The doors to the sleek black Cheverolet Suburban opened as John Ross, J.R., Jessica, and Taylor all arrived at the Cattle Baron's Ball. Jessica walked beside her father, who was using a walker to earn sympathy, her hand holding his elbow as they walked. John Ross followed a step behind, Taylor's hand in his. With the patriarch and his children and future member of the family, all together in pictures for the press, they cast an imposing and formidable figure. It was as if everyone stopped and stared when they entered the ball. Everyone seemed to freeze as J.R. passed, unsure if he would ignore them or say something.
He was silent until he reached his brother Bobby, who watched him warily. J.R. let go of his walker, past the purpose of using it. Plastering a smile on his face, J.R. looked at his brother. "You always were the one with a conscience, Bobby." And for the first time, J.R. apologized. Not really, though. Jessica and John Ross could see right through their father's act, simply just to placate Bobby into believing J.R. was giving up the fight for Southfork until he could snatch the rug out from under his younger brother. Turning to his children, J.R. subtly raised an eyebrow, as if telling them to go along with the plan. "John Ross, Jessica, you two apologize to your Uncle Bobby for all of y'all's trouble makin'." The brother and sister stepped forward. "My apologies, Uncle Bobby." Jessica nodded at John Ross's words. "Me too, Uncle Bobby. I'm sorry for ruinin' Chris's big day." J.R. nodded. "Thank you, kids. And where's your little gal, John Ross? I don't think she's been properly introduced to your uncle." John Ross stepped aside, revealing Taylor standing behind him. Bobby and Ann had to blink away the shock at how much the girl resembled Sue Ellen, from her glossy red hair to the captivating hazel eyes. She smiled as John Ross slipped an arm around her waist, ushering her in the circle.
"Uncle Bobby, Ann, this is Taylor Clayton. She's Wes Clayton's daughter from Houston." The redhead smiled, reaching out to shake Bobby and Ann's hands, who looked like they'd seen ghosts when they heard she was Wes's daughter. "Nice to meet the two of you. John Ross has told me so much about you." She neglected to mention that most of the things she'd heard had been bad. She'd already been instructed how to play nice with the do-good side of the Ewing family. Bobby smiled. "Nice to meet you, sweetheart. Welcome to the Ewing family." Taylor smiled widely and turned to John Ross. "Should we tell them now?" He nodded back at her. Jessica gave her brother a look between questioning and anger. He had never kept secrets from her! What could it be? Was Taylor pregnant? John Ross looked at his daddy, who nodded. Then he took Taylor's hand in his and lifted it up to eye level for his family members to see. On Taylor's left ring finger, Sue Ellen's large diamond ring sat nestled against the girl's skin, shining and reflecting light for all to see. Jessica froze, nearly falling into J.R.'s arms. "You're engaged?!" Her brother and future-sister-in-law nodded together. "When? How? Where? WHY?" J.R. placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Jessica Ann Ross Ewing, stop that! You're makin' a scene." The blonde quieted, but again demanded an answer to her question from her brother. "When you went to that business meetin' the other day and I went to see Daddy. He gave me the ring and told me it was then or never, soon she'd get tired of waitin' and find another rich oil family to marry into." His subtle stressing of the words "business meetin'" let Jessica know he was talking about when she went to go see Mitch LaBell, the lawyer working for Bobby but being paid to give Bobby's information to John Ross and J.R.
It took Jessica a moment to recover, but she started grinning and enveloped Taylor in a hug. Having her as a sister-in-law would only add fuel to the fire that was burning to put the rightful heirs of Southfork back in power. "I'm on your side. Me marrying John Ross is only adding to your claim on Southfork." Taylor's words were whispered in her ear, and Jessica nodded. "Hurry up and get pregnant and you can have the next Ewing heir." The two girls giggled as they parted, J.R. smiling. "Look out, John Ross, Jessica'll have Taylor turnin' on you soon." The future Mrs. Ewing smiled dazzingly at her new fiancee over her shoulder, John Ross reaching for her hand to escort her out on the dance floor. She followed, leaning on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they joined the rest of the Texas elite in dancing. John Ross looked down at the girl he was holding onto, the one wearing his mama's ring. "You're good at playin' the sweet little stupid girl, you know that?" Taylor smirked. "You want Southfork Ranch, I'm helping you get it. After all, my daddy is giving me all this money for you to pay off LaBell."
Using her daddy to get the money it took to steal Southfork was easy, more of a game than a problem for Taylor. Going to marry John Ross and become a Ewing herself only added to the fun. Soon she'd be Mrs. Ewing, and she'd be the head of Southfork while John Ross headed up the oil company, a revived Ewing Oil. They'd do it all, and put the Ewings back in power. She had the diamond ring and the sale contract to prove it. What neither of them knew, however, was that Jessica was planning to turn all of them out and she planned to take control of the Ewing family instead of her brother or her family.
Once the song ended, Taylor said something about going to speak to her father, while John Ross made a quick view-over of the crowd. In just a few short minutes, he had confronted Elena and their "romance" had been ended and he had promised LaBell another payday if he'd keep his mouth shut around J.R. tonight, and carrying his latest drink, he saw Taylor head out the front door. She had her back to him when they stepped out into the night air, but she obviously knew he was there. At the bottom of the steps, they turned to face each other, a staredown ensuing as John Ross downed the last of his drink. Suddenly, the glass hit the concrete as John Ross pulled the girl into a kiss, the liplock lasting until they reached Taylor's car. And John Ross was the definition of a distracted driver as he drove to Taylor's hotel. They made their way up to her room, where the makeout continued. The door had barely shut before Taylor was pressed to the wall. Taking a breath, the woman shoved John Ross off her, smirking at him. "I thought you said you wanted to keep our relationship professional." Her lover smirked back at her, the famous J.R. smirk coming to his face, getting her joke since they were already engaged. "That was then. This is now. Get over here." Taylor smirked, running into his open arms so hard she knocked the black Stetson off his head. He wrapped his arms around her waist, sitting her on the counter.
"Hold up, hold up!" John Ross unwound himself from Taylor, remembering the reason he was here. "LaBell is threatnin' to tell J.R. everything. I need a hundred thousand dollars pronto." Taylor pushed him back with her feet, sliding off the counter. With a laugh, she walked around him into the bedroom. "Okay." She turned her back to him at the dresser, reaching in her purse. "Do you remember the last time we were lovers, John Ross?" Looking over her shoulder, she smirked at his response. "Yeah. 'Course I do." As she withdrew a vial from her purse, she smiled evilly to herself. "It was an amazing experience." Dumping the contents of the vial into one of the glasses in front of her, she picked up a bottle. "My favorite single malt." As she poured, her smile grew wider. "For special occasions only." Turning back to John Ross, she handed him the glass, winking. "Hope you like it." To Taylor's amusement, he downed the whole thing in one go. "We had a great time in Vegas, Taylor." Stepping closer to her, he smirked. "Lust is a powerful force." Taylor walked away a few steps, standing at the end of short hall that led to her bed. "Calling what we have lust...is almost insulting." Flashing her ring at him, her smirk widened at John Ross, who was starting to show the effects of her "special drink". As he backed her into her bedroom, Taylor ran her fingers through his hair. "I need to be certain because there is no turning back. You wanna mix business with pleasure?" Without a reply from John Ross, she was uncerimoniously tossed onto her bed, her smirk transitioning into a full blown smile as John Ross joined her. Reaching and pressing a button on the remote beside her bed, she turned over to meet John Ross's kiss, discreetly checking to make sure the red light on the camera was on. It blinked back at her in agreement. Perfect.
- - - - - - - -
At the hotel later the next morning, Taylor sat cross legged on a chair, looking out the window and thinking. John Ross was still asleep, and she smirked to herself as she glanced over at him. The redhead got up and walked over to open the safe in the suite. Reaching inside, she withdrew a couple of stacks of hundred dollar bills grouped into a thousand dollars per stack. Counting out out a hundred thousand, she stacked them in a pile and gathered it into her arms while shutting the safe with her foot. She walked to the bed, where John Ross was stretched out fast asleep. Tossing the money on the bed, she waited as he opened his eyes and blinked, looking around. "There's your money, John Ross. But it's gonna come at a price for you, because I'm not a charity worker. Where I come from, we don't feed stray dogs." As he forced himself up out of bed, he shook his head, feeling like someone had kicked him straight in the temples. Taylor stood by the wall with a smirk, watching. The diamond on her finger glinted in the bright sunlight streaming in the windows, John Ross walking over and picking up her hand, running his thumb over the ring. "Is marryin' me the price?" "Marryin' you's the fun part, John Ross. The price will be related to something else, honey, just wait and see." She smirked slyly, her finger tracing his jaw.
"I might suggest you clean up. You look like hell." John Ross caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, then nodded. "I think so too." The couple shared a deep kiss before John Ross disappeared into the bathroom.
- - - - - - -
J.R. was tired of waiting on Wes Clayton to call him. He was escorted to Wes's home office by the maid, where the two men exchanged handshakes and greetings. "You're a hard man to reach, Wes. I came about my deal with your daughter." Wes's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Deal with my daughter?" "Yeah, for the Clayton Conservancy to buy Southfork and then turn it over to me after 30 days." Wes still looked confused. "Hold on, let me get Taylor in here. That should resolve the problem." He stepped over to the phone. "Taylor, dear, can you come in here?" When she agreed, he turned back to J.R. "She'll be right in." When the door opened, J.R. turned to look. "Taylor, you remember Mr. J.R. Ewing?" To J.R.'s surprise, a short, petite girl with blonde wavy hair stepped in the room, although she did look identical to the redhead John Ross was with. "Now what's this about a deal with Mr. Ewing?" J.R. interrupted. "Seems I've made a hell of a mistake, Wes. Old fogies like me are easy to be confused." Wes smiled. "No need to worry." J.R. turned to Taylor. "Taylor, I'll have to introduce you to my son, John Ross. He's a chip off the old block."
And just how much of a double-crossing chip was written all over J.R.'s face.