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 100
EPILOGUE
***
"What's going on in here?" Sue Ellen demanded, looking at all the guilty faces.
"Grandpa JR did it!" John Ross told her. "I had nothing to do with it!"
"Uh huh," Sue Ellen rolled her eyes. "Jock, Ray Anne put those cookies back. No more until after lunch. You hear me?"
Both children nodded. "Yes, Grandma, Sue Ellen."
"Good. Now you run along out to the pool. Christopher and Pammy are out there to watch you."
She waited until the children were out of the house then turned her attention back to her husband and her son. "And you two, mind your manners! Those cookies are for our guests."
"Those guests don't deserve your cookies!" JR protested
"If you don't behave yourself, I'll take away a lot more than your cookies."
"Empty threat," JR harrumphed. "You couldn't stand it."
"Jesus you two," John Ross grimaced. "Some things never change. I'll leave you to your flirting."
JR laughed as John Ross walked out of the house to the pool. "Happy anniversary, darlin'," he smiled and walked over to kiss her.
Sue Ellen smiled and kissed him back. "What did you get me?"
"You have to wait until all the Interlopers are gone tonight before you get it."
"They're not Interlopers, JR! They're our family! And you better have something nice for me and not just try to pacify me with hot sex!"
"You complaining about our hot sex, Miss Texas?"
"No, JR. But I can get that anytime. Today is our 25th anniversary!"
"Hell, Sue Ellen. We've been married over 40 years."
"Yes, but it's the 25th anniversary of our third wedding," she sniffed. "And you had better have a good present for me!".
"Don't I always?" he teased her. "For all three anniversaries every damn year?"
"Yes, you do," she smiled. "Where is Charlie by the way?"
"You know her. She's down at the stables with her daddy and her cousin."
"Jack? He isn't at the hospital with James?"
"No," JR shook his head. "You know James didn't want anyone there. If he had, you would have been the one he wanted, not Jack."
Sue Ellen nodded and chewed at her bottom lip. "I'm scared JR. It's been such a difficult pregnancy…"
"She'll be fine. So will the baby. You'll see."
Sue Ellen nodded and gave him a hug. "I hope so, JR. If anything happens to her, it'll kill James."
***
Sue Ellen sat on the front porch and watched her children and grandchildren with a huge smile. Of course, John Ross was her only natural child and Jock and Ray Anne her only natural grandchildren, but she claimed the entire Ewing brood as her own. Every year, on her and JR's anniversary of their third wedding day, they had this family reunion. It was her favorite day of the year. So much had changed over the years - but so much had stayed the same too.
Miss Ellie and Clayton had both passed on - Ellie 12 years ago. Clayton almost 10. JR had grown to love and respect Clayton so much by the time he died, that he had not only allowed for him to be buried on the opposite side of Ellie as Jock, but he'd had Amanda and Dusty's bodies exhumed and reburied with him. Patricia had died almost eight years ago. She was also in the plot of land that was now zoned as the Ewing cemetery.
The saddest, and most unexpected death the Ewings had had to endure was the loss of Jenna. She was killed in a car accident in Switzerland fifteen years ago. Ray, Charlie, and Lucas had moved back to Texas. Ray built a smaller house on an acre of land between Southfork and JR and Sue Ellen's Saddle Tree Ranch and settled there with the children. After a while, he began dating again and he eventually settled down and married Sue Ellen's longtime Assistant, Crystal. Lucas was the family's confirmed bachelor. He had no interest in marriage (although Sue Ellen believed it was only because he hadn't met the right woman yet) and he supervised all ranch operations at both Southfork and the Saddle Tree.
Pam and Bobby still lived at Southfork. They had raised Christopher there and Christopher was now raising his family there. He had married one of Teresa's nieces named Elena. They had two children, RJ (short for Robert James) and Ellie Mae. Christopher worked at Ewing Oil with his father and Elena was a school teacher.
Lucy and Mitch had remarried, but remained childless. They took an active role helping raising Pammy and traveled the world volunteering with Doctors Without Borders.
Cliff and Afton one more child in addition to Pammy, a little boy named Willard. Everyone called him Digger. He worked alongside his father a Weststar and was married to a former beauty queen (the family's second Miss Texas) named Melanie. She was pursuing a medical degree and as of yet, they had no children. Pammy had grown into a beautiful young woman, but she was still very childlike and incapable of taking care of herself. Everyone in the Ewing family loved her deeply and they were all fiercely protective of her.
April and Jack were still very happily married. They had three children, all teenage girls named Jamie, Jennifer, and Jessica. April now owned a whole string of restaurants across the west and Jack was an equal partner with Ray in Saddle Tree Enterprises.
Donna and Andrew were also still married. He had retired from his senate seat several years ago and they had moved back to Texas. Margaret was a freshman state Congresswoman based in Braddock and Sue Ellen was convinced that one day she would be the first female President of the United States. She had married a lawyer from DC and they had a baby girl named Donna Rae.
John Ross had been the most headstrong, difficult of all the Ewing children. Sue Ellen supposed that he inherited those traits from his father. After Jenna's accident, he and Charlie (who had always been very close to each other) started spending more and more time together and eventually began a romantic relationship At first, JR, Sue Ellen, and Ray had all been horrified, not only because of the age difference, but because they had been raised as cousins. They dated for five years before they won their parents' approval for marriage. They had two children -nine year old John Ross Ewing, IV (nicknamed Jock) and seven year old Ray Anne Ewing. John Ross was the current President of Ewing Oil and Charlie managed Saddle Tree Enterprises for Ray and Jack.
And then there was James. He and Michelle had a decades old, on and off, passionate, and turbulent relationship. They couldn't seem to get along for an extended period of time, but couldn't seem to live without one another either. They reminded Sue Ellen a lot of her and JR. James had founded a charitable foundation for children with Autism in honor of Pammy which had grown into a global success. Michelle was the catalyst behind April's restaurant expansion and had built a culinary empire for her and her sister. Finally, two years ago, after a health scare involving possible ovarian cancer, they had finally decided to make a real commitment to one another and get married. Michelle had lost one of her ovaries, but she had still managed (after months of trying) to get pregnant at 48 years old. Today, their child (they had decided not to know the sex before the birth) was being delivered by C-section at Dallas Memorial. The pregnancy had been awful. Michelle had been on bed rest since the third month. They had stayed with JR and Sue Ellen and so that Sue Ellen could help take care of her. The C-section wasn't scheduled for another month, but Michelle's water had broken early this morning. Sue Ellen was scared to death, but James had made it clear he didn't want anyone at the hospital during the birth.
"Stop worrying, Miss Texas," JR appeared in front of her and took her hand in his.
"How is it that you always can read my mind?"
"Years of practice," he laughed. "Michelle is going to be just fine, honey. And by nightfall you'll have to figure out where to put a new birthstone on that God forsaken bejeweled mother's pin. Speaking of which, you talked to Charlie yet?"
"No. I thought I'd wait until after the new baby comes."
JR nodded. "Lucy asked me if I'd ride out to the airport with her to pick up Gary and Valene. Mitch is still at the hospital. I'll stay if you need me to, though."
"No, JR. You go ahead. I need to head out to the cemetery anyway."
"Oh yes. Your annual talk with the dead."
"They like to be kept in the loop, JR."
He burst out laughing and bent down to kiss her. "Be back soon, honey. And I promise. James and Michelle are gonna be just fine."
"If you promise then I know it's true," she smiled at him. "You haven't broken a promise to me in twenty five years."
"And I never will again," he kissed her again. "Not ever."
***
"Well, I guess that's it, Miss Ellie," Sue Ellen stood up and straightened the flowers on her mother-in-law's grave. "I hope you approve or my choice to keep our pin safe. I know she'll do a good job. Don't let Clayton and Jock fight over you too much."
She walked over to Jenna's resting place next. "Hey, lady," she said, sinking down onto the ground beside the headstone. "I brought you some more pictures of Jock and Ray Anne. They're getting so big! Oh, Jenna. You would be so proud of them! We talk to them about you all the time. They're favorite story is the one where you and Lucy rigged the life-sized Dora the Explorer balloon to float into John Ross's room on its own and scared the hell out of him! You'd also be so proud of Charlie. She just about runs the whole company by herself now. Ray and Jack do the fun part with picking out and raising all the horses. Charlie takes care of the business end alone. She's also such a wonderful mother to our grandchildren. I so wish you were here to see it."
"Hey."
Sue Ellen jumped with a start and looked up to see James.
"When you weren't at the house, I figured you'd be over here." he smiled at her.
"Michelle? And the baby?"
"Both fine," he held out his hand to help her up off the ground. "I wanted to tell you first. We had a little girl. 4 pounds, 9 ounces."
"And she's okay?" Sue Ellen asked nervously. "That's very tiny."
"She's good," James assured her. "Very small, but perfect."
"And Michelle?"
"Tired. Ornery. Demanding as always. But glorious and beautiful too. She was asleep when I left. April is heading over there now. Michelle gave me permission to leave so I could come see you and let you know everything is okay."
"Oh, James!" Sue Ellen lunged forward to give him a big hug. "Thank God! I was so worried."
"I know," James soothed her, "but everyone is perfect."
He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and pulled back from her a bit. "I hope it's okay. We named her after my mother."
"Of course it's okay!" Sue Ellen beamed at him. "Vanessa is a beautiful name for a little girl!"
"Her name isn't Vanessa," James said softly. "We named her after my REAL mother. The one who held my hand while the woman who gave birth to me died. The one who got me to finish college even though all I wanted to do was slack off. The one who gave me the startup money to start my foundation. The one who spent hours listening to me cry and complain about my relationship with Michelle. The one who took care of my wife when she was pregnant and on bed rest."
"James…"
"My daughter's name is Sue Ellen," James told her. "She's named after the kindest, wisest, strongest, most incredible woman I have ever known. She is named after the only real mother I have ever had "
"Oh… James!" Sue Ellen hugged him again and tears of joy steamed down her face. "Thank you!"
"No ma'am. Thank you..For everything."
***
"Sue Ellen?" Charlie called from the hallway.
"In here!" Sue Ellen called back to her.
Charlie walked into Sue Ellen and JR's bedroom and smiled at her inlaws,who were sitting side by side on their bed. "You know...all these years, and I think this is the first time I have ever been in here."
"Well, welcome to where the magic happens," JR said with a grin. "See you downstairs, darlin'." he said, standing up to leave the room. "Don't be too long. Everyone wants to see you."
Sue Ellen nodded and turned her attention to Charlie. "Please. Come in."
"John Ross said you were looking for me. Isn't it great news about Michelle and little Sue Ellen?"
"It is. Come here and sit next to me."
Charlie sat down on the bed beside her mother-in-law. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh yes," Sue Ellen said. "I just want to give you something." She pulled the jewel encrusted mother's pin from her pocket. "Miss Ellie gave this to me…"
"I know what that is," Charlie stopped her. "I know how much it means to you and how much it meant to Miss Ellie. I don't deserve it...maybe Margaret or Melanie…"
"No," Sue Ellen said firmly. "Miss Ellie trusted me to pass it to the Ewing woman who I believed would take my place as head of this family, as I took hers. That's you, Charlie."
"But… Sue Ellen, I'm not as smart or as successful as some of the others…"
"Stop that!" Sue Ellen admonished her. "You ARE the smartest. And the strongest. And the most loyal. You are the one, Charlie. Whether you like it or not."
"I just don't feel worthy. You and Miss Ellie left behind some pretty big shoe prints to fill."
"Yes, we did," Sue Ellen agreed. "And you are the only one who can fill them."
"Alright, Sue Ellen."
Sue Ellen smiled and handed her the pin. "Space is getting short, but the jeweler can always add more gold to make it bigger."
"Have you picked out a place for little Sue Ellen's stone?"
"Yes. Right here," Sue Ellen pointed. "The jeweler is expecting you tomorrow."
"Okay. I will always cherish this. I promise to take good care of it. And of this family."
"I know you will, sweetheart," Sue Ellen hugged her tightly. "That's why I chose you. Your mother would be so very proud of you. Just as I am."
***
"Tired?"
Sue Ellen looked up at her husband and laughed. "Yes. They all wore me out."
"Well no one told you to run around the pool deck chasing little kids with a water cannon all day, did they? Here all these years I thought I was married to a lady."
"I am a lady," she punched him playfully. "And those kids deserved to be sprayed!"
"Yes. The little hellions. Plus, I enjoyed the view, watching you jiggle in your bathing suit."
"One track mind, as always," she laughed at him. "But don't think I forgot about my anniversary present. Hand it over, JR."
"Looks like I'm not the only one around here with a one track mind," he groused, standing up to pull a long back velvet box from the top drawer of his dresser. "Here," he tossed it at her, a mischievous grin on his face.
Sue Ellen caught the box in mid air and opened it slowly. "JR…" she breathed deeply. "Oh… JR…"
"Silver is for 25 years," he said, coming over to kneel in front of her. He took the charm bracelet out of the box and held it up for her inspection. "I knew you were giving over your beloved pin to Charlie today. I thought this bracelet would make it easier. Look. There's a charm for each of their names."
She touched every charm. One for John Ross, Christopher, Charlie, all the grandchildren. She stopped when she got to the charm that said Sue Ellen. "How did you know?"
"James told me Sue Ellen for a girl. He made me promise not to tell. If it had been a boy it would have been Jackson. I thought we would have to wait to add this one, but when Michelle went to the hospital this morning I called the jeweler. Lucy and I picked it up on the way to the airport."
"You… oh, my God, JR!"
"You like it?"
"It's perfect. I love it. And I love you. So very, very much."
"Sue Ellen, there's no gift I could ever give you that could thank you for loving me. Or for doing such a wonderful job of raising our children. Or for holding our family together all these years. You are the most precious thing in my life. I love you. Everyday I love you more. Even after all these years. Happy anniversary, honey."
"Oh JR," she reached out and pulled his face close to hers. "Happy anniversary."
They kissed with even more love and passion than they'd had between them when they were younger.
"I want you, Miss Texas," JR breathed out when he finally broke their kiss. "Can I have my present now?"
"Oh, yes, JR," she scooted up to the top of the bed and pulled her nightgown over her head. "Come and get it."
"You never have had to tell me that twice," he laughed, moving to join her on the bed. "And you never will. I love you."
"And I love you, JR. Always. Forever. Even after death parts us. You are the love of my life."
"And you are mine," he turned off the bedside light and moved over her, showing her the best way he knew how that she truly owned his heart.
***
THE END
