Dallas, Texas

"Those two seem to be getting along well", standing at the edge of the dancefloor that had been set up for the fourth of July barbecue, Jock drew his wife's attention to Jack and Jenna as they spun around the dancefloor. Jenna Wade was no stranger to Ewing family events, she'd been attending practically all her life, especially in recent months as Sue Ellen's invited guest, but it seemed that tonight nobody but his nephew had her attention.

"Jack is a lot like Bobby", speaking warmly of his nephew by associating him with their youngest son, Miss Ellie inferred something he'd been thinking.

"Jenna's type then", chuckling, he couldn't criticise Jenna for seeking out another Ewing, they were a special family if he did say so himself and it wouldn't surprise him at all if she thought she'd made a mistake in leaving Bobby so she was trying for the next best thing.

"I suppose if Bobby doesn't mind that Jack wants her and she treats him better than she did Bobby, then we don't have much say, do we?" seemingly forgiving Jenna's impulsive mistake, one she hadn't actually asked for their forgiveness for, Miss Ellie made her thoughts clear and looked to him for his opinion.

Considering it, he had to agree, "no, Miss Ellie, I don't". If Bobby wasn't kicking up a fuss about having his ex-fiancée spending time at Southfork or with Jack then he assumed things had settled there, so to hold a grudge himself seemed somewhat pointless. Additionally, Bobby had run off and married Pam and they had a baby on the way, so he expected that to his youngest son, Jenna was old news now. Besides that though, he didn't get the feeling that Jack intended to enter a serious relationship with Jenna the way Bobby had, his nephew struck him as a man who was only interested in a bit of fun at this point in his life, so he didn't anticipate that he'd be hurt anyway.

"Good, then let's join them", taking his hand, his wife nodded her head towards the dancefloor and without hesitation he fulfilled her request, stepping onto the dancefloor, bringing her with him.

On the other side of the dancefloor, Sue Ellen caught her breath as one song ended and another started, changing the rhythm of her and JR's movements from upbeat and energetic to slow and romantic. Face-to-face with him, she couldn't hide her delight as he held her close, his hands touching her where they had countless times before, affecting her the same way they had the first time, his eyes giving away a hint of the thoughts he was having; she melted into his arms and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Leaning in to whisper in her ear, his suggestion came as no surprise to her. "Say sugar, I was thinking, what do you say we head up to the hayloft later and watch the fireworks from there?"

Smirking at how well she knew him, she laughed lightly and turned her head to answer him, whispering in his ear as he had hers, "I'm not sure we'd end up seeing the fireworks if we did that".

"Oh?" pulling back so they were face-to-face again, he grinned.

Shaking her head, she cosied up to him again as they danced, "no, I think you'd have other plans the minute you got me up there alone". She knew what he was thinking and he knew she knew what he was thinking, they'd been together for more than five years, the hayloft wasn't somewhere they frequently visited, but they'd had some memorable moments there, moments that were memorable for reasons other than the great view of the ranch and the night sky.

"Not if John Ross is with us", glancing over to the porch where Mrs Smith was entertaining their son in their absence, JR offered an answer that made his suggestion sound sincere, but the sly grin on his face said anything but.

Following his gaze, she looked over at their son and then up at the sky, which was still blue and bright with no hint of the dusk and then darkness that would take over in a few hours, though she knew what was to come. Brushing her fingers over the nape of his neck, she murmured, "John Ross will be asleep by the time it's dark enough for the fireworks to start".

"Mm, so he will", swapping his grin for an expression that mimicked the sincerity in his voice, JR acted as if she'd just uncovered a solution to a problem that they both knew had never existed.

Leaning in to him, she brushed her lips against his, putting up another weak argument against his idea, an idea she'd already made her mind up about, "you're tempting me, but I really did want to see the fireworks".

"You'll see fireworks, I'll make sure of that", sliding his hand down her back as he spoke, there was little doubt of what his intentions were, though there had always been little doubt what his intentions were as far as the hayloft went.

"How can I refuse that?" giggling, she slipped her hand from his shoulder around to her back, grasping his hand as he moved into dangerous territory considering they were dancing amongst a crowd of other people.

"It's a date", grinning, he held her gaze for a few seconds before meeting her lips again, this time not just for a soft peck like she'd teased him with a moment ago. He didn't seem too put out by her deflection of his actions, especially when he got the next best thing from her, a kiss now, and a promise of more later.

Over by the bar, Bobby turned his head towards the voice he recognised as belonging to his little niece, having heard her calling out to him before he actually laid eyes on her.

"Lucy", greeting her, he tipped his hat as she appeared at his side seemingly out of nowhere.

Barely able to see over the bar, she didn't let her short stature stop her from asking for a lemonade, nattering on in his ear about how her afternoon had been while she waited, stopping to take a breath only when the bartender handed her her drink and she took a moment to enjoy the refreshing liquid.

"Where's Pam disappeared to?" looking around as she sipped her drink, she pointed out the obvious absence of his wife. After the events at John Ross' birthday party, Pam had practically insisted she stick to his side at future family gatherings, and for the majority of the day so far she had, which clearly hadn't gone unnoticed by Lucy.

"She's gone inside, she wasn't feeling so well", answering his niece's questions, he wasn't lying. Pam had stayed and mingled with their guests for as long as she'd felt up to it, eventually though, the midsummer heat and her delicate condition had gotten the better of her and she'd retreated indoors.

"Ewing parties are too much for her are they?" smirking at her own joke, Lucy's cheeky comment had the potential to annoy him, but she held a special place in his heart and she knew it, so against his better judgement, he laughed instead of correcting her sass.

"No, believe me, Pammy knows how to party, she's just a little tired today, it's hard work carrying your newest cousin around all day and night", defending his wife, he reminded Lucy that it wasn't easy being Pam right now, for one obvious reason and a couple of less obvious reasons. Pam was pregnant which was an extra physical demand on her that she hadn't had previously, but emotionally too she was on edge; if she wasn't concerned about her family's hidden medical history then she was worried about falling or having another accident, and beneath that, her general unease about becoming a mother so soon was still very much present. Of course, Lucy didn't know anything more than she needed to, so perhaps it was only logical for her to assume Pam just couldn't handle the busy atmosphere of a Southfork party.

"It can't be that bad, remember how big Sue Ellen was when she was going to have a baby? Pam should feel lucky she doesn't look like that yet", dismissing his comment with a laugh, his niece didn't seem to have much sympathy for Pam and her discomfort, though he couldn't really expect her to considering how little she truly knew about the situation.

"Lucy, I won't even pretend to know how it feels, just believe me, Pam doesn't have it easy, neither did Sue Ellen, and one day you'll probably understand why", ruffling Lucy's hair, he didn't expect her to really change her perspective, he just wanted her to acknowledge that hers wasn't always the most important, he knew that himself. He could confidently say that as challenging as dealing with an expecting wife could be sometimes, it was nothing compared to what she was actually experiencing herself and that was important to remember. He could feel lonely without his wife beside him, but he didn't want her to be miserable, which she might be if he forced her to stay by his side under the beating sun.

"I guess", shrugging, Lucy didn't really seem to get what he was saying, but she didn't seem bothered by it either, which was clear when she changed the subject, "seeing as you're not doing anything and I'm an excellent dancer, do you want to dance?"

"Sure, if you think I can keep up", jokingly referring to her earlier comment that perhaps Ewing parties were too much for Pam, he gave her an opportunity to redeem herself and compliment him.

"Are you a Ewing?" grinning, Lucy didn't need to say any more, she knew what he was getting at and he knew that was as much as he was going to get as far as an apology went.

Setting his drink down, he put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around and gave her a light push towards the dancefloor, giving her his answer.

To be continued…