Ruby woke in the morning rested and refreshed. She stretched and saw something laying on the bed next to her. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. A lifelike seahorse sewn of cloth of gold and decorated with colorful gems. It was a bit like a toy she had loved as a little girl. Until her nursemaid insisted that she was too old for such things and took it away. This toy was fancier than her old one, which had been simple blue and red silk, but it reminded her of it and thus was something she could look to for comfort.
"Thank you, dad. It's perfect." She whispered and hugged it before setting it back down on her bed and getting up to get dressed.
She could have sworn she heard a faint "You're welcome."
She walked downstairs for breakfast, expecting it to be quiet. Instead, she received an enthusiastic greeting from Jason and Dick along with a somewhat tuneless rendition of happy birthday.
"How on Earth did you know?" she asked them.
"Well," began Dick sheepishly," We, the team, meant to hold a party for you last year, but that mission kind of got in the way."
"If I remember correctly I got sent to Atlantis to help smooth out diplomatic relations with Bialya, while you guys got stuck protecting the Sangrian prime minister. That was actually kind of fun." She looked thoughtful.
Robin grimaced. "For you maybe. Not for us. My point is, Jason and I wanted you to have an actual birthday this year."
"That's so sweet of you, but I really don't need one. Honest. I talked to my dad last night and he sent me his gift and that's all the birthday I need."
Jason looked up at her. "No it's not. You have to have more birthday than that!"
She smiled. "We don't generally celebrate birthdays in Solaria. It depends on the family. Mine never did. But my dad knew that I was always fascinated by surface customs so he took to giving me a gift every year. Most of the surface things I have are from him. I'm not used to making a big deal out of today. To me birthdays are time to spend with my dad or a close friend. That's all."
Jason shook his head vigorously. "Nope. You're getting more birthday than that. I'm gonna go talk to Bruce about something." He ran off and Ruby shifted her attention to Richard.
"So," he asked, "What did your dad get you?"
"I'll show you after breakfast."
Alfred walked in and set plates of waffles in front of them. Ruby thanked him and asked if he had any jelly. He said that he did and brought out some strawberry jam for her. She thanked him again and made a jam sandwich with her waffles.
Robin watched the entire exchange with amusement before pouring syrup on his own waffles and proceeding to eat them.
Jason walked back in, looking upset, and turned to Dick. "You're going to have to be the one to talk to Bruce. He's too busy for me." Then he walked out of the room.
Ruby heard the Manor's front door open and close. She pushed her empty plate away. "I'll go after him."
Richard started to stop her. "He'll calm down in a bit."
"He doesn't need to calm down. He needs someone to listen."
She found Jason sitting at the edge of the cliff; feet dangling over the edge.
She sat down beside him. "Stinks, doesn't it? having Bruce act like he doesn't really care. My mom was the same way. She wouldn't give me so much as the time of day. Literally. I asked one time and she told me to go talk to her assistant. She didn't even raise me. She hired a nursemaid instead. She died a couple years back and you know what? I didn't even mourn. I had only seen her a few times. She always seemed to have time for my older sister, but she never even looked at me. Not once did we make eye contact. I felt like I was never going to be good enough for her. That's the way it is with you and Bruce and Dick, isn't it?"
He looked over at her, eyes wet with tears. "Why doesn't he care? What am I doing wrong?"
She sighed and put an arm around the boy's shoulders. "That's just it, Jason. It's not you, you haven't done a thing to deserve this, it's him. Some adults are just like that. It's stupid, I know, but there's nothing you can do to fix it, because it isn't your fault. Listen to me, Jason. There is nothing wrong with you. You are an absolutely amazing person. You're the kindest, funniest, smartest boy I have ever had the good fortune to meet. If Bruce can't see that, it's his loss. But you don't need him. You have Alfred, and an older brother who loves you, and you have me. If you ever need me I'll be here. I promise."
He sniffed. "Thanks. I wish I could understand why he doesn't love me the way he loves Dick. I'm every bit as much his son as Dick is. Why does he act like I'm not?"
"I don't know, but if you want I'll ask him. Maybe he'll listen to me. He has before."
"Please." He grabbed her marked hand and examined it. "I've been meaning to ask, what is this weird looking thing on your palm? Dick has one too and he didn't until a few days ago."
"I didn't have that mark until a few days ago either."
She told him everything that had happened, from Wally throwing her into the pool to Robin's recovery. He sat enraptured by her tale, taking it all in. She finished by saying, "And that is why this whole mess is Wally's fault."
He laughed. "All that actually happened?"
"Yep. That story was one hundred percent true. Just ask your brother."
"I think I will." He stood up. "Thanks... Sis."
She laughed. "You're welcome... Bro."
They stood there for a second, smiling at each other, before heading inside and going their separate ways. Jason went to talk to Dick and Ruby went to hunt down Bruce.