Warning: Not beta-ed and I'm very sure there will be grammatical and probably spelling errors in this one, so once again I apologise in advance.

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Bo and Luke Duke, I don't and neither do I own any of the other characters in the Dukes of Hazzard. The Song in chapter four is Brotherly Love which was written by Jimmy Stewart and Tim Nichols, and performed by Moe Bandy as well as Keith Whitley and Earl Thomas Conley. It was first recorded in 1989 and therefore not in the Dukes' timeline but I love the lyrics and I think it describes the Duke boys beautifully.

The next morning...

Luke was doing his chores. He didn't sleep last night and now he just wanted to keep himself busy. Tomorrow was his birthday, but he didn't see how he could enjoy the day when his cousin was in jail and refused to tell him the truth. Daisy had gone to work, she had an early shift, but before leaving, she demanded that he go to the jail and fix everything with Bo. She made him promise he would. Luke didn't know how he was going to do it when he didn't even want to see Bo, but he would, because he's a Duke and he made a promise.

Luke stopped what he was doing when an unfamiliar car pulled up to the farm. He did recognise the person who got out though. "Mr Larson?" Luke walked up to him. "What are you doing here?" Jesse came out onto the porch.

"I came to apologise and tell you that Bo was telling the truth. He was working for me the past two weeks." Jimmy told them straight out. Luke froze at what he just heard. Just like that, everything that happened yesterday came rushing back at him. Bo's face when Luke accused him of lying kept coming at him. "Are you okay?" Jimmy asked as he watched the colour drain from Luke's face. Jesse grabbed Luke and sat him down on the porch.

"He's fine. Just needs to breathe." Jesse said as he rubbed circles on Luke's back. "Why did you lie to us, Jimmy? I've never known you to lie." Jesse had justified himself and Luke's actions, purely on his belief that this man was an honourable man. He had accused his nephew of theft and lying based on this!

"Because someone came into my house the other night and held a knife to my throat. Told me to tell anybody that asked that I didn't know Bo." Jimmy told them, unable to look at them. "I'm sorry."

Luke thought back to what Bo had said, "Maybe they bribed him or threatened his family." Why didn't he believe Bo? Why was he so quick to discard everything Bo told him? Luke looked up at Jimmy in anger. He launched up and grabbed him by the shirt, "So why are you telling us this now? Do you know what you did? Bo's in jail and I left him there. I accused him of lying and stealing!"

Jesse tried to pulled Luke off Jimmy, but he wouldn't budge, "My wife convinced me that to do the right thing." Jimmy said, ashamed of himself. Luke let him go, his anger gone. He had no right to get angry at Jimmy when this was his fault. There was no excuse for how he treated Bo.

"Uncle Jesse, we need to get to the courthouse."

Jesse nodded, "I'll drive. Can you come with us and give a statement to the Sheriff?" He asked Jimmy.

"Of course. I've even brought my ledger to show that I had paid Bo for his work." Jimmy went to his car to get it, before joining them in the pick-up.

As they drove to the courthouse, Jimmy told them about the past two weeks. "I recognised you before you even introduced yourself." Jimmy told Luke. "Bo described you to me. Strong and protective, with one heck of a mean streak if anyone hurt your family, but at the same time, you could be real gentle, especially when Bo got sick or hurt. You should've seen his face yesterday when he raised enough money for that carburettor He was like a little boy on Christmas morning."

Luke felt worse and worse and he listened to Jimmy talk about Bo. "He had so much faith in me and I turned on him just because I found out he told a little lie!"

"Calm down, Luke." Jesse told him. "Let's just get him out of jail. We can deal with the way we treated him afterwards." Jesse was feeling just as guilty, but there was no point punishing themselves now when Bo was still in jail.

Jimmy stopped talking when he realised he was just making things worse for Luke. He dreaded to think that his selfishness had torn apart the Duke family.


At the courthouse...

"So you see, Rosco. Bo's innocent and Jimmy, here, is a witness and he has the evidence." Jesse made his case as he poked at Jimmy's ledger.

Rosco frowned at the ledger, "How do I know this ain't a trick?"

"Rosco! You let my boy go or I'll make sure the whole town knows you put him jail when you have evidence that he's innocent! I'll tell them that you and J.D framed him to cover up the truth." Jesse threatened.

"Oooh, you can't do that." Rosco chucked his chin. "No one will believe you."

"Do you really think the towns people will believe you over me?" Jesse glared at him.

Rosco knew he had no choice but to let Bo go. "Oh, fine! You Dukes win this time!" He led them downstairs.

"Enos, let Bo go. He's innocent." Rosco said dejectedly. Boss wasn't going to be happy when he finds out. Enos, on the other hand, looked like Daisy had just told him she loved him.

"Possum on a gum bush! You hear that, Bo? Sheriff says you're innocent!" Enos unlocked the door, but Bo was nowhere near as happy. He got up slowly and looked at everyone in the room.

"Jimmy?" Bo was surprised he was here.

"Hi, Bo." Jimmy greeted the man who didn't look anything like the man who had been working for him. "Sorry about all this."

Bo shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you had a good reason." Bo turned to Rosco, "Where's my carburettor?"

"Oooh, it's upstairs." Rosco told him, "Follow me." Bo did. It was as if Luke and Jesse didn't even exist. Luke didn't like what he was seeing. He expected Bo to be angry, furious. He expected Bo to lash out at him or Jesse. He didn't expect this...empty shell.

Upstairs, Rosco took the carburettor out of the evidence box and handed it to Bo. Bo took it from him. He was silent as he held the precious part. He had worked so hard for this, but it was all for nothing, only yesterday, it represented pride and excitement, today, it only symbolised pain, betrayal and hurt. Bo turned to Luke and shoved it into his chest. Luke put his hands up to grab it before Bo could let it drop. He saw the emptiness in Bo's eyes. "Happy Birthday, Luke." he said with no emotions, and turned to leave the building.

"Bo!" Luke handed the part to Jesse and ran after his cousin. "Bo!" Luke caught up to him outside the courthouse and grabbed him by the arm. He flinched when he saw the emptiness in Bo's eyes again. "I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so quick to judge you like that." Bo continued staring at him with those empty eyes. Luke couldn't stand it any more. This wasn't his cousin! "Could you just say something? Do something. Punch me if you have to. Just don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you don't care." Luke answered and then added, more softly, "Like you've completely lost faith in everything," In me, Luke finished silently.

"Maybe that's because I have." Bo pulled away from him. "None of you believed me." Luke turned to see that Jesse and Jimmy had joined them. "I told you the truth, but y'all chose believed everyone else but me! Y'all thought I would steal cars, that I would do that to the people of Hazzard. I've fought the system with you because I didn't want to see anyone here get their money swindled from them and you think I would do that to them!" In a way, Luke was glad Bo was letting his anger out. An angry Bo, was better than an empty one.

Jesse handed Jimmy the carburettor and walked up to him, putting a hand on Bo's shoulder. Bo flinched but he didn't pull away. "I know we hurt you and I know it's not fair to ask, but can you forgive us?"

Bo shook his head and shoved his uncle's hand off his shoulder. "You're right. It's not fair for you to ask and I ain't forgivin' y'all." Bo turned and ran away as fast as he could.

"Bo!" Luke wanted to go after him but Jesse stopped him.

"He's hurtin' bad right now, Luke. He won't listen to anyone." Jesse feared he would never listen to them again.

"I can't lose him, Uncle Jesse." Luke begged.

"I know, but we can't push him. If we do, we might push him away completely." Jesse hugged his nephew.

Jimmy walked up to them. "I'm sorry for what I did to your family. Bo loves y'all. He won't leave you, no matter what. He'll probably hate me for telling you this, Luke, but I think you need to hear it so that you'll have the strength to fight for his forgiveness. He told me that you're his hero. You have been since he moved onto the farm."

Luke lost all the strength in his body. He sat down on the steps of the courthouse and buried his head in his hands. Bo had put him on such a high pedestal and now he had fallen from it. Luke didn't know if he could ever get back on it again, but he owed it to his cousin to try. His cousin may never look at him the same way after today, but he hoped he could at least regain his trust. Luke pulled himself together and got up. "We'll get him back. I promise." Jesse nodded. They headed back to the farm and Jimmy left them to go back to his family. Jesse had told him that they would get to the bottom of the threat, so that he could move back to Choctaw county. Luke knew that if he was to get to the bottom of everything he would have to catch the car thieves, but he couldn't do it without Bo. They've been thwarting schemes like this since he got back from the marines and he needed Bo for this one. This was something they had to do together.

"Give him the day, Luke. Let him clear his head, then go get him tomorrow. I know, you know where he'll be." Jesse told him. His boys have had a connection since Bo came to live with them. It wasn't a bond that was easy to break, though it's only a thin thread right now.


Bo ran so hard and for so long, that he didn't even know where he was going until he got there. It was the fishing hole he and Luke loved so much, but Bo didn't stop there, he continued into the water. He continued until he could no longer stand and went under. A minute went by, he didn't come up. Two minutes, nothing. If there was anybody around they probably would've swam out to check on him by now. Three minutes came around before Bo broke the surface, breathing hard. He had pushed his lungs almost beyond it's capabilities. Bo dragged himself out of the water and collapsed on the bank. Trying to draw in breaths that didn't seem to want to come. His whole body ached, but he didn't care. He wanted it to hurt so that he wouldn't think of anything but the pain. Bo laid there until it got dark and continued throughout the night until daylight came. He didn't move an inch. He couldn't. He was scared that if he moved, he would fall apart, that his whole world would crumble on him. Bo laughed at that. His whole world has already crumbled down. Bo was trying his hardest not to break down, not because of the what his family did, but because if he did, it meant that he cared about what they had thought of him, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to care about anything right now. He just wanted to stay like this forever, where no one could hurt him. By mid-afternoon Bo was feeling hot. Like he was burning from the inside. He tried to get up and go in the water to cool himself down but he couldn't move at all. It was as if something was pinning him down. He gave up trying and just closed his eyes.


Luke finally had enough of waiting. He had given Bo more than a day now. Jesse had told him to give Bo more time, but, enough was enough. For all they knew, Bo could be out of the county by now. Jesse looked at him when he told him that, "Do you really think Bo's left the county?"

"No, but right now, I have a feeling he needs me. There's something wrong, Uncle Jesse. I can feel it." Luke begged Jesse to let him go.

"Go, bring him back." Jesse said, worried now that he had given Bo too much time alone.

Luke knew where to find his cousin. There was only one place Bo would go whenever he needed time alone. It was the same place Luke would go. The fishing hole, a place only Bo and he knew about. It wasn't that they caught a lot of fish there, just that it was peaceful and it was theirs. Luke parked the General Lee. The only way to the fishing hole was by foot, probably why nobody else knew it was there. Once he got there he spotted Bo lying on the bank. At first he thought his gut feeling was wrong and Bo wasn't in any trouble. Bo was just relaxing. He didn't want to make him run away again, so he waited by a tree to watch over him. It was half an hour later that Luke realised Bo was too still. He ran up to him and skidded to a stop beside Bo. He saw straight away that Bo was very sick. "Bo!" Luke tapped his flushed face. "Bo, wake up!" Bo didn't respond at all. Luke could feel the heat come off Bo as he brushed Bo's hair back from his face and placed a hand on Bo's forehead. "God, Bo, what did I do to you?" Luke pulled him up and carried him across his shoulders, somehow managing to slide him into the passenger seat of the General Lee. He cursed himself for not taking Jesse's pick-up, getting in the car, he drove off. Luke grabbed the CB and called Jesse. "Lost Sheep calling Shepherd. You gotcha ears on.? Come back!"

"This is Shepherd, what is it, Lost sheep? Come back."

"I've found Bo, but he's unconscious and he's got a fever. I'm bringing him home. Call Doc Appleby to get out here. I'm gone!" Luke looked over at his cousin, "Hang in there, Bo. We're almost home." Bo didn't even make a sound as his head lolled from side to side in tandem with the movement of the car. "Please, be okay. Please, be okay." Luke repeated this again and again until he reached the farm.

Jesse was waiting for him on the porch when he pulled up. "How is he?" Jesse reached in and put a hand on Bo's forehead. "That's too hot! He should be at the hospital." Jesse pulled his hand back. Luke shook his head and moved in to pull Bo out of the General.

"With the mind-frame he's in right now, he needs to be home, not in a cold, lifeless place like the hospital." Luke pulled Bo out, "Anyway, he hates the hospital.". Once he was out, Jesse and Luke each took Bo's arm and carried him to his room and onto his bed. They stripped him of his clothes and covered him up to his waist. Jesse went to get a bowl of water and towels to cool his nephew down.

"Doc's gonna be here soon." Jesse put the water down and Luke wasted no time in wiping Bo down. He laid one towel on Bo's forehead while using the other one to wipe his chest and arms.

"You're going to be okay, Bo. Doc's on his way." Luke didn't know if he was saying this for himself or Bo. Bo started tossing his head around restlessly, causing the towel to fall off. Luke dipped it in the water and held it to his head. Bo mumbled something that Luke and Jesse couldn't make out, but they could hear one thing, "...not lying.." It was repeated over and over again. It was enough to make Luke break down right then and there, but his cousin needed him. Luke placed a hand on Bo's flushed cheeks. "I know you weren't lying, Bo. I should've believed you. I'm sorry." It did nothing to calm Bo down. Bo just seemed to get more distressed, kicking off the covers and trying push Luke away. He still wasn't conscious, but he could still feel Luke's presence and he was the last person Bo wanted near him at the moment. It didn't take much strength for Luke to subdue Bo in his weakened state. Jesse covered him back up, while Luke held Bo's arms to his chest. Luke knew he was the one making Bo agitated, but he couldn't leave him, so he continued speaking in the gentle voice he had always reserved for a very sick Bo. "It's okay, Bo. It's okay. You remember when you were little and every time you got sick, you would ask me to sing you a song? How about I sing one now?" Luke didn't know why he was treating Bo like he was a little boy. Maybe he just wanted Bo to know that he was here, just like he's always been since they were kids, at least until yesterday. He chose a song that he hoped would bring back good memories for Bo.

We shared the same last name and the same color eyes,

But we fought like tigers over that old red bike.

"I'm battin' first and you can't use my glove."

It wouldn't take long until push came to shove.

But we looked out for each other,

With brotherly love.

You hated girls 'til I had my first date.

I brought her home from the movies; you stayed up late.

Three on the couch watchin' T.V.

I was smilin' at her while you were laughin' at me.

But, I wouldn't trade it for nothin'.

Brotherly love.

There's a bond that brothers know,

And it gets stronger as they grow.

A love that time and miles can't come between.

We disagree but in the end,

There will never be two closer friends.

And brotherly love is something we all need.

They share the same last name and the same color eyes,

But they fight like tigers over one ol' red bike.

And lookin' at them reminds me of us.

They're gonna fight and they're gonna fuss.

But, they've got something special,

It's brotherly love.

Yeah, they've got something special,

It's brotherly love.

Jesse smiled at Luke's choice of song. It described his and Bo's relationship perfectly. They've always been brothers more than cousins. The best thing was, it was making a difference for Bo. Jesse had always been proud of how his boys looked out fo each other, even now, during their hardest time yet, he could still feel the bond between Bo and Luke. Bo stopped tossing and fell into a more restful sleep as Luke sang. "That's it, Bo. I'm here. I'll always be here." Luke choked. "God, Bo, I'm so sorry." There was a knock at the door and Jesse went to get it. "Doc's here. You're gonna get better, then you can tell me what a jackass I've been." Jesse came back in with Doc Appleby. Luke got up to allow the doctor access to Bo.

"How long has he been like this?" The Doc asked.

"I don't know. I found him like this at the fishing hole."

Doc Appleby didn't expect that answer. This was the Duke family and the Dukes always knew where each other were. It was strange that Luke wouldn't know everything about his cousin, but he wasn't going to pry into their family business. Though he was curious why Bo would be at a fishing hole by himself and not with his cousin. The Doc put a thermometer in Bo's mouth while listening to his chest and checking his blood pressure. "Temperature's 104.1 and his chest doesn't sound so good. I'd say he's getting an extremely bad cold if not the flu. He's also a little dehydrated and malnourished. When was the last time he ate or drank anything."

Luke and Jesse looked at each other. "We don't really know that either, but probably not since Friday, evening." Luke answered feeling like a very bad parent who neglected his kid.

Another answer the doctor was not expecting. Something was very wrong with the Duke family and he prayed it would get fixed soon. Hazzard County needs people like the Dukes. "I'm going to administer an IV and come back in an hour to remove it. Do you have a clothes hanger?" Luke nodded and grabbed one from the closet. The Doc hung the IV fluid on the head of the hanger and looked around for a place to hang it off. "Do you mind if I take this picture off for now?" The Doc pointed at the picture of him and Bo on the day Luke came back from Vietnam. Luke took it off the wall, running hand over the picture, over Bo's smile, that smile didn't fade for a week. Luke already missed it.

Doc Appleby finished with the IV and got up to leave. "The IV will help him but you should try to get some water into him now and then. If his fever gets any higher, you should think about taking him to the hospital."

Jesse nodded. "Thanks, Doc." He walked the doctor out. Luke sat down on Bo's bed and continued cooling him down.

"I'm sorry, Bo. I never meant for this to happen. I don't know why I got so angry. When I called Mekeroy and found out you were lying, I got angry, but then I thought that you would have a good reason for it, but you continued lying to me that night and I just got angrier. It's not that I don't trust you, but you've always spoken to me about everything, I didn't like to think that you were keeping something from me. I'm sorry I spoiled your surprise for me. Today would've been a great day if I wasn't such a jerk." Today was Luke's birthday, but he didn't care. It wasn't a special day if Bo wasn't celebrating with him. Jesse came back in and told him he was going to make dinner. Luke just nodded, he didn't feel like eating. Not when his cousin hasn't eaten anything for so long. If it wasn't for him, Bo wouldn't've been feeling so bad as to not eat. He knew Enos would've tried to get him food. "I hope you can forgive me, Bo, because I don't think I can stay on this farm if you're not here." Luke sighed in relief when Bo started stirring.

Bo felt as if someone was sitting on his chest. He didn't know where he was or why he felt so hot but he did remember someone singing. It was nice, made him feel...safe. Bo opened his eyes, bringing his right hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Why did he feel so groggy and why didn't he know where he was? He looked to his right and saw a man sitting with him.

"Where am I?" Bo asked him and wondered why he looked back at him in shock.

"Bo, this is our room." Luke told him.

"We share a room?" Bo tried to push himself up but he didn't have the strength and he had something in his wrist. He went to touch it but Luke stopped him.

"You're dehydrated," Luke said and gestured at the IV. "That's helping you."

"Who are you?"