She glanced around behind her before entering the garage. She headed straight for J.R.'s car and with shaking hands, managed to slip the stolen key into the driver's side door.

“Jill…” came Manny's voice.

She turned around and saw Manny walking into the garage. Even though she'd been expecting him, his voice in the stillness of the garage made her jump. His breath froze in the morning air as he walked toward her. Jillian finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her partner in crime was here. “I thought you'd overslept.”

Manny smiled and tried futilely to warm his freezing hands. “I can't believe we're actually gonna go through with this.”

“After what she did, Isabel deserves everything we do to her and more.”

“Then let's get started.”

Jillian climbed into her father's car and shifted it into neutral and Manny positioned himself in front of it and began to push it out of the garage. Jillian steered the car as it started to pick up speed. Once they were satisfied that the car was pointed straight towards it's final destination, Jillian stepped out.

“Ok…”

“Ready?”

Jillian shook her head. “Not yet…I'm just making sure I can do this quick enough. I don't want to get wet when it's this cold out. That, and I hope no one hears us.”

“Anyone awake yet when you came out?”

“Uncle Bobby. But he left a little while ago. No sign of anyone since then.”

“This is the last chance to back out. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Jillian bit her lip and nodded her head.

“Okay, The car's gonna have to be cranked to make this look realistic…”

Jillian gave Manny the thumbs up as she quickly cranked the Mercedes and the sleek engine purred to life under the hood. She jumped out of the car and then followed Manny around to the back of it to help him push. A thick feeling of remorse crept over her…but it wasn't remorse over getting back at Isabel. She just hated to do this to her Dad's car.

Once the car had picked up enough speed, they both stopped pushing and watched it move. Jillian held her breath when the car went over the edge of the Southfork pool. The tidal wave that followed was massive. The entire patio area was swamped and water was dripping off the balcony.

“Oh my God Manny…did we just do that?”

“Well…it sure didn't roll by itself.” Manny took the duffel bag from Jillian's hands and pulled out the clothes that were inside. Jill watched as he walked over to the still sloshing pool and dunked the clothes into the water. “Can you take care of the last part of this?”

“Not a problem…I can get the clothes into Isabel's room easily enough.”

“Jill…you know we can never let anybody find out about this…if we do, I'm damned and you won't be much better off.” Suddenly, Manny found himself wondering if they had done the right thing. Maybe he should have tried harder to talk Jillian out of it. Talking about doing this felt a lot different from looking at a Mercedes sinking in the Ewing pool.

“I'll take it to my grave…”

“Let me know how it goes…” Manny smiled uneasily and then he disappeared into the darkness of the early morning.

J.R. looked at his watch and stood up. “Guess I should be going…lot of work to do at the office today.”

A few goodbyes were murmured and J.R. walked out into the entry to get his coat while Jillian braced herself for the storm that was about to follow. Isabel walked into the dining room with the coffee pot in hand and filled up all the empty cups, completely unaware of the fact that she was about to receive the full force of J.R.'s anger.

“So…cat got everyone's tongue this morning?” Isabel asked.

No one had a chance to answer, as J.R. came storming into the kitchen just a split-second later. “How the hell did my car get in the pool?”

Miss Ellie looked closely at J.R. trying to decide if he was being serious or not. “The pool?”

“The whole damned thing is floating in the pool!”

Jillian opened her mouth, but shut it again. The motion didn't go unnoticed by J.R. and he immediately turned to her. “Jillian, you've got about two seconds to tell me how my car got in the pool or else being grounded for life will be the least of your worries…”

“Daddy, really, I swear I don't know anything about it. But… this morning I saw some wet clothes… in Isabel's room… …and she was up awfully early this morning.”

Isabel's mouth fell open and she looked from Jill to J.R., not believing what she'd just heard. “Oh…oh…you think I did this?!”

“You've done this kind of thing before!” J.R.'s face had turned red from anger and Jillian was afraid of what he'd do next.

“J.R…calm down,” Ellie said, trying to be the voice of reason.

“Calm down? My car is in the pool and you want me to calm down! The only way I'll ever calm down is when Isabel is right back across the border where she came from!” J.R. grabbed Isabel by the arm, causing her to drop the coffee pot on the carpet. “Pack your bags Honey, because you're going back home…and there's nobody here that's gonna save you this time.”

“I didn't do it!” Isabel whimpered. “I…I know I've done some stupid stuff, but I didn't do this! You've gotta believe me!”

J.R. pushed her toward the stairs and she ran up. Theresa quickly followed and J.R. turned back toward the rest of the family. “This is the last straw…”

Miss Ellie stood up. “J.R…how can we be so sure she did it?”

“Wet clothes in her room? Not to mention her track record here. Evidence speaks for itself Momma. If we'd sent that girl back home the first time she did something like this, this would never have happened. And if she were to stay…then what's next? Southfork burned to the ground? She's already tried to burn down the kitchen!”

Pamela spoke up, “J.R., maybe we should give her a chance to explain herself…accidents do happen.”

“Accidents? How many times have you accidentally driven your car into the pool?”

Pam suppressed a chuckle. She didn't really know Isabel very well, but she had to admit that having her around was entertaining. She just wished she'd been there to see J.R.'s car sink.

“I can't believe what I'm hearing! Is everyone here more worried about that manipulative girl, than about the fact that we have a large vehicle in our pool?” Miss Ellie sat back down. “Calm down J.R. I think you can scrape up the money to buy yourself a new car, but you're talking about that girl's life. And I'm not doing anything until I hear her side of the story.”

J.R. turned and headed to the phone, to arrange for a car. As he went, he said, “And it's gonna be my life if that girl stays. She'll probably slit my throat in my sleep.”

At the table, Sue Ellen picked up her coffee cup and smiled, “If I haven't done it yet, I'm sure Isabel won't."

Light laughter erupted around the table. Even John Ross couldn't help but smile. Miss Ellie eyed her family with a slightly stern look and the patience of a wise mother. “Now, don't be too hard on J.R. Part of what he said is true. Isabel has caused more than her share of trouble here.” But even as she said it, she couldn't help grinning… just a little.

“I told you, man, it's the truth. I don't wanna die. I got a wife and kid to think about.”

Just as Bobby was turning to go, a voice came booming from behind them. Eric was standing in the doorway. “You should have thought about your wife and kid before you double-crossed me. You've ruined everything!” Ace stood and took a few steps backward as Eric strode toward him with a wild look in his eyes.

At that moment, a fury ignited in Bobby that was uncontrollable. Eric was orchestrating the theft! Eric was responsible! He stepped in front of Ace and clenched his fist. Eric was caught completely off guard by the lightening fast right uppercut that struck him just below his left eye. The blow sent him staggering back a few feet, but he managed to keep his footing. Unlike his father, Eric wasn't about to let Bobby's provocation go unanswered. He came at Bobby, swinging as hard as he could. But, Bobby saw it coming and moved quickly. As a result, Eric only managed to land a light blow on his chin. Instinctively, Bobby struck back, this time with a left to Eric's mouth that sent him reeling onto the couch, the second person that day to involuntarily recline there at Bobby's hand.

Bobby glared down at Eric with both fury and disgust. “So you were the one stealing secrets from your aunt's company. All this time, I thought it was Cliff. Some nephew you are. You've really proven yourself to be a Barnes now. The only difference between you and Cliff is that deep down; Cliff has some semblance of loyalty. But why should I be surprised that you would stoop to betray your own family. This isn't the first time, but it's going to be the last. I should have taken care of you when you tried to bust up my son's marriage. But I won't make that mistake again. I don't have time to deal with you now, but I'll be back.” With that, Bobby turned on his heels and was gone.

Ace chuckled at the irony of the situation as he watched Eric struggle to extract himself from the clutches of the couch. He muttered under his breath, “Guess I'm not the only one in trouble.”

Eric didn't see the irony. He got to his feet, straightened his jacket and looked severely at Ace. “This is all your fault. Don't worry, though, you're going to get what's coming to you. I'll make sure of that.”

Holly, his secretary was in his office almost before he had finished speaking the words. Her eyes were wide as she surveyed the mess in the room. “Yes, sir?”

“Who did this?”

“I… I… don't know, sir.” She stuttered. “I haven't been in here since last night. It was fine then, I know because I stopped by here to turn off your lights and…”

Holly continued to ramble but Daryl was no longer paying attention. His eyes had fallen upon a small post-it note. The message on it read,

Came to look for a file. Sorry about the mess. Have a nice day,
Elayne

Daryl was so angry, that his hands were shaking as he crumpled up the note. “Holly, stop prattling and get back to work.”

Holly shrugged and left, shutting the door behind her. Daryl quickly sat down in his chair and checked his hiding place for the disk. Just as he feared, it wasn't there. He slammed his fist on the top of the desk. ”Damn that woman!”

“You still remember my name. I'm impressed, Rex.”

“What are you doing?” Rex tried not to get too hopeful that she was moving out. More than likely, she was just rearranging clothes.

“What does it look like I'm doing? I'm leaving.”

“Leaving?” Rex couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was good…very good. This was even better than getting rid of the plague. “May I ask why?”

“Let's just say I've found the right path in life…and it doesn't involve you.”

Rex stroked his chin. “Hmm. Does this mean you won't be blackmailing me anymore? And that the wedding has been cancelled?”

“Wedding's off…so is the blackmail.”

Rex couldn't help but wonder if he was being set up. “I'll gladly take that audio tape then…”

Afton looked up at him and smiled. “I might have turned over a new leaf…but I wasn't born yesterday. I'm keeping that tape…just in case.”

Rex went quiet for a moment before speaking back up. “Fair enough.” He looked back down at the bed. “Well…should I have some one help you pack?”

“No thanks…I'm doing just fine with it myself.”

“I see.”

“Oh…by the way Rex…better watch what you do and say around that Kaitlin Ryan woman. Wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize your fragile relationship.”

“Fragile? My relationship with Kaitlin is anything but fragile.”

“Even the hardest of rocks can be chipped…if Kaitlin ever found out about your past…”

“Ah, I see.” Rex chuckled to himself. “You're threatening me. Well, let me give you a little warning, if you go anywhere near Kaitlin, you'll need a new life, because this one will be over.”

Afton stopped and looked at him for a moment. The threat in his voice was very real, but it was different. The evil glint was missing from his eyes and what was there actually surprised Afton. It looked more like fear and fierce protectiveness. Perhaps he had a human side after all, but she wasn't going to hang around to find out.

Afton shook her head as she folded more clothes into the opened suitcase. “No. Not threatening you. Just reminding you of what you stand to lose. You know…” Afton smiled, “Just in case.”

“Is that all?”

“No…as a matter of fact, it's not.”

“I should have known better.”

“You should have…”

“Go on. I'm not one who enjoys being kept in suspense…especially when I know I'm going to dislike the news.”

Afton shut the suitcase and flipped the latches closed before opening another one. “I want money…lots of it.”

Rex broke out into laughter. “Seems that the leaf didn't turn over much at all…good to see that you didn't abandon your selfish needs.”

“Oh…I did. I have no intention whatsoever of using your money for myself.”

Rex was finding this more and more amusing. “Then what, pray tell, are you planning on doing with it? Giving it to charity?”

“Close, but no cigar. I'm not giving it to charity…I'm using it to start a charity.”

“That's touching…but you're not getting a penny of my money…not anymore.”

“Don't underestimate me Rex…I don't think you know what I'm capable of. Imagine everyone's surprise when that very incriminating tape accidentally gets played live on my show next week...”

Rex was again quiet while he thought about her offer. He wasn't afraid of Afton and her threats he was actually getting used to them. He started to laugh at her and tell her to go ahead and try her luck, but then a picture of Kaitlin's face swam before him. Afton had hit a cord and he suddenly realized that for once, he did have a lot to lose. “Name your price,” he finally said.

“One million dollars.”

Rex nodded. “I'll see you at my office at 1 p.m. today.”

He saw Daryl from some distance away, headed in his direction. Perfect timing. As the distance between them closed, Daryl smiled what he thought was his most winning smile. “Hello, Mr. Ewing.” Bobby didn't reply. Instead, he fixed Daryl with a stare that kind of spooked him; as if Bobby was looking right through him.

Daryl glanced up at the plaque on the door they were standing in front of “Elayne Bennett”. “Uh… I guess you were going in to see Elayne… I was going to talk to her about something, but it can wait.”

Daryl turned to go, but Bobby grabbed the back of his suit jacket with a steely clutch. “No need for that Daryl, why don't you join us.” Daryl had no choice as Bobby turned him around, opened the door and shoved Daryl inside.

Elayne looked up as they abruptly entered her office. She eyed them with mixed emotions. Bobby, she was always glad to see, but Daryl was another story. She stood. “Hello. Strange seeing you two together, but actually, I'm glad. Bobby, I have some new evidence concerning the spy and –“

“Sit down Elayne.” Bobby said firmly. He finally let go of Daryl's jacket as he pushed him toward a chair. “I'm sure you'll be comfortable there.” He said with slight sarcasm in his voice.

“Mr. Ewing, I really think it might be better if I waited outside.” He leaned forward as if to get up from the chair.

Bobby shot a menacing glance in his direction. “Daryl, I received a description from a security guard of the man who lured him away from his post last night and that description sounded a lot like you. I'm not in a very good mood right now so I suggest you sit real still and stay quiet.”

Elayne saw this as her chance to nail Daryl for good. She glared at him. “Well, I'm not surprised.” Then turning to Bobby. “I've suspected him for a while. But I didn't have any evidence until now.” She held up the disk she had stolen from Daryl's office. “And here it is.”

Daryl sprung from his chair. “No! I admit I took that disk from the lab, but I'm not the spy. Please, Mr. Ewing, you have to believe me. I've been doing a little investigating on my own, that's all. I… I was trying to impress you. I thought that if I had a copy of the disk, I could somehow set my own trap. If nothing else, if it all got stolen, I'd have a backup copy. I swear that's all. I'm not a spy!” When he finished, he was pale and out of breath.

“You're a liar Daryl!! And this proves it!” Elayne brandished the disk again.

Bobby ignored her and turned back to Daryl. “You'll need to go down to the police station and tell them what you were doing at the lab last night.”

“But Mr. Ewing… you do believe me, don't you?”

“It'll be all right Daryl. Just tell them exactly what you told me.” Daryl quickly made for the door before Bobby changed his mind.

“How could you just let him walk out of here like that?”

Bobby slowly walked toward her as he spoke. “Oh, I think we both know that we don't have to worry about Daryl, don't we Elayne.”

“I don't know what you mean. We both know he's the spy.”

“Why did you do it Elayne?”

She started to protest, but the look on his face told her it was over. He knew. She turned away from him and looked out the window. Then in a very quiet voice, “How did you know it was me?”

When Bobby spoke, some of the calmness had left his voice and the anger was returning. “You're quite an actress, I'll admit, it wasn't easy. But it must have been damned easy for you, Vice President. I guess having access to the entire company made it almost too tempting to steal from me.”

When Elayne turned, there were tears running down her cheeks. “Bobby, I didn't want to do it. But there was this guy and he blackmailed me into it. At first all I wanted was to deliver the information and get out… but then I got to know you, and the people who work here… and Todd.” She said the last two words so softly that Bobby almost didn't hear them. She was pleading with him now. “Please understand, Bobby. I would have stopped it if I could.”

“And I suppose you think that makes it all right? If you believe that, you're lying to yourself. You could have stopped it at any time. I trusted you; you could have come to me. But instead you decided to steal corporate information and betray friends, not to mention what this is going to do to Todd. I'm sure you'll understand if I find it a little difficult to trust you.”

“Please Bobby, please, don't tell Todd. I don't want to hurt him… I love him.”

“It doesn't matter what I tell him. What you've done is going to be obvious when you go to jail with the rest of your 'partners'.”

“I promise, I'll turn myself in. Just give me enough time to tell Todd first. I owe that to him. Please.”

Bobby thought it over for a moment. He knew that whatever Elayne had done, Todd really cared for her. “All right. For Todd's sake, you have twenty-four hours to tell him and turn yourself in. But I'm warning you, Elayne, don't try to run.”

Elayne sniffled. “I won't, I promise. All I want is to talk to Todd once more; to explain.”

Bobby picked up the phone on her desk and quickly dialed a number. “Hello, Ed…. Yeah, thanks, I owe you one. That information did the trick…… No, not yet……. Just wanted to let you know I'm stopping by the station house……. Ok, fine.” He hung up the phone and walked out of Elayne's office without a backward glance.

Elayne sat crying uncontrollably. She knew she was going to jail, probably for a very long time. But that didn't matter; she deserved it. All she could think of right now was Todd. How could she tell him what she'd done and that she'd lied to him? She had finally found love, but along the way, she'd lost her future.

“I still don't have much of an appetite…”

“I know…I know exactly how you feel. I lost two husbands, remember?”

John Ross nodded and took a seat in the wing-backed chair next to the window. “How did you ever get through that…with Grandpa Jock I mean.”

“I had the support of my family…most of the time. It wasn't easy by any means and there were times there that I thought I'd never get through it…but I did.”

“And then you fell in love with Clayton and Dad was against your being with him. Grandma, I don't know how you ever managed. I mean…if I ever found another woman I loved and wanted to be with…and someone else I loved told me I couldn't be with that woman…I don't know what I'd do.”

“It was hard…knowing that some of the family wasn't happy about my love for Clayton. But when it comes down to it, the only thing that matters is that you are happy.”

“Yeah…”

“I know I said that having a supportive family was helpful, but sometimes it's best to be able to get away from all of them—especially when you are a Ewing.”

“So you're saying I should get away from Southfork…from Dallas for awhile?”

“No, that's not what I'm saying. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that I shouldn't try to tell my family what to do…I'm just offering you a piece of advice.”

John Ross sighed. “Everything I see lately reminds me of Melissa and T.J.” John Ross' voice trailed off as Ellie watched him; it was hard to see her grandson in so much pain. “I think you're right, Grandma. I think I know what I need to do.”

It only took a moment to hear a muffled. “I here, mama.” The little voice had come from her and Bobby's closet.

“Well, come out here, please.” Gracie came toddling out of her Mommy and Daddy's closet wearing a mismatched pair of high heels, a half-slip and one of Bobby's ties dangling around her neck. Pam couldn't help but laugh. Grace smiled and giggled back.

Knowing Gracie's love for make-up, Pam held up a powder brush “Hello there, young lady, want some powder?” Gracie quickly abandoned the heels for a faster route and trotted to her mama. But before she reached Pam, the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Ewing, uh… Pamela? This is Todd Foster. I was just calling to let you know that everything is in place for the deal we talked about with the Clifford Group. All of the papers can be drawn up as soon as your brother and I can meet.”

“Todd that's wonderful! Thank you so much. Cliff is going to be thrilled. Wait… do you mind if I tell him, I mean before you call him. I'd like to see his face.”

“Sure, makes no difference to me. Have him contact me when he's ready.”

“I will. Thanks again Todd. Bye.”

She hung up the phone but before she could even turn around, it rang again. Pamela quickly picked it up. “Hello?”

“Pam! I'm glad I caught you.”

“Well, you did that a long time ago.”

Bobby smiled, “The amazing part is that I've managed to keep you on the hook.”

“Where are you? You left this morning before the sun was even up.”

“Never mind that. Listen, I'm in the car and I have one more thing to do and then I'm coming home. I want you to be ready to go out. We've got something to celebrate!”

“Bobby, calm down. Tell me what's happened.”

“I will sweetheart, I'm going to tell you everything. But not now… tonight.”

“Wait. I have to go see Cliff.”

“Good, then we'll be home around the same time. I love you, honey. Bye.”

Pam stared at the phone in her hand and smiled. It was nice to hear Bobby so happy and now maybe she'd find out what he'd been keeping from her about Wentworth. Squeals of delight caused her to turn around. There she found Gracie sitting on top of the vanity looking at herself in the mirror and laughing. “Mama, wook! I pretty!”

Pam groaned. “Yes, Gracie, you're always pretty. But I don't think that's quite your color.” Grace was covered in Pamela's favorite lipstick and there was powder everywhere. She grabbed a washcloth and began to clean Grace off. “Remind me to take a lot of time teaching you the right way to put on make-up in about, oh, thirteen years. All right?”

Grace vigorously nodded her head. “Wight!”

Rex motioned for Gregor to sit back down. “No…I think I know what this is about.”

Iris walked into the office, dressed to kill and took a seat next to Gregor. “How is our plan going?” she asked, getting directly to the point.

Rex rested his chin on his clasped hands. “Iris…how can I say this…”

“Say what?”

“I've decided not to help you with your silly little scorned lover's scheme against J.R. and Sue Ellen Ewing.”

“What?” Iris stood up and stepped up to his desk. “Why not? You said you would!”

“I know…but I have enough going on already. Getting back at J.R. is not in my best interest right now.”

“Bastard…”

“Tsk, tsk Iris, you really should watch that temper of yours. You're a resourceful woman. If you want to get back at those two, then I suggest you find your own way to do it. I won't be helping you.”

Iris stared at him coldly, wanting to slap the man, instead, she stormed out of the office.

After she'd gone, Gregor turned back around to face Rex. “What a woman…”

“If you say so.”

“So…are you seriously not gonna help her get back at J.R. and Sue Ellen? I've already arranged everything…the plan's set in motion and I don't think these guys are gonna like being called off when they're already moving in for the kill…”

“Gregor…I'm in control here. I'm always in control. The plan will still continue…but without Iris' knowledge. She's betrayed me before and I don't trust her enough not to do it again. The less that woman knows about our plan, the better.”

“I was getting worried there for a sec…glad to know we're still on track and that my mission's accomplished…”

Rex looked at Gregor and smiled. “Our mission won't be accomplished until J.R. Ewing has been finished off…and by this time tomorrow…he will be.”

Just then, Rex's secretary buzzed him again. He hit the intercom without even bothering to listen to her; it had to be Afton. “Yes, yes, I know… send her in.”

Once again, Rex was surprised to see, not Afton, but Kaitlin. She entered the room and Rex immediately stood. “Kaitlin, my darling, what are you doing here?”

Smiling, Kaitlin went to him and reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I just thought you needed a little more spontaneity in your life.”

Rex embraced her. “You certainly bring that… and more”

Gregor sat and watched them with his mouth hanging open. He'd never seen Rex this way. It was almost scary the effect this woman seemed to have on him. Not that he could blame him; Kaitlin was stunningly beautiful.

Without taking his eyes off Kaitlin, he said, “Ah, yes, darling, this is Gregor, an associate of mine.”

Kaitlin stepped out of Rex's embrace and exchanged 'hellos' with Gregor. “Rex, I'm sorry if I've interrupted a meeting. Your secretary didn't tell me…”

“You, my love, are never an interruption. But are you going to tell me what brought you here? Besides my charm, I mean.”

She smiled and cocked her head slightly to the side. “It must have been your modesty. Seriously, I was just wondering if there was a man here that I could persuade to take me to lunch.”

Rex frowned slightly. “Alas, I can't. I have some… work that I need to tend to here.”

Kaitlin's smile faded and he reached out and touched her chin, tilting her face up to his. “Tell you what. How does a late lunch sound to you? I'll be done here shortly, and in the mean time, you can go and wreak havoc on the stock market.”

Her smile returned. “Deal.” She kissed him again before she left. Rex stared after her for a moment.

Gregor whistled, “Whoa! That is one gorgeous woman.”

Rex quickly turned to him. “I don't ever want to hear you talk about Kaitlin like that again. You will show respect when you speak of my future wife.”

Gregor shook his head he'd seen love ruin more than one successful man. And Kaitlin Ryan was no fool. He silently wondered if Rex any idea how deep he was in.

“Oh my goodness! Mr. Stone, what happened to you?” She immediately realized the rudeness of her question and quickly tried to cover it. “You must be here to see your Uncle. He was here, but I'm afraid you just missed him. I'm sure he'll be back though. Why don't you wait in his office?”

Eric had no intention of dealing with Bobby right now. He was there to give Elayne the news that she had failed to hold up her end of the deal and so she could expect to spend quite a few years in jail for embezzlement. But as he watch Sandra open the door to Bobby's office, it suddenly occurred to him that this was a golden opportunity; one that he would surely never have again. He would be all alone in Bobby's office.

Eric smiled at Sandra and followed her into the office. “Will you be needing anything Mr. Stone? I could get you some water or coffee… or… a washcloth for your face, that cut looks bad.”

“No, I'll be fine. Just shut the door on your way out.”

After Sandra left, Eric wasted no time in snooping through Bobby's desk. He wasn't looking for anything in particular. All he needed was to find something, anything, that he could use against Bobby Ewing.

Fifteen minutes later, he was still looking. He'd found a lot of things, contracts, purchase agreements, minutes from boring meetings, etc., but nothing that looked suspicious. He was about to give up, when something lying right on top of the desk caught his eye. It was a manila envelope addressed to Bobby Ewing and was stamped 'confidential'. Eric picked up the envelope and silently cursed himself for not thinking of going through the mail earlier.

He hurriedly emptied the contents of the envelope on the desk and what he saw made him do a double take. There were at least a half dozen pictures of Ace with a woman that definitely wasn't his wife. Now what would Bobby be doing with pictures like these? Ace told him all about the blackmail Bobby had used. Eric had known about the drugs and money laundering for a while now. Then it occurred to him that maybe this had just been extra insurance and his 'saintly' uncle hadn't wanted to use it.

Eric looked at the pictures again and a smile slowly crept over his battered face. This was the perfect opportunity to pay back both that stinking trader Ace and his 'so called' uncle. Eric shoved the pictures back inside the envelope and thought, looks like a quick drive to Fort Worth is in order.

Finally she did arrive and Rex wasted no time getting down to business. “I'm assuming you still want the money,” he said coldly.

Afton nodded. “I didn't drive across town to tell you I don't.”

Rex motioned toward a briefcase sitting in the chair in front of his desk. “It's all in there.”

Afton eyed Rex suspiciously and then scooted forward toward the briefcase, all the while keeping her eyes on him. “How do I know it's all here?”

“Can you afford to care?” Rex asked.

“That's not the point, the question is, can you afford for me to care…because I do. I want all of it.”

Rex steepled his hands and rested his chin on them. “As I already said. It's there.”

Afton clenched the briefcase in her hands and began to back toward the door. “You do realize this means I'm out of your life for good…you won't ever see me again.”

“Then I'll die a happy man,” Rex replied nonchalantly. There was a confident undertone to Rex's voice that worried Afton.

She turned around and walked full force to the door, but as she touched the handle, she heard the click of a gun. Afton swallowed the lump in her throat and turned around to see Rex aiming it at her. “What the hell are you doing?” Afton said, trying to hide her fear.

“Protecting my future interests. I don't believe for a second that this is the last I'll see of you…unless I make sure of that right now.”

“You can't kill me here…everyone will know you did it…” Afton's voice trailed off when she saw Rex's malevolent smile.

Rex soon broke out into laughter. “Do you honestly believe I'd spill your worthless blood on this new carpet? I don't want your life Afton…I want the tape.” Rex stood up and pulled his coat off the coat rack before slipping into it. “Come…we're going for a little ride. If you cooperate and give me what I want, I may see fit to let you go. But if you insist on being stupid…well…there are remedies for that too…” He was almost hoping Afton would give him a reason to kill her, after all, this little trip meant that he was going to have to cancel lunch with Kaitlin.

He was most excited about seeing his wife and son again. They had been apart for quite some time now. The last time he had talked to her, Trisha cried upon hearing that he was going to have to be away a little while longer. He picked up a picture of Trisha and his son Danny and carefully placed it in the suitcase. Of all the screwed up things he'd done in his life, they were the one thing he'd done right.

He was reaching to pick up the phone when it rang. “Hello?”

“Al, it's Trisha.” She was crying hard and he could barely make out her voice at all.

“What? Who is it?”

Trisha took a deep breath and tried to control her sobs. “It's your soon-to-be ex wife you, bastard.”

“What! Trish, baby, I don't understand. What's wrong?”

“What's wrong is that you picked the wrong woman to screw around on.”

She could only be referring to one thing. But how did she know about that night? It was one stupid drunken night… and the girl had seduced him. “No, baby, listen to me. I'm coming home. I can explain everything.”

“Don't bother. I won't be here. I'm leaving and I'm taking Danny. And by the way, don't ever expect to see him again either.”

“Trisha, you've got to listen.”

“I've heard all I need to hear and I've seen all I need to see. Pictures don't lie, Al.”

“Pictures? Where did you get pictures?” The other end of the line was silent. Ace nearly screamed into the phone. “Tell me where you got them!”

“I don't see that it matters, but a nice man, Mr. Bobby Ewing, brought them to me. And I'm glad he did, otherwise I might not have known what a snake you are. Good bye and good riddance!”

The sound of the slamming of the phone echoed in Ace's ear as he slid down the wall, into a crumpled heap on the floor. So Bobby had kept his word. He didn't tell about the drugs, he had done something much worse. He had taken away Ace's wife and son. He crawled over to the bed and managed to slide a needle and syringe out of his suitcase. He had promised Trisha that he wouldn't use anymore, but what did that matter now? She was gone and all Ace wanted to do was forget the entire world existed.

In Fort Worth…
Trisha hung up the phone and put a hand on the table to steady herself. A little boy who looked to be about 4 years old ran to her from across the room. She knelt and took him in her arms.

The man standing in the middle of her living room was feeling uncomfortable now. He needed a quick exit. “I'm sorry to have to bring you those pictures, ma'am, but I'm a family man myself and I thought you should know.”

Trisha stood and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “No. I thank you for doing it, Mr. Ewing.”

“Please, call me Bobby.”

“Bobby… I… I'm glad I know. Ace was the last man I ever thought would do something like this. But-” She looked at the pictures again and another flood of tears began to flow.

“Well, ma'am, I have to be going.” He reached inside his suit jacket and handed her one of Bobby's business cards. “If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know. Bye, now.”

He left and Trisha closed the door and headed for the bedroom to begin packing.

There was a sickening smile on Eric's face as he walked to his car. In one short afternoon, he had brought down two of his enemies… Only one to go. It was bad enough that he wasn't going to be able to get the oil for his father's company, but he definitely didn't intend to go to jail. Right now, Elayne was the only one who's testimony could put him there. It was time to have a chat with Miss Bennett.

“Hold on Sweetie, Mommy's going to have to get out and unbuckle you the old fashioned way, from the door.” Pam slipped out of the car and soon Gracie was out of the car seat and standing beside her. Pamela quickly reached back inside to grab her purse; in the mean time, Grace took the opportunity to try to pick old chewing gum off the paved lot. “Oh, Gracie! No, no! Yuck! You don't pick things up off the ground. Here…” she used a wipee to clean Grace's hands and they headed for Cliff's office.

As they reached the curb, the toddler lunged forward, but Pam had her firmly by the hand. “No Gracie. You always stop, look both ways and listen before you cross a street.” Seeing that there were no cars in sight, Pam and Grace started across the street. “Okay, now it's safe, let's go.”

Grace smiled up at her mommy as they stepped off the curb. “wook and wisten” she happily parroted back.

Pam checked the road again, all clear. As they walked, a sound grew in the distance. First, it was just a low purr, but as they neared the center of the road, it suddenly grew louder. Pam quickly caught the approaching sound and looked up. There was a car coming at them – fast. She knew there was no time to spare… It all happened in seconds, though it seemed like hours. Pam squeezed little Gracie's hand tightly and flung her as far as she could toward the safety of the sidewalk.

Later, those who saw the accident said that it seemed like the driver meant to hit her. He never touched his brakes and he actually had to cross the centerline in the road to get to her. The car had been going full speed when the impact occurred. A crowd quickly gathered and someone with a cell phone immediately called 911. Within moments, you could hear the whine of the ambulance siren. But amazingly enough, the news crews actually beat them to the scene. On the news that night in Dallas, there were scenes of the hit and run of Pamela Barnes Ewing. The newsreels showed the ambulance arriving and the chaos that naturally ensues after things like this… but the one picture that would remain in anyone's mind that saw the footage was the image of a small child, in someone's arms, but reaching out to the still form lying on the road and screaming “Mama” over and over to ears that could no longer hear her cries.

Credits Roll...

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