Bonanza

Fan Fiction

BEN

I do not own the copyrights to Bonanza

THE HANDS OF TIME

Scene 3

Melissa bit back a laugh and her blue eyes danced as Ben let out a string of words - but still managed not to have any of them be vulgar- as she was attempting to explain the cleansing tub -which he claimed looked like a see- through casket.

"Ben, it's not a death bed. You just undress, climb in, close this lid and push this button. She pointed to a red circle near the hip. "It cleans you all up and then you simply get out. And don't worry you won't suffocate - there are plenty of holes on top allowing you to breathe." However the poor man could not get past that it had to be a coffin, so, Melissa -graciously- took pity on the man and suggested she take him down to a nearby lake.

"Thank-heavens!" The exasperation in Ben's voice slipped out before he could stop it- Melissa lost it and was roaring with laughter as she handed him a towel and clear bar of soap to take with him before the two headed out of the house. The look which remained on his face matched that of his tone - which only served to make it very difficult for his poor hostess to gather herself together.

"Sorry, Ben." Melissa wiped her checks dry. "One one hand it's not funny at all, but you have to admit there is humor in the situation." Ben's mouth turned upward and he found it himself.

"Okay, So there is." Ben chuckled, "…but will you please take me to this lake you mentioned?"

"Yes, but you might want to stand upwind. I don't think the skunks want to smell you." Melissa spoke as they stopped by her mode of transportation. The lady ended up laughing as the man shot her a glare that blared 'ha ha ha'.

"What's that?" Ben halted in his own steps behind her as she opened a door to what appeared to be a bubble with a flat bottom. He wasn't sure what name to give this particular invention.

"Think of it as a …flying carriage." Yet again, the look on Ben's face was priceless. It was a mixture of wonder and sheer heart failure.

"I promise, I'll take it easy." She resisted the urge to tell him she was going to make sure she had her gas mask on. Instead she slid in a few extra air fresheners into a tiny slot and counted her blessings the lake wasn't far as the tiny shuttle lifted into the air.

Ben managed to keep his heart in place as he found himself zooming over the land to a small body of water surrounded by brush. The bubble lowered slowly as Melissa figured her normal -crazy- driving would kill the man out right.

"Go ahead and I'll gather some herbs, flowers, and other items." The hands of time may have been ticking away and changed technology, but the herbs and other natural surroundings had stayed firmly in place out in the countryside.

Ben turned the bar in his hand as he slid into the water. It may not have held the appearance he was used to, but it lathered up nonetheless. It didn't feel gritty and certainly didn't smell bad. Melissa's whistling got him to thinking of her eyes and it hit him why she looked so familiar. She had Elizabeth's eyes! Hurrying to finish he got dressed out came out from behind the bush.

"How about getting something to eat?" Melissa grinned as Ben handed the towel and soap to her outstretched hands.

"Sounds good to me." Ben then -cautiously- pointed out how much her eyes looked like his first wife's Elizabeth's. The last thing he wanted was for the female to think he was trying to get his claws into her.

"Not surprising, considering she's a cousin twice removed from my own many great-grandmother, Annie." Melissa ignored the surprised look as they climbed back into her mode of transportation.

Ben had managed to pull in his surprise and asked how she knew. Melissa explained -as she turned her vehicle around - that she was the historian of her family. "It's one reason I had such a massive coronary when I first saw you in the guest room. My distant cousins had sent me the Cartwright information a few years ago." Her laughter couldn't be contained as a picture only she knew of leapt to her mind.

"What's so funny?" Ben asked turning his head adjusting surprisingly well to traveling her way.

"My cousin - Amelia- when she was here four years ago - drooled all over your picture. Adam's too. Kept on saying she wished she could marry one of you - that is until she met Peter." Melissa's new friend laughed and said he'd heard the same talk behind his back when he'd be in Virginia City. "Oh, like the Widow Hansen?"

"You know about her?" Ben raised an eyebrow shocked that someone in her time frame knew about that woman who -he swore- the whole town was convinced he had his eye on.

"Adam wrote about it in his journal." Melissa's shoulder's shook as Ben threw up his hands and muttered, "I should have known that son of mine would write something down." He then asked how closely related to the Cartwright descendants she was.

"Actually, not very close at all, but -what the hey- if them claiming me as a relation gets the kind of historical information I have on hand why argue? Ben found himself eager to look through the information at her finger tips.

Scene 4

The busy roads of McFane were annoying - even to Kelly. The roads were too busy, the driver's too impatient, and the city cops right down annoying. She was sure the cops whole goal in life was to pester the citizens simply because they'd grown bored - her speeding ticket for being 3 miles over the limit proved it. Kelly had been told to get her rear in gear and get to Melissa's office before noon. Ten to one it has something to do with that fellow in the guest room. She thought as she parked her own vehicle and then allowed the over-sized conveyer belt to transport her up to the see through building.

Silent buzzing was going on as customer's talked to recipients, and businessmen entered and existed elevators. The whole main floor was as see through as the building's outside walls. Melissa's office was on the second floor and in nowise could you see her when she was behind closed doors. Kelly's knock set off the intercom and Melissa's voice told her to come on in.

"So, you needed to see me?" Kelly asked as she walked up to her cousin's desk and sat down in the chair meant for clients.

Melissa sat in her chair -which resembled a crescent moon- with her legs bent under her in a very non-professional manner. "Uncle Cary is having a business meeting with a party wanting to buy the place just outside of town. The same man who has some very valuable historical items in his possession." This was not the talk Kelly had expected and said as much.

"I figured this was about that man in the guest room." Kelly visibly relaxed only to see 'that' grin appear on Melissa's face -which instantly tightened Kelly back up.

"Oh, it is. I was just telling you about Uncle Cary because you -darling cousin- and your son will be hosting the event meant to seal the deal with the man. The museum has wanted that particular connection for a very long time.." Melissa bit back a roar of laughter, but allowed the grin to stay in place.

"But…but… we've never done such a thing before." Kelly grew her animated self as her hands started shaking and she attempted to convince Melissa she had the wrong people and then ended with, "Besides, you're the one that's always done it. Why can't you do it?"

"Because I've been put into a situation…" She gave -what her fellow historians of trivial facts- liked to call her 'Perry Mason' smile. "…which demands I take a certain fellow back to land once called the Ponderosa and there I get the joy of attempting to make a time machine to get that same man back to his home." Laying her hand flat onto her desk Melissa's face brew unbendable and her voice sterner. "And since it was your lack of parental judgment that caused this mess you can be my replacement." Leaning back she informed Kelly that Jordan had already been informed and had meekly submitted to the request knowing it was his tinkering with the machine that had caused the situation.

"You're right." Kelly straightened back up her frame which might as well have shrunk six inches. "The situation could have been far worse and the least I can do is to help Uncle Cary." Her eyes threw in Thank heavens, you didn't demand I go to that place myself. Melissa swallowed a grin as Kelly asked where the unwillingly time-jumper was.

"Back home either going through the Cartwright journals I had on hand, or being giving a history lesson on vehicles by Douglas A. Cartwright." Melissa did not hide her amusement as Kelly's eyes grew wide.

"Doug? That man talks like someone who has only the streets of twenty-century Los Angeles, or some other city of that era." Kelly was appalled at someone like him giving anybody a history lesson. Melissa only chuckled - assure her Doug was far more intelligent than she was giving him credit for - and showed her to the door.

"No, man, you can put that bolt there. See , ya got to put it here." Doug - with his neck- length brown hair, white T-shirt and his 'Ninja turtle attitude' was showing Ben how to rebuild a twenty-century model T.

"So, what my son - Hoss- showed me in my front room really came to pass?" Ben was wide-eyed as he looked under the hood and sat in the driver's seat.

"Oh, ya, want to see more?" Ben did -which is why when Melissa got home she found them both under the hood of a 1966 convertible.

"Ben.." Melissa walked up next to the man who was turning out to be a kindred-spirit to not only herself -but to her friends too.

Ben looked up and saw Melissa holding a metal contraption. "Time to leave I take it?"

"Yes." Turning to Doug -who was protesting losing his new buddy; who he didn't realize was really his great-grandfather; too many generations back to count. The man figured he was just fortunate enough to look like one of his ancestors. Melissa informed him he now had the duty to take care of the Cartwright annuals. "Kelly would have them strewn all over the place, and…." She grinned at her dear friend, and far distant cousin. "…you are far more into family history than she realizes."

"Yes, Ma'am." Doug's eager eyes were not surprising - nor warranted any chuckles, but his make-shift salute got even Ben to chuckling.

"Let's go." Melissa linked her arm around Ben, pushed a button and vanished from sight. The event didn't even phase Doug who went straight back to work.