Dallas, Texas

Slamming his drink down on Jock's desk, Bobby took a step closer to JR as he answered the latest quip in their tense conversation. "Look JR, I don't know why you have such a problem with me helping my wife and I don't really want to know either, because frankly I don't care what you think of how I spend my time, especially when I know I've done nothing wrong, which I haven't in this situation. Daddy knew I wasn't coming in until this afternoon, it's not my problem that you take issue with that. It's not my problem that you seem to be against a man helping his wife either, although I do think it's a shame you feel that way considering how highly Sue Ellen speaks of you. Now, I'm not going to sit here and justify myself any further, I don't need to and I don't want to".

Taking a step back to restore the distance between them, JR smirked as he muttered, "that sounds about right". Uttering four words in response to his younger brother he didn't bother explaining what he meant by his comment, he didn't need to, his cocky smile alone was enough to rile Bobby up.

Standing still next to the bar in Jock's office, Jack silently observed the interaction between his two cousins, torn between finding their conversation intriguing and wanting to hear more and finding it a deeply uncomfortable experience he wished there was an easy exit from. They'd gathered to resume their earlier meeting but had yet to do any actual work because his cousins were too busy arguing about their personal lives. It was a sight, two adult men bickering about each other's marriages, as if it really affected them personally, paired with his uncle standing a few feet from them, watching in bewilderment as his sons quarrelled, probably just as shocked, mildly interested and generally disconcerted as he was.

"What is your problem JR? Tell me, I'd love to hear what reason you have to justify continually being so negative about Pam and my relationship with her. You were rude to her from the night you met her and it hasn't improved at all". Growling his response, Bobby's comments sounded fair to Jack. He had been at the bar the night JR and Pam were introduced by Bobby, though he hadn't actually been at the table as it had happened, however, his experience with JR before and after that night led him to have no trouble believing he had behaved impolitely.

"Now Bob, in my defence, my recollection of that night is hazy, as I'm sure yours is too, so let's not dwell too much on that little interaction. As for Pamela herself, I'm just not a fan. There's no question as to why you'd want to go to bed with her but to pursue a relationship with her and actually marry her sounds like one big chore to me. She's not one of us and she doesn't really want to be one of us, I really don't see her as a worthy effort". Insulting Bobby, Pam, their relationship, and inadvertently the rest of the family who were making an effort, JR's sweeping statement made it easy to understand why Bobby was angry.

"You're not married to Pam! Why does it matter?" raising his voice Bobby pointed a finger at JR but otherwise stayed still, his frustration evident and his composure surprising. Jack wouldn't have blamed Bobby for hitting JR, his insinuation that Pam's value was limited to the bedroom was particularly cruel; she was Bobby's wife, he should respect that even if he didn't like it.

Taking a drink, JR spent the next few moments in silence, for effect or because he wasn't sure how to answer, Jack couldn't tell, though eventually he did respond. "My wife matters. She and Pamela are very different ladies and I simply don't see why Sue Ellen would want to persist with a friendship where she feels she has to adapt who she is to make it work, where she feels she can only relate based on the life she led before she married me".

Taking the conversation in a different direction, one Bobby clearly hadn't expected, JR's answer resulted in a long pause as Bobby comprehended what he'd just said. "So this isn't about Pam at all? It's about Sue Ellen", asking a question and making a statement, he appeared more confused than anything, understandably considering JR's comments about Sue Ellen didn't really seem to fit with the particular dislike he'd taken to Pam.

"Not quite. Like I said, Pam doesn't want to be a part of the Ewing family any more than we want her", deviating from his previous comments about Sue Ellen, JR returned to another of his prior remarks, that Pam wasn't really family and they should stop acting like she was. Jack had heard that one before, about himself, so it wasn't hard to take Bobby's side in the argument, even if nobody was asking him and he was staying out of the discussion.

"I want her and like it or not she's a Ewing now, the very same way Sue Ellen is", pointing out that his opinion on the subject wasn't as important as he seemed to think it was, Bobby made the mistake of trying to equalise Pam and Sue Ellen.

"I wouldn't say that", scoffing, JR held a hand up in a stop gesture.

"By marriage", clarifying what he'd meant, Bobby didn't seem to grasp that that simply wasn't enough to satisfy JR, in his eyes although they were both Mrs Ewing, Sue Ellen and Pam were nothing alike.

"Yes, but we did everything the proper way", letting his judgement and superiority show, JR appeared to care little about the fact that his every word was being listened to by his father, the man who had earlier that day told him to stop concerning himself so much about Bobby's life. He had things to say and he was going to say them, audience be damned.

"What does that mean? You had a big Southfork wedding, so what?" trying to understand JR's point, Bobby responded on the assumption that JR was referring to the superficial aspect of his marriage, insinuating that because he'd gone and eloped, his marriage was worth less.

Shaking his head, JR looked at Bobby as if to say he was being too simplistic and his comments following his headshake said as much. "So, everyone knew what we were getting into. Mama and daddy were thrilled to make Sue Ellen a part of the family, Sue Ellen was thrilled to be a part of our family, her mama and sister were pleased with the developments and nobody was surprised by the way our lives looked after the wedding. When we returned from honeymoon everything was set, I returned to work, Sue Ellen took up the task of being my wife, and eventually we had John Ross, all is as expected. Pam on the other hand, you kept your relationship with her in a secret bubble, hidden away from real life before bursting that bubble and marrying her, bringing her home to Southfork to live a life she wasn't prepared for and doesn't seem to want. Ewing women don't work, Ewing women understand the importance of family and the structure of the family, and Ewing wives know their place and when it is and is not appropriate to play the marriage card and when it's more appropriate to let their husbands get on with what keeps the Ewing family on top. Pam is not a Ewing woman, not really".

If Jack hadn't known JR, he might have wondered whether his concerns were real and he felt a little tinge of sympathy for the position Pam was in, however, from what he knew of his cousin, until it was proven that he liked someone, any dislike was very real. In this instance, JR's tone and latter comments about how Pam was not a real Ewing woman were indicative of how he really felt. Bobby hadn't prepared his wife for what being a Ewing wife was like, but Pam wasn't the appropriate woman for the role anyway, so whether she was prepared or not was irrelevant, at least in JR's opinion.

Stepping back into JR's space again, Bobby's body language spoke volumes before he even opened his mouth, and when he did speak, his feelings were perfectly clear. "You're delusional JR. You almost lost Sue Ellen because of how poorly you treated her after marriage and only recently have things come around for you two. Before you go criticising Pam for what essentially amounts to being her own person, you should take a long, hard look at your own life. I love Sue Ellen like a sister and won't criticise her or her decisions but I will point out that it's completely hypocritical for you to say Pam doesn't understand the importance of the family structure or respecting my work, because she does and our relationship really isn't that different to yours. How many times have you taken off for long weekends at Sue Ellen's request, or supported her when she's making a point that goes against the grain of common opinion at the dinner table, or the big one, remember when you bought a home so you could have some space to yourselves? You go along with your wife's wants and support her opinions because you love her, as I do Pam, that's part of what being a good husband is. Don't criticise me and my marriage for something you do too".

Hearing details of life before he'd arrived in Dallas, Jack couldn't help but feel like he was eavesdropping on something private and not for his consumption. What JR did with his wife was his business, the same with Bobby and Pam, that was the point, they were private relationships and to bear witness to each man so casually attacking the other's choices felt invasive and wrong.

"Now wait just a minute there Bob, let's not pretend our situations are anything alike". Acknowledging Bobby's lengthy comment with a single sentence and a condescending head shake, JR finally got what was coming to him when Bobby lunged at him in retaliation, shocking everyone but surprising no one.

"That's enough!" quick to intervene, stepping in-between his sons, moving to separate the two with his arms before it was even clear to Jack exactly what was happening, Jock took control of the situation.

Breathing heavily, Bobby was the first to retreat, though he didn't step back without attempting to have the last word, "he started it".

Staring first at Bobby as he attempted to absolve himself of responsibility for the fight, and then at JR who seemed less interested in defending himself and more interested in touching his hand to his lip as if expecting to see blood when he looked again, Jock shook his head and sighed before gruffly answering back. "I don't care; I won't stand here and listen to any more of this. You're two grown men, start acting like it".

Observing from his position by the bar, Jack watched as Jock made eye contact with his two sons, commanding their full attention, waiting a few seconds and then taking control of the conversation. "I have a few things to say and you're going to listen. Bobby, I know there's a learning curve and time needed to settle into a marriage so I'll make allowances for now, but in future there is something to be said about Ewing wives knowing their place and reading a situation before making requests. I trust as time goes by you'll make sure Pam is aware of her duties as your wife and a representative of our family and will adjust her attitude accordingly. You can start by encouraging her to forget that nonsense about getting another job and steer her toward something more appropriate for a lady of her position".

Listening to Jock's comments, Jack thought he sounded decidedly unsympathetic to Bobby's position and the criticism JR had thrown at him, though he supposed he was just sticking to his original position on Pam's involvement in Ewing family life.

Turning his attention to JR, it became clear that he wasn't exactly on his side either though and most likely he simply had an idea of what Ewing wives should be like, no matter who they were before marriage. "As for you JR, Bobby has a point, you're hardly in a position to be giving out martial advice, we all saw how close you came to losing Sue Ellen and John Ross during her pregnancy, all thanks to your reckless attitude. Now, things appear to be better between the two of you and no one could accuse Sue Ellen of not taking her role as your wife and mother of my grandson seriously, but you'd be stupid to accept that and stop trying. I'll say it once and I don't want to have to say it again, stop fretting over the little things Bobby does with his wife and start looking at your marriage. The same goes for you Bobby, leave JR and his wife alone. I'd like to see a house full of grandchildren sometime soon and I think that you'd both best pay attention to your wives if that's ever going to happen".

Getting personal, Jock's comments only further added to Jack's feelings of unease. Telling someone to stop meddling and pushing their opinion while doing exactly that struck him as a little hypocritical. Additionally, while it was interesting to hear JR hadn't always been the doting husband and whatever he'd done in the past had caused him to almost lose his wife and son, it wasn't something JR had actually personally shared with him and to now know it didn't say a lot for the state of privacy within the family. Furthermore, although Jock had always been clear about his feelings regarding grandchildren, so had Bobby and to hear him once again encouraging Bobby to go ahead and get started with adding to the family was just a little worrisome.

"Did you catch all of that Jack? Choose your women wisely", acknowledging his presence for the first time since the argument began, JR took note of his daddy's direction to leave Bobby alone, though not the way Jock had intended, as was demonstrated by his growled, "JR!" silencing his eldest son for now.

Making eye contact with all three of them, stern-faced, Jock waited a few seconds before addressing them again, not warming in the slightest when he finally did. "Now, as I'm sure you can all understand, I'm just about at the end of my rope with this discussion, so we're going to shelve it for now. Understood?"

"Yes sir", nodding, Bobby appeared calmer than he had in a while, likely sensing that now was not the time to mess with his daddy. JR on the other hand still looked as if he had something to say, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Jock.

"JR?" requesting his cooperation, making it clear in his tone that it wasn't up for discussion, it was only then that JR gave in, answering, "understood".

"Good, now we've wasted enough time discussing everything but what we're here to discuss, so let's get on with some work", closing the argument without any further hesitation, Jock finally said something Jack had no issue agreeing with. Personal problems were just that, personal, but business was a little bit more objective; he had a job to do, Bobby had the missing information he needed to do that job, and JR and Jock could learn a thing or two from listening too.

To be continued…