Lucinda
By Rackuhn
A/N: Wanted to post this before Halloween, but after I reread the story, I did a major rewrite (I like it much better now). Anyway, hope you enjoy and sorry for any major typo's.
Cousins Bo and Luke Duke were riding along in their car, the General Lee, both excited about the evenings festivities. They were both on their way to the Boars Nest where the annual Halloween party was being held again this year, meeting up with their other cousin, Daisy, who was forced to work the event.
Not wanting to ruin their costumes by climbing in and out of the General's windows, the two were still dressed like they normally would be, with the plan of changing into their costumes when they got there. Bo decided on going as a blonde-haired vampire while Luke chose to go as a zombie. Neither one of them had a date for tonight's party but they weren't worried about that either, knowing that there were going to be plenty of single, unattached females there, who were just waiting for the chance to date a Duke.
"Tonight should be a great night, don't ya think Cousin?" Bo chuckled in excitement.
"Is should be," dark haired Luke Duke answered with a grin. "Accordin' ta Daisy, there should be plenty of girls for us to dance with tonight."
"And maybe if were lucky, we'll be doin' more than just dancin'," Bo smiled while waggling his eyebrows causing Luke to roll his eyes even as his own smile grew at the thought. Driving down the dark road, Bo slowed down enough to turn onto Cemetery Road to continue on to the Boars Nest. "Man, it's creepy out here tonight," he complained as he squinted into the darkness in front of them, an uneasy feeling coming over him. It was an unusually dark night with heavy clouds hanging in the sky and a strong wind blowing leaves everywhere.
"Well we are gonna go past a cemetery and on Halloween night," Luke answered with an evil grin.
"Not funny Luke," Bo complained.
"Now you're soundin' like Daisy did when we had ta walk through the cemetery ta get home that one time," Luke replied remembering when they ran into Henry Flatt, who they thought was dead.
"I'm beginnin' ta think that she was right after all."
Luke just looked back at his cousin in surprise at the way he was acting and saw Bo shiver. As they continued on, it was through a mess of swirling foliage that Bo saw the large deer run across the road. Hitting the brakes and swerving to avoid the animal, the right front tire popped as it hit some debris lying in the road, making Bo's job of coming to a safe stop a lot harder; he managed to do it though, much to Luke's relief. Breathing heavily, Bo looked around and found that the deer was gone and that they were stuck right beside the cemetery. He involuntarily shivered again as a feeling of dread came over him.
"Good job," Luke simply said pulling Bo from his morbid thoughts.
"I think we lost another tire though," Bo finally answered before they pulled themselves out of the car. He quickly made his way around to the other side where Luke was standing looking at the damage, trying to distance himself from the nearby cemetery.
"Well, it ain't gonna fix itself," the older cousin sighed. Moving to the back of the car, he popped the trunk and swore as he saw the condition the spare was in. "I thought that ya took this inta get fixed already," Luke yelled at his cousin.
"Me? You were supposed ta take it in ta Cooter."
The two cousins stared hard at each other before Luke shook his head and moved over to the driver's side door. Reaching in, he grabbed the CB handset and pulled it up to his mouth. "Lost Sheep ta Shepard, come in. Come in Shepard."
A few moments later they heard Jesse's voice coming over the speaker. "This is Shepard. I thought that you two were on your way ta the party."
"We were," Luke confirmed, "that was until we blew a tire and found out that the spare is shot too." Do ya think ya could give us a hand?"
"Where ya at?"
"Out on old Cemetery Road, just past the turn off.
"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Thanks Uncle Jesse. Out." Luke threw the handle back on the seat and turned to lean against the car. "We're gonna be late ta the party all because ya didn't take that tire in."
"And when was I supposed ta do that? We've both been workin' all week at harvestin' the crops. I haven't had a chance ta get ta town, have you?" Bo angrily asked as he poked a finger into the older Duke's chest.
Luke sighed again. "You're right, I'm sorry. We've both been kind of busy this past week, haven't we?"
Bo couldn't help but chuckle as his anger towards his cousin quickly faded. "We sure have. That's probably why we were both so anxious ta get out tonight."
"That and all those pretty girls," Luke grinned. Bo was about to respond when he heard a low, whispered voice coming from the cemetery. He turned and squinted into the darkness to see what it was that made the noise. "What's the matter?" Luke asked, pushing himself away from the car.
"I thought I heard something," Bo replied as he continued to search.
"I didn't hear anything," Luke said as he too looked around.
The wind suddenly blew as Bo heard another whisper, goose bumps forming on his arms as the temperature suddenly dropped. "There it is again. Did ya hear it that time?"
"Only thing I heard was the wind blowin'," Luke confessed.
"I'm tellin' ya there's something over there."
"It's probably an animal or some kids tryin' ta scare us and they're doin' a good job with you!" Luke chuckled as he leaned against the car again.
Bo quickly turned to face his cousin. "I'm tellin' ya that ain't no kids makin' that kind of noise," he growled back, angered because Luke wasn't taking him seriously.
Luke watched in horror as a strange—thing—rammed into his cousin knocking him to the ground. At first it looked like a ball of mist had enveloped Bo but it quickly morphed into the shape of a woman, a hideously deformed woman. The creature then pulled the blonde-haired man up off of the ground by his throat and continued to raise her arm until Bo's feet no longer touched the dirt road.
"No! Stop, you'll kill him," Luke shouted out as he moved to help his baby cousin. The female form saw him coming towards them and thrust her other hand out, catching Luke in the chest, sending him flying in the air and landing heavily on the ground. He shook his head to clear it and quickly got back up on his feet only to be batted away again.
"You must die, Wainwright," the ghostly form hissed as she tightened her fingers around the young Duke's throat. Bo's eyes widened in terror as the apparition then placed her other hand over his heart and began to push, her hand slowly disappearing into his chest. Bo clawed and scratched in vain at the ghostly hand that was thrusting into him, struggling to free himself from the agony caused by her fingers wrapping around and crushing his heart.
Luke desperately tried to figure out a way to help his cousin but his scared mind couldn't come up with anything that would free Bo from this horror. Every time he tried to get near, that thing would bat him away as if he were a paper ball. Luke watched on helplessly as his cousin's thrashing became weaker, tears flowing from his own eyes due to his own uselessness. But everyone froze when a thundering voice boomed out.
"Lucinda, stop!"
The ghostly figure turned at the commanding voice curious to see who it was that knew her. Recognition formed in her eyes and she released her hold on Bo who fell to the ground, unconscious. Luke too turned when he heard the familiar voice. "Uncle Jesse?"
As he got out of his truck Jesse nodded in acknowledgement to Luke but his eyes never left the ethereal spirit. "Lucinda, leave him," he firmly ordered as he made his way closer, quickly glancing down at his nephew's still form.
"I recognize you, Duke," Lucinda hissed as she continued to hover over Bo.
"That's right, I'm Samuel Duke's son, Jesse, and I order ya ta leave that boy be."
"Never!" the spirit cried out as she floated closer to the blonde haired boy. "He's a Wainwright. He's got Wainwright blood in his veins."
"You're right, his momma was a Wainwright, Sarah, daughter to Jason and Emma Wainwright," Jesse confirmed for her.
"Then I must destroy him."
"Destroy him?" Luke cried out only to have Jesse turn and quiet him with a look.
Jesse turned back to the apparition. "Ya can't destroy him, Lucinda."
"I must," she screamed back.
"No, ya can't. You're right, that boy there does have Wainwright blood in his veins but he's also a Duke and I know that ya can tell that too."
"A Duke?" A puzzled look crossed Lucinda's ghostly face as she looked down at Bo and realized what Jesse just told her was true, she could feel the Duke blood in his veins.
"His daddy was my brother John and ya vowed never ta harm a Duke, remember?"
"I must destroy him!"
"If ya do then you'll force me ta break my promise."
"No!" Lucinda protested adamantly. "You can't!"
"I will unless ya change you're mind about destroyin' Bo," Jesse said. His outwardly appearance thoroughly hid the terror that he was feeling on the inside for his nephew's well being. Lucinda turned back to Bo, clearly undecided about what to do, wanting to destroy him for being a Wainwright but knowing she couldn't because he was a Duke.
"Why? Why did they create him?" Lucinda asked turning back to Jesse.
"Because Sarah and John fell in love even though the two of them knew of the history about all the families involved. It was also ta preserve the Wainwright legacy since this feud between the families had nearly wiped them out, and because Sarah was the last of her line." Jesse's look took on a hard edge. "Lucinda, if ya kill him ya will succeed in destroyin' the Wainwrights, but in doin' so, I'll be forced ta break the promise that my Granddaddy made ta you're family." Luke stood beside his uncle and watched as Lucinda slowly backed away from his cousin, confused as to what was going on.
"He did it to protect her family didn't he? John Duke married her to save them."
Jesse remembered what his brother had done and smiled. "Yes, he did. It was the only way they knew of ta protect her and her family."
"What about…?" Lucinda hesitantly questioned, her eyes filled with worry.
"Safe and will always remain safe as long as ya don't go back on your word."
"It's over then, isn't it?" Lucinda asked as an expression of relief softened her horrid features, her face changing to look like the pictures that Jesse remembered seeing. "The killing is over?"
"Yes it's over," Jesse smiled sadly.
"I am so glad. I wished I had never made that vow, it wasn't worth it."
"Killing never is," Jesse agreed.
"Thank you Jesse Duke and…I am sorry. I will do as you wish and not harm the boy any further." The two Duke men stood there and watched as Lucinda slowly vanished leaving their way clear to get to Bo.
Placing his fingers on Bo's neck, Luke sighed in relief when he felt his cousin's pulse beating, a bit unsteady, but it was strong. He quickly turned to his uncle as the older man did his own examination on Bo. "Uncle Jesse, what's goin' on? What just happened here?"
Jesse dropped his chin to his chest and swallowed hard. Looking up at Luke, he saw the fear and confusion on his nephew's face. "It's…it's a long story, Luke, and right now, I'm more concerned about Bo. Let's get him home and inta bed."
"Home? Shouldn't we get him ta the hospital?"
"The hospital can't do anythin' for him."
"But that—thing—tried ta kill him!"
"I know but she didn't. I stopped her in time. Let's just get him home where I can take care of him."
Luke stared at his uncle for a few moments before giving into the concern about his cousin. Together, they managed to get Bo into the truck and back to the farm, where they quickly put him to bed. With Luke not willing to leave his cousin's side, Jesse went back to the kitchen and pulled out a large, wooden box that he kept hidden in one of the bottom cupboards. Opening the lid, he revealed the contents of the many strange herbs that were stored inside. Selecting a couple of different ones, he ground them up with an old fashion pestle and mortar before mixing them in a glass of water. Heading back to the boy's bedroom, he sat on the side of Bo's bed and forced him to drink, grinning slightly at his nephew's grimacing face.
"What is that?" Luke asked, realizing that the glass did not contain any of Jesse's shine like he thought it would.
"It's just some medicine that my Daddy taught me ta make. It'll help Bo heal a bit faster," Jesse answered as he continued to help Bo drink. A few minutes later, the mixture was gone and Jesse laid Bo's head back down on his pillow.
About a half an hour later, Bo's blue eyes fluttered opened to find the concerned faces of his uncle and cousin. "Welcome back, son," Jesse smiled, relief flooding over him.
"What ha…happened," Bo winced as he struggled for a full breath. His chest felt tight, his lungs felt like they were on fire, and his throat felt like it was full of sandpaper.
"How do ya feel?" Luke asked as he tightly held his cousin's hand.
"Sore," Bo croaked out, grimacing as he swallowed. Jesse reached over to where the pitcher of water was on the bedside table and poured a glass. Luke helped Bo to sit up slightly as Jesse held the glass. Bo managed a few sips before he needed to lie back down. Looking around, he realized that he was lying in his bed and turned confused eyes to Luke. "What happened?" he asked again.
"What's the last thing ya remember?" Jesse questioned, knowing that his nephew needed to deal with everything that had happened to him.
"Drivin' ta…the Boars Nest…got a flat tire…by the old cemetery…called ya 'cause the spare was flat." Bo looked over at Luke to make sure what he was remembering was what really happened. The smile on Luke's face told him that he was doing just fine so far.
"What else do ya remember?" Jesse prodded.
"Feelin' like we…was bein' watched. Then somethin'…slammed inta me from behind. Did someone…attack us?"
"More like something," Luke answered while ignoring the warning look that his uncle gave him.
Bo laid there and tried to remember more and his eyes widened in fear. "Somethin' did attack me," he said as he tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by both Jesse and Luke.
"Now just take it easy, Bo. Just stay still," Jesse ordered as he saw the fear and pain on Bo's face.
"What was it? What attacked me?" Bo asked, his voice breaking from overuse.
"Well," Jesse hesitated knowing what he was going to tell the boys would be somewhat hard to believe. "That thing that attacked ya was the spirit of Lucinda Tanner." Jesse stopped as he saw the expected looks of disbelief on the boys' faces but could also see that they were taking him seriously especially after what they had just been through. "And that's not the first time she's come back from the dead."
"Wait a minute," Luke broke in, "isn't she a relative of mine?"
"That's right. Lucinda Tanner would have been your great, great, great, grandmother on your momma's side," Jesse confirmed.
Bo gave Jesse a puzzled look. "But why did she…attack me?"
"Because she could sense that you're a Wainwright," Jesse answered.
Luke looked back and forth between his uncle and cousin. "But what has that got ta do with anything?"
Jesse stood up and began to pace, ordering his thoughts, before turning back to the boys. "Back in the late eighteen hundreds, just before the turn of the century, there were tree major farming families that lived here in Hazzard County, us Dukes of course, the Tanners, and the Wainwrights. All three families got along real well, helpin' each other out when needed, sharin' food, helpin' with each other's crops, that sort of thing."
"Problems began ta arise when Kenneth Tanner and Josiah Wainwright both fell smitten with a one Emily Duke. She was a pretty thing and both boys were doin' anything they could ta court her, trouble is, Emily couldn't decide on which boy she liked more. Everything came ta a head one day though when Kenneth and Josiah started arguin' with each other, both makin' claim that Emily was his girl and that the other should back off but neither one was willin'. They started ta fightin' and Kenneth ended up killin Josiah by hittin' him over the head with a shovel. Seein' that their brother was dead, the other Wainwright boys sought revenge by grabbin' Kenneth and takin' him out in the fields ta where an ole oak tree stood. They threw a rope around one of the branches of that tree and strung the Tanner boy up, hangin' him for killin' their brother."
"Emily was heartbroken about the whole thing, claimin' it was all her fault that both Kenneth and Josiah were dead. The rest of her family tried ta console her but her heart wouldn't hear any of it. It was later that evenin' that she snuck out of the house and made her way ta Kissin' Cliff where she threw herself off because of her grief. The others found her body the next mornin'."
"It was Lucinda Tanner who swore revenge for the killin' of Kenneth and made the vow of destroyin' any Wainwright she came across. But soon after she made that vow, she became sick and died a few short weeks later, heartbroken over the loss of her son."
"Over the years, the rest of the families forgot all about the incident between Kenneth and Josiah and things settled back to a somewhat normal life. But it was then that the stories of a strange, ghostly lady bein' seen walkin' through Hazzard became rampant, and the stories only got worse when family members of the Wainwrights were found dead, all of them diagnosed with havin' a heart attack, all of them with strange markin's on their throats, and their faces in a mask of fear and pain."
"Just like how she tried ta kill Bo," Luke paled at the comparison.
"That's right. It was soon determined that it was Lucinda who was makin' good on her vow ta destroy any Wainwright that she came across and it was us Dukes that tried ta help them as best as we could."
"But why did she stop hurtin' Bo?"
"Because of another promise she made," Jesse answered. "Because of Emily, she promised that no one in her family would ever hurt another Duke."
"So that's why Lucinda stopped hurtin' Bo?" Luke asked as he remembered the spirit backing off when she sensed the Duke blood in Bo's veins.
"Yep. Even though you're a Wainwright, that vow of never harmin' a Duke saved your life tonight," Jesse said as he looked down at the young man lying in the bed. Bo swallowed hard at the fact that he was very close to dying tonight for something he didn't even know about.
"Over the years both the Wainwright and the Tanner families began dyin' off, the Tanners, because of an epidemic that had spread through the community had killed off most of them, and the Wainwrights, because of Lucinda showin' up and destroyin' as many as she could. After a while, the only ones remaining of both families were Jennifer Tanner and Sarah Wainright."
"Now my Daddy, bein' the smart man that he was, took two of my brothers ta the side and had a talk with them. He told them that they both needed ta start courtin' two special girls, two girls who he knew would be a perfect match for his two boys, and they did. Luke, my brother, Thomas, started courtin' Jennifer Tanner and Bo, my other brother, Jonathan, started courtin' Sarah Wainwright, which ya both know got married and they each had you two."
"Wow, that's one heck of story, Uncle Jesse," Luke sighed, saddened as his mind remembered the faint image of his parents from so many years ago. "But what's this promise that you are keepin', Uncle Jesse," questioned Luke, "the one that ya threatened Lucinda with?"
"Ooh, it was a very special promise that my Great-granddaddy made for protectin' what was very important ta Lucinda, and has made it the job of every first born Duke ta do the same. Bo," Uncle Jesse said firmly to make sure he had the boy's attention, "My Daddy passed this responsibility down ta me and since ya are the oldest Duke born in your family, I guess I need ta make it official and pass the job of protectin' the Tanner's most prized possession down ta you."
"Wait a minute," Luke objected. "Shouldn't that be my job? After all, I am older than he is."
"It can't," Jesse simply said.
Luke's anger began to build. "Why not?"
"What is it…that I'm supposed ta…protect, Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked.
"Well the most prized possession for the Tanner family is," Jesse dramatically paused as he turned to his oldest nephew, "you, Luke."
"Me?"
Bo couldn't help but grin. "Luke? Ya mean I'm supposed ta…protect Luke?"
"That's right," Jesse chuckled at the surprised looks on his boys' faces. "My Great-granddaddy promised Lucinda that he would watch over her family and protect them the best to his abilities. When she lay on her deathbed, she made him promise that he would do his best to make sure no harm came ta her children, a vow he took very seriously. Us Dukes did our best ta help and protect them over the years, healin' them up when they were injured, doctorin' them when they were sick, or helpin' them with their farm when needed, but we realized that we couldn't protect them all when that epidemic swept through, we just barely saved Jennifer."
"But because both our Mommas married a Duke, that means that Bo doesn't need ta make that promise of protectin' me then," Luke quickly added, "since we know that I won't hurt him and he won't hurt me, at least not on purpose, anyway."
"Heck Luke, I…know I don't need ta make…that promise," Bo said as he held out his right hand. "I think we both made that…promise years ago…when we became blood brothers."
Luke returned the smile that Bo was giving him, firmly grasping his cousin's hand in his own. "That we did, Cousin, that we did."
Jesse looked on and smiled as he watched his two boys reaffirm the bond between them. "And Luke, since I'm still passin' the job of protectin' you down ta Bo here, I don't think we'll ever have ta worry about Lucinda comin' back ta hurt anyone ever again."
"Well maybe, she'll finally rest in peace," Luke smiled sadly at the thought of his Great, great, great Grandmother being so grief stricken that she had vowed to kill so many people.
"Yes, I think she will now," Jesse reaffirmed for his nephew. "Now Bo, I think it's time that ya get some rest. Ya had a pretty rough night and I'll want ya ta take it easy for the next few days."
"But Uncle Jesse," Bo started to whine as a large yawn overcame him. "I should be fine by tomorrow."
"Don't ya "but Uncle Jesse" me, boy. You're stayin' in bed even if I have ta tie ya down ta do it."
"Yes sir," Bo caved and leaned back into his pillow, hearing Luke's snicker before losing the battle to stay conscious.
"He just never learns, does he?" Luke chuckled some more, earning a glare from his uncle.
"You're not any better when it comes ta bein' hurt or sick," Jesse growled as he pointed a finger at the man, his features softening as he look upon the two of them. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." Getting up, Jesse headed to the door. "Ya might as well get some rest too. I have a feelin' he's not gonna take bein' stuck in bed very well."
"Yes sir," Luke smiled as he stood and made his way over to his uncle, surprising the older man when he hugged him. "Thanks for savin' Bo tonight."
"Ya aren't the only one that I vowed ta take care of," Jesse grinned when he pulled away.
"Wait a minute, ya lied ta Lucinda when ya threatened her about breakin' your promise ta protect what was important to the Tanner family," Luke cried out in astonishment.
Jesse just gave Luke a sly grin. "Let's just say that I bluffed a little. I knew that she wouldn't break her vow so I was pretty sure I wouldn't have ta break mine. Heck, I've been protectin' ya all your life so there's no way I would've been able ta stop now. Besides, I think she was ready ta finally stop all the bloodshed. An eternity of killin' can make a spirit regret what she started."
"Well I'm glad it's really over," Luke happily admitted as he glanced back over at his sleeping cousin.
Jesse patted his oldest on his shoulder and nodded in agreement. "Night Luke."
"Night, Uncle Jesse."
Jesse made his way back to the kitchen where he put his box of medicines back under the cupboard, hoping he would never have to use them again. Stepping onto the porch, the old farmer looked out into the darkness, breathing in the clean, crisp air, while saying a silent prayer of thanks for the safety of his boys. A slight breeze blew around him bringing with it a whispered "thank you" from a voice that had long ago faded. Turning into the breeze he smiled. "You're welcome, Sarah, you're welcome."