Category: Prequel
Any time before the episode, A Rose for Lotta
Lilly the Kid (by Foreverfree)
Summary: Seventeen-old-Joe Cartwright has planned to prove himself a man to the citizens of Virginia City by entering a fast draw competition on Founder’sDayy. But everything goes wrong and Joe is left publically thrashed and disgraced, when he find an unexpected friend in eleven-year-old Lilly.
A story about pride and prestige, fear and loss, but even more about the thing that makes us truly strong and happy – family love.
This is my 2015 BoNaNo submission and my first fanfic.
Rating: K+ (15,779 words)
Please, Not Again (by ChrisH)
Summary: A heartfelt plea as the family tries to reunite in the wake of Marie’s death.
Rating: K+ (2,655 words)
Ben’s Boy Adam (by DJK)
Summary: This is a collection of four vignettes written to various prompts.
Rating: G (2,920 words)
Ben’s Boys Series, links to stories within the series are included.
Another Fine Mess (by Puchi Ann)
Summary: Little Joe thinks he’s found the perfect way to raise money to help Virginia City’s needy orphans, while providing a few side benefits for himself and his friends. Originally published in Bonanza Gold.
Rating: K (7,470 words)
A Still Small Voice (by MissJudy)
Summary: Adam has been away at school for two years when he starts having vivid dreams about his youngest brother. He wonders why his memories center around Little Joe even while he misses his entire family. What he is about to find out will shake his certainty about many things and make him look for a clue hidden in his dreams.
Rating: K (Word Count 22490)
The Misadventures of Little Joe Cartwright ~ Book I (by bahj)
Summary: After going into town to buy a present for Hoss, Little Joe runs into a mysterious stranger with a bag of golden coins.
Rating: T Word count: 29698
Part of the Misadventure Series, links to all stories included within.
Every Day Is a New Day (by Hart4Ben)
Summary: A brief window into the Cartwright family if Inger had lived.
Rating: K Word Count: 1,482
The Razor’s Edge [aka A Close Shave] (by freyakendra)
Summary: At thirteen, Joe decides to practice shaving, only to discover that growing up isn’t just about growing whiskers. (This story introduces an OC named Jackson Cooper, aka Coop.)
(Word Count: 4500; Rating: K)
The Picker (by Annie K Cowgirl)
Summary: “I-I’ve come to ask you for your daughter’s hand, Sir.”
Rated: K+ (1,244 words)
In the Child’s Best Interest (by MissJudy)
Summary: In this early prequel, Ben Cartwright and 4-year-old Adam stop in Cleveland where pay was good at the docks. Ben hopes to earn enough to start the final leg of their journey to Missouri, and a wagon train west. But a couple at their boarding house have plans for Adam that don’t include Ben. The story ends 26 years later as Ben helps Adam recall the ordeal and the outcome.
Rating: K (27,135 words)
He was Brave that Day (by Robin)
Summary: It all started with Hoss saving the life of a neighbor.
Rating: T (6,800 words)
Julia (by Hart4Ben)
Summary: A prequel to “The Julia Bulette Story”. It attempts to explain the apparent connection between Ben and Julia.
Rating: T Word Count: 2480
Je T’aime, Ma (by pulitzer2016)
Summary: Eleven-year-old Adam never wanted another stepmother, but now that Marie is on the Ponderosa – and six months’ pregnant – there’s little he can do but be polite and try not to think of the beloved stepmother he lost. But when Ben goes away on a business trip and Marie is injured, Adam must ride alone for help. Along the way, he realizes that things have a way of becoming precious, even when we don’t intend them to.
Rating: K Word Count: 12,446
Mama’s Angel (by Ellie248)
SUMMARY: A Cartwright Christmas Past. A tradition begun.
Rating K (1,407 words)
Ben and Miss Barbara (by Robin)
Summary: Between the trial and Paiutes, tensions are running high in and around Virginia City.
Rating: T (9,410 words)