A/N First of all: Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year brings you lots of good things, and ofcourse Inspiration!
Second of all, I read about the Lavinia VS Martha discussion, and since I've only seen episodes where they refer to Lavinia, in my story, it's Lavinia. Anyways, hope you'll like this chapter, enjoy!

5

Deep in the woods of Hazzard

"Goddamnit!" Luke hissed, immediately biting his tongue. He was glad uncle Jesse wasn't here to hear him, cause no matter how old he was, he would have received a whooping for those words.

The branch which had hit him in the face seemed to taunt Luke, tickling his neck now. Standing up straight he remembered why he hated these woods since he was a little boy. The trees seemed to overhang, blocking out the sun, making the forest look like it was grabbing for ya. And if they didn't grab ya, they hit ya in the face…

Luke chuckled a little. He remembered when him, Bo and Daisy had dared eachother to stay in these woods for one night. Him and Bo had been home before the sun had started to go under, while Daisy had casually strolled out of there the following morning. Bo and him had been so in awe of her for two weeks. That is, until they discovered she had simply stayed with a friend living on the edge of the woods. She never heard the last of it…

Shaking his head, Luke reminded himself at the task at hand. Carefully he used the branch to wipe out any traces of him and Bo. Hopefully leading Harry and co in the direction hé wanted.

The guilt he was feeling lessened a bit as he thought about the days events. He still knew he had to protect his cousin better. It was a promise had had made a long time ago to someone no longer among them. And Luke never broke a promise… While wiping the ground with the branch and making new tracks, he remembered that night clearly…

FLASHBACK

The room was dark and musty. Sickness seemed to have taken over the room, creeping of the walls and onto the people in there.

Luke knew things were bad. His uncle was silent and the twinkle in his eyes had dulled. And even though Luke was only twelve, he knew it all had to do with his aunt.

For weeks now, she'd been coughing and sleeping a lot. And today... Well today things seemed to be even worse.

Entering the room, he saw her. The normally vibrant woman, who had taught him to ride a bike and helped him climb the big tree behind the farm, was lying on a bed, unbelievably thin with a grey look on her face while her eyes looked like they could pop out any minute.

At first, Luke was scared. That wasn't his aunt… His aunt had rosy cheeks and was a little chubby with shiny darkbrown hair while shades of grey started to lighten it up.

Mentally he had shaken himself. The person lying in that bed was still his aunt. And seeing her slight smile, he hastily made his way to the bed, grabbing for her hand and holding it tightly.

"Aunt Lavinia…" he started, but his choked voice wouldn't let him continue.

"Is alright baby," she hushed him as he bowed his head on the bedspread, letting a few tears leak through his eyelids.

"Please don't go," he pleaded softly, not knowing what else to say.

"Ya know I don't wanna go son, but the Good Lord needs me ta be with him. An' I can't disappoint the boss now can I?" she quipped, hoping to get through to the distraught boy she considered her son.

The slight nod she felt, calmed her. Somehow, she knew he would be alright. Their kids had always had a way of getting back tot heir feet after a tragedy…

Their kids… She had always considered them theirs, even though they weren't. And now that she was leaving them, she just had to know they would be alright.

"Luke," she whispered, causing the young boy to look up with a tear-stained face.

"Honey, ya hafta do somethin for me… Yur gonna be the oldest, an' Jesse is gonna need yur help on the farm a lot more from now on… But I know yur gonna make me darn proud. I just wanna…" pausing for a minute, she noticed Luke was absorbing her words like a sponge. That was her boy…

"I want ya ta take good care of yur cousins… Daisy's gonna be eleven soon, an' even though she can stand her own, she'll always need someone to look out for her. And Bo…" smiling a little, Lavinia thought about the youngest Duke in their household. The eight year old was like a tornado, always running though the house and stumbling into trouble.

"Bo needs you to look after him. Ya know how he always jumps in headfirst, no questions asked. Just…" cough, "Just take care of him, protect him like ya've always done…"

The words seemed to etch themselves in Luke's brain. He knew his aunt wouldn't be here for long and he was going to keep the promises he made her.

"I'm so proud of ya son, just keep makin' me proud…"

Nodding vigorously Luke clasped his aunt hand, "I will aunt Lavinia,, I promise…"

He had kissed his aunt one last time and had left the room. It had been the last time he had seen his aunt alive. That night she died in the arms of her beloved husband…

But Luke had never forgotten the promise he had made that day.

END FLASHBACK

And until this day, Luke felt responsible for his cousins. And even though he knew the shooting wasn't his fault, he should have stopped it. Should have seen the gun, should have run faster…

Thud…

The bullet ricocheting of off the tree next to him made him duck as fast as he could. Flying bark hit his body, showing him how close the shot had been.

Looking around, he spotted two figures, not to far away from him.

Well, he thought, his plan had worked, maybe a little too good…

Ducking as low as possible, he made his way into the shrubbery, letting them swallow him.

Folks, let's hope them bushes are as thickheaded as some of the Dukes are, cause them bad guys look mighty angry…

The cave

He seriously needed to pee…

The thought hit him, when he was watching the fire die down in front of him. A slight chuckle bubbled up in his throat, causing spasms of pain to flare through his abdomen.

Sitting up against the cold cave-wall, Bo cringed. Luke's shirt was now dark-red, and he knew he was loosing blood all the time. It was a strange thing to feel your juices flow out of you that slowly. Somehow he almost couldn't find the strength to keep his eyes open. But he had to!

He knew Luke depended on him to keep himself alive for now. And even though eternal sleep sounded pretty good at this time, he knew he could never disappoint his cousin. What would his cousin think when he came back and saw Bo lying there, cold and stiff? Bo knew Luke would never forgive himself, and somehow, that thought gave him the strength to stay awake. For now…

He tried to remember how long Luke had been gone now. It must have been longer then an hour. The sun was almost gone now, and Bo knew they had to find help soon. Somehow he couldn't see himself make it through the night. The thought didn't scare him though, somehow it seemed hollow, just like his body felt, hollow and light. He felt like he was on the outside looking in. And boy, he didn't like what he saw…

Rubbing his eyes slowly, Bo tried to focus on the cave-entrance. Luke had to be back soon. He promised… And Luke never broke a promise.
So Bo just sat there and watched, his thoughts jumbling though his head like butterflies on a warm summer day.

The warmth of the fire was slowly dying down, ember floating through the cave. 'Ironic'. It was the only word Bo could think of right now. The fire dying out, his life-force dying out…

Sagging down a little again, Bo finally let his heavy eyes drift closed, only to open them again as he heard a rustle followed by footsteps.

Blinking away the blurriness and the grey edges, he squinted as he looked at the legs standing in front of him.

"Luke?"

"Yur gonna wish it was…"

The strange voice caused Bo to look up, and all of a sudden, he noticed the black boots and the prison-garments.
Fear coursed though him, adrenaline giving him the strength to speak with a high pitched voice.

"B- Benny…"