Dallas, Texas

Holding on to John Ross as he excitedly observed and was introduced to the guests arriving for the Ewing Christmas party, Sue Ellen never tired of hearing compliments directed toward him and took great pleasure in seeing how alert and fascinated he was by the new situation unfolding in front of him. The last large event he had been a part of was the Ewing barbecue; that had played out much like the Christmas party was currently, however, he had also been younger and less alert back then, so she hadn't been so sure it would be quite as easy this time. Fortunately, he was taking to being a party host like a duck to water. He probably didn't really understand what was going on, but already during his short life, he'd observed and been around enough people to know that when ladies leaned down to pat his head, stroke his cheek or give him a kiss, a smile or giggle in return was always appreciated and always seemed to make his parents happy.

Shaking hands with what seemed like and in truth, probably were, hundreds of people, Sue Ellen was selfishly glad to have John Ross to distract people from politely, or nosily, asking about how she was and how her year had been. Truthfully, her year had been up and down more times than she wished to remember and even though she honestly meant it now when she told people she was very happy and hoped they were too, the question itself still brought back a few memories she would rather forget. Luckily, with John Ross in her arms and JR by her side, no one seemed to care too much about her personally; she would happily take a compliment about how cute and/or well-behaved John Ross was, politely compliment and enquire about their guest's life, and then pass the conversation on to JR to continue. The further away from the present her Miss Texas days became, the less accepting she was of large crowds and insincere interactions; she liked her small family life and she wouldn't apologise for feeling that way. Of course, that didn't mean she would be impolite or antisocial, because she wouldn't, she knew what being a Ewing meant and she was happy to perform her familial and social duties, but in situations where she could quietly slip into the background, she had no problem doing so.

Half an hour later, after meeting and greeting with every guest who had walked through the front door, and then doing a round of mixing and mingling as everyone enjoyed themselves, Sue Ellen slipped upstairs quietly. The large crowd of new faces had excited John Ross, however, it was now nearing his usual bedtime and even the excitement of the party downstairs wasn't enough to keep him awake. She wasn't disappointed by the situation though, he was just a baby, he needed his sleep and honestly, as time grew later, the party would only get livelier; a party of that sort was not the place for a child, so putting him to bed now was the best idea for everyone.

Downstairs, trapped in a conversation with Wade Luce's wife, JR looked around the room for his own wife. He could deal with inane female chatter when it came from a member of his own family, but to hear it from someone he had no connection to except for occasionally doing business with her husband, was just too much. Seeing Bobby walking past with his date, JR then called out to him; Bobby wouldn't be too pleased, but his female companion would probably be thankful for the opportunity to speak to another woman and not have to stand by while Bobby nodded and added a few comments about business or football to whatever conversation he was in. Unfortunately, all didn't quite go as planned, because as he gently extricated himself from the conversation he had been a part of, he turned around and immediately came face to face with his mother-in-law.

Patricia and Kristin Shepard had only arrived at Southfork earlier in the day, but already he was sick of their presence. Sue Ellen seemed to be on better terms with her mother now, though JR still found her particularly trying at times. Kristin wasn't too bad either, however, JR sensed that she was heading toward turning into a bit of a show-off when it came to her personal achievements. For him personally though, it really just came down to the way Sue Ellen acted when her family were around. She was more edgy and particular about things when she knew she was being observed closely, and in situations where he just wanted to relax and have fun with her, like tonight, after she put John Ross down for the night, he knew it would take more effort to get her to just act 'normally'. For the first time in a long time, he and Sue Ellen were in a consistently good relationship and he wanted to make the most of that achievement, but he knew it would take a little more effort than usual this evening to get her to relax and let herself enjoy being with him. He was willing to put in his own extra effort though, because he loved her and he wanted her.

"Patricia", nodding at his mother-in-law, JR looked around the room again, willing Sue Ellen or even just any random person, to appear and interrupt the beginning of his conversation with Patricia. They really had nothing in common except for both enjoying control and power and both being connected to each other as family via Sue Ellen, so he knew how to and would always be polite to her, so long as she was to him too, but he didn't really actually want to speak to her. "JR", responding in an overly enthusiastic tone that was almost definitely false, Patricia looked at him before launching into what was definitely a speech intended for anyone listening in on their conversation rather than for JR himself. Patricia had already commented on the decorations, catering and impressive guest list earlier when just the family were present, so to do so again now was completely redundant. Tuning out about halfway through, as he caught sight of his wife coming downstairs, JR then made a few agreeable comments, thanked Patricia for her compliments and then redirected her toward a conversation some of the DOA ladies were having. She would be in good company with the gossipy women of the DOA if Sue Ellen's stories were even partially true, so he didn't feel too bad about leaving her.

Quickly making his way across the room, JR purposely avoided stopping to say hello to various guests in his path; he had done enough business networking for the evening and now he was a man on a mission and nothing was going to get in his way. "Dance with me darlin'", reaching his wife and taking hold of her hand, he guided her toward the dance floor and was pleased when she followed him without question, participating in an equally engaged manner as they began to dance. She wanted to be there with him just as much as he wanted to be there with her, and that made him incredibly happy. He had spent years hopping from woman to woman, temporarily satisfying his desires, but finally, after years of that behaviour, things were different, and he had absolutely no regrets. He loved his wife, he loved their life together and he was completely satisfied with the way their future looked.

To be continued…