Dallas, Texas

"I don't like it", JR paced around their bedroom while Sue Ellen sat on the bed, watching and analysing her husband; she couldn't quite work out exactly what was bothering him, but she didn't ask, she just listened. "Ewing Oil… my deals… legacy… Bobby…" he was speaking in riddles and he'd been drinking, it wasn't a good time to ask for a rational explanation, so instead, she just sat and listened, nodding and only speaking when spoken to, supporting him when he looked to her for confirmation that he was indeed correct in his opinion. She watched as he poured more bourbon into his glass and began to wonder what had happened tonight, it must have been something big, because she had thought that JR had gotten used to Bobby's presence at Ewing Oil months ago, it wasn't a new thing anymore, so something must have happened to make him act like this. They had had the annual Ewing Christmas party tonight and Sue Ellen had spent the first half of the party on JR's arm meeting-and-greeting their guests, but the second half of the evening she had hardly seen him, he was off talking business with the other oilmen while she was socialising with the ladies. Their business and social duties came first and didn't leave a lot of time for them to just be together as a couple, that's just the way social events worked, they were as much about business networking as they were about having fun. It was only now, after their guests had left, and Southfork was quiet again, that they had a minute to talk and really spend any time together; though that didn't seem to be happening right now, not the way she had expected anyway. In JR's current state, he was much too preoccupied with his problems to focus on his wife or their relationship; she accepted that that was just the way it was, he obviously had bigger things on his mind. Finishing his drink, his expression changed, it was as if he just had a moment of clarity and Sue Ellen wondered what had triggered it, "I can't destroy him, but I can make him regret crossing me. I just have to be smart about the way I do it", he seemed less angry and more conniving now, he had a plan, but he wasn't verbally communicating it to his wife. She still had no idea exactly what Bobby had done to make JR so irritated, but she was pleased that he seemed to have thought of a way to fix his problem. This was the JR Ewing that she knew and loved, he didn't let other people's actions negatively affect him; instead, he changed things and manipulated them in his own favour. From the way he spoke, Bobby would have to watch his back at all times, because JR would take him down and would be on top again soon enough, there was no doubt in her mind. "JR?" she stood and walked over to him, he'd stopped pacing and she wasn't sure what he was doing now or what he was thinking; JR turned as she spoke his name, truthfully he hadn't even really processed that she was sitting there watching his every move, he'd been too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice her actions. His mind was clear now though, she looked good standing in front of him in her party dress, they hadn't spent much time together tonight but he decided that it was time to change that. There was something about a good plan that made him see things more clearly and boosted his ego, manipulation was his game and he was the master; Bobby wasn't a threat unless he let him be, and he had just made the decision to put him back in his place, by any means necessary. As a courtesy, he would at least try to do things the right way first, but there were no guarantees, not in his world; if Bobby wouldn't go willingly, then it wasn't JR's fault if he got burned by his further plans. "What happened?" she looked up at him, her big, brown eyes were full of concern and emotion, she just wanted to help him, but right now her help wasn't what he needed or wanted. "Nothing for you to worry about, I've got it all figured out now", he looked her up and down once more before he kissed her, the passion in his kiss was enough to silence any further questions or comments.

Sue Ellen awoke on Sunday morning; sitting up and watching her husband sleep, she grinned to herself as she remembered the wonderful way they had ended their night. She liked when he was gentle and loving, but she also appreciated the other side of him, she wasn't a fragile porcelain doll that would break if he was the slightest bit rough with her, though most of the time he seemed to think she was. It wasn't often that JR dropped his inhibitions and just did what he wanted with her, and she enjoyed the rare occasions when he did. Glancing at the clock, she decided that she should just get up and let JR sleep, she wasn't tired anymore, but he would probably be hungover today after the way he'd been drinking last night. It was better for him to stay in bed and sleep now than to get up and be grumpy with her all day because she woke him unnecessarily. Quietly, she got up and readied herself for the day, making her way downstairs for breakfast where Jock, Miss Ellie and Lucy greeted her; Bobby didn't seem to be around and she assumed he was sleeping, probably in a similar state to JR. She couldn't really say she was too disappointed by his absence though, she liked Bobby, but she would always defend her husband, and JR didn't seem to be too fond of his brother right now. It was probably better that she didn't have to chat with him this morning, because she didn't really know what the situation was and how she was supposed to feel; she would have to ask JR to clarify that for her later. After breakfast, Sue Ellen gave in to Lucy's request that they go riding together, Lucy wanted to ride as much as possible now that she was on winter break, and it was always fun to have someone go with her. Sue Ellen didn't think that JR would mind, there was no way he would want to go riding, and she didn't think he would be up to doing anything strenuous today anyway, not in his current state. Sundays at Southfork were unofficially designated family days, they used the time to relax and unwind from the previous week and to prepare themselves for the upcoming week; usually they just stayed on the ranch, hanging out by the pool, riding horses or entertaining themselves inside. JR awoke in a bad mood, he was hungover and his wife was nowhere to be seen; showered and dressed, he walked downstairs, thankful when he saw that Teresa had made a fresh pot of coffee, and that the house was somewhat empty; the last thing he needed right now was a noisy environment. Sitting in the living room, he spent the next hour drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper in peace; in the back of his mind, a plan was forming, he would take Bobby down and he would be on top again soon, because nobody ever beat him in business, especially not his brother.

To be continued…