Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Bonanza. I do own my OC Victoria Johnson.
The year has came and gone along with the snow that winter has brought spring time is finally here. Joe Cartwright was up for a big surprise when he meets a young lady in Carson City. He was walking down the streets one bright and sunny spring morning. When a young lady about his age came walking down the street holding her small bag. They passed each other with a smile on their faces. Joe glanced back to watch her walk some.
"She's out of your league kid brother," Hoss told him with a smile.
"Yeah, maybe she is," Joe replied, "she's more of Adam's kind of lady but my age."
"Funny Joe," Adam said catching up with him and Hoss as he came out of the small store next to him.
"What's the fabric for?" Joe asked kindly.
"Hop Sing wanted me to pick out new fabric for curtains for my room, he said mine are getting worn out," Adam said with a sigh, he was happy with the curtains he has, but this new heavier fabric would be good for winter weathers maybe.
"Nice, good thing he didn't tell me that, mine are in perfectly good shape," Joe told him with a yawn.
"Yeah," Adam said as they all went to the hotel to find Ben.
As they entered the nice hotel, there sat the young lady who Joe watched walk down the street.
Joe glanced at Adam and shivered, the thought of the young lady who was a sea witch still stuck in his mind.
Adam glanced at Joe and the two of them walked away from the young lady towards Ben.
"What's eating you two?" Hoss asked them.
"N-Nothing," Joe stuttered with a sigh as he turned his back to the lady.
"Sure," Hoss said, no one knew the truth behind how Adam got that gash that one horrible day.
Both Adam and Little Joe were still scared about that day, they don't go near any odd or strange looking houses that suddenly appear.
"Well, boys, let's order some food," Ben spoke as he glanced towards the young lady.
Hoss glanced over and thought she was a looker, "So, Pa, don't you think it's odd that ever since that one day Adam came home with a gash on his stomach and Joe was bruised up, that they haven't looked or talked to a lady?"
"It is odd son, it is odd," Ben replied softly wondering what was going on with his two sons.
"Pa, nothing is wrong to be honest," Adam told him but got a sigh from Ben.
A waitress came over and took their orders and left to go get the coffee, that was the first thing they wanted as they waited for their food to cook. The waitress brought over the coffee and then left to go check on everyone else.
Sitting there drinking their coffee they over hear a group of men talking, "I bet that house took whoever lives there four months ta build," one guy said.
"It is a big, strange and mysterious house since it wasn't there a week ago," another guy spoke.
Adam and Joe shared a 'not again' look, neither of them wanted to deal with another mysterious house.
"I hears a young lady lives there after her parents were murdered by robbers on their way here ta Carson City," the first guy spoke up.
"She lives all alone?" a guy asked.
"Yes sir she does, I hears she's a beauty," the first guy replied.
Before anyone could say anything their food came and they all ate in silence.
Later that night the Cartwright family were sitting around their hotel room, "So, a young lady lives all alone in a house that wasn't there before?" Hoss asked confused.
"I, I guess so," Joe replied softly.
"Boys, do you two have something you need to tell us?" Ben asked looking at Adam and Joe.
"No sir," Joe replied and got up to go to his part of the room.
"Well, I'm going back down to the dining room for another cup of coffee, Hoss are you coming?" Ben asked.
"Yes sir, Adam, Joe do you two want ta come?" Hoss asked.
"No thanks," they replied and watched as Hoss and Ben left the room.
"Adam, this is just like that mysterious house on that island a year ago, I know I'm staying away from that freak show of a house," Joe told his brother in a panic.
"I know how you feel, how are we going to keep Pa and Hoss from there also? We don't need them two to fall for the lady, or well Hoss since from the talks of it it's the same young lady," Adam replied with a sigh as he slowly sat down in the chair next to him.
"Burn the house?" Joe suggested.
"No, we could go to jail for that," Adam replied even though he was thinking the same thing.
"Yeah, that's right," Joe said sitting on the bed.
Ben and Hoss came in, "Boys, Hoss and I are taking a walk, we'll be back later," Ben told them.
"Okay Pa, where to?" Adam asked.
"Just around to pick up a few things Hop Sing wanted," Ben replied and left with Hoss after the two of them grabbed their gun belts and guns.
Joe glanced at Adam who nodded in reply. The two of them grabbed their gun belts, put them on and raced down stairs to follow their brother and father.
"Well, there it is Hoss," Ben said not knowing that Adam and Joe were close behind.
"That is a big fancy house for one little gal ain't it Pa?" Hoss asked.
"Yes it is, well, let's go see if she is home and needs anything," Ben said suddenly wanting to meet the young lady who lived there to see if she was okay living alone or not. He figured he'd be a gentlemen and if she didn't want to live in that big of a house he'd take her to Virginia City and find her a small house there to live in.
Ben and Hoss slowly made their way to the door and Ben lightly knocked on the door.
The door slowly opens revealing a young lady with blonde hair and green eyes, "hello, how may I help you?" she greeted kindly with a smile.
"We're the Cartwright's from Virginia City, we came to see if you're okay and if you needed anything miss," Ben told her with a slight fear suddenly rushing over him.
"Oh, I'm doing okay alone, I'm Victoria Johnson would you two like to come in for some coffee and cake?" She asked and spotted Adam and Joe, "if they are with you, they too can come in."
"Those are my other two sons," Ben said and motioned for them to follow as he and Hoss entered the house.
Hesitantly Adam and Joe followed behind, they had a bad feeling about this young lady was either the same one that captured them last year or someone related to her.
Joe glanced at Adam as they sat down on a long white couch with a dark brown wooden frame, the last couch they sat on together was a dark brown couch with a white frame.
"Stay calm kid," Adam whispered so only he and Joe would hear him, "this time I'm not eating or drinking anything."
"Same here," Joe whispered back nervously.
Victoria came out with the right amount of cups for everyone, she poured them all a cup and Joe and Adam kindly took it, but weren't going to drink it.
"I have a freshly baked cake if you'd like a slice?" Victoria asked.
"Yes please," Ben and Hoss replied.
"no thank you Miss, I'm not really feeling the best," Joe lied
"I'm not hungry but thank you miss," Adam said also as a lie. Cake did sound good but he wasn't about to have any at the moment.
She nodded and left to the kitchen to get some cake for everyone but Joe and Adam, she was getting worried that they were the kind that knows who she is. A moment later she came back with three slices of cake, one for her, one for Ben and one for Hoss.
They took them with a smile and Hoss took a bite, "this is good, is that a hint of cinnamon I taste?" Hoss asked in love with the cake.
"Yes, it's my secret recipe, I tweaked my mothers cake, she has it with pumpkin flavoring but she said that was for Thanks Giving," Victoria spoke with a smile.
With out thinking Joe took a drink of his coffee, his throat was getting really dry for some reason.
A few moments later everyone but Adam was sound asleep. He was about to get up and try to save his family when he was smacked across the back of the head and fell to the floor.
A few seconds after that he was slowly waking up, when he was fully awake he saw another guy standing in the room with Hoss and Victoria at an alter type location.
"Let us go witch!" Adam shouted on the to of his lungs, "you had Joe and I last year, this year you're not getting any of us!"
"Tisk Tisk Adam Cartwright, either your brother here will marry me or your poor father and youngest brother will end up as shark bait," Victoria spoke.
Adam glanced around and saw Ben and Joe hanging from ropes above what looked to be the ocean with two mad and hungry looking sharks.
"Pa?" Hoss softly spoke as he woke up. When he was fully awake he saw Pa and Joe hanging, "PA! JOE!" he shouted and went to move and realized he was tied up, "what do you want?"
"You and I are going to become husband and wife, or them two die," she simply told him. She didn't know that this time Adam was going to try to be the hero of the family.
Hoss was slowly working on getting his hands untied, he glanced over and saw Adam was doing the same.
"Sons?" Ben asked, "what the heck is going on here!"
"Well sir, you see, I fell for Hoss here the second I laid eyes on him at the hotel when you guys were eating your dinner, I just had to have him for my own," Victoria said softly.
"Let us go and you may have your wish," Ben said softly.
Joe slowly woke up, "Great, I had a feeling it was the sea witch again," Joe said with a smirk.
Adam got his hands free and slowly went over to where Ben and Joe were, he slowly pushed the cover over the hole that had the sharks in it. He winked to Joe who nodded back and worked on getting his hands free. Adam slowly climbed up the stairs that were behind Ben and Joe and found a sword, he took it off the wall, sliced Ben down and he fell with a thud.
"Sorry Pa," Adam whispered getting a chuckle from Ben who just nodded. Adam made his way up to the pastor type guy and realized he was fake, Adam took the sword and stabbed the witch in the back with one swift move.
A high pitched scream came from her as she melted away, "Let's pray that's the last time we ever see her," Joe said as he was helping Ben off the platform that covered the sharks.
"Yeah really, but you saw her in the flesh, so to speak, I swear, from now on if a strange beautiful lady comes to town or we see her, I am running the opposite way," Adam said with a smile.
"Same here," Joe and Hoss said making Ben chuckle.
"At least I wasn't falling head over heals for her, but I agree, if a lady of my age comes around and she's all charming and beautiful I will say hi then never go near her again, I don't want to fall for the Sea Witches charm," Ben said and they all laughed as they exited the house.
The second they got out of the house it bursts into flames and quickly turned to ashes.
Ben was confused on that part, "what was that about?" Ben asked.
"Last year when we came home and I had the gash, a lake witch was trying to drain my blood to live forever, when we left after Joe saved me the house sunk into the lake, she was an old hag looking like a young beautiful lady, I guess this time since she was stabbed the house went to ashes," Adam told him.
"That's the reason you had the gash and Joe was bruised up?" Ben asked receiving nods from Joe and Adam, "well, let's go to the hotel, pack up and head home. Any shopping Hop Sing wanted me to do can wait until Virginia City."
"The stores are open still pa, we can do the shopping quick like then go home, since the things he needs aren't in Virginia City, since they ran out," Adam suggested.
"Let's do that, I just want out of this crazy town for a long time," Ben said making all three of his sons laugh as they entered the store to do Hop Sings shopping.
This is a day no one will forget, Ben was ticked off at the Witch for wanting his sons, Joe and Adam were just upset she was back and Hoss, he was still confused in a way about everything that was going on. All he knew was that the lady was evil but pretty.