A/N: Another chapter and I've got nothing to say right now, so enjoy.

Luke woke up the next morning, the sun on his face, his body sore in a good way, and with a very naked girl draped across his body. His shirt was their only coverage, and the most it was covering was the curvy part of her backside. His hand traced down her spine, her skin was so soft he didn't want to stop touching her. Brown eyes fluttered open by the third time his fingers ran down her spine.

Smiling, she greeted in a mumble, "Mornin'."

"Hey you," he responded, kissing her lightly on the head of wonderful brown hair. "How'd you sleep?"

She repositioned her body closer to his and answered, "Good, but the next time we do this though, we need to bring a blanket."

"There's gonna be a next time, huh?" he questioned with a smirk.

"I hope so, I like having some time to ourselves," she told him, grinning back at him.

"Come here," he beckoned, and soon her body was covering his, their lips mashed together.

Her head rested on his chest, her smile never fading, and his fingers stroked the curves of her body. He loved touching her, feeling the connection they had with each other, and knowing here, nothing could touch them. Not her job, not a family obligation, no interruptions.

The sensation of her body pressing closer to his, filled Luke, he smiled as she asked, half asleep, "Can we stay here forever?"

Smiling to himself, he answered, "No, not forever."

"For a little bit longer?"

"Yes, we can stay for a little while longer."

She smiled and let out a very happy sigh.

Jefferson Davis Hogg, chomped down angrily on his big fat cigar, grumbling to himself. His beady brown eyes glanced around, waiting for someone who was very late. His nerves were on edge, he hated when people who worked for him were late, especially over three hours late.

Rosco came through the office doors, hat in hand, and looked gingerly at his boss. When it was clear to him that JD Hogg was mad, he tried to back out quickly.

"Rosco!" he cried, and the sheriff came in the room. "Now tell me Rosco, did you find out who helped Luke Duke, and arrest them? Or better yet, did you arrest Luke?"

"Um… well no, but ah got close," he assured the shorter man. "Ah tried to find where that car would have gone, but the rain washed away the tracks."

"Well of course the rain is gonna wash it away," Boss replied surly. "What I pay you to do is to use that thing between your shoulders that holds up you hat, and figure out where they could have been going."

"But little fat buddy, that road goes everywhere. It doubles back into town, goes off to Chickasaw, Ponatium, or over to the interstate, how was ah supposed to where de went?"

"I ain't your little fat buddy Rosco," Boss corrected him, "and I already told you how, use your head! That's what it's there for besides being emptier than the Duke's saving account."

With that being said, Boss reach for a half empty jar of pickled pig's feet, and chewed heatedly on one. Rosco watched for a second, and then ventured, "Boss, you seem more upset then usually about me losing a Duke. Is there something else weighing on that fat little mind of yours?"

Boss swallowed, and then muttered, "It's EB."

"Who?" Rosco questioned, sitting down, reaching for a pig's foot, which he received a slap for.

"EB, my employee, is late."

"Well maybe he's lost. Hazzard can be a tricky place to drive around if you don't know your way," Rosco suggested.

"No, no, EB has been coming here since before you were the sheriff," Boss corrected him. "And I said at 10, and EB has never been late before, something must be wrong."

"No don't worry your fat little head about it, ah am sure EB will show up with a good explanation, and if he doesn't, you'll fire him."

"It's more complicated than that with EB," Boss grumbled.

"Talkin' about me again?" a voice asked at the door.

Boss glanced up, while Rosco turned around and gasped. Standing there was not who he expected EB to be. Tall, lean legs in very short shorts, matched with a low cut tang top showing off her appeasing body parts, Ellie Beth grinned her hello to the two older men.

Boss Hogg frowned, and mumbled, "About time, it's past one."

"I'm sorry, I got stuck in the mud, and had to wait for the mud to dry," she stated, and walked over to the table to them. "I got here as fast as I could."

"That's no excuse, I said ten, not one, and if you're not gonna show up on time I'm not gonna believe you really want to keep paying off your debt."

"Oh relax big man, I'm here, what do you need?" she asked. It was then she noticed the gaping sheriff at her. "Uh, hello Sheriff."

"Do we uh, do we know each other?" he asked, stunned she was talking to him.

"Oh come on, remember my brother and I used to come around, and you had us call you 'Unky Sheriff'," she reminded him.

Rosco stared at her for a moment longer, and than recognition dawned on his face. Standing up he looked her up and down, and than brought her into a hug. "Ellie Beth. Ellie Beth is that really you? Ah haven't seen you or your brother in the longest time."

"I know, but you missed me more, right? You know my brother used to call you 'Uncle Dipstick'?"

"Oh, well of course ah always did like you best," Rosco confessed.

They shared a laugh that was cut short by Boss. "EB, now that this little love feast is over, can we get down to business?"

She sat down at the table and looked him square in the eye, stating, "What's up big guy?"

"I give you housing while you're out here, and all I ask is you check in with me," he told her, frowning.

"That, and what, the seven thousand I still owe you?" she mumbled under her breath.

"That would be nice too," Boss agreed slyly, shocking Ellie Beth.

She grinned, and to Rosco's amazement, Boss Hogg grinned back. Stealing the sheriff's place, she sat at the table and looked him in the eye, asking, "So was this just to check in on me or was there something else to it?"

"Well, now that you mention it," he started, in his sweetest voice ever. "I've got a chance for you too make over six hundred dollars, a job through Chickasaw. What do you say?"

"Sounds good, when?" she asked, eyes lit up.

"Today, later tonight."

"What happened to my days off? I still have two days," she groaned.

"It's six hundred dollars," he reminded her.

"It's my day off."

"I'll make it seven," he offered.

She bit her lip. Seven hundred was more than he ever offered. Still, she couldn't do that to Luke. "No go Boss Man."

Boss Hogg frowned, he was not used to her saying no. "Eight?"

"Can't it just wait a day or two? Or can't you get Frank?" she replied, sighing.

"It's Chickasaw County, not just anyone has the skill for it. I need you."

"Well too bad. You said I could have three days off, so I want three days off."

"Eight fifty?"

She stood up, and throwing her hands in the air too. "You just don't get it. This isn't about the money, it's about me needing a break from all this."

"An even thousand, Ellie Beth, and you'll be back before midnight," he offered, trying to hide his desperation.

Ellie Beth paused at the door; doubtful she would ever get this good of an offer again. She wanted to turn around and take it, or at least say she would think about it and then talking to Luke about taking it, hopefully he would understand it was just for the money. However, then she thought about Luke, and him holding her, and waking up in his arms. She didn't want to miss that opportunity again. Hiding the grin on her face, she told Boss Hogg, "Sorry, I got a better offer."

She walked through the doors and out into the bar, ignoring all his calls after her.

As the door shut, Boss Hogg sat down sighing. Rosco's mouth hung open in amazement at the amount Boss was offering and the fact she turned him down. Boss glared at his open mouth and snapped, "Rosco, shut your trap, you look like a trout."

"Ah'm sorry little fat buddy," he mumbled. "Whatcha gonna do now?"

"There's only two other people I know with the skills to drive in Chickasaw, and I've got one of them sitting in my jail cell as luck would have it," Boss Hogg informed him with an evil grin.

Walking to her car, Ellie Beth almost felt like skipping. She could not wait to find Luke and tell him she was completely his tonight. And maybe she didn't have to wait too long because a familiar orange car pulled up quickly to the Boar's Nest.

Grinning at him, as he quickly pulled himself out of the car, she called, "Hi stranger, miss me already?"

Luke did not seem to notice her as he stormed towards the bar. There was something terrible wrong. She stopped him, hand cupping his face and asked, "Luke, what's wrong?"

"It's JD, he went after Bo, when I escaped from Rosco yesterday," he told her truthfully, slumping down leaning against the hood of his car.

"What?"

"He had Bo arrested, and won't tell any of us the charges or set bail. And when he does he's probably gonna set it at some ridiculously high amount."

There was a long moment of silence, and Ellie Beth could tell Luke was just beating himself up over this, even though there would have been nothing he can do. She put her arms around him and said, "Well, we have to get him out then."

He glanced up at her confused. "What, how?"

She leaned against the hood next to him and confessed, "JD just offered me a job, he seems pretty desperate to have someone do it, and I think I can get his price above a thousand. I turned him down, but we can't let your family rot in jail, can we?"

"Ellie Beth, I can't let you do that, what if the job turns dangerous and that's too much money to ask for?" he replied, anxious and worried.

"Don't worry about me, it's a perfectly safe job. I want to help, and it is just money," she told him, lying only about the first part.

"No, that's too much," he responded, shaking his head.

"It's fine Luke, it doesn't matter to me, I just want to help," she assured him, making him look at her in the eyes so he could tell how serious she was.

"No matter what the amount, we'll pay you back," he swore.

"I know that, and I'm not concerned about it."

He smiled at her, and just stared at her for a while till finally her curiosity got the better of her. "What is it?"

"I'm just thinking of last night, and what was said," he explained. "And how as soon as this is all sorted out I want you back in my arms."

She blushed and had to turn away from him. "All right then. I'll go take the job from Boss, you go visit your cousin, tell him we've got a plan, we'll figure out a way for me to slip you money, I'll run the job while you spring your cousin, and then I should be done by midnight."

He nodded to the plan, and added, "I think afterwards we should have a meeting place, just so I can thank you properly."

"Alright, I think my car might need a checkup after this job, Cooter's is still the best garage in town, right?"

"Sure is, I'll make a call and it will be open when you get back, and I'll be there too," he told her.

They shared a quick secret kiss before they went their separate ways.

Luke hurried over to the prison cell in Hazzard, only to find Boss and Rosco had already beaten him there.

"Well, well, if it isn't Luke Duke to the rescue," Boss Hogg greeted him.

Luke's hand closed over the wade of money he had gotten from the sugar jar from the farm, knowing it would not even begin to be close enough without Ellie Beth's contribute. Through gritted teeth, Luke replied, "That's right Boss, now how much is the bail?"

"Oh well, if you or your cousin would be so kind as to do me a favor, we can forget this whole thing," Boss told him sweetly.

Bo was about to willingly agree, but Luke held up a hand to stop him. "What kind of favor?"

"Oh, I just need someone to run a couple items over to another county, that's all," Boss answered, still in that sickly sweet voice of his.

"You mean like moonshine? The answer is no Boss."

"Fine, then the bail is seven-fifty, let's see you come up with that," Boss responded, his true voice finally coming out, cold and harsh.

"We will," Luke told him defiantly.

"Luke, we don't have that kind of money," Bo argued in a whisper to his older cousin. "I'll take the job, no body can catch me when I'm running shine."

"No. If I know Boss this is some sort of trick where we'll do a job for him and then he'll try to arrest us for it. I can get the money," Luke assured him.

"Why I would never do such a thing," Boss defended, yet everyone knew he was lying.

"Just forget it Boss, I'll get you your bail money," Luke told him definitely, while Bo still looked unsure.

Boss Hogg was about to persuade him otherwise, when Enos came bustling down the stairs. He greeted everyone with a nodded of his head and his goofy grin saying, "Boss Hogg, someone's here to see you."

"Well who is it?" Boss grumbled.

"EB came about that…" Enos paused, glancing at the Duke boys, trying to figure out a sly way of saying job, so he said instead, "offer."

"Oh, my, my, my," Boss mused. "This is your last chance Dukes, if I leave the deal's off the table."

Bo was about to speak up again, but once again Luke stopped him. "No Boss, we don't need your deal."

Frowning, Boss muttered, "Fine," and headed up the stairs towards his office.

"Luke, are you crazy!" Bo whispered hoarsely. "How are we gonna get that kind of money?"

"We're gonna borrow it," Luke replied calmly.

"From who? The only person with that kind of money to spend is Boss and I don't see him giving us any money to bail ourselves out of his jail anytime soon," Bo shot back.

"Just calm down, I'll go get the money now," Luke assured him and headed out to the town square to meet Ellie Beth.

Luke sat on the bench across from the town hall, waiting for Ellie Beth to come out. It took a few minutes, but finally she came trotting down the steps, caught his eye and indicated for him to follow her. Leading him to the alley behind, once they were safe from prying eyes, she spun around, grinning and fanning out the money.

"I talked him up to thirteen hundred and manage to get seven hundred up front," she told him triumphantly. He was just staring at her and suddenly she got a horrible thought. "That is enough, right? I can go see if I can get more."

He shook his head, still amazed. "No, that's almost all of the bail, I've just never seen anyone come out winning with a deal from Boss."

"Well maybe that's because I'm the best," she said teasingly, tracing the ends of the green bills across his chest and up to his cheek. Luke went to grab the money, but she pulled it away and asked, in a seductive tone, "Who's the best?"

He just grinned, leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, "You, you're the best, at everything."

His lips then brushed up against her neck, and she gave a low moan. "Hey you, you need to stop that or your cousin will end up spending the night in jail and I won't get my job done."

"All right," he sighed, and took a step back from her.

She handed him the money, and ordered, "Take it, and go get Bo."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, and asked, "Are you still going to be at Cooter's after?"

She nodded, he gave her a quick kiss, and said, "I'll see you there, and good luck."

She smiled her thanks and then hurried off to finish this job quickly.

Boss and Bo's mouths hung open as they watch Luke count out the money and hand it back over to Boss. Luke appreciated the irony of this situation that Boss had really paid to get Bo out of jail, and was only getting handed back his money that he lost five minutes ago.

Bo was getting antsy at the sight of the money, wanting to ask where it came from. He almost did a couple of times before Rosco let him out of his cell, but the warning glare from his older cousin kept his impromptu tongue in line. Impatiently he waited as Rosco, grumbling, opened up his cell door and let him out. Grinning, he nodded his thanks and followed his cousin out the door.

Once free, and out on the street again, Bo let out a yell of joy and grabbed his cousin. "Luke, where did you get all that money?"

"I borrowed it, like I said before," he answered, leading Bo towards the General.

"From who?"

"Ellie Beth."

"Yee-haw, you hit the jackpot cousin, good looks, nice car and money!" Bo exclaimed. "She got any sisters?"

"A brother, if you're interested," Luke told him with a grin.

Bo laughed shaking his head. "It's a good thing you came back, when you did. I was about to take the job, until Rosco said it was in Chickasaw County. I'm not messing with Sheriff Little again, not after last time. Do you remember, how big of a hole his shot left in the General's bumper?"

Luke did not say anything. His face had suddenly lost color, and he stopped by the driver's side of the Dodge Charger.

"Luke. Luke, you okay?" Bo asked, noticing the sudden change in his cousin's demeanor.

His mouth was dry, but somehow he asked, "Where was the job?"

"Chickasaw County."

His heart raced, and for a second his breathing stopped. Bo was staring at him, wondering why he had changed all of a sudden. Luke tossed him the keys and told him, "Go home Bo, and stay home. We can't afford to bail you out again."

"Aren't you coming? Uncle Jesse isn't gonna be happy if you spend two nights away from the farm without calling," Bo warned him.

"I'll call, I just have to wait for Ellie Beth."

Bo grinned, and winked at him. "To thank her properly, right? Don't worry, I'll cover for you with Uncle Jesse."

Luke nodded, still in a slight daze of worry, and headed over to Cooter's garage to wait for his girl.

It was past midnight, and Luke still hadn't heard anything from Ellie Beth, he paced the garage, glancing at the one clock there, watching as it slowly ticked by. The last time he remembered checking it was almost two thirty am, and there was still no Ellie Beth. He hadn't meant to sit down and close his eyes, but his eyes closed by themselves and didn't open up till he heard the door to the garage creak open, and small rumble of a car attempting to be pushed into the empty space.

"Is that you?" he asked, voice cracking from sleep.

"Oh hey stranger, you wanna help me real quick?" she asked from the darkness, trying to push her car into the garage.

"Are you crazy?" he cried. "It's… way past midnight."

"Yeah, that's why I'm trying not to wake up the neighbors by starting my car. Are you gonna help or not?" she asked, her voice straining from the effort.

He started pushing on the other side and soon the car was safe in the garage, and she was locking the door. He turned on the lights quickly, not caring as she winced from the sudden light, and he took in her appearance. There were no obvious injuries, so sighing with relief he pulled her into a hug.

"Are you crazy Elizabeth! Chickasaw County! What were you thinking? Sheriff Little likes to shoot first, ask questions later," he scolded, holding her tighter.

"Yeah, I know that," she told him. "I might have run into him."

"What?" Luke pulled away and began to inspect her closer. "Are you okay? Did he shoot at you?"

"Luke, I'm fine," she reassured him. "Everything is fine now. Bo's free, the job's done, and I'm back, with you."

"Something happened though, didn't it? It's too late for you to be coming back if something didn't happen."

Laughing, she teased, "You don't even know what time it is. Relax, everything is okay now."

"What happened Elizabeth?" he questioned, his voice completely serious.

Sighing, she retold her night. "I was at the drop off, and had just finished unloading everything, when Sheriff Little showed up. The people I was delivering the moonshine for got away, but I was stuck. I tried to be as silent as I could, but then I started cough, and couldn't stop. He heard me, chased me and shot at me as I was trying to loose him along route thirty-four. I think he got Davis, but I am fine Luke, perfectly fine."

"Don't ever scare me like that," Luke told her, taking her back in his arms. "Why would you even take a job in Chickasaw?"

"Bo was in jail, would you have prefer that I let JD con him into doing the job?" she shot back.

"If I had known the job was through Chickasaw, I would have never had let you take it," he told her.

"Well, I'm a big girl and don't need your permission." Sighing, she sat down, exhausted and not wanting to fight anymore.

Luke replied with a sigh and sat down next to her. "Fine, you don't need my permission, just can you do me a favor?"

Holding back a groan, she asked, "What?"

"No more jobs in Chickasaw, I can't stand the idea of you being chased by a shooting sheriff," he requested.

She nodded and leaned against him. "So can I go to sleep now?"

Smiling at her, he got up and helped her to stand again. "Come on, Cooter keeps a mattress up in his loft."

"Are you staying with me?" she asked, as he led her to the ladder connecting the garage to the loft.

He leaned into her, pressed his lips against hers, and kissed her deeply. "I'll be right up."

Smiling, she headed up the ladder. He walked over to the light switch, checking the clock one last time before bring the garage back into the privacy of darkness. The time was four twenty-eight.