Author's Notes: Evening, ladies and gents! With no further ado, here is the last chapter of this little saga. Instead of lyrics as a supplement to this chapter, I would instead refer you to a painting, if you can find the image online - "Reflections" by Lee Teter. The most magnificent A. brought it to my attention, and it fits this chapter perfectly. My thanks again to A., S., and B., who all made this story possible! Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Epilogue

There were easily two hundred people there, all crowded around – men, women, and children – but there was no pushing or shoving. Those children old enough to understand were solemn and quiet, and those who were too young were quickly hushed with bottle and bib. Some stood still and silent or quietly weeping in one place, while others moved along the line that formed itself at the small end of the L, trailing from A to Z. The black marble shone in the wan sunlight of a November afternoon, except for the places were the smooth polish was interrupted by a carefully chiseled name.

Jesse, Bo, and Daisy were quiet, following their kinsman close, but not enough to crowd. Luke moved slowly, reading each name, pausing at the ones he recognized. All three Dukes knew he didn't just see names, he saw battles, ambushes, firefights, patrols, nights back at back camp, days in the field – and men dying. It was hard to read just how he was taking it – whether this trip had been a good idea or not. Luke was very good at putting on that mask, where only his eyes would tell the truth, and Bo couldn't see his eyes right now. So he walked, and they followed, feeling a twinge of sadness every time he reached out to touch another name.

The odds were great, but not impossible, for what came next. Luke paused beside three new arrivals, an older woman and her two children, and when the woman spoke to her son and daughter, Luke took his eyes off the wall to turn and look.

"There he is," she said tearfully, pointing to a name. The girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, bent down to place a bouquet of flowers against the black marble, while the boy, maybe nine or ten, stared hard at the name.

A heavy breath shuddered in Luke's chest, because he recognized that name. Zachary Salazar had been a Marine in the platoon under his command, and he'd been there for the man's dying words – words of love for his family, with a picture of his newborn baby boy in his hand.

"Mrs. Salazar?" Luke asked carefully. She looked up with tears, but no recognition, in her eyes. "I knew Zach," he said softly. "I'm Luke Duke…I was the leader of his platoon…"

The woman hardly seemed to know what to say. The tears spilled over on her cheeks, and the children looked up distrustfully at this stranger who upset their mother.

Luke searched his memory for the names. "Jeremy – Jeremy Alexander," he finally said, looking at the boy. Eight pounds, eleven ounces, Zach had quoted so often to anyone who would listen. He was even nicknamed Eight-Eleven by the other boys, for the two weeks until he was killed. "And Katie – Katie Elizabeth."

"Kat," the girl corrected automatically, looking Luke over. She didn't really know, at the time, just where her daddy went and why he didn't come back, and since then she'd learned a little from what her mother had told her. Was her daddy like this man before her, then? She frowned, looking at him, then decided it would be alright if he was.

Luke looked sadly at the two children. He never would have guessed that he'd see a father's children grown when the father himself could not.

"Your father loved you very much," he told them quietly, not noticing his family and several complete strangers watching tearfully. "Just before he died, he asked me for your pictures, from his pack…" Luke's voice dropped lower, hoarser. "The last thing he said was, 'God will watch over them, Sarge, and so will I'."

Then Luke seemed to notice the widow's tears for the first time, and he realized how much he must have upset her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking his head and taking a step back.

The widow Salazar, however, took a step forward, and reached for his arm. "Thank you, Mr. Duke," she whispered through her tears. "Thank you."

By the time Luke reached the far end of the wall and a few feet past it, he felt like he'd just finished running a marathon. His limbs felt weak and watery, and he might not have found the strength to return to the car, if a strong arm hadn't wrapped around his shoulders and held him up as they walked along. Bo and Daisy followed behind their uncle and cousin, and not a word was said.

Luke was quiet for the whole drive back to the hotel, and his family let him be. He numbly followed his uncle into the elevator and out onto the third floor, where they were staying in two rooms side-by-side. The Duke family entered the room Jesse was sharing with Daisy, and Luke crossed into the other room through the connecting doorway, Bo close behind. When they had rid themselves of dress shoes, tight collars, wallets and purses, Jesse and Daisy looked into the boys' room through the open door. They found Bo leaning against the window frame, likewise divested of uncomfortable clothing, watching Luke where he sat on one of the two beds.

Uncle and cousin took a few steps inside, and saw their Marine staring down at a small object in his hands, a thoughtful frown on his features. Jesse joined Bo by the window, while Daisy stepped to Luke's side and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, a curious expression on his face.

"Did I ever show you this, Daisy?" he asked softly, knowing full well he hadn't. He handed her the small black velvet box and let his hands fall to his lap, watching her reaction.

"I don't think so…" she began, but her eyes widened when she opened the case. "Oh, Luke…" she breathed, fingering the purple and white ribbon. Daisy looked down at him, her eyes full of concern. "Is this yours?"

He nodded silently.

"Oh Luke," she whispered again, finding a seat beside him on the bed and leaning her head on his shoulder. He watched as Uncle Jesse slowly crossed the room to glance at the contents of the black velvet box, but Jesse's expression showed that he was only confirming his guess. Bo didn't move – he'd already seen the Purple Heart. Feeling Daisy lean in close, Luke hung his head, feeling a little ashamed at keeping it from her for so long.

"I was shot, a few months before I came home," Luke started quietly. "There was, uhm…" he swallowed, taking a breath. "There was a sniper…he took out three of my guys, one after the other. No one could spot him – there was too much cover, too many trees…" Luke stared into the carpet as he told his story, eyes blank as he relived the scene in vivid detail. "So I…I broke cover to draw him out, so someone could get a bead on him. He shot me, Mike shot him, and an attack broke out…" Luke shook his head. "We held our ground until the rest of the company arrived, then beat an ordered retreat back to base. Well, not 'we' – I wasn't doing much of anything but lying on the ground at that point – Rob dragged me out of the heavy fire with a bullet in his leg, and a chopper evac'd the both of us." He looked up, finally, and saw tears on the faces of all his family. He could feel Daisy's tears soaking into the shoulder of his dress shirt.

"Where were you hit?" she asked raggedly, sniffing and trying to compose herself.

"Here," he answered softly, holding a hand to the spot at the base of his ribs. Daisy lifted her hand and touched the spot, feeling the years-old scar tissue beneath the light fabric.

"That could have killed you," she realized.

Luke's answer was barely a whisper: "Yes." An instant later, Daisy's arms were wrapped around his neck, and his shirt was gathering another damp patch of salty tears. "It's okay, Daisy, it was a long time ago…" he soothed, hugging her tightly. When she had calmed down, Luke looked up at his uncle. "Doc Appleby said it's why I get chest colds so easy in the winter…scar tissue," he explained. Jesse nodded, and Luke's attention returned to Daisy as she hugged him again.

Then Jesse stepped forward, pulling Luke to his feet in a bear hug that could have cracked ribs. Bo was close behind, drying his own tears – he'd heard the tale before, but it was no less frightening the second time around. He claimed a hug of his own, and all four Dukes stood close together, drawing on the nearness for support. Then Luke reached a hand up, rubbing weary eyes.

"I'm, uh…I'm kinda tired," he told his uncle and cousins, shoulder sagging. "I think I'm gonna lay down for a little while."

Jesse nodded again. "Alright, Luke. You do that – we'll wake you for dinner."

Luke nodded gratefully, and Jesse ushered Bo and Daisy out while the young man sat back on the bed, unbuttoning his shirt. Jesse picked up the black velvet box from where Daisy had left it on the coverlet, looking sadly at the contents for a moment before placing it on the nightstand. Then he leaned over his eldest nephew, kissing his brow and stroking his hair.

"Sleep well, son. We'll be in the other room, if you need anything."

In the other room, Bo flopped down onto Daisy's bed and spent some time flipping channels, but there was nothing much of interest to watch. After a while he looked up at Jesse beseechingly. Jesse considered, then nodded silently, and Bo was on his feet, cautiously easing the partition door open and peeking into the other room. He smiled a little and shut the door, turning back to Jesse and Daisy.

"He's out cold," Bo reported. "Didn't even get under the covers."

Jesse nodded. "Good. Lord knows it's been a hard day for him already."

Bo sat down on the edge of the bed. "I don't know if this was such a good idea anymore," he said unhappily. It was his savings from this summer that paid for the trip, a birthday gift of sorts to his cousin. Daisy didn't quite know what to say, because she'd been thinking the same thing, but Uncle Jesse shook his head.

"I can't think of anything better for Luke," Jesse said. Niece and nephew looked up in surprise, and he gently explained. "Just like when his friend Robert died this spring – it brings a man closure, helps him heal inside. Luke's carried a lot of hurts in him for a long time – so have a lot of men like him, and families like that one today – and some of those hurts won't ever completely heal. But some of them, we can help with – that's why that Memorial was built, to honor those who died, and to honor those who lived. It's good for Luke to see that, even if it's hard."

Bo and Daisy nodded understanding – especially Bo, who knew a little bit more about his cousin's experiences than Daisy.

Later on, they woke Luke for dinner, and spent a quiet evening at the hotel. The next day, they spent more time sightseeing, and they returned to the Wall for just a little while. This time Luke didn't linger, but he smiled a little to see the flowers, letters, ribbons and medals piled at the base of the polished black Memorial, and he was proud to see the Wall standing among all the great monuments of the nation's capitol. They visited Rob's grave at Arlington, where Jesse surprised them by taking them to several graves of his own fallen comrades. Luke showed his uncle and cousin the Marine Corps Memorial, and he smiled when Daisy insisted on taking a picture of him before it for her photo album. The more they walked around, the more Bo could see the truth of Uncle Jesse's words, in the way Luke walked and talked.

On the morning of the fourth day, it was time to go home, and the Dukes set out in the General Lee with suitcases and souvenirs packed in the trunk. Luke was surprised at the length of the drive, when he wasn't sleeping or speeding through most of it – just like Bo was surprised at how much more fun D.C. was without dizzy spells and a splitting headache. They talked, sang, and played road games all the way home, and all four Dukes were very glad to be back in Hazzard once more.

Bo steered the General up the driveway, and Jesse was glad to see the farm was still standing after four days of Cooter's caretaking. The boys helped their uncle and cousin out of the orange Charger, and they started carrying luggage in while Daisy went to start dinner. It was between the car and the farmhouse that Luke paused to clap his little cousin on the back.

"Thanks, Bo," he said quite simply, before picking up his luggage again. Thanks for the trip, thanks for being there, thanks for understanding…he meant a great deal more than the simple words he spoke.

Bo smiled. Uncle Jesse was always right. "No problem, Luke." And he followed his cousin inside.

-Fin'-