JR woke and smiled widely to himself. He turned to face her, to watch her sleep. There had been times, not so long ago, when Sue Ellen had appeared tired, stressed and anxious, no doubt because of him. Not now, he observed. In her deep slumber she was beautiful, content, happy even. Not wishing to wake her, he stayed still and continued to observe whilst recollecting what had happened the night before. He had slipped into bed with her and let her take the lead. At first, she had been unsure of herself, covering her eyes with her hand when he praised or complimented her. Whilst they were more than familiar with each other, there remained a strange novelty that took him back all those years to when they were first married, when the physical side of their relationship required patient development. This time, though, he was prepared to wait rather than seek instant gratification from someone else.

She stirred gently and opened her eyes. Meeting his smile, she moved in closer to receive his embrace. "Good morning" she greeted him as she permitted his arms to encircle her. "How did you sleep, darlin?" he asked, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. "Wonderfully" she answered. "Good, it's time to get up. We need to make it to breakfast. Then there are sights to see" he told her, kissing her on the forehead before extricating himself and getting up. She watched as he put on his robe, moved to the window and drew back the drapes. Standing back to allow her to see the view, he turned and smiled again. She gasped in delight. "Now that sure is a picture" he commented, surveying the Eternal City set against the bright blue summer sky. She joined him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I still can't quite believe it" she responded. "Believe it, sugar, this is real" he informed her, not wishing to disclose that he felt exactly the same way as she did.

An hour later they were shown to a window table in the hotel's rooftop restaurant. Orders taken and coffee served, they were alone once more. "What shall we do today?" Sue Ellen enquired. "I've got a private tour arranged, then lunch and then how about shopping?" he responded. She nodded in agreement whilst taking a sip of her orange juice. "I've read that the shops on the Via Condotti are very nice and it's right by the Spanish Steps too" she informed him. "Not that I need anything really. I've brought way too much luggage as it is." "Nonsense" he replied firmly. "I do have to say though that you are looking very pretty this morning. That dress really suits you." She smiled shyly and looked down briefly at the floral shirt dress she was wearing, just right for the heat of the city. "Thank you" she responded. "I did treat myself to quite a lot of new things for this trip."

He gazed into her eyes. "You deserve it, honey. You work hard and you've made a lot of money over the last few years. It's time we began to enjoy what we have." "Do you really mean that?" she asked. "Has the great JR Ewing finally got enough?" "Yes, I have, in all ways, Sue Ellen" he told her, his expression suddenly becoming serious. She touched his hand in reassurance that she was prepared to believe him. "I mean it. Ewing Oil has a net worth of several billion. Bobby and I can keep the company ticking over until our boys can take command. Why would I want to chase after more when I could be doing this with you instead? Honey, we have the chance to make up for lost time now, to do what we should have done when we were first married, to take vacations, experience new things together, to have a proper life together."

She paused to allow the waiter to deliver their food before speaking. "I don't want you to do anything that might make you unhappy, JR. I know how much the company means to you. I understood perfectly the demands that work placed on you and I was prepared to share you with Ewing Oil if only…"

He grasped her hand. "Tell me, what is it that you want, darlin? Because you can have it, I promise." "I just want…" Her voice faltered for a second before she could continue. "I want to be happy with you, that's the truth. I want to care for you and be cared about in return. I want us to watch John Ross grow up, together. I want us to see him graduate, together. I want us to celebrate his marriage and welcome our grandchildren, together. That's what I want, JR. It's as simple as that." He grinned widely. "Well, if that's all, then I know I can manage it, no question. I will never make the mistakes I made with you ever again. You do believe me, don't you?"

She nodded whilst taking a bite out of her eggs. "This is so good" she told him, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. "And, yes, I do. I do believe you this time. Otherwise I wouldn't be here right now." He smiled back at her. "You make me so happy, honey. Last night I felt closer to you than ever before. I know I was angry with you when we separated but the truth is, I was angrier with myself, disgusted that I had thrown what we had together away, and for what? To own a company that could never mean as much to me as the one that Daddy started, the one that bears our name."

"Perhaps it had to happen?" she suggested. "Maybe that was a journey that we had to take to end up here?" He shook his head. "You're only saying that to make me feel better, darlin. I do appreciate it. The reality is that I made those decisions, nobody forced me and I should have realised the consequences. It has taught me, though, never to hurt you again."

Tbc