I think I made one of those boo-boos I mentioned earlier, maybe last chapter. I may have referred to Bo as being 16, when at the beginning I said he was 15 and Luke's been gone 2 years. The 16 was in error, he is 17 in this story, and it's the summer before he starts his senior year. The time-line changed on this story, and I've gotten myself mixed up!
Bo Duke 2009 - That was really brilliant, getting around the documents manager! How'd you ever figure that out?
Thanks for the reviews. I always look forward to them.
HORRENDOUS MIX-UP
CHAPTER 5
HELPING HANDS
Two long, strong arms grabbed Bo and pulled him back up, wrapping themselves around him. Breathing hard, neither of them could speak for a few minutes. Luke was the first one to try. "Bo, you okay?"
"Yeah," he croacked, nodding his head and struggling to free himself from Luke's grip.
Satisfied that his cousin was fine physically, Luke's fear was released in the form of anger. "What the hell were you doing?" he yelled, still holding Bo for dear life. "Are you crazy? What are you doing up here? Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't followed you? Are you trying to kill yourself?"
As soon as Luke asked the last question, he stopped. He'd known that Bo seemed terribly unhappy, but he never thought that his cousin would actually try to harm himself. The mere idea frightened him. He wanted Bo to deny the accusation, but the blonde remained silent and his eyes told Luke that he had contemplated ending his life.
"Oh Bo! Whatever's wrong can't be that bad. Why won't you let me help?" Luke asked, feeling tears burning his own eyes.
"Nothing you can do cause there's nothing wrong, Luke," Bo told him, still shaking.
"Is that why you're standing at the edge of a peak preparing to throw yourself off of it?" Luke asked.
"I was just thinking," Bo replied. "I didn't mean for the edge to give way. It was an accident."
"An accident that would have killed you had I not been following you," Luke told him.
"Like you'd care, Luke," Bo said angrily, finally breaking free of his cousin's hold.
The words infuriated Luke Duke, but there was no mistaking the implication. Bo thought he didn't care about him. Luke got to his feet and grabbed Bo by the arm, swinging him around. "Of course I'd care. I love you, Bo. I spent two years waiting to see you again."
"That was your own fault cause no one told you join the Marines," Bo shot back.
"It was only a matter of time, Bo. Marines, Army, Navy, which one didn't make any difference. I was gonna get called up, and you know it."
"Maybe, maybe not, maybe not for a long time. You don't know, either."
That was true enough, Luke didn't know for a fact when he would have gotten notified that his number was up. "I'm sorry, Bo. I didn't want to go, you have to believe that, and I sure as heck don't want to go back. It's awful there, just awful. I've seen so much death, but I'd never be able to deal with losing you," he choked, falling to his knees.
Bo stood there looking down at his cousin. A minute ago, he'd planned on storming off, but he couldn't just leave Luke there, alone, not like that. In some ways it actually frightened him to see his older cousin, the person he'd always thought was a superhero, vulnerable. Bo still had a heart, and he just couldn't leave him, if only to repay him for all the times that Luke had been forced to be there for him. Kneeling next to Luke, he slid his arms around him and let him cry.
Eventually, Luke calmed down, but instead of getting Bo to talk to him, he found that he was telling Bo about the horrors of war and what it was like to live through them. He told Bo, again, that he couldn't bear the thought of losing him, and he made his cousin promise that he'd never hurt himself intentionally. Bo didn't want to, but Luke wore him down until he did. Then Bo asked him why he was following him.
"I wanted to tell you the rest about your graduation present. The second part," he said, only getting that far.
"Luke, you don't have to do this. You already gave me a gift," Bo said, not confessing that in his attempt to keep from plunging to his death, he had lost it.
"Yeah, but that really was only part of it. Besides, the next part's for us, both of us, you and me." Seeing that Bo had at least turned to look at him, Luke continued. "Bo, remember that car we always talked about building together, me and you, when we was kids?" Luke waited until Bo acknowledged that he did remember. "Well, I want to do it. I want to build it, just the two of us, and then I want to start racing. Now, I know that we won't be able to really do anything until after I get back for good, but we can start planning now. Shoot, there ain't no reason that we can't even start looking around the local junk yards for good parts until I have to go back, and you can keep looking, too, when I'm gone. If you find something, get it. Uncle Jesse's been putting my paychecks in the bank, so if I put you're name on the account, you can take the money out if you find something really good. It's just, we always talked about it, and now we really can do it." Luke slid his arm around Bo's shoulders before finishing his presentation. "C'mon on Bo, it'll be great. Me and you, doing exactly what we always wanted to. What do you say?"
Luke saw the flicker in Bo's eyes, and knew he had piqued his interest, but it was soon replaced with the sadness that was always there since Luke had come home. When Bo gave him his answer, it wasn't what he was expecting.
"Sure Luke, I'll help you with your car, at least with the parts and with what I can," Bo told him,
being as honest as he could. He couldn't, however, promise to help build a car in two years when he wouldn't be around to fulfill that pledge. He was a Duke; they took their promises seriously.
"No Bo," Luke said, slightly shaking him. "Not my car! Our car! We've been talking about this for forever, but not once did I ever picture it without you. I don't want to do this without ya. It'll be ours or it won't be at all!"
Bo was looking at Luke with his puppy dog eyes, the ones that Luke had always been able to read like a book. He couldn't anymore, and that hurt more than any physical wound that could have been inflicted on him. He saw a hint of doubt mixed with sadness, but he had finally gotten his attention. There was no mistaking the spark of interest that he also saw. Telling himself it was better than nothing, he capitalized on it. Jostling, then tickling the blonde, he finally got a semi-affirmative response. It was a start.
Pulling himself to his feet, Luke offered Bo a hand. There was an initial moment of hesitation, but he finally accepted. "C'mon. Let's go home," Luke told him, slinging his arm around his cousin. Looking over his own shoulder, he shuddered as he glanced at the area of missing soil that Bo had been standing on just minutes before.
If Luke's plan had been sneaky, it didn't matter; it was working. Planning out what they hoped the final product would eventually be, they started searching for lucrative components. The enterprise forced them to spend most of their time together. Bo was starting to discuss the project with an enthusiasm he hadn't had for a long time, and as long as they stayed on topic, they could have a meaningful conversation. Luke tried to use any idea Bo suggested, not wanting his cousin to feel rejected or inferior, and he praised his thinking, which wasn't hard. Most of Bo's concepts had been good, and he was demonstrating that he had an extensive knowledge of mechanics. When it came to automobiles, no one could call Bo Duke dumb. Of course, talking led to joking, and a couple of times, the boys found themselves horsing around like when they had been kids. It felt so good that Luke couldn't even describe it, and it only reaffirmed that the old Bo Duke was still around just waiting to be let out.
One day while they were scrounging around the local scrap yards, Luke discovered that Bo no longer needed his protection; on that day, Luke needed Bo's. He had discovered a part that was very valuable for their needs, and was looking for Bo to show him the treasure. Two other scavengers decided to harrass Luke. Whether they really wanted the item or just wanted to give the US Marine a hard time was never determined. Still short, Luke's hair was a dead giveaway that he was either in or had just gotten out of the armed forces. Not paying attention to where he was going, Luke found himself between two burly men.
"Hey Bubba! Isn't that exactly what we've been looking for?" one big man asked the other, pointing to the thing that Luke was holding.
"Yeah Hank, it sure is," the other one responded.
"Maybe if we say pretty please, Mr. Soldier will give it to us," the one in front of Luke suggested.
"Yeah, if not, we'll just have to take it from him," Bubba said, as the two moved closer.
Luke put his hands up. "Look fellas, we don't want any trouble, but I'm afraid this part is ours."
"We? Ours? What? You got a mouse in your pocket boy?" Bubba asked.
The man in back of Luke felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to find Bo standing behind him, smiling. "Howdy! The 'we' my cousin was referring to was him and me."
"Might as well be a mouse," Hank laughed as the two men looked Bo up and down.
"I say we just take what we want," Bubba suggested. "I don't think the baby killer and the fence post are much of a threat."
Bo became furious. "My cousin is serving his country honorably, which is more than you'll ever do. No one calls him a baby killer," and with that being said, Bo threw the first punch.
Surprisingly, Bo had no problem taking out his guy, but Luke's wouldn't go down as easy. The younger Duke came to his cousin's aide, and between the two of them, they finally took care of the jerk. Unfortunately, it wasn't before he delivered a killer elbow punch to Bo's upper chest, sending him backwards and knocking the wind out of him.
"Bo! You okay?" Luke asked, kneeling beside the blonde.
"Yeah," Bo wheezed.
"C'mon. Let's get out of here before they wake up," Luke said, helping Bo get to his feet.
When they and their part were flying down the road back towards Hazzard, Luke looked over at his best friend. "Thanks for helping me out back there."
"You're welcome," Bo replied.
"You know, you're pretty good in a fight," Luke said, leaving out the part that added 'for your size.'
Bo looked over at Luke and gave him a small smile. "Thanks."
As Luke watched him, he thought it looked like Bo was still having a hard time catching his breath, and he seemed to be rubbing the left side of his chest where Bubba's elbow had made contact. Concerned, he asked again, "you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, just a little sore." Changing the subject, Bo complimented his cousin on his earlier discovery as they discussed just exactly what the little thing-a-ma-jig was going to do for Luke's motor.
"Not my engine, Bo. Ours!"
The boy turned to look out the window, not acknowledging Luke's last statement. The younger Duke might have been actively participating in the designing, planning, and searching stages, but Luke could still not get him to refer to the future vehicle in any way that indicated an ownership interest. Bo always referred to the car as Luke's or as 'it'. Luke corrected him everytime, but it just wasn't doing any good. He knew that the wheels of progress could be slow, but he just didn't have that much time.
"Oh my God, Bo!" Luke yelled, bolting out of his bed the next morning after seeing his cousin crawl out of his.
"What?" Bo yelled back, startled by the outburst. Though his hand was covering the area, he was oblivious to what had caused Luke to leap up like that.
"That's got to hurt," Luke said, pulling Bo's hand away so he could get a better look. Bubba had left the boy a souvenir. The left side of his chest was completely mottled in blacks, blues, and purples.
The blonde looked down to see what his cousin was so worried about. "It smarts a little," Bo admitted.
"I think we should go get this x-rayed," Luke suggested.
"Don't be silly," Bo chuckled. "It's just a bruise. We can't exactly afford to go get every bump and scrape x-rayed."
"Bo, it's a bad bruise in a bad spot. It could indicate internal bleeding."
"It could," Bo said thoughtfully, "but it don't. Stop worrying about it."
"How bad does it hurt?" Luke asked, ignoring Bo's instructions, and sliding his hand over Bo's rib cage.
Bo jumped from the tickling fingers. "Luke, what the heck are you doing?"
"Checking for broken or cracked ribs."
"I don't have any," Bo assured him, and Luke wondered how he would know if he did or not at his age. Seeing Luke's reaction, Bo continued, "I've had em a couple of times. Trust me, there is nothing cracked or broken now," he finished, grabbing the things he would need for his shower.
"How?" Luke asked.
"How what?"
"How'd you get broken ribs?" Luke wanted to know.
"Lucas, I've been in fights before...while you were gone," he told him.
Luke nodded, wondering exactly what else had happened to his little cousin while he'd been playing war.
Bo and Luke continued working dilligently on the plans for a souped up car that both agreed was going to become the fastest in Hazzard, maybe even the state of Georgia. Though Luke had suggested it as a way to spend more time with Bo, he'd found an equal partner in an adventure that he really was enjoying. Unfortunately, unless they were talking about the car, Luke couldn't get any further, and there was only so many hours in a day that you could talk about an automobile. Almost a week had passed since they started, and nothing else had been discussed.
"Hey Bo? How bout we go grab a beer at the Boar's Nest? Well, I'll get a beer, you can get a soda." Luke suggested one night when it was just the two of them.
Bo looked up from his magazine. "Oh, that's ok, Luke. You go ahead, though."
"No, that's ok. I'm fine," he said, looking around for something else to do. "How bout a game of checkers?"
Bo sighed. "Luke, you don't have to do this. Uncle Jesse ain't around right now so you don't have to babysit me."
"Babysit you?" Luke exclaimed. "I didn't know that spending time with my best friend, who I haven't seen for two years and won't see for another two, was considered babysitting. Are you sure it's not you who's babysitting me? Maybe, you've got somewhere else you'd rather be. Maybe it's you that's got no use for me anymore!"
The hurt look in Bo's eyes was suddenly back in full force.
"Bo, you don't really believe all that garbage about me leaving cause of you, do you?" Luke finally asked, trying to get all the cards on the table so that they could get to the game.
"Let it go, Luke," Bo told him, knowing that there wasn't anything his cousin could say that could erase what he knew.
"No Bo, I'm not going to let it go. I want to know what happened to you. Where'd the fun-loving, carefree kid with the biggest heart I've ever seen go? Cause I really love him, and I miss him." Luke paused. "Bo, we used to tell each other everything. What could have happened to have changed that? I already told you I was sorry for enlisting. If I could go back and do it over, I would, but it sure as hell didn't have nothing to do with you." Luke didn't miss the look that Bo sent his directon. "Tell me what's wrong so I can help, please!"
"I guess this dim-witted trouble maker finally wised up," Bo yelled, complying with his cousin's request to provide him with an answer. He selected his words carefully, wanting to see Luke's reaction.
"What?" Luke asked. "Where'd that come from?"
Bo's anger drained from him body, replaced with a sense of disbelief. He stood there staring at his cousin, shocked that the words hadn't even registered; simple little words that obviously meant nothing to Luke, but had destroyed Bo's whole world. Sighing in despair, he turned away.
"No where Luke. Go on and go out," Bo said in an eeirly calm voice, storming out of the house.
Luke followed him, fearing a repeat of the night at Widow's Peak, but this time, Bo was too quick. He was gone before Luke reached the yard, trying to see which direction he went. It wasn't far, but Luke didn't know that. In the hayloft, Bo let the tears fall, while Luke searched the countryside, doing the same. He wanted to believe that Bo wouldn't do anything foolish, having given him his word, but his cousin's brain seemed to be scrambled, and Luke couldn't rely on his judgement. He prayed that he could still trust his word of honor.
Bo hid until he heard his uncle's truck pull in. He knew Luke wouldn't argue with him as long as Uncle Jesse was home. Following on his heels, he slipped into their room, not realizing that his cousin was still out looking for him.
It was late enough to be able to go to bed, though Bo knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. The youngest Duke had never been known for having the most organized thoughts to begin with, but never before had they been so jumbled. He thought about the time he and Luke had spent in the last week working together, remembering how his oldest cousin had joked and played with him. He recalled the words that Luke had told him the night at Widow's Peak, when he'd saved his life. Luke had said that he loved him, and that he couldn't handle losing him, and he seemed so sincere. His entire life, he'd always been secure in the area of his cousin's feelings. Even when most of the entire town had been telling him differently, he'd refused to doubt Luke's true feelings for him. It wasn't their words that finally convinced him he'd been so wrong, it was Luke's.
'I left Hazzard to get away from Bo because you forced me to be his friend all those years. You know he's just dim-witted, dumb, and always causing trouble.'
Those two little sentences told Bo exactly what his cousin thought of him, and there wasn't anything that could change the fact that he now knew. That wasn't the confusing part, though. What was baffling was that Luke knew he knew, asking him just that evening. So if they both knew, why was he keeping up the pretense? Why not just admit that it had never been real and get it over with? They could put on a front for their uncle, but that didn't mean they had to live by it. If Luke didn't want him around, Bo wasn't going to force himself on his cousin; all he had to do was say so. Undertaking the project of building a car, and paying for it, was beyond the scope of what even Jesse could order him to do, but he was still doing it. Bo just didn't understand.
Hearing his cousin's voice asking their uncle if he was home, Bo was brought out of his self-help analysis. He rolled over, pretending to be asleep when he heard Luke's footsteps approaching. The door creaked open, and Luke stepped inside. He didn't turn on the light; he just stood still in the dark for a minute before he addressed Bo's back.
"I know ya ain't sleeping, Bo, but I'll let it go for tonight. Make no mistake, though, we are going to get to the bottom of this, and that you can count on, cousin."
Follow-up A/N - This story may interfere with the actual episode of how the General Lee came to be, in case you haven't figured that out already. I know they had the engine, don't remember where they said it came from. If they built it and didn't say how, then there might not be a conflict. As far as the General, I haven't quite figured out whether that's going to stay true to the story or not. If not - this is an alternative theory.
Thanks again.