Category: Prequel
Any time before the episode, A Rose for Lotta
Checkmate (by Terri)
Summary: Ben decides to teach a 4 year old Joe about sharing, but roles are reversed and Ben receives the lesson.
Rated: K WC 1500
Lucky (by southplains)
Summary: The mysteries of Marie’s background are deeply threaded through the lives of not only Joe but all the Cartwright men; her past is twined among their destinies.
Rated: T WC 7000
With This Ring (by Patina)
Summary: The Cartwrights attend a wedding.
Rating: K Word Count=3791
Another Fine Mess (by Calim11)
Summary: Hoss/Adam are stuck in a cabin waiting for the bad guys to finish the job. A: 24, H:18, J:12
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG-13 for Western-style violence (13,550 words)
The Naming (by southplains)
Summary: A day in the life of 12-year-old Adam, as he tells how Little Joe’s nickname really came about.
Rated: T WC 9800
Losing Control (by Terri)
Summary: Locked away and unable to escape, all Joe can do is wait for his jailer’s return.
Rated: K+ WC 1700
A Father’s Duty (by Terri)
Summary: There are some tasks a father is called upon to perform that are not as welcome as others.
Rated: K+ WC 1200
Angels Crossing Moonlight (by DBird)
Summary: A story about grief, fear, and love, told from the top of a mountain. A prequel for the episode, “Between Heaven and Earth”.
Rated: K+ WC 4500
While Holding a Colicky Baby at Night (by DBird)
Summary: The Cartwright family learns that trials and blessings sometimes go hand in hand.
Rated: K+ (5,715 words)
Why I’m Thankful for my Brother (by Patina)
Rating: K
Word Count=3541
Summary: Joe is out of school for Thanksgiving vacation. Of course Joe can’t stay out of trouble and causes headaches for Adam. As punishment, Ben makes both sons write essays concerning why they are thankful for the other.
Coming Home (by pjb)
Summary: A wild stallion and a nine-year-old boy teach Adam a lesson he never learned in college.
Rated: K+ WC 6300
Afterward (by pjb)
Summary: After the flowers have wilted and the mourners have left, the Cartwrights must learn to live with the loss of the woman they loved.
Rated: K WC 2100
A Spoonful of Medicine (by Patina)
Rating: K
Word Count=4253
Marie Cartwright is sick with a chest cold. Three year old Little Joe discovers her cough syrup.
Baby’s Breath (by Patina)
Summary: 14th story in The Battle of Wills series. Hoss finds a kitten in the barn and decides to bring it in the house. Marie is not happy because of the old wives’ tales of cats stealing the breath from babies. Will this kitten change her mind?
Rating: K Word Count=3937
The Battle of Wills series, links to all the stories within the series included.
Play Before Bedtime (by Terri)
Summary: After a confrontation with Adam, Joe rides away from the house and into trouble.
Rated: K+ WC 2000