What have I done?
The words kept echoing through his mind as he sat there, his head in his hands. If there was ever a time in his life when he'd felt worse about himself, Bo couldn't remember it. He'd been completely and totally wrong. Now with his anger spent, the realization of what he'd just said and done to his family and the woman he loved was hitting him, and it hurt worse than any blow. All he could see was Darla's face, full of disbelief and hurt. And all he could hear was Daisy's angry words, and all of them were ringing true.
It wasn't that he thought Darla was falling for Luke, or that Luke was trying to steal her affection. Deep down, he knew better. He should have realized the night before, looking through Darla's photo album. She missed her family; she especially missed her brother. And Luke was the big brother to all of them; of course he'd take on that role with Darla as well, why wouldn't he? Bo loved her more than anything, but he couldn't take Jonas's place. And in a way, Luke could. The only thing going on between them, was Darla finding the love and guidance she'd lost when Jonas died. Why didn't he see that all Luke was doing, was being the big brother Darla was so used to having?
Because you were afraid.
The realization hit him like a freight train. That uneasy feeling he got, whenever he saw Darla with someone else; only now did he realize what it was. Not anger or jealousy, but fear. Fear of what? That she would change her mind? That she didn't love him? That she'd strayed? No, it wasn't that. He'd never doubted her.
He'd doubted himself.
Daisy was right—she gave up everything for you. Her family, her farm, everything and everyone she's ever known. She walked away from it, for you. How can you match that? What can you give her, that could make up for that? All he had was himself; what if that wasn't enough? What did he have, that could possibly hold her? He wasn't really worried about Luke stealing her; he was worried that Darla would realize she was too good for him, and he would lose her.
And now, he may have lost her anyway. Nothing was going to get him out of this colossal screw-up. Darla might never forgive him. She was the most precious thing in his life, and he'd blown it in the worst way possible by pushing her away in his anger. He'd accused her of being unfaithful with his own cousin; how could he have been so cruel? Why hadn't he just asked Luke what was going on? A Duke would never lie; Luke would have told him the truth. Why hadn't he listened when Uncle Jesse called him back? Why hadn't he let Daisy talk to him? Why, why?
What kind of a monster was he, that he would treat her this way?
He heard the screen door slam, and someone approaching him across the yard. He knew by the sound of the footfalls that it was Luke. He didn't move. If Luke wanted to get his return punch in, he'd take it; it was much less than what he deserved.
Instead, he felt Luke nudge his elbow. He looked up slightly, and saw an ice bag being held out to him. He accepted it and held it to his face, but didn't look up. Luke sat down in the dirt next to him. They heard the sound of an engine starting, and gravel popping as a truck drove away. Cooter had left. For several minutes neither of them spoke. Finally Luke said, "Bo, I uh…I think I owe you an apology."
"What? Why?" Bo's voice was thick.
"'Cause I'm an idiot," Luke sighed. "You ain't that hard to read, Bo; I shoulda realized what was bothering you, I shoulda realized what you were thinkin'. But I didn't. I can't believe I didn't. Y'know, you an' I have fought over a lot of pretty girls in our lives. But there's no need for us to fight over Darla, 'cause she's never had eyes for anybody but you."
"Luke, don't—"
"Look, lemme say this, 'cause you need to hear it," Luke went on. "Bo, I don't care for Darla the way you do. I never have. Yeah, I'm the one who went after her, but that was because of how I feel about the both of you. And—because I didn't want to see you make the same mistakes I made." Bo looked up at that, but Luke shrugged it off and went on. "And besides, I knew you were both too stubborn to see sense about each other without a nudge. You two are peas in a pod when it comes to that." Luke had hoped that might get a little laugh out of Bo, but he didn't react.
Luke sighed. "Bo, I love Darla dearly, I really do. But I love her like I love Daisy, or Uncle Jesse. She's like another little sister to me, and I reckon she feels the same way. She'll never mean to me what she means to you. And I'll never mean to her what you do. She loves you, Bo. She doesn't want anybody else, least of all me. And I'm sorry you got that idea. I really am."
Bo finally looked up. Luke saw the tears in his eyes as he whispered, "You shouldn't have had to say it. An' it doesn't really matter now, does it?"
"Now, Bo, don't—" Luke stopped as Bo's shoulders started to shake. Luke sighed again; he put an arm around his cousin and let Bo's head fall on his shoulder. Bo and Daisy had both grown up crying on Luke's shoulder; he was the oldest after all, and as far as he was concerned it was part of his job as the big brother. And Bo had never been the type to keep his emotions in, whether it was laughter or tears. "I know, cuz. I know," he murmured. He couldn't bring himself to say it was okay. He wasn't that forgiving. But he doubted Bo could hate himself any more at the moment, and he wasn't going to rub it in.
After a minute, Bo sat up, sniffling. He wiped his right eye; the left was nearly swollen shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger—fortunately Cooter had missed that part of his face—and took a few shuddering breaths. "I don't deserve her."
"Well, I ain't gonna lie, you deserve a right good butt-chewin' for what you did," said Luke. "But whether or not you deserve her, that's her choice. An' she's made it; she made it the day she came back."
"But I don't know how to be the right man for her. Why should she want me, especially now? I mean, what do I really have to offer her? Daisy was right; she's given up everything for me, how do I ever measure up to that? I can't…I'll never be enough for that. For her."
"Bo, Darla didn't give up anything because you asked her to; she made that decision herself," said Luke. "She wanted to do the right thing, not just for herself, but for her family and their farm. She's got no regrets about lettin' her cousin run it. That's what's best for the farm. And bein' with you is what's best for her. If she didn't really believe that, nothin' I said would have made her come back. She's here 'cause she wants to be here, because she loves you. She's happy here. You don't need to try an' be somethin' you're not. Darla loves you because you're you; bad or good, she loves everything about you."
"Except my temper, maybe," said Bo. "I wish I'd gotten your temper sometimes."
"Whaddya mean?"
"You woulda talked to her. You never would have treated her like that," said Bo, picking up a stone and chucking it across the yard. "You never lose your temper like that."
"Hah!" Luke laughed out loud.
"What?" said Bo.
"Bo, have your forgotten our entire childhood?" Luke asked incredulously. "How many times I took a swing at you with a baseball bat because you'd ticked me off? How many fights I picked on the playground? Or how many whippin's I got from Uncle Jesse because I ran off at the mouth? Bo, I had twice the temper you did as a kid! I just had a stint in the Marines to knock it out of me, that's all. Okay, maybe you let your heart rule your head, but you give every bit of your heart to the people you love. You're bull-headed, it's true, but no one could ever doubt how you feel about them."
"That's what scares me," said Bo. "How does she think I feel about her now? What—" Bo dropped his head again. "What have I done?" he whispered.
Luke didn't have an answer for that.
"What am I gonna do?" Bo said in a shaky voice.
"Well first, you're gonna go inside an' apologize to Daisy and Uncle Jesse for bein' such a jackass," said Luke. "And you better make sure Daisy ain't near the fryin' pans when you do."
That got him a shaky laugh. "Yeah, thanks for disarmin' her earlier; I don't think I coulda taken another hit right then."
Luke laughed too. "I know." He sighed, and his face grew serious. "And then you're gonna wait for Darla to come home and you're gonna face the music."
Bo looked down. "She's never gonna forgive me for this, Luke."
"Now, that ain't true. You've hurt her, and you're gonna have to try and make up for that. An' she may not make it easy. But Darla ain't the type to hold a grudge. She couldn't even hate Bernardo, as hard as she tried. And I think she loves you a lot more than him."
"She shouldn't after today." Bo looked toward the General Lee. "I should go find her, I—"
"No, you shouldn't," said Luke. "Darla doesn't need the fryin' pan to kick your ass. Let her cool off; she'll come back. You might wear out those jeans you're wearin' at the knees crawlin' after her, but I think she'll forgive you." He stood up and extended his hand and pulled Bo to his feet. "Now c'mon." He started walking toward the house.
"Luke?"
Luke turned back. Bo's face was red and blotchy, one eye was red-rimmed and the other swollen, a black-and-blue mark was blooming across his jaw, and his hair was matted from the ice bag and from tears. He looked downright pathetic. "Luke, I'm—"
Luke walked back, and Bo threw his arms around him. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I know, cuz. Don't worry about it," said Luke, hugging him back. He wasn't quite done being mad yet, but knowing Darla's temper, she was probably mad enough for both of them. No sense in wasting the energy.
Darla sat with her head resting on her hand at the Hogg's dining room table. Tears were streaming down her face, an untouched cup of tea in front of her. She'd managed to get the whole story out to them. Lulu sat holding her other hand. Enos sat with both of them, feeling very awkward but wanting to do something to comfort Darla. Although, short of finding Bo and knocking some sense into him, he wasn't sure what he could do. Besides, between Daisy, Luke and Uncle Jesse, he figured that line was already pretty long.
Darla didn't look up. "What do I do, Lulu? I don't even know what to say to him now. How could he…how could he think any of that? How could he think Luke would ever do that? Or that I'd ever feel that way about Luke? I came back to Hazzard for Bo; how could he think anything else?"
"Well, miss Darla," Enos began, "I've known Bo an' Luke almost our whole lives. They're closer than brothers and best friends, them two, but there's always been some competition 'tween 'em. And, well…when it comes to a pretty girl, that competition ain't always friendly."
"But there isn't any competition," Darla wailed. "I don't love Luke like that; I never have. And he doesn't feel that way about me. He's…" Darla wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Lulu had given her. "Being around Luke is like…like having Jonas back. Luke reminds me of him in a lot of ways. He's always looking out for me; he tries to help me with everything. And he just wants me to be happy. That's exactly the way Jonas would be. I miss him," she said, tears spilling over again. "I miss him so much sometimes. And with Luke, it just…it takes some of that away. But I don't love him. I love Bo!" The last word came out as a sob, and she buried her head in Lulu's shoulder. She hated crying, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. Seeing Bo rage at her and hearing the venom in his words had completely shocked her out of her defenses. Eventually her sobs quieted to hiccups and coughing as she worked to calm herself down.
Enos shook his head. Bo really could be an idiot sometimes. "Listen, ladies, I really should be goin', I gotta get back out on patrol." He stood and patted Darla's shoulder. "Don't you worry, Darla; Bo's a good man, he'll come around." He started to walk out. Then he turned and said, "Darla—if I know Bo, he'll come lookin' for ya. If he asks me, should I tell him where ya are?"
Darla sat up and slowly shook her head. The urge to cough was hitting her again; she was trying to ignore it. "Not unless you have to." She managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Enos."
Enos nodded. As he walked toward the door, Lulu said, "And Enos? You go out there and you get rid of that stupid floating No Parking Zone of Rosco's. And if he or J.D. says one word about it, you tell them to take it up with me."
Enos smiled. "Yes, Miss Lulu, I sure will."
Lulu turned back to Darla and patted her hand. "Well now, do you want to head out too? Or you know, Miss Maude mentioned you were still looking for a wedding veil. I have my grandmother's and my aunt Glady's veils, I pulled them out for you…"
Darla smiled a little, but the tears threatened again. "I don't know if I feel like thinking about a wedding right now," she said.
"Now Darla, don't think like that. You and Bo love each other; that much is plain as day. And you'll have a beautiful weddin', and you'll be very happy together. This isn't the last fight you two will have, you know."
"But is it the last fight we'll have about this? I can't take this again. I'm not sure if I'll want to hug him or slug him when I see him."
Lulu laughed and said, "Well, if I know Jesse, he's probably dressed Bo down pretty good by now. That's if Daisy and Luke didn't get to him first." She stood and said, "Go on home now. Give him a chance to say he's sorry, and to make it up to you. Bo's a good boy; I think he's learned his lesson by now."
Darla stood and hugged Lulu. "Thanks, Lulu. Thanks for listening."
"Anytime, Darla honey," said Lulu, reaching for a large box in the corner and handing it to her. "Now you take these veils with you, see if there's one you want, and I'll see you soon." She showed Darla out and waved as Darla hopped back into Jesse's truck. Everybody has one big fight before a wedding, she thought, but it's usually about cake toppers or mother-in-laws.
Darla headed back to the Duke farm, driving slowly. She didn't really feel like going back just yet. She knew she should give Bo the chance to apologize—she didn't have it in her to stay mad at anybody for very long, anyway—but she couldn't pretend she wasn't still hurt. No, she was still angry. Better to wait, she thought, until she knew she wouldn't yell at Bo. Or kick his teeth in; she was sure she could kick that high if she tried hard enough. And she might regret it later. Maybe.
She drove on, wondering where she could go that Bo wouldn't think to look. She knew Enos was right, Bo would come looking, but she didn't want to talk with anyone right now. She thought about heading for the Hazzard dam, when she passed the Devil's Ridge turnoff and something caught her eye. She stopped and backed up. No, she wasn't seeing things; it was a car, right at the top of the hill, silhouetted against the setting sun. "Now what would a car be doing up there?" she murmured. Bo and Luke wouldn't even take the General Lee that way; if you weren't driving an off-road vehicle, the Devil's Ridge turnoff didn't lead anywhere. Plus, the ridge bordered Farmer Wilson's property, and she'd heard he didn't take kindly to people taking their off-road vehicles across his land. "Wonder if they're lost," she said to herself. She turned and headed up the muddy path.
She pulled up behind the car and got out. It was an old, rusted El Camino with South Carolina plates. She looked inside, but no one was in the driver's seat. She put her hand on the hood, and quickly pulled it away. It was burning hot; someone had just been driving it. "Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone out here?" She could smell smoke and chemicals from the recent fire, and started coughing again. Ugh, where did this stupid cough come from? It was really starting to annoy her.
She looked around again, but she couldn't see past the first few trees in the dying sunlight. She decided to head up to the very top of the hill, when she heard the crack of a gunshot.
She didn't hesitate, but darted into the trees. She knelt in the leaves, and listened as hard as she could. Suddenly, another shot rang out. It was off to her right, over the hilltop. She thought she heard laughing. Moving as quietly as she could, she crept through the trees toward the sound.
As she reached the ridge top, the voices got louder. She heard another shot, this one louder, and men laughing. "C'mon now, Earl, is he dancin' around too much for ya?" one voice said.
"Maybe he thinks he's a bird, flittin' through them trees!" said another.
Huh? Darla heard a snarl and looked into the treetops. She saw a large black shape on a branch. The men shot at it again, and she saw it jump to another branch.
Darla's jaw dropped. It was a huge, black cat.
"Oh, my gosh," she whispered. Farmer Wilson isn't crazy—there really IS a Phantom Panther!
The big cat was moving through the branches, clearly looking for an escape. As Darla watched, she realized the cat was too small to be a panther. It was also missing a tail. A bobcat? Bo had told her there were some in the Hazzard Swamp. But nobody had ever mentioned a black one before. "Oh, wow," Darla breathed. Why would it have left the Swamp? And why were they shooting at it?
Understanding hit her then, and her breath left in a rush. Suddenly she knew who had slaughtered Farmer Wilson's sheep, and who had carelessly left a campfire to burn.
Poachers.
A black bobcat was almost unheard of, and it would be worth thousands, alive or dead. I've got to get out of here, Darla realized. Then she heard a snap, and the click of a gun being cocked back. She froze.
"Enjoying the show, are we, missy?" said a rough voice. "Up."
Darla arose slowly, her hands out. She didn't turn. "Just tryin' to see who's taking their illegal gun fun to the extreme," she said over her shoulder. "Because it's not hunting season, and I highly doubt you've got permission to be on Farmer Wilson's land. Or to shoot that animal. Not to mention that your campfire nearly torched an entire farm."
"Can't be caught shootin' a cat if it don't exist, now can we?" the man said. "Everyone knows the Phantom Panther ain't real." He chuckled. "It's funny, really—we're gonna get twenty grand for a ghost cat."
"Yeah, well, you gotta catch that ghost first," said Darla, with as much bravado as she could muster. "And a black bobcat must be awfully good at hiding, if no one's ever seen it." From the trees, the cat hissed, almost in response. But the treetops were so thick, she couldn't see him. And she doubted these guys could either. "In fact, I'd say you've missed your chance."
She heard loud rustling through the brush, and two men who had been shooting at the bobcat came into view again. "Hey, Morty, you made it back!" said the one called Earl. They both looked Darla up and down.
"Yeah, and I caught this little hick chick spyin'," said Morty. "And thanks to you two idiots, we still ain't got that dang cat!"
"We can't exactly chase 'im through the trees, Morty!" the third one whined.
"Shut up. We gotta figure out what to do with this snoopin' missy," said Morty. "She's seen us and now she knows about that c—"
Morty lost whatever he was about to say next. Darla spun and aimed a kick right at Morty's midsection. He dropped like a stone; Darla jumped over him and took off.
"Git 'er!" she heard one of them yell. She reached down for a sturdy branch, spun and threw it. She heard one of them grunt as it connected. She didn't bother to look to see if they were following, but ran flat-out back toward the road. Where the hell is it? Had she really come that far? She heard them in the brush behind her and ran faster. Where am I?
She felt something hit the back of her head and saw a flash of white light. Everything turned upside down. Her head was spinning, and she heard a roaring in her ears.
"Not so tough now, are ya girlie?" she heard someone say. "An' next time ya might wanna run AT the road 'stead of next to it." She heard someone laugh. Dimly she realized she was on the ground, and the roaring in her ears was her labored breathing.
"So what do we do with her?"
Darla heard someone stumble through the brush and felt a prick at her neck. Morty was holding a hunting knife to her throat. "For two cents, I'd slice you, bitch," he grunted. "It'd be a pleasure. But I won't dirty my blade with you. I've got a better idea." He dragged her to her feet.
"Where're we gonna stash her, Morty?" asked Earl.
"C'mon," he said. Morty wrenched Darla's hands behind her back and started shoving her through the darkening woods. Between the fading light and the spots dancing before her eyes, she had no idea where they were going. Suddenly, the black spots turned into a yawning black hole in front of her. Instinctively she struggled, but with her arms pinned, Morty was too strong for her.
"Night-night, honey," said Morty in a sing-song voice, and shoved.
Darla felt herself hurtling toward the blackness. She heard herself scream, and then she was falling into the dark.
