Dallas, Texas

"Sue Ellen? Where's JR? I assumed he'd be here with you when we arrived. Is everything all right between you two?", Patricia and Kristin followed Sue Ellen through the airport parking lot and Sue Ellen suppressed an eye roll, her mother was always pushing for drama even when there was none there. "Everything's fine mama; JR sends his regrets that he couldn't be here to meet you, but he's very busy with work, today is Ewing Oil's last business day before they shut down over the holiday break. He'll be at Southfork for dinner though", truthfully, she hadn't even asked JR to come, she knew he was busy at work and she knew how he felt about her mother, she wasn't going to force him to come when it wasn't necessary for him to be there, he would see her mother at Southfork later anyway. "Oh, good, I wouldn't want anything to go wrong. You may be married, but that doesn't mean you're in the clear"; Sue Ellen listened to her mother and sighed, she never could just take things for what they were, she just had to remind Sue Ellen that her achievements weren't enough and that she could always do better. Across town, JR sat in his office, frantically checking and rechecking his paperwork, their office was closing for eleven days between Christmas and New Year, and they had to be ahead in all of the administration work so that when they returned, they weren't bombarded with a pile of things that needed attention. They also had to have plans in place for anything that could possibly go wrong at their various oil fields; the office may be closed over the holidays, but their fields remained open, and they had to be prepared for any issues that could come up. JR had a vague plan about how he would inch Bobby out of the Dallas operations, but that wasn't what was on his mind at the moment; for now, he just needed to get everything that immediately needed attention done, he could worry about Bobby later.

"So… how's life in Austin? I heard that you made mostly A's and a few B's this semester. Mama must be proud", Sue Ellen and Kristin rode their horses slowly around Southfork as they spent time 'bonding' as sisters. Sue Ellen knew that Miss Ellie meant well when she suggested it, but she still wasn't too pleased to actually be here; the whole situation was somewhat awkward for both of them, they hadn't been alone together in months, and Sue Ellen really had no idea what to say to her sister. Kristin scoffed at her sister's sentence, "come on sis. Mama? Proud of an academic achievement? If you believe that, then you're all Ewing and no Shepard", she laughed casually as they neared the pond, "sure, she was happy, but I think she was happier when my dance teacher presented me with a high distinction certificate. She said that ballet would be a good talent for the Young Miss Austin pageant next year. I have to agree a little though, I'd much rather be Miss Texas than some nerdy girl. Good grades won't get me a husband, but good looks will". Sue Ellen was a little shocked at her sister's response and the casual way that she brushed off their mother's personality. It was surprising and a little disconcerting to hear her sister so freely accepting and agreeing with the ideas and values that their mother pushed, that she didn't see anything wrong with the idea that being beautiful was a better goal than being smart. It just sounded so wrong coming from a child of Kristin's age, she wasn't even old enough to think boys were attractive, let alone be thinking about how to find her future husband. Sue Ellen hadn't agreed with everything her mother had taught and she had fought with her about some of her ideas, but she had still ended up living the life that her mother planned for her; if Kristin was already agreeing with her mother, then she wasn't sure she had much hope of doing anything else with her life. It wasn't that Sue Ellen was unhappy with her life, she wasn't, she loved JR and the Ewings, and Southfork, and everything that came with her new life; but she sometimes questioned whether she would have ended up with the same life if she had been allowed to make a few more of her own decisions. She had always known that the way her mother planned her life was a little strange, she never really did the things that everyone else was doing, but hearing about it from a third-party perspective now was giving her a completely new insight into just how different Patricia's method of parenting really was. "That's true, but don't give up on academics yet. Good wives should always be educated and worldly, wealthy men don't want a wife who is unable to hold a conversation", Sue Ellen tailored her reply to appeal to the side of her sister that was influenced by her mother and she was surprised at how naturally it came out. It was a speech she had heard a million times before, beauty and grace were only part of what being a lady was about, a college degree was always an asset, not only for the educated mind, but for the connections made in those four years. "I know, I'm not stupid. Remember, I got all A's and B's", Kristin rolled her eyes and squeezed her legs to make her horse's speed increase, she was annoyed, and riding faster seemed like a good solution to her current mood. Sue Ellen was in no position to claim that aspiring to be a beauty queen was wrong, she had been Miss Texas and she didn't seem to mind the glory that came with that title, it wasn't fair of her to try and discourage her from wanting the same thing for her own life. "Kristin!" Sue Ellen shouted as her sister took off in front of her, they had been taking it slow for a reason, Kristin wasn't an experienced rider and she really shouldn't have done that, it wasn't safe. She sighed and clicked her tongue, pushing her legs into position as she galloped off toward her sister, they hadn't even really been arguing and Kristin had overreacted, but she was still responsible for her safety and she wouldn't have her mother blaming her for Kristin's actions if she did get hurt.

"How was work? Did you get everything done?" Sue Ellen yawned as she changed for dinner, her mother and sister had only been in Dallas for a matter of hours and already she was exhausted from entertaining them; that didn't give her an excuse to neglect her husband's needs though, she would always put him first. JR looked over at his wife, her family had only just arrived and already he could see the difference in her demeanour, she really wasn't completely comfortable with them around, and he couldn't say he blamed her; her mother's constant social commentary was enough to make anyone go insane. He was thankful that they were only staying until the twenty seventh, he could deal with four days, but anything more than that was exhausting; he wasn't sure how Sue Ellen had survived living with Patricia Shepard for over twenty years. "Work was fine; busy, but I managed to get everything done. Short of an explosion at one of the fields, everything should be fine for the next eleven days, I planned for almost anything", he gave her the quick version of his day, he didn't want to bore her with the details. Sue Ellen smiled, he'd been so busy lately and he deserved a break; she was glad that he had planned enough that there wouldn't be any little things he had to go into the office for. They had eleven days to just enjoy time together as a couple and as a family, and she intended on doing whatever he wanted to do to help him relax; his happiness would be good for both of them. "Good, I'm glad. You deserve a break", she walked toward him and took hold of his tie, straightening it, partially because it was crooked, but mostly just because she wanted to touch him; JR was a little surprised when she approached him so intimately, he hadn't sensed that she was in that kind of a mood when they'd started their conversation. He could understand why she'd changed and was happy now though, he hadn't been the most attentive husband lately, but with his commitment to a break, she had to be pleased that they would actually get a little time to themselves again. It wasn't entirely his fault that their relationship had been a little distant lately, he had so much more going on in his life than just his marriage and sometimes he had to prioritise other things over their relationship. He understood why she was saddened by his late nights and happy with the small things that he did for her though; he may have more in his life, but being a good wife was her whole purpose in life, she always put him first, even when he didn't do the same for her. "Sue Ellen", he whispered as he looked down at her, they were so close, and it was exhilarating, it didn't matter that they were married and had done it a million times before, there was just something about the closeness and intimacy of their actions that made him feel different, it was a nice feeling. She sensed a change in his voice and looked up at him as he spoke her name, shivering as he ran his hand over her cheek; opening her mouth to respond, his lips on hers silenced her and it was as if all of his pent-up emotions were coming out as he kissed her. She moaned as he deepened the kiss, both of them aware but not at all caring that they were expected downstairs in five minutes; right now they had much more important things to attend to.

To be continued…