Austin, Texas

Sue Ellen awoke, thirsty and with a pounding headache she looked around the room, it was not either of her bedrooms, it was a hotel room. Confusion turned to panic as she saw a shirtless JR sleeping soundly next to her, she was almost afraid to look or feel her own state of undress; it wasn't supposed to happen like this, not without a ring on her finger and not at a point where she couldn't remember the previous night. She lay completely still and mentally prepared herself for whatever she was about to see when she lifted the covers. Slowly moving the duvet and top sheet, she realised that she wasn't wearing her bra, her heart started beating fast and she dreaded the thought that she wouldn't even remember how it was, this was shameful. She breathed an audible sigh of relief as she realised that she wasn't completely naked, she was still wearing the most important piece of clothing. No longer scared about what didn't happen, she was still worried about what did actually happen, she couldn't remember a whole lot about how they'd ended up there, only recalling small pieces of the previous night. They danced, drank and were affectionate, JR was jealous, Sue Ellen found it appealing, they danced some more; there were flashes of their evening, but nothing to remind her of how this had happened. She couldn't relax, she had no idea what she'd done and it bothered her to think about it, she couldn't stay there, this wasn't romantic, it was frightening. Quietly stepping out of bed, she gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom; as she looked in the mirror she realised that something had happened the previous night; she had little marks of passion down her neck and chest, it frustrated her that she couldn't remember any of it. As she moved to get dressed, she realised that the only clothing she had was her costume from the party. That would be the ultimate walk of shame, showing up at the sorority house in last night's clothes and no fresh makeup. Exiting the bathroom, she found a white robe in the closet, it would be better than her dress right now. She went back into the bathroom to freshen up as much as was possible without any of her things.

JR stirred from his dreamless, alcohol-induced sleep, he remembered more than Sue Ellen did, though he was also frustrated by the previous night. Even in a drunken state, she retained some of her morals, he'd never met a woman so sexy one minute and prudish the next, just when he thought they were getting somewhere, her unconscious mind would kick in and he'd be left aroused and unsatisfied. His ultimate love for her, despite her unrelenting morals, was the only thing stopping him from dumping her; he loved her in every way and would wait until she was ready, but she really didn't make it easy. If she was any other girl, he would have pushed harder and then probably given up, some girls just weren't worth it. Sue Ellen was definitely worth it though; she just made it difficult for him in that one area. As his hand reached out to touch her, he realised that the bed was empty and cold on her side; she must have already woken up, he hoped she was mentally ok with everything, he wasn't sure that he could deal with an emotional woman right now. "Sue Ellen? Darlin' are you here?" he hoped that she hadn't left, that would mean that she was ashamed and that was the last thing JR wanted her to feel.

She panicked slightly as she heard him calling, she didn't know why though, she trusted JR and he hadn't pushed her further than she wanted to go, so she didn't have anything to be afraid of. She slowly opened the door and exited the bathroom; she was shy and didn't quite know how to approach him. JR noticed how wary she was, he hoped that it wasn't complete regret, he knew she had enjoyed herself last night and he didn't want that to all disappear this morning, "good morning" he sat up and motioned her over to the bed, she sat on the side, avoiding eye contact, "JR? What happened last night?" she whispered, she was embarrassed that she even had to ask. JR smiled, it wasn't regret, it was fear of the unknown, that was slightly better, because she didn't actually have anything to regret. "Well, we left the party and went back to the sorority house, but it was after 2am and the doors were locked, so we came back here…" he paused to judge her reaction. Sue Ellen was happy to know that he at least knew what had happened, because as he spoke, she still didn't remember. She looked at him, encouraging him to continue, "look, I don't regret anything and you shouldn't either, we didn't do anything wrong", that didn't really explain anything for her, she wanted details and he hadn't given them, though she could probably guess what had happened, "did we…?" she needed to know although she was pretty sure they didn't. "No" he shook his head and gave her a kind smile; she really was a sweet young lady, she had many sides, but they all led back to the innocent young girl that she was deep down.

JR ordered breakfast for them in an effort to try make her more comfortable with everything, "JR?" he looked at her, she still looked a little on-edge, "I hate to ask, but could you use that Ewing magic to get me a new outfit please". He realised that they were both wearing hotel robes, he had his overnight bag because they were in his hotel room, but she had nothing because she hadn't expected to stay the night, "absolutely" he smiled, he really needed for her to relax. They ate breakfast and she started to become more comfortable, it was silly for her to be so uptight, JR was her boyfriend, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. It still amazed her how true the phrase 'money-talks' was, within fifteen minutes there were five different outfits waiting for her, she thanked JR and he could tell that although she was relaxing, she was also a little anxious about what everyone would think of her if they found out she stayed with him. She really worried too much about her public appearance, JR was more relaxed because he either didn't care or he was displaying an image that he wanted people to comment on, he liked attention, whether it were bad or good, Sue Ellen on the other hand was always concerned about looking good and pleasing everyone, negative comments really affected her. He offered to go with her back to college, but she didn't think it would be a good idea, as they said goodbye she let him know that she wasn't mad at him, she just didn't think it was good for her image to start rumours. JR reluctantly agreed, he didn't care what people thought, though he understood where she was coming from and it would bother him too if people started nasty rumours.

Opening the door to her room in the sorority house, she was pleased that she'd gone mostly unnoticed by the other girls, she'd forgotten to account for the fact that everyone was partying last night, no one cared where she was, they had their own stories to tell. "Nice outfit, is it new?" she jumped at the sound of Paula's voice, she hadn't expected her to be there, "you shouldn't scare people like that" she jokingly scolded her friend, "and yes, it is new" she answered, though she didn't really want to know why Paula had pointed it out. Paula laughed, "hmm, your bed was unslept in, you're wearing a new outfit and you've still got last night's makeup on, just cleaned up enough to look presentable. My guess is that you didn't spend the night here. Details please" she grinned as Sue Ellen blushed and began to explain. "My friend, so adamant that she would be sleeping here last night, you know, next time I offer you something you should probably take it. You'd be surprised about how many men 'forget'", Sue Ellen smiled, Paula loved to remind her of the physical act, "Paula, I told you, nothing happened and nothing will happen until I'm a married woman. I don't need any of those. Now, I've told you all about my night but I know nothing about yours. I do remember seeing you and Tom leaving together last night though" she moved the topic of conversation away from herself.

Dallas, Texas

JR returned home, still a little hungover, but he was happy that Sue Ellen hadn't been too distressed about the previous night. He thought about how perfect the opportunity was, she was drunk, stranded and willing, until the last minute and then became closed off again. It was a lot harder to break that barrier than he'd originally assumed, he'd underestimated Patricia's power in Sue Ellen's life, she really had done her job well, Sue Ellen would be the perfect wife, but she wasn't his wife yet and that left him unfulfilled in one area of their relationship. He didn't want to jump into marriage just yet though, his father was pleased with their current relationship and the knowledge that JR intended to marry Sue Ellen. He wanted them to get to know each other a little more before he committed her to being a Ewing for the rest of her life, it was a big obligation and he needed to make sure that everything was perfect. There was no problem with the emotional side of their relationship, he was in love with her and she with him, but the fact was, they'd not even been together for a year, it would be much too soon for them to get engaged. Sub-consciously, he wasn't sure that a commitment like marriage was even the right decision for him, he liked being free to move from woman to woman, having a wife would end the excitement of the chase, he wasn't ready for that just yet. Sue Ellen was perfect and he couldn't wait to be with her in every way, but she was also just one woman and JR Ewing hadn't mentally moved from multiple-women to one woman yet, he still needed time.

To be continued…