Rated K+

Word Count=4115

Summary: After telling four year old Little Joe about the balls held during Mardi Gras, Marie dreams of a dance held in the future. How has life turned out for the Cartwrights? Did Adam, Hoss, and Joe turn out to be the men we know?

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Cartwrights or Bonanza. No copyright infringement is intended. Original plot and characters are property of the author. This story is for entertainment and no money was made from it.

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A Glimpse into the Future

“Tell me a story ‘bout New Orleans, Mama” pleaded Little Joe.  The four year old was trying to further delay his bedtime.  Marie’s green eyes looked into the green eyes of her son.  Ben would be upset with her for indulging her little boy’s request, especially since he had managed to wheedle his father into letting him stay up an hour past his regular bedtime.

“Hmm..let’s see.  Ash Wednesday is in two weeks.  Would you like to hear about the Mardi Gras balls I attended in New Orleans?”

“Who was Marty Graw?  Didja used to play with him?”

“Non, mon petit” said Marie with a laugh in her voice.  “It’s a festival season that begins two weeks before Ash Wednesday.  The balls were fancy dances where the men wore tuxedos and the ladies wore their most beautiful gowns.”

“Do the men and ladies kiss at midnight like on New Year’s Eve?” Little Joe asked, wrinkling up his nose.

“How do you know about kissing on New Year’s Eve?”

“I seen you and Papa from the top of the stairs.  The clock banged twelve times and then Papa kissed you for a really long time.”

Marie blushed crimson and said “You were supposed to be sleeping, mon petit.  Why were you out of your bed?”

“I couldn’t sleep.  Hoss was breathin’ too loud.  Adam was readin’ and he told me to back to bed.  I went to you and Papa’s room, but you wasn’t there.  That’s when I seen ya from the top of the stairs.”

Marie was completely surprised by Little Joe’s recounting of everyone’s activities that night.  She blushed redder thinking it was a lucky thing that she and Ben hadn’t decided to welcome the new year more intimately.

“Ain’t ya gonna tell me ‘bout the parties, Mama?”

“Well, each ball was ruled over by a king and queen.  The king was attended by pages and the queen was attended by maids.  Each year, there was a new king and queen as well as a court of princes and princesses.”

Little Joe yawned as his mother described the court.  Marie hoped the boy would soon be asleep.

“Everyone wore masks so no one would know who they really were.”

The boy’s eyes widened and he was suddenly alert again.  “Ya mean they was like bandits?”

“Non, the men wore masks because they were bankers, businessmen, and landowners.  They didn’t want anyone to recognize them having so much fun, I think.  The ladies wore masks to make them more mysterious and more beautiful.”

“Why?”

“When a mask hides one’s face, a person has to guess who it may hide.  A mask allows the wearer to behave in a way they usually may not.”

“What else happened?”

“Debutantes were presented to the king and queen.”

“Whats?”

“Young ladies who are eligible to date young men.”  Little Joe wrinkled up his nose.  “After the debutantes were presented, there was dancing.  Bottle after bottle of champagne was opened.  People sometimes got quite drunk.  Duels were sometimes fought at the balls when there had been too much drinking.”

“Duels?!?!” answered Little Joe.  He had sat upright at the mention of duels.  “Ya mean they pulled out swords and fought?  What was they fightin’ for?”

Marie crafted her answer carefully.  “They usually fought because they thought their wives were flirting with another man too much or thought someone insulted them in some way.”

“Has Papa ever fought a duel at a party?”

“Of course not!” answered Marie.  “Your père would never fight a man who had too much to drink.  Now, did you want to hear about the balls?”

“Okay.”

“The first dance of the ball was led by the king and queen following the presentation of the debutantes.  After the king and queen had danced for a suitable amount of time, the debutantes and their fathers took to the dance floor.  Following that first dance, everyone was invited onto the floor.  As the orchestra played fast music, couples would almost fly across the dance floor.  The swish and swirl of dresses was so beautiful to see.  Waltzes were played so couples could catch their breath.”

Marie paused for a moment and looked down at her son.  Little Joe had finally fallen asleep. She tucked the covers around him knowing that they would be in complete disarray by morning.  Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly on the forehead.  “Beaux rêves, mon petit.”

Tip-toeing out of the room, Marie stood in the hall for a moment.  Light was shining from under Adam’s door.  Approaching her older step-son’s room, she tapped lightly.  “Come in” she heard him say.

Opening the door, she saw Adam at his writing desk.  “What are you doing, mon fils, that can’t wait until morning?”

“I’m just trying to finish these sketches for Pa.  I should be done in another half hour.”

“Alright, mon fils” answered Marie with a smile.  “Sleep well.”

“Good night” said Adam with a smile for his step-mother.  Then he went back to his sketches.

Going back into the hall, Marie heard Hoss’ snoring begin.  Must be 9:30 she thought.  Hoss was almost clock-like in his snoring.  No matter how early he went to bed, the noise usually didn’t begin until 9:30.  A small amused smile played on her lips.

Finally entering the room she shared with her husband, Marie began taking the pins out of her hair.  As it fell below her shoulders, she ran her fingers through it.  Examining a tress in the lamplight, she wondered what she would look like when it was gray.  Would it change evenly or be streaked?  Would it just fade from blond to gray?  Ben’s hair was graying, but it was doing so beautifully, she thought.  Someday, he would have a magnificent silver mane.  Now, it was mostly pepper with liberally sprinkled salt.

Lost in thought, she didn’t hear her husband enter.  He found her gazing into the mirror, a tress of hair in hand.  “Penny for your thoughts” he said.

Startled, she blushed and said “I was wondering how I’ll look with gray hair.”

“You’ll be as beautiful as you are now.”  He then placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.  “The color of your hair won’t matter when we’re surrounded by grandchildren.”

“Will you still think I’m beautiful when my face is wrinkled?”

“Considering how wrinkled my face will probably be, you’ll look absolutely enchanting.”  He began massaging her shoulders.

She laughed at that.  “Why monsieur, a lady would think you were having improper thoughts.”

He kissed the top of her head and then her neck.  “Of course I’m having improper thoughts.  How can I not with such a beautiful wife?”

She stood and turned to him.  After a passionate kiss, Ben crossed to the door and closed it while Marie began to undress.  Once in bed, they made love like newlyweds.

Afterwards, as they snuggled together, Ben asked “Did you have any trouble getting Joseph to sleep?”

“A little at first.  But I told him about the Mardi Gras balls in New Orleans and he fell asleep.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about that little scamp going to dances anytime soon.”

Marie let out a giggle at that.  With his curly mop of hair, green eyes, and bone structure she knew Joseph was going to be a handsome man.  She hoped he would have as much of a presence as his father.

Falling asleep in her husband’s arms, Marie began to dream of growing old and dances.  She dreamed that she and Ben were as elegant on the dance floor as they were now.  He had silver hair and hers was a much lighter shade of blond with some streaks of gray.   A few lines were on their faces, but neither was deeply wrinkled.

Banners hung in the ballroom.  Marie was surprised to see that the banners bore the message “Happy 25^th Anniversary.”  That meant that her sons were grown and possibly had families of their own.

As the music ended for this particular dance, the couples stopped and applauded the small orchestra.  A man with a notebook approached and addressed her husband as “Governor.”  She was very surprised at that.  Ben served on the town council, but didn’t seem to have higher political ambitions.  The Ponderosa must have become extremely successful for Ben to hold such a high political office.  And Nevada must have become a state.

Another man approached the couple and extended his hand to Ben.  Marie thought he looked very familiar, but couldn’t place him.  The man’s hair was graying at the temples and he wore a mustache.  As soon as the man said “Pa” she realized this was Adam.  What a fine looking man he had become.  She hoped he’d had that college education she and Ben had talked about providing for him.

Ben introduced Adam to the newspaper man.  “This is my oldest son, Adam.  He runs the Ponderosa for me.”  As those two men talked, Marie fanned herself.  It had become quite warm in the ballroom.

A large man approached with two glasses of punch.  His sandy hair was thinning, but there was no mistaking those twinkling blue eyes or expressive smile.  He handed her a glass of punch and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.  “Congratulations, Mama” he said.

“Thank you, mon fils.  Your père and I are so happy tonight.”

Ben, realizing that Hoss had come over, introduced his second son to the newspaper man.  “This is my son, Eric.  He manages the First Bank of Sacramento.  Marie and I are always pleased when he can get away from the bank for a while and come to visit.”  Marie was very surprised that Hoss was a bank manager.  Not that he wasn’t capable, but he was such a generous boy that she would’ve thought him more likely to give the bank’s money away than manage it.

Just as she was wondering where her Petit Joseph was, a young, well-dressed man entered the ballroom with a woman on each arm.  The young man appeared to be quite the dandy.  She noticed that the women on his arms seemed overly made-up, almost like cheap saloon girls.  Adam’s jaw clenched when he saw the young man and even Hoss didn’t look happy.

Ignoring the stares, the young man came up to Marie and kissed her on the cheek.  Not recognizing him, she stood rather stiffly.  “Still not happy to see me, are you, Mother?” he asked.  Suddenly, she realized that the green eyes she was looking into belonged to her Petit Joseph.  “Of course I’m happy to see you, mon fils” she finally said.

“Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friend?” he asked, nodding towards the newspaper man.

Adam stood in front of Joe and whispered “Why did you have to come here tonight?”

“It’s my parents’ anniversary.  Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“Why did you bring those women with you?”

“These ladies looked they needed to have a good time.  I figured this was the best place to be for dancin’.”

“Don’t start anything, Joe…”

“Or what, big brother?”  Joe asked, green eyes flashing.

“And who is this?” asked the newspaper man.

After a short moment of silence, Ben said “This is my youngest son, Joseph.  He’s into horses.”  Ben didn’t offer to elaborate.

The newspaper man asked Joe, “Do you have a stable?”

Lighting a cigar, Joe puffed for a few seconds and then said “Not one in particular.  I just own a few fine specimens of horse flesh that race really fast.”

Marie felt her stomach clench.  Her son sounded like he was a gambler.  Did this mean that she and Ben had to support Joseph’s lifestyle?  Did he just drift from race to race hoping to win large sums of money?  Could a person’s actions be transmitted to the next generation, she wondered?  When she had met Ben, she was a hostess at a gaming club.  Was gambling in her son’s blood?

“Where did you acquire your horses?  In Kentucky?” asked the newspaper man, figuring that this was going to be a better story than the Governor’s anniversary celebration.

“When my parents sent me on my grand tour, I detoured to Araby.  There I found some of the fastest horses I’ve ever seen.  I finally persuaded a sheik to part with a few of them and I brought them back here.  Perhaps you’ve heard of my stud—Yankee Clipper?  I called him that because he’s as fast as those clipper ships my father used to sail on.”

Marie noticed the hard set of Ben’s mouth.  Hoss was looking at the floor.  Adam had taken Joe’s elbow and was trying to steer him away.

“Let go of me, Adam” Joe hissed.

“C’mon, Joe, I think you should try some of the punch.”

Losing his temper, Joe swung hard at Adam and hit his oldest brother in the jaw.  The newspaper man scribbled furiously.  Marie was not about to have this night spoiled by scandal.  Stepping between her sons, she said “That’s enough, Joseph.  I want you to stay, but if you don’t apologize to Adam immediately, I’d like you to leave.”

Joe flashed a glare at his mother before tipping his hat and saying “Sorry.”  He then stalked off to the punch bowl with his lady friends.

Marie was shocked at what her Petit Joseph had become.  How could her darling little boy be this man?  Joseph had a temper that sometimes resulted in tantrums, but she hoped that Ben had taught her son not to raise his fists to his family.  What role had she played in his turning out to be a gambler?

Ben had stepped forward and was looking at Adam’s face.  Adam would most likely have an ugly bruise by morning, thought Marie.  She had heard the tone of Ben’s voice when he introduced his youngest to the newspaper man.  Did he not love their son as much as Adam and Hoss?  What had Joseph done to make his family dislike him so?

A photographer approached to take Ben and Marie’s picture.  Once the couple was posed, the photographic process was begun.  After the picture had been taken, Marie asked Ben “Do you want one made with our fils?”

Ben’s jaw twitched, but he called for Adam, Hoss, and Joe to come over.  “Your mother wants a photograph made of all of us together.  Adam, you stand to my left.  Joseph, you stand to your mother’s right.  Hoss, stand behind us.”  After everyone was in position, the photographic process began again.  Marie wished the process could be done faster so she could have the photograph now.  Once finished, Joe headed for the company of his lady friends while Adam circulated among the guests.

Shrill laughter from the other side of the room caught Marie’s attention.  Joseph was now holding court with several young ladies.  Her son had become a very handsome man.  Had she and Ben spoiled their son so much that he felt no need to find work to support himself?  Ben had made the Ponderosa quite a success and Adam must have expanded on that.  Hoss had obviously learned the value of hard work since he managed one of California’s most successful banks.  Did Adam’s and Hoss’ success have anything to do with their mothers, she wondered?

Turning away from Joseph, Marie gazed at her husband.  He looked so magnificent.  Even twenty years older, he had such a commanding presence.  His eyes were as piercing as ever and took in everything.  Ben felt Marie’s eyes on him and excused himself from the conversation he was holding.  He came over to his wife, took her hand, and kissed it.

“Are you happy, darling?”

“Oui, mon chère” she answered.

The orchestra began playing a waltz.  “May I have this dance, Madame?”  Ben asked playfully.

With a flirtatious wave of her fan, Marie replied “Oui, Monsieur.”

The couple went to the dance floor where other couples were swirling in time with the music.  Ben held Marie tightly to him, his hand strong on the small of her back.  She leaned in close to her husband and savored the scent of his cologne.  Looking up into his eyes, she saw love and what appeared to be pride.

A gunshot caused the musicians to suddenly stop.  All of the couples on the dance floor had stopped as well and were anxiously looking for the source of the shot.  “Cartwright!!” a voice boomed out.  “You’re a cheat and a card sharp, Sir!”  Marie finally found the source of the shouting.  Another dandily dressed young man had come in and was yelling at Joseph.  This man also had the look of a gambler.  “You also alienated the affections of my fiancée, Cartwright.  It’s one thing to steal my money, but it’s another to steal my wife-to-be!!!”

“I have no idea to what you are referring, Sir” said Joe with a large smile.  “Why don’t you have some punch and we’ll talk.”

Marie noticed that Hoss was moving along the edge of the room to get behind Joseph’s accuser.  Adam was trying to move through the crowd to get to Joseph.

“Don’t patronize me, Cartwright!!!  You won’t ever steal another man’s fiancée again!”  The intruder lifted his gun and pointed it at Joseph.  Hoss and Adam were trying to shove their way through the crowd to get to their brother.  Joseph leaped forward to try to grab the gun from his accuser.  The two men struggled as Marie watched in terror.  Ladies screamed at the sight of the struggle.  She could hear Ben yelling but couldn’t make out the words.  It was so hard to hear over the roaring in her ears.

As Joseph and his accuser struggled, both men fell to the floor.  The gun went off with a tremendous explosion.  Neither man moved.  Adam finally reached the two and pulled Joseph’s attacker off of his brother.  Marie saw the blossoming bloodstain on Joseph’s chest.  In a rage, Adam pummeled Joseph’s attacker while Hoss tried to pull his older brother off of the man.  Marie was now kneeling at Joseph’s side, his head in her lap.  “No!” she screamed.  “Not my baby!  Joseph!  N0!

Feeling hands on her arms, Marie struggled.  Overcome with grief at the loss of her son, she lashed out at whoever was gripping her.  “Marie!!!” She heard her name being called, but couldn’t respond between her sobs.

“Marie!!!” Ben was shaking his wife to bring her out of her nightmare.  She was screaming in French and the only words he could understand were “no” and “Joseph.”  Ben began lightly slapping Marie’s face, hoping that would work.  In an act of desperation, he pulled her to him, spoke soothingly, and stroked her hair.  “You’ve had a nightmare, darling.  I’m here.  You’re alright.  Ssssshhhhh.”

Finally coming to, Marie felt tears on her face and the grip of strong arms around her.  “Oh, Ben!!” she said.  “I dreamed a horrible future.  Joseph became a gambler and was killed on our twenty-fifth anniversary.”

Hugging her closer, Ben continued to soothe her.  “It’s alright, darling.  Everyone is okay.  Our Little Joe is still four years old.  Ssssshhhhhh.”

Marie began to calm down, taking comfort in her husband’s arms and words.  Ben asked, “How did I look?”

Sniffling, Marie answered “Magnifique.”

A knock on the door got the couple’s attention.  Ben handed Marie her nightgown, which she hastily slipped over her head.  Ben pulled the covers up to just below his chest.  “Come in” he said once Marie was presentable.

The door opened and three sleepy boys entered.  “We heard Marie screaming” said Adam.  “We wanted to make sure she’s okay.”

“Wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, she replied “I’m alright, mes fils.  It was just a bad dream.”

Little Joe stepped forward with his stuffed bear.  The little boy handed the bear to his mother and said “He’ll keep ya safe, Mama.”  Marie pulled Little Joe to her and gave him a kiss and hug.

Adam stepped forward to collect Little Joe and take him back to bed.  “Are you sure everything’s okay?” asked Adam with concern.  “Mais oui, mon fils” Marie answered with a smile.  Adam then leaned over and kissed his step-mother on the cheek.  Not to be left out, Hoss wormed his way between Adam and Little Joe and gave Marie a kiss on the cheek, too.

“Your mother is okay now, boys” said Ben.  “Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“Good night, Pa, Marie” said Adam as he ushered his younger brothers out of their parents’ room.  “Can I sleep with you, Adam?” asked Little Joe before they were out of the room.  “Sure, buddy” said Adam, shutting the door behind him.

Ben held Marie tightly again and kissed her forehead.  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently.

“Do you think my past can influence Joseph’s future?”

“What do you mean?”

“I used to work at a gaming club.  What if gambling is in my blood?  What if I passed that on to our Joseph?”

“Sssshhh” was Ben’s response.  “You are as beautiful inside as you are outside.  I don’t believe you could pass anything like that to Joseph.  We’ll make sure he turns out to be an upstanding young man.”

Marie relaxed and nestled herself into her husband’s arms.  “But what if…?”

“You forget your son is half Cartwright.  If he works as hard as Adam and Hoss, he won’t have time for things like gambling.”

“Perhaps you’re right” answered Marie drowsily.

“Are you sure I looked magnificent?” asked Ben.  “After all, it was twenty years in the future.”

Starting to fall asleep, Marie replied “You had the most magnificent silver mane.”

“Any wrinkles?” he asked.

There was no answer.  He looked down on his wife’s sleeping face.  In twenty years she would no doubt be more beautiful than she was now.  Ben dimmed the lamp and tried to go back to sleep.  He should have asked what Adam’s and Hoss’ futures held.  And he wondered why his hair had gone completely silver in her glimpse of the future.

The End