Dallas, Texas

"The Wade ranch?" unable to hide the surprise and possible happiness at the location of JR and Sue Ellen's intended future home, Jock looked at his son and daughter-in-law and motioned his hand to tell JR to keep speaking. He didn't really like the idea of them leaving, but if it was going to happen and he had no say in the matter, then the Wade ranch wasn't the worst location they could have chosen and if he played his cards right, JR's statement about it being a beneficial decision for everyone involved would be a completely truthful one. Before he allowed his ideas and plans for the expansion of Ewing land to really come together though, he wanted to know all the details.

Truthfully, although he was still angry with JR for even suggesting that he and his family move into their own home, after hearing his argument and reasoning, he actually understood and agreed with him on a few issues. JR wasn't wrong about the amount of privacy and public intimacy that occurred when a married couple were alone compared to when they were surrounded by other people and although he'd grown used to it, he couldn't deny that living in a house with six other people did get tiresome and frustrating at times. In addition to the privacy angle, he couldn't deny that living and working together didn't always equate to a harmonious existence. It was almost guaranteed that if there was trouble at Ewing Oil, then the atmosphere at Southfork wouldn't be pleasant and if there were personal issues between the men in the family, things at Ewing Oil often became tense.

There were a number of reasons why he didn't like the idea of separating the family, but they all came back to one main theme: power. He didn't want to lose control of the family, they were Ewings and he wanted that to mean something more than just being wealthy, he wanted it to relate to their closeness and familial bond. He liked the family to be together, it made him happy and proud, it pleased his wife and it gave them a good name in Dallas society. Because of his wish to remain a powerful family though, he had a lot of hesitations about showing any enthusiasm or agreement for JR's idea, because to him, their actions seemed as if they would set a bad precedent for future behaviour and actions. If JR, Sue Ellen and John Ross moved out, what was stopping Bobby and eventually Lucy from moving out?

Losing Gary had almost broken his wife, but he'd managed to salvage things, however, if her facial expression was anything to go by, she was remembering that whole situation again and deeply feared that those feelings of loss and abandonment were about to return. JR was neither his nor Ellie's favourite son, but that didn't mean he wasn't a valued member of the Ewing family or that they wished for him to leave the family home, because they didn't, especially since he had a wife and child now. To Jock, although he and Sue Ellen had never been very close, he couldn't say that he didn't find her a pleasant and pleasing young woman and didn't think she was an excellent wife to his son and mother to his grandson. Additionally, he knew that she and his wife had formed a strong bond, as both friends and family members, and his wife had formed a very strong bond with their first-born grandson, John Ross Ewing III. He knew that he probably didn't spend as much time with his grandson as he probably should, but in no way did that mean he wouldn't be sad to see him leave Southfork. Honestly, his lack of quality interaction with his grandson had more to do with his own lack of knowledge than it did with any lack of love, because he absolutely adored his grandson, he just didn't really know how to play with babies. He was a traditional man and with his own sons and first granddaughter, his wife had done most of the childrearing when they were babies, and he had really only become properly involved when they were children, children that were capable of doing activities that he enjoyed and saw a lot of value in. He couldn't wait to take John Ross to the office or out hunting, but that experience wouldn't be for a few years yet, so for now, he was stuck in an awkward place where he had a lot of feelings for his grandson, but no real understanding of how to show him how much he loved him. Considering his personal relationship with JR, Sue Ellen and John Ross and the impact their leaving Southfork would have on the Ewing family's power, his own personal power and their relationship in general, he then mentally filed those thoughts away, because from the look on JR's face, he was about to get more answers.

"Yes daddy, the old Wade ranch. As I said earlier, we're not trying to alienate ourselves from the family or hurt anyone, we just need and want a little space of our own. We want to be close to the family and the ranch and we want John Ross to be able to experience everything Southfork has to offer, we just don't want those things to overtake or overpower the importance of our own family. After considering a number of possibilities for our new home, we decided that right here in Braddock County is where we want to live, and seeing as most homes around here are either too suburban or come with a working ranch as part of the sale, the Wade ranch seemed like a good choice. We haven't actually made any official moves toward inspecting or purchasing the home and land, but as far as we're concerned, the old Wade ranch is in the ideal location, it's the ideal size and since no one is currently using the land for anything productive, we won't have to lay any workers off if and when we purchase it. We wanted to tell you and mama our plans before we went ahead and made any moves though, because we do want your blessing and support for our decision; we don't want it to be something that divides us or negatively impacts our relationship. This really is a decision that we spent a lot of time thinking about and we really do believe that it will be best for our family and the whole Ewing family. We won't be strangers here, we'll still be present at the ranch if you'll have us, but a little bit of time and space alone isn't a bad thing. Please, try to see things from our perspective for a moment. I'll explain anything else you want to know, but our main motivations really are that simple; we need and want space and if you look at the situation unbiasedly, it's not a crazy decision to come to". Hoping that he sounded sincere, because he was trying hard to and he was being honest in what he was saying, JR looked his father in the eye as he spoke and then waited for his response.

To be continued…