I do not own the copyrights to Bonanza

Authoress' note: This is an AU story NOT cannon only in the sense Captain Stoddard remarried before Elizabeth passed away. However; she is not actually in this story -only mentioned.

Wrapping Things Up

Scene five

The wind blew softly as Ben and Adam sat upon their horses listening to Charlotte. Ben no longer felt any form of negativity towards Elizabeth's stepmother. He had, upon thinking over events, realized they- his wife and himself - had not truly been open to hear anything but what they'd already decided.

"Morgan!" Charlotte screamed in delight as she raced toward the captain talking to a group of sailors on the shipping docs; her actions of the past few weeks- had all been planned before she'd left his house the night of their talk.

"Charlotte." Captain Stoddard laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. "Good to see you too." His arms went around her long enough to set in cement they were together. "I think…" He turned to his men keeping a mile-wide grin on his face. "...my dinner companion is better looking than any of you leather necks." That comment only got him wise cracks as he escorted Charlotte away from the docks.

"What is a fine and lovely lady doing with such a leather-worn captain?" A sailor no-one liked spoke once they came up from the docs. His voice was filled with a false honey-tone sound Charlotte recognized all to well; it caused her to step even closer to Elizabeth's father.

"She's taken, Elroy, I suggest you find someone else." Captain Stoddard stood his ground so strongly the younger sailor did exactly what he'd been told, went and found someone else.

"I promise you, as long as I am able, I will make sure no one harms you."

"I almost laughed how he'd worded things, considering his first name, but I feared to give him the wrong impression. All I could think of, at that time, was he willingly sullied his name with a few in the shipping business by marrying me. I don't have to tell you what type of accusations came his way because of his actions - even if they did protect me."

"Did you ever love him?" Adam and Ben asked at once; with Ben ignoring what his father-in-law had been accused of. They were subjects that had upset Elizabeth to no end and, now? He saw no reason to drag them into any current discussion.

"Not at first." Charlotte admitted just before Adam rode off to help a ranch hand who was hollering for help. Therefore, the rest of her reply was spoken to Ben "No, when we first married I was too skittish. I'd flinch if he lifted so much as one finger. Morgan was never insulted at it, if he was, then all I can say is the captain was excellent at hiding it."

"It's clear things changed by the tone in your voice and the look in your eye. You two must have made it the real deal." Ben spoke once he made sure a rider near one of the cliffs was of no threat. "Mind me asking when that happened?"

"Not sure. But Elizabeth's father was so patient, and kind to me, I couldn't help but soften and grow close to him." Charlotte smiled and then shook her head. "We were correct in thinking my grandfather would hired him. But..."she shook her head. "At first it was only for short runs. I think he was doing all he could do to make sure we had plenty of time to…do my womanly duty?" She couldn't help but snort again.

"He could not have been pleased when you had no children before his death." Ben had never heard of any so he was surprised when Charlotte quietly confessed they'd had twin girls. However; they'd not come until they'd been married a little over seven years and had not lived very long.

"He was so stuck on sons, claimed my daughters weren't really the captains as their names would change upon marriage. That I was a failure as a wife. I didn't care what he thought. Though I have often wondered in silence if I did indeed let Morgan down." Charlotte shook her head, but then gave a soft smile as the captain's face appeared with a look that shouted 'You didnot fail or let me down' along with a twinkle in his eye 'You saved me too'. She then focused back on the deaths of their twin daughters, "As much as it hurt us to bury them when they weren't even a month old, we both decided it was a blessing. I mean with Morgan's age and all, we figured me leaving the east coast would be less difficult when he passed than if I had bring children with me."

"You never planned on staying back east? Did Abel want to move away?" Ben's question was met with Charlotte shaking her head.

"He never considered moving, though he often told tales of the Pacific ocean. However; both he and I knew I could not stay even with my grandfather dying. Too strong of a bad cycle going on in my family for me to do that." It was another reason she now counted it a blessing her daughters were already buried. She then turned and asked what Ben thought of the captain and her situation now?

"I'm glad you decided coming clean was a good idea." Ben smiled and apologized for any wrong feelings he'd had towards her. "Abel was a good man. I may not necessarily agree with the route he chose, surely there could have been another way to get you to safety." Ben held up his hand when Charlotte went to respond. "I can see your point of view, as to Abel..." He understood Charlotte saying Morgan, but the captain's first name was the only one he'd ever spoken. "He did what he figured was the right thing. That…" Ben smiled. "I can live with."

Closing Scene

"I can't take all this from you." Ben held out the envelope he'd been given upon her arrival back to Charlotte as she climbed into a buggy. However, she only - gently - pushed it back towards him.

"I don't want any of it. And…" She smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I kept a savings account of Morgan's. I had Hoss send a telegram the other day when he went into town. My friends will have bought a home in California near the ocean by the time I get there; this visit has shown me I need an ocean nearby; it's too deep in my blood. I also need to feel my captain near me. My, temporary, loss of love for the ocean turned out to be a deep seeded desire to have a clean plate with you." She chuckled. "It helps a friend of mine, has made great investments. She and her husband will be close by if I need anything." Her grin grew wider. "I am perfectly at peace now. I am more than willing to keep in contact with you, if that's okay. Maybe, I'll even make a visit to your family."

"You're more than welcome here anytime you wish."