Dallas, Texas

"Mr and Mrs Ewing", turning around to face Francisca as she approached them, Pam eyed the two drinks on the tray, one amber and one a reddish pink.

"Thank you…" not wanting to appear rude, she accepted the drink as Bobby lifted it off the tray and handed it to her.

Taking a tentative sip, she felt out of her depth as the sweet flavour sat on her tongue, it didn't taste alcoholic but if she'd come to understand anything from spending time with Bobby's crowd, it was that there was more to drinking than what she'd been raised around.

Hearing a tinkling, girlish laugh, she followed Jenna's smooth movements from the doorway of JR and Sue Ellen's living room, over to the armchair opposite where she and Bobby had taken a seat. "Do you like it Pam? It's Charlie's favourite", nodding her head at the fruity drink in her hand, Jenna asked her what sounded to be a friendly question, but she suspected was more a vehicle for the patronising comparison she had ready and waiting.

"Yes, it's very nice, although I am a bit surprised you'd let Charlie drink something like this", mimicking Jenna's singsongy tone, she didn't bother to hide the judgement in her words. She'd grown up with a father who drank to extremes and she'd still managed to come out the other end in adulthood without a drinking problem of her own, so she knew it was entirely possible, but almost everything Jenna did annoyed her to a greater extent than it should, including the way she parented, or didn't parent, her daughter.

Rolling her eyes, Jenna's condescending tone came out in full force when she replied, "it's grenadine, cranberry juice and soda. Didn't you ever try to emulate your mother?"

Giving Jenna the benefit of the doubt that she knew little of her life before Bobby, a life where the closest thing she'd had to a mother was her Aunt Maggie, a far cry from Jenna's version of motherhood, she shook her head and answered, "no".

"In this case it'd be her father", inserting himself into the conversation from his position beside the drinks cart, JR's comments did absolutely nothing for her opinion of him. She'd never much liked JR and he'd made it very clear he felt the same way about her, so for him to be making such remarks was no surprise to her now.

"JR", shooting his brother a warning look, Bobby jumped in to defend her.

"Relax Bob, it was a joke", chuckling, JR's response was notably not an apology, not that she really expected one coming from him.

"Not a very funny one", scowling, Bobby let JR know his mean-spirited humour wasn't appreciated.

"Why don't we just move on", well aware that a dinner party was supposed to be an enjoyable event, she made an effort to settle the discussion, it was after all, about her.

"All right", nodding, JR looked over towards the doorway between the living room and the foyer, and walking over, holding his hand out to Sue Ellen to encourage her join him at his side, he continued, "well, seeing as we're all here now…"

Looking around, she was sure her surprise was evident when she asked, "all here?"

"Yes, didn't you hear, unfortunately both Jack and Richard are out-of-town on business, so it's just us five tonight", explaining the absence of the other expected guests, JR's version of events seemed a little convenient to her, especially since he likely approved Jack's Ewing Oil travel himself and would have known exactly when he was and wasn't available.

"I'm not sure where I would have heard that, but please, continue with what you were saying", seeing no point in further arguing with JR over something that was ultimately unimportant, she quietened herself and waited for him to finish, but not before she said her piece, coolly reminding him she didn't have the same line of information he did. She'd agreed to the dinner party expecting the opportunity to provide her a direct line to Jenna's man, one she wished to tell a few things about his girlfriend's behaviour, but as could only be expected with JR, she was out of luck on that front.

"Oh it wasn't anything earthshattering, I just wanted to officially welcome you to our home tonight", raising his glass, he slid easily into the role of hospitable host.

"Thank you JR, we're happy to be here", unsure of his intentions beyond needling her in the moment, she chose to believe he was being honest and welcoming, because to go into the rest of the evening thinking anything else was just inviting misery on her end.

An hour or so later, sitting at the dinner table waiting for the next course, she held her composure as she listened to the lively conversation regarding the famous Ewing barbecue. She was listening rather than participating firstly because everyone else had had a few drinks and she'd had none, so the volume of her voice was suddenly a whisper in comparison to her companions, but secondly because the way the question had been phrased, by Jenna of all people, naturally assumed everyone had memories to share, or not. Surprisingly, she'd actually attended a Ewing barbecue, she'd been a young child and she didn't recall a whole lot, least of all why anyone in her family had gone, but she knew she'd visited Southfork before she'd lived there as Bobby's wife, not that anyone was aware of that though, because no one had actually taken any time to ask. She knew too that her daddy had once shown up at Southfork in the middle of a barbecue to confront Jock about their decades old feud, but if anyone had any respect they wouldn't mention that event. Her best adult understanding of what the famous event was like was comparable to other parties she'd attended at the ranch, but as she was quickly figuring out, the Ewing barbecue was in a category of its own.

"…my best and worst come from the same barbecue and they're actually related. Marilee threw a glass of wine at me and I was absolutely mortified, but it led me to spending the night at Southfork, which at the time was a significant, special step in our relationship". Looking at JR adoringly, Sue Ellen answered Jenna's question prompt, reminding her that whatever she personally thought of JR, he surely had another side, a softer side, because Sue Ellen truly appeared to love him and have sweet memories with him.

"Painful is the word you're looking for darlin'", grinning, JR's jesting comment was met with a laugh and a wink from his wife, followed by chuckles from the rest of the guests.

Appreciating the affection JR and Sue Ellen held for each other, she began to cheer up a little, seeing the fun in the activity rather than dwelling on Jenna's intention to exclude her by asking a question she surely assumed she wouldn't be able to answer.

"Your turn Bobby", lifting her wine glass to her lips, Sue Ellen handed the conversation over to her brother-in-law.

Setting his own glass down, Bobby needed no further encouragement to reminisce about the past, "well, it's hard to choose, but I'd say best barbecue was the one was senior year of high school, everything was just right that year, I was captain of the football team, I was confident I was heading off to UT the next fall, and…"

Listening to him speak, she could just picture the scene he was setting and was enjoying doing so, until Jenna interrupted, finishing his sentence for him, "and you had me on your arm".

Glaring at Jenna, annoyed by her attention seeking and the mental images of the past she evoked, she knew it wasn't fair to hold Bobby's former relationship against him, she had a past just like he did, but it was difficult to remember the past was the past when the present was so filled with reminders of days gone by. She'd put herself in the situation they were in, she'd accepted Bobby's offer to attend the dinner party but regret or not, there wasn't much she could do about it now.

"Well, yes", laughing nervously, Bobby looked between her and Jenna, apologetic and embarrassed.

She didn't like it, but she had to live with it, Bobby had had a life before her and he'd been very happy with that life, he couldn't deny that and she shouldn't push him to. Feeling they'd both suffered enough, she attempted to move things along, asking, "and the worst year?"

Brightening at the memory, despite it supposedly being a bad one, Bobby turned his gaze to his older brother and smirked, "the worst would be the year I had to push JR into the pool".

"I'm sure he deserved it", muttering under her breath, her words were suddenly quite audible to everyone else, because no sooner had she said it, Sue Ellen giggled, then Bobby, then Jenna, and by the time JR stepped in to defend himself, no one was quiet anymore.

Much later in the evening, after dinner, dessert, coffee, and for everyone but her, several more drinks, she excused herself from the living room to find the bathroom, taking her time to freshen up before heading back to the party.

Opening the bathroom door, she didn't notice Jenna standing in the hallway studying the painting hanging on the wall, not until she addressed her, "you know Pam, we never talk much at these little get-togethers".

"Are you surprised?" closing the door behind her, she didn't think Jenna was serious until she answered, "a little".

Unable to suppress the urge to laugh, her shocked amusement was clear in tone as she asked, "why?"

"I'm the everywoman, I've been told I'm very approachable", offering an explanation, Jenna's delusion was clear. Tipsy or not, she had a high opinion of herself, one that wasn't based in reality at all.

Stunned, she considered what Jenna was saying; she could vaguely understand where Jenna might get the idea that she was approachable, because she was far from shy, her flirtatious nature was difficult to ignore, especially for people who didn't actively dislike her the way she did, but an everywoman she was not.

"I'm not even going to get into why that doesn't apply to the relationship you and I have to each other", sidestepping the topic, she looked down the hallway, considering whether or not it would be rude to sidestep Jenna altogether and return to the party like she'd intended to.

"Should I ask Bobby to explain it?" sounding more confused than malicious, Jenna returned to her favourite topic.

"Perhaps ask Richard", shaking her head, she gently reminded Jenna that she actually had a man of her own. Of course, Richard was suspiciously never present at any social gatherings and didn't know the first thing about their interactions, but he was still the more appropriate person for Jenna to explore facets of her personality with.

Silently for a good few seconds, it wasn't clear what was going on in Jenna's head, because the next thing she said was, "I get the feeling Bobby would like it if we were friendlier".

Perplexed, she failed to hide her surprise again, asking, "we? Meaning you and Bobby, or you and me?"

Tittering, Jenna touched her arm in an overly friendly gesture, "you're funny, maybe that's what Bobby likes about you".

Absolutely sure now that Jenna was a little more than tipsy, she felt a little bad correcting her, but she couldn't let her continue to downplay her relationship with Bobby. "What Bobby loves about me. Bobby is my husband, I love him and he loves me. There's no room for a third person in our marriage".

"That's a Freudian slip if I ever heard one", letting go of her arm, Jenna's demeanour changed, her intoxicated affability quickly replaced by her more recognisable sly nature.

"Excuse me?" thoroughly confused by the direction of their conversation, she asked Jenna to explain, although when she heard her answer, she wondered why she bothered.

"You are pregnant, aren't you?" bringing yet another topic to their conversation, Jenna's words made very little sense to her.

"Yes", touching her hand to her abdomen, she confirmed the news.

"You're not ready for a baby", stating her opinion as if it were fact, Jenna's words hit her hard.

"What sort of remark is that?" personally she didn't feel like she was ready for a baby, but she was hardly going to tell Jenna that, and it was absolutely not Jenna's place to make such judgement.

"You said person, not woman. 'There's no room for a third person in our marriage'. A baby is a person", smirking, she appearing to believe she'd cracked some sort of secret code, which of course, she hadn't.

Having actually been talking about Jenna herself when she'd made the comment in question, it was also true that she had hesitations about motherhood, but seeing as she really didn't feel like discussing it with Jenna, she went with the simpler response, telling her, "this is none of your business".

"It was a friendly observation", shrugging, she excused her nosiness.

"We're not friends", stating the obvious, she was sure by now that come the morning Jenna would remember very little of their conversation, because although outwardly she didn't appear drunk at all, her conversational skills were usually far more lucid than they were now.

"Bobby will be disappointed", looking beyond her, Jenna sounded disappointed herself.

"Bobby will survive", well aware now of how illogical their conversation was, she said the only thing she could think of.

"Well, if you'll excuse me", returning her gaze to her, Jenna touching her arm friendlily again and then moved past her into the bathroom, leaving her standing in the hallway alone, baffled as to what had just happened.

To be continued…