The Dukes of Smallville.
Chapter three.
The next day proved to be more fruitful for Jonathan. He and Clark managed to get the hay on the back field baled and part of the fence replaced. Thanks to his old memories reintegrating into his mind, Jonathan was able to function much better on the farm without any real bad flashbacks.
Jonathan and Clark sat on the porch and watched the sun as it sat. Jonathan however spent most of his time recounting to Clark tales of when he was back in Hazzard with his cousins Luke and Daisy, Cooter, and Uncle Jessie.
The young man ate everything up as Jonathan excitedly told him about when he and Luke were on the NASCAR circuit. To prove it, Jonathan searched through the old trunk and found some posters of him and Luke advertising for one of their old sponsors. Clark just about passed out when he found out the news. His father, a former NASCAR driver? Incredible.
There were a few things that Jonathan wondered about, though. Would he ever see his cousins or his best friend again? It was something that he was beginning to wonder about as the days went by. He wondered where they were now and what they were doing. He was still wondering that when he suddenly had an idea and went to find Clark.
"Clark!" the older man yelled to his adopted son. Clark heard his father and barreled out of the barn loft for him.
"Yeah dad?" Clark asked as he exited the barn.
"Clark, I've got something that I want to run by you." Jonathan started. "I was just thinking about those internet searches that people do for their relatives sometimes. Do you think that we could do something like that for me?"
Clark thought for a second. "Yeah, I think that we could. In fact, we could go to Chloe at the Torch. She's got access to a computer and could probably find out something for us."
"Excellent." Jonathan commented. He quickly grabbed his coat. Clark hastily grabbed his and followed his dad out to the truck as the two men rushed off for Smallville High.
Chloe was working on another FotW article when the door of the Torch blasted opened. In came Jonathan Kent followed by Clark. "Mr. Kent, Clark. This is an unexpected surprise." Chloe said. Closing out the article she got up. "What can I do for you two?"
"Hey Chloe," Clark greeted his friend.
"Hi Chloe." Jonathan told her. Chloe noted some sort of change in Jonathan Kent. Possibly his accent? She wasn't all together sure but something was definitely different about him.
"Chloe, I need your help with something." Jonathan told her. "I need to find out some information about some family and friends of mine. Clark told me that you might be able to find something on the computer. Can you help me out?"
"Sure." Chloe replied. "I just need some information on them. Like who they are, where they are now, things like that."
"Ok," Jonathan replied. He grabbed a notebook from a desk and ripped out some paper and began to writing down the information before handing it to Chloe. "Ok, so you need to find something on one Daisy Duke, Luke Duke, Jessie Duke, and Cooter Davenport, right?"
"Right." Jonathan replied. Chloe nodded and sat back down at the computer. "Mr. Kent, I don't mean to pry, but I've never knew the Kent's were related to anybody named Duke around in Smallville or Lowell County."
"Well, were not." Jonathan told her. "They're from a place called Hazzard, Georgia."
"Ok. Well Mr. Kent, Clark, as soon as I have anything I'll give you a call." She turned back to the computer. "See you all later."
"Bye Chloe." Clark said as he exited the Torch.
"See yah later, Chloe." Jonathan told the blonde reporter as he followed Clark out. 'Yeah, something's definitely about Jonathan Kent. His accent sounded a little, different.' Chloe thought. And with that she went to looking for the people.
Jonathan and Clark were heading out of town in the pickup when Jonathan suddenly pulled into Nell Potter's flower shop. "Dad, what are we doing here?" Clark asked as his father shut the truck off.
"Son, I'll just be in here a second. I want to get your mother something." Jonathan replied, exiting the vehicle. Clark was content to stay in the truck till he saw Lana inside the flower shop talking to her aunt. He hadn't seen her in a while and wanted to talk to her a little. Gathering up his courage he opened the truck door and headed inside the flower shop too.
Nell Potter was busy trimming some thorns from a rose when she heard the door jingle. "Just a second!" she called out.
"That's ok, Nell. Take your time." came a masculine voice. Nell immediately recognized it as Jonathan Kent's. Nell hurriedly finished up what she was doing and headed up towards the front.
"Hi Jonathan." Nell purred as she came into the main room. "It's been a while since you were here last." She pulled out a stool and sat in it. "What can I do for you?"
"Howdy Nell." Jonathan said. "I wanna pick up some flowers for Martha." Nell cringed when she heard Martha's name but then noticed something else. Was Jonathan's accent, deeper, for some reason?
While Nell and Jonathan talked Clark casually made his way over to Lana. "Hi Lana."
"Oh, hi, Clark, isn't it?" she asked as she began putting together some orders.
"Um, yeah." Clark responded. He knew that he wasn't the most popular person at Smallville High like Whitney Fordman but that his was laughable. How could she not know who he was? They only grew up a few miles from each other. Clark glanced over to his father who'd jus collected some flowers from Nell and was heading back out to the truck. "I'll, uh, see you later, Lana."
"Ok, that's nice. I'll see you later." Lana replied absent minded as she tended to something else.
Clark walked out the flower shop. "God, she's a total airhead."
Within two days of dropping off the information to Chloe the Kents were surprised to see the blonde reporter walking up their driveway. "Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, it's nice to see you."
"Chloe, sweety, are you ok? Is something wrong?" Mrs. Kent asked her as Chloe stopped at the front porch.
"Mrs. Kent, I'm fine." Chloe said as she sat down on the steps. "A little exhausted but otherwise fine. My car quit on me about a mile from your place and I've been walking over here since then."
"Oh you poor thing!" Mrs. Kent said. "Why don't you come inside?"
"Thanks Mrs. Kent." Chloe replied. She grabbed her things and headed inside the house.
Once inside Chloe sat down at one of the dining room chairs with Jonathan and Martha on the other side. "Where's Clark?" Chloe asked.
"Oh I think he's still in the loft. I'll go get him." Mrs. Kent said as she rose from the chair and headed out towards the barn. Moments later she returned with Clark in tow.
"Hey Chloe." Clark said as he pulled out a chair next to her.
"Hi, Clark." Chloe replied as Clark sat next to her. No one but Jonathan caught the look on Chloe's face and he grinned at what he saw.
Chloe Sullivan liked his son and Clark was completely oblivious to it!
"Mr. Kent, I was able to dig up some information about those family members of yours." Chloe told him as she dug through her purse producing some crumpled up papers. "Here you go." She handed the mess of papers to him.
Jonathan eagerly took the papers from Chloe. Each one contained some information about the people that he hadn't seen in over twenty years.
"Daisy Duke." Jonathan read silently to himself. "Graduated from Duke University with a degree in Biology." (A/N: I'm going on what I remember from the first reunion movie so I don't know how close to it I'll be.) Jonathan smiled. He never figured that Daisy would've ever left the Boar's Nest and became a scientist but here was the proof, right in his face.
Jonathan placed the picture down and picked up another. "Luke." he read again. "Smoke jumper." 'Figures, he was a paratrooper in the war that he'd do something like that.' Jonathan thought.
The next paper to be picked up was of Cooter Davenport. 'Crazy C.' Jonathan thought. 'Let's see what you've been up to all these years.' Jonathan began reading over the paper. 'A U.S. Senator? You gotta be kiddin me!' Jonathan couldn't believe that his old friend, Cooter Davenport, a United States senator. 'Will wonders never cease.'
The last paper that he looked proved to be the worst. 'Uncle Jessie.' Jonathan couldn't believe what he was reading. 'Died in 1985 due to cancer.' Jonathan let out a heavy sigh. This wasn't what he'd expect when Chloe brought the information over.
Jonathan sat the paper's down and headed out the door. "I need to get some air for a little bit." he announced.
Martha frowned. What was so bad that made him go outside all the sudden? She grabbed the last paper he had and read over. She understood why he wanted to get out so badly. She remembered Jonathan talking about Uncle Jessie and how he seemed like a really important person in her husband's life. She felt that she needed to comfort him so she quietly slipped outside leaving Clark and Chloe inside.
"Jonathan, sweety," Martha called out to her husband. When she found him, he was silently crying. "Jonathan, are you ok?"
"Martha, do I look like I'm ok?" Jonathan asked, tears coming down his face. "Uncle Jessie's gone." He looked away from her. "And I never got a chance to say I'm sorry."
Martha placed her hand around her husband. "Jonathan, we both that he's in a better place right now. I think that he's also forgiven you."
Jonathan sniffled. "Maybe your right."
Martha smiled. "Of course I'm right. Come on husband let's go back inside." Jonathan nodded and took his wife's hand as she lead him back into the house.
Jonathan picked up the papers off the table and neatly piled them up. It was about that time that he noticed a phone number on one of them. Sorting them out a little better he noticed that the number was for Cooter.
Jonathan realized he needed to make a phone call.
Jonathan grabbed the nearest phone and frantically began punching in numbers. He only hoped that Cooter would be there.
WASHINGTON D.C.
Cooter Davenport sat at his desk going over paper work. It was already past five but he still had some things that he wanted to get done. All the sudden his phone began to ring.
Cooter sighed. Why was it that he could never get anything done around here without being bothered by something? He picked up the receiver.
"Hello."
Silence.
Confused, Cooter tried again. "Hello?"
Jonathan's heart was racing. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Finally, he just blurted out something. "Is this Cooter Davenport?"
Cooter sighed again. 'Must be one of them dang reporters again.' "Yes, what can I do for you?"
Jonathan's heart sped up. "Well, um, ok. My name's Jonathan Kent..." Jonathan stopped. Cooter didn't know Jonathan Kent. He knew Bo Duke. Summoning all his courage, Jonathan started again. "Cooter, it's me. Bo Duke."
Bo heard some sounds on the other end but couldn't make out what was going on. "Cooter?"
Silence.
Cooter's jaw dropped. 'No, it can't be. Yes, it, it just has to be him. It just has to be!! "Bo, is it really you?"
Bo smiled. "Yeah Cooter, it's me."
By this time Cooter shot out of his chair. He was now gripping the receiver furiously. "I can't believe it! It's really you! Where are you? What's happened with you? Are you ok?.."
"Whoa Cooter, easy!" Bo stopped his friend from having a heart attack. "One question at a time. Yes, it's really me. Number two, I'm in Smallville, Kansas, and three, I'm ok."
Amidst all the excitement that Cooter was in he stopped. "Smallville? Kansas? How the heck did ya get out there?"
"It's a long story, Cooter." Bo replied. "So, when do you think you can come out here?"
"Right now." Cooter said, smiling over the phone. "I'll be on the first plane out to Metropolis."
"Good thing." Bo replied. "Oh Cooter, one more thing. Do you know how I can get a hold of Luke or Daisy?"
Cooter smiled again. "Don't worry about them. I'll take care of that."
"Thanks Cooter." Bo replied. "I'll see in a few days."
"Right." Cooter replied. He hung up the phone and grabbed his coat. Running out of his office he let out a healthy "YEEHAW!!" causing the maid around the corner to jump.
On this night, Cooter Davenport's work would have to wait.
METROPOLIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Cooter arrived in Metropolis after a boggy 4 1/2 air flight. He signed for his luggage and a rental car and pointed it south towards Small vile.
From the west a woman blazed along the interstate on a motorcycle. Her name was Daisy Duke. After hearing the news that Bo was alive she immediately packed up and left her research lab in San Francisco and headed for Smallville.
From the east came an orange stock car with a rebel flag and a huge '01' painted on the doors. It was Luke Duke. Daisy had called him telling him that Bo was alive and he immediately got in the General Lee and headed for Smallville, Kansas.
Things at the farm had quietened down a little but anticipation was thick. Jonathan couldn't wait to see his family and friend again that it was making him sick.
Clark watched as his father paced the kitchen for the millionth time. "Dad, your going to wear a hole in the floor." Clark told his father.
Jonathan sighed. "I know, but you can't say that this a little exciting." Clark nodded.
"I can't wait either, dad. It'll be really neat to have them around." Clark responded.
Just then, Jonathan heard a car pull up the drive. Excited, he and Clark ran outside only to find Martha pulling up in her car. "Honey, what's wrong?" Martha asked.
"I thought you were somebody else." Jonathan replied. Martha nodded understandingly.
Just then, another car pulled into the drive. It pulled alongside Martha's. The man that got out was sight for sore eyes.
Cooter looked around the farm before his eyes finally rested on the object of his search.
"Bo!"
"Cooter!"
The two lifelong friends ran towards each other and embraced in a hug. Then they pulled back to look at one another. "My god, Bo, I can't believe it!"
"Me neither, Cooter." Bo replied.
The two friends were about to be conversing some more when the rumble of a motorcycle engine. Both men turned around to see a woman riding a Harley pull in front of the two men. The rider got off and pulled off her helmet.
"Daisy!" The two men yelled in unison.
"Hey Cooter." Daisy turned to her cousin. "Bo!" She grabbed Bo as he swung her around. Bo stopped and the two hugged each other.
The commotion was all but silence again when another sound, this of a car, broke through the small group. Bo, Daisy, Cooter, Martha, and Clark all looked up the drive and noticed an orange car pulling in. The driver, a man with dark hair, exited through the window. 'Window?' Martha and Clark thought.
The man made his way from the car to Bo, Daisy, and Cooter, his face set solid. He never smiled once as he stopped in front of them.
"Bo." the dark haired man acknowledged his cousin.
"Luke." Bo returned it. "It's been a while."
"That it has." Luke replied calmly. He continued to remain calm but couldn't hold it for much longer. A sly smile appeared on his face as he grabbed his cousin in a bear hug. "It's been a while, cousin." Luke told him.
"I know." Bo replied. The two pulled apart.
Jonathan turned to look at this wife and son. "Don't be shy, y'all. C'mon down and say hi."
Martha and Clark eased their ways down to the others. "Hi, I'm Martha. Jon... er, Bo's wife, and this is our son, Clark." Clark politely shook hands with the others as they all walked into the house.
End of Chapter Three.