Dallas, Texas

Making their way back to the house they saw that a long table and outdoor grill had been set up.

"JR? I thought you said it was a small barbecue?"

"Well it is, but us Ewings like to go all out when we entertain, don't worry, everyone already loves you and there really will only be about ten people here. Mama, daddy, Bobby, myself, you, Lucy and a couple of her little friends as well as Punk and Mavis Anderson, mama and daddy's old friends."

Listening, she relaxed as JR explained the situation to her. It wasn't that she didn't like crowds, she was actually very good with public events, but she hadn't expected such a grand event for meeting his family.

Miss Ellie and Jock were standing by the pool talking to a younger man she assumed to be JR's brother Bobby.

"JR."

Bobby shook JR's hand and greeted his brother, then turning his attention to her he smiled.

"You must be Sue Ellen, I've heard all about you today and from what I can see so far, you do not disappoint."

Bobby had a pleasant, friendly personality that made her feel comfortable around him.

Sue Ellen greeted Bobby and the five of them sat down at the table next to the swimming pool and talked, stopping only when they were interrupted by Teresa, one of the Ewing's staff.

"Mr Ewing? There's a Mr Jordan Lee on the phone for you."

Teresa directed her comment at Jock and he motioned JR to go with him into the house. Miss Ellie too excused herself to check on the food in the kitchen, leaving her and Bobby sitting together alone.

"My mama couldn't stop talking about how great you are. You must be quite a girl for my brother to bring you here and for my parents to have taken to you so quickly. JR isn't usually this forward with his women."

Complimenting her, his comment didn't strike her as anything more than polite, not until she thought about it more deeply.

"Thank you, everyone in your family is so nice, not that I expected anything less. I'm sorry, what do you mean by your comment about JR?"

"Oh, uh, how much has my brother told you about his life?"

Uneasy now, she didn't know what to expect to hear next.

"Well, we discussed our lives and he told me all about you and your family, Southfork and Ewing Oil. Is there more?"

Sighing, it wasn't obvious to her why.

"All I meant was that I've known my brother my whole life and I've never seen him like this. He doesn't usually have 'girlfriends', he has women. Dates for parties, dinner dates, women that keep him company. He never brings those women home to meet our parents and never looks at them the way he looked at you earlier. I don't know what you two have, but it's definitely different to the way my brother usually acts around women. It's actually refreshing, usually there isn't much point in getting to know JR's dates, he doesn't keep them around for long, but it does seem different with you and I know he feels differently, otherwise he'd be here alone, you'd be a date at our annual barbecue, but not an invited guest today."

The colour drained from her face as Bobby spoke and she remembered what Paula had told her the first time JR sent flowers. "All I meant by my comment was that JR is known for two things, business and women. He's ruthless but gets things done and enjoys the company of many women. It's not necessarily a bad thing, we're surrounded by men like that right here, but I just can't imagine him being romantic like that card indicates he can be, or even the way he was last night, he was very sweet and I can see why you're so infatuated. Maybe there is another side to him, but it's definitely not a side that he often shows publicly."

Sue Ellen wondered if Paula was right in her initial judgement of JR, perhaps the side of him that he was showing her wasn't his real personality.

"Sue Ellen?"

Startled, she realised she hadn't said a word since Bobby had finished speaking.

"Oh I'm sorry Bobby, I was just surprised. I never realised JR wasn't ordinarily a public relationship man; he never expressed a problem with our relationship or being exclusive. He did everything in such a proper way, on our first date he came to my house, met my mother and we went to dinner. Of course, it had a wonderful JR Ewing touch to it, but it was a proper date, not a casual fling. We've been serious for a while now."

Intrigued by the other side of JR Ewing she was also a little worried that the other side was who he really was and she was seeing only a nice façade.

Opening his mouth to speak again, Bobby was interrupted by the sound of a car parking and the occupants walking toward the house.

"Bobby," Punk Anderson and his wife Mavis greeted Bobby, "nice to see you again. Where are your mama and daddy? And who is this gorgeous lady next to you?"

Punk acknowledged the absence of Jock, JR and Miss Ellie and noticed Sue Ellen.

"Daddy and JR are inside, Jordan Lee called a little while ago, I suppose they'll be done soon, you can just go in." Explaining, Bobby turned his attention to Mavis, "mama is in the kitchen."

Finished explaining, he placed a hand on Sue Ellen's back and introduced her, emphasising his words to elicit a reaction. "This is Sue Ellen, JR's girlfriend"

"Girlfriend?"

"Lovely to meet you Sue Ellen."

Punk sounded surprised but Mavis' greeting was warm.

The ranch slider door opened and Jock walked outside followed by JR.

"Punk, Mavis, good to see you."

Jock shook Punk's hand and Mavis greeted the men before excusing herself to go find Miss Ellie.

"JR, I've just met your lovely girlfriend, she must be very special because I don't think I've ever met a girlfriend of yours before."

Punk jested JR, he'd known JR all his life and was close enough to joke with him.

"She is," was all he said as he walked over to Sue Ellen and took her hand, "if you'll excuse us, I promised Sue Ellen I'd show her the house."

The two walked off toward the house and Punk, Jock and Bobby made a few comments about JR's new personality before moving on to discussing football.

Entering the house JR apologised for everyone's continual focus on their relationship status, which she was quick to reassure him about.

"It's ok JR; I suppose everyone is just curious. Bobby tells me that you don't have girlfriends often, I'm not mad, it actually makes me feel good, knowing that you chose me to be your girlfriend, not just some girl you have a casual fling with."

JR appeared to be relieved as she spoke which she could only imagine was because his reputation held some truth and she saw beyond that.

"Good. Now, how about that tour of the house?"

Smiling, he took her hand and guided them through the house.

"…and in here is my bedroom." Speaking, he opened the door and she entered the room.

"You decorated?"

Looking around, she took in the interior design, querying whether it was his work. The room was masculine, but had a few adornments that a man probably wouldn't think about when designing a bedroom space.

"Well, mama had a decorator come in a few years ago, so really she did most of the work. I picked out the comforter and furniture from a selection of pictures and mama or the decorator chose those framed prints, the lamps, plants and pretty much all of the little things, women are just better at that kind of thing. Do you like it?"

"I do, it's very nice, I was just surprised at the small details, but the explanation makes perfect sense."

Chuckling at his self-consciousness, she put him out of his misery and complimented him. It was difficult to believe he was the same man everyone kept describing as a philanderer, he was always so respectful and sweet with her. Of course, she had seen his persistent side, he'd wanted her and hadn't given up until he had her, but even then he had been sweet.

"Good," he replied and guided her out onto the balcony above the swimming pool.

They silently stood looking out over the ranch and Sue Ellen thought about JR's bedroom; it was nice, she could definitely live there, maybe adding a few personal touches when they were married.

Catching herself daydreaming, she stopped to remind herself that they had only been dating for a couple of months and this was her first time at his house. They were nowhere near close to marriage yet, although she wouldn't mind if they were, she felt she might just be falling in love with JR Ewing.

Later, concluding their tour in the kitchen, they met Miss Ellie, Mavis and Teresa finishing off the side dishes.

Noticing the pot of chili on the stove, JR took a spoon from the drawer and handed it to her. "Darlin', I've told you about mama's famous chili, you have to try it."

"Oh Miss Ellie, JR's words were 'my mama makes the best chili in Texas' and I have to agree with him, this is delicious."

"I'm glad you like it."

Smiling genuinely, Miss Ellie responded to the compliment and Sue Ellen offered to help with any final food preparation, pleased to be invited into the conversation Miss Ellie and Mavis had been having prior to their arrival, one she highly suspected was about her and JR.

Excusing himself to go find the other men, JR left the women alone to finish preparing the food.

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside, the food was fantastic and the company was even better. Sue Ellen liked the Ewings and their friends and they appeared to like her.

Much later, JR drove Sue Ellen back to her hotel, reflecting on how the day had gone.

"Darlin' that went wonderfully don't you think? Everyone loved you and you fit in perfectly with the family. I hope we can arrange our schedules so that you can come out more often, I know mama would love to see you; Lucy too, she was really taken with you earlier. The annual Ewing barbecue is coming up in about a month, it's a big social event around here and I can't wait to show you off."

Listening, she was happy about the way JR spoke, he was taking their relationship seriously, even inviting her to public events, and she looked forward to their future.

Arriving at her hotel, he kissed her goodnight in the doorway to her room.

"I'd invite you in, but your parents know exactly how long it takes to drive here and back to Southfork. We wouldn't want them thinking ill of me would we?"

Smirking, pained, JR realised she was right and he couldn't argue his way out of the situation, settling for another, "goodnight," and a kiss which didn't end until they were both breathless.

"Goodnight." Whispering, she moved inside, closing the door behind her.