Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Present time...
Daisy is in her room, crying over what Luke had told her and Jesse once he had returned from Atlanta. Her cousin was gone. She couldn't imagine life without Bo. Bo was the one who always made her laugh. He was always so happy that the farm would always be filled with laughter. There was never a dull day when Bo was around. "I need you, Bo. You can't leave me." She missed the days he would chase her and tickle her, even though he was more ticklish than she was. She missed his giggle and his rebel call every time they jumped the General Lee. There was a soft knock on her door. Daisy got up and wiped away her tears. "Come in." She called. Jesse opened the door. One look from him was all that was needed to start the water works again. "I miss him, Uncle Jesse."
Jesse sat down on her bed and hugged her. "I know, sweetheart. I do too." Jesse didn't want to cry, he wanted to be strong for his family, but Bo was his baby. He was the one Jesse was the most protective of, the one he wanted to shield from the reality of the world outside of Hazzard. "I do, too." Jesse sobbed. They stayed like that until they had no more tears left to cry.
"We need to have a funeral for Bo." Jesse told her, when she had finally calmed down. "We need to accept that he's gone." Daisy pulled away and looked at Jesse. She nodded.
"No!" Luke got up from the table. "We ain't having a funeral for Bo when he's out there."
"Luke, he's gone. No one can survive the hurricane with no protection." Daisy begged her cousin to understand that this was what they needed.
"No! I'm won't believe that he's gone, until I see proof." Luke stormed into his and Bo's room and slammed the door. Jesse jumped at the sound of the door.
"I should've known he wouldn't agree."
"He'll come around, Uncle Jesse. Just give him time." Daisy tried to comfort her uncle.
Luke laid on Bo's bed. "I know you're out there, Bo. I'm going to find you. I promise." Luke had been sleeping in Bo's bed since he went missing. "I'll find you. Even if it takes me years. I'll find you and bring you home and then I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
Bo lost count of how many days he had been walking. He rested only to have a little food and water. There were times when he thought he couldn't continue, but the thought of seeing Luke's face when he turned up at the farm's door step spurred him on. Not long now. He could already hear the water from Hazzard Creek. Bo stumbled his way along. His legs were aching and the cut in his leg had started bleeding again, but Bo didn't care. He needed to get home. Bo smiled when Hazzard Creek came into view. He started in the direction where he knew the main road was. He remembered Jared's warning about looters but he was close to Hazzard now. He knew most of the people there and they knew him. Or so he thought.
"Look up ahead." Rick and his two friends, were the looters Jared was talking about. They were driving a truck filled with the things they had stolen from families who had already lost so much.
"I don't know, Rick. He doesn't look like he has much at all." Jason, his smaller friend, didn't think this person was worth the trouble.
"I'll take what I can get." Rick sneered.
Bo turned around when he heard a car. He smiled waving his hand for them to stop. He was relieved when it did. "Howdy," Bo greeted, "You kind folks mind giving me a ride into Hazzard?"
Rick smiled at Jason, as their mate, Randall got out of the passenger side. Bo stepped back, knowing he had made a mistake. Randall was a big boy. The one who did the dirty work. "We gonna do this the hard way or the easy way?" Rick asked Bo. He didn't even bother getting out of the car.
"I don't have anything you want." Bo backed away from them, but Randall grabbed him by the shoulder and twisted his arm behind his back. Dang it, this boy moves fast. He pushed Bo against the hood of the truck and threw Bo's back pack to Rick, who got out once Bo was restrained. He was a coward, but Bo kept his mouth shut. He just wanted to get home alive, he was too close now to let these crooks stop him. They could take whatever they wanted. He didn't care, as long as he was alive to get home.
"Give me his wallet." Rick ordered. Randall pulled it out and handed it to him.
"Look, take whatever you want. Just let me go." Bo bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming out when Randall twisted his arm further. Bo could feel his injured shoulder threatening to pop out again.
"Two dollars! That's all you have!" Rick threw Bo's wallet on the ground. "Rough him up and let's get out of here." Randall smiled. This was the part he liked. He spun Bo around and punched him in the stomach. Bo doubled over at the pain it caused his broken ribs. Before he could recover, Randall hammered him over the back, sending him to the ground, groaning. With one more kick for good measure, Randall got back in the car and they headed off.
Bo tried to get the pain under control. He was having trouble breathing. Getting up and sitting on the side of the road, Bo closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control. He thought about what Luke would do to help him in this situations. "Breath slowly." Bo could almost feel Luke running his fingers through his hair to help him relax. The pain eased to a dull throb. He opened his eyes and spotted his wallet. Opening it, he smiled at the picture there. A picture of his family. "I'm coming home. Wait for me." Bo got up and started walking. They had taken his backpack, which meant he didn't have food, but he was close to the creek if he needed water. He would make it. He knew he would. Bo got off the main road. He didn't want anyone else seeing him. He didn't want to risk running into those boys again.
Another day had passed, another day without Bo. Luke was sitting on the porch looking out into the horizon. The sun was close to setting. "Where are you, Bo?"
Bo was close to giving up after falling over for the hundredth time. He could barely keep one feet in front of the other. "I can't do it, Luke. I'm so tired." He closed his eyes and turned onto his back. A memory came back to him then. He and Luke were in their room. It was the day Luke had returned home from Vietnam.
"I thought we lost you when the soldier came to our door and told us you were missing in action." Bo revealed to his cousin.
"I thought I lost me as well, but do you know what got me through it?"
"What?" Bo was curious.
"You." Luke smiled at Bo's expression, "That's right. You. I managed to escape the prison and had to get back to base. I walked for so long. I thought I'd never get there, but then I thought of you and I told myself that I had to continue, because I had to get home to you." Bo bit his lip to stop the trembling. "You got me through it."
Bo opened his eyes. Looking up at the trees. The sun getting lower. Bo turned back onto his front and pushed himself up. "If Luke can get survive a war for me. I can do this for him." With renewed strength, Bo started off again.
"You planning on coming in?" Jesse asked his nephew, who had taken to sitting on the steps of their house every afternoon looking into the sunset.
"I will once the sun goes down." Luke answered. Jesse nodded. He didn't know how to help Luke. He didn't know what he could say to make it hurt less because he didn't think it was possible. They all lost Bo, but Luke had lost a part of himself. Jesse didn't pretend to know how Luke felt because he didn't even understand the bond between his boys. Since Bo had moved on to the farm, they had been inseparable There was nothing Jesse could do for Luke, that would make up for that loss.
Bo smiled when he saw the farm house in the distance. "I'm almost there." He kept walking, towards the house. It was like a magnet drawing Bo in. Bo's feet were sore, his leg was throbbing, his ribs were trying to kill him and his shoulder ached, but he didn't care, he barely felt it as he got closer to the house. So close he could almost make out someone sitting on the porch steps. He smiled. "Luke."