A/N from Candylovin
My sincerest apologies for the lateness of this chapter. Let's say I've had a little hiatus in which Christmas, New Year and lots of other things kept me busy. But I'm getting in the swing of things again, so here's the next chapter. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy!
A/N from Ani
And then that delay was delayed further by my university work meaning I couldn't post and the like…ugh… lol its all been frantic and hectic for the both of us and once more the story took a hit in the timings in which we posted the chapters. Sorry to keep you all waiting so long but bare with us and hopefully we'll get this finished before the end of the year :-p xx
Dead…
That was the only word that haunted Luke's brain, his unseeing eyes glaring at the road in front of him. He let his hands and feet guide him over the roads of Hazzard County that they seemed to know so well without him needing to give them direction as to what to do. He knew by heart where he was going…
Revenge…
That was the other part that clouded his brain. Jason Dupree was going to wish that he never met Luke Duke, let alone struck up any kind of rapport with him. The scolding betrayal lay like a fiery stone on Luke's heart, burning a mark into it that he knew he wouldn't soon be recovering from. Jason had been someone he trusted, someone he had shared everything with…and all that had lead to was Jason betraying him in the worst manner possible. By coming after his kin.
No man could do that and get away with it, not on Luke Duke's watch.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The blue truck in which Jason Dupree and his buddy were fleeing the county drove expertly over Hazzard's sandy roads. Big smiles were on both men's faces as they looked at the money Jason pulled out of the bag. Luke Duke had really done it… He got them the money, and now he was gonna take the wrap for it, when that dumb sheriff and his deputy got the little piece of evidence that Jason had left at the police station.
The roar of another engine however soon broke the gleeful atmosphere and caused both men to look to their right. Jason's face became home to a mix of shock and anger as he noticed the old truck coming into their right flank at break neck speed. The crunching of metal and the loss of control on the truck scared Jason like nothing ever had before.
This couldn't be happening! Luke Duke did not crash other people's cars!
The tumbling of their truck into the ditch on their left side however, proved otherwise. Shielding his face with his hands in a desperate attempt to protect himself from shards of glass flying around, Jason Dupree felt relieved when the truck came to a stop, where it landed upside down against a few small trees.
His jumbled mind could hear the crash of another vehicle in the distance, and vaguely he smiled. He was not the only one with a few bumps and bruises. And maybe, just maybe, he had gotten rid of that Luke Duke forever…
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Smoke came from the front of the truck, where Luke had finally came to a stop against the side of Hazzard mountain. Shaking his head, he slowly put his hand up against it, feeling something wet and sticky covering his fingers as he winced at the sharp pain going through him. Pushing open the still intact door, Luke's inner voice told him it was a good thing he had slowed down enough so that only the front of the truck seemed to be damaged. His uncle would kill him if he totaled the-…
Bo.
The one word screamed through his brain, blowing away all other thoughts threatening to consume him.
Bo's lifeless eyes….the panicked cry he gave when he fell into the well…his limp body lying in that old shack…
Wiping away the blood that had made its way into his eye, he noticed the blue truck lying on its roof, a few yards away from him. Slowly he prowled towards the totalled truck as a wild animal would when moving in for the final kill, moving as if in slow motion. When he stood a few inches away from the vehicle and no one moved, he breathed a sigh. It was over…
The hand suddenly reaching out of the window, grabbing his ankle, almost made his heart stop in shock. Looking down he could see the bloody smile of Jason Dupree, looking up at him.
"Tough little bugger are ya?" he muttered, using Luke's leg to pull himself out of the wreck. He took no notice of his so called buddy, lying unconscious in the passenger seat, a bump on his head indicating that he was out cold. Luke was too dazed to notice Jason standing in front of him….well…right up until Jason started talking again.
"Yur harder ta get rid of than that stupid cousin of yours, are ya?" he muttered through bloody teeth.
If Luke didn't already have blood dripping in his eye, he would have seen red. Now, all he could think of was how this so called friend had murdered his cousin, his brother...Without blinking or a seconds hesitation, he threw himself at the man standing in front of him, bringing them both to the ground where they wrestled for their lives.
Jason held Luke's shirt tightly as he rolled them so that he was on top. Putting his hands around Luke's throat, he smiled wickedly.
"This is too easy..." he added, unknowingly firing up Luke's emotions as he was lying underneath the bigger ex marine. He was not going to let this happen. He would not let Bo's killer get away with this!
As stars started swimming in front of his eyes, all he could see was Bo's lifeless face, and with strength he didn't know he possessed, he punched Jason in the face, breaking his nose immediately. Clearing his head wasn't necessary as he now sat on top of Jason Dupree, who was still wearing that annoying smile.
Bringing his arm back, Luke let his fist fall into the man's face again.
The smile still didn't fade...
So Luke struck again.
And again...
When the smile finally faded, Jason's face was covered with bruises.
Breathing heavy, Luke could only concentrate on the man lying beneath him. The pathetic look he gave him as he begged for his life. Why would he let him live, when he didn't give his cousin a chance to live?
Bringing his fist back for the final blow, Luke hesitated one second. In that single second, he heard it.
"Don't Luke..."
The voice came from behind him, and yet it seemed so far away. It was rough and broken, like it had been overused, the breaths behind it were struggled and gasped. But most of all, it was familiar...
Swallowing hard, and wondering if the blow to the head was actually starting to get to him, Luke murmured softly.
"Bo?"
He almost didn't expect an answer, and when a soft hand landed on his tense shoulder, he almost jumped. Whipping his head around, he couldn't believe his eyes as he blinked to get the person into focus. Shaking his head, a few tears leaked over his cheeks as he fought the denial which was being unleashed within him. When he stopped, the person was still standing there while he was being supported by another familiar person.
"Is it really you?"
"Yeah, it's me Luke," the scratchy voice responded, as the elder Duke fell into his arms at those final words.
"I thought you was gone..." Luke said with a tight voice while he put his arms around his younger cousin.
"Me too cuz, me too," Bo responded softly through a sore throat.
Truth was, Bo Duke had felt like he had been dead.
When he opened his eyes in that little shack, the face of Cooter Davenport above him and the water pouring out of his mouth, he knew he was alive though. The paramedics had ordered him to go with them to the hospital, even though Bo had protested that he had to find Luke. Before his older cousin did something stupid... The dizziness which had overwhelmed him when he stood up had convinced both himself and the paramedics that a little trip to the hospital was needed. On their way there though, they had stumbled upon an accident site, and the paramedics had stopped so they could help. Looking out of the back of the ambulance, Bo had almost immediately recognized the family truck parked against Hazzard mountain.
A few yards away, he had spotted two people who seemed to be fighting, and that was the moment when he knew he had to help Luke. Seeing his cousin ready to deliver the final blow, Bo had spoken. And now, here they were. When Luke finally loosened his grip on Bo, he pulled away and looked his cousin over.
"Ya look terrible," he spoke, trying to bring some light heartedness into the situation.
"Ya don't look so good yurself cuz," Bo rasped, looking at the clotted blood on Luke's forehead.
Luke chuckled a little, but stopped when he saw Bo's eyes widen as he looked past Luke's head at something else. The next few moments were a blur.
Luke went to turn around to see what Bo was looking at when Bo pulled at him, sending both boys tumbling down to the ground. All Luke could remember next, was Bo trying to yell his name in warning.
"Luke!!"