Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This was written for the Crossover Challenge on Bonanza Brand with the idea of taking another show and merging it together with Bonanza. For those of you who don't know Paradise or The Guns of Paradise as it was renamed, you don't need to know a whole lot. Ethan (played by Lee Horsley) was a gunslinger who inherited his sister's four children when she died and had to make drastic changes to raise them. He had a complicated romantic interest in Amelia Lawson, an independent-minded woman who ran the local bank.

Redemption

Summer of 1864

Joe pushed his horse on towards home, but every so often he turned in the saddle and looked behind him. It was ridiculous and he knew it, but he couldn't shake the thought that he should have looked harder. He should have found the two children he'd made promises to. The road behind him was as empty as it had been the time before and the time before that and finally he stopped the useless exercise. Not that he felt any better for doing so. In fact, it felt like the final admission that he had failed to follow through on something significant.

"I looked everywhere, Cooch."

The horse flicked an ear as if responding to the comment, but otherwise he kept plodding along on the dusty road.

"I looked under the hotel stairs … and the livery … and I asked the girls in the saloon … and nobody had seen them." Joe shook his head as he considered each of the people he had spoken to and the general lack of concern over two children that nobody wanted around anyway. It still angered him to think on some of the heartless responses he had received and the downright lies that he couldn't prove. Like the hotel manager who told him the children had just up and left. As if they preferred running off again to staying in a safe place. He knew there was no way Ethan would have left his horse behind by choice. Joe felt his jaw tighten in anger as emotion clawed its way back up from his gut.

"I asked the doc of he'd been back to see Lucy and he almost laughed at me!" Cochise seemed to feel the tension in his rider's hands and he tossed his head against the reins.

"Sorry, Cooch. It's just … I promised them and I …" Joe sighed as he looked one last time behind him.

It would be almost another week before Joe shared the story of his otherwise uneventful trip to Hangtown. He probably would have kept it to himself if not for the horse.

"Whatcha got there?"

Joe jumped as he heard Hoss' voice, but missed the question. He shoved the horse back into his pocket and stood up off the hay bale and headed towards the door.

"Wait up, Little Joe. Didn't mean to scare ya off."

"You didn't scare me. Just didn't hear you comin', that's all." Joe reached to push the door and would have kept going if his brother hadn't grasped his arm.

"Joe, somethin' has been buggin' you since you got home. Somethin' happen in Hangtown that we should know about?"

Joe shook his brother's hand off as he shook his head. "Nope. Everything was just fine. I got the contract signed just like Pa wanted."

Hoss narrowed his gaze as he watched his little brother's face crease into a frown. He knew that face and knew something wasn't adding up. "Well you sure did take your time gettin' home."

"I already told you, I got caught up in riding with that posse. It wasn't like the sheriff gave me much say in the matter since I was the only one who could identify the bank robber."

"I know that Joe. I'm not accusin' ya of anything."

Hoss knew he was treading on thin ice as Joe was still young enough to make his pa think twice before sending him on an errand such as that contract signing by himself. It rankled with the youngest son and Hoss knew it. Still, something was amiss and he had no idea what.

Joe turned once more for the door and Hoss tried again. "Joe, I dunno what happened, but something ain't sittin' right with ya since ya got back. I just wanted to help, that's all, little brother."

He thought for a moment that Joe was going to walk right out of the barn, until he pulled out whatever it was that he had stashed in his pocket. Hoss edged closer to see Joe's hand slowly unfurl to reveal a scrappy little stick horse tied together with tufts of wool. He would have laughed under normal circumstances, but something told him to hold it in.

"I couldn't find them."

"Find who?" Hoss frowned as Joe scowled at the horse.

"Ethan and Lucy. I told them I'd be back … but when I got back, they were both gone. The hotel manager said they'd run off."

"Who's Ethan and Lucy?"

Joe ran a finger across the tufted mane of the tiny horse before looking up at his brother. "Two little kids who needed me to come back instead of chasing a bank robber half way across California."

Before he could say anything further, Joe shoved the horse back in his pocket and turned for the door. "Too late now. They're gone and that's that."

"Joe!" Hoss hurried after his brother, but wasn't quick enough to stop him from vaulting onto his horse and disappearing out of the yard.

Hoss was left standing in the empty yard, hands on hips, with an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd try again when his brother decided to come back home.

Spring 1890

Ethan twisted the edge of the blanket between his thumb and forefinger as he watched George and Ben sleeping. He wanted to simultaneously gather them into his arms and run from this nightmare as well as tearing the blanket to shreds. It was almost threadbare already and it drew his mind back to a day he'd rather forget. He couldn't help himself as he stared at the blue and red checked pattern woven into the woollen blanket and the fever-reddened faces of his two youngest nephews. He had wondered if George was even going to make it to see his seventh birthday.

Lucy had lain under a blanket such as this one, only it had moth holes right across it. He'd barely turned eight, the same age as Ben and he'd prayed with every fibre of his being that she would come back to him. Apparently, God had seen fit to take his parents and now it seemed that he was also planning on taking his sister. George fidgeted in his sleep and Ethan had to close his eyes to stop the tears that threatened. It had been so many years and he couldn't think why it was coming back now.

Lucy had been restless under that blanket as her fever grew and became all-consuming. He'd put the dirty cloth in the small pot of trough water and wiped at her face as he'd seen Lucy do when their mama got sick. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to do, but one of the women from the saloon had said it helped. If nothing else, it gave him something to do. Something to keep his hands steady and his feet from running away into the night. He'd seen enough in his short life to know that folks died when they got fevers and Lucy wasn't making any sense as she babbled at him and waved her hand at something only she could see.

Ethan felt Clare's hand on his shoulder and he scrubbed his hand across his face before looking up at her.

"Uncle Ethan, you need to sleep."

"I will. Later."

Clare tilted her head at him in that same way that Lucy used to and it almost brought him undone. He'd wanted nothing more than for his sister to live that day and now it seemed that history was repeating itself. He reminded himself that Lucy had survived that fever, but only because of the kindness of a stranger.

Once again, Ethan felt his hands brushing across George and Ben's hair and he sighed as he stood up. She was far too young to be burdened with caring for her brothers, but Clare was right – he desperately needed to sleep.

"I'll sit with them for a while. You really do need to get some rest."

Ethan nodded as he stretched the crick out of his back.

"Where's Joseph?"

"Asleep. As you should be."

"Yes ma'am!" Ethan barely managed a smile at his niece as he headed for his bed.

"Wake me if you need to."

Clare just nodded at him, barely holding her exasperation in check. Of course she would wake him.

Ethan stumbled across to his bed and sank onto the edge of it. He was beyond exhausted and he fumbled as he pulled his boots off. A vague face floated before him as he thought back on that long-past day.

Joseph.

That name rose up in his mind once again and he wondered where that Joseph had ended up. The man who had saved his sister from the fever all those years ago. The man his nephew was named for.

It had been a long time since Ethan had allowed himself to dream. Usually he slept with one eye open and his hand on his pistol. It was a habit that had kept him alive over many years as a hired gun. The last few days had only allowed snatches of sleep as he had tended to the boys and tried to keep on top of the chores that needed doing. Firewood wasn't going to chop itself and while Joseph was handy with an axe, at eleven, he simply didn't have the strength to manage anywhere near what his uncle could.

The darkness claimed him almost the instant his head hit his pillow and Ethan sunk into the mattress as if he were dead. He had no idea when the dream began, but it was so vivid it could have been unfolding before his eyes.

Lucy faltered as she walked along the boardwalk. Her usual sunny smile had been missing for days and she was beginning to frighten him. Her words made no sense as she mumbled at him and she had refused to stay in the bed they had fashioned underneath the back stairs of the hotel. Her hand reached out for the railing and missed, sending her tumbling into the street. Ethan scrambled towards her and knelt in the dirt, pushing urgently at her to wake her up.

His voice grew louder as she refused to open her eyes and the people passing along the boardwalk tutted at him, but none of them stopped long enough to do anything to help. He felt the hot sting of tears on his face as he tried desperately to wake her up. Suddenly he felt somebody beside him and he looked up towards a green jacket and almost matching green eyes. The stranger scooped his sister up out of the dirt and began to climb back up onto the boardwalk.

"Come on."

The stranger nodded his head and began to hurry along the boardwalk. People reluctantly stepped back out of the way and allowed him to pass. Ethan noted the looks on their faces and he couldn't understand why they looked so angry. It would be years later that he would come to understand the kind of prejudice that says it's alright for a child to die if they come from the wrong kind of place or family or have the wrong skin colour. For some reason, that stranger didn't seem to care about that kind of thing as he pushed his way past each of the townsfolk who didn't want to know about two vagabond children.

Ethan watched with horror as the stranger carried his sister into the place that had a shingle out the front. He couldn't read it, but he knew it was the doctor and they couldn't afford to pay for him. They couldn't afford to eat, let alone pay for a doctor. There was gonna be trouble real soon when the doctor figured that out.

The stranger seemed to be having some kind of argument with the doctor before carrying his sister through another door. The man he assumed was the doctor glared at him and Ethan shrank back against the wall. It felt like forever as he waited there in the doctor's front room, but finally the stranger came back out and sat beside him on the bench.

"That your sister in there?"

Ethan nodded and swallowed down the tears that threatened.

"The doc's gonna take real good care of her. I promise."

Ethan had no idea the stranger had threatened the doctor with his own pistol if he refused to attend to the grubby child lying on his examination table. Small towns could be the friendliest places or the worst for ignoring strangers in need. Ethan didn't need to be told which one this was. He'd felt it in the stares and angry words that had been thrown at them at every turn. It wasn't like they wanted to stay, but it had been hard to find a wagon to stow away in and they'd been stuck.

Finally the door opened and the doctor strode out. He said something to the stranger and he frowned as he pulled some coins from his pocket before walking in and picking Lucy up again. She looked just like that rag doll she used to have. Suzy had gotten lost somewhere while they were hiding one time and Lucy had cried the fiercest tears he'd ever seen. It wasn't often that Lucy cried and it had scared him no end.

Ethan followed silently as the young man carried his sister out the door and up the street again. He didn't stop until he came to the hotel and Ethan's eyes grew wide again when he realised the stranger intended to go in. They would never let the likes of him or Lucy in that door and he cowered behind the man's legs as he spoke to the manager at the desk and asked for things to be brought up to his room.

It felt like the longest staircase he had ever climbed as Ethan clambered up the stairs. Any minute now, he expected somebody to grab him from behind and turf him back out into the street. His kind, whatever that was, weren't welcome in such places. Even at just eight years of age, he knew that already.

He hadn't said a word as the stranger opened his door and marched into a room that was filled with so many things he'd never seen before. The man laid Lucy out on the bed and someone came in behind them with a pitcher of water and towels. Ethan longed to climb onto the bed and hold Lucy's hand, just to make sure she was still there, but he didn't dare. Instead, he hung back against the wall and watched as the stranger cleaned his sister with a gentleness he didn't know any man possessed. Lucy mumbled as the cool water touched her skin, but she never once woke up. When he was done, the stranger tugged the blanket over Lucy and tucked it in around her.

"Your turn now."

Ethan swallowed a gulp as the young man reached towards him.

"I can't get a bath sent up, but this will do just fine. Come on."

Ethan felt himself being tugged forward and the same hands that had cared for his sister began to wash the grime from his face and hands. He felt the tickle of the towel behind his ears and tears welled in his eyes once again.

"Did I hurt you?" The stranger pulled back and looked at him with concern.

Words wouldn't come to explain his tears and Ethan simply shook his head. How could he tell this man that his mama used to tickle his ears when she washed him? His stomach ached for his mama and he felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Without knowing what happened, he felt gentle hands cup his face and he looked up to see concern in the stranger's eyes.

"Where's your folks? Anybody looking for you two?"

Ethan shook his head. Nobody was looking for them. Leastways nobody that cared what happened to them. That shopkeeper down on the main street might still be looking for them since Ethan had stolen an apple from the barrel out the front, but he'd been fast enough to escape before the man even knew which alleyway he'd bolted down. He and Lucy had savoured that meal and he could still recall the sweet juice dribbling down his chin.

The stranger's face twisted in that funny way that adults sometimes looked and he found himself staring at his feet. That look made his stomach flip itself into knots.

"Your sister is gonna be just fine. After some rest and some good food."

Before Ethan could answer, there was a sharp rap at the door and the stranger stood up to open it.

"Speakin' of food!"

Ethan huddled back against the bed and did his best not to be seen by whoever was at the door. He smelt some amazing aroma and his stomach growled in response and he watched in awe as the young man carried two trays across the room before laying them on the table. There was enough food to feed an entire town at least! His stomach growled again and the stranger pointed towards the seat at the table.

"You could challenge Hoss with a bear rumble like that. Now climb on up there and we'll see if we can't tame that grizzly."

Ethan didn't need to be told twice and clambered up onto the chair and watched as the young man piled food onto a plate in front of him. He was about to dive in with his fingers when he saw a fork being waved at him. Lucy would have slapped his hand and told him to mind his manners. She was always doin' stuff like that. He gulped and looked down as he realised he'd let her down. Once again, the fork waved in front of him and he looked up to see the stranger smiling at him.

"I just realised we never introduced ourselves. Kinda busy out there before. My name's Joseph, but I usually only get that when I'm in trouble with my pa. Most of the time it's just Joe."

Ethan looked up again to see Joe smiling at him. He couldn't figure why a complete stranger would be so kind to him.

"Ethan … and my sister's name is Lucy."

"Pleased to meet you, Ethan. Now how about we eat some of this good stew before it goes cold."

It would be a long two days before Lucy came back to him. For two days she slept fitfully and sometimes moaned in her sleep. Ethan found himself tucked up in Joe's bedroll on the floor beside her and each time he awoke, Joe was either sitting next to the bed or bathing Lucy's face with cool water or spooning something into her mouth. The fear that had chewed at his stomach was beginning to ease and when Lucy finally looked at him and knew who he was, he found tears rolling down his face that he simply couldn't stop.