A/N – Hi Everyone! I'm baaaaack! You've probably noticed that I've actually got two stories going at the same time. I'm not sure how that's going to work, but I'll do my best. I wanted to mix it up a little. This is the one that I warned you about. I know ya'll like happy endings in Hazzard, but this one might not fit that order. I've been accused of contributing to the decreasing number of trees on our planet, and this one will probably need tissues, too. I'll also warn you that this story is long.

Anyway, this has quickly become my personal favorite, and despite the tissue warnings, it's been enjoyable to write. I've always appreciated the reviews and kind words, and I'll be extremely anxious to see what you think of this one:)

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UNCLE, UNCLE

CHAPTER 1

NEW ROLES

Daisy stood at the sink drying the last of the breakfast dishes. Putting them back in their proper places, she double checked to see that everything else was in order. Satisfied that her kitchen was tidy, she opened the refrigerator door, nodding as she confirmed that it was filled to the brim. Going back to the sink, she wiped it down, keeping her eyes on the window.

As if on cue, Luke jumped in the General and Bo climbed in the pick-up. Her older cousin was heading into Capital City for supplies they'd ordered, and Bo was going to the back forty to prepare for what Luke was bringing back. Daisy couldn't remember exactly what it was; she hadn't been paying attention. It was almost harvesting season, and the boys were busy. One positive note was that it seemed like it was going to be a good year.

Daisy watched them drive off as tears sprang to her eyes. Alone, she had to hurry. Then she reminded herself that she didn't; no one would be back for hours. Racing to get to her room, she paused at the mantle above the fireplace, running her slender fingers along the rims of the picture frames. Seeing her families' faces smiling at her normally made her smile back. Nothing seemed to be able to do that anymore, and she wondered if she'd ever really smile again. Forcing herself to walk away, she completed the journey to her bedroom. As she scurried about, finishing what she had to do, she thought back over the past twelve months. It was a time period she considered to be the worst of her life; no, in all of their lives.

It had been a day similar to the current one, at least, she assumed it had been. Truth be told, Daisy couldn't remember exactly. Living on a farm meant some things had to be done every twenty-four hours, and sometimes, that caused one day to blend right into the next. How she wished that particular Friday could have simply blended into Saturday. She would have given anything if hadn't become so memorable.

Boss Hogg and Rosco were up to their same old tricks. An unsuspecting bus accidentally rolled their tires into Hazzard County on their way to Atlanta. Rosco had stopped enough busses over the years to know when he had caught something, or someone, of importance. In a move that would have made the Supreme Court's Justices cringe, he issued them an unconstitutional ticket for a phony violation, attaching a cruel and unusual punishment: the only way they'd get out of Hazzard in a reasonable amount of time was to perform.

Not the typical celebrity caught passing through their county, the size and nature of the bus gave away their status. Since their guests weren't affiliated with country music, the Dukes had been surprised that Rosco even knew who they were. This time, he'd hooked himself a genuine rock band, but he wasn't discriminatory. He told them they'd play at the Boar's Nest that night or spend the night in jail. He hadn't left them much choice. From what they'd already seen of Hazzard, they didn't care too much for it.

The older residents in the community didn't know who they were, but most of the younger ones did. Regardless, Boss was expecting a big crowd. Anyone famous always drew a lot of people, and he didn't care if he had to wear ear plugs. He could still take people's money and count.

The unscheduled concert event wasn't the only strange thing about that evening. Daisy had a rare Friday night off, and neither of the boys had dates. Boss had tried to call her in, needing her help with the mob he was expecting, but she'd turned him down. That night she wanted to be part of the audience, not working the event. Wanting to get a good seat, and hoping to find partners for the evening, they left early only to discover they were already late.

Uncle Jesse hadn't wanted to go. Harvesting time was hard work, and he'd said he was tired. He laughed that at his age, he had to preserve what little hearing he had left, and the kids believed that to be the real reason behind his decision to stay home. Promising he'd be fine with his quiet newspaper, he sent them on their way, telling them to have a good time. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd been left alone at night. It was just another Friday night in Hazzard.

Arriving early, the kids stayed late. Appreciating the show and enjoying the performers' threats to sue Rosco for unlawful detainment, they all had a good time. Finding someone to dance with when they were forced to settle for the jukebox wasn't a problem for any of them. Yet, no one had secured any better offers after closing hours, so the Duke cousins climbed in the General and went home.

Pulling into the farm, they cast each other strange glances.

"Little late for Uncle Jesse to be up," Bo commented, really asking for assurances from his older cousins that everything was alright.

"Yeah, it sure is, " Daisy agreed rather than easing her younger cousin's concerns.

"Maybe he started watching something on TV," Luke suggested. He knew he was grasping at straws, but there wasn't any sense in getting upset prematurely. They all knew there was nothing on television at that late hour that Jesse Duke would be watching, short of an emergency broadcast.

Bo walked the fastest with Daisy on his heels. Luke should have told them to wait for him, but he didn't. He heard them calling for their uncle before they were even inside.

Bo and Daisy stopped when they entered the living room. Their uncle was in his favorite chair exactly where he'd been when they left. His newspaper was sitting on his lap, and it looked like he had fallen asleep while reading it. Slightly smiling at each other, they wondered how they hadn't woken him.

Bo walked over to him. Squatting down next to the chair, he touched his uncle's leg. "Uncle Jesse, wake up, it's time for bed." Receiving no response, he gently shook his uncle, calling to him in a louder voice. "Uncle Jesse?" The movement caused Jesse to pitch forward into Bo's arms, catching him before he hit the floor. "Uncle Jesse!" Bo continued to repeat.

Daisy's eyes filled with tears as she watched her cousin begging their uncle to open his eyes.

Luke had walked in only seconds before Bo grabbed their patriarch. His eyes had their own tears in them as he watched the same thing Daisy was seeing. As the oldest, he had to remain calm and take care of his cousins. Regaining his composure, he pushed past Daisy and knelt next to Bo.

"Do something, Luke!" Bo cried, still believing that his oldest cousin could do anything.

"I can't, Bo. He's gone," Luke replied, as if his word made it official. He may have been older than the other two, but he really didn't know exactly what to do anymore than they did. There were calls to be made, and his younger cousins were both on the verge of hysterics. He didn't know which one to tend to first. Thinking for a second, surprised that his brain could muster anything, he came up with the best solution he could think of.

"Daisy, call Rosco, please. He'll call Doc Appleby and Mr. Simms over at the mortuary." When she didn't move right away, Luke added, "Daisy, please."

Stumbling to the CB, she picked it up, trying to recall just how to operate it.

It wasn't that Luke was trying to play favorites by choosing to stay with Bo. He just didn't think that the blonde should be left alone while clinging to Jesse's body. A vision of that could be very traumatic later on down the road, and sending Daisy to make the calls gave her something to do momentarily.

"Bo, let's put Jesse on the couch," Luke suggested, reaching out for him.

"No!" Bo cried, grabbing onto the only father he'd ever known, and turning away from Luke.

"Bo!"

"No!"

Giving up, Luke wrapped his arms around Bo. After Daisy returned and informed them that the sheriff was on his way, Luke opened an arm for her. Running to the only family she had left, Luke closed the circle. Together, the three Dukes held onto each other as they cradled their beloved uncle between them. That was the scene that Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and his only deputy saw when they walked in.

"Oh no!" Rosco mumbled.

What followed was chaotic. After much persuassion, Bo relinquished his hold on their uncle. Doc Appleby pronounced him dead and filled out some papers. Mr. Simms then took Jesse away, leaving the cousins to an empty farmhouse which now belonged to them. Though they'd all lost their parents at an early age, they never felt more like orphans.

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The next two days went by in a blur, but unfortunately, they weren't blurry enough for Daisy not to be able to remember, and there were days she tried.

None of them could sleep in their own beds that night. They really didn't get much sleep at all. It had been late by the time everyone left, and people started arriving at the crack of dawn. The couple of hours they were alone, they huddled together on the sofa.

As the rooster crowed, Luke got up first. "Chores to be done," he mumbled.

Nodding their heads, Bo and Daisy got to their feet. They'd been doing morning chores since they'd been young, but that morning, they couldn't recall what needed to be done. Cooter walked in the door before they figured anything out.

Followed by friends and neighbors, they were saved from having to do anything but think. Ladies took over the kitchen, some already bringing food with them, while the men took over outside.

"Is there anyone you want us to call?" someone asked Luke.

"No," he replied, knowing that it was their duty to place those calls. Looking at his cousins seated around the table, he knew he'd have to be the one to do it. Thankfully, after making a couple, other Dukes volunteered to call other Dukes.

By that afternoon, they needed to meet with Mr. Simms and the preacher to go over the arrangements. As they stood together going through their uncle's sparsley populated closet trying to select the clothes he'd spend eternity in, Daisy fainted. Bo caught her before she went all the way down, cradling a family member in his arms for the second time in less than twenty four hours.

Luke had been trying to act responsibly, but Bo hadn't thought about anything except his own grief. Seeing Daisy's eyes roll back and watching her go limp terrified him, and he vowed to be strong like Luke was being. They were all in pain, but Daisy seemed to be the most vulnerable, and Bo Duke wasn't going to lose anyone else he loved.

With the next sunrise came the parade of relatives arriving from all over. Mr. Simms also returned, setting up Uncle Jesse in the living room for the traditional wake. He looked so nice and peaceful, like he really was just sleeping. Each of the kids wished they could wake him up like they used to when they were little. Bo had never been shy about jumping into or onto his aunt and uncle's bed, but this time, he knew it wouldn't do any good.

It was hard having him in the house, but not having him there. Those two days were the most difficult to recollect. It seemed like all they did was to gaze upon the face that they knew and loved. In reality, that was about all they did.

Finally, Jesse was taken away for the last time in preparation for the funeral and burial. Throughout those days, Luke had tried to remain in control. Since the day that Daisy had fainted, Bo had done a good job of acting strong, too, but that day, he wasn't ashamed to cry. Daisy leaned on her younger cousin throughout the service, wanting not only comfort, but to know that she wasn't alone in her grief. It wasn't that she thought Luke wasn't in pain, she just knew he was trying harder not to show it.

It wasn't until everyone left that they really felt the full impact of a quiet house. The first night they were alone, they ended up back on the couch, huddled together. That night, they cried, really cried, even Luke.

Yet, the next morning, the oldest Duke boy was back to being all business. He had to be. It was harvesting time, and there was work to be done. If they all fell apart, they'd lose even more; the farm. Jesse wouldn't have condoned that at all. He would have expected them to go on, and to take care of the land that he so loved.

Luke also hoped that by working hard and trying to stay focused, it might help them work through that pain. It was his responsibility to see that they were all taken care of. He was the oldest, and it was his job to protect and care for his younger cousins, especially now since their uncle was gone. It was a job he took seriously.

It shouldn't have been that hard to get back into a routine they knew by heart. In some ways, Luke had been correct. Hard work did keep their minds busy, and helped to ensure that they were all tired at night. Unfortunately, he didn't take into consideration one important factor; Daisy.

It was easier for the boys in a lot of ways. Running and working a farm was a big job requiring muscle. Therefore, the male Dukes worked as a team. Keeping up the household chores had fallen on Daisy's thin shoulders since their aunt had died. Even though Jesse worked the fields, too, he stopped in on a more regular basis throughout the day. When there wasn't work to be done outside, the boys always went off together, leaving Jesse and Daisy alone in the house. Now, she was alone all day, everyday.

Most evenings, the boys were together while Daisy was working at the Boar's Nest. They'd never waited up for her before, but Luke was taking his new job as head of the family straight to heart. He wanted to ensure that no harm came to her, so he started staying up until she walked in the door. It was partly out of concern, partly because he didn't want to go to bed. Not wanting to be alone in their room, Bo started joining him in his nightly vigils. After a while, Daisy told them to stop doing it; they didn't. The only change they made was waiting in the dark, then scrambling into bed when they heard Dixie pulling up. They could hear her come in, go straight to her room, undress quickly, and then climb into her own bed. The house was quiet and everyone was accounted for, but those hours that followed, waiting for the light of dawn, were the hardest.

Recognizing that they couldn't sleep together on the couch every night, Luke announced that they had to go back to their own rooms and their own beds right after the funeral. He was right, but it didn't make it any easier. Still, it was better for the boys. They shared a room so they weren't alone; Daisy was. Luke would lay in bed and listen to both of his cousins crying; Bo in the bed next to him, and Daisy down the hall. He would lay in his own doing the same. His tears, however, were quiet. Every night it was the same thing: silent teardrops and muffled sobs.

The holidays came and went, never sadder than that year. The new year didn't start out much better. There was a lot of things they had to learn how to do for themselves that they'd never thought much of before. Paying the bills and balancing a budget that was usually in the hole was not something that any of them had literally performed. Though Luke handled most of it, he made sure to include Daisy and Bo, just in case something ever happened to him. He had to take care of them, but he had to know that they could take care of themselves, if they had to.

As planting time came and went, each of the cousins were handling the loss a little differently. Luke was simply responsible. Bo was doing the best, still sad but adjusting the fastest. Daisy just seemed sad all the time, becoming slightly withdrawn.

She was desperately lonely despite the fact that she lived with two other people. She knew that her cousins were doing their best, but she'd really lost her security blanket. Daisy Duke had always been the apple of her uncle's eye, and without being that, it left a void. She was considered the best looking girl in Hazzard, but the older she got, the less she dated. The boys had always dated more, going from girl to girl without giving a serious relationship a chance. They could do that, there were more available females in Hazzard than males. For Daisy, she'd dated many of the men at one time or another, and if they weren't already married, they were usually jerks she wasn't interested in. She didn't have quite the selection that Bo and Luke did. Though none of them dated in the first few months following Jesse's death, the boys had started again. Daisy couldn't remember the last date she had been on.