Author's Note: This is a story I wrote about the Dukes and their first years at the farm. I tried to keep it with them from the point where they got to the farm, and carry on throughout a couple of years. It's a growing and learning experience for all of them. There are also notes at the end of each chapter, a credit of sorts to a father from his son.

Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

Learning To Love…

Chapter 33 ….Staying Home

Bo enjoyed it when Luke was home, because he was supposed to take it easy he didn't have any more chores than usual, and as long as he took it easy, Jesse didn't mind if he played with Bo. It hurt a bit, but not so much that he couldn't manage, though he was a bit clumsier than usual.

It got all the eggs broken one morning, cause he misjudged the distance and got pecked on the hand by a hen, which made him drop the egg basket.

Jesse just told him that it was okay, he didn't want Luke to feel bad about things that he couldn't help.

It did help Jesse to get more things done though, since Luke took care of Bo most of the time. He had let the school know he was just keeping Luke home because he didn't want him to run into any problems with his eye.

While Luke was playing with Bo, the younger boy was also keeping an eye on the older one, in case he stumbled or something.

Daisy wasn't happy about it though, not about being the only one who went to school, she thought it was quite unfair that Luke got to stay home, and she often claimed she should have the right to do that as well.

No school didn't mean no schoolwork though, Jesse made sure that he knew what Luke's class was doing, and he made sure that Luke did it as well. Bo's whole nap time was spent studying, and for a while Bo had to play by himself while Luke worked. As smart as the boy was, schoolwork didn't come easy to him.

Jesse had a hard time understanding that, Luke understood a lot of things very quickly, he understood both simple and complicated explanations, but he was slow at school work, even if he understood it.

"Are we done now?" he asked as Jesse had been going over the history books with him.

"Don't ya think we should give it a few more minutes?" Jesse asked him.

"I don't really want to," Luke told him. "I know it pretty good."

"I want ya to know it more than pretty good," Jesse pointed out. "Ya don't wanna be behind when ya get back to school do ya?"

"I know ya don't want me to be," Luke decided.

"An' you don't care much either way," Jesse sighed. "Alright, I got work to do, fifteen more minutes of reading, then ya can do whatever ya want."

"I don't have a watch," Luke objected. "How will I know when I've read enough?"

"Alright then, ya can use this," Jesse hauled his pocket watch out of his pocket. "But I want ya to come give it to me as soon as yer done, got it?"

"Yes, sir," Luke nodded, knowing how careful Jesse was with that watch, and how it was an honor of sorts to be allowed to use it. Having been entrusted with it Luke made sure he studied the book for the given amount of time. When his uncle showed trust like that, he wanted to be worthy.

Closing the book after seventeen minutes Luke took the watch carefully in his hand and went looking for his Uncle so he could give it back to him.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Jesse asked him as he took the watch back and slipped it into his pocket.

"It wasn't no fun either," Luke decided.

"But catching up on all of it in one day when ya get back to school would be even less fun," Jesse told him. "We're gonna take that bandage off tonight, an' then on Monday yer back to school."

"I know," Luke sighed.

"Don't look so glum there," Jesse hid a smile behind his beard, the boy looked like he was going to his execution.

"How do ya look any other way when ya have to go to school?" Luke said thoughtfully. "I'd rather be beat up by Dewey again."

"I swear it Luke, yer making it sound like we do it just to make ya suffer," Jesse shook his head. "If I were you, I'd stop moaning and groaning about it, an' enjoy the time I had left."

"Can Bo an' I have the last of the pie an' some soda?" Luke asked and Jesse knew that glint in his eye when he was planning something.

"Why?" he asked wondering what he had thought up.

"Cause then we could take my boat down to the creek, an' play there an' have a picnic," Luke told him eagerly.

"I don't know Luke, Bo's a bit little for the two of ya to be there all by yerself, not to mention ya ain't supposed to be having snacks like that in the middle of the day," Jesse pointed out.

"Yeah, but ya did tell me I ought to do something to enjoy the time I had left," Luke pointed out with a grin. "Seemed like an awful good way to do it to me."

"Lucas Duke, who told ya that ya could go scheming an' using my own words against me?" Jesse challenged him.

"No one, but it is what ya told me," Luke pointed out.

"I know what I told ya, an' yer making good use of it, ain't ya?" Jesse asked folding his arms across his chest.

"Ain't I supposed to?" Luke asked innocently.

"Alright, lets negotiate a deal here," Jesse decided. "I don't want Bo to go with ya to the creek, I know ya'd look after him, but I also know that if ya take him there's he's gonna be mighty hard to look after."

"I guess so," Luke admitted. "So where can we go?"

"Anywhere ya want, as long as yer not to far away to hear me if I call ya," Jesse decided.

"Okay," Luke agreed. "How about the pie an' the sodas?"

"I don't know about the snacks Luke," Jesse frowned. "Ya know ya ain't supposed to eat that much snacks."

"Okay, so if I make us some good healthy non snacky sandwiches to take with us as well, an' then we eat some real good food, an' then we eat some food taste good." Luke suggested.

"How come ya have the answer to it all?" Jesse asked amused.

"Cause I know about the no snack, but I really wanna do it, so I had to be prepared," Luke explained.

"Luke, one of these days, yer gonna turn my gray hair white with all yer planning an' scheming," Jesse told him.

"Until then, can I please take Bo on a picnic?" Luke asked.

"Alright, need to eat the pie before it goes bad anyway, but I want you two to take sandwiches as well, understood?" Jesse challenged.

"Uhu, yes sir," Luke nodded.

"An' I'm letting ya have the soda, but then I don't want to hear no more complaints about the homework from this moment on and until yer back in school again."

"Got it, I won't," Luke agreed. "But I'm gonna go get it ready now so we don't wind up later fer supper or nothing, thanks Uncle Jesse."

"Just make sure ya keep an eye on Bo the whole time, ya know how excited he can get when ya let him out like that," Jesse called after him. Bo sure could, there was no keeping him in check if you took him out like that. Bo could get into his mind to follow an ant or snail to see where they went. He was curious, and he paid absolutely no heed to consequences. He refused to even admit their existence. If Luke took him to the creek Jesse was worried he'd try to follow a fish or something, not that there were any fishes in the creek, but the lord knew Bo could still get the idea into his little head.

Luke was good for taking care of his cousins, he could be the sweetest big brother in the world, and he could be amazing to both his younger cousins. While he preferred Bo, he could take just as good care of Daisy when he was in the mood. The problem was when Luke was not in the mood, because then not even Jesse could reach through to him. Sometimes Bo did, but that was mainly by Luke's protective instinct, and only if Bo wasn't the reason.

He watched as Luke ran back to the house to make the sandwiches and put a snack basket together, wondering if the boy had gotten a head start on it as fast as he was out again, with Bo by the hand.

The tiny blonde had his thumb in his mouth and his teddy bear under his arm, while Luke held his other hand as well as carrying the basket and a blanket. The children were growing every day, and every day Jesse wished that they would slow it down. How much older and bigger were they gonna get? He really hoped that Bo wouldn't grow the same way that Luke was doing, he didn't want his little baby boy to get that serious and solemn.

Maybe that was why he said nothing as the boy walked around with his thumb in his mouth, even though he was growing too old for it. He wanted his baby boy to stay his baby boy.

"Luke, where we going?" Bo asked thoughtfully as Luke lead him towards the back forties.

"Picnic," Luke grinned.

"Wha' kind of picnic?"

"Fun kind," Luke assured him.

"Good," Bo beamed. "Have we got picnic food?"

"Yep," Luke assured him. "We's got real good picnic food. But we can't go further than we'll hear if Uncle Jesse calls."

"Can we be over there then?" Bo asked pointing towards a small sapling tree.

"Sure," Luke spread out the blanket beneath it, putting out the food on it. "Ya have to eat the sandwiches before the pie Bo, or Uncle Jesse ain't gonna be happy."

"What kind?" Bo wanted to know, giving one of them a curious look.

"Peanut butter an' jelly," Luke grinned.

"Yummy," Bo took one and started smearing peanut butter and jelly all over his face. Bo just couldn't eat without getting it into his face and hair as well.

"Can I have pie now?" Bo asked hopefully as he tried to get the jam off his face by reaching out his tongue as far as he could and licking it up.

"Can ya eat half another sandwich?" Luke asked. "Uncle Jesse didn't want us to have the pie unless we ate them as well."

"Okay," Bo agreed. "But then I want pie."

"Then yer gonna get pie," Luke promised him. Splitting the third sandwich in two and giving Bo one half.

"Do we have lemonade?" Bo asked once he had crammed his mouth full.

"No, but we have soda," Luke grinned.

"Real soda?" Bo beamed surprised and Luke opened a can that he handed to him.

"Luke, ya know what I think?" Bo asked as he drank deep from the soda.

"What Bo?" Luke asked curiously, wondering what he was thinking this time.

"If we get pie an' soda when Dewey hits ya, ya ought to let him hit ya more often," Bo stated seriously.

"Don't know Bo, it hurt," Luke pointed out as he drank his own soda and ate the pie. Bo had such a simple view on things.

"I could let him hit me," Bo offered.

"Bo, if he hits ya, I'm gonna beat him so bad," Luke promised. He meant it to, he wasn't about to let Dewey hurt Bo.

"Luke, can we go back now?" Bo suddenly asked, squirming a bit.

"Already?" Luke asked.

Bo bobbed his head up and down, "I need ta go Luke," he declared.

Luke got to his feet and gathered everything up quickly. That meant that Bo had to go to the bathroom, and he never could wait for too long once he declared he had to go.

"Come on Bo," he told him taking his hand and hurrying to the farm, following Bo to the bathroom and getting there just in time.

In credit of the man who sometimes let us have a snack….

TBC

Please Review, the Cricket is hungry…..