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

BALANCING THE BOOKS

CHAPTER 18

GOING ON

Almost three years after the fiery explosion, virtually nothing remained in Hazzard to suggest that Special Agent Jackie Johnson had ever been there, or even existed.

A new supervisor had been assigned to watch over the bank and Boss Hogg, but that time had expired, leaving just the routine audits to be performed.

The only remains of the orange Mustang were the ashes left behind at the scene that day, which had long been carried away by the wind. By the time the emergency vehicles had arrived, there'd been nothing left to save. The area had been charred, killing all plant life in the vicinity. It remained that way until the next spring, when the rain washed away the black marks and new spots of green returned. Now, unless you knew where it happened, no signs of an accident were visible.

Jackie's estate had been settled. Not having a will, all of her assets were divided between her brother and sister, who were both considerably older than the young woman in her twenties. The land that Jackie purchased in Hazzard had been deeded to Bo, though he tried to give it back. Her relatives saw no need for a parcel of farmland in Georgia, and neither of them wanted to deal with selling it. Despite Bo's refusal to accept it, the Johnsons were sure that their sibling would have wanted him to have it. So, title had been transferred, but to date, the blonde had done nothing with it. The fields he'd planned on cultivating were now covered with over-growth, and the frame of the house no longer existed. In a moment of complete duress, Bo had slipped away from his family. When Luke finally found him, Bo was in the process of demolishing the neatly arranged boards that outlined the little home. Dragging his cousin away from what was left of the jagged edges, the oldest Duke boy and the family patriarch returned later to finish what Bo had started. The structure had been damaged beyond repair, and allowing it to remain would have only served as a painful reminder to their youngest.

There wasn't even a gravesite to visit, either in Georgia or Illinois. A service had been held, which the Dukes attended, but there had been nothing to bury since a body had never been recovered.

Bo's ascent back to the land of the living had been a slow process. With the aide of his friends and family, he learned to laugh and go on. Known for his exploits with the ladies, Bo continued the tradition, though it had taken a while. The youngest Duke boy wasn't lacking in companionship, but as soon as a someone started to get serious, he ran. Having lost Jackie, his family wondered if he'd ever find someone that made him as happy as she did for that small amount of time.

Then, after all that time, Daisy took a trip that would forever change Bo's life. She'd been saving for years to be able to spend an entire week in Nashville with her friend, Sally Jo. For as long as she had been looking forward to her holiday, Daisy Duke hadn't been in Tennessee too long when she couldn't wait to get back home.

While touring one of the record labels, something caught Daisy's eye; on a wall in the main lobby, pictures of all the company's executives were on display. The hair was shorter, and the name underneath the picture was not one that she was familiar with, but Daisy Duke knew. Slipping away from Sally Jo, the brown haired beauty went back after the tour was over. She asked to see the woman in the photo, but was told that the company's CFO was out of the office for the week. In a way, Daisy was almost relieved, not knowing exactly what she would have done had her request been granted. Deep down, Daisy knew that she probably would have swung first and conversed later. Instead, she could enlist the aide of her family.

Pulling her oldest and wisest cousin aside after she returned home, Daisy wondered if he would think she was crazy. "Luke, I know you might not believe me, but just hear me out, okay?"

"Sure Daisy, what's wrong?" Luke asked, noticing that his cousin had pulled him behind the barn and was acting strangely.

"I found Jackie," Daisy blurted out, pausing afterwards. "Luke, she ain't dead."

"What?" Luke asked, aware that it did sound as if he didn't believe his cousin, even though Luke Duke didn't find her revelation that incredible.

"Well, I didn't actually get to talk to her or see her cause she wasn't in. The hair is shorter and the name is different, but Luke, I know it's her."

Nodding, Luke sat down on a stump that was behind him.

"Well say something!" Daisy ordered, more nervous by his silence than if he had told her she needed her head examined. "Do you believe me?"

Looking up at his female cousin, Luke was still nodding. "Yeah Daisy, I do believe you."

"You do?" she asked, sounding surprised. Somehow, she didn't think it was going to be quite that easy.

"Yeah, there was always something there that didn't quite make sense. I know the fire was bad enough that they didn't expect much to be left, but they didn't find anything. And then, there was that strange exchange that took place right before the race. I'd thought maybe Jackie and Bo had a fight, but Bo denied it, so it was almost as if she was saying goodbye."

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Daisy asked.

"I think we should tell Uncle Jesse, and see what he thinks."

After discussing the details with their uncle, the Duke family decided to take a little trip to Nashville. Simply saying that Daisy sounded like she had such a good time, and they were entitled to a little vacation themselves, they didn't tell Bo the real reason behind the trip. They didn't want to get their youngest's hopes up, just in case it wasn't Jackie Johnson. However, if it was, Bo had a right to know that he no longer needed to mourn for someone who wasn't dead, and he had a right to know why she had done what she did.

Allowing Daisy to be their hostess once they arrived, the first place she suggested that they see was the record company where she'd made her discovery. Daisy, Jesse, and Luke knew that was the only item on the agenda, but Bo was none the wiser, happy to go along with whatever was proposed. Informing Luke and Uncle as to the location of the picture, Daisy distracted Bo long enough for them to find it and draw their own conclusions. Seeing them nodding, she knew she'd been right. Deciding that they would take the tour, then do as Daisy did earlier and ask to see the woman directly, they didn't know that their paths would cross sooner than expected.

Midway into the tour, Bo announced that he had to use the bathroom they had just passed. As the remaining Dukes listened to their leader, they heard voices coming from around a corner. Looking at each other, they knew that they recognized one.

"Your new contract is up in my office. Have your attorney give me a call if he's got any concerns," the female voice said.

"Ah, you know I trust you. I'm sure it's fine," the male answered.

"Just have him look it over," she countered.

"Oh, all right! Now that we've got business settled, how bout dinner?"

"Not tonight," she purred.

"You always say that," he shot back.

"And you keep asking anyway," she laughed.

Being ushered along, the Dukes turned the corner to find the two people who's conversation they had just been eavesdropping on. While all of the other tourists were interested in the man, three people from Hazzard were focused on the woman.

"One of the best things about working at a record company is you never know who you're going to run into," the tour guide commented. "I'm sure you all recognize three time Grammy winner Larry Jorgensen here, and this is our CFO, Barbara Morris."

Tourists suddenly turned into autograph seekers, converging around the country superstar, and leaving the Dukes standing alone in the clear. The CFO smiled at the crowd, but kept glancing down an adjacent corridor. As if waiting for something else, Jackie didn't see the three people glued in place, staring at her. Casually, turning in their direction, it was her turn to freeze as she saw and recognized Luke, Daisy, and Uncle Jesse. For the next few seconds, time stood still for the four people gawking at each other.

Only when another voice echoed down the hall she'd been intently watching did Jackie tear her eyes away.

"Mama!" the little voice called repetitively. Letting go of the woman's hand he had been holding, the little boy started running toward his mother.

Jackie smiled, seeing the bundle of energy approaching. Forgetting all about the Dukes, she bent down, scooping him up in her arms, while he threw his chubby arms around her neck.

"Hey you," she said to the adorable toddler, who appeared to be somewhere between the age of two and three.

"Mama," he repeated, giving her a big, sloppy kiss which made her laugh.

As the Duke family continued to watch, their wide open mouths told of their shock. They didn't need time tables, facts, or DNA information to know that the child in Jackie's arms was Bo's. All they had to do was look at the little boy. With his thick, blonde curls, and striking blue eyes, it was like looking at Bo when he'd been that age. He had Bo's smile, Bo's laugh, and he seemed good natured and jovial, the way Bo used to be all the time, before an event changed his life.

"Sorry ya'll, but the latch wouldn't open on that door. I thought I was gonna have to bust it down. Hey! Whatch ya'll looking...at?" Bo asked, barely able to finish his question as he joined the rest of his family. He didn't need an answer. He could see for himself. Standing just a few feet in front of him was the woman he'd planned on marrying, whom he thought had died in a tragic accident; one he blamed himself for. Yet, there she was, slightly changed, but alive and well, and she wasn't alone.

Jackie, having heard Bo's voice, tore her eyes away from her son in time to see him round the corner. Unable to do anything beyond gape, she instinctively pulled the baby closer to her.

Letting his mother know that he didn't like being ignored, or smothered, chubby little hands patted her face. "Mama, it's lunchtime. I'm hungry!" he announced.

Breaking the gaze that she and Bo had been sharing, Jackie turned her attention back to the child in her arms. "Ok," she said, unable to suppress a grin, though she knew there was nothing funny about the situation she had just found herself in.

Though no one knew what to think, Bo's family couldn't help but grin, too, momentarily. Just like his father, it sounded as if the boy never let you forget when it was time to eat.

"Jackie," Bo finally whispered, finding his voice. Trying to recover from the shock, Bo made his rubber legs move forward. When he reached Jackie and the boy, he repeated her name again, as he touched her face. "Why?" he asked softly, in a voice that dripped with hurt.

"Bo," she breathed, leaning into the palm which was still caressing her.

Before either of them could say more, the boy once again reminded them of the noon hour and his growling stomach, showing that he also had his father's impatience.

Turning to the tot, who was now smiling up at him, Bo's face lit up. "Ok, big guy. What do you want for lunch?" Bo asked his son, realizing that he didn't even know his name.

"McDonalds," the boy stated, hoping to be indulged by the stranger "Mama brought macaroni and cheese and applesauce, but I want a happy meal," he informed everyone. Smiling at Bo with a smaller version of his own million dollar expression, it was clear that he had inherited his father's charm, and despite his young age, he could use it almost as well as his dad.

"Well, ya always need to listen to your mama, but maybe this once, we can talk her into a happy meal?" Bo told the boy, seeking permission with his own eyes from the child's mother.

"Please mama!"

Sighing, Jackie agreed. "Okay." The little boy rewarded her by throwing his chubby arms around her once more. "I love you, mama!"

"Oh baby, I love you, too," she said, "but I've got to call up to my office first, ok?" Jackie walked over to a phone on the wall, and told her assistant that she wouldn't be back for the rest of the day. Then she put the phone to the boy's ear and told him to say goodbye to her assistant, Mary, which he did.

Walking back over to Bo, she let him put his arms around both of them. This was the worst thing that could have happened, to all of them, but for a few minutes, all she wanted to do was to feel Bo close to her again.

"Why?" Bo whispered again, the hurt still evident, but a hint of anger now starting to be heard.

"I know I've got a lot of explaining to do, but not here," Jackie begged.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Bo's began to water, too. Nodding, he silently granted the request. Keeping his arm around Jackie and his son, they walked toward Bo's waiting family.

Standing alone in the hallway, the rest of the tour having left them behind, the Dukes had maintained their distance, but had witnessed the entire scene. Trying to take their cue from Bo, they didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

Familiar with Luke and Daisy's tempers, the head of the Duke family wanted to avert a potentially volatile situation. Whatever Jackie told Bo about her reasons for doing the things she had done, it wasn't their place to pass sentence before Bo did. Plus, there was a new Duke with them, and he was totally innocent.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Uncle Jesse asked, running his finger along the boy's cheek, trying to concentrate on the positive rather than the negative.

"This is…………..Beauregard Jr," Jackie whispered, stunning the family yet again.

Giving them a few minutes to introduce themselves, Jackie informed them where the closest fast food giant was, and suggested that they follow her. Bo, of course, said that he would go with Jackie and his boy. He wasn't about to give her the opportunity to run again, before she explained to him why she'd left him in the first place.