Bonanza Fan-Fiction
Two Roads - One choice
I got this idea due to the episode titled The Savage and from sci-shows
I've seen
=I do not own the rights to Bonanza nor to the other sci-fi special
Scene 2
Adam's temperature sky-rocketed and Celeste felt as if she were fighting tooth and nail to get it down. "So, help me…" She kept one eye on Adam and the other out for Kendall. "…you'd better be in good enough shape to stand on your own two feet when Kendall shows up." Glancing at his shirt she realized it was far to too dirty to leave on so she managed to get it off and toss it in a pile to be washed. Grabbing a wet wag she washed the man's torso down. "Honey…better be glad my brothers were constantly working outside without shirts on, or I think I'd be drooling all over you." Not wanting to risk his skin to any excess heat she rummaged through her things. "Great, a leather vest is all I can come up with? Yipee." Somehow she managed to get it on him and then proceeded to find small strings of leather to use in place of buttons.
As Celeste tied the string a deer watched something in the opposite direction standing unusually still from a nearby rock causing the lady to -temporarily- leave her patient and climb cautiously up a nearby rock to see if she could spot what the animal was viewing. "Willow…you little skunk, you're not supposed to be meeting Spotted Elk there." Giving a long, loud whistle she about fell off the rock laughing as she spotted the couple jump five feet in the air at the unexpected sound.
"Celeste…you not tell mother?" Willow hurried close enough for the woman to hear -as did Spotted Elk. They'd both got so wrapped up in seeing each other they hadn't realized how close to this woman's camp they really were.
"I should." Celeste put on her sternest face.
"Please , not tell." Both faces pleaded with her.
"Okay, but you both…" The woman had a dickens of a time making the mile-wide grin that was just under her skin to stay under cover. "… owe me…big time." Willow wanted to scowl, but she knew how her mother felt about Spotted Elk -as did the young brave.
"We owe you." Both agreed but then hurried off before they owed this strange lady anything more.
Climbing down the rock Celeste worked on changing the strip of cloth on a Adam's head. The man's temperature was abating, but still he tossed and turned. Words like 'Am going…..windmill real….' were followed by 'don't shoot….innocent…not hurt…"
"Easy does it, Mister. You might be a Cartwright, but that doesn't make you infallible." She spoke as he attempted in his delusional state to get up. Praise be, she was no weakling and could make him stay down in spite of his struggles. Finally, the man relaxed. "Keep it up and you'll give me a workout I haven't had since meeting Attila the Hun, or even Gibbs." Celeste reminded herself she'd best watch her tongue. At least this time Adam's out of it.
As Adam's body insisted he rest Celeste worked on repairing a gurney type contraption - just in case she had to haul Adam out before planned. The boundaries of her camp had already been staked out and -thanks to the superstitious nature of those in the area- few bothered her.
The craziest thing -so Celeste thought- about the superstitions was she'd flat out told the Paiute from day one she was very much human. Crumb, she'd even cut herself to let them see her bleed. Course, then some idiot brave had tried to take her down in front of his group. And that had left her no choice but to flatten him outright - which hadn't helped the rumor mill from spreading about the woman on the mountain.
'Okay, okay' - The lady muttered to herself - it didn't help three more tried and I gave two a broken jaw each and the other a very bloody face'. A noise in the brush got her to look up - it was Little River - Willow's kid brother.
"If you're Momma finds out you're up here she'll skin you alive." Celeste spoke in the same tone she'd used on Willow and her fellow.
"I came give you. It look strange." Little River handed her a small clear rock - too clear. "I thought it might hurt my people…you save us from it?"
"You were right to bring it to me. There's no need to save your people from anything though… but…" She gave the boy a rewarding smile. "…only because the item is in my hands." Glancing at Adam she decided to give him a cushion from anymore overzealous braves thinking they were protecting their people. "See that man over there?" She tilted her head towards Adam. The young man nodded and she went on, "You not only go tell your father I have this rock but that if I give it one hard throw to the ground it will blow your people up. You also tell him that if anyone hurts that man I will plant death deep into somebody's body. And…" her eyes narrowed - knowing she had to drive her point home real hard. "…if they attempt to take me down they may succeed, but not before I drag them down with me."
"I go tell." Little River ran as fast as he could due not only to her words, but the look that came into her eye. The woman would indeed take someone with her if anyone touched that dark-headed man and then put an arrow into her too.
"Dreamer and Gaben…you owe me." Celeste glanced out towards the river. "This fellow better be as good as you two say, or I'll take him out myself." Looking down at the rock shaped capsule she now held in her hand she stuck it in her pocket- it just might come in handy.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Ben sat at his desk holding his chin in his hand. Adam should have been back by now. All his talk of inventions - workable or not- had lead to a fight in which Ben had finally backed down and did not hinder his son from making the trip to the man he wished to talk to. It was because of that trip -and Adam's lack of appearance- that Hoss and Little Joe had left a couple of hours ago to do some searching. Unfortunately, he was going to have to wait until the morning if they didn't' find his oldest as he had paperwork that could not be held off any longer. Just as he turned his attention back to the stack of bills in front of him a knock came at the door.
"Why, Roy, what brings you up here?" Ben smiled until Roy took him outside and showed his friend his son's horse.
"Where did you find it?" Ben's heart began racing a mile a minute.
"I didn't. It found me on my way back to town. I thought you should know." Roy then offered to help search for Adam. "That is in the morning, it's too dark to see much now."
"Of course." Ben bid the lawman goodnight and put up his son's horse.
It was about an hour after the sheriff left -and the horse had been put away - that Hoss and Little Joe rode up. Both men took their own horses into the barn and saw Adam's.
"Bet he got here just after we left." Hoss let out a humph and Little Joe said -maybe- they should think of something to teach big brother a lesson for scaring the living daylights out of them. It was only when the two entered the house and saw Ben standing near the fireplace with his face frozen in concern staring at the fire did they realize something wasn't right.
"Pa, we saw Adam's horse in the barn, where is he?" Hoss and Little Joe did their best to smile, but it was extremely hard when they were so confused.
"I don't know. Sheriff Coffee brought the horse here about an hour ago. He's going to help us look in the morning." Ben wasn't surprised when Little Joe was instantly agitated.
"Pa, we should go back out -now. Adam needs us." Little Joe might as well have been bounding towards the door for as much energy as was vibrating off him.
"Joe, it's late and way too dark. Besides, we will do Adam no good if we go out there on such little sleep as we've had in the past twenty-four hours." Ben reminded his impulsive son -though he understood the concern.
"Reckon Pa's right. Best we get some shut-eye first." For once, Hoss didn't ask for any left-over desert - which only showed just how concerned he really was about his older brother. A fact not missed by his father.
"You've just got to be all right, Adam. I can handle you not being around the ranch, but only if you leave on your own two feet." Ben thought as he lay down for the night.
Scene 3
The see through round building towered majestically over the surrounding buildings. It was separated by long stretches of bridge-like roads. John walked through the self-opening doors into a corridor and then straight into another set of double doors. There were few people wandering around, but still enough as to make him want to run to the hills of his ancestors- heck, at this point he'd settle for the Paiute's land too. It was the sound of a door buzzing that turned his head.
"Hello, John. Welcome back." Terrance - a heavy set man walking with an ivory cane- came walking into the buildings over-sized foyer. The man's lightening beard and round face made his co-worker the urge to hand him a particular twenty-century lawyer's briefcase. "Follow me. We'll have more privacy that way." The older gentleman turned and led John down the long corridor.
If the older gentleman reminded him of the popular twenty-century defense attorney, then the man coming towards him could have easily fit the prosecuting attorney- with just as much luck at besting Terrance as his past counterpart had with his opponent. "Ignore him, he's just got a burr in the wrong spot." It was all John could do to keep a straight face as they entered Terrance's office. Only when the door was closed did he set down and bust up laughing.
"Glad you find my remark humorous." Terrance smiled as he sat down behind his desk. "Now…" His face took on a look that gave John another urge - to place a judge and gavel before the man. "Let's talk Celeste and Kendall."
"She's been able to pin-point the general area he's in and has combed the area far better than any of us have. However, Celeste has decided that staying put in one spot will somehow draw him to her." John wasn't about to tell Terrance -or anyone - about this Adam Cartwright fellow.
"Did she say that?" Terrance raised his eyebrow.
"Didn't have to. I've known Celeste her whole life. And trust me - she'd planted herself deep into the deserts of Nevada." John leaned back. "Terrance, I'm a lousy lawman and we both know it, but I am great at knowing when someone else is on the right track."
"And you are positive Celeste is on the right trail?" Terrance trusted Celeste and John the most.
"If I was a betting man -my money would be on Celeste." That was good enough for Terrance and he pushed the necessary paperwork through to get her another four year extension -though he hoped it would not take that long.
"You two should have gotten hitched last spring. I can't believe how well you two work together." Terrance spoke as he typed on the strange looking contraption that held an almost invisible frame.
"No thanks, Celeste moves too much like that busted tap of water in your apartment. We should be glad she's been willing to stay in one place so long just to get at Kendall." John stretched his legs. "You find me someone who detests moving and we'll talk."