A/N – Hey! This is getting harder by the chapter:) I guarantee, I'll never do this again! One story at a time is plenty for me! Anyway, thanks again for the feedback – you'll never know how much it really helps.

Disclaimer – I don't own the Dukes, and no infringements intended.

BALANCING THE BOOKS

CHAPTER 5

YOU'RE A WHAT?

Bo expected to see Jackie soon, but not as soon as the next morning. As she prepared to start on the work she'd been sent to do, the Dukes were getting ready to head to town. In Daisy's absence, the groceries hadn't resupplied themselves. Therefore, she had shopping to do. The men also had supplies they needed, but that wasn't their main reason for going into Hazzard on a bright, sunny, Monday morning. The mortgage payment was due, and the Dukes knew that J.D. Hogg didn't need any extra incentive to foreclose on their property. They weren't even taking the chance of waiting until the afternoon. Once the money was in his chubby, little hands, they'd all breathe a lot easier. Of course, Bo didn't mind the fact that it just might give him the chance to run into a familiar face. Despite hoping that it might happen, he wasn't really expecting it to.

Daisy dropped off the men, saying that she should have the vehicle since she'd have the most to carry. They couldn't argue with her logic, so they agreed to meet up with her later. They had no doubt they'd be done first. A female finishing her shopping before a man was something that rarely ever happened.

Uncle Jesse and the boys were standing at one of the teller windows inside Boss Hogg's bank, waiting for the receipt that they insisted upon getting, when the bells on the door signalled someone's arrival. The Duke men paid no mind to the jingling. After all, they were in a bank, and customers came and went. Even the clip clop of heels wasn't enough to disrupt the bantering that was taking place between the two Dukes cousins. It wasn't until they heard a very familiar voice that they turned to see just exactly what was going on.

Dressed in a suit with her hair pulled back, Jackie looked very professional. Her business wasn't with the tellers so she never even glanced in that direction. She'd done this enough times to know that the person she needed to deal with first was normally an assistant to a bank officer, and that meant that they would be at a desk. In larger banks, many of the tellers didn't even know their own leader; asking them for help would have been useless. Noticing an older woman sitting behind a desk, Jackie knew who she needed to talk to.

"May I help you?" the older lady asked, not recognizing the young woman as one of the locals from Hazzard.

Opening a padded attaché, Jackie smiled at her. "Yes, I hope so. I'm looking for the bank president, Jefferson Davis Hogg."

"Mr. Hogg is very busy. Is there something that I can help you with?" the lady asked her.

"No, I need to speak directly to the president," she said.

Fearing that her boss was going to yell at her for not doing her job, the older woman instructed Jackie to wait. Doing as she was told, Jackie watched her walk to the rear of the bank. She spoke to a pudgy, little man dressed all in white. The young blonde's eyes almost bulged out of her head. He was the most unusual bank president she had ever encountered. Getting up from his desk, he walked toward her, followed by the older woman at his heels.

"I'm J.D. Hogg. Just what can I do for you?" he asked, in not too pleasant a tone.

Flipping open a small, leather case, she produced a badge and introduced herself. "Mr. Hogg, I am Special Agent Johnson with the Treasury Department. I've been sent here to conduct an audit of your bank's records." She then handed him an official document, which he grabbed out of her hand.

Glancing over the paper, he was obviously not happy with what it said. Suddenly his displeasure turned to nervousness, and he began trying to stall. "Now why would you want to audit my little old bank when there's so many bigger ones out there?"

"Mr. Hogg, I don't select my assignments, I just report for duty."

"Well, Mondays are extremely busy. In fact, this entire week is going to be busy. I'm going to be renovating and it's going to be real dusty and dirty in here. We wouldn't want you to get your pretty little clothes all icky, now would we? Why don't you come back, say next week, or better yet, next month?"

Jackie grinned at him, but it was more from annoyance than humor. She was hardly ever welcomed with open arms, and it never ceased to amaze her to what lengths the bank executives would go to in a futile attempt to get out of being audited. It was probably because of the assignments she worked on. This one didn't seem to be any exception, though she had to admit, his approach was unique, and so far, he had not threatened her. She had long ago learned how to be firm. She had to do it in almost every case, and it was required if she wanted to be good at her job, which she was.

"Mr. Hogg, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, the choice is up to you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, the easy way is for you to give me access to your records in accordance with that subpoena. The hard way is for you to deny me access, at which time I'll be forced to call the Justice Department and the FBI, and they in turn will send down a swarm of agents who will close down your bank. Since they'll come from the Atlanta office, they'll be here in about two hours, but you will be out of commission for as long as I am here. Then, they'll arrest you for failure to comply with a direct court order. Now which will it be?"

"All right, all right," Boss Hogg muttered, throwing up his hands in the air and blowing cigar smoke in her face. Though she didn't care for it, she didn't flinch, either. "What do you need?"

"First of all, a desk," she told him.

"That one's empty back there," he replied, pointing toward the back.

Jackie walked around him, and set her brief case and attaché down. She opened her case and removed some file folders and a legal pad. Taking out a pen, she wrote something down on the top piece of yellow paper, then ripped it off and handed it to him. "These are the records I want to start with," she informed him.

He glanced over the list, than handed it to the woman she had first spoken to. "Margaret, get Special Agent Johnson these files," he said, mocking her official title.

"Thank you," she said, smiling sweetly up at him, ignoring his bad manners.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm busy. If you need anything else, you can ask my assistant or if you need me, I'll be right over there," he said, walking away from her and grumbling.

Jackie started taking more things out of her briefcase, waiting for Margaret to return. She had not even glanced around the bank, so she didn't notice the Duke men watching her. They, however, had been watching her with great interest. Luke had been right. As an agent for the Treasury Department, she had to be extremely intelligent, though he have never would have accurately guessed what it was that she did.

Bo leaned over and whispered to his cousin, "I just love a woman who can put Boss Hogg in his place."

"Me too, cuz. Me too," Luke grinned, as they slipped out of the bank unnoticed.

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As the boys did their chores that day, their thoughts kept wandering back to the scene that morning. What they had witnessed only intensified both of their feelings for the new girl in town, but for different reasons, each appealing to their own personalities. Luke was attracted to the smart, professional that he saw, while Bo was intrigued by her ability to be tough when she needed to be without leaving any doubt as to her gender. By the time the day was over, one of the cousins was bound to be making a trip back into town. Since the minute they'd first ran her off the road, Bo's timing seemed to be one step ahead of Luke's, and that night was no exception. The youngest cousin asked his uncle if they'd mind having another guest for dinner.

Jesse looked at his nephew, knowing that both Bo and Luke liked the young lady. However, for the first time, he saw something in Bo's eyes that he'd never seen before, and Bo had dated a lot of girls over the years. Jesse Duke had always been grateful, that despite their competitiveness, his nephews had never fought over a female. The Duke patriarch hoped that this wouldn't be a first. Remembering his own days as a young man, he recalled a few close friendships that had endured trouble over a person of the opposite sex; some had never been repaired. Initially, he thought about refusing Bo's request, but he knew that wouldn't stop either of his boys. This was something they were going to have to work out on their own, and he hoped that one would step aside, when and if the time came. Jesse also knew that the young lady had a mind of her own, and the boys could fight all they wanted; she would make the final decision, whatever that may be. As far as they knew, she was involved with someone back home, and the boys were wasting their time. All they really knew about her was that she was from Chicago and she was there on business, to which they had witnessed first hand that morning. Once that business was finished, she would probably be on her way. He only prayed that Bo and Luke would still be in tact after she was gone. Sighing, the old man told his youngest to go get her, and Bo grinned, wasting no time.

It was just a little after five when the General pulled into the town square. Bo had stopped by her room, but received no answer when he knocked on her door. Disappointed, he feared that some other lucky young fella might have beat him to the punch. He was just about to go home, alone, when he saw her walking away from the bank. Turning the car around, he drove alongside her.

"Howdy," Bo said, pulling over to the curb.

"Hi!" she greeted him, stepping over to the passenger side window and peering in. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wondering if you had dinner, yet?" he asked.

"No," she said, "I haven't."

"Well hop in. Uncle Jesse's making his famous crawdad bisque."

"Is that like a lobster bisque?" she asked, never before having heard of the dish that Bo obviously considered to be a delicacy.

"Don't know, we don't see too many lobsters here in Georgia, but it is very good."

"If your Uncle Jesse made it, then I'm sure it is," she replied.

"Well, hop in," he told her again.

"Oh Bo. I don't want to be any trouble. I'm sure your family is kind of tired of having me around already."

"What?" he asked in a surprised tone. "No they're not. Uncle Jesse told me to come get you,"

"Really?" she asked, his last comment making her feel good, though she didn't know why.

"Yeah, really," he assured her, emphasizing his words with his eyes. "So, hop in."

"Do I have time to change first?" she asked, thinking that she'd rather be at the farm in more appropriate attire.

"Oh, don't do that," Bo told her.

Jackie looked at him with a puzzled expression, not following his comment. "What?"

"Change," he whispered. "Don't ever change."

She didn't know how to respond to another really wonderful comment. It melted her heart, but it surprised her so that she just stood there with her mouth open. Knowing she had to say something, she referred back to what she had originally been talking about. "I meant my clothes."

"I know," he grinned, winking at her. "I just couldn't resist." After pausing, he continued, "sure, you've got time to change. You want a ride?"

"No. How bout I meet you in front of the building in say, fifteen minutes?"

"I'll be there," he told her.

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True to Bo's word, Uncle Jesse's crawdad bisque was very good. Finishing their dinner, Luke was the one to address what they had seen earlier that day.

"We saw you at the bank this morning," Luke ventured.

"Really? I didn't see you," she said, stating the obvious, and showing her surprise.

"We know. You were a little busy," Uncle Jesse snickered.

"It was great how you put Boss Hogg right in his place," Bo added.

Jackie was surprised and a little taken off guard that they had witnessed the entire scene, and she wondered how they really felt about it. People from a small town took care of their own, and as a stranger, it wasn't always just the banking executives who weren't happy to see her. She never even considered the fact that the Dukes could be related or friends with one Jefferson Davis Hogg. "I'm not usually welcomed with open arms," she admitted, trying to gauge their reaction. After hearing a few comments that dispelled her myth about the nature of their relationshipship, she continued, "what is the deal with this J.D. Hogg? He's one of the most unusual characters I've ever encountered."

The Dukes were happy to provide her with a little history of the infamous Boss Hogg, and their own history with him. After hearing the story of the corruption with the local law enforcement and government, she was less impressed than she had been that morning.

"That's just the way things work in Hazzard," Uncle Jesse said. "It's been that way for hundreds of years, and J.D. is the richest man in the county. Money talks."

Jackie knew that what he was saying was in theory true, but she couldn't believe that someone hadn't found a way to stop him. At least in the area of banking, if there was any funny business going on, she could do something about that.

"So, how'd you get to be an agent with the Treasury Department?" Luke asked, wanting to know more about her professional life as a means to find out about her personal one.

"I stumbled across something funny where I banked. When they refused to correct it, I contacted the state banking commission. It just sort of sno-balled, and before I knew it, Treasury was offering me a job."

"So you just travel around from bank to bank auditing their records?" Luke probed a little further.

"Not a hundred percent of the time, but I do travel a good deal."

"So, are they all like Boss Hogg?" Bo asked, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"No, usually they're a lot worse," she replied.

"Really?" Bo questioned, not quite believing that anyone could be worse than Boss Hogg.

"I'm surprised," Luke said. "Isn't being audited routine?"

"Yeah," Jackie said, impressed by Luke's insight. "There's several different agencies that conduct random and scheduled audits to make sure that banks are in compliance with regulations."

"Wouldn't you think then that these people would just consider it normal and not make a ruckus?" Bo asked.

Looking at Bo, Jackie found herself lost in his eyes. Instead of concentrating on what she was saying, she was trying to decide what color those orbs really were. "Most of them do. In fact, most of the time the records and files are subpoenaed to the regional office and are audited right there."

"But you said you travel most of the time?" Luke asked.

Forgetting about Bo, she turned her attention to Luke. He was incredibly sharp, and that fact hadn't flown over his head. She knew she'd already said more than she should, and she got the feeling that Luke Duke wasn't going to let it slide.

"I do," she confirmed.

"Exactly what do you do Special Agent Johnson?" Luke asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand, which was resting on the table. There was no mistaking the fact that he had asked the question in a very provocative voice, and it caused everyone at the table to stop and look at him.

Matching his pose, she leaned forward. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you," she giggled.

"I'm a Marine. I can handle myself," Luke replied, trying to entice her.

"I'll bet you can," she responded.

Having seen enough, Bo decided that it was time to intervene. "You handle the special cases, don't you? That's why they call you Special Agent, right?"

Jackie turned her attention back to the blonde, and as soon as she did, he broke out in a million dollar smile, which she couldn't help but match. "We're all called Special Agents," she informed him.

"But none of them are as special as you are," Bo replied.

Lost in Bo's eyes once again, Luke cleared his throat to refocus her attention back to him.

Jesse and Daisy watched the tug of war taking place and rolled their eyes, hoping that a showdown wasn't in store for the Duke cousins.

"So what kind of cases do you handle?" Luke asked. "Really," he added, ignoring the daggers that Bo was sending his way.

Sighing, she knew she was going to have to tell them something. Luke Duke was like a dog with a bone; he wasn't one to give up that easily, and now he had all the Dukes waiting for a reply. "I handle the ones that have been flagged for some reason by either the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Justice Department, FBI, CIA, or in some cases, the states' own banking commissions," she admitted.

The brunette nodded, digesting what she had just told him. She wasn't just any auditor with the federal government. "You handle the ones where they already suspect fraud?"

"Not necessarily just fraud. Sometimes they are just errors, but yeah, I get the cases where discrepancies are believed to exist."

"That's why you travel a lot," Luke commented.

Nodding, Jackie agreed. "When you're looking for something, the last thing you're going to do is to give someone time to bury it. That's why we just show up."

"Doesn't that get dangerous?" Daisy asked.

"Not really dangerous, but as I said, they're not usually happy to see me."

"Do you carry a gun?" the female Duke asked, now as interested as her male cousins.

"I have to be pass certain qualifications every year," Jackie stated, avoiding the question. It was the one area of her job that she really hated, and she didn't like to talk about it, with anyone.

"So, you travel all over cleaning up the banking system," Bo said, saving her from having to elaborate on the issue of whether she carried a weapon. "Are you like a sailor with a guy in every port?"

"No," she laughed. "In fact, you are the only people I've ever gotten to know while on assignment."

"Yeah?" Bo asked, pleased by that tidbit of information.

"Yeah," she told him, "but then again, I've never been run off the road while en route to an assignment by a flying car, either."

"Sorry," Bo muttered, his expression turning from playful to regretful in an instant, still feeling guilty for their part in the accident.

"I'm kidding, Bo," Jackie said, patting his hand while everyone else watched, especially Luke.

For everything the brunette had tried, Jackie still seemed to be drawn to his youngest cousin.

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After helping Daisy with the dishes and watching televison with the family, Bo offered to take her back. Reluctantly she agreed, and begrudgingly, he complied; neither wanted the evening to end. Sitting in front of the boarding house, they weren't in a hurry to crawl out of the General.

"Thanks, Bo. I had a really nice evening."

"Me, too," he agreed.

"Well, I better get out so you can get back home," she said.

Bo was about to scurry out his window so that he could help her out of the passenger side, but she demonstrated that she had learned how to properly get in and out of a race car with welded doors. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she leaned back in the window.

"I could walk you up," Bo offered.

"Oh, that's ok, Bo. I'll be fine," she assured him.

"You sure?" he asked, wanting to tell her that he didn't mind at all.

"Positive. Thanks again."

"Anytime," Bo said, as he watched her straighten up and walk away, turning to wave before she disappeared behind the front door.

Sighing as he drove away, Bo missed the opportunity he'd been looking for.