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Episode 102
Fall of a Ewing


Featuring
Sarah Aldrich
Barbara bel Geddes
Sarah Brown
Mick Cain
Chris Demetral
Patrick Duffy
Linda Gray
Larry Hagman
Omri Katz
Ken Kercheval
Audrey Landers
Victoria Principal
Charlene Tilton

Jenilee Harrison
Billy Warlock
Thaao Penghlis
Kirsten Storms
Eileen Davidson
Deborah Rennard
Dack Rambo
Mary Crosby
Megan




With:

Isabel Rodriguez

Theresa Rodriguez

Manny Vargas

Wade Sawyer

Reginald Crawley

Phyllis Kelly

Austin Anders

and

Eve Ashford



Written By

Konnie Allen

Jesse Murray

Justin Stiles



Special Thanks to Kay Kent for her help on the episode!


Note: The use of pictures of actors/actresses to portray these characters is for illustrative purposes only. This does not imply any approval of RTS on the actor/actresses' part, or any affiliation between RTS and those pictured. You can find out who the actor/actresses are by resting your mouse pointer on their picture.

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Return to Southfork, Celebrating Two Years Online
The Barnes Residence

Cliff barely noticed when Jamie shut the door. She stood in the doorway for a few moments staring at him, but he didn't look back at her. Determined to get his attention, she reached back and opened the door again, this time letting it slam shut loud enough to rattle the painting next to it.

“Back so soon?” Cliff said without taking his eyes off the television.

“Soon?” Jamie stepped into the room. “Cliff, it's almost ten o'clock. I've been gone for over three hours…then again, I guess you got so absorbed into that game of yours, that you probably didn't even notice I wasn't here.”

Cliff looked at her for the first time. What he saw made him feel incredibly guilty; Jamie's hair was disheveled, her eyes red from crying. He said, slowly, “Well…I'm glad your back. Hey, I was just going to go have a soak in the hot tub, why don't you join me? It'd be just like old times, whaddaya say?”

Jamie shook her head in frustration. “No…this charade has gone on long enough! Like you actually want to spend time with me. I bet you could list a hundred things you'd rather be doing, couldn't you?”

“Not true,” Cliff mumbled.

“I don't believe you. We need to talk…”

Cliff had been dreading this, but there was no way to avoid it now. He nodded and flipped off the T.V. as Jamie took a seat next to him. “About?”

“About our 'marriage'. Pam told me why you married me in the first place…to get to J.R.”

Cliff was momentarily quiet. “Jamie…that's not completely true.”

Jamie closed her eyes as she spoke. “Yes it is…and I don't care. I know that now and I also know that our marriage shouldn't be…it never should have been in the first place and we'd just be kidding ourselves if we thought we could make it work now.”

“Jamie…”

“No, let me finish. You just stayed married to me and took me into your home because you felt sorry for me. I think you actually felt guilty for marrying me to get to J.R…and then trying to divorce me. When I came back you knew you had a second chance and you took it, but deep down inside, I know you didn't want to.”

“So what're you saying?”

“What I'm saying is…” Jamie paused, not wanting to say what she was about to say. “I'm saying that you don't have to keep this up anymore. As of this minute, I'm releasing you from whatever obligation you think you have to me…I'll give you a divorce Cliff…with no hard feelings.”

“I… I do love you, Jamie.” He felt a new surge of guilt as he said those words, and an image of Afton swam before him. Cliff wasn't sure what else to say.

Jamie shook her head. “No you don't…and now I realize I don't love you…you were some one to cling to, part of the past that I had hoped to find again. But now I know I can make it on my own, whether or not I ever fully regain my memory.”

Cliff nodded and smiled for the first time. “Okay…But I do care about you Jamie. I want you to be happy…and I don't think you and me could ever be happy together…we're too different.”

“I agree…completely.”

Jamie and Cliff both simultaneously felt relief. This conversation had been long overdue.

“So what do we do now?” Jamie asked.

“I'll call my lawyer. We'll get a no-fault divorce and I'll give you what you need to get your own life started back…I owe you that much, at least.”



Rex's Penthouse

When Afton answered the door that evening, the last person she expected to see standing there was Jamie Ewing Barnes. She stood silent for a moment, trying to figure out exactly why Jamie was here.

“Hi Afton.”

“Jamie,” Afton said coldly.

“Relax. I'm not here to fight or anything, but I am here to talk to you. I want you to do me a favor…”

Afton seemed surprised. “You want me to do you a favor? Why on earth would I do that, after all you've done to me?”

“Don't do it for me, do it for Cliff.” Jamie seemed uncomfortable standing in the door, but she didn't plan on asking Afton if she could come in. It wouldn't take but a few seconds to say what she needed to say.

“What do you mean?”

“Cliff loves you Afton…everybody knows that. He wants you back in his life, even if he won't tell you so…he was practically miserable when you were away.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Afton crossed her arms defensively and leaned against the door facing.

“Trust me. Go back to him and ditch Rex Wentworth. Rex is bad news. And if you do decide to take my advice, then I want you to be sure and listen to my warning…” Jamie's face grew more serious. “Don't you ever hurt Cliff again. Treat him right and he'll treat you right. Be happy and always be by his side and I know he'll be happy…and you will too.”

Afton stood silent. Jamie's words had affected her more than she wanted Jamie to know.

Without waiting for her to say anything, Jamie turned and walked away.



The Clifford Group, the next morning

Cliff stared out the window of his plush office. The city of Dallas was just coming to life far below. The sunrise was casting dazzling reflections off of the various high-rise buildings, but Cliff wasn't really paying any attention.

He had arrived at the office early this morning, hoping to get his mind off of Jamie, at least that was part of the reason. They had said their good-byes the night before and he didn't want to be there when she left this morning. He was filled with all kinds of conflicting emotions. He felt guilt and relief that Jamie was leaving, confused and jealous over Afton and Rex.

Afton! She was really the cause of all of this. If she had just stayed home with him where she belonged and gave him a little time to sort out his feelings, he was sure he would have figured it out sooner and dumped Jamie. But no! She had to get all riled up about him being married to another woman, like it was his fault! He had enough to worry about with Jamie, without Afton there trying to force him into making a decision. A smile formed on Cliff's face as he remembered her throwing things in suitcases and yelling at him, that woman sure does have a temper, he thought as he recalled the fire blazing in her eyes…

BZZZZZ, “Cliff” The buzz of his intercom and Jackie's voice jolted him back to reality. He glanced outside again and saw that the sun was much higher in the sky. How long had he been sitting there?

Cliff was irritated at being pulled out of his daydream. “Yeah, uh, what do you want?”

“You have a call on line one. A Mr. Crawley from Petrol Refineries.”

He picked up the phone. “Yeah, Cliff Barnes here.”

“Mr. Barnes, I am Reginald Crawley. I would like to meet with you to discuss the possibility of our companies working together. I will only be in town for the next couple of days. I know it is short notice, but if we could meet today, I'm sure you will find it well worth your while.”

Cliff wasn't exactly feeling up to wheeling and dealing right now, but he was curious. And maybe a new deal to work on was just what he needed to distract his mind. “Hold on, let me check my calendar.” He put his hand over the mouthpiece and sat back in his chair for a minute, and then he leaned forward again. “Yeah, I have a meeting that was just cancelled. How about lunch today at the Oil Baron's at one o'clock?”

“Yes, I think that would be fine, I'll see you then.”



Southfork Ranch

The Texas sun shone brightly through the windows at Southfork. Ellie hadn't been outside yet, but after living in Texas all of her life, she could tell by looking, that it was going to be a scorcher. She walked into the dining room and looked around the table at JR, Sue Ellen, Jack, John Ross and Jillian. She was glad to see at least this many of the family members together for breakfast. These days, it seemed that most of them grabbed a cup of coffee and ate breakfast on their way out the door.

As she stood in the dining room doorway, she looked up to see Bobby and Pam coming down the stairs. Pam was carrying Grace in her arms and Bobby was carrying luggage.

“Where are you three off to?”

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Bobby set the luggage down on the floor. He kissed his mother on the cheek, “Morning Momma. We're on our way to Houston, well Pam and I are, Gracie…”

“Morning everyone!” Christopher greeted them from half way down the stairs. Behind him, came Karen, Austin and Megan. They were all dressed in various beach attire. He reached the bottom of the stairs and spotted the luggage. “Where are you guys going?”

“I was just saying that we're going to Houston for a few days.” Just then, Raoul walked by; Bobby stopped him, “Raoul, would you please bring down the rest of our luggage.”

“Of course, Mr. Bobby.”

“Can we eat now?” Austin was pulling on Karen's hand.

Bobby grinned, “His appetite is almost as good as Pam's!”

Before Pam could reply, Karen chuckled, “oh, don't let him fool you. He knows that we aren't leaving for the water park until he eats a good breakfast.”

“I still don't see why I have to eat breakfast first, with all of that food in me, I'll just sink!”

CRASH!!! Everyone turned to see Isabel staring open mouthed and wide-eyed at J.R., who now had a lap full of scrambled eggs.

“What's wrong with you! Can't you even do a simple thing like serve eggs?”

“I'm so sorry Mr. Ewing, it's just… the tray must have been a little greasy and when I bent over, it just… slipped. It was an accident!” Isabel appeared to be truly sorry.

J.R. continued to brush the egg off of his suit. “Seems to me, accidents occur whenever you're around. I warned you, get packed! You are going back to Mexico.”

Jillian wasn't exactly sure what she thought of Isabel yet, but she was sure of one thing; Southfork was a lot more exciting since she arrived. “Daddy, she said it was an accident –“

Sue Ellen was holding her coffee cup in front of her mouth, as if she were about to take a sip, but she was really using it to hide the amused smile on her face. She was thoroughly enjoying the scene; it wasn't everyday she got the chance to see JR Ewing sitting in a pool of scrambled eggs.

“Mr. Ewing, please! It was only an accident, please!” She looked over to see Miss Ellie and gave her an innocent and pleading look.

“I don't care what you say, it's not safe having you at Southfork…”

Miss Ellie spoke firmly, “JR, that will be enough.”

“But Momma, didn't you see what she did? Look at my suit. And she pushed you into the pool.” JR pointed his finger at Isabel menacingly, “That girl is a walking disaster!”

“I said that's enough JR!” Then she walked over to Isabel, and kindly put her hand on her shoulder. “Isabel, why don't you go into the kitchen and ask Theresa to make some more eggs.”

Isabel shook her head. “Yes, ma'am.” She left the room quickly, knowing she had just barely avoided being shipped off for sure!

Ellie sat and looked at JR who was mumbling about having to change his suit. He looked up when Miss Ellie spoke. “JR, I don't want you speaking to that girl like that. You nearly scared her to death!”

“Momma, I know how you feel about Theresa, but that niece of hers… something has to be done.”

“You're over reacting JR. She had a little accident, it could have happened to anyone. She just needs time to adjust.” Ellie sat down at the table and began to help her plate; JR could see that there would be no convincing her. He stalked out of the room muttering again about having to change suits and being late for work. As soon as he was out of earshot, everyone else in the room, except for John Ross, began to laugh softly; even Miss Ellie smiled.

As JR was going up the stairs, he nearly knocked over Raoul, who was hauling the last of Bobby and Pam's luggage down to the foyer. Raoul set the luggage down and walked through the dining room, headed for the kitchen. Everyone else was just about to sit down.

“Raoul,” he stopped short, it was Pamela. “Gracie's high chair is in the kitchen, would you bring it in here please?”

Raoul smiled, “Of course Mrs. Ewing.” The minute he was through the kitchen door, he rolled his eyes, “Raoul, go get our over packed, too heavy, luggage; Raoul, go get the high chair for little princess; next they will be wanting me to start rearranging the furniture in the living room!”

He picked up the high chair. “Ouch!” It had started to fold when he picked it up, pinching his finger. He held his finger up for Theresa to see. “Look at that! My finger! It is almost bleeding. I knew I would be hurt doing all of this heavy lifting! I think I will get that 'workman's composition'.” He turned and headed back for the dining room.

Theresa wasn't listening to Raoul. She was used to his complaining and generally ignored it. Right now, she was only concerned with her niece. “Isabel, you must do better. Of anyone here, JR is the one to be most careful around! I promised him that I would be sure you would do better, and look at you – you couldn't just drop the eggs in the floor, you had to drop them right in his lap!”

Isabel had been looking bored, listening to her aunt lecture her again on how to be the 'perfect little maid'. Aunt Theresa didn't seem to understand that Isabel didn't want to be a maid! As Theresa was talking, a slight smile crossed Isabel's lips. Theresa, who was busy with the eggs, didn't notice.

Back in the dining room, Raoul handed the high chair to Bobby; let him pinch his fingers setting the thing up!



Southfork Ranch, outside on the patio

No one had noticed when John Ross quietly slipped out of the dining room and escaped to the quiet solitude of the patio outside. He had quickly tired of the happy family breakfast. Sitting across from Chris and Karen and their new 'little family', while he sat there alone was almost more than he could bear. He had always wanted Megan at Southfork and now that she was here, she wasn't his. Melissa and TJ should be here with him! When had everything slipped away from him? He was almost in a daze as he sipped his glass of ice water. He didn't hear the sliding door open and shut and wasn't aware that his mother had taken a seat across from him.

Concerned, Sue Ellen spoke up softly. “John Ross?”

He snapped out of his daze and looked at her. “Mom.” The word was more one of acknowledgement than anything else. It certainly didn't invite conversation.

Sue Ellen was taken aback by the coldness in his voice. “Is something wrong?”

“No…everything's fine…” John Ross paused while he thought about the situation and whether or not to seek advice from his mother. But, he didn't think she'd be able to help him, not without him confessing to her what he did. “It doesn't matter,” he finally said.

Sue Ellen was confused. “John Ross, it would take a complete fool to not see that something is very definitely wrong, and last time I checked, I was no fool. What doesn't matter? John Ross…please tell me if something's wrong. Maybe I can help.”

John Ross turned on her; the coldness in his voice now reached his eyes. “You want to help me? Why should I even want your help? You don't care what's going on with me, all you care about is your precious business… and Jack.”

Those words stung and Sue Ellen started to argue their truth, but John Ross cut her off. “Don't even try to explain. It doesn't matter. You say you care, where were you when Pamela Rebecca was trying to get me to marry her? Where were you when I lost my daughter? I know Megan was never really mine, but it hurt, all the same… You weren't there! Have you tried at all to help me with my son? Have you tried to talk to Melissa?”

Sue Ellen was stunned; she had never seen John Ross this angry. “John Ross, …I know I haven't always been there for you…especially lately, but I can be now. And I want to be now.”

John Ross went on as though he had not even heard her. “And you know what's the most amazing thing of all? Dad has been there for me. He's willing to do whatever he can to help. He has time for me, and for my son.” There was silence. Though there had been some truth in the things that John Ross had said, he hadn't meant to be so harsh with his mother. Deep down he knew she meant well. He was taking out on her his feelings of guilt over the situation with Angela.

“I've gotta go. There's stuff I need to be doing.”

John Ross stood up and walked away without saying anything else. Just a few seconds later, Sue Ellen heard his car crank and then he drove it away from Southfork.



A Water Park, a little later

“Whoa! I've never seen anything like this in my whole life!” Austin's eyes were as wide as saucers when he beheld the site before him. Sprawled in across the area were water slides, rides, and games of all different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Karen couldn't help but smile at his amazement by something so simple as a water park—something she would have taken for granted, yet wouldn't have been able to enjoy, had she been found guilty and gone to jail.

Austin grabbed Christopher's hand and began forcefully pulling him in the direction of a blue spiral slide. “Are you coming Mom?” he shouted over the hum of the crowd.

Karen held tightly to Megan's hand and shook her head. “Maybe later, but somebody has to take care of your sister…”

“Aww, okay then. Come on Chris…” Austin continued to pull on Christopher, who looked at the slide through his sunglasses.

“Austin, are you sure about this? The slide looks kinda high and I don't see any kids your age on it.”

Austin shielded his eyes against the sun. “Yeah, but that's because none of them have a cool and brave Dad to go on with them. So let's go, okay?”

“Looks like he knows how to get his way,” Karen commented. “You two have fun. I think I'll take Megan over to the kiddy pool for a while, so whenever you guys get through, you can meet us over there and we'll all grab some lunch.”

Karen never received a confirmation as Austin took off running through the crowd and Christopher chased after him.



Kaitlin Ryan's Home

“What is this?” Kaitlin Ryan asked her lawyer over the phone. She was holding a proposal her financial advisor had sent to her.

“It seems like a very legitimate offer.”

“Titan, Inc? Whoever heard of that?” The offer was impressive; more money than she ever imagined getting for her West Star stock. But she was suspicious, who was behind this?

“Apparently they have their hand in aerospace engineering and satellite construction.”

“Apparently? How about facts? I can't afford to make decisions based on conjecture.”

“They've presented me with adequate proof to show that they can finance this transaction. There's no reason to believe that this corporation is somehow fraudulent or illegitimate.”

“And apparently, there's no reason to believe that it's not! Until you find out some more information on these guys, there is no sale.” Kaitlin hung up the phone in frustration.

She took a deep breath and walked over to her window, looking out at the tree next to her house. Something wasn't right about the situation; she felt it. She had a lingering suspicion that J.R. Ewing was somehow behind the offer. Dummy corporations were his style, and he had always expressed an interest in that West Star stock. She'd rather go hungry than give him the satisfaction of becoming the major shareholder at West Star.

Little did Kaitlin know that the man made unhappy with this news would be Rex Wentworth, not JR Ewing.



Southfork, The Stables

“Man, it's hot out here!” Manny mopped sweat from his face and put his cowboy hat back atop his head.

“I hear ya, but we got a heck of a lot of work to do today Manny.”

“I was afraid you'd say that…”

Wade smiled and propped his boot up on a bucket. “We need to check that fence…you know, the one that was just barely holdin' together yesterday.”

“Yeah, but what about the poisoning and stuff? I thought Mrs. Farlow wanted you to go check out the ranch next door?”

“I know, but we need to get everything else done first. Long as nothing else fishy is goin' on, the rest can wait. Just keep your eyes open while we're workin' out there.”



The Water Park

Karen had been talking to the woman beside her for almost twenty minutes, occasionally glancing over at Megan, who was splashing in the ankle deep water of the shallow end of the wading pool.

The woman's name was Christine and she had quite an interesting story, along with two children of her own. She was a single mom who had changed her name and fled from an abusive relationship to start anew in Dallas. Christine was quite a character…one that Karen had quickly grown to like in the twenty minutes that she'd known her.

“So, is the little tyke your daughter?” Christine asked.

Karen shook her head. “No, she's my husband's daughter.”

“Twisted family tree, eh?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Christine's face suddenly lit up with recognition. “Wait a minute! I know who you are! You're that lady…the one that kidnapped that kid! I saw you on all the newspapers…and on TV…CNN even! I can't believe you got off the hook after doing that…and assaulting the officer too.” Christine suddenly grabbed up her two children and stepped out of the pool, away from Karen.

Karen wasn't sure what to do or say, but the situation was definitely uncomfortable. “Surely you know why I did it…”

“No way! There's never a reason to kidnap a kid…jeez.” Christine pulled her children away and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Karen to bury her face in her hands. Would this ever go away?

Then she remembered Megan and turned around to check on her.

“Megan? Oh my God!”



Rex Wentworth's Office

“Everything is in place?” Rex asked Dobson.

“Yes, Mr. Wentworth.”

Rex liked Dobson; he respected authority. He had been with Rex for years—longer than Gregor--but he always remembered who was boss. More importantly, he always got the job done. Rex chastised himself for having kept Dobson in Europe overseeing his interests there, as opposed to repairing the mess Gregor made of things in Dallas.

“Neil Lancaster is out right now?”

“Yes,” Dobson said. “For the last few days he has been consistently dining at a restaurant. Apparently he hasn't been spending much time at home.”

“Then we have to work quickly. Afton is at the penthouse. I told her I would be there shortly, but of course I'll get there late, too late.” Rex gave a malicious little smile.

“Should I make the call now?”

“Yes. But keep her on the phone for a few seconds. I want to make sure that the call registers on his phone---you did make sure he had no idea it was gone, right?”

“When I took it this afternoon, I replaced it with one of the same model and make. I'm not sure if he has numbers programmed into his and such, but that problem won't be very big in the scheme of things.”

Dobson had, earlier in the afternoon, gotten Neil out of his office, quickly snuck in and replaced his cell phone with an identical model. Now the key point of the plan came into focus: a phone call from Neil's stolen cell phone to the penthouse; for it was there that Neil's fate would be sealed.

The phone call from his cell phone would connect him to Afton. The little fact would be of great importance when the police investigated Afton's murder. After calling Afton on Neil's cell phone, Dobson would place a call to Neil's look-alike cell phone. He would use a pre-recorded dub of Afton's voice. The 'voice' would urge him to come over to the penthouse. When Neil got there, Rex's “beloved” would be dead, thanks to one of Dobson's henchmen. Dead, of course, by the same statue that Rex had witnessed Neil hold over Afton's head as if he were to kill her. How very inconvenient it would be for Neil that his fingerprints were still all over it.



Ewing Oil

“Would you please stop that!” After putting up with Sly's singing for over fifteen minutes, Phyllis had to make her stop.

“Stop what?” Sly asked, startled.

“Your singing! It's driving me absolutely crazy! It might be different if you actually could sing, but let me tell you, you can't!”

“Fine then.” Sly didn't know what else to say. The morning had been absolutely zombifying. There had been no phone calls, no visitors, nothing… J.R. had spent the morning in his office and hadn't called Sly in for anything. To break the monotony, Sly picked up dull pencils and meticulously started inserting them into the electric pencil sharpener, which was followed by a dull grinding sound.

“And that! Stop that too!”

Sly turned around, wide-eyed and surprised. “Phyllis! What's gotten into you? You've been weird ever since the barbecue when we both met Wade…ah ha!”

“What are you ah-ha'ing about?”

“I know why you're so upset. First of all, I cut in on your dance with Wade at the barbecue and then he barely gave you a second glance all day. Then, yesterday he comes in and asks me out to lunch. Phyllis Kelly, you're jealous!”

Phyllis looked away and started scribbling on her notepad. “Nothing could be farther from the truth Sly.”



The Water Park

“She was right next to me…I only looked away for a second…” Karen was speaking in broken, mechanical phrases.

The police officer continued his questions as others searched through the now empty wading pool—Megan wasn't there. Karen took that as a good sign, at least she hadn't drowned. But where was she?

One terrifying question kept coming to mind over and over again, what if she'd been kidnapped?

News teams had been on the scene for several minutes now and some were already delivering live feeds. From afar, Christopher saw the large crowd that had formed and he and Austin walked toward it, wondering what was going on. Karen picked him out of the crowd and ran to him.

“Karen, what's wrong?” He quickly noticed that she was alone, “Where's Megan?”

A reporter immediately shoved a microphone toward Christopher's face and began firing questions at him. “Mr. Ewing, do you have any idea who might have kidnapped your niece?”

Christopher grabbed the microphone from the man's hand and flung it to the ground. “Karen…what the hell is going on? What happened to Megan?!”

“I don't know…I was watching her and I was talking to this lady. When I turned back around, she was gone…oh no, Christopher…it's my fault.”

“You were supposed to be watching her!” Christopher abruptly yelled. “If Pamela Rebecca finds out about this, I'll never get custody of Megan!”

“I'm sorry…we'll find her. I know she's okay…I know she is.”

Christopher felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to find another reporter. “Mr. Ewing, are the rumors true that you, not your cousin, are the father of little Megan Ewing?”

Christopher was in no mood to give an interview. “Look, would you get out of here! We're trying to find my little girl!”

“So then, Megan is your daughter!” The reporter smiled broadly, he had just gotten a scoop!

Christopher turned to Karen, “You stay here with Austin, I'm going to go and talk with the police again. I want them to shut down this park. Pamela Rebecca is desperate, she knows she can't win a custody suit, and I wouldn't put kidnapping by her.”

But before Christopher could go two steps, the reporter was trying to stop him again. “Mr. Ewing, did I hear you say that you suspect Pamela Cooper kidnapped her own daughter? Now why would she do something like that?”

Christopher was getting angry. Every second counted if they were going to find Megan, and this dope was stealing precious time. Trying hard to control his temper, Chris spoke to him through gritted teeth. “I told you to get lost! I don't have time for morons like you.”

The reporter was determined to get his story. “Yeah, well, if you think she was kidnapped, then I'm sure you're right Mr. Ewing, after all, your family is well known for kidnappings!” As he said it, he gave Karen a disgusted look.

Chris started to turn around, but decided to ignore the guy. No matter how mad he was, Megan was more important.

Austin, on the other hand, was furious! He wasn't exactly sure what the reporter had meant, but he knew that he said something mean that made his mommy look down at the ground and cry even harder.

Austin was little, but he had a running start, and the reporter didn't see him coming… SPLASH! Austin had flung himself at the man with all of his might, hitting him squarely in the stomach and sending him straight into the nearest pool. As the man surfaced and began gasping and treading water, Austin cried, “Stay away from my family…” he thought a minute and added, “you moron!” He then he strode triumphantly back to his mother.



The Oil Baron's

It was well past the lunch hour. Just a little while ago, all the tables were full, but now most were empty. Cliff and Mr. Crawley sat at Cliff's usual table.

“Well, there you have it Mr. Barnes, that's our proposal. What do you think?” Mr. Crawley pushed a stack of papers across the table in front of Cliff.

Cliff scanned the papers in front of him as he spoke. “Impressive. But I still don't get it. Why is Petrol willing to pay so much more a barrel? It's no secret that the going rate is at least 30% below what you are proposing. Why pay more?”

Mr. Crawley shook his head. “I told you, some of our suppliers have broken their contracts lately, others have just been unable to comply. We are talking about a very large amount of oil here. We have our own contracts to keep with gas companies. We need that oil - now.” Despite his words, he didn't sound desperate.

“I don't know.” Cliff looked skeptical.

Reginald was tired of trying to convince Cliff, he decided to use the tact his boss advised him to use if all else failed, “Look Mr. Barnes, I brought this deal to the Clifford Group first because you are one of the biggest of the independent oil companies and it would be easiest for me to get all of the oil from one place. But I can split the amounts between other, smaller companies. It'd be more work for me, but we get our oil either way.”

“What other companies?”

“Well there are quite a few in Texas. In fact, I made an appointment with JR Ewing of Ewing Oil, for this afternoon, just in case you back out.” Reginald was bluffing, there was no 'appointment', he hadn't even spoken to JR.

Cliff suddenly leaned forward, “Ewing Oil!”

“Oh, you're familiar with the company, then?”

Cliff snatched up the papers. “I'll have my lawyer look at these and we can sign them in a few days.”

Reginald smiled. Cliff Barnes was on the hook. “I'm sorry Mr. Barnes, I must go back to France tomorrow afternoon – urgent business. If you want this deal, we must have everything finalized in the morning.”

Cliff muttered “Fine, nine o'clock, my office.” Then he stormed out of the restaurant.



Rex Wentworth's Penthouse

Afton picked up the phone on the second ring. “Hello?” There was no answer, nothing but heavy breathing. She felt chills go down her spine. “Who is this? Who the hell is there?” She hung up. She hated calls like that. They scared the crap out of her. She hoped it wasn't a bad omen.



Scalini Restaurant

Neil had just finished paying his bill when the phone rang. It startled him for a moment---he hadn't used his cell phone all day. “Hello?”

“Neil. It's Afton. Come over right now. It's about Lucy. I have something else to tell you.”

The phone went dead.

“Hello? Afton?” Neil said so loudly that other people in the restaurant turned their heads.

What was that about? His first instinct was to stay away from Afton; she had already caused enough trouble in his life. Still, he was afraid to risk not doing as she said, not with things with Lucy going so badly. He quickly made up his mind; he was going to Afton's.



The Water Park

Christopher and the officer were both walking so fast, that they almost ran into each other. Chris spoke without taking a breath, “Officer, I'm Christopher Ewing, the little girl's Daddy. I want this park closed down and everyone searched!”

The officer held up his hand, “I know who you are Mr. Ewing, and we did close all of the exits to the park immediately, it's standard procedure. But there's no need for any of that now, anyway. We've already found her

Christopher turned around to see a young woman holding Megan and an ice cream cone. He quickly took Megan in his arms and held her. “Megan, where did you go!”

“Ice-kweem…” Megan pointed to an ice cream stand with a huge plastic ice cream cone on top. The woman handed her the cone that she'd bought her.

“Evidently, she saw that big cone and walked over there to get one for herself…at least that's where I found her. I bought her a cone and sat down with her to let her eat it, I'd seen her with you earlier and I figured you couldn't be far away, and when you came looking for her, we'd see you. Then when we saw all of the news crews and policemen, well, I guess I just didn't think… I feel really stupid; I should have realized they were looking for her. Then I put two and two together and realized you must have thought she was lost. I'm really sorry I didn't bring her over right away…” The woman seemed embarrassed.

“Thank you.” Christopher didn't know what else to say, but he felt that he should somehow do something more to show his gratitude. “What's your name?”

The woman smiled warmly and extended her hand. “Eve. Eve Ashford. It's nice to finally meet you Christopher…”

Christopher continued to smile, but then it hit him. Did this woman somehow already know him? “What do you mean? Do I know you?”

Eve shook her head. “No, I don't think so, but I know you…or I know of you. I saw you on television…the news. I followed the trial very closely.”

“Oh! Okay. Then of course you've seen my wife, Karen.” Christopher clasped Karen's hand and Karen smiled at Eve.

Eve smiled back, but the smile seemed hollow. “Yes, of course I've seen Karen. It's nice to meet both of you.” Eve's face lit up. “And this must be the little boy that all the fuss was over! Now I can definitely see why.”

Austin smiled, instantly taking a liking to Eve. “Thanks for finding my new sister, I was worried about her.”

“Isn't he just a doll…”

“Eve, thanks again for bringing Megan back to us. I'm glad someone so nice found her.” Eve simply stood there smiling. Christopher felt obligated to offer more and began searching for his wallet before realizing that he didn't have a pocket in his swimming trunks.

Eve seemed to understand what he was doing. “Really, she was no trouble at all, I know how horrible it can feel to lose a child. I'm glad I found her.”

“Eve, we really owe you a lot, why don't you give me your address, and I can send you…” “Oh no! I wouldn't dream of taking money for returning Megan to you! It was really no big deal.” Karen spoke up, “It was a big deal to us.” Christopher looked at Karen uncomfortably; they wanted somehow to repay her. “Hey, I have an idea, since you won't accept a reward, why don't you and your family come and have dinner with us one night.” Christopher was proud of himself for coming up with the idea.

“I don't have any family, but I couldn't impose like that.”

“No way, I won't take no for an answer.”

Eve looked at Karen. “Karen? Is it okay?”

“Of course it's okay. It's the least we could do to pay you back for helping us out.”

“Well then…I'd love to!”

' “How about this weekend?”

“If it's really okay with you…” Eve's face was ecstatic.

“Of course it is.”



The Clifford Group, that night

Cliff sat at his desk and watched his attorney pouring over the Petrol contracts. They had been there for hours. Cliff was getting impatient. “Come on Clyde, what do you think?”

“I think that I'm trying to do in a few hours, a job that should take days!”

Cliff's phone rang. “Cliff Barnes here.”

“Mr. Barnes, I got your messages, but I haven't got much information. All I can tell you is that the company checks out. It's legit. I can get you more information on it, but it's gonna take some time – “

“Never mind, that's all I need. Bye.” Cliff looked at Clyde, “I knew it! The company checks out. See, everything's fine.” Cliff smiled smugly. “I still have the best instincts in the business!”

Clyde didn't look up, “Uh huh… Cliff, there is something here. Did you look at the penalties set forth here for non-compliance with the contract?”

“You're forgetting, Clyde, that I'm an attorney too. Of course I looked at it… uh… let me see it again.” Cliff took the paper from Clyde.

Clyde sat back in his chair, “Cliff, my advice is to let this one go.”

Cliff glared at him. “Are you kidding? Did you see the profit I stand to make on this deal?”

“Well, then I suggest that at the very least you consult your geologists before signing; just to be sure you can meet the demands of the contract.” Clyde was putting papers back in his briefcase.

Cliff was offended. “Do you really think that I would go into a deal like this if we couldn't supply the oil? I'm no dummy Clyde; I built The Clifford Group into what it is today! There's nothing about this company that I don't know. You just be back here at nine in the morning so we can sign the contracts!”

Clyde picked up his coat and said over his shoulder as he walked towards the door. “I hope you know what you're doing Cliff.”



The Oil Baron's Club

Sue Ellen and Jack were sitting at the table near the elevator. It wasn't their favorite table, but the restaurant was busy and they didn't have a reservation. Neither really cared though. They were enjoying each other's company.

Sue Ellen and Jack were laughing together when Iris emerged from the elevator. She immediately spotted Sue Ellen, and their gazes locked. Sue Ellen waved.

“Hi Iris,” she called out a little louder than usual.

“Where's J.R.?” Iris stormed over and crossed her arms.

“How should I know?” Sue Ellen said, taken aback and a little upset.

“Seems you know everything about him. You certainly spend more time with him than I do.” She paused and turned to Jack. “Or am I the only one that notices that?”

It took Jack a moment to respond: was there doubt in his eyes Sue Ellen wondered? “Yes, you're the only one.”

“Well if J.R. shows up, which I doubt, since he's already 45 minutes late, do me a favor Sue Ellen? Cut the leash that you have on him.” Iris stormed away.

Sue Ellen and Jack sat in silence; both were uncomfortable, neither knew what to say. Sue Ellen was hoping that Jack wasn't affected by Iris' hysteria and her innuendos about she and JR. Jealousy was the last thing their relationship needed right now.



Southfork Ranch, Ellie's Room

“Momma? What're you doing?” J.R. had been surprised when he walked by Ellie's open room and saw her with an open suitcase and clothes strewn all over the bed.

Ellie folded up a dress and tucked it into the suitcase before turning around to face her oldest son. “I'm packing.”

“Well…yeah, I can see that, but why? Goin' somewhere?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact I am, which is usually the customary follow-up to packing.” Ellie turned back around and continued to fold up her clothes. “I'm going to spend the weekend with an old friend in Houston.”

“Oh, that's good.” J.R. was glad to see his mother in such high spirits—then a thought hit him. “Momma, who is she?”

Ellie laughed ever so slightly. “I know what you're thinking J.R. But just to put your mind at rest, no, I'm not going to see a man. The friend is a lady I got to know about twenty years back at a Daughters of the Alamo meeting. She just recently lost her husband and I thought I'd go spend some time with her.”

“Oh, good, good. Well, I hope you have a good time. When should we expect you back?”

“Sometime Sunday afternoon, if everything goes okay.”

J.R. nodded. “I wouldn't have thought you'd be so anxious to leave Southfork for any length of time, especially with all that's going on.”

“Well…I thought about that, but I do need some time away. I have faith in Wade and I'm sure he can handle anything that comes his way.”

“How do you know we can trust that man? What do we know about him?”

“Call it a gut feeling, but I know he's a good one…and I've grown really close to him already.”

“If you say so. Oh, while I'm thinkin' about it…what do you intend to do about Isabel?”

“Isabel? What did she do?” Ellie asked.

“Pushed you in the pool for starters, and then that little scene at breakfast.”

Ellie chuckled to herself. “It wasn't her fault. That girl is something, isn't she? Mischievous, but not unmanageable. Almost reminds me of Lucy when she was her age.”

“Oh great. That's all we need here at Southfork. A redneck cowhand like Ray and a trouble-making teenager like Lucy.”



Houston, Texas

Bobby carefully balanced the packages he was holding as he used the key card to open their hotel room door. After arriving in Houston late that morning, Pam had made sure that he kept his promise to take her shopping. He finally managed to get the door unlocked and stepped back allowing Pamela to walk in first, she too, was carrying packages. They set them down on the table, a chair… and on the floor.

Bobby looked around at all of their purchases. “Think we went a little overboard with the baby things? You have enough here for three or four babies!”

A frown suddenly furrowed Pam's brow. She looked at him thoughtfully, “You think so?”

He noticed the sudden change in her mood. “It's all right Pammy, I think we can afford it.”

She smiled wistfully, “No, I… I was just thinking…”

Bobby walked over, put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “You were thinking what?”

No, the timing just wasn't right… “I was thinking that I would feel a lot better out of these clothes.”

Bobby smiled and pulled her closer. “I think, that is a great idea.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.

Pam pulled back and winced, putting her hand to the small of her back.

Bobby said, “I'll tell you what, why don't you freshen up and slip into something more comfortable… and I'll order something from room service?”

Pam nodded. A little while later, she emerged from the bathroom, wearing a beautiful, sheer, light blue gown. She smiled when she saw the tray of chocolate covered strawberries Bobby had ordered for them. “My favorite!”

Bobby took her by the hand and led her to the bed. “It gets better.” They sat on the bed and she kissed him. Their kisses quickly became more passionate. Bobby gently drew her down on the bed. But Pam was surprised when he pulled away. “What's wrong?”

He looked into her eyes, smiled gently, tracing her lips with his finger. He whispered, “Pammy, turn on your side,” She looked at him, confused. “I'd tell you to lie on your stomach, but I know you aren't comfortable on your tummy anymore; turn on your side.” She was still confused, but she turned over on her side.

She quickly found the reason for Bobby's request. He knew that her back had been bothering her lately. As the baby had grown, so had the pain in her back. And as much as she had enjoyed it, spending the day on her feet shopping, certainly hadn't helped. She took a deep breath and sighed as Bobby massaged her back…

Much later, they lay sleepily in each other's arms. Pam still hadn't talked to him about the baby. She wanted so much to find the perfect time to bring it up… but as she lay there, close to sleep, she promised herself that she would tell him next chance she got.

Just then Bobby yawned and leaned over her. He kissed her. “Good night, sweetheart.” Then he kissed her tummy and grinned, as he said, “Night son.” He expected Pam to groan and chide him again for being so sure this baby was a boy, but she didn't. He looked up to find her smiling softly.

“You're one kiss short.”

Bobby was more than happy to oblige, he reached up and kissed her again, gently.

“You're still one kiss short.” Her smile was bigger now.

Bobby smiled as realization dawned, and then said, “As soon as we get home, I promise to shower Gracie with kisses!”

Pam shook her head, “No, I didn't mean Gracie.”

Bobby yawned again and looked at her questioningly. “I give up, it's too late at night for riddles.”

He propped himself up on an elbow and was still leaning over her. Pam ran her finger along his chest. “Well, you can't kiss Gracie good-night, she's not here. But you kissed me, and the new baby… but what about the new baby's sibling?”

Bobby frowned, “Not Gracie?”

Pam shook her head, “No.”

A look of shock and wonder suddenly appeared on Bobby's face. He slowly looked down at her tummy and then into her eyes. “Pammy? …You? …. We? … Two?”

“Yeah,” she said, breathlessly. “Twins!”

“Wow! But – “ His joy quickly turned to concern. “Are you all right? And the baby, I mean, babies, is everything okay? The doctors were worried about you carrying one…”

Pam put a finger to his lips, silencing his questions, and said reassuringly, “Don't worry, Dr. Bader says I'm fine, and so are the babies. We need to go in for an ultrasound when we get back, but its just routine.”

Bobby relaxed again. But he was still stunned. I>Twins! He leaned over and kissed her again, “I love you, Pammy.”

“I love you, too.”



Rex Wentworth's Penthouse

“Rex?” Afton heard the door open, but there was no sound of movement from the hall. Maybe Rex was trying to surprise her with a present; she smiled as she walked towards the hallway. It was then that the lights went out.

Afton's heart started beating so fast she couldn't even attempt to keep track of the beats to calm herself down. She tried to feel her way to the wall to clutch something, anything for support. There was something very wrong here. She needed to get to the phone, and then hide and call for help.

She crawled, all the while keeping her hand on the wall for support and guidance. She was making her way towards the hallway, hoping to reach the alcove there that held the phone. She kept telling herself she was going to be all right.

Then something else took control of her. When she looked back later, it was hard for her to remember the exact order of events. She reached the alcove. She got up, using the wall as her support. She felt the man's presence behind her. Even in the darkened room she could see what he had in his hand---something very big and very blunt. Afton wanted to scream but something prevented her. Without a sound, she started to run. She knew the penthouse well enough to know that the door was right down the hallway. She could hear him after her. She reached the door---she tried to open it, but it was bolted. Through the crack between the door and the wall, there was a shred of light shining through. She looked back on the shred of light and thought she saw an arm heading towards her, an arm with an unusual dragon like shape on the arm. She wasn't sure, everything was moving so fast. It came closer, and Afton screamed. And then she kicked the man, right in the area where he would be most affected. He fell, dropping the object as he went, and she ran all the way to the bedroom, where she locked herself in. She tried to dial the police, but the phones were dead. She ran to the closet, and sealed herself in. As her heart continued to race, she found herself very tired and the world turned to black.

Outside the penthouse, Neil Lancaster stepped off the elevators and rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again. He knocked loudly on the door. “Afton? Afton!” But there was no response. He tried the doorknob, but the door was bolted. He waited for a few more minutes, frustrated at this development. He thought to himself---what in the world would Lucy have to say to Afton? Did he really think that Lucy would EVER associate with her, especially after Afton told her the truth about Neil. It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. He needed to go home. He needed to see Lucy and try to make things work. He got on the elevator.

Neil reached the lobby, and Rex Wentworth saw him leave. He smiled, hoping his plan had taken effect, and that Afton Cooper was dead.



A Diner, the next morning

“Now this is what I'm talkin' about…puts the Oil Baron's Club to shame.” Wade stacked his fork full of pancakes and took a bite.

Sly laughed and put down her glass. “I'm glad you like it…I do to. So tell me…how does a cowboy like you manage to get a Saturday morning off? I thought you ranch types always had something to do…water cows or shoe horses or whatever it is that keeps you so busy out there.”

“Well, Manny and the guys know what to do.”

“So you're saying it was no terrible inconvenience on them for you to come have breakfast with me?”

“Nope, no inconvenience at all.”

Sly smiled with relief. “Good…I'm sorry, but I needed someone to talk to. I've got a problem that's eating me up inside.”

“Well I'm not Oprah or nothin' like that, but people have told me I'm a good listener. What's up?”

“You know about Melissa and John Ross?”

Wade nodded. “I've picked up on it from the other cowhands. They kinda follow what goes on in Southfork.”

“Melissa is an old friend of mine and then you know J.R. has been my boss for years. They both want me to do things to hurt the other one, involving T.J. If that makes any sense…”

“Clear as mud.”

“Yeah, I thought so. Okay, let's put it this way. J.R. wants me to convince Melissa to let John Ross be a part of T.J.'s life. Melissa doesn't want that and she's asked for my help too.”

“Ah, okay. Well tell me then, what does Sly wanna do?”

Sly smiled, but the smile was one of exasperation. “Sly wants to take the next plane to the Bahamas and never come back to Dallas again, but then there's a certain cowboy she'd miss if she were to do that.”

Wade's face turned red. “Well, that's not the kinda answer I'm lookin' for.”

“Okay then. I really don't want to help either one of them…and I've told them both that.”

“Then what's the problem? Do what you wanna do and don't worry about them. If they're true friends, they'll understand.”

Sly hesitated for a moment while finishing off her last swallow of orange juice. “You're right Wade…I guess I'm overreacting. Thanks for listening.”



Rex Wentworth's Penthouse

“Are you alright Afton?” Rex asked as she woke.

“uuhhhh….” Was all Afton muttered.

“It's alright, you're okay.”

“What happened?”

“You don't remember?”

“No…. Well, I sort of do. I remember the lights going out and…”

“You said you believed that someone was trying to kill you.”

“Oh My God!” It all came back to her. She remembered the running, and the lights going out, and getting into the closet. She remembered Rex waking her up, and her telling him frantically that someone had tried to kill her.

“You're alright now. The police were here. They came over to do an investigation, and they are coming back to ask you questions. It's going to be alright.”

“Rex, who would do this? I don't think anyone hates me that much. I don't think anyone does,” She was near tears.

“Neil Lancaster was seen in the lobby last night, around the time that this supposedly happened.”

“What?”

“That may or may not mean anything, but he was seen. From what I understand, you two do not have the best relationship. Is that correct?”

Afton didn't want to go into it: would Neil really try to kill her? “That's true.”

“Afton, he may have tried to do it. Don't rule that out.”

Afton thought about the mysterious phone call with the heavy breathing. Could that have been Neil? “I'm scared,” she said to Rex. Her voice was trembling.

“You are going to be fine,” he replied and hugged her.

As Afton fell into his arms, he grimaced. The man screwed up on the job. Rex still had Afton to contend with, but he consoled himself with the thought that if Neil couldn't be charged with murder, attempted murder was the next best thing.



Southfork Ranch

Ellie couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting something as she dropped her suitcase onto the back seat of the car. She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked around the ranch, almost reluctant to be leaving. Ellie supposed she hadn't chose the best of times to go away, considering the cattle poisoning and all the other strange things that had gone on during the last few weeks.

But, she counted on Wade to handle everything while she was away. Uneasily, Ellie thought back to the range war and hoped she wouldn't be seeing a repeat of it anytime soon.

She stepped into her car, but before she could slam the door she heard a noise coming from across the ranch. She froze and it sounded again. Ellie quickly stepped back out into the sun and looked across the ranch once again. Far away she thought she could see the sun reflecting off of some metallic object, but what was it?

There was only one way to find out… Not wanting to walk in the above 100-degree heat, Ellie got into her car and cranked it up. She slowly pulled the car out and soon she was driving through the dried brown grass of the pasture, every minute getting closer to finding out what the object was.



The Clifford Group

It was five minutes after nine and Cliff was pacing the floor of his office. “Where is he? He's the one who said that contract had to be signed today!”

Just then Jackie buzzed on the intercom. “Cliff, Mr. –“

Cliff pressed the button, “yeah, yeah, so send him in.”

Reginald walked in the door, accompanied by his own lawyer. Cliff shook his hand and gave him a pen.

“Lets get this done.”

“I'm glad to see you are so eager today, Mr. Barnes. It really is a good deal, you know, you stand to make quite a profit.”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Cliff pointed to the contract.

Reginald signed and then turned to hand the pen to Cliff. Cliff reached for it, but Reginald still held on to it. “I just want to be sure that you have looked at the clauses describing the penalties for not delivering the oil on the specified dates. I wouldn't want there to be any… misunderstandings.”

Cliff took the pen and leaned over his desk to sign his name under Mr. Crawley's. “It doesn't matter what those clauses say because The Clifford Group always delivers!” He finished signing the last page with a flourish and stood upright, smiling. He slapped Reginald on the back as he led him to the door. “We'll deliver the oil, you just be sure you're ready to deliver the money.”

Reginald shut the door, as he left Cliff's office. Don't worry about the money Mr. Barnes – you'll never see it.



A Boutique

Shopping was a comfort to Iris. It always had been. When she was married to Rex she would spend hours, sometimes even days, shopping. It took her mind off what was upsetting her. Numbed the pain, so to speak.

She had just finished trying on a dress when her cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“It's J.R..”

“Hi!” Iris couldn't believe it!

“Listen darling, I'm sorry about dinner last night, but that doesn't mean you need to go crazy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sue Ellen was in the office today. She told me what happened last night.”

“And what did she say?” Iris was getting frustrated. Why was Sue Ellen somehow ALWAYS involved?

“She said you were pretty nasty, and pretty jealous. You gonna continue to act like a little girl? Want me to give you Jillian's number? Maybe you two can start going to the mall together.”

“I was upset, I'm sorry.”

“You made a fool of yourself, you made a fool of me, and you made a fool of Sue Ellen.”

“What does Sue Ellen matter?”

“Shouldn't I ask you that? You're the one that keeps accusing me of being obsessed with her, but you're the one talking about her all the time.”

Iris didn't know what to say. Why couldn't he just understand? Why was everything so difficult? “I didn't mean to upset you.”

“Well you did. So grow up, honey. Then call me.” J.R. hung up.

Iris threw her phone on the ground, causing the entire boutique to turn around. She began to cry. Damn Sue Ellen. It was all her fault.



The Lancaster Residence

Neil entered the kitchen, where Lucy was pouring herself a cup of coffee. She didn't even acknowledge his presence, just as she didn't last night, or the night before.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again?”

“Soon,” Lucy said mysteriously.

“What the hell does that mean?” Neil was getting fed up.

“When my lawyer sets a date.”

“What?”

“I'm filing for divorce,” Lucy said as she turned around.

“What? How come you didn't even talk to me! What the hell do you think you're doing?”

“Taking steps to protect myself. Watching out for myself. Thinking about myself. Things I should have done a long time ago.”

“Lucy, when are you going to get it? I LOVE you.” Neil was pleading.

“I don't buy it. We're getting divorced. That's it.” Lucy walked past Neil and left the room.

His life was completely falling apart and there was nothing he could do about it.



Southfork

Ellie stepped out of her car and approached the steep bank of a ditch, which she quickly and silently cursed. She'd have to find some way to get across if she wanted to find out what was going on. She stepped closer to the edge and craned her head to try to see through some bushes that were growing on the other side, but it was no use.

It had probably just been one of the cowhand's trucks and now it was probably gone. She'd overreacted and now she'd wasted a half-hour on some wild goose chase. Exasperated and hot, Ellie turned around to go back to the car but as she turned, the dry earth beneath her foot crumbled and she screamed out in pain as her ankle twisted and she went crashing over the edge of the embankment.

Branches, thorns, and rocks slashed and clawed at her as she rolled to the bottom and finally she came to a halt about ten feet from where a tiny stream of water trickled through the ravine.

At first she just lay there, but soon the pain in her ankle caused her to sit up. Upon doing so, another pain shot through her back. She leaned forward to check on her ankle, only to find that it was already beginning to swell—it had to be sprained, or worse…

The 105-degree heat was sweltering and she felt as if she'd been out in it all day. Then a thought settled over her like the dust from her fall: If she didn't get out of her soon, she would die.

Ellie closed her eyes and screamed for help, but no one heard her. Back at Southfork, life went on as usual. Everyone thought Ellie was in Houston and they weren't expecting her back until Sunday night…

As her thoughts turned to despair, she tried to stand up and then screamed again, as she fell back to the ground. “Help me! Somebody please help me!”



Credits Roll


Please remember that our next episode won't be posted until Friday, September 18th. Have a great weekend!

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