Austin, Texas

"You know, it's about time that JR invited us to Southfork; he's lucky that I even let you spend as many weekends there as I do. It will be nice to see how you'll be living when you're Mrs JR Ewing though", Patricia hadn't stopped talking about their upcoming visit to Southfork, Sue Ellen completely understood why JR had been nervous about inviting her, her mother was a rather intense person. "Mama, we've only been together for a few months, we're not even engaged. This is simply a nice gesture, please don't turn it into more than it is" she needed her mother to calm down a little bit; she could come off very strong when she wanted something. "Sue Ellen, there is nice and there is nice" her inflection changed as she spoke, she was definitely expecting developments in their relationship, "I can't imagine that he would invite your sister and I to spend the weekend with his family, all the way in another city, without having some intention. No, you'll be a married woman soon enough, even if I have to push things along a little bit", the end of her sentence worried Sue Ellen, she knew that her mother wasn't joking, she really would say or do something to make JR marry her if she thought he was taking too long.

Sue Ellen was dreading the visit almost as much as JR was; it wasn't that they were afraid of their parents meeting, it was more that they were afraid of the conclusions everyone would come to because of the visit. Sue Ellen thought about her dinner with JR where he'd presented the idea, the invitation that he was obligated to extend because his mother had personally asked. "JR, are you ok? You're never this quiet" she observed his behaviour, something was definitely weighing on his mind, "well, yes and no. There's something I've been meaning to ask you" he still hadn't explained what the problem was, just confused her more. Giving him a leading look, she encouraged him to continue, "every year, we have a special Christmas party for some of our friends and associates, y'know, another Ewing family tradition" he tried to lighten the mood and she smiled, the Ewings did have a lot of traditions. "I had planned on inviting you anyway, but when mama asked me about it, she also asked about your plans for Christmas day and then mentioned that she'd never met your family. What I'm trying to say is, your mama and sister are invited to Southfork this weekend, to meet my parents" he tried to gauge her reaction, did she feel the same way he did? Her first thought was confusion; she didn't understand what the big deal was. But then she began to imagine the situation, Patricia and JR weren't exactly on friendly terms since the events of Halloween and she had become more insistent that Sue Ellen marry before anything else. They were content with the way their relationship was at the moment, they were still in the early stages of getting to know each other, but everyone else had a different plan for them. She finally understood why JR was nervous, Patricia had a very strong personality and when she wanted something, she made it happen; Jock was the same, and he wanted a grandson. "I'll talk to my mama, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to visit Southfork. I'll try to convince her to stay quiet for a while though, I know she's a little much sometimes", her words did little to calm JR but he couldn't make anything better happen, this concerned his parents and he would never use his scheming mind to ruin one of their plans.

As they boarded the Ewing jet, Sue Ellen prayed that everything would go well. JR's parents already liked her and her mother was pleased with JR in every way except for his 'inappropriate behaviour', so she hoped that their parents could just bond over how nice their relationship was in general, not dwelling on their future as husband and wife. They were both of the same mind, it was much too soon to be rushing into marriage, despite how they both felt about each other. "Wow, it must be nice to be rich" Kristin walked around the plane admiring their luxurious transportation; it was a lot different to the way they usually travelled. "It is lovely Sue Ellen. Do you see now why all of my lessons were worth it? Why I pushed you so hard and why settling was not an option? It will be even better when it's half yours and you have a ring on your finger", in just one sentence, her mother had complimented her and torn her down. "Yes mama" she nodded her head and agreed, slipping into her role as the submissive daughter and perfect, polite lady.

Dallas, Texas

JR waited in his car at the airfield, as the Ewing jet landed and Sue Ellen stepped out onto the runway, his heart jumped, this was the woman he was in love with, nothing could screw that up. He was confident until he saw Patricia emerge from the plane, followed by Kristin; the anxiousness had returned. As they drove to Southfork, Patricia hadn't stopped talking, not even about anything very interesting, just general observations. This was going to be a long day. The large, white house started to become visible in the distance and Patricia smiled to herself, this was perfect, she liked the Ewing family already. The long driveway only made the house seem more impressive, it became grander as they neared. JR opened Sue Ellen's door and then Patricia and Kristin's door, gripping Sue Ellen's hand tight, they walked toward the house. Jock had heard the sound of a car arriving in the driveway, "Ellie, I think they're here", the two walked outside and greeted Sue Ellen's mother and sister. "Lovely to meet you Patricia, I'm Ellie, but everyone calls me Miss Ellie" she introduced herself and Patricia eyed the other woman, she wasn't dressed nearly as nicely as she had imagined the wife of an oil baron would. The large diamond ring on Miss Ellie's finger suggested that her clothing style was personal choice rather than poverty though, Patricia was reassured, Sue Ellen still had a chance for a good life. Miss Ellie noticed the young, brunette, she was maybe a year or two older than Lucy, she presented herself confidently, not seeming fazed by the new situation, "you must be Kristin. I'm not sure where my granddaughter Lucy has disappeared to, but I will introduce you two and I'm sure you'll have a good time" she was hoping that the girls became friends; Lucy could always use more friends. Kristin smiled politely, though silently judged the older woman's clothing, she certainly didn't look rich.

The ladies drank tea while the men drank bourbon and everyone mingled, general conversation filling the air. Kristin was starting to get a little bored, she liked to think of herself as an adult, but she really was only a little girl. "Grandma!" Lucy ran into the house, dressed in full riding clothes and red-faced from running, it wasn't exactly the first impression Miss Ellie had hoped for her granddaughter. Miss Ellie got up from her seat and walked toward her, "Lucy dear, why don't you go upstairs and clean up, put on a nice dress. We have company; Sue Ellen's mother and sister are here. When you come downstairs, I'll introduce you to her sister, you two are around the same age, I'm sure you'll be fast friends", Lucy followed her instructions, she had been excited to talk about her time down at the stables, but her grandma seemed distracted, now wasn't the right time. Returning from her room, she was introduced to Sue Ellen's family; neither her sister or mother had the same kind manner that Lucy got from Sue Ellen, she began to wonder whether Sue Ellen was really just a good actress. Kristin and Lucy made their way upstairs to play with Lucy's toys, but Kristin was more focused on analysing the large house, she didn't understand why Sue Ellen always made a fuss about her mother's intentions for their lives, what was wrong with marrying a rich man? By the looks of it, the Ewings lived a lovely life; even Lucy had a room full of toys, many more than Kristin could ever ask for. She was jealous of the life Lucy was born into and resented Sue Ellen for ever expressing doubt or hesitation at the life plan set out for them.

The morning went well, everyone chatted and no one brought up the future and immediate development of JR and Sue Ellen's relationship, they were both relieved that their parents had steered clear of that topic. As they sat down at the dining table for lunch, the subject of seats and chairs came up again, specifically the eight places around the table, seven of which were currently filled. "Well, I'm hoping that soon we'll have a near full table again, with Bobby finishing college in a few years and these two getting married, we'll soon have at least seven seats filled. Then it will be time for Bobby to take a wife and we'll have a full house again, the way it should be". Everyone listened and then focused their attention on JR and Sue Ellen; in just a few short sentences, Jock had broken the invisible barrier, the one topic that everyone wanted to know about, but the two people involved didn't want to talk about.

To be continued…