It was a Sunday night Ben Cartwright was smoking his pipe after his dinner, Adam was reading his newest book the new one volume edition of Great Expectations. Hoss and Little Joe were battling each other in checkers, the fire was down to a small dull roar since it was summer outside and it was a warm night. The sun hadn't even completely set yet. Ben was staring out the windows at the sky, streaks, of purple mixing with the reds, blues and blacks. Neither sun nor the moon was visible at the moment.

Ben was smoking his Pipe and watching the sun set it was well after 8 when it was completely dark. Once the night was truly upon them, there was an odd and loud cracking sound in the middle of the room they all stood and suddenly a white light appeared in the room they all stared at it slack-jawed as the light became increasingly darker hues of Green until it was it was an intense emerald green, the light began to form into four shapes, human shapes, the green shapes slowly formed from green light into people, four people to be exact, all female, one distinctly adult, one distinctly child, and two he wasn't quite sure, of their ages exactly just that they were somewhere in the middle.

The oldest of the women if he had to judge was about 26, and clearly the young child's mother. They were near identical. The woman had her Raven Black Hair in a Bun in top of her head, her Green eyes were trying to show to mask her fear and confusion as not to frighten the girls, but she couldn't completely hide it. She was wearing a Black Shirt, and Black Skirt, and White apron, the clothes of a recent widow. She was wearing practical work boots though so she was most clearly staying on a ranch of some kind. She had on a large Canvas bag slung over her shoulder, almost like a Messenger or Big city newsboy might wear. She was strikingly beautiful and the few lines on her face showed that it had been a happy life. The child had her dark hair though it was in two French braids on either side of her head, and her green eyes seemed just as confused, but clearly didn't understand enough to be scared. She was wearing workpants and a work shirt, and even a child size Stetson and her hair was in two braids, most likely Ben thought the mother didn't want her to get her dress dirty she noticed she her pants were dirty and there was a flower necklace around her neck, both of the younger girls were also carrying canvas bags on her shoulder but carrying a rag doll that looked a lot like her, the other two looked a great deal similar to the widow, in facial features and they had the same Green eyes, but One, the older one who looked about 19 to Ben's tired eyes had Honey Blonde hair pulled into a French braid that went down her back, and was wearing a simple Blue dress, and an apron, the other girl he honestly couldn't tell how old she was, she was at least 13 but couldn't be older than 17. She was dressed in a Darker Blue dress with, and her light brown hair was going free around her shoulders and back. Both girls had canvas bags.

"Well that doesn't happen every day." The Little girl said sagely.

"Okay either something really, really weird just happened or Uncle Will decided to go all out for the reenactment?" Livy said.

"Or Uncle Andy decided to do one of his Oh, so funny, practical Jokes." Willow added. "Remember the dancing vegetable garden, Aunt Holly almost had a heart attack."

"The three of you Zip it!" The oldest said. "My Apologies, My name is Virginia Westin, my sisters Willow and Olivia McCabe and my daughter Isabelle, I'm a History Professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, or I will be someday, I wasn't granted my doctorate until 2007,and I didn't start teaching at Northwestern until 2011, and I know for a fact you're Ben Cartwright the first, you look just like you're picture."

"Yes, Ben Cartwright, the one and only."

"And it's sometime between 1859 and 1864."

"July 6th, 1862. How could you not know the year?" Adam said Skeptically.

"It's not 1862, that was a long time ago, it's 2014." Izzy the little girl said.

""Mrs. Westin."

"Doctor or Professor." Izzy corrected.

"Izzy, shh, don't be Rude" Ginny said, cuffing her gently on the back of the head "Mrs. Westin is fine, or Ginny if we ever get a chance to become friends. I know I'm not a professor here….."

"You're a professor how is that possible?" Little Joe said.

"A lot changes in 152 years, Our President is a Negro, and our Secretary of State is a Woman, there are 50 states in the Union, voting age is 18, and is open anyone over 18 who is a legal citizen of this country. Unless your legal address is in Washington, DC, then there are grey areas there…."

"That's insane." Ben said calmly

"Is it, it's completely and utterly insane, I freely admit that it's also the truth. Now do you have another explanation for us appearing here, the green light show, an explanation that doesn't sound equally insane or worse?"

Ben sighed he couldn't think of one. "No, I don't."

"No, I have some proof…." She reached into her bag and pulled out her own tablet, she went over to Adam and accessed photos. "These are photos, this is Ben Cartwright III's 90th Birthday Party, from 2011, he's Little Joe Grandson, Next to him, to the right that's his son Will, William Eric Cartwright, to Will's right is Will's son Andrew William Cartwright, Andy, on Andy's Lap, are his kids, Ben Joseph, BJ, and Anna Marie, behind him is his wife Holly next to Holly is my husband her twin brother Bobby, obviously I'm next to him and I'm holding Izzy, now to the right of old Ben, is Livy, and Willow, Ben's nurse Sarah, and current Ranch foreman Quincy Parkman, and the current Sheriff Lucy Martinez." The men gathered around the tablet and looked at the pixels. She pointed everyone out again, then she moved the pictures again. "This is from the last reenactment, this one was during the winter, we actually get more tourists during the winter since everyone's at Lake Tahoe for the winter snow vacations and needs something to do for the day that the whole family can enjoy, but during the summer we only get a few people. You see we were staying at the Ponderosa Ranch at the request of Will and Andy. It's tradition that several times a year, they run the ranch as their ancestors did, as you did. its why we're dressed like this. As you can see." She moved onto another photo of her seeing off her husband she sniffled. "This is not how we normally dress." And another of her teaching. I can offer other proof…." She hands Adam the tablet. "Try not to break it."

She goes into her bad and takes out her wallet and hands it to Ben. "What's this?"

"My wallet, there's cash, credit cards, several IDs." Ben examined the wallet. There was $100 in cash, three in $20 bills, showing the likeness of Andrew Jackson, two of a $10 bills showing the likeness of Alexander Hamilton, and 4 five dollar bills with the likeness of Abraham Lincoln. This was good news to Ben, even if the Confederacy won the war there was still a working nation able to put out currency who venerated Abraham Lincoln enough to put him on their money. He put the money back and looked at the Identification. There was a Chicago, Illinois Driver's License with a Photograph, A Medical Insurance Card, A Northeastern University Faculty Identification Card with a Photograph, A Stargazer School Parent Teacher Association Card, then he got to the credit cards.

"Credit cards, it's like having an account at a store, only it's on the card instead, it's horribly in favor of the company though. Which is why I tend use the debit obtain which takes the money directly out of my account instead of charging using credit, but there's caveat to buy anything big houses, cars which is like a horseless wagon, land, anything of that nature you either do it all in cash which nobody has the money to do, or you need impossibly good credit." Ben thought about it he put the cards and cash back. And handed it back to her. No one had the means to put on that light show, and create that picture viewer Adam was looking at, and make the things in this wallet. Maybe they could come up with this story but they wouldn't have this evidence to present to me, Ben thought.

"Pa, whatever this is it isn't just a fancy Photo album it's a device so far ahead of current science…..it literally can't exist." Adam said.

"Yet, the first computer or the idea for one actually already exists in your time was designed and invented by Charles Babbage in 1833."

"I studied his designed in college." Adam said. "He invented this?"

"No, but his designs are the great-great-grandfather to this. His way of thinking lead to a revolution in the 1930s and 40s, giant calculating and analyzing computers were built, they were the size of factories, by the 1970s they were the size of one room, by the 1980s they your desk, by then eventually on your lap, the in your palm of your hand, these computers are lot more powerful, faster, safer than many of the ones that came before them. The computers they power our government, our homes, offices, educations, lives….." Ginny said.

"Gin you're in Professor Mode again." Livy complained.

"Alright I'll stop." She raised her hands in the international symbol of I give up.

"No, please go on." Adam said very interested.

"Adam another time." Ben's headache was getting increasingly worse because he couldn't deny he believed them to a point. "Mrs. Westin I do believe you are say who you say you are, and I also believe, that coming here was not your choice, because if one would chose to travel into the past, one would most likely not pick a time so far into past, nor would they be unprepared for their trip."

"See what you're saying is good, but I still hear distrust in your voice, Mr. Cartwright." Ginny said

"It's not that I distrust you….."

"No, it's alright I understand. You don't survive as long as you have in the time and place you did, in the business you chose, without being shrewd, and a little bit paranoid"

"You are of course welcome to stay." He said. His headache was getting worse. This woman was Blunt, as any one he's ever met well at least any woman he'd certainly met plenty of men that were this blunt but they were rude and downright crude and while most high society folks might consider her as such there was something about her. A gentleness, fierce protectiveness, common sense, and straight forwardness that he admired. She was in essence him.

"Where you can keep an eye on us." She said with a warm smile. Ben noted she didn't seem to be upset by this fact.

"Well, I, uh…." Ben stammered.

"Mr. Cartwright I do understand, and I know you don't like my manners. But it's been a very long weird day, it's past my daughter's bed time, I have no time to be a proper lady there are times when it just gets in the way, I need to cut to the chase here, I know you don't trust us, that you and your sons will be keeping an eye on us, I also know you'll be protecting us."

"And what do you think we'll be protecting us from?"

"I may be a history professor but I'm not from this time, this isn't my culture, and it's sure not my girls' culture one of is bound to do something stupid and anger someone, or just get in the way, or maybe some desperate man will just like one of us too much the ratio of men to women is fairly skewed. I need my girls and I to be protected."

"That I can do."

"We also need protection from someone who might want to use our knowledge of the future for personal, financial or tactical gain. We may do small things here or there, but nothing revolutionary and nothing that would turn the tide of a war or anything like that."

"I understand." He said.

"Because of that I recommend the tablets." Olivia and Willow groaned. "and our wallets need to be locked up in your safe, there may be other things in there but I packed Izzy's bag all her toys except for her learning tablet are all handmade, she has a leather journal, her pens will have to be taken away because modern pens are very different than yours, but the journal should be fine, also there are three novels from the 1950s written by Ben the III, during the 1950s Cowboy craze taken directly from Little Joe's Journal's and Ben's Journals and edited for children. I think you should take those also." Her Mother takes her bag off of Izzy. Izzy yawns and stumbles a little. She leans into her mother who puts an arm around her to steady her and rubs her back almost reflexively.

"Pa, I think this Little gal, needs to get to sleep." Hoss said.

"Adam why don't you carry her up and show Mrs. Westin where she and Isabell will be sleeping, Olivia and Willow can share the other guest room."

"Of course." Adam scooped up. Izzy she holds tight to her doll. "What's your Doll's name?"

"Daisy." She yawns and leans into him. "My Mommy made her for me."

"She's very pretty."