Forgotten Past
Chapter 8: Gone
Ben stared at the scrap of paper. For a long while, he couldn't believe his eyes. Those five words couldn't possibly mean what he thought they did. They couldn't.
"Pa?" Hoss asked; he looked over his father's shoulder and read the note. He started to shake his head in disbelief. "No, pa..." he whispered. "He..."
"Joe!" Ben called without even noticing that Hoss was there. "Joseph!" He repeated, more frantically. He rushed up the stairs, shouting for his youngest baby.
Adam quickly opened the door of his room wondering what his youngest brother had done this time. He immediately forgot his frustration on being interrupted from his book when he saw his father nearly tear the door off of Little Joe's room. He ran after his father, and entered Joe's room just as Ben fell to his knees and start to sob.
"My son..." he whispered. He slammed his fist on the hard wood floor. "No! How? Why, Lord? Why?!"
Adam didn't need anymore information. But he was not about to give up. He feared that Joe was most likely already dead, but if there was even the slightest glimmer of hope that he could be found alive, he would have to be found soon. "Pa," Adam started, but his father wasn't listening. It wasn't like his father to give up so easily. "Pa!" He said louder.
Ben took a deep breath, "Adam," it was obvious that he was forcing the words out, "get out."
"Pa, if we go to Virginia City and get a posse together right now—"
"Leave me alone, Adam." Ben whispered dangerously. He didn't need false hope. And by Thomson's note, it was final. He would never see his baby boy again.
Adam lowered his head. This was not his father. Ben Cartwright would have at least tried. He stepped out of the room. If his father wouldn't do anything, he would have to. He would not give up, not until there was physical proof that Joe was dead. No matter how long it was, he would keep some miniscule amount of hope until his brother was found; alive...or dead.
He walked down the stairs and saw Hoss sitting on the sette, in front of the fireplace, his head in his hands. "Hoss?"
The large man looked up, his face red and tearstained. "He's...gone, Adam. Lil' Joe. Thomson...Thomson...killed..."
Suddenly, Adam felt ice flow through his veins. Maybe there was proof? Little Joe's body? No, if his body had been found, their father would be holding it, not be in Joe's room crying. Though he no longer felt the same hope that he had just seconds ago. "Hoss...are you...?"
"Little Joe's jacket was tied on Cochise...I found it in the yard. And there was a note...Thomson k...Joe's dead."
Adam couldn't believe his family's attitude. It just didn't make sense. The Cartwrights just didn't give up like this! He felt the same way as his father and brother, but was he the only one who would have to keep some miniscule amount of hope alive? He was known for being the sensible one, but this was just too much. He couldn't keep all the hope when his entire family was against him.
"Hoss, listen to me," he said rather bluntly, almost harshly, "we don't have a body. And until I see Little Joe dead, with my own eyes, I'm going to believe that we could still find him. But, if we are going to find him, we have to start looking. NOW!"
His younger brother looked at him, his icy eyes conveying the same pain they had held eleven years ago. Adam instantly regretted being so rough with the emotional man.
"I understand, Adam. But pa..."
"He's just scared, Hoss. He lost three wives, he can't start loosing us. That's why we have to find Thomson before anything happens to Joe."
Hoss nodded, "What d'we tell pa? He wouldn' let us go looking for Thomson before, d'ya think he's gonna let us now?"
"Hoss, do you really think he's going to notice if we're gone right now?"
Hoss eyes bored into the wall the hid the door of Joe's room, "No."
"Then let's saddle the horses and ride into Virginia City. At the very least we have to tell Roy that Little Joe was kidnapped."
Hoss nodded and wiped the last remaining tears from his eyes. "We gotta find him."
Adam and Hoss rode into Virginia City, looking for Thomson, or anyone who had seen him. Hoss wanted to head straight for the saloon and begin the interrogations, but Adam said that they should see Roy before they did anything. It was quite obvious that Hoss still believed that Joe was dead, and nothing Adam could say would convince him otherwise. Hoss' motive for joining Adam was, pure and simple, revenge.
Roy didn't believe what the Cartwrights were telling him. He had searched high and low for that monster just after Joe had been shot. He had notified the surrounding cities, sending out wanted posters, and had received word that he had been killed, not more than eight, nine years ago, in a shootout with a sheriff, just their side of the Nevada/California border.
It didn't make sense. But, if Joseph was missing, he would find him. "I'll get a posse together," the sheriff said definitively. "Do you have any idea where we should start looking?"
Adam took a deep breath, he didn't want to say what Roy needed to know. He felt that if he said it, it would come true. He wouldn't be able to stop it after it was spoken. "Thomson wants revenge on pa. He'll keep Joe close enough so that pa will have to watch Joe die." There, he said it. He took a another deep breath before he continued, "There are more places on the Ponderosa to hide than I can count. And that doesn't include the surrounding area. But, Hoss and I both know the Ponderosa. We can show you the places that Thomson might be able to hide Joe."
Roy nodded. "Then let's get started, the sooner we start, the better the chance of finding Little Joe."
A/N: Sorry! I know that it has been a LONG time since my last update, but I had a lot of things to deal with! I just graduated high school, and not only did I have to deal with all that stuff that went with that, but I had major writers block AND my dad had to have surgery. He'll be fine though. I promise to have the next chapter up before next weekend. Thanks for understanding!
And so the search for Little Joe begins! Will they find him? And if they do, will he be alive...?
Chapter 8: Gone
Ben stared at the scrap of paper. For a long while, he couldn't believe his eyes. Those five words couldn't possibly mean what he thought they did. They couldn't.
"Pa?" Hoss asked; he looked over his father's shoulder and read the note. He started to shake his head in disbelief. "No, pa..." he whispered. "He..."
"Joe!" Ben called without even noticing that Hoss was there. "Joseph!" He repeated, more frantically. He rushed up the stairs, shouting for his youngest baby.
Adam quickly opened the door of his room wondering what his youngest brother had done this time. He immediately forgot his frustration on being interrupted from his book when he saw his father nearly tear the door off of Little Joe's room. He ran after his father, and entered Joe's room just as Ben fell to his knees and start to sob.
"My son..." he whispered. He slammed his fist on the hard wood floor. "No! How? Why, Lord? Why?!"
Adam didn't need anymore information. But he was not about to give up. He feared that Joe was most likely already dead, but if there was even the slightest glimmer of hope that he could be found alive, he would have to be found soon. "Pa," Adam started, but his father wasn't listening. It wasn't like his father to give up so easily. "Pa!" He said louder.
Ben took a deep breath, "Adam," it was obvious that he was forcing the words out, "get out."
"Pa, if we go to Virginia City and get a posse together right now—"
"Leave me alone, Adam." Ben whispered dangerously. He didn't need false hope. And by Thomson's note, it was final. He would never see his baby boy again.
Adam lowered his head. This was not his father. Ben Cartwright would have at least tried. He stepped out of the room. If his father wouldn't do anything, he would have to. He would not give up, not until there was physical proof that Joe was dead. No matter how long it was, he would keep some miniscule amount of hope until his brother was found; alive...or dead.
He walked down the stairs and saw Hoss sitting on the sette, in front of the fireplace, his head in his hands. "Hoss?"
The large man looked up, his face red and tearstained. "He's...gone, Adam. Lil' Joe. Thomson...Thomson...killed..."
Suddenly, Adam felt ice flow through his veins. Maybe there was proof? Little Joe's body? No, if his body had been found, their father would be holding it, not be in Joe's room crying. Though he no longer felt the same hope that he had just seconds ago. "Hoss...are you...?"
"Little Joe's jacket was tied on Cochise...I found it in the yard. And there was a note...Thomson k...Joe's dead."
Adam couldn't believe his family's attitude. It just didn't make sense. The Cartwrights just didn't give up like this! He felt the same way as his father and brother, but was he the only one who would have to keep some miniscule amount of hope alive? He was known for being the sensible one, but this was just too much. He couldn't keep all the hope when his entire family was against him.
"Hoss, listen to me," he said rather bluntly, almost harshly, "we don't have a body. And until I see Little Joe dead, with my own eyes, I'm going to believe that we could still find him. But, if we are going to find him, we have to start looking. NOW!"
His younger brother looked at him, his icy eyes conveying the same pain they had held eleven years ago. Adam instantly regretted being so rough with the emotional man.
"I understand, Adam. But pa..."
"He's just scared, Hoss. He lost three wives, he can't start loosing us. That's why we have to find Thomson before anything happens to Joe."
Hoss nodded, "What d'we tell pa? He wouldn' let us go looking for Thomson before, d'ya think he's gonna let us now?"
"Hoss, do you really think he's going to notice if we're gone right now?"
Hoss eyes bored into the wall the hid the door of Joe's room, "No."
"Then let's saddle the horses and ride into Virginia City. At the very least we have to tell Roy that Little Joe was kidnapped."
Hoss nodded and wiped the last remaining tears from his eyes. "We gotta find him."
Adam and Hoss rode into Virginia City, looking for Thomson, or anyone who had seen him. Hoss wanted to head straight for the saloon and begin the interrogations, but Adam said that they should see Roy before they did anything. It was quite obvious that Hoss still believed that Joe was dead, and nothing Adam could say would convince him otherwise. Hoss' motive for joining Adam was, pure and simple, revenge.
Roy didn't believe what the Cartwrights were telling him. He had searched high and low for that monster just after Joe had been shot. He had notified the surrounding cities, sending out wanted posters, and had received word that he had been killed, not more than eight, nine years ago, in a shootout with a sheriff, just their side of the Nevada/California border.
It didn't make sense. But, if Joseph was missing, he would find him. "I'll get a posse together," the sheriff said definitively. "Do you have any idea where we should start looking?"
Adam took a deep breath, he didn't want to say what Roy needed to know. He felt that if he said it, it would come true. He wouldn't be able to stop it after it was spoken. "Thomson wants revenge on pa. He'll keep Joe close enough so that pa will have to watch Joe die." There, he said it. He took a another deep breath before he continued, "There are more places on the Ponderosa to hide than I can count. And that doesn't include the surrounding area. But, Hoss and I both know the Ponderosa. We can show you the places that Thomson might be able to hide Joe."
Roy nodded. "Then let's get started, the sooner we start, the better the chance of finding Little Joe."
A/N: Sorry! I know that it has been a LONG time since my last update, but I had a lot of things to deal with! I just graduated high school, and not only did I have to deal with all that stuff that went with that, but I had major writers block AND my dad had to have surgery. He'll be fine though. I promise to have the next chapter up before next weekend. Thanks for understanding!
And so the search for Little Joe begins! Will they find him? And if they do, will he be alive...?