Actually, the number two has always played a part in any successful soap opera- or fan fiction site. Strong romantic pairings are the bread and butter of the soap opera. This is especially true on RTS; the focus on relationships was always an important strength of the TV show, DALLAS, and RTS has continued the tradition on the fan fiction site.

With that in mind, here are my picks for the following couple-related categories:

Best Love Story: Bobby and Pam Ewing

Pam and Bobby have been through more grief together than any couple I've ever known- and, mind you, I'm just talking about the RTS run! Let's review: Pam returned from the dead just in time to hear about Bobby's presumed death in Switzerland. Upon his return, she had to contend with a jealous- and, as it happened, nuts- Jenna Wade for Bobby's affections. Then, she faced multiple murder charges, as well as a charge for J.R.'s attempted murder, after the fire on the Oil Baron cruise. Those charges were only cleared up on Halloween night upon finding Jenna, dead after hanging herself. Let's see- am I into the third season yet? Yes- but just barely.

The appealing thing about Pam and Bobby is that, no matter what in life antagonizes them, they (usually) confront it head-on, TOGETHER. (OK, Pam went off on her own after Bobby told her about his child by Donna. At least he did come back to work through it with her- admittedly, a few months later, but that was Rex's fault...)

Then again, Pam and Bobby have also known more joy since their reunion two years ago. Their son, Chris, has provided them with their first grandchildren (first Megan- finally!- and then Austin). They have realized their dream of conceiving their own children (three times, so far). Heck, Pam even managed a brief truce with J.R., of all people. Now THAT'S joy.

No matter what life throws at these two, it's comforting to know that they're almost always on the same side of an issue, and are ready to resolve their problems by working together. Would you expect any less, though, from a couple who had to wait eleven years to be reunited?

Worst Love Story: Cliff Barnes and Afton Cooper

The main problem with this story is that I'm not entirely convinced that Cliff and Afton love each other- at least not on any consistent basis.

It's a shame, too, particularly after what Cliff went through four years ago in trying to locate Afton. After finding her (in a sanitarium- yet another item for which he can thank J. R.), releasing her, introducing himself to his heretofore-unknown daughter, and finally marrying Afton mere weeks later, the three of them settled down together in domestic bliss in a house located in Dallas.

Only a few episodes later, though, their union had veered wildly off course. Cliff had managed to stray from Afton yet again- at the Ewing barbecue, with Lucy Ewing of all people. Having discovered them in the afterglow, Afton had secretly vowed revenge against Cliff; she even enlisted J.R.- the man responsible for her imprisonment in the sanitarium- to help her in this endeavor.

The final nail in the coffin came for this union when Cliff came home, stinking drunk, following his fling with Lucy. Upon waking up the next morning on the couch (Afton having banished him from their bedroom for the night), he inexplicably retired to the kitchen to continue his alcohol binge. Once Afton had had enough and tried to stop him from drinking further, he turned on her- and her thoughts turned from revenge to mere survival. She fled to their bedroom, locking the door. She retrieved a handgun from a dresser while Cliff tried to bash down the locked door. She never thought she would actually need the gun, especially since Cliff hit the floor without stirring after succeeding in breaking down the door. The reprieve was only temporary, though; Cliff got up and grabbed her, actually hitting her once. Afton pulled free and, before Cliff could do anything else, she shot him three times.

Cliff isn't completely blameless in this story. He does have a history of self-absorption, among other character flaws. His fling with Lucy did start the downward spiral of his marriage- and his drinking didn't help matters, either. For the most part, though, Afton's quest for revenge on Cliff was the driving force of their story. Panicked at the prospect of going to jail for shooting, she decided to lie about her relationship with Cliff; she announced that Cliff had been hitting her for years- on the Oil Baron's cruise, no less. She refused Cliff's invitation to the cruise, accepting one from J. R. instead- and had an affair with him, having previously informed her husband that their marriage was over. She then lied to Cliff, claiming he was responsible for the resulting pregnancy, and used it to force a reconciliation on her terms: a light community service sentence for her, and anger management classes for him. That reconciliation fell through, though, once Cliff learned that J. R. was the father of the baby that Afton ended up losing after falling down some basement steps.

Their recent attempt at reconciliation failed when they discovered Cliff's suddenly undead wife, Jamie Ewing Barnes- on their honeymoon! Following the established pattern that has now formed the basis of their relationship, Afton refused to give Cliff any time to make a decision between the two of them. Following an argument in which the couple pushed each other's buttons in the worst way possible, Afton did vacate their home; after a temporary stay in a dive motel, she found refuge with Rex Wentworth, Cliff's half brother- and enemy.

That doesn't sound like much of a love story, does it? Well, it isn't. It's difficult to see what these two ever saw in each other, inasmuch as they continue to hurt and alienate each other by spells.

Most Intriguing Couple: Todd Foster and Janice Kelly

Separately, Todd Foster and Janice Kelly are as sarcastic and dry-witted as they come. Together, though, they are exactly twice as sarcastic and dry-witted as they come. (I did mention that I'm a mathematician, right?)

Todd has always been an entertaining character; he has a warped viewpoint unlike any other character I've ever seen- or read. His take on life did make me wonder, however, if he was capable of sustaining any level of romantic relationship with a woman.

Enter Janice Kelly- Phyllis' daughter. (Just don't call her that, though, or she might go ballistic on you...) Janice came onto the RTS scene like a breath of- um, nicotine-laced air (like Todd, she also smokes). Normally, it would take time for a newcomer to be matched with another character and have it work well. Janice, however, immediately grabbed my attention, with her sarcastic streak and dry sense of humor. She also immediately caught Todd's attention- and left him completely baffled as he tried to sort out these new feelings he'd never previously experienced.

These two were fascinating to read about as their relationship proceeded. They could be hilarious together; they brought to RTS some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read on a fan fiction site. Their unintentional stay in the Ewing Oil elevator, Janice's ranting and raving about her relationship with Phyllis, and Todd's tribute to macaroni-and-cheese had me cracking up.

At the same time, their serious moments were equally interesting, and poignant. Janice was able to break through Todd's wall- at least a little bit- as he talked about his little-seen adoptive father. Their exchange of those three little words (no, not "Pass the salt"- those other three words; I guess their sarcasm is contagious) to each other, mere minutes into the New Year, was just perfect.

We'll never know how this couple would have worked out (except in J.R.'s Christmas dream- they did end up getting married there). Eric Stone broke up Todd's relationship with Janice to get back at Todd for his role in spoiling Eric's quest for Karen Ewing's attention. While they were together, though, Todd and Janice's short courtship made for fascinating reading.

Most Tortured Couple: Christopher and Karen Ewing

Let's make one thing clear right now: I love these two characters together. Christopher is clearly a better match for Karen than John Ross turned out to be. They've had to endure more pain, though, in their short time together than any other young couple I've ever seen.

At the time they realized the attraction between them, Karen was still technically the fiancée of John Ross- Christopher's cousin- who had been seriously injured in a car crash. Karen was compelled to continue the charade, even accepting John Ross' marriage proposal after he woke up from his coma (and forcing Christopher to agree to be his best man!). Eventually, though, John Ross was told the truth and released Karen to be with Christopher; they ended up eloping to Las Vegas (smart move- no Southfork wedding for these two!).

Then things started to happen quickly. (You'll pardon me if I just hit the high points here. Er, low points- whatever.) An innocent misunderstanding on New Year's Eve resulted in Christopher's drunken one-night stand with a stripper. Not long after, blood tests done on Megan, performed after the bombing at Southfork in which Megan was seriously injured, revealed that John Ross could not possibly be Megan's father. Christopher remembered his own one night with Pamela Rebecca, and realized that he must be Megan's father.

Karen handled Megan's paternity well enough- she hadn't even known Christopher at the time- but was far less forgiving when the truth about his tryst with Carla- and the resulting pregnancy- was revealed. Carla coerced Chris into submitting to a paternity test- and just when it seemed that Karen was ready to forgive Chris for his transgression, Carla confronted them with the news that Chris was, in fact, the father of her child. This sent Karen running straight into Eric's arms- and bed. Only through Todd Foster's intervention was the matter resolved; Todd presented proof to Chris and Karen that Eric actually fathered Carla's child, then blackmailed a doctor into fixing the paternity tests so that Chris would be revealed as the father.

Just when things started to get back on track for these two, Chris and Karen argued about his plans to sign over control of his Weststar stock to J. R. (What was he thinking?) Karen went back home to get some space from Chris, and to see her family- and returned to Dallas a drug addict. An old boyfriend injected her with heroin in an attempt to reclaim her for himself. Chris and Karen's sister, Kimberly, were able to rescue her from the boyfriend- but it took time and, ultimately, Chris committing her to a drug rehab center, before she was able to conquer her drug addiction once and for all.

In her absence, Christopher's life began to crumble. He had planned to sue Pamela Rebecca for custody of Megan. J. R., however, threatened to leak Karen's addiction to the press if Chris didn't surrender his Weststar stock to him. Between this, Karen's situation and Westar's board demanding his resignation, Christopher started his battle with alcoholism.

When Karen emerged from the rehab center, clean and sober, her relationship with Christopher was initially cool and distant- though she was sympathetic when he told her that he wasn't Megan's father, after all (courtesy of Pamela Rebecca and Eric). She decided she needed a life independent of Chris, and started volunteering at the cancer ward of a hospital. Eventually, they were able to make up. Unfortunately, Karen became preoccupied with the son she had given up for adoption. She went to visit him at his adoptive home in Pennsylvania- with Eric Stone, of all people- and ended up kidnapping him, with Eric's unknowing help.

Need I go on? I didn't think so.

Fortunately, things are looking better for this pair now; Karen and Chris have won custody of her son, Austin- and of Megan (who was revealed to be Christopher's daughter once and for all). Currently, they're considering adopting the boy in the cancer ward who had prompted Karen to seek out her own son in the first place. Let's just hope Chris and Karen enjoy some "down time" for a while; they certainly have earned it. (For that matter, so have we...)

Most Entertaining Couple: J. R. and Sue Ellen Ewing

Any scene that features both J. R. and Sue Ellen fairly vibrates with electricity. That's a rare enough feat for a current couple, but remember: these two have been divorced for over a decade.

These two know how to trade barbs with style- no surprise here, as they've been doing it for years. RTS has captured that magic well; the first Oil Baron's cruise, and, more recently, their joint imprisonment in the Southfork cellar at the most recent Ewing barbecue, had me cracking up- and there are many more moments like that between them.

When the situation calls for it, though, they are more than capable of spitting out real venom at each other. Usually, this happens as the result of one of J. R.'s schemes. When it was revealed that he was responsible for tampering with the car in which John Ross crashed, Sue Ellen's reaction was understandable, yet riveting:

"...You're going to pay for every single month John Ross was in a coma. I'm going to hit you where you'll hurt the most. I'm going to get Abby's shares of Ewing Oil and use them to make your life a living hell..."

She did it, too- and then some.

More recently, though, their interactions have taken on a different type of electricity. Neither J. R. nor Sue Ellen seems to know what to do about the kiss they shared in Arkansas, following their successful business trip in Alaska. Could reconciliation be on the horizon? Anything is possible with this couple. After all, no man has challenged Sue Ellen like J. R. has- and no woman has been able to hold J.R.'s attention in quite the same way that Sue Ellen does. Stay tuned...

Most Boring Couple: Cliff Barnes and Jamie Ewing Barnes

All right- they were separated for over a decade. (Seems to be a common theme in Dallas, doesn't it?) When Cliff found Jamie in Mexico with her savior/captor, Stefan, he rescued her and brought her home to Dallas. With his marriage to Afton invalidated- and Jamie's memory being a little suspect in many areas-he agreed to give his relationship with Jamie another try.

And then- nothing.

They kissed a couple of times, true- even once in public- but for the most part, you would never have pegged these two as a married couple during their recent short time together. In public, at least, they projected a united front; they started embarrassing fights with Rex and Afton, respectively, at the Oil Baron's Club to defend each other. Cliff was never really able to tell Jamie that he loved her, though- and as time went by, it became increasingly clear that Cliff had no romantic interest in Jamie. He started to bring more of his office work home, and he spent any extra time there watching sports on TV.

Eventually, Jamie learned the truth about their initial union: Cliff had married her to get his hands on Ewing Oil, as part of the long-running Ewing-Barnes feud- and had never loved her. At first, Cliff wanted nothing to do with rehashing the past. He did come to his senses eventually, though, and had a real conversation with Jamie. He admitted that he was still in love with Afton. Jamie thereby released him from their marriage, and left town to visit friends in Arizona.

It's regrettable that this RTS pairing was so bland, since it was based on a pairing from the TV series. On the other hand, I don't remember being all that fascinated by the TV pairing, either...

IT'S YOUR TURN

All right- I've had my say. Now we want to hear from you. Step down to the voting box below and tell us what couples you would pick as your favorite and least favorite- and why: