It was the first fine day of the new year. The sun was out and the air had a hint of summer warmth. To the Cartwright's that meant a whole lot of work needed to get started. Ben had decided the day before that it was time to start riding fence to see the damage done by Mother Nature. Ben had a healthy respect for the fury that Mother Nature could wrought, and to him old man winter was the worst.

With the weather becoming better and better Ben thought that the time was among them to get an early jump on the seasonal chores that a ranch requires. And to tell you the truth he wanted to get his boys out of the house. They were driving him crazy. So it was to be that on this fine morning his boys were going to ride off together to ride some fence and expend some pent up energy.

Hop Sing had just laid out a hardy breakfast when Adam and Hoss came slogging down the stairs, sleep still in their eyes. They came over sat down and started eating. There wasn't much to be said this morning. They were enjoying each other's company in a silence that early mornings usually bring. After 15 minutes of a silent breakfast Ben noticed that he had yet to see his youngest: Joseph. Slowly Ben got to his feet and ascended the stairs to Joe's room. He wasn't quietly walking up the stairs and as he reached Joe's room the door flew open and out popped a disheveled 15 year old.

"Oh hi Pa! I was just on my way down to breakfast."

Joe sidestepped his father and ran downstairs to the breakfast table. Ben stood where Joe had left him with a smile on his face. He turned and walked downstairs to join his boys in finishing breakfast.

"So boys are you all packed and ready to go?" Ben asked as Joe and Hoss wolfed down their breakfast.

"Yes Pa" They answer together, Joe and Hoss still having food in their mouths.

"Now I want you boys to check that north pasture fence extremely well. And I don't want to see you back here for three days. You hear! I've had it up to here with you boys." Ben said as he smirked. His boys knew that fence riding is not only necessary ranch work, but also necessary to keep their father sane.

"Well you best get started it's a half days ride to the north pasture. Joe mind your brothers. I'll see you boys in three days." Hoss, Adam, and Joe saddled up and rode out of sight from Ben.

"Be safe my sons" Ben whispered as he watched his boys disappear around the barn.

As soon as they were out of sight from the ranch house Joe took off at a gallop followed shortly by Hoss and Adam was left in their dust.

"Hoss Joe slow down. Do you want to tire the horses this early?" Adam shouted at the backs of his younger brothers. Joe and Hoss stopped their mounts and shouted back

"Oh come on Adam we've been holed up long enough!" Joe stated as Adam trotted up next to his brothers. Adam considered the faces of Hoss and Joe and thought of the long winter they had just had. And to be perfectly honest it was a long hard winter. With a mischievous smile on his face he shouted "Race You"

He pulled Sport around and began to gallop in the open fields. Hoss and Joe were so surprised that it took them a minute to realize what Adam had just done. Spurring Cochise on Joe yelled at Adam to wait up. Not to be out done by his brothers Hoss turned Chubb around to head after them, but for a second he stopped and watched his brothers having fun together.

By the time dusk had set in the brothers had made a good dent in the fence repairs that they had found along the way. The air was a bit colder and the temperature was dropping as night approached. They found a good alcove of rocks that would protect them from the wind that was breezy. They made camp tended to the horses and got a fire going to start supper.

"Adam what did Hop Sing pack us for food?" Hoss asked hungrily

"Well let's see, we got baked beans, jerky, and biscuits." replied Adam starting to smile at the look on Hoss' face.

"What do you mean? Baked beans, jerky, and biscuits! I though he packed some bacon and beef stew in there as well. Dadburnit Adam I'm hungry I need something more!" Hoss said with a miserable look on his face. Adam and Joe started laughing hysterically and Hoss knew then that Adam had been pulling his leg. Hoss jumped up from where he was sitting and tackled Adam to the ground. The two of them rolled around on the ground for a few minutes, with Joe sitting by the fire laughing like a hyena. For Joe it was such a strange sight to see his two older brothers' rough housing. It was usually just him and Hoss, but it was nice to see that Adam could still have. Though he noted that Hoss was winning the wrestling match.

"Adam Cartwright how dare you get between me and a meal after a long hard ride. Now you say Uncle or I will sit on you all night making sure that your supper is only jerky." Hoss said with mock sternness.

"UNCLE!" Adam cried from underneath his younger brother. Hoss got slowly off Adam while Joe started cooking.

"That was probably the smartest choice you could've made there Adam" Joe said while laughing at the sight of Adam brushing the dirt off his cloths. It felt good to be the one laughing and not being the one being laughed at for a change.

Soon the beef stew was ready and the Cartwrights sat down to a warm meal. What more could a man ask for Adam thought to himself. He had a warm meal and the companionship of his brothers. Yeah right now for Adam Cartwright life was good.

They awoke the next morning with the sunrise. It had been a cold night as frost was around their campsite. They had a quick breakfast saddled their horses and were off to ride more miles of fence. They had been riding for almost two hours when Adam picked up on the sound of gunshots in the distance.

"Whoa boy" he called to Sport as Joe and Hoss stopped next to him.

"Whattcha stop for Adam?" Joe asked from his saddle. Before Adam could answer they heard more gunshots off to the west. With a look at each brother Adam hulled on Sports' reigns shouting back to his brothers

"Well what are you waiting for lets go check it out!" As an afterthought Adam added to Joe

"Make sure you stay behind Hoss and I or you won't be able to sit for a month!" Joe made a sour expression at that last statement by Adam, but he was too interested to argue. So on they rode into the unknown.

It took them about an hour to find the source of the shooting. It had been quiet for a good ten minutes before they rounded a bend to see a stage coach flipped on its' side and dead men surrounding the coach.

Adam turned back to Joe "Stay here and makes sure no one sneaks up on us." Joe wasn't thrilled by the orders Adam was giving but, with the look Adam just gave him how could he not listen. Hoss and Adam dismounted their horse and made their way slowly over to the horrors before them.

"Adam do you think it was the Paiutes stirring up trouble again?" Hoss asked with one eye on his surroundings and one eye on where he was going.

"No, I think this was just another robbery gone wrong." Adam stated solemnly.

"How do you figure?" Hoss asked

"Well there aren't any arrows and the strong box is gone. And the men still have their scalps." said Adam grimly

"Yeah I'm guessin' you're right." Hoss said as he turned over the first body to see if he was alive.

"Hey Adam this man here is a marshal."

"Is he alive?"

"No" said Hoss sadly. The Nevada territory was a rough place and this wasn't the first body he'd seen, but it didn't make it any easier.

"Yeah the rest of these men are lawmen as well but none of them are alive." Adam said as he looked around to see if anyone was there. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a man in tattered clothes coming up right behind Joe.

"JOE! BEHIND YOU!" Adam bellowed, but it was too late. The tattered man raised his rifle and hit Joe square across the head as Joe turned in the direction his brother was looking. Adam and Hoss looked on in horror as Joe slumped out of his saddle and onto the ground. Hoss started running up to his brother before Adam could stop him.

"Hoss NO! Come back we need to stick together." Adam yelled in vain at Hoss' back. Hoss was about half way there when another larger tattered man stepped out from behind some rocks. Hoss didn't have a chance to react. The man before him was close to Hoss' size only skinner. Adam noted as he watched his brother get hit over the head and slump to the ground. After Adam had shouted at Hoss to come back he had taken cover behind the fallen stage coach.

"Well you might as well come out. We've got your friends and you are outnumbered." said the large tattered man as he held a gun to Hoss' head.

"I'll give you until the count of ten before I blow this guys brains out. Then I'll give you ten more seconds until we blow the kids brain out. Could you live with yourself knowing you were the cause of your friends' deaths?"

Adam was out of options. He didn't want to give up, but there was nothing more to do than give up. Or watch his brothers die one bye one.

"Alright don't shoot them I'm coming out." Adam said in a defiant voice. He threw his rifle and six shooter over to the side and stood up just in time to see two more men come out from the surrounding woods.

The first man who had hit Joe was dragging him down towards Hoss and the other tattered man. Adam came slowly from behind the stage and walked towards his brothers'. The other two men that came from the woods flanked Adam on either side of him.

"Well look what we've got here, three wise guys trying to steal our hard earned money. Well what do you have to say for yourself?" Asked the man who seemed to be the ring leader.

Anger coursed through Adam's body at what these men had done to his brothers. Though calmness is all he displayed to the men

"Look my brothers and I were not far from here when we heard gunfire. So we came to see what all the ruckus was about and this is what we found! Now tell me who you are and what you are doing here." It wasn't a question. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Well my brothers and I were out riding when we got here you three were searching through the dead and the strong box was missing." The ringleader said quite calmly. Out of the corner of his eye Adam could see the two other men come closer. The tattered man had finally made it down with Joe dragging behind him. Inside Adam gave a soft whistle to the condition of Joe. There was a nice big bruise at the top of his forehead and in the middle of that a good sized gash that still bled freely. He didn't move or make a sound when the man dropped him by Hoss. Hoss was in about the same boat as Joe, though when Joe was dumped on him he moaned. Adam glared back at the other man who stood in front of him. He was older than Adam was by a few years and a bit taller. He had a rough look to his face like he had been through hell and back in his life. Adam could understand what this looked like to these men, but he couldn't understand the brutal force that they used without provocation. Right now the man infront of Adam was a mystery and the person in charge. The other three were younger than the first man and though they looked to also have led a rough life it did not match the ringleader. The youngest "man" looked only a few years older than Joe, yet he was not as healthy looking as Joe. He was skin and bone holding a rifle.

"Look I don't know who you are, but why don't you let me help my brothers and get them home. Our ranch house is about a days' ride from here. You might have heard of the Ponderosa." Adam pleaded with the ringleader.

"Yeah I've heard of the Ponderosa, but you look too young to have created such a kingdom."

"I am. My father Ben Cartwright made the Ponderosa with the help of my brothers and I. So you see we don't need any extra money. There is no way my brothers or I robbed that stage. We were riding fence! The longer er stay here the farther away the real robbers get. If you help me get my brothers home the quicker I can help you track down those bandits and the money they stole from you!" Adam finished exasperated. To his surprise the man infront of him just smiled and said,

"Oh we don't need any help in finding the strong box. We put it in a safe place." With a nod of his head one of the men beside Adam raised his rifle and smashed it into the side of Adam's head. The last thought he had was that he had failed to keep his brothers safe.