Dallas, Texas

"Wear something nice, we're celebrating", allowing JR's vague, but enthusiastic, phone call to guide her, Sue Ellen selected an elegant, dark blue, silk dress from her closet and paid extra attention to her hair, makeup and accessories before heading down the hall to John Ross' room to analyse the contents of his closet. JR's phone call had been short, but his tone of voice and message were clear, something exciting was happening and the entire family was getting together for dinner at the Oil Baron's Club. Personally, she wasn't sure John Ross was ready to attend dinners at restaurants like the Oil Baron's Club, he usually did fine at more casual, family friendly restaurants, but the Oil Baron's Club didn't really have the same atmosphere, however, JR had insisted that it was a complete family event to celebrate something important, so she would at least try.

Down the road at Southfork, Lucy Ewing stood in her bedroom, staring absentmindedly at her closet. She had plenty of pretty dresses to choose from, that wasn't an issue, however, she was thoroughly confused about why she was choosing a dress at all. Her grandmother had been incredibly vague about the occasion they were celebrating even though it was clear she had an answer, so while she was pleased to dress up and go out to dinner, she was also a little annoyed; from her perspective, it always seemed like she was never important enough to be kept in the loop. She wasn't going to whine though, firstly because no one ever reacted positively to her whining, and secondly, because as Doctor Lacey was always telling her, sometimes it paid to be patient, with herself and with other people. Her grandmother had specifically said there would be some sort of announcement at dinner and had also made it clear that whatever that announcement was wasn't her news to tell, so although she was slightly bitter about being left out, it wasn't intended in a nasty way and soon enough she would be on the same page as everyone else.

A few miles away, driving down the long, straight road that lead from Braddock to his home, JR Ewing couldn't stop grinning. He had already been pleased with his life, but Bobby's announcement earlier was icing on the cake. In just six short weeks, he and his father would be the only Ewings at Ewing Oil; in a year or two, Ewing Oil would be 51% his; and in the hopefully very distant future, it would be entirely his, until of course, his own son began following in his footsteps and the cycle continued. In six short weeks, Bobby would be off doing what he was suited to doing and he would have one less thing to think about when he was at the office. He couldn't say he had been thrilled that his father had excluded him from what appeared to be more than one discussion regarding his little brother's future, because they were supposed to be a team, however, his annoyance was tempered by his elation at the news that he wouldn't have to share the company much longer. He'd have to talk to his father about keeping him informed about everything, not just the things he was assigned to control, and he would have to have another look at his methods of finding out things that weren't his business but he made it his business to know, but for now, he would play nice and act graciously. It wasn't hard to act as if he were pleased by the news even though he wasn't thrilled about the lack of consultation; he genuinely was thrilled and he was excited to share his excitement with his family.

In a car not far behind JR's, Bobby was another Ewing who couldn't stop grinning to himself; the reasons for his happiness were a little different to his eldest brother's though. Not only was he happy and relieved that his father and brother had taken the news of his departure from the main family business so well, he also felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and for the first time in months he could breathe again. Six weeks wasn't a short period, but it certainly wasn't a long one either and just knowing that there was a date set for his departure and new beginning was exciting and joyful. Instead of now thinking about what his future could be like if he did what he wanted to, he was about to actually experience what it was like. No longer would he have JR breathing down his neck when it came to anything and everything he did at the office; no longer would he have to compete for a prize he'd never had a chance of winning; and no longer did he have to put up with feeling like an idiot for not completely understanding the oil business. He would miss the social interaction he had come to enjoy during the good economic times, and he would miss the proud tone his father would use when describing having two sons following in his footsteps, however, he was looking forward to forging his own path while also maintaining his links to the Ewing legacy. He was also looking forward to being part of a team, the adrenalin rush that came with physical accomplishment, and oddly enough, he was looking forward to returning to college. He wasn't stupid, he knew grad school was a different experience to the traditional four years of undergrad study, but still, even knowing it would be different, in workload, atmosphere and student age, he was excited to be revisiting a time in his life where he'd been the happiest.

Down the street, hearing the crunching of gravel as her husband's car drove down their long, tree lined driveway, Sue Ellen smiled to herself, excitedly announced to John Ross that daddy was home, and then carried him down the stairs to greet JR. She still didn't have a clue what they were celebrating, but quickly analysing JR's facial expression as he opened the door, and then experiencing his passionate kiss and seeing the bottle of champagne in his hand, she didn't care, because it made JR happy and that made her happy.

To be continued…