The Importance of Family

Disclaimer: I don't own Bonanza, not making any money, just cheap thrills.
Warnings: Angst
Rating: FRT
Italics dream
The Importance of Family
Chapter 3
The hallway was long and narrow, lined by doors on either side of the plain white walls. Joe could hear a haunting tune playing somewhere in the background. The song was familiar, he was sure he'd heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. He found himself wondering what the doors hid, yet he ignored them all, his feet inexorably drawn to the door at the end of the hall.
The hall seemed to go on forever, with every foot he traveled it felt as if the hall grew another two feet in length. He would never reach the end at this rate. What was behind that door? Why couldn't he ever reach it? With growing determination and a feeling of desperation, Joe broke into a run in an effort to close the distance between him and the door.
"You'll only wear yourself out that way Joe," Adam admonished in that superior tone Joe had long ago learned to hate.
Whirling around, he glared at his older brother. "What do you know about it?" he snapped.
Adam sighed, "I know that you have to stop and think Joe if you want to reach the door."
"You always think you know everything don't you Adam? What are you doing here anyway? This is my dream, isn't it?"
"Oh yes, this is your dream little brother. A dream you obviously feel you need my help to solve, why else would I be here?"
Joe snorted, "Butting in where you're not wanted."
"Sorry to disappoint you Little Joe, but I'm only here because you invited me."
Joe heaved a frustrated sigh, "Fine, since you're here what would you suggest?"
Adam stared down the hall, examining the doors on either side of the hall and comparing them to the one at the end. "Well, the doors on the side seem to stay in place don't they?"
"I guess so," Joe replied, puzzled by where this was going.
"Maybe the trick is to open those doors first," Adam suggested.
"How is that going to help me get to that door?" Joe demanded, pointing down the hall at the offending door.
Adam shrugged, "I don't know, but it's worth a shot isn't it?"
Joe gave a small nod and pulled open the closest door, stepping through, he smiled when he realized where he was. This was his 18th birthday party. His dad and brothers had arranged it as a surprise. They had even managed to convince him that they had forgotten in the crush of work needing done. So it had come as a shock to walk into the restaurant/bar owned by his father's friend Sam, resigned to a lonely meal, only to have his family and friends jump out, yelling surprise.
Moving further into the room, he found other memories, some newer, some older, but all taking place within the last two years.
"Seen enough?" Adam asked, interrupting him.
Joe turned back, irritated with his brother, "Nobody asked you to stay."
"You did," Adam calmly countered.
"When?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
God, even in my dreams he's a pompous ass, Joe silently groused. "Why are you here?"
"Logic of course little brother," Adam smiled.
Behind the smirk, Joe could easily see the love his brother held for him, the smirk still made him angry. "You saying I'm not logical?" he growled.
"Well now shortshanks you do tend to look before ya leap," Hoss spoke from behind him.
Joe whirled, how had Hoss gotten here and why hadn't he seen him?
"You needed me to keep you calm so ya wouldn't lose sight of what Adam was trying to tell you."
"You reading my mind now?" He gave a sheepish grin at the amused look his brothers shared. "Right, you are part of my mind, both of you are. So now what?"
"Go to the next door," Adam suggested.
Hoss said nothing, his role was to offer the emotional support Joe needed and he understood that.
Without a word, Joe led the way out of the room and headed for the next door. As he threw open the door, he wondered what he would find this time. More memories, big surprise there, he smirked. These memories were a little older though. Sixteen and newly licensed, he had wrecked the car his father had bought him only three weeks later. It was the last new car he owned for a while. His dad had insisted that since the wreck had been caused by his speeding and general recklessness, he should pay for all damages and earn his next vehicle.
At the time, Joe had been furious. All he could see was the unfairness of it all. He had several friends who had done the same thing and their parents had immediately bought them new cars. Even Tony's parents had replaced his car and he had not only been speeding, he'd been drunk when he had his accident. By the time Joe had earned enough to pay for the damages he'd caused and replace his car with an older model, Tony had wrecked his third car. He didn't walk away from that one though, instead he was killed just two weeks shy of his seventeenth birthday. It was then that Joe had realized what a favor his father had done him and suddenly his punishment didn't seem so unfair.
Deciding he didn't want to spend anymore time in this room, Joe turned and left. Moving to the next door, he opened it, expecting to see memories from his fourteenth or fifteenth years, instead the memories here were from when he was only five. "This doesn't make any sense," he mumbled.
"Memories don't always make sense, likely a sound or smell triggered this memory, bringing it to the surface," Adam logically theorized.
Joe shuddered, he didn't want to be here! He turned to leave, a high-pitched laugh of pure joy froze him in his tracks. "Mama," he whispered, turning back to watch the memory unfold. Marie flew across the meadow on the horse's back, her long hair trailing out behind her. In spite of knowing how the memory would end, Joe couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. The joy his mother clearly felt in this simple act was an infectious thing. Nobody would be able to hold back the smile such happiness demanded.
All too soon, he saw his five year old self stepping onto the porch. He looked up at Hoss, grateful for the big man's silent support as he witnessed the scene. The little boy standing there watched his mother for a few minutes, grinning when she turned towards him. He raised his hand to wave to her as she came galloping up in the direction of the house. She raised her hand to return his wave when the horse, spooked by something, raised up. Taken by surprise and with only one hand holding the reins, Marie was easily unseated, her neck snapping as she hit the ground. Joe fled, running into the hall and slamming the door of his memory behind him.
Joe sat up in his bed, breathing heavily, he struggled to regain control of himself. Looking wildly around the room, he tried to remember what he had been dreaming of. All he could remember was the sound of a song that for some reason left him feeling slightly ill, but he didn't know why. Why wasn't he able to recall the dream? Swiping a shaking hand through his sweat soaked curls, Joe wished he could remember what the dream was about; at least he thought he did. Deciding there was nothing he could do about it tonight, he quickly changed sweat covered pajamas and put clean sheets on the bed before climbing back between the sheets.
Mike Bowers sat in the shadows of the cabin he was sharing with his daughter. He hated to believe what the Cartwright boy had told him, but he couldn't deny there was a ring of truth to his words. If the boy had lied though, God have mercy on him, because Mike surely wouldn't.
Sarah laughed as Tom took a curve, the rickety old jeep feeling like it was going to tip over, making her feel alive. It was too bad she couldn't always feel this way. Of course, she supposed it she did it would get old pretty quickly. No, much better to save this sort of cheap thrill for vacations. The rush she got from slumming with a guy like Tom, taking risks she would never take back home, was what got her through the rest of her, admittedly, boring life.
As the sign for the Ponderosa came into view, Sarah sighed. The night was over too soon, as always, but there was nothing to be done about it. She couldn't chance her father catching her with somebody like the down at the heels cowboy beside her. There was no telling what he might do, it was even possible that he would disown her, leaving her to, she shuddered, work for a living. "Damn," she cursed as Tom pulled into the driveway, letting his jeep coast to a silent stop.
"What's wrong babe?" Tom asked, confused by her outburst.
"Don't you see it?" she snapped, pointing to Joe's car.
"So?" He didn't understand, why did she care if Joe was here?
"So?" she nearly screeched. "What if my father saw him?"
"Why are you so upset? You're an adult, ain't ya?" Suddenly Tom wondered if maybe she had lied to him. Oh God, what if she were underage? He could go to prison if she had. He began to tremble as the thought of prison came to him.
"Of course, but that doesn't mean my father wouldn't throw a fit. I told you that's why I had to sneak out to see you," she impatiently explained.
Mike hung his head, damn he hated eating crow. It was clear, as he listened to their conversation, that he would be chewing on the tough bird in the morning when he spoke to Mr. Cartwright.
"I had fun Tom," Sarah smiled. Leaning over, she gave him one last kiss. "I better go in now, though, don't want Dad to know how late I'm coming in." She didn't give the cowboy a chance to answer, simply climbing out of the jeep and stepping away.
Mike waited for Tom to leave before making his presence known. "Have a good time Sarah?"
Sarah yelped, jumping a foot, one hand resting on her chest as if to contain her racing heart. "Dad! You scared me half to death."
"You didn't answer my question," Mike pointed out.
"It's not what it looks like Dad."
"No? So you didn't leave here with Joe Cartwright and then meet up with some drifter?"
"Well, um, I am an adult," she asserted. Sarah hoped that if she came across as strong her father would respect her decisions and wishes.
"No Sarah you're not," Mike sighed. "An adult doesn't sneak around like a rebellious teenager."
Sarah bit her lip nervously, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get some sleep and then in the morning, after we pack, I'm going to apologize to Mr. Cartwright and his son."
"Apologize?" Sarah was puzzled.
"Yes, that's what adults do when they realize they were in the wrong. If you want to be taken seriously as an adult Sarah, you should consider an apology of your own."
"You're not...I thought you'd..." Sarah trailed off. She had been so sure her father would be screaming at her, threatening to disown her, if he ever found out about her slumming.
"You thought I'd what?"
"Disown me," Sarah meekly replied.
"Why would I disown you? Because you lied to me?"
Sarah shook her head, "For hanging out with somebody like Tom."
"What do you mean, like Tom?" Mike asked. He knew what his own objections to Tom were, but he wondered if Sarah really understood why he would have a problem with the man. He suspected, much to his own shame, that she didn't.
"Because he's just a poor cowboy," Sarah's tone clearly said the answer was obvious.
Mike hung his head, he'd obviously failed his child if she thought so poorly of him. "Sarah, honey, I could care less about the boy's financial status."
"You could?"
"My problem with him and those like him is the sneakiness and underhandedness. If he were really the right sort of man he would have come to the door and picked you up for a proper date. There would have been no need for him to see you on the sly."
"That was my fault, I told him you wouldn't approve," Sarah confessed.
"No Sarah, you're wrong. A real man, a man with integrity would have refused to date you if he had to sneak around behind my back. A man who respected you would never treat you like some dirty secret, even if you told him it was necessary. I won't force you to apologize to Joe Cartwright, but I suggest you think about what we've said here tonight. I hope you'll see that it is the only right thing to do. Goodnight sweetheart." Quietly turning away, Mike Bowers fell back into the shadows, leaving his daughter to think.
TBC