Dallas, Texas

Walking around their partially renovated home, Sue Ellen's smile grew wider. It wasn't necessarily exciting to watch the dust particles dancing in the air or hear her high heels clicking against the hardwood floor; her excitement was related more to what those things represented; in just over a month, she, JR and John Ross would be living there, in their own home. For the most part, the interior was still a mess, the walls had been primed, but not painted, the kitchen and bathrooms had nothing but a few electrical outlets and water pipe connections to indicate their intended uses and there was dust everywhere. Things weren't bad though, because realistically, no one expected a work in progress to look like the final product weeks prior to the expected completion date. Before the remodel had begun, the exterior had looked and been run down and neglected, but now the roof, exterior pipes, chimney and windows had been fixed and the exterior walls had been cleaned and then repainted and the house looked as beautiful as it had in its heyday. The interior would follow soon, Sue Ellen was sure of it and JR had absolutely no doubts, because even though he had every confidence in their contractor's ability, he had also made it very clear that if something did fall short of his or Sue Ellen's expectations, they would not just accept it, someone would be held accountable.

Stopping in what was set to be their bedroom, Sue Ellen walked toward the window and looked out over the vast white fields and snow-covered trees; it was all theirs and she was extremely happy. She was also extremely grateful, she knew she was lucky to be in position where she and JR could afford to live in a grand home and own a large amount of land around that home; she also knew she was very lucky to have a marriage where she had equal input into what they did as a family. Her and JR's marriage had never been perfect, still wasn't perfect and would never be perfect, but right now, it felt pretty close to perfect. She loved to do things to show him she loved him and wanted to be a good wife to him and a good mother to John Ross, and she appreciated when he returned her efforts. She didn't need a lot, she was content to stay home with him and John Ross, because she'd always longed for a peaceful, happy family life, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy more, and the previous evening and current day's activities were definitely more. Her life was wonderful; their life together was wonderful.

Watching his wife standing at the large window in their new bedroom appreciating their land, JR knew her happy sigh was not just because she enjoyed knowing the fields and trees in front of her were theirs, but because their lives were finally coming together and she was getting everything she'd always wanted. She had never had a strong desire to follow the path of the extremely liberated women she went to college with, she hadn't wanted a career for a lifetime or a life free from men, she simply wanted to fall in love with a man who loved and respected her and live happily ever after. Of course, it was a lot more complicated than that, her mother had heavily influenced her wants and what she had been told to want, and she had always wanted and needed more than just marriage or a relationship to be happy, but at a quick glance, the quiet family life she had now was exactly what she'd always wanted. Allowing her to stay lost in her thoughts for a few moments, JR then slowly stepped closer to her, eventually ending up directly behind her, looking out the same window she was.

Sensing her husband standing behind her, Sue Ellen then turned, whispered a few dreamy, happy words and then kissed him. Their lives together were a mixture of quiet domesticity and thrilling, exciting events. She knew her husband, he needed both, he couldn't have just one or the other, it just didn't work; instead of allowing that knowledge to upset her or influence her negatively though, she instead knew she had to bend and adapt, as did he. JR could have the excitement and spontaneity he clearly enjoyed, but he had to have it with her if he wanted to stay married; Sue Ellen was sure he understood that now though, and she was completely on board with being an equal participant in that side of their marriage, so long as that wasn't all their marriage was. She was confident they'd found a good balance now though, so she didn't worry too much about being enough, just right or too much; she was happy with the way their marriage was and if everything that had happened recently was any indication, so was JR.

Half an hour later, after a relaxed morning visit to their new home, JR and Sue Ellen arrived back at Southfork. An evening away from family life had been nice, and if they weren't parents, neither of them would have minded extending their alone time; they were parents though and as much as they loved being alone together, they did miss their son. Sue Ellen was used to spending a majority of her day with John Ross and JR personally felt as if the evenings and weekends weren't long enough to do everything he'd promised himself he would do with his own son to ensure they had a better, closer relationship than he had with each of his parents. Because of their feelings, there was no doubt in either of their minds that returning to Southfork late on Sunday morning was the best option for them and their family; they deserved time alone together, but John Ross deserved to be raised by both of his parents and they intended to do just that.

Walking into the house, the first thing JR noticed was how eerily quiet it was; Sundays were usually family days and even if that often meant everyone doing their own thing, just on Southfork land, it still usually meant more noise than what he currently heard. He didn't have too long to think about why things were the way they were though, because almost as soon as the thoughts occurred to him, they were interrupted by a noise, though it wasn't really a noise he wanted to hear right now. Turning as he heard Lucy clearing her throat, he immediately noticed her red eyes; she had been crying, but she didn't appear to be looking for comfort, she looked angry, though he didn't have a clue why or why she was directing her anger at him. He hadn't done anything that would negatively impact her or anyone related to her in a long time, so in his mind, he was clear and free, but he sensed that things weren't that simple.

"I hate you JR. Just when things are good again, you always do something to make them bad. I don't know what you did, but I know you did something, something big, because grandma and granddaddy don't just argue for no reason. I hate you, why can't you just leave things alone when they're good?" Unsure of exactly what his little niece was talking about, JR crinkled his forehead before opening his mouth to speak but pausing before doing so; he wasn't going to engage in an argument with a child, especially not when he hadn't done anything wrong. Lucy was probably being dramatic, it wasn't as if she was known for anything less. His niece was a nice enough child when she was well behaved, but when she glared at him and made snide comments, he did find himself wondering why he'd ever followed his daddy's orders and removed her from her mother's care. This was probably just another situation where she was turning nothing into something, and if that was what it was, then that was easy to fix; she was the child, he was the adult and he was innocent. If his parents were arguing, that wasn't good, but it also wasn't his fault; Lucy's reasoning for blaming him was probably just a case of misunderstanding and he would make sure she understood that that's what it was.

To be continued…