Dallas, Texas

"Aww, look at how big he's gotten", cooing at her nephew, Kristin once again found herself pleased with the way her mother had planned her life and annoyed that Sue Ellen had ever caused such a fuss about not wanting to be controlled in that way. She truly enjoyed being with little John and by looking at Sue Ellen, even if she was still a little pudgy, life as a wife and mother wasn't so bad either, especially when she had access to anything and everything she could ever wish for. In seeing and experiencing a little of the life Sue Ellen had, it simply didn't make sense to her why her sister had been so resistant to it in the first place. Sure, JR Ewing was her own choice, not her mother's choice and she truly did love him, but when taken down to a base level he was still a very wealthy and socially important man and even if Sue Ellen had had a little of her own input, she was still essentially living the life Patricia had planned for her. Knowing it was better to just move on and not think too hard about it, she shrugged off her confusion; Sue Ellen had her life and she and their mother had theirs and if everything went to plan, in just a few short years she herself would be in an equal or better position than Sue Ellen was now. Sue Ellen had been on dates and turned down offers of relationships with wealthy men and it had taken her years to get married and start living the life she was entitled to, but Kristin was smarter than that. What was the point of putting four years of effort into college if she was just going to marry a wealthy man anyway? No, she trusted her mother and if Patricia introduced her to a man that would give her the life she deserved, then she would marry him, even if she were only eighteen or nineteen at that point in time. The point was, she wasn't Sue Ellen, she didn't need all of those extra titles or personal victories, all she needed was a Mrs prefix and a credit card with her married name on it.

Biting her tongue as the thoughts passed through her mind, Patricia simply nodded and agreed with her youngest daughter; John Ross wasn't the only one who had gotten big, but he was the only one that it was acceptable for anyone to make comments about. For fear of having JR get angry at her and deciding that it was the last straw and he would no longer funnel a little money to her as well as pay Kristin's school tuition, she stayed silent, but that didn't mean she wasn't thinking judgementally. John Ross was almost two months old and in addition to his mother, he had a grandmother and baby nurse to look after him, so Sue Ellen had no excuse for not taking the time to work on getting herself back into shape. There was only so long a man like JR Ewing would stay with a frumpy woman like Sue Ellen had turned into before he got bored or dissatisfied and started shopping around for a mistress, at best, or at worst, a new wife. She needed to warn Sue Ellen about what was in her future if she wasn't careful, but she needed to be smarter in her approach, because Sue Ellen was hypersensitive and if it looked at all like she was upset because of something she had said, then JR would be angry and that was not what she wanted. JR Ewing was the man to please in the situation, she just needed Sue Ellen to realise that he would be extra pleased if she worked harder to present herself nicely.

"Mhm, he weighs a little over ten pounds now, he was six and a half pounds at birth; the doctor says he's very healthy", smiling, oblivious to her mother or sister's thoughts, Sue Ellen repeated the numbers proudly. She truly enjoyed being a mother and to have the doctors and everyone around her confirming that her son was not only adorable, but also thriving in his environment, was a boost to her self-esteem; it pleased her to know that her efforts were a part of a bigger picture and her life really had meaning now. "Erm, Sue Ellen…" feeling him start to squirm a little and watching him open and close his mouth, Kristin had a feeling that he was hungry, but she wasn't his mother and she didn't really know what to do; "oh, he must be getting hungry, I'll make his bottle. Would you like to feed him?" In a good mood because of the way her family's visit was going, the way John Ross appeared to be settling back into a normal routine and the fact that Paula had called earlier in the week to tell her that she was moving back to Texas, Sue Ellen politely offered her sister the opportunity to participate. If Kristin were anything like Lucy, she enjoyed getting to play the nurturing role in real life every once in a while, it was almost like getting to bring one of her baby dolls to life, at least temporarily. Of course, John Ross could only be compared to a baby doll in the broadest sense; he was cute, cuddly and the majority of his clothes were cutesy, delicate and charming, but the moment he started to cry, smell like poop or vomit or generally just started acting human, the façade was broken. In the brief moments where he was silent and content though, he was angelic. "Sure", smiling brightly, Kristin agreed and continued to hold John Ross while Sue Ellen disappeared from the room to make his bottle; touching his tiny hands and brushing her fingers over his cheeks, she felt happy and useful and it confirmed to her that everything her mother was training her to do was worth it. Sue Ellen had a good life and she wanted hers to head in the same direction, only faster and more directly.

New Orleans, Louisiana

"You'll get to see grandma and grandpa, and nanna and poppa more often, and daddy will be home earlier, so you'll get to play with him for longer and you'll get to make lots of new friends. You'll love it", trying to get her son involved in packing up his bedroom and attempting to convince him that moving would be fun, Paula sighed as he sat on his bed and sulked, "no". He was only three and three-quarters and had no real idea what was about to happen, even with her doing her best to explain it to him, but that didn't stop him from kicking up a fuss at the fact that they were leaving. She had a feeling that he was mostly upset by the idea of packing up his toys and other fun things, so she was sure that once they settled into their new house, he would be fine, but life sure would have been easier if he'd just agreed and enjoyed the stories she was telling him. Knowing that if she attempted to convince him now, when he was sulking, he would really start to yell, she just let him lie silently on the bed for a moment before using distraction and flattery to attempt to change his mood. Sighing loudly and dramatically, she feigned strain and exhaustion as she attempted to pick up a light box of wooden blocks, "wow, this box is so heavy. I wish I had a strong man to help me", acting as if she were the only one in the room and she were simply verbalising her thoughts, she was not at all surprised when he sat up and stood up. "I help mama, I am strong", wandering over to her, he took the box from her hands and then walked over to the large cardboard box and placed it inside, "look", pointing and grinning, as if he had just done something amazing, she mentally patted herself on the back. "Good boy, you are strong", walking over and giving him a hug, she smiled and made a few more comments complimenting him and inviting him to be her helper; it was all mind tricks, he didn't like the idea of why they were packing things away, but the activity itself was enjoyable if she said the right things. He would have to deal with leaving eventually, but today was not that day and if she could get a few more things packed before he started to fuss again, then she would be happy.

To be continued…