Dallas, Texas

Walking out of the airport and entering the waiting limousine on Wednesday evening, Sue Ellen felt her mood drop; they were home, and she wasn't completely sure how to feel about it. Of course she was looking forward to seeing the family and getting back to her charity work, she liked being a Ewing and she liked helping people, however, she wasn't sure she was completely ready to get back into the swing of real life again just yet. Selfishly, she wished their lives could always be like they were on vacation, though she knew that their reality was anything but the vacation fantasy they'd been living for the past five days. Prior to their anniversary trip, they'd been spending a lot of time together, rediscovering and redefining their relationship, but she'd been spoiled by their vacation and she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to confining their relationship to their bedroom at Southfork, down the hall from JR's parents, brother and niece. She didn't want to have to censor themselves in their own home, it seemed so silly, but sometimes it felt like they were adults who lived like teenagers; there was nothing wrong with husbands and wives showing their affection for each other, but there was no doubt that it was awkward when there were four other people in the house. For a while after their reunion, they'd been so wrapped up in each other that they were oblivious to anyone else's presence, however, the honeymoon state of mind didn't last forever and now, more than ever, it was quite obvious that they couldn't continue to live their lives exactly as they had been.

Noticing the way his wife's mood dropped, JR empathised with her. He understood exactly what she was feeling, because as much as he loved his family and had always considered Southfork his home, he wasn't oblivious; he, more than anyone, knew of the many drawbacks and annoyances that being a grown man who lived with his parents presented, and he could only imagine that Sue Ellen felt even more awkward. At least he had a real connection to Southfork; he had never known home to be anywhere else and he felt as if he had just as much right to live there as everyone else, especially since he was the eldest son, Southfork was his birthright. However, for Sue Ellen, her only tie to Southfork was through marriage, and honestly, most married women probably didn't expect or want to live with their in-laws, especially not during the early years of their marriage, the years that should have been about discovery and settling into their own routines and traditions as a new family. JR had never considered it before, it had always seemed so logical to him, he lived at Southfork, so when they married, his wife would move in with him; however, thinking about it now, he wondered whether perhaps living at Southfork wasn't what was best for them. The Sue Ellen he'd married had obviously had a lot of thoughts, but she had also been raised by Patricia with the belief that wives were their husband's ultimate supporter and it wasn't a wife's job to express discontent, so she hadn't said anything and he hadn't been aware enough of her feelings to ask her directly. Unfortunately, because of who they had been in the past, they were officially two years into their marriage and he still had no idea whether she'd entered into their marital living arrangements reluctantly; they'd been terrible communicators up until very recently, and it showed in his memories of their early marriage.

As the lights of Southfork came into view, JR took her hand and looked her in the eye as he spoke, "I love you, and I don't intend to break any of my promises. Ewing Oil will be mine soon, our marriage is in the best place it has been in a long time and we're about to have a baby. Our lives are good, so to hell with anyone who says differently or tries to ruin our good time", leaning over and closing the gap between them, he kissed her softly and sweetly; he wanted her to feel his love for her and believe him when he said what he said. In the back of his mind, he knew that opening the discussion about their future living arrangements was probably something they needed to do, however, even if they felt as if they were ready now, he was able think clearly enough to recognize that at this point in their lives, moving was simply not the best decision. Sue Ellen was due to give birth in just fourteen weeks and he wanted her to have a healthy, supported, stress-free pregnancy and he wanted to bring his child home from the hospital to a real home, not a newly purchased house that they'd barely had time to make their own. If they were to leave Southfork, then ideally, he would like to build a house, however, even he, JR Ewing, couldn't make a grand house appear out of nowhere in less than fourteen weeks. He was also keenly aware of his wife's past fragile mental state and how easily she got overwhelmed and stressed when she felt as if she were failing at perfection; knowing her as well as he did, he had a fair idea of how much pressure she would put on herself to be the perfect housewife if they moved out. He had a feeling that as much as she would want to do it all, becoming a mother and the mistress of her own home all in a short space of time would be overwhelming for her and he cared too much about her and their child to suggest it right now. He remembered what it was like when Lucy was a baby, after he'd fulfilled his father's wishes and had her brought back to Southfork; they'd hired a baby nurse, but his mother had taken over the primary carer role and it had taken a physical and emotional toll on her. JR loved his wife and if she wanted to leave Southfork at some point in the future, then they would have a discussion about it, however, for now, he saw no real option but to stay, because even if their presence was annoying during day-to-day life, familial support was exactly what they were going to need very soon.

Feeling a little better as JR reiterated his promises to her, Sue Ellen felt herself relaxing into him as he kissed her. Logically, she knew that she was probably just in a post-vacation funk and it would go away soon enough, she had a lot of good things in her life in Dallas; however, she made a mental note to talk to JR about their future, especially after the baby was born. She loved the Ewings and she loved Southfork, but being pregnant and reconciling with JR, she had begun to consider what she wanted for her future, and at some point, she really did want to fulfil her younger-self's fantasies, fantasises that up until 1967 had never included living with her in-laws. It wasn't an immediate need, she knew that what was best for their child was to be surrounded by family, stability and support, and Southfork was the perfect place for that, however, sometime in the future, she really would like to at least discuss it with JR. As the limousine pulled into the driveway, she realised that she didn't feel as down as she had earlier; JR was right, their lives were good and they needed to focus on the good, not the unknown or the bad.

To be continued…