Dallas, Texas

"Mr Ewing?" hearing the buzzing of his intercom and then the cautious and confused voice of his secretary, JR pressed the talk button, "yes Diane?" noting a pause between him instructing her to speak and her actually speaking, he knew something strange was going on, and when she did finally speak, his intuitive feeling was confirmed. "I know you're a very busy man today and you specifically requested that I not schedule any meetings for this afternoon, but you have a guest in reception and she's very insistent that she needs to speak to you". Considering the situation, he knew something was going on and it could possibly be messy for he and his family, he hadn't always been the man he was now, however, without the mystery guests name, he couldn't be sure exactly what he was getting into and what response he needed to put forward. "I see… and what is this guests name?" waiting for what seemed like a long time, but he knew really wasn't, he was completely surprised when Diane responded, "Miss Kristin Shepard". Taking a long pause as he comprehended her words, he then pressed the talk button again, "I'll be right out". What his wife's sister wanted from him, he had a fair idea, but the fact that she had come to ask him for it in person instead of just phoning him like her mother occasionally did was a bit of a shock; however, he couldn't say he wasn't impressed, she was a young girl, but she wasn't completely immature.

Walking into the reception area, the first thing JR noticed was the mug of hot chocolate in his young sister-in-law's hands and he was pleased to see that although she was much younger and less business minded than their usual clientele, the secretaries had still given the same Ewing Oil welcome hospitality to her as they would any other guest. "Kristin, how nice to see you today", smiling and trying to act as if the situation weren't completely odd, he welcomed her and then invited her into his office, away from the secretaries curious eyes and eavesdropping ears. Sitting down in the large, comfortable, leather chair that JR waved his arm toward, Kristin looked around the office in awe; she'd always known that JR Ewing was an important man, but the downtown Dallas skyscraper and large, ornate office gave credence to those thoughts; her sister had married a wealthy man, just as her mother had always dreamed. Looking over at the door to confirm that it was closed and they were alone, JR took a seat, looked directly at Kristin and then waited for her to speak; she was a direct talker and he didn't particularly see the need for social niceties when there was no one around to chastise them for jumping straight to the point.

"Thank you for seeing me today…" starting off a little quiet as she got used to the intimidating nature of JR's office furniture arrangement, his chair and desk a little higher and more important looking than her chair, establishing exactly who was in control in the room, she relaxed a little when he softened his expression a little. It wasn't that she was truly afraid of JR Ewing, if she were, she never would've taken this trip, however, it was a new situation for her and even she, a confident young lady, needed a little time to get used to things. Relaxing, she found her voice, "I suppose you want to know why I'm here… or you already know, you're a smart man…" unsure of how much detail he would want to know, she was encouraged by his open hand gestures, waving for her to continue speaking. "I don't blame you for what you did to my mama, she was being greedy and opportunistic and that wasn't fair to you, however, I'm not sure whether you realised that it's not entirely fair to me either. My life over the past few weeks has been hell. She won't stop talking about what a mess our lives are and how she wishes I were already finished my 'geisha training' so that I could put those skills to use to help our family. She makes me feel like it's my fault that I'm not legally old enough to marry and even if I were, I'm not nearly at the point in my social skills or social presence where I could marry the right kind of man. It's awful, there was so much pressure before, but I didn't mind it, that was manageable pressure and I liked doing most of the things she taught me. However, now that I'm no longer enrolled in my private school and we don't have enough money for me to do all of the activities she had planned, she's become irrational and angry and I don't enjoy any of it anymore…" Pausing, she looked at JR and waited for his next direction; she would explain everything in more detail if she had to, but she didn't really want to.

"I see", keeping his response short, JR considered what she had just told him and what kind of life he would be sending her back to if he ignored what was obviously a cry for help. "How did you get here?" changing the subject entirely, he asked a question that he was genuinely intrigued about; surely an airline wouldn't have allowed her to fly unaccompanied without a parental consent form, and even then, an airline ticket was more expensive than what he assumed she had saved up in her piggy bank. "I took a bus…" not going into any real detail, she was pleased when JR nodded and gave her a small smile; he appeared to be impressed by her navigational skills and common sense and satisfied enough with the answer she had given to not ask any further questions. Wondering briefly what Patricia was thinking at this moment in time, JR decided to listen to Kirstin and make an action plan with her before deciding what to do about Patricia. For all he knew, she possibly hadn't even noticed her youngest daughter wasn't at home, it was only two in the afternoon and it wasn't unusual for girls her age to spend time at a friend's house. Pausing after nodding, accepting her answer, he then spoke, "so, what can I do for you today?" wanting her to tell him what she wanted before deciding anything about her future, partially because she could possibly only want something small and partially because he wanted to see how far she might push him, he then waited for her to respond.

Not sensing that he was angry, annoyed or upset by her presence, just intrigued, slightly impressed and perhaps even a little sympathetic, she then softened her expression, showing her most vulnerable self, "I'd like you to help me, in whatever way you see fit". Knowing that he would be more likely to help her and give her the best opportunities if it were something he was willingly doing, not being forced into, she left her opening statement purposely vague and then took a long pause before continuing, this time hoping to show him that she understood his perspective, because being Patricia's daughter, she did. "I completely understand why you wouldn't want to start supporting me and my mama again, she did take advantage of your generosity, I'm mostly just asking for a little compassion, because I know it was an unintentional consequence, but my life has not been good since you and Sue Ellen visited and I don't want to live this way anymore". Nodding, surprised by Kristin's honesty and mature comprehension of and approach to the situation, JR knew that his plan B was now needed. He'd never intended for Kristin to be so harshly affected by his response to Patricia's actions and attitude and he had promised her that he wouldn't allow her to suffer because of his anger and annoyance at her mother. In leaving Austin a few weeks ago, he had made a mental provisional commitment to himself that if requested by Kristin, he would help her; so now that she was here, showing him her vulnerable side and not making any excuses for her mother's behaviour, he knew what he had to do.

To be continued…