offence Miss Lance, many reporters have said the same thing, I know who you are, but the last time we talked to a counselor they sold out for about half a million dollars." Dick looked at her, and she saw pain, hurt, and anger in his expression. "I want to trust, but it's not as easy as that, even if you aren't from the circles that The Waynes and Queens are from it doesn't change that it's easy to be bribed even when you promise that you won't."

"Alright, that's fair. I like you lot, you're protective, careful, and you care about each other. I can't think of anything more important than that when it comes to family. Just know that I'm here if you need me, and no one will know I was ever here." Dinah nodded to them rose from her chair and disappeared out the door, she said a kind goodbye to Mr. Wayne and Alfred, and started the long walk back to her car.

She opened the door and heard her phone ring. She opened it and held it to her ear. Her hands worked her seatbelt as she answered.

"Dinah Lance."

"Miss Lance?" Her hand stopped short, it was Dick's voice. She felt frozen in time, stuck in the moment.

"Yes Dick?" His breath stopped for a second, then he continued.

"How's your Sign Language, Cass would like to have a session with you and she doesn't talk."

"I think I can have it down if you give me a week."


A/N:

Yeah I have another one, this one is prewritten, other than that I only have one more to finish writing in this series, and of course it's the one in the middle-ish. I hope you all enjoy, reviews/comments are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

-Six Out