Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, angst

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 8

Hearing Luke's cry, Bo turned in surprise towards the door, nearly dropping the object in his hand. "Luke, what are you doing out here?"

"Came looking for you, I was worried about ya cousin," Luke answered, slowly easing towards Bo and keeping a close eye on what he held. "Bo, you mind telling me what you're planning to do with that?" Luke asked, gesturing to his cousin's hand.

Bo looked down at what he held, unconsiously tightening his grip, afraid Luke would try to stop him. "I know you won't approve Luke, but...I can't live with these scars. I don't think I can handle going through life always being reminded of her, of what she did to me. Please Luke, don't try to stop me, please just let me do what I need to," Bo begged of his cousin, hoping he would understand.

Luke swallowed hard at the pain in Bo's voice, not sure what he should say to him. How could he help Bo to get past this while keeping him from hurting himself? Taking a few steps closer to Bo, Luke noticed the bucket of water at his cousin's side, relieved that Bo had at least taken some precautions to protect the livestock. Luke was sure that it had to be a good sign if Bo was able to think of others in his state of mind. "Bo I understand, I don't know if I could live with something like that either, but I can't let you do it cousin. I know it's got to be hard, probably the hardest thing you've ever faced, but I can't let you hurt yourself and you can't ask me to. It's not fair of you to ask me to do that Bo," As he finished speaking Luke took the last few steps to his cousin, grabbing Bo's wrist, trying to make him drop the red-hot strap iron he held.

"Luke let go, please Luke, I have to do this, please let me burn her marks away," Bo begged again. Twisting his wrist backwards, he very nearly managed to get away from Luke's grip, but his cousin was too fast for him.

Quickly adjusting his grip, Luke was just barely able to maintain his hold on Bo. Reaching down to take the hot metal from Bo's hand, he put his hand on the thick hand-towel his cousin had wrapped around it. That's when it happened, Bo twisted again trying to keep the iron and in trying to keep his own hold on the metal, Luke tripped over the propane torch that lay at their feet, pulling them both to the ground. "AHHHHH!" Luke screamed in pain, as the red-hot iron came into contact with his bare leg.

Backing up in horror, Bo dropped the hot metal in the bucket of water, not even noticing when Uncle Jesse and Daisy came running into the barn. "Luke! What's wrong, what happened?" Uncle Jesse cried out, kneeling down beside his nephew. "Daisy, go get some ice and a leaf from the Aloe plant," he instructed his niece when he saw the rapidly blistering burn on Luke's leg.

"I...I'm sorry Luke...oh God what've I done...I'm so sorry...so sorry..." Bo stuttered out, wrapping his arms around himself, beginning to rock back and forth, while repeating "sorry" again and again.

Looking up at Bo, Jesse was torn, he was worried about Luke's leg, but it was obvious that Bo needed him too.

"I'll be...fine Uncle Jesse...Bo needs ya more...more than I do...," Luke told his uncle through the pain, realizing that he wasn't sure who to help first.

Luckily Daisy chose that moment to return with a towel filled with ice along with the Aloe her uncle had requested. "Daisy, I need you to split the Aloe leaf and spread the gel on Luke's leg, then put that ice on the burn, I need to see to Bo." Patting Luke's shoulder, he slowly got to his feet and carefully approached Bo, so as not to spook him. "Bo, son, it's gonna be okay. Luke ain't hurt that bad, it's just a small burn he'll heal up just fine." Needing answers and wanting to make sure Bo didn't slip away from them again, Jesse started asking questions, "Bo can ya tell me what happened here? How did Luke get burned?"

At first Bo didn't respond to Jesse at all, causing them all to fear he had slipped back into the catatonic state they had only recently gotten him back from. Just as Jesse was about to go call the doctor, Bo started talking, "It's my fault...I...I didn't mean for Luke to get hurt. I just wanted to get rid of her initials...I can't...I'm sorry Luke...please don't hate me...please, I... Oh God she's right, I am worthless, can't do anything right. Heck I can't even fix my problems without hurting somebody else, guess I did dese..."

"Beauregard James Duke, don't you ever let me hear you talking like that again. Now I want you to calm down and tell me just exactly what happened out here tonight," Uncle Jesse ordered gruffly, refusing to let Bo blame himself.

Several deep breaths later and after Jesse hushed Luke when he tried to explain, Bo began. He told his uncle about the nightmare he'd had, and about going into the bathroom. Told him how he had stared into the mirror and traced the scars she had left him with, the scars he would always have to live with. "The more I looked Uncle Jesse, I just knew I couldn't live with them. It took me a little while to figure out what I could do and then I had to work my nerve up. Once I did I came out here to the barn and filled a bucket with water, then I used the propane torch to heat up a piece of strap iron. I was gonna burn over her initials, figured if I had to have a scar, I'd rather that than this one, I didn't even hear Luke till he yelled. He tried to get the iron away from me and well while we was fighting over it, he tripped and we fell...that's when he got burned. I'm sorry Uncle Jesse, I didn't mean to hurt Luke, I just...I just wanted it gone...just wanted to get rid of...," Bo trailed off, barely containing a sob.

Hurting more than he could say for his nephew, Jesse reached out and drew the younger man into a comforting hug. "Shhh...it's okay sprout, I know you didn't mean to hurt Luke...and he knows that too, but we don't want you to hurt yourself either. I know it's hard Bo, but please promise me you won't do anything like this again. I don't know how we'll do it, but we'll find a way to do something about the scars, I promise you son, if there's anything to be done, I'll find a way. Now I want your word as a Duke that you won't hurt yourself trying to get rid of those scars or the memories of what happened." When Bo didn't respond, Jesse drew back and placing his hand on Bo's face, turned his nephew away from where his cousin lay on the floor. "Your word as a Duke Bo, you won't hurt yourself..."

"I promise Uncle Jesse, I won't hurt myself again, I won't do anything to try and get rid of the scars or the memories. My word as a Duke," Bo promised, sorrier than he could say for the pain he saw in Jesse's eyes and on Luke's face, pain he had put there. Finally he found the courage to go to Luke, walking over to him, he dropped to the ground beside him. No words passed between them, but after a moment of silence Luke opened his arms and Bo grabbed him in a hug. "Sorry Luke, I won't do it again," he whispered in his cousin's ear.

" 'salright Bo, and you better not," was Luke's whispered response as he tightened his hold on his little cousin, thanking God he had gotten there in time to stop Bo.

"Come on you two, we need to get Luke into the house and you both need to get cleaned up,then we all need to get some more rest," Daisy told them. Waiting for Bo to get to his feet, she helped him to bring Luke to his feet and into the house, supporting his weight between them.

The next morning, just after breakfast the phone rang, Luke, who was sitting on the couch, one leg propped up on pillows, answered. "Hello Duke farm, Luke speaking."

"Hello Luke, this is Rosco, I need to talk to your Uncle Jesse."

"He just went outside Rosco, why don't you just tell me what it is?" Luke asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Well...I'm afraid I couldn't hold Kathy Sue past this morning, now the judge did issue a restraining order, but...well unless she violates it, there's nothing more I can do. I'm sorry Luke, I know y'all were wanting her locked up until the trial, but there just ain't no way, unless she does something else to hurt Bo..." Rosco trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Damn it! I'm sorry Rosco, I know it ain't your fault, I just wish there was something else... It's just so frustrating and this is really hard on Bo, I don't want to see him get hurt again." Looking out the window, Luke watched Bo as he moved around the yard, wanting nothing more than to keep him safe. Turning away, he returned his attention to Rosco, "Sorry Rosco, I was distracted, could you repeat that?"

"That's okay Luke, I was just saying that me and Enos'll keep a close eye out to y'alls place and if Kathy Sue comes near the place or near Bo we'll arrest her for violating the restraining order," Rosco told him.

"Thanks Rosco, I appreciate it." Chuckling lightly at the irony of that, Luke continued, "Bet you never thought you'd hear a Duke being grateful for that, did ya?"

Smiling himself at the turn of events, Rosco just shook his head at Luke's words. "No, never would've believed it, but they say there's a first time for everything. Well I'll let you go now Luke, y'all take care and we'll stop that girl from causing more trouble or my name's not Rosco P. Coltrane, khee, khee, I'm gone."

A few minutes later Jesse came inside and Luke told him about the sheriff's call. As he gave his uncle the news, Luke silently vowed that Kathy Sue Shelton would never hurt his cousin again. "Uncle Jesse, before you go back out, could I talk to ya?"

"Sure Luke, what is it?" Jesse asked, taking a seat in the chair that faced the couch.

"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry I didn't do better. Dr. Appleby told us not to leave Bo alone for more than a couple of minutes, and I let him... I'm older than him, I'm supposed to look out for him, I failed and cause of that he almost hurt himself even worse than he already was," Luke looked down, unable to meet his uncle's eyes.

"Well if that don't just take the prize. Here you are feeling guilty cause you were so careless as to fall asleep and outside your cousin is feeling guilty for you getting hurt. Funny thing is the one person who ought to feel guilty is the only one who ain't, I ain't never seen anything like it and it stops now. You ain't got no reason to feel guilty Lucas K. Duke, you haven't done anything to hurt Bo and ya ain't gonna do him any good by beating yourself up. If you want to help Bo, you just be there for him, just like you've always been, if he'll talk to anybody it'll be you, and Lord knows he needs to talk to somebody. Now I'm going outside, I got chores to do, you just think about what I've said and stop this foolishness," Jesse told him, standing up and heading back outside. A few minutes later he had cornered Bo and given him a similar lecture, determined that Kathy Sue wouldn't hurt his kids again.

Kathy Sue paced her bedroom like a caged tiger, How dare they and that idiot sheriff just takes their word for it that I was trespassing. I'll bet he never even talked to Bo, never asked him how he feels about me. If he'd just talk to Bo, he'd know the truth. Bo would tell him that we belong together, that he wants to be with me, that it's where he belongs. But noooo, instead he just listens to the lies Bo's family tells him and arrests me, then that damn judge puts a restraining order on me. I swear they'll all pay for keeping Bo from me, I'll find a way to make them pay for what they've done and then we can be together forever darling, Kathy Sue promised as she picked up a framed picture of Bo and hugged it to her chest.

"Lawerence, what are we going to do to help Kathy Sue?" Pamela asked her husband as soon as she heard the door to Kathy Sue's room close.

"I don't know dear," Lawerence Shelton began, relieved that his wife realized Kathy Sue needed help. "I'm sure Mr. Pennington can convince the judge that Kathy Sue needs to be helped not imprisoned, we just..."

"What are you talking about Lawerence Shelton? Kathy Sue doesn't need that kind of help, what she needs is to be given the chance to talk to Bo. I'm sure he loves her as much as she loves him, it's just that his family keeps insisting on interfering. If Kathy Sue could just talk to him, I have no doubt he would tell the judge that he doesn't wish to press any charges against her, that it was all just a misunderstanding. I just cannot believe you Lawerence, she's your daughter, how can you believe the lies of those people over the word of your own flesh and blood. Kathy Sue told you what happened, don't you believe her?" Pamela asked, continuing on before he could answer. "I just don't understand you anymore, the man I married would never turn on his daughter like this. Well that's just fine Lawerence, you turn your back, you believe outsiders over your child, but I'll tell you this, I will never turn my back on her. I will be here for her and I'll help her to get Bo away from his family and by her side where he belongs," she vowed, turning and marching out of the room in anger.

Watching her go, Lawerence Shelton sighed in resignation. I should have known that she would side with Kathy Sue, I thought for a moment that she had finally come to her senses, how could I have been so foolish? I'm sorry Bo, I thought that Pamela would agree to get Kathy Sue some help, I wish I could've convinced her of the truth, he silently apologized, to the young man his daughter had set her sights on.

As she came out of her room, Kathy Sue heard the vow her mother had made, smiling in anticipation, knowing that with her mother's help everything would be okay. Her mother knew she loved Bo, she understood that they belonged together, You'll see Bo, just as soon as mama can arrange it, we'll be together again. I will have you, like it was meant to be, I promise you'll be mine again, looking down at the picture she still held, she traced Bo's face with a finger. "You're mine Bo, until death do us part," she whispered, a small smile forming on her pretty face, a smile that would have frightened her mother, had she seen it.

TBC

Well, y'all know what to do now, please tell me what you think so far. Reviews welcomed, flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

A/N: Yes I meant strap iron, it's pieces of iron of various lengths and widths, used for many things. Such as the bands on a barrell or the outside rim of a wagon wheel, just to mention two uses and you might very well find it on a farm.