A/N - Hi everyone. Again, thanks for all the reviews. They really help keep you going and are extremely helpful. Sorry for the delay in posting this.

One note about this chapter - Toward the middle, you'll notice that some of the paragraphs are highlighted. This was done on purpose. There's one event taking place, but the boys aren't together. I wanted to do it in a 'real-time' atmosphere so trying to write Bo's actions all at once and then Luke's didn't really work as well. Therefore, I interchanged them by alternating paragraphs. The bolded parts are coming from Luke. Just wanted to let you know so I don't confuse anyone - I'm confused enough. Once they interact together, it goes back to regular font style. Hope it works ok!

Disclaimer - I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.

HORRENDOUS MIX-UP

CHAPTER 11

LOST AND FOUND

Jesse and Daisy were relieved to hear that Bo had gotten his memory back on his own. They weren't looking forward to having to bring him up to speed, scared of what was going to happen. They were also happy to see that Bo and Luke were friends again.

At first, Bo was a little shy around his cousin, still feeling like an idiot and doubting that Luke wasn't somewhat upset by his lack of faith. Luke knew what Bo was thinking; he could read him like a book. Words had gotten them into the mess in the first place, so the dark haired boy decided that actions would be better. Showing him all the patience in the world, Bo's fears subsided, and the boys became closer than ever. The only thing standing in their way was time, which Luke didn't have much left of.

Trying to squeeze in two years of time that they'd lost as well as the next two that they'd be deprived of, they began a marathon of non-stop activities. It didn't really make any difference what they were doing, it was just important that they were together.

The Duke boys may have been back, but there was one issue that Bo could not resolve. Right or wrong, fact or fiction, there had been one terrible mistake he had made which he regretted. He doubted that there was anyway to really rectify it, but he knew that he at least had to try. He also knew that there was no way he could tell his cousin about it. Luke forgave him for everything else, but he wasn't so sure he'd forgive him for this. Though the odds were slim to none, if he could fix it, Luke might never have to be the wiser. The older Duke boy, however, wasn't letting the youngest out of his sight long enough to really do anything about it. Bo had to have some time alone and began formulating a plan.

It never failed that whenever a person didn't want to fall asleep, they were always able to. That was the thought that was racing through Bo's mind as he forced his eyes to stay open. He watched the hands on the clock, counting each one to keep from sailing off into dreamland. Two hours after going to bed, Bo peeked across the room to see his cousin lying on his stomach, one hand falling over the edge of his bed toward the floor. The house was dark and had been quiet long enough that Bo believed everyone to be asleep. Quietly sneaking out of bed then out of their room, Bo dressed in the clothes he had neatly piled earlier that evening.

"Bo?" Luke mumbled, but the blonde was already out of their room. Luke assumed that he had gotten up to go to the bathroom, but when he didn't hear the footsteps heading in the right direction, it brought him to full attention. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, then looked at the clock. With the help of the moonlight, Luke noticed that Bo's clothes were missing. He'd seen them while he was taking his own off, thinking that it was strange for his cousin to have folded them so neatly only to lay them on the floor. Hearing movements coming from the living room, Luke grabbed for his own clothing, wondering what in the world his cousin was up to.

Fully dressed and wandering through the dark farmhouse, Bo held his breath as one of the floorboards creaked. When he didn't hear anything, he tiptoed to the door making his escape. Bo was congratulating himself on his Houdini act, unaware that two years in a horrible place had made his cousin a very light sleeper. He wasn't aware that as he had opened the front door, Luke had been opening their bedroom door, trying to figure out what exactly he was doing.

Unaware that he was being followed, Bo made his way toward his intended destination. He'd hid a flashlight under the porch, knowing that by the time he escaped, the countryside of Hazzard would be blanketed in darkness. If the moon were out, it would help, but Bo wasn't taking any chances.

Luke's eyes had long ago been trained to see in the dark. It would have been harder had the moon not been shining, but thanks to its illumination, he was not in need of a hand held device. His first inclination was to meet up with his cousin to try and find out what in the world he was doing. On second thought, he decided to see for himself, wanting Bo to lead him to where ever it was he felt the need to visit in the wee hours of the morning. Bo hadn't been thinking straight for a long time, and Luke wondered if his brain wasn't still a little scrambled. In all the years they'd lived together, he'd never known Bo to do something like this. He had to know what was going on, worried about what was going to happen to the boy after he went back to Viet Nam in just a couple of days.

One thing the older boy had to give his cousin credit for was his speed. Luke could keep up with the best of them, but Bo had demonstrated his quickness several times over the past few weeks. Despite having been at death's door step, Bo was making good time. Luke had no problem imagining him leaving the other runners behind in a track meet, dashing across the finish line first. When he realized that he had somehow lost track of his cousin, he regretted the decision to follow him rather than stopping him. He had to stop to get his bearings, and to try and determine where Bo was going.

Oblivious to the fact that Luke had been hot on his trail, Bo treked up the incline arriving at where he wanted to be. For so many months, he had visited this place numerous times. He had viewed it as a possibility, a choice; available if he needed it. The last time he had been there, it had not been the happiest of occasions, but since that night, things had changed. He no longer had a desire to be there, now he had to be. The last time, this place had taken something from him, and he wanted it back. The thought of telling Luke about it was just something he didn't want to have to do. Though he realized that the chances of finding it were almost non-existent, he had to try. All along the side of the bluff were cracks and crevices that were more than capable of catching a miniscule item before it plunged to the ground below. If his plan failed, which he was inclined to believe that it would, he'd have to make his way into the valley. It wasn't an easy trip and not something that a person could do at night. If he came up shorthanded, he'd have to wait until Luke left to continue the search and rescue mission.

Luke began to wander around in search of something that would tell him exactly where he was. Had it been daylight, he knew that he would know, but he wasn't used to wandering around Hazzard county in the middle of the night in the dark. When he finally did get his sense of direction, he stopped dead in his tracks. He knew where he was, and he knew where Bo was going: Widow's Peak! No longer worried about keeping his distance or maintaining silence, Luke took off running. All he could imagine was that this time, he would be too late.

For months, Bo had visited the cliff, always standing as close to the edge as he wanted. He'd had no fear before. Since his last encounter, that had changed. He remembered what it felt like when the dirt had given way under his feet. Though he'd only fallen a couple of feet before Luke grabbed him, it left him with a healthy respect of how unstable the ground could be. Still, he had to get to the edge or his entire trip would be worthless. Deciding to approach the drop-off with more caution, Bo got on his hands and knees and crawled to it. Feeling safe that his body was anchored far enough on solid ground, he peered over. Taking the flashlight, he shined it all around as far as he could see, not really expecting to find anything shining back. He was just about to give up when he thought he saw a reflection. Aiming the light back in the general direction of the flash, he couldn't believe his eyes. He could see what he was looking for. Now, if he could just reach it. Sliding forward, Bo felt himself dangling precariously close to eternity as his arm reached as far as it could. With one last ditch attempt, he stretched out even further.

Bo may have been the track star of the family, but Luke set a few records of his own sprinting up the hill, praying the entire time. He reached the top, panting and out of breath, just in time to see his cousin lying half on the ground and half into thin air.

"Got it!" Bo exclaimed to himself.

"Bo!" Luke screamed, rushing forward.

Bo felt himself losing his balance again, but this time neither eroding soil nor gravity had anything to do with it. No longer on the ground, he wasn't falling forward, but instead was flying backward. Luke had grabbed him, half dragging, half throwing him as far away from the ledge as he could.

Out of breath but seeing that Bo was no longer in danger of falling to his death, Luke doubled over, resting his hands on his upper thighs and panting heavily. Unable to speak, he just stood there staring at his cousin.

"Luke, what are you doing? What are you doing here?" Bo asked, recovering first.

Luke looked at the boy with disbelief. For the past five weeks, he'd been as patient and as loving to his best friend as he could be. He'd understood how the entire mess with the letter had happened, and he still remembered how scared he'd been when they thought that Bo might die of a freak injury. He'd thought it had all paid off, thought that they'd straightened everything out. He thought that they were friends again, and that Bo was no longer thinking unclearly. Knowing that he'd snuck out of the house to come to Widow's Peak and dangle off of it said otherwise. Luke now felt that the boy needed help, and he was going to have to tell their uncle what was going on before Bo finally succeeded in throwing himself off the bluff or found some other way to do himself in. That was for Bo's own good. As far as Luke was concerned, Bo had broken his promise to him. For the first time, Bo had went back on his word, and that left Luke hurt and angry. The coddling hadn't worked; he decided that it was time for a different approach.

"What am I doing up here?" he yelled back. "Just what in the hell are you doing sneaking out in the middle of the night hanging in mid air? Bo, have you lost your mind?"

"No," Bo responded.

"Yeah, well I think you have," Luke stated. "You broke your promise to me!"

"Luke, I didn't. I swear," Bo said, scrambling to his feet.

All the emotions and frustrations that Luke had been carrying around over the last few weeks came to a head. His cousin had went off the deep end, broke his word, and was now lying to his face. Luke brought his arm back, and when it came forward, his fist made contact with Bo's face, sending him to the ground and back on his butt.

Bo sat there, moving not a muscle, just staring up at his oldest cousin.

Luke was still breathing hard, staring back at Bo. He wanted to scream at him, hit him (no wait, he'd just done that), and hug him all at once. Trying to think of what his next move should be, he wasn't given much time. He immediately regretted his actions as a steady stream of red started flowing out of Bo's nose.

No matter what else he felt, hurting Bo was something that Luke couldn't do. The fact that he just had horrified him. Knowing it was his hand that was resposible for his cousin's injury, his anger was quickly replaced with remorse.

"Oh geez, Bo. I'm sorry!" Luke said, feeling lower than a polecat. Bo had still not twitched. Reaching into his pocket, Luke grabbed his hanky. Sitting down next to the statuesque boy, he put the cloth to his nose as he slid his other arm around Bo's shoulders. "Bo, I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Luke," Bo assured him in a calm voice. "I deserved it."

"No Bo! It's not alright, and whatever is going on, you sure didn't deserve me hitting you. Can you forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive, Luke. I'm the one that started this whole mess in the first place."

Trying to find a dry spot on the hanky, Luke turned it around and began to apply more pressure. "Put your head back," he instructed Bo, who did as he was told. "Bo, why'd you break your promise to me? What's still so bad that you'd want to hurt yourself? Why can't you talk to me?"

"I didn't break my promise, Luke. I didn't come up here to hurt myself. I told you that I wouldn't, and a Duke keeps their word."

"Then what are you doing up here in the middle of the night hanging over an edge that you almost fell from a few weeks ago?" Luke asked, doubting that his cousin could come up with a reasonable explanation.

"Looking for this," Bo whispered. Unable to look at Luke, he held out his hand. Though a few scratches had been added, the gold key chain was still in tact and glistened in the moonlight. Luke looked at the item he had given his cousin as an early graduation present, then looked at his face, not understanding. "I lost it that night," Bo informed him.

Luke's face fell. After the last few weeks, he should have learned the lesson about jumping to conclusions, but he hadn't. Instead, he'd assumed the worst, and in the process hit his cousin, leaving him with a nosebleed that just wouldn't quit. He'd never felt lower in his life. "Oh God, Bo! I'm sorry."

Luke still had his arm around Bo's shoulders. Bo now slid his around Luke's, grinning as he did so. "It's ok, Luke. Now we're both guilty of thinking the worst about each other."

Luke had been ready to cry only seconds before, but seeing Bo's grin, he couldn't help but return it. Before they knew it, the grins turned into chuckles. After having a good laugh about a situation that really wasn't all that funny, the boys sat side by side in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, Bo?"

"I'm sorry that I lost your gift. I promise that I'll never lose it again. It really does means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome, but if you ever do lose it again, don't do something like this to get it back, okay?"

"I'll try not to," Bo said, knowing that he would move heaven and earth to find it in the event that it was misplaced.

"No, not try to. Promise," Luke said, nudging him.

"Okay, I promise." Pausing just a moment, Bo continued. "Luke?"

"Yeah Bo?"

"I don't want you to go back."

Luke sighed. "I don't want to go back, but you know that I don't have a choice."

"You could still run away. Maybe we could go together?" Bo suggested.

Luke hugged his friend a little tighter, knowing that he was just grasping at straws. "And leave Uncle Jesse and Daisy behind? Plus, you know a Duke never runs away."

"Yeah, you're right," Bo sighed. He knew that his suggestion hadn't been realistic, but it gave him a fleeting hope.

"Bo?"

"Yeah Luke?"

"That promise I made to ya, about coming back alive? Well, it's still good. I will be back!"

Bo nodded, believing his cousin, but not wanting another two year separation.

After sitting for a few more minutes in silence, Luke suggested that they go back home. After helping Bo to his feet, Luke threw his arms around him. "Bo, I need for you to promise me something else."

"Okay Luke."

"I know you promised that you wouldn't try to hurt yourself, but I want you to promise me that you won't come back up here, at all." If Luke Duke never saw Widow's Peak again, it would be too soon. He couldn't take another two years of dreaming about Bo falling while he was too far away to do anything about it. He didn't even want to think about his cousin visiting this place that so far had been nothing but bad news.

"I won't jump off, Luke."

"I know, but I don't want you to come back here at all. Jump, fall, it wouldn't make any difference. Please Bo, promise!"

"Okay, okay. I promise."

"Thank you. Besides, I think this altitude is bad for your nose, buddy. It bleeds every time we're up here," he said, holding up the bloodied rag as evidence, though he knew that this time, it wasn't the height that was responsible. "Come on, let's go home. We still got chores to do in the morning."