Trouble has come to the Pondarosa, and it's up to Adam to save his family and friends.
Joe has one drink too many at the Marquette’s one-year anniversary party, which wouldn’t have been such an issue with his father if he wasn’t only fourteen years old. The morning after, Adam learns a few things about his little brother… and a few things about himself, too.
Too young to go on the drive, Little Joe is left under the care of a neighbor. They will soon find out, the boy they left behind is not the same one that is returned to them. Which begs the question, what happened to the boy they left behind? (This is the prequel to the 2 part series, Good Boy.) Trigger warning* Deals with the subject of child abuse.
The Beauty of Darkness - a sequel to The Friendship, The Guilty, The Tall Stranger, The Crucible, and The Storm. - Jimmy Partridge. Margie Owens. Peter Kane. Laura White. Things were far from routine on the Ponderosa. His life – his family – was a shambles. That indefinable 'thing' that made them 'the' Cartwrights, was lost. Ben Cartwright despaired of ever getting it back.
Joe's always getting in trouble. Good thing Candy's always there to get him out of trouble. Joe/Candy slowburn.
Following the events of the Prime of Life, Ben thinks everything has returned to normal… until his oldest son comes to him with open wounds Ben thought had long been healed. The missing conversation between Adam and Ben from my story “Never Again.”
After accidently causing the death of his dear friend, Gabe, Ben has fallen into a state of depression. His sons are at a loss, unsure of what to do with such a disconnected father. But Adam knows. Adam's been here before. And he knows it has once again fallen to him to get his brothers through it. (Missing/Analyzed scene from s5 ep13"The Prime of Life")