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Message: <blockquote data-quote="80&#039;s Cha Cha Cha" data-source="post: 319599" data-attributes="member: 6964">Chapter 3    Miss Ellie could now enjoy the barbecue.    Bobby had called.    J.R. and him were headed back to Dallas with both John Ross AND Sue Ellen!  Ellie had no doubts whatsoever that Bobby’s calm and critical thinking had saved the day.  She was walking down the hallway towards the stair landing, when she spotted Kristin in Christopher’s room, straightening up things even more than their maid, Theresa, had already done.  Ellie stopped in the doorway.    “You must be relieved.” Ellie ventured.  Kristin turned around to stare at her mother-in-law.  She had just finished putting some action figures of Christopher’s away in a chest.    “It would have been nice to hear that my husband was alright, from him.  Or even yourself.  I heard the servants talking.” Kristin said blithely.  She was dressed in appropriate barbecue Texan gear.  She picked up the cowboy hat that she had set down on her son’s bed, when she decided to straighten up his room.    “I’m sorry, Kristin.  I think Bobby could only get in that one call and you weren’t here.  He did ask to speak to you.”  Ellie said with more sympathy than she thought she would be able to muster up.    Kristin just nodded and walked over to the window to stare down.  Guests to the barbecue were almost swarming in.  Her eyes fell upon Clayton, who was standing with his son, Dusty and Ray.  At one point, Clayton and Ray were just talking and Dusty looked up towards her window. He nodded up to her and Kristin found herself smiling down at him.  She turned from the window and looked at Miss Ellie.    “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Miss Ellie.  I’m sure you’re right. The whole thing sounds perfectly awful.  Did Bobby say anything about how Sue Ellen is doing?”    “No.” Miss Ellie said truthfully.  “Though I know this whole thing has to be very hard on her.  She cares for Galen.”    Kristin said nothing to that.   She looked out of the window again and saw something else.    Katherine.    Katherine had red highlights in her hair and was wearing a very familiar looking dress.  Kristin stared down at her so long, that Miss Ellie walked over to the window to join her.      “My.” Miss Ellie said.  Kristin looked from Katherine to her.    “Doesn’t Katherine’s dress look familiar?” Kristin asked.  It was a white, silk, halter dress.  Sort of reminiscent of the dress Marilyn Monroe wore in ‘The Seven Year Itch’, but more off white in a way.    “Yes. Pam wore a dress like that at her first Ewing Barbecue here as a Ewing.” Miss Ellie said and Kristin looked at her mother-in-law and could see that she was remembering.  Miss Ellie was seeing Pam.    Kristin looked down at the crowd again.  Mark Graison was by Katherine’s side with his arm draped around her waist, while they talked to Clayton and Dusty.  This is what Katherine wanted! For everyone to see Pam when they saw her!      This was for Bobby.  And Bobby would see her as Pam when he came back home! Damn her!    Miss Ellie tore her eyes off of the group below and looked at Kristin.    “Why don’t we go down together? I’ll make introductions…”    “Maybe later, Miss Ellie.” Kristin said dismissively and struggled not to look as if she were hurrying from the room.  She went back downstairs, through the house and went outside.  She walked right up to the group.  Clayton saw her first.    “Kristin, you know my son, Dusty? He said you met at the hospital earlier?” Clayton asked.      “Hospital?” Mark asked. Kristin took a deep breath before answering.    “Yes.  My mother fell ill when she heard about my sister and nephew being caught up in that Moldavian Massacre.”    Dusty shook his head.    “I went to see Patricia hoping I could help.  The tabloids are blaming everything on King Galen’s romance with Sue Ellen.”    “Why?” Mark asked.    “The thinking is Galen is too busy pursuing Sue Ellen to rule the country.  But the word is that that whole thing had to do with a son of Galen’s that wants to be acknowledged.”  Dusty said.    Mark nodded slightly.    “I heard that too and I think that’s going to become public knowledge soon.” Mark said.    Katherine eyed Mark.  To be honest, she’d prefer for Sue Ellen to continue suffering from bad publicity.  But she had not realized that Mark knew anything about any of this.    “What do you mean?” Clayton asked.    “Meaning that King Galen’s illegitimate son is an American.  There is talk that he orchestrated the whole thing.” Mark said and Katherine felt his arm tighten around her middle.  She could feel Kristin eyeing her curiously and refrained from smiling.  Bobby’s twit wife was trying to figure out why she looked slightly different.  But Mark had subconsciously figured it out, as had other guests that gaped at her, while making their introductions.    Kristin had nothing to say about any of this, to be honest.  Sue Ellen had always been one upping her through life, with regards to social position.  Though this time, Kristin knew that while it appeared her sister had done well for herself, Sue Ellen’s heart would always be here at South Fork and by J.R.’s side.   That and if Sue Ellen could not seal the deal and get Galen to marry her, she would be known as the troublemaking, American woman that caused the Moldavian Massacre.    “I hope you’re right, Mark.” Kristin said.  “Sue Ellen deserves better than to be blamed for what happened over there.  Hopefully when she gets back here, we can hear about what really happened.”    “Sue Ellen is coming home?” Dusty asked. Clayton gave him a look that Dusty ignored.    “Why yes.” Kristin replied sweetly.  “J.R. was not about to have the mother of his child stay in such a god forsaken place.  Miss Ellie was seeing about making up a guest room for her when I came out here.”     Kristin smiled at Katherine before walking off.  Katherine pulled out of Mark’s hold and headed into the house!  Clayton sighed and walked after her, leaving Dusty and Mark alone.    “I’m going to see how Kristin is really doing.” Dusty told Mark, clearing his throat.  Mark nodded.    “Understood.” Mark replied and watched Dusty take off after Kristin.  He had no doubts whatsoever that what Bobby’s new wife had said, was a lie.  Miss Ellie would never be that disrespectful to Katherine, would she?    No.  But J.R. might.     ****    Judith left her husband, Lucas, to talk to old friends about the old days, when she spotted Jenna talking to a group of women.  Two of them saw Judith coming and excused themselves from Jenna.  Those two women had worked in Judith’s secret whore house, before marrying well and didn’t want Judith to ‘remind’ them of that in front of anyone!    The other women, Judith shooed away and Jenna turned to face her step-mother.    “Judith.” was all she said.    “Jenna.  Your daddy would have appreciated a call to find out how he was doing, after that hellish wedding.”    Jenna eyed Judith.    “What were you two doing over there anyway? How did you get an invite to a wedding like that?”    “Your daddy knows people.  Something you should well know.  Where’s Ray?  Lucas would like to introduce him to some people.”    “Really?” Jenna asked, sounding a bit hopeful.    “Of course! I know you don’t think that I’m supportive of what you want to do for Ray…”    “No, Judith.  I think you’re fine with whatever my father wants.  But Harris is another story.” Jenna told her.  Judith lifted a brow as a slight wind kicked up, blowing her hair around.    “Harris is fine with mentoring Ray.  We’re family.” was her reply.    “Mentoring and then equal partnership.  Just like what J.R. and Bobby have at Ewing Oil.” Jenna told Judith.    “J.R. and Bobby are blood brothers.  They both had a mutual respect for Jock.  Trying to make my son and your husband over into them is just never going to happen.”    “Ann called me.” Jenna said abruptly.  “Daddy ordered her back to Dallas.  Apparently she will be working for Ryland-Wade as well.  I think that was your doing.”    Judith cleared her throat and looked around before saying what she was about to say.    “I got your father to agree to this because of what you told me about Harris, Ann and that car accident.  But Ray will stay under Harris’s thumb for as long as Harris wants him to be there.  Otherwise, Harris learns that Ann had his baby and gave my little granddaughter over to you and your sorry husband. And after Harris takes Emma from you and raises her with Monica, you will be out of a daughter and your husband will be out of a job.  Hell, you might even lose Ray, making that the second Ewing man you couldn’t hold on to.”  Judith told her step-daughter, just as Ray walked over with Emma, bouncing her up and down in his arms as he carried her.  Emma reached out for Judith!    “Hi Grandma Judith!” she squeaked.    “Now, now, honey bunny, I’ve told you it’s just ‘Grandma’!” Judith cooed, reaching for her granddaughter.  Ray reluctantly turned her over and watched as Judith carried her off.  Jenna looked around.    “Where’s Lucas?” she asked.    “Off with Christopher.” Ray said quietly.  “And apparently J.R. and Bobby are coming home tonight.  They even convinced Sue Ellen to return.”    Jenna nodded and Ray touched her shoulder.    “What did Judith want?” he asked.  Jenna smiled up at him.    “She said Daddy was looking for you.  He wants to introduce you around.” she told him, ignoring Judith’s threat.  Ray was going to take over Ryland-Wade once Harris married Monica and moved to California.  Jenna planned to see to that.           ****    Kristin tried to think about how Sue Ellen would act in a situation like this? When she had been publicly humiliated and forced to save face?    She was not Sue Ellen.  And Sue Ellen was either drunk or half drunk when those type of things happened to her.  Liquor and drugs can give someone a lot of courage.  Kristin herself knew that, unfortunately.    She was lying in the hayloft of the stables, staring out over at the barbecue and hoping that no one had noticed she was gone.  Bobby would hear about how she had not made the rounds, ingratiating herself to people at the barbecue and would probably be ashamed of her.  Kristin sighed.  She needed to  be thinking about Christopher and his place in the Ewing family.  He would have to fight to make a place for himself here and she needed to be strong enough to help him.    And yet she could not make herself move.    It was as Kristin was thinking along those lines, that she heard hay rustling. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Dusty Farlow had made his way up the ladder and to the hayloft.  Once Kristin saw it was him, she returned her gaze to the barbecue.  It was not long before Dusty knelt beside her.    “I won’t get in to how long I’ve been looking for you.  I didn’t expect to find you hiding in here.” Dusty said, his tone almost reproachful.  Kristin, who was on her stomach with her arms under her chin, now sat up on her side and glared at him!    “Is that what you think I’m doing in here, Mr. Farlow? Hiding?”    “I thought we agreed you’d call me Dusty?”    “Why should I be so informal with you? I’m not Sue Ellen.” Kristin groused.    “I know that!” Dusty practically snorted and now Kristin paid him more attention!    “What does that mean?” she asked in a huffy manner.    “I mean that Sue Ellen would have never humiliated Katherine like that in public.” Dusty said matter-of-factly.      “Your right.  She would have done it in private and while drunk.  Now if that’s all…”    “No, Kristin, that’s not all.  The Wentworth’s and the Farlow’s are old family friends.  I don’t know Katherine all that well, but we were both at one another’s homes when we were younger.  I think you should apologize to her.”    Kristin smirked!    “You want me to apologize to J.R.’s wife?  Seriously, Dusty, Katherine married J.R. to break Bobby and myself up!  And didn’t you notice how she looked today?”    Dusty looked baffled!    “How she looked?”    “Yes! She was trying to look like Pam! You could see Mark was all over her! And her hope is that Bobby will be too! I have enough to deal with from Katherine, J.R., Jenna’s death glares and Pam’s ghost! I don’t need anything from you!”    Dusty clenched his jaw.    “I had no idea things were that bad around here.”    “Miss Ellie should have introduced me around.”  Kristin continued to complain.  “Then things might have gone differently today.”    “And yet you don’t blame Bobby for any of this?”     Kristin eyed him.    “Why would I blame him?  He’s done nothing…”    “Exactly.” Dusty said wryly.  “And he should be here, standing up for you and introducing you around.  He’s not here because he doesn’t want to be here, does he? Not really.  Your marriage to him is just as much a sham as Katherine’s is to J.R..” Dusty said pointedly.    “Who told you that? Clayton? I wouldn’t have taken him for a gossip.”  Kristin said wryly.    “No.  Sue Ellen. She didn’t think Bobby would make you happy and she was worried.”    Kristin tilted her head.    “So your here because Sue Ellen is worried about me?”  Kristin asked.    “I never said that.” Dusty replied.  “But I’ve been where you are, Kristin.   I was married and I did it to forget Sue Ellen.”    Kristin stood up and looked down at Dusty.    “I married Bobby for Christopher.  I figured love would come later.  And I still believe that, ‘Mr. Farlow’.  You have a pleasant day.” Kristin said and walked over to the ladder to climb down.  She suddenly couldn’t wait to see her sister back in one piece! She wanted to see if Sue Ellen planned to take up where she left off with Dusty Farlow after losing her ‘King’.  And Kristin suspected that if she was coming home, then Sue Ellen had indeed lost him.    She also planned to seduce Bobby the moment she had him alone.  And if he did not respond to her overtures…    Kristin refused to think like that.  Bobby would come around.  After being a war torn country, he would  need his wife.  And Kristin planned to be there for him.        ****    “Katherine!” Clayton thundered.  “You apologize this instant! If Rebecca could see you now…”    “If my mother could see how Miss Ellie was disrespecting my position as J.R.’s wife in this house, she’d be upset for me, Clayton!” Katherine snapped.      Miss Ellie kept her cool.    “John Ross will be in this house and he’ll need his mother.  If I thought you had a good relationship with him and could comfort him through his ordeal…”    “J.R. will be here! And I don’t think that Sue Ellen should be rewarded with shelter here, after putting her son in danger in the first place!” Katherine hissed.  “You let her stay here and I’m leaving! Then you can explain to J.R. how you ran his wife out of here!”    “J.R. is the one that wants her here, Katherine.” Miss Ellie said calmly.  “I didn’t just come up with the idea like Kristin said.  Now if you don’t mind…”    “Your lying.”  Katherine said just as calmly.  “Bobby is probably the one that wants her here.”    “You can ask J.R. for yourself when he returns.” Miss Ellie finished and walked off.  Clayton left with her and Katherine stared after them a moment, before hurrying down the stairs and into the sitting room! She grabbed a bottle of bourbon, hurried back up the stairs and marched towards the guest room! She went in, closed the door and poured bourbon on the bed! She then left the bottle on a night table and left the room, closing the door behind her.    That was when she ran straight into Mark!    “Mark? I didn’t realize you were still here.” she said, looking around him.    “I thought you could use some fresh air, away from Southfork.” Mark said knowingly.    “I don’t know.  Maybe I’d better stay here for when J.R. and Bobby come back.”    “With Sue Ellen?”  Mark asked knowingly.    “Mark,” Katherine said in a fake voice, “she is John Ross’s mother and he’s been through hell.  I’m just going to have to put up with it.”    Mark smiled down at her.    “That is the Katherine that I remember! But I still think we should go for a drive.  I know Kristin’s news in front of everyone like that, wasn’t easy to take.” Mark said, reaching for her hand.  Katherine nodded her assent and he pulled her towards the stair landing.  Maybe Mark was right.  Maybe a nice drive someplace would clear her head and make her somewhat sorry that she had vandalized Sue Ellen’s guest room with bourbon.          ****    The private jet that belonged to Ryland-Wade was in the air while the goings on at Southfork were taking place.  Ann stared out of the window as Harris finished up a phone call and then moved to sit down next to her.  She was different, Harris thought, but maybe she just seemed different after their years apart.  He had to struggle to remember that there had been no promises made between the two of them.     The accident had been just that.  An accident.  Annie had been grounded from driving for getting too many tickets but Harris let her drive anyway.  Probably because his mind had been elsewhere.  Lucas had interfered in a business deal and Harris had to struggle to remember that the man did still have some say in the business, even though Ryland had saved Wade Industries from being as extinct as the dinosaurs.     Not to mention he had to help run the other Ryland ‘side business’.  Annie had found out about it and had thought it would be cute to blackmail him for extra money for college spending money, with her smart teenage self! But oddly, that was when Harris began to see her differently.  He offered her a secret cut, above her allowance, if she helped keep the girls that worked there in line, after school.    Harris knew Lucas would kill him if he found out that Annie was involved in the prostitution business his mother and himself, had been running for years.  Harris knew that Lucas knew it existed and turned a blind eye to it.  Harris figured his step-father put up with it as long as it didn’t embarrass him.  And Judith had been very discreet over the years, paying off local law enforcement to turn a blind eye and other things.    Having Annie help run things changed things between them.  In a good and bad way.    Six months before the accident, Annie had called Harris sounding panicked.  She said a customer had gotten handsy with one of the girls and she had bashed him over the head with some statue made of wrought iron.  Needless to say, when Harris arrived, the customer was dead, the prostitute that was victimized, was paid off and sent elsewhere—meaning out of Texas.    Harris and Ann dealt with getting rid of the body, who turned out to be a man named Roger Larsen, an escaped convict that had raped Lucy Ewing.  Harris had some trusted men bury the man underneath an old outhouse on the property, while comforting a frazzled Annie by making tender love to her when they were alone.    Harris knew right away that he was not Annie’s first but he got so lost in her enthusiastic response to his lovemaking, that he gave it no more thought that night.  Or the next day in her room at the house.  Or that night in the stables. Or on the side of the road in his car in the rain…    Then came the night of the accident.  Yes, they were kissing while driving and didn’t see the car.  Nor did they help Sue Ellen or Mickey Trotter when they saw they were badly hurt.  Harris just dragged Annie back to the car and took over driving them back home.    Shortly after, Annie left to live with her mother, finishing high school in California and Jenna became a constant figure in their lives again.  Harris frowned to himself when he thought about it.  He had never really connected the two events until now.    “You were kind of quiet in the car.” Harris said for an opener.  “What’s your mama doing at Falcon Crest?”    Ann cleared her throat.    “Angela Channing had a stroke and mom is just helping out.”    Harris grinned at her!    “Come now, darlin’, Angela Channing doesn’t need any help, stroke or not.  What really happened? Did Leslie throw the old woman down the stairs or something?”    “Oh my God, Harris! No! She really had a stroke, okay?” Ann sniffed.  Harris reached out to touch her bare leg.    “I’m sorry, sugar, you know that.  I’ve just missed you all of these years.  I’m glad to see you.”    Ann removed his hand from her leg.    “Your getting married.  And I’m seeing someone.”    Harris raised a brow.    “Who would that be?”    “No one you know.”    “Oh I’m sure I don’t! That’ll change! You tell me who he is and we’ll invite him to Dallas to meet your daddy.” Harris said in a semi-threatening tone.    Ann said nothing and looked out of the window.  Harris moved closer to her, touching her hair.    “Monica means nothing to me, Annie.  We’re planning a merger with ColbyCo, that’s all.” he whispered, burying his face in the back of Ann’s hair.  Ann pulled away and stood up.    “Harris…when I left Texas I wasn’t really alright.”    Harris stood up as well.    “I don’t understand.  What do you mean?”    “I mean I left because I was sick.” Ann said.     “Sick with what?” Harris asked.    Ann coughed!    She then spoke up.    “A baby.” she said in small voice.  “My mother didn’t know but Jenna took me on a trip with her and I had the baby and gave it to her.  And Ray.”    Harris stared at her, disbelieving.    Then he realized…    “I knew Emma was too cute to be some orphaned baby by drug addicts! She’s mine? Is that what you’re telling me?”  Harris barked.    “Who told you Emma’s parents were drug addicts?” Ann asked.    “I just assumed it! Well, well, well, Miss Annie! I’ll tell you what is going to happen now: we’re going to Ray and Jenna’s and getting our child back! And then…”    “And then what, Harris?” Ann asked, her tone full of pity.  “We tell your mother? My father? You tell Monica and she does what? I’m sorry but I couldn’t come back here without telling you the truth.  Also, I like Ray.  I don’t want to hurt him.”    “You don’t want to hurt him?! But you’re fine with hurting me? You didn’t think I’d want our child? You didn’t think I’d want YOU and Emma?”    Ann sniffed!    “I couldn’t deal with all that had happened, Harris.  Maybe I shouldn’t have told you…”    “Oh, you’re damned right you shouldn’t have told me! I’m not letting my little girl stay with Ray and Jenna for one more second! Mama already loves her so she’ll be no problem.  Lucas will just have to understand and so will Monica!”  Harris yelled.    Ann suddenly felt anger burn through her! She walked right up to him and began to yell in his face!    “I should have never told you anything! I thought that you might care that our daughter was safe and…”    But Harris Ryland grabbed Ann Wade’s face and pulled her to him!    “Are you trying to tell me that you don’t still love me, Annie? You don’t want to be wife? Is that what you’re trying to say to me?”    Ann’s eyes were lost in his! She couldn’t tell him that because it wouldn’t be true.  Passion overcame them as they fell to the floor of the plane and before Ann knew it, she was writing against the hot, swollen determination that consumed Harris Ryland, while his hypnotic voice urged her to give herself to him and not hold back.    Meanwhile, on another plane,  Sue Ellen rubbed her throat and looked over at Bobby, who was sitting with Princess Amanda from Moldavia.  She shook her head at J.R., who was casually reading a magazine.  She sat down beside him.    “You don’t care about the trouble Bobby is going to cause by bringing that woman to Southfork, do you?” Sue Ellen asked him.  J.R. set down his magazine, turned in his chair to grin at Bobby and Amanda, before looking at Sue Ellen.    “Bobby is just trying to make sure she’s protected, that’s all, darlin’.  We’re going to get some of our good ole’ boys to look after the princess, properly.” J.R. replied.    “I’m taking John Ross back to my place.” Sue Ellen told him firmly.  “I won’t have him involved in what will happen when Kristin sees Bobby come in with Amanda.  They were in the tabloids.  I know my sister saw at least one of them.”    “Let Bobby handle his own business, honey, okay? None of that has anything to do with keeping my son safe.”  J.R. said, eyeing a sleeping John Ross, who was covered in a blanket on a couch.    “And Katherine? What will she say about this?” Sue Ellen asked knowingly.    “Sue Ellen, Katherine is not Kristin.  And she’s my wife.  She won’t care what Bobby does.  Look, Mama will want to see all of us under one roof at Southfork.  I called and she’s already made up a guest room for you and John Ross’s old room is ready for him.  So there will be no problems.  Mama will make sure of it.” J.R. said, reaching for his ex wife’s hand and kissing it.    Sue Ellen could not help but smile wanly.  J.R. had always been good at putting a positive spin on less than positive situations.  But she told herself that Miss Ellie and Clayton would keep the peace within a crowded house.    Sue Ellen, unfortunately, would be very wrong.</blockquote>

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