“You're late,” were the first words that came out of Phyllis' mouth as Sly walked in the door.

“Oh Phyllis, when did you become boss around here? I have seniority.” Sly walked over to her desk and dropped her purse.

“Just because J.R. is coming in late this morning doesn't mean that you can do the same thing. Do you have any idea how many calls I've had to take this morning? There was a ton of other stuff that I didn't even get started on.”

“Well the building's still here…it didn't blow up and everything's still running, the world's still turning too, or at least it was last time I checked…so get over it.”

Phyllis stood up and grabbed a large stack of papers from her desk before walking over to Sly's, where she plopped them down. “This is one of the things I didn't get to this morning, so I hope you don't mind doing it while I go on break.” Phyllis dusted off her hands and watched in amusement as Sly huffily picked up the stack.

Out of the corner of her eye, Phyllis saw movement out in the lobby and was surprised to see that it was Wade. Was he here to see Sly again? And what was she, chopped liver? “Oh…umm, Sly…”

Sly turned around. “What?”

“J.R. wants these particular papers to be filed in the file room, rather than in the cabinets right here…”

“Why? We never use the file room for active files.”

Phyllis glanced back and saw that Wade was in the process of greeting Kendall and would be inside any minute now. “Don't ask me why! That's just what he told me.”

Sly groaned, picking up the stack, she huffed over to the file room. Phyllis sighed when the door slammed shut behind her. Not quiet satisfied, Phyllis grabbed her key and ran over to the door, where she locked Sly inside.

“Wade, good morning!” Phyllis greeted cheerfully, once she was safely away from the file room door.

“Howdy Phyllis…is Sly around?”

Phyllis' face fell, but she'd been expecting this. “No, she seems to be running late this morning. Why?”

“I had the morning off and thought I'd stop by and see if she'd like to go have breakfast with me…say, how about you?”

“Me?” Phyllis pointed to herself and then looked behind her at the locked door, before turning back to Wade. “I'd love to.”

Southfork Ranch

Ellie stood with her hands firmly on the balcony of her villa in Europe, the one where she and Clayton had spent most of their days after leaving Dallas. She loved it there, but it would never be Southfork and Ellie couldn't quite figure out what she was doing here—or how she got here.

She turned around as a movement caught the corner of her eye and she found that the curtains were dancing ethereally in the breeze, which blew off of the sea.

“Ellie…you have to get out.”

Ellie blinked her eyes and then rubbed them, not believing what they were trying to tell her she saw.

“Clayton?”

He was wearing a white tuxedo with a black bowtie. But the usual smile and twinkle in his eyes was missing. “Yes.”

“Oh Clayton, I knew you'd come back…I knew you hadn't left me forever.”

Clayton shook his head. “I didn't come back to stay…I'm here to warn you.”

“Warn me? Of what?” Ellie was confused.

“You have to get out…or you'll die.”

“Out of what? This house?” Her confusion was only worsening.

“No, not the house.” Clayton turned to go.

“Clayton, stay with me…I know you can.”

“No, I can't. My time here is limited. Just wake up Ellie…and save yourself before it's too late…”

Her tongue was dry and it ached painfully, but the nearest water was over ten feet away and she didn't want to drink it unless she absolutely had to. The stream trickled over rocks, making little splashes, whirlpools, and waterfalls along the way and looking at it gave Ellie hope—hope that she could escape. But could she?

Her head felt light and a dizzying feeling crept over her, which was so bad that she had to lie back down. As she did, she drifted back to sleep.

“Eleanor, wake up!”

Ellie opened her eyes upon recognition of the voice—a voice that she hadn't heard for many many years. “Daddy?”

Aaron Southworth nodded in affirmation. “You've got to get back up there somehow…you don't have much longer and it's only going to get hotter. There'll be other danger too.”

“I can't.” Ellie pointed to her swollen purple ankle. “It hurts so bad…I don't think I could possibly walk on it.”

“If you don't try, you'll die here…and if you don't wake up, you'll never make it out alive…wake up Eleanor…”

The Oil Baron's Club, midday

“What? Am I hearing you right? What on earth changed your mind?” Melissa couldn't believe what her mother had just said. Angela's stringent objections to giving into John Ross' requests to see TJ, were the main reason Melissa hadn't let him see T.J. Over and over again, her mother had reminded her how he had abandoned she and TJ during her pregnancy. Now she had changed her mind?

“I just think that John Ross has been punished enough. I mean; T.J. is growing up so fast…John Ross will never forgive you if he misses out on all of the milestones that accompany a child's growth. And what if someday, T.J. finds out what you did. What will he think about his mother then?”

Melissa was stunned, “Hopefully TJ won't ever know what a jerk his father was.” She took a sip of her iced tea.

Angela decided to try another tact. As Melissa sat the glass back on the table, her mother reached over and patted her hand. “Sweetheart, there's no reason to get so upset. We both love TJ and want what's best for him. We just disagree on what is best.” Angela removed her hand from Melissa's. “But we can agree to disagree and leave it at that.” She picked up the club sandwich that was on her plate and began eating.

Melissa sat stone still. Angela continued eating her lunch and tried to avoid her daughter's eyes. Melissa was confused; she and her mother rarely disagreed on anything. Even when she was a teenager, Melissa always sought Angela's advice and usually took it. Finally she broke the silence. “…Mom…you really don't think I'm doing what's best for TJ?

Angela looked down at her plate as she spoke. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

Melissa nodded eagerly.

“I'm just afraid that you are confusing John Ross' failures as a boyfriend, with his ability to be a good father.” Melissa was listening closely now, a look of concern on her pretty face; Angela continued. “It seems to me that all of the things that happened between you and John Ross while you were pregnant concerned your relationship with him, not his relationship with his son. I remember when you first called to tell me the good news, you told me all about what a wonderful father he was to Megan and you couldn't wait to see him with your baby.” Melissa had a far away look in her eyes as she remembered the conversation. Angela continued, “Did that ever change? Did he ever stop being a good father to Megan?”

Melissa shook her head slightly, “No…he…he was always great with her.”

“I just think it would be terrible to deprive a boy of his father, especially one as loving and caring as John Ross…” Angela suppressed a grin and just hoped that Melissa wouldn't give in too soon—Angela might very well be able to extract more 'payment' from John Ross Ewing.

Melissa turned her head and stared out the window, deep in thought. A shudder when through her body as she silently wondered if her desire for revenge was actually hurting her son.

Southfork Ranch

The ten feet to the stream had seemed like ten miles, but Ellie breathed a sigh of relief when she reached its life-giving moisture. She cupped it in her hands and splashed it on her burning face and repeated the process several more times. Ellie didn't yet want to drink from it—she was still holding onto hope that someone would find her.

She abruptly froze when she heard an all too familiar rattling sound. Her heart raced as she spotted a large rattlesnake coiled up about four feet from her.

“Oh dear God, please help me…”

The snake's narrow reptilian eyes stared at her coldly and it continued to vibrate its tail, giving off the distinctive rattling sound that Ellie had heard many times during her years of working the ranch.

Soon, the rattling had an almost calming effect on Ellie and her eyes slowly closed. After falling asleep, she was oblivious to the dangers surrounding her.

Rex Wentworth's Penthouse

Rex Wentworth stood at the window of his luxurious penthouse, but he wasn't admiring the view. There was an angry frown on his face as he listened to the report over the phone. Plainly, he didn't like what he was hearing. “So she didn't fall for it? That offer was more than generous.” His lawyer had just informed him that Kaitlin Ryan had rejected his dummy corporation's proposal to buy her Weststar stock.

He didn't bother to say good-bye as he hung up the phone. He sat down and picked up a file folder. Across the front of the folder, was the name Kaitlin Ryan. He hated trying to conduct business with women. They never reacted as you expected, too emotional and no logic. Rex shook his head in frustration. He was annoyed that his first plan hadn't worked. It was going to take longer now, but he was a patient man, when he knew his patience would be rewarded.

He opened the folder and began to reread his private investigator's report. Maybe there was something he missed. He quickly thumbed through. No, nothing. Except for owning Weststar stock, this woman had never done anything interesting! He closed the folder and sat it on the coffee table. He needed another angle; she hated JR, which was something. At least he knew she wasn't stupid. But what kind of woman was Kaitlin Ryan? She obviously couldn't be bought, or she would have accepted his offer for the stock.

He wasn't worried; he had no doubt that he would succeed. After all, everyone had a price. He just needed to find out what Kaitlin did care about. He would have his detective do a more thorough study of Ms. Ryan. He stood up, and as he did, his knee hit the folder, knocking it to the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he noticed that a picture of Kaitlin had fallen out. As he picked it up, he noticed for the first time just how beautiful Kaitlin was. Rex slowly smiled; maybe he would take care of Ms. Ryan himself.

The Central Expressway

“Hello?”

Angela smiled upon hearing his voice. “Hi John Ross…I'm glad I could reach you.”

There was silence at the other end of the phone. Finally, John Ross spoke up. “What do you want?”

“I talked to Melissa today…”

“You did?” John Ross was surprised that she was actually holding up her end of the bargain.

“Yes…I told her what you wanted her to hear and she seemed really swayed…I think with a little more talking, I can convince her…”

“Then what are you waiting for? Do it!”

Angela laughed. “Not so fast John Ross…I talked to her once, like our deal called for. If you want me to tell her anymore, then you know what you have to do…”

John Ross had hoped Angela wouldn't ask for anything else, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to get T.J.

The Clifford Group

Cliff was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk when he heard Jackie's familiar voice, “Cliff, they're here.” He knew who 'they' were. He had arranged for a last minute meeting of his geologists and various upper level management and accountants. They filed slowly into the room. Cliff stood, smiling, “Welcome gentlemen!” Somewhere to his left, someone cleared their throat. “Oh, yeah…and lady. I brought you all here so you could thank me.”

There were puzzled looks throughout the room. Cliff paused for dramatic effect, “Because when the money comes rolling in from the deal I made this morning, the Clifford Group is gonna be one of the top money making companies of the year!” Cliff beamed, obviously thrilled with himself. His employees, however, were staring at him with looks of confusion on their faces. The Clifford Group turning a large profit didn't necessarily mean more money in their pockets; Cliff was not known for handing out raises or bonuses.

“I have a copy for each of you of the conditions of the contract I just signed with Petrol refineries.” He handed the stack of papers to the person closest to him, who handed them out to the others. Within moments, there were murmurings, as the group began to read the conditions that Cliff had agreed to meet.

“Okay, now that you all know the goal, let's go out there and find the oil!” Cliff walked around behind his desk, as he turned to sit down, he was surprised to find that no one was preparing to leave. Cliff was sincerely perplexed. “What…?”

Usually no one contradicted Cliff; in fact, they hardly ever questioned him at all. Cliff liked it that way; he purposefully went out of his way to surround himself with 'yes men'. But one of the geologists was startled enough by the paper he was holding to speak up. “Mr. Barnes, where are we going to get this oil?”

“What? I couldn't have heard you right. Did you ask where we're going to get the oil?” The man continued to stare blankly at Cliff, who sat at his desk, leaned forward and said, “You're a geologist aren't you? You should know that oil comes from a hole in the ground.” Cliff chuckled at his own wit, but he was the only one laughing. “All right, what's going on here? Why do you all look like you're at a funeral? Cheer up; this is good news, guys! We're one of the largest oil companies around. We have the oil. One of the reasons Petrol came to me with the offer was they knew they could get all of the oil from us.”

Cliff was beginning to feel a little nervous; they were all still staring at him and he felt the need to reassure them. “Look, this isn't going to be a problem. What about those new off shore leases? There's more than enough oil at those sites to fulfill the whole contract!”

“But… Mr. Barnes, it takes time to drill and we only just purchased those leases…”

Just then, Rick, one of the men in the group said, “Okay, everyone, that's all of the news. Let's get back to work.” Everyone filed out. Rick was the last in the line and as everyone left, he shut the door and turned to Cliff. “Cliff, please tell me this is a joke. You're practicing for next April Fool's Day or something.”

Cliff was getting irritated again, why was everyone questioning his judgment!. He got up and slowly walked around his desk. “You know what's amazing to me? What's amazing to me is that a group of people who wouldn't even have jobs if it weren't for me and my business instincts, could sit here in my building, my office and question my decisions!” He was almost yelling.

Rick waved his hand, “Calm down, Cliff. They're just worried, and with good reason. I wish you had checked the company's future projections.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, we have the oil!”

“Where?”

“Even if the off-shore wells don't come in, we have lots of other fields.”

“If you had checked with the geologists, you'd know that a lot of our older fields are drying up. We're negotiating for more leases, but that takes time too.”

“Come on now Rick, you're being to negative, if we don't have the oil, we'll just get it!” Cliff clapped him on the shoulder. “You know Rick, if you weren't an old college buddy, I'd fire you on the spot.”

As Rick turned to leave, he grumbled, “I may be out of a job anyway.”

Southfork Ranch

The dark-headed Ellie sat on the couch, flipping through a magazine, anxiously waiting for the minute that the doorbell would ring. When the sound of the bell finally echoed through the house, she bolted into the foyer and swung the door open.

“Willard!”

Digger Barnes swept into the house and picked Ellie up, spinning her around. “I found it Ellie, I sniffed it out! There's oil under that land, and it's all mine!”

Ellie smiled and threw her arms around Digger while kicking her legs in happiness. “That's wonderful. We'll have to celebrate!”

The sound of a man clearing his throat startled Ellie, Digger set her down and she turned around to see her brother standing in the doorway to the foyer. “Ellie…”

“Garrison!?”

Garrison Southworth nodded. “Yep, I came back, but only to say goodbye…for a while at least.”

Ellie was confused. “What is it? Is that girl of yours not treatin' you right?”

“No…it's not about Em…”

Still standing in the doorway, Digger clutched his hat in his hands and impatiently waited while Ellie talked to her brother. “What is it? Garrison…stop beatin' around the bush…you're scaring me.”

“I'm going away...to fight in the war.”

Ellie's eyes were suddenly large with fear and she grabbed the front of her dress and began to wring it in her hands. “No Garrison…you'll be killed. And you can't just go away and leave with just me and Daddy to work the ranch.”

Garrison shook his head. “You know me and him don't get along. Hell, all he's done is yell at me since I was knee high to a grasshopper. War might actually be quieter than him. Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow morning…”

“Garrison! No…if you go off and I never see you again…I'll never forgive you.” Ellie's eyes were now reddened with tears. “Have you told Emily?”

“Yes…”

“And how did she take it?”

“ 'bout like you did. She doesn't want me to go.”

“Please don't Garrison…” Ellie wrapped her arms around her brother and held him. “Please don't go…”

She turned her head to the direction of her fall, but the embankment looked even higher than before—insurmountable in her condition. Finally, when she thought she could stand it no more, Ellie cupped her hands and filled them with the cool water from the stream. Slowly she drank and eventually she was gulping down the water until a wave of nausea settled over her and she had to lie back down to prevent herself from throwing it all back up. That was the last thing she needed now.

Southfork Ranch

“What is it Wade?” Panting, Manny reached the top of the hill and looked down at the stream, only to find a horrendous site. There were about seven cows lying on their sides next to the water and five of them were breathing shallow ragged breaths. The other two were already dead.

“Damn it!” Wade had begun to think the poisonings were behind them and had all but swept the mystery under the rug. Now it was happening again.

“What now Wade?”

“I don't know…but we need to find out who's doin' this before we lose any more cattle. We'll check upstream…see if we can find where anything's leaking into the water…”

Manny nodded and started after Wade, who was determined to solve this mystery once and for all.

Houston, Texas, a small conference room

Heads turned as Bobby and Pamela entered the room. They had arrived a little bit late, and the members had already begun the meeting. Mr. Waterson, the man at the head of the long table stood up. “I'm sorry, you must have the wrong room. This is the board meeting for Wentworth Industries.”

“We were invited.” Mr. Waterson looked skeptical, but before he could object further, Bobby added, “I would think that the owner of the company would be welcome at all board meetings.”

He scowled, “Of course, but there is no way you can own any part of this company. It is owned solely by…”

“Pamela Ewing.” Pam had spoken and the man looked at her for the first time. As recognition dawned, he immediately began apologizing.

“Mrs. Ewing… I'm so sorry, it's just… we weren't expecting you. Please, have a seat.”

The two men sitting nearest to them, moved and Bobby and Pamela sat down. When everyone was settled, Mr. Waterson began the meeting, talking first, about the current state of Wentworth Industries. “… Therefore, we are going to have to make some more cutbacks. Revenues just aren't what we projected. After careful study and analysis, I am convinced that the only way to stay in the black is to cut out the fat! We need to let some more people go.”

There were slight rumblings from those around the table. Finally, someone spoke up. “I just can't do that Sam, we've already cut back. If I let any more people go, I'm going to have to do the house keeping at night, myself.” There were murmurs of agreement around the table.

Sam interrupted them. “Gentlemen, please! I don't like this anymore than you do, but I'm afraid it's necessary.”

One of the men sitting near Bobby and Pam whispered, “The truth is, the fat that needs to be cut is him!” He nodded at Sam Waterson.

“Now, if we cut back on employees about 10%, and we really tighten our belts, I think we can get by.”

Pamela, who had been sitting and listening in silent frustration, said, “I don't understand. Wentworth Industries has been the leader in this business for years. It's a very large and diversified company. How can things be so bad that you have to go to this extreme?”

Sam raised his eyebrows. “Mrs. Ewing, we are all happy to see that you are back from…. wherever you were, safe and sound, but I really don't think…”

Bobby leaned forward, “She has a good point. Laying people off should be the last thing you do. You're not just talking about numbers here, these are real families.”

Don Richards was sitting across from Bobby with his hands folded on the table in from of him. “I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired of having to fire good men. We're running on a skeleton crew now. If we continue with this 'cut the fat' bull you keep dishing out, Sam, soon we're going to lose everything because we won't have the manpower to meet our current contracts.”

Sam sat the papers he was holding down on the table and peered at Don. “Just what do you suggest?”

“Ahem” Don cleared his throat. “I think that instead of cutting our own throats by firing our workers, we should be asking management to take a pay cut.” He hesitated before adding, “A temporary pay cut of fifteen percent across the board should do it.” The room was perfectly silent.

Then, “Don, you must be crazy, there's no way our management is going to agree to it.” It was Carl Jones.

“Fine Carl, then you explain to them why they are going to have to start pushing brooms at night to make up for the lack of workers in their departments.”

The bickering was getting them nowhere, Bobby turned back to Sam. “Where's the money going?”

“What? Well, we have some outstanding debts…”

Bobby patiently nodded his head, “Yes, but what about the money you are saving by all of the cut backs. What are you doing to try and turn things around? I think that's Don's real concern. You can't just keep laying more and more people off.” Don nodded in agreement.

“Well, most of it is going into public relations. We need to advertise to get more business, and that takes a lot of money.”

Bobby was a little taken aback, “Public relations?”

Sam's reply was terse. “Yes.”

This time it was Pam who spoke. “Mr. Waterson, I'm sure things have changed somewhat since I had a hand in running things here, but the crown of Wentworth Industries has always been the 'Tool and Dye'. The research department was well known for being the best in the business, so companies naturally came to us.” Bobby glanced at her, and was struck by how composed she looked. He knew that she had a hand in running Wentworth a long time ago, but he had never sat with her in a business meeting. Looking at her sitting there calmly, ready to debate with a room full of men, he felt a touch of pride.

Sam, on the other hand, wasn't impressed. He looked over at Don, and said rather pointedly, “That would be fine if our research department over at the Tool and Dye actually produced anything!”

Don shot back, “What do you expect when you keep cutting my funding, insisting I fire my researchers! And how am I supposed to recruit people with new and fresh ideas? The 'best and the brightest' don't work for peanuts!” With that, Don stormed out of the room. Pam excused herself and followed.

The meeting ended as badly as it had begun.

When Bobby walked out of the room, he found Pam only a few feet away. Bobby assumed she had left the meeting because she was upset about the state of Wentworth. Apparently she had been talking to Don Richards, because Bobby could see him walking away. Bobby walked up behind her. “I'm sorry Pammy, I would never had insisted that we come if I'd know it was going to upset you.”

She turned to him with a hint of a smile. “I'm fine. Now let's go get some lunch!”

Bobby was relieved that she wasn't too upset. He put his arm around her waist as they headed for the lobby door. “At least it didn't affect your appetite.”

The Barnes Residence

Cliff sat stonily in front of the TV, but this time, it was off. Over the course of the day, he had become increasingly concerned that he might have made a mistake taking the Petrol deal. He had spent the afternoon going over the company's projections for oil production. It was not a pretty sight. In the long run, they were in good shape, the problem was, the race Cliff had just put himself in wasn't a marathon, it was a sprint. It was now clear that The Clifford Group didn't have the oil to meet the contract deadline. His only hope was the off shore leases, but it would take nothing short of a miracle for them to come in before the first oil delivery was due.

“Hey Dad…Dad…Dad!” Cliff was suddenly startled by his son's voice.

“You don't have to yell, I'm not deaf.”

Eric sat on a couch across from Cliff. “Could have fooled me. What's the deep thought about? And please don't tell me that you're pining over Afton, I just ate.”

Cliff was still distracted, “No, no… I was just thinking about the Clifford Group. I have a contract…” Cliff stared at his son and sudden a light came into his eyes, “Eric, have you talked to your mother lately?”

Eric looked surprised, most of the time Cliff acted like Marilee didn't exist. “No, not since she went back to Europe after the trial. Why?”

“No reason, no reason.” Cliff walked over to where Eric was sitting and sat next to him. “Eric, son, my boy! How are you doin', anyway?”

Eric smiled, he wasn't fooled, “Dad, you don't have to do that, if you want something, just tell me.”

Cliff hung his head and then looked up at Eric, “I do, I have to admit, I do. How about coming to work with me at the Clifford Group?” Eric didn't answer right away. “Come on, why not do it? You have some experience, and wouldn't you like to work with dear old Dad? It's better than sitting around this place all the time.”

“Actually, I kind of like sitting around here, after sitting around a jail cell.” That should have elicited some response from Cliff, but he was never one for sentimentality, especially when he had a goal in mind. “Okay, sure, why not?”

“Great!” Cliff clapped him on the back. Now he knew where he was going to get that oil, Stonehurst Oil had all he needed for the first installment. Marilee would never say no to her son.

The doorbell rang; Cliff was in such a good mood that he decided to answer it himself. Opening the door, he saw a man in a shabby suit. “I'm looking for a Ms. Pamela Rebecca Cooper.”

“Oh, sure, hold on.” Cliff stepped a couple of feet back into the foyer and yelled up the stairs, “Pammmmela…Pammmmela” Eric heard the yelling and walked in. “Where's your sister?”

Eric looked puzzled. “I haven't seen her or Megan in a few days, I thought you knew where they were.”

“What? No.” Cliff went back to the man at the door. “Sorry, she's not here.”

“Do you know where she is? I have to deliver this in person.”

Cliff looked at the paper in the man's hand. He had been on the receiving end of enough subpoenas to know what they looked like. “Wait a minute. Is that a subpoena? That's from Ewing, right?”

“I'm sorry sir, but I can't say. Since she isn't here…” The man turned to go, but not before Cliff grabbed the paper. “Hey! Give that back, that's only to be given to…”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Cliff quickly read the request for his daughter to appear in court in the case of Ewing v. Cooper, for a custody hearing. “Damn.” Eric read it over his shoulder.

The man grabbed his papers back and left at a trot.

Eric said, “Wow, no wonder she left with Megan, she's trying to avoid the hearing.”

“Doesn't surprise me at all! All my life I wanted what the Ewings had, and here I am, just as rich and powerful as JR, and they're still trying to steal from the Barnes'.” Cliff slammed the door.

Southfork Ranch

Ellie stepped out of the truck and stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the small ramshackle house on the corner lot of Carmichael Street. It was painted yellow with blue shutters, most of which were rotting and falling off the house. Ellie wondered how on earth her brother had ever crossed paths with a woman like this, but from the way Garrison talked, Ellie knew he loved Emily deeply.

Ellie turned back around to the cowhand, who was sitting behind the wheel of the truck. “I'll only be a few minutes, so you can wait on me.”

The cowhand nodded and Ellie started up the cracked path, which led to the front door. Once there, she knocked and waited for Emily.

After several seconds, the young blonde opened the door and wiped her hands on her apron. “Eleanor, it's good to see you again, but what brings you here?”

Ellie knew Emily was embarrassed that she'd shown up at her house, but Ellie gave her a reassuring smile. “I'm here to talk to you about my brother.”

“What has Garrison done now?” Emily asked, worriedly. “Oh, where are my manners…please do come in.”

Ellie walked in, expecting the house's interior to mirror the outside, but it was the exact opposite. It was clean and everything was neat and tidy. The house felt instantly pleasant and Ellie felt right at home as she took a seat on the sofa. “Garrison told me about his plans to go off to war…”

Emily's face instantly went white. “Yes…we've talked about it.”

“I don't want it to happen any more than you do…that's why I'm determined to stop him and that's why I'm here right now. I need your help Emily.”

“Me? What can I do?”

“I think you can convince Garrison to stay home.”

Emily shook her head hopelessly. “No, I'm afraid that won't work. I talked to Garrison until I was blue in the face, but it still did no good.”

“Then you haven't talked to him about the right things.” Ellie grinned slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes a woman has to go to the extreme to keep her man…and that's what you have to do now, to keep Garrison at home.”

“I still don't understand. What exactly is it that you're wantin' me to do?”

“Emily, can you act pregnant?” Ellie smiled, but Emily still wasn't sure she knew what Ellie was leading too.

As the day went by, Ellie fell asleep and once again, she dreamed.

“That's right Dr. Myers…that's exactly what I want you to do. I know you don't like doin' it, but I hope you can see that it's for a good cause. I love my brother very much and it would kill me if he were to go away to war and never return…”

Dr. Myers removed his glasses and massaged his temples. “Well Ellie…that is a mighty odd request.”

“Can you do it doctor? Can you back up Emily's claims of being pregnant?”

Finally, Dr. Myers nodded. “I suppose I owe you Southworth's a few favors…and as long as no one is hurt by this. But wait…what will you do once Garrison decides to stay? Emily won't really be pregnant…”

“She'll miscarry.”

“Okay. I'm behind you.”

Ellie smiled, little did she know, that someday she'd give birth to a son named J.R. who would share her passion for going to any lengths to protect his family and those he loved. “Thank you Dr. Myers…thank you so much.”

Drucilla, the Barnes maid, quickly strode to the door and pulled it open to find Karen Ewing standing there. She instantly recognized her face from having seen her on television so much lately.

“Karen Ewing…what are you doing here?”

“I'm here to see Eric…is he in?”

Drucilla nodded and stepped back to allow Karen inside. “He's out on the back patio.”

Drucilla was almost knocked flat when Austin bolted past her and ran through the house toward the back door, which he promptly opened.

“Uncle Eric!” He shouted.

Surprised, Eric turned around and stood up just in time to catch the full impact of Austin's 'attack' “Whoa there…you've really grown…what've you been doing, trying out for the school football team or something?”

Austin laughed. “Na, you know I'm not even in school yet, but I start next week!”

“Really? Excited about it?”

“Yeah, but I'm gonna miss spending the whole day at Southfork, riding horses and swimming and stuff. Why don't you ever come to Southfork to ride and swim with me?” Austin asked.

Eric wasn't sure what to say, but he knew he couldn't tell Austin that he couldn't go to Southfork because Christopher hated his guts. “Well, I've been busy with work…I've got a new job now, with my own office and desk and everything else.”

“Cool! Can I come see your at your work sometime?!”

Eric nodded and tousled Austin's hair. “Sure thing. So, did you drive yourself over here or did somebody bring you?”

Austin seemed to find that funny. “Silly, I already told you I'm not even in school yet so I can't drive either…I don't have my driver's likens.”

Eric laughed for the first time in days. He'd forgotten just how much he'd grown to love this little kid. “So, did your Aunt Pam bring you or something?”

“No, I did…” Karen stepped out onto the patio and walked over to them took a seat.

Eric was surprised to see her. “Karen, hi…”

“Hey Eric, how are you?”

“I'm great…I mean, I just avoided jail time and I'm back home, so yeah…I'm doing fine. And you?”

“I'm okay I guess…considering…did you hear what happened yesterday, with Megan?”

Eric shook his head. “No… wait a minute, you have Megan?”

“Yeah, I thought you would have heard. It turns out that she isn't John Ross', Chris is her real daddy.”

He couldn't tell Karen that he knew, that he'd always known. Pamela Rebecca had told him ages ago. But if Megan was at Southfork, where was Pamela Rebecca? He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and tried to concentrate on Karen and Austin.

“So what happened?”

“It was all over the news. Chris and I took Megan and Austin to the water park…”

Austin suddenly broke into the conversation enthusiastically. “Yeah! It was soooo cool. Those slides were so much fun! They made the ones from school look so little and those didn't even have water in them! It was awesome and they had a huge pool, bigger than the one at Southfork, with waves in it! Oh yeah, and Megan got lost but a nice lady named Eve found her and brought her back to me and I was really glad because I really like Megan…she's my sister you know.”

“Is he serious Karen?” Eric remarked.

Karen nodded. “I'm afraid so. I was supposed to be watching Megan but I let her out of my sight for just a second and she was gone… I feel awful, I can't believe I let that happen…what I did was irresponsible and what if we'd never found Megan?” Karen shuddered at the thought.

“Don't be too hard on yourself Karen…kids are livewires. They get away like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis. Karen still felt awful, but she appreciated his attempt to cheer her up.

Austin broke in again. “And then this moron reporter came and was asking all sorts of questions and he made my Daddy mad and made Mommy cry so I tackled him like they do on WCW and knocked him in the pool and he shut up really fast…I guess he had to because he probably got water in his mouth.”

Eric laughed. “If you tackled him half as hard as you just did me, then I'm sure he did shut up.”

Just then Drucilla appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Stone, would you like me to bring out some refreshments, perhaps some iced tea?”

Before Eric could answer, Austin piped up, “Do you have any cookies here?”

Eric sat down next to Karen at the round patio table. “That's a great idea, Austin. Why don't you go in the house with Drucilla and she'll get you a whole plate of cookies.” Eric looked up at Drucilla, who nodded, but didn't look too pleased at the prospect of having this overly energetic little boy in her kitchen. Austin took off at a trot and nearly bowled her over again, on his way through the door.

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Karen said, “I… I need to apologize to you, Eric.”

Eric looked at her with surprise. “Why?

Karen turned her head slightly and gazed at the pool. A soft breeze touched the water, making little waves. “I should never have gotten you involved in all of that; I never intended to…”

Eric reached over and touched her shoulder. When he spoke, there was a gentleness and concern in his voice that she remembered hearing when they were on the run. “You don't own me any apologies. You didn't force me to do anything. I could have left anytime.” Seeing the sad look on her face, he added. “I mean, it's not like you tied me to the bed post, or anything…” then, smiling, “Not that I would have minded that!”

Karen instinctively pulled away from his touch. She owed Eric a lot, Austin loved him dearly and she still thought of him as a good friend, but she didn't want him to think that they could ever be more than friends. “Eric, when we were out there, you know, hiding Austin and running from the police, I wasn't thinking clearly… I,”

“Whoa Karen. I think I know where you're headed with this and it's not necessary. I understand that you love your husband.” He smiled at her. “Austin isn't the only one who's growing up. What I mean is, I want us to be friends – if that's okay with Chris.”

Karen was relieved. “Of course it is.”

“Now that that's cleared up, how are things with you two?”

“Good, actually, great. We're really starting to be a family.”

Eric chuckled. “With two kids, how could you avoid it?”

Melissa's Apartment, evening

“Really, I'm glad you stopped by. Even if you did wake the baby!” Melissa was tiptoeing out of T.J.'s room. Chris' ringing the doorbell had awakened him and she just gotten him back to sleep. She came over and sat down on the couch next to Christopher. “How are you doing?”

“Great…I'm doing really good lately. The trial's over, Karen's free, and I haven't seen Pamela Rebecca in over two days.” Christopher folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Things are finally turning around.”

“I think…hope we've seen the last of Pamela Rebecca Cooper.” Melissa felt satisfied inside, knowing that Pamela Rebecca would never cause any of them trouble again.

“What about you? You doin' okay?”

Melissa shook her head. “No, not really.”

Christopher frowned. “Why? What's wrong?”

“I'm still really torn up inside over the situation with John Ross and T.J…it's really beginning to get to me.”

“Care for some free advice?”

“I don't think I could refuse it, not in this particular situation.”

“Okay, well, you may not like it, I dunno, but here's what I think about this…I keep thinking about all the times in Megan's life that I missed out on and it really hurts me. Now that I've got her in my life, things have changed so much. I love that little girl with all my heart, but no matter what I do for her now, I can never go back and reclaim that time I lost with her. I didn't get to see her take her first step or hear her say her first word.” Christopher leaned forward and looked at Melissa who was frowning slightly.

He continued, “John Ross is missing that time with T.J…and I feel sorry for him. He lost Megan and now he doesn't have his son either, but you can fix that before it's too late.” He noticed her expression and immediately felt guilty. He leaned back again and put his arm around her shoulders. “I'm sorry Mis, maybe I shouldn't have said all of that. You had good reasons for what you did. It's just that it seems to me that the way things are right now, you're both pretty unhappy.”

Melissa nodded, trying to soak in all that had been said. “Don't be sorry Christopher, I think maybe you're right.” Melissa smiled; it was only a little smile, but it was the first truly happy one in weeks.

Lucy's House

Lucy walked blindly through the living room as she quickly toweled off her hair and then wrapped it up in the towel. “Coming!” she repeated before swinging open the door. “Oh my God! What are you doing here?”

Valene Ewing instantly dropped her suitcase and swallowed her daughter with a hug. “You act surprised to see me Honey!”

Lucy's face was lit up for the first time in weeks and she found herself almost speechless. “Well…yeah! It's not everyday that the doorbell rings, I open it, and bam, it's you. Where's Daddy?”

“He's back in Knots Landing. I swear, the man's so bogged down in his business lately that I don't think he'll even notice that I'm gone.”

Lucy lifted the suitcase and brought it inside and Val followed her. “You didn't answer my question Mom, what are you doing here?”

“I'm here to fix your marriage…what else?” Val smiled and Lucy soon found her own smile fading into a frown.

“I really appreciate your concern, but I've been married enough to know when a marriage is past the point of rescue and this is definitely one of those cases.”

“For Heaven's sake Lucy, do you think I haven't? From what you've told me of Neil…and from what I've seen of him myself, I can tell you that I honestly believe he loves you and regrets his mistake. So that Cooper woman was responsible for him marrying you, but don't you know it's possible for him to grow to love you? I think he has.”

“I'm sorry, but you don't know him as well as I do. You haven't even seen him since you left Dallas the last time.”

Val abruptly stood up and grabbed her purse off the end table.

“Where are you going?”

“There's only one way to find out how Neil feels about you…”

“Mom…don't.”

“I'm going to Neil's apartment and I'm gonna talk to him.”

Val started toward the door and within seconds she was walking forcefully back to her car. Lucy ran to the door and yelled after her. “Please don't! I can handle this!”

The only reply was the sound of the car driving away.

Southfork Ranch

The sensation of something cool and moist on her face finally brought Ellie out of her sleep and she looked around but only saw darkness. Eventually her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she could barely make out the face of Wade Sawyer standing above her.

“Mrs. Farlow…thank God.”

“Wade…” Miss Ellie tried to sit up but winced in pain.

“Easy there. No use in tryin' to sit up. We're gonna get you to the hospital real soon.”

Ellie shook her head. “No, I'm fine. Nothing that a little rest won't help.”

“Your ankle might be broke for all I know…it looks pretty bad. All swelled and purple and everything. Might be dehydrated too.”

“Where are J.R. and Bobby?”

“Bobby's out of town, remember? Haven't seen J.R. all day. He left early this mornin'.”

To be honest, Ellie didn't remember, but she nodded anyway. Suddenly an intense pain ripped through her stomach and she doubled up in pain, alarming Wade.

“What's wrong?” he asked, supporting her back with his arm.

“My stomach…it hurts Wade…something's wrong…”

“Manny!” Wade shouted.

Seconds later, the twenty-year old cowhand burst into the room and ran over to the bed. “Yeah? Is she okay?”

Wade shook his head. “No…she's in a lot of pain.” Ellie screamed out again and Wade blotted her face with the towel. “Call an ambulance Manny, we've gotta get her to a doctor.”

Manny grabbed the phone off the table and dialed 911, but it seemed all too long before an operator picked up. “What's your emergency?”

“Yeah…we've got an elderly lady that's been stranded out in the sun all day…hasn't had anything to drink that we know of and now she's complaining of pain in her stomach…she looks pretty bad.”

Ellie clutched Wade's wrist and looked at him, trying to speak. “I…I did…drink.”

“What did you drink Miss Ellie?”

“I…dr…drank from the stream.”

Wade's mouth fell and he looked to Manny, who had let the phone fall to his side. Both remembered the scene of the dead cows next to the stream. When Manny fully comprehended the severity of the situation he put the phone back to his ear. “I think she's been poisoned…”

Credits Roll