"J.R. Welcome to my office," he said with a smile as he inhaled.

"Just remember you wouldn't be sitting there if it weren't for me. Now I don't have time for small talk. Let's get down to business. Have you had the papers drawn up that sells me those fields?" J.R. was anxious to get those fields in his possession.

"Well J.R., to be honest, I've been thinking … I'm not sure if I exactly want to sell them. After all, they are very profitable, and could only help April Oil's financial standing. As you know, we are a small company."

J.R.'s face grew red as his lips curled in anger. "Listen you little bastard, I got you this company and I'll take it away--"

"April Fools!" Todd laughed as he inhaled again on his cigarette. "Please, J.R. Those fields are yours. I have the papers right here. I was just trying to lighten things up. You seemed way pissed off." Todd reached into his drawer and pulled out some documents. He quickly signed them and placed them in front of J.R. "Here they are … the biggest find in Texas in the last ten years. And it's all Ewing Oil's … or should I say yours?"

"Mine," J.R. said with a grin as he signed the paper. He took them and got up.

"J.R., I'm neither a sentimental nor particularly kind person, but I do have to thank you for this. I really couldn't have done it without you."

"Your mother said something like that to me years ago, after I helped her get 5% of Ewing Oil. You're no idiot Todd, so I'm going to treat you as I treated her: as a friend. You help me and I'll help you. The nature of this business always calls for a little dirty dealing, and I'd like to be able to count on you in a jam."

Todd put out his cigarette. J.R. Ewing was definitely a valuable ally to have. "Well, you can count on me." Todd paused. "You know J.R., you are very right. It is smart to keep your friends close."

"But you keep your enemies closer," J.R. Ewing said with a smile.

Christopher had calmed down considerably since he last saw Karen. He was furious at her for sleeping with Eric, yes. But he missed her. God, did he miss her. He felt as if their relationship was doomed to be littered with problems what with Carla's baby and, now Karen sleeping with Eric. It seemed as if each day, a new brick was being built into a wall that was dividing Christopher from Karen. Christopher thought back to how sorry and regret-filled Karen looked when she told him that she had slept with Eric. A large chunk of that wall was Christopher not being able to handle his rage about that. He thought of an old childhood game of his, where he and his classmates used to pretend to be a wall themselves, and one player would say the adage, "Can't go over it, can't go under it, can't go around it, gotta go through it." Then, the wall would be broken as the children would laugh, falling to the ground. Christopher realized that he had to break his and Karen's wall. It was the only way.

Pam was walking around the hotel room as if in a daze. Nothing seemed real and yet, in a way, it was all settled. Katherine's car had crashed during the pursuit. According to Mark and the police, there was NO way that she could have survived.

"Pam, honey." Ryanne's gentle voice broke through her thoughts. "You should come and try to rest. The flight's leaving in a couple of hours. This isn't doing you OR the baby any good."

She turned around and shook her head. "I couldn't sleep or rest even if I wanted to." She blinked. "I just realized that with Katherine gone, I don't have any of my family left. First Daddy, then Momma, Cliff and now her."

Ryanne came around the sofa and put her arms around her. "Sssh. Pam, you have Bobby and Christopher and this baby. You still have so much to look forward to."

She tucked Pam's hair behind her ear. "Now if you won't rest. Will you at least try and eat?"

Pam turned her head and smiled. "You know something, you have been more a sister to me in the past little while than Katherine EVER was."

Ryanne returned the smile. "That's because you and I have been best friends forever. I'm thrilled to think, however, that you think of me as a sister."

Pam dried her eyes. "I do. So much so that I want to ask you something and please don't think of it as being pressure. If you don't want to, I'll understand."

Ryanne shook her head. "What is it, Pam?"

She smiled. "I would love it if you would be my baby's godmother … will you?"

Ryanne softly smiled. "I would be very honored to be this baby's godmother."

Pam heard the door open and they both turned to see Mark. "It's time to go."

Miss Ellie had spent the better part of her day finalizing arrangements for the annual Ewing Barbecue, which was now only a few days away. As she sat at the large Southfork dining table, looking over her reading glasses at the guest list, she realized that there was still one loose end to take care of.

I haven't arranged for Gary and Val to be picked up when they arrive, she thought as she ascended the staircase and made her way toward Lucy's room.

She approached the door and lightly knocked. "Lucy, it's me. May I come in for a moment?"

Lucy looked up from the book she was reading and responded, "of course, Gramma, come on in."

As Miss Ellie entered the room, she took note of the book that Lucy lay on her bed reading, The History of the Texas Oil Boom! "My, my, Lucy. You're really serious about this involvement at Ewing Oil, aren't you?"

"Very serious, Gramma. But, you know J.R. He doesn't make it easy, so it's up to me to learn all that I can on my own."

Miss Ellie smiled with pride at her granddaughter. "I'm very proud of you, Lucy. Now, for the reason I came up here in the first place: to get your parents arrival information for the barbecue."

Lucy's eyes grew wide. "Didn't you call them?"

"Well, no. I thought that Sue Ellen and you had decided that you were going to handle that. Remember, to help break through your fears that they don't want to have anything to do with you?"

Lucy laughed out loud as she realized that her parents would never have the chance to spend time with her if she didn't express any interest. "I guess that fear got the best of me, Gramma. I never made the call."

Miss Ellie hurriedly walked over to the phone, picked it up and began dialing. "Oh, Lucy, I hope that their feelings aren't hurt about this. What if they already have other plans now?"

Michelle Stevens sat waiting for her flight back to California. She was still heated about the decision in the court case against her nephew, and was thinking of ways to try to regain her company, and the money that she had lost. She was by no means going to go poor; she had more than enough money to live the lifestyle that she had become accustomed to. But that didn't stop her from wanting more.

She was woken out of her daydream by Todd's voice. "A present for you." He was holding out a card.

Michelle ripped it open, a furious look on her face. Inside, she found a sympathy card. "Sorry for your loss" it read. She threw it in Todd's face. "Cute." She muttered.

"A loss is always hard, no matter how great or how small. Considering I now own millions of your money and your old oil company, I can see why you would be in shock." He laughed. "It's actually quite exhilarating."

"You are disgusting. How can you call yourself a human being? You've stomped all over April's grave!"

"Oh, that's rich. Moral lessons coming from the patron saint of bitchiness. Please, Michelle, look up the word "immoral slut" in the dictionary and guess whose Polaroid we see."

It took all of her strength to remain seated and not murder him on the spot.

"Anyway, just wanted to drop by and wish you well on your way back to the Sunshine State. Oh wait, that's Florida. Whatever. Have a blast. We'll all miss you, and don't worry … April Oil will be just fine." Todd gave a condescending smile and walked away.

He had reached a distance of about a hundred feet when Michelle called out, "This town will destroy you. It killed April, ruined me. You'll be next."

Todd turned around, smiled, and said, "Dallas? Not if I can help it." With that, he turned around and walked away.

As she watched her nephew walk into the distance, Michelle looked on with a blank expression on her face. "That's what we said."

"In international news, Katherine Wentworth, daughter of the late Rebecca and Herbert Wentworth was killed in a high speed car chase through the Paris streets earlier today."

Bobby looked up from reading over a file to see the news report. Reaching for the remote he turned up the volume and heard just how Katherine had died.

"Poor Pam."

He shut the television off and felt guilty that he hadn't called her earlier, as he had planned. But with the crisis he had at work, it had just slipped his mind.

As he was wondering over the time difference, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Honey, it's Pam." Bobby's face lit up. "I was just thinking of you. I'm sorry that I didn't get to call earlier. We were just so busy here, I had a problem with one of the refineries."

When he got no response, he spoke softly. "Honey … I heard about Katherine."

Pam shut her eyes and waited for a moment before speaking. "I never thought that I would say this. She was my only family, since Cliff died. But the bitch got what she deserved. She's finally paid for hurting everyone that I loved."

Bobby didn't like the pain in her voice. "Pammy?"

Pam felt tears coming to the surface and bit her lip. "Bobby, I've learned some things and I really think that we need to talk about them. Will you be home tonight? My flight comes in at 8 and I should be home by 9."

Bobby nodded. "I'll be waiting … Pam?"

Her voice was softer. "Yes?"

He looked at the photo of the two of them that he kept on the desk. "I love you, sweetheart."

That simple statement did what the stress of the day had been unable to and Pam began to cry. "I love you, too."

"… Well, the timing couldn't have worked out better, Gary. We're both very sorry that we didn't get in touch about this earlier." Miss Ellie stood, talking on the phone as Lucy listened intently.

Gary's voice could be heard from the other end of the line. "No, no, Momma. I should have called you by now, myself. So, it's set then?"

"Yes, son. Lucy, Clayton and I will arrive in Knots Landing just in time to attend your big moving back home party, and then we can all come back here to Dallas for the Ewing Barbecue, which is the very next day." Miss Ellie smiled a warm smile at her granddaughter who was obviously excited about going to Knots Landing to pick up her parents. "OK, fine … We'll see you then, son. Lucy sends her love and give our love to Val and the kids … Bye."

"I'm going to Knots Landing to attend a party as the daughter of Gary and Valene Ewing," Lucy beamed.

Christopher, Bobby and Sue Ellen walked into the large West Star conference room together. The stern faces of the board members staring icily at Christopher made him want to just stop in his tracks and leave. But Christopher knew he couldn't. With Karen possibly out of his life, work was one of the only things that he had, not that he had officially started at West Star yet. But he was hopeful for a bright future there. Christopher looked at Bobby and Sue Ellen, both whom reassuringly smiled as they took seats next to him at the head of the conference table.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Christopher began, "my name is Christopher Ewing, for those of you that I've not met. This is my father, Bobby, and my aunt, Sue Ellen. I'm sure you all have met them at one point or another, so I'd like to skip all the introductions and just tell you why I'm here and why this meeting has been called." Christopher paused and tried to think of exactly what he was going to say. "I have recently gained 21% of West Star from Kaitlin Ryan, whom you all know obtained 51% of the stock some time ago. While she still controls 30% of the stock, it has been made clear to me, by way of her legal voting proxy, that any decision I make on how to use her voting shares will be adhered to. So that brings me to why I am here today. Being the majority stockholder next to Kaitlin, and uncontested by her, I am going to be assuming control of West Star."

Mumbles and looks of exclamation and shock swept through the board. Christopher did his best to ignore them, looking at Sue Ellen and Bobby for support. They just quietly listened, each confident that he could handle the situation.

Christopher continued. "I know this is completely shocking and surprising, and probably sounds ludicrous, but hear me out. As you know, my family has been in the oil business for over 60 years … The Ewings have amassed an upstanding reputation, both ethically and financially, through all of the companies we have controlled … Ewing Oil, NorthStar and April Oil, among others." Christopher wanted to laugh at the word ethical, as J.R.'s image immediately popped into his head. He continued, "While I alone do not have experience running an oil company, I am more than eager to learn. I will be at the helm, but not by myself. My father and my aunt will be assisting me and seeing that the day to day operations of West Star do not go ignored, nor the potential for growth and new acquisitions go unpursued. Together, the two of them have countless years of experience in the oil industry. I understand that this is a rather out of the ordinary and unprecedented move on my part, but I feel that West Star under Ewing control can only grow bigger and better. Thank you." Christopher let out a huge sigh of relief, having said his peace.

He looked at Bobby and Sue Ellen, who silently smiled back, filled with pride. Christopher asked them if they were ready to go, and both responded positively. Before exiting, Christopher turned around and addressed the board once more. "If there are any problems, please contact my secretary, Lenore. She will forward any messages to me. Again, I hope there will be no problem with this recent change of events. As the controller of 21% of the stock, and by extension Ms. Ryan's 30%, I should hope there won't be."

"OK, what is it, Pam? You're being torn apart by something and I know that it's NOT Katherine. " Pam came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed beside Bobby. "Katherine is dead, but her evil lives forever. She sent me a letter in which she says that it wasn't Mark's illness that killed Alexander. It was MINE."

Bobby looked up and shook his head. "Excuse me?"

Pam took a deep breath. "According to Katherine's letter, I wasn't Hutch McKinney's daughter after all. Momma was wrong. I'm really Digger's daughter. Which means Alexander died from Neurofibromatosis."

Bobby shook his head. "Katherine lies." He corrected himself: "lied." He took her hand. "Pam, she was trying to get back at you. She would tell you anything if it meant YOU were in pain. How else to do that but by saying that a disease that caused you so much turmoil before was the reason for the child dying AND causing a dark cloud to come over our new baby."

Pam rested her head on his shoulder. "Pam, listen to me. If it would make you feel better. We'll go and have tests run tomorrow for you. This way, you can see that you're NOT Digger's. You and I and our baby will be having a happy future."

She shook her head. "Bobby, you don't know how much I WANTto believe you." He turned his head and kissed her. "Then you should. I predict nothing but smooth sailing from here on out."

Pam lifted her head. "Who are you trying to kid? When you're a Ewing, NOTHING is smooth sailing."

He smiled. "That's true. But TRY to act like you believe me."

She laced her fingers into his. "I do, but Katherine always has a way of coming back to haunt me."

Todd strolled around his new penthouse apartment, his first purchase with his newfound wealth. The place was in the midst of being decorated, as Todd had movers in and out all day with the furniture that he had ordered. A smile was plastered on his face as he walked throughout the living room to the dining room. Not only because of his pride for his new setup, but for what was about to occur. He was having a dinner party, and a few of his closest friends would be attending. And the fireworks would fly.

Christopher stepped off the elevator and made his way down the hall to Todd's door. As he was about to knock, the second elevator opened with a ding. He turned around to see Karen step out, looking gorgeous. Christopher was taken by surprise. Todd had not informed him that Karen would be coming, but he was by no means complaining. Karen looked equally as shocked when she saw Christopher.

"Christopher! Oh, my God."

"Hi." Christopher wasn't sure what he should say. A million thoughts rushed through his head, but he didn't know how to say anything. Luckily, Karen spoke first.

"We need to talk," she said.

"Yeah."

"Are you here for dinner?"

"Yeah, Todd called me earlier. I guess this is his new place. He said he won the court case against Michelle."

"Yes, he told me." She paused. "After dinner, do you want to go get coffee or something? Talk?"

Christopher smiled. "I'd love too," he said.

They stood side by side as he knocked on the door.

Todd greeted Karen and Christopher with excitement, and admitted to not telling them that the other was coming. He motioned for them to sit on the couch, and made idle chit-chat as he lit up a cigarette.

After a while, Christopher asked, "So, you're a millionaire. How do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks, if you want the cheesy response," Todd said with a smile.

"If you don't mind me asking," Karen said, "how did you manage to win the case? I mean, how did you pay for it? Lawyers are not cheap. Trust me, my Dad's one. I've seen what he charges."

"Oh, Eric paid for my legal fees." Karen and Christopher looked on in shock, both of them made uncomfortable by the sound of Eric's name.

"What?" they both asked in unison, but the sound of the doorbell cut them off.

"Ah, the final guest. It'll all become clear in a second." Todd made his way over to the door, and opened it. Eric Stone stood in the doorway, not looking pleased. He wondered why Todd had called him. He was shocked to see Karen sitting on the couch. His face turned into a grimace with the sight of Christopher right next to her. He made his way over to them while Todd shut the door.

"Karen, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Todd invited me. What are you doing here?" she retorted.

"Same thing. He called me earlier."

Todd walked over to them and sat down in a chair opposite the couch. He inhaled his cigarette again before speaking. "Well, now that you've made that brilliant deduction, Eric, I can take over from here." He paused. "As I was saying to Christopher and Karen, you were the one that paid for my court case, isn't that right?"

Eric had no idea what he was talking about. Todd had decided that he should cover his tracks in his relationship with J.R. After all, people would wonder how a dirt-poor kid like him could pay for a high priced attorney. Todd decided to use Eric as his scapegoat.

Todd noted Eric's confused look and continued. "C'mon, don't look confused, Eric! Remember that million dollars that you gave me? Well, guess what? It went to a good cause, because it won me the case and paid for this lovely abode that we are sitting in now." Now everyone was confused. Todd decided that the time was right. He turned to Karen and Christopher.

"Yep, it's true. He paid for it." Todd was lying through his teeth. "Want to know why?" Eric's eyes bulged as he tried to suppress his anxiety. Todd looked at him and smiled. "Well Karen, you've got a great friend and admirer in Mr. Stone here. He loved you and wanted you SO much that he really did just about anything to get you."

Eric got up and screamed, "You move and I'll kill you."

Todd was making his way over to the stereo when he turned around. "Oh, sit down and shut up … Show's not over yet." Todd turned on the stereo and pressed play on the tape deck. Todd's whole conversation with Carla, as well as Eric's answering message were played. Eric's eyes did not leave the floor, while Christopher and Karen listened on in shock. Todd just smiled and smoked.

"Oh … my … God," Christopher muttered when it was over.

Karen was shaking with anger, but managed to look directly into Eric's eyes. "Is this true!?!" she screamed. Eric couldn't answer her. Todd piped in, "Oh believe it, honey, the tapes don't lie."

Karen got up, stormed right over to Eric and slapped him across the face. "Get out! I never want to see you again."

Eric grabbed his stinging cheek and looked at Karen, his eyes filled with a mixture of hurt and rage. He looked at Todd, who replied "You're so screwed," with a little laugh. He also ordered Eric to leave.

Eric looked directly at Todd and screamed, "You are going to pay for this. I'll get you when you least expect it, and that is a promise. Watch your back, all of you." He stared directly at all of them before storming out. Christopher was still in shock. He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Finally, he spoke. "Todd, what was this all about?"

"It was about revealing the truth. Eric screwed you both over. He paid Carla to lie and say that she was pregnant with your baby, when he really knocked her up. Then, he doctored the paternity tests so Karen would get pissed at you, and he could get her all for himself. It's simple. He's a louse."

Karen, still raging with anger, added "Why did he pay for your legal fees then? And how did you get this tape?"

"Well, I was suspicious of him from the get-go, Karen. I gotta be honest with you. So, I did some investigating and I met with Miss Thornton and she told me everything. I took the liberty of stealing her answering machine messages for myself. As for my legal fees, I approached Eric with my information, and got a million bucks out of him. I know it wasn't exactly the most moral thing to do … I should have immediately come to both of you. But I decided to have a little fun with him, screw him over like he screwed you guys over. Plus, he paid for my lawyer's bills. I gotta admit there was that selfish angle. Are you guys pissed?"

"Not at all," Christopher jubilantly said as he sprinted out of his seat. "I want to thank you." Karen remained seated, still in shock, but let Todd know that it was OK. After all, he really messed with Eric, which neitheir Christopher nor Karen could disapprove of.

"Well then, " Todd said, "You two get out of here. A lot of things need to be discussed. I'll talk to you both soon." Todd showed them out, and closed the door behind them. Mission accomplished, he thought. He sat down on his couch and dozed into sleep, with visions of a giant bed of money encircling him.

Cliff Barnes wasn't exactly having visions of money …

He stood in front of the bed in his luxury condo in Hawaii, staring down at a suitcase half full of clothes. He never meant for them to think he was dead, but fate had made it turn out that way. Cliff had decided to get the hell out of Texas on the spur of the moment while at Pam's wedding. To this day, he still wasn't sure exactly why, but Lucy and Afton had something to do with it. He felt as if he were smothering back in Dallas. My God, I killed a woman and dumped her body in a lake for crying out loud!. Cliff didn't want his family to go through the pain of losing him, but it had turned out for the best and had really given him the opportunity to clear his head. It wasn't until later that Cliff thought about the will. They would all be fighting over his company now, but Cliff intended to return to Dallas before any one of them gained control. When he returned, he'd use that company to finally put an end to J.R. and Ewing Oil. Cliff put his picture of Lucy into his suitcase as he closed it shut.

"Lucy, by this time tomorrow, you and I will be together again." Cliff picked up his suitcase, took one last glance around the condo, and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

J.R. smiled and stretched his arms as he sat at his desk at Ewing Oil. Things were going absolutely great with his plan. The time period for Cliff's will was almost up. Just two more days before the meeting and J.R. was confidant Sue Ellen would take control, though she didn't know it yet. Lucy was off playing the good child to his no good brother Gary and his wife Val. Afton—well, he hadn't even seen or heard from Afton in weeks. Pam was busy chasing Katherine all over the world and Pamela Rebecca had just suddenly taken a vacation. The thing was, J.R. hadn't planned any of it. Chances were that all of them would miss the meeting, therefore automatically being disqualified from taking the company.

He turned to the painting of Jock that hung behind his desk. "Well Daddy, I don't think it could be going any better if I had planned it myself."

Karen and Christopher had stopped in the first coffee shop that they saw. They both knew they needed to talk, but were too shaken by Todd's revelation to do so until they were seated, and had ordered two large cups of coffee. Christopher and Karen looked directly into each other's eyes, and could not stop. They both loved each other so much. Christopher thought aloud, and asked Karen, "What happened? How did we get here? How did this all happen?"

Karen gave a little laugh. "Well, Todd played us a tape that said Eric is the father of Carla's baby and faked some tests to make it seem like you were. We got to this coffee shop by walking two blocks. And to be honest, I don't know how the hell any of this mess began. I'm sick of it. I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Why don't you come back to Southfork?"

"Christopher, I slept with Eric. I'm ashamed to say it, but I did. Can you just easily forget about that?"

"Karen, I slept with Carla. Can you forget about that? We were both stupid, and we realize how stupid we were. I wish I could go back in time and change everything …"

"Me too. I was hurt, and was vulnerable. Eric took advantage of that. He was the only one that would listen."

"I can't take it at Southfork anymore with you not there. I don't care that you slept with Eric, it was a mistake. I made a mistake, too. But I can't be away from you anymore. Please come back home."

Karen only needed to look into his eyes once. "Yes!" she shouted and practically leaped over the table to hug him. Christopher Ewing almost started crying with joy.

"We will be careful out there, JR. And thank you for arranging the plane for us at the last minute." Miss Ellie spoke into her cell phone, talking to her son from the small airstrip where the Ewing jet was stored.

"Yeah, we'll have to be since we'll be on Abby's home turf," Lucy said snidely, under her breath.

Clayton chuckled and moved right past the statement. "Ladies, I believe the plane is ready for us now. Have you both got everything?"

"Yeah, yeah, Clayton, come on! Let's go!" Lucy bounded toward the plane, leaving her bags behind for someone else to worry with.

Miss Ellie put her hand to her head and said, "her excitement is about to wear me out, Clayton. I'll be glad when we get there."

Clayton smiled, as he grabbed Lucy's left behind bags and waited for Miss Ellie to make her way toward the plane first. "Can you blame her, Ellie? Think of what this trip must mean to her."

Miss Ellie smiled. "I know. It means a lot to me, too. Gary tells me that the rebuild of the homes that were lost in the earthquake last year has gone very well and I'm proud to have helped with that."

The two made their way to the jet and boarded to find Lucy driving the pilot insane with a million questions about the flight. "Should we get her off of him or just enjoy the few minutes peace we're getting because of it?" Clayton said, laughing.

"Gramma! Clayton! What took you so long? Let's go!" Lucy ushered her grandparents to their seats and, minutes later, the plane was rolling toward the runway.

As it bounded into the air, Lucy exclaimed, "Knots Landing, here we come!"

"Roy!" Afton looked around the studio, but didn't see Roy.

"Right here. That you, Afton?"

"Yes, it's me." Afton smiled as Roy walked out into view. "Roy, let me just say this. I'm sorry for everything. My life is sorted out now and I can get back to work."

"Not as sorry as I am, Afton. You were a great talent and you would have been great for the show."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'would' have?"

"Afton, we don't have time for you anymore. You were gone for almost three weeks. This show goes on the air next week and the first twelve episodes have already been taped."

Afton laughed. "How could you have taped the episodes when I wasn't even here?"

"You've been replaced. You no longer work on this show."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"Replaced by who?"

Roy looked behind him to where several makeup artists gathered around a woman. "Hey, Sugar, could you come here, please?"

The makeup artists moved and a woman stood up. She was in her early 40s, but she was still ravishingly beautiful. Her long brown hair blew behind her as she walked towards them. "Yes?"

"Afton Cooper, I'd like for you to meet Mandy Winger, the new star of Dallas Dish."

Stay tuned for the 1999 Ewing Barbecue, our season three finale, on Saturday, May 22nd! (Note that there won't be an episode on Saturday, May 15)

And on Thursday, May 20, follow Miss Ellie, Clayton, and Lucy to California as they attend the SeaView Circle Block Party during the Knots Landing Reborn season finale!

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