Episode 14

"I want to kiss the bride"

Lucy sat in her bedroom looking in the mirror and trying her hair in different styles when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Ellie walked in the room and gave her granddaughter a smile and hugged her from behind as she looked at Lucy through the mirror.

"Oh Grandma what am I going to do with my hair." Lucy exclaimed.

"You look just radiant Lucy, I have never seen you look more beautiful, you will make a stunning bride this afternoon."

"Well thank you grandma, I think it must be love of a good man that does it."
For a moment a cloud past over Ellie's face which Lucy noticed.

"What are you thinking?"

"It's more like who Lucy." Ellie replied. "I was thinking of your grandpa and Clayton. I have been so lucky to have had the love of two such wonderful men in my lifetime, yet I still can't help feeling aggrieved sometimes that they both left me first and that I am alone."

"Grandma you are not alone. I know that I can't take the place of Clayton or grandpa, but you have my promise that Dean and I will look after you and that from this day we will be here at the ranch to be a family with you no matter what."

Ellie smiled at Lucy and both women's eyes filled with tears.
"You have become quite a woman Lucy."

"Well I was taught everything I know from the best ever."
The two women laughed and then Lucy once again began to fidget with her hair.

"Oh grandma what am I going to do with my hair."

Donna was dressed in a beautiful purple suit; with her hair worn longer to her shoulders with just a sliver of grey she struck a very impressive figure.

She poured herself some water and walked over to where Ray was sat in his best suit.

"So what do you know of Lucy's new man?" Donna asked as she sat down.

"Well not a lot really, he seems like a nice guy and he obviously makes Lucy very happy."

"Well I guess that's all that important."

"Yes, we could all do with a little bit of happiness."

Ray looked at Donna with a misty look in his eye.

"You do look beautiful Donna.'

Donna smiled and took hold of Ray's hand.

"And you are as handsome as the day I met you," Donna paused and then continued.

"And you are taking advantage of my fondness for weddings to get all mushy on me."

Ray chuckled and held up his hands in surrender.
"Guilty as charged."

Donna lent closer to Ray and then whispered.

"That wasn't a complaint by the way."

Ray moved forward and placed his lips over Donna's. For the first time in a long time the couple kissed first gently and them more passionately. After several minutes they pulled apart and Donna ran a hand through her hair.

" Well that was very nice cowboy, you certainly have not lost your touch." Donna chuckled but then became more serious.

"Where ever this might be leading Ray I think we both need to have a long think about this. Margaret is very vulnerable right now and we need to be sure that this is right for all of us."

Ray nodded. " I agree and I don't want to rush you but I don't have to think about what I am doing or what I want. I have a family in this house right now, two of most important people in the world to me are under my roof for the first time in a long while and I will do anything I can to keep you both here with me."

"There is nothing I would like more to stay here with you Ray and I can see how happy Margaret is here. But lets not make too many rash decisions, lets just take our time and see how this goes."

"Okay, whatever you say, however long you need." Ray said and again moved towards Donna and pressed his lips upon her. The couple embraced again and lost themselves in the moment. Unbeknownst to them both Margaret was stood in the doorway looking at her parents with a strange dark look on her face.

JR knocked on Sue Ellen's bedroom door and entered.

Sue Ellen was dressed in a beautiful green dress and JR stood for a moment and looked at her.

"JR, can I help you?"

"Yes Darling, I really think that you can, especially in that dress."

Sue Ellen raised her eyebrows and for a brief moment almost fell into JR's trap of wooing her into a flirty exchange.

"Look, what do you want?"

"Well seems you have spent the best part of the week avoiding me I thought I would take this opportunity to speak to you. We do have things to discuss."

Sue Ellen arranged the headscarf that was part of her outfit into place and then turned towards JR.

"Look JR I do not want to talk to you. What has happened is not something I want to even think about never mind talk about with you."

" I take it you are talking about Barnes. Please don't tell me you are going soft and losing sleep over that loser."

"Going soft." Sue Ellen whispered.

"A man is in hospital fighting for his life JR, that you can't see that this isn't something that we should be proud of just goes to show to me how lost you really are."

"Have you forgotten that our son is rotting in a grave because of that man and his damn family."
Sue Ellen stared at JR.

"No I haven't forgotten, in fact I don't think I have gone more then five minutes without thinking of that very fact. But that doesn't give us the right to go out and destroy peoples lives in the name of retribution."

"Like hell it doesn't."

"Then where does it end JR, who is next? Why not see if you can attack Becky next, never mind that your unborn grandchild may get caught in the crossfire. Or what about Pam, she must be top of your list, well why not target her never mind that your brother can't live without her. Lets just destroy her anyway and if it takes down Bobby at the same time well so be it. And if seeing her youngest son destroyed breaks your mama's heart then that's just too bad as well."

"So we just let John Ross die and be forgotten and let whoever murdered him to go free." JR shouted.

"No we don't, we let the police do their job. We support Bobby in trying to get Chris back here to explain what he knows and as for forgetting John Ross, well that's exactly what I intend not to do. I am not going to become so wrapped up in revenge that I forgot about my son. I plan to remember him and his life though the child that's soon to be born and by celebrating the time I had with him, not by spending the rest of my life seeking revenge and in the process destroying my self."

"I think you have been watching to much of Hallmark Sue Ellen. Our son is dead and you start talking as if you are Ma Walton. Have you been hitting the bottle again darling?"

"Attack me if it makes you feel better, but I can see it in your eyes. I know you JR, better then anyone. Cliff being in the hospital close to death hasn't made you feel any better has it? Just like any other revenge that you take won't either. This goes deeper, you know it and I know it. You have to deal with how you are feeling and get through your pain. If you lock it away and set out to destroy the world, ultimately the thing you will destroy is yourself. Please let me help you, let us help each other."

Sue Ellen's voice began to crack she held a hand to her throat and extended her other hand to JR.

"Go to hell Sue Ellen!" JR snapped in a harsh shout.

He spun round and marched out of the room banging the door behind him. Sue Ellen felt like the room was closing in on her, she closed her eyes and then stood up and walked towards the window. She looked out over the ranch and then turned back to her dresser and sat down and began to arrange her headscarf again; from the corner of eye she caught sight of the picture of John Ross on the dresser. She slowly traced the face of her son with her finger and gave a weak smile.

In his room JR stood in front of the mirror trying to fix his tie, his face was red in colour and he was having problems breathing, making a mess of his tie as his hands where clenched so tightly, suddenly he punched his reflection in the mirror cracking the glass.

Dean stood looking at himself in the mirror, dressed in his best suit he looked like a 50's matinee idol.

As he stared at his own reflection for a moment he had a troubled expression on his face.

He was about to set of for Southfork to marry his bride to be and he had no idea how he had gotten here. He suddenly thought back to his mama, she had brought him and his sister up alone after his farther had died when they were both infants. They had had a tough life as his mother was always in ill health so could never work, thus they had struggled to survive living on state benefits. Dean spent his early childhood being bullied as kids were cruel and even in the poor neighborhood in which they had lived their family had stood out for been exceptionally poor. Suffering the indignity of having to wear second hand clothes to school and being rather small for his age, Dean was the stereotype of the poor latchkey kid with a sorry home life and a hard school life he had suffered a miserable youth. It had been a blessing for him that he had grown physical strong in adolescence and was soon able to stand up for himself. He began to fight back; he became a good boxer and soon was known as a worthy opponent in the ring and on the streets. With his physical strength and his sporting abilities Dean struggle to exceed and show what he was made off. He became the star of the football team and something of a hero to the boys at school and with his growing good looks also with girls. Yet despite his ambition to go to college on a sporting scholarship, the neighborhood, the lack of opportunity and the need for money were always there to hinder his ambitions and soon a life of street crime, gambling and drugs sucked Dean in to its grasp. Dean shook his head as a thousand images and memories flashed through his mind. He was getting married and would soon be part of one of the richest families in Texas, why was he thinking about all this stuff, he had to stay focused and get today over with. A knock at the door stopped his train of thoughts and he walked over and absent-mindedly opened it. Before he knew what was happening two large men pushed there way through the entrance and grabbed him, Dean was hit in the face and then dragged into the lounge where the men proceeded to strap him to a chair. One of the men sat to Dean's left just out of his view and the larger of the two stood in front of him and took out a knife.

He spoke in a low threatening tone "Hello pretty boy 'da man' has sent us over to have a quite word with you about your financial problems."

"Look," Dean said, "I told you on the phone last week I just need a few more weeks and I will be able to settle this thing in full."

The man in front of him giggled in a bizarre high pitched manner which seemed strangely out of place with the man's image, for some reason this filled Dean with a sense of horror and foreboding, more then what he had actually said.

"You do look handsome when you are desperate."

The man began to stroke Dean's face with the tip of the knife. Dean could feel the mans breath on his face and the smell of cigarettes and stale alcohol was overpowering. Struggling on the chair Dean felt totally helpless and was beginning to panic.'

"Da man has sent us hear to get the money, you see he wants it now, time is up."
"I don't have it, in a couple of weeks I will pay up in full with interest, whatever. I just need a little more time."

"But," the man said and then paused for a few seconds staring at Dean, "time is up."

Again he lent close to Dean and with the knife he slowly began to work the top button open on Deans shirt. Dean felt the knife nick his skin as the button gave way and popped open. With the shirt open slightly he then proceeded to work the buttons of the shirt off with the knifes' edge, when Dean struggled, the knife caught his skin making a series of red dots on his bare chest.
"Somebody has been working out," the man said has he caressed Dean's chest with the tip of the knife and then began to step back away from Dean as if to get a panoramic view of his capture. Dean sat naked form the waist up with his chest beginning to drip with blood from several wounds, the more he struggled the tighter the ropes held him in place. He was powerless and at the men's mercy.

"Look man, I am getting married today to one of the wealthiest women in the state, I will get you the money just please give me more time." Deans was sweating and his voice was becoming shrill with fear.

The intruder seemed to be oblivious to Dean's words and the other guy was still out of sight. Stood in front of him the man suddenly placed the knife down and took off his jacket to reveal a tight t-shirt which hardly covered the mans large frame. Again he moved close to Dean, this time he grabbed hold of his hair and lifted his head back so that Dean was staring directly into his eyes.

"But I've told you time is up and if you haven't got the money I have been instructed to give you a reminder that you won't never forget. By the time I have finished with you pretty boy that lady of yours wont be saying I do that's for sure." The man again let out a high-pitched giggle. Suddenly he put his hand around Dean's neck and as his windpipe retracted and he struggled for breath the man's face loomed inches from Deans and he could feel the cold edge of the knife against his face.