Disclaimer: I love D-tent, but as if they'll ever be mine! (hugs Zero tightly and brandishes Holes DVD) STAND BACK, I'M ARMED.

These Kids

No Matter What

(MAGNET-BASED. FROM HIS FATHER'S POV)

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He was a good kid. He always had a liking for animals, especially dogs. I don't know why he felt so affectionate towards such creatures. Truth was, I didn't regard dogs as much, but I respected his love for them.

Jose, my son, hasn't been home for the last couple of months.

At first, it felt really weird. Not having him around created a bigger impact on me than I thought it would. My two daughters and wife bawled their eyes out when the judge trialed him ten months at this place called Camp Green Lake, but I had to remain composed and cool.

I was a respected and well-known citizen.

I wasn't like those lousy politicians who don't even care about their children, because my family is the most important thing to me. It's just... Jose was becoming a teenager, and we were afraid of what path he'd pick.

When your children start to grow up, more often than not they'll start to drift away from you. Especially if you're the father and your child's a boy. It's just nature. I didn't want that happen, since I was quite close to Jose. But I didn't want to mother-hen his life, so I let him have his space and freedom.

It started off all right. He got average grades and topped his sporting classes. He made some good friends and for awhile he put school before anything else.

Then after a few years, he started cutting classes when he didn't feel like going. My wife, Rinatta, and I tried to talk to him. He pretended to listen, since we were loving and understanding parents.

But he started to cut classes again.

After a certain period of time, cutting classes didn't seem so bad. He only did it about once a week, and he'd usually skive off something not important, like Visual Arts.

I worked hard to get to where I am today.

I almost lost Rinatta in a car crash the night I intended to propose to her. Drunk driving, but not by me. I don't drink.

I was driving the car, with her next to me, watching me lovingly, when this car coming from the left suddenly crashed into us. Of course, since Rinatta was sitting in the passenger seat, she got the worst of the blow.

The doctor said there wasn't much hope.

I spent so many hours, days, weeks, by her bed, holding her hand and hoping... urging her out of her coma...

I loved her with all my heart, and I still do.

You can't possibly imagine the relief that filled me when I heard she was going to be okay. It was like... I could breathe again.

Suddenly, I appreciated everything ten times more.

I married her and took precautions on everything. I didn't want to have the threat of losing her again. If she dies, I will die. It's sometimes painful loving someone so much, but most of the time, it's a gift.

My children are the most important thing to me. If I had to choose between them and my career, they would win hands down.

But I am the worst at showing my feelings.

Jose was our firstborn, and we loved him more than anything else, particularly as we had tried so hard. After the car accident, our doctor had informed us that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Rinatta to conceive. We tried several times, and we thanked the Lord when a little baby had grown in her womb.

Then the doctor started to warn us about miscarriages.

We had hope and we had faith. We kept a little logbook and wrote down things such as, "the baby kicked today!" and, "the baby is still alive and healthy."

Because even if the pregnancy did end up in a miscarriage, at least we had something to look back at.

You can probably now see why my children and wife are so important to me. I couldn't believe we got as far as three kids. We loved them with all our heart. When they were all young, still excited about Christmas and their birthdays, I took time off work to play with them. I would still be able to tell them I loved them back then. I would still be able to tuck them in, tickle them, make them laugh.

When they started growing up, I started spending more and more time at work. I'd see my kids briefly in the morning, then at dinner and maybe some television time at night.

The problem was, though, I barely talked to them. Especially my only son. He was already grunting nonsense whenever my wife asked him "How was your day?"

The only times I could manage real conversations was when I had to lecture him.

I hated lecturing, but it had to be done. He was getting mixed up with the wrong group of people. He was rude to teachers, cutting classes, pick-pocketing. He'd always say he was sorry and that he'd never do it again.

A month later, we'd have the same talk again.

This kept on going. I kept on worrying. Rinatta was in tears.

I barely saw Jose anymore. He was out of the house whenever I was around. Usually he was at a party or something. He had a curfew. Midnight. If he didn't get home on time, there was some serious trouble coming up.

One time, he did break his curfew. I got so angry at him, I don't even remember what happened. I almost hit him, I think.

I don't even understand why I was so mad. I mean, breaking curfew wasn't nearly as bad as all the pick-pocketing he was doing. I guess I felt like this was the last straw.

After that, I refused to give him anymore "talks".

If he didn't even listen, what was the point?

Rinatta tried to get me to continue talking to him, but I was set on not speaking to him anymore.

It stayed that way.

I knew he'd break out of it, one day. I kept trying to tell my wife that. He's got excellent parents, and a loving family. What more does he need? He's a good kid. He's just a teen. Teens are supposed to be like this, right?

That didn't stop me from being angry at him, though.

Usually, when he comes home and I find out he's stolen something, I get really fired up. But when Jose came home on that one day with police officers, I suddenly felt very protective and demanded to know what they had done to my son.

When Rinatta heard what he had done, she started to cry. My two daughters came down to see what was happening and they froze when they saw their older brother with the police.

He had stolen a thousand dollar puppy.

And for some reason, I didn't get angry. I knew he loved animals. When he was younger he'd always say it wasn't fair how they were locked up in cages. He hated the zoo. He hated pet stores.

And he really hated the pound.

I argued with the officers. It was probably not the best thing to do, but they were being completely unfair. They said they had every right to lock him up in jail until a five thousand dollar fine was made.

We argued until we settled on court.

After the police left, we had a family talk. Jose was expecting me to yell, I guess. But I didn't. I told him I was sorry for the way I had been acting, then I told him he shouldn't have done what he had done.

I don't know why, but everyone ended up laughing after our family talk. Everyone was happy. My daughters and wife were in tears, but they were laughing all the same.

It was odd, but I felt like I did when it was Christmas morning and our small kids were tearing open their presents, laughing gleefully and squealing in delight.

Finally, the day of court arrived. We had a lawyer.

They argued until they decided that what Jose needed was some discipline. Juvenile jail, or a correctional facility called Camp Green Lake.

I couldn't believe he was going to be sent away from home. For ten months. He was expecting me to make the decision for him, but I told him he could choose.

Camp Green Lake.

He packed his things. We waited with him at the bus stop. The yellow bus arrived. Rinatta and the girls were crying. He smiled bitterly and hugged them, telling them not to cry, that he'd be back soon.

"Look after Curioso for me," he told them. Curioso was his beloved puppy that we bought for him two years ago.

Then he turned to me.

I wasn't crying. I showed no expression on my face. My features were hardened. My heart was hardened.

He gave me a small smile, "Gracias, papa. Veale alrededor."

I smiled back, my features mellowing a bit.

"Veale alrededor, Jose."

We had a brief, half-hug.

He stepped on the bus. He turned around and smiled sadly at his family. He waved. Then he got on, the doors closed, and the bus rode off. My daughters and wife collapsed on the pavement, weeping.

I suddenly felt empty.

He was gone.

I hadn't talked to him for almost half a year, I didn't see him when I was around. But now, it felt like a hole.

I was cool and composed, but not for long.

"Adios..."

No one saw the tears that trickled down my face as I bid my son a silent farewell...

I sit here, wondering how he's doing. He hasn't replied to the letters we sent him in the first week. I wonder if he'll be all "corrected" when he returns. I wonder if he ever will return.

It seems like he's been gone forever, and that he's not going to come back.

I'm caught flicking through photo albums more often. I'm caught talking to my daughters, laughing and joking with them, so that I may never lose them like how I lost Jose. I'm caught spending more time at home, and spending less at the office.

Because even though I wasn't that close to him when he grew older, only talked to him when I had to lecture, and didn't see much of him, he's still my son.

I still love him, always have, always will.

And I'm still his father, no matter what.

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A/N: I'm sorry that Zero's mother and Magnet's mother both had to have problems with conceiving. Please bear with me! Spanish may be extremely off, as I used an internet translator. "Gracias, papa. Veale alrededor," means, "Thank you, dad. See you around." Umm... they need accents above certain letters, but please... just... bear with it. :) Magnet turned out alright. I realise there was next to nothing about how his father was coping AFTER Magnet left, but oh well. :) At the beginning, his father seems all polite and stuff, saying "it was a bit weird at first" but as the chapter goes on, it progresses until he starts pouring everything out. I did that on purpose lol, so it's not a mistake or whatever. :)

Armpit's next, then I think it's Zig. Yeah... like... no one's voting, LOL.

Okay, so NEXT: ARMPIT.

AFTER ARMPIT: ZIGZAG.

AFTER ZIG: TWITCH (yeah, I listened to you Julz :) )

THEN PLEASE VOTE FOR EITHER: X-Ray, Caveman, Barf Bag.

Thanks for reviewing! :) --MSQ.