AN.: This is not the newest chapter I posted if you are just tuning in on this update. Make sure you read the last chapter 'Perspective' first. ^^
This is the final chapter and the conclusion to my first fanfiction. I can't believe how well it was received! I'm so thankful for all the nice compliments I got. The most joy brought me the idea of someone genuinely enjoying something I wrote ;w;

I always admired other people's work and I dreamed about creating something like that as well one day.

Enjoy the read!

Revelation

The day started early for Adam. He was standing on the porch, a cup of coffee in one hand, sipping the black liquid in delight occasionally. He enjoyed the peaceful, quiet morning as the rising sun greeted him with warm rays shining through the crown of a nearby tree. Adam let a little smile appear on his face as he stood there with not a worry in the world. Footsteps behind him made him aware of someone approaching; Adam turned his head to greet the new arrival but a strain and painful sting on his throat made him stop mid-motion, turning to the approaching figure with his whole body instead. His father was standing in front of him now, greeting him with a smile so warm, it could rival the sun. Ben's warm gaze wandered from Adam's face down and a frown disturbed his features.

"How is the wound?" Ben asked, concern seeping through his words. Ben nodded his head in the direction Adam was currently pressing his hand down.

"It's fine, Pa." Adam said, putting the hand down immediately. It was a simple subconscious action but Adam tried to refrain from doing it as best as he could in the presence of his family. "The wound is healing nicely. Doc Martin said I even won't be needing bandages in a few days time." The wound had been deep but apparently nothing vital- as Doc Martin had said- was injured. Still, Adam had been fussed over by three fully grown Cartwrights, an overprotective Sheriff, an over-committed Doctor and a very angry but caring Chinese cook for the last two weeks since he'd been rescued. The first days were tough; Adam caught his family members more than once checking up on him as he recovered from the ordeal. Hoss and little Joe often checked up on him at night. One time, when both decided to do that, Adam accused them of subconsciously still being on Adam-watching-duty which brought up a topic which Adam had avoided like the plague. Now, there was a giant elephant standing in the middle of Adam's room and it could no longer be ignored. And so, they talked.

"So, Madam is gone? Are you sure? How would you know? You had nights without Madam before as well... And then Madam took over again and we had to go get you and help you to stay out of trouble." Joe was exasperated, but mainly because he wanted it to be true. He desperately wanted for his brother to be free of this weird curse. If Madam returned nonetheless, Joe wasn't sure if he could deal with the disappointment. Hoss was eyeing Adam, who sat upright in his bed, suspiciously as well, not quite trusting his brother's words.

"Are ye sure, Adam? Ya not jus' tryna to reassure us or anythin'?" Hoss asked, knowing his brother just too well.

Adam chuckled softly at his brothers' protectiveness. "Yes. I assure you, that Madam is gone." Their faces still displayed a number of doubts but as Adam's face turned serious and his gaze distant, they grew less suspicious and took a moment to give their brother the benefit of the doubt.

"It's just that... For the first time in weeks, since the whole thing with Wright had started, I am able to feel carefree again." Adam had a sweet smile on his lips, dwelling in the feeling of not feeling like a filthy liar anymore. "Every step I made, every breath I took was almost unbearable... Back at the trial... I wasn't sure if it was Wright in that alley. I just knew it was him but without having much of a proof." Joe and Hoss were deadly quiet, all their attention focused on their brother as he made his revelation. "I didn't see his face. I saw his watch and one of his subconscious tics. I lied to make sure that he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. I thought I did the right thing but the guilt ate me alive from then on. The people in Virginia City treated me like filth and I couldn't help but believe their judgment and feel every inch the man they saw me as. I started to have nightmares then. They were about the trial, about the murder I witnessed... about all the little 'what ifs' that accompanied me day in, day out. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders." Adam now turned to look at them. "When the two of you found out, you took some of that weight from me. You helped me stay sane and you helped me believe in myself again when nobody else did. I don't know if I could've pulled through all of this without you." Adam finished and could've sworn Joe turned to wipe away the tears from his eyes.

"Woah, woah, what's with such a huge compliment, brother?" Joe said jokingly. "Seems like you are not as sane as you think you are." Hoss let loose a low rumbling laugh, lighting the mood up immediately.

"Take it or leave it, little Joe. It's the last one you'll get." Adam said in between soft chuckles. "Anyway, when all of this was resolved, the nightmares were gone and with them, Madam." Adam concluded and sighed.

"Who is gone now?" A voice coming from the door of Adam's bedroom had all three of them turning to it in mild panic.

"Pa! Nothing! I mean nobody is gone. There was nobody here in the first place." Joe rambled as an explanation, digging their grave deeper and deeper in the process.

"But I heard you say that a 'Madam' is gone. Is there a special lady I should know about, Adam?" Ben asked, advancing into the room and closer to his oldest sitting in bed.

"Well-"

"And what was that about having nightmares?" Ben came even closer.

"Pa, I can explain-" Adam tried again, letting out a breath to calm himself.

"Is this about you sleepwalking at night?" Ben asked, his voice loud and clear, full of authority, making all three brothers shrink away slightly. The words hung in the air for a while. Adam, Joe and Hoss had to fully process them before anyone could react to them.

"... How'd-"? Adam managed after gaping at his father for a few seconds.

"Adam, what do you take me for? I saw you, in front of that mine shaft. At first I couldn't put my mind to it, but yet I felt like that I've seen something like that before." Ben took a chair and sat next to Adam's bed. "The way you behaved -not only in front of that mine, but also in the last couple of weeks- made me suspicious. That one time I ran into you in the hallway... That one time you came home in your nightshirt with bloody feet..." Ben sighed. "I should've seen the signs earlier. You know, back when you were still a small child and we were on the road, you often had nightmares. One night, I caught you trying to leave our wagon. I spoke to you, I touched you, I held you back but you showed no reaction to me or my words. Back then, it happened once in a while and I always made sure you were alright and not getting yourself in danger. You never remembered anything from these incidents the next day, so I decided to leave it and not tell you about them. You were still so young and I was afraid you couldn't comprehend what was going on. We had already so many worries... And for such a young boy, you already had enough responsibility weighting you down. As life went on and days got better, you one day just stopped walking in your sleep. I never told you about it because I didn't want you to feel like... like..." Ben struggled to find the right word.

"Like a freak?" Adam supplied. Ben's gaze snapped to Adam in concern, but his oldest son was looking down at his fidgeting fingers with a little smile on his face. "So I was like this before... No wonder you figured it out, Pa."

"I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner, son. I only had an idea when I saw you in front of that mine shaft. But-" Ben rummaged behind his back and produced a small note book he held in front of him so Adam could read the title on the first page. In bright letters, it said 'THE CASE OF MADAM' "-this confirmed my hunch in the end." Ben said. All eyes turned to little Joe, who seemed to be observing something really interesting in the corner of Adam's room all of a sudden.

"Adam." Ben said, getting Adam's attention back. "Are you alright now, son? Is Madam really gone as you said earlier?" Adam smiled at his father in admiration.

"Yes, don't worry."

One and half a week later and Adam had recovered enough to get back on his feet and even get back to work. In the time Adam had recovered, Wright was on trial again, found guilty and executed a few days later. Eyewitnesses say that he'd broken down completely, losing his mind and himself. As the noose was laid around his neck, his booming laughter could be heard through the whole city. It still haunted some of the people who attended the execution.

Now, standing on the porch in the morning, Ben approached Adam to give him his first real task after the ordeal he'd been through.

"Adam, I have a list of supplies that need to be restocked. Could you take a wagon to town and do that for me?" Ben asked, a slight waver in his voice. He observed Adam's reaction carefully.

A shiver ran down Adam's spine. For the past two weeks, he had avoided going to Virginia City. He didn't want to go there and meet the people. He was afraid to be treated like an outcast again. Now, looking at his father's hopeful expression, Adam didn't dare to turn down his father's offer of getting some real, honest work done for a change. He needed to get back on his feet. So, Adam nodded. He got the list, the wagon and set course for Virginia City. As he neared town, he couldn't help the sense of dread nestling itself in the pit of his stomach. The wagon got closer and closer to town and he was gently swaying from side to side. As he drove along the main street, there were several people stopping their actions to openly stare at him. Some whispered to each other as he drove past them. Adam pulled his head deeper into his face, having an odd sense of déja vu. He stopped in front of the general store and got off of the wagon. He was busying himself with preparing the loading area of his wagon, so the footsteps approaching him went unnoticed by him. Then, someone behind him was clearing their throat to get Adam's attention. Adam turned around, fully expecting to face someone who was still hostile towards him, but instead, was surprised to come face to face with almost all the people in Virginia City. They had all gathered up behind him, forming a half-circle with multiple rows. There were old folks, schoolkids and even mothers holding their toddler. In the first row, there were little Joe and Hoss, smiling at him. Adam gaped at the crowd, his eyes wandering across the faces who looked at him with so many emotions. There was kindness, admiration, remorse and regret but not one face held any trace of hatred or anger.

"What is going on here?" Adam finally managed to ask.

"Well, big brother. The people 'ere got somethin' to tell ya" Hoss boomed, the smile on his face widened even further.

"Adam." An elderly woman, Rosie, stepped forward, addressing him first. "Adam I'm so sorry how I treated you. I should've never been so angry at you. I am ashamed of myself." Rosie said, looking down in shame. Adam could only stare back, being overwhelmed by the sudden, honest apology. Rosie had been a really close friend of Wright and therefore, had openly accused Adam of lying during the trial.

"I'm sorry as well, Adam." Adam turned to look at Hank, who pushed his way to the front to be able to face Adam properly. "I should've known better. Even though I knew what kind of person you are, I turned my back on you and disrespected you. I'm so sorry. The store-owner had to look down as well, not able to look Adam in the eye. One by one, the people stepped up to apologize. Adam just stood there, not quite able to process what was happening. They asked for forgiveness, asked about his injuries and apologized with nothing short of only true feelings. They also told him that they needed him and that they want everything to be normal again. They reassured him that they'd give him the time and space he needed. If Adam had any lingering feelings of dread, they melted away from him right there on the spot. He was soon engaged in conversations with them, answering their questions concerning his health and he accepted every apology that reached his ear.

"Whose idea was this?" Adam asked his brothers when the crowd had seemed to calm down a bit.

"Pa, Hoss and I had a little plan going on but mostly... Most people of Virginia City approached us, saying they want to genuinely apologize to you. They kept asking how you were and they wanted to visit you but Pa held them back to make sure you recover first." Little Joe said, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. "It was all their deed."

Adam turned to look at the people around him who seemed much more relieved and relaxed after their apology had gone well. Putting his hand up to get their attention, Adam yelled "How about we have some drinks in the evening?! First round is on me!"

"Pa will kill you." Joe said.

~The End~

AN.: I hope you enjoyed reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it. There were ups and downs for me but I'm happy I finished this story and I'm really proud about it.

I'm currently writing an Avengers one-shot but I have already several ideas for my next Bonanza fanfictions. Here is a little summary for you guys!

'There have been rumors going around about a ghost haunting the Ponderosa. The Cartwrights are not fazed at first but when the rumors interfere with their business, preventing them from sealing an important deal, they need to do something. Joe is thrilled to see a real ghost and tries to lure it out in the open. Adam doesn't believe in ghosts and can't understand Joe's excitement at first, but a mysterious, nightly encounter might just change his mind.'

Well, just to give you a heads up, I appear to be favoring Adam-centric stories... and I like hurting my favorite characters at least a little bit. With that being said, please leave me one final review ^^ And I hope to meet some of you guys again.

~ImmortalBerry