Dallas, Texas

Checking out of Sue Ellen's hotel on Saturday morning, they took JR's car back to Southfork together. Although it was the more complicated solution to the two-car problem, JR insisted on having Sue Ellen travel with him and he would arrange for her car to be brought back to the ranch later by one of the ranch hands. He wanted to arrive home together, partially because he wanted to spend time with her and partially because he wanted their first appearance to the family to be one where they were together as a couple, not as individuals; it was what his parents wanted and it was what he wanted. Sue Ellen was happy to be going home, she really had missed Southfork and the Ewings; however, as JR got off the highway and began driving through Braddock, rapidly approaching Southfork, her stomach began to flip-flop. She was nervous and scared and she wasn't sure that she was ready to face the family again, not after she had lied and told them she was just going to her mother's house for a few days. She knew that Miss Ellie knew everything, because she had told her the whole story, but she didn't know how much Jock, Bobby or Lucy knew and she was afraid that they would be angry or annoyed at her for leaving Southfork so abruptly, without warning or explanation. As they drove, JR noticed the change in Sue Ellen's demeanour as they neared Southfork; she had been happy and easy to talk to when they had left the hotel, but their conversation had gotten slower and more difficult as they drove, eventually leaving them sitting in silence as they passed one of the outer boundaries of Southfork land.

Looking over at his wife's pale face and wide eyes, JR made the executive decision to pull off the main road, onto a smaller, dirt road; they obviously needed to talk and he would rather do it now than later at Southfork where everyone could hear them and would judge them for whatever it was that was wrong. Having lived there his whole life and having needed to get away from his parents every once in a while, JR knew all about the ranch, so he knew exactly where he was going, however, his unannounced detour was a little unnerving for Sue Ellen, "JR? Where are we going?" her voice was shaky and weak as she tried to hold her emotions together, it wasn't that she was scared or upset with JR personally, it was everything else that was the problem and his surprise change of plans just wasn't something she was particularly prepared for. Parking under a large oak tree, JR turned to look her in the eye, "you seemed upset and I was concerned; what's wrong darlin'? I want to help" he spoke gently and softly because in his previous experience, it was better to approach her kindly when she seemed upset rather than to demand answers from her. Sue Ellen was touched by his concern, it had been a long time since she had seen his caring, loving side just appear naturally, and seeing it now made her even more emotional than she already was, though it was a good emotion, not a bad one like her other feelings this morning. "Oh JR…" she began to explain her concerns about everyone's reactions to her return to Southfork and by the end of her speech, she was in tears.

"Shh darlin', I know for a fact that no one will be upset with you, everyone loves you and they're all looking forward to your homecoming. Daddy can be a little harsh sometimes, but he means well and he's really just excited about having the family together again; Bobby, I can guarantee that he will understand why you had to get away for a while; and Lucy, well, she'll forget all about your leaving after a few hours of you being home. You have no idea what it was like at Southfork over the past few weeks, everyone missed you and was asking about you. Do you know why? It's because they care about you. No one was upset or angry with you for leaving, especially not mama or daddy. I promise you, no one will be anything less than thrilled when we return home, together", he reassured her that her fears were unfounded and hugged her close to him when he finished speaking, a loving, caring husband was what she deserved and he was determined to give her nothing less than that. However, as he hugged her and dried away her tears, he did begin to question whether her statement the previous day had actually held any truth. She was so determined that she was a strong, unbreakable woman, not a delicate, fragile lady like he saw her, but right now, she was anything but strong. He didn't want to hurt or upset her with his actions, so her request that he stop treating her so gently was confusing to him. How could he treat her like he treated his other women if she was so emotionally fragile?

As JR spoke, Sue Ellen's tears lessened and stopped and as he hugged her, her breathing returned to normal, "I… I'm sorry JR, that was silly. I'm fine, really", she felt weak and stupid as she actually listened to his words, once again, she had convinced herself that her thoughts were real issues, but when it came down to it, they actually weren't and she was overthinking the situation. Drying her eyes and reaching into her purse for her small makeup kit, she touched-up her makeup and in just a few minutes, it was impossible to tell that she had been crying; "thank you JR. I needed to hear it from you", she leaned over and kissed him lightly before telling him that she was ready to go home. JR was confused about her outburst, because it was clear that she had genuinely been hurt by her thoughts, but she was ok now, so he didn't really know what to think. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself though, because she had acknowledged that her thoughts weren't completely rational, so he didn't think it needed a further discussion; however, he made a mental note to keep her emotional health in the forefront of his motivations; never again did he want her to be upset because of something within his control.

"Hello?" JR and Sue Ellen walked into what appeared to be an empty house and JR was somewhat disappointed, it was hardly the welcome home he'd had been expecting, especially after his father had made it sound so urgent that he return to Southfork with his wife as soon as possible. Taking Sue Ellen's hand, they walked through the living room, dining room and kitchen before stumbling upon Teresa who informed then that Bobby was out somewhere and Miss Ellie, Jock and Lucy were down at the stables watching Lucy practice her barrel racing. "That's odd, it's still winter, the Ewing rodeo is still months away", Sue Ellen made a genuinely confused comment and JR just laughed, "darlin', you've obviously been away from Southfork for too long if you think it's too early to be practicing. The Ewings are winners because of our hard work and dedication. While the rest of the contestants are enjoying the winter downtime, little Lucy is out there improving her skills little by little. By the time the rodeo arrives, she'll be miles ahead of the other girls and the ones that underestimated her last year won't know what hit them. Game plan darlin', game plan", JR grinned, he knew his father, if he was down at the stables watching Lucy ride, it wasn't simply because he wanted to spend time with his granddaughter, there was always a secondary motivation. "Now, shall we go upstairs and change into something less formal? As much as I'd like to take advantage of the empty house and spend the afternoon alone with you, that's going to have to wait until after we say hello to everyone, because I know they want to see you". Sue Ellen was intrigued by JR's explanation about the rodeo, though from what she knew of Jock Ewing, it did make sense, he hated losing almost as much as JR did, she didn't have much time to dwell on her thoughts though because before she knew it, JR was leading her upstairs to change clothes.

To be continued…