 Southfork Ranch J.R. was still fuming when he walked into the door at Southfork. He saw Clayton and Miss Ellie pulling out as he pulled in, so he knew that they weren't home. He hadn't seen hide or hair of Bobby since yesterday, and he assumed that all the kids were at school. The last person he wanted to see was Donna come strolling out of the living room and stand in the doorway to the hall. “They kick you out of office yet?” He asked as he perused the mail that had come.
“Make it a permanent vacation honey, and I'll be happy.” “Hey, watch it,” Ray came out of the living room. “Oh great. You back with him? Great.” J.R. rolled his eyes. “What's your problem?” Ray asked. He was not in a mood for J.R.'s behavior. J.R. ignored that. Ray kept prodding. “Mad because you're not getting away with that custody suit?” J.R. just gave Ray a sideways glance of disgust. “Shut up Ray.” “I'm glad things turned out the way they did. Justin's a good kid, but still young enough to be poisoned by you. Now at least we know he's going to turn out OK.” J.R. turned to his half-brother and walked a little bit closer to him. Donna was standing right next to him. “I wouldn't talk Ray. Your boy's libel to end up pretty bad. Psycho for a mother, idiot for a father. It's no wonder why Daddy didn't claim you as his own until right before he died.” Ray pointed his finger right in J.R.'s face. “Are you ever happy? Or do you get off on ruining people's lives?” Donna just looked disgusted next to them. “I'd been a hell of lot happier if that story I placed got you both the hell out of Texas.” There was a deafening silence for a moment, interrupted by Pam's voice nearly screaming “WHAT?” from the stairway. All three turned around to see her descend the steps. “What did you just say?” Donna said. Her eyes tightened. She hoped she did not hear what she thought she did. J.R. just ignored her and tried to walk past her. Ray grabbed his collar and almost pinned him up against the wall. “I should have known it was you!” Pam had now joined Donna near the base of the stairs. Ray continued. “You are going to pay for that you bastard! Donna could have been killed!” “Get offa me,” J.R. struggled.
Ray grudgingly complied with his wife. Donna, now infuriated, walked right past Ray and slapped J.R. clear across the face. “You are disgusting! I cannot believe that even you are capable of this behavior. Did you know that my life was threatened? Margaret's life? How would you like that hanging on your conscience?” “Someone would have put that story out anyway...” J.R. feebly tried to say. “Don't you even talk! You are the most pathetic, disgusting, evil human being that has ever lived! J.R. Ewing, you have pulled a LOT of stunts in your time, but this by far is the worst. I can never forgive you. You disgust me.” Donna closed her eyes, almost as if to calm herself. “I never want to see you again.” This time she looked him dead in the eyes. Her eyes were filled with malice. “I have never said I hated a human being before in my life. But I hate you.” Donna stormed out, making her way towards the back hallway. Ray made motions to follow her, but before he could move, Pam had blocked his path and was right in J.R.'s face. “I should have known that things wouldn't have changed. You're a different man now? HA! You're exactly the same!” Pam was screaming. J.R. wondered what the hell Pam had to do with any of this. Pam was nearly hysterical. Bobby had left her because of this... She still couldn't accept the fact that he was the father of Donna's baby. He never told her! They had been married so long, and he never told her---and all those years that Donna was at Southfork! But damn J.R.! He was the one that brought this whole abortion thing to light. It was because of this that Bobby had left, and she had no idea where he was, and that she was so angry and confused. How many times had he done that… “If I didn't have enough respect for Miss Ellie I'd strangle you right here!” she screamed. “You are vile!” “What is wrong with you?” J.R. said. “You're all crazy, all three of you.” He walked into the dining room. It hadn't registered that he had actually revealed that he was behind the whole abortion story leakage. He didn't care: he had lost Justin. He had been defeated. He was too dejected to care about anything. In the hallway, Ray and Pam didn't even look at each other. She just stormed upstairs, while he went off to find Donna. As he made his way into the back hallway, Ray felt a mixture of disgust and confusion. How dare J.R. do that! Should he be surprised? It was such typical behavior. But why did Pam react that way? Unless she knew about Bobby being the father…. Pam headed upstairs, and fell onto her bed crying. Where was Bobby? Why did everything have to be complicated all the time? They were finally happy: they had Grace. Now everything was falling apart. Christopher was drinking, Bobby was gone and Pam had blown up at him. She was enraged. J.R. was responsible. This wouldn't have happened if not for him. Just like it had always been. Donna was sitting on the patio, crying. She hated J.R. Ewing. As Donna and Pam continued to cry, and Ray walked onto the patio, they all had a similar thought: how much better the world would be if J.R. was not in it.
Karen's mood had really bothered Eric. She hadn't said two words since they got back from seeing Austin. The only reason she wanted to see him was to make sure he was alright, wasn't it? He wasn't sure how to approach it, but he was sure she needed to talk. Eric fully intended to have his shoulder available when she needed one to cry on. “Eric,” Karen suddenly said quietly, “when is our flight back to Dallas?” “Late this evening. It was the first I could get…and I know you're probably ready to get back to Dallas, away from all of these memories.” “Maybe.” Karen still seemed distant. “Look, I want to go see my sister and father before I go back home.” “Sure. Would you like me to go, or had you rather I not?” “I want to go by myself…if that's okay?” Eric nodded. “No problem. I'll just be here whenever you come back. Just make sure you're back by six.” “Okay Mom,” Karen joked. Eric wondered why there had been a sudden change in her mood. Karen grabbed her jacket and the car keys and then she left the hotel room.
Sue Ellen Ewing was the last person Pam wanted to run into. She greeted her with an abrupt and coarse “hi”, and then continued on her way. Sue Ellen stopped on the staircase and turned around, following Pam down to the living room. “Pam, we need to talk.” “I have nothing to say to you.” “Please listen to me. Our friendship has been through so many trials and tribulations, I'd hate to think that something like this would ruin it.”
“I'm sorry Pam. If I could go back and change that, I would.” “Well as far as I know, you can't.” “You know how much I care about Christopher. He's my nephew and I definitely don't want to see him hurt.” “You have a strange way of showing how much you care.” Sue Ellen was getting angry and frustrated. She noticed that something else seemed to be bothering Pam—something that was helping to feed her frustration over Christopher. “Will you please listen to me! I thought Christopher had his drinking under control, or I wouldn't have told you.” “Coming from anyone but a lifetime alcoholic, I might believe that. But I know that you are experienced enough to know that his drinking was not under control. And that Sue Ellen, is all I have to say to you about this.”
Night had fallen before Karen made it back to the hotel room. It was after six p.m. before she even realized it.
“Karen, I've been so worried about you! I thought you had an accident or something.”
“The visit went great. Can we go? I'm dying to get out of this place and get back home.”
Eric wondered why she was in such a hurry. He would have done almost anything to stay here with her for another night. “Sure. I've got everything packed up. We'll have to hurry to make it to the airport before the plane leaves.”
Karen eagerly nodded and then she grabbed one of the suitcases from the bed. Eric took the other one and they followed. The checkout process took about five minutes, but that five-minute wait was one of the longest ones Karen ever had to endure. She breathed a sigh of relief, when five minutes later; they were on their way. Karen knew she had to break the news to Eric sometime—it might as well be now.
She noticed Eric continually looking in the rearview mirror. Had he seen him? “Eric, what's wrong?”
“Nothing. At least I don't think so. There's a cop back there that's been following us since we left the hotel.”
Karen's blood ran cold and her tongue turned into nothing but a dry lump in her mouth. It was almost too heavy for her to speak. “No…” she whispered under her breath.
The patrol car's sirens and lights suddenly came to life and Karen's heart beat so fast she thought she would die if she couldn't slow it down. “Damn!” Eric yelled. “What does he want? I'm not even speeding or anything.”
Karen grabbed on to her seatbelt with her sweaty hand. “Eric…”
“What?” he asked, irritated.
“Don't pull over.”
“What? Why the hell not?” Eric was scared. He had never been stopped by a cop before...he'd had no experience with this sort of thing.
“Because we'll be arrested for kidnapping…” Karen said, matter-of-factly.
The small blanketed form on the back seat suddenly sat up. It was Austin. “Where am I?”
Eric's heart almost stopped and his face froze in horror. The sirens wailed louder and the lights reflected in his face. Without even thinking, Eric slammed his foot on the accelerator.
Back in the patrol car, the officer barked an order into the radio. “This is Jebsen, calling for back-up about five miles onto West Ridge Road. I've got the suspects in sight and I don't think they're wanting to cooperate with us…”
His jaw hurt and his face stung, so J.R. was not in a good mood when he walked back into the Ewing Oil offices. It was early evening, and the sun had just set across the Dallas skyline. The outer office was abandoned, as Sly, Phyllis and Janice had already gone home. J.R. was glad. He didn't want to deal with anyone else. Not after the day he had.
When he saw that his office door was open, and that there was a small light coming from inside he got curious. He walked briskly in, and saw that there was someone sitting in his chair, facing out onto the Dallas skyline. The tiny desklamp that he had illuminated only a small portion of the room. Hearing J.R.'s approach, the chair began to swivel. Sue Ellen smiled at her husband, her legs crossed, her left hand playing with a pencil.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, annoyed.
“Just deciding what I want to do with this space. It is such a large office after all.”
“What are you talking about?” J.R. asked crudely, almost as if Sue Ellen was stupid. “This is my office. Get out Sue Ellen, I'm in no mood for you.”
“Oh, we're going to have to talk about this,” she said with mock concern. “I mean, we really need to start agreeing if we're going to work together.”
J.R. put his briefcase on the chair. “What kind of crazy talk are you mumbling?”
“Oh, I didn't tell you?” Her voice was light and airy, with feigned confusion. “I own 50% of this company.”
J.R. just stared. Sue Ellen smiled.
Finally, he spoke. “That's impossible.”
“Is it? I have all the documents. I can show you if you like.”
“Quit the drinking, Sue Ellen. It's making you nuts.”
“Actually I was quite sober when our son came in today and offered me his 25%. Remember, Lucy just controls it.”
J.R. couldn't believe his ears. Did John Ross really do that? “He wouldn't do that.”
“Well he did. He's not exactly pleased with you, if you couldn't tell.”
J.R. was in shock. “It doesn't add up. Even with that 25%, I still have majority control.” Sue Ellen only had 15.5% before.
“Well, according to my calculations it does. John Ross's 25% and Todd's 8% make 33%, and along with Gary's 7.5% that's 40.5%. Oh yes, and of course there's Jack's 7.5% and Christopher's 2%.” Sue Ellen paused at looked at her ex-husband, her eyes forming into a shape of faux concern. “Oh, but you didn't know I owned that did you?”
J.R. didn't speak and the room fell silent. “I'm going to get it back. I'm not going to have you disgracing my daddy's company.”
|
“Well it's nice to see you too J.R.,” she said. “I decided to take a long weekend.” 
“Ray, let him go!” Donna demanded. She couldn't believe this was happening. J.R. was really behind this all? “Ray!” Donna was just going through the motions. Her mind didn't know what to settle on. She knew J.R. was horrible, but this was a new low…..
Pam's eyes grew wide. “Something like this? Something like my son's life you mean? He could have been killed because you were too occupied fighting J.R. that you didn't have the time to tell me. Sue Ellen, I am sorry, but that is no excuse.” 
“That's the wonderful thing, J.R. I won't be, because you're still going to be around.” She swiveled her chair a little to the right and got up. Grabbing her purse, she strode triumphantly to the door. Right as she got to the doorway, she turned around again. “After all, we're partners.”