"Ahh...that's much better." She searched through the cabinet until she found a bottle of Advil. Sue Ellen splashed her face while contemplating her next step. While thinking, she spotted one of Sly's legal pads on her desk.

"Wonder what that’s doing here, guess she forgot it." Sue Ellen walked to the desk and picked it up. "What on earth is this?" she said, starting to read. Her face grew red with anger after finishing the letter. She picked up the telephone and dialed. Still in a confused state, Sue Ellen reset the phone and began to dial again.

A voiced answered, "hello, this----"

"Damn YOU! How does J.R. get you all to stay so DAMN loyal?" interrupted Sue Ellen.

"Ma'am, this is Helen from Dallas Bell," responded the voice, "the number you are calling is no longer in service."

Sue Ellen screamed, "Well damn you for wasting my time and not telling me sooner!" She slammed the phone down; grabbed her pocket book; and got out a mint, some lipstick, and a small sample of perfume that she carried there. Sue Ellen refreshed and tried to compose herself. She stepped out into the reception area of the office and spotted Kendall.

"Hey you! Call the agency. I need a NEW secretary!" She stumbled into the elevator and started giggling. "I won't let him get away this time," she laughed.

Sue Ellen walked off the elevator, walked outside and breathed in the fresh night air of Dallas. She got into the limo, her head still aching from the hangover; she grabbed a club soda, popped two Advil and swallowed.

"Southfork and STEP ON IT!" she yelled out from the back seat.

The room was dark, save for the light that the television provided. She was laid comfortably on a white linen sofa, sipping champagne when she noticed a picture of the Ewing family being displayed on the news show she had only been halfway paying attention to. Suddenly interested, she reached for a remote control and raised the volume level.

"…and while things appear grave here in Dallas for the prominent Ewing family, The Ewing Oil Company still thrives in its owners’ absence; but, how long can this truth hold? A company the size of Ewing Oil needs constant navigation and guidance from a steady hand and experts assert that if SOMEONE doesn’t step-in to tend to the company, it will certainly fall prey to unfortunate circumstance. This is Mandy Winger reporting, CNC News, Dallas."

A smile overcame her face. She had for almost two decades been looking for an opportunity to take Ewing Oil. It had been one of the primary motivations for entering her second marriage. The chance had never presented itself, though, and she had always managed to find other companies and deals to keep her satisfied. But, now…….. Oh, yes, now Ewing Oil was ripe for the picking. The woman smiled, sat back and took another sip of champagne.

"It’s time," she thought as she smirked and chuckled to herself.

Afton sat on her bunk, curled up in a ball against the cold cement.

Not Mitch, Pamela, even Cliff. She was alone. She knew she had to get out of this mess. Afton knew that she had to make Cliff pay for doing this to her. No matter how bad he had treated her, she had always been there for him. She needed a plan; she needed to think. She knew what she had to do, and it would begin with a phone call, to J.R.

Robert Stockton knocked on the door of the comfortable high rise office/apartment. He stood impatiently outside the door tapping his foot, glancing at his watch, waiting for the person on the other side to open the door. After many knocks, and six minutes later, the door finally opened.

"Took you long enough," said Stockton with an edge of irritation in his voice.

"I didn’t hear your knock. These thick walls are one reason I chose this office."

"Well I’ve got business to discuss," said Stockton.

"Oh? What sort of business?"

"Well J.R. sent his little whore attorney to spy on me. I caught her sneaking through my briefcase."

"Hmm, that’s not a good sign."

"Don’t worry, I took good care of her. She’s locked up in the back of the strip club I own."

"Good work. So what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"Well," replied Stockton, "I thought I'd call our own little spy in J.R.'s office…see when the last time was that he’s been in."

"Great, if it has indeed been a while since he’s been in, then we’ll start buying the stock today. You’ll buy a little at a time and work your way up until you get enough to take over."

"I know that, I didn’t graduate from business school yesterday. You know, you’ve got to stop treating me like a kid. I know what to do and how to do it."

Anita Smithfield huddled in the corner or her prison, planning what her next step would be. She had tried every means possible of breaking out of the cage, but to no avail. Exhausted and feeling hopeless, she had given up. Her only chance was to escape when the waitress brought her her dinner…. If she did bring it.

"What if no one ever comes in here again? What if they forget all about me?" Anita shuddered at the thought, though it wasn’t just the thought that made her shudder. Things had been scurrying all around in the darkness that surrounded her. The room was dark and damp, and she had almost gotten to the point of feeling claustrophobic. The sound of a rattling key, a metallic clanging, startled her, and she stood up, hoping for the chance she had been waiting for. The door pushed open and a waitress stepped in.

"Well, how’s the little captive doing?"

"Please, let me out. I can make you a very rich woman. You’ll never have to work in a dump like this again. I can promise that," begged Anita.

"It’s tempting, but no one crosses Robert Stockton and gets away with it."

"The same can be said about J.R. Ewing and he’s going to be mad as hell when he finds out where I am."

"Sorry toots, no can do, I’ve got my orders. Besides that, Robert Stockton makes J.R. Ewing look like an angel."

"You’ll think angel when he finds me. You AND Stockton will have hell to pay."

The waitress, whose nametag said Belinda, took out another key and unlocked the cage. She slid open the door and put the food inside. Anita saw her chance and made a lunge for Belinda, but Belinda had the cage door slammed shut before Anita knew what had happened.

"Try another something like that and this will be your last meal."

Belinda locked the cage and locked the external door; the room was plunged into near darkness once again.

Pamela sat on the patio of Southfork, enjoying the warm night air. Southfork had been her home for seven of the best years of her life. She thought of all the wonderful evenings she and Bobby had spent at Southfork over the years of their marriage. She had come back to Southfork with such high hopes of seeing Bobby again and of being reunited with Christopher also.

Pam wished she could erase the memories of the past eleven years, when she had been held against her will in South America, all at J.R.'s behest. Then the reality of the current situation set in on her--Bobby was presumed dead in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps. She remembered a night when she and Bobby had been married for about a year, when she got the news (from Ray again, ironically) that Bobby and J.R. had been in a plane crash. Those days had been agonizing as she and the rest of the family waited on whether Bobby and J.R. had survived that crash. Just remembering that time made her even more sad about the current situation. She was sitting on the patio, almost in tears, when she heard the sliding door open and footsteps coming out of the mansion. It was Miss Ellie.

"Pam, are you coming to bed? You must be tired." Miss Ellie asked, concerned.

"I will in a bit, but I’m just enjoying being back home for now."

"Where have you been? How did Christopher find you?"

"It's a very long story Miss Ellie," Pam said. "It's a story I'm not anxious to tell you."

"Well, why not?"

"It’s very painful, but I promise, I’ll tell you all together when J.R. gets home."

"Oh," worried Ellie, "well, I suppose I can wait."

Before Pam could say anymore, a limo pulled into the Southfork carport. Sue Ellen staggered out of it. Miss Ellie and Pam watched as Sue Ellen dropped her house keys, then struggle to maintain her balance as she bent over to pick them up.

"Sue Ellen, are you okay?" Miss Ellie called out to her.

"Oh, Miss Ellie! I didn't know you were here! I was just coming home from the office," she replied as she tried to regain her composure.

Miss Ellie's suspicions were getting aroused as she watched Sue Ellen walk over to where she and Pam were standing. Miss Ellie and Pam exchanged knowing looks; both had seen Sue Ellen after she had been drinking enough times to know she now was having a relapse.

"Sue Ellen, can I help you get upstairs to your room?" Pam asked her gently. "I know this has been a stressful time for you, with John Ross' accident and all the other things going on in the family…"

Cliff was packing up the last of his belongings, not that he had much with him. The police had taken his blood stained clothes as evidence. He had a watch, a ring, and some change from his pockets. He dressed in the clothes he had sent for, and piled the rest of the stuff into his pockets. He felt alone, no one was here to pick him up, and the only person who gave a damn was locked up for shooting him. He had one thing to hold onto, that his sister was alive. She had always been there for support. He knew that it was she who would need his support now. He hoped he was up for it. He had to find out what was up with Afton. Yes, he had been a jerk, but he had been horrible to her before. She had always forgiven him. There was something different this time, and it had begun awhile before the shooting. It had begun after the barbecue…That damned barbecue. There was no way she could have discovered what had occurred between he and Lucy. Unless...Lucy had opened her big mouth. He picked up the phone, dialed Southfork, and prayed J.R did not pick up the phone. "Hello?" said the voice of his nephew, Christopher.

"Christopher, its Uncle Cliff."

"Uncle Cliff, are you ok? Do you need something? Is that why you’re calling?" Christopher said, showing concern for his uncle.

"No, no, son, I’m gonna be fine. I just need to speak to your cousin, that’s all."

"Well, he is right there in the same hospital, Uncle Cliff."

Frustrated and short, Cliff said, "NO, not John Ross Ewing. I need to speak with Lucy Ewing! And don’t ask any questions, Christopher, just put her on!"

"OK, OK. Just a minute." Christopher located Lucy and let her know that she had a call waiting.

Lucy closed her bedroom door behind Christopher and picked up the phone, "Cliff? What’s up?"

"Did you talk to Afton?" he demanded, "Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her about what happened the night of the barbecue. Stop playing games with me."

It all came back to Lucy on the spot; hearing his voice; hearing him mention the barbecue, it all came back. She stood frozen by her bed. Cliff Barnes, she had always thought he was kind of cute, but Cliff Barnes! She could not help a small grin when she thought about how the family, especially J.R. would react if they ever found out.

"Cliff, I never said a word, I don’t think I really knew what happened until right this second."

There was a silence on both ends of the phone. "Cliff, you don’t think that is why she shot you, do you?"

"I don’t know Lucy, but I need to find out. I need to find out why the woman I love plugged me full of lead."

Pam and Miss Ellie were stepping away from Sue Ellen’s room just as Christopher was leaving Lucy’s.

"Oh, good, Mom. I was hoping to find you and Gramma together. I have something I need to discuss with the two of you."

"Why don’t we step into my den," said Miss Ellie. "We can talk there."

The three of them made their way into the den where Miss Ellie and Pam took seats while Christopher remained standing.

"What is it, Christopher? What’s wrong?" Pam said.

"Well, I guess I’ll just come out with it. Mr. Smithfield called me today. He says that if someone doesn’t step in for my daddy at Ewing Oil, and soon, that there is going to be serious trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" said Miss Ellie.

"Well, he says that leaving a company like ours without a leader for very long leaves it open to attack and hostile takeover, that sort of thing. He says that my daddy’s proxy leaves that duty to me, but I can’t step in at Ewing Oil. I’m busy at SMU and, besides, I don’t anything about the oil business."

"Well, did you tell Harv that?" queried Pam.

"Yes, Mom. He told me that I didn’t have to personally step in, but that I do have to get a member of the family to do it. Those are the terms of daddy’s proxy. At first, I thought of Aunt Sue Ellen, but she seems to have her hands full at the moment."

Miss Ellie jumped in, "Christopher, I have your answer. Your Uncle Gary and Aunt Val have decided to stay here with us for the time being. Why don’t you ask him to step in for a short while. I trust him, implicitly, to do right by Ewing Oil and the family."

"I don’t know, Uncle J.R. says…"

Pam broke in angrily, "J.R. has nothing to do with this, Christopher! If Miss Ellie thinks that Gary is the best choice here, then I suggest you ask him."

"Gramma, does he have any experience with this kind of thing?"

"Oh, yes. Gary is quite a businessman in his own right. His Ewing Enterprises is a quite successful and diversified company, though he quit having anything to do with the day to day operations a short while ago…something about his ex-wife, Abby, refusing to stop trying to take it from him."

Christopher thought for a moment, "Wow, I’ve heard that Abby Fairgate is some kind of ruthless! She has a reputation all over the world. I guess if Uncle Gary can handle her, then he can handle Ewing Oil."

"Would you like for me to talk with him for you, Christopher?" asked Miss Ellie.

"No, thanks Gramma. I’ll handle it myself."

Just at that moment, all three Ewings turned their thoughts to Bobby. After all, his misfortune was the very reason they were having this discussion to begin with.

Bobby trudged through the deep snow, beginning to lose hope of ever finding anything. He knew that leaving the site of the crash was a bad idea, but he had felt that he had no choice. If they had stayed near the plane, they would have stood a better chance of being rescued but, on the flip side, the plane offered no shelter and the three could have died of exposure while waiting to be rescued. The snowstorm was getting nearer and Bobby knew he had to hurry, or else risk getting lost in the blinding snow.

"What have I gotten myself into," he thought. He began to think of his son, and of Jenna; and found new inspiration to go on, but how long would that inspiration last? Bobby thought about kissing Jenna and realized that taking advantage of a time like this was not right and he realized that no one could ever know about it, especially Ray.

Valene and Gary sat at the patio breakfast table alone. It was early, 6:30, and they had risen out of excitement for the day’s activities. Today they would enroll Bobby and Betsy at Braddock J.R. High, making their plans to stay on Southfork all the more official. The couple was brimming with excitement and Clayton noticed it as he approached from the house.

"Well, you two look like the cats that ate the canary."

Giggling, Val said, "Oh, good morning Clayton. We’re just excited, that’s all." She then looked over at Gary as only a woman in love can look at a man and he returned in kind.

"Well, we could sure use some good news around here. What is it, you two?"

"Val and I have decided to stay here indefinitely. We’ve decided to take control of our own lives and to laugh in J.R.’s face if he tries to stop us."

Clayton smiled his friendly smile. "Well, I knew the day would come when J.R.’s influence over this family would wan. I know that Miss Ellie will be very, very pleased to hear that you’ve come home for good, Gary."

"Thanks Clayton. Say, where is Momma? She’s usually up before anyone else."

"Well, your Momma and Pam were up pretty late with Sue Ellen. It seems that she came home in pretty bad shape last night. The pressure from the situation with John Ross must be getting to her."

"Oh, no," said Val with a worried look. "She wasn’t drinking, was she?" Flashes of Gary’s drinking days went through her mind.

"Yes, I’m afraid she was."

Gary felt sick to his stomach, knowing just how much it takes to drive a recovered alcoholic back to the bottle. "I better see what I can do to help her."

"That would be good of you, Gary. Your Momma will certainly appreciate it."

"Tell Momma that Val and I will be back shortly after lunch and that I’ll do what I can then."

"All right, Gary. We’ll see you kids later."

Gary and Val rose to leave both appearing a little less enthusiastic than they had previously.

Pam woke up early in the morning. She hadn't had a good night's rest in a long time, and last night had been no exception. She had been back in Dallas only a matter of days, and there were already new tragedies happening to the Ewing family. His wife had shot her only brother. Pam took solace in the thought that Cliff seemed to be recovering from his wounds. She was still overwhelmed with concern for John Ross and his car accident; Sue Ellen having had a relapse the night before; and, of course, her mind always came back to Bobby. She wondered if she would ever see him again to try to explain to him what had happened to her 11 years ago. She sighed and decided to go downstairs to try to eat some breakfast.

She went out to the patio and saw most of the family gathered sitting at the table, with the exception of J.R., Gary, Val, and Sue Ellen. None of the gathered Ewing clan seemed to have much interest in the food on their plates; everyone seemed preoccupied with what all was going on in the family too.

"Good morning, Pam," Miss Ellie said. "Did you sleep at all last night? You look rather drained."

"Good morning Miss Ellie," Pam said, bending over to kiss her on the cheek. "You're right, I didn't sleep very well. I have so much on my mind, as we all do. Has there been any word about Bobby?"

"Well, you probably know that Ray and Charlie flew over to Switzerland to see what is being done firsthand. I haven't heard anything from them yet."

Pamela sighed. "Well, I don't have much to do here. Maybe I’ll go to Dallas Memorial to see John Ross. I'll see you later."

"Pam, you never told me about how Christopher found you," Miss Ellie said. "I'd really like to hear the story."

"Well, Miss Ellie, I'd really like to tell you when everyone is here, especially J.R. "

"Okay Pam, then I'll see you later."

Christopher wandered the rooms of Southfork one by one. He ended up in the gym and attempted to work out, but was unable to concentrate. He did not feel like eating, he did not feel like sleeping. The craziness of the past week was beginning to get to him. He thought that maybe he should have checked into the looney bin he got his mother out of. He walked outside into the fresh air. It did nothing to make him feel better, instead of a cool breeze; all he encountered was humidity and heat. Lucy was laying by the pool, tanning, a regular site for cousin Lucy.

"How ya doing honey?"

"Luce, I need to ask you a question, but I need you to promise not to say anything, especially to my mother."

"Of course, John Ross usually shared his wild times with me too, knew I could relate, I never said a word to J.R or Sue Ellen."

"I need to ask you about Kristin Sheperd"

Lucy stared at her cousin for a second; there could only be one reason he was asking about Kristin. "Christopher, I will do what I can, but you need to know.... Kristin and I were not exactly close."

"Why, why does everyone think she was such a horrible woman?"

"I didn’t think she was so much horrible, but...she just pissed me off a lot" Lucy began to laugh, and proceeded to tell Christopher an edited version, very carefully edited version of her history with Kristin.

Christopher listened intensely, and when she was finished, he sat silently staring at the cracks in the patio stones. Finally he looked at his cousin and said, "Did you hate her Luce?"

"At the time, maybe. But looking back if it had not been for Kristin, I might have married Alan Beam," Lucy chuckled, "I might have ended up being Karen’s mother, and what a scandal her relationship with John Ross would have been then."

Christopher got up and began to walk back into the house, again in a clouded state, he did not even bother giving his cousin a goodbye. Being adopted, he never really felt at home at the ranch, and with his father’s fate unknown, he wondered if he continue to live a home where he was virtually a stranger. A home full of lies, violence and hate. A home where his Aunt Sue Ellen, an aunt through marriage, was actually his biological aunt. Where his Uncle, J.R, used and abused his biological mother. Well, he thought, at least she had the last laugh by shooting him, to bad she didn’t do a better job.

Afton had not been able to reach J.R. when she called Southfork. He did not come to the phone and she only had the one call, other than the one to her lawyer. He was here now, she really did not want to talk about what had happened. She was focused on Cliff, but seeing her lawyer at least got her out of the cell for awhile, and she needed him to get the hell out of there.

Pam arrived at Dallas Memorial Hospital, which was an all too familiar place to her and the rest of the Ewing family. She thought of how she had been taken from that very place against her will some 11 years ago, and how much more intense her hatred for J.R. was now. She was just on her way into the building when the instantly recognizable figure of J.R. Ewing himself approached her.

"Well now Pamela, what brings you here?" J.R. asked with his usual false sense of friendliness, at least when it came to Pam.

"I came to see how John Ross is doing," she replied, barely able to contain her contempt for this rattlesnake of a man.

"Well, he is about the same, so why don't you go crawl back to wherever it is you came from and stay there?" J.R. responded sarcastically.

"Well J.R., you would know where I was all these years," she exclaimed angrily, "and I can't WAIT until the whole family finds out about what you did to me! Even if Bobby doesn't come back, I want the family to know how incredibly low you've stooped this time! I could even have you put in jail for the rest of your life for kidnapping me. You had better pray I don't choose that route!" With that, Pam strode forcefully into the hospital to see her nephew.

Christopher was awakened by the telephone; he had fallen asleep on the living room couch.

"Chris, it’s Pamela, we need to talk, I need your support right now, everything is such a mess."

"Why are you calling me Pamela? It’s obvious to me now, you only went out with me to get closer to John Ross."

"That’s not true, Christopher please, I need you now."

"Yeah and I thought I needed you, but not anymore, leave me alone Pamela, stop calling here, concentrate on you mother, YOUR family for a change. Leave mine alone, especially John Ross, I plan on ensuring you never bother him again!" Christopher hung up the phone before Pamela had a chance to respond"

"She never gives up does she?"

Christopher turned around to see Karen in the doorway. "Karen, come on in."

"I don’t know why I’m here, I just needed to be around other people who care about John Ross."

"Christopher walked up to Karen and gave her a supportive hug, a hug he needed equally as much as she did. As soon as his arms were around her, Karen started to cry. "Christopher, I don’t know what to do, maybe I should just forget about him, he really doesn’t deserve my love, he has treated me badly, but...."

"You love him"

"I don’t know, sometimes I am sure I do, other times I think I must be a fool."

Though unintentionally, the two remained in a deep embrace. "He can be a jerk." Christopher loved his cousin dearly, but the two had their royal battles, and he to had moments of hating the guy.

Karen looked up into Christopher's eyes, it was like looking in a mirror, she knew, although for different reasons, the two were feeling similar emotions, it felt wonderful to be in the arms of someone who understood, completely. Without thinking, she kissed him gently on the lips, he kissed back.

From the top of the stairs, Ellie shook her head, "Another complication for my family." She sighed deeply, how often had Ellie had to see her family messing up, how often had she had to pick up the pieces. She knew she had to take control again, it was time. It was time to gather her clan together, and put things right. She would do it soon, but first she needed to deal with what was happening with Bobby. She also knew she had to wait until John Ross was on the mend. Then, the family was coming together, come hell or high water; she would get this family back on track.

"Afton, after what you told me, I would recommend a judge trial. First of all, it will be quicker and second of all, I think it will be to your advantage. You can never tell how a jury might go; Cliff is well known in Dallas, a lot of people see him as an underdog in need of saving."

"I don’t care! How soon can I get out of this place?"

"Soon, the bail hearing is tomorrow morning. If all goes well, you should be out by the afternoon."

Tomorrow afternoon, Afton had a lot of work to do tomorrow afternoon; "Can you do me a favor? Call my daughter and tell her to get her buns in here to see her mother, and call.... Please tell J.R. Ewing I need to see him as soon as possible."

"I will do my best Afton, there is one more thing you should know. In order to plan a case of self-defense we are going to have to show that you feared for your life that night. We need the judge to believe that Cliff was really going to give it to you."

Afton stared at the floor for a moment, Cliff had been a jerk, may have even hurt her, but he was drunk. He never raised a hand to her before.

"No problem" she said calmly. "My husband is a loser. He has beaten me before. I truly thought this could be it. I knew if I did not shoot, I might be laying six feet under a well-mowed lawn today."

"That’s all I needed to hear."

J.R. stepped off the elevator and walked towards his office door. "J.R., I'm glad you’re here. You have got tons of work that needs to be done," said Judy, stepping out of his office.

"Not now Judy. I just came to get my spare suit and to get a little rest. Now, if you don’t mind, I'll go into my office, and hold my calls." Judy watched J.R. slam the door behind him. She then walked over to her desk and dialed a number. A secretary answered the phone.

"Hello, Stockton Investments, how may I direct your call?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Stockton," said Judy.

"Hello?" said Stockton, picking up the phone.

"Robert, this is Judy. I think I’ve got what you’ve been looking for. J.R. just came into the office and didn’t want to discuss business."

"Excellent, thanks Judy, maybe I can pay you back over dinner?"

"I'd love to," said Judy.

"Ok I'll meet you at the Oil Baron’s at 6."

"Ok see you then, Rob."

Stockton hit the flash button and hit the first number on the quick dial. He tapped his fingers on his schedule book as he waited for the other end to answer.

"Hello?" said the person on the other end.

"This is Stockton, I’ve got big..."

He was cut off as the other person started yelling into the receiver.

"I have told you a thousand times…use the password beforehand so I can turn on the bug scrambler."

"Sorry, I forgot. I got excited at this news."

"Well, what is it?"

"Its time to move, I got word from our spy that J.R.’s vulnerable. Its time to move."

The other line fell silent for several seconds and finally they said, "Ok, buy all the stock that the SEC will allow you to. Then, put in a tender offer for enough to take over, plus another 2%."

"Ok, this transaction will take a few days to complete but, when it is, we can approach the board and have you elected president."

"Ok, get on that, we have to move fast, and call me when the transaction is complete."

"Will do," replied Stockton.

Cliff stared at the bloodstains on the floor of the recording studio. He had been pretty drunk, but he knew what had happened. He remembered it all. He had lunged at his wife when she came in, but only to push her out. He never intended to hurt her, he never could. His life was a mess. A few days ago he and Afton were happy and he had a new company with Carter McKay. Now, everything was a mess. This was the pattern in his life; way up, and way, way down. He needed to break the pattern this time; he had no choice. He wanted to be at the hearing for Afton, but was told he would not be allowed; that he should not even see her. He needed to see her. He did love her. His mind drifted off to Lucy Ewing. He was not sure why, except that their night together was one of the only pleasant memories in the past week. She was drunk yes, but wild. Afton wasn’t wild anymore; maybe it was motherhood.

Lucy Ewing wanted him that night, drunk or not. In bed with a Ewing, a blood Ewing. Cliff knew it was a mistake, one of his worst, but yet, it was something he focused on when he began to get down. Afton shot him, and she wasn’t drunk. She knew exactly what she was doing. Could she love him, and still go to that extreme? He needed to see Lucy, and, for another reason, he needed to see Sue Ellen. She held another piece of his plan to once again go up. But, first, he needed to see if there was any hope of working things out with Afton. The thought of Lucy again flowed by and for the first time, he thought he could handle it if it was over with Afton. He sometimes surprised himself.

Just then, the phone rang. Cliff walked over and answered it.

"Yeah, Cliff Barnes here."

An unknown female voice was on the other end. "I understand that you’re now in need of a new partner in NorthStar Oil. I can help."

Cliff raised one eyebrow and smiled. Maybe things weren’t all bad, after all.

Pamela Rebecca, like her mother, was trying to get in touch with J.R Ewing. She rarely felt guilt, but it was starting to sneak up on her. J.R deserved to be feeling the guilt. She was worried that if this came out he might try to lay the blame on her. She had other ideas. She pulled the small tape recorder out of her purse and re-played her previous discussions with the man. She smiled; she was determined to get John Ross to fall in love with her. But...if that did not work, maybe a million or two from his old man might soften the heartbreak.

She just did not know if she was strong enough to do the blackmail herself. She would love to give the tape to her father; he would know what to do. But...that would mean him knowing her part in the scam, and she didn’t want to bother having to explain herself to him or her mother right now. Someone else, but who, who else would do the dirty work. She was tough, but knew she would buckle when pitted face to face with J.R. Ewing, especially with what she wanted to propose. After a moment, she knew exactly who to ask for help, but it was too early, she needed to lay the groundwork first. She smiled at her own smarts; she would be ok.

Ray and Charlie stood in the ranger station, at the base of the Alps. There, there was no sign of snow except for that that could be seen on top of the mountain. Ray argued with one of the rangers about the rescue procedures while Charlie sipped a cup of coffee.

"Mr. Krebbs, I understand your wanting to send a rescue team up there right now, but it would be foolish during that storm that’s going on up there."

"What about my brother and wife? If they’re still alive, then they could be freezing to death up there and you won’t do a damned thing about it!"

"Mr. Krebbs, I’m sorry, we just cannot send a team up there, it’s just not feasible."

"I’ll show YOU what’s not going to be feasible, your job isn’t going to be ‘feasible’ if my brother and wife die up there, I’ll make sure of that."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You bet I am."

"Ray," reasoned Charlie, "if the man can’t send a team, then we should go get some rest so we can be here when he does send one. You know how resourceful Bobby is, if they’re still alive, I’m sure they’re holed up somewhere, safe."

"I can’t take that chance," said Ray, pulling on his coat. He sprinted to the door and went outside where a helicopter sat on a landing pad.

"Ray! What are you doing?" shouted Charlie.

"I’m going on my own." The chopper blade whirred to life.

"No! You’ll be killed, please don’t," said Charlie, shielding her eyes from the flying debris. Charlie watched as the helicopter took lift. Before she realized it, it had disappeared into the gray sky.

Afton looked around the courtroom. J.R had not shown. Neither had Pamela Rebecca. What was going on? There was only one familiar face, and it shocked her to see it. Sitting in the back row was Lucy Ewing Copper. Afton had never really liked Lucy. She had not liked how she treated her brother but, that did not come close to the hatred she felt for the woman at the moment, "Why the hell is she here?" she wondered….

The hearing went off without a hitch. Her lawyer convinced the judge Afton was no threat. With a promise not to see Cliff, one she had no intention of keeping, and a very large check for her bail, Afton Cooper was once again, at least for the moment, free.

After she had signed the proper legal papers, and collected her things, Afton headed out of the courthouse. She stepped onto the curb, intending to hail a cab, when she heard a voice behind her. "Afton, we should talk."

"Lucy, I really have nothing to say to you."

"Why is that?"

"Lucy, I have never liked you! You are the last person on earth, other than my ever loving husband, I want to see today."

"You know, don’t you?"

"I know you’re a bitch! You always were! People think you have grown up and matured, but you’re the same bitch I met almost 15 years ago!"

"You do know, that’s why you shot Cliff?"

"I shot Cliff because he was going to kill me!"

"You shot Cliff because you found out about us. You can’t keep telling people he tried to kill you, it’s not the truth."

Afton stared intently at Lucy for a moment, why in the hell was she, all of a sudden, trying to protect Cliff? The Lucy she knew only cared about herself. Then it hit her; maybe the two had been seeing each other for awhile! Maybe Cliff had fooled her for longer than she had thought. Her rage began to grow; her need for revenge intensified.

"Lucy Ewing, get out of my way!" Afton walked, brushed by Lucy, and started down the sidewalk.

Lucy watched for a moment. The grin returned; she couldn’t help it. She used to be the family troublemaker. The last few years, though, she became mature, confident, independent, and therefore non-existent and ignored by her fellow Ewings. She couldn’t resist, as Afton walked by Lucy called out, "Afton, your singing sucks! Do the world a favor and stick to singing in the shower, will ya? And, oh, those prison showers—well, you’ll be doing more than singing in those."

Afton wished she still had her gun. But this time--this time she took the high road and kept on walking. The last thing she needed today was a second assault charge. There would be time for Lucy Ewing later! Cliff first, Lucy later!

"What the hell am I doing here? Why do I even bother with Ewing Oil? J.R. never backs down and I have to spend all my time dealing with his attacks, rather than the business at hand. I need to get away from here for a while. Go hide somewhere and drink myself back to happiness." Sue Ellen thought to herself as she sat at her desk sipping bourbon that was hidden in a coffee cup. She was waiting for the first of the interviewees for the open secretarial position left by Sly. She really didn’t care whether someone was hired or not but, being here at the office allowed her to drink undisturbed by the likes of Miss Ellie or Pam.

Her phone buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Ewing, the first secretarial applicant is here."

"Send her in," Sue Ellen managed through a sigh.

"…………..uh, Mrs. Ewing?"

"Yes, what is it now?"

"Well, the applicant is a he, not a she."

Sue Ellen suddenly came to life and appeared intrigued. "Well, please do show the young man in," she said enthusiastically. She scrambled to fix her hair and check her make-up as the door opened. A young man, of about 30, stepped into the office. He was strikingly handsome and was built like an ox. Sue Ellen tried to conceal her gasping.

"Won’t you please have a seat, Mr.…"

"Marcus, Cutter Marcus."

"Well, Mr. Marcus, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Ewing," he said kissing her hand and overtly flirting with her.

"You know, Cutter, I’m not really a woman who likes to stand on ceremony. So, uh, why don’t we just have a drink together and discuss your salary requirements. Your file proves that you’re more than qualified for the position and I can tell by looking at you that you have, uh, all the assets you need to keep this boss happy."

Acting startled, Cutter said, "yes, fine, ma’am."

"Oh, please, Cutter—Call me Sue Ellen."

"Sue Ellen," he said smiling.

Ray had done a good job of keeping the chopper on course, despite the strong winds and the snow that had begun to set in. The few times that he had piloted the Southfork helicopter were now paying off, and it was possible that he would find Bobby and Jenna before the day was over. Ray glanced out the side window and saw a dark form in a white, barren, plain.

"That could be Bobby or Jenna," said Ray, taking the chopper down. It wasn’t a safe place at all to land, the snow on the mountainside could give way under the weight of the helicopter, but if it were someone below, he would have to risk it. The helicopter touched down and snow swirled up from the ground in a mad rage.

"Oh my God, it’s Bobby," said Ray, flinging open the door. He crouched beside Bobby, who was lying on the snow. "Bobby? It’s Ray, talk to me…"

"Ray?"

"Bobby, where’s Jenna? Is she ok?"

"S...she’s back at the cabin…c..c..cold."

"Come on, there’s a heater in the chopper, doesn’t work too well, but it’s better than nothing." Ray helped Bobby into the helicopter and glanced nervously at the low reading on the gas gauge. "Now where’s this cabin you were talking about?"

"Right over the ridge there," said Bobby, his teeth chattering. The helicopter lifted off and passed over the ridge. Ray spotted the cabin below, but then something else caught his eye, farther up the mountain. What he saw sent chills down his back. "Oh my God Ray, it’s an avalanche," yelled Bobby.

Ray continued to stare, in awe of what was happening. The small dark blur that was the cabin was directly in the avalanche’s path and would hardly withstand the force of the ordeal.

"Ray! Jenna is in there," yelled Bobby again, but this time, Bobby was only a tiny thought in the back of Ray’s head. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but he hardly remembered any of them. Ray watched as the huge sheet of snow, dotted with broken trees and other debris, mowed over the cabin, sending wood pieces flying into the air. Ray thought he heard a scream, but he was unsure. The whole world faded off into blackness.

Credits Roll

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