Thank you, reviewers! And I keep writing these chapters so fast! YAY! This one's a little longer than the last...

Chapter Rating: T

Reason: er... some of that suggestive content I talked about. It's nothing awful... just a little hinting about Lou's baby's conception...

Chapter Dedication: To any of those women who've ever had to do it all on their own. God Bless Ya.

Betty-Lou and Bo

When Bo came to, the beauty that filled his eyes was none other than Betty-Lou Johnson. Oh, how he hated that face right now… But it was so hard to hate that beautiful face, even if she had put Bo in perhaps the biggest disaster of his whole life. This close, he could see how the pregnancy had fattened up her face and the tired bags beneath her eyes…

She's going through a rough time, too, he realized.

"Finally, you're up!" Lou grumbled. "Get on up to your feet, you big wimp."

But it hasn't made her any less blunt, he added.

"How long was I out?" Bo asked aloud as he stood up.

"Only a couple of minutes," Lou answered. She offered her hand up to Bo from where she'd been sitting on the floor. "Help me up. Your son here is a little bit of an impediment. With him, it's a big struggle for me to get up."

Bo winced at her choice of words, but did help the pregnant woman to her feet.

"Whoo," she blew out her breath, hooking an arm around her stomach. "It's times like these when I feel like a walking house."

At that, Bo had to chuckle in spite of how he felt about this mess.

Now that he was back on his feet, he threw a glance around the garage, looking for Luke to see how the elder cousin was handling his similar mess. With Bobbie-Jo and Cooter sitting by his side, trying to awaken him, Luke was still passed out from shock.

A light hand on his arm took Bo's attention away from Luke.

The hand, of course, belonged to Lou.

"Bo, we need to talk," she said with a seriousness that made him shiver. Her gaze traveled across the garage too, to the group kneeling there. "And I think it'd better be in private." She jerked her head back towards her car, sitting in front of the garage. "C'mon, the car's as good a place as any." Even as she said the words, she was walking briskly out of the garage and towards the car.

"You wouldn't rather just walk around?" Bo asked, trying to keep up with her.

She glanced over at him long enough to arch an eyebrow so he could see. "With these swollen ankles and carrying this load? No thanks, I'd much rather sit down."

"Right." You idiot, no matter how much you don't want it, she's still pregnant, he silently berated himself. You gotta remember that. Stop making a fool of yourself.

Bo reflexively sat in the driver's seat, and Betty-Lou walked around.

"You could've at least opened the door for me, Bo," Lou said after she'd sat down and slammed her door shut.

"Sorry," he apologized shortly.

"It's okay," she replied just as curtly, keeping her eyes away.

"So… How did this happen?" Bo asked.

When Lou raised a brow and began to open her mouth to some very sarcastic comments, he quickly rephrased and explained.

"I mean, didn't you… you know… try and… prevent this?"

Scoffing, Lou turned an incredulous look on him. "No, of course I didn't," she bit sarcastically. "I wanted to get pregnant with your baby at twenty-six and have to wind up in this situation."

"Well then how…?"

"I don't know! Apparently they didn't work for some dadgum reason or another. But you know what? It doesn't really matter because no matter what happened with the prevention, it didn't work and I'm still expecting your baby!"

"Couldn't you… er… get rid of the baby?"

The look on Lou's face easily told Bo that she thought he was crazy. "What, and become a murderer?" she cried. "I don't think so! And I'm not so sure you actually want the death of an innocent child on your conscience for the rest of your life either. Do you?"

"No," Bo admitted. "But I don't want this baby."

"Well now, that makes two of us, don't it?"

For a moment, both were quiet as they tried to bring their anger and frustration under control. Eventually, Bo exhaled sharply, and thought about how Luke had found himself in the same predicament.

"What about Bobbie-Jo?"

"What about Jo?" Lou asked. "She's got Luke's baby in her womb, in case you missed that."

"But did she have the same problem as you?"

"Meaning…?"

"Problems with prevention… She didn't purposely get pregnant, did she?"

"No, Bo, she didn't. Unless having sex with Luke can be called purposely attempting to get pregnant."

"And she wouldn't get rid of the baby either?"

"No!" Lou exclaimed. "Would you quit suggesting that?"

"It just seems odd coincidence that you two happened to get pregnant with our children at about the same time," Bo observed.

"Well, we had you guys at about the same time."

"It's still… odd how close together your pregnancies are."

"If it's any consolation, I'm about five days ahead of her."

"That doesn't help."

"Well, I think it's kind of a weird twist of fate too, but that still doesn't change the fact that we're both gonna have babies," Lou said with a sigh. "I hope you know this is just as hard on me as it is on you."

"I don't think so."

"Hello, I'm the one carrying a little baby boy around in my stomach," Lou burst out. "I'm the one that can't keep down breakfast. I'm the one that has to live with constant nausea. I'm the one with swollen ankles, a stomach as big as Boss Hogg's after Thanksgiving, and a relentlessly aching back. Oh, and on top of all of that, I have excessive mood swings all the time, and never know what the heck I'm feeling! Now unless my eyes are lying, none of that's happened to you, now has it?"

"Sorry, Betty-Lou," Bo quickly apologized.

"You're gonna be even sorrier," she said, turning towards him. "I'm going to tell you what I want from you. And even more importantly, I'm gonna tell you what you're going to do for me."

Yeah, she's definitely the same old Betty-Lou, Bo thought. Never beats around the bush. Always tells you flat-out what she's thinking. It'd been one of the things that had so attracted Bo to her… eight months ago when this disaster wasn't knocking on his door.

"What do I have to give you?" he asked when she paused.

"More than you want to give," Lou replied tautly. "First thing, you and me are gonna get married. It's the only way to raise this child right. As a family."

"What!" Bo exclaimed. "No way. There is no way I'm getting married. Especially to you."

"Get used to it, Bo, we're getting married. It's only right."

"No."

"Hey, I didn't say you were gonna like it, but get over it, Tomcat. You're gonna have to settle down with the woman who's currently harboring your son!"

"Move on to the other conditions, because this one isn't gonna happen."

"Oh, the others only build on that," Lou informed him. "The second condition is that you support us. Financially, and if need be emotionally. This son's gonna need a daddy, even if I don't have a husband or a pal to lean on. Third one is that your family accepts me as part of it. See, I don't have much in the way of a family myself now, so I'm not gonna be shunned by yours too. Fourth is that you stop all flirting with other ladies after I become Mrs. Duke. If you violate that, I'm gonna kill you."

"I'll support you, but I'm not marrying you, and I'm not sticking with just you."

"Tough, 'cause you're doing it. Willingly or not."

"No!"

"Wanna hear the last condition?"

"Sure," Bo sighed.

"You have absolutely no say in what this kid's name is," Lou proudly stated. "Even after you wind up marrying me. You have no opinion in the kid's name."

"That's not fair," Bo argued. "He's as much mine as yours."

"No, he's not," Lou snapped. "Since you're not gonna be there for him, I get him exclusively. He's mine to name."

"What are you planning on naming him?"

"Is your memory really that short?" she asked. "I told you when I walked in and made introductions that his name was Xavier."

"No way," Bo heatedly argued, punctuating his statement with his hand. "My son will not be named Xavier. What the heck kind of name is that anyway?"

"A fine one! And it's a toss-up between that and Johnny. I'm leaning towards Xavier though."

"No," Bo replied again. "Name him Johnny if you want, but I will not be the father of a Xavier."

"You have no choice!"

"That's it!" Bo shouted as he angrily flung open the door and hopped out. He slammed it behind him and started stomping off down the street, not caring who saw. "I'm not taking any more of that!"

"Oh, like heck you ain't!" Lou shouted as she too hopped out of the car and angrily followed. "I ain't through with you, Bo Duke so get your butt back here!"

"No!" he protested over his shoulder.

Bound and determined, Lou hustled to catch up. "Oh, come on! That's no way to talk to your wife-to-be!"

Haha... Great couple, huh? The next chapter will be about Luke and Bobbie-Jo.