TURN RIGHT/LEFT TOWARD THE SPEEDWAY

"Well girl, I guess we know who that letter belongs to now." Jesse says, eyeing the blank sealed envelope you asked Daisy to deliver after you drove out of site. Seeing you turn toward the Speedway tells them exactly who it belongs to.

"Oh Uncle Jesse, Bo's gonna be so disappointed." Daisy sighs. "But I'm at least glad she decided not to leave town."

"Me too." Jesse verifies. "You want me to go in there and call Enos? Tell him to come give you a ride?"

"No that's okay. Dixon Pond isn't that far. I think I'll just walk."

"Well when ya git out there tell 'im to git on home. Widow Douglas is still lookin' for us ta come visit with her awhile. Ain't no reason we can't do it tonight." Jesse says, thinking it wouldn't do Bo any good to sit there pondering over the letter.

"Yes sir." Daisy replies, securing the envelope before setting off on her walk. Without calling Enos, it's her only means of transportation outside of Maudine the mule as Bo has the General, you have the pickup, and Luke has Dixie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke is under the hood of Black Tilly when a familiar sound fills his ears. Looking up, he smiles to see his uncle's old pickup truck coming toward him….and you behind the wheel.

You pull to a stop a few feet from Black Tilly and admire the old car from Jesse's moonshining days.

"You made it." He says, interrupting you gaze with a wide smile as he opens the door for you.

"Oh Luke, that's an amazing car!" You exclaim as he instinctively grabs hold of your hand and walks you over to it.

"It's just as amazing underneath the hood. Jesse built it himself back in his day." Luke begins. He commences to going into great detail about the time, effort, and parts that were put into the engine, but you tune him out as you concentrated on his chiseled features and amazing blue eyes as his fingers remain firmly twined with yours. The longer you look at him, the easier it becomes to forget the fact that you thought he was your cousin.

"Well, I can't wait to go for a ride in it." You announce as he finally turns his attention back to you.

He laughs. "Well we don't let just anybody ride in Tilly. If you wanna take a spin you're gonna hafta kiss me for it."

"Hmmmmm…." You say in thought. "Well what do I get for two kisses?"

Luke thinks for a minute. "Darlin', for two kisses, you can drive her!"

With a grin, you circle your arms around his neck and submit your payment for the chance to drive Tilly.

"Did I say two kisses?" Luke grins mischievously when you finish. "I meant three."

"Uh uh." You reply, punching him playfully. "A deal's a deal."

"Okay." He replies in mock reluctance, getting out the key. "But you haven't paid for the key yet."

You laugh and submit yet another kiss, each one feeling more natural than the last.

"Okay, do I get the key now?"

Laughing he hands you the key and walks you over to the driver's door, which he opens for you. "Just remember, no jumping. Tilly's a might older than the General and she can't take it like she used to."

"You don't have to worry about that." You reply in all honesty, admiring the interior as he walks around and opens up the passenger door to join you.

"Where's the CB?" You ask as he slams the door. This is the first car you've run across in Hazzard County that didn't have the communication device.

"They weren't around in Tilly's day, darlin'." He reminds you. "Why, you got somebody you need to call tonight?"

You look at the awesome car you are in and at the handsome man who sits next to you before giving the answer of "Nope!"

Luke grins in response as you gun the engine. The two of you spend a fabulous few hours taking turns behind the wheel as Tilly escorts you on a wild ride throughout the county. The evening is topped off when Luke drives you up to Miller's Point, a popular 'parking' spot where the few twinkling lights of Hazzard can be spotted far below. The perfectly respectable Luke goes only as far as you want, and you come off the mountain happy as you reflect on the time you spent up there.

"Let's take Tilly out to the farm." Luke suggests. "It's been awhile since Jesse's seen her out and about. Bet he'd like a visit."

"Sounds good." You reply, although the thought of Bo seeing you and Luke hand in hand makes you a bit uncomfortable, all things considered.

Deciding to pick up the truck later, Luke drives directly to the Duke farm.

"That's strange." He frowns as you both look at the house curiously. By all appearances, everyone is gone and the house is locked up tight.

That appearance is further confirmed when you spot a note pinned to the front door, the paper blowing in the gentle breeze.

Luke gets out to retrieve the note and brings it back where you can both read it under Tilly's interior light. Discovering the contents, your eyes widen in shock as Luke drops the letter and guns Tilly as he takes off for Capitol City, giving the car it's best ride since it's ridge runner days.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

The note informs you that Bo had been taken to the Tri-County Hospital. When the two of you get there, Daisy explains that when she'd arrived at Dixon Pond, she found Bo in the water struggling for life. For unknown reasons, he had swam out into the pond fully clothed, only to have his foot become trapped amidst some underwater brush.

And although Daisy acted as quickly as she could, Bo was not breathing by the time she dragged him out. Rescue breathing had restored his life, but he was now comatose. Of course, you couldn't be contacted as Tilly had no CB.

As time goes on, Bo eventually comes out of that coma, but he is never himself again. Unsurprisingly, Luke takes responsibility for caring for his baby cousin who's mental capacity has been permanently reduced to that of a 9 year old.

And through it all, you feel guilty, thinking if you'd just taken the time to drive that letter out to Dixon Pond yourself, you may have gotten to Bo in time to prevent this terrible tragedy.

At the same time, Luke can't help but blame himself for the outcome as well. He and Bo are together so much, he felt that he should have been with him during the accident as well. And each time he looks at you, it serves as a reminder of why he wasn't.

So with all things considered, you make a decision that you feel will be best for your own sanity and for everyone else. Slipping out of bed quietly one night, you unfold the papers that will legally return Duke land to the family. Signing on the dotted line, you pick up your bags and go out the door, never to return.

Setting off for town on foot, you stop and look back toward the ramshackle farmhouse one last time, realizing that some of the best and the worst times of your life have taken place right here the last few weeks. But you cannot look long. The next bus to Savannah is scheduled to arrive just after sunrise.

So with a deep sigh you turn toward town again, your future looking no brighter than the dark road that lies before you.

THE END

TURNING TO THE DARK SIDE, EH? SHALL WE CHRISTEN YOU "VADER"?