Category: What Happened Next/Later
Episode inspired stories.
The Burden of Guilt (by CareBear)
Summary: Adam carries a self-enforced burden of guilt, haunted by memories of the past that are dredged to the surface by Delphine’s death.
Rating: T (violence) Word Count: 6823
A Rare Courtship (by Tavia42)
Summary: Hoss and Joe become convinced that their father intends to marry the Widow Hawkins – and that it’s up to them to save him from this terrible fate. A “What Happened Later” for “The Burma Rarity.” Written for the 2025 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rating: PG | Word Count: 8,040
End Game (by AC1830)
Summary: A prisoner who escapes from the Nevada State Prison in Carson City has not only freedom but also vengeance on his mind. Little does he know that someone from his past is shadowing him, bringing full circle some unfinished business between them.
Rated: T Word Count: 10,050
A Stop at The Shady Villa (by JC)
Summary: After a nearly fatal case of mistaken identity, Joe and Hoss continue their quest for Texas Longhorn breeding stock, inadvertently stumbling across a potential goldmine (What Happened Next after “The Gunmen”). Written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 Third Quarter Challenge*.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2974
The Journey Home (by Tavia42)
Summary: On a trip away from the Ponderosa, the Cartwright boys encounter some old friends and one old foe. Even though he has a grudge against Hoss, Joe becomes the target in his scheme for revenge. A What Happened (Much) Later for “The Ape,” featuring Leonard Nimoy as Freddy, and a What Happened (Long) Before for the “Quaker Girl” episode of Gunsmoke, featuring William Shatner as Fred Bateman. No knowledge of Gunsmoke is necessary to read this story.
Rating: PG | Word Count: 22,322
A Journey Changed (by AC1830)
Summary: A missing WHN scene at the end of A Journey Remembered.
Rating: G, Word Count: 745
Melancholy Rain (By JC)
Summary: Rainy day reflections from Hoss Cartwright in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Rating: T Word Count: 644
Encore (by JC)
Summary: On a trip to San Francisco, Ben has a choice to make when the fire from an old flame is rekindled.
Rating: T Word Count: 623
Between Forever and Where No One Stands Alone (by BluewindFarm)
Summary: A benefactor arranges for the modernization of the Ponderosa.
Rating: G 1,625 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
My Only Guiding Light (by HarpistforHim)
Joe let himself smile for half a second before sobering and shaking his head. “I’ve known you a long time and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. Maybe you got this way when I was too young to notice or wasn’t around to remember, but… I don’t know, seeing you down here tonight all alone, I sort of got worried.” Or, after Laura Dayton’s departure, Joe finds his oldest brother in need of some consolation. A WHN for the “Triangle.”
Word Count: 2,316 Rating: PG
Here in the West (by Puchi Ann)
Summary: Not exactly a WHN for My Brother’s Keeper, but the action takes place after that story and involves some reflection on its events, as once again Adam finds himself pondering whether to move back East to a more “civilized” country. Rating: K+ Word Count: 2,051
Serenity (mcfair_58)
Summary: A follow-up to The Crucible. An unexpected visitor helps Adam Cartwright heal his broken heart before breaking it again. A story for Valentine’s Day.
Word count: 3296
Rated: G
Scars You Can’t Ignore (by HarpistforHim)
Summary: Just when it seems like certain scars have begun to fade, a chance encounter sends Adam spiraling back into the torment that still follows him more than a year after Eastgate. A WHN for The Crucible. Word Count: 7,332 Rating: G
We Are Merry (by PSW)
Summary: An explanation and WHL for the episode The Iron Butterfly
Rating: G
Words: 420
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (by BluewindFarm)
Summary: To some, the holidays aren’t always merry, nor bright.
Rating: G
Words: 950
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Yesterday Series, links included
