Dallas, Texas

"Thank you all for coming", Patricia raised an eyebrow as she realised that her eldest daughter was addressing the group as a whole and if she were doing that, then she was satisfied that all of the invited guests were present, all six of them. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her daughter if she, Miss Ellie, Lucy, Kristin, Paula and Mavis were the only women Sue Ellen knew well enough to invite to a party; surely the Ewings were more connected than this, they held barbecues for hundreds each year and were high-flyers in Dallas society. Of course, this was a more intimate, private event than a barbecue, however, it struck her as both odd and sad that there were only two guests who weren't obligated by familial ties to be present and it seemed ridiculous that a woman of Sue Ellen's status and popularity only knew two people outside of her immediate family. Her daughter had been Miss Texas and she was now Mrs JR Ewing, to only have six guests present to celebrate the upcoming birth of her child, the heir to the Ewing throne, seemed absurd. She couldn't understand why her formerly popular daughter seemed so unpopular right now and it bothered her that Sue Ellen didn't even seem to mind the tiny group of guests, in fact, she seemed happy and almost relieved that she was only addressing a small group, not a large crowd and that worried Patricia. Although her job as a mother was pretty much done, she had raised her daughter and married her off, she didn't need to sit around worrying about her life and her every move, it still concerned her that people may hear something negative about Sue Ellen and judge her for it. She didn't want Sue Ellen to appear antisocial or unpopular because she knew how people talked and she worried that it would reflect negatively on her parenting skills and the public opinion of her second daughter, Kristin. If Sue Ellen had fallen from the popularity of Miss Texas and hadn't kept up her image as Mrs JR Ewing, then people were surely set to forget about Kristin, especially in a few years when it came to finding her a suitable husband. She had based a lot of her future plans off of being able to rely and manipulate their connection to Sue Ellen and the Ewing family and she was worried that if Sue Ellen was already failing to maintain a well-rounded social presence, then her plans would fall apart and if that happened, she wasn't sure what she would do. Brought back into the present as Sue Ellen's loud, college friend, Paula stood and took over the hosting role, she decided that now was not the time or place to be worrying about her future; she couldn't say anything to Sue Ellen today, not without knowing all the facts and especially not with JR's threat hanging over her head.

Smiling as she opened the sentimental, fun gifts, Sue Ellen's excitement about becoming a mother grew; she and Miss Ellie had purchased everything the baby would need and a lot of things that were just nice, unnecessary but enjoyable things to have, and they didn't really need any more items, however, it was still nice to receive gifts. Unwrapping the packages, she was overwhelmed by how much thought had gone into some of the gifts and she found herself fighting her emotion as she looked at the embroidered blankets, tiny cowboy boots with a matching hat, photo frames, baby book, silver spoon, toys, clothes and books that had been gifted. It was easy to just walk into a store and purchase something, but coming from the women closest to her, she sensed that they hadn't done that, that they'd actually considered what would be nice and appreciated before purchasing and she felt blessed to have the opportunity to be in this situation. Even if her mother and sister weren't close and Lucy, Miss Ellie and Mavis were really only in her life because of her connection to JR, she still felt loved and blessed to be on the receiving end of their thoughts and attention. It had been a tough two years for her, but upon reflection, she couldn't have been happier with the way her life had turned out; she loved JR Ewing and she loved the life they were finally living together and even if she didn't have a large group of friends, she was content. It had taken her years to understand, but she did now; if a having large group around here meant filling her life with meaningless acquaintances and false relationships, then she'd rather just have a small group. Being a public figure with a large entourage had been fun, but it wasn't what she wanted anymore; that part of her life was all in the past and she didn't want to dwell on it. She was ready to settle down and be a wife and mother now and she was pleased that she finally had the opportunity to do just that.

Although her mother and sister had been on their best behaviour and she'd actually not been bothered by their presence, Sue Ellen was still pleased that they'd been unable to stay the night at Southfork. Being Sunday, Kristin had school the next morning and Patricia had plans for the next week to do whatever it was that she did all day; leaving the airport after saying their farewells, Sue Ellen sighed with relief. Her family were tolerable in small doses and she could enjoy their presence, however, she didn't want to make a habit of seeing them too often; absence really did make the heart grow fonder. Arriving back at Southfork, she made her way up to the nursery to look at all of the charming items she and the baby had been gifted, smiling to herself again as she evaluated her life; she was happy. "The party was lovely; did you enjoy it?" turning around as she heard her speak, Sue Ellen observed Miss Ellie's behaviour, she was just as much a happy grandmother as Sue Ellen was a mother and Sue Ellen smiled to herself as she added that to the list of things to be grateful for in her life. "I did. Thank you Miss Ellie", looking directly at her as she spoke, Sue Ellen hoped that Miss Ellie understood what she meant; she had a hard time verbalising her feelings sometimes but she wanted her mother-in-law to know that she did love and appreciate her and everything she did for she and JR. "You're welcome. We all love you and it was an honour to be able to celebrate my new grandchild", she looked wistful as she spoke and Sue Ellen's curiosity was piqued. It was as if she were thinking something that she wasn't saying, something about the past, however, not wanting to intrude, Sue Ellen chose to leave it for now, she would intentionally overstep the line and she didn't want to ruin the nice atmosphere in the room; if Miss Ellie wanted to speak about the past, then she would. Looking over the items and discussing the party, Sue Ellen was once again thankful for her life and the way everything was coming together; she'd wanted this for so long and it was finally real.

To be continued…