Austin, Texas

"Sue Ellen!?"

Panicked, Clint called out into the darkness.

"Sue Ellen!?"

He still didn't see her but was getting closer to the sound of crying.

"C-c-clint?"

Stuttering through her tears, Sue Ellen called out to him.

Running towards the sound of her voice, he found her with her head hanging low, her ankle seemingly trapped.

"What happened?"

Questioning her, he worked to lift the branch away.

"I couldn't see well and I tripped over, then when I went to get up, I couldn't."

Throwing her arms around his neck as he freed her ankle, she held onto him as he helped her to her feet.

"Ouch."

"Does it hurt badly?"

Concerned, he looked at the wound, unable to figure out what exactly was wrong.

"It's painful to put pressure on, but I don't think it's broken. Probably just a cut or bruise."

"Do you think you can walk?"

Taking a step forward she winced in pain, causing him to make a snap decision.

"That's it, I'm carrying you, there's no way you'll make it down alone."

Picking her up, his hands supporting her back and legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned close to him.

"I'm sorry."

Whispering in his ear, he matched her volume in his response.

"I'm sorry too. For everything."

Knowing it was partially his fault that she'd run off in the first place, he apologised too. They would continue their discussion another time but for now he was more concerned about seeing a doctor and making sure she was ok.

Making it back to his car, they drove to the emergency room where they received the news that thankfully her ankle was only sprained from the fall and bruised from the pressure of the branch and there was no permanent injury or expected long recovery time.

Later carrying her into the sorority house, he realised that males were not permitted past the first floor and wondered whether he should risk being caught and getting her in trouble or whether he should make her ascend the staircase herself. Deciding he had a medical reason to be in her room, he carried her inside.

Opening the door to her room he realised that she'd been in his bedroom plenty of times, even making his bed and tidying up when she felt like it but he'd never even seen the inside of her bedroom, not at her mother's house and not at the sorority house.

Closing the door behind them he walked over to the bed with the pictures of her mother and sister, her friends, her cheer team and a picture of him taped to the wall.

Placing her down on the bed and removing her remaining shoe, he asked her if she needed anything before he left.

"Just my goodnight kiss."

In much better spirits, the doctor having given her some pain medication, she asked for something he was happy to give her. Kneeling beside her bed, he kissed her, lingering afterward.

"I should go."

Making moves to leave, he didn't expect her to reach out to take his hand.

"Lay with me a while, I'm not tired yet."

Conflicted, he wondered whether she was inviting him to stay for another reason. He'd like to, but he was well aware her roommate could walk in at any moment, or the housemother, which made his unease grow.

"Paula's staying with her parents and there's a mixer at one of the fraternities, no one is going to bother us."

Listening to her reasoning, he removed his shoes and lay down next to her.

"You can get a little closer if you want, I don't mind."

Surprised, knowing she was usually fairly prudish when it came to intimate things like this, he really wasn't sure whether what she wanted was what she said she did.

There were ordinarily a lot of boundaries with Sue Ellen. Her mother had taught her to always act like a lady and that meant keeping herself for her husband, a very frustrating rule to live by when desire exceeded rational thoughts, although knowledge that one day she would be his wife kept him going.

Pulling her closer to him, enjoying the closeness they were experiencing but still conscious of her out of character behaviour and mood change from her earlier disposition, he had second thoughts.

"Sue Ellen, I really think I should go, I'm not even supposed to be up here."

For a man who was with the woman he loved he was trying very hard to leave, however something told him that she wouldn't feel the same way she did now in the morning.

"Oh, well you don't have to, but if you think you should then ok."

Mumbling, her words were clearly inhibited although from the medication or sleepiness he wasn't sure.

"I do, as much as I'm enjoying this, I don't want to do something that you'll regret, I know your position on things like that."

Sitting on the end of the bed tying his shoelaces, he stood to leave.

"I'll call you tomorrow to check on you, goodnight."

Leaning down, he kissed her again.

"Goodnight."

Hearing her whisper, he slipped out the door, checked the hall and discreetly made his way out of the sorority house.

Dallas, Texas

JR walked downstairs and outside to the patio. He'd returned to Southfork late after driving Carol home and then going for a drink at the Cattlemen's Club, a drink that had felt well deserved after putting up with such boring date all night. By the time he'd returned home, Southfork had been quiet and the occupants asleep.

"Morning mama, daddy."

Not seeing Lucy, he assumed she was in the den watching cartoons as per usual on a Saturday morning.

"JR," acknowledging him, Jock continued, "how'd that dinner go last night?"

Hopeful that his setup had worked and JR was beginning to understand what was expected of him, Jock enquired about the evening.

JR didn't have to settle down with Carol Parker, he could choose who he wished, but to marry an acceptable lady, JR had to first find and date proper ladies.

"Well daddy, it was ok, she's a nice girl and all, but I don't think it's going anywhere. She had no personality. I was telling her about the Ewing barbecue and how we serve mama's famous chili and you know what she said? She doesn't eat chili because it's 'too spicy'. Can you believe that? This is Texas, what kind of woman doesn't eat chili?"

Chuckling at his son's recount of the date, Jock decided JR had suffered enough and he didn't need a lecture from his father telling him to make it work. The Parker girl did sound like a bore and he wouldn't want a bore for a daughter-in-law.

Austin, Texas

Walking with a throbbing ankle and headache to match, Sue Ellen could only assume that the fall must have bumped her head as well although the doctor had really only looked at her ankle. The painkillers he'd prescribed had seemed to work on both her head and ankle pain, until now. Sitting up, she drank a glass of water, taking two more pills.

Remembering the previous night, she thought about her behaviour. Either the medication had strange side effects or the fall had caused temporary insanity because thinking to herself, she realised that if Clint had been any less of a gentleman she may still be laying atop the mountain with huge regrets.

Clint cared, their communication with each other simply needed improvement, and she could work on that herself.