A/N: Written by request from a loyal reader. Please note again: This story does contain corporal punishment. If this isn't your cup of tea, you have been duly warned…twice now.

"Hey, what'cha have there, Adam?"

Adam was in the barn, a shiny new pistol in his hand. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard his youngest brother walk into the barn. "Hey, Little Joe. This here is my brand-new pistol. I'm just giving a quick clean before I put it away."

Joe approached with great curiosity and leaned in to get a better look as he got closer. "Gee, sure is pretty, Adam. Wish I was old enough to have something like this. Hey, do you think you could teach me to shoot like you?"

Adam paused in his cleaning. He knew Little Joe has been itching to learn to shoot a gun for a while now. He was touched Joe wanted him to teach him, but he felt it was up to Ben to decide when the time was right. "Did Pa give his blessing?" Seeing a slow shake of Joe's head, Adam continued, "As much as I'd love to show you, Pa has to be the one to say when it's time."

"I understand. I just hope it's soon."

"I know. I'll put in a good word with Pa about how responsible you've been recently. Hopefully, that will sway him to start teaching you. In the meantime, I don't want to see or hear of you touching any guns. Do you understand?" Adam leveled Joe with a stern look.

"Yes, Adam. Guess I'll go back into the house and see if Hop Sing needs any help getting supper ready."

Adam watched as Joe slowly walked out of the barn and back to the house. Adam hoped he could trust Joe to keep his promise and that for his sake he didn't have to learn the hard way about why guns were dangerous.

Five days later, Adam went to retrieve his new pistol from the gun cabinet where all the Cartwright guns were stored. Opening up the cabinet, his worst fears were realized: his pistol was missing. His thoughts immediately drifted back to the conversation in the barn earlier in the week.

Adam turned from the cabinet, fuming with anger. "Joseph! Get down here!"

Joseph appeared a minute later at the top of the stairs. Adam was leaning against the big fireplace, hands crossed over his chest. He could almost see the anger radiating off of him.

Slowly descending the stairs, Little Joe stopped short once he reached the main floor. "You called?"

"Yes, I called. Do you have something you want to tell me?"

"No, I don't think so. Is something wrong Adam? You seem upset."

"Upset? Am I upset? Of course I'm upset! Here you go around touching my stuff and you won't even admit to it!"

"Umm... I don't know what you're talking about Adam. I've been-" Joe's explanation was cut short as Ben came storming into the house. Adam's booming voice could be heard all the way out the barn where Ben was fixing some spare tools. He came rushing to see what the problem was.

"What in the blazes is going on in here?" He fixed both Adam and Joe with a stern glare.

"I went to get my new pistol from the cabinet a few minutes ago and it's gone! Completely GONE! I know it was Joe who took it, but he won't fess up!"

"Calm down Adam. Is this true Joe?"

"No, Pa. I wouldn't take something of Adam's, especially not his pistol."

Ben nodded at Joe's response before turning back to his oldest. "What makes you think Joe took it? He said he didn't take it."

"Of course he would say that. The little rascal doesn't want to get in trouble. He saw me cleaning it the other day out the barn. He was asking questions about it and if I could teach him to shoot." At Ben's raised eyebrows he continued, "I told him 'no' and that you would have to say when it was time to learn. Hoss wouldn't have taken the pistol. He has his own and he knows how dangerous they can be. By process of elimination, that only leaves Joe."

Ben turned to his youngest wanting to make sure he clearly understood both sides of this story. "Are you sure you didn't take it, Joe? Even just to look at? Adam's reasoning seems pretty valid."

Joe was starting to get frustrated at the turn of events. He couldn't believe his father was believing Adam over himself. Fear and anger escalated his temper making his next words come out in a yell. "NO! I told you I didn't take it. I don't know who did, but it wasn't me!" It was Joe's turn to cross his arms over his body, clearly showing how upset he had become.

"Joseph, quiet down. Unfortunately, I have a hard time believing you. You've been begging for me to get you a rifle for almost a year. And now I find out you have shown interest in your brother's new pistol. It wasn't me or Adam, I'm sure Hop Sing didn't take it and Hoss wouldn't either. That leaves only one person… you."

"But, Pa. I didn't -" Ben held up his hand to hold off any more conversation on the matter.

Ben's voice went deadly quiet, never a good sign for whoever he was addressing. "Joseph, enough. I'm done hearing about this. Go wait for me in the barn. I'll be out there shortly."

Looking like a person headed to an execution, Joe walked past his father and older brother shooting a glare at both of them before exiting out the front door and walking across the yard.

"Adam, I'm sorry about all this. I'll be sure to get to the bottom of what happened and let him know the error of not only lying and touching guns but also about touching other people's possessions.

After receiving a nod from Adam, Ben followed in the same footsteps his youngest just took out to the barn.

Arriving in the barn, Ben stopped just inside the door crossing his arms across his chest. "Care to tell me what that outburst was all about?"

Joe turned from where he was standing by his horse's stall when he heard his father begin to speak. He knew he should answer, but his emotions were still flaring and he didn't trust himself to answer respectively. Instead, he remained silent while staring down to the dirt floor.

"Well, Joseph. I'm waiting for an answer."

"I can't say."

"You can't or you won't? You know better than to raise your voice at an adult, let alone me."

Joe took a deep breath to calm his temper before raising his head and speaking. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, but I already told you the truth that I didn't touch Adam's pistol. No one believes me and my temper just got the better of me."

"We've talked about controlling that temper of yours before, haven't we?" Receiving a small nod, Ben moved closer to Joe. "Now, we also have to discuss you taking other people's possessions, not to mention taking someone's gun. Are you allowed to take something from someone without their permission?"

"No, but-"

"No is right. What about touching guns? I'm sure I've told you that you weren't to touch any gun until I started teaching you about them. Maybe I missed it, but have I started giving you lessons?"

"No, sir, you haven't. I didn't tou-"

"No, indeed. So why did you feel you had the right to touch a gun now?"

Tired of being interrupted and not being able to explain himself, he ignored the question and instead quickly and loudly tried to explain once again the truth. "I didn't touch any gun though!"

Surprised at his son's reaction, Ben felt enough was enough. "JOSEPH, didn't I just tell you to get that temper under control? Considering you seem unable to handle that simple request, we'll just move on to the punishment part of this discussion."

Ben moved his hands to his belt buckle, an action that wasn't missed by Joe. "No! Pa, please believe me. I didn't take Adam's stupid pistol. I know they're dangerous and I have agreed to wait until you taught me the proper use of one and all about gun safety before touching one. Please!"

Ben slowly slid the belt out from around his waist while responding to his youngest. "Joseph, we talked about the consequences of touching guns before. All the signs point to you taking it. Yet you keep insisting that you didn't. I was only planning on giving you ten, but since you continue to lie to me, I'm adding another two to that number. Now if you don't want any more than that, I suggest you bend over right now with your hands on the empty crate there."

Joe couldn't believe the turn of events. One look at his father's face, though, told him he was serious. Knowing it was a losing game for him, he slowly walked over to the crate and bent over. The only saving grace in this whole situation was that he was able to keep his pants up. A second later, he felt his Pa's hand on his back, offering just a little bit of comfort.

Grateful Joe complied without any further incident, he quickly doubled the belt in his right hand. Stepping up to his son, he put his left hand on his back, providing not only some comfort but also to help keep him in place.

"Joseph, I'm very disappointed in your actions. I'm even more disappointed you refuse to own up to what you did." And with that said, Ben began the punishment in earnest.

Disappointed. That was worse than having his Pa angry with him. He didn't have much time to contemplate on that thought as he felt the first stinging lick land on his backside. His father never lectured while dishing out punishment which was probably for the best as all he could focus on at that moment was the small fire building across his backside. As quickly as it started, it was over.

"Joseph, you can get up now."

Joe slowly straightened up and turned towards his father while he re-threaded his belt. Ben called a now crying Joe over to him, wrapping him in a big hug and gently rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Joe, I absolutely hate having to punish you like that, but it's my job as your father to show you right from wrong and correct your actions if necessary. Do you understand?" Ben felt a nod against his chest. "As soon as we're done here, I want you to tell me where the pistol is so I can go retrieve it."

Not feeling or hearing an answer, Ben gently pulled Joe away from his chest. "Did you hear me, Joe?"

"Yes, I did. But I don't know where it is. I told you already I didn't take it."

Ben was confused at why Joe was sticking to his story of innocence. It wasn't unusual for one of his sons to be adamant about being not guilty for some crime before punishment. After punishment, though, they had always confessed to their crimes. For Joe to remain insistent on not taking the pistol, especially after he dealt out one of the hardest punishments Joe has ever received, was concerning.

"Joe, I'm done playing this game. You made some wrong choices and you were punished for them. There's no need to keep lying."

"But, Pa. I'm not playing any game. I can't tell you where it is if I didn't take it."

Ben had calmed down after dishing out his punishment, but his disappointment and anger were starting to reappear. "Joseph, this is enough. If you insist on playing innocent and continuing to lie to me, I'll have no choice but to add to your punishment. Starting tonight, you're confined to your room for the next day. Then, expect to be restricted to the ranch for the next two weeks. I'll be sure to add extra chores to your list to keep you busy."

"Pa, that ain't fair!"

"You want to make it a month of restriction?"

"No, sir."

"Very well. I think we're done here. I expect you in your room through tomorrow, except to do your chores and use the necessary. I'll make sure Hop Sing brings your meals to your room. You really have disappointed me today, Joseph."

Joe took off towards the house the moment his father released his hold on him with Ben following several minutes later.

Walking into the house, Ben is greeted by Hoss and Adam both sitting in the main room. Adam was settled in his normal spot in the blue chair, reading, but clearly still upset at the turn of events earlier in the day. Hoss was sitting on the settee emptying his work bag. He had just arrived home after being out all day in the north pasture making some necessary fence repairs. After riding into the yard and hearing his irate father inside the barn, he decided it was best to wait to take care of Chubb for the night and headed inside instead. Inside, Adam was reading, but it was obvious Adam was upset about something. Hoss decided not to poke the bear trying to find out what happened, though. Eventually, he'd figure it out on his own, or his Pa would tell him.

"Hello, boys."

Hoss looked up from his sorting on the settee, seeing distress and concern in his father's eyes. "Hiya, Pa."

Adam never even looked up from his book, but it was clear his mind was preoccupied elsewhere as he addressed Ben. "I assume you took care of the troublemaker. He seemed pretty upset when he ran past us up to his room."

Ben glanced up the stairs. "Yes, I did. It was odd though. He continued to claim his innocence right up until I sent him inside."

That got Adam to put down his book and finally look up at Ben. Sure, Little Joe had a stubborn streak to him, but once you experienced one of Ben's punishments, you normally saw the error of your ways and dropped any facade you were holding onto. "Wait, you're saying Joe continued to say he didn't do it even after punishment?"

"That's right, Adam."

"Hey, Pa? I'm kinda out of the loop here. You mind telling me what happened?"

"Your brother found his pistol missing earlier today. After a process of elimination, Joe was the only one who could have taken it. He said he didn't do it continuing to lie and be disrespectful to me. I think you know how I handled that. But the odd thing was, he continued to say he didn't do it even after I tanned him. I couldn't stand for him continuing to lie to me, so I restricted him to the ranch for a few weeks."

The color in Hoss' face continued to drain as his father talked. "Oh no. I think you made a terrible mistake, Pa."

"What do you mean?"

"So, it makes sense you would think Little Joe would take the pistol. Unfortunately, this time it was me that took it, not him."

Adam sat up a little straighter at that statement. "Why on earth would you take my pistol, Hoss?"

"Now don't you go getting upset, Adam. It was supposed to be a surprise for you, but I guess I'll sacrifice the surprise for Joe's sake. I wanted to buy you a new holster for your new pistol for your birthday. I needed it though so I could make sure the holster fit the pistol and everything. I thought for sure I could return it before you found out."

All eyes turned to Ben who had now sunk into his red chair with guilt plastered across his face. Adam was the first to break the silence that followed Hoss' confession. "Pa, I feel horrible for blaming Joe. It really did seem like something he would do and I just assumed it was him."

"I'm right there with you son. I should have known something was up when he kept saying he didn't do it. I've always told you boys that telling the truth will lead to a lesser punishment than if you lie to me. But now all I've shown Joe was that I'd never believe him if he told the truth."

"In your defense, though, Joe doesn't really tell the truth often. It just made sense that he would lie about this too."

"True. I still should have listened better to his side of the story instead of just jumping to conclusions. It's too late to apologize right now, as I'm sure he's fast asleep. We can all apologize in the morning and I'll make sure Hop Sing makes his favorite breakfast. It won't make up for what we've done, but it will be a good start to mending this broken bridge we've created."

"I don't know about Joe, but my favorite breakfast would mend the bridge completely."

"Of course it would. Food always makes things better for you!" Adam shook his head at Hoss' love for food and how food is the answer to all his problems.

With a plan in place, they all headed to bed anxiously awaiting morning so they could talk to Joe.

While the conversation between Hoss, Adam, and Ben is taking place downstairs, Little Joe is having a hard time falling asleep upstairs. He was hurt and confused at why no one seemed to believe him. Sure, he knew he had a bad habit of lying and getting into mischief. But Pa always told him that if he told the truth, everything would be easier and his punishment would be less severe. He told the truth, but all it seemed to do was make things worse.

Eventually, the muffled voices below quieted and he heard his brothers and father head to bed themselves. He waited until he was sure everyone was asleep before he got out of his own bed. If his family didn't even believe him when he told the truth, why should he stay here? He decided he would be better off somewhere else, anywhere else, somewhere where people would actually believe him.

He grabbed an empty travel bag he kept in his dresser and started putting clothes in it. When he felt he had packed enough clothes, he silently opened his door and crept down the hallway. Reaching the stairs, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. He tiptoed down the stairs, careful to avoid the steps that creaked. After grabbing some left-over bread from the kitchen and a couple apples from the front table, he snuck out the front door. Deciding it was too risky to take his horse, he set off on foot into the wilderness, not knowing what direction he was headed or his final destination.

Sunlight streamed through a crack in the curtains signaling to Adam that it was time to wake up. He had decided last night that the first thing he wanted to do in the morning was apologize to Joe. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretched, then opened up his door. All was quiet in the house as he made his way down the hallway towards Little Joe's room.

He softly knocked on the door. Joe had always been a deep sleeper so he wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an answer or hear any sounds from the other side. He turned the handle and looked into the room only to be greeted by an empty bed.

"Pa! Pa! Come here!"

Awoken from a deep sleep by Adam's frantic yells, Ben quickly rushed out of his room headed in the direction of Joe's room.

"Joe's gone. Do you think he got up early and is outside doing his chores?"

"This is Joe we're talking about. When has he ever gotten up early to do chores?"

Hoss entered the house just as he heard Adam's frantic calling from upstairs. Heading up the stairs to see what the commotion was all about, he heard Adam ask if Joe was outside. "Adam, Pa. I just returned from outside. Joe wasn't out there with me. No sign of him either. His horse was still stabled and everything."

"Adam, saddle up our horses. Hoss go tell Hop Sing we'll be late for breakfast. I'll be ready in about 10 minutes then we'll head out in search of him."

Meanwhile, Joe has become desperately lost and disoriented. He's lived his whole life on the Ponderosa, but for all he knew he could be in the middle of some foreign land. Nothing looked familiar. He had followed the main road for an hour before turning off of it and into the deep forest just before dawn. He was reaching his breaking point.

Sitting down on a fallen log, he put his head in his arms and started to cry. If he didn't know where he was, how was anyone going to find him? He didn't bring nearly enough food with him and he had no weapons to hunt for his own food. He thought about heading back in the direction he came, but now that he looked up, he couldn't remember which way he had come. The sun was shining brightly, which would have offered a good compass only if Joe had known which direction he headed when he left the ranch house. Admitting to defeat, Joe started crying again hoping someone would hear him or find him soon.

Ben, Adam, and Hoss had been searching for what seemed like hours. Finding no signs of him anywhere, they decided to split up so they could cover more ground, agreeing to fire three shots into the air if Joe was found.

Adam headed north in the direction of the old line shack that wasn't used much anymore. Riding along the main road, he noticed something along the side. While there weren't any clear signs of a trail, the vegetation looked disturbed. Ground tying his horse by the side of the road, he followed that faint trail on foot into the forest.

A half-hour later, Adam heard some distant sobbing. "Joe! Little Joe! Is that you?"

A faint reply was heard. It was so quiet and if Adam hadn't been listening, he might have missed it. "Adam, I'm over here!"

"I'm here Joe! Keep talking to me so I can find you."

Rounding a dense thicket of bushes, Adam spotted Joe sitting on a nearby log. "Hey, Joe. I'm here now. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." After raising his head to answer his brother, he leaned his head back down on his arms which were crossed over his legs.

Taking a seat next to Joe, Adam felt this was as good a time as any to apologize and try to explain to his younger brother about what happened. "Look, Joe. I know you probably don't want to talk to me after everything that happened yesterday." When Joe didn't respond, Adam cleared his throat and continued. "I'm sorry for what I did; blaming you for taking my pistol. Hoss told us what happened. He had taken it so he could buy me a birthday present." Still no response from the lump sitting on the log next to him. "I really am sorry for blaming you. All the signs were pointing at you being guilty, though. You have to understand that it seemed natural for me to think it was you."

Finally, Joe picked up his head and looked at Adam. "I understand. It was frustrating and hurtful that you didn't believe me, but I do understand how all the evidence made me seem guilty. I just hope you believe me next time."

"Sure, Joe. Only if you promise to be patient with me. You don't exactly have the best track record for being honest."

A small smile passed across Joe's face as he held out his hand to shake on it. "Deal."

"Great, let's head home then." Adam returned the handshake, then stood and sent up the three shots to let Ben and Hoss know Joe was found and to head home.

Joe was pulled into a big embrace by Ben as they arrived in the front yard. "Joe! We were so worried about you. How could you worry us like that?"

"Sorry, Pa. I was just so hurt that you didn't believe me that I figured I'd be better off out on my own. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, son. You haven't had a good record of telling the truth before, but I should have realized when you kept insisting you didn't do it, that you were telling the truth. I promise in the future to not act so rashly."

"Thanks. Hey, seeing as you punished me unfairly this time, do you think I could have a free pass the next time I get in trouble?" Joe sent a sly grin up to his father, hoping it would convince him to agree to his offer.

The last thing Ben needed was to hand out a 'free pass'. Knowing his luck, Little Joe would do something even more dangerous next time. No. He definitely didn't want to be tied down to not punishing him for whatever the next bit of trouble he gets into. "Nice try." Joe pouted at how quickly Ben made up his mind. "But I'll tell you what. I'll take this situation into consideration the next time you get into trouble. Depending on the situation, there will likely be less punishment."

Not completely happy with that answer, but figuring that's as close to a free pass as he'll get, Joe accepts the answer. "Fine. I'll be sure to remind you next time, just in case you forget."

"Just try not to get into trouble too soon."

"I can't make any promises, Pa."