Dallas, Texas

Entering the Oil Baron's Club after their meeting, Sue Ellen couldn't stop smiling. She had had a lot of ideas about how she wanted their new home to look and she had been a little nervous that things wouldn't materialize as she imagined, however, now that she and JR had met with their interior designer and decorator, she felt much better. They had discussed the look and feel they wanted for their home and somehow, the professionals knew exactly what to do show them and how to put their ideas together. Sue Ellen liked to think she had nice, classy taste, but she also always appreciated a second opinion and highly appreciated when JR appeared to genuinely like something she had chosen. They had decided together that they wanted their home to be brighter, airier and more relaxed than Southfork was, and somehow, they had been able to piece together exactly what they wanted. Instead of the dark wood and warm toned furnishings their decorator had attempted to convince them were the modern, popular choices, they had instead opted for paler walls, neutral furnishings and placement of objects in a way that allowed the most natural light to enter each room. They had initially been inspired by the style of the lake house and a few of the things they had seen in the various homes they had viewed before purchasing the old Wade ranch; overall though, those things really were just inspiration; their home would be theirs and she couldn't have been happier.

Looking over the menu, even though he always ordered the same thing, JR's mood was also very positive. The interior of their new home didn't cross his mind very often and honestly, he'd never really had a strong opinion on decorating styles, he'd never thought of Southfork as dark and imposing, it had just been his home for the past thirty three years, it was what it was. He did however understand that to women like Sue Ellen, women who enjoyed the process of selecting and creating a complete look, whether it was in fashion or home décor, the whole thing was very exciting and important and she wanted him to seem enthused about it too. Discussing it prior to actually seeing ideas, he hadn't had much of an opinion about what he wanted, however, after hearing Sue Ellen speaking about the lake house and showing him photographs from architectural and design books, he now understood what she wanted and he had no problem with that. Dark wood and heavy, imposing furniture seemed fine to him, those things were was masculine and classic, but he could also see how they weren't particularly inviting or comfortable, so he saw her point when it came to wanting something different. Sue Ellen was classy and understood very well what was and was not acceptable in their social circle, so he had no worries when it came to allowing her to take the lead in this project, and so far, he hadn't had any disappointments or regrets, nor did he think he would in the future.

As they ate lunch, Sue Ellen felt relaxed and happy. It didn't bother her that being in a popular restaurant meant having to pause her conversation with JR every so often in order to say hello to various social acquaintances, she had plenty of experience with it and she had nothing bad to say to anyone and only genuinely good things to say when she was asked how she was. Spending time alone with JR, even if it was in a public restaurant, reminded her a lot of how their relationship had been when they were dating. She'd loved the time and attention he'd given her during that time and even though their lives were naturally a lot different now, she never wanted their relationship to become boring or unfulfilling. It didn't take much for her to be happy and she was sure JR knew that now, so as long as they both made an effort to participate in their relationship, she didn't foresee their relationship going downhill again in the future.

After lunch, as they stood waiting for the elevator doors to open so they could leave the restaurant, Sue Ellen reflected on how wonderfully happy she felt. With JR's hand gently place on her lower back and their easy-going conversation about their plans for the rest of the afternoon with John Ross, she felt extremely content, optimistic and strong, like nothing could ruin her day. Unfortunately though, as the elevator doors opened, that all changed.

Stepping out of the elevator and into the Oil Baron's Club, Marilee Stone's mood went from bad to worse. Not only had Seth dragged her to lunch with his old college roommate and his dull wife, now JR and Sue Ellen Ewing were in front of her, flaunting just how happy they were. She didn't want JR Ewing, she never had, not really, but she couldn't deny that they had had some good times together and although he'd never been particularly kind to her, she wouldn't have minded rekindling their relationship, even just temporarily. Seeing him so happy with the perfect former Miss Texas was nauseating; she had seen Sue Ellen change from the completely dull, sweet girl into someone more confident and direct about what she wanted, however, she still didn't really understand what it was that JR and everyone else seemed to find so fascinating and appealing about Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen was no stranger to gossiping and being judgemental about everything with the rest of the DOA ladies, but lately, it appeared that instead of even doing that, she was just in the DOA to do actual charity work and not much else, and to some of the older members, that appeared to be very admirable. To Marilee, it was annoying and a little transparent. Sue Ellen obviously thought she was better than everyone else; she had a husband, a baby and a reputation that didn't appear to be able to be tarnished by anything. JR had and probably would always do whatever he wanted, but for some reason, Sue Ellen didn't appear to be bothered by it, because even after what Marilee had heard were a tough few months earlier in the year, Sue Ellen was now back to being as happy as she had when JR had first introduced her as his girlfriend. Marilee wasn't jealous, or at least she didn't think she was, but she was irritated and a little hurt; even at his worst, JR didn't want her and even at her best, Seth seemed to not care too deeply about her. It sounded bad, because Seth wasn't actually a bad husband and in a funny way, she did love him, but she was bored with what marriage apparently was and it bothered her a lot to see other people so nauseatingly happy with the way their lives were.

Shaking Seth Stone's hand and making a few general comments, JR observed how Marilee and Sue Ellen were looking at each other and he immediately knew they had to get out of the restaurant as soon as possible. Sue Ellen had never been Marilee's biggest fan and Marilee's past words and actions had made it clear to him that she held no positive feelings toward Sue Ellen, so it was probably not a good idea to make them interact with each other for any longer than to say hello. He didn't really understand Marilee, she didn't want him and he didn't want her, but from the moment she'd found out about Sue Ellen's existence, she'd been nothing but hostile toward her, for no reason at all. He didn't care to find out why she felt the way she did, he didn't actually care that much, he just wanted to continue living his life as he had been for the past few years, separate from Marilee Stone. Seth was a necessary social connection to have, but Marilee wasn't; his relationship with her was in the past and she was someone he deeply regretted allowing into his life in an intimate sense. He had been JR Ewing, eligible bachelor, able to get any woman he wanted if he tried hard enough, but for some reason, as a young, stupid man, he had chosen Marilee Hurst more than once. It had been fun while it lasted, but it was truly buried in the past and he had no desire to revisit it.

"Sue Ellen, we've missed you at the recent DOA meetings. Some of the ladies were beginning to get quite concerned that something tragic had happened to you, but Miss Ellie assured us that nothing was wrong and you'd be back soon enough. Is that still the case? You don't look sick and you clearly have the time. Surely you can sacrifice a few hours a week to help the less fortunate members of our society?" Listening to Marilee Stone's fake concern and judgemental assumptions and questions, Sue Ellen's mood dropped; of course Marilee could find a way to make her sound like a bad person for not attending the DOA's weekly gossip meetings. Apparently, several people, including her mother, seemed to think she was a horribly selfish person for prioritizing motherhood over serving the whole community or boosting her social image. No one seemed to recognize that she had and did still see other people socially and she did still donate her time and money to good causes, because apparently, if she wasn't doing it as much as she had pre-pregnancy, then it didn't count.

With a false smile and a matching sweetly condescending tone, she then replied, though she was mentally willing JR to make an excuse so they could leave quickly. "It's lovely to see you too Marilee. I'm touched by your concern, I didn't know you noticed or cared about my actions. To answer your question, nothing tragic happened, I've just been busy with my life. I haven't forgotten my duties to the DOA though; I still attend charity events and occasionally the weekly meetings too, but since I've become a mother, my priorities have changed and naturally, I can't volunteer for every project. I'll be back soon enough, don't you worry about that; in the meantime though, I'm sure you and the other ladies are doing a wonderful job". Not bothering to really enquire about how Marilee herself was, because they were clearly playing a game and neither actually cared, she then waited for Marilee to nod and accept her answer, or possibly respond with some snippy comment. What she wanted more than anything though was for the hostess to appear to show Seth and Marilee to their table, or for JR to make an excuse for them to leave. She wasn't really in the mood to spend her afternoon chitchatting with Marilee Stone and the sooner she could leave the conversation, the better. Unfortunately, as Marilee opened her mouth to respond again, Sue Ellen was reminded that nothing ever happened as easily as she hoped.

To be continued…