Dallas, Texas

Slamming his car door shut as he stepped out onto the driveway, Bobby Ewing felt frustrated and betrayed. He expected JR to be conniving, it was who he was, but he'd never expected their father to agree to such an unfair, poorly planned idea. He didn't know exactly why is father and brother were arguing, but now, instead of just being a confused bystander, he was a hurt bystander. He'd always been his father's favourite son, he knew that, so naturally, he'd assumed that by following in his father's footsteps and pleasing him with his accomplishments, he would be rewarded, and so far, he had, however, what he'd read today worried him and he was angry about it. He didn't expect to one day be president of Ewing Oil, that was JR's future role, he was the eldest son and frankly, he was the more experienced and business-wise son, so he had no real issue with that part of the agreement. What he did take issue with though was the fact that his father had basically guaranteed JR full legal ownership and control of Ewing Oil in the future as long as he followed a few, basic rules, rules that any decent human being knew to be right anyway. Not only were the terms much too light for the reward, but the fact that JR needed to be bribed to treat his wife properly seemed repulsive to him, despite the fact that his own job for Ewing Oil was all about bribing men. What offended him the most about the whole thing though was that in the entire written document that he'd read, there wasn't one mention of him or his future at Ewing Oil. It shocked him that his father didn't seem to have done much thinking at all when it came to Ewing Oil as a family business outside of those named John Ross Ewing, because otherwise he would've surely realised that JR had no intention of sharing Ewing Oil when he did gain control. He had truly believed that his father cared about his contribution to Ewing Oil, but from the evidence he had read earlier, that didn't seem to be the case, and that really did upset him. Noting that his father's car wasn't parked in the driveway and remembering that he was out ranching for the day, he entered the house and immediately made his way to his room; their confrontation would have to wait a little longer.

Denison, Texas

"…I want to know that when you say that you want to be a better husband, you mean it, and I want to know that I'll never have to worry about your fidelity again. I want to be able to trust you when we're not together, because it's not healthy to be distrusting, but it's also not easy to just forget all of the pain of the past. I want to know that you respect me and love me enough that doing right by me is a default, not something you have to force yourself to do, and I want to know that when we return to Southfork, the current issues with your father will be resolved somehow and our future with him will be a respectful one. I won't stand for being treated disrespectfully and I know you feel the same way when it comes to your father's attitude toward me, but I want confirmation that if another argument does start, I won't be left to fend for myself. I don't want us to be fighting with your mama and daddy, I don't want to be fighting with you and I don't want the atmosphere at Southfork to be a negative one, but I can't help but react to some of the injustices in my life… our lives". Pausing for a moment to gauge whether any of her words appeared to be registering with him, Sue Ellen was satisfied when JR nodded and periodically murmured in agreement before patiently waiting for her to continue, and sensing his attitude, she softened her approach a little as she moved on to the second part of her speech.

"I've really enjoyed our time here at the lake house so far and I've had enough time alone to think about a few things and to really come to terms with what I want for our future together, not just as John Ross' parents, but as a married couple too. I love you, I want to be your wife, I want you to be my husband and I want us to be happy in those roles with each other. If you're willing to try, then I want to work with you to rebuild our marriage; I'm ready to do that now". Looking him in the eye as she spoke, she knew that he was extremely happy to hear what she was saying, a fact that pleased her and gave her hope, though she knew that she needed to get a promise for the other side of the situation too before making any further moves toward reuniting. "Before we move toward that though, what I want to make clear is that I do not want to go back to the way things were and I will not allow our lives to head in that direction again. If you can promise me that this won't all be in vain, then I'm willing to try. I love you JR". Looking at him as she finished speaking, she was both surprised and pleased to see the raw emotion on his face and when he stepped closer to her, she felt her attraction to him intensify. It had been a long time since they'd been romantically involved and the anticipation and excitement she felt now was overwhelming, she truly did love him and want the best for their future together, all she needed to hear first was an honest promise.

"Thank you", maintaining eye contact as he responded to her, JR felt wonderful, "I love you Sue Ellen and I promise, the bad times in our life together are over now. I'm sorry for all of the pain I caused you and I intend to work with you to move past that pain, I want us to come out the other side, stronger and happier. We'll deal with daddy when we get back, but for now, I just want to tell you that I will definitely be there to support and defend you. You're my wife, I love you and I intend on showing you how much you mean to me, for the rest of our lives together". Moving even closer to her, he closed the gap between them and kissed her, slowly and passionately, letting her feel how greatly he loved her and in return feeling how greatly she loved him. It felt wonderful to finally be in a good place with each other again and he didn't intend on making any more mistakes; he'd lived life without his wife and he didn't like it and didn't ever want to experience it again.

To be continued…