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<blockquote data-quote="CeeCee72" data-source="post: 211511" data-attributes="member: 5055">I don&#039;t own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended..This is a &quot;What if?&quot; fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode &quot;Top Gun&quot; Sue Ellen had changed her mind at the last possible moment and instead of teaming up with Kimberly and Wendell to beat JR she voted her Weststar shares to make him CEO?***What IfPart 2:&quot;What do you mean it&#039;s all very straight forward?&quot; Sue Ellen hissed.&quot;I mean just what I said, Mrs. Ewing.&quot;Sue Ellen let out an exasperated growl. &quot;Listen Mr. Marlowe, I know you&#039;re fairly new to Dallas. That&#039;s&nbsp; one of the reasons I chose you to represent me in my divorce. But please, you must TRY to understand that NOTHING JR does is straight forward!&quot;Don Marlowe sat back into his leather chair and studied Sue Ellen Ewing closely. He had only very recently moved his lucrative divorce practice from Austin to Dallas, so he had never met JR Ewing, but he had heard an awful lot about&nbsp; him. Everyone had warned him not to take Sue Ellen as a client. They all said JR played dirty and would make his life a living hell for representing his wife in a divorce action. He&#039;d taken the case anyway; he couldn&#039;t walk away from the money Sue Ellen had offered to pay him. Plus, he knew successfully negotiating a favorable settlement against the infamous JR Ewing would go a long way towards making a name for his practice in Dallas.&quot;Mrs.Ewing,&quot; Marlowe began, choosing his words carefully, &quot;I realize I only know your husband by reputation, but I have been preparing for the worst. I was both surprised and relieved when I read the separation agreement he and his lawyer have proposed. If you&#039;re unhappy with the terms, we can negotiate, but I can&#039;t imagine we will be able to get a more favorable deal than the one they are offering.&quot;&quot;Favorable?&quot; Sue Ellen spat. &quot;I can&#039;t believe JR would offer anything that would be favorable to me!&quot;&quot;Well,&quot; Marlowe cleared his throat and took a sip of water&nbsp; &quot;he is giving you physical custody of your son and is asking only for weekend and holiday visitation. He&#039;s agreeing to allow you to stay on Southfork until you purchase a home of your own, with no time limit. He is relinquishing any claim to Valentine Lingerie and all your other business holdings. You get to keep everything awarded to you in your first divorce settlement. He is offering very generous alimony and child support. He has agreed to open the books to his personal finances and has stipulated that you are entitled to half of what he has. So yes, I&#039;d say those terms are very favorable to you. What more could you want?&quot;&quot;His head on a platter,&quot; Sue Ellen seethed.&quot;I&#039;m afraid I can&#039;t help you with that,&quot; Marlowe chuckled, &quot;but as far as divorce settlements go, this is a damn good offer. I&#039;m inclined to advise you to accept.&quot;&quot;That bastard is up to something,&quot; Sue Ellen insisted.&quot;Well, I can&#039;t imagine what,&quot; Marlow replied, &quot;all of the paperwork is in order.&quot;&quot;Oh, don&#039;t you worry,&quot; Sue Ellen said, retrieving her purse and standing up. &quot;JR has got something up his sleeve, and I am going to find out what it is!&quot;&quot;Alright, Mrs. Ewing,&quot; Marlowe said, walking her to the door, &quot;I won&#039;t do anything until I hear back from you; but I should warn you, an offer this good probably won&#039;t last forever.&quot;&quot;An offer like this from JR is simply too good to be true,&quot; Sue Ellen informed him. &quot;Don&#039;t worry though, you&#039;ll be hearing back from me very, VERY soon.&quot;***&quot;Cliff, are you okay?&quot;Cliff realized he&#039;d been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn&#039;t noticed Jackie standing in his doorway.&quot;Sorry, Jackie,&quot; he said sheepishly. &quot;Did you need something?&quot;&quot;Yes, Cliff. Like I said, Bobby Ewing returned your call and said it&#039;d be just fine if you wanted to take Christopher out for pizza and a movie on Sunday. I told him you&#039;d stop by Souhfork to pick him up around noon.&quot;&quot;Oh, okay, Jackie. Thanks.&quot;&quot;You&#039;re welcome,&quot; she turned to go but hesitated. &quot;Cliff, are you sure everything is okay?&quot;&quot;Sure I&#039;m sure, Jackie. Close the door behind you, please.&quot;He watched the door close and softly sighed. &quot;What could be wrong?&quot; he asked himself. &quot;Only that my sister seems to have taken a one way trip to nowheresville. Where are you, Pam? Where the hell are you?&quot;***Sue Ellen stepped out of the elevator and stalked angrily into the reception area of JR&#039;s posh new offices at Weststar.&quot;Good afternoon,&quot; a perky young brunette smiled up at her, &quot;how can I help you today?&quot;&quot;Who the hell are you?&quot; Sue Ellen snapped, &quot;a new receptionist, JR&#039;s flavor of the month, or both?&quot;&quot;I...I&#039;m sorry,&quot; the shocked girl stammered, &quot;who are you?&quot;&quot;None of your damn business,&quot; Sue Ellen snarled, turning her back on her and moving further into the office.&quot;Ma&#039;am? Ma&#039;am?!&quot;Sue Ellen ignored the young girl chasing after her and headed straight toward Sly&#039;s desk. &quot;Is JR in his office?&quot; she demanded.&quot;Yes, Mrs. Ewing, but he&#039;s in a meeting…&quot;Sue Ellen rolled her eyes and turned to make a beeline for JR&#039;s office.&quot;Mrs. Ewing! Please wait! You can&#039;t go in there,&quot; Sly said, placing her hand on Sue Ellen&#039;s arm to stop her.&quot;Really, Sly?&quot; Sue Ellen asked, contempt dripping from her voice. &quot;And just who is going to stop me? You?&quot;Sly seemed to consider her options for a brief moment before dropping her hand from Sue Ellen&#039;s arm and taking a step back. &quot;No, ma&#039;am.&quot;&quot;I thought not,&quot; Sue Ellen said, brushing past the secretary to open the door to JR&#039;s office. She went inside and slammed the door heavily behind her.&quot;Who was that awful bitch?&quot;Sly looked at the wide-eyed, shocked receptionist and decided she didn&#039;t like her tone one bit. &quot;THAT,&quot; Sly informed her coldly, &quot;was Mrs. Sue Ellen Ewing. And the fastest way to get fired around here is for JR to hear you say something disrespectful to or about his wife. Now get back to your desk and do your job.&quot;***&quot;Not having much fun, are you?&quot; Christopher asked his cousin.&quot;Not really,&quot; John Ross shook his head and sank into his chair away from the checkerboard on the table in front of him. &quot;Sorry.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s okay,&quot; Christopher gave a sullen shrug. &quot;I&#039;m not having fun either.&quot;&quot;Both our lives kinda suck right now, huh?&quot; John Ross pouted.&quot;Yeah,&quot; Christopher sadly agreed, &quot;but at least you get to see your daddy on the weekends. My mommy is gone for good.&quot;John Ross stood up and walked quietly to the window. &quot;Hey, Christopher, know what? The adults in this family are so lame. But we have each other at least. And we always will.&quot;&quot;You promise, John Ross?&quot; Christopher asked hopefully.&quot;Yeah,&quot; John Ross turned away from the window and smiled at his younger cousin. &quot;You and me. Cousins and best friends forever. I promise.&quot;***&quot;JR,&quot; Sue Ellen eyed him suspiciously, venom dripping from her voice, &quot;I want to know just what in the hell you think you&#039;re doing.&quot;&quot;Well, darlin&#039;,&quot; JR sounded slightly amused, &quot;I thought I was having a business meeting with Marilee over there,&quot; he gestured towards the couch, &quot;but judging by the way you stormed into my office slammin&#039; doors and yellin&#039; I guess you had something else in mind for my afternoon.&quot;Sue Ellen turned toward the couch and noticed Marilee Stone for the first time. &quot;Oh, God, JR,&quot; she said eyeing Marilee, &quot;we&#039;ve been separated for less than two weeks. Don&#039;t tell me you&#039;ve already sunk so low with being lonely that you&#039;re sniffing around Marilee.&quot;&quot;Now, you just wait one minute!&quot; Marilee jumped off the couch, sputtering with indignation.&quot;Marilee, it&#039;s obvious my wife is quite distraught and needs my attention,&quot; JR interrupted her. &quot;Why don&#039;t you stop by Sly&#039;s desk and reschedule our appointment on the way out?&quot;&quot;You&#039;re dismissing me?&quot; Marilee bellowed.&quot;Well, yes. You can see my wife is here. Just ask Sly to reschedule, honey. And close the door on your way out, would you?&quot;Marilee snatched her purse&nbsp; up from the couch and stomped to the door. &quot;Forget it, JR. There&#039;s no need to reschedule, because you and I are through!&quot; JR stood up and walked over to the bar. He laughed out loud when Marilee slammed the door so hard the windows in his office shook. &quot;Well, guess she&#039;s not very happy.&quot; He turned from the bar and let his eyes sweep over his wife.Damn, she&#039;s beautiful, he thought, taking a sip of bourbon. Sexy too. He always found her to be sexier than usual when she was mad. He hadn&#039;t laid eyes on her in almost two weeks. He had almost forgotten how truly stunning she was. &quot;Can I fix you something to drink, darlin&#039;?&quot;&quot;No,&quot; Sue Ellen answered gruffly. &quot;The only thing I want from you is an answer.&quot;&quot;I see,&quot; JR said lightly, taking a seat on the couch where Marilee had been sitting, &quot;and what&#039;s the question, darlin&#039;?&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t play games with me, JR,&quot; Sue Ellen warned him.&quot;Well, darlin&#039; I admit there are a lot of games I miss playing with you, but I doubt you&#039;re interested in any of those. So, why don&#039;t you tell me exactly what it is that&#039;s got you so stirred up? I know you pretty well, but I can&#039;t read your mind.&quot;Sue Ellen&#039;s eyes narrowed to angry, glistening slits. &quot;Your little separation agreement is what has me so stirred up, JR.&quot; she coldly informed him.&quot;That?&quot; JR asked, genuinely surprised. &quot;I thought that would please you, Miss Texas. Did I leave something out you wanted?&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t call me that!&quot; Sue Ellen snapped. &quot;You only call me that when you&#039;re…&quot;&quot;When I&#039;m what, Sue Ellen?&quot; JR didn&#039;t even try to hide his mischievous grin.&quot;When you&#039;re trying to charm me,&quot; she answered, folding her arms across her chest in defiance.&quot;I thought you were gonna say when I&#039;m horny,&quot; he laughed lowly.Sue Ellen&#039;s eyes widened and she felt her cheeks flush. &quot;Stop it, JR.&quot; JR&#039;s grin slowly faded. He knew he could probably push her. Her voice was uneven and she was blushing. Her breathing had gotten just a tiny bit heavier. Yes. He could push her. But what good would that do? Even if they ended up having wild office sex on the couch, she would still hate him just as much when it was over - maybe even more.&quot;I&#039;m sorry, Sue Ellen,&quot; he sighed. &quot;What is it about the settlement offer that you don&#039;t like?&quot;&quot;Nothing,&quot; Sue Ellen grumbled. &quot;It&#039;s perfect.&quot;&quot;Then why the hysteria?&quot; JR asked, truly confused.&quot;Why?&quot; Sue Ellen asked, her eyes wide open and staring into his soul, &quot;why did you move so fast? Kimberly Cryder is obviously out of the picture. Please don&#039;t tell me it&#039;s Marilee Stone. Or that pop tart sitting out in the reception area?&quot;&quot;Pop tart?&quot; JR laughed in spite of himself. &quot;I&#039;m not sleeping with my receptionist, Sue Ellen, and I&#039;m certainly not having sex with Marilee.&quot;&quot;Is it someone new?&quot; Sue Ellen asked nervously. &quot;Why are you in such a hurry to be rid of me?&quot;&quot;I&#039;m not seeing anyone else, Sue Ellen. Truth be told these last two weeks have been the loneliest weeks in my life.&quot;&quot;Aw, what&#039;s wrong, JR?&quot; Sue Ellen teased him snidely, &quot;losing your touch with the ladies?&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t kid yourself, Miss Texas,&quot; JR said in a low, silky voice. &quot;We both know I could have any woman in Texas that I wanted. ANY woman&quot; He lazily dropped his gaze to her breasts and was rewarded by her sharp intake of breath. &quot;By the way,&quot; his tone turned accusatory, &quot;how is the wonderful Mr. Pearce doing?&quot;&quot;I..I don&#039;t know,&quot; Sue Ellen stammered. &quot;I haven&#039;t seen him for a while.&quot;&quot;Why not, darlin&#039;?&quot; Trouble in paradise?&quot;&quot;Stop it, JR,&quot; her voice sounded thin and weak, even to her own ears. &quot;Just answer my question. If you&#039;re not hot for another woman, why the quick divorce settlement offer?&quot;JR sat up straight and reached out to take her hand. He gently pulled her toward him. She resisted at first, but then reluctantly allowed him to pull her down on the couch beside him.&quot;It&#039;s not because I&#039;m in any particular hurry to end our marriage,&quot; he told her softly, looking deeply into her beautiful brown eyes. &quot;I just thought it would make it easier for you if you didn&#039;t have to spend all your time worrying about how hard I was going to fight you. Sign it, don&#039;t sign it, accept it, ask for more. Do whatever you want, Sue Ellen. I just wanted you to know this time wouldn&#039;t be ugly.&quot;&quot;Why not, JR?&quot; she asked, her eyes full of unsure hope.&quot;John Ross belongs with you,&quot; JR&#039;s voice sounded ragged. &quot;You&#039;ve always done right by him and that&#039;s a hell of a lot more than I can say. I want peace between us, Sue Ellen.&quot;&quot;For our son&#039;s sake?&quot; she asked.&quot;For his. For yours. For mine. I have hurt you enough, Sue Ellen. I don&#039;t ever want to cause you pain ever again.&quot;Sue Ellen was quiet for a while, turning his words over in her mind. &quot;I&#039;m sorry, JR,&quot; she finally said. &quot;I&#039;ve heard this same song and dance from you before. I don&#039;t believe a word of it.&quot;JR pulled his hand away from hers as if he&#039;d been burned. &quot;Believe whatever you want,&quot; he snapped, standing from the couch and walking over to open his door, &quot;but I have a big company to run and have wasted enough of my afternoon trying to pacify you. If you have a problem with the settlement, have your lawyer contact my lawyer. They can work it out. Harv has clear instructions.&quot;Sue Ellen stood up and left his office without another word. &quot;Damn you, Miss Texas,&quot; he muttered to himself as he softly closed the door behind her, &quot;damn you.&quot;***</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CeeCee72, post: 211511, member: 5055"] I don't own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.. This is a "What if?" fanfic. What if in the season eleven episode "Top Gun" Sue Ellen had changed her mind at the last possible moment and instead of teaming up with Kimberly and Wendell to beat JR she voted her Weststar shares to make him CEO? *** What If Part 2: "What do you mean it's all very straight forward?" Sue Ellen hissed. "I mean just what I said, Mrs. Ewing." Sue Ellen let out an exasperated growl. "Listen Mr. Marlowe, I know you're fairly new to Dallas. That's one of the reasons I chose you to represent me in my divorce. But please, you must TRY to understand that NOTHING JR does is straight forward!" Don Marlowe sat back into his leather chair and studied Sue Ellen Ewing closely. He had only very recently moved his lucrative divorce practice from Austin to Dallas, so he had never met JR Ewing, but he had heard an awful lot about him. Everyone had warned him not to take Sue Ellen as a client. They all said JR played dirty and would make his life a living hell for representing his wife in a divorce action. He'd taken the case anyway; he couldn't walk away from the money Sue Ellen had offered to pay him. Plus, he knew successfully negotiating a favorable settlement against the infamous JR Ewing would go a long way towards making a name for his practice in Dallas. "Mrs.Ewing," Marlowe began, choosing his words carefully, "I realize I only know your husband by reputation, but I have been preparing for the worst. I was both surprised and relieved when I read the separation agreement he and his lawyer have proposed. If you're unhappy with the terms, we can negotiate, but I can't imagine we will be able to get a more favorable deal than the one they are offering." "Favorable?" Sue Ellen spat. "I can't believe JR would offer anything that would be favorable to me!" "Well," Marlowe cleared his throat and took a sip of water "he is giving you physical custody of your son and is asking only for weekend and holiday visitation. He's agreeing to allow you to stay on Southfork until you purchase a home of your own, with no time limit. He is relinquishing any claim to Valentine Lingerie and all your other business holdings. You get to keep everything awarded to you in your first divorce settlement. He is offering very generous alimony and child support. He has agreed to open the books to his personal finances and has stipulated that you are entitled to half of what he has. So yes, I'd say those terms are very favorable to you. What more could you want?" "His head on a platter," Sue Ellen seethed. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that," Marlowe chuckled, "but as far as divorce settlements go, this is a damn good offer. I'm inclined to advise you to accept." "That bastard is up to something," Sue Ellen insisted. "Well, I can't imagine what," Marlow replied, "all of the paperwork is in order." "Oh, don't you worry," Sue Ellen said, retrieving her purse and standing up. "JR has got something up his sleeve, and I am going to find out what it is!" "Alright, Mrs. Ewing," Marlowe said, walking her to the door, "I won't do anything until I hear back from you; but I should warn you, an offer this good probably won't last forever." "An offer like this from JR is simply too good to be true," Sue Ellen informed him. "Don't worry though, you'll be hearing back from me very, VERY soon." *** "Cliff, are you okay?" Cliff realized he'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Jackie standing in his doorway. "Sorry, Jackie," he said sheepishly. "Did you need something?" "Yes, Cliff. Like I said, Bobby Ewing returned your call and said it'd be just fine if you wanted to take Christopher out for pizza and a movie on Sunday. I told him you'd stop by Souhfork to pick him up around noon." "Oh, okay, Jackie. Thanks." "You're welcome," she turned to go but hesitated. "Cliff, are you sure everything is okay?" "Sure I'm sure, Jackie. Close the door behind you, please." He watched the door close and softly sighed. "What could be wrong?" he asked himself. "Only that my sister seems to have taken a one way trip to nowheresville. Where are you, Pam? Where the hell are you?" *** Sue Ellen stepped out of the elevator and stalked angrily into the reception area of JR's posh new offices at Weststar. "Good afternoon," a perky young brunette smiled up at her, "how can I help you today?" "Who the hell are you?" Sue Ellen snapped, "a new receptionist, JR's flavor of the month, or both?" "I...I'm sorry," the shocked girl stammered, "who are you?" "None of your damn business," Sue Ellen snarled, turning her back on her and moving further into the office. "Ma'am? Ma'am?!" Sue Ellen ignored the young girl chasing after her and headed straight toward Sly's desk. "Is JR in his office?" she demanded. "Yes, Mrs. Ewing, but he's in a meeting…" Sue Ellen rolled her eyes and turned to make a beeline for JR's office. "Mrs. Ewing! Please wait! You can't go in there," Sly said, placing her hand on Sue Ellen's arm to stop her. "Really, Sly?" Sue Ellen asked, contempt dripping from her voice. "And just who is going to stop me? You?" Sly seemed to consider her options for a brief moment before dropping her hand from Sue Ellen's arm and taking a step back. "No, ma'am." "I thought not," Sue Ellen said, brushing past the secretary to open the door to JR's office. She went inside and slammed the door heavily behind her. "Who was that awful bitch?" Sly looked at the wide-eyed, shocked receptionist and decided she didn't like her tone one bit. "THAT," Sly informed her coldly, "was Mrs. Sue Ellen Ewing. And the fastest way to get fired around here is for JR to hear you say something disrespectful to or about his wife. Now get back to your desk and do your job." *** "Not having much fun, are you?" Christopher asked his cousin. "Not really," John Ross shook his head and sank into his chair away from the checkerboard on the table in front of him. "Sorry." "That's okay," Christopher gave a sullen shrug. "I'm not having fun either." "Both our lives kinda suck right now, huh?" John Ross pouted. "Yeah," Christopher sadly agreed, "but at least you get to see your daddy on the weekends. My mommy is gone for good." John Ross stood up and walked quietly to the window. "Hey, Christopher, know what? The adults in this family are so lame. But we have each other at least. And we always will." "You promise, John Ross?" Christopher asked hopefully. "Yeah," John Ross turned away from the window and smiled at his younger cousin. "You and me. Cousins and best friends forever. I promise." *** "JR," Sue Ellen eyed him suspiciously, venom dripping from her voice, "I want to know just what in the hell you think you're doing." "Well, darlin'," JR sounded slightly amused, "I thought I was having a business meeting with Marilee over there," he gestured towards the couch, "but judging by the way you stormed into my office slammin' doors and yellin' I guess you had something else in mind for my afternoon." Sue Ellen turned toward the couch and noticed Marilee Stone for the first time. "Oh, God, JR," she said eyeing Marilee, "we've been separated for less than two weeks. Don't tell me you've already sunk so low with being lonely that you're sniffing around Marilee." "Now, you just wait one minute!" Marilee jumped off the couch, sputtering with indignation. "Marilee, it's obvious my wife is quite distraught and needs my attention," JR interrupted her. "Why don't you stop by Sly's desk and reschedule our appointment on the way out?" "You're dismissing me?" Marilee bellowed. "Well, yes. You can see my wife is here. Just ask Sly to reschedule, honey. And close the door on your way out, would you?" Marilee snatched her purse up from the couch and stomped to the door. "Forget it, JR. There's no need to reschedule, because you and I are through!" JR stood up and walked over to the bar. He laughed out loud when Marilee slammed the door so hard the windows in his office shook. "Well, guess she's not very happy." He turned from the bar and let his eyes sweep over his wife. Damn, she's beautiful, he thought, taking a sip of bourbon. Sexy too. He always found her to be sexier than usual when she was mad. He hadn't laid eyes on her in almost two weeks. He had almost forgotten how truly stunning she was. "Can I fix you something to drink, darlin'?" "No," Sue Ellen answered gruffly. "The only thing I want from you is an answer." "I see," JR said lightly, taking a seat on the couch where Marilee had been sitting, "and what's the question, darlin'?" "Don't play games with me, JR," Sue Ellen warned him. "Well, darlin' I admit there are a lot of games I miss playing with you, but I doubt you're interested in any of those. So, why don't you tell me exactly what it is that's got you so stirred up? I know you pretty well, but I can't read your mind." Sue Ellen's eyes narrowed to angry, glistening slits. "Your little separation agreement is what has me so stirred up, JR." she coldly informed him. "That?" JR asked, genuinely surprised. "I thought that would please you, Miss Texas. Did I leave something out you wanted?" "Don't call me that!" Sue Ellen snapped. "You only call me that when you're…" "When I'm what, Sue Ellen?" JR didn't even try to hide his mischievous grin. "When you're trying to charm me," she answered, folding her arms across her chest in defiance. "I thought you were gonna say when I'm horny," he laughed lowly. Sue Ellen's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks flush. "Stop it, JR." JR's grin slowly faded. He knew he could probably push her. Her voice was uneven and she was blushing. Her breathing had gotten just a tiny bit heavier. Yes. He could push her. But what good would that do? Even if they ended up having wild office sex on the couch, she would still hate him just as much when it was over - maybe even more. "I'm sorry, Sue Ellen," he sighed. "What is it about the settlement offer that you don't like?" "Nothing," Sue Ellen grumbled. "It's perfect." "Then why the hysteria?" JR asked, truly confused. "Why?" Sue Ellen asked, her eyes wide open and staring into his soul, "why did you move so fast? Kimberly Cryder is obviously out of the picture. Please don't tell me it's Marilee Stone. Or that pop tart sitting out in the reception area?" "Pop tart?" JR laughed in spite of himself. "I'm not sleeping with my receptionist, Sue Ellen, and I'm certainly not having sex with Marilee." "Is it someone new?" Sue Ellen asked nervously. "Why are you in such a hurry to be rid of me?" "I'm not seeing anyone else, Sue Ellen. Truth be told these last two weeks have been the loneliest weeks in my life." "Aw, what's wrong, JR?" Sue Ellen teased him snidely, "losing your touch with the ladies?" "Don't kid yourself, Miss Texas," JR said in a low, silky voice. "We both know I could have any woman in Texas that I wanted. ANY woman" He lazily dropped his gaze to her breasts and was rewarded by her sharp intake of breath. "By the way," his tone turned accusatory, "how is the wonderful Mr. Pearce doing?" "I..I don't know," Sue Ellen stammered. "I haven't seen him for a while." "Why not, darlin'?" Trouble in paradise?" "Stop it, JR," her voice sounded thin and weak, even to her own ears. "Just answer my question. If you're not hot for another woman, why the quick divorce settlement offer?" JR sat up straight and reached out to take her hand. He gently pulled her toward him. She resisted at first, but then reluctantly allowed him to pull her down on the couch beside him. "It's not because I'm in any particular hurry to end our marriage," he told her softly, looking deeply into her beautiful brown eyes. "I just thought it would make it easier for you if you didn't have to spend all your time worrying about how hard I was going to fight you. Sign it, don't sign it, accept it, ask for more. Do whatever you want, Sue Ellen. I just wanted you to know this time wouldn't be ugly." "Why not, JR?" she asked, her eyes full of unsure hope. "John Ross belongs with you," JR's voice sounded ragged. "You've always done right by him and that's a hell of a lot more than I can say. I want peace between us, Sue Ellen." "For our son's sake?" she asked. "For his. For yours. For mine. I have hurt you enough, Sue Ellen. I don't ever want to cause you pain ever again." Sue Ellen was quiet for a while, turning his words over in her mind. "I'm sorry, JR," she finally said. "I've heard this same song and dance from you before. I don't believe a word of it." JR pulled his hand away from hers as if he'd been burned. "Believe whatever you want," he snapped, standing from the couch and walking over to open his door, "but I have a big company to run and have wasted enough of my afternoon trying to pacify you. If you have a problem with the settlement, have your lawyer contact my lawyer. They can work it out. Harv has clear instructions." Sue Ellen stood up and left his office without another word. "Damn you, Miss Texas," he muttered to himself as he softly closed the door behind her, "damn you." *** [/QUOTE]

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What month follows July?