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<blockquote data-quote="CeeCee72" data-source="post: 227826" data-attributes="member: 5055">I don&#039;t own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.This is a &quot;What if?&quot; fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode &quot;Top Gun&quot; 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 IfPart 90***&quot;You look beautiful this morning,&quot; JR said when his wife stood up from her vanity. &quot;Thank you, JR,&quot; Sue Ellen smiled. &quot;I want to make a good impression.&quot;JR chuckled and walked over to take her in his arms. &quot;You&#039;ll make an impression, alright,* he bent his head to kiss her. &quot;Are you trying to impress the boy or seduce him?&quot; He teased.&quot;JR!&quot; Shs playfully slapped at his hand.&quot;I&#039;m nervous enough! Please don&#039;t tease me!&quot;JR&#039;s face turned serious, *Sorry, darlin&#039;,&quot; he sighed. &quot;But you have nothing to be nervous about.&quot;&quot;Of course I do. I&#039;m meeting my stepson for the first time.&quot;&quot;We don&#039;t know for sure if he&#039;s my son yet, Sue Ellen.&quot;&quot;He is, JR,&quot; Sue Ellen said solemnly. &quot;I feel it in my bones. James Brumin is James Ewing. I may as well make peace with that now.&quot;&quot;I won&#039;t believe it until I see proof.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s fine,&quot; Sue Ellen shrugged. &quot;Darlin&#039; are you sure you&#039;re okay with all this? Maybe we ought to have Ray take him to a hotel…&quot;&quot;No, JR,&quot; she put a finger on his mouth to silence him. &quot;This is how it has to be. I&#039;ll be fine. I promise. I just want him here and that test done - and the sooner, the better.&quot;***&quot;Thanks for coming with me,&quot; Lucy said. &quot;I don&#039;t think I could have handled both boys on my own.&quot;&quot;No problem,&quot; April smiled. &quot;Happy to help.&quot;They had gotten up early this morning to take the boys hiking. Everyone felt it was best for the boys not to be at Southfork when James arrived. Lucy had volunteered to keep them out of the house and busy to give all the adults time to talk and April had agreed to come along and help.&quot;James should be getting to Southfork soon,&quot; Lucy said, glancing at her watch. &quot;Hope everything goes okay.&quot;&quot;You&#039;re worried, aren&#039;t you?&quot;Lucy looked at the boys to make sure they couldn&#039;t hear her. They were walking several feet in front of the women. &quot;A little uneasy. Sue Ellen is handling this all so we&#039;ll, but..&quot;&quot;But what?&quot;&quot;It&#039;s all abstract. Once James is here and real and has to be dealt with face to face… It&#039;s going to be hard on her. Sue Ellen and JR have had such a dysfunctional marriage. One thing she always was proud of is being the only woman who ever gave him a child. It&#039;s always been important to her.&quot;&quot;She seems to have accepted all this rather well though.&quot;&quot;Yeah. But like I said, it&#039;s abstract. Getting ready to become really real, really fast.&quot;&quot;I think you&#039;re worried about nothing. I mean don&#039;t get me wrong, this would be hard for anyone, coming out of the blue the way it did. But Sue Ellen and JR seem calm about it all - as calm as anyone could be under the circumstances.&quot;&quot;Calm,&quot; Lucy repeated. &quot;Like before the storm. April, I&#039;ve watched those two for years. Being the mother to JR&#039;s only son is a huge part of who Sue Ellen is. He&#039;s been with so many other women. She is the only one who ever gave him a child. It&#039;s a point of pride. She clings to it.&quot;&quot;Maybe…&quot; April hesitated.&quot;What?&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen and JR aren&#039;t the same people anymore. I&#039;ve seen the changes in them, and I know you have too. Maybe she clung to being the mother of his child because that&#039;s all she had to cling to. Maybe it was important to her because that&#039;s all she had. But now she has HIM. She has her whole family. Look, I know I&#039;m new around here and I haven&#039;t known Sue Ellen as well as the rest of you, but it seems to me like no one gives her enough credit. She won&#039;t fall apart. And maybe, just maybe her &quot;point on pride&quot; now is being JR&#039;s wife. The woman he loves. His life partner. I think she&#039;ll be just fine.&quot;Lucy turned April&#039;s words over in her mind and then sighed and nodded. &quot;Maybe you&#039;re right. I sure hope so.&quot;***&quot;You ready?&quot; Ray asked.He and James were sitting in the back of the car JR had sent to pick them up from the airport. They had made the trip to Southfork in silence. Now they sat in the driveway, and James still hadn&#039;t said a word.&quot;No,&quot; James finally answered. &quot;I&#039;m a lot more nervous than I thought I&#039;d be.&quot;&quot;You don&#039;t have to be nervous,&quot; Ray told him. &quot;Hard not to be. Why are they all lined up like that?&quot;&quot;Southfork traditional,&quot; Ray grinned. &quot;This is how Miss Ellie greets family.&quot;&quot;Family…&quot; James repeated. &quot;Okay,&quot; he put his hand in the door handle, &quot;I guess I&#039;m ready.&quot;Ray and James got out of the car and moved towards the family. James watched in silence as Ray hugged all the women and shook hands with all the men. His eyes were fixed on JR&#039;s face; it was totally expressionless until Ray shook his hand - then JR smiled and clapped his brother on the back, welcoming him home.&quot;Everyone,&quot; Ray turned back and gestured at James after he finished saying hello, &quot;This is James Brumin.&quot;No one moved or spoke for a brief instant before JR kissed his wife on the cheek then walked to stand in front of James. &quot;I&#039;m JR Ewing,&quot; he said, offering his hand.&quot;Yes,&quot; James took the hand and shook it firmly. &quot;I recognize you from your pictures.&quot;JR nodded and held his hand out to his wife. She moved forward and smiled at James. &quot;&quot;I&#039;m Sue Ellen,&quot; she told him.&quot;I recognize you too,&quot; James said softly. &quot;Your pictures don&#039;t do you justice. You&#039;re even more beautiful than I imagined.&quot;Sue Ellen&#039;s smile grew wider and she moved to give him a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. &quot;Charmer just like your father, I see.&quot;James dropped his gaze to the ground and said nothing. Sue Ellen took him by the hand and introduced him to the rest of the family.&quot;This is Miss Ellie and her husband Clayton. Over here, this is JR&#039;s brother, Bobby and his wife Pam. There on the end, that&#039;s my mother, Patricia.&quot;James smiled and nodded and shook everyone&#039;s hands.&quot;Well, come on everyone. Let&#039;s go have a seat and talk.&quot;&quot;I have coffee and refreshments set up by the pool,&quot; Ellie informed them. Everyone moved towards the patio. Sue Ellen reached over and touched James&#039;s hand, stopping him. &quot;James?&quot;&quot;Yes, ma&#039;am?&quot;&quot;You have your father&#039;s eyes.&quot;She said nothing else. James followed her and took a seat at the table across from JR. JR was watching him, but he was watching his wife closer. James realized he had been right about the dynamic at Southfork. If he wanted JR to accept him at all, he needed Sue Ellen on his side.***&quot;I think it went well.&quot;Bobby looked at Pam and shrugged. James had chatted with the family for a while, telling them about himself. Eventually everyone had excused themselves to give him some time alone with Sue Ellen and JR.&quot;As well as it could have. Sue Ellen certainly was calm and serene.&quot;&quot;Yes. I don&#039;t know how she does it. I would be a nervous wreck.&quot;&quot;You don&#039;t ever need to worry about that,&quot; Bobby laughed. &quot;I sewed some wild oats before I married you, but mine aren&#039;t spread nearly as far and wide as JR&#039;s.&quot;Pam laughed along with him. &quot;Sue Ellen introduced me as your wife.&quot;&quot;So? You are my wife.&quot;&quot;Not technically,&quot; Pam reminded him.Bobby raised his eyebrows and moved to take her into his arms. &quot;Maybe we should do something about that. What do you think?&quot;&quot;I think,&quot; she leaned forward to kiss him, &quot;that would make me very, very happy.&quot;***James sat back in his chair and looked at the man he believed to be his father. JR had just informed him that they would be leaving shortly to have the paternity test done and had reminded him firmly that he wouldn&#039;t publicly acknowledge James as his son until he felt the entire family was ready to deal with the fallout. &quot;I understand, sir,&quot; James finally said. &quot;I honestly don&#039;t care if you ever acknowledge me in public. That&#039;s not why I&#039;m here. I just want to know. If it turns out you are my real father, all I want is the opportunity to get to know you and your family. That&#039;s all.&quot;JR nodded but made no reply.&quot;I have something for you,&quot; James told him. He reached into his bag, pulled out a folder, and passed it to JR. &quot;It might help you with my mother.&quot;JR took the folder and flipped through the contents. &quot;Where did you get these?&quot;&quot;From my father. On the night he died. He was having you and my mother followed. Tons of pictures showing her smiling and laughing and kissing and cuddling with you. Doesn&#039;t look like a woman who was raped, does it?&quot;Sue Ellen glanced at the pictures, then turned her head away. It was difficult seeing JR look so happy with another woman. &quot;Thank you, James,&quot; JR finally said. &quot;I&#039;ll get these to my attorney. They&#039;ll help a lot.&quot;James nodded and took a deep breath. &quot;I&#039;ll also go on record that she told me the relationship was consensual if you need me to.&quot;&quot;Thank you,&quot; JR said again.&quot;James, would you like to freshen up before you go into Dallas with Ray and JR?&quot;&quot;Yes, ma&#039;am. If it&#039;s not too much trouble.&quot;&quot;Of course not,&quot; Sue Ellen stood up. &quot;JR, would you show him to his room?&quot;&quot;Sure,&quot; JR gestured for James to follow him.James stood and lightly touched Sue Ellen&#039;s shoulder. &quot;Mrs. Ewing?&quot;&quot;Yes, James?&quot;&quot;Thank you for being so kind and gracious and welcoming me into your home.&quot;Sue Ellen smiled and patted his hand. &quot;Of course. And please. Call me Sue Ellen.&quot;***&quot;He seems like a nice kid,&quot; Clayton said, watching Jack run down a horse &quot;That&#039;s good. Makes things a lot easier is he isn&#039;t a jackass.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Clayton laughed. &quot;Ray and I are going to see the lawyer in the morning. By tomorrow afternoon, you&#039;ll be a ten percent owner in Saddle Tree Enterprises.&quot;&quot;I wish you guys would let me buy in instead of just handing it to me.&quot; Jack groused.&quot;We&#039;re not handing you anything. You work your tail off around here. Hell, Jack, this place would probably run just fine without me. It would fall apart without you.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s not true and you know it. I&#039;m just very grateful for the opportunity.&quot;&quot;You&#039;ve certainly made the best of it.&quot;&quot;Yes. Well I have a good reason.&quot;&quot;April?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Jack smiled.&quot;Roots are important for a man with a wife and family.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Jack&#039;s smile grew wider.&quot;So?&quot; &quot;So what?&quot;&quot;So are you going to put a ring on that girl&#039;s finger or not?&quot; Clayton asked, exasperated. Jack burst out laughing. &quot;Yes, Clayton. Yes I am.&quot;***&quot;Alright,&quot; Dr. Parks carefully placed the samples in an envelope. &quot;I&#039;ll get these to the lab. I&#039;ll supervise the test myself.&quot;&quot;Good. Will we have the results? A day or two?&quot; JR asked.&quot;Tomorrow,&quot; Dr. Parks answered. &quot;The test itself doesn&#039;t take much time. It&#039;s the processing that takes a while. I&#039;ll call you tomorrow with the results.&quot;&quot;Thank you doctor,&quot; JR nodded. &quot;I appreciate you handling this personally. And I appreciate your discretion.&quot;&quot;Of course,&quot; Dr. Parks responded, glancing nervously at Ray and James. &quot;Mr. Ewing, may I have a minute alone with you?&quot;JR nodded. &quot;Wait for me in the lobby,&quot; he instructed the other men. &quot;What is it?&quot; he asked Dr. Parks once they were alone.&quot;How is Mrs. Ewing handling all this?&quot; &quot;Why?&quot;&quot;I&#039;m her doctor. It hasn&#039;t been that long since her surgery. This is a highly stressful situation.&quot;&quot;She seems to be taking it all in stride,&quot; JR sighed, &quot;but I&#039;d be lying if I said I wasn&#039;t worried about her.&quot;&quot;Watch her carefully, Mr. Ewing. She can&#039;t…&quot;&quot;She can&#039;t what?&quot;&quot;Alcohol is very bad for her condition.&quot;&quot;That won&#039;t be a problem,&quot; JR said, his voice tight. &quot;My wife&#039;s drinking days are behind her.&quot;&quot;Very good,&quot; Dr. Parks nodded. &quot;You understand I had to ask.&quot;&quot;Yes. But there&#039;s nothing to be concerned about. I&#039;ll take care of my wife. You just worry about the test.&quot;***&quot;May I join you?&quot;Sue Ellen looked up at her sister-in-law and smiled. &quot;Of course. I&#039;m just sitting out here killing time until Lucy and April get back with the boys.&quot;&quot;How are you feeling about everything?&quot; Pam asked her.&quot;I&#039;m not sure, actually. I&#039;m worried about JR.&quot;&quot;JR? Why?&quot;&quot;He hasn&#039;t shown any emotion about this at all.&quot;&quot;Maybe he&#039;s just being cautious. He doesn&#039;t even know if he&#039;s the father yet.&quot;&quot;He is,&quot; Sue Ellen sighed softly. &quot;I believed it before, but after seeing James...those eyes, Pam. I&#039;ve looked into those same eyes for years. They&#039;re JR&#039;s eyes.&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen…&quot;&quot;I&#039;m fine, Pam,&quot; Sue Ellen assured her. &quot;Strangely enough, it hasn&#039;t been that hard to accept. If this had happened a year ago… it would have been different, I guess. But now - I just want what is best for JR, John Ross, and this family. Nothing else matters to me.&quot;&quot;I want you to know I&#039;m here for you, Sue Ellen. Anytime, for anything.&quot;&quot;I know, Pam,&quot; Sue Ellen reached out and squeezed the other woman&#039;s hand. &quot;Same goes for me.&quot;&quot;Bobby and I are getting re-married,&quot; Pam blurted out.&quot;Pam!&quot; Sue Ellen cried excitedly, &quot;that&#039;s wonderful! When!&quot;&quot;As soon as we can. No big, flashy wedding though. Just me and Bobby and a few family members at the courthouse.&quot;&quot;But…&quot;&quot;It&#039;s the way I want it, Sue Ellen. Really. Two big weddings are enough. I was hoping you&#039;d be there though. To be my matron of honor.&quot;&quot;Oh, Pam. Of course! Of course I will!&quot;&quot;Thank you, Sue Ellen. For everything. I don&#039;t know what Bobby and I would do without you.&quot;&quot;Well,&quot; Sue Ellen smiled brightly. &quot;That&#039;s one thing you&#039;ll never have to find out!&quot;***&quot;You okay, Miss Texas?&quot;Sue Ellen looked up and smiled at her husband. She was lounging in a chair by the pool, watching John Ross and Christopher get&nbsp; acquainted with James. &quot;I&#039;m just fine, JR. That,&quot; she said nodding at the boys, &quot;is going extremely well.*&quot;Oh yeah?&quot; JR laughed. &quot;Sure those Darth Vader masks James brought from Switzerland helped.&quot;&quot;You know it did,&quot; Sue Ellen giggled. She reached out, took his hand, and pulled him down beside her. &quot;What about you, JR? Are you okay?&quot;JR reached out and touched her cheek, then shrugged. &quot;Yes. It&#039;s strange. Having him here. He seems to fit right in though. It&#039;s almost like…&quot;&quot;Like he belongs here?&quot; Sue Ellen finished for him. JR shook his head. &quot;Let&#039;s not get ahead of ourselves, honey.&quot;&quot;JR, I&#039;ve already accepted it. You have to stop denying the obvious.&quot;&quot;It&#039;s not obvious to me. I need proof.&quot;&quot;Just like with John Ross,&quot; she muttered.&quot;Hey. Honey, now don&#039;t to that. Please.&quot;&quot;Mama! Watch me!&quot; John Ross yelled.Sue Ellen smiled and clapped after he completed a wobbly dive into the pool. &quot;Good job, John Ross!&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen?&quot; JR&#039;s voice was almost a whisper. &quot;Please?&quot;Sue Ellen studied his face carefully for a few moments then reached out to him and took her hands in hers. &quot;I love you. For better or worse, JR.&quot;JR relaxed visibly. &quot;Til death do us part.&quot;***&quot;Tomorrow, can we take James down to the stables and go riding?&quot;&quot;You&#039;d better ask James about that,&quot; JR told John Ross. &quot;The boy might not even like horses!&quot;&quot;Everyone likes horses!&quot; John Ross insisted. &quot;Except you &quot;JR grunted. &quot;You and Christopher seem to be getting along well with James.&quot;&quot;He&#039;s cool,&quot; John Ross said. &quot;I won&#039;t mind if he turns out to be my brother.&quot;&quot;Is that right?&quot; JR said.&quot;Yeah. Mama likes him too.&quot;&quot;Seems so,&quot; JR agreed.&quot;Do you like him, Daddy?&quot;JR turned his face away and shrugged. &quot;I like him just fine. Come on, son. Time to go down for dinner.&quot;***&quot;Who is that?&quot; James asked, pointing to a man in the picture with Pam and baby Christopher. &quot;That&#039;s my Uncle Cliff&quot; Christopher told him. &quot;You&#039;ll get to meet him soon. He comes to visit a lot.&quot;&quot;He&#039;s...Pam&#039;s brother?&quot;*Yes,&quot; Sue Ellen answered. &quot;That&#039;s Gary, JR&#039;s other brother and his wife Valene. They live in California.&quot;&quot;Charlie showed me pictures of them. They&#039;re your parents, right?&quot; he asked, looking at Lucy.&quot;Yep,&quot; Lucy said. &quot;It&#039;s a big family,&quot; James sighed.&quot;You&#039;ll get used to it,&quot; Sue Ellen patted his hand.&quot;James, you must be very tired and jet lagged,&quot; Ellie spoke up. &quot;Please don&#039;t feel you need to hang around here and entertain us.&quot;&quot;I…&quot; James stopped before speaking what was really on his mind. The day had been wonderful. He&#039;d played with and gotten to know the boys. April, Lucy, and later Jack had gotten in the pool with them and they had a lot of fun. Miss Ellie and Clayton had talked to him all throughout dinner. Sue Ellen had been so welcoming and gracious. The one person who hadn&#039;t made even the slightest effort to spend time with him was JR. &quot;Actually, yes,&quot; James finally said. &quot;I am very tired.&quot;&quot;You go on and get some rest,&quot; Ellie said. &quot;Let us know if there is anything at all you need to be more comfortable.&quot;&quot;Thank you, ma&#039;am. Goodnight everyone.&quot;He stood up, nodded his head, and walked from the room. &quot;Goodnight, sir,&quot; he said specifically to JR on his way out.&quot;Goodnight,&quot; JR said gruffly.Once James was alone in his room, he sat down on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. JR didn&#039;t want him here. That was plain. He wondered if the ice might start to melt tomorrow once the paternity test results were in.The Ewings were everything he has hoped for and more. He desperately wanted to be a part of this family. But no matter what, he wouldn&#039;t force himself into JR&#039;s life. One father who didn&#039;t want him was more than enough for a lifetime; he had no desire to make it two.&quot;***&quot;Stop it, JR,&quot; Sue Ellen sighed heavily.&quot;What?&quot;&quot;Drumming your fingers on the book cover. You&#039;re driving me insane.&quot;&quot;What? Oh,&quot; he said distractedly. &quot;Sorry.&quot;&quot;Stop sulking and start talking, JR.&quot;&quot;I&#039;m not sulking!&quot; he said defensively. &quot;Just thinking.&quot;&quot;About what?&quot;&quot;You know about what,&quot; he put the book on the bedside table. &quot;I need to deal with Vanessa. Now.&quot;&quot;What? You&#039;ve been thinking about Vanessa?&quot;&quot;Someone has to,&quot; JR replied. *Who knows when she might strike, Sue Ellen. I need to cut her off at the ankles before she does. I don&#039;t want you and Mama embarrassed in the press. And I don&#039;t want James to have to go through that kind of scrutiny before he even has a chance to get settled.&quot;&quot;James?&quot; Sue Ellen repeated. &quot;So… I mean, are you going to accept him?&quot;&quot;Well of course I am,&quot; JR rolled his eyes. &quot;You&#039;re right. He&#039;s mine. Seeing him sitting next to John Ross…&quot;&quot;Yes. There&#039;s no denying the resemblance.&quot;&quot;No. The test is a formality.&quot;&quot;JR, if you feel like that, why were you so standoffish with him tonight?&quot;&quot;Huh?&quot;It was Sue Ellen&#039;s turn to roll her eyes. &quot;Everyone noticed it, JR.&quot;&quot;I wasn&#039;t being standoffish. Just distracted. Trying to figure out what to do about Vanessa.&quot;&quot;You know, JR, sometimes you frustrate me so much, I could strangle you!&quot;&quot;What did I do?&quot; JR asked, shocked by her sudden outburst.&quot;If you would just talk to me instead of trying to handle everything yourself, all of our lives would be a lot easier!&quot;&quot;I am talking to you!&quot;&quot;Yes! After spending the entire evening alone in a corner lost in your own little world! It made everything so awkward! Poor James probably thinks you&#039;ve already rejected him!&quot;&quot;Look, Sue Ellen…&quot; he stopped when he saw the furious expression on her face. &quot;Alright, Miss Texas. I&#039;m sorry. I didn&#039;t realize I was coming off that way.&quot;&quot;You SHOULD be sorry! Tomorrow morning, you&#039;ll apologize to James for not spending any time with him. Then after we get the test results, you and Harv will announce to the Dallas press that he is your son. I will stand by you if Harv thinks that&#039;s a good idea. You&#039;ll give the pictures that James has of you and his mother to a selected reporter and describe your relationship with her.&quot;&quot;And why would I do all that?&quot;&quot;You want to cut Vanessa down to size, right? Eliminate her as a threat? Strike first, JR. Get your story out before she has a chance to get out hers. Play offense instead of defense.&quot;&quot;But the family…&quot;&quot;The family is ready, JR. I am ready. We need to get it out there and get it over with.&quot;JR studied her carefully. She was clearly annoyed with him, but also very sincere in her words.&quot;Alright, Miss Texas. That&#039;s our plan then.&quot;&quot;Good,&quot; she growled. &quot;JR Ewing, you do NOT have to caryy the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. You have to learn to share your burdens with me, just like you share your happiness.&quot;&quot;Alright, Miss Texas,&quot; he said again. He moved close to her and pulled her into his arms. &quot;Thank you. This could have been so hard. You&#039;ve made it easy on all of us.&quot;&quot;It&#039;s not easy, JR,&quot; she corrected him. &quot;But it&#039;s not the end of the world either. We&#039;ll get through it all. But we have to do it together.&quot;JR nodded and bent his head to kiss her. &quot;There&#039;s something else I want to share with you,&quot; he whispered.&quot;Please do,&quot; she put her hand under the covers and found his erection. &quot;Please do.&quot;***</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CeeCee72, post: 227826, member: 5055"] 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 90 *** "You look beautiful this morning," JR said when his wife stood up from her vanity. "Thank you, JR," Sue Ellen smiled. "I want to make a good impression." JR chuckled and walked over to take her in his arms. "You'll make an impression, alright,* he bent his head to kiss her. "Are you trying to impress the boy or seduce him?" He teased. "JR!" Shs playfully slapped at his hand."I'm nervous enough! Please don't tease me!" JR's face turned serious, *Sorry, darlin'," he sighed. "But you have nothing to be nervous about." "Of course I do. I'm meeting my stepson for the first time." "We don't know for sure if he's my son yet, Sue Ellen." "He is, JR," Sue Ellen said solemnly. "I feel it in my bones. James Brumin is James Ewing. I may as well make peace with that now." "I won't believe it until I see proof." "That's fine," Sue Ellen shrugged. "Darlin' are you sure you're okay with all this? Maybe we ought to have Ray take him to a hotel…" "No, JR," she put a finger on his mouth to silence him. "This is how it has to be. I'll be fine. I promise. I just want him here and that test done - and the sooner, the better." *** "Thanks for coming with me," Lucy said. "I don't think I could have handled both boys on my own." "No problem," April smiled. "Happy to help." They had gotten up early this morning to take the boys hiking. Everyone felt it was best for the boys not to be at Southfork when James arrived. Lucy had volunteered to keep them out of the house and busy to give all the adults time to talk and April had agreed to come along and help. "James should be getting to Southfork soon," Lucy said, glancing at her watch. "Hope everything goes okay." "You're worried, aren't you?" Lucy looked at the boys to make sure they couldn't hear her. They were walking several feet in front of the women. "A little uneasy. Sue Ellen is handling this all so we'll, but.." "But what?" "It's all abstract. Once James is here and real and has to be dealt with face to face… It's going to be hard on her. Sue Ellen and JR have had such a dysfunctional marriage. One thing she always was proud of is being the only woman who ever gave him a child. It's always been important to her." "She seems to have accepted all this rather well though." "Yeah. But like I said, it's abstract. Getting ready to become really real, really fast." "I think you're worried about nothing. I mean don't get me wrong, this would be hard for anyone, coming out of the blue the way it did. But Sue Ellen and JR seem calm about it all - as calm as anyone could be under the circumstances." "Calm," Lucy repeated. "Like before the storm. April, I've watched those two for years. Being the mother to JR's only son is a huge part of who Sue Ellen is. He's been with so many other women. She is the only one who ever gave him a child. It's a point of pride. She clings to it." "Maybe…" April hesitated. "What?" "Sue Ellen and JR aren't the same people anymore. I've seen the changes in them, and I know you have too. Maybe she clung to being the mother of his child because that's all she had to cling to. Maybe it was important to her because that's all she had. But now she has HIM. She has her whole family. Look, I know I'm new around here and I haven't known Sue Ellen as well as the rest of you, but it seems to me like no one gives her enough credit. She won't fall apart. And maybe, just maybe her "point on pride" now is being JR's wife. The woman he loves. His life partner. I think she'll be just fine." Lucy turned April's words over in her mind and then sighed and nodded. "Maybe you're right. I sure hope so." *** "You ready?" Ray asked. He and James were sitting in the back of the car JR had sent to pick them up from the airport. They had made the trip to Southfork in silence. Now they sat in the driveway, and James still hadn't said a word. "No," James finally answered. "I'm a lot more nervous than I thought I'd be." "You don't have to be nervous," Ray told him. "Hard not to be. Why are they all lined up like that?" "Southfork traditional," Ray grinned. "This is how Miss Ellie greets family." "Family…" James repeated. "Okay," he put his hand in the door handle, "I guess I'm ready." Ray and James got out of the car and moved towards the family. James watched in silence as Ray hugged all the women and shook hands with all the men. His eyes were fixed on JR's face; it was totally expressionless until Ray shook his hand - then JR smiled and clapped his brother on the back, welcoming him home. "Everyone," Ray turned back and gestured at James after he finished saying hello, "This is James Brumin." No one moved or spoke for a brief instant before JR kissed his wife on the cheek then walked to stand in front of James. "I'm JR Ewing," he said, offering his hand. "Yes," James took the hand and shook it firmly. "I recognize you from your pictures." JR nodded and held his hand out to his wife. She moved forward and smiled at James. ""I'm Sue Ellen," she told him. "I recognize you too," James said softly. "Your pictures don't do you justice. You're even more beautiful than I imagined." Sue Ellen's smile grew wider and she moved to give him a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Charmer just like your father, I see." James dropped his gaze to the ground and said nothing. Sue Ellen took him by the hand and introduced him to the rest of the family. "This is Miss Ellie and her husband Clayton. Over here, this is JR's brother, Bobby and his wife Pam. There on the end, that's my mother, Patricia." James smiled and nodded and shook everyone's hands. "Well, come on everyone. Let's go have a seat and talk." "I have coffee and refreshments set up by the pool," Ellie informed them. Everyone moved towards the patio. Sue Ellen reached over and touched James's hand, stopping him. "James?" "Yes, ma'am?" "You have your father's eyes." She said nothing else. James followed her and took a seat at the table across from JR. JR was watching him, but he was watching his wife closer. James realized he had been right about the dynamic at Southfork. If he wanted JR to accept him at all, he needed Sue Ellen on his side. *** "I think it went well." Bobby looked at Pam and shrugged. James had chatted with the family for a while, telling them about himself. Eventually everyone had excused themselves to give him some time alone with Sue Ellen and JR. "As well as it could have. Sue Ellen certainly was calm and serene." "Yes. I don't know how she does it. I would be a nervous wreck." "You don't ever need to worry about that," Bobby laughed. "I sewed some wild oats before I married you, but mine aren't spread nearly as far and wide as JR's." Pam laughed along with him. "Sue Ellen introduced me as your wife." "So? You are my wife." "Not technically," Pam reminded him. Bobby raised his eyebrows and moved to take her into his arms. "Maybe we should do something about that. What do you think?" "I think," she leaned forward to kiss him, "that would make me very, very happy." *** James sat back in his chair and looked at the man he believed to be his father. JR had just informed him that they would be leaving shortly to have the paternity test done and had reminded him firmly that he wouldn't publicly acknowledge James as his son until he felt the entire family was ready to deal with the fallout. "I understand, sir," James finally said. "I honestly don't care if you ever acknowledge me in public. That's not why I'm here. I just want to know. If it turns out you are my real father, all I want is the opportunity to get to know you and your family. That's all." JR nodded but made no reply. "I have something for you," James told him. He reached into his bag, pulled out a folder, and passed it to JR. "It might help you with my mother." JR took the folder and flipped through the contents. "Where did you get these?" "From my father. On the night he died. He was having you and my mother followed. Tons of pictures showing her smiling and laughing and kissing and cuddling with you. Doesn't look like a woman who was raped, does it?" Sue Ellen glanced at the pictures, then turned her head away. It was difficult seeing JR look so happy with another woman. "Thank you, James," JR finally said. "I'll get these to my attorney. They'll help a lot." James nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll also go on record that she told me the relationship was consensual if you need me to." "Thank you," JR said again. "James, would you like to freshen up before you go into Dallas with Ray and JR?" "Yes, ma'am. If it's not too much trouble." "Of course not," Sue Ellen stood up. "JR, would you show him to his room?" "Sure," JR gestured for James to follow him. James stood and lightly touched Sue Ellen's shoulder. "Mrs. Ewing?" "Yes, James?" "Thank you for being so kind and gracious and welcoming me into your home." Sue Ellen smiled and patted his hand. "Of course. And please. Call me Sue Ellen." *** "He seems like a nice kid," Clayton said, watching Jack run down a horse "That's good. Makes things a lot easier is he isn't a jackass." "Yes," Clayton laughed. "Ray and I are going to see the lawyer in the morning. By tomorrow afternoon, you'll be a ten percent owner in Saddle Tree Enterprises." "I wish you guys would let me buy in instead of just handing it to me." Jack groused. "We're not handing you anything. You work your tail off around here. Hell, Jack, this place would probably run just fine without me. It would fall apart without you." "That's not true and you know it. I'm just very grateful for the opportunity." "You've certainly made the best of it." "Yes. Well I have a good reason." "April?" "Yes," Jack smiled. "Roots are important for a man with a wife and family." "Yes," Jack's smile grew wider. "So?" "So what?" "So are you going to put a ring on that girl's finger or not?" Clayton asked, exasperated. Jack burst out laughing. "Yes, Clayton. Yes I am." *** "Alright," Dr. Parks carefully placed the samples in an envelope. "I'll get these to the lab. I'll supervise the test myself." "Good. Will we have the results? A day or two?" JR asked. "Tomorrow," Dr. Parks answered. "The test itself doesn't take much time. It's the processing that takes a while. I'll call you tomorrow with the results." "Thank you doctor," JR nodded. "I appreciate you handling this personally. And I appreciate your discretion." "Of course," Dr. Parks responded, glancing nervously at Ray and James. "Mr. Ewing, may I have a minute alone with you?" JR nodded. "Wait for me in the lobby," he instructed the other men. "What is it?" he asked Dr. Parks once they were alone. "How is Mrs. Ewing handling all this?" "Why?" "I'm her doctor. It hasn't been that long since her surgery. This is a highly stressful situation." "She seems to be taking it all in stride," JR sighed, "but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her." "Watch her carefully, Mr. Ewing. She can't…" "She can't what?" "Alcohol is very bad for her condition." "That won't be a problem," JR said, his voice tight. "My wife's drinking days are behind her." "Very good," Dr. Parks nodded. "You understand I had to ask." "Yes. But there's nothing to be concerned about. I'll take care of my wife. You just worry about the test." *** "May I join you?" Sue Ellen looked up at her sister-in-law and smiled. "Of course. I'm just sitting out here killing time until Lucy and April get back with the boys." "How are you feeling about everything?" Pam asked her. "I'm not sure, actually. I'm worried about JR." "JR? Why?" "He hasn't shown any emotion about this at all." "Maybe he's just being cautious. He doesn't even know if he's the father yet." "He is," Sue Ellen sighed softly. "I believed it before, but after seeing James...those eyes, Pam. I've looked into those same eyes for years. They're JR's eyes." "Sue Ellen…" "I'm fine, Pam," Sue Ellen assured her. "Strangely enough, it hasn't been that hard to accept. If this had happened a year ago… it would have been different, I guess. But now - I just want what is best for JR, John Ross, and this family. Nothing else matters to me." "I want you to know I'm here for you, Sue Ellen. Anytime, for anything." "I know, Pam," Sue Ellen reached out and squeezed the other woman's hand. "Same goes for me." "Bobby and I are getting re-married," Pam blurted out. "Pam!" Sue Ellen cried excitedly, "that's wonderful! When!" "As soon as we can. No big, flashy wedding though. Just me and Bobby and a few family members at the courthouse." "But…" "It's the way I want it, Sue Ellen. Really. Two big weddings are enough. I was hoping you'd be there though. To be my matron of honor." "Oh, Pam. Of course! Of course I will!" "Thank you, Sue Ellen. For everything. I don't know what Bobby and I would do without you." "Well," Sue Ellen smiled brightly. "That's one thing you'll never have to find out!" *** "You okay, Miss Texas?" Sue Ellen looked up and smiled at her husband. She was lounging in a chair by the pool, watching John Ross and Christopher get acquainted with James. "I'm just fine, JR. That," she said nodding at the boys, "is going extremely well.* "Oh yeah?" JR laughed. "Sure those Darth Vader masks James brought from Switzerland helped." "You know it did," Sue Ellen giggled. She reached out, took his hand, and pulled him down beside her. "What about you, JR? Are you okay?" JR reached out and touched her cheek, then shrugged. "Yes. It's strange. Having him here. He seems to fit right in though. It's almost like…" "Like he belongs here?" Sue Ellen finished for him. JR shook his head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, honey." "JR, I've already accepted it. You have to stop denying the obvious." "It's not obvious to me. I need proof." "Just like with John Ross," she muttered. "Hey. Honey, now don't to that. Please." "Mama! Watch me!" John Ross yelled. Sue Ellen smiled and clapped after he completed a wobbly dive into the pool. "Good job, John Ross!" "Sue Ellen?" JR's voice was almost a whisper. "Please?" Sue Ellen studied his face carefully for a few moments then reached out to him and took her hands in hers. "I love you. For better or worse, JR." JR relaxed visibly. "Til death do us part." *** "Tomorrow, can we take James down to the stables and go riding?" "You'd better ask James about that," JR told John Ross. "The boy might not even like horses!" "Everyone likes horses!" John Ross insisted. "Except you " JR grunted. "You and Christopher seem to be getting along well with James." "He's cool," John Ross said. "I won't mind if he turns out to be my brother." "Is that right?" JR said. "Yeah. Mama likes him too." "Seems so," JR agreed. "Do you like him, Daddy?" JR turned his face away and shrugged. "I like him just fine. Come on, son. Time to go down for dinner." *** "Who is that?" James asked, pointing to a man in the picture with Pam and baby Christopher. "That's my Uncle Cliff" Christopher told him. "You'll get to meet him soon. He comes to visit a lot." "He's...Pam's brother?" *Yes," Sue Ellen answered. "That's Gary, JR's other brother and his wife Valene. They live in California." "Charlie showed me pictures of them. They're your parents, right?" he asked, looking at Lucy. "Yep," Lucy said. "It's a big family," James sighed. "You'll get used to it," Sue Ellen patted his hand. "James, you must be very tired and jet lagged," Ellie spoke up. "Please don't feel you need to hang around here and entertain us." "I…" James stopped before speaking what was really on his mind. The day had been wonderful. He'd played with and gotten to know the boys. April, Lucy, and later Jack had gotten in the pool with them and they had a lot of fun. Miss Ellie and Clayton had talked to him all throughout dinner. Sue Ellen had been so welcoming and gracious. The one person who hadn't made even the slightest effort to spend time with him was JR. "Actually, yes," James finally said. "I am very tired." "You go on and get some rest," Ellie said. "Let us know if there is anything at all you need to be more comfortable." "Thank you, ma'am. Goodnight everyone." He stood up, nodded his head, and walked from the room. "Goodnight, sir," he said specifically to JR on his way out. "Goodnight," JR said gruffly. Once James was alone in his room, he sat down on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. JR didn't want him here. That was plain. He wondered if the ice might start to melt tomorrow once the paternity test results were in. The Ewings were everything he has hoped for and more. He desperately wanted to be a part of this family. But no matter what, he wouldn't force himself into JR's life. One father who didn't want him was more than enough for a lifetime; he had no desire to make it two." *** "Stop it, JR," Sue Ellen sighed heavily. "What?" "Drumming your fingers on the book cover. You're driving me insane." "What? Oh," he said distractedly. "Sorry." "Stop sulking and start talking, JR." "I'm not sulking!" he said defensively. "Just thinking." "About what?" "You know about what," he put the book on the bedside table. "I need to deal with Vanessa. Now." "What? You've been thinking about Vanessa?" "Someone has to," JR replied. *Who knows when she might strike, Sue Ellen. I need to cut her off at the ankles before she does. I don't want you and Mama embarrassed in the press. And I don't want James to have to go through that kind of scrutiny before he even has a chance to get settled." "James?" Sue Ellen repeated. "So… I mean, are you going to accept him?" "Well of course I am," JR rolled his eyes. "You're right. He's mine. Seeing him sitting next to John Ross…" "Yes. There's no denying the resemblance." "No. The test is a formality." "JR, if you feel like that, why were you so standoffish with him tonight?" "Huh?" It was Sue Ellen's turn to roll her eyes. "Everyone noticed it, JR." "I wasn't being standoffish. Just distracted. Trying to figure out what to do about Vanessa." "You know, JR, sometimes you frustrate me so much, I could strangle you!" "What did I do?" JR asked, shocked by her sudden outburst. "If you would just talk to me instead of trying to handle everything yourself, all of our lives would be a lot easier!" "I am talking to you!" "Yes! After spending the entire evening alone in a corner lost in your own little world! It made everything so awkward! Poor James probably thinks you've already rejected him!" "Look, Sue Ellen…" he stopped when he saw the furious expression on her face. "Alright, Miss Texas. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was coming off that way." "You SHOULD be sorry! Tomorrow morning, you'll apologize to James for not spending any time with him. Then after we get the test results, you and Harv will announce to the Dallas press that he is your son. I will stand by you if Harv thinks that's a good idea. You'll give the pictures that James has of you and his mother to a selected reporter and describe your relationship with her." "And why would I do all that?" "You want to cut Vanessa down to size, right? Eliminate her as a threat? Strike first, JR. Get your story out before she has a chance to get out hers. Play offense instead of defense." "But the family…" "The family is ready, JR. I am ready. We need to get it out there and get it over with." JR studied her carefully. She was clearly annoyed with him, but also very sincere in her words. "Alright, Miss Texas. That's our plan then." "Good," she growled. "JR Ewing, you do NOT have to caryy the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. You have to learn to share your burdens with me, just like you share your happiness." "Alright, Miss Texas," he said again. He moved close to her and pulled her into his arms. "Thank you. This could have been so hard. You've made it easy on all of us." "It's not easy, JR," she corrected him. "But it's not the end of the world either. We'll get through it all. But we have to do it together." JR nodded and bent his head to kiss her. "There's something else I want to share with you," he whispered. "Please do," she put her hand under the covers and found his erection. "Please do." *** [/QUOTE]

Verification

What month follows July?