*******************The day after, Adam woke up and realized that he had had a bad dream. He was in his bed. He rubbed his face and ran his hand through his hair, in order to chase away memories or visions that were permanently coming back to him. Adam got out of bed, moving slowly in order not to wake his wife and his daughter. Francesca was in need of sleep too and he prefered to let her have a few more minutes calm and rest.

He walked towards the corner of the room, on the table there was a small wash basin. He looked at himself in the cracked mirror. He dressed himself quickly and put on his jacket. He wasn't the type to waste time, especially today as he knew that his father-in-law was waiting for him. There was so much to be done. As he was going out of the room he turned around and let his eyes wander on Francesca's face. She was sleeping so peacefully. He felt a small smile form on his face. This woman had become his wife, mother of his kids, and she would be grandmother to their grandchildren. He had the most amazing woman lying beside him, sharing her warmth with him, and allowing him to love her. That was the best part. He came close to the bed and he raised his hands to caress her hair. He could see the exhaustion on her pale face. He put his soft lips on her forehead and placed a gentle kiss on it. Then he left the room, after having caressed the cheek of his four-month old baby girl.

***********Adam could recognize the signs of an oncoming migraine, he started to slowly massage his temples; that was all that he could do so that the migraine would be bearable. It had to stop, there was so much to be done, and his knowledges as an architect were well-appreciated. He had loved architecture since he was just a kid. He had seen his dad when he was busy with constructions, each time he had been allowed to watch him. As he had had no other family to stay with, so he had spent most of his days watching the workers make buildings out of nothing. He had started to look at houses in a completely different way from the rest of the people. Now they weren't walls, ceiling and windows, like they insisted at school. They were construction bars, blocks, cement, bricks, and they had shapes and logic. Planning the structure was what he loved the most.

*********It had happened so suddenly. Nobody had seen it coming. The small town where many eventful lives took place, was nothing but burnt rubble. The earthquake had got so strong and had gradually destroyed everything in its path. After 5 minutes of terror, it had stopped and an eery silence had filled the air. There had been absolutely no movement to be seen anywhere except for the final remains of buildings falling to the ground. All along the roads of the city were piles of rubble - it seemed almost like nothing had been left standing. On one of the streets, people had emerged from underneath a pile of bricks, looking confused and concussed.

******Su-Ling experienced a feeling of emptiness and horror that she had never felt before, she had never even known she could feel this way. How could her parents be gone ? She was in a state of total shock. A large number of houses had been completely destroyed beyond repair in the earthquake, so for the time being, temporary accomodation had been set up in the hotel, which, thankfully had escaped more or less unscathed, except for a few loose tiles and cracked walls. The room was filled with solitude, pain and misery.

"You're lying! You're lying! You're..."

"Stop it, Su-Ling ! You know it's the truth! Look with your own eyes !" Adam, clothed in a dark blue shirt with a few scratches and blood all over the front, grabbed the woman' shoulders. Her small cute dark eyes were overwhelmed with sorrow and grief, anger and confusion. And disbelief.

"No, it can't be, you don't understand. You're l..."

"Oh damn it, now you listen to me! They've dead, and there's nothing we can do about it!" Adam's eyes were full of unshed tears and fury, he shook her by the shoulders once more. He gritted his teeth and gripped the woman's shoulders furiously. Francesca just shook her head in disbelief. She had never seen him acting that way with anybody before.

"They're not dead, Adam...they're just gone. They're just hidden, somewhere. They'll be back. I'll find them. "

"No they won't be back, Su-Ling !"

"You're lying ! I know, they're not dead. I know, they're somew... " Before Su-Ling could finish her speech, Adam grabbed her hand and unwillingly but feeling obliged to do it, he started to drag the young woman outside.

"No! No! " Su-Ling's screams were ear piercing as tears tumbled down her red cheeks.

"C'mon, Su-Ling, I'll show you..." Adam whispered to her as he pushed her through the doors to where a group of others survivors were standing, chatting amongst themselves. "I'll show you once again the town, everything is destroyed. Your parents can't be alive, it's impossible".

"you're wrong, Adam, you're wrong".

Adam wished with all his heart, they would be able to find them.

He could see tears welling up in Su-Ling's eyes, and he put his arms around her to comfort her. After a while, they made their way into the main sitting room together. Francesca joined them later, after having fed the baby.

Despite the ovelwhelmingly sad atmosphere, there was a great sense of unity and friendship in the room.

***********at the Ponderosa

She ran as hard as her little legs would carry her, the cool night air stinging her skin. Her locks were dishevelled, tears stung her eyes as she gasped for breath. She had just had a nightmare...!

"Daddy! Daddy!" Cassie called, hugging on to her father's knees. Ben chuckled as he bent down and swung her into his arms.

"Hello there sweetie," he smiled at her, laughing as her face broke out into a smile. He took his little girl into her room, and laid her in her bed. She climbed under the covers.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Ben said to his daughter, and walked out of the room.

************
Ben glanced at his young daughter, sleeping in her bed, and smiled. He would be forever thankful that he was still alive to have this life. To get a hug and kiss every day, from his little angel. To have three adult sons, and now a wonderful wife, and three great little kids. After everything he had been through, he would be forever grateful to have this life.

***********As she woke, Joan was aware of someone moving around. She saw her husband was tidying up the room. She smiled to herself, knowing he was the best man she could ever know and that he felt the same for her.
Ben left the room, unaware that she was awake. She slowly got up, trying to numb the thriving pain in her head. Yes. She felt the horrible feeling of wanting to be sick, and of her stomach aching, she was pregnant.
She rubbed the bump forming her stomach. Something kicked lightly. A smile crept across her face just as Ben reentered the room. He smiled too, realising what she was doing. She noticed he was holding a tray, holding biscuits and a glass of water. Oh how she loved him.

"Ow" Joan yelped, as she felt a wave of pain go through her abdomen.

"What's the matter?" said Ben, walking over to where she was sitting.

"I'm fine!" , she mumbled.

****************Adam and Francesca had been away for three weeks. On this autumn morning, Joan busied herself in the kitchen, barely able to keep her mind on her work with thoughts of their return. They had sent a telegram, telling them that they would soon be back. The children were so impatient to see them, and the adults were even more impatient to see them , due to the anxiety and restlessness that they had been experiencing since their departure. When one of the family was absent for long periods, the others were always anxious. Even Ben had trouble sleeping and felt extremely tired. But he didn't want to worry his wife.

**************Joan stood facing the mirror gazing at her tired reflection and extended belly. It had been a busy few days since Adam and Francesca had left and she was waiting for a letter, for a few words. Joan had discovered that she was again pregnant. At first she had felt a tremendous fear that she could lose the baby, but she had gone through the first three months uneventfully except for her awful nausea, and now she felt very content and happy. Of course Ben was overjoyed and wouldn't stop doing things for her. Joan really enjoyed all the attention and help, and she definitely needed it, since she found herself being forced to rest much more often than she had had to with Rozenee, Jason or even Cassie.

***********It was getting late, but still no sign of Hop Sing, who had left to go to town in order to pick up the letters they were expecting. Ben came outside.

"Sweetheart, will you not come inside? It's getting chilly", he said. "No, I'll stay here, awaiting Hop Sing's return", Joan said while staring at the gate.

"I'll bring you a cup of tea and a blanket so you won't catch a cold", Ben said and walked back in. He returned a little later with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket, placing it over Joan's shoulders. "Thank you", Joan said. Ben sat down beside her. "Don't worry, they'll send us a letter and they'll soon be back." Ben took Joan's hand. "I know, I... I just want to be sure that they're fine ! ", Ben gave Joan a small smile. "I'm anxious too", Ben said. "I'm a doting father ... He also sat there and waited for Hop Sing to return.

***********Ben and Joan chatted for a while. Joan was grateful that Ben had kept her company, to keep her mind off waiting. But it was getting very late, so Joan and Ben went inside. Joan, helped by Rozenee, served dinner. Ben took care of the children and told them a story at bedtime. Joan covered herself in the blanket and laid down on the bench. She tried to stay awake, but she was too tired to keep her eyes open, so she fell asleep.

*******the day after
Hop Sing had returned to the ranch. Joan was sleeping so deeply, she hadn't heard him. Ben had watched the sunset, and listened to the sounds of the ranch settling down for the night.
At breakfast, Hop Sing found Mistel Caltwlight quiet and introspective. Concerned that he had had a disturbed night, he asked if he was well. Looking up from the plate of barely eaten food, Ben took a moment to answer. The answer didn't come out with his usual assurance.

***********Telegrams were not providing enough information, but Joan and Ben managed to understand that Adam and Francesca would soon be back. « Sue-ling's parents - survivors ».

********Ben Cartwright glanced over his shoulder at the two young boys in the wagon. Both had been really excited that they would be going to stay with their grand-pa and their uncles; and they had been talking animatedly non-stop. But now it was hard for them to be separated from their parents , they even started to miss their baby sister, but at the same time, they were jealous that she was with their parents.

"I wish Pa and Ma would go to church with us, grand-pa » said five-year-old Benji, standing up and coming close to his grand pa, so that he could talk to him.

"Sit back, Benji. If I have to stop suddenly you could get hurt."

On Monday; Ben stopped the horses in the yard. His son had obviously been waiting for his arrival as he opened the door and came out onto the porch. Ben nodded to Benji and to Luke-Adam to let them know they could now come down.

The five-year-old jumped down from the wagon and dashed straight for his uncle :

"Uncle Joe!"

Joe grinned and caught hold of the little boy under his armpits and proceeded to swing him in a big circle, causing the child to break out in a fit of giggles.

"hello there, Pumpkin."

Ben glanced up, seeing his adult son walking down the path, carrying a squirming Benji in his arms. Then he picked up Luke-Adam and tossed him into the air, easily catching him. The little boy shrieked with delight.

******later"Want cookie, Aunt Leslie ," said Benji as they made their way into the house. The little boy knew that his aunt was much more generous where cookies were concerned than his grandfather or his uncle.

"Oh you do, do you?" laughed Leslie, glancing at her watch. "Well it's early enough that it won't spoil your next meal. Is that okay, Ben?"

Ben nodded. He had no doubts whatsoever that his grandson had inherited his big appetite from his uncle Hoss.

While the children enjoyed their milk and cookies in the kitchen, Ben returned to the car and carried the boys' bags upstairs. He had kept Amelia's bag, she and Rozenee were so close, he and Joan would keep her at the Ponderosa, they would want to spend as much time together as possible.

******************Ben took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and stood up. He picked up his grandsons :

"Grandpa going now, youngsters. I'll see you tomorrow. You be good for Uncle Joe and Aunt Leslie. I love you."

Ben placed a sloppy kiss on Benji's cheek and on Luke-Adam's forehead.

"Bye bye, Grandpa." The boys really had no firm concept of time and they were happy to be left with their uncle.

***************Later that afternoon, the children were all sprawled on the sitting room carpet, colouring. Leslie was busy preparing supper, but kept popping her head in to check on them. Benji, Luke-Adam and Bobby were colouring in a picture of horses, Eliza-Jane wasn't allowed to touch any pencils and she was playing in her playpen. Leslie had put her inside while she was cooking, so that the little girl wouldn't be in danger of being burnt.

Benji finished his picture and picked up a different colouring book. Flicking through it, he found a beautiful picture of a horse galloping into the plain. He set the book down, intending to colour that one next.

Luke-Adam glanced over at his brother and his bonny brown eyes lit up when he saw the picture he had found. He stood up and came to Benji's side.

"This picture is mine," said the boy, reaching for the book.

Benji shook his head. "No. I want to colour it. I found it."

"No, this is mine!" Luke-Adam protested, now trying to snatch the book from his brother's hand.

Bobby had stopped colouring and was watching his cousins with interest.

Benji had managed to grab hold of the corner of the picture. "Mine!"

"No, let go!" Luke-Adam wasn't naturally patient and he was now growing angry.

"Stop and GIVE ME THAT!" shouted Benji realising he wasn't strong enough to take the book off his brother. Benji drew back his little foot and kicked his brother's knee, which was in a perfect position, as Luke-Adam was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"OWWW!"

Leslie, hearing the boy's angry shout and Luke-Adam's cry of pain, ran from the kitchen arriving in time to see her eldest nephew's retaliation to the kick.

Luke-Adam pushed Benji hard, causing the five-year-old to topple over backwards. Leslie was relieved to see that the child was obviously unhurt as Benji immediately scrambled to his feet and prepared to launch himself on his youngest brother, with an angry scream.

******************Leslie easily intercepted the boy and scooped him up, before he reached his intended target.

"We do not push, Luke-Adam ! You could have really hurt Benji. What if he'd fallen the other way and banged his head on the coffee table?"

-but he kicked me!"

"Did you kick Luke-Adam, Benji ?" Leslie asked the squirming, disgruntled boy in her arms, knowing full-well that the child had done something to hurt his older brother.

"No," came the pouted response.

Leslie; frustrated and angry, decided, she wouldn't deal with the boys yet :

"I want you to stand up, and go to your room."

The two boys reluctantly got to their feet, guessing what was going to happen next. Pushing and kicking definitely weren't allowed !

************later. Leslie Cartwright was exhausted. It had been a very long day on the Ponderosa and she was looking forward to some peace and quiet for a few minutes. Peace and quiet ? Her nephews had given her a very hard time. Joe greeted his wife as usual at the front door. She greeted him as he returned home.

"Hello, darling. You look tired. How was your day?" asked Leslie giving him a quick kiss.

« oh, oh, I don't like that dark cloud above your lovely head, sweetheart! », Joe exclaimed as he kissed his wife on her cheek.

*********He brought out two glasses of lemonade. Leslie looked up and took the lemonade gratefully. And she made a brief report of what had happened earlier :

"I've told them that wasn't a very nice thing to do and I've sent them to their bedroom.

"We'll have to keep a watchful eye on them. I guess, it's time for me to have a little talk with those nephews of ours."

He turned his back and started walking towards the stairs.

***********Adam's sons were on their bed, their knees pulled up to their chest and their chin resting on crossed arms, staring ahead at a blank, grey wall.

Joe had been raised by a man who had always believed in firm discipline, he was now a father himself , determined to show his children and his nephews that all behavior, but especially poor behavior, had consequences, but God, he hated dishing punishments.

************** "Why have you been sent here?" he asked.

Luke-Adam shrugged. "Aunt Leslie said to go to our room. So we did."

"You know your parents, and Grandpa told you to behave », he said, frowning at them. "Haven't we had this talk before? I don't want you misbehaving."

Luke-Adam and Benji bit their lips and tried to look repentant. "We're sorry, Uncle Joe !"

"Do it again, and you'll be very very sorry !" he informed them. "It seems to me you could do with a Cartwright talking to", he added. When he spoke his tone was firm and held only the slightest trace of anger.
Both of them sighed, they had already learned that Uncle Joe didn't make idle threats.

As he was about to go out of the room, Joe turned and said :
«Benji, Luke-Adam, I expect you downstairs in five minutes, you owe your Aunty an apology, Boys."

Both of them nodded.

**********A few minutes before supper.

"aunt Leslie?"

Leslie looked up at the sound of her youngest nephew's soft voice. Benji stood by his uncle's side, eyes red, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. Aunt Leslie set aside the embroidery she was doing and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket then she Leslie wiped the nose of the little boy.

"Aunt Leslie »

She opened his arms and Benji leaned into the hug. Neither spoke for a minute until the little boy pulled away slightly.

" I'm sorry I hit Luke-Adam." Benji turned his eyes upwards towards his aunt. "I said sorry to him, too."

« I forgive you, too, Benji." Aunt Leslie smiled slightly as she felt the boy relax. "Benji, you need to learn to control your temper. I'm sure, your dad has talked to you about that before, hasn't he ?"

Benji tensed again as he nodded.

"by the way, where's your brother?"

-Upstairs".

*******Leslie looked out of the window of the Ponderosa ranch at the storm howling outside. She shivered. The door opened and Hoss came in, along with a whirl of snow. He closed it quickly against the cold. Leslie greeted him warmly.

"Hey, Sister.

"Hi, Hoss! What brings you this way this evening ?"

"Firewood collection", for Mrs Clambway."

*************Luke-Adam sat up as the bedroom door opened, fighting the urge to jump up and hide under the bed. He knew better than to run away from something he had to do, and he was not a crybaby coward either. So he waited for his uncle or his aunt to appear. Only instead of them, his gigantic uncle Hoss walked into the room.
"Hi buddy"

"Hi, Uncle Hoss ! ", he answered with no enthousiasm.

" Hey, what's wrong?"

The child squirmed, avoiding the big man's gaze. "Benji and I . . . He kicked me. I got mad and I... pushed him."

"Ah. I see."

"But I didn't mean to! I just . . .I don't know . . .it came out before I could stop it, he made me so mad and upset. . . ." The little boy hung his head. "This is like the worst day ever. I'm not gonna get any presents from Father Christmas 'cause I misbehaved, Pa and Ma will be upset... if they... come back." Tears began to trickle from his green eyes once again. "I know, I have to go to Aunt Leslie and say 'I'm sorry » but... "

Hoss nuzzled the child's hand comfortingly. "Oh, I think everybody will forgive you, Luke-Adam. Although your aunt is quite upset with you at the moment, she still loves you, even when you're very naughty."

"She does? How do you know?"

"Because I have spoken to your aunt, Luke-Adam. And if you're truly sorry for acting the way you did, then she will forgive you, Little Mischief."

"I am really sorry. Dad always says « think before you open your mouth, or act... Only I forgot and I'm real sorry, Uncle Hoss " Luke-Adam sniffled sharply, and a lone tear splashed onto the coverlet. Hoss was glad to hear that, but he was not the one Luke-Adam had hit.
He winced, for Luke-Adam's misery was overwhelming, he could feel it, and he gently touched the boy's face in an attempt to provide comfort. Luke-Adam buried his face in the arms of his big uncle and wept.

"There now, child. It's not the end of the world. You haven't hurt your brother."

"Have too," Luke-Adam mumbled into Hoss's shoulder. "I've been so bad that Father Christmas pro'bly put me on the Naughty List an' now I'm gettin' nuthin' for Christmas."

Hoss fought to keep from smiling at his nephew's definitive tone. "Are you sure, little one? This can be fixed."

"How?"

"By apologizing to your Aunt, to your uncle and to your brother and promising to behave from now on."

*******Ten minutes passed and Luke-Adam had finally begun to calm down. Hoss took a glass of water and held it for his nephew as the boy took huge gulps.

*********"Everything is fine now," Hoss smiled lightly. Raising children was a bothersome, demanding and irritating (sometimes terrifying) business, but he knew, he and the others wouldn't have it any other way. He finished his beer, got up, waved goodbye to his sister-in-law, to the children and shook his brother's hand before leaving.

*******Before dinner. Leslie was busy in the kitchen,

"Aunt Leslie?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a timid voice from down the hall. She turned and saw her nephew standing close to the door.

"I was angry with him and…I'm sorry, Aunt Leslie."

She stopped what she was doing and dried her hands on her apron.

"I'm sorry." The look on Luke-Adam's face and his woeful tone was heartbreaking.

" Come here," Leslie stepped forward and opened her arms.

The little boy shuffled towards his aunt and scooted into the welcoming arms. He let out a tiny sob and buried his face into the dress.

"Shhh...it's alright. Don't cry," Leslie soothed while rubbing her nephew's back gently.

"I'm sorry," Luke-Adam quivered, pressing his face against his aunt's chest.

"It's okay, there, there."

Leslie knew Luke-Adam was sorry, as shameful as a six year old could possibly feel.

"I love you, Aunt Leslie," he sniffed.

"I love you too, Luke."

"Are...are you m...mad?" Luke-Adam questioned faintly, his breath hitching.

"No, I'm not mad," Leslie answered softly as she made her way to the kitchen sink . It was hard to see her nephew so upset, and crying so hard. She sat down on a chair with the small boy curled on her lap "Shhh."

"I'm s..sorry for...for pushing Benji..."

"I know, Luke-Adam. It's alright. I'm very proud of you for knowing what you've done wrong and apologizing," Leslie held Luke-Adam tightly in her arms, her nephew had not been this upset in a long time.

******a few minutes later, after the child had calmed down and stopped crying.

"Well, the next time they make you mad, I want you to count to 45.

"Forty-five ? Luke-Adam's face was screwed up in a tight frown.

"Yep. You'll count that high, and you'll forget about the reason for being angry. "Okay, Auntie Leslie." Luke-Adam said, still a bit doubtful.

"All right, then.

*********************after dinner

"Okay boys, story-time now." Bobby had been put into bed and he was already sleeping.

Joe stood up and retrieved the requested story from Bobby's bookshelf. Then he sat back down and began to read, "This was no time for play. This was no time for fun. This was no time for games. There was work to be done…."

The children remained awake until the end of the story. He leaned over and kissed them both on the cheek.

"Good night and sweet dreams."

"Night, Uncle Joe."

Joe stood up, preparing to leave the room. When he reached the doorway he looked back – all three of them looked like little angels lying there, but Joe wasn't fooled for a second.

"Oh, and I'm sure you two little troublemakers are going to be good and go to sleep like you're supposed to, but just in case you had other plans, let me tell you that if I have to come in here, two little bottoms will get smacked. Understand?"

Two little heads nodded solemnly at him and Joe chuckled as he left the room, then he went back to his own bedroom.

*********************After the kids had been put to bed, Joe and Leslie sat down in order to write the clues,

« Remember that the kids will get tired quickly if they're too hard », Leslie replied, as Joe was trying to write the sentences.

« Ok, my dear, I won't let them be too complicated. »

************When the adults saw the smiles on the children's faces as the treasure hunt had been announced, they knew that this fun activity was well worth the time and energy they had put into organising it. Kids loved getting out and about, discovering new things, exploring, and using their powers of deduction.

Hoss and Joe had given each team, Luke Adam - Emmanuel / Elisabeth - Laura / Luke Adam - Benji / Rozenee - Jason /Amelia a treasure map with the general location of the clues marked on it. Each clue would have more specific information as to the location of the next one.

"I'm blue and I'm round and I have water inside" , Emmanuel read while Luke-Adam was looking at the small piece of paper.

– a vase », Luke-Adam answered, with excitement. The pair working started to race to find where "X marks the spot" – chocolate gold coins and candy necklaces would make convincing pirate treasure.

As every child wanted to be a winner, Joe and Hoss had made sure to have one big prize that could be shared by the group. They had decided a place to hide the treasure.

« If I had three legs, I wouldn't be stable. I'm where you eat breakfast, I am a…

- Table », Elisabeth whispered. She didn't want to be heard by the other teams.

***************mid-November. The days had gone by, the weeks too. The last letter from Adam had explained how the parents of Sue-Ling had been found safe after long weeks of silence and horror. They had been injured and had been saved by some neighbours and they hadn't been able to send any news before. The quake had been a big one, bigger than the one they had faced in Fort Tejon, in 1857. So many people were lying dead, so many children were crying for their dead parents, so many parents were crying for their dead children. So many families had been wiped out all together.

************What a day! Benji and Luke-Adam were so excited for what would happen today. First they would go to town, help decorate the ranch for a special event « the welcome back party », help Hop Sing make cookies, and then they'd surely play with their friends at the creek. They would run across the meadow, flying the kite Uncle Joe had made for them. As winter would soon be back, these were the last opportunities to have a picnic and some fun close to the lake.

Joan was busy in the kitchen. She kept glancing at the clock. It was the day of Adam's and Francesca 's return, she was going to prepare the perfect evening for them.

« Benjamin, I have to go. I'll be absent for one or two hours, Mrs Clambay asked me to come to her ranch to pick up some apple pies for the party.

-yeah, I remember, you told me about it. So, see you later. Be careful with the wagon ».

-I will, » she replied before blowing him a kiss.