Fort Worth, Texas

Sue Ellen timidly listened to JR speak, she was beginning to realise just how much she meant to him; any man that would go to this length to get her back was obviously sorry for his actions, if she didn't mean anything then he wouldn't have bothered to even try and win her back. She smiled as he complimented and charmed her with his words; he had an effect on her that no other man had ever come close to. In her conscious mind she'd forgiven him, he had said and done all the right things and forgiveness was the next logical move, getting back to the way they were before the fights was what they both wanted; but her subconscious reminded her that they still hadn't sorted out their deeper issues, the 'why' of the problem. Neither of them was willing to change the way that they lived their life; Sue Ellen had promised herself that she wouldn't do anything like that before marriage and JR still had expectations that he would eventually need to find a solution for, inevitably turning to other woman when Sue Ellen didn't fulfil his requests. Sue Ellen ignored her subconscious in favour of the uncomplicated fantasy JR was sweet-talking her into believing their relationship would be when they reconciled. The two ate dinner and talked comfortably, as if there were no problems between them; both ignoring the deeper issues. "Would you like to dance?" JR stood and held out his hand after they finished eating, Sue Ellen's stomach was full of butterflies, almost as if it were their first date again, "I'd love to".

After dancing for a long while, JR suggested going outside to look at the stars, he had no idea whether they would actually be able to see anything, but that wasn't the point, he wanted her close to him and the chilly night air was perfect for his plan. Sue Ellen smiled, the golf club was on the outskirts of Fort Worth, the stars would be shining brightly and not drowned out by city lights, she liked the romantic side of JR Ewing, she knew that was the point of his suggestion, he had no interest in astronomy in his day-to-day life. Standing together on the patio they looked toward the night sky, "you went to a lot of trouble for all of this" she quietly made an observational comment and JR just nodded and smiled, "there's nothing I wouldn't do for you" he quietly replied, becoming shy as he opened himself up to her. He took hold of her hand and guided her to a small garden bench where they sat close together and silently enjoyed the night scenery. Taking the opportunity JR began to speak, "Sue Ellen", she turned her attention toward him, "I miss you Sue Ellen, I wanted to be with you tonight, my life just hasn't been the same without you", her heart fluttered as she looked into his eyes, there wasn't a hint of deceit. He was being completely open and honest and he was vulnerable, this was a side of himself that he didn't show many people; JR read her expression, she felt exactly as he did. Sue Ellen subconsciously shifted, moving even closer to him and tilting her head, JR took her behaviour as a sign, leaning forward and lightly kissing her before pulling away, awaiting her approval to continue, he was really trying to respect her wishes. Sue Ellen melted as he kissed her and her heart ached when he pulled away, though she was pleased that he was waiting for her ok before making any further moves. She moved her hand toward his cheek and he kissed her again, this time a little deeper, she cupped his cheek and he ran a hand through her hair; the evening had turned out better than either of them had expected.

Austin, Texas

"You look happy. I don't suppose it has anything to do with your late night does it?" Paula grinned as Sue Ellen got herself ready, her friend was definitely pleased about something, she hadn't been this happy in weeks. "I am, and yes it is because of last night" Sue Ellen looked over toward her friend and smiled, she was pleased that it was visible how happy she was, her reconciliation with JR was still fresh in her mind. "Well? Are you going to tell me now or am I going to have to ask you over and over until you finally answer just to get me off your back?", Sue Ellen laughed, she knew that Paula wasn't exaggerating, she really would badger her until she got an answer.

"So how exactly is this time different to the last time you were a couple? You didn't really solve any of your issues. You aren't going to give him what he wants, but how is he going to deal with it differently to the way he handled it before? Because you can't keep going through this over and over, it will ruin you" Paula voiced her concerns and Sue Ellen's happiness started to dissipate, faced with the harsh reality of their relationship problems once again. "Well, we didn't really talk about that; he apologised and said that he wouldn't do it again and I believe him. You weren't there, his eyes were not lying, he was being honest, he didn't want to mess up, it just happened. Besides, look at how much trouble he went to just to get me to listen to his apology, I can't imagine he would want to do that on a regular basis" she tried to reason but deep down she knew that they needed to have a proper discussion before getting back together again. Paula sighed, Sue Ellen was naïve and easily convinced, she really did believe that because JR said he wouldn't do it again he meant it and he would be faithful to her. Paula knew that that wasn't always the case, especially with men like JR Ewing; he could have completely honest and good intentions but after a while he would be frustrated and bored with Sue Ellen's stance and seek affection elsewhere, it was inevitable; they were just on two very different levels, playing by different rules.

To be continued…