Austin, Texas

Annoyed, frustrated and angry, Patricia huffed loudly, none of her imagined plans had turned out as expected and feeling JR's anger, she knew she had messed up. In hindsight, she knew that she should have taken the safe route and politely asked him to help her, gently encouraging him to open their agreement for renegotiation, as she had in the past; in reality though, she had gotten greedy and arrogant, and tried to manipulate her way into more. Whether she liked to admit it or not though, JR was better at manipulation and playing games than she was and her plan had failed miserably. Opening her mouth to respond, she was cut off by JR's hand and quick words, "save it; we're done here. I've made my point clear, you will be getting nothing in the way of financial help from me from now on, so whatever fake grovelling and apology act you were about to pull is unnecessary. As for your role as a member of our extended family, I'll allow Sue Ellen to decide how much or little contact she wants with you from now on, she is the one that is most negatively affected by your presence in our lives. I suggest that before you even attempt to convince her to allow you to participate in her life again that you really look at your thoughts and actions and make an effort to change them… I've heard therapy can really help", not mentioning that he held that opinion because of how Doctor Williams had helped Sue Ellen, he held back a laugh at the look on her face. A woman as conservative, controlled and traditional as Patricia was of the same mind as his father and how he had personally seen things prior to seeing the way Sue Ellen had transformed; therapy to them meant psychiatric help for crazy people, and unable to admit that perhaps it could help anyone, the very suggestion seemed horrific to Patricia. "Oh, and don't even think about trying to contact my parents to complain about what I'm sure you believe is 'unfair' treatment, it won't help your cause and you will regret it in the end". Leaving his statement vague but clear, he then waited for her to say something in response; she never was the type of woman who could just allow him to have the final word.

Glaring at JR, Patricia didn't know what to say; she couldn't apologise, he would just call her insincere, and she couldn't argue, that would only increase his anger, so letting out another annoyed breath, she remained silent, trying to think of a reasonable response. Turning as the sound of the door opening took the attention away from their conversation, both JR and Patricia were actually pleased to have an out; Patricia solely to get the attention off of her for a moment and JR simply because he was just about done with discussing the same things over and over. Seeing the door open and her eldest daughter timidly re-enter the room, Patricia felt a pang of guilt and annoyance; guilt for what she had done and annoyance at herself for believing she was invincible; JR Ewing was right, she was no match for him and now she was paying the consequences for her risky actions. "Darlin'", turning his attention to his wife, JR felt protective; there were many more things he could say to Patricia, but his wife's wellbeing was more important right now. Walking over to Sue Ellen and taking her hand, he then looked her in the eye to make sure she was ok, at least enough to be in the same room as her mother for a few moments, and surprisingly, instead of looking weak and worried, she looked strong and determined, at least while he was standing next to her. Strengthened by the look of love and concern JR had in his eyes and the encouraging thoughts she had learned to repeat from her sessions with Doctor Williams, Sue Ellen gave JR a thankful smile, held onto his hand and turned to face her mother. "Mama, John Ross and I have a busy schedule for the next few weeks, and it's going to take me some time to consider where I want to go to from here after our conversation today, so I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll be able to have you over to visit anytime soon. I'll call you when I'm free and ready though", making it clear that she didn't want to fight anymore and didn't want to be hassled by her mother when she returned to Southfork, she then turned to JR, "take me home", looking at him pleadingly, she was surprised when he kissed her softly, "as you wish. Why don't you go and say goodbye to Kristin, I'll be out in a minute". Watching his wife nod and leave the room, he then turned back to Patricia, "I think that settles it. Sue Ellen will contact you if or when she feels like reopening the lines of communication, but until then, please leave her alone". Nodding and then walking toward the door to leave the room, he paused briefly and turned back to her, "oh, one more thing to make you think about your words and actions. Before coming here today, with a fairly certain idea of what you truly wanted, I had my lawyer draw up two contracts, one that would allow you to continue your lives comfortably here in Austin, and another to assist you in starting anew in Dallas. I'm sure Harve will be deeply disappointed that he won't be getting paid for any more legal work regarding those two documents, except of course, stamping them as null and void. I advise you to think about that next time you consider saying something rude; nasty words and an inflated ego can cost a person a lot, and when a person doesn't have a lot to begin with, the results can be devastating". Grinning as he finished speaking, he then opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving Patricia standing by herself to think about exactly what she had done and what the future now held for her.

To be continued…