Dallas, Texas

"Banana. Ba-na-na. Can you say banana?" placing the bowl of oatmeal and sliced fruit in front of her son, Sue Ellen took a seat opposite him as she watched and waited hopefully for him to repeat the word to her, smiling back at him as he repeated a string of "baba" sounds back at her. It wasn't much, and it certainly wasn't new, he'd been babbling various sounds for a while now, but even being slightly unremarkable, it still made her feel good to see him responding to her in a real human way. It would be nice if he said more, not just because she enjoyed seeing him growing and developing but also because sometimes it was difficult to know what he wanted and she wished she could ask him and receive something more than a whine or a pointed hand. Sometimes she felt ungrateful to wish he were more developed than he was, because she didn't want it to seem like she didn't love him exactly as he was at present; spending time with the ladies in the playgroup had taught her she wasn't alone in her thoughts though and it wasn't something to feel ashamed of.

She really valued having a group of women she could spend some time with each week to get another perspective on what was normal and what wasn't, because as much as she loved the way the Ewings treated John Ross, like he was a little prince, she knew neither of them could be healthy just existing exist in a bubble. Having social interaction outside of the family and employees of the two family homes was important, for John Ross' development and for her own sanity; friendship was a possibility in the playgroup, though so far she hadn't quite managed to make anything actually happen, that was ok though, not every action or activity had to have an ulterior motive. Perhaps it was a bit hypocritical to think that, she was after all pursuing a friendship with Pamela after meeting her at an activity she had chosen hoping to broaden her horizons, and on some level she had encouraged Pamela and Bobby to explore the attraction between them because she liked the idea of having another Ewing wife around. Her motivation for wanting to be friends with Pamela wasn't entirely self-serving though, she really did think there was something between them that could turn into friendship and she wanted to explore, and she really did think she and Bobby could make each other happy, so it didn't seem so wrong to make an effort, it could be mutually beneficial. Pamela was probably the most complicated person she could add to her life, because there was a history between her family and the Ewings that other people didn't have, but even with that hanging over the relationship, something inside her kept telling her to pursue it, so she was.

"Dada", seeing John Ross' face light up, it didn't take Sue Ellen long to realise that he wasn't just babbling random sounds, he was actually 'talking' about his daddy and that he was doing that because JR was standing behind her. Turning around, she smiled at JR and accepted the kiss he silently placed on her cheek before moving on to John Ross, mussing his hair, much to his delight, and taking a seat at the table. "Good morning. Coffee?", speaking in a soft voice, because she could tell from his silence and unshaven face that he was at least a little bit hungover, she knew not to jump straight into a conversation, so instead suggested something she knew would help him feel a bit better. "Mm, thank you darlin'", getting up from the table as he responded, she handed him John Ross' spoon and set about making her husband a cup of coffee, fixing him a small plate of food while she was at it; knowing JR, he'd be feeling a bit off from his hangover, but he'd also be starving.

An hour later, with breakfast finished, dishes washed, dried, and put away, and her husband a little more awake and aware of the world around him, Sue Ellen smiled happily to herself as they made their way outside to get some fresh air and allow John Ross an opportunity to burn off some of his energy. Their son was still very young, so it was highly likely he'd walk on his own for a short period before he exhausted himself and needed to be carried the rest of the way, that wasn't really a problem though, it wasn't like they were far from home, that was one of the benefits of owning their own land. "So, how was your night?" breaking the comfortable silence, she broached the subject she'd been wanting to ask about since he'd emerged for breakfast, not because she was jealous or didn't trust him, but because she genuinely cared and wanted to know whether he'd had a good time. She'd had some feelings of insecurity before he'd left the night before, but even with that, she still wanted him to have a good time with Bobby and Jack, because it would be nice if the family could all get along when they spent time together, and nice for him to see Jack and Bobby as peers rather than enemies.

"It was good…" hearing JR's answer to her question, Sue Ellen raised an eyebrow but said nothing to question his deliberately vague words, instead deciding to draw the rest of it out of him with another question. "I'm glad to hear that. What did you end up doing? You said last night that you weren't entirely sure what Bobby had planned, so I'm curious". In all honesty, she had a pretty clear idea of what had happened the previous night, JR had been fairly chatty upon his return home. From the way he'd acted in the light of day so far though, she had a feeling he didn't remember drunkenly regaling her with his anecdotes and she wanted to know how much he remembered in general. There wasn't really much to tell, it sounded as if he, Bobby, and Jack had gone out, drank copious amounts of beer and talked about all the boring things men tended to talk about when they were alone together. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the knowledge that he'd danced with other women and flirted with the bartenders he had sounded so proud of charming, however, she couldn't really be jealous of those interactions, she had told him to go out and have fun and he had. She had steered his line of rambling toward the answers she wanted as he'd returned to their bed too though, so she was confident that he hadn't broken any of their marital vows. She was the only women who knew him intimately now, even when she took a risk and gave him her blessing to go out into a world of temptations. She rewarded him for his behaviour though and would reward him again in the future, to let him know she appreciated him and that good things happened when he respected their marriage. Before she did anything more though, what she really wanted to know was how much of his drunken actions did he actually remember?

"Well darlin', I'll be honest, it's hazy…" it was true, it was hazy for him, he was no novice drinker, but he wasn't a college student anymore either, drinking to excess was still possible, but the effects the next day were not the same. He wasn't completely beaten by a night out though, he was still functioning and as he listened to Sue Ellen asking him questions, he was beginning to recall things that he previously hadn't. "I don't think that really matters though, does it? Because you don't really need me to recall everything, because you already know, because I told you last night", looking her in the eye, he grinned in amusement at the series of expressions she went through before settling on an impressed smile. His wife was testing him and he had passed, and in this case, he was happy to play her game, because he knew from the way she was looking at him that she wasn't playing with him in order to catch him in a lie and ruin everything for him.

"I'm not surprised it's hazy", laughing as she replied to his honest comment, held his gaze as she continued speaking, "you're wrong about it not mattering though. I already know what you told me, but I'm still interested in hearing about it. I like hearing your thoughts and knowing you had a good time". It was true, she thoroughly enjoyed being his wife, not just for superficial things, but because she really enjoyed when he included her in his life and shared his thoughts, stories, and experiences with her. He hadn't told her everything the previous night, and what he had told her had mostly been drunken ramblings rather than complete stories or coherent thoughts, but she still loved that he'd come home to her and told her something, even small, odd bits of attention meant something to her.

"Fine darlin', if you want to hear it again, I'll try to remember", smiling at him as he responded positively, reality set in when he spoke again, "before that though, tell me about your evening. In the rush of everything that went on yesterday I don't think I even asked what you planned to do while I was out". Ordinarily she enjoyed when he asked her about her activities, it made her feel like she mattered in their marriage, this was different though, this time his question made her nervous. JR wasn't particularly connected to the Barnes family and the arguments she had made in talking to Pamela were still valid, the argument between Jock and Digger was theirs and theirs alone, but still, JR had been known to react strongly and strangely to things she was excited about and she had a feeling it was about to happen again. "Well, I didn't really have any plans, but I did end up going out…" starting to speak, she hoped JR would listen to her completely before he made any judgements, she couldn't guarantee he would though.

To be continued…