Dallas, Texas

Watching the highway slowly quickly turn into suburban streets and then the rural, trafficless streets of Braddock County, indicating they were getting closer to home and Southfork as the minutes passed, Sue Ellen's mind wandered. Naturally she was excited to see John Ross again, it hadn't even been a full day since she'd last seen him but her heart still had an empty space that would only be filled when she regained custody of him; he was in good hands with his grandparents though so that wasn't that main thing on her mind. What she found herself thinking about during the drive back to Southfork was she and JR's recent time together; things had taken a turn she hadn't expected the previous night but she couldn't say she really minded, sometimes a change could be quite invigorating.

Catching JR's attention as she made a brief "hmm" sound, she decided to go ahead and just say what was on her mind seeing as talking seemed to work for them lately. "JR? I have two things to say, maybe three", reaching out to touch her husband's hand, she smiled at him reassuringly; she had one hard thing to say but overall her thoughts were positive. "Sounds ominous; go ahead", receiving a nod and an amused smirk from JR, she did as he said and continued. "Well, I very much enjoyed last night, all of it, from the dating as us to acting a part and returning back to being us again", it was true, she hadn't realised how much fun it could be to play a game with him, brushing aside the details of their real life to spin a story of a fantasy life. It was an interesting concept, if they were the only ones playing then infidelity and trust issues didn't factor in anywhere; she was still Sue Ellen and he was still JR even if they were playing a different version of themselves.

"I'd like to do it again, that is if you want to", watching him for a reaction as she made her next comment, she grinned herself when his smirk grew and he responded, "you liked that did you? I think we can arrange something". Unsure of what she had expected, she felt a little relieved that he didn't seem horrified at the idea, mostly though she was just happy; their lives weren't boring, she was quite content with the way things were between them, however, this had the potential to improve what was already a good situation, or at least make it more interesting. His reaction was positive, she wasn't completely swayed by a smile though; she had told him she had multiple points to raise with him and she intended to do just that.

Continuing, she addressed a few of the other things on her mind, "I did, and I'd be interested in that. I don't want things to ever be awkward though, we're getting to be so good at communication that I want to be able to talk even when things are perhaps not something so easy to say. With that in mind, I have to ask you one thing". Hesitating herself before bringing up what was really on her mind, she then addressed his previous behaviour, specifically his hesitation when they had been intimate the previous evening, "what happened last night? The second time, not the first. I can see why you did it the first time, we were having so much fun pretending and you just made a decision, but the second time, you hesitated before bringing us together, despite us being married and there being no real danger, we do it all the time at home. The second time felt more like us, but still, you hesitated; I just don't understand why".

The previous evening had contained two strange experiences, the first of which she honestly wasn't sure she was much of a fan of, it seemed messier and less intimate for both of them and she'd rather if he was going to play the 'only looking for a bit of fun' role that he just insisted on covering the situation himself. After she had given birth and before her pills had been completely effective they had done just that and she hadn't had a problem with it, so she didn't see any issue with him doing that now either if they had to. It would be easier if they just didn't take their roleplay so seriously though; they could talk a good game and even act it out, but the biological facts didn't change just because they were taking part in a fantasy. She could play single and uninhibited like a college girl without fully becoming that person, just as he could play the character of a man looking for a casual good time, without actually living that experience completely, only participating in such things with her in mind.

The second strange experience of the evening was almost the opposite of the first, he had hesitated before even bringing them together, making her wonder whether or not he wanted to play their previous game or instead resume their real relationship. She could see the point of taking on the whole character in a roleplay, it was fun and different, it didn't erase the facts of their real life though which was why she didn't really understand his hesitation. The fact was she was not going to get pregnant if he did what he usually did and let things reach their height and conclusion inside rather than outside her, so even just pretending she was a prepared college girl would be enough. Assuming he was taking their game too seriously was just one theory as to why he had acted the way he had; the truth could be simpler than that. At the time, she had wondered whetherit was just that he didn't like the stress of having to monitor his body's natural reaction to their actions or whether he was genuinely concerned about the future, as if he was his former self. She didn't really know what he was thinking though, only what she assumed, and knowing her own mind it was always better to just ask instead of assume.

"Oh, that..." glancing over at her briefly, JR soon turned his face back toward the road ahead of them, though she could tell from the way he was gripping the steering wheel that he had definitely heard her and was considering what to say next. "I hoped you wouldn't notice", still not offering much of an explanation, Sue Ellen found her mind wandering again, jumping to conclusions about what he really thought. "Let's just say I got a little too involved, a little too caught up in the fantasy, in remembering my life far before marriage", speaking again, it became clearer to her that she had been right in one way and wrong in another, a fact she wasn't too upset by. She could accept an overactive imagination far easier than news that he was hesitating because he was having second thoughts about their relationship outside a physical relationship.

"Life before marriage", repeating his comment to herself, she had a fair idea of what he meant, he had lived a full life before he'd met her, before he'd ever considered settling down and marrying just one woman. Where women were concerned, prior to her there hadn't been anyone serious, but that absolutely did not mean that there hadn't been anyone else, the number wasn't one she really wanted to focus on but it was probably in the hundreds. Her number was far smaller, she had experience with just one man, her husband, however she had also dated a reasonable amount of men before him, and she could enjoy a good-natured game like the one they had played the previous evening. With that in mind, she actually found his brief comment explained a lot, he was just acting the way he had so many times before, because they had been playing a game all evening.

"Yes darlin', just for a second things were real, like I was back there, I didn't want to ruin anything by saying something though, you know how good things have been for us lately", nodding as she listened to him, Sue Ellen understood where he was coming from. "They have, I love that. You know I want to enjoy a fuller social life with friends too, but I have no complaints about the life we have with each other. I was really just curious about last night; it was an interesting development for us, one I liked very much". Commenting on their relationship, she genuinely meant what she said, she did want to continue to meet people in hopes of finding a friend, because she could get lonely during the day without a real friend close by, but where she and JR were concerned she was very content and happy with how things were. Sex was an important part of their relationship, it wasn't everything though, but she felt like they finally had the communication, dating, and other aspects of their joint life under control, so sex was what they always seemed to come back to discussing, or doing.

"Mm, well so did I, and I'm open to doing that again. As I said, I didn't want to ruin things, clearly you noticed though. I think it's a learning curve, we've had those before, figuring out just the right amount of pressure to apply and where to apply it to in order to gain the most pleasure in the end", turning to look at her again, he grinned at her as he spoke, he was speaking figuratively and literally it seemed. "Enough about my problems though, tell me more about what you liked and what you had in mind, because I have a few ideas of my own if you're interested, but I'd love to hear yours first; so much of what goes on in your pretty little head never makes it out of your mouth". Continuing to grin as he spoke, Sue Ellen blushed, a little embarrassed at where and how fast her mind conjured up images of exactly what appealed to her, despite the fact that they were married and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He had changed the tone of their conversation easily and she delighted in the return to the fun part of their discussion rather than the answer session she wasn't sure she really wanted to delve too deeply into, accepting as she was.

"No, I started this conversation by telling you I'd like to do this again, it's your turn to offer an idea now", responding, she grinned at him herself; she had a fair few ideas, but it wouldn't hurt to push him a little. She knew JR, he had more experience than she did in most areas of life, the bedroom being one of them. She didn't want to simply continue what another woman had started for him, she wanted to make things their own, but she was open to ideas, anything they could do to diversify their intimate relationship was good with her; they'd already done it once with great success and she looked forward to doing it again. "Ok, fair point. Do you still have the crown? Or the sash?" quick to come back to her with an idea, one that was firmly based on their own personal history, she smiled wickedly, "I do, what did you have in mind?"

To be continued…