Chapter 5 takes place about 2 years after the 4th chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Surprised?

"Daddy! I know what I want for Christmas!" Mari yelled from her bedroom upstairs. Richard stretched his arms over his head before standing from his position on the couch after seeing the football game was about to go to a commercial. He walked up the stairs and into his three year old daughter's room. It looked a lot like Kory's room in the tower. Everything was purple and pink.

"What do you want sweetie?" He asked as he sat down on the plush pink carpet next to her. She pointed to the TV which was showing a commercial for a toy. What looked to be a very expensive toy. It was one of those miniature electric cars for kids. ( I used to have one of those. The battery was always dying. But I could drive it up the street to the park so I didn't have to walk. The root of my laziness. Lol)

After the commercial ended he stood back up. "Well, tell your mom later and she'll put it on your list and then she'll send it to Santa for you." He told her. She nodded enthusiastically and went back to watching cartoons. He didn't know why she always wanted such expensive stuff. Not that he didn't have the money to pay for it, he just didn't want to spoil his kids. Which was pretty hard considering he was the adopted son of a billionaire and Kory was a princess.

He wondered exactly how much of his money she was spending right now. She had gone to buy Christmas presents for their family and friends and had been gone for a few hours now. The girl loved to shop. He was about to go back to the living room to watch the football game when he heard crying coming from his son's room. He sighed. 'Looks like Ryan is done napping.' He hurried to the room and reached into the crib and grabbed his one year old son. "What's wrong? Are you hungry? Need to be changed?" Richard asked as he patted Ryan's back in case he had gas. "I can't wait till you can talk so you can just tell me what you want." He said as he headed back down the stairs to the kitchen.

He put Ryan into his baby chair and then carried the chair into the living room. He went back to the refrigerator to grab a bottle and some baby food. He placed the food onto the baby chair tray and fed Ryan while watching the football game. "Daddy, when is mommy coming home?" Mari asked as she came into the living room and stood in front of the TV.

"I don't know princess. She went shopping, so it could be awhile." He explained as he looked around her at the TV.

"But I want to go get the Christmas tree! It takes mom forever to finish shopping!" Mari whined. He couldn't exactly deny that. Kory probably wouldn't be home anytime soon.

"How about we go get the tree after the game? Your mom can help us decorate." Richard suggested. Mari nodded happily and went to her room to change.

An hour and a half later the game was over and they had arrived at the tree lot. He helped Mari out of the car, making sure she had her footing on the slippery snow before letting her go and grabbing Ryan out of his baby seat. He pulled the snow cap further down over Ryan's red hair so it covered his ears. Kory would kill him if Ryan caught a cold. He grabbed Mari's hand to make sure he wouldn't lose her in all the trees and walked into the lot.

"How about this one Mari?" Richard asked while pointing towards one of the hundreds of evergreen trees in the lot.

"It's too small." Mari said as she pulled him further.

"What about this one?" He asked, stopping in front of a taller tree.

"That one doesn't have enough branches." Mari said as she pulled his hand to get him to move again. He rolled his eyes. All the trees looked the same to him.

After another half an hour, Richard was getting worried about Mari and Ryan being out in the cold snow this long. "Mari, we have to go soon. Pick a tree." Richard said while he shifted Ryan to a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

Mari looked at the trees surrounding them and then ran up to one. "This one daddy! This one is perfect!"

Richard looked up at the tree. It was a little bigger than he thought the tree would be, but he really just wanted to get out of here. "What do you think Ryan?" He asked as he held Ryan so he could see the tree. Ryan smiled and laughed. "Okay, this tree it is." Richard said. He found the owner of the lot and paid for the tree. The owner helped him carry the tree to the car and tie it down so it wouldn't fall off on their way home. He placed Ryan back into his baby seat and moved aside so Mari could get into the car. After getting into the driver's seat he started the car and turned on the radio.

Christmas carols blasted out of the speakers and Mari started singing along. After driving for a few miles the car eventually stopped outside of the cemetery. Richard turned around toward his daughter. "I'm going to go visit your brother and your grandparents. Want to come?" Richard asked.

Mari shook her head and her black pigtails swung back and forth wildly. "Not when it's dark Daddy. There are zombies." She said with wide green eyes filled with fear.

"There are no such things as zombies. You've been spending too much time with Gar. But you don't have to come. I'll leave the radio on. Watch Ryan for me, okay?" He asked. She nodded and continued to sing-along to the carols that were playing on the radio.

Even he had to admit cemeteries were creepy at night as he walked through one by himself. Every sound made him jump a little but he continued to his parent's grave. After paying his respects to them he went to Robert's grave. He sat down on the snow in front of the tombstone. He had kept his promise and was visiting the cemetery regularly.

"Hey buddy. Merry Christmas." He couldn't think of something to say for a few minutes but then decided to confide to his son something that he hadn't told anyone else yet. "I'm thinking of going to visit your mom. I haven't seen her since the trial you know. I guess at first it was because I was so angry, but now I think I'm ready to forgive her. I'm in a good place in my life now and I just want to move on from this and let go of my anger. That doesn't mean that I'm going to stop visiting you though. Well, I better go. I left Mari and Ryan in the car." Richard said as he got up and wiped snow off the back of his pants. "See you buddy." He then put his hands in his pockets and walked to the car.

By the time they had reached their home both Mari and Ryan were asleep. Kory's car was parked in the driveway but all the lights were out so she must have been asleep. He carried Mari up to her room first. He removed her boots, socks, and jacket before pulling the covers over her and tucking her in. He then went back to the car and undid the straps of Ryan's car seat. Apparently the noise woke him up since his blues eyes opened slowly. He yawned and then looked at his father. Richard smiled. "Sorry. Wasn't trying to wake you up."

After changing Ryan into his pajamas and putting him in his crib he went down the hallway to his room. Kory was sitting on their bed and wrapping presents. When she heard him come in she smiled at him. "Richard! Where were you guys? I was starting to worry." She said as she put down the last present and then got up to put away the tape and wrapping paper.

"We went to pick up a tree. Then we went to the cemetery. I'm going to go take a shower." He said before heading to their master bathroom. After his shower he grabbed a pair of boxers and pajama pants and then slid into bed. Kory moved towards him and he draped his arm over her stomach. Her eyes closed as she prepared to go to sleep. "I'm going to go visit Raven tomorrow." He said. Her eyes shot open. "I can't just avoid this forever." He added.

"I am glad you are finally ready to see her. Holding on to all this is not healthy." Kory said before settling in to go back to sleep.

"Goodnight. Love you." He said softly as he watched her sleep for awhile before turning his gaze toward the ceiling.

Flashback

"All rise for the honorable Judge Williams." The bailiff said as the judge walked into the small courtroom. Richard stiffly rose to his feet as the Judge took his seat. He was so tired. This whole ordeal had just been draining him of all his energy. The trial had been going on for 3 weeks now and he was here every day.

He was staying at a nearby hotel since he couldn't make himself go back to the house. He hadn't even gone back to get his clothes, opting to buy new ones instead. Plus, he knew that there would be cameras and news crews steaking out in front of the house just waiting for him to go back. He had dealt with the media a lot as a superhero, but this was different. He didn't know how they could be so heartless. When he had first heard about what had happened to his son and had rushed home the media had somehow already heard about this tragedy and were waiting for him in the front yard. Cameras had been shoved into his face as they asked him thoughtless questions. Like 'Do you blame yourself for what happened for not being here?' or 'Do you still love your wife?' Or 'Will you testify against your wife at court to avenge your son's death?'

He had ignored them and pushed through into the doors of his house where he had yelled at Raven until he got the story out of her. This, along with all the evidence the prosecution had against Raven had enabled him to get the whole story of what had happened that night.

He sat through most of the trial detached. This made the public quickly turn on him. They assumed since he wasn't crying and testifying against his wife that he had never even cared about his own child. But they didn't know anything. He was just too empty to cry. He was way past tears. This was the 2nd family he had lost. He was beginning to think he just wasn't supposed to be happy.

"We would like to call Raven Grayson to the stand." The defense said. Richard had paid for the finest lawyers that money could buy. He didn't want Raven to go to jail, he wanted her to get help. He knew she hadn't meant for this to happen. Raven kept her eyes downcast as she walked to the stand.

"Mrs. Grayson, why don't you tell the jury what really happened that afternoon." The attractive lawyer said as she paced the courtroom, her high heels making a loud 'click' every time she took a step.

"Well, I was working on my book. And, I was having writer's block, which made me mad. I...I hadn't been meditating lately since I was so focused on finishing the book. So, my emotions were running high. I'd been working on that book for so long, and I just wanted to finish it. Robert…" She paused here and cleared her throat before continuing. "Robert came into the room, and was trying to tell me about when him and Richard went to the circus. I snapped at him, since he was distracting me. He left me alone and went to watch TV in the living room. I went back to my book, but then I heard the TV blaring from the living room. It was way too loud. Then…." She stopped here again and looked at Richard from where he was sitting in the front row. He looked back at her expressionlessly.

"Then what Mrs. Grayson?" The lawyer asked as she stopped her pacing in front of the jury box.

"Then I just got so angry. I couldn't control it. I could feel my emotions getting out of control. I tried to control them, but since I hadn't meditated in so long I couldn't gain back control. The rest is kind of blurry. I remember lots of things exploding around the room as I lost control of my powers. I felt like I was watching from the outside when it happened. I walked into the living room, saw Robert sitting there. Then all I remember is crashes and a scream. When it was all over I realized what had happened." Raven said.

By now she was crying and everyone in the courtroom was silent as they listened to her version of the events. She took a deep breath before she was able to continue. "I checked for a pulse and there wasn't one. I tried to do what I could with my powers, but I can't bring people back from the dead. After I realized what I had done I turned myself in to the police and then I called my husband to tell him what happened." Raven finished.

The rest of the trial went by quickly. Richard had already testified on one of the first days of the trial to defend Raven so there were no more big dramatic moments. The defense and the prosecution gave their closing arguments. The defense's closing argument was much better. Probably because the prosecution was a lot less experienced and had been paid for by the state. As Richard watched the jury walk out of the jury box and to the deliberation room he remembered a quote he had heard somewhere. 'A jury is just 12 people who decide who has the better lawyer'

The jury came back only an hour later. "Have you reached your verdict?" Judge Williams asked the jury.

"We have your honor. We the jury, find the defendant, Raven Grayson, not guilty by reason of insanity." The juror said.

Raven and Richard simultaneously sighed in relief. He may have been mad at her but she didn't belong in prison with the filth they had spent years putting away. She would probably end up spending quite a few years in the mental institution, but that had to be better than prison.

End Flashback

The sound of the shower running in the bathroom woke him up. He glanced at the clock that was on the wall. 9:07, normally he would have been at work by now, but he had the next two weeks off because of Christmas and New Years. He wondered what time visitation began at the institution.

Even though he hadn't been there, since he was paying for Raven's treatment he got sent an update on how she was doing monthly. The guilt she felt about what had happened to Robert made her withdraw into herself. The doctors said she rarely spoke and just muttered about how sorry she was on occasion. She did have some good days when she was herself. He could only hope today was one of those days.

He threw the covers off himself and got out of bed. He opened the door to the bathroom and steam immediately rushed into his face as he stepped inside. He left the door open so the steam could get out and grabbed his toothbrush. As he brushed his teeth he looked at the shower and could see the silhouette of his wife washing her hair. It was amazing how much shampoo she could go through in a month to maintain her hair. But he didn't mind paying for the shampoo; her hair was one of his favorite things about her. She also had a great body. Probably because she had 9 stomachs so it was practically impossible for her to get fat. He spit out the toothpaste in his mouth and walked out of the bathroom.

After getting dressed he took out his laptop and googled the mental institution to find out the visitation times. Visiting hours didn't start till 12, but it was almost a two hour drive from his house so he would leave soon. His stomach rumbled so he decided to make breakfast. Usually Kory made breakfast, which was actually edible. When she had been pregnant with Mari and stopped working she was incredibly bored just sitting around the house so she had taken a bunch of classes, including cooking. But since Mari was out of preschool for Christmas break Kory was getting up later and by the time she was ready everyone had already eaten.

When he got to the kitchen he saw Mari sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal in her pajamas. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat across from her at the table. They talked about Mari's karate class. He was glad that she liked taking karate since he probably would have made her take it either way. After finishing his cereal he put the bowl in the dishwasher and grabbed his keys.

Because of traffic it took him 3 hours to get to the mental institution. He walked inside and shivered involuntarily. Places like this always make you kind of depressed. This reminded him of when he had been younger and his biological parents had taken him to visit his grandmother in a retirement home. It just gave you a bad feeling and it made you uncomfortable. (Retirement homes are super depressing. That is why I plan to die when I'm 70 before anyone has a chance to put me in a retirement home)

He walked up to the front desk where a friendly looking old woman was talking on the phone. He waited for her to hang up before saying anything. "Hi, I'm here to visit Raven Gra- um…Roth." He told her. She nodded and typed the name into the computer.
He hadn't been planning to remarry when Raven had first been admitted to the mental hospital, but had gotten the divorce anyway since he knew she wasn't getting out anytime soon. He wondered why after all these years he still thought of her as Raven Grayson.

"She is in room 101. It is down this hall, take a left at the double doors, first door on your right." She explained as she pointed to the hallway he would need to go down.

"Thanks." He said with a smile. She returned the smile and then got back to work. He followed her directions and stopped when he was in front of room 101. He paused outside the door wondering if he really wanted to do this. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room looked like he had assumed it would. Everything was white and soft, probably so all suicide attempts would fail. Raven was leaning against a wall. He hadn't noticed her at first since she was wearing a white cloak and could almost camouflage against the wall.

"Richard? Is that you?" She asked. Her voice was gravelly, as if she hadn't used it in a while.

"Yeah, it's me." He said as he leaned against the wall opposite her.

"Why are you here? You never came before." Raven said.

He didn't really know how to answer her question. "I'm sorry I never came before. You must be lonely here." He commented.

"Victor and Garfield visit me sometimes." She told him.

There was an awkward silence between them while they both scrambled to find something to say. "So, how have you been?" Richard asked the first thing that came to mind.

She shrugged. "There's not much to do around here. But I'm safer here. I can't hurt anyone here." She said. "So what have you been doing over the years?" She asked.

"Well, I kept working at Wayne Enterprises. I'm Vice President now. Star came back to Earth. We got married and have two kids." Richard said. He looked at her to see her reaction.

She glared at him. "Well, looks like you got exactly what you wanted. Reunited with your childhood sweetheart. You lied. You said she was like your sister." Raven said.

When him and Raven had first started dating she had asked him about his feelings for Star. She was always a little insecure and always thought that he would break up with her and run to Star. He had lied and said he saw her like a little sister. But it was just a stupid crush that he assumed he would get over. The crush didn't go away, but he would have never left Raven for Star. But with Raven out of the picture when he had been reunited with Star his feelings just grew deeper.

He returned her glare. "I can't believe you're mad at me. Was I just supposed to be alone for the rest of my life so your feelings didn't get hurt or something!" He yelled.

Her eyes flashed red for a second but she shut them and when she opened them again they were violet.

He sighed. "Look Raven, I didn't come here to fight with you. I came for closure." He explained. She didn't say anything so he continued. "I want you to know that I'm not mad at you and I forgive you for what happened to Robert." Raven flinched as he said his name. "I know you weren't yourself." Richard said.

They made small talk for the next hour. Talking about memories from when they were Titans and such. Richard avoided bringing up Robert or Kory. He did talk a little about Mari and Ryan. When he left he felt better than he had in ages. He was glad this was off his chest.

A week later, Christmas Day

"Look! Santa got me the doll I wanted!" Mari exclaimed as she held up the doll she had just unwrapped. Mari had woken everyone up at 6:00 in the morning and the family had spent the last half an hour unwrapping presents. Richard smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. Mari reached for the last present under the tree. "Who is this one for?" Mari asked as she showed the present in question to her mom.

Kory unwrapped one of her arms from around Ryan and took the present from Mari. "It says it is for your dad." Kory told Mari.

Mari frowned, disappointed that she had already opened all her presents. "Here daddy." She said as she walked to where Richard was sitting on the couch. He picked her up and placed her on his lap before he unwrapped his present.

He raised an eyebrow at what was inside, baby clothes. "Aren't these too small for Ryan, honey?" Richard asked as he looked at his wife.

She nodded. "They are, but they are not for Ryan. I'm pregnant!"

'At this rate, we just might end up with five kids.' Richard thought before passing out.

To Be Continued

Next chapter will be the last! Please review, or else you will never know what is going to happen. Muahahahahaha! I bet none of you will see the end coming!