Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bonanza nor any of the orignial Cartwright characters. Only thing I can lay claim to is the story line and the 'extra characters'

I also want to thank my online friend for all the help she's given me when it comes to Australia.

A/N There is an asylum is mentioned (not by name)...put it where you want. It really doesn't matter.

To Dance Again

Chapter Nine

Scene Seventeen

Adam was sitting in the chair closest to the stairs staring into the empty fireplace when Ben and Mariah walked in. One look at the solemn expression on his face had them both concerned. Mariah figured she'd best slip into the kitchen and leave Ben alone with his oldest.

"Where's Jacob?" Ben asked as he sat down.

Adam turned his head and gave him a slight smile, 'He was flat out tired by the time we got home. I got him to agree to lay down for a small nap by promising to finish the story when he got up. That boy will not let me skip even the tiniest part. I've told him everything to his grandfather Kelly stopping me by my door to the picnic his mother and I had. Was I like that?" Adam knew how much he'd loved books and such but, good grief, not like Little Jacob seemed to.

"I hate to tell you," Ben grinned, "that boy is just like you," he then grew serious, "By the look on your face I will assume you haven't gotten to 'it' yet?" From the letters his son had written to him Ben knew all the details Adam would have gladly changed if he could.

Adam slowly shook his head, "I was getting to it but Little Jacob didn't appreciate me not telling him more than I had. I admit, I needed to slow down. He's only a child," he sighed and turned his face back to the fireplace, "sure not looking forward to it. He doesn't know he had another relative. That is, he didn't. He finally dawned him on I've been saying a name he's never heard before."

Ben stared, "You and Carolyn never talked about him? The rest of the family didn't?" He could hardly believe that one.

Adam shrugged his shoulders, "I never really thought about it until Little Jacob started throwing out a bunch of questions. I could tell he was about to ask about it but I didn't let him finish. I backtracked and gave LIttle Jacob a couple more facts. Truth is? Carolyn and I talked about him but we always did it in our bedroom. It took me a quite a while to stop blaming myself and it took her ages to stop crying every time we talked about it. We didn't want to upset the children with her crying. I guess it just got to be a very unintentional habit. As far as the rest of the family goes? I sold that first mine, bought another one farther away and we moved?" Adam gave him a 'how can not remember that one' look, "I'm sure they did enough talking but not when they visited us or we visited them. Same reason I suppose."

"You can't get away from the fact. Little Jacob needs to know. That 'unknown relative' was very heroic." He had been. Ben would be forever grafeful for what he had done.

."Who was heroic?" Little Jacob asked as he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"You will find out. Come on down and let me finish the rest of the story." Adam motioned for his son who more than willingly complied to the request. Soon he was seated on the couch and waiting for his father to start speaking again.

"Things were going along pretty smoothly," Adam leaned back in the chair and began talking again. More memories flashed through his mind. More good ones...and one very painful one.

SCENE EIGHTEEN

"Adam Cartwright!" Carolyn came storming out of the sewing room with a armful of tangled up yarn; actually it looked like a maze someone had put a few extra twists into. The sight made her father and Adam bust a gut laughing.

Finally Adam got a hold of himself, "I don't know what you're yelling at me for. I've been with your father this whole time."

Carolyn looked at him suspiciously, "You said yesterday you'd get me back for the last trick I pulled on you and both my brothers are in town right now. Who else would do this?"

Jordan looked at Adam. One look in the man's eyes and Jordan knew that, while Adam may not have been the one to mess with her yarn, he did know who had. Oh well, how many times had he told his daughter and son what goes around comes around.

"You tell me and we'll both know." Adam conveniently put his thumb on his cheek and his hand in front of his mouth as soon as he said the words then looked at Mr. Kelly. He had to...he was going to bust a gut laughing again if he didn't.

Carolyn looked at her father. He threw his hands up in the air, "Don't go looking at me! If I'm Adam's alibi he's mine!" Only after she left did 'the light turn on for him. He turned to Adam. "My mother's your partner isn't she?" It was the only thing that made any sense to Mr. Kelly. His sons WERE in town!

Adam couldn't hold it in any longer he ROARED with laughter. It sure had taken the man long enough to figure that one out! The only thing that cut his laughter short was the serious look that had come upon Jordan's face. What was the matter? Surely the fact that his mother had been the one helping Adam was not something to get upset about.

"What is it?" Adam looked at Mr. Kelly.

"Before Carolyn came in I was starting to tell you about a visitor we have in town. His name is William Martian. He's been in Broken Arrow before," Mr. Kelly went from looking serious to flat out worried, "Justin loves jokes. For that matter? My word, even Jim loves to pull pranks once in awhile only," the man leaned forward, "their jokes are humorous or only annoying at times. Mr. Martin was flat out crazy. His so called pranks were nowhere close to being funny. After he put a live brown snake into my brother's barn 'because it would funny to see him jump and scream' the law put him behind bars and sent for his only living relative. As far as any of us knew the man took his brother to an asylum somewhere. No, I never asked. I didn't really care at the time. It was supposed to be for good."

Adam's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? Those things are down right deadly! Your brother is lucky he wasn't bit!"

"Came blasted close to it though," Jordan's voice grew angry as he recalled the event, "if it wasn't for the fact that my brother actually worn his gunbelt and had his gun with him he'd probably would have been. As it was he was able to shoot it before it had a chance to strike."

"And you don't think he's well after all these years?" Adam couldn't see any other reason for the man to be so worried.

"He has the same eerie smile he had ten years ago and his laugh is only worse. I don't know why he's out and I'm afraid of what he might try."

"Guess all you can do is warn everyone. Until he actually pulls something I fear there's nothing anyone can do." Adam only hoped the man was indeed well enough to be out of the asylum. He hated the idea of any harm coming to any the Kelly's or the good people in, and around, Broken Arrow.