A/n: Just wanted to offer a reason for how Ray got to be a billionaire, since he doesn't seem to have inherited his fortune? At least it didn't seem so from that little glimpse of his childhood we got in the episode Phone Home... Could certainly be wrong, but if he didn't, then one or more of his "weird inventions" had to have earned it for him, right?

Disclaimer, I may be able to give Ray a billion dollars, but I still can't claim ownership of the Legends... Sigh...

Sandy Palmer smiled fondly as she saw her son's name on her caller i.d. "Hello, Ray. I was wondering when you'd get around to calling your mother. Are you taking care of yourself, sweetie?"

Usually Ray was good about taking care of his body and watching what went into it, but Mrs. Palmer's genius boy had a tendency to get caught up in his next strange project or invention, and forget things like eating and sleeping were important things he needed to do each day. At least now he had his fiancee Anna to remind him during those times before he let himself go too long. Mrs. Palmer smiled as she heard him awkwardly clear his throat, trying to figure out what to say so he wouldn't confirm her suspicions, but as the uncharacteristic silence dragged out longer she began to worry.

"Ray, honey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I uh... Nothing's wrong, actually... I just, I don't know how to say this..."

"Do you need me to help you with anything? Are you short on money?"

At that, he barked out such a strange laugh that she had to wonder if it really were her son on the line. "No, no, I definitely don't need money... Mom, I... Remember how I was telling you about my inventions, and getting them patented so I could market them? I thought I could use the money to fund bigger projects, you know?"

"And it didn't work out? Oh, I'm so sorry, Ray."

Mrs. Palmer wished her son were in the room instead of on the phone so she could give him a hug. She didn't understand half of what he babbled about when he tried to explain his latest idea or the science behind it, but as his mother she wanted him to know he had her support, even if she wished he could settle for a more stable career option to provide for him and his future wife.

"No, Mom, it's not like that." More of his normal enthusiasm began to seep back into his voice, though she couldn't be sure he wasn't just putting on an act to make her worry less. "Mom, I got a few prototypes developed and started to sell them, and a corporation liked my ideas. They offered me, I can't even believe how much they offered for them. I still can't... It's just so amazing."

Oh... not a rejection?

"That's wonderful, Ray!" Shaking her head at how silly she was to expect the worst, she added, "Now you and Anna can put more towards that dream wedding you both wanted! Or was it enough to have a little extra to put away for the future?"

Again, her son laughed strangely. "A lot extra, actually... Mom, I'm a billionaire."

The phone slipped from Mrs. Palmer's fingers. Distantly she heard Ray saying, "Mom? You still there?" Now she wanted to laugh. She wasn't sure she was still there. This couldn't be real. Her son... The next Bill Gates?

She grabbed the phone back up. "Ray? Could you please repeat that? How much?"

There was no possible way he could have actually said...

"One point four billion dollars," he answered, sounding almost in awe, most likely still just as stunned by the number as she was. "Mom, I can invest in a company of my own, now. I can create new inventions that can really help people. I can make a difference in the world..."

A/n: Don't know how accurate my patent information is. Tried to look it up, but I doubt the short time I spent reading about it online made me all that knowledgeable on the subject. Probably greatly overestimating how much most inventions would be worth, but I really just wanted a mind-blowingly huge number. If it is completely outside the realm of possibility, please let me know and I'll change it to something more manageable. :)