Chapter One

A/N This is a Big Valley/Bonanza crossover. In this story Jarrod Barkley is 32, Nick is 28 and Heath is 24. Adam Cartwright is 44 and Hoss is 38. The year is 1876. If I have any of the ages off, so be it. I never could keep the ages, timelines etc. straight on these two shows anyway. And, quite frankly, it's obvious the original writers couldn't either. Heath is supposed to have joined the family in 1874, two years after Tom was killed, and Jarrod was the one who had a problem accepting him.

~oOo~

Victoria, who had seen her eldest disappear into the Billiard room, grew concerned when she realized just how much time had passed. Usually, it was the study Jarrod would seem to lose himself in; that is, if he was going to be in a room for hours. She made her way to the Billiard room and stepped inside. She could see Jarrod through the open French doors; he was leaning on the railing that surrounded the verandah. Making her way across the room, she too walked out onto the verandah and stood next to her son. He held a telegram in his hands. Naturally, with the faraway look that was in his eyes, she assumed it was bad news.

"What's happened?" She asked; a sound of great concern was in her voice.

"Nothing really, just," Jarrod answered as he straightened up. "Just Adam Cartwright and his brother, Eric-or Hoss as his family calls him, are coming to Stockton to attend the Colonel Stern's funeral."

Victoria, who had heard Jarrod speak of Adam on a few occasions when Jarrod, first got home from the war, pretty well guessed what the problem was. "He doesn't know about Nick, does he?" Victoria asked as she looked towards the corral where her middle son and stepson both sat on top of the fence. Heath was playing a soothing tune on his harmonic.

Jarrod sighed as he too looked in his brothers' direction. How Jarrod hated war. "No, I haven't heard from Adam in years. He doesn't know about father's death or Heath's coming to join the family." Jarrod paused and shook his head as he remembered how angry he'd been when Heath showed up and made his claim. He remembered how badly he'd treated his blonde haired brother, and how resentful he'd been of Heath. However, Jarrod knew he'd be would be forever grateful the blonde haired cowboy had stuck it out. Heath had turned out to be such a blessing in so many ways. The family wouldn't be the same without him. Then, not knowing the stories Adam had heard, Jarrod sighed again and said "And, no, I doubt he knows about Nick." He leaned forward and rested upon the rail once more. "I could never bring myself to tell him anything, even after Heath joined the family and was able to help Nick to a small degree, I still couldn't get myself to say anything on the few occasions I would write to the man. I guess I kept hoping things would get all the way better."

Victoria sighed as she too looked in the same direction as Jarrod was. She had often heard war was hell, and had gotten first hand evidence of that fact in 1864 when Tom had traveled out to the hospital where Nick was a patient and brought him home.

Many people had told Tom and her they should simply turn their backs on their son. All right, they hadn't used those words only they might as well have since they'd told them to let the doctors handle 'it'. "When does this friend of yours and his brother arrive?"

"I'm going to meet them at the train station tomorrow and bring them home." He again straightened up. And," He added as he saw a look of concern in his mother's eyes. "Don't worry, I'll tell them up front all about Nick. If they react badly, or if I get any subtle signs that tell me they might react negatively, I'll show them to the hotel." He turned and walked away, saying he needed to talk to Heath before they all retired for the night.

~oOo~

Adam Cartwright just knew the stagecoach he was riding in had to be hitting every pothole on the road. He was sure that his brother, Hoss, felt the same way as the giant of a man muttered as they hit yet another hole.

"Don't think you should plan on getting any sleep." Adam said as he stretched his legs and looked at Hoss.

"All I want to do is get into Reno where we can get on the train." Hoss shook his head. "I would hate to have to ride this thing clear to Stockton."

Adam agreed, as his mind turned to the first reason he was making the trip with Hoss in the first place. Colonel Benjamin Sterns... a longtime friend of the family's. When they'd received word the man had passed away Ben had wanted to go only he fell ill. That being the case, it had been decided that Joe would stay home with his wife and two children and run the ranch. Adam and Hoss would have liked to have had had their wives and children with them only the women had said they had no desire to travel from Nevada to California with a total of eight children with them. Adam and Hoss had to admit that the women had a point. His mind then turned to his father and his request.

"This family needs to be represented at the funeral." Ben lay on his bed, propped up by some pillars. "I know Stockton is more than a few miles away, but you've traveled farther. Please, go with Hoss and attend the funeral."

Adam stretched his legs the best he could as he thought on the second main reason he'd agreed to make the trip…Jarrod and Nick Barkley. He'd met Jarrod a few times during the war and served with Nick for a solid year before the army had transferred Nick to another unit. Afterwards, he'd heard one story after another concerning the young lieutenant. He had told himself he was going to check the stories out after the war, only life had gotten in the way and he never had. Now, with a funeral to attend, Adam had sent a rather lengthy telegram to Jarrod and Nick informing them he'd be in town and hoped to visit them. He might have continued dwelling on the past only Reno came into sight. "Looks like we're almost to the first stop in this journey," Adam said as he turned away from the coach's window.

"Looks like it," Hoss grinned and stretched the best he could. "Good thing too, my stomach is not happy with me at the moment."

"It's never happy with you." Adam leaned back in his seat and teased his brother.