Dallas, Texas

April 1978

Everything seemed to happen at once, and JR Ewing's mind was all over the place. Rarely in his life had he felt this conflicted.

On one hand, he was tremendously relieved that his son had been found alive and well, and was back with them. Sue Ellen's mood also seemed to be improving. When he considered the three of them together, they almost felt like a family, something close to the vision Sue Ellen had sold to him before John Ross was born. His wife wasn't perfect; she still had moments of deep unhappiness, sometimes seeming to carry the weight of the world, blaming herself repeatedly for John Ross's disappearance. But she was miles better than she had been before the kidnapping. Their relationship wasn't fully repaired yet, but he hadn't expected her to be ready to keep him satisfied in bed so soon after giving birth, so he didn't count that against her. Their seven years of marriage hadn't exactly been smooth, so being back to at least where they were before felt like progress.

On the other hand, Bobby's decision to marry Pamela Barnes was incomprehensible and infuriating. Cliff Barnes, Pamela's brother, was a constant thorn in his side at work, his role as an attorney for the state put him in direct opposition to Ewing Oil's success. The Barnes family had a long, complicated history with the Ewings, particularly with his daddy and even his mama. Bobby, who worked for Ewing Oil, had gone and married someone effectively on the opposite side of their personal and professional battles.

Life at Southfork wasn't easy, and JR blamed Bobby for adding tension instead of relieving it. If Bobby hadn't brought the Barnes girl home, they might've had a chance to enjoy their personal lives, but now every meal was tense, every evening awkward, and any hope of a pleasant future seemed tarnished.

Sue Ellen was cautious around Pamela, naturally wary of a Barnes after all she'd heard, especially given how JR and Jock were behaving. Unfortunately, Pamela wasn't the least bit cautious around her. The girl wanted to be friends and was trying hard to make it happen. Even more unfortunate was how effortlessly she took to the baby.

John Ross. Little John. He had a name, but it was still taking Sue Ellen time to get used to saying it. Pamela, on the other hand, spoke his name with affection and held him in a way that could only be described as loving, astonishing, given she'd just met him.

Everything seemed to come so easily to Pamela: love, marriage, confidence. She knew who she was and never apologised for it, a trait Sue Ellen could probably admire but mostly resented. In many ways, Pamela was showing her up, and now, judging by the sounds from the newlyweds' room at night, motherhood was about to become another area of comparison.

She wasn't ready to resume normal marital relations with JR, and Pamela and Bobby's honeymoon period was only making her feel worse about it. Physically, she was back to her pre-pregnancy weight, a result of feeling so down postpartum. Doctor Lewis had tried to clear her for intimacy, suggesting she was healed well enough, but emotionally, she wasn't there, and she couldn't really say why.

It wasn't that she didn't feel like it, but she didn't feel like it either. Lately, she didn't feel like much of anything. Her emotional range had been limited recently, and she suspected it would be a long time before it returned to normal. Most of the time she was exhausted, and while she knew she ought to put more effort into various aspects of her life, for now, she simply couldn't.

Wichita, Kansas

"As I predicted, inconclusive."

Handing him the lab results, Mr Wilson, Jock's out-of-state lawyer, maintained a neutral expression, likely unsure if he wanted to prove paternity or disprove it.

"You mean you don't know whether he's mine?"

In truth, Jock wasn't sure what answer he'd wanted, only that he'd wanted a definitive one, and he wasn't getting that.

"The test compares genetic markers to estimate the likelihood of a relationship, but having two closely related potential fathers complicates things."

"There's nothing else you can do?"

"I'm sorry."

John Ross was confirmed to be a Ewing, but the only person who knew which Ewing had fathered him was long gone, determined not to be found. Jock had paid someone on the inside to manipulate the submitted samples, but what had happened that day last June was still a mystery to him. He'd followed the instructions, noticing the container was labelled with 'John Ross Ewing,' which was accurate yet vague. What happened to the contents after his discreet handover was anyone's guess now. Even a blood test couldn't determine whether the sample had been tampered with, or if he was in a hidden contest against JR.

Ultimately, it didn't matter much. John Ross solved a problem he'd been facing and was a charming little boy, but Jock would still like to know whether he had a fourth son or a first grandson.

Bobby's marriage to Pamela introduced a risk Jock hadn't foreseen. He had no doubt that if the Barnes girl and Bobby were healthy, they'd be announcing more grandchildren soon. He didn't care for Pamela, she was too much for his liking, and her family certainly didn't help his opinion. But he knew he didn't have to like her, only Bobby did, and Bobby liked her a lot. If they had a son, that child would be second in line to John Ross in terms of birthright. Yet Jock couldn't help but wonder if that was truly accurate. If Bobby had a natural-born son and John Ross wasn't JR's but his own, then Bobby's child would technically be the first natural grandson, not that anyone but him needed to know or would ever know that.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading :) Please leave a review if you have any thoughts. I'd love to hear them!