She reached her hands deep within the bowels of the pumpkin and pulled out a handful of stringy, pungent smelling pumpkin insides. She dropped them on the newspaper on the table next to her and she reached her hands inside for a second scoop.

Eventually, the pumpkin was gutted and she stabbed it with the sharp knife again and continually stabbed and pulled out until she'd made the crude pattern of two eyes and a nose.

She then withdrew the knife and sawed out the shape of a jagged, toothy mouth. Afterwards, she lit an orange candle and placed it inside the jack-o-lantern. The candle's flickering light cast dancing shapes throughout the dark room and a little girl walked in and smiled.

“Mommy, it's beautiful.”

Eve Ashford, the woman who had found Megan at the water park, smiled at her daughter. “Thanks Danielle…”

“So, why'd you want me to go get my costume from last year? I thought we weren't gonna trick-or-treat this year?”

Eve dried her hands off on a pumpkin-stained cloth. “We're not…we're going to a costume party.”

Danielle's eyes lit up. “A costume party? Where?”

“Southfork Ranch.”

“Ohh, that's where the Ewings live.”

“How'd you know?” Eve asked, puzzled.

“One of them is in my class at school…his name's Austin. Did he invite us?”

Eve shook her head. “No…no one invited us but we're going anyway. Now go get into your costume honey…”

“Don't you two look like quite a pair!” The blonde-haired Ellie Southworth stepped back and sized up Emily and Garrison. “Emily, that dress is stunning…not that you'll be able to fit in it before long…” Ellie winked at Emily and then turned to her brother where she adjusted his 1700s styled suit. “You look like a page out of a history book…and quite a handsome one I might add.”

Garrison looked at his watch and then back at his sister. “Eleanor, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get me and Emily out of the house…”

Ellie grinned mischievously. “No, not at all. I have absolutely nothing planned for this Halloween night.”

“I'll be calling to check up on you,” Garrison said sternly. “You'd better be home. Daddy would never forgive me if anything happened to you tonight.”

“Oh, I'll be home, don't you worry.” Ellie pushed them both toward the door. “You two have fun…and be back before midnight, you hear? I will tell Daddy if you aren't!”

Garrison and Emily waved at her and once they'd cranked up the car, Ellie stepped back inside and began to giggle. “You can come out now, Willard…”

The door underneath the staircase slowly opened and Digger Barnes stepped out. “I thought your brother'd never leave!”

“Well, he's gone now,” Ellie said, pulling back the curtains just to make sure.

Digger pulled her into a kiss. “Happy Halloween Ellie…”

A strange feeling crept over Ellie and she went into an almost panicky state as she walked out into the hallway and lowered the ladder, which led up to the Southfork attic. She carefully ascended the ladder and found herself in complete darkness until her hand found the light cord.

Ellie rubbed her eyes and walked over to a dark corner of the attic. Paranoid, she looked behind her before stooping over and sliding a flat wooden box out of a hidden cubbyhole. The thick layer of dust that covered the box indicated that it hadn't been touched by human hands for many, many years.

She blew off the dust and it scattered in a cloud; then Ellie opened the latch and lifted the lid. After seeing that the contents was still intact, Ellie sighed with relief. “Thank God it's still here…and it hasn't been found…”

Ellie wasn't sure what exactly had triggered these recent dreams she'd been having, but she hadn't even thought about this box for many, many years…not since Jock's death at least.

Maybe it was time to find a safer place for the box…a place where Ellie could be sure that no one ever saw what was inside. Or better yet, perhaps it was time for the box and its contents to be destroyed—once and for all.

“Grandma Ellie? Is that you over there?”

Ellie quickly shoved the box back into its hiding place. “Yes Austin, it's me.”

“Oh, whew, you scared me! I thought you were the boogieman or something!”

Ellie turned around and walked to him. “No, I'm not the boogieman, but he just might live up here somewhere…”

Austin's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars. “What?” he asked in a whisper. “The boogieman lives here in the attic?”

Ellie tried to keep a straight face, but she broke out into a grin. “No, there's no boogieman up here.”

Austin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I didn't believe that anyway…I'm too old to believe in stuff like that anymore.”

“Grandma, do you know how to sew? You know…like make clothes and stuff?”

Ellie chuckled. “Well, I haven't done anything like that in a long time, but I suppose I still could. Why?”

“Cool! Will you make me a costume for Halloween?”

“Well, Austin…I don't think that even I could make you a costume in just…” Ellie strained to see her watch in the dimly lit attic. “…three hours.”

Austin's face fell. “Oh…”

“Didn't you like the costume Karen bought for you yesterday?”

Austin wrinkled up his nose. “No way! I am not gonna be a clown! Mommy let me invite some of my friends from school and they'd make fun of me forever if they see me in that ugly old clown costume!”

Ellie laughed to herself and then scratched her chin. “I may have an idea.”

“Really?” Austin asked enthusiastically. “What kinda idea?”

Ellie motioned for him to follow her and they both walked over to an old chest that was sitting next to the opposite wall. “Maybe we can find something in here…”

“Wow! A treasure chest! Can we take the gold and go buy me a real cool costume Grandma!?”

“I'm afraid there's no gold in here,” Ellie managed to say through her laughter, “but there just may be a pirate costume or something like it.”

“Cool! A pirate?”

Ellie nodded and began to search through the pile of colorful costumes. She was hit by a feeling of nostalgia when she saw one of the costumes…

“Stop it J.R.! I'm warnin' you! If you don't give me back my moccasins I'm gonna scalp you with this here tomahawk!”

The fifteen-year old J.R. Ewing smirked at his little brother. “Sorry Bob! I like these moccasins, I bet they'd fetch a pretty good profit over at Sam's Trading Post.”

“But they go with my costume!” Upset, the five-year old Bobby lunged at J.R. with the wooden tomahawk and whacked him over the head.

J.R. was surprised when he felt warm blood trickling down his face. “You little bastard! You're gonna pay for that!” J.R. took off after Bobby who had already disappeared into the next room.

When J.R. went inside, Bobby was huddled behind the eleven-year old Gary. “Leave him alone J.R., you were askin' for it by stealing his moccasins.”

“It was just a joke!” J.R. said, his voice cracking.

“What's going on here?” came a powerful and stern voice from behind them.

J.R. immediately turned around and found himself standing almost face-to-face with Jock Ewing. “Daddy, Bobby near 'bout scalped me!” J.R. pointed to his bloodied head.

Jock pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to J.R. “Go on upstairs and clean that mess up.” J.R. didn't notice the slight smile on Jock's face.

“But Daddy…”

“Go on J.R., I'll deal with Bobby.”

“He stole my moccasins!” Bobby shouted.

“He sure did,” Gary echoed. “I saw the whole thing.”

“Hand over the moccasins J.R.,” Jock said sternly. He took them from J.R.'s hands while J.R. glared at Gary for backing up Bobby's story. Afterwards, J.R. stomped up the stairs.

“Son, you know we don't hit people with tomahawks…”

Bobby shook his head. “Yes sir, I guess not, but they do it on the movies all the time…”

Jock failed miserably at keeping his stern face and soon he was laughing. “Here's your moccasins Bobby. Now go get ready if you're planning on goin' trick-or-treating. Your friends'll be here soon.”

From the kitchen, Ellie watched them with a slight look of amusement on her face.

Ellie was pulled out of her daydream and she turned to Austin. “I'm sorry…”

“You scared me! I thought you'd turned into a zombie or somethin'! You weren't saying anything and you were just staring straight ahead at the wall.”

“I was thinking…”

“Grown-ups sure do think a lot around here…I guess I just don't have much to think about…”

Ellie smiled and pulled the costume out of the drawer. “Wait until you get a few years behind you…then you'll have plenty to think about.”

“Oooh, an Indian!?” Austin jumped up and almost banged his head on the rafters above him. “Can I be the Indian?”

Ellie pulled out Bobby's old costume, complete with the tomahawk and moccasins and handed them over to Austin. “I think you'd make a wonderful Indian…but just promise me you won't scalp anybody with that tomahawk…”

As J.R. Ewing pulled his Mercedes into the driveway at Southfork and Sue Ellen quickly reached for the door handle.

“Hold on, Sue Ellen. Don't you think this has gone on long enough?”

Sue Ellen sat back for a moment and fixed JR with an icy stare. “I have no idea what you are talking about JR.”

“You didn't say a word all the way back on the plane, for one thing. In fact, you hardly said more than two words all day.”

“JR I don't want to have this conversation with you. Not now.”

“”Why not now? Now's the perfect time! Before we walk into that group of people tonight dressed as a couple!”

Sue Ellen looked out of her window and could just see the mist from the dry ice they used to make 'fog' beginning to form. “I told you. This was all the costume shop had left that wasn't a gorilla suit or a clown.” Suddenly, Sue Ellen wondered why she was still sitting there. JR didn't control her! She reached for the door handle and this time jerked the door open.

“Sue Ellen! We're not done talking.”

Sue Ellen looked back in the car. “I'm tired and I want to see my son. Having this conversation is the last thing I want right now, JR. Maybe I'll see you at the ball.” With that, she strode away and JR watched her disappear into the gathering mist.

“It was just a kiss…it didn't mean anything,” came Sue Ellen's voice, which was muffled coming through the thick door.

Jillian's eyes widened and she pressed her ear closer to the door to hear the rest.

“Do you really believe that Sue Ellen?” J.R. barked back. “Because I'm inclined to believe there was feeling behind it.”

Jillian couldn't believe what she was hearing! J.R. had kissed that woman? It must have happened on their trip to Alaska. Jillian wanted to hear no more, so she opened the door and J.R. and Sue Ellen both stopped and looked her way, as if they'd been shot.

“Well, hello Jillian,” J.R. greeted her.

Jillian shot a cold glance at Sue Ellen. “Daddy, I need to talk to you…please.”

“Sure honey, what about?”

Jillian peered at Sue Ellen again and Sue Ellen returned an icy stare. “In private please…”

Sue Ellen looked from Jillian to J.R. “I think that's my cue.”

J.R. nodded. “We'll finish this later Sue Ellen.”

“No, there's nothing else to discuss.” The sound of the door closing signaled Sue Ellen's exit and Jillian immediately lit into J.R.

“What the heck are you thinking? Did you really kiss Sue Ellen?”

“Yes I did.”

“How could you? You know she's poison!”

“Jillian, I usually respect your opinions, but not in this case. I know what's good for me and I know how I feel about Sue Ellen. So why don't you go on over to your room and try on the little costume I bought for you.” J.R.'s tone was full of condescension.

“I don't think so. Why don't you go help Sue Ellen try on hers! I'm sure you'd like that!” Jillian turned away and folded her arms. “And I'm not going to the Ewing Halloween party or whatever you call it…”

“Yes you are.” J.R. said firmly.

“I'm going out with some friends for the night,” Jillian retorted, equally as harshly.

“Sorry to ruin your plans honey, but you're gonna be at the ball with the rest of the family. One thing you might as well learn, if you're a Ewing, then you go to Ewing functions.”

“Well maybe I don't want to be a Ewing…maybe I'll just change my name back to Renfro.” Jillian's tone had turned into that of a petulant pre-teen.

“Oh yeah, that's a great idea. Take the name of that no-good bastard that your mother was hiding out from.”

“I'm not going.” Jillian reiterated, ignoring J.R.'s last comment. “And there's nothing you can say or do to make me go…”

“You're right…you're not goin' honey, because you're grounded. You won't go out with your little friends and you won't go outside for the ball either. You'll stay right up here in your room for the night. How's that?”

“That's just fine with me!” Jillian shouted.

“Good. I'll have Theresa bring you up dinner later on.” J.R. turned around and walked to the door, almost changing his mind about grounding her, but he was determined to be firm.

Theresa stirred the melted chocolate and was determined to stand firm in her decision. “I'm sorry Isabel, but I can't risk you getting into trouble tonight.”

“This is Dallas! Not Mexico! You sent me here to stay out of trouble for crying out loud! And it's Halloween night! The last thing I wanna do is stay here at Southfork again and wait on all those snobby Ewings and their snooty friends while they run around in costumes acting like a bunch of kids!”

Theresa closed her eyes and slammed the spoon on the new countertop, splattering chocolate. “Keep your voice down young lady…they'll hear you.”

“I really don't care anymore! And I don't care what you say either Aunt Theresa…I'm going out tonight and I'm going to have fun.”

“No…”

Isabel took Theresa's hand and looked her in the eyes with a pleading look. “Please?”

“No,” Theresa said, but Isabel could tell she was weakening.

“Do you really want me here serving drinks to the Ewings during the party? I mean, I'm bound to screw up all sorts of stuff doing that. Remember the last big party? Miss Ellie took a spill in the pool because of me.”

“Where had you planned to go?” Theresa asked, not fully expecting Isabel to give her the truth at all.

“Well, I thought I'd see if maybe Jillian and Lucas and Margaret might wanna go find some haunted houses or something…Jill told me there are tons of them that people make here in Dallas. Then there's also a carnival in town that we may go to…”

“Well…”

“Please?”

Theresa finally gave in and smiled. “Ok Isabel, but promise me that's all you'll do. And furthermore, promise me that you'll be home by midnight, okay?”

Isabel swallowed Theresa in an embrace. “Thank you so much!”

“And don't do anything that I wouldn't do,” came Raoul's voice. He stepped around the corner and Theresa and Isabel both went silent when they saw him.

“Raoul?” Theresa tried to stifle a giggle. Raoul was wearing a suit and his hair was slicked back. He was also holding a bongo drum in one hand and a shopping bag in another.

“No, I'm not Raoul…guess who I am…”

Isabel and Theresa looked at each other before looking back at Raoul. “I have no idea.”

“Let me give you a hint…” Raoul abruptly began beating on the bongo drum and then he began to sing. “Baaaa-ba-looooo…”

Isabel's face was blank. “I don't get it…”

Raoul rolled his eyes. “Lucyyyy, you got some 'splaining to do!”

Isabel was still clueless, but Theresa was laughing too hard to answer.

“I'm Ricky Ricardo!” Raoul shouted. He reached into the orange and black shopping bag and pulled out a dress and orange wig. “Theresa, you're gonna be Lucy Ricardo…”

“Is the Pope Catholic?” Jillian replied. “But I can't let my dad see me…because I'm sorta grounded for the night.”

“Not a problem, because I heard he was going over to Ewing Oil for a while before the party tonight.”

“So how are we gonna get to Dallas tonight?” Jillian asked. “We can't exactly ask my Dad to drive us…”

Isabel grinned and pulled a set of keys out of her pocket. “No need to worry about that.”

He was in the process of getting the last bale when he heard the truck crank up. Perplexed, Manny dropped the bale and ran out to see who it was. He reached it just in time to see Jillian hop into the passenger's seat and then the truck pulled away, but Manny managed to hop over the side and he landed in the back on top of one of the hay bales.

Manny instantly recognized Isabel in the driver's seat and he beat on the back of the window. “Isabel! ISABEL!”

Isabel saw him in the rearview mirror and waved to him nonchalantly, but never offered to stop the truck.

She smiled slightly when Theresa walked out onto into the cool fall afternoon wearing a red wig and a blue and white-checkered dress. “Theresa? Oh goodness, are you Lucille Ball?”

Theresa blushed as she deposited a covered tray onto a long covered table. “Raoul made me wear this ridiculous costume…I hope you didn't mind.”

“No, not at all. I'm glad to see you getting into the festivities…and will Raoul be going as Desi…or Ricky?”

On cue, Raoul stepped through the opened patio door and outstretched his arms. “Honey, I'm home.”

Theresa rolled her eyes. “Yes, Miss Ellie…as you can see.”

Ellie chuckled and then looked at her watch. “Well, I suppose I should be getting into my costume. The guests will be arriving here shortly.”

Theresa nodded and continued to put the finishing touches on the refreshment table. Raoul walked over and took a small paper plate and hastily began to fill it with cookies, caramel popcorn balls, and was in the process of cutting a slice of pumpkin pie when Theresa slapped him on the hand.

“Raoul!”

“What!?”

Therese raked the food back into its place on the table and took the plate away from Raoul. “Those are for later! And if you keep on eating at this rate, you'll be able to dress as a pumpkin for Halloween!”

Raoul blushed. “I don't think orange is my color Theresa…”

“Yeah Ken? If I'm Barbie, then when do I get to move into my dream house?” Karen tilted her head to the side and straightened Christopher's plastic hair.

Christopher's smile faded as the dilemma hit him again. “As soon as we decide whether or not we're going to.”

“As far as I'm concerned, we've already decided.”

Christopher sighed and sat down on the edge of their bed. “I know, but I haven't yet…I don't know if I'm ready to let go of Southfork.”

Karen walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. “As much as I want our own place, I still want you to be one-hundred percent sure that you want it too. Having our own house to raise Megan and Austin would be great, but raising them at Southfork wouldn't be such a bad idea either.”

“Yeah, I know. I'll decide soon, but for now, why don't we just go down and enjoy the party?”

Karen smiled and twirled around, letting her pink knee-length skirt swirl about her. “Right now? Are you kidding? We're Barbie and Ken…we have to wait until everyone else is there so we can arrive fashionably late.”

Christopher tackled her and pulled her down on the bed with him. “In that case, we have about a half-hour to kill…”

Karen grinned. “Thank God you're more endowed than my toy Kens were, or else this just might have made for a very dull thirty minutes.”

Laughter erupted through the room and then they began to kiss again.

“Isabel! What the hell is wrong with you!” Manny shouted angrily.

“Hey Emmanuel, I didn't tell you to hop in the back of the truck…I was just gonna borrow it for the night and return it.”

“You let her do this?” Manny said to Jillian.

Jillian shrugged. “Anything to get out of the house for the night. My Dad grounded me.”

Isabel kneeled over to tie a straying shoelace. “Why don't you just go to the carnival with us…loosen up for just once and enjoy yourself.”

“I have hay to deliver for Miss Ellie…if she doesn't get all the decorations in place, she'll have my head.”

“So she'll get one of the other hands to do it, no biggie.” Isabel grabbed Manny's hand and began to pull him toward the front gate, while Jillian grabbed the other one. Manny didn't try to fight them too hard and a few steps later they were paying their admission and entering the brightly lit fair.

Almost instantly, someone called out to them and Jillian looked across the path and saw Lucas and Margaret waving at them. “It's about time you guys got here!” Margaret said through a mouth full of cotton candy.

“Yeah, well we had some excess baggage here,” Isabel said, pointing to Manny. “But he promised to be a good little boy if we let him tag along.”

“I did?”

“You're always a good boy Manny…so strait-laced and clean-cut. I bet you're even a virgin!” Isabel continued her teasing, causing Manny to blush.

Manny pointed to a ride down the midway, trying to divert the attention away from him. “Anybody wanna go on that one?”

Jillian's eyes widened when she saw the ride, which seemed to invert its passengers several times. To make matters worse, several people that had just stepped off of it looked like they were about to be sick. “No thanks, I'll pass.”

“Me too,” Margaret echoed.

“I'm game,” Lucas said, beginning to walk toward it. Isabel grabbed Manny's hand and followed Lucas into the queue, leaving Margaret and Jillian standing alone.

Margaret soon found something else to do, in the form of a small tent which read: See the Future: Have your fortune read by Madame Astra

“Gimme a break Margaret…you really believe in that stuff?”

Margaret broke out into giggles. “No, but it could be fun. C'mon, let's see what the old kook has to say.”

Jillian reluctantly followed Margaret into the red and white tent and after depositing their dollars; the old fortuneteller began to speak. “You are wise to come to Madame Astra with your questions about the future. What is it that you seek?”

Jillian looked at Margaret, who began to speak. “Well, my cousin Jillian here, wants to know if she'll ever find love.”

Jillian punched Margaret in the arm, but Madame Astra silenced them. “We shall look into my crystal ball…” The room suddenly darkened, spooking Jillian and Margaret and then the crystal ball began to radiate. The old woman cupped it in her hands and gazed into it. “I do see a man…”

“Ohh, a man?” Margaret said in a mocking tone.

The fortuneteller raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes, a man. He's madly in love with you…I can tell by the aura that surrounds him…and I see you young lady…”

Jillian pointed to herself. “Me?”

The fortuneteller nodded. “You are with him…you're holding hands, but there's also sadness surrounding the both of you…it's weaker than the aura of love, but it's still visible.”

“Sadness?”

“You can't be together and you both know that,” the woman whispered, staring at the crystal ball even harder. “Not without upsetting someone. Someone doesn't want you together…someone that radiates an aura of power.”

“Who?”

The woman shook her head. “I cannot tell…he is fading even as we speak, which leads me to believe that his opinion does not matter to you, child. You want to be with this young man, no matter who it hurts…”

“Will we be together?” Jillian asked, completely forgetting that she wasn't supposed to believe in this.

“It's hard to say…my view grows cloudy.”

“Well un-cloud it!” Jillian shouted, standing up.

“Whoa, Jill, chill out!” Margaret stood up and put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. “We don't believe in this stuff, remember?” Margaret led Jillian out of the tent, leaving the once skeptical Jillian to wonder if she should believe the old fortuneteller's words.

Next to her, Manny laughed and then looked two cars ahead at Lucas, who had his arm around the dark-haired Isabel who was pretending to be afraid of the ride. “Looks like somebody's getting close up there…”

“Yeah, but I don't believe for a second that Isabel is afraid…she'd ride or do anything…she's just milking this for everything it's worth,” Jillian replied. Her attention was soon diverted from Isabel when she realized they had almost reached the top of the lift hill. “Oh my God Manny, I can't do this! Make them let me off!”

Manny smiled again, enjoying this. “You're not really scared…”

“Yes I am! I must've been out of my mind to get on this thing!” Jillian's breath was suddenly taken away when they careened over the crest of the hill and began to fall at breakneck speed. In an instant, she found herself holding Manny for dear life and he wrapped his arm around her in support.

The coaster car hit the bottom of the hill and then abruptly twisted into a helix and then climbed again before zooming back down another hill that was almost as steep as the first. All the while, Jillian kept her eyes closed. Thirty seconds later the ride was over and as everyone exited their cars, Jillian remained in hers, still clenching Manny. “I don't know if I can walk…my knees feel like jelly.”

“If you don't try, then you'll be riding this thing again,” Manny reminded her.

It was enough to send Jillian hopping over the edge and Manny followed her, reaching his arm around her waist to steady her. “Thank you…” she said in a tiny voice.

Eve Ashford again thought back to several weeks before when she'd found Megan at the water park and then returned her to Christopher and Karen, who had in turn promised to invite her to Southfork for dinner one night. Much to Eve's dismay, they never had.

Soon she and Danielle faded into the crowd with the other costumed guests.

Several feet away, Afton sipped on a drink, bored out of her mind. She couldn't believe that no one had even asked her to dance all evening. Had they all forgotten that she was the host of Dallas Dish? Obviously so.

It was during her boredom that Afton spotted a costumed man standing nearby and he appeared to be looking in her direction, but his white mask made it hard to tell exactly where he was looking. The man must have been dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. She noticed that his face appeared scarred under the mask…or at least the protruding part was. Afton wondered if that was part of the costume or if the man was really scarred that badly.

He was wearing a long flowing cape, along with an old-fashioned suit. After over five minutes of staring, Afton's curiosity got the best of her and she finally walked over to him.

“Hi Phantom…I'm Glinda, the good witch of the North.” Afton was never much on greetings and introductions so she decided to introduce herself in character.

The Phantom nodded and smiled at her ever so slightly, but he didn't speak, which only added to the aura of mystery that surrounded him.

“So are all Phantoms of the Opera this shy, or are you just a special case?” Afton asked teasingly.

The Phantom didn't say anything and instead he extended his hand. Afton wasted no time taking it and soon she found herself dancing with him amongst the crowd. “Who's under that mask anyway?”

Again, silence.

“Oh, what the hell. You're too tall to be my ex-husband, so as long as you're not him, I don't care…you're pretty darned charming, did you know that? Charming without even saying a word.”

The visible corner of the man's mouth turned up in a grin and Afton noticed it.

“You've got a cute smile too…wish I could see the rest of it though. Oh hey, before I get involved with a hideously deformed guy, are those scars on your face real?”

The Phantom shook his head and Afton sighed with relief.

“Good. I was worried there for a second.”

He pulled her closer to him and Afton smiled up at his ghostly mask. “What strong arms you have…”

They continued to dance for another five minutes until Afton thought she couldn't possibly stand another second of not seeing the Phantom's face.

“When can I see that handsome face of yours? Or can I?”

The Phantom nodded, indicating that she could, but when Afton reached forward to take off the mask, the Phantom grabbed her wrists and pulled them back, shaking his head all the while.

“When?” Afton pleaded.

The Phantom began to walk away and motioned for Afton to follow him, which she did. She felt like she was in some type of Poe movie as she weaved through the crowd of costumed guests, all the while following a mysterious masked stranger.

Eventually the crowd grew thinner and the music faded. Up ahead, Afton could see the misty lake at Southfork, where a rowboat rocked gently in the fall breeze and she could see that the Phantom was standing on the dock.

“Okay…off with the mask, you're driving me crazy,” Afton demanded. Her breath froze in the cool night air and blended in with the mist from the lake.

The Phantom shook his head and pointed to the rowboat.

“Ohh, I see,” Afton said, rolling her eyes. “If you think I'm gonna get in a rowboat with you and go out into the middle of this dark lake, then you are out of your mind. You'll probably get me out there and turn into a psycho or something…wait, this happened in one of those Friday the 13th flicks…Jason was out there in the lake…”

The Phantom shook his head and then grabbed the bottom of his mask, as if he were going to pull it off, but then he stopped and pointed to the boat.

“Oh, alright! Sure I'll probably get stabbed, robbed, or maybe even killed and thrown overboard, but then there's the small chance that I'll get to see your face, so I guess it's worth it.”

Again, the corner of the Phantom's mouth turned up in a smile. Afton lifted up her bubbly pink dress and stepped over into the boat while the Phantom held her hand. She watched as he climbed in and then took the oars. They made a gentle lapping sound as the boat sailed out toward the middle of the lake.

Afton's heart thumped and thudded with anticipation as she waited for the Phantom to unmask, but her heart almost stopped with fear when he opened his mouth to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth…

Thunder rumbled in the distance, illuminating the man's face when he noticed that there was someone else in cemetery with them…someone staggering off in the distance.

“You're still afraid…”

“Stop it now, I mean it!” shouted the blonde woman.

“They're coming to get you Barbara…”

“Stop it! You're ignorant!”

“They're coming for you Barbara!”

“Stop it! You're acting like a child!”

“They're coming for you…look! There's one of them now!” Johnny pointed off into the nearby cemetery where the staggering man walked toward them.

“Johnny…”

Barbara screamed when the pale-faced man lunged for her and her brother Johnny ran to her rescue, only to struggle with the man. They struggled for what seemed like forever to Barbara until Johnny tripped and bashed his head on a tombstone. “Johnny!”

Thunder crashed and Barbara ran to her car, only to find that there was no key. She screamed again when the pale man began relentlessly beating at her window and then he grabbed a brick and broke the car window. Barbara's hand found the brake release and the old car slowly rolled down the hill where it crashed into a tree…

“Well you shouldn't be watching those horror movies.”

“It's Halloween. I'm in the hospital. What else am I supposed to do?”

Lucy smiled and handed him a covered plate. “I brought you some stuff from Southfork. There's some pumpkin pie in there and some other stuff that Grandma and Theresa made. I didn't think I'd ever get the plate past the guard they've got outside your door…”

“Thanks Lucy, I could use some sweets right about now.”

“I'm sure the doctors would kill us if they knew…but anyway…have they found out anything yet?”

Neil shook his head. “This hospital is slower than six month old zombies…”

“There you go with that movie again!”

“Sorry.”

“Neil…there's another reason why I came here tonight.”

“Yeah? What's that?” Neil asked, stepping out of bed.

“I came to tell you that I believe you. I don't think you attacked Afton that night.”

A wave of relief flooded over Neil. “Lucy, that means so much to me…you don't know how much better I feel now.”

Lucy smiled and hugged him. “And I know we've got a lot to overcome, but for just tonight, let's put all of these past problems aside and just spend time together on Halloween.”

“I can't leave the hospital…remember the guard?”

Lucy nodded. “I know, but we've got plenty of food here and I stopped by and rented a movie on the way over…you wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a copy of this on Halloween night.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Night of the Living Dead,” Lucy said sheepishly.

She was startled out of her ponderings when she heard an all too familiar voice behind her.

“Hey, stranger.”

She turned to face Jack Ewing. A weak smile formed on her face.

“It's good to see you,” she said.

“Same here, I missed you,” Jack replied.

As he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, she turned away slightly.

“What is it, Sue Ellen,” Jack asked, “What's wrong?”

“This is all wrong, Jack.”

Jack guided her to sit on one of the pool chairs. They sat, but Sue Ellen remained quiet.

“Sue Ellen, something's wrong. Please, just tell me what it is.”

“Jack, there's nothing between us anymore.”

The direct nature of her statement had shocked him. She looked into his eyes and realized she needed to say something more. She didn't want to hurt him, but it needed to be said.

“I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's just that I think we've both known for a long time that things weren't right between us. The spark that we had is gone, Jack,” she replied honestly.

“We can work to get it back,” he offered.

“Please, Jack, no. Don't make this any harder than it is. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have. I still care for you as a friend, and I'd like to keep that relationship and not screw it up.” Under her breath, she added, “Like I seem to do every other relationship in my life.”

Jack nodded his head in agreement, but the sense of loss was apparent on his face. “Just tell me this doesn't have anything to do with your trip with JR.”

Sue Ellen shook her head. “In a way it is about the trip, but only in that it gave me time away to see things better.” She decided to keep 'the kiss' and her feelings, whatever they were, to herself.

“I guess I should have seen this coming, Sue Ellen,” he said, “I'm not happy about it, but I guess I can understand it. I only hope that whoever you do finally end up with makes you happy. You deserve that.” Jack looked up into the night sky. “You know. I've been thinking of going to visit Jamie for a while. I think now is a great time to do that. Good-bye, Sue Ellen.”

Sue Ellen nodded and blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. Even though she was sure it was the right thing to do, it was hard, nonetheless.

With that, Jack excused himself and headed back to the party.

As Sue Ellen sat by the pool, Jack's final words lingered in her ears. As she sat there, she tried to reason with herself that this separation was coming all along, and that the kiss with J.R. really didn't even enter the picture. But try as she might, she couldn't get that damn kiss out of her mind.

“Eric Stone…you bastard!” Afton shouted.

Eric scratched his face where the scar makeup was. “Happy Halloween Afton.”

“Take me back to the dock right NOW!”

Eric sat down on the boat and crossed his arms, amused. “I wish you could have seen the look on your face…and the things you said…priceless!”

“I cannot believe this…”

“You've got a cute smile…what strong arms you have…” Eric was mocking her and Afton wasn't the least bit amused.

“What the hell are you trying to pull?” Afton asked.

“Just an experiment for Halloween…I wanted to see if the bitchy and uptight Afton Cooper really had a softer, more loose side…and I found out you actually do.”

“Well that's just great, you've accomplished what you came here to do now take me back to the shore!”

“I guess I could use my 'strong arms' and row us back…but na, I don't think I will.”

“Bastard!” Afton screamed before planting a stinging slap on his face. “I'll make the still somewhat decent side of your face match the other if you don't take me back now!”

Eric massaged his stinging face and smiled at her. “Afton, I think you got the directions wrong with your costume…you chose the good witch of the North, but I think you should've gone a little farther West…”

Afton pushed her hands against Eric's chest and shoved him overboard. A loud splash signaled his entrance into the water and Afton looked over the side, waiting for him to surface so she could slap him again.

After several seconds, Eric hadn't surfaced and she actually began to worry. “Eric?”

There was no sign of life.

“Eric!”

Afton looked around all sides of the boat and strained her eyes to see into the dark, murky water. “Shit…” Afton kicked off her shoes and jumped over the edge of the boat into the water. The frigid water almost took her breath away and she remained still for a second while adjusting to it.

She sucked in her breath and dove under, but she could see nothing so she tried to surface again, but her foot caught onto something and she struggled just inches from the surface.

Afton tried to scream, but lake water flooded into her mouth and she tried her best to spit it out. Finally, she managed to free her foot and she kicked her way back to the surface where she gasped trying to catch her breath. Eric surfaced a few seconds later.

“Gotcha,” he said with a smile.

“Son of a bitch…” Afton paddled her way back to the shore and stepped out of the water where she tried her best to wring the water out of her costume.

Eric followed and joined her on the shore. “You know, you really could stand to loosen up a little bit…”

“Loosen up? I think I'm a pretty damned good sport to take all you just did to me without murdering you right here on the spot.” Afton turned away and stalked off, leaving Eric to drip dry all alone by the lake.

“You didn't tell me you were back, J.R.”

“Sorry, Iris. The thought didn't even occur to me. I didn't know you'd be here.”

“I thought I'd surprise you,” Iris replied.

“It's about time that you learn that I hate surprises.”

“What's got you so down, J.R? Wasn't your Alaskan trip a success?”

J.R. looked surprised for a moment. “How did you know about that?”

“When I called looking for you the other night, your son said you and Sue Ellen had gone to Alaska on business. Why didn't you tell me that you were travelling…with her.”

J.R. thought for just a second before responding. “Iris, you know what, I'm really too tired to care about your jealousy of Sue Ellen anymore.”

“Well, if you're that tired, why don't we go upstairs,” Iris responded seductively, “and I'll give you a massage and help you…relax.”

“That's a tempting offer, honey. Not tonight. I'm just too tired. Excuse me, please.”

J.R. walked away from her, and a look of fury built up in Iris' eyes. Rex walked up behind her and whispered in her ear.

“It looks like you're failing, Iris. I don't do well with failure.”

“Just shut the hell up, Rex,” Iris replied, furiously. “I'll deal with J.R. Ewing, and I'll do it in my own way…without any help from you.”

“Just remember,” Rex taunted, “I'm the one in charge. And I don't make idle threats. You take orders from me.”

“I never did that before,” Iris argued, “and I'm sure as hell not going to start now.”

With that, Iris turned and walked away from Rex. An evil smile came across Rex's face. He headed in the other direction to see if he could find Kaitlin Ryan.

Pam nodded her head in agreement, “it kind of surprises me though.”

“Why's that?” Bobby brushed the chex mix off of his costume, but it was a losing battle. Having decided that she didn't like some of the things on the plate, Gracie was enthusiastically tossing them into the air.

“Well, Ewing events are well known for the wheeling and dealing that usually occurs and that's hardly possible with all of the costumes, you don't know who you're talking too.”

Bobby grinned and grabbed the now empty plate before Gracie tossed that in the air too. “Oh that wouldn't stop JR. He's probably had spies out for weeks finding out who was dressing as what just so he could conduct a little business… Oh, no, Pam, please tell me that's not your brother over there dressed in a bad Elvis Presley costume!”

Pam sighed, “Oh no!” Then she burst out laughing at the absurdity of it. “As long as he doesn't start singing.”

“Don't look now, but he's headed this way. I think I'll just take Gracie up and tuck her in…I think Uncle Cliff in an Elvis suit is way too scary for her.”

Pam chuckled, “I'm sure you're right.” She leaned over to kiss Gracie, “Night, little pumpkin. Are you sure you can get her out of that costume by yourself?”

Bobby scowled, “You handle Elvis, I can take care of Princess Grace!”

Just minutes after Bobby left, Cliff appeared. “Wow! This thing is crowded!” He leaned over and gave Pam a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It's been a while. Are you doin' okay?”

Pam nodded. “For the most part, I am. We've had a couple of scares though.”

“Well, here's something that will really scare you, I think Rex Wentworth is here.”

“He is?” Pam scanned the crowd for anyone who could possibly be Rex. “I know he wasn't invited! What is he dressed as?”

“The blood sucker he is… he's a vampire.”

“Well, he won't be here for long. I'll enjoy having him thrown off the ranch!”

“Hey, calm down. I know you don't like him, but why all of the hostility?”

“Cliff! He was behind Bobby's disappearance; I know he was. It's the only logical explanation.”

Cliff's eyes lit up… putting the man who tried to ruin his company and who was living with Afton behind bars was very appealing. “Can you prove it?”

Pam continued to scan the crowd. “No, unfortunately, I can't. Bobby still can't even remember how it all happened.”

Cliff shrugged, “Don't get hung up on it then. Bobby will get his memory back and we'll put Rex away for good…” He put his arm around her shoulders, “Until then, you can sit back and let me tell you all about how I just got the better of him in a great business deal. And after that, I'll tell you all about the new drilling technology being used at The Clifford Group” Cliff smiled at the idea of a captive audience.

Pam rolled her eyes, “it's a good thing I'm over morning sickness…”

A crash sounded somewhere nearby and then the sound of a chainsaw was heard. Jillian screamed when a man leaped at them with the chainsaw in hand. Manny jumped back as well and they both ran around him, leaving him to scream maniacally and wave his chainsaw at them.

“I don't like this at all, Manny…”

“Just stick close to me.”

Squeaking sounds suddenly surrounded them and Jillian felt something in her hair. Bats. She grabbed Manny and ran with him until they were safely away from them.

“Manny Vargas! I will never let you talk me into going into one of these things ag…” Jillian's words trailed off into a scream as a machete wielding Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th leaped out at them.

Manny pulled Jillian away and they broke into a run, dodging various masked characters. Just as they saw the light at the end of a tunnel, someone jumped out in front of them brandishing a handful of claws maniacally above his head.

They both ducked past him and Jillian breathed a sigh of relief when she was back out into the cool fall night.

“Jeez Jill, now I know you weren't lying when you said you hated haunted houses!” Manny was all but doubled over in laughter.

Jillian, who was not amused, folded her arms across her chest. “And you didn't believe me…”

“Well, I do believe that I'm gonna have to go see an ear doctor tomorrow,” Manny said, “My ears have gotta be permanently damaged after all that screaming you did.”

Jillian playfully elbowed him in the ribs, but couldn't help smiling. She was really enjoying herself with him tonight. It had ended up with her and Manny spending most of the night alone together and then Isabel and Lucas had ended up pairing up for the night. Luckily for Margaret, she had run into some other friends from school.

“Okay He-Man,” Jillian suddenly said. “Let's see how strong you are. I want one of those teddy bears…” She grabbed him by the wrist and led Manny over to a test-your-strength machine where she handed the operator one ticket.

“Aww, do I have to?” Manny whined.

“You do now! I've already given the guy a ticket.”

Manny sucked in his breath and reluctantly walked over to the machine and picked up the heavy hammer.

“What a wimp! The guy can barely even lift the hammer!” the operator shouted in an annoying voice.

Manny glared at him and gritted his teeth as he lifted the rubber mallet high above his head and struck the platform. Jillian, Manny, and the operator all followed the metal piece almost to the top, but it stopped about two feet short of ringing the bell.

“Cream puff!” the operator snickered.

Without paying another ticket, Manny grabbed the mallet again and slammed it back onto the platform. The sound of the mallet striking metal was quickly followed by the shrill sound of a ringing bell.

“Hey…you can't do that!” The operator yelled. “You don't get a prize for that!”

Manny looked at Jillian and then grabbed a huge purple teddy bear off the shelf. They both turned and ran away from the man, disappearing into the crowd as he ran after them, shaking his fist. “You've gotta pay for that! Thieves!”

Nearby in the crowd, Isabel turned to Lucas. “Umm, am I just seeing things, or did Manny and Jillian just dart by with a big purple bear?”

“You're just seeing things…come on, that looks like an awesome ride over there.” Lucas was pointing to something that looked like a rocket ship. “If your stomach can take anymore…”

Isabel grinned. “Are you kidding? My stomach could take a hundred more rides like that.”

Raoul smiled. “Yes, I could, but Miss Farlow doesn't want us giving away anyone's identity until the unmasking.” Raoul began to walk away.

“Wait a minute. Surely you could be persuaded to help. I'm sure Miss Farlow wants to keep all of her guests happy.” Rex pressed a one hundred dollar bill into Raoul's hand. “Wouldn't you agree.”

Raoul looked at the bill in his hand “EI YI YI!!” When he saw the hundred, Raoul couldn't spill his guts fast enough. “She's over near the bandstand, she's dressing as a cat-thing. Ummm cat-woman!”

Rex smiled and quickly vanished into the crowd. Now it only took him moments to locate Kaitlin. He came up behind her. “So we meet again.”

Kaitlin turned around and smiled at the tall 'vampire'. He didn't look familiar, which wasn't surprising considering all of the make-up, yet there was something about his voice. “Do I know you?”

“We've, uh, run into each other before.”

Kaitlin smiled, “Oh, that's right. Now I remember, from the Oil Baron's. I didn't realize you knew the Ewings.”

“Yes, for quite some time now.” He quickly changed the subject. “I was hoping you would do me the honor of dancing with me… since I didn't even get to buy you a drink the day we met.”

Kaitlin cocked her head to the side and considered him. She was pretty and so she was used to hearing 'pick up' lines, but this guy seemed sincere enough. And she had to admit she found him attractive, even as a vampire.

Rex smiled at her disarmingly. “Just a dance. I'll even let you lead.”

That did it, Kaitlin laughed and agreed to the dance.

Rex was about to take her hand when he looked over Kaitlin's shoulder and saw the security guards coming towards him. “I'm sorry, please forgive me, but something has come up. Will you give me a rain check on that dance?” Kaitlin hesitated, what was going on?

“I know, dinner, instead. Anywhere you want.”

Kaitlin was caught off guard, “All right, I guess that would be okay.”

Rex leaned over and kissed her hand, which Kaitlin found absolutely charming. “Good bye for now.”

And he was gone, leaving Kaitlin with a bemused smile on her face.

The security guards weren't smiling, however when they caught up to Rex who was trying to fight his way through the crowd and get to his car before they could catch him. One finally walked up along side him.

“Mr. Wentworth?”

“Yes. What do you want?”

“I'm sorry sir, but this is a private party. We've been asked to escort you off of the ranch.”

“Fine. I'm going – but on my own terms. If either of you lay one hand on me, or even make it look as though I'm in trouble here, I'll file a harassment suit against you that will ruin your careers and drain every last miserable penny you have with the legal fees! So stand back boys.”

The two officers looked at each other and each took a step backwards. Though they trailed him to his car and followed him in their own car to the entrance of the ranch, they gave him a very wide berth.

“Hey you!” one of the guards shouted.

Jillian pulled her head back around the corner and froze with fear. “C'mon!” Manny shouted.

They both disappeared into the crowd again and the guards followed close behind.

“Manny, I could kill you!” Jillian shouted breathlessly. “We're gonna get in so much trouble because of this!”

“Hey, you were the one that wanted the bear! Haven't you ever heard the saying 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?'”

Manny's arm felt like it was nearly ripped out of the socket when Jillian abruptly jerked him to the side. She tossed two tickets at the man in the ticket booth and they disappeared into the fun house.

“Great idea,” Manny complimented her. “I'd have never took you for the criminally minded type.”

“Hey, I've gotten out of some tight situations in my day.”

Outside, the two security guards barreled past the fun house operator and spotted Jillian and Manny up ahead. Just as they stepped onto the floor, it began to shake and parts of it spun around, disorienting the guards and causing one of them to crash to the floor.

Jillian and Manny kept running and tackled the next obstacle, a rotating tunnel. Manny jumped into it, but Jillian lingered behind. “What's the matter?” he asked.

“I hate these things…I got stuck in one when I was a little girl and the stupid thing flipped me around. My mom had to come get me out of it.”

“I'll carry you.”

Before Jillian could protest, Manny had lifted her up and was jogging through the tunnel. Twice he nearly lost his footing, but regained it before falling. With Jillian still in his arms, he leaped off the edge of the platform onto a slide.

“Manny!”

They hit a bump on the slide's path and went airborne for several seconds before landing on an inflated plastic mattress and bouncing to their feet. “Are you having fun yet Jill?” Manny joked. “Because I sure am.”

Jillian feigned anger, but couldn't help but get caught up in the exhilaration of their being chased by the security guards. In all honesty, this was the most fun she'd ever had in her life.

“They won the series…”

“Don't remind me,” John Ross grumbled. “But at any rate, at least by being Joe DiMaggio, I get to see my already remarkably sexy wife dressed as Joe's wife, the remarkably sexy Marilyn Monroe.”

John Ross and Melissa were dancing amongst the crowd and John Ross loved the feeling of Melissa's head resting on his shoulder. He couldn't even recall that they'd said anything for the past ten minutes, other than the costume comments, but their closeness spoke louder than words.

For once, things seemed right and they would be married in just a few days. The guilt that John Ross had felt earlier had vanished and he just hoped it would stay away. Angela's not being at the party helped a lot, he was sure.

“Remember what happened last year at this time?” Melissa asked.

“Huh? Oh…yeah…”

As John Ross and Melissa continued to make love, the wind picked up more. A strong gust blew through the loft opening and one of the candles blew over. Its flame soon spread to the nearby hay and before either of them realized it, half of the hayloft was ablaze.

Melissa felt the heat and pushed John Ross away. Upon seeing the fire, she sat up. “Oh my God, John Ross, the hay is on fire.”

John Ross turned around, his eyes growing wide. The fire had rapidly engulfed the area around the ladder and was quickly spreading toward them. The heat was already intense and the smoke was growing thick. “Okay, we've gotta get out of here—and fast.” He grabbed his shirt from the nearby bale of hay and looked around for a source of water. Realizing there wouldn't be one, he doused it with champagne and handed it to Melissa. “Put this over your mouth and nose.”

“What about you? How can we get out? The ladder is burning John Ross!” Melissa had completely lost her cop instincts and had no idea what to do.

The roof of the barn had caught fire and a there was a loud crash from above as a piece of the flaming roof broke loose and came careening toward them. It struck John Ross across the back and knocked him to the ground.

“NO!!” Melissa screamed. The rest of the dry loft quickly went up in flames.

“You have to jump Melissa…”

“Not without you.” Her instincts began to take over and she was running on autopilot as she grabbed his arm and pulled with all of her strength. The flaming rubble fell to the side and she used the wet shirt to beat out the flames that had spread to John Ross' pants.

He coughed and spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Come on.”

They both turned to see the opening of the loft engulfed in flames—there was no way out.

The heat was searing and intense as John Ross and Melissa huddled into the corner. Within a few minutes, the flames would engulf both of them.

“We've gotta jump, or else we'll both die.” John Ross took her hand in his and pulled her to him, holding her.

“I love you John Ross…if anything goes wrong, don't forget that.” The two shared a brief kiss and then John Ross motioned toward the opening.

For a moment, there was a brief break in the wall of flames and John Ross pulled Melissa through it. They jumped, clasping their hands tightly together. Both hit the ground with bone-jarring force, as the roof of the barn collapsed into a flaming pile of rubble.

John Ross hesitated before answering. “…Right.”

Sly pulled her head back around the shed. “As mud…really Wade, it's so dark I can hardly see my own hand…and then all this fog isn't helping matters.”

Wade's knees creaked when he stood up and he leaned over Sly to look around the shed. “I see what you mean. Wanna chance it? I think that barn's probably the best place to start.”

Sly's heart raced. “Are you sure Miss Ellie invited the whole Hammond family to Southfork for the party?”

“As far as I know she did.” Wade quietly stepped out into the opening and Sly followed him. They both crept over to the barn and Wade cursed under his breath when he saw that it was locked with a large padlock.

“What now?” she asked.

“Hell if I know…”

From a nearby tree, a screech owl shrieked its haunting cry. “Wade! What was that?” Sly was whispering in a shaky voice and she grabbed his arm.

“Just an owl…”

“No way…owls go hoot, hoot. That was no owl…”

“Never heard a screech owl?”

Sly shook her head in the pitch-black darkness. “Obviously not, if that's what that was.”

Wade grinned at her and then re-focused his attention on the task of breaking into the barn. “We're gonna get in here…”

“Why don't we just go in a window…”

“Are you kiddin'? Barns like this only have windows in the movies…”

“Oh yeah?” Sly said triumphantly. “Then what's that over there?”

“A window. Sly, I could kiss ya…”

Sly blushed, but it wasn't noticeable in the darkness. “I may take you up on that later,” she replied, only half jokingly. “Hey, we could stand on those barrels over there to get in the window…”

“Hey…”

“What?” Sly asked, but Wade had already begun to walk toward the window.

He kneeled down beside the barrels and a smile spread across his face. “Bingo…”

Sly kneeled down beside him. “Bingo what?”

“These barrels…Sly, this is the same stuff that me and Manny found out on the ranch that day that Miss Ellie was found…and the same stuff that they found in the watering trough a while back…”

“Then this is our proof!” Sly exclaimed, almost too loudly.

“You bet this is our proof…now all we've gotta do is go back to Southfork and round up a camera.”

Sly and Wade were suddenly blinded by a dazzling light and they shielded their eyes against it.

“Who's out there?” Came a voice.

Sly and Wade both froze, not sure what their next move should be…

“Why do you care if they find out Mommy?” Danielle asked. “Can't I tell Austin I was there when we get to school tomorrow?”

“No,” Eve answered. “I don't want them to know…they'll think I'm a stalker or something. Now, close your eyes and get some sleep. I've already let you stay out way later than you normally would on a school night.”

Danielle nodded and yawned. Eve blew a kiss at her and flipped off the lights.

“What a night,” Eve yawned. She walked into her bedroom and over to her vanity mirror where she flipped on a lamp.

The lamp bathed the mirror and surrounding wall in its light, revealing photographs and newspaper clippings. In the middle of the mirror was a large picture of Christopher Ewing. Surrounding it were headlines reading:

Christopher Ewing Becomes Youngest Westar CEO Ever

Wealthy Dallas Ewing Marries!

Karen Ewing Goes on Trial for Kidnapping, Husband Watches Helplessly

Son of Bobby Ewing Caught in Soap-Opera-Like Paternity Struggle

Christopher Ewing Finds Presumed Dead Mother, Chris Ewing Seen Staggering out of Local Bar!

Alleged Rape Charges Against Christopher Ewing Dropped

Chris Ewing Signs of 21% of Westar to Dead Biological Mother's Twin Sister

and about ten other headlines centering around Christopher Ewing.

Eve stared at them all for almost five minutes before flipping off the light and crawling into bed.