Like an angel passing through my room

Storyteller: Isla de Muerta

Songfic: Like an angel passing through my room by Abba

A/N Now revamped. Hope it's better this time

Disclaimer: I don't own these guys. Only the one's you don't recognize are mine.

Summary: Meet Mariana Ringwood who makes Hoss' heart go crazy and I know Candy wasn't in Ponderosa when Adam was there but now he is because I do need him in this fic.

Rating: T

Chapter I: Darkness falls

"Long awaited darkness falls

Casting shadows on the walls

In the twilight hour I am alone

Sitting near the fireplace, dying embers warm my face

In this peaceful solitude

All the outside world subdued

Everything comes back to me again

In the gloom

Like an angel passing through my room"

Mariana was sitting in Cartwright's home, near the big fireplace. She was staring at embers that were slowly burning out. She cried. She was feeling down, depressed and lonely though she enjoyed the solitude. She remembered her life backwards and everything that has happened to her came back.

She had gotten unpleasant news from her father. He was living in San Francisco now with his new fiancée and was getting married now. Mariana didn't like her fathers new wife-to-be because she knew that Linda only wants her father's money. Mariana had moved back to Virginia City when her father had engaged Linda and she lived now with Cartwright's. She had also heard very unexpected news concerning her aunt and was now very worried. And to add something more to that misery, she felt that she was getting sick. Little did she knew what was coming. Suddenly she felt something very peaceful in the room. She heard footsteps coming from stairs and quickly wiped her tears away. The she glanced to stairs to see who was coming down. It was Ben Cartwright.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" he asked from Mariana.

"Oh, did I wake you up Mr. Cartwright? I'm really sorry if I did. What time is it?" she asked.

"It's one in the night. And dear girl you can call me Ben," Ben said to Mariana.

Young woman nodded to this man she had known all of her lifetime. " Go back to sleep Ben. I'll stay here for awhile".

But Ben was strict and he said to Mariana, "Yes, I'm going back to sleep but so are you".

A yawn slipped from Mariana and embarrassed she said, "Ok" to Ben. He helped her up and escorted her to her room.

"Good night" he whispered to Mariana and Mariana said good nights back to Ben.

It was morning and Ben was already eating breakfast when his sons came down.

"Good mornin' Pa," Little Joe wished to Ben and sat down. Also Hoss and Adam said their mornings to their father. Hop Sing came from kitchen bringing bacon and eggs to the hungry men. They didn't notice that Mariana wasn't with them because they had so much to discuss about their daily duties.

"Adam and Joe, I want you to go and check those fences at north border. Take few ranch hands with you." Ben told to boys. They nodded while chewing their food.

"I've got some business with Roy Coffee in Virginia City so I'll leave there right after eating," Hoss said and now it was Ben's turn to nod.

They drank their coffees and spread to do their works. At noon, they came home to eat lunch. Again, Hop Sing had made amazingly good food. He brought a bowl of potatoes.

" Is missy Mariana coming to eat with you?" he asked from Ben.

"What do you mean by that?" Ben asked from their cook.

" Missy didn't came down to eat breakfast. Hop Sing had to throw her breakfast away".

Ben looked at his sons and then rose. He went to upstairs and knocked Mariana's door. When he didn't hear anything, he went in. But the room was empty and he went back down.

"She wasn't there," Ben said to his sons who were waiting with a question in their eyes. Right at same time door slammed and missing girl came in.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I missed lunch. I was out riding," she yelled to Cartwright's and after while came and sat down.

She took potatoes and everything else what was on table and started to eat. Ben was about to ask where she was but then he didn't. Again after eating Cartwright's spread to their businesses leaving Mariana alone to house. She wandered around and finally sat down in front of fireplace after visiting Adam's room borrowing a book from him. She snoozed to chair and didn't notice the time and from that chair, Hoss found her sleeping when he came back at suppertime. Hoss looked that delicate, little woman with soft eyes and felt something warm in his heart. The rest of his family came in.

"Shhh, don't make so much noise, it's disturbing her," Hoss said and pointed Mariana. Immediately they stopped talking loud.

"Should I wake her?" Hoss asked.

" You better do that or Hop Sing gets very mad because he'd to throw food away again," said his father.

Hoss went silently to Mariana and shook her gently.

" Wake up, Beautiful dreamer," he said to Mariana.

He didn't do anything to scare her but she still got scared when waking up. She looked wildly around room.

"What, who..?" she was asking.

"Calm down Mariana, it's me, Hoss. I'm sorry if I scared you but it's supper time and we thought you'd want to eat with us," Hoss soothed Mariana.

"Oh, yes, of course. But it should be me who's sorry. I was late from lunch and now I'm late for supper and got scared of you waking me in your home where nothing could hurt me," Mariana said to Hoss now, clearly calmed down. Then she came to eat with them. After eating, she offered to help Hop Sing with dishes.

"No, missy, no. Hop Sing does dishes not missy Mariana" cook tried to rebel but Mariana was stubborn and finally they washed dishes together. Ben sat down to count something and Little Joe and Hoss just sat down to chairs. Adam took his guitar and started to play and sing with soft voice. Soon after Hop Sing and Mariana had washed dishes, Mariana came to listen Adam's singing. She sat down to chair and took that book she was reading before and started to read again. But the warmth of fireplace and that noise when woods burning and Adam's soft voice played a trick on her. Ben looked to her way when he heard quiet thumb when Mariana's book fell on the floor.

"Hoss," he said, interrupting Hoss and Joe's conversation. Hoss looked his father.

" I think you should carry her to bed," Ben said and nodded towards Mariana.

" Aww, she's so cute when she snoozes like that," Little Joe said quietly.

Hoss stood up and took Mariana gently but firm in his arms and climb upstairs. He opened Mariana's door and set the girl to her bed.

"Mhm, what?" Mariana woke but she was clearly half in sleep.

" I took you to bed. You fell asleep to chair downstairs so I thought you'd be better sleep here," Hoss replied to Mariana but she'd fallen back to sleep before Hoss ended his sentence. He took her shoes of and covered her. Then, leaving her to sleep he went back down.

" Did she wake?" Ben asked and Hoss nodded.

"But actually she didn't woke up. She just opened her eyes but she was still asleep," Hoss answered and continued, " She must've been very tired".

" She must've been because I found her wake in late hours last night," Ben told and shook his head. After little silence he stood up and said to boys, " Well, we too should go to sleep. It's early waking again tomorrow". They all agreed. But in her room Mariana had woke up and now listened all go to sleep. Quietly she stepped up and changed her clothes.