Dallas, Texas

Strolling in to the office a little over half an hour after JR and Jock, Bobby Ewing grimaced as he heard raised voices coming from his father's office, and when Julie gave him the message that his presence was requested, he walked a little slower. He wasn't in a particularly good mood to begin with and knowing he was about to walk in to something tense didn't make him feel any better; he had to do it though, that was what working professionals, and adults in general, did, walking away from problems wasn't an option in a lot of situations in life. Heading down to his own small office to hang his coat in an attempt to delay the inevitable, despite the fact that he knew he couldn't, he then turned and walked back down the hall, knocking on his father's office door and then entering. "Morning Daddy, JR. Julie said you wanted to see me?" speaking as he closed the door behind him, he was surprised when his greeting was met with complete silence, followed by a look between his father and brother, and then raised voices again as JR and his father spoke both to each other and over each other. "Yes, yes, Bobby, just the man we wanted to see", breaking the way the conversation was directed, JR waved him over and pointed at a chair, saying "take a seat", before finishing his coffee and then fanning through some documents in a brown folder. Doing as his older brother said, though not before giving him a questioning look, he relaxed into the chair and waited for someone to explain what was going on. He didn't feel uneasy like he had earlier, now he was just curious, he was in demand, that never happened, at least not at the office.

Looking back and forth between his father and brother, he was pleased when JR spoke again, getting straight to the point, or closer to the point than anything in their conversation so far had indicated. "Now, we have your final day in the office set as being March 23rd, that's a month from now, and as you've probably noticed, your replacement has yet to be selected. Don't you go worrying about that though, we're not going to force you to stay longer than you intend to; I know how stressful and tiring it is to travel, spreading the three B's, and collecting information along the way…" Sensing JR's tone changing from serious to sarcastic, Bobby glared at his brother and then stared at his father to try to gauge some of his thoughts. He had assumed the conversation was going one way, but it seemed to be going another and he wanted to prepare himself for whatever was coming next, because with JR, anything was possible; his brother could switch personalities in a second and that could be dangerous.

"Come March 26th you'll be free of all that though, free to roam around the ranch on horseback or whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. I'm getting ahead of myself though, what we called you in here to talk about was your replacement and your part in training said replacement. Daddy and I have discussed it and we'll be interviewing candidates next week; we hope to have a deal negotiated in enough time for you to spend your final week or two showing the new man how we do things around here. Now, daddy has decided our dear cousin Jack is the 'ideal' candidate, and I've decided to hold my tongue until he proves to us that he's not, but again, just leave it up to us to make those decisions, you just keep doing what you're doing…" Listening to JR talking, Bobby rolled his eyes as his brother paused dramatically for a second as if to emphasise again that he didn't quite understand exactly what he did all day, despite the fact that he had manipulated things years ago to ensure he played a minimal role at Ewing Oil, and he'd once done the job himself.

"JR, that's enough", turning his attention to his father as he cleared his throat and growled at JR in response to his sarcastic, negative tone and words, Bobby was once again curious. He expected his father to defend him when JR spoke to him in such a condescending tone, and he was glad it appeared he was about to do that, but he was also still intrigued by what JR had managed to tell him somewhere in the middle of his speech. JR wasn't known for his trusting nature, so it was expected that he was sceptical of Jack's presence, however, his wording when describing 'dear cousin Jack' told him that as well as being sceptical of his motives for being in Dallas, he really didn't seem to like him much at all.

"JR, we've discussed this, now hush, I don't want to hear any more. Bobby, we've managed to get off topic, what you were called in here for was to update you on the progress we've made in filling the position you're vacating. Usually I wouldn't bother you with all of this administrative talk, but in this case I'd like your input, not just yet, but later, when we shortlist applicants and select one or two who are suitable, I think your opinion might be beneficial. I'll be inviting Jack to apply along with the rest, I think he's perfect for the role, there are formalities to go through first though... Now, with that in mind, I've invited him here today and he'll be at the house for family dinner tonight; I'm putting you on welcome duty. Get to know him, he's your cousin, he's part of this family and I want him to feel it; don't be stupid though, trust your intuition…" Nodding as his father spoke, Bobby turned his attention to JR as his father did the same, "JR, I want you to do the same, but drop the preconceived notions and give him a chance. When you've both done that, I want a report back…" Trailing off without completely finishing what he was saying, it was clear to Bobby that although his father trusted Jack and was disappointed in JR for not feeling the same way, he was also starting to come around to JR's way of thinking. It was also clear to him now that in the situation they were in, he was the tiebreaker and whatever his intuition told him in the end, someone was going to end up disappointed, because his father and brother were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to their opinions on Jack.

"I can do that, I've been meaning to get acquainted with him anyway, not for business reasons but because he is my cousin, he is a Ewing…" Looking over at JR to gauge whether his negative opinion of Jack was based on the fact that he was protective of the Ewing name, or whether it was something else entirely, he knew he was on the right track when JR frowned at the mention of another Ewing. Not wanting it too obvious that he was searching JR for clues as to what he was thinking, he changed topic slightly as he spoke again, "while we're discussing my job, I have a question of my own if you don't mind answering. The other applicants, do they have any chance, or is this already Jack's job? I only ask because I don't anticipate my intuition telling me to run, but if it does, I want to know that telling the truth will be an option…" Looking back and forth between JR and his father, he knew he had asked an important question; he knew what JR wanted, and he knew what his father wanted, but he wasn't sure what his father's intentions were in involving him in the pre-employment process. Was he supposed to be the supportive good guy or the bad guy, Jock's scapegoat when everything went wrong? He wasn't sure. He did know one thing though; he would've been receptive to getting to know Jack even without being asked to, or being tasked to for a specific information gathering purpose. He didn't see Jack as a threat like JR did, and he didn't see him in the same light his father did, not yet, at present he was simply his cousin and someone to get to know. What he was wary of in the process of getting to know Jack was what would happen if his opinion differed to his father's opinion. His father seemed to already think highly of Jack, so he needed to know whether he was asking for his opinion because he actually valued it, or whether he was simply looking for validation. He knew he was a pawn in the game JR and his father were playing but exactly where he fit in to everything was still unclear to him.

"Now Bob, all applicants have an equal chance, what kind of company would we be if we didn't select the best man for the job? As for your second question, that's up to you, but you know what they say, 'never tell the truth when a good lie will do', unless of course, your truth is my truth, then of course be honest". Meeting JR's eye as his brother spoke, Bobby's confusion grew; JR could be so vague, and could switch moods so often that sometimes it was hard to keep up with him. "I don't know what that means, so I'll just say this, I'll meet with Jack, like I said, not out of any obligation, but because I want to. Regarding recommending him for the job though, I'll have to hold my opinion on that until after I get to know him, I don't know enough about him to agree or disagree at this point in time". Looking at his father as he spoke, he hoped he would understand, and when he received a nod and no angry words in response, he felt like they had an understanding. Turning his attention back to JR at the sound of his chuckle, he crinkled his forehead in confusion again, JR really was changeable, one minute he was angry, the next sarcastic, the next vague, and the next amused, it didn't make much sense to him, but that was JR, he did a lot of things that didn't make sense. Ideally, they would talk later, in private, but knowing JR, even that wouldn't help, though perhaps this time it would, because this time he wanted him on his side, he wasn't pushing him away. Whatever was going through JR and his father's minds though, he would try his best to come to his own conclusion about Jack, because he liked to be fair and this time was no different. Jack deserved a chance and he wasn't going to block his way, he wasn't going to assist him to the extreme either though; Jack had opportunities and it was up to him to make those opportunities into something.

To be continued…