"Jist hold on Thomas." Jesse spoke up before the switch had changed hands. "Now I agree that Tommy needs to be corrected, but I think it's you who needs to be the one doin' it. Bo's turn 'ill come when he has his own youngin's someday."

Bo looked at Jesse with relief, glad that the burden of deciding between punishing Tommy or arguing against it had been lifted from him.

Thomas looked as if he were thinking on the situation. "I just figured that since he'd said it to Bo, it would only be right to let Bo issue the punishment."

"When it comes to Tommy Bo's too soft to do any sort of a punishment justice." Jesse pointed out.

Thomas simply listened to Jesse's wisdom and looked at Bo's relieved face, realizing that even though correcting his son was a part of fatherhood he hated, it was still his responsibility. Summoning up more courage to take charge of the situation than Tommy would probably need in facing it, he turned to his son. "C'mon Rocky." He said. "It's time you were introduced to the woodshed."

"I don't want to." Tommy replied as he began to sob.

'Neither do I.' Thomas thought to himself before he motioned for Tommy to follow him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"C'mon Bo, I'm about to starve!"

Those were the words uttered by Luke Duke exactly three weeks later as he sat in the General Lee outside the Hazzard Bakery.

"Alright, alright." Bo responded, hurrying over to the car as he balanced a perfectly decorated cake in his hands. When he arrived, he started to throw a leg through the window but paused, looking at the cake. He then went to set the cake on the front of the General before climbing halfway in. Deciding that wouldn't work, he then climbed back out and moved the cake to the top of the car. After doing that, he swung his legs in the car and sat on the sill before picking up the cake again. Sliding slowly into his seat, he suddenly stopped when the cake threatened to fall.

"Amelia Mae!" Luke called out when he saw one of Daisy's pretty friends walking by. Turning in the direction of the General, Amelia Mae smiled before she quickly saw Bo's predicament. Rushing over, she extracted the cake from his hands.

"Hey Bo, hey Luke. What's the occasion? It Uncle Jesse's birthday?" She asked, looking at the cake before handing it to Bo, who was now properly seated in the General.

"What would you say if we told you there might just be another Duke boy in town soon?" Luke asked.

"I'd say who's the lucky mother-to-be?" Amelia Mae giggled.

The boys chuckled before Bo replied. "No Amelia Mae, he means a full grown one."

"Then I'd say it might just be more than this town can handle." Amelia Mae smiled.

With another chuckle, the boys bid her goodbye before they raced toward home.

"Dang it, Luke, Mrs. Brewer took forever decorating this cake. I hope they didn't start without us."

"Just relax Bo. You know Uncle Jesse's gonna wait on us. Besides, we'll probably beat Thomas back. That temporary job he took in Calhoun was supposed to wrap up at 3 today and it'll take him an hour and a half to get back. We're probably lookin' at 5:30."

"I suppose you're right." Bo replied. "I mean, Jesse's been carryin' that letter around for two days. If he's been that patient in waiting to open it then I'm sure he'll wait on us if we're a few minutes late."

A short while later the boys arrived at the farm to find Daisy, Tommy, and Jesse outside. When they skidded to a halt, Daisy rushed forward and extracted the cake from Bo's lap, saving him from trying to figure out how to transfer it without ruining it.

"Waddaya think, Bo?" Tommy asked, gleaming in excitement as he nodded toward a glittery banner Jesse had hung across the front porch.

"Well…" Bo began as he exited the General Lee. "I think it's nice and all that, but….."

"Congratulations?" Luke asked. "Nice gesture but a bit presumptuous, wouldn't you say?"

"And assuming." Bo laughed. "There's no guarantee that Thomas would consider bein' a Duke reason for celebration."

"You mean there's no guarantee that bein' your cousin would be reason for celebration." Jesse snarled. "Not with the way you boys are always gettin' tangled up in stuff. Besides, it was either 'Congratulations', or Welcome Home Baby', 'cause that's the only two banners they had at the drug store. And unless one of you two has a little surprise you ain't told me about yet, I didn't see much sense in gettin' the other banner."

As the boys chuckled through the fact that Jesse's nervousness was getting the best of him, the sound of a horn interrupted their thoughts. They turned around and spied Thomas waving at the truck that had just dropped him off.

"Thanks a lot!" He called out as the driver waved in response. All the Dukes returned the friendly gesture as Thomas rushed up to Tommy.

"Hey Rocky!" He exclaimed, taking the youth in his arms and swinging him around.

"Hey Dad. You get all done with that job in Calhoun?"

Thomas wiped his sweaty forehead across his arm before he picked up his cap and extracted something from underneath. "Does that answer your question?" He asked, showing his son a wad of bills.

"Oh boy!" Tommy exclaimed, looking at the money. "Does this mean I can go get those comic books now?"

"I'd say it's a definite possibility." He replied, ruffling Tommy's hair. "But first I need to verify how well you kept up with the chores that were assigned to you while I was gone."

"Oh." Tommy simply replied, suddenly looking a bit sullen.

"But what's all this?" Thomas asked, looking back and forth from the banner to the picnic table which held the cake as well as other dishes.

"Well, we ain't too sure yet." Jesse admitted, pulling the unopened envelope from his pocket and handing it to Thomas.

Thomas took the envelope and noted the return address for the DNA lab in Atlanta. "Did this come today?" He asked.

"Couple of days ago." Daisy verified. "We didn't want to open it 'till you got back."

"Oh." Thomas replied. "Bet you all were beside yourselves waitin' to see what was inside."

"That's an understatement." Luke announced with a grin.

Thomas looked down at his clothes. "Well I hate to keep you waitin' any longer but if we're gonna have any kind of a party I wanna look fit to celebrate."

"Oh honey it can wait!" Daisy exclaimed. "I want to hurry up and find out you're my cousin so I can hug you grease and all!"

"Well………….okay!" Thomas agreed, looking around at all the excited faced and unable to pretend that he was calmer than any of them. "Go ahead Pop, you do the honors."

Jesse nodded and took the envelope back. Extracting his reading glasses from his pocket, he bent down beside Tommy and extracted his pocket knife. Sliding his knife in order to cut the flap, he folded it back up again and pulled the letter out. He then handed the envelope to Tommy.

And as he unfolded the letter and began to read, the rest formed a semicircle behind him, wanting to see the words for themselves.

When we come back, we'll see if they've been standin' there long enough ta take root.