I recently learned of Jericho's past and I thought up this little one-shot a few nights ago and got all teary-eyed and decided I had to write it down. It's a nice break from my other story and I enjoyed writing this one a lot, even if it is pretty short. I hope to do some more one-shots like this one in the future.

To read this story, you need to know about Slade and Jericho's past. Wikipedia has it all, or if you're just too lazy, I think I included enough information for everyone to understand. But you really should look into it.

Disclaimer: If I did own Teen Titans, it wouldn't be very good. I like to kill people off.

It was the what-ifs that kept Jericho up on that clear starry night. They plagued him more often than he felt they should. What if his life had been different? What if his father had never been experimented on? What if he had never become a mercenary, an assassin, and a criminal? What if there were no terrorists? What if they hadn't slit Jericho's throat and muted his voice forever? What if his brother Grant hadn't followed in their father's footsteps and hadn't gotten himself killed? What if Slade and Adeline had never divorced and they had all stayed together as a family? He imagined the scenarios that sprung from these questions in the stars, letting them run wild in his head.

But Jericho wasn't so immersed in his thoughts that he wasn't aware of his surroundings. He had become more observant and more reliant on his senses over the years. They'd served him well on the mountain. He noticed animals often before they noticed him. So it was no wonder that he heard the almost silent footfalls behind him.

The boy jerked his body around in surprise and prepared to control whoever had dared to venture this far up the mountain. But the two-toned mask of his father stopped him from doing any such thing.

Slade stilled when he saw his son's face, as if it surprised him that he looked older than when they last saw each other 5 years ago. Then he stalked over to where Jericho was sitting and he himself sat several feet away, giving them both enough space to take in each other's presence. After sharing an awkward glance, they turned their heads toward the other mountaintops, Jericho so as to avoid his father's one-eyed face and Slade so as to avoid his son's scarred throat.

"It's a lovely night tonight. The stars here are much brighter than they are in Jump City. And the moon is much more brilliant," Slade commented, but invoked no acknowledgement from his son. Jericho just sat and stared at the moon slowly rising from behind the black cones that were the mountains.

"Joseph, I know I should have come here years ago to talk to you. I wouldn't blame you if you thought I was a horrible father. I guess I was too ashamed of myself and I didn't want to see you disappointed. I never wanted to disappoint you and your brother," Slade asserted and turned his head to face his son, who had shifted to look down on the blades of grass in front of him.

"Joey, I came to say I'm sorry for the trouble and hurt I've caused you. I'm sorry that I didn't just give in to those terrorist's demands to save you. I'm sorry that I influenced Grant and led him to his death. But most of all, son, I'm sorry I tore our family apart. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that and I regret it more than you know."

Slade swallowed and looked at his hands before he continued, "Your mother took my eye because I took your voice. But I know I took more than that. I took our happiness as a family. And for that, Joseph, I am truly sorry. For the both of us."

Jericho couldn't believe what he was hearing. Silent sobs racked his body as tears streamed down his fair-skinned face and landed in his lap. Ever since that awful night, all he'd ever wanted was an apology, but now that he had one, he didn't know what to do with it.

Slade didn't realize how hard it was for Jericho to not be able to speak and express himself with words. He didn't see how much it hurt to be a child in a broken family. He couldn't understand how it saddened him to live alone on a mountain, isolated from the world. He couldn't relate to how confusing it was to have superhuman abilities at such a young age.

When Jericho's father scooted over to hold and comfort him, the boy cried even harder into his parent, wiping his tears on his sleeve, because there was yet another thing Slade Wilson didn't realize. There was no need to apologize because Joseph "Jericho" Wilson had already forgiven his father a long time ago.

Hope you enjoyed it despite its length, or lack thereof. Thanks for reading and please review!