The atmosphere inside Boss Hogg's office was ripe with tension. The Duke clan had arrived to find Boss Hogg thumbing through a stack of papers that Enos had just dropped off. When he had seen Daisy, he had lost his grip on the stack of them and they had scattered all over the floor.

He had picked them up and tried to place them in some sort of order, until Boss had rolled his eyes at the wayward deputy and ordered him to just place them on the desk. Enos had done so and then had left the office, waving shyly to Daisy who had given him a wave back and blown him a kiss. Which only caused him to walk into the wall, much to the amusement of Bo and Luke who were trying very hard not to snicker.

Boss now had the papers in some sort of order, and he was looking for the correct ones that would get him off the legal hook with the Dukes. If they agreed to sign the papers, then he wouldn't have a thing to worry about.

Daisy had taken a seat in one of the chairs, while Bo and Luke were waiting in the doorway. Jessie was right in front of the desk, leaning forward and doing his best imitation of a grizzly bear while his large hands rested on the varnished surface of the real-wood desk.

When J.D. had seen the Dukes enter, he had immediately put out his cigar and opened up the windows. He now knew the reaction Bo would have and he didn't want a repeat of the incident last night by any stretch of the imagination.

He finally located the papers and placed them before Jessie to read. Jessie took out his reading glasses and perused the tiny print, offering a low grunt every now and then as he read over the proposal for himself. It was exactly as Bo and Luke had said, and it all seemed on the up and up. Too bad he wasn't going to sign it.

Bo watched his uncle reading the papers, and tried to stifle the coming yawns. The medication he had taken earlier in preparation for Daisy's homecoming flowers had finally kicked in and he was feeling rather drowsy. He had to keep shaking his head to keep from nodding off and falling asleep on his feet. All he wanted right now was for Jessie to make his pitch so they could go home and he could find someplace soft to lay his head.

Luke had to nudge his cousin more than once just to keep him awake. He couldn't really blame Bo for taking the medication, as his cousin was only trying to do the right thing. He just wished that it didn't have such a profound effect on Bo.

Jessie now finished with the papers and put them down on the desk. He then folded up his reading glasses and placed them in the pocket of his overalls. He looked up to where J.D. was waiting, the expectation of an approval written all over his chubby cheeks.

Jessie cleared his throat and Bo jumped slightly, again on the verge of falling asleep. He blinked and rubbed his eyes as his uncle spoke.

"That's all done up nice, J.D. and very legal."

J.D. smiled broadly, "So that means you are gonna sign it, right?"

"No."

The effect of that one word on J.D. Hogg was almost comical. The grin literally slid off his face to be replaced by a very large frown. "What do you mean by that?" He picked up the papers for himself and squinted at the tiny print, hoping to see what had discouraged the Duke patriach from accepting the offer.

"I mean, it's a generous offer, but we can't accept it." Jessie steeled his face until it looked like chiseled stone.

"Oh, I get it, you want more? How much more?" Hogg asked grumpily. He should have guessed that the offer was too low.

It was at this point that the tension reached its maximum level as everyone in the room locked eyes on Jessie Duke. His next words were the most awaited of the day. Even Bo stood a bit straighter.

"J.D. Hogg, first let me tell you that the incident at the Boars Nest was a bunch of circumstances beyond your control. I have no doubt that you did not start the fire, nor did you pay anyone to start the fire." He kept his tone low and even. "To think that you really believe that we might sue you even after all we've done for you really hurts. Now you know I value kin over anything else, and friendships come a close second." He locked eyes with the commissioner and said softly, "You may not believe it for one second, J.D. but you are one of our friends."

Boss Hogg swallowed slowly, and didn't blink once. It was as if Jessie Duke's speech had held him captive and he was unable to break the spell being woven.

"Now, I will not deny that your establishment was poorly equipped to deal with a fire, in so much as there were only two fire extinguishers in the whole place and no sprinklers. The only thing you are negligent in is the foresight to plan for emergencies." Jessie picked up the papers again and flipped through them. "As much as I'd like for the farm to be paid off, this is not the way to do it." He tossed the papers back down again and chanced a look around to his niece and nephews.

Daisy looked proud, and so did Luke. Only Bo's face showed a hint of disappointment which he tried really hard to vanquish from his face. Jessie turned back to the short man still waiting for a final answer.

"J.D, I will tell you this. You did the right thing by paying for the hospital bills. Daisy and Bo did the right thing by saving your life. That makes us even on that ground."

The smile started coming back to Boss Hogg's face in the tiniest bit, he realized he was going to get away cheaper than he had thought possible.

"However, I will not deny these here boys and my niece some compensation for the pain and suffering they have had to endure. I know already that a jury trial would indeed make us wealthy to a degree. Juries love pain and suffering, but I'm not going to do that. What I am going to ask for, and I want this written up before anything is signed and sealed, is three things."

Boss gulped and began to sweat. This was it... the hardball was being thrown.

"First off, you will indeed consider the General Lee paid in full. No more liens and no more hassles. That car will legally belong to those boys standing behind me. Got that?" He didn't move so much as an inch while staring down his longtime moonshine running compadre. He could hear the relieved exhale of Luke right behind him.

"I got it." Boss said slowly. That was two thousand for sure. Petty cash really. "What else?"

"Second of all, I want you to give Daisy there a three dollar an hour raise once the Boars Nest officially reopens. That is non-negotiable, J.D. in any way. Seeing how she has worked so hard for you for so long and getting paid so little, it's only fair." He paused a moment then waited for Hogg to open his mouth and then quickly added. "An no more docking her pay for any reason, no matter what it is."

Boss Hogg's mouth clicked shut and he nodded. Paying the farm off would have been cheaper. Raising Daisy's wages would definitely amount to a lot of money heading towards the Dukes. He sighed and nodded. "And lastly?"

"Lastly, I want you to put in that clause that states that Bo can get his shots from Doc Applebee for his allergies for as long as he needs. I want the whole thing covered, from the doctor visits to the shots and any prescriptions related to the allergies that he may need. Inhaling all that smoke while saving your hide didn't help them much and may have damaged his lungs even more." He paused and could almost hear Bo's excited grin behind him.

Boss Hogg nodded. "If I do those three things, and put it in writing, you will sign the papers saying you won't sue?"

Jessie nodded at last. "Then we will sign, but not until then and not before I have read them." He started to turn away and lead his kin out the door, but turned back to add, "And for goodness sake, put it in larger print. I wouldn't want to have to write my signature in the same small print and make people wonder if I'd even signed it at all."

Then he turned back and led his brood out the door of the city hall, leaving J.D. Hogg standing there wondering who had just taken whom for the ride.