A Long Way From Home

Disclaimer: Bonanza and it's original characters are owned by David Dortort and NBC. Any resemblance of any extra characters added by myself is purely coincidental.

Synopsis: When Ben kills a member of the notorious Thompson gang during an attempted bank robbery, he has no idea of the danger in which he has placed his son.

**** Ben Cartwright smiled as he caught a glimpse of the familiar house to which he was riding towards. He had been away to Carson City for three weeks in order to bid on a lumber contract. He could hardly wait to sleep in his own bed again and he could already smell the scent of one of Hop Sing's home cooked meals carrying in the air. But above all he couldn't wait to greet the three men he knew were waiting for him inside. With that in mind he rode his horse, Buck, over to the barn and told one of the hired hands to stable him for the night.

********** Adam Cartwright looked up from the figures he was working on at the desk as he heard a horse trot into the yard. He knew it could be none other than his pa, who was expected back today from Carson City. He wished that Joe and Hoss would have been here in time for Ben's return but he knew that they had left this morning to check the line shacks and because of the number they had to check it was likely that they wouldn't be back until late.

Adam hastily cleaned up the papers that had, a moment ago, been precariously strewn all over the desk. The last thing he wanted his father to do was to even think about work right when he had gotten back from such a long trip. Adam neatly placed the papers into a drawer and rearranged everything on the desk to the way it was before he had started. He was admiring his organizational skills when he heard the door open to which he rushed over to greet his father.

"Hey pa, you're just in time for Hop Sing's chicken and dumplings and hot apple pie," he said.
"I could use a good home cooked meal," replied Ben. "Where's Joe and Hoss?"
" They're out checking the line shacks so they probably won't be back till late," Adam responded. "How was the trip?" A strange look came across Ben's face as if he was trying to decide on a response.
His face brightened suddenly, "fine," he said. "I got the contract easily."
"Did anything go wrong while you were there?" Adam asked, he had noticed the strange look that had flashed across his father's face at the question he had asked.

Hop Sing suddenly appeared from the kitchen and announced that supper was ready.
"How about we discuss the trip later," Ben offered.
"Whatever you say pa," Adam responded but he couldn't stop the uneasy feeling he felt. There was obviously something bothering Ben but he knew that he would have to wait until his father was willing to talk about it in his own time.

********** It was close to midnight when Joe and Hoss rode into the yard. They decided to stable their horses themselves instead of having to bother a ranch hand at this time of night. Hoss smiled to himself as he recognized the buckskin horse in one of the stalls Their father had come home safely.
 "Looks like pa's back," Joe observed. When they had finished bedding down their horses for the night they walked to the house. They opened the door to find Ben and Adam still up talking. "Welcome home pa!" Hoss and Joe said in unison.
"We were beginning to wonder when you two would ever get home," Adam said.
"The line shacks don't fix themselves Adam," Joe replied.
"Settle down boys, I've only just returned and I don't want to already have to settle disputes," Ben rebuked.
 "Sorry pa," they both replied. " Hoss and I didn't finish so I thought that I would go out first thing and finish the last couple of line shacks. I should be back after breakfast," Joe announced. "Since when did you offer to do extra work?" Adam remarked.
Ben gave Adam a displeased look and said, "Thank you Joseph. It's nice of you to offer." They sat up a while longer and then decided to call it a night.

********** The next morning when Ben, Hoss, and Adam had just finished one of Hop Sing's best breakfasts' there was a sudden knock on the door. Hoss got up and answered it to find Roy Coffee, the sheriff of Virginia City, standing at the door.
"Roy , what a pleasant surprise! No trouble I hope," Ben said as he got up from his seat at the table.
"I'm afraid so Ben," Roy replied. "The Thompson Gang broke jail two days ago. I just thought that I should warn you. They could try something."
"Pa what's this talk of the Thompson gang?" Hoss asked.
"Boys, I think that you'd better sit down," Ben said. "Something happened while I was in Carson City." Adam felt the uneasiness that he had felt the day before return.
"Adam, Hoss, the Thompson gang is one that has been robbing banks throughout California. When they showed up in Carson City it was completely unexpected.
"You mean they showed up in Carson City while you were there pa?" Hoss asked.
"Yes Hoss I'm afraid so. When I closed the lumber contract with Henry Morrison he told me he had some cattle he thought I might be interested in so I agreed to take a look. His cattle were of excellent quality and I decided to buy a few heads off of him. I had to stop at the bank first because I hadn't planned on buying any cattle.
"And the bank is where the Thompson Gang comes into the story?" Adam asked.
"I walked right in on the robbery," Ben said. "One of the men went for his gun; I drew a little faster and got the first shot off. It wasn't until later that I found out that I had killed him."
"But how were the rest of them captured?" Adam asked.
 "After I got the shot off a couple of the customers saw their chance and jumped the other three. By then the sheriff was there and he made sure that they were locked up tight.
"Obviously not tight enough," interjected Roy. "I think you boys should stay close to the Ponderosa for awhile just to be sure."
"Roy I don't think there's anything to worry about. If the Thompson's are smart they'll get as far away from here as possible."
"Ben, you killed one of Jeb Thompson's boys. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't try to seek revenge through you or one of your sons." For a moment silence hung over the room.
"Pa I think he's right," Adam broke the silence. "What's this gang like Roy?"
"They're already wanted for several murders during bank robberies." Roy replied. "The leader is Jeb Thompson. He and his four boys have been terrorizing California for awhile now. Four months ago one of his boys' was caught and charged with bank robbery and three murders. He was hung shortly after. That left Jeb with three sons, that is until last week. The one your pa shot was the youngest member of the gang, Cal Thompson."
"I should have aimed better," Ben said lowering his head.
"It wasn't your fault Ben, we all know that," Roy said comfortingly. "But Jeb Thompson doesn't so I advise you boys to take my advice and I would watch my back to if I were you Ben." "Thanks Roy. We'll be careful. What was done with Cal Thompson's body anyway?" Ben asked.
"He wasn't given much of a grave and no one showed up at his burial," Roy replied. "It's sad to think that a young man was lead astray like that and look where it got him. Sad, he was only twenty- four years old."
Suddenly a look of alarm flashed across Adam's face. "Did you say twenty-four?" He asked. All of a sudden Ben understood, "That's the exact age of little Joe. If Jeb Thompson wanted to get revenge the best way for him to do it is through little Joe. "
"Now Ben I think you are jumping to conclusions. I'm sure little Joe is fine."
" That may be so Roy, but I'd feel a lot better if Joe was at home. Adam, Hoss, let's go for a ride up out to those line shacks Joe was supposed to work on."

********** Joe Cartwright finished placing the new piece of glass in the window of the line shack. He stood back to take a look at his work. Pleased, he decided to step back inside to have a cup of coffee before heading off towards home. He had taken a little longer than expected and he knew how much his father hated it when he was late. Suddenly he heard horses trotting up to the front of the line shack.
"There's pa, sending Adam and Hoss after me again," Joe muttered to himself. He knew how his father constantly worried about him and wondered when his father would finally realize he was a man not a boy who needed constant watching over.

He walked to the door and opened it roughly ready to make his thoughts known to Adam and Hoss but nothing came from his suddenly dry throat at he realized the men before him were not his brothers but three strangers with their guns drawn on him. He reached for his gun but realized that he had laid his gun belt on the table inside. Just as his mind registered this he heard a loud noise. He didn't have to feel it ripping into his shoulder to know what it was. He had heard the sound often, -a gun being fired.

Suddenly he was aware of the burning in his shoulder. He felt dizzy and light headed as he began to slump forward. Darkness was quickly overcoming him. With the thoughts of his father and brothers flashing through his mind, able to stand the pain any longer, he allowed it to consume him.

********** Ben hurried his horse to a faster trot forcing Adam and Hoss to do the same in order to keep up with him. Ben was very worried now, it had been two hours and there was still no sign of Joe. Hoss had said that there had been several line shacks that needed fixing and they weren't sure of which one Joe would be at. Ben told one of the hired hands to wait around the house and to come and get him if Joe had returned. It worried Ben that Joe was now three hours late, not that Joe's lateness was all that unusual but Ben had a terrible feeling about it this time.

As they pulled their horses up to another line shack they all suddenly froze. Something was definitely wrong with this shack. The wide open door was swinging lightly in the breeze but what quickened Ben's heart were the large red spots at the opening of the shack.

 Ben dismounted quickly and ran towards the door. He took a closer look at the spots on the floor as his fear was confirmed-blood. " It might not be Joe, pa, " Adam comforted but he didn't really believe his own words. Hoss, who was searching the shack, returned carrying two objects he had found.

Adam couldn't quite see what they were in the dark of the cabin. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. As long as there was nothing around to indicate that Joe was here then Adam could believe his little brother was still all right.

Slowly Hoss walked out into the light of the afternoon sun, his face reflecting his sadness in what he had found-Joe's familiar tan hat and gun belt. The blood in the doorway was most likely Joe's as well. Now all that was left to wonder about was where was Joe. Cochise was no longer tied outside.
 " Maybe we should go back to the house, " Adam offered. " Cochise isn't here, maybe Joe was able to make it back home. " A very small flicker of hope returned to Ben as he thought about this possibility.
"All right boys let's go home. If Joe isn't there we're going to need men to make a search party anyway. We'll gather together as many men as we can find and search all over this half of the country if we have too," Ben replied.

Adam realized his father's doubt of Joe's safety through his words. As they mounted their horses and turned towards home Adam offered up a prayer of safety for his little brother.

********** Joe was barely conscious but he was awake enough to feel the fire in his right arm. The light hurt his eyes when he tried to open them but he was able to see enough to realize he was on the back of Cochise with his hands tied in front of him to the saddle. Suddenly he remembered the three strangers, the shot, the pain.
He vaguely remembered one of the men saying, "You think it's him?"
"It's him," another replied. He was then dragged to his horse and shoved up on him. He had not been able to withstand the torture of being dragged and shoved on his horse so carelessly and he had surrendered to the darkness once more.

Now he wondered how late it must be. It looked like late evening though he still wasn't able to open his eyes all that much. He could hear his three captors talking.
"I told you we should have blindfolded him pa, he's beginning to awaken," one said.
"He's in no condition to go anywhere, besides we're far enough along that he'd never find his way back."
"I hope you're right pa," the other one spoke up. "I don't want him escaping and us having to hightail it out of here with a posse at our backs. I still don't think this was a very good idea." "You want revenge for Cal don't you?" Joe guessed it was their father speaking again.
" Ben Cartwright is going to feel what I've had to feel and he's going to have to live with the death of his son being his fault. I better not hear you speak that way again Dan. I'd have expected better out of you, being the oldest. Don't tell me you would rather let the murder of your younger brother go unpunished? That's not the Thompson's way of doing things and it's certainly not the way I raised my son."
"Sorry pa," Dan said," I didn't know what I was saying. Cartwright has to pay for what he did to Cal." The renewed hate and anger was evident in Dan's voice. His father's words had clearly gotten through to him.

Joe shivered but not because of the cool night air that was now settling to replace the hot, dusty weather during the day. The conversation he had just heard sent chills through him. He realized that these men where the Thompson gang. He had heard of the notorious bank robbers from his last trip to San Francisco. Obviously his pa had met up with them somehow.

Joe couldn't believe what they had said about murder, pa would never murder. He knew for himself that it would have had to have been self-defense. Joe shuddered at the thought of himself being their revenge. He wondered what his family was thinking right now, how worried they must be. What were the Thompson's going to do with him? One thing he knew for certain they weren't planning on letting him go home. Ever.

********** Ben sat in his chair staring into the fire. His thoughts were concentrated on his youngest son. He wondered where he was and shuttered at the thought of what he may be going through. He knew he couldn't think about that, right now he needed to concentrate on bringing his son home.

He didn't remove his gaze from the fire even as Adam and Hoss walked through the front door. They had put up the horses for the night. Sensing the thoughts of their father they walked into the living room and sat down noticing the far off look on their father's face. They all knew who he was thinking off.
"What cha' thinking about Pa?", Hoss asked anyway wishing to comfort his father, wishing some comfort for himself.
For a moment it looked as if Ben hadn't heard or didn't want to answer. "I was remembering when I used to take you boys fishing and how much fun it was. Joe always especially enjoyed those trips." Ben replied. "He was always so happy, so full of life. He brought a real joy to this family."
"Don't forget the trouble he got into." Adam said trying to lighten the mood. Hoss knew what Adam was trying to do. "Yeah," Hoss said. "Like that time he entered me into that Flapjack contest. The boy practically starved me to death putting me on that diet." "Or that time he convinced Hoss to rob a bank." Adam interjected.

Ben chuckled at this and Adam was glad to see his father smile. "We'd better get to bed boys. We'll need our strength in the morning." No one needed to ask what Ben meant. They would search for Joe in the morning.

********** Ben had laid awake long into the night. He knew there would be no sleep for him until Joe was safely home. Suddenly he heard someone banging on the door downstairs. He quickly threw on his robe and stumbled down the steps. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up but he couldn't stop his beating heart. He opened the door and frowned as the hope left him. It was Roy Coffee.
"Roy come in, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"
"Ben, I wish I had better news," Roy said as he handed Ben a tattered blood stained green jacket. It was unmistakably Joe's.

Ben didn't notice Adam and Hoss coming downstairs and standing beside him. His eyes were transfixed on the jacket.
"His horse was tied outside the jail with his jacket and this note," Roy said holding a folded piece of paper out to Ben. When Ben didn't move, Adam took the note from Roy and unfolded it. On it were the words- To: Ben Cartwright, From: Jeb Thompson.

When Adam said it out loud Ben's heart sank. It was what he had feared but been afraid to say. Little Joe was most likely dead. Ben wished now that he had never drawn on Cal Thompson. He would rather be dead himself then have to face the death of his own son.

Roy knew the Cartwrights needed to be alone. This was the part of his job that he hated most, delivering bad news. All he could manage to say as he left was "I'm sorry Ben, I'm so sorry."

Ben sat down before he passed out. He held the green jacket to himself as tears flowed freely. How could he be dead? His son was so young, so full of life. He wasn't supposed to out live his sons.

Hoss could barely contain his own sorrow. He was trying to be strong, he had to be strong for his pa's sake. But failing he went upstairs to Little Joe's room and just cried. Hoss always dealt better with things if he had some time to himself.

Adam was still frozen in place. The news had come as a complete shock to him. He needed some time to think. The rain had stopped so he saddled up Sport in the barn and rode out. He hadn't planned to go to any particular place but somehow he ended up at Marie's grave. Joe had always come here if he was upset or troubled about something.
"I failed, I couldn't keep the promise," he said out loud. He was remembering the promise he had made to Joe's mother so many years ago, that he would protect and take care of Joe and he had failed miserably.

Somehow he felt that he should continue to look for Joe, that something was missing with the whole story. Joe's body hadn't been found maybe the whole thing was set to look as if Joe was dead. He didn't know if his theory made sense but he was going to find out. For the sakes of his brother and father he had to find closer. For the sake of himself. In his heart he felt that Joe was out there somewhere. He remounted Sport and set off in the opposite direction of home.

********** Joe awoke in a dark room. He knew that the room had one window that was boarded up to keep out all light from the outside except for a small stream of light that allowed Joe to distinguish between night and day.

It was the fourth day of his captivity. He remembered when they had reached the cabin they were now in. They had taken his jacket, the one thing that kept him warm, and had thrown him into this dark room. He hadn't had any food since the morning he had went to fix the line shack. He had only been given water every now and then. He was cold and hungry and his shoulder ached terribly. He had torn off one of his sleeves and tied it around the wound to stop the bleeding. Never the less infection had begun to set in and he could feel that he was running a fairly high fever.

He could think of nothing but his family. He wished he could feel his father's arms around him once more. He missed Hoss terribly and he wished he could see Adam again. He remembered how he and Adam hadn't gotten along the night before his capture. He nevered wished so badly that he could say sorry to Adam. He would try a lot harder to get along with him..... if he ever got that chance. **********

End of Part 1.
 Lynnette Smith
November, 2002
Sorry I have to end part 1 here. I will try to finish part 2 as soon as possible.

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