Austin, Texas

"Is it that bad?" Sue Ellen noticed that JR had barely touched the food on his plate and became self-conscious, it was the first time she'd cooked a full meal for the two of them and she was a little nervous about her performance. "What?" JR looked up at her and realised that he hadn't been paying too much attention to the present events; "the food. I know you like steak, so I thought it would be nice. But if you don't like it, I can make something else, or we can go out". JR looked at her and then at his plate, realising that he had hardly eaten any of his dinner and she was worried that it was because of her. "No darlin', the steak is delicious, cooked just the way I like it. I guess I just have other things on my mind", he didn't quite know what to say, there wasn't much he could do about his current situation. He would never make his father his enemy, and in Jock's eyes Bobby was the golden child, especially with him working at Ewing Oil for the summer. Trying to overthrow him right now would do more damage to JR than to Bobby; he had to be smart in his approach, but he wasn't quite sure how he would do it. "Well, do you want to talk about it? A wise man once told me that a problem shared is a problem halved", she didn't mention that it was actually Clint who'd taught her to share her problems. Before him, she had just bottled everything up inside her until she exploded, usually in a self-destructive, unhealthy way; her mother had never really taught her how to cope with her own problems, just those of her future husband. She ran her fingers over his hand, "you always manage to help me solve my problems by talking them through, it's only fair that I do the same. That's what wives are supposed to do for their husbands, so I suppose the same rule applies to unmarried couples too", she wanted him to confide in her, she always felt needed when someone chose her to ask for advice. He could see from her expression that she really did want to help and he didn't want to upset her by making her think that he didn't trust her, "its Bobby". Sue Ellen was confused for a second, "Bobby?" she prompted him to continue, "daddy's taken him into the company; he's started talking about running things together, as a team. Ewing Oil is mine, I am in line to be the president and I will not have Bobby swooping in and doing the bare minimum amount of work for all the praise. I dedicated my life to Ewing Oil, I did everything daddy asked, even the dirty jobs out on the rigs when he insisted that I learn everything about oil. I spent my free time working on building Ewing Oil into one of the biggest independent oil companies in Texas; what did Bobby ever do? He spent his weekends and summers at the lake, partying with his friends; he can't even read a goddamn map for goodness sake". Sue Ellen could see that he was completely frustrated; she let him continue to speak, he obviously needed to get it all out, "…so of course, the next logical move was for daddy to bring him into the office, make him my responsibility, and then blame me for Bobby's incompetence. Then, just as I thought daddy was finally beginning to understand exactly how useless Bobby is; he goes and does the most basic thing in the world and gets praised like he's just struck oil. Do you know what he did?" he questioned her more for emphasis than anything else. "He basically did the work that my secretary could do if I asked nicely. He arranged a business meeting. That's it. We haven't even made a deal yet and daddy's already praising him like he's the best thing to happen to Ewing Oil since daddy himself", he let out a frustrated sigh and realised that he had probably come across more aggressively than she'd ever seen him.

Sue Ellen was a little shocked by his outburst, but she was happy that he was opening up to her; she liked being the one he was leaning on for support. "Ewing Oil is yours JR, you're the first born son and you're the one your daddy has been preparing for the job. I'm sure that Jock is just excited that Bobby is finally taking an interest in the business; but he knows that you are the driving force behind the success", she continued to stroke his hand and he calmed a little bit. "I know that, and I know that Bobby would fall flat on his face if daddy did trust him to make deals. However, I don't want to take the chance of that happening, because you know who will be left to clean up his mess? Me; and I'll never get any praise for it, it will just be expected; that's the way it's been forever. I made three excellent deals last week and daddy gave me a small pat on the back; Bobby sets up a meeting and gets a whole special celebration"; he pouted and Sue Ellen realised how affected he was by his upbringing; his parents were nice people, but their treatment of their eldest son had had some lasting effects. "That's terrible. Your daddy really should appreciate you more; doesn't he realise how much effort you put into Ewing Oil? You are partially responsible for the success of the company. You; not Bobby", she quickly moved into supportive mode, exactly the way she'd been taught. "Well, I'm sure logically he knows that; but you know how blinded he is by Bobby" he spoke bitterly and Sue Ellen could hear the resentment, it was time to change her tactics. "Your food is probably cold now, how about I get you a drink?" alcohol always made her feel better, she was sure JR would feel the same way. "Mhm", he got up and moved to the couch and Sue Ellen poured him a drink; "JR, we haven't known each other for that long, but in the year that we have known each other, I have become privy to the fact that JR Ewing always has a plan. So, what is the fate of Bobby Ewing?" she grinned at him, she knew that he was already plotting Bobby's downfall and she loved it. JR was multi-layered, the mix of vulnerability and evil genius were really an appealing combination and she couldn't wait to witness everything come to a head; JR would certainly win and she looked forward to their mutual satisfaction. Even though she liked Bobby, she was in love with JR and she would support him in any decision he made; she loved to see him on top and she was sure that he would come back to his rightful position. "Well darlin', I'm working on it. There's one thing you can guarantee though; never be fooled when I'm down, because when I am, there's only one way to go, and that's up" he grinned and let out a loud, evil laugh and she knew that he was ok, Bobby was soon to be back in his rightful place. Swallowing the rest of his drink, he roughly pulled her down toward him and kissed her, urgently and fervently. It wasn't a romantic moment, but Sue Ellen had no complaints, she loved seeing all of the different sides of JR Ewing and this one was intense and passionate, it aroused a different side of her own personality, quietly forgetting her ladylike persona, she was quick to recognize and match the intensity of emotion he was displaying.

To be continued…