Dallas, Texas

"So, how's married life?" slowing their horses Ace and Onyx as they reached the northern boundary of the ranch, where they were heading to check for fence damage, Bobby didn't have to contemplate his cousin's question for very long before responding, he already knew the answer.

"Fantastic. It happened quickly and we might have jumped in without thinking a few things through, but I have no regrets". Understanding the decision to marry Pamela Barnes might have been easier to accept had his family had some time to get used to the idea beforehand, he still didn't regret the way it happened, because although things weren't completely calm yet, everyone seemed to be slowly adjusting to the situation and concluding that it wasn't so bad after all.

"One woman, forever", reminding him of his commitment and his past, Jack didn't sound completely convinced that it was a positive change, though that wasn't surprising considering since arriving in Dallas he'd taken full advantage of his change in circumstances, enjoying the nightlife and social scene and showed no sign of wanting to settle down.

"Not just one woman, Pamela. Don't get me wrong, I liked playing the field, but being married is so much better. I don't feel like I've lost anything being married, but I've definitely gained something", telling Jack exactly how he felt, he knew his cousin might not understand yet, but he imagined one day he would. Not long ago he'd been in Jack's position, enjoying everything Dallas and his many business trips had to offer. Differently to Jack, he'd been holding onto some loneliness and sadness from Jenna's sudden departure from his life, but then he'd met Pam and things had developed quickly from there, not at first, but after she decided to give him a second chance, and now everything felt right.

"I see your point", giving him an understanding shrug and a nod, Jack made the conversation easy, accepting his perspective without pushback.

"Hard not to, isn't it?" proud to call Pamela his wife, he was pleased to finally be talking to someone who he could share that happiness with without watching his words.

"For JR maybe", shaking his head, Jack stifled a laugh at his mention of JR; it was obvious to anyone that JR disliked Pam, simply for being Pam it seemed, but that wasn't going to stop them being married, so his displeasure was almost amusing. If Pam didn't have to live with the hostility in his family his brother's disappointment at their happiness would be a lot easier to brush off, but as it was part of a wider problem, it wasn't something to trivialise.

"JR doesn't like many people", aware of his brother's lack of real personal relationships outside of his wife, son and their shared family at times, there was reason to believe that his dislike of Pam wasn't personal, but he knew better. JR knew how to play the game, he was an excellent businessman which involved a reasonable amount of playing nice with people he despised in order to gain benefit from those connections. He had also had more than his fair share of women, not on a relationship level, unless Julie counted, which she didn't, not really, but he possessed the charm to have his way with whatever women caught his eye, so there was no reason to presume he couldn't similarly play the game with Pam, minus any romantic intention. JR was perfectly capable of acting like the nice, polite brother-in-law to Pamela he ought to be, he just chose not to on occasion.

"He likes Jenna", unable to resist this time, Jack let out a small laugh as he made it clear that he was well aware of JR's bias.

"Jenna?" pulling on Ace's reins in surprise, he came to an unintentional stop.

"Don't play dumb, you know Jenna", taking note of his pause, Jack stopping a few yards ahead of him, looking over his shoulder with a grin as he replied.

"I'm not playing dumb, I know Jenna, I just didn't realise you did", surprised, he wondered where Jack was getting his information from. Either JR had been telling tales painting Jenna in a very favourable light, or Jack had made that judgement himself, but in both situations, a conversation had been had and comparison had been drawn between the two women in his life.

"Oh, I don't, not really. We met at one of those mixers in Fort Worth and when JR heard about it he just had to invite us for a dinner party to see for himself what was there", explaining himself, Jack's comments helped him get a better idea of where and how Jenna fit into some of the stories he'd heard. He didn't expect JR to not be on friendly terms with Jenna if she was back in town, they'd known each other a long time and if he could personally be cordial to Jenna, then JR could too, what he didn't expect and couldn't accept though was that JR was the mastermind behind every interaction Jenna had had in Dallas. That was unlikely, it sounded like Jenna had met Jack by chance at a business event JR had no part in, and Jenna wasn't shy so it was completely possible, but he definitely had suspicions about JR's motives when it came to inviting Jack and Jenna to a dinner party.

"And what was there?" interested in the information Jack was enlightening him with, he dug deeper, well aware that his questioning could result in him finding out something he'd rather not know. Jenna was free to move on and she had, she'd told him that herself, he'd moved on too, more seriously than she had, but still, there was something about an involvement between his cousin and his ex-fiancée that he wasn't sure about, that didn't stop him from asking though.

"Nothing, she's taken. Besides, I kind of got the feeling she was your girl", raising an eyebrow, Jack gave him an amused look, as if he was daring him to deny their shared history.

"I'm married", reminding his cousin that it didn't matter whether Jenna used to be his girl or not, that was all in the past, he noted to himself that Jack had confirmed nothing had happened between them and it wasn't just because of him.

"I know, I meant before that", alluding to his and Jenna's past, Jack's comments gave him the impression he knew something had happened, but he wasn't completely sure what. It sounded like JR hadn't told him much, and since Jenna was unlikely to go around telling people how she'd just woken up one morning and left Dallas considering it was a story that didn't reflect very well on her, Jack probably didn't really know what the situation was.

"Yeah, well she was, but like I said, I'm married", confirming he and Jenna had a past, he avoided going into detail about what had happened, he'd already done so with Pam and didn't feel like reliving the memories again. If Jack had any interest he'd find out, if not from Jenna herself then from JR, who he seemed to be on friendly terms with.

"Speaking of Pamela, Jock's not too happy about how she's choosing to spend her time", accepting his answer regarding Jenna, Jack changed the subject again and slowly resumed their horseback journey along the fence line.

"He told you that?" unsurprised by his daddy's opinion, he was somewhat surprised he'd gone as far as to mention it to Jack. Pamela had announced she had a job the night they'd arrived back at Southfork after eloping and Jack had been present there, but since then Pam had lost that job, been hired for and started a new job, and Jack had been to dinner only a few times in that period.

"Only briefly, it came up in conversation when JR mentioned Sue Ellen might come by the office to say hello after having lunch with Pam. I think Jock felt he needed to tell someone what he thought of it all because it sounds like Miss Ellie told him she didn't want to hear any more of it. If it makes you feel any better you and Pam weren't being singled out; he holds Sue Ellen in high regard for putting her marriage and motherhood at the top of her list of priorities, but he criticised her love of long weekends away and criticised JR for going along with her indulgent wishes". Summarising how he knew what was going on, Jack's comments didn't surprise him at all; it wasn't surprising his daddy wasn't staying quiet Pam, it wasn't surprising his mama had told him she didn't want to hear it anymore, and it wasn't surprising that even Sue Ellen couldn't avoid criticism despite admittedly doing everything she was expected to.

"I'm sorry about that, daddy can be opinionated", apologising for his father's comments he wished he didn't have to and his daddy would just listen to what he had to say and respect it rather than reluctantly agree to accept it.

"Sure can, I'm used to it though, my daddy's no different", shrugging again, Jack didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing, reminding him that he was a Ewing raised by a Ewing and apparently stubbornness was not an isolated trait.

"Mm", taking a moment to think, he realised he knew very little about where Jack came from, though before he had time to ask him to elaborate on his past, there was another question coming his way.

"So, I know how Jock feels, and I can guess how Pam feels, but how do you feel about it all?" having either heard something from Jock, or having something to say but nowhere to say it, Jack asked a leading question.

"Truthfully? It wouldn't be my choice, but it makes Pammy happy and that's what matters", summarising his feelings as best he could, he thought he was being fair enough. Pam had no need to work as far as money went, but as she had explained to him and he'd explained to his father, it wasn't about the money, she liked feeling like she was using her time productively and she liked the social interaction, so until further notice, a job was where she chose to spend her days. Really, her having a job wasn't particularly different to Sue Ellen committing her time to charity work and DOA activities, Pam was just paid for her efforts and with her commitment came more serious expectations, or so they rationalised between them.

"For now", shaking his head, Jack's comments confused him. He'd asked and had his question answered but he didn't seem to believe the answer, which was odd since it was an honest one.

"What does that mean?" unsure, he sought further explanation.

"It means, saying it wouldn't be your choice but you accept it isn't that far off Jock's feelings, which are the complete opposite to Pamela's feelings. I just wonder how long you can keep going with pretending it's all fine, or why you even have to since it's actually truly not such a bad thing that she wants and it shouldn't be that hard to accept how she chooses to spend her time". Stopping short of telling him he thought it was ridiculous to be so concerned and judgemental about Pam choosing to work rather than anything else, it was pretty clear from his demeanour that that's how he felt.

Considering Jack's comments, he knew his cousin was right. He'd met Pam when she had a job and he'd married her knowing she was far from a passive people pleaser, so expecting her to give up her desires for his wants wasn't fair, especially when for the moment there wasn't actually anything pressing to be done and his desire to have her home really was just a selfish one. "No, you're right, it's not bad. Would I like her to be available so we could have lunch together? Or to not come home preoccupied with thoughts of what's happening at The Store tomorrow or next week? Of course I would, but her not being here isn't really taking anything meaningful away from our relationship, not to the extent you might think".

"Good. You know, for what it's worth, I don't think she's doing anything wrong. I've known plenty of women in a personal and professional capacity and none of them ever struck me as unhappier or less interesting because they had something to do with their time. I don't know Pam all that well but from what I can tell she's not the type who'd enjoy the easy life you Dallas Ewings live, not permanently at least". Reminding him again that although they were family they had had vastly different upbringings, Jack's comments gave him a new perspective on how Pam likely felt. To Pam, working for a living and connecting her sense of satisfaction to that was completely natural because she had grown up thinking that's how her future looked, but to him, she had no need to do those things or to feel useless because she wasn't always achieving something. They saw the world differently and that was a source of conflict between them.

"I agree, I just think having something to do doesn't always have to mean employment. There are plenty of things Pammy could do, but she wants to work, so I'm not going to stop her. I only want her to be happy and I know it's selfish and unrealistic to think she would be happier not working than working when she's specifically told me otherwise", admitting he was wrong, he didn't completely change his stance, but he did concede that he didn't need to push his thoughts on her either.

"Now that's the truth. Not to offend you, but I don't really know what you'd want her to do all day if she wasn't working seeing as there's not much to do around the ranch if you're not on horseback or by the pool, both of which are only fun for so long when it comes to doing them alone day after day. Honestly, even if just for the conversations outside of things related to Ewing business I can see why Pam would want to work", continuing on the path of honesty, Jack stopped short of telling him it was cruel to expect his young, sociable wife to make his family home the centre of her world, but the thought was there.

"You make a good point and she's told me something similar before, that neither mama nor Sue Ellen's lives are what she wants for herself and that her existing friends are in a different place in life to where she is now, so although she has all day for lunch, they don't. She's having a difficult time adjusting her lifestyle and I'm trying to be better about accepting that she wants to be married to me but still retain who she was before, because she liked her life before. If it was my choice she'd have plenty of things to do with her time, but those things are choices we need to make together, so until we do, I don't have a problem with her spending her days doing what she wants, even if it is working, as long as her evenings are for us". Explaining the situation to Jack, he didn't go as far as to explicitly mention children, only alluding to the topic and focusing more on framing why Pam felt the way she did and how he was trying to be better with supporting her choices.

"And are they?" nodding, appearing to accept his word, Jack lightened the mood by focusing only on the latter part of his response, asking jokingly rather than seriously.

"They are", reiterating what he'd said earlier, that her job wasn't actually taking away from their relationship, despite his fears, he didn't go into any detail, that was between him and his wife.

"Good", smiling knowingly, Jack confirmed he was happy for him.

"Very", smirking, he threw in a final comment, adding to Jack's sentiment and their earlier discussion about enjoying marriage.

Chuckling, Jack waited a few moments before continuing their conversation. "Speaking of evenings, JR mentioned something about going out tomorrow night. I was thinking it might be fun if you and Pam came too, in case he hadn't mentioned it".

"He hadn't, but it sounds good", not wanting to jump to conclusions regarding JR's motives, because that did nothing for his relationship with his brother, he confirmed he hadn't heard anything about it but it sounded like something that could be fun; he and Pam would most likely spend their Saturday night out anyway, now they just had confirmed plans.

"Great", accepting his answer without question, Jack came to a stop again and dismounted to inspect what looked like a damaged fence post, putting an end to their personal conversation and redirecting their attention.

To be continued…