Post by melindajo2000 on Dec 18, 2012 17:32:34 GMT -6
It was Christmas, and all was quiet at the Southfork Ranch. Normally the holidays were bustling with noise, laughter, and all too frequently, arguments, but today was a holiday like no other. It was their first holiday without JR, and for once, the family spokesman Bobby was at a loss for words.
It had been a trying year, for sure. Babies, broken up marriages, weddings, reunions, cancer. Ann had worried most about her husband, for he hadn't said much after hearing of the loss of his brother. Bobby was pretty outspoken, well, most of the time, and for him to keep to himself like he had lately, well that had bothered her to no end.
But who could she confide in? She'd normally had a good relationship with Sue Ellen, but if Bobby was devastated, then Sue Ellen was lost. She'd spent the better part of her life identifying herself as JR's wife/ex-wife/mother of his child; without him around she had found herself questioning the very identity it had taken her years to build. Ann was praying that Bobby would say something to Sue Ellen, but it seemed as if everyone was in a state of shock/denial about the man, who, for better or worse, came to represent the Ewing name.
And what was she, really? Technically Ann was somewhat of an outsider. Bobby had done everything in his power to make her feel at home at Southfork, and she would love him forever for that. But something had to be done. There was no sense of urgency, no sense of direction in the family, and Ann knew JR well enough to know that was the last thing he would have wanted.
So after dinner, Ann lit a candle, then shut off the lights in the family room. If anyone had noticed, no one spoke up.
“Bobby...it's Christmas,” Ann finally decided to speak if no one else would. “Do you have anything you'd like to say to the family?”
He didn't even make eye contact with his wife. “You know, I'm feeling kind of tired. Maybe I'll just go to bed...”
“d**n it!” Ann shouted, this time capturing everyone's attention.
“Ann...“No. Don't Ann me. You know why I'm speaking up. If no one will say his name, I will. I think none of you know what to do without JR around. I'm tired of all the moping, the refusal to make eye contact, the bitterness...”
“What right to you have to speak to my uncle Bobby that way?”
“John Ross, it's okay..”
“No, it's not okay. That's my daddy she's talking about, and I for one don't want to hear it. Why don't you just leave us the hell alone,” JR's son growled as he took another sip- bourbon, for good measure.
“No, I will not 'leave you the hell alone.' Maybe you all think that's what you want, but I know that's not what you all need.”
“Who made you the expert on the Ewings, anyways?” With that, Christopher stood up face to face with John Ross, who refused to back down.
“I've lived with you all long enough to know what's what. Something's eating all of you, and I refuse to leave this room until we get to the bottom of it.”
“Dear, maybe now's not the right time. I appreciate what you're doing, but maybe John Ross is right. Maybe all we need is to be left alone,” Bobby sighed.
“No. I can't- I won't do that. You can all pretend that nothing's happened, but something has happened- we've lost JR- and something that huge cannot go unnoticed. Even by an outsider,” she looked at John Ross.
“Ann,” Sue Ellen spoke up. “Maybe we can do this another time. It is Christmas...”
“That's right, it's Christmas. It's a time for family, and what we've been this last month is anything but family. Sue Ellen, you suspended your campaign. Do you think that's what he really would have wanted?”
Sue Ellen glared at her. “I don't see how that's any of your business.”
“It is my business! You're my family, and I care about you. I don't want this ship going down just because we've lost the captain. The ship must continue to sail, and we have to go forward. That's what..”
Now it was Sue Ellen's turn to interrupt Ann. “Don't you dare tell us what he would have wanted!”
“Why, because I'm an outsider?”
“No. It's because you didn't love JR. Not like Bobby did. Not like John Ross did. Not like...”
Ann put her hand on Sue Ellen's arm. “Not like you did?”
“That doesn't matter.”
“To John Ross it might.”
Sue Ellen looked at her son. “John Ross, I didn't mean to upset you.”
He looked at the floor. “It's okay, Mom.”
“She's right, you know,” Sue Ellen touched her son's hand.
“You loved Dad?”
“We had a complex relationship, one that I don't have to explain to most of us in this room. But the best thing that your father and I did, altogether or individually, was you. Your father was so proud of you, .”
He didn't say anything. Instead he instinctively looked at Bobby, almost for confirmation.
“She's right, John Ross. He took after my daddy that way. All he ever wanted was the best for you...in his own way,” Bobby finally smiled.
“He had a funny way of showing it,” John Ross replied dryly, hiding behind the sarcasm that had served him well most of his life.
“John Ross, none of us are the best at saying what we really feel...it's kind of a Ewing thing, I guess. But there was no hiding what JR felt...what he always felt... about you and even your mom.”
Sue Ellen smiled. “I know how your daddy felt about me. And you know what? I wouldn't trade a second of what we shared for all of the oil in Texas.”
“Spoken like a true Ewing,” Bobby laughed, causing everyone else to join in.
“Here's to JR,” Sue Ellen lifted her glass of egg nog, and everyone else lifted their glasses.
“To JR..”
“To Daddy...”
And as they all sipped their drinks, they all thought of one thing- JR Ewing. There would never be another like him, for better or worse. And they knew that things could never be the same again. But they still had each other, and they were Ewings after all. They knew they could make it, it would just take some time. But time was on their side, and there would be no forgetting JR. Each Bobby, John Ross, and Sue Ellen each vowed to make sure of it.
The end
It had been a trying year, for sure. Babies, broken up marriages, weddings, reunions, cancer. Ann had worried most about her husband, for he hadn't said much after hearing of the loss of his brother. Bobby was pretty outspoken, well, most of the time, and for him to keep to himself like he had lately, well that had bothered her to no end.
But who could she confide in? She'd normally had a good relationship with Sue Ellen, but if Bobby was devastated, then Sue Ellen was lost. She'd spent the better part of her life identifying herself as JR's wife/ex-wife/mother of his child; without him around she had found herself questioning the very identity it had taken her years to build. Ann was praying that Bobby would say something to Sue Ellen, but it seemed as if everyone was in a state of shock/denial about the man, who, for better or worse, came to represent the Ewing name.
And what was she, really? Technically Ann was somewhat of an outsider. Bobby had done everything in his power to make her feel at home at Southfork, and she would love him forever for that. But something had to be done. There was no sense of urgency, no sense of direction in the family, and Ann knew JR well enough to know that was the last thing he would have wanted.
So after dinner, Ann lit a candle, then shut off the lights in the family room. If anyone had noticed, no one spoke up.
“Bobby...it's Christmas,” Ann finally decided to speak if no one else would. “Do you have anything you'd like to say to the family?”
He didn't even make eye contact with his wife. “You know, I'm feeling kind of tired. Maybe I'll just go to bed...”
“d**n it!” Ann shouted, this time capturing everyone's attention.
“Ann...“No. Don't Ann me. You know why I'm speaking up. If no one will say his name, I will. I think none of you know what to do without JR around. I'm tired of all the moping, the refusal to make eye contact, the bitterness...”
“What right to you have to speak to my uncle Bobby that way?”
“John Ross, it's okay..”
“No, it's not okay. That's my daddy she's talking about, and I for one don't want to hear it. Why don't you just leave us the hell alone,” JR's son growled as he took another sip- bourbon, for good measure.
“No, I will not 'leave you the hell alone.' Maybe you all think that's what you want, but I know that's not what you all need.”
“Who made you the expert on the Ewings, anyways?” With that, Christopher stood up face to face with John Ross, who refused to back down.
“I've lived with you all long enough to know what's what. Something's eating all of you, and I refuse to leave this room until we get to the bottom of it.”
“Dear, maybe now's not the right time. I appreciate what you're doing, but maybe John Ross is right. Maybe all we need is to be left alone,” Bobby sighed.
“No. I can't- I won't do that. You can all pretend that nothing's happened, but something has happened- we've lost JR- and something that huge cannot go unnoticed. Even by an outsider,” she looked at John Ross.
“Ann,” Sue Ellen spoke up. “Maybe we can do this another time. It is Christmas...”
“That's right, it's Christmas. It's a time for family, and what we've been this last month is anything but family. Sue Ellen, you suspended your campaign. Do you think that's what he really would have wanted?”
Sue Ellen glared at her. “I don't see how that's any of your business.”
“It is my business! You're my family, and I care about you. I don't want this ship going down just because we've lost the captain. The ship must continue to sail, and we have to go forward. That's what..”
Now it was Sue Ellen's turn to interrupt Ann. “Don't you dare tell us what he would have wanted!”
“Why, because I'm an outsider?”
“No. It's because you didn't love JR. Not like Bobby did. Not like John Ross did. Not like...”
Ann put her hand on Sue Ellen's arm. “Not like you did?”
“That doesn't matter.”
“To John Ross it might.”
Sue Ellen looked at her son. “John Ross, I didn't mean to upset you.”
He looked at the floor. “It's okay, Mom.”
“She's right, you know,” Sue Ellen touched her son's hand.
“You loved Dad?”
“We had a complex relationship, one that I don't have to explain to most of us in this room. But the best thing that your father and I did, altogether or individually, was you. Your father was so proud of you, .”
He didn't say anything. Instead he instinctively looked at Bobby, almost for confirmation.
“She's right, John Ross. He took after my daddy that way. All he ever wanted was the best for you...in his own way,” Bobby finally smiled.
“He had a funny way of showing it,” John Ross replied dryly, hiding behind the sarcasm that had served him well most of his life.
“John Ross, none of us are the best at saying what we really feel...it's kind of a Ewing thing, I guess. But there was no hiding what JR felt...what he always felt... about you and even your mom.”
Sue Ellen smiled. “I know how your daddy felt about me. And you know what? I wouldn't trade a second of what we shared for all of the oil in Texas.”
“Spoken like a true Ewing,” Bobby laughed, causing everyone else to join in.
“Here's to JR,” Sue Ellen lifted her glass of egg nog, and everyone else lifted their glasses.
“To JR..”
“To Daddy...”
And as they all sipped their drinks, they all thought of one thing- JR Ewing. There would never be another like him, for better or worse. And they knew that things could never be the same again. But they still had each other, and they were Ewings after all. They knew they could make it, it would just take some time. But time was on their side, and there would be no forgetting JR. Each Bobby, John Ross, and Sue Ellen each vowed to make sure of it.
The end
The poor Ewing family without JR on Christmas Day. 
