That night, havoc reigned in the Tanner house. "I can't believe you kicked him out!" DJ screamed. "You had no right! He did nothing wrong!" It had only been an hour since she had watched in tears as Joey loaded his stuff in his car. At first, she didn't understand what was going on; why he wasn't talking to her, she thought she'd done something wrong. But then, Uncle Jesse had pulled her aside and told her what had happened. He assured her that Joey wasn't upset with her, but that her father had told him that he wasn't to speak with her or her sisters any more.
She was glad that they were out at the moment; it was bad enough watching him leave without them here to have to explain why Joey was being kicked out. And it was true, she could tell by the way he looked at her that he wanted to say something to her, but out of respect for Danny, he kept quiet. Is it true? DJ asked herself as she thought back to the look in Joey's eyes. Could he really feel something for me? Was he really that upset to be leaving? For now though, her questions would remain unanswered.
"Right?" Danny hollered back. "I had every right! This is my house, and you're my daughter. Besides that, he's too old for you!"
"If you haven't noticed, Dad," DJ yelled, her voice laced with angry sarcasm. "I am old enough to make that decision on my own, I am a legal adult, I am not a child any more, and not that it would be any of your business, but nothing happened!"
"Not my business?" Danny retorted. "Not my business?" DJ merely nodded curtly and glared at him. "It is my business, and I just told you why. It's my house and you are my daughter."
"Well," DJ said her voice like venom. "That may be so, but it's my life!"
Upstairs, the twins were crying because it seemed as if everyone was yelling, and that wasn't too far from right. "I'll be right back," Jesse said, as he sat one of the boys down, and looked up at Rebecca. "I better get down there before they kill each other." She nodded and sighed heavily. "Besides," he said with a grin. "I have to have my say in it too." Rebecca glared at him then, and threw one of the twins' stuffed animals at him, and he ducked and exited their loft apartment.
The yelling match continued, and had nearly turned physical by the time Jesse got down stairs. "Whoa, whoa,whoa," Jesse said as he forced his way between his niece and her father, putting a hand on the shoulder of each. "Now, Danny," Jesse said when the man glared at him for getting in the way. "DJ's right, she is an adult, and you should treat her as such."
"Do you know how I found her this morning?" Danny seethed, staring daggers at DJ.
"As a matter of fact," Jesse said, looking from a horrified DJ to a surprised Danny. "I do. Joseph told me all about it this morning after the radio show. Which he didn't fail to mention, was his last."
DJ looked at her father in outrage. "You told him he wasn't on the radio show any more! I-I can't believe you! That you had no right to do."
Jesse saw Danny's tirade building, and cut him off before he started. "I agree," he said. "And Danny," he continued, turning to look at the man, to see barely bridled anger. "Before you go off again, about this being your house, yes, it is your house, but you have other people living here that either pay rent, help you raise your girls, and I resist the word children, because they either have, or are nearing adulthood; or are in school. So, yes, I do agree with DJ, because Joseph both paid rent, and help raise your girls, as did I. You had no right to tell him that he was no longer able to do the radio show."
Jesse paused for breath, and held up his hand to silence Danny. "And," he continued. "I see no reason for you to have kicked him out in the first place. I am sorry, DJ, if it offends you that I know of what happened between you and Joseph, but he and I felt it prudent that someone have all the facts before deciding anything."
DJ nodded in understanding, and kept quiet.
Danny however, nearly laughed out loud in his rage. "And what, pray tell, are the facts, Jesse? Because from what I saw, I find it hard to believe that he hadn't just fucked my daughter!"
DJ looked at him in shock and turned to go, but Jesse grabbed her upper arm, and pulled her to a halt. She looked up at him curiously. "Have a seat, Deej," he said gently. "I know it's hard to listen to, but I'm asking." DJ swallowed hard, and without so much as a nod, sat down on the couch slowly. Then, without warning, Jesse turned and smacked Danny across the face with an open palm. DJ gasped, and sat forward on the couch, but otherwise didn't move. Danny looked at him in amazement. Never before, well, no, not ever, but certainly not since they were kids, had Jesse hit him.
"Hey!" Danny cried in disbelief as he rubbed his now throbbing cheek. "What was that for?"
"That was for talking about Joseph and DJ like that, you know it's not true. Joey would never do anything like that! He respects women, and especially your girls! Now, whether you believe that, and you let him move back in or not, is up to you." DJ made a sound of disbelief behind him, and he turned to look at her. "Yes, Deej," he said sadly. "That is up to Danny." He turned back to the man in question and continued, "My radio show however, is not under your control, and you can't say who does, and does not come here to be on it, so if you will excuse me, I have a phone call to make." With that, Jesse turned and left.
DJ gave her father a death glare that he returned after Jesse left and got to her feet. "Well," she asked bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking at him expectantly.
"He's not coming back," Danny replied matter-of-factually. "My judgment still stands."
"Fine," she hissed and started for the stairs. "Then I'm not staying here either!"
"And, just where do you think you're going?" Danny asked.
"I have a place I can go," she replied cheekily. "I've had a place to go for almost a year."
"Then, why didn't you move out sooner?" Danny asked, doubtful that she spoke the truth.
"Believe me, dad," she said vehemently. "It wasn't for you."
That was a blow that Danny hadn't expected, and it not only hurt, but also made him angry. "Good," he yelled after her as she headed for her room. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"
Jesse, who was in the kitchen on the phone, waiting for Joey to pick up, heard everything, and rolled his eyes with a sigh, as he ran his fingers through his hair.
DJ fought back tears as she pulled out a suitcase and began throwing clothes and belongings in it. She picked up a picture of her dad, and looking at it angrily, threw it across the room, making the glass shatter. Another photo she picked up, a picture of her and Joey made her cry harder. Soon, there was a knock at the door.
"If it's dad, go away," she yelled.
"It's not," came another masculine voice. "Can I come in?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah," DJ said with a sob, quickly drying her eyes, and putting the photo in her suitcase.
"Where you goin'?" Jesse asked as he sat down on the edge of her bed, tucking a foot beneath him.
"If you're here to find out for my dad, forget it," DJ said, eyeing him suspiciously. "I won't tell you."
"Hey, hey, hey," Jesse said, raising his hands as a sign of surrender. "I'm on you're side. I want to know, because Joseph will ask when he comes by to do the show, and I would like to have an answer for him other than 'I don't know', you know?"
"Kimmy's," she said. "So, Joey's still going to do the radio show?"
"Yeah," he said with a grin. "If you stick around, you'll probably see him again. How 'bout it, Deej?"
"No," she said. "Even if I did, you know he wouldn't talk to me. Not when dad told him not to."
Jesse nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said with a sigh. "He was always goofy like that; listening to every thing Danny said. All right DJ, will you leave me an address, or at least a phone number." He sighed when she arched a brow at him curiously. "For your aunt Becky," he said. "She'll want to know you're okay." DJ nodded, and moving to the desk, took out a piece of paper, and a pen, and then jotted down the address and number for Kimmy's apartment before handing it to Jesse. "Okay," he said as he stuck it in his pocket and rose to his feet. "We're gonna miss you around here, kid," he said lovingly, and pulled her in for a hug.
"Kid?" DJ asked, arching a brow at him questioningly.
"Yeah, well," he said with a smile. "You may be an adult, but you're still a kid to me."
"Thanks, Uncle Jesse," DJ said with a smile. He nodded, and then turned to leave her to her packing.
"Oh," he said, turning back from the door. "Just one thing."
"Yeah?" DJ asked as she resumed packing.
"I know what you said to Becky about Joseph," he said, and DJ looked at him in surprise. "Hey, she's my wife, we don't keep secrets," he grinned, and DJ nodded with a smile. "I just wanted to hear it from you," he said softly. "How do you feel about Joseph?"
DJ blushed, and cleared her throat. "I love him," she said simply.
"Love him how?" Jesse asked, pushing her buttons. "You mean like you love me and your sisters, or what?"
"Uncle Jesse!" DJ cried.
"No, no, no," he said. "I mean, I honestly wanna know."
DJ looked at him, but he showed no signs of moving or dropping the subject. She sighed heavily. "Alright!" DJ cried in defeat. "I'm in love with him. There, are you happy now?"
"So you mean what you told Becky about looking for someone like Joey?" Jesse asked.
"Yes!" DJ cried; feeling like a nosy girlfriend was probing her. She thought that was Kimmy's job. "Are we done now?"
"Alright," Jesse said with a smile. "I'll let you get on with it." She turned to throw something at him playfully, but he had already left. Throwing it in her suitcase, she tossed herself across her bed, and picked up the phone, dialing Kimmy's number.
Twenty minutes later, she headed downstairs and to her car. Jesse was there, waiting for her, and helped her load the suitcase. "Here," he said, and handed her a small torn piece of paper. "You'd probably want to have this."
"What is it?" she asked, unfolding it.
"That's the number where Joseph is," Jesse said. "I thought you could find a use for it." She nodded, stuck it in her pocket, and then reached up to hug him.
"Thanks, Uncle Jesse," she whispered.
"You're welcome, Deej," Jesse said, returning her hug. "Better get going, Gibbler's waiting." He helped her in the car, shut the door for her, and waved as she backed down the driveway.