At last we reach the final chapter :-)

I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has stuck with me to the end. And a big shout-out to everyone who commented and reviewed and said such lovely things!

Until next time...lots of Bonanza wishes!

Joe was suffering in the heat. Despite being halfway up a mountain on a high plateau, the mid-summer heat had penetrated the village, chasing before it any semblance of refreshing breeze that might have cooled his damp sticky skin and dried the constant stream of sweat that itched around his neck. He and Hoss and their father had been given a lodge for the duration of their time in the village, not far from where Adam's tepee sat on the perimeter of the village, backing on to the forest of pinyon-juniper trees. That night, Joe had woken, stifling in the confines of the airless lodge and although certain it would be as sultry outside, he had pulled up his blanket, tiptoed carefully around the sleeping bodies of his father and brother, and sat down on the ground outside.

It was a beautiful night. The sky was alive with a million stars and the lack of a single cloud meant there should have been a chill in the air. However, the stifling heat of the day had warmed the earth and the high temperatures lingered late into the night. The moon was beginning to wane, yet still managed to cast a silvery gleam over the land. Joe sat for a few minutes studying the outlines of the tepees—black against the night sky—and the shadowy mass of trees behind the village. He lay back, slipping his hands behind his head, and watched the stars spiral across the heavens, thinking back on the day's events.

Shortly after the first meal of the day, Adam had taken his father to one side. Joe didn't know what words passed between them, but he had observed the animated conversation from a distance. There had been raised voices, backs had been turned, shoulders hunched. And then Ben had looked as if he was pleading with Adam. Whatever reply he received led Ben to turn from his son and walk away without a word, leaving Adam staring after his father. On his arrival at their tepee, Ben had brushed past Joe and ducked down into the interior. Joe had cautiously followed him in and, after a hesitant inquiry, was gruffly informed Adam was staying in the village. Ben had said no more and it was clear to Joe nothing further was going to be shared. So he had left his father alone and gone searching for Adam.

Joe found him sitting in front of his lodge with a small selection of rifles at his side; he was vigorously jamming a rod, with a piece of cloth tied to the end, up and down the barrel of one of the guns. His cheeks were puffed up, narrowing his eyes to blazing slits of silent fury. Adam ignored his younger brother who stood with his hands thrust into his back pockets waiting for Adam to say something. After a few moments Joe began to build an irritation of his own at his brother's indifference to his presence.

"So you're staying?"

Adam flashed a quick look at him, but then continued to move the ramrod up and down the rifle's barrel.

"Yep."

Joe dropped to his haunches next to Adam. "And what about Pa? What about—"

"You?" Adam had lowered the rifle, and was staring intently at Joe.

"I was gonna say Hoss, but yeah," he shrugged and looked down, "what about me?"

Adam exhaled heavily through his nose. "This wasn't an easy decision, Joe. We've all been through a lot these past few weeks. Finding you again, everything at the fort…" Adam trailed off.

They were silent for a few moments.

"But what about Pa? It'll kill him to lose you again."

Adam sighed. "Pa doesn't understand. He wants me to bring Kia and Mimiteh back to the Ponderosa."

Joe's face broke out into a smile. "Then why don't you?"

"Because this is her home, Joe. And mine."

Joe's voice was sharp. "The Ponderosa's your home."

A movement caught Adam's attention. He watched as his father stepped out of the tepee and looked towards Adam and Joe. He made as if to walk towards his two boys, but then faltered and walked away from them. Adam sighed again.

"Not anymore." He pulled his gaze back to his brother. "My life is here now, Joe. I like this life. I don't miss deals and contracts, or endless days on horseback on a round-up. I don't miss the politics of Virginia City, or the dances and church socials." He picked the rifle up again. "The people here lead a simple life." A smile crept over his face, dimpling his cheeks. "You should be here when the whole village takes part in a rabbit drive. Every man, woman and child takes part. All you can hear from dawn to dusk is laughter. We only take from the land what we need and if we are good to her, she is good to us. It can be hard, Joe, but…I found something here I didn't have back in Nevada." He looked up to see Joe's expectant eyes. "I found a peace with myself. I'm happy with who I am for the first time in my life."

There hadn't been anything else to say and Joe had left Adam to his rifles. Their father had stayed in his lodge during mealtimes, unable to reconcile his son's new life with the one he had hoped in his heart Adam would come back to.

So now Joe lay in the shade of the tepee, enjoying the cooler night air and wondering how he could settle the tension that had arisen between his father and elder brother. He had shared his concerns with Hoss, who had shrugged and reminded Joe that once those two got a beef between them, it usually took one of them backing down to resolve the issue. Hoss's comment hadn't helped to ease Joe's worries.

Joe dozed off and was awoken sometime later by a noise in the night. He raised his head towards the sound and saw that Kia was sitting on the ground next to her and Adam's lodge. Her legs were bent in front of her, bare feet flat on the grass, and she was leaning forward slightly with her palms level against the earth to either side of her. She was bathed in a pool of lustrous light, but her face didn't look to the stars. Instead, she was looking down and talking softly; so quietly Joe could barely make out her voice. He lifted himself up onto his elbows to see her more clearly. He could just about discern in the silvery glow that she was stroking the earth gently with her fingers, in time with her words. Perhaps the air was thinner up here, or maybe he wasn't fully awake, but it seemed to Joe that at this moment Kia wasn't a creature of the sky or the air but that she was most alive when she could feel the heartbeat of the earth against her skin. Joe watched, entranced by this radiant woman shimmering in the moonlight, her hair flowing in a shiny cascade down her back.

There was another sound. The hide flap to Adam's lodge was being flung outwards, and Adam was ducking his head as he stepped out into the starlit night. A knuckle was rubbing the corner of his eye as if he had only that moment woken. Barefoot and clad only in a pair of pants, his hair loose around his shoulders, he stopped and looked first in one direction and then another. Even in the pale moonlight, the fading bruises and cuts could be seen on Adam's back and torso. Joe didn't move from where he lay in the shadow of his lodge, unwilling to break the spell being cast before him. Kia's barely audible murmuring continued and Adam's head turned in its direction. He moved around the side of the tepee to see his wife seated on the ground. With his back to Joe, he stood watching her, his arms hanging loosely by his side, his head cocked at a slight angle. Joe was unable to see the expression on his face but he imagined Adam to be smiling.

When she had quietened, Joe watched as Adam padded over to her and held out his hands. She placed her fingers in his palms and he lifted her to her feet. They stared at each other for a few moments before Adam bent down, and with one arm behind Kia's knees and the other around her back, he hoisted her into his arms, her hair flaring out as he swept her up. Kia curled one arm around his back and buried her face in his neck as he carried her towards their lodge. But then she lifted her head and placed her fingertips on his jaw to move his face towards hers. He came to a stop as she reached up and lightly kissed him, a feather-light touch of her lips on his. She drew back, her eyes on his mouth and once more she pressed her lips to his. They were in full view of Joe: Kia suspended in Adam's arms, their eyes squeezed closed and their mouths opening and closing as their lips moved softly together. And for the first time in his life Joe didn't feel embarrassed to see his older brother kissing a girl. He could only watch, mesmerised, as Adam and Kia kissed in the moonlight. Their embrace was a display of such tenderness and love that Joe slowly laid his head back to the ground, a feeling of contentment washing over him. He saw Kia hide her face once more in Adam's neck, and then Adam was crouching low to enter his lodge. As the flap fell down behind them, Joe turned over onto his side. He knew what he needed to do when the new day dawned. He lay there for a long while, surprised at how happy he felt for his brother, and sure in his conviction that what would happen tomorrow would be the right thing. For all of them.

xxxxxxx

Adam had never felt prouder of his youngest brother.

It had been a difficult morning seeing his father and brothers packing up their gear and preparing their horses for the long ride home. Adam could only watch as his father secured his saddlebags and bedroll to his saddle. Ben had fussed over his granddaughter and Kia but had been cool with Adam, unable to keep the disappointment of parting from his face. Adam had tried several times to approach him, offering words of advice for the journey, or with wrapped packages of food, and Ben had gratefully accepted them. But both Adam and his father had struggled to find the words that would ease their troubled hearts.

When the time came for the three men to depart, Joe pulled Kia to one side and took her hand in his.

"I wanted to thank you."

Kia shook her head slightly. "Thank me?"

Joe looked towards Adam who was laughing with Hoss. Mimiteh was squealing with pleasure as Hoss swooped the child in his arms from low on the ground to high above his head.

"For him. For what you did, being there, you know…" Joe looked to the ground, suddenly self-conscious of what he was trying to say. Kia dropped her head as well. Her silence drew Joe's gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass—"

"No, Joe, do not be sorry." She turned her face towards her husband. "Last night I thanked the Earth Mother for bringing him back to me."

"I saw you."

Kia's eyes widened.

"I wasn't spying on you." Joe said quickly, his brow creasing with alarm. "I was outside, sleeping; it was so hot last light."

Kia smiled, dismissing his concern. "I'm happy you found him again, Joe. The sorrow he would hide in his heart, it is no longer there." She looked towards Ben who was checking over the items secured to the back of the pack-horse. She sighed. "But not all his sadness has gone." Joe followed her gaze and then leant over to kiss her cheek.

"I need to have a talk with my pa." He smiled at the woman before him, and then straightening his back and lifting his chin, he walked purposely over to his father.

"Pa, I need you to hear what I have to say, and, and I don't want you to say anything until I'm through."

Ben's dark eyes settled on his youngest boy. He lowered his chin to his chest and thrust his hands deep into his pockets. Joe swallowed.

"Look, Pa, I know we only just found Adam again, but," he paused and licked his lips, "we gotta let him go. Pa, you've gotta let him go."

Ben's black eyebrows slowly began to lower, drawing together as his eyes narrowed.

Joe did his best to ignore the darkening expression on his father's face. "I didn't understand it myself until last night. But Pa, Adam's happy, really happy here. This is his home now. I don't know what it is, whether it's the land or the people or something…" he paused and shook his head, "something deeper, that we can't define. But this life suits him. He gets something here he doesn't get on the Ponderosa. It's not he's not happy with us, but, he was always kinda, I don't know, on edge. Here, he's at ease. And he's got his own family—"

"One he can bring back to the Ponderosa." Ben growled, pulling his hands from his pockets. He turned back to the packhorse, his hands tightening buckles and straps that didn't need tightening.

"No, Pa, can't you see," Joe's voice was soft. He moved closer to his father. "The Ponderosa is our world, not theirs, not Adam's. He chose to stay here. He could have left at any time, returned to Virginia City, or gone east. But he chose to stay. And not just because he has a wife and child here, but because...this is where he wants to be."

Ben looked at Joe, and after a moment the tension eased from his body. His shoulders dropped. He closed his eyes and nodded. Joe put a hand on his father's arm.

"I know it's hard, Pa, but isn't it the right thing to let him go, and know he's happy, then to force him into a world he no longer wants?"

Ben smiled at Joe. "When did my youngest son become so wise?"

Joe grinned as Ben put his arm around Joe's back and directed him away from the horse. Together they approached Adam who had been standing back watching the conversation with Mimiteh asleep over his shoulder; Hoss and Kia by his side.

"Joe has been setting me straight about one or two things."

Adam's cheek dimpled cautiously. "Yeah?"

"Yes. He tells me you'd be a lot better off here than on the Ponderosa."

Adam looked at Joe, a puzzled smile toying around his lips.

"And son," Ben sighed, "Joe is right." Ben looked at the sleeping child and gently ran his hand over her head. "I didn't want to see what was staring me in the face, that this is your home now. These people are your family." He smiled as Mimiteh stirred, lifted her head and flopped it back down on Adam's shoulder. Ben picked up her tiny fist within his own large hand and kissed her fingers.

"Pa, you're my family too."

Ben looked at Adam standing before him in his Indian buckskin pants, moccasins and decorated tunic. He took in the beaded choker he wore around his neck and the leather braid with the large stone pendant that hung down his chest. He saw the long hair, tied into a white hair tube to keep it off his face. And then he saw his son's eyes, Elizabeth's eyes, and he knew even though Adam had changed beyond all comprehension, he was, and would always be, his and Elizabeth's child.

He looked around him at the Ute villagers going about their daily business. There was an air of domesticity as women stood by the smoking racks hanging a fresh catch of trout. A trio of older girls were strolling towards the forest with baskets to gather berries. The old men sat outside their tepees letting the warmth of the sun heat their bones. But Ben also saw the young boys tearing around the lodges, boisterously play-fighting, and the menfolk of the village sharpening the knives and spears they used for hunting, and war. And Ben knew this life would be anything but tranquil. The village had come close to being annihilated at the hands of a covetous fellow Ute. And how soon would it be before the army were issued official orders to move them to a reservation? No, the way of life might be simple, but the years ahead were likely to be difficult for these people.

"You don't need me anymore, Adam, not like you did when you were a boy. In fact," Ben looked down and laughed softly, "it's been many years since you've needed me in any way."

"Pa—"

"Adam, listen. It's hard for a father to let go, to admit to himself his children no longer need him. But," he took another glance at the village, "these people do need you." He chuckled. "And I have a small boy waiting for me back at the Ponderosa who seems to have an uncommon interest in books and how the ranch is run. Does that remind you of anyone?"

"Pa…"

Ben looked into Adam's eyes and saw they were filled with sadness. But for the first time, Ben also saw a serenity in Adam's soul. And when Mimiteh started to move in Adam's arms, and he flicked a glance at his daughter, Ben saw Adam's eyes lighten with an abundance of love. Ben placed his hand on Adam's back, allowing his senses to remember the warmth and solidity of his son. He turned and with a nod to Joe and Hoss, he climbed up into the saddle of his horse.

Hoss leant down and gave Kia a sloppy kiss on her cheek and firmly gripped his brother's arm. Then with a small chuck under Mimiteh's chin, he mounted Dandy.

Joe stayed where he was, his hands on his hips, his heel kicking at the ground. Adam slowly walked up to him. "You're quite something; you know that, don't you?"

Joe's gaze was fixed to the ground.

"Little Joe?"

Joe lifted his face to reveal red-rimmed eyes. Adam cupped his hand behind Joe's neck and pulled his head close to his. "This isn't the end, Joe, we'll see each other again. I promise you that." Joe found a smile and lifted his hands to slap and grip his brother's upper arms.

"I'll hold you to that promise."

Adam reciprocated the grip on Joe's arms. A grasp that transmitted all the pride and love Adam felt for his younger brother, but could never tell him.

"Now, get."

With a last glance and a raised hand from his brothers—his father was unable to look back at what he was leaving behind—the three Cartwrights walked their horses away from Adam and out of the village. Adam stood watching them with his daughter in his arms and his wife by his side and wouldn't take his eyes from them until they were swallowed by the thick belt of trees. As his father disappeared from view, Adam sighed and spoke quietly to the now empty trail. "I'll always need you, Pa, always." His father and brothers were once more gone from his life. He didn't know when he would see them again, but this time, at least, he had been able to say goodbye. Adam knew there would always be a Cartwright on the Ponderosa, and just knowing he could always find them there, at any time, appeased his saddened soul. But when he looked at his wife, he knew he had made the right decision. She had given him everything he wanted in life and his heart was at peace, with her, in this place.

Kia smiled and took Mimiteh from his arms, and without a backward glance walked away to their lodge. Adam looked back to the treeline and then felt a presence by his side. It was Cameahwait, and he was staring in the direction Adam's father and brothers had just ridden.

"The Great Spirit looks over them, as he does you, Liwanu."

Adam said nothing, his eyes not moving from the trees.

"You are the man of many spirits. You are protected. The Great Spirit would not let harm come to your family."

Adam turned to look at Cameahwait.

"Do you still believe that is who I am, Cam?"

"Without you, many of our young men would have been lost; your wife and child taken. I would not have seen Luyu and my children again. Yes, my brother, you are the man of many spirits. And the Great Spirit is not done with you yet."

Adam laughed. "Please, God, let him be done with me."

Cam slapped Adam on his shoulder. "Come, my brother, the men are gathering for a hunt." And Cameahwait was gone, walking to where a group of men awaited their companions.

Adam took a last glance towards the trees. And with a smile and a look to the sky he turned and walked back into the heart of the village. He was Adam Cartwright, and he was Liwanu. And he had found his peace.

Epilogue

Ten months later, as new life began to push through the warming soil, and the snowmelt from the high peaks refreshed the rivers and creeks with clear icy water, Kia gave Adam another child.

A boy—with his Uncle Joe's ears—they named him William.

The End