"Hey."

John Ross turned from his place at the dining room table to see his cousin, Christopher standing in the dining room doorway. "Hey."

Christopher pushed off the door frame and joined his cousin at the dining room table, nursing a late-morning cup of coffee. Since J.R.'s funeral the day before, they'd all been exhausted and consequently slept in. However, John Ross had always been an early bird; even his 'sleeping in' ended earlier than everyone else's and Christopher couldn't help but let a half-hearted grin slide across his features as he looked over at his cousin. Despite their extreme differences, Christopher felt a deep sympathy for his cousin and couldn't help but wish that he could take all the hurtful words he'd said and things he'd done, back.

As if to read his mind, John Ross grinned and looked Christopher square in the eyes. "Look, I know what you're thinkin' but I don't want you feeling sorry for me or trying to offer me charity just because you suddenly feel guilty for being an ass."

Christopher sighed—but he knew his cousin well; no matter what tragedy he might be facing, John Ross was always, frank, straightforward and if nothing else, as stubborn and bull-headed as ever. "Look John Ross, I'm not offering you charity—and it's not guilt; it's that I've suddenly realized that no matter how different we may be, family is the single most important thing on this earth. I know none of this is gonna change overnight and honestly, I don't expect it to even be normal! I'm not gonna sit here and blow sunshine up your ass but I will say that we're family. You've lost your father and I've lost my uncle and I'm here if you need anything…whatever you need." Christopher punctuated this statement with a firm encouraging grip to John Ross' shoulder which he returned with an awkward but no-less grateful smile. "So. I hear you had an…'interesting' run in, the other night…after the funeral?"

John Ross shook his head, grinning as he took a long pull of coffee, slamming his mug down on the table in an exasperated manner. "Really, Chris? Just what are you getting at?"

Christopher couldn't hide the smile that lit his brown eyes as he swallowed the last bits of his coffee, leaning back in his chair and eyeing his cousin playfully. "Oh I think you know exactly what I mean, John Ross."

John Ross laughed but continued to shake his head, leaning back and slinging his arm casually over the back of his chair and eyeing his cousin. "Were you like spyin' on me?"

"Nah, of course not I just…'casually' passed by the front door, it was open and I just…happened to see you talking with a girl that's all."

"It wasn't just…some girl, Chris…it was Evelyn. You remember Elena's cousin?"

"Of course I remember her! She was short, kinda chubby—well not chubby but just…I don't know, bigger, wore pigtail braids all the time and chased you like you were here prized puppy dog, always getting away from her." Christopher laughed at John Ross' bewildered expression.

"What the hell are you talkin' about? I don't ever remember it being like that."

"Well of course not, you were always focused on Elena." The two fell silent for a long moment—then Chris spoke softly and wistfully. "We were all so young and carefree back then."

John Ross scoffed mildly as he moved his empty coffee mug in a circular motion on the table-top. "We were still selfish…just in different, childish ways."

"Maybe so…but things were a lot less complicated and easier to forgive and forget."

The two men shared a meaningful look before John Ross stood to his feet. "Well, I think I'm gonna head back to the condo…get cleaned up."

"You know you are welcome to stay here, just as much as Sue Ellen." Christopher offered, standing to his feet as well.

"I know that…but I really just need some time…alone. To just clear my head and…think about what the hell I'm gonna do." John Ross heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his somewhat carelessly coiffed hair.

Christopher nodded his understanding, clapping his arm around John Ross in a brotherly hug. "Whatever you need…just know that we're here for you. All of us."

John Ross nodded, returning Christopher's hug as heart-wrenching tears burned at the corners of his eyes.

Back at his Condo in downtown Dallas, John Ross slipped the single silver key into the lock and slowly pushed the door open. As his eyes briefly swept the room, they widened in baffled surprise. Dropping his duffle bag to the floor and laying his garment bag over the back of the nearby chaise, he advanced further into the room. Although John Ross was extremely particular about the state in which he kept his apartment, the sudden blow of his father's death the week before had caused a lethal breakdown. As a result, his apartment had suffered the blows of his temper and uncontrollable grief and since then, he hadn't taken a moment to clean up the mess. But now, as he looked about his apartment, he discovered the turned over furniture returned to its previous place and the shattered glass in the kitchen and dining area, swept away from the cherry wood floors—as if it had never been there. Upon further inspection, he came to find his room in perfect—in fact pristine—order; the bed had been remade, dust scoured from the corners of every shelf and surface and even the hint of freshly cleaned bed linens lingered in the air. The washroom itself had also been scoured to utmost perfection and the final discovery was two loads of his laundry had been thoroughly cleaned, pressed and folded neatly in his drawers or hung carefully in his closet. The entire situation left John Ross utterly dumbfounded. Who on earth could've gained entrance to his apartment and caused such…pristine upheaval? For a brief moment, Elena crossed his mind but he immediately dismissed it knowing that Elena was preparing for a trip out of town with her brother to go visit her family. Just then, his phone rang and seeing his mother's name on the id, he answered. "Mother?"

"John Ross, where are you? Christopher told me you'd gone back to the condo; Sweetheart, you should be here…with your family."

"Mamma, I just needed some time ok? …by the way, have you been by the condo at all this week?"

"No, why?"

"Well…it's the damndest thing…" His voice trailed off as he once again, looked around the condo. "I haven't been here since Daddy's funeral and…well I kind of had a…bit of an accident."

Sue Ellen sighed knowingly on the other end of the line. "Baby…"

John Ross rubbed the back of his head, sighing heavily. "Actually it was more of a…momentary loss of control and well, I just haven't had a chance to clean up."

"Ok John Ross, you're my son and I love you but I'm completely confused; what does this have to do with you wondering if I've been by the apartment?"

"The place is spotless, Mamma."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"I mean the furniture, the shattered glass…Hell, even all my laundry's put away and the bed linens were cleaned and the bed, freshly made. I mean, I don't know what's goin' on here but honestly, I think I'm losin' my mind."

"Ok just calm down, Sweetheart. Why don't you just come back to the ranch and, I don't know talk to Bobby maybe him and Ann had something to do with it."

John Ross blew a breath from between his lips, running a hand down the front of his face. "Alright I guess I'll just…grab a few things and—I don't know, Chris was wantin' me to stay for a while anyways although I can't imagine why."

"Don't be coy; he's worried about you, John Ross! I know you two have always had your differences and fought like two stubborn bulls, since you were kids but you're both family and when the chips are down, family pulls together."

"I'll see you in a bit, Mamma."

"Alright, don't be long, Sweetheart."

Back at SouthFork, John Ross settled in to one of the spare bedrooms on the second floor, took a shower, redressed and wondered aimlessly downstairs. Reaching the kitchen, he found Ann and Pamela preparing dinner. Pamela offered him a Scotch on the Rocks, giving his arm a comforting squeeze, once he accepted it; he offered her a weak but grateful smile as he turned and made his way outside onto the veranda. After about half an hour, he spotted Christopher coming from the barn with a horse's halter slung over his shoulder. "You been out ridin'?" he asked at length.

Christopher's eyes snapped up to his cousin's tall broad form, leaning against the railing casually. "Me? No not today…I just got back from taking Elena and Drew to the airport—went to the tack room just to clean up a few things and found Evelyn brushing down one of the horses."

At the mention of Evelyn's name, John Ross' attention perked up and he stood a little straighter. "What's she doing here?" His tone wasn't accusatory, just curious.

Christopher noticed his cousin's sudden—albeit, subtle—interest and barely managed to conceal a grin. "She's actually been here all day—helping Mom and Sue Ellen around the house; from what Elena told me, I guess Evelyn's back in the area for a while; she's been in Britain for a year, studying abroad or something like that. Elena's not sure what she's been studying but she's also been living in Spain I think? For like the last three years? I don't know all's I know is the girl gets around. Anyway she was in there brushing down Tristan…I told her he hadn't been ridden in a while and she asked if she could take him out for a bit."

John Ross' eyes drifted towards the barn as Chris climbed the steps and settled down on the top stair, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I know Tristan's your horse but since you hadn't been back in so long, no one else has really taken him out much and I figured you wouldn't mind her riding him."

"No that's fine—the old stud could probably use some exercise anyway." John Ross drowned the last droplets of his glass of scotch, and then settled on the step, next to his cousin. "You know I went back to the condo earlier today? Well after I got the—phone call from Daddy I…I kinda lost it."

Christopher laughed knowingly. " 'kind of?'"

John Ross only grinned. "Yeah well anyway, I hadn't gotten around to cleaning up the place…and then today, when I walked in—it looked like fuckin' Ritz."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

John Ross turned a quizzical look on his cousin. "You know who did it?"

Christopher only looked at him then back out across the ranch to the horizon. "Look I'm kind of under strict orders not to tell you, so…"

"Well you let someone into my house without my permission so either you're gonna get my boot up your ass or you're gonna tell me right now, who you gave your spare key to!" John Ross wasn't angry…but Christopher could definitely sense he was agitated. If there was one thing John Ross hated, it was people letting themselves into his personal space without his knowledge. Few people were as particular in the laws of cleanliness and order, as John Ross and he rarely ever let anyone else manage his housekeeping unless he knew their methods were specifically tailored to his own.

"Look, I can't tell you who it is but all I can say is…she just wanted to help—she said it was the least she could do to thank you—and your father for everything you've done."

John Ross looked intently into his cousin's eyes and suddenly, something just clicked and he was off the porch, quicker than a lightning bolt and stalking off towards the barn with a strong purpose in his stride.

Christopher watched him go and only gave an absent shake of his head as he stood to his feet. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on that wall."

John Ross headed towards the South pasture astride a beautiful chestnut Quarter horse. He'd just come from the East pasture but saw no sign of Tristan or Evelyn. Growing impatient he coaxed the chestnut mare into a smooth canter but on no immediate sight of Evelyn, he was about to turn and head towards the Southeast pasture when he caught sight of a dark moving dot from the corner of his eye. He turned his horse towards the left and spotted Tristan across the wide pasture, heading further southward. Shaking his head, he was surprised at the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he coaxed the mare into a smooth gallop. As he came closer, he could make out the outlines of a female rider astride Tristan and upon closer inspection he caught the smooth profile of Evelyn's face as she and Tristan turned and moved up the hill that looked over most of SouthFork's surrounding acreage.

Evelyn loved how quickly and easy it was, getting back into the saddle. It had been ages since she'd ridden but all she'd needed was an hour of readjusting before it all came back to her. Her movements flowed naturally with Tristan's gate as he moved up the steady incline of the rise before them. But before they'd crested the hill's summit, she heard the distant pounding of hooved behind them. Turning, she was altogether surprised to see the broad form of John Ross, astride a stunning Chestnut mare, cantering towards her. Halting Tristan with a firm 'whoa' she watched as John Ross closed the distance between them, sliding to a halt only five feet away.

"Hey there." He greeted politely.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ewing—what brings you out this way?"

She smiled brightly but John Ross noticed a nervous tremor in her hands as she shifted the reigns a hint of red flushing her cheeks.

"Well as I understand it, I heard from a little bird that you took off with my horse."

Alarm flashed in her eyes and her petite hands gripped the reigns even tighter. "I'm sorry, your cousin offered me to take Tristan out for a ride I…he failed to mention he was your gelding."

John Ross held up a hand, a smile reaching his blues eyes. "Don't fret yourself, I was just teasing you, Evelyn…"

Her tensed shoulders relaxed and she brushed a stray hair out of her eyes as she relaxed back in the saddle.

John Ross held the reigns lax in his hands as he leaned forward, resting his elbow on the horn of his saddle. His eyes scanned the pasture briefly then he nodded his head towards the hill's summit. "Come with me…I'll show you the best view of the whole ranch."

Her black eyes sparkled with animated excitement and John Ross felt a strange and unfamiliar leap in his chest as she followed his lead. Once they reached the hilltop. He steadied his horse and leaned back in the saddle, watching Evelyn's reaction as she gazed out over the wide expanse of SouthFork. Her lips parted and a soft gasp elicited from her throat as she took in the awesome view. From this point she could see everything from the North, East and West pastures, to the South Pastures behind them—and further. Her eyes wondered to the distant mountain ranges and the setting sun in the West. A gentle wind picked up and combed its warm fingers through her long dark tresses, swirling stray strands around her face and into her eyes. She pulled her fingers through the unruly waves, attempting to tame them as she breathed in the fresh air. "I'd forgotten…how beautiful it was—I certainly have never seen it from here."

John Ross felt a warmth spread through him at her appreciation and a deep sense of pride that he had been the one to show this to her. At length, his blue eyes strayed to her and he took in her form from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She was wearing a pair of cowgirl boots, similar to the ones he'd seen her in at the funeral, but these were riding boots, the tell-tail sign being the shimmering spurs, fastened around the back of the heel. She wore a peasant-style cream-colored blouse and a soft brown suede skirt that reached mid-calf, barely brushing the tops of her boots. It was very western but also feminine; something that John Ross wasn't necessarily used to. Elena only wore dresses on special occasions and as for Pamela…she wore dressed more often than Elena but her personality wasn't feminine, it was brazen and stubborn…even devious. So far, Evelyn was the complete opposite of everything in his world, she went against the natural grain of everything he was used to—and the more time he spent in her company, the more hopelessly intrigued by her, he became. "You know I…I hadn't been back to the apartment since I got the phone call."

Evelyn gave him a quizzical stare and he went on to explain.

"My father called me just before he was killed—I heard the gunshots."

Evelyn inhaled sharply—she couldn't imagine having to hear the last moments of a loved one's life. It must have been an excruciatingly painful and helpless feeling for John Ross—to hear his father dying and powerless to save him.

"I uh, I lost it. Made a bit of a mess…but after that I, I just left and I hadn't been back to the condo until this morning." He turned a steady gaze on her then and noticed how she shifted uncomfortably in the saddle. "The place was spotless." She made no response and at this, John Ross promptly dismounted and walked towards her. Stopping by her leg, he stared up at her intensely and at length, she finally met his eyes.

"It wasn't planned, actually." I just—I wanted to do something and I…I mean I'd come for the funeral but I'd arrived late the night before and when I talked to Elena and Mrs. Ewing—your aunt, they'd told me that everything had already been done but that I should talk to Chris if I really wanted…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude but I just thought with everything that you'd been dealing with…" She trailed off, running nervous fingers through her long hair. She startled when she felt John Ross' hand press gently against her leg.

"Thank you."

She let out a slow breath as her eyes rose to his, shining with a soft hint of a smile. "You are welcome, John Ross."