Category: Drama
How To Say Goodbye (by JoeC)
Summary: There comes a time when we need to say goodbye to a beloved person
Rating: K+ WC 1300
Warnings: Character death
The Prodigal (by slaine89)
Summary: A fight with Adam causes fifteen-year-old Joe to leave the ranch, and events take a turn for the worse, making it impossible for him to return home whether he wants to or not.
Rated: K (29,195 words)
The Prodigal Series, links to all the stories within the series included.
Half a Man (by HazelMom)
Summary: Hoss fights his family while they fight for his life.
Rating: K+ (15,371 words)
(Author’s note: Characters appear from several episodes including The Scapegoat, The Tax Collector, The Wild Ones, Gift of Water, The Good Samaritan, Half a Rogue, Lothario Larkin, Enter Thomas Bowers, and Once a Doctor.)
It’s Only a Year – The Castor Oil Caper – Lessons in Humility #2 (by MissJudy)
Summary: 17-year-old Adam is learning some hard life lessons. He returns home from a cattle drive where he’s been forced to subsist on beans and endure hazing by the hired hands intent on making him prove his worth, to find his father away, Hoss ill and Little Joe in a state of panic. The results involves some very bad decisions, a dose of castor oil given in an all-out battle of wills, and hurt feelings. This story takes a serious turn when Hoss’ attempt to give his brother a “taste of his own medicine” goes horribly wrong.
Rated: K+ WC 11,300
It’s Only a Year Series, links to all the stories within the series included.
Does the Heart Ever Heal (by TracyT)
Summary: Three years ago, Adam Cartwright left the Ponderosa. As Hoss and Joe struggle to help Ben with his depression, a chance encounter in a nearby town just might be the answer they’ve been waiting for.
Rated: K+ WC 52,500
One Step Closer #1 – For Love’s Sake Only (by MissJudy)
Summary: Adam promised Laura that he’d be back for their engagement party. But he’s delayed and during that time, he unexpectedly meets his first love – a young woman he knew in Boston. After an evening spent talking, they realize that they still love each other, yet they know that it can’t make a difference. Life and time have sent them in opposite directions and they part again, while wondering what might have happened if they had taken one step closer. This is a what happens during, and after the episode, Triangle.
Rated: K+ WC 10,000
One Step Closer Series, links to all the stories within the series included.
Purgatory (by freyakendra)
Summary: After Joe is attacked by Apaches in an incident that threatens a fragile peace, he is left hanging somewhere between life and death, between Heaven and Hell, and, more importantly, between Army soldiers and Apache warriors on the verge of war. How long must his family watch before the risk of waiting outweighs the risk of action? With Ben facing the ultimate sacrifice, Adam drawn into a fight to the death, Hoss preparing for the worst, and Joe praying for the unthinkable, this is a tale of strength, courage and the limits of human endurance.
Rating: T WC 9600
Hope Springs Eternal (by Doolittle)
Summary: WHN/Missing Scene – The Hopefuls. My first ever fanfiction story for Bonanza.
Rating: G (3,900 words)
When Sorrows Come (by Doolittle)
Summary: WHN “The Crucible”
Rating: T (9,925 words)
When I Wake Up (by Annie K Cowgirl)
Summary: One of the Cartwright boys finds himself in a tight spot.
Rated: T (3,050 words)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (by Cheaux)
Summary: When the Ponderosa faces financial ruin, only drastic measures can save the day…measures which turn deadly for Joe and Candy as Ben and Hoss watch from a distance.
Rated: K+ WC 7000
A Circle of Family #4: The Book of Adam (by MissJudy)
Summary: This is the last story in the Circle of Family saga, but enjoying this one is not dependent on having read the others. Adam has been in Boston for a year and all his careful planning has done him well…until an accident while staying with Abel puts him flat on his back for a few days. It is during this time of infirmity that Marie’s Bible arrives along with letters from home. After reading them, Adam makes a heart-rending decision that leaves his grandfather reeling. This story has its comedic moments along with some sweet takes on Adam’s relationship with Abel and the family he left behind.
Rated: K+ WC 11,400
A Circle of Family Series, links to all the stories within the series included.
Christmas Comes But Once A Year (by Sue)
Summary: Little Joe gets into trouble…a few times
Rated: K+ WC 10,500
The Christmas Surprise (by deansgirl)
Summary: The first Chrismas after Marie died was going to be a sad one. Can Adam and Hoss make the season bright after all?
Rated: K+ (2,240 words)
An Undercover Christmas (by ljlover2001)
Summary: It’s almost Christmas Day, but ten year old Little Joe can’t wait and is desperate to find out what big brother Adam has bought him. However, when he goes looking he finds a lot more than he bargained for.
Rated: K+ (3,160 words)
