Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="CryptCreeper72" data-source="post: 269546" data-attributes="member: 5055">I don&#039;t own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.This fic is an alternate timeline and features a totally different resolution to the &quot;Who Shot JR?&quot; plot.The timeline breaks at episode four of season four of season&quot;Dallas.&quot;***Shot Through the HeartPart Sixty-one:***.&quot;Gary?&quot;Gary finished straightening his tie and looked up at his wife. &quot;Yeah?&quot;&quot;I understand why JR worked out a deal with Bobby for Ewing Oil. I don&#039;t understand why he included you and Ray.&quot;Gary shrugged and slipped on his jacket. &quot;With me, I&#039;m pretty sure it&#039;s all about Lucy and her future. Ray is harder to figure out, but I guess JR has his reasons.&quot;&quot;Honestly, I&#039;m surprised you&#039;re all so willing to trust him. He&#039;s proven to us all over and over what a snake he can be.&quot;&quot;I know,&quot; Gary sighed. &quot;But, he&#039;s different now. I can&#039;t explain it, but I feel it. Deep down I can tell he&#039;s changed.&quot;&quot;But Gary…&quot;&quot;Look, Val, I know it&#039;s hard to understand. But JR was who he was because of our father. He is who he is because of Sue Ellen. I&#039;m giving him the benefit of the doubt.&quot;&quot;Alright, Gary,&quot; she nodded. &quot;I hope this doesn&#039;t come back to bite us all in the behind.&quot;&quot;Me too,&quot; Gary said solemnly. &quot;Me too.&quot;***Harv Smithfield looked over the contract carefully. He&#039;d drawn it up exactly as JR had instructed. He had to admit it was brilliant. He wished he&#039;d thought of it himself.Jock&#039;s will was very specific. If JR and Bobby refused to abide by the terms, Ewing Oil would be liquidated and the proceeds would pass to James Beaumont. If the Ewingd tried to overturn the will, Jock had gone to great pains to be sure the court battle would be long and complicated.But JR had found a loophole.If Bobby and JR agreed to the competition, the winner would end up with sole ownership of the company.And there was nothing to stop the winner from doing whatever he wanted to with Ewing Oil once the competition was done.Harv was shocked that JR was so willing to agree to play fair. He was even more shocked that he&#039;s agreed to divide the company even if he won.&quot;Well, well, JR,&quot; Harv muttered to himself. &quot;Maybe you&#039;re not your father&#039;s son after all.&quot;***Vanessa glanced at her watch and grimaced. The Ewings would be reading the will soon. She couldn&#039;t wait to hear what nasty surprise Jock had left for JR concerning James.Whatever it was, she hoped it hurt JR. She hoped it hurt him very badly.***&quot;Good morning,&quot; Pam greeted her friend as she sat down at the breakfast table. &quot;How are you feeling?&quot;&quot;Alright,&quot; Sue Ellen answered. &quot;Some morning sickness, but not too bad. The nausea medication is working.&quot;&quot;Good. How&#039;s JR this morning?&quot;&quot;Impatient. Ready to get this over with.&quot;&quot;Me too,&quot; Pam sighed. &quot;I have the papers from Cliff for the lawyer. He&#039;ll be filing for custody of Kristen&#039;s child today.&quot;Sue Ellen put her fork down and her eyes widened. &quot;Oh, my God, Pam. You&#039;re not going to believe this, but I haven&#039;t even thought about Kristen… or my mother in days.&quot;&quot;I believe it just fine,&quot; Pam smiled reassuringly. &quot;With everything else going on, it&#039;s natural.&quot;&quot;I suppose we need to get those loose ends wrapped up. I&#039;ll talk to JR after the will is read.&quot;&quot;Thank you,&quot; Pam nodded.&quot;I pray that after Jock is buried and your sister is totally neutralized everything around here will get back to normal.&quot;&quot;That prayer won&#039;t be answered. At least not for me,&quot; Sue Ellen mumbled miserably. &quot;I still have the Beaumonts hanging over my head.&quot;&quot;Vanessa Beaumont and her son can&#039;t hurt you, Sue Ellen,&quot; Pam told her.&quot;I hope you&#039;re right,&quot; Sue Ellen sighed. &quot;But I wouldn&#039;t bet the ranch on it.&quot;***JR stared into the mirror and studied his reflection.Could he go through with it? Could he really do it?He&#039;d fought so hard for so long. He&#039;d used every single dirty trick in the book. He&#039;d lied and schemed and worked his ass off.All for control of Ewing Oil.His father&#039;s will had given him the perfect opportunity to get what he&#039;d always wanted. JR knew he&#039;d have no problem squashing Bobby like a bug in the competition. He could walk away with it all.He and Sue Ellen had worked out a way to split the company and save the family.But is this what he really wanted? Was peace at Southfork worth walking away from everything he&#039;d spent his life trying to achieve?&quot;JR? Are you ready to go?&quot;JR turned around and couldn&#039;t help but smile when he saw his wife. &quot;I am,&quot; he told her softly. &quot;You look so pretty this morning. You&#039;re glowing.&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t feel pretty,&quot; she laughed. &quot;I feel queasy. But thank you, JR.&quot;He walked over to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. &quot;You sure you&#039;re up to all this?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; she leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder. &quot;You?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; he said without hesitation. &quot;I am.&quot;&quot;I love you so much.&quot;JR brought his arms around her and held her tightly.This was going to be the hardest thing he&#039;d ever done, but so help him God, he&#039;d do it. For her. He&#039;d do it for her.He&#039;d figure out a way to live with it later.***Harv stood behind the table and watched the Ewings file into his conference room. He sat down once everyone else was seated and nodded his head at them. &quot;Good morning, everyone. For the record, we&#039;re here this morning to read the last will and testament of John Ross Ewing. Present are Mrs. Ellie Southworth Ewing, Mr. John Ross Ewing the Second, Mr. Robert James Ewing, Mr. Garrison Arthur Ewing, Mr. Raymond Krebbs, Mrs. Sue Ellen Ewing, Mrs. Valene Ewing, Mrs. Pamela Ewing, Miss Lucy Ewing, Mr. Marvin &quot;Punk&quot; Anderson, and Mr. Jackson Lealand who is an attorney representing James Beaumont. Let&#039;s begin.&quot;***&quot;We&#039;re going to be here a while,&quot; Bobby kissed Pam on the forehead &quot;Why don&#039;t you ladies go to lunch? We&#039;ll meet you back at Southfork later.&quot;Harv had finished reading the will. The details were brutal. He&#039;d left all his assets to Ellie, except for Ewing Oil. For that, he&#039;d sat up an intricate completion fraught with landmines for Bobby and JR, with Punk Anderson serving as judge. Now the men had to review the agreement JR had asked him to put together and decide whether or not they each agreed.&quot;Alright, Bobby,&quot; Pam smiled at him. &quot;We&#039;ll see you back at the ranch.&quot;&quot;You ladies go on,&quot; Ellie told them. &quot;I&#039;m going to stay here in case the boys need me.&quot; Pam nodded and walked toward the door where the other women were waiting on her.Once they were gone, Ellie turned her attention to Punk. &quot;Is everything set?&quot;&quot;Yes. He&#039;s waiting for you in Harv&#039;s office. Be careful Ellie. Please.&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t worry, Punk. I&#039;ll be careful. And I&#039;ll get the Beaumonts handled once and for all.&quot;***Harv pulled off his glasses and laid them on the table in front of him. &quot;Does everyone understand? JR and Bobby compete for ownership just as Jock laid out in his will. One year from today, Punk Anderson will review the books and declare a winner and sole owner of Ewing Oil. The winner will retain 45 percent of the shares of Ewing Oil and be named President of the company. The loser gets 35 percent and the title of Vice-president. Ray Krebbs and Gary Ewing each get 10 percent. Everyone clear?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; all the men answered and nodded.&quot;Alright, each of you sign and we&#039;ll seal the agreement until after the competition is over and a winner is named.&quot;&quot;Wait,&quot; Bobby held out his hand and looked at JR. &quot;JR…&quot;&quot;What?&quot; JR snapped.&quot;You know, even if you win - even if you get 45 percent and the presidency, you won&#039;t be in control. The three of us will have enough shares to overrule you.&quot;&quot;I know that Bobby,&quot; he growled. &quot;I can count to a hundred.&quot;&quot;I know you can,&quot; Bobby shot back. &quot;That&#039;s why it&#039;s so hard for me to believe you&#039;re serious about any of this.&quot;&quot;I&#039;m dead serious about it, Bob,&quot; JR&#039;s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. &quot;It was my damn idea.&quot;&quot;I know,&quot; Bobby sighed. &quot;But JR… for your whole life, all you&#039;ve ever wanted was Ewing Oil. This is your shot. Why give it up now?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t intend to explain myself to you,&quot; JR&#039;s voice was dangerously low. &quot;Or to any of you,&quot; he said, looking around the room. &quot;This is what I want.&quot;&quot;Fine, JR,&quot; Bobby said flatly. &quot;But be sure you mean it. Don&#039;t sign your name on that promise if you don&#039;t intend to keep it.&quot;JR stood up, walked over to Harv, took the paper, and signed it. He put his hat on and walked out of the conference room without another word to anyone.&quot;Well, guess that&#039;s his answer,&quot; Harv sighed. &quot;Come on, boys. The rest of you need to sign too.&quot;***&quot;My client has no problem submitting her son to a blood test to prove paternity,&quot; Lealand informed Ellie. &quot;But she won&#039;t accept your offer.&quot;&quot;Why not?&quot; Ellie asked. &quot;You heard the will. Her son gets nothing so long as JR and Bobby complete the terms, which they will.&quot;&quot;This isn&#039;t about money,&quot; Lealand told her. &quot;Miss Beaumont refused to sell out to Jock Ewing and she won&#039;t sell out to you either.&quot;&quot;Then what does she want?&quot; Ellie asked.&quot;All she ever wanted was to be left alone. Your husband made that impossible. The whole world knows about her son now. So, she wants what&#039;s his.&quot;&quot;I see. And what exactly does she consider to be his?&quot;&quot;JR Ewing has two sons, and a child in the way. She believes her son is entitled to a public acknowledgment as a Ewing and one third of JR&#039;s personal wealth.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s outlandish!&quot;&quot;Perhaps,&quot; Lealand said, standing up. &quot;But if you really want her to go away, that&#039;s what it will take. You have three days to decide. Talk to your son and see what he says. I have a feeling that he&#039;ll agree that&nbsp; one third of his personal wealth is a small price to pay to get Vanessa and her son out of his life and away from his lovely - and fragile wife. Have a good day, Mrs. Ewing.&quot;Ellie shook with pure fury as she watched the lawyer leave the room. His client may think she was holding all the high cards, but she was wrong.Ewings were tough.And Vanessa Beaumont was barking up the wrong tree.***&quot;Sue Ellen?&quot;Sue Ellen looked up at Donna and smiled. Donna had driven into town and met the rest of the Ewing women for lunch. &quot;Yes?&quot;&quot;You&#039;re awfully quiet.&quot;Sue Ellen dropped her eyes to her salad and shrugged. &quot;Just thinking I guess. Pam reminded me this morning that we still had to deal with my mother and my sister. I have to talk to JR about it. I just hate to put another weight on his shoulders.&quot;&quot;Why do you have to talk to JR about it?&quot; Val asked her.&quot;I have to make sure they&#039;re both gone for good. JR is the only one I know who can make that happen.&quot;&quot;Well, that&#039;s not true, Sue Ellen,&quot; Donna told her. &quot;You and Pam are both plenty strong enough to take care of those two. Especially if you have backup.&quot;&quot;Backup?&quot; Sue Ellen repeated.&quot;Sure,&quot; Valene agreed. &quot;Remember what we all promised each other last night? All for one and one for all?&quot;&quot;Yes...but I…&quot; Sue Ellen hesitated. &quot;What do you have in mind?&quot; Pam asked the other women.&quot;I&#039;m not sure,&quot; Donna grinned. &quot;But if you and Sue Ellen tell us exactly what you want to accomplish, I&#039;m sure the five of us can figure it out. No need to bother JR with it. Or Bobby either.&quot;&quot;She&#039;s right,&quot; Lucy spoke up. &quot;We totally got this.&quot;&quot;We do?&quot; Sue Ellen said doubtfully.&quot;We absolutely do,&quot; Val laughed. &quot;If we&#039;re together, there&#039;s nothing we can&#039;t handle!&quot;***Vanessa slammed the phone down and cursed in outrage. Money? Ellie Ewing thought she could buy her son, just like Jock had.The entire family was evil. No wonder JR was such a vile human being.Well, Ellie Ewing could take her offer and shove it.JR Ewing had destroyed her life. And he was going to pay.Finally, after all these years, the bill was due.And she was going to make sure it was paid in full.***&quot;Hey.&quot;JR turned around and saw Gary coming into the living room. &quot;Hey.&quot;&quot;Look, you can&#039;t be too angry with Bobby for…&quot;&quot;I&#039;m not,&quot; JR held up his hand to cut Gary off. &quot;I get it. He has years of good reasons not to believe I&#039;m sincere.&quot;&quot;Yeah,&quot; Gary agreed. &quot;But I do.&quot;&quot;You do what?&quot;&quot;Believe you&#039;re sincere.&quot;&quot;How can you be so sure?&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t know,&quot; Gary shrugged. &quot;Just am.&quot;JR chuckled lightly and fixed himself another drink. &quot;I won&#039;t lie. It&#039;s hard. I almost backed out this morning.&quot;&quot;But you didn&#039;t,&quot; Gary smiled at him. &quot;And you won&#039;t.&quot;&quot;Who would have ever thought it would be you who trusted me?&quot;&quot;Right?&quot; Gary laughed. &quot;And I won&#039;t lie either, JR. It gives me comfort to know Jock is rolling over in his coffin seeing me and you getting along so well.&quot;JR burst out, laughing along with his brother. &quot;You know what, Gary? I bet the bastard is spinning.&quot;They laughed together loudly, causing Bobby and Ray to walk into the room to see what was going on &quot;What&#039;s so funny?&quot; Bobby asked.&quot;We are,&quot; JR caught his breath and slapped Gary on the back lightly. &quot;We are.&quot;***&quot;You ready for this?&quot; Pam asked, putting her hand on Sue Ellen&#039;s arm.&quot;Yes,&quot; Sue Ellen sighed. &quot;It has to be done.&quot;&quot;We can wait,&quot; Pam told her. &quot;It doesn&#039;t have to be done right now.&quot;&quot;Yes. It does,&quot; Sue Ellen shook her head. &quot;I need this to be over, Pam.&quot;Pam nodded and watched as Sue Ellen picked up the phone. She sat quietly as Sue Ellen said her name and asked to speak to Keifer.&quot;Mr. Kiefer?&quot; Sue Ellen sat up straight on the edge of the bed. &quot;This is Sue Ellen Ewing. I need a meeting with you. Scotty Demerest needs to be there too. No. JR won&#039;t be there. Just me and my sister-in-law, Pam. No. It needs to be as soon as possible. All I&#039;ll say is that I have a solution to both my mother&#039;s and my sister&#039;s legal problems. Yes. Alright. See you then.&quot;Sue Ellen hung up the phone and sank down onto the bed. &quot;It&#039;s set. Tomorrow at ten.&quot;&quot;Good. Now all we need is for Donna to take care of her end.&quot;&quot;Yes. Then it will be over.&quot;&quot;Finally,&quot; Pam agreed. &quot;Thank God.&quot;***&quot;Come on, Jake!&quot; Donna snapped at the DA. &quot;You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!&quot;&quot;I have an open and shut case against Kristen Sheppard,&quot; he reminded her.&quot;A mentally ill woman who won&#039;t be convicted because she&#039;s crazy?&quot; Donna laughed. &quot;Please.&quot;&quot;I can&#039;t let her go! The Ewings made a mockery of this office during Sue Ellen Ewing&#039;s trial and they need to be held accountable for that!&quot;&quot;This office made a mockery of itself,&quot; Donna snapped. &quot;The Ewings didn&#039;t cause your predecessor to sleep with Kristen Sheppard and manipulate evidence. Besides,&quot; Donna&#039;s voice dipped low, &quot;if you don&#039;t do me this favor, I&#039;ll make sure the Dallas DA&#039;s office is crushed by a scandal the likes of which you can&#039;t even imagine.&quot;&quot;You&#039;re bluffing,&quot; Jake snarled. &quot;You go public and Sam Culver&#039;s reputation will be ruined.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Donna shrugged. &quot;But so what? Sam is dead. Sue Ellen and Pam Ewing are both still alive. They&#039;re my family now and they need me. I won&#039;t let the memory of a dead man stop me from doing all I can to help them.&quot;&quot;I can&#039;t believe you&#039;re serious about this.&quot;&quot;Believe it,&quot; Donna said evenly. &quot;I&#039;ve never been more serious about anything in my life.&quot;&quot;Fine,&quot; the DA gave in. &quot;I&#039;ll have the papers drawn up. But you owe me one.&quot;&quot;No,&quot; Donna laughed. &quot;But now you owe me one less.&quot;***&quot;What are you talking about, JR?&quot; Ray laughed. &quot;You just sat there at the table! Me and Bobby did all the fighting. You never even threw a punch!&quot;&quot;I had on a new shirt!&quot; JR protested. &quot;No need to get it stained with blood!&quot;Everyone around the table roared with laughter.Except Sue Ellen.She cast a nervous glance toward the living room and stood up. &quot;Excuse me for just a minute.&quot;JR reached out and touched her arm to stop her. &quot;Maybe she just wants to be alone, honey.&quot;&quot;Maybe,&quot; Sue Ellen smiled sadly, &quot;but she shouldn&#039;t be.&quot;JR pulled his hand back and nodded at his wife, who left the dining room and moved into the living room.&quot;Miss Ellie?&quot; She spoke to her mother-in-law, who was sitting all alone on the couch. &quot;We miss you at the table.&quot;Ellie took a sip of her drink and shook her head. &quot;No one misses me,&quot; she sighed. &quot;Let them talk and laugh about the good times they had with their father. My presence would only dampen their mood.&quot;&quot;I miss you, Miss Ellie.&quot;Ellie put her drink down and smiled at Sue Ellen. &quot;You&#039;re too sweet. But when you find out what I&#039;ve done, you may not have such warm feelings for me.&quot;&quot;Oh, Miss Ellie, I know you were going to reconcile with Jock..I don&#039;t hold that against you.I completely understand.&quot; Ellie studied her daughter-in-law carefully. &quot;Yes. I know you, of all people, truly do understand. JR told me you explained it to him.&quot;&quot;I tried,&quot; Sue Ellen sank down onto the couch beside her mother-in-law. &quot;Please don&#039;t feel that anyone is angry with you. We all love you very much.&quot;&quot;I know. But I...Sue Ellen, I did something very Jock like today.&quot;&quot;What do you mean?&quot;&quot;I interfered in a problem between you and JR and only ended up making it worse.&quot;&quot;What problem?&quot;&quot;The James Beaumont problem. I called Vanessa and offered to pay her to go away.&quot;&quot;I see,&quot; Sue Ellen sucked in a deep breath. &quot;And how did she react?&quot;&quot;Badly. She&#039;s insisting that JR acknowledge paternity and that James is entitled to a third of JR&#039;s wealth.&quot;Sue Ellen was silent for a while, turning her head to stare out the window. &quot;I imagine she&#039;s very upset right now,&quot; she finally said. &quot;She&#039;s managed to keep the fact that she had a son with JR a secret for so long. Then, out of the blue investigators show up at her door and she ends up all over the newspapers. I can see why she&#039;s reacting badly.&quot;&quot;How is JR handling it? He hasn&#039;t mentioned it to the family.&quot;&quot;He&#039;s pushed it out of his mind. He has so much to deal with, it seems like he&#039;s just decided not to deal with this at all right now.&quot;&quot;Well, I&#039;m afraid I&#039;ve made that impossible for him now. Her lawyer will be demanding his attention very soon.&quot;Sue Ellen nodded and shrugged. &quot;You were only trying to help, Miss Ellie. Come back to dinner. We&#039;ll deal with Vanessa when we have to.&quot;&quot;Thank you, Sue Ellen.&quot;&quot;For what?&quot;&quot;Being you.&quot;***Sue Ellen walked out of the bathroom and sat down at her vanity. &quot;How&#039;s it going?&quot;&quot;Slow,&quot; JR grumbled. &quot;The funeral is day after tomorrow and I can&#039;t get this damned eulogy written to save my life. As much as I want Daddy to have a proper send off, it&#039;s harder than I thought to write anything nice about him right now.&quot;&quot;You&#039;re going to have to put your anger aside. Think about the good times, like you guys were talking about tonight at dinner.&quot;&quot;I&#039;m trying, Sue Ellen,&quot; he told her. &quot;And so far failing miserably.&quot;Sue Ellen stood up, walked over to him, and took his hands in hers. &quot;Put it away for a while and go back to it later.&quot;He yanked on her hands gently and pulled her down into his lap on their bed. &quot;Thanks for taking care of Mama tonight. I wanted to go to her. I just couldn&#039;t force myself…&quot;Sue Ellen reached up and cupped his face in her hands. &quot;JR, you&#039;re under so much stress. You don&#039;t have to be superman. I&#039;m your wife. I&#039;ll do whatever I can to help you.&quot;&quot;I know you will, honey,&quot; he said softly.Sue Ellen searched his eyes. They were tired and sad. She&#039;d intended to tell him about Kristen and her mother and about Ellie&#039;s call to Vanessa, but decided he couldn&#039;t handle anything else right now. She vowed silently to handle things herself. He needed to be allowed to concentrate on his own grief. &quot;There&#039;s something I can help you do right now, you know.&quot;&quot;Oh yeah?&quot; JR&#039;s eyes darkened at the husky tone of her voice. &quot;What&#039;s that?&quot;She reached down to pull her nightgown over her hips and positioned herself on top of him. &quot;Relieve your stress.&quot;JR groaned as she guided him inside of her. He closed his eyes and let her have her way with him.She was right. This was exactly what he needed. And she was the only person in the world who could give it to him.***</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CryptCreeper72, post: 269546, member: 5055"] I don't own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended. This fic is an alternate timeline and features a totally different resolution to the "Who Shot JR?" plot. The timeline breaks at episode four of season four of season"Dallas." *** Shot Through the Heart Part Sixty-one: ***. "Gary?" Gary finished straightening his tie and looked up at his wife. "Yeah?" "I understand why JR worked out a deal with Bobby for Ewing Oil. I don't understand why he included you and Ray." Gary shrugged and slipped on his jacket. "With me, I'm pretty sure it's all about Lucy and her future. Ray is harder to figure out, but I guess JR has his reasons." "Honestly, I'm surprised you're all so willing to trust him. He's proven to us all over and over what a snake he can be." "I know," Gary sighed. "But, he's different now. I can't explain it, but I feel it. Deep down I can tell he's changed." "But Gary…" "Look, Val, I know it's hard to understand. But JR was who he was because of our father. He is who he is because of Sue Ellen. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt." "Alright, Gary," she nodded. "I hope this doesn't come back to bite us all in the behind." "Me too," Gary said solemnly. "Me too." *** Harv Smithfield looked over the contract carefully. He'd drawn it up exactly as JR had instructed. He had to admit it was brilliant. He wished he'd thought of it himself. Jock's will was very specific. If JR and Bobby refused to abide by the terms, Ewing Oil would be liquidated and the proceeds would pass to James Beaumont. If the Ewingd tried to overturn the will, Jock had gone to great pains to be sure the court battle would be long and complicated. But JR had found a loophole. If Bobby and JR agreed to the competition, the winner would end up with sole ownership of the company. And there was nothing to stop the winner from doing whatever he wanted to with Ewing Oil once the competition was done. Harv was shocked that JR was so willing to agree to play fair. He was even more shocked that he's agreed to divide the company even if he won. "Well, well, JR," Harv muttered to himself. "Maybe you're not your father's son after all." *** Vanessa glanced at her watch and grimaced. The Ewings would be reading the will soon. She couldn't wait to hear what nasty surprise Jock had left for JR concerning James. Whatever it was, she hoped it hurt JR. She hoped it hurt him very badly. *** "Good morning," Pam greeted her friend as she sat down at the breakfast table. "How are you feeling?" "Alright," Sue Ellen answered. "Some morning sickness, but not too bad. The nausea medication is working." "Good. How's JR this morning?" "Impatient. Ready to get this over with." "Me too," Pam sighed. "I have the papers from Cliff for the lawyer. He'll be filing for custody of Kristen's child today." Sue Ellen put her fork down and her eyes widened. "Oh, my God, Pam. You're not going to believe this, but I haven't even thought about Kristen… or my mother in days." "I believe it just fine," Pam smiled reassuringly. "With everything else going on, it's natural." "I suppose we need to get those loose ends wrapped up. I'll talk to JR after the will is read." "Thank you," Pam nodded."I pray that after Jock is buried and your sister is totally neutralized everything around here will get back to normal." "That prayer won't be answered. At least not for me," Sue Ellen mumbled miserably. "I still have the Beaumonts hanging over my head." "Vanessa Beaumont and her son can't hurt you, Sue Ellen," Pam told her. "I hope you're right," Sue Ellen sighed. "But I wouldn't bet the ranch on it." *** JR stared into the mirror and studied his reflection. Could he go through with it? Could he really do it? He'd fought so hard for so long. He'd used every single dirty trick in the book. He'd lied and schemed and worked his ass off. All for control of Ewing Oil. His father's will had given him the perfect opportunity to get what he'd always wanted. JR knew he'd have no problem squashing Bobby like a bug in the competition. He could walk away with it all. He and Sue Ellen had worked out a way to split the company and save the family. But is this what he really wanted? Was peace at Southfork worth walking away from everything he'd spent his life trying to achieve? "JR? Are you ready to go?" JR turned around and couldn't help but smile when he saw his wife. "I am," he told her softly. "You look so pretty this morning. You're glowing." "I don't feel pretty," she laughed. "I feel queasy. But thank you, JR." He walked over to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You sure you're up to all this?" "Yes," she leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder. "You?" "Yes," he said without hesitation. "I am." "I love you so much." JR brought his arms around her and held her tightly. This was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done, but so help him God, he'd do it. For her. He'd do it for her. He'd figure out a way to live with it later. *** Harv stood behind the table and watched the Ewings file into his conference room. He sat down once everyone else was seated and nodded his head at them. "Good morning, everyone. For the record, we're here this morning to read the last will and testament of John Ross Ewing. Present are Mrs. Ellie Southworth Ewing, Mr. John Ross Ewing the Second, Mr. Robert James Ewing, Mr. Garrison Arthur Ewing, Mr. Raymond Krebbs, Mrs. Sue Ellen Ewing, Mrs. Valene Ewing, Mrs. Pamela Ewing, Miss Lucy Ewing, Mr. Marvin "Punk" Anderson, and Mr. Jackson Lealand who is an attorney representing James Beaumont. Let's begin." *** "We're going to be here a while," Bobby kissed Pam on the forehead "Why don't you ladies go to lunch? We'll meet you back at Southfork later." Harv had finished reading the will. The details were brutal. He'd left all his assets to Ellie, except for Ewing Oil. For that, he'd sat up an intricate completion fraught with landmines for Bobby and JR, with Punk Anderson serving as judge. Now the men had to review the agreement JR had asked him to put together and decide whether or not they each agreed. "Alright, Bobby," Pam smiled at him. "We'll see you back at the ranch." "You ladies go on," Ellie told them. "I'm going to stay here in case the boys need me." Pam nodded and walked toward the door where the other women were waiting on her. Once they were gone, Ellie turned her attention to Punk. "Is everything set?" "Yes. He's waiting for you in Harv's office. Be careful Ellie. Please." "Don't worry, Punk. I'll be careful. And I'll get the Beaumonts handled once and for all." *** Harv pulled off his glasses and laid them on the table in front of him. "Does everyone understand? JR and Bobby compete for ownership just as Jock laid out in his will. One year from today, Punk Anderson will review the books and declare a winner and sole owner of Ewing Oil. The winner will retain 45 percent of the shares of Ewing Oil and be named President of the company. The loser gets 35 percent and the title of Vice-president. Ray Krebbs and Gary Ewing each get 10 percent. Everyone clear?" "Yes," all the men answered and nodded. "Alright, each of you sign and we'll seal the agreement until after the competition is over and a winner is named." "Wait," Bobby held out his hand and looked at JR. "JR…" "What?" JR snapped. "You know, even if you win - even if you get 45 percent and the presidency, you won't be in control. The three of us will have enough shares to overrule you." "I know that Bobby," he growled. "I can count to a hundred." "I know you can," Bobby shot back. "That's why it's so hard for me to believe you're serious about any of this." "I'm dead serious about it, Bob," JR's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "It was my damn idea." "I know," Bobby sighed. "But JR… for your whole life, all you've ever wanted was Ewing Oil. This is your shot. Why give it up now?" "I don't intend to explain myself to you," JR's voice was dangerously low. "Or to any of you," he said, looking around the room. "This is what I want." "Fine, JR," Bobby said flatly. "But be sure you mean it. Don't sign your name on that promise if you don't intend to keep it." JR stood up, walked over to Harv, took the paper, and signed it. He put his hat on and walked out of the conference room without another word to anyone. "Well, guess that's his answer," Harv sighed. "Come on, boys. The rest of you need to sign too." *** "My client has no problem submitting her son to a blood test to prove paternity," Lealand informed Ellie. "But she won't accept your offer." "Why not?" Ellie asked. "You heard the will. Her son gets nothing so long as JR and Bobby complete the terms, which they will." "This isn't about money," Lealand told her. "Miss Beaumont refused to sell out to Jock Ewing and she won't sell out to you either." "Then what does she want?" Ellie asked. "All she ever wanted was to be left alone. Your husband made that impossible. The whole world knows about her son now. So, she wants what's his." "I see. And what exactly does she consider to be his?" "JR Ewing has two sons, and a child in the way. She believes her son is entitled to a public acknowledgment as a Ewing and one third of JR's personal wealth." "That's outlandish!" "Perhaps," Lealand said, standing up. "But if you really want her to go away, that's what it will take. You have three days to decide. Talk to your son and see what he says. I have a feeling that he'll agree that one third of his personal wealth is a small price to pay to get Vanessa and her son out of his life and away from his lovely - and fragile wife. Have a good day, Mrs. Ewing." Ellie shook with pure fury as she watched the lawyer leave the room. His client may think she was holding all the high cards, but she was wrong. Ewings were tough. And Vanessa Beaumont was barking up the wrong tree. *** "Sue Ellen?" Sue Ellen looked up at Donna and smiled. Donna had driven into town and met the rest of the Ewing women for lunch. "Yes?" "You're awfully quiet." Sue Ellen dropped her eyes to her salad and shrugged. "Just thinking I guess. Pam reminded me this morning that we still had to deal with my mother and my sister. I have to talk to JR about it. I just hate to put another weight on his shoulders." "Why do you have to talk to JR about it?" Val asked her. "I have to make sure they're both gone for good. JR is the only one I know who can make that happen." "Well, that's not true, Sue Ellen," Donna told her. "You and Pam are both plenty strong enough to take care of those two. Especially if you have backup." "Backup?" Sue Ellen repeated. "Sure," Valene agreed. "Remember what we all promised each other last night? All for one and one for all?" "Yes...but I…" Sue Ellen hesitated. "What do you have in mind?" Pam asked the other women. "I'm not sure," Donna grinned. "But if you and Sue Ellen tell us exactly what you want to accomplish, I'm sure the five of us can figure it out. No need to bother JR with it. Or Bobby either." "She's right," Lucy spoke up. "We totally got this." "We do?" Sue Ellen said doubtfully. "We absolutely do," Val laughed. "If we're together, there's nothing we can't handle!" *** Vanessa slammed the phone down and cursed in outrage. Money? Ellie Ewing thought she could buy her son, just like Jock had. The entire family was evil. No wonder JR was such a vile human being. Well, Ellie Ewing could take her offer and shove it. JR Ewing had destroyed her life. And he was going to pay. Finally, after all these years, the bill was due. And she was going to make sure it was paid in full. *** "Hey." JR turned around and saw Gary coming into the living room. "Hey." "Look, you can't be too angry with Bobby for…" "I'm not," JR held up his hand to cut Gary off. "I get it. He has years of good reasons not to believe I'm sincere." "Yeah," Gary agreed. "But I do." "You do what?" "Believe you're sincere." "How can you be so sure?" "Don't know," Gary shrugged. "Just am." JR chuckled lightly and fixed himself another drink. "I won't lie. It's hard. I almost backed out this morning." "But you didn't," Gary smiled at him. "And you won't." "Who would have ever thought it would be you who trusted me?" "Right?" Gary laughed. "And I won't lie either, JR. It gives me comfort to know Jock is rolling over in his coffin seeing me and you getting along so well." JR burst out, laughing along with his brother. "You know what, Gary? I bet the bastard is spinning." They laughed together loudly, causing Bobby and Ray to walk into the room to see what was going on "What's so funny?" Bobby asked. "We are," JR caught his breath and slapped Gary on the back lightly. "We are." *** "You ready for this?" Pam asked, putting her hand on Sue Ellen's arm. "Yes," Sue Ellen sighed. "It has to be done." "We can wait," Pam told her. "It doesn't have to be done right now." "Yes. It does," Sue Ellen shook her head. "I need this to be over, Pam." Pam nodded and watched as Sue Ellen picked up the phone. She sat quietly as Sue Ellen said her name and asked to speak to Keifer. "Mr. Kiefer?" Sue Ellen sat up straight on the edge of the bed. "This is Sue Ellen Ewing. I need a meeting with you. Scotty Demerest needs to be there too. No. JR won't be there. Just me and my sister-in-law, Pam. No. It needs to be as soon as possible. All I'll say is that I have a solution to both my mother's and my sister's legal problems. Yes. Alright. See you then." Sue Ellen hung up the phone and sank down onto the bed. "It's set. Tomorrow at ten." "Good. Now all we need is for Donna to take care of her end." "Yes. Then it will be over." "Finally," Pam agreed. "Thank God." *** "Come on, Jake!" Donna snapped at the DA. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!" "I have an open and shut case against Kristen Sheppard," he reminded her. "A mentally ill woman who won't be convicted because she's crazy?" Donna laughed. "Please." "I can't let her go! The Ewings made a mockery of this office during Sue Ellen Ewing's trial and they need to be held accountable for that!" "This office made a mockery of itself," Donna snapped. "The Ewings didn't cause your predecessor to sleep with Kristen Sheppard and manipulate evidence. Besides," Donna's voice dipped low, "if you don't do me this favor, I'll make sure the Dallas DA's office is crushed by a scandal the likes of which you can't even imagine." "You're bluffing," Jake snarled. "You go public and Sam Culver's reputation will be ruined." "Yes," Donna shrugged. "But so what? Sam is dead. Sue Ellen and Pam Ewing are both still alive. They're my family now and they need me. I won't let the memory of a dead man stop me from doing all I can to help them." "I can't believe you're serious about this." "Believe it," Donna said evenly. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life." "Fine," the DA gave in. "I'll have the papers drawn up. But you owe me one." "No," Donna laughed. "But now you owe me one less." *** "What are you talking about, JR?" Ray laughed. "You just sat there at the table! Me and Bobby did all the fighting. You never even threw a punch!" "I had on a new shirt!" JR protested. "No need to get it stained with blood!" Everyone around the table roared with laughter. Except Sue Ellen. She cast a nervous glance toward the living room and stood up. "Excuse me for just a minute." JR reached out and touched her arm to stop her. "Maybe she just wants to be alone, honey." "Maybe," Sue Ellen smiled sadly, "but she shouldn't be." JR pulled his hand back and nodded at his wife, who left the dining room and moved into the living room. "Miss Ellie?" She spoke to her mother-in-law, who was sitting all alone on the couch. "We miss you at the table." Ellie took a sip of her drink and shook her head. "No one misses me," she sighed. "Let them talk and laugh about the good times they had with their father. My presence would only dampen their mood." "I miss you, Miss Ellie." Ellie put her drink down and smiled at Sue Ellen. "You're too sweet. But when you find out what I've done, you may not have such warm feelings for me." "Oh, Miss Ellie, I know you were going to reconcile with Jock..I don't hold that against you.I completely understand." Ellie studied her daughter-in-law carefully. "Yes. I know you, of all people, truly do understand. JR told me you explained it to him." "I tried," Sue Ellen sank down onto the couch beside her mother-in-law. "Please don't feel that anyone is angry with you. We all love you very much." "I know. But I...Sue Ellen, I did something very Jock like today." "What do you mean?" "I interfered in a problem between you and JR and only ended up making it worse." "What problem?" "The James Beaumont problem. I called Vanessa and offered to pay her to go away." "I see," Sue Ellen sucked in a deep breath. "And how did she react?" "Badly. She's insisting that JR acknowledge paternity and that James is entitled to a third of JR's wealth." Sue Ellen was silent for a while, turning her head to stare out the window. "I imagine she's very upset right now," she finally said. "She's managed to keep the fact that she had a son with JR a secret for so long. Then, out of the blue investigators show up at her door and she ends up all over the newspapers. I can see why she's reacting badly." "How is JR handling it? He hasn't mentioned it to the family." "He's pushed it out of his mind. He has so much to deal with, it seems like he's just decided not to deal with this at all right now." "Well, I'm afraid I've made that impossible for him now. Her lawyer will be demanding his attention very soon." Sue Ellen nodded and shrugged. "You were only trying to help, Miss Ellie. Come back to dinner. We'll deal with Vanessa when we have to." "Thank you, Sue Ellen." "For what?" "Being you." *** Sue Ellen walked out of the bathroom and sat down at her vanity. "How's it going?" "Slow," JR grumbled. "The funeral is day after tomorrow and I can't get this damned eulogy written to save my life. As much as I want Daddy to have a proper send off, it's harder than I thought to write anything nice about him right now." "You're going to have to put your anger aside. Think about the good times, like you guys were talking about tonight at dinner." "I'm trying, Sue Ellen," he told her. "And so far failing miserably." Sue Ellen stood up, walked over to him, and took his hands in hers. "Put it away for a while and go back to it later." He yanked on her hands gently and pulled her down into his lap on their bed. "Thanks for taking care of Mama tonight. I wanted to go to her. I just couldn't force myself…" Sue Ellen reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "JR, you're under so much stress. You don't have to be superman. I'm your wife. I'll do whatever I can to help you." "I know you will, honey," he said softly. Sue Ellen searched his eyes. They were tired and sad. She'd intended to tell him about Kristen and her mother and about Ellie's call to Vanessa, but decided he couldn't handle anything else right now. She vowed silently to handle things herself. He needed to be allowed to concentrate on his own grief. "There's something I can help you do right now, you know." "Oh yeah?" JR's eyes darkened at the husky tone of her voice. "What's that?" She reached down to pull her nightgown over her hips and positioned herself on top of him. "Relieve your stress." JR groaned as she guided him inside of her. He closed his eyes and let her have her way with him. She was right. This was exactly what he needed. And she was the only person in the world who could give it to him. *** [/QUOTE]

Verification

Who played JR Ewing?

Poison your name this Hallowe'en

There's plenty of time to choose your spooky October username

Click here for more details

Reply to thread