Dallas, Texas
Sue Ellen packed the last of her belongings into boxes and taped them up, her bedroom now just a room in the house, no longer really 'hers'. The furniture and a few décor items were staying, but all of her clothes, framed pictures and other personal items were being forwarded to Southfork where she would be living after they returned from their honeymoon. Her wedding and the permanent move to Southfork afterward had been just the motivation she needed to sort through all of her things, letting go of anything juvenile or inappropriate for her new life as Mrs JR Ewing. There were quite a few things she had from high school and college that she hadn't realised meant so much to her, she left those things at her mother's house as well as anything pageant related, they wouldn't be much use to her anymore, but Kristin was still young and she would be following in Sue Ellen's footsteps soon enough. Kristin wasn't thrilled about the new arrangement, of course she liked the idea of having nice things, but Sue Ellen's old pageant dresses and hand-me-down clothes weren't exactly her idea of luxury. Sue Ellen was over a decade older than Kristin and the things that fit her now weren't the same things that were in style a decade ago; she felt like she was always an afterthought when it came to her mother's priorities. Of course, that wasn't entirely true, she had plenty of nice things of her own, but in her mind, she didn't really see it that way, especially compared to the girls she went to school with. Sometimes she felt like people only paid attention to her because of who Sue Ellen was; first Miss Austin, then Miss Texas, and now Mrs JR Ewing; the second-best feeling was always there. Maybe the wedding wouldn't be so bad after all, at least Sue Ellen would be living in another city, it would give Kristin the opportunity to make her own identity, one separate from just 'Sue Ellen's little sister'.
Dallas, Texas
It was Friday evening and JR and Jock said goodnight to the secretaries before they left the Ewing Oil building, heading straight for the Cattlemen's Club where JR would be having his bachelor party. He didn't really have a lot of friends, so the 'party' was fairly small, though Bobby and Ray had done their best to round-up a group of men to celebrate with them, no one turning-down the invitation of free drinks and the high possibility of seeing an 'exotic dancer' entertain the group. JR had promised himself that he would be returning to Southfork with his father and possibly his brother at the end of the night; he wasn't going to ruin his relationship with Sue Ellen by cheating on her two nights before their wedding day. He'd managed to stay almost completely faithful since their reunion and engagement, only slipping up a few times and actually regretting it and feeling guilty when he did; Sue Ellen was everything he wanted and he was ready to have her, it had been a long wait though and he was grateful that it was almost over. Entering the Cattlemen's Club, JR pushed any worries or concerns out of his head; they were here to have a good time and with all eyes on him, there was no way that he would do anything stupid like be unfaithful.
Austin, Texas
Sue Ellen's stomach was in knots; her wedding wasn't until tomorrow afternoon and already she was beginning to feel pre-wedding nerves. It wasn't a bad feeling, more anticipation and excitement than anything else, but there was a little stress and anxiety; she was still worried about pleasing JR, in every aspect of their marriage. There was a knock at the front door and she went to answer it, opening the door to the biggest bouquet of yellow roses she'd received in a long time; in all of the wedding excitement, she'd almost forgotten that today was Valentine's Day, but JR hadn't. Although they were flying to Dallas later that night and she would see JR then, she couldn't wait to thank him, picking up the phone she dialled the number and waited. JR was clearly hungover as he answered the phone, but he assured her that he'd had a good night with his father, Bobby and a few associates and that he couldn't wait to see her later that evening. Sue Ellen thanked him for the flowers and they said their goodbyes, keeping their conversation brief because of his headache and her emotional state. She sighed happily as she put the flowers in a vase, it still didn't feel real, she couldn't believe that she was actually getting married tomorrow. Later that evening, Patricia, Sue Ellen and Kristin boarded the Ewing jet; Sue Ellen said a silent goodbye to her old life, knowing that she would never return to her old home for more than a visit, even Austin itself was on its way to becoming the secondary city in her life. In less than twenty-four hours everything was going to change and her life would never be the same.
Dallas, Texas
Sue Ellen awoke to the sound of workers setting up outside; as she lay in bed, she began to feel sick again, the realisation that today was her wedding day was daunting; it was the day that everyone had been talking about for years, and it was finally here. There was a light knock on the door followed by Miss Ellie announcing herself, Sue Ellen invited her in and Teresa followed with a tray of breakfast food for Sue Ellen. She politely ate what she could, though she really didn't feel very hungry; "are you feeling all right Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked with concern, the young bride looked pale and had barely eaten any of the food on her tray. "Yes Miss Ellie, I suppose it's just nerves; I don't want anything to go wrong, and I don't want anyone to be disappointed," she confessed; Miss Ellie watched the young girl, realising how overwhelmed and pressured she was feeling. "Sue Ellen, there is nothing for you to worry about. Let me take care of the details, today is your wedding day and you should enjoy it, not spend the time worrying about other people. You will look beautiful, everything will run smoothly, and by the end of the day, you'll be a Ewing. Please, trust me; everyone is looking forward to the wedding and no one will be disappointed, I promise you. Now, finish your breakfast, you'll need all the energy you can get today; Teresa will be back for the tray in a little while and JR is here too, so no free walking around the house for now. Remember, if you need anything, just ask someone to help you, we're all here for you, this is your day", she hugged Sue Ellen and left her to finish her breakfast before she got out of bed and showered. In a small way, Miss Ellie's talk had actually helped; it wasn't that she had said anything new or profound, but it was just the reassurance that she needed.
A few hours later, Sue Ellen checked her hair and makeup again as she stepped into her dress, she felt wonderful, any nervousness and self-doubt had disappeared and had been replace by anticipation and excitement. She couldn't wait to see JR and finally be married, in a way, her whole life had been preparation for this point in time and she was confident that she was ready. Patricia buttoned her daughter's wedding dress and couldn't believe that she was actually holding back tears, she was never emotional like this, but today seemed like a good reason to have these feelings; Sue Ellen was finally doing exactly what she'd been raised to do and Patricia couldn't be happier. She'd had a few doubts about JR Ewing in the beginning, but now she was sure that he would make a good son-in-law and husband for her daughter, and the Ewing family were very loving and accepting of Sue Ellen; everything was perfect. Kristin sat silently in the corner of the room, she was a bridesmaid, but so was Sue Ellen's old college roommate Paula, and compared to her, she really did look like a child, not the mature adult she wanted to be. Lucy nudged her grandmother, excited to give Sue Ellen the gift they'd carefully chosen for her, "I think it's time to do 'Something Old'…" Sue Ellen hugged each woman as they presented her with their gifts and as they finished, there was knock at the door and Bobby asked how long they'd be, it was just gone two in the afternoon and the wedding was due to start whenever they were ready. Sue Ellen took a deep breath and nodded at her mother and Miss Ellie, it was time.
To be continued…