Dallas, Texas

"Oh my…", standing, Sue Ellen slowly made her way over to the drinks cart, poured two drinks and then turned and returned to her husband, handing him a fresh drink even though he still had a semi-full glass. "That only took you two days?" nodding her head toward the brown folder on the coffee table, she looked at him with a mixture of surprise and concern. She felt sick; she had always known JR was capable of things that seemed impossible to other people, and she wasn't innocent in the situation, she had specifically asked him to use his skills to see if he could find Jenna and see how she was, but now that he had, she wasn't so sure about her plan anymore. Newspaper articles were public records and given the past social status of the Wade family, they didn't seem to be anything too out of the ordinary to Sue Ellen, however, photographs and clearly private information didn't sit well with her. It was contradictory of her to now not be so pleased about JR's actions, because she had asked him to find out what he could and she had done that knowing full well that he didn't pay his men to just do a quick scan of the phonebook. She had received what she had asked for, even after JR had voiced his own concerns about whether it was truly the best thing to do, and now she was regretting it.

Looking at the photographs of a young woman and her daughter and reading the details of their incoming flight from Rome a couple of years ago had suddenly reminded her of a time in her own life where she had been the victim of JR's snooping and a few things had become clearer in her mind. It was one thing to want to check that someone was alive and well, but it was another to stalk them and compile a dossier of personal, private information for the purposes of manipulating a situation. JR had done the same thing to her when she had left him during her pregnancy and his uninvited presence in her life before she was ready to see him again had not been at all pleasant. She had never met Jenna Wade or her daughter, but from what she had heard and what she could see in the pictures, she was a nice lady who had been through plenty of drama and heartbreak and reminding her of her former life now wasn't what was best for her. As well as that, it hadn't seemed real before, but now, after seeing the photographs of the happy, healthy little girl, Sue Ellen knew she had to think very carefully before even considering contacting Jenna or giving Bobby the information relating to her current whereabouts. It wasn't fair to add more disruption to the life of an innocent child, even if the child was possibly fathered by a Ewing man. Jenna had clearly had a reason for leaving Dallas and if Sue Ellen's experience was anything to go by, she had to know that the Ewings would welcome her and her daughter with open arms if she did ever return, but if she was staying away, then she had her reasons and those reasons were to be respected. For all she knew, the little girl in the pictures wasn't even Bobby's daughter; Jenna had married very soon after leaving Dallas and for the vast majority of young married women, the first few months of married life were filled with as much intimacy and romance as possible. It was very possible that young Charlotte Wade was not half Ewing but instead half Marchetta, and if that was the case and Jenna knew it, then the reappearance of Bobby in her life might be more unwelcome than welcome.

"Mhm…" setting down the second drink Sue Ellen had made him and taking a sip of his first drink, JR nodded and studied his wife's facial expression. He knew her, she was awed and scared by the depth of his investigations and the timely manner in which he operated. He was sure she genuinely enjoyed some of his shows of power, she had told him and showed him that more than once, but it was clear to him that she was uncomfortable with this one. "Darlin', finding out information about someone like Jenna Wade is easy, especially for the men on my payroll. That being said, I can just as easily make that information disappear if you don't wish to proceed with the matter. Just say the word". Taking another drink, he watched as her expression shifted again, her confusion regarding his process and other investigative work was evident, but at the same time, she looked as if she were annoyed with him for guessing how she was feeling before she explained herself. "I think you forget, you know me, but I also know you. You're a good person, you want Bobby to be happy and in your head it seemed only logical that that could come from a reunion with Jenna. Unfortunately, what you neglected to remember was the other side of the situation. Trying to manipulate people's lives is messy and can get complicated very quickly. I tried to tell you that playing matchmaker for Bobby might not be the best idea; do you understand why now? It's honourable for you to want him to be happy, but you and I both know his position when it comes to my interference in his life, and we both know what it's like to have someone uninvolved try to insert themselves into a relationship". Taking another drink, he waited for Sue Ellen to say something, anything.

Shaking her head slightly, Sue Ellen wondered how her husband managed to read her expressions so well and how he managed to say things that she hadn't even thought of, but made sense in her life as well as his. "You're right, I want Bobby to be happy, but I don't think this is the way to do it, and I'm sorry I only realised that after you paid for this report. I'll be honest, at the time it sounded like a romantic idea, but now, I feel terrible. I feel dirty seeing these pictures and reading this information; it's private and personal and I would be furious if someone I didn't even know decided to do the same thing to me and John Ross as we've done to Jenna and Charlotte. I value our family's privacy and I hate when other people try to interfere in our relationship, especially my mother or your father. I hope Bobby will one day find happiness in a relationship like we have, and if he wants my help or advice I'll gladly give it to him, but I'm done playing secret matchmaker, even though I've hardly even started". Pausing to take a drink and reflect on her feelings, Sue Ellen then looked directly at her husband and spoke again, "is that the only copy of that information or are there more?" She felt guilty and dirty having invaded Jenna Wade's privacy and she was looking for a quick solution to rid herself of some of her negative feelings, and while burning the documents was probably a little dramatic, their large, crackling fireplace did seem like an inviting option right now.

To be continued…