Dallas, Texas

After saying a general hello to the family, handing John Ross over to an insistent Lucy to coo over and play with, and accepting a drink from Jock, Sue Ellen made a short comment about needing to speak to Bobby before separating herself from JR and her parents-in-law. For a brief second she wondered whether perhaps she had made a mistake in leaving JR with his parents, because things hadn't exactly been smooth sailing for them recently, however, remembering what she had told JR before accepting their dinner invitation, and taking into account how things looked now, she wasn't too worried. Jock and Miss Ellie missed having them around the ranch, or at least they missed John Ross and the concept of the 'family home', and they were well aware that in order to keep things as close to how they liked them they had to make an effort with JR. To add to that, if any of the conversations she had had with Miss Ellie meant anything, she really did feel terrible about how her and Jock's actions had made JR feel and she really did want to make things right, so it was unlikely she would just passively watch if Jock decided to start needling JR. She also trusted JR's judgement, he was a grown man, in fact, bar Lucy and John Ross, they were all adults and the least they could do was act like it. JR wasn't stupid and despite having the mentality of a sad little boy at times, he wasn't actually little, he knew the power of his words and when really pushed he knew how to use them against his father. At times he was hesitant to defend himself or call his father out on his nonsense because Jock had done a good job instilling a sense of hierarchy in the family and it was hard to break free from that mentality, however, JR was capable. For those reasons and the fact that she and JR had spoken before walking into the house, Sue Ellen didn't feel like she had to hover at her husband's side as support and emotional protection.

"Good evening Bobby", taking a seat next to her brother-in-law, Sue Ellen smiled with a knowing glint in her eye and silently waited for him to say something in response. She hadn't had the chance to speak to him since his date with Pamela and although it was perhaps a little ridiculous for her to be so curious, she couldn't help it, she had had a hand in pairing them up and she was interested in hearing how things had progressed since her involvement. "Sue Ellen, just the lady I've been meaning to speak to", meeting Bobby's eye as he spoke to her, Sue Ellen sensed that he meant more by his comment than a polite greeting, and raising an eyebrow, she verbalised her interest, "oh? Well I'm here, so let's talk…" Taking a sip of her wine, she then waited for him to respond, and when he did, she wasn't disappointed, though she couldn't say she wasn't at least a little bit confused; Pamela was the topic of conversation, but not in the way she had expected.

After watching his sister-in-law sidle across the room to sit next to him, Bobby wasn't the least bit surprised when the first thing she did after saying hello was fish for information; Sue Ellen wasn't much of a DOA member anymore and her popular cheerleader, sorority girl days were over, but that didn't mean she didn't still gossip. He wasn't too fond of the possibility of JR or his father finding out about Pamela's background before he did, so he didn't want to reveal too much to Sue Ellen in case she let it slip to JR, intentionally or not, however, he still wanted to talk to her about Pamela, he wanted her thoughts on the situation. "How much do you know about Pamela?" thinking back, he was able to draw a very clear line in his memory where his evening with Pamela had turned from pleasant to awkward and then to unpleasant and confusing. Evidently, a Ewing and a Barnes could get along just fine as strangers, but the minute the matter of family names was established, everything quickly collapsed.

"How much do I know about Pamela? To be quite honest Bobby, I don't know her that well, we'd only met once before the skating rink and even then our conversation wasn't extensive. I know she was a shop girl in high school and now works in an office. I know she has a kind heart too, I get the strong feeling everything she does is for the greater good of her family, not just herself, and when we first met she expressed interest and gratefulness for the charity work I'm involved in. When we met the second and third times, at the ice rink and when she came to visit me, it was clear to me that she's a nice, caring person, she was so concerned about you and I don't think that was only because she likes you, she's just a good person. Like I said though, I don't really know her that well, in fact you probably know her better than I do now, I don't doubt she has another side, she certainly wasn't all smiles when you skated straight into the back of her, but when it comes down to it I think she's a nice girl. Why do you ask though? My opinion and the small amount of information I have on her doesn't really matter overall does it? It's what you think of her and what she's told you about herself that really matters…" Getting the feeling from Bobby's question that he had something on his mind, Sue Ellen hoped he would just come out and say it, because not knowing anything about how the date had gone, or whether his opinion matched her own was beginning to get to her. She didn't want to seem too eager to get involved though, she was aware that it wasn't good to latch on to someone else's life events in place of her own because she didn't have all that much going on in her social life. She could give advice and act as a friend, but to actually feel things as Bobby and Pamela did wasn't a good idea. She did want to be Bobby's friend though, Pamela's too, and she was curious as to what had actually happened between them, so she was happy to participate in the conversation, just not to decide Bobby's feelings for him.

"That's just it though, it's what she told me, and how she reacted to me that's the problem…" aware that his parents and JR were in the room, Bobby was cautious about how much he said to Sue Ellen about Pamela. She was a Barnes and around Southfork that was not a name that was met with a positive reaction. Apparently, the same could be said for the name Ewing in her home, he had managed to catch her before she left the restaurant after their argument, however, catching her wasn't enough and although he had insisted on at least driving her home if she really didn't want to continue their date, he hadn't been able to sway her opinion. Of course, he understood her refusal to see things from a different perspective, he didn't believe the half of what she had said about his father and just because she said it didn't mean his opinion had changed, so naturally he couldn't expect hers to change either. What confused him about the situation with Pamela was that despite hating hearing her attack his family like she had and then refusing to listen to reason, he still had feelings for her, feelings that weren't anger or frustration, but were closer to romantic interest and lust. He couldn't date Pamela knowing what he knew now though, and even if he could come to terms with who she was, she had made it clear she didn't want to date him anyway, so now he was stuck.

"Problem? Bobby, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm confused, you're speaking very vaguely and I don't understand. How did Pamela react to you, why did she react that way, and why is that a problem?" Thoroughly confused by his ambiguous comments, Sue Ellen decided direct questions were the way to go, Doctor Williams often asked a direct question with the intention of getting her and JR to think about something specific and then verbalise a few thoughts, rather than getting overwhelmed and not knowing what to day. Seeing Bobby nod in response and then open his mouth to actually speak, she found herself irrationally annoyed when instead of hearing Bobby's voice, she instead heard Jack speaking, followed by Jock, Miss Ellie, and even JR. "We'll talk later, ok?" looking over at the foyer and then back to Bobby, she smiled politely and nodded, saying "yes", before standing to join JR and the rest of the family in welcoming Jack. The atmosphere had shifted and it truly was family socialisation time now, her confusing conversation with Bobby would have to wait; whatever was to happen next with Jack was just beginning though.

To be continued…