Dallas, Texas

Meeting Pam at the door following his brief instruction to Diane to send his wife down, Bobby's reaction to the situation unfolding went from surprised to confused and annoyed when he heard Pam's opening statement. "Did you know?"

No hello, no kiss, not even a smile, just an accusatory question and an angry expression; that wasn't how he had expected Pam's first visit to the office to go and it certainly wasn't something he appreciated his brother and cousin bearing witness to. The least Pam could do was put on a smile for the benefit of polite company before she privately aired her grievances.

"Know what?" having no idea what had happened between their morning goodbye and now, he had little else to say in response to her question.

"You sound clueless, perhaps you didn't know", softening, Pam appeared relieved that he didn't know, the problem was he really didn't know what exactly she was relieved about him not knowing.

"JR, Jack, would you mind…" giving the two men an apologetic shrug, he asked for a little privacy. He was already sick of his marital matters being the subject of gossip without adding fuel to the fire by having witnesses to his initial reaction to whatever Pam's news was.

"Sure", nodding, Jack was quick to make moves to give him and Pam the space he was asking for, unfortunately the same couldn't be said for JR.

"This is my office", staring at him impassively, JR waved his hand as if to emphasise his point, and technically he was right, but Bobby knew his older brother and this was JR being JR, difficult for the fun of it.

"JR, please", it was a trivial argument, he had an office of his own, it was small and a bit of a mess at the moment with his upcoming departure and Jack's imminent start date, so it wasn't really worth arguing over, but he'd said it now and didn't like to concede to JR, even in insignificant matters.

"Well, since you asked nicely, anything for you brother", smirking, JR stood and followed Jack's lead toward the hallway, eventually disappearing from sight as he closed the door behind them.

Turning back to Pam, he studied her facial expression for any hint of why she was there, finding none, before asking her. "Why don't you start by telling me what we're talking about and then I'll tell you what I did or didn't know".

"I've just lost my job", answering him, her words weren't at all what he expected her to say and when they did register he didn't know what to think.

"Oh Pam. Why?" although sympathetic to her situation, he didn't really know how to address it, especially when he didn't know the first thing about why it had happened.

"You didn't know?" questioning him again, she appeared desperate for reassurance that he wasn't behind it, as if it was something he had given her reason to suspect.

"Of course not", defending himself, he was offended that she really thought he was capable of such a nasty, underhanded thing, not to mention she actually thought he was that well connected. He barely knew what she actually did let alone anything about how the company she worked for operated. He thought too he'd made it clear he disliked the dubious things his daddy and JR sometimes expected from him in his job and that was a big part of the reason why he was stepping away from it and moving into ranching, so why she thought he'd go ahead and do something like that to her he didn't know.

"I believe you", offering him a weak smile, she mostly just looked sad, as if believing he hadn't manipulated the situation just made the whole thing even more devastating.

"What happened?" asking again, he wanted to hear the details because he still didn't know what had actually occurred or why.

"We got married, that's what happened. Of course they'll deny that that's why, they won't want to say anything that could be interpreted as discrimination, but that's what it is", losing any hint of sadness, her tone of voice indicated she was outraged.

Surprised by her admission, he understood now why she was so enraged, if she was let go because she was married that went against everything she stood for; from her phrasing though, he wondered whether that was the whole truth or just her interpretation of the situation.

"What reason did they give?" cautiously asking for more details, he knew to look at the whole situation before making a judgement call about who was right or wrong.

"My job is surplus to requirements; a decision made conveniently after the news of our marriage began to spread", answering him flatly, her mood seemed to have fallen again.

"I'm sorry", unsure of what else to say in the moment, he pulled her into a hug, giving her the comfort she looked as if she needed. If what she said was correct, there wasn't a whole lot could do to contest the decision, at least not cleanly or easily. He didn't understand why she'd want to work for someone who treated her so poorly, and considering they didn't need any money that may come from a messy dispute and eventual settlement, in his mind he saw no real reason to push it, even if it was unfair.

"Thank you", lifting her head, she looked him in the eye as she thanked him before returning to the comfort of nuzzling her head against his chest.

Holding her against him for a while, he considered what her new situation meant for them and after realising it didn't have to be all doom and gloom he broke the silence in an attempt to cheer her up, "you know, there is a bright side to all of this".

"There is?" pulling away from him to study his facial expression, Pam didn't seem to be quite as optimistic as he was, though he wanted to change that.

"There is. You're free now, free to pursue what you really want, without considering the practicalities of supporting yourself", encouraging her, he secretly hoped she'd catch on and realise she didn't need to work now that she was a Ewing woman, however, he wasn't holding his breath waiting for that to happen. If she wanted to go and find another job she could, but he wouldn't be upset if she simply spent her days doing whatever she felt like. She didn't have to join the DOA, have a baby or do whatever else it was Sue Ellen and his mother busied themselves with, nor did she have to work, she had options and he just wanted her to realise the beauty of that.

"Maybe", considering his comment, she didn't seem convinced, but it was a start.

"Yes. I know a good thing when I see it", repeating his opinion, he smiled encouragingly. It wasn't nice that she had lost her job, but her life wasn't over because of it, in fact it was potentially a blessing in disguise.

"Oh yeah, unemployment is a good thing", answering him sardonically, her comment made him chuckle, though he was sure that wasn't her intention.

"Pammy, nobody except you would consider you, my wife, unemployed", telling it like it was, he wished she would listen to him, it would make both their lives easier. He could give her everything she could ever want if she would just let him.

"I don't have a job anymore, I'm unemployed", refusing to accept that Pamela Ewing was any different to Pamela Barnes, she argued her point again.

Shaking his head, he took her hand in his and smiled as he looked at her and spoke slowly, "you're Mrs Ewing now; you're not expected to have a job". He knew she didn't really consider herself a Ewing woman, but that didn't change that she was and that where working was concerned the only obstacle she had to overcome was dealing with her own expectations.

"No, I guess not", sighing, she appeared to grudgingly accept what he was saying.

Squeezing her hand, he smiled and attempted to reassure her, "there's no guessing required, you're not. In fact, you know where I stand on the whole thing".

"Yes, I do", answering him coolly, her opinion was clear, though she didn't quite go as far as to drop his hand which was encouraging.

"We don't need your income", unable to hold his tongue and not start the discussion again, he answered her, completely unnecessarily as she already knew his opinion as well as he knew hers.

Shaking her head, she countered his comment with one of her own, "we don't need a baby yet either".

Nodding sympathetically, he smiled and kissed her hand, looking her in the eye as he agreed with her, "no, we don't, which is why I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want to do. Find a job, volunteer, join a club, spend time with your family, do whatever makes you happy". He loved his wife and he wanted her to be happy with how they were living their life together. Naturally, he wanted children, but she wasn't ready, so that was that for now, but outside of that main argument there were a lot of smaller ones, ones she could do with relaxing about. She didn't have to work, she could do anything, now was the time to explore that possibility.

Whispering a thank you, she leaned up and kissed him softly again before silently appreciating his comment and asking for further clarification, "besides a family, what would make you happy?" It was a funny thing, he wanted to make her happy and she wanted to make him happy, they both knew that, and they both knew they often had conflicting ideas about what they individually wanted themselves, however, they didn't ask nearly as often what it was that they wanted before it came out as an assumption.

Hearing her question, he didn't have to think too hard before answering. "More time together. When we were dating, we didn't see each other every day because we both had lives and jobs of our own, I didn't find that part of our relationship very enjoyable and neither did you. Then we got married and I, rightly or wrongly, assumed things would be different, and they are, in some ways. I love that we get to sleep in the same bed every night and wake up together every morning, but I want more. I know you don't like the idea of giving up your life to be my wife and I'm not saying you have to, but I do want you to consider how nice it would be if we didn't have to worry about scheduling issues again. Don't you think it sounds nice to have lunch together or to be able to pick up and do something when we want to? We live together now, so it's already easier, but think how much more simple life would be if you didn't have to ask permission or think about the consequences every time we wanted to take a weekend away or stay out late one night".

Listening to his description of the benefits of free time, Pam nodded and smiled at the various examples he gave and it seemed to him that maybe she was finally getting it; maybe she finally understood that he wasn't trying to take away her independence and instead was trying to show her how nice free time could be.

Considering his comments as he finished speaking, she waited a few seconds before answering him. "You are making it sound tempting, but I think you're also forgetting yourself here. You have a job and I don't think your daddy would be too happy with you picking up and leaving whenever you want".

Grinning boyishly, he was quick to answer her, "just keep thinking of it as tempting and let me deal with daddy", following his answer with a kiss to reassure her that he knew what he was talking about, after all, he did. Neither his job at Ewing Oil or on the ranch required him to keep strict hours, generally, as long as he did what he was asked to and kept his family commitments his daddy wasn't one to comment on how he spent his time.

"Are you sure?" questioning him, she looked as if she couldn't quite believe dealing with his daddy would ever be that simple. She was probably right to be a little sceptical, but to confirm that would only encourage her to reconsider the spin he was putting on her new freedom.

Nodding, he confirmed his comments again, this time letting her in on a further reason why he was sure his daddy wasn't holding a grudge against him, at least where work was concerned. "Yes, I don't think daddy will be a problem, in fact, he's just given me a raise, so I don't think we have to worry about our marriage having negative consequences for my time off".

"He has?" clearly surprised by his news, he understood why, his daddy wasn't exactly fond of his choice to marry Pam, Digger's daughter, he had made that very well known. It had to be said though that his daddy had never really been known to make his life too difficult and although it was a hard thing to accept, time would soften his attitude, especially if he and Pam gave him another grandchild.

"Yes, I'm a married man now, I have a family to take care of", shrugging, he didn't bother to address the fact that his father's idea of a married man's expenses included anything to do with his wife, Pam knew it, he didn't need to repeat it.

"You have a wife and I'm perfectly self-sufficient thank you", answering him, she made it clear that she wasn't a fan of the fact that she was now an expense in his budget, however, she didn't go as far as to tell him she wouldn't have it.

"I know that, just humour me ok? Let me take care of you, not because you're incapable but because I want to, I love you, let me show you", putting his hands on her shoulders, he looked her in the eye as he responded to her comments, closing with a kiss to remind her of the good in their relationship.

"Ok", answering him breathlessly as she pulled away from their embrace, she smiled and nodded. He wasn't sure they had actually come to any real agreement, but it was a start.

"Fantastic. Now, how about we celebrate your new freedom by going to lunch?" taking her by the hand he lead her towards the door, briefly considering how JR and Jack would feel about him abandoning their meeting at such short notice before deciding they'd forgive him, and if they didn't then he'd deal with it later.

To be continued…