Blue Spanish Eyes
We, Tauna Petit-Strawn and Ghostwriter85, do not own the copyrights to Bonanza.
Chapter Eleven
Michael hadn't been able to get anyone willing to make the jump at first, but he finally found out where Mr. Kipper was. The man had been more than willing to train and consent to make the trip.
"Are you in good enough shape?" The events of the last time he'd had anyone attempt to make the time jump was still on Rosita's cousin mind. He didn't want a repeat and was making sure the gentleman before him wasn't going to make the jump unprepared.
"From what I've heard your cousin was an exercise fanatic. And since there are no signs she got killed or is stuck in limbo…" The man spoke as he peered over his glasses at a feed of paper coming out of a computer in the far corner of the room, "…she might very well be on to something. Therefore, I will train as well." If Barry had been in the room he'd have been tempted to let out something akin to 'NO DUH' when it came to the part that Rosita might be on to something. Months later, Michael was back in the lab taking instructions on how to help Mr. Kipper make the jump.
"Ready?" Matthew waited for Mr. Kipper to get inside the glass cubicle.
"Ready." Mr. Kipper took and deep breath and Matthew flipped the switch; the so-called expert disappeared.
In spite of what he'd told Michael, Mr. Kipper wasn't concerned about Rosita coming back because he wanted to be of help and wanted her to help him when it came to doing more research. No, if he could get to where Rosita was, and come back with the young woman in tow, it would be a major notch under his professional belt. He could just imagine the kind of attention he'd get, and the money that would roll in. That was his sole motivation.
Rosita and the Cartwright men had been working with the ranch hands all morning branding cattle, but now the hired help were busy with moving the herd to a different pasture. Ben and his sons were standing near a dirt path discussing the rest of the day's work while Rosita was packing up the leftover food into the wagon on the opposite end of the wide open field.
"I may not understand this time jump thing and, personally, I don't think it's a wise idea for people to do it, but" Ben said as he shot a grin towards his oldest son and then towards the direction of his daughter-in-law, "you sure have a winner there."
"I think so." Adam grinned wide as he watched Rosita put up the last of the times. "Let's go get our things." Because the men had their backs turned and were gathering up their own things they didn't see the dark bluish green light nor did they see Mr. Kipper appear with a greedy smile. It was as wide as the Pacific Ocean. He was thrilled at the success of the jump. It was only when he spotted Rosita did he slap on a fake concerned look onto his face.
"You need to come home, Rosita. You're family is missing you. There are obligations you have to fulfill. Besides, you coming back would further science greatly. The whole world would thank you, and you could run the new Ponderosa far better than this one is being run." Mr. Kipper spoke firmly thinking for sure Rosita would see the wisdom of his words.
"How did you get here?" Rosita put her hands on her hips.
"The same way as you did." Mr. Kipper really didn't see how the light he'd jumped through was any less effective than the one Rosita had traveled through.
"Baloney." An instant verbal match started, one which ended with Mr. Kipper grabbing Rosita by the arm when the blue light appeared.
"I'm not going back! Adam!" Rosita's screams got her husband's family to whirl around and run like mad towards their newest family member. Adam was close enough to his horse that he might as well have flown onto it; he raced past Ben and his brothers.
"Lay your hands off my wife!" Adam hollered as he pushed his horse forward.
"She's not your wife!" Mr. Kipper refused to acknowledge the ring on his cousin's hand as legitimate. "And she doesn't belong here! Michael hired me to bring he back!" The man kept pulling Rosita towards the light alternating between blue and green.
"I don't think so." Adam hopped off his horse, slugged Kipper and yanked Rosita behind him. "Rosita goes through that light and the end results won't be good." Adam knew enough to realize a mixed color, other than blue and white, was not a good thing to mess with.
"That won't happen! She's in great shape." Mr. Kipper was back on his feet in an instant and would have taken a slug at Adam only Hoss's fist knocked him back into the light. SNAP! Mr. Kipper disappeared and while the light didn't turn black it did darken.
"Let's go home." Adam prayed no more strange lights would come their way. It was a desire they were to be granted without knowing it. For, if the Cartwright family had been able to see Mr. Kipper, they'd have seen the man being locked up in a mental institution. They'd have heard him shouting things about the Cartwright's and Rosita; none of which the doctors believed, and nothing which Barry was about to vouch for. They'd have also seen Barry pull Michael aside and tell him that unless he wished to wind up in the same place as Mr. Kipper, he should let the matter drop. It was advice the man reluctantly agreed to as he had no desire to wear a straight jacket. Besides, due to too many deaths, timing jumping had been banned and research on it stopped altogether.
Epilogue
Laughter and smiles filled the home of Adam and Rosita Cartwright as Adam B. Cartwright was being rocked by his mother. Stories and jokes were swapped by the baby's father, grandfather and uncles. Finally, the talk took a more serious note due to not knowing there were no more jumps being attempted.
"While I hope not to ever see those lights again," Ben spoke to Adam, "and while I wouldn't wish any parent to have to go through the ordeal we did when you were so seriously hurt," Ben said as he turned and looked at Rosita and his first grandson, "I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't like the end results."
"Me either." Adam chuckled and beamed as he went over to Rosita and took his son into his arms. "Me either. I just hope I get plenty of time with my blue Spanish eyes." Rosita grinned hoping the same thing, though she hoped they'd also blessed with the large family she'd always wanted. Time would grant them both their desires as the couple would end up getting forty-two years together and would raise four handsome sons, along with three beautiful daughters in the process.