"If I were asked to give what I consider the most useful bit of advice for all humanity it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'" - Ann Landers

Chapter 2

Detective Richard Grayson ran a hand through his longish black hair and closed his eyes in frustration. Just when he neared a break in the case, the man just vanished into thin air. Two years on the assignment and what did he have to show for it? Absolutely nothing. Glaring down at the now completely useless papers in front of him Richard pushed them all together in a sloppy pile and stuffed them in a drawer, not caring what happened as long as they were out of his sight. His mentor, Detective Bullock, would be so disappointed in him. Bullock gave him this case because he trusted him to complete it, put an end to all the madness, stop the serial killer that plagued Jump City…to stop Slade Wilson.

Throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling, Richard found himself contemplating Slade for the millionth time in two years. Slade Wilson was sixteen years old when he first joined the US Army. He lied about his age, hoping to escape what Richard deducted as a dysfunctional family life. Adeline Kane was a captain assigned to train him in the new techniques of guerilla warfare. The two fell in love, got married, and had two children: Grant and Joseph. After Grant had been born, Slade volunteered for a medical experiment conducted by the US Army to increase a soldier's resistance to truth serums. The experiment went wrong and Slade fell into a coma. Once awakened, Slade found he could use ninety percent of his brain's total capacity and his physical abilities bordered on near-superhuman levels. Hoping to use these new developments to the Army's advantage, Slade reenlisted…but they refused him. Needing something to do with his life and needing something to help him handle his depression, Slade become a safari hunter and a successful one at that. Little did anyone know, Slade was not only a safari hunter, but he was also one of the most feared assassins in the world. Slade was also Deathstroke the Terminator. Because of this secret and dangerous job, Joseph, the youngest of the Wilson children, was kidnapped by the Jackal, a man hired by Slade's own half-brother. After Joseph was taken, Slade and Adeline flew to his location in Tangiers, hoping to rescue their son. Once they arrived, Slade believed he could save his son's life before the order to kill Joseph was given. Slade tried to get to Joseph but his throat was cut by one of the Jackal's henchmen, rendering Joseph forever mute. Slade and Adeline rushed Joseph to the hospital. Once he was admitted, Adeline lashed out at her husband, furious at him for endangering their son. She attempted to kill him by shooting at him, but only managed to destroy his right eye. It was this event that changed Slade forever. Adeline demanded a divorce and left with their two children. The rest, as they say, is history. Slade became a diabolical strategist using the skills he acquired with the army to his advantage. Over the past twelve years, Slade Wilson has killed a total of twenty-three people. Five years ago he earned himself a top spot on the FBI's Most Wanted list. While he has killed people in multiple places, sixteen of the twenty-three people killed were killed in Jump City.

Richard rubbed roughly at his eyes. Every time they got a break in the case, something went wrong. Something always went wrong. Witnesses abruptly recanted their statements, evidence suddenly vanished, evidence was found to be tampered with, or they simply hit a brick wall. Getting a good hold on Slade Wilson was like getting a good hold on smoke.

A booming knock pulled Richard from his thoughts and he looked up to find the green eyes of his fellow detective and best friend, Roy Harper. Roy was leaning casually against the doorframe of Richard's office door with his arms across his chest and a smirk playing his lips. The smirk soon turned into a frown as he took in Richard's appearance. His usually neat black hair looked as though he had just gotten out of bed, his icy blue eyes were slightly bloodshot, his shirt had a recent coffee stain on it, and he was extremely tense. Roy sighed.

"C'mon, Rich, it's time to go," he said in an authoritative voice, knowing that if he wanted to get Richard's attention, he needed to be straight to the point and demanding.

"I only have a few more -" Richard began, only to be cut off by Roy.

"If you want to get to your house today, I suggest you get up now," Roy announced as he moved towards the desk Richard sat at. Richard stared at Roy for a minute before groaning and giving in. He stood up, a little to quickly, and felt a wave of vertigo come over him. Roy rolled his eyes grabbed Richard's arm, and proceeded to forcefully drag him out to Roy's car.

"You do this all the time. You work to the point of utter exhaustion. When was the last time you ate? Probably over twenty-four hours ago. I mean seriously, man, you cannot keep doing this to yourself," Roy lectured as he buckled himself into the driver's seat of his car while Richard buckled into the passenger's seat.

"Yes, Mom," Richard muttered. Roy briefly glared at him before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the Jump City Police Department's parking lot.

In Roy's black sports car, Richard and Roy sat eating McDonald's while waiting in front of The Early Start Academy. They sat in silence…that is until Richard broke it.

"Thanks, Roy," Richard said quietly, knowing Roy would get what he meant. Roy shrugged his shoulders and reached for his drink.

"No problem, Rich. You do worry me though. I mean, you went in at five this morning and last night you left at eleven. You probably only got four hours of sleep last night, didn't you?" Roy questioned perceptively.

"More or less," Richard answered vaguely, uncomfortable with the fact that Roy knew so much about him.

"Rich, you can't keep doing that. You're gonna get yourself killed one day if you keep this up. What would have happened if we got called out in the field today? You wouldn't have been up for it, but you would've gone anyway because you're stubborn as hell, and then you would have gotten killed," Roy paused, hesitant to say the next thing on his mind. "Slade isn't worth it." Richard visibly tensed. "I don't know when that's going to go through your thick skull, but you need to realize that. You'll never catch him if you slowly kill yourself in the process." The silence was present again and Roy knew Richard's next statement would change the subject. He could only pray that Richard would really think about what he said. The man needed to be reminded that his life wasn't just about catching Slade. There's so much more in his future.

"Thanks for the ride, too," Richard said randomly, and Roy smirked to himself.

"Again, no problem. Did Vic say when your car would be out of the shop?" Victor Stone was the best mechanic in the state of California and a very good friend to Richard and Roy. Victor could fix anything mechanical and make it better than it was when it was brand new.

"He said it should be ready by noon tomorrow at the earliest or evening tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully we can go pick it up on our lunch break," Richard replied. Suddenly, a loud bell sounded from The Early Start Academy. Richard smiled at Roy and the two got out of the car, waiting for the little girl that was so full of joy. Kids poured out of the building like it was on fire. Some ran towards the busses while others ran straight to their parents.

Richard felt eyes on him and looked over to find a group of woman staring at him and Roy while whispering among themselves. Keeping his eyes looking forward, Richard started talking.

"Roy, why are they staring?" he asked calmly. Roy glanced over at the group of woman and let out a small chuckle.

"Well, Richard, the reason woman usually stare at us is because we are two insanely hot men - me especially. So that's probably the main reason. The other reason is that we are two insanely hot men that came to a preschool to pick a child up together," Roy answered, trying not to laugh. Richard scoffed loudly.

"They do not think we're gay," he said as though he read minds. Roy did laugh this time.

"I bet they do! C'mon! We're are two men here to pick up a little girl that doesn't look like either of us…and she's Asian," Roy laughed again, only louder. "They probably think we're like that "Modern Family" gay couple, only a million times better looking," he countered. Richard rolled his eyes and Roy smiled even wider. "Hold my hand. Let's see how they react."

"I am not holding your hand," Richard stated matter-o-factly as he stared at Roy like the man had grown a third arm. Roy reached for Richard's closest hand and Richard swatted his hand away.

"C'mon, Rich, it'll be funny!"

"I am not holding your hand."

"Rich, please?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Roy, you reach for my hand one more time, I swear…"

"Just for a second!"

"No!"

"But -" the two found their argument interrupted as a little girl with a bouncing black ponytail came running towards them. Roy grinned, his world already brighter. He got down on his knees and opened his arms wide.

"Daddy!" a young voice called out, excitedly. The owner of the young voice ran into Roy's arms, her arms going around his neck. Roy laughed with pure joy and picked his little girl up. He spun her around in a circle and she giggled wildly.

"Hi, Lian. How was school, sweetheart?" Roy asked, looking into his daughter's big brown eyes. She smiled and that smile was sweeter than pure sugar.

"It was good, Daddy! We got new jobs today and I'm line leader!" Lian exclaimed as though it was the greatest thing that could ever happen. The sound of someone clearing their throat went through the air and Lian looked towards the sound. She gasped and wiggled out of her father's grasp. He set her down on the ground and she ran to Richard in a similar fashion to the way she ran to her father. Her thin little arms went around Richard's neck and he picked her tiny four year old body up. "Uncle Richie!" she shouted.

"Hey, munchkin," he greeted warmly. Her brown eyes suddenly filled with confusion.

"Why are you picking me up, too, Uncle Richie?" she asked. Roy came over and pulled Lian out of Richard's arms. He opened the door to the backseat and helped Lian into her booster seat. He and Richard got into their respective seats and Roy began driving towards Richard's house.

"Uncle Richie came with me to pick you up because his car was broken," Roy answered his daughter.

"Oh," she said. A look of excitement took over her features. "Does that mean he's coming over to our house?" she asked, hopefully.

"No, Lian, I have to go home," Richard responded gently. Lian's bottom lip quivered a bit.

"But why?" she whined.

"Because your Uncle Richie needs to go to sleep," Roy interjected. Lian let out a little scoff.

"But, Daddy, I just got out of school! That means it's too early for someone to go to bed! The sun is still way up," she refuted, pointing to the ceiling as a motion to the sky. Both men just laughed. To go back to the days when life was so simple…

Richard waved good-bye as Roy's car drove out of sight. Reaching into his front right pocket, he pulled out a set of jangling keys and opened the front door of his house.

The house was somewhat large, but nothing over the top. No one would ever guess the son of billionaire Bruce Wayne lived here. The house was 2,000 square feet and looked like a California home. The entire outside was a beige color and appeared to be made of a textured stone. The roof was the kind that was often found on Spanish houses. It was made of ceramic tiles colored a brownish orange color and appeared in layered waves. Inside of the house was elegant and rather stylish. The house had a total of three rooms, two bathrooms, and porches. The garage, which does not factor into the square footage, was extremely large as it had to be big enough to attend to Richard's obsession with cars and motorcycles. It was neat and tidy with plenty of tools and lots of lighting. The living room, kitchen, and breakfast bar were all in one large area and took up a majority of the house. A large flat screen television took up most of the back wall. A black leather couch and black leather reclining chair sat in front of it along with a dark cherry wood coffee table. The kitchen was neat and organized, the only dirty dishes two bowls that were used for cereal. Everything in the kitchen was stainless steel, the cabinets were all white, and the countertops were a black granite. The breakfast bar was just on the left side of the kitchen and the countertop was made of the same black granite while four stainless steel seats were on the other side. The dining room was neat, but a bit dusty from no use, and filled with family antiques that were handed down through the generations. The table itself once belonged to Richard's great-great-great-great-great grandfather, who purchased it from a merchant as a young Gypsy boy. There were two bathrooms which were all simplistic. And finally, there were three bedrooms, all large and decorated nicely. The two guest bedrooms were all nice but without character as Richard found it rather pointless to make them fancy as they were rarely in use. His bedroom, however, was the main entrée of the entire house. It was huge, bigger than the living room and kitchen combined. There were two sections of the bedroom and they were separated by a thin Shoji screen. Walking through the door, you were greeted by his sleeping area. A king-sized bed was on the complete opposite side of the room. Its frame was real dark cherry wood, shined and polished to its finest. The comforter and pillows a dark brown, so dark they were almost black. They complimented the color of the walls which were an earthy tan, giving the room a peaceful nature. The flooring was dark hardwood which matched the bed frame beautifully. Two large dressers, made of the same cherry wood as the bed frame, sat directly across from bed. A large flat screen sat atop the dressers, giving Richard a perfect place to watch television from his bed. To the right of his bed was a large panoramic window. It overlooked Jump City and the view was breathtaking. Richard particularly loved the sunrises from this window. He would sit there with a cup of coffee and just watch the sun peek over the horizon and reach higher and higher into the sky. The other part of Richard's bedroom was a gym. Walking past the wall, you were introduced to a different side of Richard. This part was his determination and, frankly, obsessive attitude that fueled his job as a homicide detective. Weights ranging from ten pounds to one hundred pounds lay all across the gym in an organized manner. He would stack the weights together and sometimes lift six hundred pounds. There was a treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, stationary bicycle, and row machine along the back wall. Throughout the entire middle were a series of different machines that targeted specific areas of your body. There were several machines for biceps, triceps, forearms, quads, calves, hamstrings, abdominals, pictorials, trapeze, and yes, even the gluteus maximus.

Going into the kitchen, Richard stopped by the breakfast bar to check his voice messages and go through his mail. He briefly wondered why he still had a house phone, as they happened to be nearly obsolete thanks to cell phones, but nevertheless hit the button and listened as the messages went by. The first message was from Roy, complaining that he never answered his cell phone. The second message was from Alfred, his butler and grandfather-figure, who also gave him a lecture on the importance of answering a cell phone. Telemarketer, telemarketer, his banker, telemarketer. Those were the next couple messages. Just as Richard was beginning to think the rest of the messages were just as unimportant as the first six, a new message came on. The voice was that of a male, probably mid-forties, and he sounded irritated.

"This is a message for Richard Jonathan Grayson. This is the Immigration Services. We are informing you that your visa has, in fact, expired. We are sorry that it had to occur like this, but we take immigration very seriously. You were given a warning three months ago on January 16, 2012. It is now April 20, 2012 and your opportunity to reapply has now passed. We will be sending one of our officers to your house in Jump City, California to ensure that you do leave on a plane for Italy. Our officer will be there in exactly four weeks. This should be enough time to get all of your belongings ready and your concerns handled. We will be checking up on you in these next four weeks. If you have any questions please call 1-877-777-7777."

The message ended with a beep and a woman's robotic voice announcing that was the end of his voicemails. Richard stared blankly at nothing for several minutes, trying to make sense of what he just heard. 'Your visa has, in fact, expired,' 'given a warning three months ago,' 'that you do leave on a plane for Italy.' He took in a deep breath, wishing himself not to panic, and quickly reached for his cell phone. He dialed the numbers without thinking. When someone answered though he was not happy.

"Jason, where's Bruce?" Richard asked, irritated that Jason of all people answered the phone in Bruce's private office.

"Well, nice to talk to you too, Dickie. I've been great, in case you're concerned," Jason's sarcastic reply came from the other end of the phone. Richard could just see what Jason looked like at the moment. He was probably sitting at Bruce's desk, his combat boot clad feet on top of the polished cedar, one hand behind his head, the other with a lit cigarette in hand, while the side of his face held the phone in place and a smug smile pulled at his lips.

"I don't have time for this, Jason. I need you to put Bruce on the phone now," Richard demanded. There was a pregnant pause before Jason spoke. His entire demeanor had changed at the tone of Richard's voice.

"What's going on, Rich?" he asked seriously. Richard sighed, knowing there was no way to get out of this one. Jason was one of the most stubborn people in existence.

"My visa expired," Richard stated, getting straight to the point.

"But why does that matter? Bruce adopted you and he's American," Jason said, sounding pleased that he had just fixed everything.

"Jason, Bruce never adopted me. I'm still just a ward," Richard said, his tone becoming steely. This was a touchy subject and had been since Richard found out he was never adopted while the rest of his brothers were.

"Right…what are you going to do?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to see what leverage Bruce can get. He may not be part of the government but his money may be able to buy me enough time to get all my papers turned in and approved," he explained.

"Man, you know Bruce is going to be pissed when he finds out. And his favorite type of punishment is when you learn a lesson and you sure as hell will learn a lesson if you have to go back to Italy," Jason warned. Richard groaned loudly.

"It won't be "going back to Italy." It will just be going to Italy. I was born in Italy because the circus was on an international tour when my mom was pregnant. And sadly neither one of my parents decided to get American citizenship. If I can't fix this I will be stuck living in a completely foreign country. So can you please put Bruce on the phone?" Richard begged, his stomach dropping more as time passed.

"Sorry, he's at some big-shot meeting. He won't be home for a couple more hours. You just need to chill out for a minute. Stop freaking out. You're going to figure this out." Suddenly Jason began chuckling. "You could just get married," he laughed louder, "after all, girls are always throwing themselves at you. You could always play Romeo, go get a girl, get married, and divorce her after you're cleared." The laughing continued, but Richard wasn't paying any attention. "Well, bro, I got a go. Got a hot date tonight. Think her name is Sheryl but I can't remember. You want her when I'm done? Pretty sure she's American," Jason joked.

"Goodnight, Jay," Richard said, ignoring his last comments. Jason laughed again.

"Night, Dickie." And with that the call ended.

But Richard wasn't done thinking. He sat down in one of his chairs, his mind racing. Get married? It wasn't that bad of an idea to be honest. He'd get to stay in the United States, Bruce would never have to know anything, and he would be a free man after he was cleared. Richard physically shook his head, as though it would get rid of the thoughts. Was he crazy? The government would see through a marriage like that in a millisecond. He could never pull it off. Or could he? He was a detective. Knowing how to find things meant to always be hidden makes you very good at hiding what you want to be hidden. And he was a natural born performer. He could act. Everything would look normal. He stood up from his chair and started rummaging through a stack of old paper work. He was pretty sure his visa application was somewhere in there.

Might as well start filling it out while he has the time.

AN: Well, this is late. Like really late. But I have a legit reason…I moved 700 hundred miles. And I'm currently in a depressed state because I am the only one in my family that didn't want to move. So I'm sorry for the tardiness, but it is the best I could do. I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited, and author alerted the first chapter. It means so much to me. Please no one get on me about the immigration stuff. I am a high school student. I did the best I could with this. It's a fanfic, not a published book.

I know the story seems predictable, and in a way it is, but I have a lot of twists planned for this story so please don't just put it off as your typical romantic story. I have a lot of surprises!

Jayenator2.0: Thank you! Hopefully you like the second just as much!

13robslittlerae13: lol that's cool! Thanks!

Silently Watching: Thank you for the advice but I am just a high school student. I know nothing about the medical business and do my best to avoid it as it freaks me out. I'll try to take what you said in mind but, frankly, their jobs are not too important to the story itself.

I'm so hollow: Awww thanks so much! You just read about Robin lol but they meet very soon (hint hint) and the others will come in probably at their own times, but probably pretty soon as well!

Sunshine-Midnight123: Yay! I'm glad you like long chapter because I tend to make them pretty long (I like lots of information). Thank you so much! The main characters ages are - Raven is 25 and Richard is 26. If you want characters like Kori and Roy too (Victor, Gar, etc.) and can give you their ages as well.

Giggles: Thank you so much! That means the world to me! I'm not sure how this goal of finishing it in a year is going to work out but I'm not going to give up! Oh my gosh, you just might have to repeatedly urge me to update! Lol

Thank you to everyone and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well! Chapter 3 and 4 are in the works as I type this!