#ii. muse -> john ross ewing.

[mischiefxmanagcd]

mischiefxmanagcd asked:  you stand there and accuse me, but where were you at the time? John Ross to Scarlett

"That's not important right now." As far as Scarlett was concerned, the only thing that mattered in that moment was attempting to talk some sense into her brother who was obviously still reeling from the conversation that had just taken place with their mother. While she hadn't been home to witness the back and forth for herself, John Ross had managed to do a pretty decent job of giving a recap, probably without even trying.

"Don't you remember what happened all those times Daddy tried to lock her away for drinking? What makes you so sure this time's gonna be any different?" A good handful of them had only been threats, and neither of the couple’s two children had been born yet when J.R. had actually put Sue Ellen in that Fort Worth sanatarium, but Scarlett had heard enough bits and pieces over the years to put two and two together. She could tell how much the experience scarred her mama and how little it'd actually helped.

Then again, maybe John Ross had a point. What other options did they have, really? Sue Ellen had openly admitted that she'd been drinking the night before the funeral, and it’d broken what was left of her daughter's already deeply wounded heart. Maybe it shouldn't have come as all that much of a surprise to learn the one night had turned into multiple, especially given the circumstances, but Scarlett had been hoping deep down that her mother was stronger than that. Just because she'd been sober for around twenty-five years or so, that apparently didn't mean it was okay to no longer worry about the possibility of a relapse. As much as it hurt to consider, maybe things wouldn't have gotten this far if she'd just taken the time to set her own grief aside and keep a better watch over Sue Ellen's.

"Look, why can't we just try ‘n handle it on our own first? I don't care if I have to search the house from top t' bottom to make sure she doesn't have some sort of secret stash anywhere. I'll get rid of all the alcohol, and then I'll keep her here until she dries out. Maybe then she'll be more willing to talk about goin' to a meeting and whatever happens next."

It was worth a shot, wasn't it? John Ross surely had to see just how serious his little sister was about the whole thing, especially given that she was so willing to take full responsibility and manage everything on her own so he could get back to his own life and whatever he already had up his sleeve business wise. After all, she'd helped to make at least a part of the mess, so wasn't it her duty to help clean it up now?

"Just promise me you won't put her back in that sanitarium. All it's gonna do is backfire on all of us, and the last thing this family needs right now is one more backstabbing betrayal to add to the list."

Being the eldest child had its pros and cons, and this was definitely one of the cons. John Ross always felt like he needed to carry the weight of the family on his shoulders, especially now that J.R. was gone. He was essentially taking over the man of the house role, and clearly he was set to follow in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one. He listened to what Scarlett had to say about the situation, genuinely hearing her out, but he still didn’t think trying to handle this at home by themselves was a good idea.

“You wanna take on that responsibility? Fine. Go for it. But I’m not helpin’, and the second I see her drunk again, I’m gonna ship her off whether you like it or not.” 

He wouldn’t let Sue Ellen continue down this path and potentially cause the company - and the Ewing family name - to deteriorate because she couldn’t help but imbibe every day. If Scarlett truly thought she could keep their mother from somehow stashing alcohol around the house or getting any of the staff of the ranch to run out and grab more for her when she discovered it was all gone, then good for her. John Ross knew better; he knew that there was nothing they could do to stop their mother from drinking unless she truly wanted to be done with the vice - and it was evident from her actions as of late that she did not.

“I can’t make any promises about that,” he stated truthfully. “I’ll do my best to keep her outta that place, but if it comes down to that, I’d rather her end up there to get the help she needs than be here where she can slowly drink herself to death!” 

Surely Scarlett could understand that some things had to happen, even if they didn’t seem like the best option at the time. Placing a hand on his little sister’s shoulder, he clapped it a couple of times, offering her a complacent smile. 

“Everythin’ is gonna be alright, Scar. We’ll make sure of it, one way or another.”