What Happened Before, Missing Scenes, What Happened Next, What Happened Instead, and stories that begged to be told that were not included within the series. Some of these stories were challenge inspired and some, the writers were just never satisfied with what was aired.
~ B ~ O ~ N ~ A ~ N ~ Z ~ A ~
Please be advised that the listing of stories below may contain works which have been assigned and “R” or a “Mature” rating by their respective authors. Such stories could contain explicit language and/or adult themes; and are not intended for readers under the age of 18. Please heed our rating guidelines.
To read the story, click on the title.
A Christmas Without Her by Mumu74
Summary: A prequel
Rating: K (1,190 words)
A Gift for Marie by VickieB
Synopsis: The Cartwright family still have unresolved issues five years after the death of Marie Cartwright. Adam seeks a way to help the family heal.
Rating: G (10,200 words)
A Legacy Deferred by BluewindFarm
Summary: Joe is summoned to the Ponderosa for a matter pertaining to an inheritance. Curiously, the letter and recent events in his life reveal his dissatisfaction, and thrust him on a journey of discovery.
Rating: T (16,980 words)
A Long and Twisted Path by Sibylle
Summary: This story tells about Marie’s first time living with Ben and his two sons. The beginning wasn’t easy …
Rating: K+ (5,600)
A Man that Studieth Revenge – by McFair
Summary: A WHB & WHN for ‘The Last Haircut’, ‘Marie, My Love’, and ‘The Hayburner’ with a nod to ‘The Truckee Strip’ and ‘The Crucible’. Everyone in Virginia City knew Duke Miller had gotten away with murder, but there were few who knew he had done it before. At the heart of his hate lay one man and but a single goal: the complete and total destruction of Joe Cartwright.
Rated PG-13 for Western brutality and lots of angst and SJS
Word count: 72,114
A New Year’s Renewal by Karen
Summary: It’s the littlest things in life and the littlest one who can inspire.
Rating: K (1,045 words)
A Night of Reflection by DebbieB
Summary: With a snowstorm coming and his sons late in getting home, Ben reflects back on his life and the three wives that bore him, his sons.
Rating: G (6,000 words)
Summary: Adam and Hoss have a surprise for Marie
Rating – K, Word Count – 748
A Rose for Marie by Deansgirl
Summary: Adam finally learns to accept Marie as his mother. A special Mother’s Day story, the companion story to Forever Ben Cartwright
Rating: K+ (2,850 words)
マリーのバラ by deansgirl
Summary: This is for the International Member’s Celebration. It is my story A Rose For Marie translated into Japanese.
Rating: K+ (2,850 words)
A Secret Worth Keeping by Dodo
Summary: A late night conversation takes Ben down a road he’d long thought he would never again have to travel.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 12430
A Sense of Something Greater by Krystyna
Summary: Ben’s attempt to escape his misery at Marie’s death leads him to an appreciation of another kind of sorrow.
Rating: G (3,725 words)
A Spoonful of Medicine by Patina
Summary: Marie Cartwright is sick with a chest cold. Three year old Little Joe discovers her cough syrup.
Rating: K Word Count=4253
A Warm Place in Your Heart by Camera Chic
Summary: The family starts to heal after the loss of Marie, as Adam strives to be strong for his family.
Rating: G (1,310 words)
About his Mother by DBird
Summary: An argument, an impasse, and the truth that really matters.
Rating: K+ WC 2700
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.
Rating: K WC 2100
All Through the Night by Bahj
Summary: Left alone once again to pick up the pieces, Ben struggles to move forward after Marie’s death, and finds comfort in the words to an old song.
Rating: K (1050 words)
Almost 13 by Starlite
Summary: Little Joe learns a family secret about his mother and Adam.
Rated: PG (9,400 words)
An Awkward Age by SKLamb
Summary: Two vignettes giving insight on Adam’s initially awkward relationship with his second step-Mother.
Rating: K WC 2600
And Then Came Marie by DJK
Summary: A set of vignettes featuring Marie.
Rating: K+ Word count: 2211
Battle of Wills (The) # 1 – Begins by Patina
Summary: Ben brings his new wife, Marie, home to the Ponderosa. Hoss is overjoyed to have a new mother but Adam is not happy.
Rating: K Word Count=4433
Battle of Wills (The) # 2 – Education is More than 3R’s by Patina
Summary: During a family picnic at the lake, Adam gets in trouble adding poison ivy to Hoss’ bouquet of wildflowers for Marie. After an argument with his father, Adam decides to leave home. A neighbor and old friend, Abe Garvey, shows Marie that there’s more to education than reading, writing, and arithmetic while leading the search for Adam.
Rating: K Word Count=6007
Battle of Wills (The) # 3 – The Shadow of Jean deMarigny by Patina
Summary: Men break into the house while Marie is home alone with Adam and Hoss. After observing his step-mother’s actions when faced with the robbers, Adam calls Marie a name he once heard Jean de Marigny use. This incident leads to an argument between Ben and Marie about Adam’s upbringing. And Adam finally realizes that Marie had been Jean’s wife.
Rating: K+ Word Count=5268
Battle of Wills (The) # 4 – A Gift Horse by Patina
Summary: Ben announces at supper that he is going to buy a horse for Marie. Adam becomes unhappy because Ben had promised to buy him a horse before leaving for New Orleans. Will this situation cause another rift between Marie and Adam?
Rated K Word Count=3059
Battle of Wills (The) # 5 – New Expectations by Patina
Summary: Marie and Adam race their new horses. Luckily, Paul Martin has arrived in Virginia City to practice medicine. Ben has invited Paul out to the Ponderosa for supper. After examining both Marie and Adam, Paul has to relate Marie’s and Adam’s conditions to Ben.
Rating: K WC=4470
Battle of Wills (The) # 6 – Remembering Childhoods by Patina
Summary: It’s the morning after the events in New Expectations. Ben’s thoughts of the coming baby make him remember Adam’s childhood and Hoss’ early years.
Rating: K+ Word Count=3240
Battle of Wills (The) # 7 – A Room Full of Memories by Patina
Summary: It’s time to clean out the spare room so it can be turned into a nursery for the coming baby. As Ben, Adam, and Hoss go through the room’s contents, they remember the past.
Rating: K+ Word Count=3622
Battle of Wills (The) # 8 – A New Pattern by Patina
Summary: The Cartwrights go into town so Marie can order baby furniture and Adam can get a haircut. Hoss goes shopping with Marie and, while in the store, he overhears her conversation with two elderly ladies about food cravings and whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. Which of course leads to questions.
Rated K+ Word Count=4384
Battle of Wills (The) # 9 – Naming the Newest Cartwright by Patina
Summary: The Cartwrights try to decide on a name for the coming baby.
Rating: K+ Word Count=2542
Battle of Wills (The) #10 – Presents from the Heart by Patina
Summary: The Cartwrights celebrate Adam’s 12th birthday.
Rating: K Word Count=5313
Battle of Wills (The) #11 – Love’s Labor by Patina
Summary: The birth of Joseph Cartwright.
Rating: T Word Count=6306
Battle of Wills (The) #12 – Big Brother Lessons by Patina
Summary: Hoss wants to learn how to be a good older brother to his new sibling.
Rating: K Word Count=2598
Battle of Wills (The) #13 – No Regrets by Patina
Summary: Marie writes a letter to her favorite aunt in New Orleans, describing her life on the Ponderosa.
Rating: K Word Count=2265
Battle of Wills (The) #14 – Baby’s Breath by Patina
Summary: 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
Battle of Wills (The) #15 – Ennui by Patina
Summary: Hoss fears that he’s sick and dying while Pa and Adam are out of town.
Rating: K Word Count=3791
Before a Rose by BluewindFarm
Summary: Inspired by The Mother of All Challenges, to write a story featuring one or more of the Cartwrights in any time period (prequel, season 1-14, sequel, AU), in which Virginia City is an integral part of the tale. This is my story.
Rating: K (4,030 words)
Beginning Again by JC
Summary: Ben Cartwright has twice known love and loss. Will the third time be the charm?
Rating: T (1,015 words)
Beginnings by GinnyF
Summary: Four vignettes of when Ben’s life began anew.
Rating: K (1,230 words)
Between Two Worlds #1 by JoanS
Summary: Joe is sold as a slave after it is discovered that his mother was part-coloured.
Rating: T (64,250 words)
Between Two Worlds #2 – When Two Worlds Collide by JoanS
Summary: Joe tries to deal with his feelings after returning home from Alabama.
Rating: T (26,125 words)
Blessed by PJB
Summary: On the anniversary of Marie’s death, Ben discovers how much he did not know, including how blessed he truly is.
Rating: T WC 7700
Blessings in the Balance by Hart4Ben
Summary: Lost in grief following Marie’s death, Ben is jolted out of his despair.
Rating: K+ WC: 871
Blue Plate Special by DJK
Summary: A chipped blue plate holds memories for Ben and a lesson for his son.
Rating: K+ Word count: 1317
Bubbles in Honey, Roses, and a Button by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: For Ben remembrance comes from an unusual source.
Rating: T Word Count: 5500
Cartwrights Return (or a Story of The Prodigals) by BluewindFarm
Summary: Adam left the Ponderosa more than ten years ago; and now, a letter has arrived announcing his intent to return. This story is his, as well as his family’s. (Categories: Drama / AU)
(53,360 words) Rating: T – for minor cursing.
Christmas After Marie by PJB
Summary: Even in the midst of grief, Christmas is still a time for miracles.
Rated: K WC 13,600
Christmas Surprise (The) by Deansgirl
Summary: The first Christmas 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)
Closing the Book by Questfan
Summary: Adam finally comes home and has to face something he’s kept buried for many years. Can he close the book on a dark chapter of his life?
Word Count: 3183 Rating: T
Collision Course by Julee
Summary: On a business trip to Sacramento, Adam makes an astonishing discovery regarding the events surrounding Marie’s death and it creates a turmoil of emotions for Ben and the boys. Alternate Universe.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 31,205
Compass by dbird
Summary: The Cartwright brothers lose their way on a dangerous ride home…
Rating: K+ (11,050 words)
Devil in Disguise (The) by Bluewind Farm
Summary: Learning bits and pieces of the past enforces a difficult lesson regarding thinking before one acts, and the need to hear both sides of a story before reacting. With the family poised to fall apart, can harmony be restored?
Rating: T (16,335 words)
Echo of a Heartbeat by Patina
Summary: While watching her sons playing down by the lake, Marie wonders about the child she lost.
Rating: K Word Count=1523
First Time (The) by PJB
Summary: With age comes wisdom . . . sometimes. A gentle, erotic WHN for “Marie, My Love.”
Rated: MA WC 3300
Generations by JoanS
Summary: Ben is disturbed when Marie’s father arrives in Virginia City wanting to meet his grandson.
Rated: K (19,580 word)
Greatest Love of All (The) by Terri
Summary: How will Ben react to the new love in Marie’s life?
Rated: K+ WC 1100
Grief is Hard Work by Mumu74
Summary: Contributed for the Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament 2015
Word Count: 5691 Rated: K+
I’m Already There by BluewindFarm
Summary: For those who believe… After an accident, Little Joe asks one very important question that only one person can answer. Is it any surprise at the response he receives?
Rating: K (2,215 words)
If Marie had Lived by Krystyna
Summary: If Marie Had Lived… and Ben had died…
Rating: T (225,640 words)
In Absentia #1 by Belle
Summary: The boys have been forced to accept heartrending loss. Is it time to move on?
K+ (15,750 words)
In Absentia #2 – Restitution by Belle
Summary: Ezra Grady, is dead; but that doesn’t mean the Cartwrights’ troubles are over. Ezra Grady’s silent partner-in-crime has yet another scheme in mind.
(Warning: Referenced mistreatment of a child.)
Rating: T (22,190)
In Absentia #3 – All Through the Night by Belle
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K (1,580 words)
In Loving Memory by Rona
Summary: The Cartwrights reflect on the impact Marie had on their lives.
(3,155 words) Rated: T
Je T’aime Ma by pulitzer2016
Summary: Eleven-year-old Adam never wanted another step Mother, 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 step Mother 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
Just the Two of Them by Alley May
Summary: When little Joe and Marie are home alone for the day, little Joe helps her realize one very important fact.
Rated: K (1,930 words)
Kittens in the Hayloft by Cinderella
Summary: Joe finds a litter of kittens who, unbeknownst to them, help him understand Marie’s death.
Rated: K+ (1,120 words)
Le Réveillon by Puchi Ann
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar. Freshly home from college, Adam becomes concerned when it appears that the Christmas traditions of Little Joe’s mother have been abandoned during his absence
Rating: K (5,240 words)
Legacy from New Orleans by SusanG
Summary: There’s more than meets the eye when a man named Charles Dumont and his ward appear at the Ponderosa.
Rating: T (29,550 words)
Let’s Stay Together by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A thunderstorm brings two brothers together. Pre-series story.
Rating: K Word count: 897
Loss of a Child (The) by Terri
Summary: Ben is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his child.
Rating: PG (16,615 words)
Love Comes Late by DJK
Summary: A young Adam has to come to terms with a second step-mother.
Rating: T+ Warning: contains corporal punishment as part of family discipline. Word count: 45,173
Love’s Last Whisper #1 by Wrangler
Summary: Twelve years after the loss of Marie Cartwright a man with a grudge against Ben commits the unthinkable; the desecration of Marie’s grave and the theft of her casket. Now as a combined, yet grieving, force Ben and his boys begin their search for what was stolen.
Rated: K+ WC 103,000
Love’s Last Whisper #2 – Checkmate: The Return of Bristol Ford by Wrangler
Summary: Three years after he had put the Cartwrights through the trauma of stealling Marie Cartwright’s casket, Bristol Ford returns with a more sinister plot than before. What he accomplishes changes the relationship between Ben and Joe.
Rating: T (66,200 words)
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. Exploring Marie’s part in Cartwright family history.
Rated: T WC 7000
Marie, Once More by pjb
Synopsis: Be careful what you wish for.
Rating: PG-13 (mild sexual content)
Word count: 5,275
Mark of a Man (The) by Gillian
Summary: As the weeks turn to months, Ben’s indifference weighs heavy on Adam’s shoulders. Will it take a tragedy to bring him home? And once home, will he see his son in a new light?
Rating: T (14,025 words)
Memories for Christmas by Juanita
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K (1,850 words)
Merry & Bright by faust
Summary: How can one get through the self-loathing and grief at a time like this?
Rating: G
Word Count: 2,070
Messages by BettyHT
Summary: Prequel stories set in the time shortly after the family has lost Marie and in the pre-Christmas season. Little Joe is sad and there are a couple of ways that Adam finds to bring him out of that sorrow. One his father isn’t entirely pleased to see but the other is amazing.
Rating: K+ (1,620 words)
Missy by AC1830
Summary: At a time of great sadness, one lost soul helps another.
Rating-K, WC-4150
Momma Like the Roses by BluewindFarm
Summary: When the pain and the hurt are still fresh, can a memory shine bright?
Rating: K (1,125 words)
Nightmare from New Orleans by Yankee818
Summary: Left home alone despite Adam’s misgivings. Little Joe is brutally attacked.
Rated: T WC 17,000
Of Little Boys and Puppy Dog Tails by Questfan
Summary: It has only been a short time since the family lost Marie and each of them is struggling to come to terms with it. None of them could have foreseen the impact one small, stray dog would have on the whole family.
Word Count: 5846 Rating: T
Picking up the Threads by JoanS
Summary: Ben finds it difficult to re-enter his boys’ lives after Marie’s death.
Rated: K (13,335 words)
Practice Makes Perfect by Patina
Summary: Marie is entering the final weeks of her pregnancy with the newest Cartwright. Will the baby’s birth go according to plan?
Rating: K Word Count=3699
Premonition by Inca
Summary: After sixteen-year-old Adam discovers a mysterious cave, disturbing events follow.
5940 words Rating K
Price of Truth (The) by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: Did Marie have a secret that she kept from Ben?
Rated: T Word Count: 69500
Remarkable Tin Soldier (The)– by McFair
Summary: Remembrance of Christmas Past
Rating: G 7,950 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, posted in the Forums.
Return (The) #1 by dbird
Summary: What if Marie left Ben Cartwright early in their marriage? What if Joe Cartwright grew up running wild on the streets of New Orleans? What if, sixteen years later, he returned to the father and brothers he had never known?
Rated: K+ (9,075 words)
Return (The) #2 – Abide by dbird
Summary: How does a man abide in a world he never knew? How does he make the choice to remain? How does a family show him the way?
Rated: K+ (12,420 words)
Return (The) #3 – Interlude by dbird
Summary: A hunting trip turns into a different type of quest for Adam, Hoss, and Joe: a struggle to survive against an unknown gunman and the ominous arrival of winter.
Rated: K+ (11,975 words)
Return (The) #4 – Gravity by dbird
Summary: New threats and old scars come together to jeopardize the Cartwrights’ future as a family.
Rated: K+ (18,330 words)
Return (The) #5 – New Orleans Moonlight by dbird
Summary: Memories return on a moonlit night.
(3,580 words) Rated: K+
Return (The) #6 – Fallen by dbird
Summary: Joe’s relationship with Julia Bulette brings back painful memories for the rest of his family. This story incorporates characters and events from “The Julia Bulette Story”.
Rated: K+ (14,695 words)
Search (The) by GinnyF
Summary: A “What-happened-in between” story for “The Stranger” What were the boys doing while Ben rode out with LeDuque?
Rated: K+ (4,500 words)
Second Chances by Starlite
Summary: Ben brings Marie to the Ponderosa, and causes a rift between him and his young son. Will Adam ever forgive him?
Rated: G (12,150 words)
Summary: Marie feels fear after the birth of her son, Joseph. Can she hold him forever?
Rating: G Word Count: 764
Seven Words #1 by Calim11
Summary: Ben has disappeared after Marie’s death leaving Adam in charge. It may be proving too much for the 17-year old.
Rating: T (4,900 words)
Seven Words #2 – Those Who Remain by Calim11
Marie’s died and Ben’s run away but now it’s time to come home. Does he have the strength to come home and face the loss of his wife and the boys he left behind?
Ratings: PG-13 (28,790 words)
Shame by pbeaking
Summary: The loss of Marie has caused Ben to lose his desire for life itself. He has withdrawn from his work, his friends, and most importantly his family. He has taken his anger out in town and now must face the consequences for his actions. Can Roy Coffee and his boys help Ben realize that life is still worth living?
Rating: K+ (4,820 words)
Somebody Else’s Dog by Inca
Summary: There’s been some gossip in Virginia City about Ben Cartwright’s new wife.
Rating: K Word count: 581
Ties that Bind #2 – Imperfect Memory by JC
Synopsis: A conversation overheard at a party evokes Adam’s memories of Marie and his own first love.
Rating: PG-13 for adult situations, mild language (47,550 words)
Their First Noel by Patina
Summary: Marie will soon be celebrating her first Christmas as a Cartwright. But first, the family has to make it through the annual Virginia City Christmas pageant. Will the Cartwrights or the pageant ever be the same?
Rating: K Word Count=5596
Twas the Night Before Christmas by BluewindFarm
Summary: Christmas wishes do come true for the brothers.
Rating: K (690 words)
Truth be Told by BettyHT
Summary: The death of Marie and what led to it trigger years of difficulties for Adam Cartwright and his family building the Ponderosa but with trouble holding the family together. The truth can let them move forward but it takes a long time before Ben admits it.
WC = 61660 rating = T
Unwanted Return (The) by LuvAdam9
Summary: This is a story told by the Cartwright family, each telling his part as it unfolds. This is a story of revenge, mystery, and family.
(6,507) Rating: K+
Vision (The) #1 by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben’s wife reflects on the past and contemplates a vision of what is soon to come. What happened later for Marie, My Love.
Rating: MA (Mature adult theme) (1,060 words)
Vision (The) #2 – epilogue by BluewindFarm
Summary: Her dream is a reality and now they wait for the most important delivery..
Rating: T (3,590 words)
When Lies Wound a Broken Heart by MissJudy
Summary: Ben’s presence with his family is sporadic and brief. Adam is feeling frazzled with running the ranch and caring for his brothers. Hop Sing is holding his breath wondering if the family can ever be the same, and Little Joe has heard something in town that his very young heart believes, despite all evidence to the contrary. (A prequel)
Rating: K Word Count: 9990
When the Dawn Seemed Forever Lost by Patina
Summary: In the wake of Marie’s death, the Cartwrights cope with the loss of the woman who was like spring year-round. Adam is 15, Hoss is 11, and Little Joe is 4.
Rating: K+ Word Count=26,509
While I was Away by DebbieB
Summary: With Marie freshly buried and Ben locked away in his room, the boys are left alone to deal with their own grief.
Rated G WC 7,760
