Dallas, Texas

Pulling into the Southfork driveway just after five thirty in the evening, JR hoped that the situation he was heading toward at home wasn't too bad. His mother-in-law had never been a particularly pleasant woman to be around, but Sue Ellen had seemed convinced a few weeks ago that things were changing, at least a little bit. He wasn't so sure about that though, Patricia was sneaky and currently didn't have much to lose by acting the way she had been known to act in the past. At present, her time with John Ross and at Southfork was limited; she wasn't receiving any personal financial benefits from JR and Sue Ellen; and her daughter and son-in-law had proven they weren't heartless and wouldn't punish Kristin when they were upset with her. Unless she did something extremely nasty, disrespectful or harmful that warranted a complete ban from their lives, the position she was in now was about as bad as it could get for her. If Patricia was to be believed, she knew her place and was sorry for what she had done to be put in that place, but she was also determined to show that she was capable and wanted to be and do more, selflessly, not selfishly. JR was sceptical and cautious though, and because of that, although he hoped Sue Ellen's newly regained good mood and optimism hadn't been crushed by her mother's presence, he wasn't naïve enough to completely believe that that would be the case. With that in mind, just in case things hadn't gone well, he'd ordered a large bouquet of yellow roses to be sent to Southfork that afternoon. Flowers wouldn't fix the problems she may be facing, but they would make her smile and hopefully not direct her upset toward him when he returned home.

Inside the house, Patricia watched as Sue Ellen changed John Ross' diaper and outfit, laid out a few toys for him to play with and then looked at her watch before asking her to sit and play with him for a few minutes while she went to freshen up. Aware of the time, she knew her daughter was doing exactly as she had taught her to do; she was making sure she was presentable and desirable for her husband when he returned home from work. In theory, seeing Sue Ellen married to a wealthy man, playing mother to her son, the heir to a large family fortune, and generally just being happy with the life she had should have made her proud and pleased that she had taught her so well, however, that wasn't exactly how she felt. Jealousy wasn't the word Patricia herself would have used to describe her emotions, but to a neutral observer, that's exactly what it was. Sue Ellen had gone above and beyond what she was taught she should want and what she deserved to have; she hadn't settled for just money, she had made decisions that led her into a life filled with love, happiness and real satisfaction. Somehow, Patricia doubted that a marriage to Billy Frampton or any of the other wealthy men she had set Sue Ellen up with would have had the same results, and she wasn't sure how happy she was with that knowledge. Sure, she couldn't change the past, as Sue Ellen had so kindly told her, but that didn't stop her from wondering 'what if?' She imagined that if Sue Ellen had been a more cooperative young lady, she would have easily married a much wealthier man than JR Ewing and in turn, the familial benefits she would receive would probably be a lot better than what she currently got. When Patricia organised Sue Ellen's dates, there was always an unspoken agreement that some sort of finder's fee would be provided to her; with JR Ewing though, nothing had ever been that easy.

For years, JR had negotiated with money, paying her a little bit here and there to ensure her agreement on certain issues, and after he and Sue Ellen married, he'd made sure to give her enough to keep the peace and silence her whining about her eldest daughter living luxuriously while she lived the same suburban life she'd always had. He hadn't been bad to her, not at all, but with the wealth he did have, what he was giving her was hardly a big deal to him. If she had negotiated with him before he and Sue Ellen started dating, she was sure she could've ensured a better life for herself than what she currently had. Unfortunately, she had done too much to annoy Mr Ewing personally and for some unknown reason Sue Ellen had undergone a personality change and was determined not to give her everything she deserved and expected. She was in a bind, at least that's how she saw the situation. Fortunately, things weren't all bad; she hadn't been completely cut out of their lives and Kristin was away at school getting a social and academic education that would equip her for her future, so she still had another chance at achieving the financial situation she believed she deserved. As well as that, although she disagreed with the way Sue Ellen did certain things as a mother and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly jealous that Sue Ellen was so confident and happy with the way her life was, she couldn't say Sue Ellen was all wrong. Her daughter had a point when she said John Ross was just a small, innocent baby and his view on the world was fairly simple; if she loved him and spent positive, constructive time with him, he would respond to her in a positive, loving way. Where adults and older children had preconceived notions of who and what to dislike, right now, he really only based his reactions on what he experienced; he was a blank slate and she had a chance to start from the beginning with him. Knowing that, she truly wanted to try and do it, though if the afternoon so far had been any indication of what her making an effort would be like, it certainly wouldn't be easy, because although John Ross was innocent and unbiased, Sue Ellen wasn't, and she was always out to defend herself and her perspective.

After making her way down the hall to their bedroom to check her appearance and make sure she didn't smell like baby puke, poop or some other unpleasant fragrance, Sue Ellen then headed back over to the nursery, just in time to see her mother and son participating in the bonding time her mother had been so insistent she wanted. Hanging back for a moment before she re-entered the room, she assessed her feelings; on one hand she was pleased that her mother did have the ability to be a nice, likeable person every once in a while; but on the other hand, she wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted her around any more often than she currently was. Their conversation earlier in the afternoon had ended with an agreement to disagree, but only because she had made it clear that she wasn't going to change anything anymore just because her mother told her to, and being a guest at Southfork for the next three days, her mother had known better than to start a large argument. She could tell though that her mother had a lot of unspoken opinions and in a way, she also sensed that the picture of happiness that she had been painting to her was beginning to annoy her and possibly bring out her underlying jealousy. Not only had she married a wealthy man, she was very happy with her decision, and to Patricia, having no part in that had to seem pretty unfair and unfortunate. To Patricia, it probably seemed like she had put in a lot of work for no reward, and Sue Ellen knew if that was the case, then she was not happy, not at all. The image that was in front of her at present though was somewhat different to her thoughts and assumptions and for once, even if only momentarily, she was pleased that her mother was able to put aside her jealousy and annoyance and give a good side of herself to her first and only grandchild. John Ross deserved to have the opportunity to build a positive relationship with his maternal grandmother, but it was up to Patricia to ensure that happened.

To be continued…