Reunion

Part 13

Sue Ellen nervously chewed on the end of a fingernail. She had been waiting for what felt like and eternity, for a phone call from Harv Smithfield. J.R. spoke with him earlier that morning, and Sue Ellen had been tense ever since she received the subpoena from the British Courts. J.R. had tried everything, short of shaking her to get her to snap out of her sullen mood. He was at his wit's end when the telephone rang. Both he and Sue Ellen raced to answer it, almost tripping each other as they ran toward the phone. Sue Ellen laughed at their near miss. J.R. picked up the receiver. He said, "J.R. Ewing here. Yes. Tell me you have good news?" Sue Ellen tried to discern the identity of the caller from the look on J.R.'s face. He wore a poker face, and that merely added to her tension and frustration. J.R. said, "Thank you for callin', I appreciate it, bud. I'll talk to ya real soon." Sue Ellen almost yelled at J.R., "Was that Harv? What did he say? Did he talk to the presiding judge in London?" J.R. gave her an annoyed look and said, "Slow down, Sugar. I'll answer one question at a time." Sue Ellen let out a sigh, as J.R. stretched out his arms, inviting her to come closer to him. J.R. turned her around and led her to the side of the bed. He motioned for her to sit down, before he told her anything about his telephone conversation. He asked, "Are you calm, now, Sue Ellen?" She flashed him the same annoyed look he had given her moments before. "Yes." She hissed. J.R. said, "Harv has arranged for a closed circuit T.V. to be set up in the offices at Smithfield and Bennett's law firm. The Magistrate and the barristers for both the defense and the prosecution will ask both of us what information we have that might be pertinent to Miranda Barrington's trial for the attempted murder of Don Lockwood. Neither one of us will have to go back to England. We can stay here in Dallas, and the Magistrate agreed to wait for our testimonies until after John Ross' birthday." Sue Ellen threw her arms around J.R.'s neck and kissed him, pushing him onto his back, on top of their bed.

The morning of John Ross' sixteenth birthday had arrived. J.R. refused to get out of bed. Sue Ellen had to promise that she would make it up to him, somehow. He smiled a devious grin and told her that she could count on him makin' her keep her promise. Clayton, Bobby and Raoul set up several tables outside on the veranda, next to the swimming pool. J.R. did his best to avoid having to help, until Sue Ellen slugged his arm and said, "J.R., this is for John Ross' sake. The least you could do is pretend to be happy." J.R. apologized. He walked over to where the other men were setting up the tables, and offered to help. Sue Ellen arranged for Teresa and Miss Ellie to go to the grocery store and purchase all the soda pop, and plastic beverage cups. Sue Ellen and Miss Ellie had trays of snacks set aside for all of John Ross' friends to enjoy while they were swimming. Sue Ellen had also arranged for the pizza to be delivered at noon, to give the kids plenty of time to swim and work up an appetite. John Ross told his Mamma that twenty of his friends would be coming to the party, for a grand total of twenty-two kids, ages thirteen to sixteen, including him and Christopher. Sue Ellen smirked when she imagined the look on J.R.'s face at the prospect of that many kids running around Southfork. J.R. saw the expression on her face and shook his head. He walked into the house, and came back outside a couple of minutes later with a drink in his hand, and a smirk on his face. Sue Ellen walked over to him and pulled him aside. "J.R. I can't believe you're drinkin' this early in the day. You might want to save your energy for later on, after the kids leave, if you know what I mean?" J.R.'s eyes lit up, as he leered at Sue Ellen. He slowly poured the drink into a trash can. He pulled Sue Ellen into his arms and kissed her, as he dipped her backwards. She reached up and held his neck to keep from falling. The rest of the family saw the exchange and laughed.

The first party guests started arriving at about ten o'clock. John Ross met his guests as they arrived. J.R. said, "That's my boy." Sue Ellen jabbed him in his ribs, and said, "Excuse me? That's our boy." J.R. gave her a painful look, while he rubbed at his chest. Sue Ellen laughed at him, in spite of her attempt to chastise him. John Ross introduced his family to his friends, then showed his friends where they could change into suitable swim wear. Some of his friends arrived ready to dive into the pool, while others changed their clothes in one of the guest rooms. J.R. glared at Sue Ellen, as one of the guests did a cannonball into the pool, soaking J.R. as they entered the water. Sue Ellen tried, but failed to stifle her laughter. J.R. angrily walked back into the house. Sue Ellen told Miss Ellie that she would be right back. She walked into the house to find J.R. She followed the trail of wet footprints through the kitchen, into the foyer and upstairs. She heard the sound of running water, and followed the sound. J.R. was in the shower, trying to get rid of the smell of chlorine from the pool. Sue Ellen watched him shower. When he opened the shower door, he was surprised to see her standing by the bathroom door. He said, "You thought that was funny, didn't ya?" Sue Ellen giggled, and said, "No, not at first, but your reaction was hilarious." J.R. started to dry himself off, while Sue Ellen tried to placate his edgy mood. She gently blew at a droplet of water slowly trickling down his chest. She traced her finger over the drop of water as it slid down his chest and onto the towel he had wrapped around his waist. J.R. grabbed her hand, and said, "I'm not in the mood to be teased, Sue Ellen." She pulled the towel away, and threw it aside. She purred, "Who's teasin'?" as she pulled him into her arms and kissed him. The look of passion in her eyes told him everything he needed to know . . .

Sue Ellen and J.R. walked back downstairs almost thirty minutes later. She hoped that no one noticed their "disappearing act." Bobby glared at Sue Ellen when she stepped onto the veranda. She returned his glare with her own well cultivated, and icy stare. She wasn't going to let Bobby, or anyone else ruin the day for John Ross. J.R. could feel Sue Ellen tense. He glanced over to where Bobby was standing, next to the diving board. Some of John Ross' party guests were tugging at Bobby's arms, trying to lure him into the pool. Miss Ellie and Clayton were helping Teresa serve pizza to some of the other guests. Sue Ellen walked over and stood at the other end of the pool. She called John Ross over and whispered in his ear, "Why don't you see if you and Christopher can get Bobby to join you in the pool?" John Ross looked at Sue Ellen and winked, "Good call, Mamma," he said. John Ross ran to the other side of the pool, and found Christopher. He told him what Sue Ellen had 'suggested.' Christopher turned his head over his shoulder and gave Sue Ellen a 'thumbs' up.' John Ross and Christopher ran toward Bobby at full pace and pushed him into the pool. The other kids joined Bobby in the pool. Bobby gave Sue Ellen a disgusted look. She simply laughed it off. She walked back over and stood next to J.R. and said, "Bobby looked like he could use a little cooling off, don't you think Darlin'?" J.R. whispered, "Did you put John Ross up to that?" Sue Ellen batted her eyelashes at J.R. and said in her most innocent voice, "Me? Do somethin' like that? Never." J.R. grinned, and patted her butt, as she turned to walk away to see if Miss Ellie and Clayton needed any help. Sue Ellen and Miss Ellie bought a cake for John Ross. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. He blushed, then smiled at his Mamma and Daddy. Sue Ellen and J.R. took pictures of the celebration, while John Ross opened his gifts. When the party ended, John Ross thanked all of his friends for coming to the party and for the birthday gifts. The rest of the day would be spent with family.

John Ross hugged and kissed his Mamma and hugged J.R. He kissed Miss Ellie and hugged Clayton, Bobby and Christopher, thanking them for a wonderful birthday party. J.R. said, "Well son, the day ain't over yet." John Ross looked at J.R. J.R. tossed him a set of keys. John Ross' mouth fell open as he closed his hand around the keys and ran outside. The rest of the family followed him outside. He jumped up and down, excitedly when he saw the car his Daddy and Mamma gave him for his birthday. He turned around and jumped into J.R.'s arms, hugging him tightly around the neck. He hopped down and hugged and kissed Sue Ellen. His face was aglow as he said, "This is the best birthday party I've ever had. It's even better now, 'cause my Mamma and Daddy are back together." Sue Ellen could feel emotion rising in her throat and she swallowed hard, to keep back the tears. J.R. wiped at his eyes, blaming the tears forming in his eyes on pollen, or something splashing in his eyes from the pool. John Ross and Christopher sat in the car, toying with the dash controls and lights and the stereo system. Bobby said, "Now, I'll have to get a car for Christopher when he turns sixteen.' Miss Ellie said, "Bobby, that's three years away. There's plenty of time to think about that until then." Sue Ellen smiled at Miss Ellie, silently thanking her for reprimanding Bobby. The family walked over and started to help Teresa and Raoul clean up the mess from the party. When they finished cleaning up the veranda, everyone went into the house, except J.R. and Sue Ellen. J.R. took Sue Ellen's hand and asked, "Care to join me for an afternoon walk?" She held his hand tightly, and said, "I'd love to, Darlin'."

They walked around the entire interior portion of the ranch. J.R. stopped by the tree next to Garrison Southworth's grave. The spot had become one of J.R.'s favorite places, since Sue Ellen came back into his life. Sue Ellen leaned back against the tree and said, "Thank you for everything you and Harv did to get me out of goin' back to London." J.R. held his arm out against the tree. He crossed his legs at the ankle and reached out to move a wayward lock of hair away from Sue Ellen's eyes. She leaned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. He moved his hand away from her mouth and pulled her into his embrace. She closed her eyes as he held her. She could feel his heart beat steadily increasing in his chest. She reached up her hand and touched his cheek. His lips were on her mouth in an instant. J.R. pulled away long enough to catch his breath and then continued exploring her mouth. Sue Ellen cleared her throat and whispered, "I love you, J.R. As angry as I was with you when I left for London the first time, I don't think I ever got over my feelings for you." J.R. kissed her on her forehead and said, "I never stopped lovin' you, Sugar. Like I said before, a part of me died the day you left me standin' in that theater. Another part of me died when I found out you had remarried. I couldn't bear losin' you now. If for whatever reason, you do have to go back to England for Miranda's hearing, or for Don, I'm goin' with you." Sue Ellen looked at him with sultry eyes and said, "Let's go up to our room and I'll fulfill that promise I made to you." J.R. held her hand as they hurried back to the house.

J.R. shut and locked their bedroom door. He wagged his finger back and forth at Sue Ellen, who was unbuttoning her blouse. J.R. said, "Allow me." Sue Ellen stood with her arms lifted out to her sides, as J.R.'s fingers skillfully undid the buttons. He pushed the blouse over her shoulders, down over her arms, and watched as she threw the blouse across the bedroom. He reached for her waist, as his other hand sought the buttons of her trousers. She tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth. He kissed her, unable to resist her teasing any longer. She pulled away from him and pushed him onto the bed. She straddled him as he lay beneath her. She idly played with the buttons on his shirt. His arms were pinned at his sides by her legs. He was helpless, but it wasn't a bad thing. He grinned at her, as she traced her finger up and down, and around his chest. His breathing was becoming more ragged, as she delayed going any further with her seduction. He tried to pull his arms away from where she had them pinned, but her grip on his waist was too powerful. She leaned forward and released her grip on his arms. He pulled her face down to his and kissed her more arduously than ever before. He rolled her over onto her back and pulled her hair away from her face. He said, "God, I love you, Sugar." Sue Ellen lifted her hand and reached up and touched his face and said, "Prove it." Much later, they lay side by side in their bed. The even sound of their breathing was the only sound that could be heard, as they fell asleep in each other's arms.