Author's Notes: Here ya go, second-to-last chapter. Yes, second-to-last, not the last! Don't let that "The End" at the end fool ya. :-D Hopefully this doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Back In the Saddle

The darkened room was warm and quiet, and someone had taken great care to close the drapes over the window and block out the sunlight that might bother Luke. Early that morning, Jesse gently asked Bo if it was alright if they didn't wake the Marine for his game, and Bo agreed – if this peaceful sleep wouldn't do him good, then nothing would.

Luke woke anyhow, just as the pickup's engine faded off down the drive. He yawned and stretched lazily, looking around. The first thing he saw was a folded note on the nightstand beside him. Staying under the warm covers, he reached for it, and could just barely make out Daisy's handwriting in the dim light.

'Luke –
We're gone to Bo's football game. Sleep well. There's sandwiches in the fridge if you're hungry. Back around noon.
Love, Uncle Jesse, Daisy & Bo'

Luke smiled. It was just like his family. They'd been trying so hard to be there for him, this week, and he'd been trying so hard to push them away. What a fool he'd been.

With a sigh, he set the note aside, then reluctantly pushed aside the blankets and swung his legs over the side. He winced as he set foot to the floor, feeling where his raw sores had cracked and scabbed the day before. When he lifted one foot to his knee, he saw a sock as red- and yellow-stained as his first day home. Nothing had healed in the last week that hadn't been torn open again.

Getting to his feet, Luke spent the next twenty minutes showering and dressing. It was early still – just after eight – but Uncle Jesse and his cousins had left early so Bo could warm up with the team and Jesse and Daisy could get good seats.

Then he moved out into the kitchen to gather the sandwiches waiting there – cold roast venison on homemade wheat – plus a few other items, then back to the bedroom, where he started packing. He ducked into the bathroom long enough to find a bandaid for the nick on his arm, and before long, Luke slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, and started out down the driveway. He paused at the barn, where Bo had hung the fresh-made coonskin cap, and Luke took it along with him, heading up the road towards the Kellers' farmhouse.

It was quarter after ten, and the game had only just begun. Once again, the opposing team won the coin toss, and Bo was out with his defense first thing. He played half-heartedly, urging his teammates on, but his heart wasn't in it. He just had too much on his mind to focus, and despite agreeing with Uncle Jesse this morning, he wished Luke were here.

One of his teammates finally got the ball, holding up under a hefty Hatchapee pile-up to take possession for Hazzard. As the Hawk defense cleared the field, Bo ambled towards the bench, heaving a sigh as he sat. He gulped down a cup of water while he watched the Hawk offense take the ball downfield towards the Hatchapee goal – and then Bo lost all focus on the game entirely as he spotted a figure standing in the shadows of the trees out beyond the goal post. Luke came!

Bo grinned as Luke gave a wave, and for the next two quarters, he gave the team everything he had. The Hatchapee offense didn't hardly manage to complete a single play, with the youngest Duke on the field, and Coach Maugul smiled proudly at him each time the defense returned to the sidelines. At halftime, Bo jogged over to meet his cousin by the trees, away from the teams and the crowds of family and friends. The Hatchapee coach was giving his team a round lecture on tactics as he passed by.

Luke smiled as Bo came over, the linebacker dripping sweat and panting but loyal as ever. The Marine stood leaning against a tree, arms crossed across his chest, where he had watched the whole first half. He, too, was very proud of his cousin, for the way he played and the way he led his defense.

"Hey, Bo," he greeted simply, still smiling.

"Hey Luke," Bo returned, with a hint of hesitation. What was going on now?

Luke saw his little cousin's hesitation, but he understood, and gestured towards the two Morgan horses that stood saddled and tied behind him, grazing where they could reach.

"I thought maybe, when the game was over, you might want to go for a ride, an'…we could talk a little," Luke explained.

Bo looked from him to the horses in surprise. "Really? You mean it?"

Luke nodded. "I mean it."

Bo hardly had to think it over. "Well yeah, that'd be great!" He grinned, and Luke smiled back.

"Good! I'll wait here for you. Now, you'd best get back – looks like they're about to start. Nice work out there, by the way."

Bo grinned wider, and after one more look at Luke and the horses, he jogged back to his team.

The football game ended much the way Coach Maugul had expected – the Hawks won by a modest amount, and they were on their way to another playoff game and the regional championship. He'd never seen Bo play better, and the young Duke's enthusiasm in spite of the high stakes spurred his teammates, defense and offense, to greater heights.

Luke watched from a distance as Bo met Jesse and Daisy in the field among the celebrating crowd, and he saw Bo point and Jesse and Daisy look in his direction. They waved, and he waved back, but stayed where he was. After hearing and approving of the boys' plans, Jesse and Daisy left with the crowd, while Bo disappeared into the locker rooms in the school to shower and change.

By the time Bo came out, letting the noon sun dry his hair, Luke was leading the horses around the edge of the field, and he met Bo by the goal post.

"Ready to go?" Luke asked, handing him one set of reins.

"Lead the way," Bo answered. He quickly checked over the straps and swung into the saddle, smiling as his older cousin did the same.

"Let's go, then," Luke said, urging his mount forward into the trees. Bo was quick to follow, and off they went.

When Luke walked up the road and asked Jonas Keller if he could borrow two mounts for the afternoon, his neighbor didn't hesitate. The Duke children had learned to ride on his horses, and they were of invaluable help in gentling and breaking young colts and fillies, for sale or work. What's more, Eli Keller was thrilled with the coonskin cap Luke brought for him, and when the Marine rode off with his green duffel bag tied behind his saddle, the boy was proudly showing it off to his mother.

Luke's mount for the day was Sunshine, a sweet-tempered stallion nothing like his sire, Georgia Twister, or his later offspring, Black Morgan. The liver-chestnut Morgan could be bought for an apple, and for a bucket of oats, he'd gladly plow forty acres in a single afternoon. Little Eli delighted in riding the big, gentle stallion around the walking circle. At fourteen, Luke had trained the horse to bit and saddle.

Bo's mount – another Morgan of Georgia Twister's line – was a bit feistier than his docile brother, and that suited Bo just fine. The spirited Laredo was nimble and fast, impatient under the plow harness, and if the Kellers had any interest in horse racing, he'd be just the animal for it. Bo had been working with Laredo when Luke left for the Marines, and they made a fine team, but he was no child's horse by any stretch of the imagination.

Luke led the way along a narrow forest track, and for a while they rode single file and silent, just enjoying the afternoon. Eventually the track turned east and opened out into the hills, and Bo came up alongside his cousin.

"We were gonna just let you sleep," Bo said, breaking the silence. "You were pretty out of it."

Luke smiled. "I couldn't miss your game, could I?" he said. "I woke up just when you guys left."

"Yesterday was a hard day," Bo commented thoughtfully. He didn't think he'd ever seen Luke cry like that.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, and his smile fell. He said nothing for a long time, and Bo worried that he'd said the wrong thing again. Then Luke looked up at his cousin as the horses walked along.

"Bo – I'm sorry," he said earnestly, meeting his cousin with sad blue eyes. "This whole week…" Luke shook his head. "I've been kinda messed up, and…I did some things, and I said some things…I'd take it all back if I could."

Bo looked down uncertainly. "I figured you were mad at me," he said quietly.

Luke reined Sunshine to a stop, and Bo did the same, as Luke reached for his arm.

"You didn't do anything, Bo. I wasn't mad, I was…I was just plumb terrified, and I didn't have enough sense to figure out what to do about it. You're my little cousin, and I love you, just like always."

Bo looked at him doubtfully. "But, Sunday…"

Luke shook his head, urging Sunshine to a walk again. "Sunday, you scared the crap out of me, that's all." When Bo still looked doubtful, Luke elaborated a little. "Bo – the whole time over there, we spent a whole lot of time looking for an enemy that was very good at hiding from us, and very good at ambushes. Sometimes at base camp, we were relatively safe, but out in the jungle…we were always waiting for something to happen. So Sunday, I was out in the woods, in the dark…"

"And I came sneaking up on you," Bo finished, finally understanding. Heck, he'd have yelled at him too, if he'd known.

"Exactly," Luke said. He mentioned nothing about the knife – if Bo didn't realize it, then he'd let sleeping dogs lie.

"But the rest of the week…"

Luke shook his head. He didn't want to go over all of it – it was hard enough to say this much, but it needed to be said, and he felt he owed his cousin an explanation. "Like I said, I've been real messed up all week. Half the time I didn't even know what I was doing."

"You sure worried us plenty," Bo said with a frown, thinking of Thursday night.

"I know, and I'm so sorry, Bo," Luke apologized again, thinking of Thursday afternoon. "It wasn't fair of me to put you through all that."

"Uncle Jesse told us you might have a hard time with things when you got home – nightmares and stuff, you know?" Bo shook his head, and both were quiet for a bit, until he spoke up again. "What made you change your mind?"

Luke smiled. "Uncle Jesse, mostly, back at the Boar's Nest."

Bo snorted. "I don't think I've ever seen him that mad."

That earned a chuckle from Luke. "Me neither. I needed it, though," he admitted.

They rode in silence for a long while, over the rolling hills and along dry creek beds, heading generally north and east. Eventually Luke heard his cousin's stomach growling over the motion of the horses, and he led the way to a shady spot for a break. They tied the horses to a couple tree limbs, and Bo was delighted when Luke produced a picnic blanket from his bag, and more importantly, food. Roast venison sandwiches joined four canteens of sweet tea and half a carefully packed cherry pie, and both boys dug in hungrily.

Partway through his second sandwich, Bo looked up, licking crumbs off his lips. "I'm glad you're home, Luke," he said honestly. For a moment, he thought he saw Luke blinking back tears before he smiled and replied.

"I'm glad to be home, Bo."

After lunch, the Duke boys returned to the saddle and rode for most of the afternoon. Their conversation turned to lighter things, and it was a conversation Luke was happy to have back again. However, Bo didn't realize there was an actual direction to their wanderings, until they came up to the side of a rather ramshackle farmhouse, and Luke dismounted. Bo followed his cousin's lead, tying Laredo's reins to a fencepost, and Luke turned to him.

"You can come if you want, or stay here, but I need to talk to someone here."

Bo nodded understanding, and followed Luke as he went up to the front door and knocked. He was curious, but he also wasn't leaving Luke alone in whatever this was.

An older man answered the door, a weathered farmer of Hazzard stock. He frowned at the two young men on his doorstep, and spoke through the screen door.

"Can I help you?" he asked neutrally, in a deep, rough voice that didn't get much use.

"Mr. Winterson?" Luke asked, and the man nodded silently. "My name is Luke Duke…this is my cousin Bo…we live west of here…"

"I know who you are," the old farmer said.

Luke faltered, then gathered himself and went on. "Mr. Winterson, I was hoping I could talk to you about Danny."

The elder Winterson frowned deeper and looked out into the yard past the Duke boys. "Is he in some kind of trouble? What did he do now?"

Luke sighed and shook his head. "I haven't seen Danny since Thursday, and he doesn't know I'm here."

"What do you want, then?"

Luke shifted his feet uncomfortably. This wasn't a conversation he'd envisioned having through a total stranger's screen door. "Mr. Winterson, I just…got back…a week ago, from the Marines overseas – and I have a fair idea of what Danny's been through. From what I've heard, he hasn't been doing very well since he got back, and I came to say…I came to say, Danny needs you, Mr. Winterson."

Winterson continued to frown, staring at Luke through the screen door. "Doctors said he's getting along fine," he finally said, almost defensively.

Luke shook his head. "Not because of his leg, Mr. Winterson. He needs you. I know you don't hate him the way he thinks you do. You wouldn't be worried or standing here talking about him if you did."

The old farmer's features finally softened with shock, and he searched the Marine over. "He thinks I hate him?"

Luke nodded solemnly. "He said you haven't spoken a word to him since he got back."

"I…I…I didn't know what to say…and now he's never home…"

Now Bo stepped forward, putting a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Tell him you love him, Mr. Winterson…and keep telling him until he listens."

Winterson bowed his head, closing glistening eyes. "I will…I will…oh Lord, I will…" He looked up. "Thank you boys," he said hoarsely, voice thick with unfamiliar emotion.

"I just…I want to see him whole again, sir," Luke said. He glanced at Bo, standing at his side. "I don't know what I'd do without my family."

After saying their goodbyes and wishing him well, the Duke boys returned to their horses and mounted quietly. Luke led the way back west again, towards home, and Bo was silent for a long time, thinking over what he had heard and seen. There was much more to this than he ever imagined. He'd thought of war as a scary, dangerous thing, yes, but only scary in the moment, like a charging bull or a black tornado, and when it was over, it was over, maybe with a few bad memories left over. Now it seemed more like a ghost – a thing shot dead that returns to haunt day and night, strange and unpredictable. Was that what Luke meant when he said he'd been plumb terrified, and didn't know what to do?

Bo looked over at his cousin, frowning thoughtfully. How often had he been scared, and Luke had been there to comfort and protect him? Had anyone been there for Luke, the last three years? The question disturbed him, and Bo didn't like to think of the answer. Then he thought back to that second night Luke was home, and how he'd wondered about Luke's knife, and what he was scared of here in Hazzard. Bo understood better now.

"You're awful quiet," Luke commented, shattering the silence.

"Just thinking," Bo answered, and his cousin smiled.

"I know, I can see the steam."

Bo made a face at his cousin, then grinned. Then he realized, as Luke grinned back, that this, right here, was what chased those ghosts away, and protected his cousin better than any gun or knife.

Luke glanced at the sun low in the sky. "We'd best get back. It's getting late."

Bo grinned mischievously. "I'll race ya."

"Loser grooms the horses."

"You're on." With a whoop, Bo kicked Laredo into a gallop, and he was off.

Luke watched him disappear into the trees, smiling and shaking his head, wondering how long it would take for Bo to realize he was going in the wrong direction. Then he turned Sunshine in the right direction and kicked in his heels.

"Gee on there, Sunshine! Ha!" he shouted, and the race was on.

Even though Bo lost the bet, Luke wasn't about to leave him to do all the work, so by the time Bo finished grooming the horses, Luke was just about done cleaning out the six stalls in the Kellers' barn. The work went faster when they talked and joked back and forth, and before long, they were thanking Jonas Keller and walking home. On the dirt road, Bo noticed his older cousin's painful gait, and he slowed down his long-legged strides to accommodate, throwing a comradely arm around Luke's shoulders.

Back at the farmhouse, Jesse and Daisy were in the kitchen with Cooter, talking over lemonade and pie. He'd arrived at the Boar's Nest the day before only to find it locked and shut, and a call for an emergency tow job had kept him busy until it was too late to call on his friends. He'd finally caught up with Jesse and Daisy when they stopped by his shop after the football game, and now he was getting the lowdown on the week's events.

"I guess Luke must be feeling better," Daisy was saying, "'cause he showed up at the game with a couple of Mr. Keller's horses, and asked Bo to go riding with him, like Uncle Jesse said…but I guess we'll see."

Cooter nodded, taking another sip of his glass. He frowned, definitely concerned, but his frown disappeared entirely when he happened to glance out the window. "Well, looks like we'll get to find out soon – here's Bo an' Luke now."

Daisy and Jesse turned to look, and saw the boys strolling arm in arm up the driveway, inseparable brothers once more.

"Afternoon Uncle Jesse, Daisy, Cooter," Luke greeted pleasantly when he came in, setting the bag on the table to empty out the used dishes. "Those sandwiches were great, Daisy, thanks."

Daisy was openly shocked when he deposited the dishes in the sink, then walked over to give her a heartfelt hug and kiss on the brow. Satisfied, Luke settled himself against the kitchen counter, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and smiled.

Jesse looked from nephew to nephew in hopeful appraisal. "Things alright between you boys, then?" he asked.

Bo grinned, helping himself to a bite of Daisy's pie. "Yup!"

Now Jesse and Daisy smiled too.

For his part, Cooter stood and smiled broadly, draping an arm around each Duke boy's shoulders. "Well good! I tell ya, Lukas Dukas, it's a full-time job keeping an eye on this rugrat," he joked, ruffling Bo's hair, "an' I'm glad you're back home to share the workload again!" he finished, clapping Luke on the back.

"You're telling me!" Luke joked right back. "After Bo, commanding forty Marines in a war zone was a piece of cake!" While they laughed, he stepped over to the table to retrieve the near-empty duffel bag. This time, Jesse was sure he saw him wince, and he stepped forward.

"Let's go take care of those feet, before you kids get to talkin' and running off," Jesse said. Luke looked up, a little surprised, then nodded and took his leave of his friend and cousins. Jesse followed him down the hall.

In the bathroom, they sat as before, and Jesse sighed sadly when he saw the condition of Luke's feet. He took the washcloth from his nephew and gently cleaned the blood away, then worked to patch up his Marine like he would care for skinned knees and elbows. Luke tried his best not to cringe while his uncle worked, but dang it, it hurt!

"Are things really alright, Luke?" Jesse asked softly, wrapping a layer of gauze around one foot to hold the deeper splits closed.

"I'm a lot better than I was, Uncle Jesse – thanks to you, and Bo, and Daisy. Guess I just had a few things to figure out, to get my head on straight," Luke answered honestly.

"No more running away?" his uncle asked, looking up with questioning eyebrows.

"No more running away," Luke promised, and he meant it.

"I'm still here if you want to talk, Luke," Jesse told him gently, waving for him to switch feet.

"I know, Uncle Jesse. And…I might take you up on that. But not today."

Jesse smiled. "I know. It's alright – whenever you're ready, I'm here. Let things settle a little first, hmm?"

Luke nodded. He'd do just that.

Cooter joined the Duke family for an early dinner, and he kept them entertained with the tales of his own exploits that week. Afterwards, Daisy and Jesse started working on dozens and dozens of caramel-dipped apples for the evening's trick-or-treaters, while the boys all disappeared into the barn – not to the hayloft, but to the sawhorses where a battered V8 engine awaited knowledgeable hands. It turned out to be one Halloween night that the fun-loving Duke boys couldn't care less about.

The next afternoon, after church and a light lunch, Luke took Daisy aside to apologize and talk with her a little bit too, but there was no real damage done – she was just glad to have him back again. Later that night, the quarter moon found Luke standing on Lookout Point over the lake, chucking his Marine-issued knife as far and hard as he could into the water, while Bo waited patiently in the truck. His dogtags nearly followed, but he couldn't quite throw them away. In the end, he buried them in his dresser drawers along with a few other keepsakes no one would see for many years.

It was another week before he had the first of many conversations with Jesse, about the nightmares that continued to plague him, after receiving a letter back from Rob urging him to do exactly that. His next letter to his friend was considerably happier than the first.

And the story doesn't end there. It goes on and on, resurfacing here and there as memories and ghosts are wont to, until the day an old soldier goes to his final rest in peace. His feet healed, his heart healed, and he slept peacefully again, most nights. By the time his hair grew out and summertime rolled in, his scars had faded with his nightmares, and between revenuers and races, Luke had other things to worry about. And his family was there through it all.

"And somewhere in an honest laugh,
It'll finally hit me that I'm Home…back Home…"
- 'Home' by Tim McGraw "