Dallas, Texas

They took a break between their main meal and dessert, using the time to dance and really just be close to each other. Sue Ellen jumped as a clap of thunder sounded in the distance, this time closer to their location, but still not near enough to affect their evening, "it's ok, I checked the weather forecast earlier, we're set for a fine night. Nothing to worry about", in all honesty, he was a little worried, hoping that wherever the storm was, it was drifting away from them, not toward them; he didn't want to worry her with his thoughts though. The lone waiter placed two plates on the table before leaving the room again; "Chocolate Crocante de Cajeta", JR emphasised each word and Sue Ellen looked up, "I'm impressed, I didn't know you spoke Spanish", she grinned, she was pretty sure that he didn't speak Spanish and had been practicing the words to show off. JR laughed, "I don't, but this dessert is special to me and I wanted to share it with you. Before Teresa worked for us, we had another maid, her name was Maria, each year on my birthday she'd make this dessert, it was special, only ever on my birthday, never for Bobby or Gary's birthdays or any other occasion. Then, when I was about seventeen or so, she left us; I know I shouldn't have really cared, it's such a small thing when you think about it, but I always missed having it on my birthday. We had another maid after Maria, her name was Gloria, but she was never really a very good cook, I'm not sure why mama hired her. Then, a few years ago, Teresa came to work for us, and no disrespect to my mama, but Teresa is an excellent cook. I described exactly what I wanted and she immediately knew what I was talking about; I asked her to make this for tonight because I wanted to share something special to me, with you". He looked her in the eye as he finished speaking and she was touched by his story, it was so much more than just a delicious dessert, "oh JR", she couldn't help but stand and walk over to his side of the table, kissing him as words couldn't express how much she enjoyed when he opened up to her. JR was surprised, he had told her the story with the intent of making her feel special, but he didn't quite realise how she would react, "I like this better", he whispered as he pulled her into his lap, taking advantage of their unusual dinner circumstances. It wasn't often that they had enough privacy to enjoy their dessert in such an intimate position. They took turns taking bites of the food and kissing, enjoying the taste of each other's lips mixed with the chocolate brownie/mousse/ice-cream hybrid.

"Will there be anything else Mr Ewing?" the waiter could see that he was no longer needed, all of the food had been served and cleared away and the happy couple were just enjoying each other, "no, no thank you", JR tipped the man and watched him leave. They were getting closer and closer to the point of no return, if he didn't ask soon, the night would be almost over and the peak moment would have passed, leaving Sue Ellen disappointed again and probably doing irreparable damage to their relationship. However, that wasn't going to be a problem, he had planned everything out perfectly and the evening was running smoothly so far. Sue Ellen shivered as the night air turned chilly, no longer calm and still, but now breezy and crisp, no matter how nice the weather had been during the day, the night reminded her that it was still technically winter. "Are you cold darlin'?" he noticed her slight shake, "no, nothing a little dancing won't fix", she smiled and pulled him onto the dancefloor, not wanting to ruin the nice mood by complaining about the temperature. JR found a record with more contemporary, upbeat music and they danced together, it didn't matter that the music wasn't slow and romantic, they still felt as close to each other as they had earlier. In the back of JR's mind, he knew that he should really find the right moment soon, he didn't want it to just pass him by, not again, especially not after the hesitation disaster on Thanksgiving. "All this dancing has made me thirsty, let's get a drink", he poured two glasses of champagne and sat back down at their table, now just decorated with the centrepiece and tablecloth. Sue Ellen took the opportunity to sit in his lap again, she just loved how intimate and relaxing it was, along with sleeping next to him, this was one of her favourite places to be, and if he'd hurry up and ask her, she wouldn't have to wait too long before they could do things like this every day. As she settled in the right position and took a sip of her champagne, the effects of nature once again frightened her; this time a bright bolt of lightning lit up the sky before the sound of thunder boomed, sounding alarmingly close to their location. "It's ok, just another Texas thunderstorm, I'm sure it'll be over before it starts", JR reassured her, but secretly he still wasn't sure that that was entirely true; his research had told him that the weather was forecast to be fine tonight, he would have moved their date indoors if it hadn't.

"More wine?" he only really asked to be polite, pouring her another glass as she replied, "it is good wine, and good wine should never be wasted", she didn't really know what she was saying, the wine was indeed good, and it had gone straight to her head now that they were freely drinking and no longer eating. "French darlin'; I knew they were good for something", he grinned, it wasn't often that JR would admit that someone did something better than Texans could do it; "mm, here's to the French", she held her glass in the air to toast them, "here's to Texas", he added to the list before thinking and finishing, "no, here's to us. May this be the beginning of a long, wonderful life together", once again, he'd taken something simple and personalised it, and it had melted her heart. "Hear, hear!" she spoke and then kissed him, loving that he could make her so emotional using just a small sentence. "Sue Ellen…" he began to speak, deciding that now was the perfect time to tell her exactly how he felt, she sat up, hearing the seriousness in his voice, "I…", he was silenced by the huge lightning bolt outside and the following thunderclap that gave no doubt that they were a lot closer to the storm than he'd imagined. Sue Ellen jumped again, her heart beating fast, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the shock of the thunderstorm or the way he'd been looking at her, she was sure that he was about to ask the question. "I think we should get out of here, we may be dry for now, but this tent isn't made to withstand storms. Plus, we're running off generator electricity, I don't think that mixes too well with extreme weather conditions", Sue Ellen nodded in agreement, actually a little scared of what would have happened if they hadn't made the decision to abandon their current location. JR moved to switch off the generator, he didn't mind paying the damage fee, but he'd rather not have anyone electrocuted when they came to dismantle the set-up in the morning. "JR…" she quickly realised that they should have made this decision earlier, the rain had arrived and it was heavy, she could see the roof of the marquee beginning to struggle with the weight of the rain, although it was made for outdoor use, this was Texas and it was canvas, it wasn't entirely waterproof. "Let's go", he took her hand and held a glass lantern in his other hand, it was meant mostly for decoration, but right now it was the only real source of light they had; he led her toward his car, hoping that they could still salvage the night. Sue Ellen shivered as the cool rain pelted her skin, she could honestly say, this wasn't how she had envisioned the night. "No, no, no" JR stopped walking, spotting the worst possible thing that could happen, a tree branch had fallen straight onto the hood of his car. It would be fixable in the morning, but right now, they were stranded, the branch was much too heavy for one man to move, and even if he did, he wasn't sure the engine would run properly and he'd rather not take the chance of driving a car that could possibly explode. "Come on", he redirected them, thinking quickly as another flash of lightning lit the sky in the distance; Sue Ellen didn't know where he was leading her, but she followed anyway, trusting that he knew Southfork a whole lot better than she did, and he'd never let them get into any real danger.

To be continued…