A/N: Warning: This one's sad...it made ME cry...

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Chapter Eight: In the Blink of an Eye

Two O'Clock PM

"Look at the cute little puppy!" Eve exclaimed as she stared into the window of the pet shop that had just opened recently in town. Her and Rosco were ambling around town like they normally did when they came for a visit. "What a cutie! Rosco, ain't he precious?"

Doberman puppies just didn't compare to a Bassett Hound puppy, but he agreed with her as he usually did.

"Chelsea's wantin' a puppy so bad, maybe we oughta get her one before Christmas," Eve commented before tapping the glass to get the puppies to stand up against the glass and scratch it with their tiny claws. She then tugged her husband along down the sidewalk so they could continue with their leisurely walk. "Somethin' wrong, darling?"

"What makes ya say that?"

"You're bein' awful quiet today, so I know something's botherin' you."

"Oh, it's nothin', Eve," he said a little embarrassedly.

"Rosco," she drew out.

"Well," he started, getting quiet again. Something was in fact bothering him, had been bothering him, but he didn't quite now how to say it without upsetting her. "Honeypie, it's just that---well, I---we both know I've been havin' problems, an' I---I don't think I'm gonna last much longer---"

Eve stopped directly, which made him stop since she was holding onto his hand, and she said in a serious tone, "Rosco Coltrane, don't be talkin' like that. You've been pullin' through just fine since you got that medicine an'---"

"Sweetie," he interrupted. "It don't matter. It don't. I ain't as young as I used to be, an' sooner or later I ain't gonna be around anymore."

"Will you stop talkin' that way?"

"Honey, we gotta face facts here. I love ya more than anythin' on this good green earth, an' I don't like the idea of you bein' all alone an' depressed when 'the day' arrives. That's why I think we oughta move back to Hazzard."

"What? What on earth does that have to do with anything?"

"Baby, we don't have any family in Tennessee, they're all here. I want you around them when I go so ya won't be by yourself an' no one to talk to."

If she didn't love him so much she would've strangled him for talking to her like this, but she knew it was the truth. She just didn't want to admit it. Just thinking about it made her want to cry. "All right, fine, whatever you want. You wanna move back here, we'll do it. But can we please talk about this another time? I just wanna have a nice little walk and not have to worry about anything for a few moments."

He smiled at her. "All right, dear."

She gave him a kiss and said "Thank you" before they took off again.

The kids were away at school. Luke and Bo were at the garage. Eve and Rosco were out shopping. Daisy was being overworked at the house with dress orders and Enos was out on patrol. Ali was all alone at the house . . . thinking. Thinking about how her life seemed to have been interrupted by these terrible news of hers. Thinking how she had tried to live a better life since she married Luke and started raising a family. Thinking how it wasn't fair that she tried so hard and yet it all came crashing down anyways. Thinking about how this had happened thirteen years ago when she lost the unborn child that should have been their first baby.

And now she's been diagnosed with lung cancer. It just wasn't fair. But it wasn't just unfair to her, it was unfair to the kids and the rest of the family as well. Dang it, maybe she should confide in someone. Luke was a big help, but he was gone all day at work and she sure couldn't depend on the children for emotional support. Dang it, but everyone's so busy. But double-dang it, she needed help with this if she was ever going to get through it!

Sigh, maybe that's why she has a big sister. Granted, Eve never had health problems, but she'd been through enough terrible ordeals to know something about them. Ali had a hunch she could catch her somewhere in town, especially at this time of day. Rosco shouldn't get TOO overly jealous.

If there was one person that knew had to jabber away, it would be Enos Strate. As friendly as he was, it sometimes became an annoyance to have to stand there and listen to his daily reports on everything that was going on. And it was an extreme annoyance to Rosco because, for one thing, he really didn't care; for another, he was getting too old to stand in one spot to listen to all that jabbering---at least that what he'd tell you. He was rather envious that his wife was able to slip past. Actually, she cheated a little. Just to get some peace and quiet, she made the excuse that she needed to go to the bank to transfer some money and left Rosco with the still yakking Enos.

She promised with a smile that she'd make it up to him later, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to have to listen to Enos for a another half hour or so.

Eve was so sick of standing in line. She HATED lines. The main reason for coming in here though was to wire some money from her account in Tennessee over to Hazzard and then put it away as a sort of college fund for Chelsea. She had a good feeling about that girl, even though right now she was only being a rebellious teenager who could care less about education. One day she would appreciate it.

She wished she hadn't left Rosco out by himself, even if he was with Enos. Everytime she was separated from him, she had the nagging fear that something bad would happen. Just like last time she left him alone, he got shot at, drugged, and almost killed by that madman Hogg. Ever since she hadn't hardly let him out of her sight, but when the time came that she DID, she'd always get anxious and worry herself sick that something terrible would happen.

Oh good, just one more person and then it would be her turn.

"EVERYBODY, PUT YOUR HANDS UP! THIS IS A BANK ROBBERY!"

The warning came as such a shock, that some people didn't realize that it was really happening. A bank robbery, there hadn't been one in so long that it was a forgotten practice to hold your hands in the air and obey orders.

"I SAID PUT 'EM UP!"

Whoever it was, it was female and she meant business. Rather brave coming in by herself, Eve noted. Idiotic, but brave. Everybody had their hands up, some of the women had started sniffling back tears, men were glaring daggers, but they all started putting what money they had in the bag that the she-robber was holding out.

"Put all your money in the bag, come on people, let's move it!" she snapped sharply at some of the older people and the ones that were crying and shaking too hard to do anything productive. "Open those registers, come on move it!"

She came to Eve, who had an icy gleam in her eyes. The she-robber glared back and said, "What're you waitin' on, Blondie? Put it all in there!"

I leave him alone for a day, he gets shot at. I leave him alone for a few minutes, an' I get robbed, Eve couldn't help but think in an almost humorous manner.

"What happened to 'please'?" Eve shot back, not even about to let this creep go with her cash.

"Cut the crap, lady, an' hand it over!" the woman replied sharply, grabbing her purse and sticking her hand inside.

"NO!" she argued, now fighting with the woman to rip the purse out of her hands. "HELP! HELP!"

That's when it happened. The woman pulled out the small handgun and pulled the trigger. It hit Eve like a freight train as she felt the stinging, heated metal fly through her upper chest area and exit out the back. Her breath hitched and out of shock, she stared blankly at her attacker as she began to fall backwards. The she-robber had a terrified look in her own eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she had just done. Then she promptly ran out to the back door to get to her car.

Some people rushed to Eve to try and prolong the bleeding. It was too late to try and save her though, she'd already lost so much. The lights were growing dim and Eve could hear the faint beat of her own heart growing weaker and weaker. She barely heard a man screaming for someone to call an ambulance. Everything began to go in slow motion and swirl around in a dizzying madness of reality.

"Eve! Eve, oh my God, Eve!"

Her eyes were half-closed when she heard the distant sound of her husband calling her and the fuzzy image of him kneeling by her and holding both her hands. Her eyes were starting to move around in little circles due to the swimmy feeling in her head.

"Eve, can ya hear me, baby? Say something!"

I can't say anything...my mouth's dry...I'm sorry, honey...

"EVELYN?" Rosco was screaming now, pushing away Enos who was trying to pull him away. "Evie, PLEASE, dear God, say something!"

She couldn't hardly open her mouth wide enough to mouth out the words "I love you", but somehow she managed to do so. Tears were pouring out of Rosco's eyes at this point. She knew he was telling her to hang in there, help was coming, she'd be all right, but she couldn't hear him say any of it. It wasn't too long that all went black and she couldn't even see him anymore---and never would again.

"Eve?" Rosco asked her when he noticed she wasn't responding anymore. "Eve?"

"She's gone," Enos whispered to him sadly. "She's gone, Rosco."

"SHE CAN'T BE GONE! I'M SUPPOSED TO GO FIRST, NOT HER!" He started crying, holding his late wife in his arms. "Not her . . ."

Enos had tears running down his own face now. He turned to leave Rosco alone with Eve for a while and wipe his eyes. The tears almost came back when he saw Ali pushing her way through the crowd.

"What's going on here?" she demanded before she was able to see the body. "What happened, is anyone---" She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Rosco holding Eve's lifeless body on the floor of the bank. "Hurt?" she finished softly, suddenly feeling the need to find a restroom and vomit. She held it in though, and stumbled forward in a daze. "Eve?"

Enos grabbed her arm before she could get any closer. "Ali, don't. Leave him alone with her for a while."

"SHE'S MY SISTER!" she argued, trying to fight her way out of his grip. "Let me go!"

"Ali!" Enos said sharply, which was very out of character for him to do. "It's his wife. Let them alone for a few minutes."

Ali took another look at her sister. This was the second time she'd had to suffer through a sister dying. First Rachel, now Eve. Ali crumpled up on the floor and started to cry.

:( That killed me, having to do that. It really did...