Telegrams.

5th story in the Alexandra Series.

Summary: You wanted to know the why, the when and the how Alexandra came about. Well here it is. Adam receives a wire from San Francisco. He embarks on a journey with Alexandra to bring Katherine home one way or another. He recalls the events of the past along the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bonanza, or any of its characters. David Dortort and Fred Hamilton created them and played with them for 14 years. The series is owned by NBC.

Re-Cap:

Hiram handed the note to Adam and stood quietly by the big fire as Adam, paced in front of him reading it.

Overland Telegraph Company...

To: Adam Cartwright

Ponderosa Nevada.

Katherine's condition deteriorating stop Come immediately stop Requesting appeal bought forward stop Marriage certificate tabled stop Adam. S. Cartwright to Katherine. W. DeFoe stop 1851. To be authenticated stop

Drew Kennedy

San Francisco

Chapter 3. Dear Momma, I Live In A Shoe

Alexandra heard the mumbling of voices down stairs. She was sure one of them was her Uncle Joe and from the sound of it, he had his mouth around one of Hop Sing's cookies. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed down the hall, but stopped when she got to the landing and spotted her father coming through the big front door. She stepped back and leaned against the wall, before sliding to the floor to listen.

Joe returned from the kitchen bringing a hot pot of coffee with him and laid it on the table. He poured two cups then took them to Adam and Hiram.

"I'll head out on the first stage tomorrow." said Adam

"There's one from Carson City at noon, I checked the board before heading over here," nodded Hiram.

"Noon? I might make better time heading straight to Placerville, then catching up with the pony express there."

"Whatever you think best. I bought all the documents you need," said Hiram handing over a leather satchel.

"I don't understand; Marriage Certificate? It can't be real. I never married Katherine. I was in Boston at the time," queried Adam.

"Huh," said Joe, "What's happened?"

Adam handed Joe the telegram, then turned back to Hiram. "Where did they get a Marriage Certificate?" asked Adam.

"I don't know. Drew must have dug it up, or Molly sent word of it. Willameena was a smart woman."

"She was a smart old woman. She had Ardelle, sign over a small fortune for her when she was pregnant with Katherine. He signed Molly over to her too; as a guardian. Ardelle then provided her with a certificate saying she was a military widow. That way she could legally purchase a business and provide for both his children and keep his 'good name', out of it." said Adam emphasising his distaste for the man.

"Yes; Willameena could have registered the marriage. It could have easily been a proxy ceremony, like they do with mail order brides. It had been common amongst may religious groups. They often have the women married, all legal before they send them off. That way no woman can be stranded when they get to their destinations. They travel in groups. Plus there's no fighting among the women when they get there. They are legal and binding contracts of marriage, Adam. "

"Yes, but don't they have to have the grooms signature, a contract or something?"

"They do, but at this stage, think of it as a godsend. If we get it through, at least we get Katherine out. The courts will grant you custody. We can't wait for Garner- Hallett's trial to end or transcripts from Elk; she needs urgent medical attention that the institution can't provide."

"But, surely they will move her now. Drew should be able to get that done. I want it happening now, not in a week's time, we may not even have a week. And what if this Marriage Certificate is proven a fake; a forgery, how will that help our cause? I could be charged," said Adam, "Where does that leave Katherine, or Alexandra?"

Hiram, put his coffee down and moved closer to Adam, laying his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Drew is exploring every avenue. Just get there. All the paper work from here is done. They have the statements and the affidavit from the judge and sheriff. You only have to produce the originals and the journal."

"I may have to swear as to the authenticity of this Marriage Certificate."

"You may, but the judge will probably take into account your 'intent' of ten years ago and now, as well as all the circumstances. Just get there and be honest. Drew Kennedy will give you the right advice. He knows the systems there; what they will expect."

Joe looked up from the telegram in his hands."What about Alexandra," he asked, "Are you taking her with you, Adam?"

"I don't know...I have to think this out. I can get there a lot faster, if..."

"A day sooner, maybe, but at what cost Adam?" glared Joe.

Hiram stood up, uncomfortable with the tension in the room. "I best get back to town before it gets too late."

"Sure, sure, Hiram, sorry." Adam walked Hiram to the door and out onto the porch.

Meanwhile Joe checked the coffee pot, making sure it was still warm enough. Adam was sure to want another one. It was then he spotted a little blonde head peep around the landing of the stairs. He put the coffee pot down and headed up there, only to catch Alexandra skidding back to her room. He caught up with her just before she made a dive for her bed, and hoisted her off the ground.

"Gotcha!"

"Oh, Uncle Joe, not fair."

Joe patted her backside before putting her back into bed. "How long have you been listening, Pipsqueak?"

Alexandra grew serious, tears building up in her eyes, she shook her head unable to answer.

"That long, huh?" frowned Joe.

Alexandra nodded, then sniffed before wiping a tear off her cheek. "Is my momma... is my momma gonna go to heaven?"

Joe wasn't sure what to say, it was almost crushing him looking into those huge and trusting big green eyes. He had to be honest. "Maybe baby, one day, we're all going there, I hope," he said, trying to smile.

"I wanna go and see her. I want ta kiss her and tell her about everything and that I love her. I wanna remember her forever, Uncle Joe."

"Listen here, your daddy's gonna talk to you first thing in the morning. He's going to sort all this out. No matter what happens though, I can tell you now, your momma knows how much you love her." Joe kissed her on the forehead. "Go to sleep now, tomorrow is going to be a big day."

"Okay... Uncle Joe, what's a marriage certificate?"

"It's a legal document saying a man and a woman are man and wife.."

"So, momma and daddy are married, for real. So I'm not a bastard anymore?"

"Don't say that word, Alexandra, you're not a bastard."

"I was jist a mistake, weren't I?"

"No, not a mistake, a wonderful surprise!" giggled Joe as he tickled her happy to see the worry disappear from her features and her smiling again.

"That's what my daddy says. Uncle Joe?"

"Yeah?" sighed Joe, "You need go to sleep Alex."

Alexandra sat up and held up a lone finger. "Jist one more question."

"Okay jist one," Joe retuned the hand gesture.

"How do you get to San Francisco. I mean how far is it?"

"Well, about two hundred miles and a bit. You can get there in about four days, three if you ride ten hours a day, some of that's through some rough country , until you get to Goat Springs. Then you follow the lake trail to the California border. The best way, is to take the stage to Carson City. There's a couple of stops along the way, but once you get to Placerville, your just a day or two away. Best part is Sacramento. The ferry takes you all the way down the river, and into San Francisco bay."

"Do yer hafta take the stage?"

"Yeah, best way to get to Sacramento, but sometimes your daddy rides, then takes the stage or the paddle steamer from there."

"I don't like the stage."

"Why?"

Alexandra shrugged, "Jist don't. Momma went away on the stage and she never came back. She was cryin' and..."

"Hey, your daddy will come back. You know that grandpa catches the stage all the time and he comes back, " said Joe carding his fingers through her blonde curls.

"Yeah, but stages get held up by bandits and then there's Indian attacks, too."

"Yeah there are, but there haven't been many around here for a couple of years, not since the Overland started running more stages, one just for passengers and kept the pony express riders for the mail and guards for the silver hauls. As far as Indian's raids go; well the Paiutes and the Bannocks are very friendly at the moment. Don't worry Alex, go to sleep. You can ask your daddy all these things in the morning."

"Okay, but, I hope he takes me."

Secretly Joe hoped so too, though he understood Adam's trepidation. "He wants to, but he might have to get there real fast, that's all."

"But what iffin..." she frowned, "Nah... nothin," Alexandra didn't want to think on the what ifs anymore.

" Hey, no more what if's. Everyone's safe, Alexandra, promise."

"Hey yer read my mind, Uncle Joe, you been taking lessons from Miss Jones?"

"Had lots of lessons from Miss Jones over the years," laughed Joe.

"Yeah, Daddy told me bout the time he was teachin you kids, when Miss Jones first come, and found him with his britches tore, and all the kids sneezin'"

Joe giggled. "That was so funny. You shoulda seen your daddy's face when the lady comes in with the sheriff and saw him there lying on the floor." Joe slapped his thigh remembering the incident like it was yesterday.

"The ole pepper on the hot stove trick, hey, Uncle Joe. No one's done thought of that one in our class."

Joe paled realizing how impressionable Alexandra was. "Hey, it's kinda funny now, but then at the time...Well, it was funny at first before Miss Jones came. She figured us kids out quick smart. And Adam laid down the consequences, pretty firmly."

"Yeah, but you still laugh about it right?"

"Sorta, but then I remember what a sore butt I had. Why I can almost feel it still, little girl, so don't you go getting any ideas."

"I won't, well not those old pranks; we need some new ones that Miss Jones don't know about. I'll have ta a real good think. Only thing is Dad says its real mean ta embarrass people or ta do a prank where someone gets hurt. But there's prolly a lot of pranks we can pull that jist make kids laugh, and well maybe get us outta school for a while. You must know a few more that Miss Jones never found out about. Whatta say we compare ideas, Uncle Joe? " she laughed.

Joe was glad that the Alexandra's sombre mood was forgotten, though he had no intentions of giving her any ideas as far as pranks go. He was almost certain Adam would not be impressed. "Bed, demanded Joe in a mock sternness. And stay there, cause if your daddy catches you out here again... well you know what will happen."

"He'll swat my tail," she giggled.

"He will , good night," said Joe as he turned down the lamp then left the room.

~oOo~

Alexandra lay awake, letting everything go over in her mind. It was hard to sleep thinking about her momma and what was happening in San Francisco at this very moment. Then she remembered she was going to do the drawing of the ranch house. She wouldn't have time if her daddy was going in the morning.

"Hmmmfft," she sighed." I can do it now." Alexandra threw back the covers, went to her desk and pulled more paper and pencils from the drawer. She hesitated a moment then noticed the map of the Ponderosa; a smaller version. It was just like the one her grandpa had behind his desk, but included the entire picture of Lake Tahoe. "Hmm, maybe daddy should take this too. That way momma can see how pretty everything is and how big the ranch is. Maybe she'll get better iffin she gets to that real good hospital, then she sure would like coming here and looking over the lake. Maybe it's like Grandma Willameena used ta say, sometimes all yer really need it positive thinkin, a real good reason ta wanta live. I bet this would help momma have a real good reason."

Alexandra laid the map down in front of her, and imagined the journey to San Francisco, though the map didn't show all the way. She traced her finger from the drawing of the ranch house, in between Lake Washoe, and Lake Tahoe. She giggled at the thought of her momma thinking the Ponderosa might look like a big shoe, sorta like them Dutch clog type shoes. "There was an old lady that lived in a shoe, " she recited as she traced her finger over the bumps that represented the hills and pictures of pine trees, and then stopped at Goat Springs.

"Goat Springs that's where daddy's friend Toby runs the change station for the stage company. Dad, says that it takes two hours iffin yer ride real fast, but still only three iffin yer take yer time and treat yer horse real good. I wonder iffin Carlacipco would run that fast..."Alexandra sighed and then started her poem again. "There was an woman who lived in shoe she had so many children she didn't know what ta do."

Alex continued to sing the classic nursery rhythm all the while tracing the map and following the great lake shore line. " Zephyr Grove... Emerald Bay... Echo lake..." that's where the Ponderosa map finished, right at the bottom of the lake near the Californian boarder. The only other bit of information was an arrow that pointed to Placerville.

She sat sending a personal prayer to her mother, wishing she wasn't so far away. "Momma you would really like it here. It mighten be better than heaven, but at least, I'd be here. You'd like Grandpa too. You'll remember him, maybe; I know yer memory ain't all that good. It don't matter iffin yer didn't though, he'd love you all the same. Then there's Uncle Joe, he'd make laugh. He makes ya laugh just by laughing himself. Yer can't help it. Grandpa says he's infectious, though not bad contagious; like the measles or anything, ceptin he did catch lice once. We better check him afore you come; just in case. You're love Uncle Hoss , too. He'd make yer smile, a real warm smile. He's real big and strong. He'd be able ta carry yer up to the lake. I could show how I been learning ta swim. Marty's been teachin me. Marty... ohh, you don't know bout Marty. She loves daddy, jist like you do. They's gonna get married; don't know when. Guess he won't be able to now that he's for real married to you. Though, some of the Indian's have more than one wife. Maybe an Indian chiefs could marry Dad and Marty, so you could both be his wife. Then Marty will be able ta help you; she's a nurse. Her and Hop Sing they's know how ta mend folks that are sick. You'll like Hop Sing a real lot. He's Chinese and speaks cantaloupe. Not like the fruit; like the special language. He's been teachin me some. Ni hou, which means hello and ju Juédì Zhànjǐng mov ju pi gu, not sure exactly what that means. Something about naughty boys moving their big bottoms ta come and eat, then he says, or I go back to China. I call him my smiley Uncle. Yes, I think it would be better iffin yer could get here instead of being in that nasty jail hospital. "

Alexandra laid the map aside. "Four, maybe five days momma, that ain't too long ta wait. Please wait," she said out loud, like a prayer she hoped her mother would hear. Alex grabbed a pencil and the blank piece of paper and then moved to the thick round rug in the middle of her room. There she sat and looked up at the model of the Ponderosa's ranch house. "Now, Momma, I'll show you where I sleep. When I been naughty and daddy sends me to bed early. Just like the old women in the shoe, ceptin I always get supper. Wish it was jist bread though, but noooo, I gotta eat all these vegetables... She gave them some broth without any bread; And spanked them all soundly and put them to bed. Yep, sounds bout right. Thank the lord I don't live there, I get inta enough trouble with jist dad, and grandpa and ma uncles... There was a little girl who lived in a shoe, she had so many Uncles she always knew what ta do. She gave them some broth without any vegetables, then spanked them all soundly and sent them to... hmm what rhymes with vegetable... Nothing, see it ain't even worth sayin the word, let alone eatin them. "

Alexandra stopped thinking out loud and bit down on her tongue at the corner of her mouth as she started to draw a likeness of the ranch house .

~oOo~

Adam came back in from the porch to find Joe still standing in front of the fireplace.

"That coffee still warm?" he grunted.

Joe ignored his mood. "Yep, thought you'd wanna cup, though maybe you should try to get some sleep."

"I can sleep on the stage tomorrow."

"Adam, you gotta take Alexandra with you. It might be the last time she sees her mother. You can't deny her that. I know it might be unpleasant and I can understand you want to protect her from that; let her have just sweet memories, but..."

"Joe stop. I don't need you telling me what's best for Alexandra. You of all people should remember how traumatic it is for a child when they lose their mother."

"Oh, I remember the trauma of it, Adam. It was the suddenness of it though, feeling like it all just crumbled; like the sky fell down. I remember all the sounds of silence. Even the crying was silent. But, you helped me more than anyone get over that, Adam. You were there for me just like you'll be there for Alexandra. I don't mean to tell you what's best. I just think, well, you keep saying she's so much like me, and I would want to go. I'd give anything to have let my momma know that I loved her..." Joe paused, "Just one more time."

Adam sighed, "I know Joe, I didn't mean to snap. I've decided to take Alexandra. Hiram's booking me two tickets in the morning for the stage from Carson City. Then we'll catch a steamer from Sacramento. As long as there are no delays we should get there by Saturday. Hopefully if Drew's petition to have Katherine moved on compassionate grounds goes through, Katherine will be in a better place, getting better care by the time we arrive."

"What about the custodial thingy?"

"I'll still have to apply if I want to have a say in her future care. I really don't know what's going to happen, Joe. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but..."

"I think you are. I think your hearts telling you are; it's just your very sensible stoic head that you're fighting with."

"Marie wasn't the only mother I lost, Joe."

"I didn't think you thought on her so much your mother. I though you gave her a hard time when she first got here," frowned Little Joe.

"I did. I told myself it was about Pa; he's lost two wives and well, I was a little scared to love your mother. I'd loved Inger so much, and your mother was so different."

"So it wasn't about Pa; it was really about you," said Joe, raising one intuitive eyebrow.

"Yep, both of us, and Hoss. Actually, besides Marie making a real effort with me, it wasn't until I saw how much Hoss was loving having a ma. He didn't remember Inger, he was like me; a five year old without a mother. Marie was so good to him, she loved him like he was her own. At first, I thought; Don't do that, you aren't his ma; Inger is his ma, and well, he should not like you as much as her," said Adam, mimicking his petulant twelve year old self. "I was just a kid. I was wrong and only realised that when my very sensible and stoic head, as you put it, got me thinking. Marie was to Hoss what Inger was for me. I couldn't deny him that. I saw Marie for the beautiful person she was, for being that for Hoss. Eventually , when I let her, she became a mother to me. And then she too was taken away," professed Adam.

" Still you had her longer than Inger and longer than me, Adam. I know that's why it hurt."

"It did, hurt, then I figured I was lucky too, because if it hadn't hurt, then Marie would have meant nothing to me; to you, Pa and to Hoss. She wouldn't have left us with so many good memories. It hurts because we loved her so much and knew she loved us."

"Alexandra will have all that too," declared Little Joe, feeling quite moved by Adam's openness and unusual emotional sincerity.

"Yep, she does already. I have to have a long talk to her though, what to expect to a certain degree, though I don't want to scare her."

"What about Marty, Adam?"

"I'll head into town early to try and catch her. She's heading up to the Devlin Ranch. Maggie's expecting her fourth, and Henry's busy with their round up, so Marty's staying there in case she goes into labour while Henry's away. Marty knows I was heading off next week, but I need to tell her about the marriage certificate. I don't want her hearing it from anybody else, should it get out."

"How do you think she'll take that?" asked Joe, wondering how on earth Adam was going to explain it all.

"I don't know. I hope she understands," he said pensively, staring into the cup of now cold coffee he swished around in his hand.

"Marty should understand," said Joe with confidence. "You've told her about Katherine."

"Most of it, not all; there are just some things you don't discuss with the girl your courting and one of those things are the details of past love affairs. Take my advice on that one, Joe."

"You've never really told me a lot about Katherine, either. I've heard bits and pieces over the years, but not from you and not a lot. Did you love her?"

"I was seventeen Joe, just shy of my eighteen birthday, but yes; I can say she was the first true love of my life. However, I was careless, Joe. I have another piece of advice for you. It's easy to get caught up in the physical when you're that young and smitten and don't have the maturity and...the control," emphasised Adam.

"You, no control? You've always had control," smirked Joe.

"No Joe, not always, but I was still also grieving for Marie at the time. I just held onto everything until Pa got over his grief. I was too busy with you and Hoss to work through my own."

"It was just after momma's accident?"

"Yep, about six months after. Funny if I remember it all started with a telegram Pa got... "

Flashback...

TBC : Chapter 4 : Billy.

A.N. I know they are short chapters, but I need to break them up here and there especially the flashbacks to Katherine's story. That way, those of you who just want Katherine's story in a linear narrative can jump chapters if you want. A big Thumbs up to Lajoci for making this chapter so much better.