Dallas, Texas

"Is something wrong? You seem stressed", lying in bed next to her husband, Sue Ellen could feel him tossing and turning; he was restless, something was on his mind. "Nothing's wrong darlin'. I'm sorry I'm keeping you awake, I'll try to be more still from now on", making a promise he wasn't sure he could keep, he hoped that she just accepted his answer, because there was no way he was going to tell her why he couldn't sleep. "JR…" a little confused and hurt by the way he had brushed off her concern, it was evident in her voice that she was upset and hearing her tone, he immediately felt even worse than he already did. He'd gotten word from Harve earlier in the day that Cynthia had been served with a the request to bring her son in for a blood test to establish JR's possible paternity and then to attend a meeting with he and Harve the next day. He didn't want to see her again, he didn't want a reminder of his past mistakes and he didn't want to have another son, not with another woman and not in the context that everything had occurred. He loved Sue Ellen and he really had grown into a better man over the past nine months, so to have it hanging over his head that it could all come crashing down around him soon worried him. He didn't want to lose his wife and son, he liked his life as it was, but he knew that Sue Ellen was not a weak woman anymore, she wouldn't just accept his cheating and lying and she certainly wouldn't accept that he had another child, especially a son. Then there was the problem of Ewing Oil and his relationship with his parents; his father would be furious if he found out about this situation and that would mean bad things for him in his personal life and his business life, and if he didn't have Ewing Oil or a family, then he really didn't have anything. Money and power were important, but without the backing of his father in business and without his wife and son by his side in his personal life, his power was diminished and his money meant less. He wasn't a religious man, but right now, he almost wished he were; having faith would've given him hope that there was someone more powerful than he controlling the situation, however, he didn't really believe that there was; things were as they were and he couldn't change them; he was either the father of little John Moore, or he wasn't.

"Darlin', I'm fine, really, there's no need for you to worry. I love you, go back to sleep", responding to her concerned and hurt reply to his original explanation, he hoped that she really would let it go now. He was trying to spare her feelings by not telling her anything, because she didn't deserve to have to worry about the real problem and she didn't deserve to be lied to about a fake problem in order to cover up his true thoughts. All he wanted was to not have to lie to her anymore, he just wanted the problems to go away, and he was working on making them go away, he just needed a little more time before he could honestly answer his wife. If everything went to plan, no one would ever know what was going on and they would all be able to continue to live the good lives they had been living over the past few months. The only thing that worried him was what could occur within the next few days; he could try his best to control everything, but sometimes his plans didn't go as expected and right now, the last thing he wanted was for something unexpected to happen. "Ok… I'm here to listen or talk if you want to, but if you don't then that's also fine. I love you too", resigning herself to the fact that he didn't appear to want to talk, Sue Ellen made sure he understood that she loved him and was there for him, in any way he needed her. "Thank you darlin'", moving a little closer to his wife, he gave her a light kiss and then lay back down to sleep, this time making sure he didn't toss and turn, even if he was awake.

Hours later, Sue Ellen awoke to use the bathroom, and re-entering the bedroom, she looked at the clock and then at her sleeping husband and made a decision. Putting her robe on, she quietly opened the bedroom door and crept down the hallway, trying her best not to disturb anyone; it was Saturday morning and although they all still got up relatively early in order to eat breakfast together as a family, it was still very early and the likelihood of anyone else being awake was slim. Walking into the kitchen, she gathered the things she needed and began to prepare breakfast for she and JR; it was wonderful living at Southfork, having Teresa and Raoul around was a blessing, but occasionally, she did enjoy using the domestic skills that she had acquired during her many years living with and under the rules of Patricia Shepard. If her mother was to be believed, good wives knew how to run an efficient and pleasant home; raise pretty, polite and productive children; do everything in their power to please their husbands, and they made it look effortless. Not completely believing that being a good wife and mother was the be–all and end–all of life, but not disbelieving it either, Sue Ellen smiled proudly to herself as she plated the food, arranged it on the tray, covered it with a cloche to keep it warm, and then cleaned up the few dirty dishes she had made. If all went to plan, JR would have a much happier morning than he had night, and if her mother could see her now, she would be proud. Carrying the tray upstairs, she quietly placed it on JR's nightstand, removed her robe and got back into bed, intent on making his morning one he wouldn't forget and hopefully making stilted conversations and hidden feelings a thing of the past. She wanted them to have a good marriage and she wasn't afraid to assert herself to make it happen; she could be submissive, but she wasn't a pushover, she wouldn't just allow things to happen anymore, she would fight for what she wanted and their marriage would be better off for it.

To be continued…