Disclaimer: I do not own Roseanne, the series and its characters are all property owned by Carsey-Werner

Forbidden Love

Written By: SSJ God SS Juuhachi

Chapter 24: Dealing with the Past

Mark and Becky were downstairs watching TV when they heard the back door slam shut. They turned their head to see who it was. Their eyes were wide in fear when familiar voices speak.

"Roseanne, you need to calm down!"

"He's right, sis, you don't want to go into this acting harshly!"

"Don't tell me what to do, both of you! I'll handle this anyway I damn well please!" She growled at them. "Darlene where are you?"

Becky and Mark watched as the angry Roseanne stormed into the living room, Dan and Jackie following close behind her.

"Where is she!?" She demanded, glaring at her daughter and son-in-law.

"She's upstairs getting a shower," Mark responded, gesturing towards the stairs

Roseanne began walking toward the couch, and they got up, quickly distancing themselves from her.

"Darlene, get down here right now!" She shouted as she walked behind the couch toward the stairs. Mark and Becky watch a moment, fearful that she will go upstairs as she approaches them. But to their great relief, she stopped at the banister.

"Darlene!" They heard footsteps descending the stairs. When Darlene then appeared, looking annoyed. Her face and hair, now clean, Darlene stood there wearing a white shirt with a flannel shirt on top of it, blue jeans, and her usual black converse sneakers.

"What? You keep calling my name. What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you, sit down," Roseanne said, gesturing to the couch.

The teenager didn't move.

"I said sit down," She repeated firmly.

Darlene did as her mother asked her and, sits down on the couch. Waiting for the inevitable, screaming she knew that was coming.

"You want to explain what happened today?" Roseanne asked as she and Dan both sat down in recliner chairs.

"She's the one who turned it into a fight. All I wanted to do is talk to her," Darlene calmly replied, closing her eyes.

"But why would you want to talk to her?" Roseanne looks at her confused, "Shouldn't the thing for you to do was avoid her? I mean, she and her friends beat you up. What was so important that you had to talk to her about?" She asked her

Darlene glanced at Becky before looking at her mother.

"Let's just say, she bullied one person too many, and I wanted to stop her," Darlene said, dodging the question.

"You told me this morning you could handle it," Roseanne said, "

That they weren't worth it, and you wouldn't get it into a fight with them. What happened that made you change your mind?"

"I already told you what happened,"

"No, you told me the reason you did it. You still didn't tell me what happened."

" I found out she was bullying another student. Later, when I saw her, I told her I knew what was going on and that I wanted it to stop, that she and her friends were going to leave them alone,"

"And what did she say?" It was Jackie who spoke this time

"She just looked at me and asked, 'what are you going do about?' After that, she started pushing me; I told her to stop but kept it up so I pushed her back hard; and, she fell backward. Marcy quickly got back up and hit me across the face..."

"Then what happened?"

"I tackled her to the ground, and we started throwing punches at each other. Teachers tried to break us apart but couldn't. That's when the police came and arrested us."

"But I don't understand," Roseanne started, "when she hit you why didn't you just walk away...why did you have to fight her?"

"It wasn't something I was conscious of, Mom. It was a reaction, an impulse to being hit..." Darlene said, "all I wanted to do was talk to her, but she started to push me, trying to provoke me into a fight. I told her to stop her, but she continued to push me. I could feel my control slipping as I shoved her back, and when she hit me, the part of my brain that could think and make rational decisions just turned off, and I snapped. I saw red, and all I wanted to do was hurt her. I wanted to inflict as much on her as I possibly could..."

After Darlene finished speaking, everyone just looked at her, unsure of what to say. Everything was silent until Roseanne decided to break it.

"Wow, Darlene, I don't know what to say," She said, making Darlene look at her. "I mean, this isn't like you...losing control, getting into fights..."

"Yeah, we haven't seen this side of you in years, not since..." Dan then trailed off as he and Roseanne turned to each other, it dawning on them what was going on.

"Not since she was a kid..." Becky finished her father's sentence

"Why? What happened when she was a kid?" Mark asked confused

"I broke a kid's nose..." Darlene asked, feeling uncomfortable now

"Whoa...how old were you?"

"I was ten, all right? Now can we get off this subject, please?" Darlene said, now feeling uncomfortable.

"What did the kid do to make you break his nose?"

"Does it matter? It was a long time ago. Now, if it's all right with everyone, I really don't want to talk about this..."

"Darlene, what are you getting so defensive about?" Becky asked, "All we're trying to do is help you."

"Well, did it occur to anyone; maybe I don't want help?" She glared at the family, "Look, I'm sorry about the fight at school today, it should not have happened, but Marcy hit me first, and I-"

"Saw red?" Dan finished for her

Darlene nodded

"That is just our point, Darlene. You haven't acted like that since you were a kid. Something trigged you, and I don't believe it just over Marcy bullying some kid, or that she hit you...so talk to us, what was it that really set you off?" Roseanne asked her, as Darlene was growing annoyed

"I already told you what happened. Can't we please drop it?" Darlene asked, becoming tired of the conversation.

"Darlene, whatever it is you can tell us, we won't get angry with you. We just want to know what was going on with you." Dan told her, his tone calm and caring.

"Nothing is going on with me,"

"Well, then why did your emotions come out like that?"

"Because that's what happens when you bury your emotions for years. Sooner or later, they have to come out."

Roseanne looks confused, "What are you talking about; bury your emotions?"

Darlene rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Of course you wouldn't know what I'm talking about; you were too busy with DJ or praising Becky for some achievement to notice anything that was going on with me."

"Darlene, what are you talking about?"

"From the time I was six until I was ten years old, I was bullied almost every day by the kids in the neighborhood. In the beginning, it was typical bully behavior. They stole my lunch money, pushed me around, called me names, you know, normal stuff."

She paused briefly before continuing, "This went on for two, maybe three years until the bullies who had picked on me grew bored of the typical behavior and started beating the crap out of me. One day I came home with a black eye, and Dad saw it. He asked me what happened, I told him, and he took me out to the garage and began teaching me how to fight."

"I remember that," Dan said, nodding his head.

" The bullying continued, and every day Dad taught me something new to use until one day when I was ten years old, one of the bullies started giving me a hard time, when I told him to back off, he then he called me something nasty, and I just lost it."

"What did he call you?" Becky asked

"He called me a dyke,"

The family was in stunned silence as they processed the information until Mark broke it with one word.

"Damn..."

"I had heard the word before and knew what it meant, but no one had ever called me that before. When he did, I snapped and broke his nose. He fell to the ground screaming in pain, and for a brief moment, I felt pretty good about myself. I couldn't wait to tell Dad how I had finally stood up for myself," Darlene said, a small smile on her face as she said the last part.

Her smile then faded, "But when I got home, Mom was on the phone talking to the parents of the bully. They had told her what happened and said because I was the one who broke his nose, they were going to pay their medical bills."

She paused briefly, "I didn't say anything, I just started upstairs, but I stopped on the landing and listened to them as they argued. Mom blamed Dad for the whole thing, said it was his fault for teaching me how to fight. Dad told her he taught me because I was being beaten up and needed to know how to defend myself, but Mom did not want to hear it, and they continued to argue,"

Dan and Roseanne glanced at each other as she continued, "Becky saw me on the stairs and sat down next to me. She then told me it was my fault they were fighting. That if I had not lost my temper and broke that kid's nose, none of this would be happening. And she was right. If I hadn't let my emotions get the best of me, none of that would have happened. So that's when I made a decision. From that point on, I was going to turn off all emotions."

Becky got a guilty look on her face.

"For six years, I have buried my emotions, covering them up with sarcasm and dry humor. I became isolated and the saddest part was none of you ever asked why that was or noticed a change in me," She said, looking at the family.

"You're right. We didn't, and I'm sorry about that, Darlene," Dan apologized to her, "But we did notice over the years whenever you got upset about something, or when you were depressed, we all tried to talk to you and help you."

"Yeah, only because it was in your face, and you couldn't ignore it. But let's be honest, if I hadn't made it clear I was upset or shown I was depressed, would any of you have thought to ask me how I was or if something was wrong?"

No answer.

"That's what I thought." She said snidely, " If I hadn't made it obvious something was wrong or wasn't vocal with my feelings, none of you would have paid any attention." Darlene told them, "Marcy had bullied for years, pushing my buttons every day. She had spread lies about me around the school. She had written disparaging things on the bathroom wall, spray-painted "Dyke" on my locker, and for a long time, I didn't say anything. Because I told myself it wasn't worth it. But everyone has a breaking point, and today I reached mine."

Roseanne tsked, "That's crap," She said, "You still could have walked away. Don't sit here and act like you didn't have a choice."

"I didn't,"

"We always have a choice. And look where yours got you? Put in a police car, locked in a jail cell. And not only that but Becky and Mark had to go and bail you out."

Darlene suddenly stood up, "Well, I'm glad it was them that got me out, and not you because I wouldn't have wanted you to feel ashamed. Since your image always comes first, doesn't it, Roseanne?"

Roseanne stood up as well, "This isn't about image, Darlene." She said, "This is about you, this is about you think you can do whatever you want, well actions have consequences."

"And what consequences am I facing, mother?"

"You could be expelled for this, do you realize that?"

"Why no, mother, I didn't realize that... " Darlene said; sarcastically, "Of course, I know that!"

"Stop calling me that, you know I always hated Becky calling me that. She did it to irritate me."

"Whatever you say...mother,"

Darlene and Roseanne stood face to face, staring each other down. Everyone's eyes shifted between the two Conner women. Dan, not wanting to see a bloodbath happen, stepped in between his wife and daughter.

"That's enough! Both of you!" Dan shouted, "Roseanne, it's done is done, all right, so just let it go. Darlene, stop antagonizing; your Mom by calling her mother," He said, looking in between the two.

Roseanne glared at Darlene.

"You're just like your father, solving all your problems with your fists rather than using your head,"

"Oh yeah? Well, now I know why Dad drinks so much; it's the only way he can stand to listen to you all the time!"

Becky and Mark noticed that Dan was struggling to keep Roseanne and Darlene apart.

"Dad, why don't you take Darlene and go talk with her," Becky motioned to the door.

"Sounds good, Becky. Darlene, let's go," Dan motioned for his daughter to go out the back door.

"Fine," Darlene grumbled, following her father.

As they walked away, Roseanne moved to go after them.

" Mrs. Conner..."

Becky and Mark immediately got in her way before she could make it to the kitchen.

"Mom, let her go. She needs to cool off, and so do you."

Roseanne looks towards them, Becky and Mark standing shoulder to shoulder and not budging one bit.

"You do realize there's another opening to the kitchen, right?"

"Yeah, we know," Mark said, his focus never leaving her

Roseanne narrowed her eyes, "And how do you know, I won't go for that one?"

"Because by the time you would make it outside, Dad and Darlene would have already left the driveway."

Roseanne glared at them. She knew they were right; she wouldn't make it out in time.

Becky and Mark watched as Roseanne turned towards the bedroom. The young couple watched as she walked inside and cringed as she slammed the door.

"Man, that intense," Becky said, a little shook up by the situation.

"Yeah, well, that's good at least. She's not going to go out searching for them," Mark added as they moved toward the couch again.

Becky glanced up towards the ceiling, "I have never seen them blow up at each other like that. Usually, it's me and Mom."

"I know what you mean. In all the years I have known your Mom and sister, I have never seen tempers flare up like that. It was kind of scary, to be honest,"

"I just think with all that happened today, Mom pushed Darlene to her limit,"

"Definitely. I think after they take some time to calm down, and perhaps they can talk rationally to one another."

"I hope so,"

"What are the odds since Darlene isn't here right now, she will take out her frustrations on us?" Mark then asked

"I'd say the chances are pretty high," Becky replied

Becky then turned to her Aunt, "Jackie, can you do us a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Can you stay here and try to talk to Mom, calm her down? Mark and I are going to leave for a while..."

"I can do that, no problem," She said, "Where are you two going?"

"We are just go drive around until things cool off here," Mark said, as he and Becky grabbed their coats.

"Yeah, we'll be back though. It's Valentine's Day so we plan to go out to dinner later." Jackie smiled and nodded her head, "In the meantime make sure DJ stays away from her. We don't need anything making her mood worse," Becky said, glancing towards the steps.

"I'll take care of it, don't worry. You two go on and get out here,"

They nodded, and Jackie watched as the couple then walked out the door. After they were gone, she turned towards the bedroom. Jackie had seen her sister get angry many times, but never to this extreme before.

She had told Mark and Becky; that she would try to talk to her and calm her down. But she felt it was best to wait until she came out before doing that. Whatever happened, she just hoped that Darlene and Roseanne resolved their differences.