Dallas, Texas

"Sue Ellen, you look wonderful", noticing how happy her daughter-in-law looked, Miss Ellie hoped that it was due to JR turning over a new leaf and committing to finally doing right by his wife and her truly understanding that he meant it this time, and when Sue Ellen replied, she got her confirmation, "thank you. We had a lovely weekend away together". Smiling widely as she responded to her mother-in-law's words Sue Ellen almost forgot about her previous anxieties related to returning to Southfork, however, when Jock greeted her and JR and then muttered a few words about needing to speak to JR alone, all of her worries came rushing back to her. With John Ross asleep in her arms, she made a few comments about needing to lay him down in his crib and then took the opportunity to exit the conversation. She wanted to give JR time to speak with his father alone, but more than that, she just didn't have the energy to carry on a polite conversation with her father-in-law right now. Sensing that she wasn't needed anymore, Miss Ellie took Sue Ellen's cue and made a quick comment about checking on dinner before leaving her husband and eldest son to talk. "Daddy", nodding politely, not wanting to start an argument right off the bat, especially not when he sensed that something inside his father had changed, JR then followed his father's lead and walked into the house behind him.

"Thanks for helping out today Bobby", entering the tack room in the Southfork stables, Ray looked at Bobby and spoke casually before moving over to the far wall to hang up his saddle. "No problem Ray, you know I like ranching", moving back and forth between feeling antsy and relaxed, depending on what he was thinking about, Bobby smiled at Ray as he responded and then moved to the racks to hang up his horse's tack. "I'm sure Jock loves hearing that and I bet he loved having you out with him today. I know some of the boys appreciated it, it boosts staff morale to see the boss and his son out here with the rest of us, especially since it doesn't happen very often". Although he didn't mention JR or Gary specifically, Ray's words were enough to bring back Bobby's impatience, annoyance and nervous anticipation of what the rest of the evening held for him when he returned to the house. He wasn't lying when he said he enjoyed ranching, because he did, and he had had a great day out with the ranch hands as they herded cattle from one end of Southfork to the other, however, if it hadn't been for his father's presence at the cattle drive, he probably wouldn't have been there today. Hearing from his mother the previous evening that his father was out ranching and wouldn't be back until the next afternoon, he'd then made plans accordingly. With plans to speak to his father either before they started working, during their short break for lunch or really, at any point in time where the opportunity arose, he'd gotten up before the sunrise, gotten ready and then ridden out to meet the group before they set off for their second day of the cattle drive. Unfortunately, his plans to speak to his father had been rather optimistic and the reality of the day had turned out much differently to what he'd initially envisioned. As soon as he arrived at the campsite that morning, he'd realised that he'd been silly to think that he would be able to speak to his father properly; the fact was, even if they had the time to speak to each other, the location and context they were in didn't exactly lend itself to private discussions. Immediately realising that he'd have to put off the discussion with his father for a little longer, he had then thrown himself into being a cowboy for the day, because as much as he enjoyed working at Ewing Oil, sometimes it was nice to get outside and do some rewarding physical activity, and cattle herding was definitely that. Finishing for the day, he'd somehow ended up in the small group of men that rode back to the stables via the path they'd come in order to check that no cows had been separated from the herd along the way, unfortunately, this had separated him from his father, once again delaying their conversation and increasing his general agitation. "Bob?" hearing Ray saying his name and realising that he'd not been listening, Bobby quickly snapped back into reality, "sorry, what was that you said?" looking at Ray apologetically, he then listened as Ray repeated his invitation to join him and the other ranch hands for a drink in Braddock. "Oh, I would, but I actually have a lot to do before work tomorrow, I'm leaving for Houston on Tuesday. Next time, ok?" Finishing putting their equipment away, he and Ray then said their goodbyes and separated, and walking back up to the ranch house, he considered how to best approach the situation.

"…I mean it JR, no more. I thought I made myself clear months ago, but I suppose I wasn't clear enough, so I'll be sure to be as clear as possible now. It's become strikingly obvious that in the hundreds of thousands of hours we spent together when you were a boy and then a young man, I failed to emphasise that the way you behave in business, especially as a young, unmarried man, is very different to the way you conduct yourself in your personal life. There's a time for fun and freedom, but that time ends as soon as a man takes a wife, and especially after a man has a child; children need to have good, respectable adults in their life and it's their parents responsibility to provide that life for them, starting first and foremost with their own behaviour. Now, before you get angry and defensive, listen to what I have to say first. I believe that since the incident prior to John Ross' birth, you've been faithful to your wife and have made moves to be a better man, and I commend you for that. It's obvious that John Ross isn't suffering any effects from the issues that are present in your marriage, and for all of your faults and misdeeds, you've somehow managed to keep Sue Ellen on your side, even in this recent separation, so you must be doing something right. However, you cannot deny that there have been issues in your marriage and those issues appear to stem from your behaviour and attitude; that needs to change, permanently. I don't know all the details about the recent incident with that girl and her baby, but I know enough to say that it never should have happened. Enjoying the company of many women is fine for unmarried men, so long as precautions are taken to protect the Ewing name and fortune, however, none of that should be an issue for you now, you've been married for years, you should know better and be doing better. You married a beauty queen, one who loves you for you and would do anything to be in a happy marriage with you. Granted, she sometimes doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut, but still that girl loves you and really does seem to want the best for you, so she deserves a husband who wants and is willing to do the same for her. In addition to that, she's the mother of your son and if for no other reason than because John Ross' rightful place is here, in this house, you need to make sure that you keep doing right by your wife. I'm not sure if you know this, but I'll tell you anyway, legally, if she were to leave this house and you, as the mother of a minor child, she would get to keep John Ross and we would have to fight mighty hard to prove that she was unfit before getting custody back. I don't know about you, but with everything going on at work, I'd rather not be fighting a legal battle at home too".

"All of that is really beside the point though, what I'm trying to say is that with these upcoming changes to your contract, you're getting a damn good deal and in return for those rewards, I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain too. As requested, there will no longer be any legal requirement for you to behave like a man, but that doesn't give you any excuses to behave any other way. I expect good behaviour, your wife deserves a husband who's loving, faithful and who she can trust, John Ross deserves to grow up with a father he can respect and emulate, but most of all, I want you to act like a man because you want to be a good father, husband and person. Do we have deal? If we do, we can make it legal this week, but before that, I want an agreement, here and now. I'm willing to compromise, as long as the overall outcome is better for everyone, not just for you. I don't expect to hear any more stories about your past or present misdeeds and from here on I expect you to stay on the right side of enjoying yourself. It's in everyone's best interest for your wife and child to be here at Southfork and for you and your wife to be happily married. I don't appreciate having to have this conversation with you, but I believe it's necessary, so we're doing it. Now, I think I've made my position quite clear. Do you have anything else to add? Or are we in agreement?" somewhat annoyed at the conversation, Jock tried to remain as calm as possible, because having had time to think about everything as a whole and really analysed what his wife was trying to tell him, he now understood that starting the conversation in a hostile manner was a recipe for disaster. He needed to be firm, but not aggressive.

Listening to his father's offer and warnings, JR was stunned; he hadn't expected to return home to such an easy solution, his father had been so stubborn last week, but now, he was being reasonable and generous, though some of his language regarding Sue Ellen needed to change if they were going to live together in peace. "Yes sir. I understand and I promise, I won't let you, mama, Sue Ellen or John Ross down. I want to be a better man and I will be", making his position clear, he shook his father's hand and then grinned. Somehow, he'd managed to get what he wanted without having to really negotiate. Sure, he was still bound by moral expectations, not legally binding expectations, but behavioural expectations nonetheless. What did that matter though? He really did mean what he said, he wanted to be a better man and a better husband and he wanted to be the owner and president of Ewing Oil, and in some twist of fate, he'd managed to find himself in a position where he could have all of that, without having to legally connect everything. He didn't know what had caused his father to reconsider, but at this point, he didn't really care. By the end of the week, he would be exactly where he wanted to be and he was incredibly thankful for that.

Upstairs, standing in John Ross' nursery, Sue Ellen waited anxiously, splitting her attention between admiring her sleeping son and listening out for the sound of JR's footsteps. Being back at Southfork wasn't quite as bad as she'd imagined it earlier in the day, but it also wasn't the most calming thing she'd ever experienced. She was thankful that in the small amount of time she'd spent conversing with Jock earlier, he'd seemed relatively calm and not angry, however, he was often hard to read, so what he wanted to discuss with JR and how he would react when JR relayed their position to him again was anyone's guess at this point. She expected an apology from her father-in-law for his dismissive attitude toward her during the previous week, however, knowing how stubborn the Ewing men could be, she knew not to expect too much and was willing to make a compromise of her own. If Jock accepted JR's terms and did the right thing, then she could deal with a small, lacklustre apology, as long as treated her with politeness and dignity in the future. All she wanted was peace and happiness and to be honest, if her father-in-law did right by JR and was polite to her, then that was good enough for her.

To be continued…