2REVIEW RESPONSES

LaLloyd271: I know and I'm sorry. I've just been to make my chapters smaller which is why this was split into two parts, plus with everything that's been going on in the Ninjago community very recently, my head wasn't really in the writing game.

Chapter 17: Cole Doesn't Live Here Anymore Part 2

Ray and Maya shifted awkwardly in their seats at their dining table as a very official-looking lady from Social Services sat across from them. The social worker was a very tall woman with cold eyes and short curly light brown hair. She was wearing a black, tight, long-sleeved shirt and a light blue tall skirt with red-framed glasses and black high-heeled boots. Ray couldn't help but keep his nervous eyes on the dining room table to avoid her sharp gaze.

He felt as if the social worker's gaze was burning a hole right through his soul.

He doubted any parent wanted a social worker in their home, especially one who's specifically sent to take a child away and possibly send them to prison for not informing the state about Cole living with them. Cole, Kai, and Nya were out with their other friends. Both he and Maya thought it would be best if they weren't there to see this. A tense silence filled the apartment, no one dared make a sound. Thankfully Maya had more confidence than her husband as she stared at the social worker with a blank face, both women waiting for the other to break first.

Luckily, Ray finally managed to work up the nerve to break the uncomfortable silence by clearing his throat and looking up at the social worker.

"Um, welcome to our lovely home." He smiled shakily. "This must be a relief for you to come to a house where no one has done anything wrong."

"I bet it's almost like a vacation," Maya added.

"Oh sure, making my way here from the other side of the city during rush hour is like traveling through the south of France on a luxurious boat." She shot back harshly and the awkward tension returned.

"Such imagery, you should be a writer." He chuckled nervously as he felt himself starting to sweat. "So to the matter at hand, how do we keep this little homosexual teen who's dating my son living in this apartment?"

"Well, if his father was willing to make you legal guardians it wouldn't be an issue." She explained. "But without Mr. Brookstone's approval, I have to put Cole in with a foster family."

"Ok, what if we became Cole's foster family? Doesn't the city cut you a big fat check for that every month?" Ray asked, getting a harsh glare from his wife.

"Yes, but it's a complicated process and would require state officials to approve of you two as capable guardians." She explained. "If by some miracle that actually did happen, we're looking at a three to six months process."

"What happens to Cole in the meantime?" Maya asked.

"He'll be placed in a group home."

"B-But w-we took him in and we're doing really good with him," Ray said.

"Yeah, he's healthy, he's getting really good grades, he's feeling great about himself," Maya added.

"We were a little freaked out at first but now we really want him to stay, so can he stay?" He pleaded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I do agree with you, but it's either his own home or a group home." She sighed. "It might not make sense but that's the way the system works."

"Well with your sunny and cheerful disposition I can see why they choose you to work with children," Ray grumbled, getting another glare from his wife...

Lou sighed as he sat alone in his apartment, flipping through the channels on his TV. He never realized how quiet the place was without Cole. Usually, the raven-haired teen had his music blasting, whether it be from a stereo or his headphones. It was so loud Lou didn't need any fancy werewolf powers to hear it. He did miss his son, but he couldn't accept his lifestyle. Contrary to what people may think, he wasn't disappointed IN his son, he was disappointed FOR his son.

He just wished Cole was a nice, normal boy, with a decent, loving wife and a couple of kids for good measure.

He preferred it if his son wasn't gay but that didn't make Lou the devil for it. Being a werewolf already limited Cole's relationship options, but being a GAY werewolf wasn't much better. He might be able to get his head around Cole being gay if it wasn't for his choice of men. He didn't like the Smith family or their precious son in the slightest. He couldn't understand why Ray and Maya were allowing this to continue right under their own roof.

As parents themselves, they shouldn't be encouraging their children to be having sex or inviting their partners to stay in their home.

True, Nya was a nice enough girl, and Lou was a little upset that Cole wasn't dating her instead of her brother. Kai Smith was hot-headed, reckless, a flirt, and Lou knew he would badly break his only child's heart. He knew he was hurting his son but staying away, but sometimes a parent had to hurt their child a little bit to do what was best for them in the long run. He was suddenly dragged out of his thought by a loud banging on his door.

The dancer quickly opened the door and was shocked and angry to find Ray Smith standing on his doorstep.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to be here, but we've got a serious problem on our hands," Ray said and Lou could see the panic in his eyes.

"It is no longer my problem, it is your problem." He shot back.

"Interesting, you refer to your own son as 'it' yet everybody believes Garmadon is the worst father in the pack."

"So you came to my home to insult me?"

"No, that's just an extra added benefit," Ray smirked. "Look, Social Services found out I'm not Cole's legal guardian and they're coming to take him to a foster home tonight." He explained and Lou felt a twinge of fear for a moment, but it quickly vanished.

"Well... if your two children are luckily they'll take them with him." He snapped and made to close the door but Ray put his foot in the way and forced the door open again.

"Lou, this is serious." He warned. "If you don't do something you might not ever see Cole again!"

"Fine with me, as far as I am concerned he is no longer my son!"

"What the fuck's the matter with you?!" Ray snarled his short patience finally at its end. "All Cole is doing is being true to himself and that's all any parent should want for their kids! We can't control who they become any more than our parents could control how we turned out! I mean, did your parents want you to marry a werewolf and became a dancer? Did my parents want me to move my whole family away to the middle of a big city?" He asked and Lou paused in thought. "We had to choose our own paths and that's what Cole is doing yet you want to disown him because he likes getting naked with other guys and play around like that?"

"You know, you almost had me for a minute there." Lou spat before shoving Ray away from his door and slamming it in the werewolf's face...

Nya sighed as she returned home from her swim practice to find Kai sat on the couch, clearly upset drowning his sorrows in chocolate ice cream. She took a quick sniff and realized that their parents and Cole were home and she could hear them packing things up in Cole's room. Their father must not have convinced Lou to take Cole back, meaning that their friend was going to be placed in foster care. None of the Smith family wanted to just give up like this but they had done everything they could.

There was nothing else they could do except let Social Services take Cole.

It could be more than a year before they saw him again. She was about to comfort her brother when their parents and Cole came rushing into the room with bags in their arms.

"Hurry up that social worker will be here any minute!" Maya explained as they started grabbing bits and pieces they may need.

"What's going on?" Nya asked.

"We're sneaking Cole out of here," Ray replied. "We're putting him up in a motel until we figure out what to do next with him."

"For how long?" She asked but no one could answer that. Cole and Kai embraced each other tightly, scared to let each other go. Knowing they were short on time, Maya reluctantly separated the young couple and led Cole to the front door. They all shared a sorrowful look as Ray opened the front door, only to freeze when they saw the social worker from early standing in the doorway. Her hand was raised as if she was just about to knock.

She took one look at the scene and knew what was going on.

"Going somewhere?" She asked with a growl.

"Not anymore." Cole sighed as he tossed his bag on the couch in defeat. The two parents did the same as the social worker stepped into the apartment.

"I can't believe you were going to try and sneak this boy out of here!" The social worker exclaimed.

"What are you going to do? Make a federal case out of this?!" Ray asked sarcastically.

"Well kidnapped traditionally leads to a federal case!"

"You just have all the answers, don't you?!" Kai snapped. "But not the right one on how to help us!"

"Yea and what about what's best for the child?" Maya asked. "I mean isn't that what child services are about?"

"Look, don't you think I'd prefer to see Cole in a happy home? Or at least here?" She asked, receiving a glare from the family. "I'm sorry but my hands are tied, Cole, it's time to go." She sighed as she and Cole stood up. Kai grabbed his boyfriend's hand as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Don't worry about me babe, I'll be fine," Cole reassured with a teary smile as he kissed Kai on the forehead. Just then there a knock at their front door and Nya went to answer it. She gasped and stepped aside to allow Lou Brookstone to enter the living room, much to everyone's shock. Ray and Maya glared at him but said nothing as the human pushed past them to nervously approach the social worker.

"I am his father, and I am willing to let him come back home." He said in a forced tone of voice.

"Really?" Cole gasped in surprise and hope. Lou nodded but kept his eyes to the floor as he and his son made to leave.

"No, stop right there Lou!" Ray suddenly exclaimed, to everyone's mute horror. "What do you mean you're 'willing to let him come back home'?! Sorry but that's not going to cut it!"

"Ray stop!" Maya exclaimed.

"Please don't do this!" Kai begged but his father ignored all of them.

"No! You're not going to just 'let him come back home', you're going to accept your son for the way he is, you're going to give him your unconditional love, and then you're going to apologize to him for the way you treated him!" He demanded but Lou remained silent, glaring at the male werewolf glaring at him.

"Or," Cole suddenly said, trying to break the tension. "How about I go home, everything is super awkward for everyone, eventually we start to like each other a bit and from there we just go with the flow?" He offered with a nervous chuckling, hoping his father didn't change his mind.

"I can live with that." Lou agreed and after Cole said thank you to the Smiths for all they did for him and giving his boyfriend a goodbye kiss, they both left the apartment. As soon as they were gone, Kai hugged both his parents loving.

"Thank you." He sighed in relief at the thought that his boyfriend wouldn't be going into foster care. Both his parents smiled only for Ray's eyes to widen when he suddenly realized something. He quickly escaped the group hug and ran over the large kitchen window that overlooked the busy street in front of their apartment building. He looked out and saw Lou and Cole walking to the older Brookstone's car.

"HEY BROOKSTONE, UP HERE!" He shouted down and Cole and Lou looked up at him in confusion. "YOU OWE ME 612 DOLLARS FOR FOOD AND ESSEIANLS!"...