Dallas 1. Foreword

**Major Characters**

**J.R. –** After endless years of battling for his daddy's throne, J.R. finally became crowned the patriarch of the Ewing name and family fortune. The President of Ewing Energies – a position only his eldest daughter lusts for – J.R. inherited the throne he relished since birth but every king needs his queen and J.R. remains in hot pursuit of the only possible candidate.

**Sue Ellen –** Once a hopelessly helpless alcoholic, equally a victim to her addiction and philandering husband, Sue Ellen survived several relapses to both J.R. Ewing and the bottle. Although satisfied as the co-founder of her own business, the stress of her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis and unforeseen tension within the Ewing family threatens the stability of her rocky road to recovery.

**John Ross – **Heir to the Ewing family fortune, the first born grandson of his namesake, John Ross blindsided his family (and the entire state of Texas) when he followed in the footsteps of his uncle. The unlikely black-sheep of the third Ewing generation, a sixteen year old John Ross abandoned the family ranch, Southfork, and rejected his inheritance in the name of love, much to his father's chagrin. Fast-forward a decade and John Ross finds himself estranged from his father and internally ambushed with an infinite grief for the love of his life.

**Elle – **Like her older brother, Elle Ewing challenged the stereotype society anticipated her to mature into and – unlike John Ross – made it her sole mission to prove her ability in the family business from an early age. Her father's old-fashioned values and reluctance to release his reign of control, however, made Elle's desires feel almost unreachable. Named Vice President of Ewing Energies and forced to endure underneath her father's shadow, Elle remains resentful of her parents for her instable childhood and even more so for the traumatic ten-year-old truth she's been forced to conceal.

**Amye – **The apple of her parents' eye, Amye lived a peaceful childhood as the youngest of J.R. and Sue Ellen's children, sheltered by her older brother and sister from the endless battles their parents engaged in. Although the spit-image of her mother, Amye's insecurities have always weighed upon her shoulders and the vice she once sought solace in threatens to rear its ugly head once again when her actions make her the unusual subject of her mother's anger.

**Minor Characters**

**Bobby, Pam and Danielle **– Real-life Romeo and Juliet, the youngest son of Jock Ewing and Digger Barnes' daughter have overcome numerous obstacles in their marriage but have remained forever in love. After relentless interferences from rival siblings, J.R. and Cliff Barnes, Pam's inability to conceive a child and a near-fatal incident involving Katherine Wentworth, Bobby and Pam finally purchased a home of their own and adopted their daughter, Danielle. Retired from the oil business but still invested in Southfork's cattle operation, Bobby inevitably decided to remain his home state of Dallas with Pam while Danielle followed her dreams of a career in journalism to the big apple, New York.

**Gary, Valene, Lucy, Robert and Bethany – **The original black-sheep of the family reunited with his child-bride after nearly two decades of separation, from both one another and the daughter they abandoned at Southfork. Their new life began in California, where Valene gave birth to twin children, Robert and Bethany, and, removed from the pressures his family impounded him with, Gary acquired the power to remain free from his addiction. Meanwhile, their eldest daughter, Lucy made a grand departure from her childhood home in a bid for solace as she followed her lifelong dream to live in Europe, where she became a silent partner in France's most distinguished fashion magazine.

**Ray, Jenna, Charlie and Lucas – **An unlikely duo who discovered friendship could blossom into something far more passionate, Ray and Jenna became an item when their previous relationships fell apart. They relocated to Switzerland with Jenna's daughter, Charlie, but the relationship was not without complication – the move forced Ray to accept the label of "absentee father" and the birth of Bobby and Jenna's son, Lucas, also forced Bobby to accept the same.

**Donna and Lily** – Once the dissolution of their once-indestructible marriage became evident, Donna decided to flee to Washington – a home from home – and retreat to her love of politics. Despite the birth of their new-born daughter, Margaret Lily Krebbs, named after her paternal grandmother and great-aunt, Ray and Donna divorced and Donna remained there to raise Lily as a single parent.

**Cliff, Afton and Pamela Rebecca** – Although Cliff Barnes was once only known as J.R. Ewing's adversary, their back and forth game of one-upmanship propelled Cliff into high-society as he inherited one half of his mother's company and became a well-respected member of the oil community. After many wasted years, Cliff finally found an equal amount of success in both his business and personal life when he reunited and married Afton Cooper, who had secretly mothered his daughter, Pamela Rebecca.

**The Anderson's (Will, Michael and Vanessa) **– Descendants of Jock's oldest friend and business associate, Punk Anderson, the Anderson children were practically raised alongside the Ewing children only a few miles from Southfork and remain one of the most prominent families in the energy business. At the tender age of eighteen, Michael married into the Ewing family after Elle, who had been the object of his affection since they were children, finally returned his attention.

**Tiffany Daniels** – Born and bred in the heart of Texas, Tiffany is and always has been the essence of loud-and-proud. A once-upon-a-time weather presenter on the television, Tiffany's roots stem back to her days in the beauty pageant circuit, where she first encountered Sue Ellen Ewing, known only as Sue Ellen Shepard then, before her marriage to J.R.. After Tiffany's husband divorced her in favour of a far younger paramour, Tiffany returned to her hometown of Dallas where she was unexpectedly reunited with one of her oldest friends. Their friendship blossomed once again and spurred a twenty-year business partnership in Allure, a successful modelling agency she and Sue Ellen created together.

**Q&A**

**What year is this fanfiction set and how old are the main characters?**

This fanfiction is set in 2007 – John Ross is 28 years old, Elle is 27 years old and Amye is 21 years old.

**How relevant is this fanfiction to the original show and the TNT version?**

This fanfiction is loosely based on the original show – it's really a continuation from the episode "A Taste of Success" in season 4 – but has no connection to the TNT version.

**What year was Elle conceived and born?**

Elle is J.R. and Sue Ellen's oldest daughter, conceived after Kristin left for California as punishment for her attempt to murder J.R., and born in 1981. Though there won't be any kind of "flashbacks" written into this fanfiction, feel free to consider my other story "Their Second Shot" a prelude of sorts to explain how J.R. and Sue Ellen remained married and Elle happened to be.

**Will this fanfiction include the entire Ewing family?**

This fanfiction is focused upon J.R., Sue Ellen and their children. Not every member of the family will be included; I'm pretty sure Bobby and Pam will make an appearance (and maybe even Lucy!) but others will only be mentioned in conversation. Others like Cliff Barnes, Afton and Pamela Rebecca may be featured but not heavily because, as previously mentioned, this fanfiction is focused on the core Ewing family – J.R., Sue Ellen and their children.

**Who are the Anderson's and Tiffany Daniels?**

These are new characters introduced and how they're involved with the Ewing's will be explained in further detail throughout the fanfiction.

**How many times have J.R. and Sue Ellen been married, divorced and remarried?**

After Kristin attempted to murder J.R., J.R. and Sue Ellen rekindled their relationship and remained together when Sue Ellen fell pregnant with Elle. Their marriage reached its highest point as J.R. fulfilled his promise to remain ever-faithful to Sue Ellen, however, J.R. and Sue Ellen first divorced in 1983 after Jock's death, J.R.'s subsequent affair with Holly Harwood and Sue Ellen's relapse. After the death of Mickey Trotter, Sue Ellen sought protection from family friend, Clayton Farlow, also father to her deceased former-lover, Dusty Farlow, and began a new life at the Southern Cross Ranch with sole custody of John Ross and Elle. Their separation almost became permanent after three years until John Ross suffered a near-fatal illness, which caused a temporary reconciliation between J.R. and Sue Ellen. History repeated itself as Sue Ellen fell pregnant once more and, more determined than ever to live happily-ever-after, Sue Ellen returned to Southfork as J.R.'s wife. Their happiness became short-lived when J.R., once again, sacrificed his marriage for business and entered into an affair with Kimberly Cryder and Sue Ellen divorced J.R for the second and final time.

**Are storylines from the original show affected by this fanfiction?**

Although I've changed much of what happened between J.R. and Sue Ellen, his infidelities and her addiction still remain present in their history. In terms of other characters' storylines, a few will have altered but nothing major; a pregnant Kristin still left for California, Jock died in South America, Mickey Trotter died in the car accident, the Southfork fire occurred, Clayton and Miss Ellie married… how things happened may have altered a little but things are relatively the same.

**Do you have any specific actors/actresses in mind for the major character roles?**

Obviously, Larry Hagman and Linda Gray as J.R. and Sue Ellen Ewing (and the entire original cast/characters) and – even though I said this fanfiction was unrelated to the TNT version – I can't really picture anyone other than Josh Henderson as John Ross, then the other visuals would be Olivia Wilde as Elle Ewing and Phoebe Tonkin as Amye Ewing.


	2. The Return to Southfork

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking." Interest peaked among the passengers aboard the plane and Amye Ewing muttered a silent thank-you to whichever God permitted the seat beside her to remain empty for the journey home. "I would like to welcome everyone aboard American Airlines. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet with an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 10:30am. The weather is pleasant and we are expected to land in Dallas approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Dallas is clear and sunny, with a high of 65°F this afternoon. The cabin crew will be available within the next few minutes with the sales of light snacks and beverages. Alcoholic drinks are also available, and the in-flight movie will begin shortly after that. You'll hear from me again shortly before reach our destination. Until then, please sit back, relax and enjoy your flight."

The split-second the seatbelt sign pinged and faded passengers leapt from their assigned seats and mindfully hurried in the direction of the restroom facilities. Her earphones within reach, Amye silenced out her surroundings with Bob Marley's soulful, reggae beat and rehydrated herself with the bottle of water she had purchased before boarding. It had been nearly seven months since she had fled her hometown to the bright, city lights of New York where she resided with her cousin, Danielle. Although the excitement of the fast-paced lifestyle had undeniably drawn Amye in, her stay in New York had been a temporary arrangement from the beginning and her good-natured cousin had dropped many a subtle hint that the time for Amye to return home had come. Born within a year of one another, Amye and Danielle were raised more like sisters than cousins and had remained close since their childhood, despite the obvious differences between them. While Amye had little career motivation or any plan for the long-term future, Danielle had meticulously planned the next ten years in order to achieve her lifelong dream of being Editor in Chief of her own magazine. The drive Danielle possessed made a mockery of the free-spirit lifestyle Amye passionately embraced and, if that weren't enough provocation, Danielle had announced her decision to move in her boyfriend of three years which threatened to make Amye the third wheel in Danielle's humble one-bedroom penthouse.

"Any snacks or beverages?" The recurring request for anything showcased upon the small trolley two members of the cabin crew shuffled down the aisle had been drummed out by the music streaming into Amye's ears but she raised the bottle of water in her hand an inch higher to signal her response. Her attention returned to the window where the vision of nothing but miles and miles of white cloud soothed her soul – the window seat had always been essential.

She flicked her wrist and surveyed the hands upon her Marc Jacobs designer watch, the golden band circled around her right wrist, to discover there was still another 2 hours and a half until arrival at the Dallas-Fortworth International Airport. An earlier conversation with her father had informed Amye that one of the ranch-hands would be awaiting her arrival to drive her home to Southfork as her father would be busied with meetings at Ewing Energies for the better part of the afternoon, which hadn't been an entire surprise but somewhat of a disappointment. The fascination her father had with the family business, something her elder sister shared, was one Amye didn't quite have the ability to comprehend but she did appreciate it. Her father's authority had transformed his father's company into the international phenomenon, Ewing Energies, which spearheaded the energy business into a new era without the loss of its traditional values. In other words, despite the times her father had unwittingly neglected her in favour of his work, Amye was eternally proud of her father and his various accomplishments. The only misfortune was that she hadn't inherited that ability from her mother, who had divorced her father after one too many infidelities snapped her ever-forgiving temperament.

* * *

Nurses occupied themselves with the elderly patients as Sue Ellen entered the care-home, a bright bunch of flowers to indicate the season of spring. "Good morning, Sue Ellen!"

"Good morning!" She reciprocated the friendly greet, a smile brighter than the bouquet of Tiger Lilies freshly plucked from her garden that morning spread across her face. The kindness she received from the staff on duty whenever she visited her mother always calmed her frantic mind whenever horrific stories of maltreatment in such institutions headlined the newspapers. The progression of her mother's illness had struck Sue Ellen's core and she could no longer deny her inability to care for Patricia alone; the child in her simply wasn't prepared for such emotional havoc. Instead, Sue Ellen provided the care-home with as much financial support as required and Sue Ellen discovered her generosity had made her somewhat of a celebrity within the home. "Hi, Angela." She announced her presence as she entered her mother's private room, where her mother's personal nurse had assisted Patricia with breakfast.

"Hi, Sue Ellen!" The young woman bounced from her seat, the breakfast tray in her hand as she prepared to leave mother and daughter to their weekly visit. "She's in an exceptionally good mood, today! She even ate all her breakfast!" Many Alzheimer's patients retracted to their childlike ways and lost the ability to filter their responses; Sue Ellen could only cringe as she imagined the kind of verbal abuse her mother's personal nurse had been subjected to since her mother's arrival.

"That's wonderful," Sue Ellen patted the raven-haired girls arm as she departed the room and closed the door behind her shut. Her lips tenderly kissed Patricia's cheek, "How're you feeling, mama?" The lack of response from her mother, something she had become accustomed to in recent months, didn't deter Sue Ellen and she wandered to the vase upon the chest of drawers where she removed the deadened roses she had presented to her mother during her previous visit and replaced them with the Tiger Lilies. "Aren't they beautiful?" Her mother's body remained unshakably still and it was painfully obvious her mind no longer connected with it. The view of nothing in particular through the window had captivated her attention and Sue Ellen pondered as to whether her mother had somehow rewound time, somehow rewritten history and transferred to a parallel universe. "They were always Amye's favourite kind of flower, do you remember?" It was an absurd question, Sue Ellen knew that much, but professionals had encouraged such kind of conversation to ease the possible confusion or isolation her mother suffered in silence as her illness progressed to its very worst. "She's on her way home from New York this morning, mama." Her hand reached inside her coat pocket and checked for any messages Amye may have left but her iPhone presented a blank screen, the wallpaper of her three children at the previous annual Ewing barbecue beamed at her. "I'm sure she'll come and visit you as soon as she can, would you like that?" When not even the mention of her favoured grandchild warranted a reaction from Patricia, Sue Ellen felt her body tremble at the confirmation that her mother would soon be as distant as her memories were.

* * *

"I'm afraid Mrs Ewing isn't available for your call right now, would you like to leave a message?" The all-too-pleasant tone of Lionel's voice made Elle certain that it wasn't the first time that morning that her assistant had been forced to squash her husband's desperate attempt to forge communication, who gritted his teeth with the reminder that it was Mrs Anderson, not Ewing, he wished to speak with.

"Thank you, Lionel!" Elle peered around the doorway of her office with a smile of genuine gratitude for the young man.

"You're not still avoiding that husband of yours, are you, darlin'?" Her father strode in her direction and surveyed the guilt on Elle's face as if she were a child caught red-handed in Southfork's cookie jar.

In little mood for her father's condescendence, at least not under public surveillance, Elle sensed her guilty expression and blanked it away as quick as possible before she returned her attention to her assistant. "Why don't you have your break, Lionel?" The young man astutely leapt from his seat and raced in the direction of the coffee machine. "I'm actually in the middle of some important paperwork, so if you didn't need anything in particular…" Elle's voice trailed into the distance as she seated herself in a business-like position, pen in one hand and financial figures in the other.

"Trouble in paradise, darlin'?" J.R. softly closed her office door to ensure their conversation would be private should his daughter falter from character and confide in him. Even in her youth, Elle had been secretive and no amount of bribery from her father or even sweet talk from her grandmother could convince her to confess her knowledge. "It's not the first time that husband of yours has called this office. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding him." His morning cup of espresso in his hand, J.R. approached Elle's desk but didn't bother to make himself too comfortable for he knew how much she detested anyone's interference in her marriage, especially J.R., since he had never bothered to disguise his lack of approval. In theory, Michael Anderson had been the perfect son-in-law material but his real-life persona left much to the imagination. Despite being heir to Anderson Oil, Michael had little business savvy and his family's company – one which had often rivalled Ewing Oil – died a slow and painful death with Michael at the helm. Much like his approach to business, Michael left a bleak impression in his personal life and J.R. wondered the kind of intel either Michael or Elle blackmailed the other with in order to uphold the failed marriage.

"Nothing for you to concern yourself with." Elle abruptly dismissed his attempt to make her marriage the topic of conversation. Nearly a decade of marriage and their ten-year old daughter, Jasmine, was the only thing they had to showcase their supposed happiness, though many knew the external image completely opposed the internal one. Many speculated Michael had been forced into marriage by J.R. after Elle revealed her maternal state or to advocate a possible partnership with Anderson Oil but those that knew Elle personally knew the Ewing's eldest daughter had never been the kind to let any man, especially her father, deny her consent to such a permanent decision. "Now, did you actually need to speak with me or are you disturbing me for your own amusement?"

"You know, honey?" J.R. devoured the final sip of his espresso and set the cup on Elle's desk as he leaned forward to respond. "When I walked you down that aisle, you were a sixteen year old girl but you were calm as could be." The memory so easily recalled provoked J.R. to scoff in mockery at the image of Michael, how his hands had shook with fever and sweat had plastered his forehead. "He was a boy when you married him and, ten years down the line, he's still not man enough for you." He had never questioned Michael's sexuality; his proverbial anatomy was another matter.

Her expression one of disdain, Elle's lips didn't part as her tongue ran across her teeth and her fingers clenched around the pen until her knuckles faded white. "Get out of my office." Without a word, confident he had unnerved his daughter enough for the most part, J.R. sauntered carelessly from the office. The pen finally freed from her hand, Elle ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled heavily.

The buzz of her phone cut her breath of relief short and Lionel's voice cautiously spoke without permission, "Mr Ewing requested I remind you of the celebratory dinner tonight at Southfork."

Elle huffed in annoyance, her eyes rolled backward. How could she have forgotten? Her father had organised the intimate family dinner to welcome Amye home from New York. "Thank you, Lionel." Her appointment book was filled for the entire afternoon, which would make her attendance impossible but Amye was one of the few people Elle refused to neglect. "Please cancel any appointments after 3pm, return Michael's call and let him know I'll collect Jasmine from school and you can have the rest of the afternoon off once you've sat in on the board meeting later."

* * *

"…you should have been there, dude, it was awesome!" John Ross forced a pleasant smile of interest as his childhood best friend, William Anderson, known better as Will, regaled another dramatic tale of his recent trip to the paradisiac country of Thailand but his smile didn't disguise the envy John Ross withheld from his responses. By the time John Ross and Will had reached adulthood, both had rebelled against their fathers' forceful hands but Will had been that more successful at doing so. While John Ross had left Southfork, he had remained in Dallas for the sake of his mother and younger siblings but Will had not only departed the state, he had departed the continent on his around-the-world venture.

Enthusiastic in his response, John Ross nodded his head with a smile, "Yeah, sure sounds incredible."

"Anyway, that's enough about me! What about you, man?" As Will flicked his growing blonde locks away from his face, his eyes sparkled an aquatic blue and beamed with his Californian tan, John Ross felt uncharacteristically intimidated; his achievements weren't quite as worldly as Will's but he was equally as proud of them. "How does it feel to be the proud owner of Dallas' first and only dry bar?"

"It feels pretty good." John Ross admitted, as he leaned an elbow upon the bar and surveyed their surroundings. His rebellion against the family company had left him with the vital question of exactly what it was he did plan for his future but the answer soon became obvious, to John Ross at least. His mother's struggle with her alcohol addiction had inspired him on many levels and John Ross recognised that her various relapses had been enabled by her environment. Every respectable social event, especially those in Texas, made certain that alcohol was always available and bars were situated in every nook and cranny of Dallas but no one had opened a dry bar and, with the financial assistance of both his mother and cousin, Lucy, who had also witnessed a parent struggle with such an addiction, John Ross decided to corner the market. "We've been open for almost a year now and it's fairly successful." Naturally, in a state like Texas and in the kind of society where alcohol was an essential, the proposition of a dry bar hadn't been fully embraced but John Ross envisioned it would soon become something of the future.

The two men devoured the remnants of their drinks when John Ross acknowledged the arrival of his uncle, Bobby, and his wife, Pam, who waved from the table they acquired and Will snatched the opportunity to interrogate his friend about his relationship with a more immediate family member. "How're things with your dad? I can't imagine J.R. Ewing being too thrilled that his only son blew off working at Ewing Energies to open his own bar, and one that doesn't sell alcohol at that."

Not wanting to detail just how much a point of contention John Ross' decision had been between him and his father, John Ross nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. Their long-time bond allowed Will to identify and empathise with just how much J.R.'s disownment of John Ross had pained him. "It's not the bar. Hell, I could be president and he'd still be disappointed."

Although Will's father had voiced his dissatisfaction at Will's decision not to involve himself in the oil business, Will's father was not J.R. Ewing and he had eventually accepted Will's decision. "Well, your mom must be proud of you!" He attempted to perk the mood of the conversation, "And your uncle clearly is!" Their eyes fell upon Bobby and Pam, who were conversing over soft drinks as they pondered the light snacks menu available. "Eventually, your dad will warm to the idea just as much." His doubtful expression didn't match his confident tone of voice but John Ross appreciated the kind sentiment Will offered him in light of the fact that J.R. Ewing rarely had such a change of heart. "Well, I should make a move. I'm late meeting a buddy of mine!" Will knocked his knuckles against the wooden bar and climbed from the bar stool with a chuckle, "Besides, I'm in need of a _real_ drink."

Accustomed to Will's form of good-natured teasing, John Ross reciprocated his smile and patted his friend upon the back. "Get out of here!"

Finally alone, John Ross briefly returned his attention to the finances until his uncle ambled over. "How's it going, John Ross?" Unlike his father, his uncle had embraced and fully supported John Ross' decision not to involve himself in the family business. Although they never spoke much of it, John Ross figured he reminded Bobby of his older brother, Gary, who was as much outcast from the family by J.R. as John Ross had been for being the black-sheep. "This place is looking pretty good!" In somewhat of an agreement, John Ross reclosed his finances and rocked his head from left to right. "Will we be seeing you at Southfork tonight? You know, your sister's back home from New York and J.R.'s organised a get-together for her."

"Guess my invitation must have been lost in mail, huh?" Light-hearted about the matter, John Ross rose to his feet and abruptly concluded the conversation. "I should really help out behind the bar. Can't have the boss slacking off, now." Concern filled Bobby's eyes, something Pam reflected from across the bar, as they watched John Ross preoccupy himself with tasks around the establishment; J.R.'s feud with Cliff Barnes may have died but J.R. had quickly discovered a new target to aim his malicious tongue at.

* * *

"Well, I wonder where Sue Ellen could be." J.R. started to pace underneath the archway which separated the living room from the foyer. An accidental meeting in Dallas earlier that week had resulted in a last-minute lunch date and Sue Ellen had confided her elation at Amye's upcoming return but her lack of punctuality offered contradictory evidence.

Infatuated by Amye's tales of New York, Pam and Elle were oblivious to J.R.'s concerns but Bobby appeared by his older brother's side. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute, J.R.." Much like their father, J.R. lacked the patience for anyone who didn't understand the necessary for promptness. "Why don't you fix yourself another drink?" He patted J.R.'s back and ever-so-gently guided him back toward the bar, in the hopes that J.R. and Sue Ellen's antagonistic relationship wouldn't be the cause of a dramatic scene at Amye's homecoming dinner.

While Bobby and Michael made small-talk and the women broke into heaps of giggles, J.R. snuck outside to the patio dining area and revelled in the opportunity to be alone. He didn't particularly relish family celebrations like these but his daughter had been absent for several months and it was the perfect excuse to invite Sue Ellen to Southfork. His twilight years were upon him and the fact that Sue Ellen was also commitment free seemed more than coincidental to J.R., it seemed like fate, but Sue Ellen's careful avoidance of him had been a difficult combat to conquer until now. As he double-checked his watch for the fifth time in a minute, an engine roared into Southfork and headlights perverted his vision. "Finally…" Aware of how late her arrival would be, Sue Ellen playfully attempted to add volume to her hair and climbed out the car. Gifts for her daughter in one hand, Sue Ellen didn't bother to secure her vehicle in Southfork's drive as she rushed inside as quickly as physically possible in her stilettos. "You're late, honey!" J.R. objectively noted, perched comfortably in the outdoor dining area but hidden away in the darkness.

"Oh my…!" Her heart almost skipped several beats from the fear as her ex-husband let himself be known and appeared from the shadows. "J.R.…"

Fully recomposed, Sue Ellen regained her steady breathing pattern and shot him an ill-willing glare. His drink in his right hand, which Sue Ellen predicted was his all-time favourite bourbon, J.R. leaned upon the structure of the patio and chuckled in amusement. With an eager eye, J.R. evaluated her appearance and marvelled at how youthful she continued to be. Her eyebrow rose as she caught his gaze wandering from her lower leg to her thigh and J.R. grinned his devilish grin. "One look at you and I know why… you're looking awfully pretty tonight, Sue Ellen."

His charms threatened to regain their chokehold and Sue Ellen cleared her throat, "Why, thank you, J.R.." Since their children were grown, they had little reason to engage in communication with one another but each and every time they had – at least, recently – J.R. had been unnervingly cordial, full of sweetness and light with compliments to boot. "Shall we?"

He followed her motion and stretched his arm to indicate she lead the way inside, "After you, darlin'!"

* * *

Halfway through the dinner, Amye had relieved herself of the stories to entertain her family with and silence fell upon the table, but for the clink-clank of cutlery as they continued through the meal the Southfork cook had prepared. A fleeting glance in J.R.'s direction pricked Sue Ellen's instinct as she acknowledged the threat of J.R.'s trouble-making, gleeful expression as he looked upon their eldest daughter and her husband, who had arrived together but barely acknowledged one another. "Say, Michael, I'm surprised to see you here tonight."

"Oh, J.R.?" Michael quizzed, his tone as innocent as his father-in-law's though he knew J.R. Ewing was anything but.

"Well, I don't think it's any secret – at least, to most of us here – that the two of you have been having a few problems as of late." In fact, the announcement was news to everyone present. An eerie silence fell upon the table and almost everyone bowed their head in an awkward fashion, but for Bobby who raised his higher than usual, always prepared for trouble. "What with Elle being at the office day and night, ignoring your calls and all…" At this revelation, Michael's head snapped violently toward his wife. It wasn't as if he hadn't suspected she had been avoiding him but the fact that her father had been privy to so much information multiplied his humiliation. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect. Whether divorce was on the cards for the two of you, or what."

Wary of the attention Jasmine had started to pay to the line of conversation, Sue Ellen quickly intervened, "That's enough, J.R.!" His interference in their daughter's marriage wasn't only unwelcome, it was unnecessary but, as furious as Elle appeared to be, it was their granddaughter's reaction that concerned Sue Ellen the most. When J.R. sensed Sue Ellen's infuriation for his intrusion, J.R.'s smile faded into an apologetic grimace but the damage had already been done; Jasmine's eyes were alert and wide.

"Eat up your vegetables, please, Jasmine." Elle instructed her daughter, with the tone of voice Jasmine didn't dare argue with. Opposite the table from one another, Amye ducked her head low enough to meet Elle's eye with an inquisitive expression but her sister immediately shut her down with her signature scowl.

"As a matter of fact, things have been a little patchy lately, J.R.." Determined not to allow his father-in-law the upper-hand, Michael reached for his wife's hand and squeezed it tight in a show of affection for family to witness and prove his statement true. "But every marriage has its rough patch, as I'm sure you well know." His line of vision, which J.R. followed, indicated to Sue Ellen and the smug expression J.R. had beamed quickly faded. The subtle reminder of his twice-failed marriage to Sue Ellen did not assist his mission to endear himself into her good graces but, much to Michael's relieved surprise, Sue Ellen fought off a small smile at Michael's comeback. She liked her well-intended son-in-law, who had shown nothing but love and respect to his wife. She had little doubt that, regardless of whatever issues their marriage met, Michael would continue to be the perfect gentleman.

It became clear J.R. lacked an appropriate response, and Bobby exhaled and reclined into his seat, "Well… dinner was lovely!"

Thankful for another line of conversation, J.R. nodded his head in agreement, "Mama sure would be proud, wouldn't she?" As luck would have it, after Miss Ellie's death, Bobby and Pam had discovered her favoured recipes scribbled upon random pieces of paper and Maria, the Southfork cook, had been able to almost duplicate them, though she lacked his mother's touch, whatever the touch had been. Almost as if on cue, Maria appeared to free the table from empty plates and J.R. attracted her attention, "Maria, honey, I think we're ready for dessert." Once Maria had cleared the table and retreated to the kitchen, J.R. grinned in anticipation, "I think you'll like it, sugar." Instinctively, Sue Ellen's lips parted but, before she could respond, the realisation that J.R. had directed the statement toward their youngest daughter hit her. Relieved that no one had appeared to notice her reaction, Sue Ellen smile fondly with the knowledge that J.R. had only ever reserved that term of endearment for herself and their children. Any woman, even the ones like Pam that J.R. openly disliked, could be sweet as 'honey' but none were so 'sugar' sweet as her. "Any minute now…" J.R.'s voice built the anticipation as all eyes were firmly upon the door to the kitchen, though anyone who knew Amye well enough to dine with her knew exactly what the dessert would be. Finally, Maria emerged with the homemade double chocolate fudge cake perched upon a high platter, which she placed perfectly in the centre of the dining table. "Hell, I think we can forget about cholesterol levels for one night, don't you?"

"Oh my goodness!" Sue Ellen exclaimed in mock horror, which only enthralled Jasmine to the dessert more than before as she marvelled at the beauty of it.

One by one, the family dug into the dessert with Amye, Bobby and Jasmine securing the biggest slices available. Although Jasmine hadn't even devoured half of her slice, melted chocolate had already smeared its way onto the curve of her lips and she reached forward to scoop another slice from the platter. "No way, uh-uh." Elle scolded, as she removed the dessert from her daughter's reach.

"But it's not for me!" Jasmine protested, her high-pitched whine enough to attract the attention of each and every diner. "I promised John Ross I would save him some."

The mention of his only son soured J.R.'s jovial mood and Elle savoured the guilty expression upon his face when victim to Sue Ellen's unforgiving menace. "Well, we'll have Maria box some up before we leave." She assured her daughter and Jasmine happily regained her in the remains of her dessert, though John Ross' absence continued to be felt between the adults present. "It's a shame John Ross couldn't be here." Elle pointed out, this time addressing the rest of the table but her opportunity to corner her father like he had earlier done arose. "I'm sure whatever's kept him is important."

Regretful that Amye's supposed homecoming dinner had become an opportunity for the family to trade barbs at one another, Sue Ellen shot her youngest daughter a sympathetic look. In consideration of how close John Ross and Amye had always been, Amye probably would have appreciated it if J.R. had set his differences aside and invited John Ross to Southfork but father and son had barely shared more than ten minutes of conversation in the ten years they had been estranged from each other. Once again, the dinner table suffered an awkward atmosphere and Sue Ellen knew, when all else failed, it was best to spotlight the youngest Ewing present. "Jasmine, your daddy says you aced your maths test this week!"

"Is that so?" J.R. peered at his granddaughter, who overtly nodded her head in proud confirmation. "Well, well done, sweetheart! Next thing you know, your mama will be bringing you along to the office to see your granddaddy, would you like that?" Infatuated with her grandfather, who appeared an enigma to such a young soul, Jasmine burst into a fit of girlish giggles. Though she lacked the innate enthusiasm Elle had possessed for the oil business at a much younger age, Jasmine resembled her mother to a "T" and J.R. couldn't disguise his pride at the strength of the Ewing gene, inside and out. His father's Capri-blue eyes had instilled themselves in J.R., Elle and Jasmine and J.R. predicted her child after her. The sly glimpse J.R. flashed at his son-in-law spoke volumes; should the threat of divorce between Michael and Elle ever become more than possibility, the Ewing name would remain and Jasmine would unquestionably remain part of it.

* * *

The Southfork dinner concluded and several cars scattered away from the ranch, with only J.R, Sue Ellen and Amye left to part. "Mom, we'll have lunch tomorrow, I promise!" Amye stifled her laughter as her mother refused to release her grip around her shoulders.

Reluctant to bid her daughter farewell again, though it would be far more temporary this time, Sue Ellen curled her hands upon Amye's cheekbones and sighed, "Do you know how much I've missed you?" The entire time Amye had been in New York, Sue Ellen could only console herself with the fact that Bobby and Pam endured being distanced from their only child on a much more permanent basis and she had discovered a new respect for how well they coped with Danielle's decision to live in New York. In the background, J.R. hovered and witnessed the mother-daughter moment with an endearing smile settled oddly on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart. I love you!"

"Love you too!" Once Amye kissed her mother upon the cheek, J.R. stepped forward and curled his arm around her shoulders as Sue Ellen climbed into her car. They wandered back indoors, arm-in-arm, as she sped away from Southfork just as quickly as she had arrived earlier, blissfully unaware of the car parked off-roadside a few yards away from Southfork's entrance.


	3. Affairs of the Heart

"We haven't done this since you were a little girl, do you remember?" Sue Ellen reminisced upon the various afternoons she and Amye had passed by in the kitchen, while J.R. had dragged a reluctant John Ross to his office at Ewing Oil for the weekend and Elle had insisted upon joining them. "Strawberry frosting was always your favourite." She vividly recalled, as Amye scooped the remains of the bright pink cupcake frosting from the mixture bowl with her forefinger and savoured the flavour.

"I remember that afternoon, grandma Shepard surprised us at Southfork and the three of us spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen…" Amye's voice faded, her expression mischievous.

Sue Ellen closed her eyes in disbelieving horror; she could still pinpoint the exact moment her mother's true colours threatened to unveil themselves. "It would have been a perfectly lovely afternoon had you not decided to hurl the leftover batch of flour all over that new dress she had bought." Truth be known, Patricia's reaction hadn't been quite as hell-bent as Sue Ellen had anticipated. In fact, her overbearing maternal attention had decreased quite noticeably after Elle's birth; Sue Ellen had done her duty and provided J.R. with, not one but, three heirs for his family legacy and Patricia had finally loosened the reigns somewhat. "Had it not been for Miss Ellie offering her a substitute outfit, I'm sure she would have thrown a fit."

Mother and daughter dissolved into giggles but the mention of Patricia had planted the seed in both their minds and Amye was the first to venture into that line of conversation. "It was strange to see her like that earlier. She was just silent. She didn't say anything, she didn't even know we were there." After lunch at their favourite restaurant, Amye had accompanied her mother to the care-home where Sue Ellen had entrusted Patricia after the realisation that the full-time care of an Alzheimer's patient was too much for her to bear alone. Her grandmother's condition had deteriorated severely during her absence, Amye deduced that much and she could only imagine the kind of emotional toll the looming inevitability had weighed upon her mother's shoulders. It was that emotional toll that had contributed heavily to her eventual decision to return home; her mother had evidently prepared for the worst and Amye made certain she would be present for when the worst did come.

Sue Ellen's happiness slowly faded, "She's been that way for some time." Whether the endless silence was preferable to the unpredictable mood swings, unbearable confusion and uncontrollable lapses of attention, Sue Ellen couldn't decide. At least, the latter confirmed a living presence. "The doctors say they can't be certain how much longer she has left." Despite how her heart ached, Sue Ellen refused to allow the tears to reveal themselves to the world, until she had real reason anyway. She rationalised that, for a woman of her age to only now face the threat of becoming an orphan, she should count herself incredibly fortunate that her mother had lived such a long and prosperous life.

"Mom, I'm really sorry…" Helpless to her mother's sorrow, Amye discarded the mixture bowl aside.

"These things happen," Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders, to which had become the only rational response she could find evade the topic. "Now, I want to know more about this young man you met in New York." Nearly every phone conversation they had shared, Amye had mentioned her "friend" but she had confided little detail in her mother. "What was his name again? Nick, Nicholas…"

"Ric." Unusually short with her mother, Amye continued to correct herself as the thought of him, "Richard… and there really isn't anything more to know, mom. Whatever might have been isn't." He had also been semi-responsible for her decision to return home. The look of empathetic concern only her mother could wear with such beauty and innocence pierced Amye's attempt to build a wall between herself and her mother and she released a few more details to satisfy her mother's curiosity about the matter. "It wouldn't have worked out. New York is the only home he's ever known, Dallas is mine and neither of us were prepared to leave that behind forever. Besides, he has other responsibilities."

The more vague Amye became, the more Sue Ellen interpreted her reluctance. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"These things happen," Amye reflected the exact motion her mother had just moments before, except her smile was a cheery one. "It's not like I'm the one with a ten-year-old marriage in danger of divorce." She referred to the less-than-entertaining events of the evening before, "Did you know Elle and Michael were having problems?"

"I didn't have a clue." Her mother confessed, though that was of little surprise. No one had ever commented on it but Sue Ellen and her eldest daughter seemed forever at odds. Many assumed it was because Elle had always been her father's daughter. She had always aligned herself with the male point of view, her head for business relying solely on logical facts rather than the emotional compass that had continually launched her mother in one direction or the other. "You know she would never confide in me."

"Dad sure seemed to know plenty about it." Amye pointed out, and mother and daughter shared expressions of dread with the knowledge that J.R. had an ace hidden up his sleeve.

* * *

While Michael rattled on his version of events of Amye's homecoming dinner, John Ross found himself full of gratitude for his father's good judgement not to invite him. He could welcome Amye home anytime, in private, without the inevitable drama that occurred when the Ewing family gathered together. To his brother-in-law's tale of woe, John Ross had little to offer but the bottle of bourbon – perhaps the only habit he had inherited from his father – he kept locked in the back office of his dry bar for emergencies such as these.

"The only thing that made the evening bearable was the knowledge that we would eventually make it out of there." He confessed, as he slung back his drink and stretched the glass forward for John Ross to refill it. It had been the one condition Michael had insisted upon; he and Elle would live together as man and wife in his family home. Although the Anderson ranch didn't even compare in the same league as Southfork, the house was equally as grand and Elle, eager as ever to assert her independence, had agreed to his term. "It feels like things between us have reached the point of no return, you know?" With his admission, he positively reinforced himself with another drink. Their communication issues had reached an all-time-low, to the point where they only acknowledged one another if and when their daughter was present. "I've always had this sneaking suspicion, like she's held something back from me, all these years we've been together…"

Guilt-ridden with the truth, John Ross lingered in contemplation on the first drink he had poured but not yet succumbed to as Michael had done. Whenever Michael and Elle were at odds, it placed him in the impossible position of middle-man as he remained the only confidante they both entrusted enough with the state of their marriage. "You know how Elle can be." It was a measly consolation, at best.

"And I know how close the two of you are." Michael alluded to the possibility that John Ross was more than a mere bystander in his marriage.

Though it saddened him to witness the possible dissolution of his sisters marriage to Michael, who had been their childhood friend, along with his siblings, John Ross remained silent. Like his father's love of bourbon, John Ross also appreciated the most important lesson his father had passed on… the lesson of loyalty to family. He wouldn't betray Elle's trust. "C'mon, Mike, that ain't fair." He artfully slithered from the verbal corner Michael had backed him into but refused to outright deny his knowledge. "Whatever issues there are in your marriage, they're between you and Elle." His answer was short and his eyes were wide with innocence.

Thankfully, it threw Michael off the scent. "You're right, John Ross, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you." Keen to switch the topic of conversation, Michael limited himself to his third drink. Though the road home was nothing more than an old dirt track, he knew better than to risk a fine, at best, or his life, at worst, for driving under the influence. "Days like these, I long for the bachelor lifestyle. How's yours treating you?" Ironically, the only son of J.R. Ewing had more respect for women in his little finger than J.R. had in his entire body.

"Are you kidding?" John Ross played along, "The girls throw themselves at me." In actual fact, John Ross hadn't entered a solid relationship in years and had little desire to form one.

* * *

"What in the hell is going on out there?" The commotion outside Elle's office had been a consistent distraction as she and Lionel attempted to schedule the coming week. Her temperament had finally snapped when the deep southern tones continued to bombard the office, her father's voice naturally the loudest of them all. Infuriated by the arrogant intrusion, Elle yanked her office door open to discover various employees huddled in a circle as her father boomed with laughter. "Ahem!" The announcement of her presence scattered the employees into several different directions but her father remained in deep conversation, unaware of the burning holes Elle's eyes pierced into his back. Though, by now, Elle's attention had been drawn into the male figure stood beside her father.

"Miss Ewing?" Not even Lionel's gentle call could nudge her from the horrified headspace Elle had entered as she became more and more infatuated with him. His back was to Elle but his shoulders were level with J.R., he had retained that build of intimidation and proud stance. The only thing that was different was the way his hair had greyed with age.

Preoccupied by her recollection, the kind a lover might have, though that was far from an accurate description of their relationship, Elle didn't immediately realise that her father had suddenly noticed her presence. "Elle, sugar, you remember Jack Harrison?" Either the marble flooring beneath her heels shook or her legs trembled at the vision of him but Elle struggled to recompose herself as her father guided his guest in her direction. His hand stretched forward and his expression was an expectant one of surprise when Elle didn't immediately reach forward to shake it.

The child in Elle momentarily resurfaced with his reappearance, how innocent and naïve she had once been in her youth, but she supressed the memories and politely greeted him. "Well, I ought to!" He had been one of J.R.'s business acquaintances and closest friends since his wildcatting days with Jock and the man Elle secured her first deal with at Ewing Oil in a bid to prove her worth, not only to the company but to her father. "It's been years since we've seen you, Mr Harrison." She remained exceptionally calm as she displayed her picture-perfect smile, an asset she had acquired from her mother. "Forgive my confusion," she apologetically stated, "But I was under the impression you had moved state." There was no confusion. Shortly after his business deal with Elle, Jack and his wife had relocated to Georgia, which left his company under the charge of his three sons in Houston.

"Yes, that's true." Jack nodded his head in confirmation, his hand released Elle's and bunched back into his trouser pockets. "Unfortunately, my wife, Alma, died last summer and, well… life in Georgia just hasn't been the same without her there." His head swivelled toward J.R. and he patted his friends back, "I needed to get out of town for a little while and realised there's no one I'd rather see than one of my oldest friends in the business."

"My condolences for your loss, Mr Harrison," Elle bleakly offered, though this man's losses were far from her concern.

"Please, honey, I think we've known one another long enough to be on a first-name basis, don't you?" The elderly men chuckled in amusement and Elle nodded her head in minor agreement. "Damn, you know, it still feels like only yesterday that J.R. called me on the phone to say his little girl wanted in on the family business. Now, look at you!" He spread his arms wide for effect, as he happily acknowledged her achievement, "Here you are, the vice president of Ewing Energies – every bit your father's daughter – and a wife and mother." From the very moment J.R. had waltzed into his office with a teenage Elle at his side, Jack had sensed something exquisitely unique within her. Her passionate ambition, fearless in her declaration as to how much she desired her involvement in Ewing Oil.

"Well, I hate to interrupt this little reunion we have here but I am in need of a drink to celebrate!" J.R. filled the silence, as Elle accepted Jack's compliment with nothing more than a dreary smile, a pathetic attempt to feign something other than disinterest. "I'll bet you any money you like I can still drink you under the table."

Somewhat disappointed as J.R. guided him to the elevator, Jack called over his shoulder for Elle, "Won't you join us?"

Not only did she not care for it, Elle also sensed the lack of enthusiasm her father held for a female intrusion and she wisely heeded his expression. "I'm afraid some of us have to work." Once the elderly men stepped upon the elevator and the entire office returned to their scheduled activities, Elle signalled for Lionel to follow her into her office and shut the door behind him. "I have a little task for you, something additional to your usual office duties." Certain Lionel paid her his full attention, Elle continued with her instruction, "I need you to figure out whatever my father has planned with Mr Harrison. The fact that he's here, now, is no coincidence. Let me know if they have any appointments booked, in or out of the office, and keep an ear open for any useful information." Her father had always been a slippery snake and, consequently, Elle eyed him like a hawk. Whatever lucrative business deal he and Jack Harrison had in mind, she would not be kept in the dark.

* * *

The early evening AA meeting concluded and Sue Ellen wandered toward the bar where John Ross manned the bar alone. It hadn't instantly occurred to him, or Sue Ellen for that matter, that his bar would be the perfect setting for an AA meeting but, once Sue Ellen casually mentioned her sons business venture, her sponsor had suggested it and they had met there ever since. "Hi, sweetheart."

"How was your meeting?" John Ross started to create her usual of a Shirley Temple, which consisted of ginger ale and grenadine.

"It was just fine." His mother murmured in response, as she accepted the non-alcoholic beverage but distracted herself with the cherry John Ross had garnished it with, rather than start to drink it.

While Sue Ellen had never been an open book, John Ross felt confident in his ability to read her fairly well and the fact that his mother had required a private ten-minute session with her personal sponsor in addition to the group AA meeting spoke volumes for John Ross. He had come to terms with the fact that his mother would never be entirely free from her addiction, that despite the nearly twenty years of sobriety she had survived on her own merit, she still needed an external body to seek support from. But it didn't evade John Ross that, of all her children, he was probably the one Sue Ellen felt most comfortable revealing pieces of herself too. As the oldest, John Ross had witnessed her highest highs and lowest lows. "D'you want to talk about it?" Sue Ellen silently shook her head in response. In the case of her mother's illness, a problem shared wouldn't be a problem halved and she didn't wish to unnecessarily burden her son. The perceptive expression upon his face informed Sue Ellen that he would let the matter slide but he probably already knew her the source of her concern. "How was your lunch with Amye?"

Her bright smile made its rare appearance, her children always the most pleasant distractions. "It was wonderful, we made cupcakes!" She suddenly started to root through her purse, "Which reminds me… these are for you!" Three cupcakes were wrapped and boxed and she discretely slid them across the bar, to which her son chuckled at. No matter how old her children became, his mother would always have the insatiable urge to spoil them rotten and ensure they properly cared for themselves. "What?" She feigned innocence, her eyes wide and alert. "It's not like you have someone cooking for you at home and Lord knows you're as useless as your father in the kitchen!" The teasing of his culinary skills, or lack of such, may have lightened the moment but his mother's quickly became serious.

John Ross spied her expression and his eyebrow rose, "I know that look…"

Feeling confident he had welcomed her question, she posed it with the sweetest of smiles. "Won't you reconsider living with me, John Ross?" While Elle lived with Michael and their daughter upon the Anderson ranch, Amye lived with J.R. at Southfork but John Ross hadn't found himself a permanent home since his father had booted him from the family ranch.

"Mom, c'mon!" John Ross frowned at his mother, in the mildest display of annoyance that his mother continued to unnecessarily fret for him. "You're a worry wart, you know that?"

Equally as stubborn and bull-headed as her son, Sue Ellen leaned forward with her response, "I'm a mother." Family life at Southfork had become unbearable, at times throughout the years of her marriage to J.R., and Sue Ellen fully embraced the many advantages of living alone but she would relinquish her solitary lifestyle if John Ross would only surrender his pride and ask for her assistance. His once-upon-a-time innocence, in retrospect only a child could possess, had been ripped from John Ross and his rather cynical view of the world had replaced it. Though his moral compass was intact, John Ross was not the kind of man Sue Ellen had envisioned her eldest child to become; the happiness, she had once believed she could secure for him with wealth and reputation, had evaded him. "You've been alone for so long, sweetheart, ever since Diana died and I just –"

"Mom!" Harsher than before, John Ross cut his mother off before she could finish the sentence. It was evident she didn't intend to cause him further pain by dredging the memory back and he quickly softened his tone. "Look, I appreciate the concern but I'm fine, okay? And unlike my mother, when I say fine, I mean fine." He reaped the opportunity to scold his mother for her habit of painting prettier pictures over the reality underneath. Across the bar, John Ross patted Sue Ellen's hand in assurance and a gentle warning not to press the matter.

* * *

"Daddy, are you home?" After an afternoon well-spent with her mother, Amye had abstained from dinner at Southfork, in favour of dinner in Dallas with her best friend, Vanessa Anderson. Though only she and her father were the ones to call Southfork home, Amye prepared herself for her father's mild irritation that she had been absent from dinner. It was his father's tradition, before Amye had even been a potential prospect for the future, and J.R. was determined to uphold the tradition throughout the future generation. Anyone not in agreement challenged J.R.'s wrath.

From the kitchen, Maria dutifully appeared, a pleasant smile settled upon her lips to welcome Amye home. "Mr Ewing is in Dallas with a business acquaintance. He won't be home until late." Before Amye could quiz Maria about the owner of the unidentified vehicle in the Southfork drive, Maria motioned to stranger in the living room. "There's someone here for you."

Nothing could have prepared Amye for the waves of shock that overwhelmed her when she laid her eyes upon him again. "Ric…" In that moment, every one of her senses failed her and she became dizzied by his presence. Quickly though, her momentary happiness subsided. Their final conversation in New York stirred in her memories and the feeling of outrage Amye had been victim to threatened to blemish her entire body with a seething scarlet tint. "What are you doing here?" They hadn't settled upon an agreement but they had reached an understanding, at least Amye had believed so, that he wouldn't invade her space. Perhaps New York was his city but Dallas was her town, Texas was her state, and he wasn't welcome. "You don't have any right to be here." His arms lunged at her body and entrapped her into them before she could alert Maria for assistance. "Take your hands off me!"

Unfazed by her struggle, Richard captured her body with one arm and stationed his free hand over her jaw to ensure she couldn't alert anyone's attention. "I don't want to hurt you, sweetheart."

Her attempt to elbow his ribs and escape failed and Amye growled through gritted teeth, "I'm not your sweetheart."

"Hear me out." Though the urgency behind his voice made the request sound more like a demand on his part, Amye could hear the desperation that drove it. "Give me five minutes of your time." The way their relationship had reached its finale didn't settle well with him, he needed closure. She didn't cave in agreement, neither did she deny him his request, and Richard cautiously loosened the hand from her mouth. Hesitant still, Richard awaited her flight-mode, which never came, before he completely released her from his clutch. "Thank you."

Disdain shone from her mother's hazel eyes and Amye's lips curled into a formidable snarl, one that intimidated him, for he had never witnessed it before. The golden wedding band on his left hand stuck out like a sore thumb then and his obvious discomfort provided Amye with a temporary pleasure. "Well, well… that wife of yours is more desperate than I thought, if she hasn't divorced you yet." Her heart wasn't completely in the ugly insult aimed at Richard's wife; Amye felt pity for the woman, if the fact that Richard continued to showcase his wedding band meant their marriage remained solid, despite their affair. "Maybe, that's the reason you're here. Did she finally find the guts to kick you to the curb?"

Her resentment toward him was understandable, not unreasonable, but it still caused an ache in his heart. "Anna and I are over. We have been for some time." Richard warily stepped forward, inching that much closer to Amye but withholding the desire to restrain her once more. "Now, I'm here," he placed emphasis on his point, "Because I need you in my life."

"How dare you?" The nerve Richard possessed, his unwavering confidence had once been his most enticing asset. In his mid-thirties and the CEO of the company he had built from nothing alone, he was perhaps the most charismatic man Amye had ever encountered, bar her father. "How dare you assume you can walk on in here and have me fall into your arms like nothing happened?" At least, during this confrontation, Richard had the decency to appear ashamed of himself but Amye refuted that as part of his Mr-Nice-Guy act. "What's the matter?" She challenged him, refusing to allow him any more favours than he had already been granted by her good-nature. "Did you think I would have forgotten the fact that you lied to me for months?" The second week after Amye's arrival in New York, she had been introduced to Richard at a society event she had attended with Danielle and their relationship blossomed, until the revelation that Richard had been married for five years plucked Amye from her pink cloud and reality struck her in the face. Had she ever known of Richard's marriage, she would have steered clear from the beginning but, by the time she discovered the truth, the damage had already been done. Their hearts threatened to overrule their heads but his wife's ultimatum stopped the affair in its tracks and Amye returned to the safe haven of her childhood home, Southfork. "You made your decision, you chose your marriage over me." Reluctantly, Amye permitted him to witness the rejection she had suffered but quickly supressed the emotions. "And that was your prerogative." Even the hardest shell she protected her heart with probably wouldn't have been able to shield her from the guilt she would have endured had she been responsible for his family's destruction. The label of "home-wrecker" didn't settle well with Amye. "But it's my prerogative to ask that you leave, now."

"Amye, believe me, there's nothing I wouldn't give to rewind time and make things different." Even if it made little difference to her decision, Richard needed his apology to be voiced.

Her determination to rebuff his advances didn't falter and Amye folded her arms across her chest. The showdown between Richard and his wife, one Amye had been forced to witness in nothing but lingerie, was imprinted on her memory and the insults hurled in her direction would never be forgotten. "Even now, you still don't see the bigger picture, do you?" She mocked his stupidity, with a violent shake of her head and dared to approach him. "You made me feel the way no one has ever made me feel before." Though the choice of words may have indicated pending love and affection, Richard braced himself for further attack and Amye did not disappoint. "You have been the only man to ever make me feel like something dirty!" The indignity Amye had been forced to tolerate, as his wife burst into the penthouse apartment in the upper-east side Richard had purchased specifically for them, had dented the precocious poise Amye wore like the Ewing princess she had been raised to be. "Nothing you say or do will ever erase that." She challenged him to defy her demand as she stopped a foot short of him, "Get the hell out of here." His hopes dashed, Richard bowed his head and slunk from the house. Assured he had finally left, Amye released the breath she didn't realise she had nearly suffocated on and couldn't deny that she was anything but indifferent to the way he felt.

* * *

A few too many rounds of bourbon and branch, and a well-intended lecture from Jack about wasted time better spent, had delivered J.R. to Sue Ellen's doorstep. Had it not been for the fact that he had already rang the doorbell – and his aching bones wouldn't achieve a quick escape – J.R.'s momentary lack of confidence would have left nothing but dust to greet her. Through the glass doors, J.R. grinned as she approached in her silk, lilac nightgown. "Hello, darlin'!" His favoured greeting, full of charm and sophistication, rang true. "I hope I'm not disturbing you?" In fact, J.R. loved nothing more than to create disturbance but the late hour and her attire suggested that Sue Ellen may have already succumbed to inevitable exhaustion.

Somewhat perplexed by his unscheduled appearance at her home, Sue Ellen balanced her reading glasses upon her head and smiled in return, "Of course not." He swayed a little on the spot, his body unsteady with the aroma of Bourbon, and Sue Ellen concealed her amusement. "Would you like to come in? I just made a fresh pot of tea."

"No, no, that's alright, honey!" J.R. politely refused the offer, "It's late. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I saw the, uh, the light on," he struggled for the correct word as he motioned to her kitchen window, which was visible from maid road which passed by her house. "I was just driving by the neighbourhood, on my way home." Thankful that Sue Ellen didn't appear to notice how much he stumbled over his words, which were undoubtedly slurred a little, J.R. patted the concrete wall and cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed by his condition. "Well, I should get going."

It was quite an odd sensation to witness J.R.'s blatant intoxication; it had almost always been her main status in their marriage. With a fleeting glance over his shoulders, Sue Ellen ensured that J.R. had been accompanied by the allocated driver he had hired to flaunt his excessive wealth, "Get home safe, J.R.." The downfall of their marriage, twice over, had left a seething bitterness in Sue Ellen but, as the old prophecy predicted, time had eventually healed those wounds and she felt nothing but an infinite fondness for the father of her children.

Halfway down her drive, J.R. paused and slowly wandered back to Sue Ellen's doorstep, "Say, honey, what would say to having dinner with me sometime next week?"

Whether his out-of-sorts disposition warmed J.R. to Sue Ellen, or the years had softened her once bitter heart, or perhaps the magic J.R. pinpointed between them would always cast its spell upon her, Sue Ellen didn't know for sure but she wore her prettiest smile and nodded her head in acceptance of his invitation. "I would say I'll be looking forward to it." Her hand rested on his lower arm, she leaned forward and tenderly kissed his cheek. Delighted by her embrace, J.R. placed his Stetson upon his head and staggered his way back to the awaiting car at the edge of her drive.


	4. Ghost

**Diana Ashwell  
**April 21, 1980 – April 15, 1996  
Rest in peace, our angel.

Dawn broke over the Dallas cemetery and John Ross delicately arranged the bouquet of daises at the foot of Diana's granite headstone. Sunrise had always been her favourite time, the peacefulness of morning soothed the serenity in her soul and John Ross sensed her presence in the chilly breeze upon his cheek, and the warmth of the awakening sun. He didn't frequent her grave, not the way he had done in the months after her death. His days had blurred into a mass vision of one, like a never-ending reel of film, and his thoughts were solely occupied with his final vision of Diana. How the blood had trickled down her face, how the exotic tones of her skin had paled deathly white, how her lips had swollen blue. She had died mere days before her sixteenth birthday and John Ross had memorised every minute; his evasion of sleep permitted him to explore how her life could have been preserved had he done one thing different. Whenever he admitted defeat and conceded sleep to overcome him, his thoughts were so consumed with the tragic final minutes of her life that Diana's horrified scream ripped him from the temporary calm. It was the scream Diana had released as she became aware of her potential fate, the moment another car had careened head-first into theirs as John Ross showcased his driving abilities in the car his father had purchased for him; it had been a gift to commemorate the fact that John Ross had aced his driving test the first time. He had blamed himself in the aftermath, he must have been distracted by something, no matter how many times he reflected upon the accident, he couldn't pinpoint what. The truth of the matter had been that the other driver was at fault, intoxicated by a lethal mixture of drugs and alcohol in his system.

"John Ross?" His sisters voice yanked him back from the brink, reality surrounding him once more, and John Ross craned his neck to glance over his shoulder at Elle. She had purchased her own daisy bouquet, Diana's favourite kind of flower, and gingerly stationed them beside John Ross' bunch. Aside from moments like these, John Ross had the tendency to forget that Elle and Diana had been the closest of friends, which said much in Diana's favour, for Elle rarely embraced anyone with her friendship.

"I should have known you would be here." He bowed his head in admittance, his statement had sounded far too much like an accusation than one of gratitude.

Not unaccustomed to the walls her brother surrounded himself with, in regards to Diana, Elle buried her hands in her coat pockets. "I could say the same." A sombre smile matched the subtle threat of tears as she eyed John Ross with concern, "How are you?" He transformed into the image of her sixteen-year old brother again, as his shoulders slumped forward, no words broke through. "I can leave, if you'd rather be alone." Elle candidly offered, able to perceive the proper time and place for her presence, but John Ross shook his head in disagreement. It was all the confirmation Elle required to be certain that her brother desired her company and she linked her arm with his and rested her head upon his shoulder.

"Can you believe how long it's been?" His rhetorical question didn't need an answer; it had been eleven years since Diana's passing but her eternal absence still cast a shadow upon their lives in the form of what could have been had she not been ripped from them. Many dismissed the relationship as "puppy love" or two childhood sweethearts, who would eventually rid themselves of one another in favour of someone new, but those close to John Ross and Diana didn't have much difficult envisioning them as future man and wife. Her simple beliefs and just mind had made her a saviour of sorts, as she convinced John Ross to remain open to each and every one of life's possibilities. Little did she realise she had contributed to the initial tears in the umbilical cord J.R. had entrapped John Ross with. Since neither of their fathers approved of their union, John Ross and Diana had made a pact to marry once they both reached legal age and be the creators of a legacy of their own.

"It still feels like yesterday that the five of us were together by the pool at Southfork," Elle referred to the friendship group, which had consisted of herself, the Anderson brothers, John Ross and Diana. "We would talk about our plans for the future. Me and Michael made bets on who would become the president of a company first, Will would only ever talk about leaving Texas behind in the dust… but you and Diana, all you two seemed to care about was each other." Her smile became wider as she reminisced their good-natured argument, "She wanted two children, you wanted five."

John Ross softly laughed, "The way she would mother Amye and Vanessa…"

Brother and sister became entwined in their memories but Elle, afraid to witness her brother become consumed by them once again, broke the peaceful silence as she tugged slightly on his arm. "Have you had any breakfast this morning?" John Ross barely shook his head in response. "Me neither." Elle's mouth unintentionally widened with a yawn; it was just after 6am, which meant her favourite coffee shop would be open for business. "Care to join me? I have another hour before I need to be at the office."

The more John Ross contemplated the offer, the more he realised it wasn't an invitation, it was an instruction. "Why not?" His grief for Diana had once seemed eternal and Elle had been the only one conscious enough of it to ensure someone could break him from it. She had championed their paternal grandmother, the Ewing matriarch, to her cause and Miss Ellie had shared her experience in the aftermath of his grandfather's sudden death. He rationalised that, if his grandmother could survive the love of her life, a man she had married and shared children with for over half a century, then he could survive Diana's loss. With his grandmother's support, John Ross gathered the courage to attend Diana's grave on the anniversary of her death and, with his grandmother's support, he gathered the courage to leave Diana behind once again. After his grandmother passed, her namesake upheld the cause.

* * *

"Michael came to the bar last week." John Ross informed his sister, as they huddled at the most private table the coffee shop offered. "He's desperate, Elle." His words had little effect upon the less-than-sympathetic expression stitched across her features and John Ross frowned, disappointed by her lack of compassion. "Nothing is more important to him than you and Jasmine."

Whatever kind of assurances her brother expected her to profess, Elle simply couldn't find within. The truth of the matter was that, with their daughter removed from the equation, she and Michael had very little in common. His ravenous ambition, the ambition that had attracted her to him, had dissipated throughout the years of their marriage. His drive faded into nothing, his ego deflated, and his grandfather's company had dissolved into bankruptcy. Rather than battle to save Anderson Oil from the vultures that circled its remains, Michael did little to prevent the destruction of his family legacy and resembled that of a man finally freed from a lifetime sentence. "My family's equally as important to me, John." The fact that his sister had addressed him with only his first name, a rare occurrence, was a subtle caution not to further enrage her. "But Ewing Energies is as much a priority of mine."

Whether the date had heightened his emotions, or his patience with her tendency for emotional distance had finally snapped, John Ross became visibly upset. "You are exactly like J.R., you know that?" He noted the resemblance, his tone a condemning rather than complimentary one. "Have you forgotten all the times he neglected his family in favour of that company?" John Ross had lost count of the father-son fishing trips J.R. had cancelled last-minute, or the weekends wasted in his father's office. Rarely did his father's attention stream from the paperwork splattered across his wooden desk, a desk John Ross had often daydreamed of smashing into pieces.

"Have you forgotten that he built that company for his family?" Her brother's relentless determination to provoke a confrontation exposed her most incredulous of expressions. How he could continue to deny their father and renounce his birth-right, Elle would never be able to fathom. "Granddaddy may have been the one to create Ewing Oil from nothing but our father was the man who really built it. He transformed Ewing Oil from just another Texan oil company into Ewing Energies and we're on the verge of becoming worldwide, John Ross." With her father in the drivers' seat, Elle had ample opportunity to witness her father's greatness first-hand and her admiration for him soared sky-high. "Everything our father did was to protect the legacy his father passed on, in the hopes that one day his son and heir would be ready and willing to accept it." The envy Elle had always regarded John Ross with briefly arose but she stifled the emotion she claimed to have dealt with long before. "You may have exercised your right to dismiss your heritage but I would never disrespect our father like that." Regardless of their incessant game of one-upmanship, which quite often resulted in minor emotional casualties for Elle, she adored her father. In fact, it was the only way in which she severely differed from John Ross; she had always been her father's daughter and John Ross had been unconditionally devoted to Sue Ellen.

"And what about respect for our mother?" He snapped, and his retaliation threw them both back into their childhood, when each had supported the other parent in the most recent marital dispute. "How many times did his allegiance to his precious company destroy her?" The memories of the war-zone they had been raised in were constant; late night confrontations and broken bottles, not to mention the kind of tension you couldn't slice through with a knife at the dinner table.

Stoic in her expression, Elle responded with a matter-of-fact tone, "Our mother was an alcoholic." The mental images John Ross and Elle held of their mother were stark in contrast. While John Ross had always held their father partially responsible for the times Sue Ellen had spiralled into her addiction, Elle was of the opinion that an alcoholic was an alcoholic. Even if their father hadn't indulged in other women, Sue Ellen would have rooted out another excuse to justify a disease she had been born with, a disease Elle had always been wary of in herself and her siblings.

John Ross cleared his throat, undeterred by her defiance. "She may have had her shortcomings, but you're mistreating Michael exactly the way J.R. mistreated her."

The self-control Elle perfectly exerted in every conversation shattered, somewhat insulted by his accusation, "I have never cheated on my husband!" True, the oil business had made her hard-hearted and her relationships, most of all her marriage, had suffered as a result but, despite the emotional and physical distance, her eye had never wandered to another man.

"As if that makes a damn bit of difference!" John Ross protested, though his tone had softened slightly when he realised how hurtful his previous comment had been. "Look… I'm not the kind of person to dictate how you live your life but the way things are…" his head shook, disenchanted by the way his sister's life had panned out. "People might buy the Mr and Mrs charade you and Michael play so well in public but that's because people like that don't really care." His childhood had been an eye-opener for John Ross and he discovered just how cruel the inhabitants of high-society Texas could be. His concern shone through and John Ross pleaded with Elle, "He deserves better, Elle, so do you."

The way John Ross harped on agitated Elle, and she had to wonder if her agitation stemmed from the fact that she knew her brother had a legitimate point. Unlike their father, his interest in her the state of her marriage was based in real concern for her well-being and Elle could hardly resent her brother for such love. "Look, I appreciate your concern and I will keep what you've said in mind, I really will, I promise." Uncertain how to evade the subject, Elle glimpsed at her watch and silently praised the Lord that it was almost 7am. "I should get going or I'll be late for work." Before her brother could refute her departure, Elle grabbed her purse and darted from the coffee shop.

* * *

"… of course, you're the only person I would entrust this kind of deal with, J.R.!" Jack Harrison declared, jovial as the two men relaxed in J.R.'s office. The other side of the wooden door, Lionel lingered for a more vital piece of information but his efforts were only rewarded with undetailed references to whatever kind of deal the elderly men had planned for the near future.

Lines of concern appeared on J.R.'s forehead as he contemplated any potential hiccups they might face. "And you're sure your sons won't have any legal authority?" After more than sixty years in the oil business, Jack Harrison had finally decided to hang up his Stetson and retire. Naturally, the general assumption had been that his two sons would share the company but their leadership, while Jack had semi-retired in Georgia, had been a dismal disappointment. Rather than witness the company's slow death, Jack had offered J.R. first refusal to acquire it as a subsidiary of Ewing Energies and J.R. had jumped at the opportunity. "I imagine they won't take too kindly to you denying them what they might think of as their birth right." The resentment J.R. suffered when his younger brother threatened to muscle in at Ewing Oil, with their father's blessing, had been enough to drive J.R. into whatever kind of scheme necessary to ensure the company would remain his and his alone.

Dismissive of the wrongdoing his sons would undoubtedly feel in regards to his decision, Jack snorted at J.R.'s reservations. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing, J.R.!" The smile quickly fell from his lips as he emphasised his reasons, "What can I say? They just don't have their daddy's head for business." Despite J.R.'s misfortune with his eldest son's refusal to engage in the family business, Elle's eagerness to follow in her father's footsteps seemed more than just compensation. "I've always envied you that, J.R.; that daughter of yours looks to have a bright future."

"And hers after her." J.R. chuckled in agreement, as he pictured his only grandchild at the future helm of what J.R. anticipated would soon become Ewing Global. "There was a time when I didn't think I'd have anyone to pass this company onto," he confessed, more serious in his tone. After the death of his childhood sweetheart, the recipient of his puppy love, as J.R. had once tactfully described it, John Ross had made his disinterest in Ewing Oil final and J.R. openly voiced his doubts that a woman, even one as intelligent as Elle, had the kind of mind-set for the oil business. "John Ross deserted the family without so much a second thought and I didn't think the legacy my daddy built would carry on any further than Bobby and I."

"The way I understood it, Elle always had intention to enter the oil business." Jack furrowed his brow, his recollection somewhat contradictory to the one J.R. possessed.

"Yeah, that she did!" J.R. confirmed in agreement, evidently proud of just similar Elle had become to him. "But I wasn't always confident in her abilities." The expression upon Jack's face forced J.R. to realise his statement had quite the chauvinistic ring to it. "Not just because she would have been a young woman in the oil business." After all the women J.R. had encountered in his business deals, most notably that of Holly Harwood, J.R. had all the confidence in the world in Elle. "But, after the trouble she found herself in, pregnant at sixteen –"

"Sixteen?" The disbelief Jack suffered meant his voice rose a little louder than his usual boom, "Damn, J.R., I had no idea!" Life in Georgia had distanced Jack in plenty of ways from the oil business, most of all from friends like J.R., and, truthfully, Jack didn't miss the ruthlessness of men like J.R. Ewing quite so much. "She always seemed so sensible… responsible!"

"I know it, I know it." Internally, J.R. relived the moment Elle gathered the family at Southfork and informed them of her revelation. Not once did her voice tremble, nor did her confidence waver. Blue eyes as calm as the ocean as Elle listened in silence, while her family listed the cons to her decision not to abort the child before it wreaked havoc upon her future. His brother had fretted for her education, - what would become of her dreams for Harvard? – Sue Ellen doubted whether her daughter was really prepared for the lifelong commitment of motherhood, J.R. only had interest in the father of first grandchild. The announcement that Elle had accepted Michael Anderson's proposal of marriage had answered that burning question, and J.R. consoled himself with the fact that his eldest daughter had involved herself with someone of stature, at least. "But she's been a damn fine wife and mother, despite our protests, and I can honestly say I wouldn't have had it any other way!"

* * *

Almost half an hour later, after conversation that had little interest to Lionel, the ping of the elevator announced Elle's arrival at the office. "Good morning, Lionel."

Thankful to be excused from his eavesdropping duties, Lionel scooted over the office floor to greet his boss. "Good morning, Miss Ewing! Your father is in his office with Mr Harrison." Immediately, Elle stopped in her tracks and glanced toward her father's closed office door. "Nothing of interest mentioned, though you did come up in conversation."

"Thank you, Lionel. Why don't you get back to your desk?" She discarded her coat and purse inside the doorway of her office and motioned to his unmanned station. "And hold my calls for a minute." A hand smoothed over her navy tight-fit suit as she wandered to her father's office and knocked gently before she entered it. "Dad, I hope you don't mind the interruption, I just –" The conversation of two men seemingly startled Elle from the paperwork she had brought along for good measure and Elle expressed her surprise as Jack stood to her attention. "My, my, Mr Harrison, we sure are seeing plenty of you now that you're back in Dallas!"

"Well, it's always good to reacquaint yourself with old friends." The older man rationalised, as he and J.R. shared a discrete expression. "I'm sorry to run out on you, J.R., but I'm late for an appointment. Always a pleasure, Elle," he rubbed her shoulder and she squirmed uneasily from his touch. "I'm sure we'll be seeing one another again. Goodbye, J.R.!"

Her suspicion evident, Elle narrowed her eyes at J.R., "Well, well, well… if I didn't know you better, I might suspect you and your dear friend, Mr Harrison, had something up your sleeves." When her father made no denial to her accusation, his expression one of mere amusement at her delusional nature, Elle leaned forward and rested each hand on the edge of his desk. "This may be your company but I am still the Vice President and I expected to be consulted on every business decision made. Do not try to screw me over because you will regret it."

J.R. rolled his eyes and remained unruffled by her veiled threat, "Oh, honey, don't be so paranoid. It's not good for your complexion." He rose from his leather chair behind the desk and started to guide his daughter from his office, "I've known that man since we were kicking 'round in the dirt. We're catching up on old times together, that's all, darlin'! Besides, I know better than to ever try and screw you over again." The previous attempt J.R. had made to execute a private deal for Ewing Energies behind Elle's back had resulted in hell breaking loose within the company and, after his anger had subsided, J.R. respected his daughter all the more. "If and when we decide to do business, I'll be sure to let you know." Once Elle's feet were both firmly planted the opposite side of the threshold, J.R. shut the door in her face and grinned with glee. Nothing allowed J.R. Ewing to thrive better than a secret.

* * *

A sceptical glint appeared in Amye's eyes as Sue Ellen informed her of J.R.'s dinner proposal, "And you accepted?"

Somewhat discomforted by Amye's reaction to the news she had casually entered into the conversation, Sue Ellen brushed the wisps of hair from her eyes and shrugged, "It's just dinner, sweetheart, not a marriage proposal." As the youngest of their children, only two-years of age when she divorced J.R. for the second and final time, Amye had little recollection of her parents' marriage and had often voiced her hopes for an eventual reconciliation. The fact that neither she or J.R. had entered a serious relationship in years only encouraged her optimism.

"Right." Amye nodded her head in agreement. "A quiet, intimate dinner between old friends. Just the two of you…" her voice trailed off into the distance, her lips curling into a seductive smile.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" Sue Ellen sipped her tea, as Amye snatched a grape from the mini-fruit salad Sue Ellen had prepared Jasmine for an after-school snack. "How's your snack, sweetheart?" A preoccupied hum came from Jasmine in response and Sue Ellen steeled herself for the irritated phone call she would receive later from Elle in regards to Jasmine's ruined appetite, though she rationalised that the snack, at least, was a healthy one. "When you've finished that, we can make a start on that math homework."

The vibration of Amye's cell phone interrupted the family scene and Amye answered the unrecognised number which appeared on the screen with a blunt response, "Hello?"

"It's me." His voice was one that could instantly be recognised and Amye's smile immediately disappeared. "Don't hang up the phone, Amye, we need to talk." Days had passed since Richard had made his appearance at Southfork but he had made no further attempt at communication, and Amye had been under the impression he had returned to New York. "I'm outside your mother's house." Alarmed by this revelation, Amye hopped from the kitchen stool and wandered into her mother's living room. Though the window overlooked the drive, the street opposite was just visible and Richard stood in plain sight, balanced against his car bonnet and his phone pressed to his cheek. Despite the distance, Richard could practically see the steam exit Amye's ears and the visible redness of her skin as he cornered her into the next decision. "Please, Amye, I know I've hurt you but you can't run away from this anymore." Her refusal to cooperate forced Richard's hand and his face tightened into a serious expression, "Either you agree to meet me, or I come inside and we do this right here, right now." The duality of Amye's subtle nod and her heavy-breath of silence led Richard to assume that she had become more receptive to his request. "I'm registered at the Omni Hotel in the penthouse suite."

As Jasmine rummaged through her schoolbag for the homework previously in question, Amye noted her mother's increasing interest in the phone call that seemed to cause such distress. Time alone with Richard would only lead to the one thing Amye had every intention of avoiding but she had little choice. For the time being, she couldn't risk the exposure. "I'll be there."

* * *

"How are you, honey?" The sincerity in his question, the genuine glint in his eyes unsettled Sue Ellen from the gracious composure she had always possessed. The intimate dinner Amye had predicted had gone without a hitch, their conversation had revolved around Amye, Sue Ellen's modelling company, Allure, and the apple of their eye, their granddaughter, Jasmine. In fact, the evening had been so pleasant that Sue Ellen had extended an invitation and welcomed J.R. into her home for an after-dinner drink.

She buried her face into the warmth of the steam that lifted from her cup of tea, in abrupt avoidance of the candid expression he wore. "I'm alright." With a heavy sigh, Sue Ellen nodded her head in acceptance of the eventuality she would be met with. "The doctors have prepared me for the worst." It was only a matter of time, though the wait made the acceptance that more difficult.

Although neither one of their daughters had confided in him to that extent, it didn't surpass J.R. that his former mother-in-law's illness had taken its toll on Sue Ellen. Experience had educated J.R. in the loss of a parent and the subsequent grief a child suffered in the wake of their death, no matter what age. "You know, it still feels like yesterday we lost mama." In contrast to his father's abrupt death, his mother had died peacefully in her sleep from natural causes but the absence of her presence at Southfork would pain the family for years to come. The detached expression Sue Ellen held warned J.R. from the subject and he refrained from deeper examination of her emotions. "You were a great comfort to me, Sue Ellen." Their divorce had ripped them apart, to the point of no return, and they had ceased communication for many years but Miss Ellie's death led to somewhat of a reconciliation, at least in friendship. His mother had been the middle-man, or woman, for the sake of their children and an incredible confidante for them both throughout the years of their marriage, and divorce. It had been out of pure respect for Miss Ellie that Sue Ellen had declared ceasefire and offered her condolences to J.R., who finally accepted how much his family valued her. "Even Bob fell apart but you, you kept the family together." Undoubtedly, it had been unintentional on Sue Ellen's part, simply an act to satisfy her natural instinct to comfort the ones dearest to her heart, but she had filled Miss Ellie's shoes as the heart of the Ewing family in the weeks after her death. The support she boosted his family with had been essential and J.R. remained indebted to her for the unconditional loyalty she had expressed.

Slightly embarrassed by the emphasis J.R. highlighted upon such a natural reaction, Sue Ellen lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders, in nonchalance. "I didn't really do anything, I was just happy I could help you all with whatever needed to be done." A collaborative effort between herself and Pamela had made the final arrangements for her pre-planned memorial, the reading of the will and dealt with the mass of condolences. "Anyone would have done the same." She disregarded her kindness, in the hope that J.R. would divert from the subject.

"Well… you be sure to let me know, if you need anything and I mean that, Sue Ellen." Her head slowly nodded, in gratitude more than agreement, and J.R. finished the remnants of his drink. "I really should get going, I have an early meeting at the office tomorrow and I don't want to be late. It would just give that daughter of ours more motive to plan my retirement." Although Sue Ellen smiled in a sign of amusement, she was anything but. Her fears for John Ross had been downplayed when their son renounced his right to his inheritance but Elle had upheld their father's cause and had become every bit the workaholic her father had been, with little care for much else. "I do have the afternoon free though. What d'you say we collect Jasmine from school tomorrow and spend the day with her?"

Always keen to share time with her granddaughter, Sue Ellen's only concern was that J.R. had started to show such interest in their friendship once again. "What are you trying to do, J.R.?"

Not averse to her suspicious nature, J.R. feigned innocence in his response. "Nothing, darlin'! I just know how much you enjoy time with Jasmine, how much she enjoys your company and I thought it might be good for the child to see her grandparents together now and again." Honestly, his suggestion ran deeper than just another excuse to reconcile with Sue Ellen; he suffered somewhat of a guilt for the divide their separation had caused between their children, how much heartache they had suffered because of it and his granddaughter allowed him the opportunity to right such an ancient wrong.

His sincerity surpassed her reluctance to fall prey to his charms as always and Sue Ellen smiled softly, "Alright."


End file.
