History of the Future

By Marion

Author's Note: Okay, I'm going to confess I never liked Bonanza (or Ponderosa) stories set in the future. I hated it when Adam left and never watched the episodes after Hoss died. In the perfect Ponderosa, they're all alive and well and getting along. That being said, I was reading a fan fic set in the future (their future, not ours - it wasn't Bonanza in Space or anything like that) and I wondered how the future might be in the little alternative universe I've created. After kicking it around in my brain, I came up with this little vignette (and that's all it is, there won't be any more with a grownup Annie.) I like the idea of Ben being surrounded by grandchildren. Heaven knows he probably had to wait long enough for them! (In case there are any Ricky Skaggs fans reading this, yes, I borrowed the title from his latest work.)

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The man and the boy approached the front door of the house. The man knocked quickly, then waited. A little girl of about 4 opened the door. Her hair was dark and hung in two braids. She quickly turned. "Mama, Mama, it's a man!" The woman, an older version of the girl, her black hair streaked with gray, approached the door. "May I help.." Her hands flew to her mouth in shock, then she held her arms wide open. "Adam, Adam, is it really you?"

The man stepped into the woman's arms. "Annie, oh Annie. I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" He lifted her off the ground and twirled her around, to the delight of the little girl.

"Oh, Adam, it's been so long."

He nodded. "Almost twenty years. Look at you, Annie ­ you haven't changed."

"Twenty years and six children later? I should say I have most certainly changed. You've changed!" Annie Cartwright Devlin grabbed on his beard playfully. "This is supposed to be on the top of your head, not on the bottom! Wait'll Joe sees you!" She looked at the boy behind Adam.

"And you must be Benjamin. How glad I am to meet you at last."

The boy took off his hat. "G'day ma'am." She laughed. "Save the ma'ams for when you're in trouble, then say them a lot. That's what rest do. Call me Aunt Nan."

Adam looked at her. "Aunt Nan?"

"Joe's oldest called me Aunt Nan as soon as she could talk, and it's stuck ever since. But, Adam, come in, come in. Don't stand on the doorstep of your own home."

Adam turned to his son. "Benj, could you take care of the horses for me? Annie, is there room in the barn?" She nodded and Adam pointed his son in the right direction.

The little girl started to follow. "I'll help!" Her mother grabbed her. "You'll do no such thing. What would Grandpa do if he caught you in the barn without an adult?" The little girl looked down at her feet. Annie lifted up the little girl's chin. "Adam, this little devil is my youngest, Eleanor. We call her Ellie most of the time. Ellie, this is your Uncle Adam." Ellie held out her hand and Adam shook it seriously. "Now, Ellie, you need to clean your room!" Annie pointed Ellie in the direction of the stairs and gave her a little push.

Annie grabbed Adam's hand and dragged him over to the sofa. "Now, tell me if you're home for good."

Adam looked surprised. "You didn't get my last letter?" Annie shook her head. Adam sighed. "I lost Rachel in an epidemic. I couldn't stand Australia after that, and I decided it was time for Benj to meet the rest of his family. I sold the ranch, and here we are."

"Oh, Adam, I am so sorry. I know how hard it is. When I lost Mitch, I wanted to die, too, but your father reminded me that I had to live for the children."

"How is he?"

"Uncle Ben? I should be in such good health when I'm in my 70s. Losing Hoss and Eleanor was hard for him, and for a while I was afraid we were going to lose him too, but I think he's stronger than any of us. After I lost Mitch, I moved from my house back to here, so he could help. Then, when Joe lost Peggy, we added onto the house and we all live together. I'm mother of 11 now, and Joe's father to them all. There's no doubting who's really in charge, however, and there isn't a grandchild who hasn't learned firsthand that Grandpa is not to be written off as an old softie."

Adam laughed. "So, I've met one child. Where are the other 10?"

"Let's see, Mitch and Adam are with Grandpa and Uncle Joe at the logging camp. Your father still likes to go out once in a while to make sure things are running the way he wants. He doesn't ride much anymore, so Joe takes him up in the buggy. The twins go with him to learn the ropes."

"They're going to be ranchers, then?"

"My Adam's like you, he wants to go to college. He's only 17 though, and not ready to put in his application. I'm hoping he'll go to one of the California schools, but I won't hold him back if he wants to go East. Mitch is his father's son. Couldn't leave school soon enough. Loves to be with Grandpa and Uncle Joe."

"Your children call him Grandpa?"

"What else? He's been my father for 30 years, and he's the only grandfather they'll ever know. Somehow I think my father wouldn't be unhappy about it. So, that's 3 you know about. The rest are in school and should be home soon. Joe's oldest, Marie, is going to graduate in a few months, and she wants to go to college, too. Joe's not too happy about it, but we're working on him. His two boys, Eric and Joe, Jr. are good students, but they'd rather be outside, too. My two oldest girls, Kathleen and May, have a few years to go yet. They're the ones responsible for this gray hair. Your father calls it justice! My youngest boy, Eddie just started school this year. He's going to add to the gray hair, I think. Hoss's son, John, is fourteen and like his cousins itching to join his uncle and grandfather working on the ranch. Wait'll you see him; you'll swear you were looking at your brother. Hoss's little girl, Inger, is the image of her mother, but she's just like Hoss as personality goes. She's thoughtful and sweet, always bringing home some stray or another."

The mention of Hoss sobered Adam. "Annie, I should have come home when Hoss died."

"No, you needed to be in Australia. I won't lie to you. It was hard. It was almost harder than losing Mitch, and I can't say why. Hoss and Eleanor were such a pair and they died the way they lived, helping someone in trouble." She took his hand. "Adam, are you home for good?"

"I guess that will depend on Pa, won't it."

"Adam, you know he never begrudged you leaving. He understood. He missed you, he misses you every day, but he knows that men have to live their own lives. He left home once. He will be thrilled beyond belief to welcome you home, and so will Joe. This is your home and it never stopped being your home."

Neither of them heard the sound of horses approaching. In the barn, Adam's son Benjamin had just finished tending to the rented horses when he heard someone behind him.

"Can I help you, boy?" The man was the woman's age, his hair streaked with gray.

"My da told me to put up the horses."

"What's your name, lad?"

"Benjamin Cartwright, but Da calls me Benj." The man broke into a broad grin. "Come here, Benj. There's someone you need to meet. The man put his arm around the boy and led him from the barn. "Pa, Pa, come here."

The old man was getting down from the buggy, his great-nephews helping him. He looked at the boy, then at his son. "Who is this, Joseph? Are we hiring younger hands or am I just getting older?"

Joe's grin split his face. "Pa, I would like to introduce you to Benjamin Cartwright. Benj, this is Benjamin Cartwright." Ben Cartwright the elder looked stunned. The boy looked at him shyly from the tops of his eyes. "G'day, sir. You must be my grandfather."

Ben finally recovered. "I must be, young man, that I must be. You are the image of your father. Welcome to the Ponderosa." He turned to Joe, then towards the house when they heard the door open. Ben looked at his niece, and then at the man beside her. He crossed the yard without realizing that he was even moving. Annie wiped away tears as Ben took his son in his arms.

"Adam, Adam my son."

"We're home, Pa. We're home."