The knock on the motel room door startled Lucy Ewing. Lucy had been laying on her bed most of the morning, thinking about how things ended with Cliff, dreading the upcoming afternoon events.

Pam did not wait for Lucy to answer, she walked into the room, headed straight to the window, and opened the curtains. "Lucy, get up, Cliff's funeral is in a few hours, you have to get ready."

"Pam, I am so sorry." Tears began to roll down her face.

Pam walked over and sat by Lucy on the bed. "What on earth are you sorry for?"

"Cliff, I can't help but feel as if I had handled our relationship differently, Cliff would still be alive."

"Lucy listen to me, Cliff's death had nothing to do with you, it was Katherine, you know that, why are you beating yourself up over this? You told me you gave my brother a little hope near the end, hope you might give him another chance." Pamela Ewing began to stroke Lucy's hair. "Lucy, I loved my brother very much, his death hit me very hard,but.... Lucy, he was never truly a happy man, he was always worrying, obsessing. My hope is that wherever he is, he is finally at peace and not obsessing over beating the Ewing's," Pam paused for a moment, looking at her niece. "That is my hope anyway."

"Thanks Pam, I am so glad you are back in my life, I could not have gotten through the past few days without you."

"I am glad you are back in my life as well, I missed you all, even J.R."

Finally a smile surfaced on Lucy Ewing's face. "I am sorry Pam, you really must have been through hell when you were gone to miss J.R ."

Both women began to laugh.

Pam was standing at the window, her arms wrapped around her, staring out in to space when Bobby came out of the shower.

"Hey there Pretty Lady."

She turned and smiled. "How was your shower?"

He came over and wrapped his arms around her. "It would have been a lot more fun if I had someone to share it with."

Pam smiled at the look in his eyes and shook her head. "Next time there Cowboy." She moved around him and went to sit on the couch.

"Pammy?"

Pam looked up at him and the shadowed look in her eyes worried him.

"You're not having second thoughts about the key are you?" She shook her head, surprised that he would have thought that. "Oh no Bobby." She started to fidget with her wedding rings.

"Tell me what's wrong?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Let me be the judge of that sweetheart." She reached for a cushion and held it in front of her as if it was a shield. "I was thinking of what ifs and what might have been." She started to pluck imaginary lint of the cushion. "What if I had kept the key and allowed whatever that house held to taint our lives? What if Katherine hadn't set that bomb."

Bobby shook his head. "Pam, don't do this."

She smiled. "I know that this isn't doing any good. But it was a game that helped me through a lot of pain during our years apart."

He reached out and dried her tears. "It was a really bitter irony that I had found out that I could carry our child to term at the same time I nearly died."

Bobby stayed silent, since she had come home, he knew that Pam said that she couldn't really remember all of those years but he wondered if some things had been just so painful that she didn't say anything.

"The one dream I had was of you and I living happily at Southfork, with Christopher and a little daughter." Pam smiled a hint of sadness evident behind her eyes. "It helped to cheer me up when the pain from the reconstructive surgeries would be too much."

Bobby pulled her to him, which sent Pam into a squeal, trying to wiggle out of the embrace. "BOBBY, YOUR'RE WET!"

He smiled. "I think that it was time that you and I decided on where it is that we want to go on a honeymoon."

Pam stopped wiggling in his arms. "Really?"

Bobby nodded, laughing at her reaction. "I did promise you one."

Pam smiled. "Someplace warm and that we can be completely by ourselves."

Bobby returned her smile. "How does Nevis sound to you?"

"Mother, why won't you go to the funeral with me? This is getting crazy, wear a damned veil if you don't want to be seen. I am burying my husband today, and I want you by my side."

"Afton, you know why I can't be seen, not yet anyway." Arliss and Afton Cooper had spent the night on Afton's bed with a bottle of wine. Arliss had shared the whole story of the kidnapping and attempted burial. Afton had been in shock for the first half hour or after her mother told the story. Afton had then wanted to have Lucy arrested on the spot. Arliss had managed to talk her daughter into being patient, and by the end of the conversation, Arliss had become the fourth member of the Afton Cooper Witches League.

"I know mother, I know, but can't you please be there for me, there will be no one else there for me to lean on, I hardly know if Pamela Rebecca will bother to show up, she hasn't exactly been a leaning post for me the last little while."

"Ok Afton, I will come, but I am not planning on staying long, if anyone sees me, we are sunk."

Ray looked at the airport screen and read, "Flight 216, Washington D.C. to Dallas, arrival 7:05." He looked nervously at his watch, it said 7:15, the plane should be unloading by now.

He had not seen Margaret since she was a very small girl. He wondered if she would accept him. Donna had never lied to her as to who her real father was, but she and Ray had decided long ago that Donna and Senator Dowling would raise Margaret as their own.

It had been a tough decision for Ray, but he knew that Margaret would be well taken care of. Besides, how could he get lonely with Jenna, Charlie, and Lucas in the family?

Lucas, poor kid, he had been through so much in the past several months. Ray knew that Lucas blamed so many people for his mom's death, Pam and Donna, among others. He hoped Lucas would soften up to Donna, let her be a mom of sorts to him.

It should be interesting with two sixteen year-olds that had as many changes before them as these two did, Ray was excited about and also dreaded these next several months. They should be interesting no matter what.

"Lucas," Ray said to the athletic, handsome young blonde that was standing beside him, "I want you to be polite to Donna and Mar...."

"Oh my God!" Lucas' jaw dropped.

Ray turned to see what Lucas had just eyed. There, standing before them was Donna and Margaret. "Donna, Margaret, welcome home!"

"Yeah, If you say so." Margaret, who was absolutely beautiful, was not impressed with the welcome.

"Let me introduce myself, the name is Lucas, you can call me Luke."

"I'll call you dork for now, until you earn another title." Margaret was obviously not taken with either of the men.

"Margaret!" Donna scolded, "You know what we talked about."

"It's alright Donna." Ray said, "Margaret, let me get those bags for you."

"Donna, if you would have told me that your daughter was such a hottie I would have been more receptive to your return to Dallas."

"Lucas, she is also Ray's daughter, which makes her your sister, unless you have forgotten."

"Oh! Well, we can still be friends, right?"

"Lucas, or should I say dork.."

"Luke will be fine," he responded.

"Well, whatever, stay away from me, because I am not your sister, friend, cousin, anything. And I sure am not Ray's daughter! My daddy died." Margaret was obviously upset and tired from the trip.

Donna and Ray looked at each other and just smiled uneasily. Ray hoped that dinner and the ride home would go smoother.

Ellie and Clayton Farlow were getting ready to attend Cliff's funeral as well. Clayton turned to his wife and stared lovingly at her. "Ellie, you look beautiful."

"Clayton I do not, this old black sack dress, my oh my, I have worn it a dozen times."

"Ellie, this funeral has caused me to do some thinking."

"What about?"

"Muriel. I don't want to get a call about her death, never having really wrapped things up with her."

"Clayton we did see her, she seems to be doing ok. How do you plan on wrapping things up?"

"I'm not sure exactly, I just want to give her back a little of what she has given us."

"Like Aids?" Ellie instantly regretted her words.

"Ellie, why on earth would you say that, first of all, I thought we agreed we didn't want to know, and secondly, I did not know you held any anger towards Muriel."

"I didn't Clayton, at first. I don't exactly know how I feel. I feel terribly about what she is going through and I know she was a wonderful friend to you in Europe."

"She was a wonderful friend to us both!"

"Yes, I know, you're right, it is just from time to time I get angry that this is in our lives, that she brought it into our lives. Can you understand that?"

Clayton kissed his wife on the forehead. "Of course I do, I understand completely, I get those same feelings from time to time."

"Clayton we should get going, we are going to be late."

"Of course I'll help you," said Carla. Eric Stone smiled and toasted Carla with his glass of champagne. She glanced around at the décor of Eric's new apartment with a look of awe on her face. "I have never seen a place this nice."

"Well, you should get used to it, because soon, you'll have all of the money you could ever spend…and maybe if you play your cards right, Christopher Ewing to go with it."

"A nice bonus," laughed Carla. "No more stripper's salary for me."

"Christopher and Karen's little marriage will be a thing of the past and I'll have Karen for myself," said Eric. "Tonight, you're going to make your move. I've arranged dinner with Christopher and Karen at the Oil Baron's Club. When we all meet up, you'll instantly recognize Christopher, spilling the beans that you are pregnant with his baby."

Carla smiled, thinking about all the things she would do with her newly found fortune.

The crowd at the cemetery was not as large as Afton had expected. There were a few of Cliff's business associates, most of the Ewings of course. Sly and Roy Ralston had shown, but other than that, the crowd was sadly small. Afton had almost wished her mother was not coming, it would be difficult to stay hidden in this group. Pamela Rebecca was nowhere to be seen, but it was still early. Afton approached the crowd and saw four chairs lined up in front, a few feet from where the casket lay. Afton sat in one, alone, no one saying a word to her. Sly had smiled briefly, but other than that, her arrival had not caused a stir.

Ellie and Clayton stood behind the chairs, J.R and John Ross next to them. "Clayton isn't strange that there are not more people here?"

"Yeah I was thinking the same thing, but the funeral was delayed, maybe people thought they missed it."

"Nobody missed it!" J.R said. "Nobody liked the son of a bitch."

Afton stood to counter J.R.'s words, but as she turned she saw Pam, Bobby and Lucy walking towards the group.

"Afton you be nice, we are putting the pore bugger to rest remember." J.R smiled at what he hoped was about to be another blonde versus blonde confrontation.

Pam sat down, next to Afton, and Bobby moved to stand behind her, Pam took Lucy's hand, and pulled her to the chair beside her.

Afton wanted to be quiet, she really did, but this was too much for her. "No way! No freaking way is Lucy Ewing sitting here with us Pam, these chairs are for family, not some skank who was sleeping with my husband!"

Pam squeezed Lucy's hand tightly. Lucy knew the squeeze meant to be still. Pam slowing turned to her former sister-in-law and spoke both quietly and gently. "Afton, not another word."

"But...."

"I said not another word. Cliff was my family, my bother, and I want Lucy here beside me."

"Pam, no, he was my husband, she is nothing but a whore, a short dumpy one at that, you know she tried to break us up, ruin Cliff's life, you have to know that."

Again Pam kept her cool. "I know this Afton, You have not been Cliff's wife in some time, as a matter a fact, the last time you really were, months and months ago, you put a few bullets in him. You have lied and manipulated again and again to bring my brother grief, you were once my friend, now you are nothing to me. As far as I see it, Lucy is the only thing that brought him a little joy in the past few months, and she will be sitting next to me. And further more, if you have a problem with that, there is security not far off who will remove you from this service! Am I understood."

Afton stared ahead saying nothing.

Pamela Ewing raised her voice. "Am I understood!"

"Yes!" Again Afton looked straight ahead. The minister began the service with words about Cliff's long career in the oil business. After about five minutes, five minutes too many for J.R Ewing, people were heard saying hello as they joined the group. Afton turned to see Pamela Rebecca, Christopher, Karen, Eric, and Marilee joining the group. Despite attempts to have Pamela join her in the chairs, she ignored her mother, standing in the back with Christopher and Eric. Lucy, Afton and Pam all thought the same thoughts as the minister began to discuss what a wonderful husband, brother and friend Cliff was. Although, in a fashion, they all loved him, each woman knew he was not perfect, and didn't really succeed at being successful at any of those roles. Pamela Rebecca shed a few tears at the mention of his parenting. She had loved her father, in her way, but she had hardly known him. Soon the funeral would be over and she could get on with her life.

The minister ended his words by asking if anyone in the group wished to share any memories of there times with Cliff. Bobby spoke briefly about his brother-in-law. He chose his words very carefully, ensuring to be kind, but not go overboard. Pam wept as she spoke about her brother's struggles, but she too kept her words brief and was careful not to pile on too much praise.

Lucy Ewing had decided before she came that she was not going to speak, but after listening to Pam, thought that Cliff deserved a more heart felt send off. Lucy rose to speak at exactly the same time as Afton did. A few moments passed, moments which seemed like hours. The two women stood, staring at each other neither one moving. Finally Afton spoke. "I am not sitting down Lucy, Cliff was my husband, and I do not think it appropriate that you speak here today."

"Not appropriate. What the hell do you know about appropriate?" said Lucy in a loud whisper.

Pam grabbed Lucy's hand, hoping she might sit back down, this time her squeeze had no effect.

"Afton, you shot Cliff, screwed him over left and right, screwed my ever lovin' Uncle back there, and then tried to pass the baby off as Cliff's. You brought him nothing but pain, you have some nerve telling me that speaking about a man I loved, truly loved is inappropriate!"

Ellie and Clayton stood motionless, Ellie knew she could not stop her granddaughter in mid-stream, so she simply closed her eyes in frustration, hoping it would end without bloodshed.

Afton stared at Lucy, her mind swayed behind shoving the bouquet of flowers on the casket in her face, and just turning and leaving. "Lucy your right, I did not always treat Cliff the best, and why was that? Why did we all treat him like scum most of the time?"

J.R. let out a small laugh.

Afton turned and faced the small group. "We all know why, we are not here because we loved him, we are here for Pam, or because we felt sorry for him. Cliff Barnes was a whiny, selfish little boy who never grew up. A runt-like idiot who spent his life obsessing over shit from the ground. Oil, dirty, disgusting oil, that is all he cared about, that's it, people meant nothing to him, if it didn't come out of a Chinese container, or oil barrel, he wasn't interested, and we all KNOW that!"

"That's not why I am here."

The crowd turned at the voice of Eric Stone.

"Eric, not now, not here, I beg of you." Marilee tugged at Eric's jacket, hoping to stop him.

"Mother relax." Eric whispered in her ear. He then stepped up and raised his voice. "Cliff was a great man, in his way, I did not know him that well, but I know that he fought hard for what he wanted, that to make makes a great man."

Marilee breathed a sigh of relief.

As Eric was speaking, Afton moved closer to Lucy. "Lucy, I am sorry, I know you loved Cliff. I just have been going through such a hard time lately, I am out of my mind. I really need someone around to support me, you have your family, I envy you that, I have been trying to get in touch with my mother, but she must be away, but I know I will track her down soon." Afton looked back at Arliss, who was standing across the cemetery by a large oak tree.

Lucy stood motionless, she had almost put the murder of Arliss Cooper out of her mind...almost.

Katherine Wentworth Graison knew who the woman was and what she had done before she approached her…or else she never would have risked being seen. Katherine was wearing a black hat, with a black veil covering most of her face. Underneath, she wore a blonde wig. "It's a shame isn't it?"

Arliss, startled, turned to her. "Yes…yes it is," but Arliss did not sound sincere.

"So many nutcases out there today…poor Mr. Barnes…he just got caught up in some maniac's crossfire." Katherine smiled, wished Arliss Cooper a good day, and retreated to her car.

The minister attempted to say a few words of closure to wrap up the funeral, but no one was really listening. Cliff Barnes' casket, with nothing in it really, just some ashes from the Southfork upstairs hallway, slowly began it's descent into the ground.

Katherine thought about her encounter with Arliss Cooper from over a week ago. She smiled, thinking how sly she had been to sneak into his funeral undetected. Pam was grieving, which was good. She wanted to see her sister hurt…after keeping her from the only man she had ever truly loved, Bobby Ewing.

Soon, she would put the next phase of her plan into action, but first, Kaitlin Ryan had to be eliminated. She couldn't risk having her ruin the whole plan. Smiling, Katherine picked up her phone and began to dial…

The crowd, so to speak, began to depart the cemetery. The past few moments' events had had, for some strange reason a profound effect on Lucy Ewing. Hearing about Cliff, fighting for something, having a mission, had made her think. "What could she do to support Cliff now that he was gone?" Lucy raced to catch up with J.R.

"J.R, I need to talk to you."

"Lucy, that was quite the funeral eh? I'm sure glad I didn't skip it."

"J.R listen, please. I want to come to work at Ewing Oil."

J.R began to laugh. He laughed so hard that it quickly turned into choking. Once he finally managed to catch his breath he spoke. "Lucy what on earth do you know about the oil business?"

"More than you think, you can't live at Southfork as long as I have and not absorb the oil business."

"You just said it yourself Lucy, the oil BUSINESS, sorry honey, but you are not cut out for any job that I can think of."

"Listen J.R, I chose to speak with you first, but I know Sue Ellen, Bobby, or Grandma will make sure I work for Ewing Oil if I really want to, but I came to you. You know I loved Grandpa very much, and I need to get some meaning into my life."

"Oh, and modeling didn't fill that need?" Again J.R began to chuckle.

"J.R laugh all you want, yeah modeling may have been a joke to all of you, but it did give me a lot of confidence, with my knowledge of the company, and my people skills, I could do a lot, maybe in the PR department."

J.R stared at his niece. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Damn right I am, I want a meeting with you tomorrow, in the office, I plan on proving to you, to everyone, that Lucy Ewing is more than just a man-hungry flake. I am planning to bring some meaning to my life and contribute to granddaddy's company. Laugh if you want, but you will be surprised J.R."

"Well you already surprised me today, but ok. Tomorrow isn't good...I need a couple of weeks to work things out."

"Christopher, I am glad I let you talk me into this! Getting out of the hotel is just what I needed," said Karen, taking a sip of her drink.

"I know. I was getting a bad case of cabin fever myself. I miss Southfork. But I'm glad Eric called…"

Karen wiped her mouth with her napkin. "I'm ready to get settled back in. Do they have any estimates on the completion date?"

"The last I heard, it was early April."

"Mr. and Mrs. Ewing, are you ready to order now?" asked Cassie, standing behind them.

"Give us just a second Cassie," smiled Christopher.

Cassie nodded and left their table. "Christopher, let's take another little vacation. Maybe we can go to the beach…Galveston or something," said Karen.

"That's not a bad idea. It might do us some good to get away. The mood is anything but light around here…with the funeral last week and all. I still can't believe Afton said all of that!"

"It was definitely the strangest funeral I've ever been to."

"I feel bad for not standing up for Uncle Cliff when Afton went on her tirade. Eric had to do it…"

"Eric is nice. You should really get to know him. And, he is related to you...in a distant sort of way."

"Distant...thank God. But I'll try to get along with him tonight. After all, he did invite us."

"Oh my God!" Christopher and Karen turned to the direction of the voice. Eric Stone had walked into the restaurant with Carla and Carla stood next to him, with a horrified look on her face. It was she that had screamed. "Eric, Eric, that's him! That is the guy who raped me on New Year's Eve!"

"Carla, are you sure?" said Eric, trying to hide a smile.

"He is the one," she said, walking closer to Christopher. Christopher sat at his table with Karen, staring at Carla. "He is the one that forced me to have sex and got me pregnant!"

It was warm...very warm. The sun shone brightly, reflecting off of the azure ocean water. Gulls flew up ahead, crying their shrill cry. The sand was white and on a bare patch of it, rested a beach chair. A huge Polynesian styled resort hotel overlooked the beach and a waitress carried a tray over to the beach chair.

"Excuse me, would you care for a drink sir?" asked the waitress, with a hint of an accent.

"Drink? Oh yeah. A drink would be nice, thanks." Cliff Barnes turned to the waitress and smiled, taking the drink from her hand.

Freeze frame on Cliff's face...

<--- Previous Episode    Next Episode --->