Dallas, Texas

"So? Do you like it?" watching JR as he took his first bite of the breakfast she had made them, bacon and scrambled eggs, Sue Ellen couldn't help but feel a little nervous about his reaction; she hadn't cooked in a long time and even though she knew she was a good cook, she still wanted to hear it from JR. She hadn't always enjoyed her mother's lessons on how to be a classy and sophisticated, but equally domesticated woman, but she did appreciate the way possessing those skills ultimately benefitted her. She loved being able to look after her husband and son, both physically and emotionally, and she loved that despite having little recent experience, her old, well-rehearsed domestic skills felt completely natural to her once she was actually in the kitchen. Additionally, although she had no desire to fall into the complete housewife role, the one that included all housekeeping tasks, she couldn't deny that it did thrill her a little bit to feel normal and useful. Making the bed and washing dishes weren't particularly interesting activities, but they were a novelty for her and she enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing something done and knowing she had made it happen. The women's liberation movement probably wouldn't appreciate her opinion and she knew they had probably had a point, because her life was the exception to the rule, not the rule itself, but despite that, she couldn't and wouldn't deny that she loved her roles as a wife and mother and she was loving the mundane activities that came with homeownership. She wasn't stupid though, she knew if she did the things she was so excited about for too long, she would end up bored, tired and possibly resentful, because domestic labour wasn't nearly as appreciated as it should be and it definitely wasn't as fun or glamorous as she found it right now. Because of that and because it seemed only logical that they do so, she and JR had hired a housekeeper to assist them; Francisca, a middle-aged woman who came highly recommended by Teresa, would not live with them fulltime, but she would be present enough to keep the house clean and the small Ewing family happy and well-fed. For now though, as it was Sunday and they had only just moved in, Sue Ellen was free to enjoy her happy homemaker fantasy and reality, and JR was free to enjoy watching her be and enjoy being so normal and domesticated.

"Mmm, yes darlin', it's delicious. You're a wonderful cook", looking up from his breakfast plate, JR complimented and reassured his wife, meaning every word he said. Patricia Shepard had a few strange parenting ideas, teaching methods and questionable motives, but her parenting obviously wasn't entirely bad, because Sue Ellen was a very capable, talented young woman and being the polite lady she was, she gave credit where credit was due, which in this case, was to her mother. He doubted that Patricia had intended for her daughter to look gracefully sexy when she pulled her hair back off her face, put an apron on and moved around the kitchen preparing food, but that was exactly how she looked and he highly enjoyed seeing her that way. If John Ross hadn't been present, he probably would've made his feelings a lot clearer, however, he did have some decency and self-control and he had always enjoyed having to wait a little while for something, because when he did eventually get it, the anticipation that had built up inside him only elevated his level of satisfaction. "Thank you", watching her as she thanked him for his compliments, he knew his thoughts weren't too far off her own; her large, brown eyes were very expressive, and right now, they told him everything he needed to know.

Half an hour later, after finishing their breakfast and jointly working to wash, dry and put away the dishes and tidy the kitchen, Sue Ellen paused, looked at her watch and then really stopped to take in her surroundings, and as she did, the smile that had been on her face all morning only grew. It felt wonderful to have the entire day to do whatever she and JR wanted to do, without having to consider what the rest of the Ewing family were doing and where they were doing it. She didn't dislike the Ewing family, and in general, they were all fairly respectful of the shared space, but with seven people in one home, things did sometimes get a bit cramped and privacy wasn't easy to come by. As well as the space issue, living at Southfork made it difficult to establish themselves as a family of three when their lives were so closely connected with the other four Ewing family members; a little space was nice to have and she was glad she and JR had made the decision to establish that space, both physically and emotionally. She and JR finally had what they wanted and had been talking about for months, and now that they did, she was determined to make sure they made the most of it.

Unfortunately, although JR and Sue Ellen were thoroughly enjoying their new living arrangements, the reaction to the situation was not quite the same down the street at Southfork. Breakfast had been a quick, quiet meal, though it was obvious that everyone was silently having the same thoughts; it was weird for three members of the family to be absent, not just on vacation this time, but permanently. What made things difficult and tense though was the differing opinions on the situation; where Bobby was accepting and happy for his brother and family, and for himself, Miss Ellie and Lucy were heartbroken to have 'lost' John Ross and Sue Ellen, and Jock was still annoyed and almost angry that JR hadn't done exactly as he had proposed. Whatever their individual opinions were though, they would eventually all have to move on, because JR and Sue Ellen were in control of their own lives now and they were loving it.

To be continued...