DISCLAIMER: Bonanza and the original Cartwright characters are not mine. Only thing I claim a right to is the storyline and "guest stars" per say. Written for writing practice only. I've also only recently started giving fan fiction a shot; any constructive comments would be greatly appreciated.

Author's note:

I realize "Comrades, I am Dying" was written in 1864 (by Thomas Manahan,(words)

and by B. Sontag. (Music))and that BONANZA was set in a time before the Civil War but I used it anyway. It's in pubic domain when it comes to copyright laws. (And yes, poor Adam is really getting hammered by me-sorry, I REALLY DO like him...it's what he gets for being the singer of the family.;) LOL)

SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR

Chapter One

Comrades, comrades, I am dying! See the crimson fountain flow! Sick and wounded, I am dying, On the field among the foe. But the angels hover round me. They will guard me while I sleep; Comrades, onward to the battle, Do not for the soldier weep.

Hoss lay with his eyes closed; afraid the singing he was hearing would stop. Actually, it wasn't the song itself that he didn't want to end-it was his voice singing-Adam's; he didn't want that to stop. His brother had went missing over two years ago. The family had held out hope for his return until the day the sheriff broke the news they'd found his body down in a ravine; what had happened they never found out. By the time he opened his eyes the singing had stopped; a young woman with the brownest hair he'd ever seen was wiping his forehead with a wet cloth.

He was laying in a full sized bed next to a window. The room was small-barely held the bed, a nightstand and one dresser. He remembered his horse stepping in a small hole and falling-throwing him off in the process,"Where am I? Who are you?" he asked.

"About thirty miles out of Carson City," the woman smiled down at him, "I'm Mrs. Hawk Jensen. My husband found you not a mile from here." She turned and immersed the rag into the bowl of water she had setting on the bed stand so she didn't see the look of shock that came upon her patient's face as Hawk's voice-once again-came drifting in through the window.

Comrades, comrades, I am dying! For I see me mother now: See her coming down from heaven With a wreath upon her brow. God has sent her to the soldier, She will teach him how to die; And, when He has called my spirit She will bear it to the sky. Comrades, comrades, dying! See the crimson fountain flow! Sick and wounded, I am dying On the field among the foe. Comrades, comrades, I am dying! Soon I'll be among the blessed. Fare-oh! fare you well for ever, I am going there to rest. For my mother's arms entwine me, And I can no longer stay; Onward, comrades, to the battle, Angels they will lead the way.

"Sounds like Hawk is coming," she turned back towards Hoss; who had his face towards the window, "I best go tell him our guest is awake."

Hoss turned his head and watched as the woman left the room. Hawk? That voice; it belonged to Adam! That was impossible; had his injury affected his hearing?

"Well, it's about time you awoke!" Hoss's jaw fell open as Adam appeared in the doorway; only-he wasn't dressed 'right'...his clothes were that of a poor farmer. What on earth was going on? If his reaction to the man's appearance in the doorway was noticed it was not acknowledged.

"Yes, I'm awake." Hoss tried to sit up only to find his brother's arms on his shoulders pushing him back down on the bed. "No, you don't, Sissy will have both our hides if you get up too soon. I'm Hawk Jensen and just what would your name be?"

"Hoss; Hoss Cartwright. I owe you and your wife my life." He lay trying to wrap his mind around the fact that; one, a stranger who could pass for his brother was laying in a grave next to his stepmother, Marie and; two, Adam was going by another name and, apparently, did not recognize him .

"Don't think anything of it, we're just glad we were still here and could help you."

"You are moving?" Hoss asked. Shrugging his shoulders 'Hawk' replied, "We don't have much choice. Two years of bad crops and other things," he glanced out into the kitchen where Sissy was working, "make it necessary. We told the bank we'd be out in two week," he pointed out towards the kitchen which held only a table and four chairs, "That's why the house is starting to look bare."

"Where are you going?" Hoss may not know what was going on but he wanted time to find out; time to get what was apparently a horrible case of mistaken identity cleared up.

Seeing how her husband did not answer, Sissy left her work, walked back into the room and spoke up, "We don't know for sure; no jobs around here and, "it's like my husband said-we can't gamble on another bad year."

Hoss's mind raced like crazy as he knew he had to come up with a way to get Adam to the ranch-but give his family heads up beforehand. He didn't want everyone having heart failure on him. "If I wrote to my pa; his name is Ben, would you accept a job on our ranch?" He looked looked at 'Hawk'.

A ranch? 'Hawk' rubbed his chin as he thought on the offer. Funny, he'd been thinking about ranches for some time now-he didn't know why only he had. "If you're willing to do that you best know the whole story up front." He stepped into the kitchen and pulled a chair into the room.

"Hawk?" concern was in his wife's voice as she looked from one man to another, "are you sure?" She remembered the headaches and fits that had always followed 'those talks' all too well.

Hawk smiled as he knew her concern. "If he's willing to help me get a job he has the right to know," he paused and grinned, "Just have the brandy handy-I may need it." Hoss said nothing as he waited to hear what 'Hawk' had to say. "I have no past, Mr. Cartwright," 'Hawk' rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his fingers together, "That is; except for the past two years. Sissy's father found me on his last trip to Carson City; I should say on the last trip back from Carson City. He brought me back here and Sissy tended to me. I could tell them very little-when I awoke. My late father in law named me Hawk and Jensen is their last name not mine."

Very little? Hoss caught those two little words and held onto them tight, "What do you remember?" he kept his eyes on his brother's face.

"Don't know if you'd believe me-I know my father in law was skeptical when I told him. He seemed to think it was just the affect of my head injury." He and Sissy couldn't help but chuckle as they thought on her father's reply.

"I'll believe you." Hoss once again tried to sit up only to find 'Hawk' again holding him down.

"Fine, you'll believe me only," 'Hawk' spoke sharply and loudly, "you will stop trying to sit up until you heal!" He shocked himself as he realized just how loudly the words had come out and how strong they'd sounded. Why should he care if this man pushed it or not?

Hoss grinned; it sounded so good to hear hear his brother barking orders like this-guess one doesn't really appreciate what they have until they either lose it or nearly lose it.

"So?" Hoss smiled as 'Hawk' sat back down but said nothing. "I remember dismounting my horse and surprising what might as well been myself," he chuckled as he thought on the one memory he did have, "seriously, the man was my height, his build was the same; I mean, everything was the same. It was like I was standing in front of a mirror and looking at myself," 'Hawk' paused, "I know he had tried to kill me and planned on deceiving people I cared for deeply-who they were or what he wanted I can not recall," he shrugged, "all I know for sure was I felt strongly I had something worth fighting for. The only other thing I remember after the fight began is laying badly injured upon the ground and looking down towards the bottom of a ravine-the man lay at the bottom. How I got to the place in the road where Sissy's father found me is beyond me."

Hoss fought the anger he felt towards the dead man knowing it would be fruitless, "It does not matter," he spoke after a couple minutes of silence, "If you will bring me a paper and pen; I will write my family."