Duke Fan 16- Okay

Twin A 07- Okay. Here's the 3rd chapter for everyone. I want to thank those who've stuck with me. Polaris'05, XBettinaWX, bj lucas, and wlk68. Once again, thank you for the revies. I'm sorry for the late Up-date… School and family got in the way and it was hard to do anything really.

wlk68 – It would be way to simple if I were just to bring Luke home… Gotta make it exciting and keep you guys with me some how, right?

I want to mention that the ages are a bit messed up. I'm using the actual birthdays of the actors for their birthdays. The Birthday's are as followed:

Date of birth: 8 April- Beauregard James Duke

Date of birth: 9 September- Luke K. Duke

Date of birth: 1 March- Daisy Duke

I apologize for any confusion I may have caused.

Bo' 15, Daisy's 18, Luke's 19

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Balladeer- I see ya'll stuck with us. Boy am I glad, I didn't want ta be the on'y one ta see what'd happen next. Let's watch an' see what's goin' on.

A year past since Luke and Adam left for the war in Nam. Daisy was going into her senior year of high school. If she was beautiful at the age of 16, she was a drop dead gorgeous girl of 18. She was head of the cheerleading squad and expected to be prom queen. She was steadily dating Frank Bristol, head of the prom committee. She was a blossoming young woman of brown hair and hazel eyes.

Bo was heading into his sophomore year. He was making sure he was keeping true to his promise to Luke. He was going to graduate if it was the last thing he did. Within the last year, Bo had received what his doctor said was the first of many growth spurts. The 13 year old boy that Luke had last seen had stood at 5' 0''. The teenage of 15 now stood at 5' 7''. Uncle Jesse had laughed at Bo, saying if he kept growing at this rate they'd need a new roof. The boy was on the Hazzard football team and was doing well.

"Hey Uncle Jesse! We're home!" Bo yelled, jumping out of the truck before Daisy pulled to a complete stop.

"Bo Duke you wait till I come ta a complete stop." Daisy said in a stern voice. Bo smiled at her and tossed his pack onto the porch as he started to walk backwards to the barn.

"Well it ain't my fault ya drive slow fer a Duke." Bo laughed. He broke out in a run as Daisy ran after her cousin. The two came bursting through the barn laughing. Uncle Jesse smiled at the as he finished tossing Maudine her hay.

"Well, how's school?" he asked.

"Daisy's got a date with Frank ta night, an' they's goin' ta the movies…" Bo was caught off when Daisy hit him.

"I think I can tell my own business Beauregard." Daisy said, making sure she said his name nice and slow. Bo glared at Daisy for the use of his name.

"Well since Bo was tellin' my day, Bo's got himself a girlfriend. You remember Betty Peterson, that sweet lil' girl that chased Bo all 'round Middle School? He's goin' out with her." Daisy said. She smiled at Bo's red face.

"We's ain't official or nothin'." Bo protested.

"I don' know Cousin, that kiss looked pretty official ta me." Daisy whispered to him. Bo only shrugged. Uncle Jesse smiled at his two children.

"Aright. Sounds like it was excitin'. Ya'll jus' have ta tell me o'er dinner. Now change outta yer school clothes an' help me with the chores." He laughed. He watched as his niece and nephew ran back into the house to change clothing. His smile faded slightly as he looked back at the farm house. His thoughts drifted back to Luke, who was currently fighting overseas. They got letter's everyday from Luke telling them exactly what they did. His letters would be only about a page, front and back, since they mostly did the same things. When he was sent overseas after training, he had to watch what he put in his letters in case they got intercepted. Bo would always write his own letters to Luke where as Jesse and Daisy combined their letters. Bo's letter to his oldest cousin tended to be about 2 ½ pages front and back.

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Luke sighed as he lay on his cot. He closed his eyes and listened to the crickets chirping in the night. He looked over to his left at Adam.

"Hey, I know's ya ain't sleepin'." Luke whispered.

"No, but if ya don' want ta here hell from the colonel ya better be quiet." Adam whispered back. Luke smirked.

"I can't sleep." Luke whispered.

"I don't think anyone can sleep with you two talkin'." Brad said. Adam snickered.

"Well what do ya want us ta do?" Adam laughed quietly.

"Get some sleep 'fore ya get us in trouble." Brad said.

"Hey Plowboys, will you be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep." Mike whispered harshly. Brad, Adam, and Luke all made faces at him. Michael Mueller was from the north, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bradley Mignogna was from Sweetwater County. He had kicked it off good with Luke and Adam.

"Hey City Boy, will ya have some fun in life?" Adam snickered.

"What's fun about war Plowboy? We've got two rules here. Kill or be killed. I don't know about you southern boys, but I don't really like the idea killing someone." Mike snapped, "But then again, you southern people live like slobs. So this might just be like your home. And I bet you kill people too."

"Now listen here. We's jus' as scared as you are friend. An' I apologize if we offended ya. But that don' give ya the right ta make us out as barbarians." Luke said sternly.

"Yeah, if I recall, it's you city folk that do most of the killin' anyways." Brad said heatedly.

"Well you 4 shut it!" A voice whispered. All 4 young men laid down without another word.

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Bo sighed as he sat on the porch swing. It was a year from today that Luke had left for Boot camp. He wondered what it was like, going to bed early. He was already use to the getting up at the crack of dawn. Bo could go to sleep at 3 in the morning and be up with the chickens if need be. But lights out at 8 at night? Bo didn't think he could handle it. He wondered how Luke was adjusting to the new 'bedtime'. He stared to his right at the letter at his side. Luke had written almost the same things he had written in his other letters. That didn't bother Bo though. He knew Luke was still alive and that was good enough for him. Something new Luke had mentioned was a guy named Mike. Luke had written:

'I swear you'd have gotten along jus' fine with 'im Bo. O' course that would be after a few teeth went missin'. He's got a meaner bite than a rattlesnake with a toothache.'

Bo smirked as he reread the passage. If it was someone that annoyed Luke, they must really be bad. Luke never really did talk bad about someone. 'Specially behind their backs. They were taught it was wrong. Bo smirked as he got up grabbing the letter and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started to write.

'Dear Luke,

I'd really like to meet this swell friend o' yers. Sounds like we'd hit it off jus' fine like you's said. Nothin' much is goin' on here. It's been unusually hot an' we's hopin' fer at least a drizzle. Cool off a bit. High Schools okay I guess. I wouldn't really know. On'y been there one year. It's real quiet with ya gone, although I think I might a mentioned that aready. An' I ain't touch the car. I knows ya said I could work on it, but it's our car an' we both should fix 'im up tagether.

Miss ya Cuz

Bo'

Bo sighed as read the letter over. Truth was, it had been unusually hot and dry so far this year. There hadn't been any rain since late April and most of the crop were either dying or already dead. Uncle Jesse had told both kids not to tell Luke 'cause he had other more important things on his mind and he needed to focus on staying alive. Bo nodded as he put the letter in an envelope. He wrote down the return address and the address on the front and followed by putting a post stamp in the corner. He whistled a small tune to himself as he put the letter in his pocket. He got on his bike, still to young to drive legally, and rode out to town.

When Bo reached Hazzard, he stopped by the store to by himself a quick snack and a bite to eat.

"Haha, yeah. He never saw it comin'." A cruel voice laughed.

"Ya know who riles my blood? That young Duke. He acts so calm an' cool. 'My cousin's in the military'. Big deal." A second voice said. Bo looked over behind a corner in an alley way. He recognized the owner's. The first voice belonged to Thomas Lawrence. He was an older boy of about 18. He belonged to Vic DiMichael's gang. That was the second voice. While Tom ran majority of the gang, Vic ran the other part and Tom. Bo felt hands on his upper arms as 4 pair of hands grabbed him from behind.

"Hey Vic! We got us a rat." Edward Michaels laughed.

"Nah, we's jus' got a dumb Mule." Edward's twin brother Jeff said with a grin. They dragged a struggling Bo into the alley.

"What's wrong Duke? Ya was eavesdroppin' 'fore. Why ya want ta leave now?" Vic asked in an innocent voice.

"Hey, he's got a letter." Jeff said, pulling out his letter to Luke.

"Give that back Jeff! It ain't yers!" Bo yelled. He immediately doubled over when Tom hit him in the stomach.

"You on'y spoke when spoken ta, ya hear?" he demanded. He punched Bo again when Bo didn't answer. "I was speakin' ta ya." He said.

"Go ta hell Tom." Bo spat. Tom hit him again and stopped 5 minutes later when Vic told him to.

"Duke, I'm feelin' nice taday. Ya git yer scrawny hide outta my alley an' don' you come back near it." Vic said, walking over to Bo. He shoved the letter down Bo's shirt, making sure he cut Bo with the paper. Bo sucked in air at the burning paper cut.

Balladeer- Them Boys sure are mean, ain't they?

"Now, ya mention any of this 'meeting' ta anyone, an' I'll bang ya up so bad, yer parents wouldn't recognized ya when ya cross them pearly gates." He said, flipping out his knife for emphasis. Bo nodded his head lightly.

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Luke crouched down low in the vines of Nam. He looked over to his left and saw his commanding officer. He looked at Luke made a quick nod, and Luke waved to a few of the other men. They advanced quietly to a small clearing they knew was up ahead. They could hear men laughing in a different language. They walked up to the edge of the clearing and waited in the bushes for the signal. The commanding officers hand was raised level with his head. He stared at the group of Vietnam men in front of them. His hand quickly and silently came down. The quiet air was disturbed by the abrupt sound of gun shots as the Americans fired. The sneak attack proved affective as the Vietnamese were taken by complete surprise. They ran around aimlessly trying to get to cover or grab their guns.

The Americans walked out of the clearing and steadily kept their rate of fire. They stopped when the Vietnamese that were still alive dropped to the ground with their arms in the air. Luke and several other men ran forward and quickly cuffed the men. They helped them up and marched them out at gunpoint, ready to shoot if they tried anything funny.

Back at the base, the men were laughing and telling the others about the day's achievement.

"Yeah, ya should have seen those Vietnam dudes. They were running around in stupid circles." Leo laughed.

"On'y the dumb ones." Brad said. Luke lay on his bed not talking or laughing with the others. He stared up at the ceiling, eyes unblinking. He blinked slowly had covered his eyes with his right hand. With his eyes closed, he heard the gun shots again and the frightened yells of 'the dumb men who ran in circles'. A boy, maybe no older than Luke himself, caught Luke's eyes when Luke shot him. The boy had looked him in the eye as he slowly fell to the ground, eyes opened. As Luke ran forward to take their prisoners, the eyes of the boy seemed to follow him. Luke shivered slightly as he quickened his pace.

"Luke, Luke." Luke opened his eyes and came back to reality with Adam shaking his leg.

"What?" Luke asked, sitting up slightly.

"Ya aright?" Adam asked. Luke looked off to his left at the floor.

"No Adam. I ain't." He said softly. Adam nodded his head.

"Thinkin' 'bout this afternoon." He said. Luke gave a quick nod. Brad came over and sat on his bed to the left of Luke.

"Hey." He said, voice sounding weak. A sigh escaped all three young men as they sat in each other's company. Out of all the new recruits, Luke, Adam, and Brad, along with 2 other young boys they weren't formiliar with, they were the only ones who went on the mission that afternoon. It had been their first kill and they were a bit queasy about it. Luke had vomited when they had returned to base. Adam had vomited right on the spot back in the woods. Brad had been pale and clammy the entire time.

"I don' think I can deal with this fer another 3 years." Luke said.

"Well, if we're lucky, we could get shot, live an' leave with an Honorable Discharge. That along wit a Purple Heart." Adam joked lightly. All 3 young men laughed at the small joke. A tear or two ran down Luke's cheek as he was strongly reminded of his baby cousin back home.

"Yeah know, Bo would o' said the same thin'." Luke said sadly. Adam smiled, remembering the youngest member of the Duke clan.

"Hey, I've been hearin' so much 'bout this Bo. Tell me 'bout 'im." Brad said.

"Bo's Luke's youngest Cousin. I swear they's clued at the hip." Adam laughed.

"Well, from what he tells me in his letters, He should be 'bout 5' 6'', 5' 7''. He had a growth spurt an's expectin' more. He'd be 15, his birthday bein' April 8th. He's got baby blue eyes an' honey blonde hair. Very short tempered. He was sick a lot when he was little, layed up with asthma. He's the first in a fight, but the first ta except or give a hug." Luke said, his eyes getting a far away look in them. He wasn't half way across the world right then, he was back home in Hazzard, Georgia working on the car with his baby cousin. Daisy was watching the boys from her spot at Uncle Jesse's side on the swing. She'd laugh when they got oil on their faces from playing around. Uncle Jesse's voice was stern, yet full of laughter and love as he told the boys to be careful.

"Sounds great. Wish I had a younger cousin. Heck, a younger sibling would be nice." Brad said.

"I swear them boys ain't Cousins. I say they's brother's on'y Luke when ta live with his Aunt an' Uncle." Adam said.

"I told ya that ain't true. I bet Bo would probably wish it were, but it ain't. I'm the image of my Momma an' Daddy an' Bo's the spittin' image of his Daddy." Luke said with a small laugh. Brad smirked.

"Well, the way I see it. You'd wish the same thin'." Brad said. Luke smiled.

"Guess so." Luke said.

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Bo sighed as he lay on his bed. He hadn't told anyone about his little run in with Vic and his friends a week ago. Luke's letters had gotten shorter as he had little to no time to write at all. He had become slightly distant from his cousin and Uncle Jesse was concerned about his youngest charge. When he had asked Bo what was wrong, Bo had said nothing was wrong and would walk out of the room. When Daisy had tried to talk to him as well, hoping that the smaller age difference would make him warm up to her.

"Uncle Jesse, I jus' don' know what's wrong with him. It's like he's a totally different person." Daisy said, sitting next to her uncle on the couch.

"Now Daisy, the boy's at that age where he needs his alone time. He'll seek out his friends more an' his family. It's a stage o' life." Jesse had said, hoping he was right.

"I guess yer right Uncle Jesse." Daisy said with a sigh, "I wish Luke were here. He'd be able to help him."

"We're jus' gonna have ta deal with it." Jesse said as he rubbed her back.

Bo sighed as he lay on his bed. He looked sadly at the empty bed next to him. He felt tears well up in his eyes again. He had made a promise to himself when Luke had left that he wouldn't cry. But back then, he wasn't being pushed around by a guy twice his built and 3-4 years older. He got up and sat on Luke's bed. He hugged the pillow close to him. He could still smell Luke's scent upon the pillow although it had been a year since Luke had lain on it. Nobody had the heart or the will to touch anything of Luke's. His sheets remained the same; the only disturbance was when Bo slept in Luke's bed. It made him feel closer to Luke, even if it was just a bed.

"Luke, I need ya here." Bo whispered into the pillow. He closed his eyes as sobs racked his body. He hugged the pillow tighter as if it were Luke himself. Bo sat up and wiped the tears away as he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." he said, his back to the door. He heard the door open and close as Daisy climbed over the bed and hugged her cousin.

"You okay Sugar?" she asked. Bo wiped another tear away.

"I want 'im back now. I don' care how selfish it sounds." He said, hugging Daisy.

"Me too sweetie." She said, rubbing his back.

Bo lay in Luke's bed that night. He was feeling rather depressed and was wondering if it was because of Vic and company or because it marked the year anniversary since Luke's departure. Whatever it was, he didn't like the feeling.

"I don' know wha' ta do Luke." He said, barely above a whisper, "I wish ya were here. Heck, jus' hearin' yer voice might help." He could hear the responses his cousin would give him.

"'Hey Kiddo, don' let it eat at ya. Ain't nothin' ya can do 'bout it.' 'Don' let 'im push ya 'round like that. Yer a Duke. You don' take that from no one. Jus' don' rile 'im to much.'"

Bo laughed as he brushed some tears away. Luke was half way across the world and his memories were giving him the advice.

"I'll do my bes' Luke. I can't promise ya more 'an that."

Balladeer- It really tears me up, seein' Bo like that. Anyone got a Kleenex? I would say things couldn't get worse, but when someone says that, all hell breaks lose. Ya'll stick around now, y'hear?

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Twin A 07- There ya go. Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Welp, you know what to do. Hopefully I'll be able ta give you guys the next chapter real quick. Cross your fingers!