Dallas, Texas

The house was familiar, the guest list was familiar, and the traditions were familiar, but so much was different too, there was far more sadness amongst the group than there had ever been at previous thanksgiving gatherings.

Wrapped in a soft blanket, Jenna pushed herself back and forth on the porch swing as she watched Jack and Bobby do what came so naturally to them, toss a football back and forth, letting Charlie and Lucy jump and attempt to intercept the ball. It wasn't really a game of football but the girls seemed to be enjoying themselves, as did John Ross who was toddling along on the grass happily, mostly just doing his best to keep up with the group.

From the outside, the scene was perfect, but she knew that things weren't that simple. Bobby was distracted by a fast-paced game at present, so his mind wasn't on his situation, but the minute he had a free moment the heaviness would return. From what she'd gathered, if Pam had still been alive and well she would have finished work by now and she and Bobby would have been anxiously counting down to her due date. Thanksgiving was a marker in time, one that had previously been something to look forward to but was now a reminder of what he'd lost.

On top of the grief Bobby was experiencing following the loss of his wife and son, he joined the rest of the family in facing their first thanksgiving without Miss Ellie. Jock appeared the hardest hit, which wasn't surprising, but the sombre mood reached far and wide across the Ewing family.

She knew Bobby well and they'd been through a lot together, but never anything like this. She'd been young when she'd lost her mother and following her father's sudden loss she'd had a personal crisis that had concluded with her running away from Dallas, ignoring her feelings, marrying Naldo, having Charlie and then running again. She was doing her best to support Bobby with what he was dealing with but they were new to being adult friends, new to adult grief, and new to what level of comfort was appropriate given their distant and recent history.

Sometimes she wondered whether things with Bobby were difficult and complicated for a reason and perhaps it was a hint that it wasn't the right time for them to be anything more than casual acquaintances. In contrast to how her relationship with Bobby was, her relationship with Jack was the complete opposite. Where Bobby was broody and serious, Jack was adaptable and full of life. He was of course upset about Miss Ellie's death and he had great insight into how it felt having lost his own mother in recent years but he was also a little removed from the weight of what Miss Ellie's immediate family were living with. When it wasn't the topic of conversation, it wasn't on his mind.

Jack was exactly who he'd always been and today of all days that was nice. He was flirty when they were alone, fun when engaging with the children, and friendly in the family setting. He was uncomplicated and Bobby was complicated. She wanted to help Bobby, but she felt Jack could help her.

Appearing at her side, Sue Ellen handed her a hot drink and sat down beside her. Wordless, their interaction was comfortable. The holiday was difficult for everyone, but Sue Ellen seemed to be handling it well, JR too. She didn't think it was just hosting that was keeping their minds occupied, she truly believed that as bad as things had been, they were on their way to reaching acceptance and moving forward at peace. Nothing was the same as it had been and nothing would ever again be the same, but they'd be ok.

She'd personally been through a lot of changes, some good, some bad, most challenging, and she'd come out the other side just fine. She was back where her life had started and everything was different; different didn't mean worse, it just meant not the same. Life probably felt pretty strange for the Ewing family now but it wouldn't feel that strange forever, one day it would feel normal, of that she was sure.

Houston, Texas

Returning to the living room after supervising the food preparation going on in the kitchen, unnecessarily as her mother-in-law seemed to have it all handled, Rebecca Wentworth's stomach twisted as she heard the conversation between her husband and daughter.

"I'll be heading up to New York next week and was thinking you might like to come with me, but I'm unsure whether it coincides with your trip to Dallas."

Herbert's business trips were of no concern to her, he'd provided her with a wonderful life and travelling was part of what came with his position. What was of concern to her was the information he'd indirectly dropped about Katherine's plans.

"You're going to Dallas?" surprised, suspicious, and scared, she had little control over what she said, it just came out.

"I am; I wanted to see SMU again." Doe eyed, Katherine's demeanour was difficult to dissect. She appeared innocent and she had an explanation ready to tell, but they both knew things the other thought they didn't.

She couldn't afford to have Katherine sticking her nose in to her past, she had too much to lose, but to explain that to her would require her to admit it at all, which was also risky. Katherine was her father's daughter, if there was a decision to be made about who she'd side with it would be Herbert, she had no doubt about that. She'd spent far too much time building a new life for herself to risk admitting her past to Katherine in order to satisfy her snoopiness only to have her turn around and tell Herbert.

"SMU? You're thinking about staying in state?"

She hoped to plant a seed to get Herbert to consider that it was a little strange that their well-travelled daughter would want to remain so close to home, but by the way Katherine reacted it appeared she was late to that conversation too.

"Why is everyone so surprised to hear I might consider it?"

Apparently hitting a nerve, she pushed the subject a little further. "It's not something I've ever heard you talk about."

She didn't believe Katherine had any interest in Dallas as a college destination and if she could get her to admit it then she'd be a step closer to keeping her away from JR Ewing and the information he held about her past.

"I just need to be sure."

Not believing a word her daughter was saying, she asked for a further explanation. "What's so interesting about Dallas anyway? Why not Austin or San Antonio?"

She knew why not Austin or San Antonio but Herbert didn't and Katherine had a more difficult time directly lying to him than he did her. Of course, telling the truth wouldn't be good for her, but she was hoping it would end before that became their only option.

"I feel I should be sure of my decision. I might tour colleges in other cities too; November 29th just happened to be the next date the college counsellor had arranged for a visit to SMU."

"I'm just not sure another visit is necessary if you're not particularly enthused by staying in state."

"Is certainty not important?"

"Of course it is."

"Then I'm going. Unless you have a better reason why I shouldn't?"

Meeting her eye, Katherine's expression felt like a challenge. Her daughter obviously thought she knew enough to start asking a few uncomfortable questions of her own, and she was prepared to do it if that's what it came to.

"Katherine", finally seeming to notice the tension in their conversation, Herbert raised his voice, warning his daughter that she was treading a fine line. Spirited discussion was encouraged by Herbert, he completely supported Katherine's desire to pursue journalism and pushed her to build and refine her investigative and critical thinking skills, what he likely had no idea of was just how much she was applying her skills to things other than the school newspaper.

"I'm sorry", apologising, Katherine met her eye again however quickly refocused on her father, likely wanting to make sure she hadn't upset him too much.

"Would you like me to come with you?" making a final attempt to block Katherine's prying, she didn't expect anything other than what she got.

"Thank you for the offer but I think I should make the decision on my own."

"If you insist", accepting that very little would satisfy Katherine's need for details now that she had suspicions, she decided that it was fruitless trying to convince her to do anything other than what she already had planned. JR Ewing was Katherine's contact in Dallas and she'd already gotten to him, so with any luck Katherine would return home with as little information as she currently had.

Shrugging, Katherine returned her attention to her father. "Daddy, I would like to come to New York with you, when are you going?"

To be continued…