"Therefore, I leave half of the title of Southfork to him."
As the lawyer read Miss Ellie's letter aloud, John Ross grabbed Taylor's hand under the table, the redhead feeling his muscles tense. The redhead struggled to keep her smile under wraps, intertwining her fingers with John Ross's and squeezing his hand in joy. The rest of the Ewing family sat in stony silence, swapping disbelieving glances as the happy couple nearly beamed with excitement. As soon as the lawyer put the letter away and told them that was all, Bobby, Christopher, Ann, and Elena exited the room in a hurry, all of them in shock that John Ross and Taylor now owned half of Southfork, which meant he had rights to the oil underneath the land. Sue Ellen threw her arms around her son, squishing him in a crushing hug. "Momma, come on, you're gonna squash me!" Her son laughingly wiggled out of her arms, this time being nearly tackled by his fiancee, who pressed a heated kiss against his lips. "I always knew we'd end up on top, baby." The joy in her voice was evident as she threw her arms around his neck, a devilish smirk crossing her face. Turning to look at Sue Ellen, Taylor cocked her head slightly. "Give us a minute, Sue Ellen?" The older woman simply nodded in compliance, her woman's intuition kicking in. Once she left, Taylor turned back to John Ross, again kissing him. "Now that we're almost the king and queen of Southfork, I think a little celebration is in order, darlin'." She took a step back, retrieving her purse from her chair. "I'm thinking just you and me and a nice bottle of wine. Sound alright to you, honey?" A smirk crossed her face as she walked towards the door, John Ross following at her heels like a puppy.
Later that night, with the nanny taking care of Ross for the night, the still-overly-excited couple was home by themselves, Taylor pushed the sliding glass door open, a warm breeze blowing over her as she walked over to where John Ross was leaning on the rail and looking out over Dallas. "It's so beautiful out here." Her voice was soft, as if she didn't want to disturb his perfect concentration. Her fiance turned to her, a smirk crossing his face as he reached out and pulled her to him, brushing her red hair off her shoulders. "Not as beautiful as you." She laughed softly, wrapping her arms around his neck as he slid his arms around her waist. Pulling him down to her, she pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly and sweetly. When she broke the kiss to catch her breath, John Ross smirked devilishly, grabbing her hips and lifting her up into his arms in one swift move. She hooked her legs around his waist, John Ross carrying her into their apartment, only stopping long enough to shut the glass door back before escorting her to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, the button down shirt she had put on but left unbuttoned fell open, exposing her black lace lingerie. John Ross's eyes lit up, Taylor raising an eyebrow. "See something you like, John Ross?" The edge of her lip curled up in a smirk as he didn't answer, just kissed her again.
Celebrating was always fun.
The sunshine poured in the windows of their bedroom, Taylor pulling the sheet up to shield her face from the harsh rays. She was curled up beside John Ross, her back pressed to his chest and his arm slung over her stomach. Turning onto her back, she stretched, looking over at her fiance. He looked so cute asleep. Reaching over to brush his blonde hair out of his face, she smiled sweetly when he stirred and sleepily opened one eye to look at her. "What time is it?" Looking over his shoulder at the clock, she giggled. "Nine a.m. We have to be up and dressed to go to the presentation on the rig at noon. You best get in the shower and get dressed. I've gotta fix my hair that somebody had the audacity to mess up last night." As John Ross rolled over to get out of bed, he laughed. "You didn't seem to mind too much last night." Taylor hit him in the back with his pillow, hiding her smile behind the sheet. When he located his boxers and got them back on, Taylor sat up, pulling the sheet up over her. "Hey, where's my good morning kiss?" John Ross turned back to her with a smile, leaning over to kiss her sweetly. "Good morning, angel." The redhead smiled widely. "Thank you. You can go get ready now."
Taylor stood by the stairs that led up to the main floor of the rig, her eyes shifting from John Ross to Chris to Elena to Pamela. She had a funny feeling in her gut, like something bad was about to happen. Finally not able to stand it any longer, she went to grab John Ross by the hand and tell him about the feeling, but then the entire rig was rocked by a huge blast that sent the Ewings, the crew, and Pamela tumbling to the floor, John Ross reaching for Taylor as he tried to catch her. The redhead shrieked in terror as the blast caused her to lose her balance, falling backwards down the flight of steel stairs. She rolled down the steps, hitting every one. Landing with a sickening thump at the bottom, her long hair covering her face as she laid on her side, Taylor was still, barely even breathing.
John Ross felt the shrapnel cut his face, felt the warmth of blood on his skin. But all he was focused on was the image of Taylor stumbling backwards, then disappearing as she fell down the stairs. As soon as he made it back to his feet, he raced down the stairs yelling her name at the top of his lungs, his family crowding at the top, in shock at the horrible scene. Finally making it down to his fiancee, John Ross dropped to his knees, brushing her hair out of her face, pulling his hand back to discover it was soaked in blood. He let out a horrified gasp, gently turning her onto her back. Once her entire face was exposed, John Ross felt the tears well in his eyes. A bloody gash ran from her temple to her cheek on the left side of her face, several other cuts marring her beautiful complexion. Her lip was split, her hair matted slightly from the pool of blood that already started collecting under her. She didn't look like she was breathing, but then he saw that her chest was very faintly moving up and down. "Taylor?" His voice was weak and trembling when he spoke. No, this could not be happening. He couldn't lose her, not so soon after his father's death. Hearing himself sounding so pathetic calling her name, it took him back to calling for his dad over the phone. "Taylor, baby? Can you hear me?" She didn't stir, John Ross feeling the tears begin to run down his face. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to find Bobby squatting beside him. Seeing the tearstained face of his nephew, Bobby put his arm around John Ross, reassuring him. "The medics are on the way, John Ross. They'll take Taylor and Pamela first, since they're hurt the worst. It'll be okay, son. Taylor will be fine." He looked down at his nephew, who was holding Taylor's hand in his own. "John Ross, you have to believe me. Taylor is going to be okay. She'll be better and then you can take her home to Ross, okay?" John Ross nodded, looking like a lost puppy.
The medical team arrived as fast as they could, rapidly loading Taylor and Pamela onto stretchers and then into the rescue boat. The rest of the family was escorted off with them, John Ross never letting go of Taylor's hand. The medic assured him that she had a pulse, that she was just unconcious, not dead. He paid no attention to his family as they made their way to shore, only alternating between crying, praying, and talking to her. If he lost her, he was pretty sure he'd die too. Taylor was his world, and he would not let her end up like his father, dead before her plan was completed.
Whoever had done this to her would pay.