Disclaimer : Hughes owns Bender and Claire, and the Breakfast Club, but I have ownership of the Bender offspring. ) (kinda makes me sound a tad evil, doesn't it?)

Author's Notes : Well, Before we begin, THANKYOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of my lovely reviewers! I'm glad you all like it so far, if you have any other kinds of tips or comments tho, feel free to send them in. Nothing too harsh tho, OK? I'm new to this whole reviewing concept, thus, fragile. Also, I'm sorry if I don't update for two or even three weeks at a time, but I am continually busy with schoolwork (high school's a bitch!) and other things, thanks for your patience you guys!

This chapter, we get a short Bender/Claire confrontation, without Connie. The reason Connie's getting Saturday detention in the first place is also revealed!

Chapter 3 : Sins Of The Father…And Mother, And Daughter

"I got Saturday detention!" Connie blurted out.

Her parents both stopped talking. Claire's fork dropped from her hand and landed on her plate with a clatter.

…And they both stared at her.

Boy, thought Connie. I'd give anything for a remote right about now…

There was silence.

Connie stared down at her plate, her mother stared at her, and her father just stared ahead, eyes widened and blinking. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, only to close it again.

Connie finally spoke.

"So I guess I'll …" she gestured with her thumb to the kitchen doorway, and rose from her chair.

"Sit," said her father.

Connie sat.

John finally turned his head, to look his daughter in the eye…and he smirked.

Wait a minute…he smirked?

Connie blinked, thinking it might've been just been her imagination, but no…

John Bender was sporting a full – on, lopsided, grin.

Then he chuckled.

Oh no! Connie thought, glancing at her still – silent mother.

I drove them into insanity!

"What'd ya do?" her father asked.

"Connie blinked, and glanced back at her father. "Huh?" she asked.

"What'd ya do to get Saturday detention?" her father asked. "C'mon, I wanna hear the gory details."

"You didn't skip school to shop, did you?" her mother finally spoke up.

Connie glanced at her mother, slightly surprised.

"Uh, no," she answered. "I'm broke."

"Ya didn't pull the fire alarm, did you?" her father asked, clasping his hands together behind his head. "Cuz trust me, that one's been done."

Connie shook her head.

"No," she said.

"Well, so…what happened?" her father asked.

Connie looked at both of her parents for a moment, then spoke.

"I kinda…beat the crap outta one of the football players."

"WHAT?" her mother screeched.

Her father, however, howled with laughter.

"…In the school hallway," Connie continued.

"Oh my God," her mother closed her eyes and rested her head on her hand.

"Oh…my…God!" Connie's father repeated, trying to catch his breath.

"…It made him late for class."

"Oh, Connie!" said her dad, still chuckling. "Please stop, it's not nice to kill your father!"

"John, she beat somebody up!" Connie's mother pointed out.

"I know!" Connie's dad laughed.

"JOHN!"

"Claire, it was an athlete!"

"She BEAT somebody UP!"

"But it was an ATHLETE!" her father started howling again.

"John, she used violence in school!" said Connie's mother. "That's NOT good!"

"Yeah," said Connie, "Mr. Vernon wasn't too impressed, either."

Her father nearly choked, and he wasn't even eating.

"Vernon?" he asked, then looked at his wife.

"VERNON?" he repeated.

"Yeah, Mr. Vernon," said Connie. "He's the head principal at my school."

Connie's father just stared at her, then he turned his attention to his wife.

"Did you know about this?" he asked her.

His wife nodded.

"I saw him at Parent/Teacher night," she said. "I then turned and walked away as fast as I could."

"That's my girl," mumbled Connie's father.

"I asked Connie's English teacher about him and she said he's been principal for about ten years now," her mother continued.

"But we've been to that school a million times since Connie started going there!" Connie's father pointed out. "How come we've never seen him?"

"Maybe he was just trying to avoid you," Connie suggested.

Her father considered that.

"It's extremely likely," he said, then he glanced at Connie and his tone grew more serious.

"Ok, go spend some time in your room now. I'll talk to you some more later."

Connie nodded and left the room.

Nearly two hours later, John and Claire were in their bedroom. Claire was sitting on the bed, watching John pace in front of her, deep in thought.

"So, if Vernon is head principal, that means he con get other teachers to supervise detention, right?" he asked her, "he doesn't have to do it?"

"I dunno," said Claire. "Probably."

"Well, if he IS doing it, he better – " but John stopped in mid – sentence, and continued to pace.

"I don't want that asshole messing with her, Claire. I don't want her pay for everything I did more than twenty years ago."

"Well, what makes you think he'd do something like that, anyway?" Claire asked. "Who knows? Maybe he's changed after all."

"No," said John. "I doubt it."

"Well, why not? I mean, you've changed," said Claire.

John stopped pacing and cocked his eyebrow.

"Well…somewhat," Claire added.

"You don't get it…" said John, as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Vernon in that supply closet, more than twenty years before.

"…He promised me."

" ...But someday, man, someday.
When you're outta here and you've
forgotten all about this place...
And they've forgotten all about you
and you're wrapped up in your own
pathetic life...I'm gonna be there.
That's right. And I'm gonna kick
the living shit out of you, man, I'm
gonna knock your dick in the dirt!"

Connie waited for her father in her room, doing nothing at all but laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Her father had actually seemed proud of her. Proud! Most of her friends had fathers who would hit the roof if they found out their kid had to go to Saturday detention.

But not John Bender.

As Connie thought about it, she realized that he had never been that kind of a father. Sure, he'd gotten angry with her sometimes, only because it was his right at a parent. But the next day, he'd always pick her up from school and buy them both hot dogs on the way home, so they at least had SOMETHING good to eat once in a while.

Once, Connie mentioned to her mother that her grandparents (whom she barely saw, but received cards from on holidays) obviously raised him right.

Her mother's eyes went wide for a few seconds, then she quickly changed the subject.

Connie's dad rarely talked about his past, and because of her mother, rarely got to say anything about "The Great Saturday Detention Of '84".

Just then, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"C'mon in!" she said.

The door opened, and her dad came into the room.

"Hey, kid," he greeted.

"Hey back," she said.

Her father gestured to her desk chair, that was pushed in close to her desk, which was right against the wall next to the bed.

Connie nodded. "Go ahead," she said.

So her dad pulled out the chair and sat down on it, backwards.

"Look kiddo," he began," believe it or not, but I'm in a very tough position right now."

"So just turn the chair around – "

" – Not what I meant,' her dad cut her off. "Now just listen to me for a minute or two, OK? No interruptions."

Connie nodded.

Her dad paused for a second, then he began. "Watch your back tomorrow, OK? And I don't necessarily mean with the kids you'll be doing time with, you were blessed with my big mouth, you can handle them."

Connie smirked.

"I'm talkin' about Dick," her father continued. "Uh…Mr.Vernon. See, when I was in high school with your mom, Vernon and I didn't get along, at all. He hated me,. and I took time out of my busy schedule, every week, to tell him to shove it."

Connie chuckled.

"Now, I don't know if he's changed at all over the past twenty – some – odd years," her dad continued, "but I'm betting on no. Now, I'm not saying you should fight my battle for me, either. But if he does give you any kind of a bad time, just let me know, OK?"

Connie nodded, not sure what to make of this conversation. But her dad was obviously concerned.

"OK," she agreed.

John smiled and got up from his chair. But as he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to her.

"Hey, do you know if Carl the janitor still works at the school?" he asked.

Connie shook her head. "No, he retired a few years ago," she said.

"Ah, that's too bad," her dad muttered, then glanced at her. "Now HE was a good guy!"

Connie nodded, then she thought of something.

"Hey dad," she said. "Are you ever gonna tell me what happened in the Great Saturday Detention of '84?"

Her father just smirked and walked back over to her bed to sit next to her

"Not yet," he said.

"But don't you think it's the perfect time - ?"

"Connie, listen to me," her dad interrupted. "I don't want you goin' in there tomorrow comparing everything to your mom's and my experience. You live your own life, this is your own experience."

Connie pouted.

"That's not gonna work either!" said her dad. "You and your mother, I swear…"

Connie smiled sweetly.

"C'mon," he said, getting up,"according to your mom, there's some Johnny Depp movie on TV right now."

Connie nearly ran her dad over as she zipped out of her bedroom and ran down the stairs.

If any of you have read my profile on this site, you'd know that Johnny Depp is my favorite actor, SoI couldn't resist doin' that.

Next Chapter : SATURDAY MORNING!

Review, please and thank you!