Dallas, Texas

Taking a sip of his drink, Bobby Ewing silently took in his environment. It was strange to be a guest in a home he had been so familiar with, but that now looked so different to his previous memories. JR and Sue Ellen had certainly redecorated and made the home their own, but in his mind, he could still picture how it used to be. With all of his old memories vivid in his mind, it was difficult to ignore the feelings that came with those memories. The truth was, Jenna had ended their relationship in such an abrupt, strange manner that he had never really been able to move on with his life. He hadn't just stopped living because Jenna had left, he had had a lot of women since then, but he had never really been in a serious relationship and he certainly hadn't come anywhere close to loving anyone else. Because of the lack of closure, to be back in the house where they had had so many good times was confronting, saddening and angering all at the same time. He couldn't really blame JR and Sue Ellen for how he was feeling though, he knew that now; it was their right and probably the right decision for their family to move into a home that was all their own, even if the home they had chosen held special memories for him. The reality of the world was that unless one purchased bare land and built a home from scratch, all homes meant something special to someone, but that alone wasn't enough to stop people from moving on with their lives. His initial annoyance at his brother and sister-in-law's decision had been mostly due to the way he was told, or not told. He would have appreciated a little consideration for his feelings, but he understood now that it wasn't all about him and it only made him look bad if he repeatedly tried to make other people feel guilty about hurting his feelings. His parents had known in advance and while it was clear they weren't entirely happy, they had been able to accept and support the decision, so he really needed to too; it was ok for him to feel the way he did, but it was silly for him to make the entire situation about him when it really wasn't. It hadn't been easy, but he had chosen to accept it and move on, and observing his family as they happily chatted and drank, he knew he had made the right decision.

Across the room, Sue Ellen breathed a sigh of relief as she observed the scene in front of her. She didn't know if Miss Ellie had said something to Jock or whether he had just accepted their decision and adjusted his attitude accordingly; whatever it was though, she was grateful. Hosting the family as guests in her and JR's own home, as opposed to their gathering being a normal family event, was a new situation, one she had actually, surprisingly, been fairly confident about, however, in the back of her mind, she had also been a little nervous; because of that, it pleased her to see everything running so smoothly. As always seemed to happen, the men and women of the family had split into groups during cocktail hour; she didn't mind though, she naturally had more in common with Miss Ellie and Lucy than she did with Bobby and Jock anyway. She didn't know what the men of the family were discussing, and even if it was business or things that could wait until Monday if necessary, she didn't really care, just as long as the conversation was civil. For her, conversing with Miss Ellie and Lucy was so natural and normal now that she didn't even find the lulls in conversation awkward. So far, everything was going well; for that, she was grateful.

Twenty minutes later, as cocktail hour wound down and Francisca appeared in the doorway to announce dinner was ready to be served, Miss Ellie glanced over at her husband, sons and grandson and breathed a sigh of relief of her own. Jock had grumbled about having to go afield to see his own family, however, she could see now that even he wasn't having a bad time. It warmed her heart too to see that while he had claimed many times he didn't really know how to deal with children as young as John Ross and was waiting until he was a little older to really get involved, he was perfectly capable and actually excited to be around him now when the occasion wasn't so ordinary anymore. It still wasn't enough, he really should do more with his grandson, the child he had raised to godlike status prior to conception, during gestation and after his birth, however, holding him, talking to him and attempting to play with him was a start and she was pleased to see him making an effort. She would have to have a word with him about increasing that effort in the future, especially since John Ross no longer lived in the same house as them, however, for now, she was satisfied.

As they sat down in the dining room for dinner, it became clear to Miss Ellie that Sue Ellen had had much better luck than she had in the past when it came to hiring a housekeeper who could cook. Not only were the hors d'oeuvres Francisca had handed around earlier absolutely delicious, and the smell of the dinner she had cooked mouth-watering, the food on the table looked delectable and she had a very strong feeling it tasted that way too. Unfortunately, although the food looked scrumptious, the atmosphere was calm and happy and the evening appeared to be going well, it seemed that nothing was ever quite that simple. Hearing the phone ringing and watching Francisca as she hurriedly walked over to answer it, Miss Ellie, and everyone else at the table, immediately knew something was not right. It was impolite to call during meal times, everyone knew that, and since JR and Sue Ellen's phone had only recently been connected, very few people had the number; it seemed obvious that whoever was calling had to have a good reason for doing so, and if Francisca's facial expression was anything to go by, that assumption was absolutely correct.

To be continued…