Austin, Texas

Attempting to mask his grin and remain somewhat stern looking, for the sake of being taken seriously and for the sake of not starting an argument with Patricia over something stupid like his enjoyment of finally getting to say what Sue Ellen was too polite to, JR began to speak. "Patricia, while we appreciate your apparent epiphany, and we sympathise and I suppose even empathise with your current health condition, I do have to say, I don't entirely believe everything you're saying and if history is anything to go by, I'm right to question things. I'm not saying you're lying or that you don't care about your family, but I don't believe you've just suddenly decided Sue Ellen, Kristin and John Ross are the number one priorities in your life again. I think underneath all the regretful words, you are the same person you have always been and if this were a couple of years ago, you would have already proposed a deal for financial compensation. In fact, your suggestion that Austin isn't the right place for you right now seems to me to be a watered down version of a request for financial compensation. I think the sneaky, manipulative side of you is still very much present; you just try harder to hide it now because you know we don't like it".

Pausing for a moment to gauge how far he could push things before Patricia decided to fight back, JR was pleasantly surprised to see her stunned look on his mother-in-law's face hadn't changed. She had been surprised he had finally chosen to speak after staying silent for so long during the earlier conversation, and it appeared that that surprise had not turned into anger or annoyance just yet. He didn't doubt the change was coming though, it always did when Patricia didn't get her way. She considered the way other people treated her to be unfair and because of that, she had mastered the art of twisting reality to accommodate her wants and needs, and that often meant making a fuss until it was just easier for the other person to give her what she wanted than for them to keep arguing with her. He himself had fallen into her trap many times before, he wouldn't deny it, sometimes it was just easier to throw money at problems or give in to requests than it was to put energy into arguing for no reward, but this was different. Sue Ellen had predicted what would happen and it had turned into a reality; it was time someone questioned Patricia's words and handed some responsibility back to her. No one was trying to take away the privilege of seeing her family; she just needed reminding that it was a privilege, not a right.

In the midst of his pause, the change he had predicted began. Seeing the way Patricia's expression moved from shock to rage, JR held up a hand in an attempt to silence her before she even began to speak. She was clearly offended and angry at being spoken to as he just had, especially when she had been trying so hard to appear needy and regretful, but someone needed to say it. "Now, before you get angry and say something you'll regret, I will give you credit where it's due. It is very admirable to want to be more personally involved in family life than you currently are, so if what you say is true, then I am sure Sue Ellen, Kristin and John Ross will thank you later. That being said though, based on the past, your idea of involved differs greatly from what we want and will accept. Being involved doesn't mean taking over, ignoring all set rules and routines, criticising everything we do or say, and making everyone else feel inferior, but it also doesn't mean disappearing without so much as a phone call to check in on your grandson's progress or Sue Ellen's life for weeks at a time…" Shaking his head lightly as he mentally compared the relationship Sue Ellen and John Ross had with his mother versus the relationship they had with Patricia, he paused again for a moment, though he wished he hadn't, because the small break in the conversation appeared to be exactly what Patricia was looking for.

Subconsciously stepping back a little as JR began to speak, Sue Ellen couldn't help but be annoyed with herself; surely she was strong enough to speak to her own mother? It had been years now since she had been a young woman under her mother's 'supervision' and she had thought she had really grown over the past year when it came to her personal responsibility and assertiveness, but at the moment, she sure didn't feel like she had. She and her mother had been talking just fine earlier, but the minute it came to discussing something more difficult, something she didn't really want to agree to but also didn't want to appear to be the one to blame for, she froze. The worst part of the situation she was in now had to be watching the entire thing unfolding. She was pleased that JR had said something, even if it was perhaps worded more harshly than she herself would have said it, but if the way her mother's facial expression had changed was anything to go by, the confrontation she hadn't wanted to be involved in was going to happen anyway.

Letting out a loud gasp, Patricia glared at her son-in-law and daughter before speaking, "Sue Ellen, are you really going to allow your husband to speak to me in such a rude, disrespectful manner!?" Glaring at her daughter expectantly, she waited for an answer. She couldn't deny that JR had a point; her intentions weren't quite as pure as she had attempted to make them seem, however, for him to actually say so, and for Sue Ellen to say nothing was shocking and hurtful. What would it take for her to get what she deserved? Why did she always have to prove herself worthy before she was given anything? How did her former agreement and understanding with JR Ewing turn into this? She was angry and annoyed, but most of all, she was upset. Raising two children practically alone was not easy; being on her own now was not easy; and recovering from a traumatic experience like a car accident was not easy; all she wanted was a little sympathy and goodwill from her daughter and son-in-law, but apparently she didn't deserve that. It wasn't fair; Sue Ellen was her daughter and John Ross was her grandson, and while she wasn't responsible for everything, there was no way anyone could deny that neither of them would have been in exactly the place in their lives without her involvement. A little bit of kindness and contact was the least Sue Ellen could offer her, especially after everything she had done for her in the past.

Jumping as her mother shouted at her, Sue Ellen then nervously fidgeted with her bracelet and looked back and forth between her mother and JR. It was stupid for her to feel so shaky and anxious about speaking to her mother, especially since she had long ago established that she was her own person and had thoughts and opinions of her own, and months ago she had told her mother exactly that. Unfortunately, although months ago she and her mother had discussed and agreed on boundaries and acceptable behaviours and had agreed that they both wanted to try to make things different, she didn't enjoy what that meant in reality and she hated the way her mother treated her when things didn't go exactly as she had planned.

The truth was, in theory, she wanted to have a good, close relationship with her mother, but in reality, that would probably never happen, because her mother was manipulative and entitled and saw nothing wrong with the way she acted, but she did, and that disconnect caused a lot of issues between them. It wasn't enjoyable to be criticised or used and she had no desire to make an effort and offer her mother nice things if there was little compromise or change. It was complicated and confusing though, because she did want John Ross to be able to have a relationship with his grandmother and she did want to be able to look back at her life and have some good memories with her mother. Things had to change if she wanted that to happen, but she didn't know how to make that change happen, because she had given her mother many opportunities to act differently, but time and time again, the same things kept happening. To be shouted at for not simply accepting her mother's proposal, and for JR having voiced some valid concerns, was unpleasant and not something she wanted to experience often, if at all. Unfortunately, her mother looked as if she were expecting an answer, and it would be wrong to just walk away, so although she didn't want to engage in a negative conversation, she did anyway.

"Yes mother, I am. JR is my husband and you yourself taught me that a good wife always listens to her husband and supports his choices, even if they aren't the ones she would personally make. With that in mind, while JR may not have said things in the way I would have, I do have to agree with his opinion; I do think you are being manipulative right now. I don't doubt your love for me, John Ross or Kristin, and I don't doubt you were very upset and shaken by the car accident, but I also think you're deliberately putting me in an uncomfortable position in hopes of getting me to agree to something you want just because you know I don't like or usually engage in confrontation…" Feeling exceptionally nervous as she began to speak, Sue Ellen was surprised by what she heard coming out of her mouth; she sounded confident, even if she didn't feel it. It was upsetting to argue with her mother, or anyone really, however, sometimes certain things needed to be said and people were bound to get upset. She hoped speaking her mind would benefit her in the long run, however, at present, from the look her mother was giving her and the way she felt inside, she wasn't so sure responding to her mother's angry words had been such a good decision.

To be continued…