Dallas, Texas

Sitting outside in on a picnic rug, under a purposefully placed umbrella to protect them from the hot summer sun, Sue Ellen watched John Ross giggle and react to Lucy as she made dramatic funny faces, and taking in the whole scene, she felt completely content. She and JR were happily married, they had a happy, healthy son, a wonderful extended family, they were financially and socially stable, her best friend was moving back into the area in just a few days and for the first time in years, she wasn't worried at all about her mother's judgement, actions or opinion; everything was wonderful. Lucy felt good too; she enjoyed being around her baby cousin when he was playful and not tearful, and she liked the change that had happened in Sue Ellen in recent months, bringing her back to the kind, happy and non-controlling young lady she had originally met and attached herself to; even her uncle JR was a nicer person now. Of course, there were times where she still felt a little left out or less important, because John Ross was needier and more dependent than she was and therefore, it seemed like everyone paid more attention to him and praised him for tiny accomplishments, however, after the first few weeks of John Ross' life, things started to improve for her. She didn't know whether everyone had just gotten used to the fact that the long awaited Ewing heir was really real and was there to stay, so their overly enthusiastic excitement had died down a little, or whether her family consciously realised how she felt and had decided to make a change, but either way, she didn't particularly care. She was old enough to realise that she wasn't being replaced or punished just because there was another child in the family now, and in a way, it actually pleased her that the family's attention was now split, it gave her more freedom and ageing as she was, she enjoyed the idea of making some of her own decisions. Happier about her home life now and truly loving her little cousin, she was pleased when Sue Ellen made an effort to include her in their activities, it made her feel special and wanted and although she didn't idolise Sue Ellen the same way she had when they'd first met, she was still an important person in her life.

Stopping her goofy play as she noticed John Ross' facial expression change, she then let out a giggle of her own and looked at her aunt, "either he's mimicking me, or he's pooping", and seeing Sue Ellen's reaction, she couldn't help herself from falling into a fit of giggles. There was no way she would have done a sniff test, but to Sue Ellen, it seemed completely natural and logical. In just two short months, she had developed a tolerance for the majority of the less pleasant realities of being a mother, and being the mother of a boy, she had learned the hard way that opening a diaper 'just to check' was not a good idea if she wanted to stay dry, even if she wasn't checking for pee. "Well, unfortunately, I don't think he was mimicking you…" letting Lucy know that she needed to take him inside to change his diaper, Sue Ellen was surprised when her niece stood and followed her. It wasn't that unusual as of late, Lucy, just as much as the rest of the family, loved John Ross and enjoyed spending time with him, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a surprise to see that Lucy wanted to be close to her again. She'd really thought that getting older and becoming more independent, her niece was moving away from seeing her as anything more than her uncle's wife, however, although they'd grown apart over the past year and they'd probably never have quite the same close relationship they'd had when Lucy was younger, things did seem to be improving and that pleased her.

Across town, JR, Jock and Bobby sat in the Ewing Oil boardroom, each sporting a wide grin as they looked over the last quarter's financial records and listened to what their accountants had to say. Despite the worries within the wider oil industry and US economy, Ewing Oil was doing well, and for JR, that news was especially pleasing. He had pushed for Ewing Oil to take a different path to their counterparts; instead of being cautious and worrying about the economy, they were going full steam ahead and pumping as much, selling as much and buying up as much of other, less fortunate companies as they could. The idea of using the misfortunes of other companies to their own advantage wasn't a new one, however, he had been the one to suggest it in this situation and having it confirmed to him and his father that they things were running smoothly and Ewing Oil was still a successful company pleased him greatly. If all went to plan, he really was set to make Ewing Oil the biggest independent oil company in Texas and he knew that would make his father proud, make him a very rich and powerful man and give his son a wonderful foundation and legacy for his future.

Things couldn't have been better in his personal life either; he and Sue Ellen had been back from Austin for a week and in that week, they hadn't heard a peep out of Patricia or Kristin, a reality that he enjoyed very much. In addition to the absence of annoying in-laws, he and Sue Ellen had returned to a good place in their relationship. They enjoyed spending time together, were still very much attracted to each other, she had a more relaxed attitude toward life, she seemed to be in a much better place with her self-confidence and with the news of her college friend moving back into the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, she seemed more socially happy. It also helped her confidence and self-worth to see that John Ross had now returned to a somewhat predictable schedule and was no longer crying for what appeared to be no real reason. Knowing that she could calm him, love him and receive love and affection in return had helped her to see for herself that she wasn't a terrible mother and it truly pleased JR to see that his wife was happy with herself and confident in her abilities, because he and everyone else had always known it. Yes, with both his personal and business life going so well, he felt like a very lucky man and he had every intention of keeping that luck going and increasing his and his family's wealth and happiness; he liked his new life and although he'd been cautious about what he was committing to, he now had no regrets.

To be continued…