Dallas, Texas

"I'm sorry darlin', there's just so much to do here", JR didn't like disappointing his wife, but he had to do what was best for Ewing Oil, and right now that meant late nights and early mornings. The holiday season was always a busy time for them, but this year was even more challenging, there was so much going on in the oil business and they couldn't afford to fall behind. "Oh, ok. I'll see you when you get home then; drive safely", Sue Ellen understood, he wasn't the only one that had to pull late nights, his father and brother were also busy with Ewing Oil; it was just part of being a Ewing. She had known that Ewing Oil was important and time-consuming before she married him, and it wasn't fair to blame him for having responsibilities; the late nights alone at Southfork were part of being a Ewing wife. JR could almost hear the disappointment in her voice, it was the fourth night that week that he'd had to work late and he knew that she missed him, her whole life was wrapped up in pleasing him, and when he wasn't there she was lost, unsure of how to fill her time. "I promise, we'll have dinner together this weekend, just you and me", he hadn't had dinner at Southfork since Sunday and that was just family dinner, they hadn't had dinner alone together as husband and wife for weeks now. "Thank you; I love you", Sue Ellen smiled, it pleased her to know that she wasn't the only one who missed their time together and that he really was trying to make an effort. "I love you too, I'll see you later", he ended the conversation quickly as he looked at the clock, Bobby was supposed to be coming to see him at any minute and he didn't really want anyone else to hear him say the word love, it made him feel self-conscious when he said it aloud. Sue Ellen looked at the clock, it was only just after five, but she already knew the night would go slowly; JR had indicated that he wouldn't be home until late, it wasn't just dinner he was missing, it was the relaxation time in the evening too. The selfish part of her wished that he didn't have to work so hard, but she quickly suppressed that side of herself, she wouldn't let him see how it affected her, she wasn't supposed to complain, it was just a fact of life and she had to accept it.

"I'm going to head home now", Bobby knocked on JR's door and informed him that he was leaving; JR looked at the clock, it was almost eleven, he should probably leave soon if he wanted to see his wife at all. He had hardly spent any time with her in the past week and he wasn't totally oblivious to the fact that she was hiding her disappointment; he didn't enjoy seeing her like that, but he also had a lot of other important things that needed his attention. He looked at the stack of papers on his desk, he really did have to get them read, edited and signed before the end of the week; the holiday season meant that the administrative side of the oil business shut down for a period and they had to be ahead of the game to avoid any problems. "I'll be right behind you", he decided that another half-hour at the office was enough to get a little more work done and give him time to get home in time to see his wife before she went to bed, he didn't care if it was only to lay in bed with her and talk before they fell asleep. He worked fast, his goal in mind as he finished a good chunk of the work he had to do; he locked his office and drove home, pleased that there was almost no traffic at this time of night. Entering Southfork, he quietly made his way upstairs, something he'd perfected years ago, and walked toward his bedroom. He smiled at her efforts as he entered the room, the bedside lamp was still switched on and his wife was leaning against the pillows, but she was not awake; it appeared that his late night was just too late for her and she'd fallen asleep waiting for him. He quietly readied himself for bed before gently removing the book that was lying in her lap and turning off the light. Sue Ellen stirred as he took the book out of her hands, "how was work?", JR smiled, even in her sleep she was concerned about him, "work was fine, go back to sleep", he kissed her on the cheek and lay down, intending to get as much sleep as he possibly could, she wasn't the only one that was tired.

Sue Ellen awoke early on Saturday morning and smiled, it was the first time that week that she'd actually woken up with her husband still asleep next to her; the late nights and early mornings were part of his job, but that didn't mean she enjoyed having an absent husband. JR had promised that he was all hers today and she was content to do whatever he wanted, she just wanted to spend time with him. Looking at the clock, she realised that it was still early and they really didn't need to get up urgently, so instead of moving, she snuggled back down and fell back to sleep. JR awoke at his natural time, slightly panicked as he looked at the clock, he'd meant to get up an hour ago and he'd overslept, he had so much work to do and he was late. It took him a moment to realise that it was Saturday and he had promised Sue Ellen that he would take a little break from work; if his father wasn't going in, then he didn't have to either. He took a moment to watch her sleeping, he hadn't done that in a long time and he'd really missed it; he had been so busy the past few months that he had had hardly any time to appreciate the little things. He'd been busy getting to and staying at the top, it wasn't a position that he could just achieve and then cruise through life with, he had to keep moving, or else someone better would come along and take everything from him. His life was never easy, he was never just given things and he always had to work for what he got; that's why Bobby's position in Ewing Oil annoyed him. It had taken him his whole life to get to be Vice President of Ewing Oil, he had to go through the ranks and do almost every job in the company before he was 'ready' for the VP job, his father had insisted that he learn from the bottom up. In contrast, it only took Bobby a mere three months of working fulltime at Ewing Oil before he was promoted to what translated as third in charge; he did a little of the dirty work, but it was more of a token gesture than anything meaningful. Bobby was in a higher position than JR had been when he'd first started working fulltime at Ewing Oil, and that fact still annoyed him. JR knew that he was a better oilman than Bobby would ever be, but their father's biased views about his sons meant that didn't matter, his favourite son would always be the first choice, no matter whether he was the best choice or not. Sue Ellen began to move as she awoke and JR realised that it was silly to be worrying about his younger brother when he could be focusing on his wife; he could figure out a way to beat Bobby later, but right now he had more important things to do.

To be continued…