I don't own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.
This is a "What if?" fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode "Top Gun" Sue Ellen had changed her mind at the last possible moment and instead of teaming up with Kimberly and Wendell to beat JR she voted her Weststar shares to make him CEO?
***
What If
Part 86
***
"That's enough, John Ross!" Sue Ellen laughed. "Give your Uncle Bobby a break!"
"Aw, Mama!" John Ross complained.
"I mean it! Don't make me have to take those water guns away from you boys!"
"I'm starting to regret buying those things!" Pam giggled.
"Not as much as JR and Bobby are regretting it. Poor guys are getting soaked mercilessly!"
"Is it like this every night now Sue Ellen?"
"Like what?"
"So peaceful. So much fun."
"Yes," Sue Ellen confirmed. "It's a wonderful life at Southfork these days."
"Are you going to miss it when you and JR move?"
"We're just going right next door," Sue Ellen reminded her. "I don't intend to miss any of this."
"Say, Pam," JR cut in, coming over to take a seat next to Sue Ellen at the patio table, "why don't Sue Ellen and I take you and the boys over to see the house tomorrow when I get home from work? I know Christopher would love to show you his room."
"Oh, I'd love that, JR!"
"Is that Cliff?" Bobby asked, coming over and grabbing a towel.
"Oh. Yes," JR grimaced. "I totally forgot he was coming over with those ownership transfer papers this evening."
"Me too," Bobby sighed. "I hope he knows what he's doing."
"I personally think the man has lost his mind."
"Ownership transfer papers?" Sue Ellen repeated.
"Now honey, we weren't hiding it. With everything that happened yesterday the fact is it totally slipped my mind."
"What slipped your mind, JR?" Sue Ellen asked suspiciously.
"Well…"
"Good evening everyone," JR's words were lost when Cliff interrupted. "Pam, you look wonderful," he bent down and kissed her.
"Thank you, Cliff," Pam beamed at him. "Are you staying for dinner?"
"Not tonight," he waved at Christopher in the pool. "Afton and I are having dinner with April and Jack. I just have some papers for JR and Bobby to sign, then I'll be on my way."
He produced an envelope and a pen from his jacket pocket and handed it to JR.
"What kind of papers?" Sue Ellen asked.
"They didn't tell you? Oh. I'm signing over half of my Ewing Oil stock to Jack."
"You're what?" Pam breathed out, shocked. "Why?"
"Giving him back what I took from him after Jamie died."
"Cliff... that's…"
"Crazy," JR finished for Pam. He handed the papers and pen to Bobby and leaned back into his chair.
"I think it's wonderful, Cliff," Sue Ellen said, smacking JR's hand. "Does Jack know?"
"No, I'm telling him tonight."
"What brought this on?" Pam asked him.
"Oh, I don't know. Getting you back. Getting Afton back. Getting Pammy. I suddenly have a lot of good karma going and I want to keep it that way."
"There you go, Cliff," Bobby handed him the papers back. "Don't forget to tell Jack he can't sell without mine and JR's joint approval."
"Will do," Cliff smiled and bent down to kiss Pam again. "Call you tomorrow, Sis. And I'll see you boys at the office tomorrow. Don't forget we have that conference call with Donna about the Senate Bill."
"See you then," Bobby said, watching Cliff walk away.
"I could make a comment about a fool and his money being parted…" JR stopped when he saw the look on Pam's face, "but I certainly won't, because I'm a changed man!"
***
"Do you think JR does know?" Jenna asked Ray after hearing about James.
"If he does, he hasn't known long, I promise you that. I'd have heard about it by now."
"Sue Ellen isn't going to like this at all."
"No. Listen, I know I've been gone a lot lately…"
"Oh, no Ray, you need to go. This could really hurt the family. Besides, you have to go back and check on the business anyway, especially if you and Clayton are going to make Jack a partner."
"I feel like I'm always leaving you, Jenna."
"I'm fine if you leave," she leaned forward and kissed him, "just so long as you always come home."
"Never doubt it," Ray smiled and kissed her back. "Never doubt it."
***
"You're home early tonight. Miss Krebbs have a nursery program to attend?"
"Very funny, mother. I'm not seeing the Krebb's girl anymore."
"Well, I'm glad that you have come to your senses."
"I don't have time to play games with you. I'm only here to pack my bags."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not sure yet. But away from you."
"You can't leave James. I'll cut you off without a dime!"
"Go ahead. My uncle Nestor has given me a large line of credit with very favorable terms."
"Why would he do that?" Vanessa's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Well, in spite of all the effort you've made to make him seem a monster to me my whole life, I found him to be quite pleasant and reasonable. Especially after I faxed him a copy of the blood test Allister had done on me when I was seven."
"Blood test?" Vanessa gasped.
"Oh, I forgot. You didn't know about that, did you mother? Turned out Allister knew all those years there was no possible way I could be his son. He kept your secret mother, but I refuse to."
"James…"
"In addition to the line of credit, good old Uncle Nestor also gave me a reward for revealing to him the true cause of his brother's death. Since it was from natural causes - a heart attack - and not an accident, it seems you'll have to give back a sizable portion of your insurance settlement."
"James, I don't know where you're getting your information…"
"The same place you got yours, Mother. Straight from the police file."
"James, you need to think carefully about what you're doing. You were at the house that night. You started the fire. You confessed it all to me yourself. If you make Any of this public, you could go to jail!"
"No I won't. I also confessed to the police this afternoon. I'm not in any legal jeopardy at all - since as you well know I lied about not reporting the fire."
"You made that emergency call?"
"Yes. I suppose I lied about it because I wanted you to be afraid of me. I wanted you to think I had enough of you in me that I could be that evil. But it's just not so. And I am leaving here and getting away from your poison before you infect me further."
"James, please…"
"Goodbye, mother. And good luck. By the time Uncle Nestor gets through with you, you're really going to need it."
***
"We're going to have to get them out of the pool," Sue Ellen sighed. "It's getting very late."
"Let's give Pam and Bobby a little bit more time alone before we unleash those boys back into the house," JR responded. "After all, they kept them occupied for us for quite a long while this afternoon."
Sue Ellen blushed and nodded. "Okay, JR."
"I love that you know," his voice turned low and seductive.
"What?"
"How you're such a wildcat in bed but ladylike enough to blush about it outside the bedroom."
Sue Ellen blushed deeper and JR chuckled at her. "Lucy's home," he pointed at the driveway.
Lucy got out of her car, waved at the boys, and walked over to JR and Sue Ellen's table.
"How did things go with Mitch?" Sue Ellen asked her niece.
"Wonderfully," Lucy smiled brightly. "Stand up, Uncle JR."
"Why?" JR's eyes grew dark with distrust. "I just dried off. Don't you dare push me back into the pool."
"Would you just stand up?" Lucy rolled her eyes.
JR slowly got up. He was barely standing straight when Lucy jumped up into his arms and flung her arms around his neck. "I love you so much. Thank you for everything."
Lucy let him go and turned towards the house. "I have to call Mama. I can't wait to tell her Mitch is moving to Dallas!"
"What was that all about?" Sue Ellen asked once Lucy was inside.
JR shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Nothing. I might have gone by and had a talk with Mitch this morning."
"Oh? You MIGHT have?" Sue Ellen teased him.
"Now let's not make a big deal out of it. Probably had nothing to do with him coming to his senses."
"Whatever you say, JR," Sue Ellen grinned at her husband. "Whatever you say."
***
"Are you going to tell Sue Ellen?" Jack asked.
April looked up from her plate of food and shrugged. "I have to, don't I? My sister laid out an entire plot to steal the woman's husband in black and white. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't tell her?"
"Not a very good one," Cliff sighed. "You're kinda between a rock and a hard place."
"Yes. I could strangle Michelle for putting me there."
"Excuse me for asking" Afton hesitated, "but do you know where your sister is right now?"
"No idea," April told her. "Probably staying in some hotel. Why?"
"Well," Afton shifted in her seat and dropped her eyes to her food. "Nothing. Nevermind."
"It's okay, Afton," Cliff reached over and squeezed her hand. "You're among friends here. You can say what's on your mind."
Afton looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "It's really none of my business," she nervously addressed April, "but your sister is very young. She's alone in a very expensive city and you said she didn't take any money with her…"
"You're worried about what she'll do to make a living aren't you?" Cliff asked her.
"I'm sorry. Like I said, it's really none of my business."
"It's alright, Afton," April said, her voice gentle. "It's a good point and I hadn't thought of it. I'm very angry with my sister right now, but I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I'll try to find her tomorrow. Thank you."
"You want me to do it?" Jack offered. "So you don't have to deal with her?"
"I'll do it," Cliff broke in. "That way no messy family entanglements"
Jack looked over at Cliff and realized April must have told him about him and Michelle. "That's a good idea, Cliff. Thank you."
"No worries, happy to help. This dinner was delicious, April," Cliff changed the subject, "got any dessert in that kitchen?"
"Of course," April smiled. "Afton, would you come help me in the kitchen for a minute?"
"Of course," Afton stood and followed April out of the room.
Cliff turned to Jack and pulled some papers out of his jacket pocket. "I was going to wait until after dinner to do this, but since we have a few minutes alone, this seems like a good time."
Jack took the papers from Cliff, unfolded them, and started reading. "What's this Cliff… it looks like…"
"It is," Cliff told him. "Those shares rightfully belong to you. I stole them. Now I'm giving them back."
"What's the catch?" Jack asked doubtfully.
"No catch from me, but Bobby and JR put in a restriction preventing you from selling them to anyone without both their approval. And that's not personal. They want to control who has stock in their company plus make sure neither of them have more shares than the other."
"I can't accept this, Cliff. These shares are worth more money than I'll be able to make in a lifetime."
Cliff said back in his chair and leveled his gaze on Jack. "Those shares belonged to Jamie. She would have never wanted me to have them and you know it. They belong to her heir and that's you. They should be passed down to her family, so that means your children. I'm just giving back what I never should have taken from you in the first place."
"Cliff…"
"Please let me do this. I was horrible to Jamie. She was so young and so sweet and she loved me so much and I was just awful. I never did one decent thing for that woman while she was alive. Let me do this for her now. Please. I need to make this right."
"Are you sure? It's so much money."
"Money I got," Cliff laughed bitterly. "What I need is a clean conscience."
"Alright, Cliff," Jack gave in. "Just show me where to sign."
***
"I'm sorry I butted in," Afton said, stacking the dessert plates to carry back to the table.
"Please don't apologize. I'm glad you spoke up."
"You're very important to Cliff," Afton told her. "He loves you very much. I won't interfere in your friendship. He needs you."
"I love him very much too," April said softly. "And because I love him, I can see how much having you back in his life makes him happy. So I won't interfere in your relationship either."
"Thank you," Afton said shyly. "Would it be alright if I said one more thing about your sister?"
"Of course, Afton. I always want you to feel free to speak your mind to me."
Afton nodded and turned to face her. "Everything you said about her tonight - well, it reminded me of myself. The scheming. The disrespect of JR's marriage. The money grabbing. It's almost as if you were having a conversation about me all those years ago when I first came to Dallas. April, people do really terrible things sometimes. There's no excuse. But…"
"But?" April pressed her.
"But sometimes those people can be changed with love and understanding. And sometimes, if they feel thrown away and abandoned, they do even worse things. Things they can never get over."
April said nothing at first. She reached out and touched Afton's shoulder lightly, "You're safe now, Afton. And I'll try to reason with Michelle. Okay?"
Afton nodded and picked up the plate. "We'd better serve dessert. You know Cliff gets testy if his sweet tooth isn't satisfied."
***
"You feel up to going into the office for a couple of hours tomorrow?" JR asked, coming out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.
"I suppose. If I can shop, I can work," Sue Ellen answered. "What's going on?"
"Oh, we have a conference call set up with Donna and some other DC folks about that environmental bill. I just think it would be good to have you sit in on it."
"Have you talked to Bobby about it?"
"Yeah, he agrees."
"Alright, JR."
"Good. I'll have Harv and Harry stop by too so I can start the changes in the will and make contact with James."
"Alright, JR," she said again. Her voice was flat and lifeless.
"Sue Ellen…"
He was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in," JR called out.
The door opened and Bobby poked his head in. "JR, Ray's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Bob," JR reached over and picked up the phone, nodding at Bobby as the other man left the room. "Hey, Ray. What's up?"
JR was quiet for a while as he listened. Sue Ellen sat up straight in the bed when she saw the stricken look on her husband's face. "What, JR?" she whispered. "What's wrong?"
JR reached out and took her hand in his. "Ray? Yeah. I heard you. Listen, Sue Ellen is here with me. I'm going to put you on speaker. Start over from the beginning for her, okay? No, no it's fine. She knows everything." He reached out, pushed the speaker button on the phone, and put the receiver down. "Okay, Ray. Go ahead. And don't leave anything out."
***
"I think my little dinner party went pretty well," April said, coming up behind Jack and putting her arms around his waist.
"Did you know Cliff was signing over those shares to me?"
"I had no clue. I was just as shocked as you were." She laid her head on his shoulder and lightly kissed his neck.
"All these years I've been scrounging and scraping by, and today, out of the blue, a fortune got dumped in my lap. First Clayton says he and Ray want to make me a partner in Saddle Tree and then Cliff gives me those shares. It's a little overwhelming."
"Good things come to good people," April kissed him again. "Sometimes it just takes a while."
Jack turned to face her and took her into his arms. "April, for the first time in my life, I feel… good. Settled. Happy. And you are the biggest reason for that. The money, the stock, all that's good. But having you back, that's what is making me feel so good…"
"Jack," April felt so weak, she was afraid her knees would buckle, "please…"
He dropped his head and captured her lips with his. When he finally broke the kiss, he nuzzled her ear and whispered, "do you want to make.love with me honey?"
"Oh yes," April breathed out, "God, yes."
He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, determined to show her exactly how much love he had for her in his heart.
***
"Sue Ellen? You've been awfully quiet since we got off the phone with Ray."
Sue Ellen rolled over and looked at her husband. The conversation with Ray had been tense and difficult. Afterwards, she had gotten into bed and turned away from JR. To her surprise, he hadn't reached for her or attempted to make love to her.
"There's not a lot for me to say, is there JR? You heard Ray. The boy has a blood test. If Allister Brumin isn't his father, that means you probably are."
"We don't know that for a fact yet."
"Yes. But it's very likely. We have to face facts and prepare ourselves for the reality that you have another son."
JR sat up and switched on the light. "If that turns out to be the case, how is it going to affect us?"
"I think the answer to that question is fairly obvious, JR."
"No it's not. Not to me. Listen, I know it'll cause upheaval around here. I know John Ross will be confused, Christopher too. I know there's gonna be issues with the family and financial considerations and drama. What I don't know, and the only thing I really want to know, Sue Ellen is how it will affect us - me and you."
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, JR."
"I mean can you accept it? Can you accept me having a child with another woman? Can you still love me the way you love me right now if it turns out that James is my son?"
"It will hurt me, JR," a single tear escaped from her eye. "You've had so many other women, but I was the only one who had ever given you a son…"
Her voice broke and she let out a soft sob.
"If Cliff had turned out to be John Ross's father, I would have stayed with you."
"What?"
"You heard me. And if that baby you lost had been born and turned out to be Peter's, I would have stayed with you."
"Oh, please, JR. Don't try to rewrite history. You told me yourself if Cliff had been John Ross's father you would have gotten the fastest divorce in the history of Texas and seen me walking the streets, remember?"
"Yes. I said that. I wanted to hurt you. But I would have stayed with you."
"JR, that's bull. You would have never forgiven me. And Jock would never have allowed you to stay married to me anyway."
"He would have made it hell on Earth. But I would have stuck it out. And eventually he would have come around."
"JR, that's a nice story, but you would have never disrespected your daddy's wishes. Not for me anyway."
"Is that so?" JR chuckled.
"Yes, that's so! And you know it!"
"Tomorrow when you see Harv Smithfield, I want you to ask him who paid your bail when they had you locked up for shooting me."
"What? What are you talking about JR?"
"Bobby wanted to pay it. He wanted to hire a defense attorney for you. Daddy said no, and the whole thing got dropped."
"So?"
"So I called Harv. I put up the cash anonymously. And I was going to hire a lawyer for you."
"I don't understand, JR...you thought I was the one who shot you."
"Yes. I did. And I didn't care, Sue Ellen. I wasn't going to let you go to jail for it. And Daddy would have found out and I would have had to have dealt with that. So don't ever say I wouldn't defy my father for you."
"JR… why have you never told me this before?"
"Pride. Vanity," JR shrugged. "Maybe I never wanted you to know how much power you truly have over me. Maybe I just thought there was no point dragging up the past. I'm sure you still have secrets from those days you keep from me, Sue Ellen. Sometimes the best thing is just to let sleeping dogs lie."
Sue Ellen swallowed hard as she considered her affair with Clint and her one night stand with Ray. JR was right. She had her share of secrets too. "JR, you're right. The past is the past. So why bring it all back up now?"
"Because… I need you to know, Sue Ellen. You're my wife. Faults, mistakes, heartbreak, and all. I know I pushed you for a divorce a few times. It never would have happened again though. In the end, I would have come to my senses and I never would have allowed it."
"JR…"
He reached over and gently touched her face. "We have come so far together. I would have been devastated not to be John Ross's father or if you had given birth to Peter's bastard. It would have been ugly and nasty and I would have hurt you for it. But, I wouldn't leave you. And I need to know, Sue Ellen, I need to hear you say that now that the roles are reversed, you won't leave me either."
Sue Ellen's eyes widened in sudden understanding. He was afraid, truly afraid she wouldn't accept another son and would walk out on him.
She moved closer to him and cupped his face in her hands. "I didn't leave you when I thought you and Kristen had a child, JR. Why would you think I would leave you over a child that was born before we even met?"
"Sue Ellen…"
She laid down on her back and pulled him close over her. "JR, I won't lie to you It will be hard for me. I may scream and yell and sometimes be unreasonable. But I can and will accept it. And I won't leave you."
JR buried his face against his neck and held her tight. "You make me weak, Sue Ellen. You always have. I resented you for that for so many years. It's part of why I cheated. Part of why I treated you so badly. I hated how vulnerable you made me feel. God, how I hated being so weak. Now I understand that weakness is a part of love."
His face was still resting against her neck. She couldn't see his eyes, but she felt the moisture of his tears. She realized how hard his words had been for him to speak, and her heart swelled with a protective love and with soaring pride that now, after all these years, he finally trusted her enough to share everything with her.
She tangled her hands in his hair and kissed the top of his head.
"Oh, JR… whatever power I have over you, you have the same over me. I left you before, yes, but I always came back. Because I love you. Because no man has ever made me feel the way you do. Because you're mine, and I belong to you. Now, finally JR, FINALLY after all these years of hurt and dysfunction we have a strong, healthy marriage. I won't let anything change that… especially not something that happened so long ago. I'm not leaving you. Never, ever again. If I make you weak, it's because deep down in your heart you have always known how strong my love is for you."
"I can face anything else, Sue Ellen," he breathed against her skin, "I'm not afraid of anything in this world… except losing you."
"You won't ever lose me. Make love to me now, JR. Please. I need you. And you need me."
"Yes, I do," he confessed softly. "I always have, Sue Ellen. And I always will."
***
