Dallas, Texas

Zipping up John Ross' winter coat and then moving to slide his boots on, Sue Ellen looked up at JR, "I think we should call first. Just to let someone know we'll be there and I suppose, if they want to join us, to extend that invitation too. It's only polite". They were all set to head down to the stables to see the horses, because it was something John Ross enjoyed and they wanted to keep things as normal and familiar as possible, however, as much as it was normal and familiar, it was also different now. They were Ewings and had been told many times that they were welcome to visit or move back to Southfork at any time, but still, they didn't live there anymore and she did feel a little strange about just turning up unannounced.

Listening and considering what Sue Ellen was saying, JR nodded, murmured a few words and walked over to the phone. She had a point and although he was more of the opinion that as Ewings, they didn't have to ask permission or inform anyone of what they were doing on Ewing land, he knew that it would ease her mind and really, it wasn't that difficult to call. Dialling the number for Southfork, he secretly hoped Teresa picked up the phone instead of his mother, father or niece; because if he could just leave a message with her, it was much less likely he and Sue Ellen would be roped into spending the afternoon at Southfork. Hearing the phone ringing and then Teresa answering, he was initially pleased, however, as she explained that Lucy, Bobby and his father had all left the house earlier to head down to the stables, he knew they weren't completely free from familial obligation. There was a very real possibility that his, Sue Ellen and John Ross' visit to the Southfork ranch stables would be timed so they would be there when Bobby, Lucy and Jock returned from their morning ride in enough time to get back up to the house for Sunday lunch. If that happened, there would definitely be an invitation extended and as part of their promise to not become strangers, they would definitely accept that invitation, even if he didn't particularly want to. It wasn't that he disliked his family, because he didn't, he really didn't, but he also didn't want to spend as much time with them as he had in the past, because after experiencing a little bit of freedom on vacation and now living on their own, he much preferred the way things were now. He was neither of his parent's favourite son and although his relationship with each of them had been better recently than it had been in the past, he personally felt more loved and valued by Sue Ellen and John Ross than he did by his parents, so it wasn't difficult to understand why he would rather spend time with them. That being said though, lunch with his family wasn't the end of the world and to be agreeable and accept an invitation if it was given, was the mature thing to do and the best way to maintain good relations between his small family and the larger Ewing family.

A few miles away, completely unaware of her aunt and uncle's plans, Lucy Ewing slowed her horse down to a trot as she reached the fence that indicated the boundary line between Southfork land and JR and Sue Ellen's land. She couldn't see much, because the angle she was looking at the property from was obscured by a few trees closer to the house, but even just looking at the house was enough to trigger her thoughts. Her therapist, a kind middle-aged woman named Doctor Lacey, had been working on getting her to understand that in no way was she responsible for the actions of others, and that even if she felt abandoned sometimes, she was loved and wanted, however, just being told that wasn't enough sometimes. She had her own friends and her own life, but there were also times in her life where she did enjoy simpler activities like spending time with grandma, aunt and young cousin, but as Sue Ellen and JR had moved out and taken John Ross with them, the opportunities for building strong familial relationships had dropped, as had her mood. Her aunt, uncle and cousin had only been gone for a day, but the length of time didn't take away from her ability or right to feel upset, because as everyone had told her before, her feelings were valid and she didn't need to justify them. She missed having a younger woman to talk to and she missed having John Ross around to play with and fuss over; she enjoyed when he laughed at something she did, or gave her little hugs when he was tired or sad. She and JR had never really been close and to be honest, she didn't really miss him, however, she did miss the way family conversations were when all was well at Ewing Oil and at Southfork, and right now, things weren't right at either place, so the atmosphere at Southfork just wasn't pleasant. Shaking her head and sighing, she then took a deep breath and hoped her grandmother was right when she said things would take a little getting used to and they had to give JR and Sue Ellen some space, but eventually, things would calm down and return to a new normal state.

Half an hour later, down at the stables, whether JR wanted it to be obvious or not, it was apparent that they had arrived and clear where they were. He didn't mind so much now though, because John Ross adored horses and the giggling coming from the third stall on the right as he fed a carrot to Chestnut, Sue Ellen's horse, was very satisfying to hear. What was less satisfying to hear though was the faint sound of voices and the clip-clop of horses hooves in the distance; his brother and father were back from their ride.

To be continued…