Denison, Texas

It was Monday morning and JR was relaxed as he drank his morning coffee, sitting on the couch in the living room with his wife leaning against him; "happy anniversary darlin'", he smiled as he handed her two wrapped boxes, giving her a light kiss and waiting for her to open her gifts. They'd decided to bring breakfast into the living room for a more comfortable experience while they exchanged gifts, though Sue Ellen had a sneaking suspicion that there was an ulterior motive to their new 'comfortable' location. Opening the first box she gasped, JR always bought her the most exquisite jewellery and she had yet to be disappointed by any of his gifts; inside the box was a beautiful set of tanzanite and diamond jewellery, including a bracelet, necklace and pendant earrings. "Oh JR, they're beautiful, thank you", she moved closer to him and kissed him; she couldn't believe how well their anniversary weekend was going, things were so different here, it almost felt like the old days again, back when everything was new and exciting. She really hoped that this was a new chapter for them and that their relationship would continue on this path when they returned to Dallas, she liked this version of JR, he was so attentive and loving, and she hoped that it wasn't just a passing phase. JR pulled away slowly, not breaking their kiss too early, "I'm glad you like them, I spent hours in the store choosing just the right ones", he smiled at her, "you're not finished yet though", he motioned toward the second box and watched her gleefully unwrap it. "Thank you JR, I love it", Sue Ellen examined the large wooden jewellery box and smiled, it was beautiful and would fit perfectly with their bedroom décor. JR never failed at gift giving and she hoped that her gifts were as well received, she had put a lot of thought into it, but she still found him a difficult man to buy for, he had almost no actual hobbies and he was a millionaire who already had everything he really needed or wanted. "I love you JR, happy anniversary", Sue Ellen stood and moved to grab the two boxes on the coffee table, quickly returning to her spot, snuggled closely at his side; she handed him the first box and nervously waited for him to open it. JR watched her as she handed him the box, her smile was weaker than it had been just a moment ago and he assumed that it had to do with her lack of self-confidence when it came to pleasing him; even after a whole year of marriage, she still constantly worried about what he thought and downplayed her own capabilities. JR made a conscious effort to not show any negative emotion as he unwrapped the box, it was easier to pretend to be happy than to have to console her because he accidentally said something wrong. As he opened the box, his smile grew and turned into a completely genuine smile, her gift showed that she really did know him well and that she didn't need to be so self-conscious all the time, "it's perfect", he looked into her eyes as he spoke, wanting her to know that he was totally serious. Sue Ellen let out a small sigh of relief, she had spent days looking in different stores for the perfect watch, and she'd finally found one that matched her JR Ewing approved mental image; months ago, he had asked her to describe the watch she would choose for him, and she had finally found something that matched the exact description. JR brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes as he looked at her, sometimes it still surprised him that he was actually married to such a beautiful, wonderful woman; as much as he took her for granted, he did love her, and this weekend had reminded him of that. He knew that things would be different when they returned to Dallas, there was so much more to his life than just his wife, and unfortunately, he couldn't always focus on her needs; but for now, none of that mattered and he was content to take full advantage of what he had right in front of him. "I love you", he looked at her as he spoke, wanting to make sure that she knew that he meant it; Sue Ellen was touched, this was all she needed, a husband who loved her and made it known. All of the pain she endured in his absence and his preoccupation with other things was worth it when he reaffirmed his love for her, she felt like crying, though she knew that that was unnecessary, she was just so happy, she really loved him, and hearing him say it back to her so sincerely made her emotional. "I love you JR", he noticed the way her voiced changed when she spoke and made his move, kissing her to cut off any risk of her becoming an emotional mess, he loved that she was so attached to him, but he found it difficult to deal with her when she was overly emotional about it.

"Thank you for this JR, I love spending time with you, just the two of us", they walked along the lakefront again, holding hands and talking about anything that came to mind; they'd been inside the house all morning, not that either of them were complaining about being inside, they just needed a little fresh air now though. They'd had a wonderful morning, christening the living room and the kitchen, and Sue Ellen hoped that they could eventually make it around the whole house, she was enjoying this version of JR immensely and had wondered why it had taken a year for them to get to this point, it wasn't like she had ever denied him of anything. "So do I darlin', I'm sorry we don't get to do this much back home", he acknowledged that they didn't get nearly as much time together as they should have been able to, but he stopped before he made any promises to change that; he would try, but he couldn't commit to anything. He knew that his plan for Bobby's position in the company was about to make him even busier with work at the office and he hated that that inevitably meant less time for his wife, but he had to do what was best for Ewing Oil and sometimes that meant other areas of his life had to suffer. All of his hard work wasn't just for him, it was for everyone involved, his father, his future son and his wife, he had to build a name and a legacy for himself, he had to be the best, and that meant focusing his energy on getting to that point. "I…", he began to speak, but he was cut off by Sue Ellen as she stopped walking and just hugged him; she was having serious déjà vu right now and she really didn't feel like rehashing old promises, all she wanted was to enjoy the moment, even if it was only temporary state of happiness. JR held her tight, wondering why she had just randomly chosen to hug him, not that he was complaining though, "I love you JR, and I understand. But please, let's just enjoy our anniversary, no talk of the future, just us, here and now", she pulled away and looked him in the eye, she just wanted something to hold onto, she knew that it wasn't forever, but for the time they did have together, she wanted it to be amazing, not spent brooding over the unknown future. "Absolutely darlin'", JR grinned, he was actually rather pleased that she didn't want any promises from him, it made it easier to justify his actions in his mind; he had to do what he had to do, and she understood and supported that. Right now though, none of that mattered, he had the most beautiful woman in the world standing in front of him, begging him to pay attention to her; he had less than 24 hours left alone with her and he didn't intend on wasting any more time thinking.

To be continued…