A Not So 'Full' House

Chapter 4: Happy Birthday DJ, You're Outta Here!

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."