Well, it just so happens that I managed to get this done the day before I leave... Hooray! You guys will have to wait until the next chapter to find out who goes to jail though...

Surprise at Hazzard Pond

After Lou's emotional breakdown in front of Bo, she didn't talk about it again. And taking the hint, neither did he. Both went along for the rest of the day as though it never had happened.

However, if Lou and Bo acted no different, Jo and Luke acted a good deal unusual. Both seemed to smile a little more, especially at each other. And Lou, who had grown used to Jo's light, half-hearted smile over the years, noticed how much brighter it seemed.

Something happened between them, she thought, observing the two at dinner. And something good, if I had to guess.

And when the sisters were laying down to sleep that night, Lou asked.

"What's up between you and Luke?" she bluntly inquired.

Jo smiled into the darkness, which Lou couldn't see. "Nothing," she replied quietly.

"Uh-uh, honey. I can see something happened."

For a moment, Jo was quiet before answering. "Luke told me something very special today. Very special."

Now it was Lou's turn to smile behind the blanket of night's shadows where Jo couldn't see. "Lemme guess," she said. "He told you that he loves you."

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"C'mon, it's been pretty obvious, Jo. He's been in love with you since we came back. I can't believe you didn't see it." She stopped, and Jo didn't reply. So Lou decided to push further. "What did you say back?"

"Um…"

"You didn't say anything, did you?"

"No, I said something."

"But it wasn't 'I love you, too,' huh?"

"No, I didn't say that."

"Jo!" Lou cried, rolling over so that she was facing her sister. She could barely see her twin in the gloom, but it was enough. "You idiot! You're supposed to tell him you love him too!"

"But I'm not sure I do, Lou."

"You're gonna break that poor man's heart!"

"He didn't seem heartbroken," Jo insisted. "Not at all."

"Ooh. What did he do?"

"I took his hand and let him feel Yvonne move," Jo replied slowly. "And I told him that that was his baby moving around, and he told me no, it was ours."

"Aw!" Lou exclaimed. "Luke's so sweet."

"Bo can be too, if you let him."

"I don't think so. And besides, Luke loves you and you love Luke—even if you won't admit it. That's just not the case with Bo and me. You can't honestly tell me that's not the case."

"No, I can't," Jo agreed. "But, I can tell you that a lot of people learn to love each other if they give it the chance."

"I'm not entirely sure I want to give Bo that chance," Lou replied in an almost inaudible whisper. "I—" She couldn't even bring herself to say more, so she rolled away from Jo and said no more.

And Jo didn't press, knowing her sister was a defensive woman. A defensive woman who had too much on her mind as of late.

-+-+-+-

Two days. Only two more days as a bachelorette for Betty-Lou Johnson, and forever afterwards she'd be Mrs. Betty-Lou Duke.

Ew, Lou thought. That sounds odd. Too odd. I'll have to be Betty-Lou Johnson-Duke. Jeez, what's with me and hyphens?

Just the thought broke through her current anxiety and made her smile.

But her relief didn't last long, and it faded away back into her apprehension. A wedding was peeking over her shoulder, and for once, she was actually truly and completely worried about how her wedding was going to go… And just how the groom was going to act.

And that anxiety was why she was out here in the middle of nowhere basically, sitting on the banks of Hazzard Pond in the summer heat. She needed a place to be alone with her worries and stress, all by herself so there wasn't a chance on earth that she would break down in front of anyone again—particularly Bo.

That, she thought, was a disaster. She was just glad that she'd been able to act like it had never happened, and Bo had taken the hint.

The heat was starting to get to Lou… Southern summers were always taxing, even if you weren't walking around with triple your normal body fat.

So Lou stood, and started unbuttoning her shirt. The pond was just sitting there, begging her to go swimming. And so she stripped down to her underwear and bra, and waded right in.

Ah, it felt so dang good. Nice and cool as a sharp contrast to the thick heat.

It wasn't long before she was in up to her shoulders, and she dipped under the water's surface. She kept her eyes closed even as she came back up and started into a slow backstroke, using her swollen stomach as an aid to help keep her afloat.

And abruptly, she bumped into something going backwards—no wait, someone.

Instantly, her eyes flew open and reflexively she shrieked, covered herself with her arms and ducked back under the water with just half of her face out.

And she instantly recognized the person she'd bumped into, standing probably four feet in front of her, also mostly hidden beneath the water.

"Bo!" she shouted. "What the heck are you doing here!"

"Swimming," he answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Swimming," she retorted.

Rolling his eyes, he stood, making the water level go down from his shoulders to mid-chest. "Why are you hiding underneath the water? Let me guess, you're naked."

"No," Lou replied, still keeping herself under the water. "I'm wearing my bra and underwear, thank you very much."

"Then why won't you stand up? It's not like I haven't seen you before."

"Oh, please, don't remind me." Lou rolled her eyes. "Besides, that's before my body was completely mutilated by pregnancy."

"Well, it really makes no difference to me."

"Hold up!" she said as a thought dawned on her. "Please tell me you've got something on."

Smiling, Bo shook his head. "Nope. Naked as the day I was born."

"Gross!" Lou exclaimed, flicking her hands at him.

"We had a baby, and you're telling me—" he started.

"Yes!" she cut in. "Now go put some clothes on! At least your underwear."

"And treat you to a very nice view of my butt?" he retorted. "I don't think so."

Rolling her eyes, Lou scoffed. "Weren't you the one that was just saying—?"

"Well, that's different," he interrupted. "The water's covering me now."

"You just go put on your underwear." Lou turned her back to him, offering opportunity. "See? I won't look."

"I'm so sure of that," Bo retorted. But he did get out, slid on his boxers and splash back into the pond, without Lou turning around. "There. Happy?"

"Much better," Lou replied, turning back towards him. "Now I don't feel so… dirty."

"Dirty?" he asked. "Oh, my gosh, Lou. After all that you and I did, you're telling me that skinny dipping makes you feel dirty?"

Sighing, Lou rolled her eyes again. "Didn't I tell you not to remind me?"

"Kinda hard to do when you're walking around with that humongous stomach."

Lou pushed off of the bottom of the pond, arching into another slow backstroke and flashing Bo a good view of her bare stomach, stretch-marks and all. "This one?" she asked sarcastically.

"Gosh, Lou," he said at the sight. "Is that…?"

"Yes, it's normal," she said, dropping back into the water. "They're just regular old ugly stretch scars. I told you pregnancy mutilated me." With a sigh, she started to wade back out of the water. "Oddest thing that someone so pretty becomes so ugly for nine months for her child."

The cool water slid past her and she sat herself down on the warm grass bank. Water droplets fell from her as she lay on her side in the sun to dry.

"Oh, stop your whining," Bo retorted, wading out to join Lou on the bank. "You're not that ugly."

"Well, thanks for your opinion. But I think I'll keep mine. Stretch scars and extra body fat are hideous."

"But you're enduring it all for our son," he argued. "So it's all in the name of love. And that's more beautiful than anything."

"Oh, my gosh, when did you get so philosophical?" Lou asked the man laying down beside her. "I'm not so sure I like you this way." Her hand curled on her stomach. "You're scaring Xavier too."

Immediately, Bo bolted upright. "You are not naming our baby Xavier!"

Tired of this same old argument, Lou sat up too. "Ok, fine. What would you want to name him?"

"Um…"

"Well, 'um' ain't exactly a good baby name, Bo," Lou retorted.

"Well, hold on, I'm getting there."

"Well what would you want to name him?" she drew out impatiently. "Beaureguard?"

"Hey!" he protested to the use of his full name. "I don't like it any more than you."

"Oh, right. Blame it all on your mother."

"Just shut-up about my name, huh, Betty-Lou?"

"Hey, that won't work," she warned, wagging a finger. "I'm not in the least ashamed of my name. It's great. And besides, just get on with telling me the baby's name."

"Jesse," Bo finally said. "He should be named for Uncle Jesse."

"Awwwww," Lou drawled. "But as sweet and kind as that is, no."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Bo suggested.

"Fine!" agreed Lou. "I love to see you lose."

And so they played rock, paper, scissors. Lou showed a rock, and Bo paper.

"Hah!" he exclaimed in triumph. "His name will be Jesse!" He reached over and tapped his hands on Lou's bare, stretched stomach. "You hear that, son?" he said to her belly. "Your name's Jesse!"

"Do you realize we just played a game to decide our baby's name?" Lou asked, shoving his hands away from her abdomen.

"Yeah. So?"

"So, I'm not honoring a game as a name-decider. His name is Xavier, end of story!"

"Hey!" Bo protested. "That's not fair!"

Lol, they are so funny... Anyway, leave reviews. Thanks to everyone who does, because reviews are like alcohol: The more you have, the more you're addicted. LOL!

Oh, and they're like that little rhyme about beans...

"Reviews, reviews, they're good for your heart...

... The more you have, the better you feel,

So remember to leave reviews at every... er, chapter." Ok, so maybe that didn't work very well... Anyway, you get the point.