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 34 ….Back To School

The first day Luke was back in school he still had the healing cuts around his eye, and he did get a bit of teasing for it. Not very bad, but he did get called a few names during the recess. Not that he cared very much. No one dared to get too mean, even if they weren't worried about him, Luke still had friends that wouldn't let them.

"Hey, didn't think ya'd dare to show yer face here again, an' what an ugly face," Dewey called after him.

Luke turned around and glared, but he didn't want to get into a fight the first day back. It didn't seem like he would have to either.

"At least he don't look like a rat, like you do," Cooter grinned. He had been heading over to say hi to Luke when he heard Dewey picking on him. Luke was eight, and not all that big. He was ordinary size for an eight year old, and Dewey was sure bigger than him. Cooter however was kinda big for his age, and he was strong and muscular from working. While he wasn't really older than Dewey, he was bigger, and he could hurt Dewey pretty bad. Dewey knew that, and above all he was a coward.

"Cooter Davenport, don't ya dare touch me or I'm gonna tell Uncle Boss," he declared.

"I don't care who ya tell, ya had better leave Luke alone," Cooter told him, menacingly. "He's my buddy Dewey, remember that."

"I'm gonna tell the teacher ya threatened me!" Dewey called from a safe distance, trying to scare the two boys.

"Does he really believe that'd work?" Cooter frowned.

"I think so," Luke shrugged. "He's stupid."

"He sure is," Cooter grinned.

"Thanks fer helping me out," Luke added.

"Scaring Dewey outta his britches is a pleasure," Cooter grinned. "Look, I've got some free time between class right when ya's got lunch, want me to come over?"

"Yeah, great," Luke beamed.

"You find seats, an' I'll be over as soon as I can," Cooter promised. "Have to go to class now."

"Me to," Luke nodded. "See ya later Coot."

"See ya later," Cooter grinned before he hurried off. Their teacher for the history hour was sick, and there was no one who could substitute, so they were simply given an assignment to read. Not very hard, and no one expected them to stay in the classroom. Cooter sure wasn't intending to. Not when he could head over to Luke.

The morning classes was boring, so he was really happy when he finally able to head over to meet Luke.

The younger boy had taken seats at one of the picnic tables, but hadn't started on his lunch yet.

"Alright, what've ya got?" Cooter asked dropping down in a seat beside him.

"Not a lot, Uncle Jesse figured I had gotten enough snacks when I's home, so he decided I needed a good healthy lunch," Luke told him sadly. His uncle had packed him two sandwiches with bacon, lettuce and tomato, some carrots and an apple with milk to drink. Not the most exciting lunch the way Luke saw it.

"I got some small treats," Cooter grinned, Luke had emptied his lunch on the table, and now Cooter put his own food beside it. Cooter's mother still packed him lunch, but Cooter also kept adding things to it whenever he wanted. His mother didn't mind if he grabbed something extra from the pantry, not to mention that he could buy himself treats a lot easier than Luke could. He had the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that his mother had packed him, lemonade, doughnuts, a candy bar and some other odd food items he had found his last round in the pantry.

A shared lunch meant that they put everything they had on the table, and then they just ate what they wanted. Occasionally they put something that they wanted to keep aside. Like Cooter did when his mother packed him one of his all time favorite cookies, and Luke the morning Bo had gotten the idea to make a sandwich for his lunch. Bo didn't make the best sandwiches, but it was so sweet of him that Luke really enjoyed it.

He started with one of Jesse's bacon sandwiches, they weren't that bad, and then since Cooter took the other one, it meant he got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Do ya want the carrots?" Luke asked thoughtfully.

"Not really," Cooter admitted. "Vegetables ya know, boys are supposed to hate them."

"Yeah, but Uncle Jesse's gonna ask me if I ate them," Luke pointed out.

"Best do it then, ya can have a doughnut after, an' some of my chocolate bar," Cooter pointed out.

"Why do adults always make us eat the nasty healthy stuff?" Luke frowned as he gnawed at the carrot.

"They want us strong an' healthy so they can make us eat more vegetables," Cooter grinned, taking a carrot for himself.

"How much do I need to eat to get strong like you?" Luke asked with a grin. Knowing Cooter hated vegetables as much as he did.

"Don't need to eat no rabbit food, just need to get yerself hired by my father," Cooter grinned handing Luke a doughnut.

"Eating healthy is no fun," Luke agreed eating it, licking the sugar of his lips.

"Have anyone sides Dewey given ya a hard time?" Cooter asked as he looked around the school yard.

"Not really, always some ya know," Luke shrugged. "I mean, it looks kinda nasty, but I ain't no silly girl so I don't fret about it."

"Smart Luke," Cooter grinned.

"The worst part is it gives me headaches," Luke told him.

"Yeah, that ain't no fun at all," Cooter agreed, then he thought about it for a moment. "Hey, how does that happen."

"Well, Doc said it was cause I's only using one eye," Luke explained. "I got headaches then to, cause of the adjusting an' the strain an' things like that, an' now it's the same thing again."

"Only now they make ya go to school," Cooter nodded. "Why couldn't they let ya stay home until that junk was over with?"

"I don't know," Luke shrugged. "Ya know how it is Cooter, this is so important to us an' all."

"Yeah, well, ya wanna know something else is important," Cooter grinned.

"Sure," Luke nodded.

"The fish over at the pond's are really biting," Cooter told him, whispering as if he was conspiring. "Me an' Brody figured to play hokey tomorrow an' go fishing, wanna come along with us?"

"I dunno," Luke hesitated. "Uncle's Jesse's gonna get awful mad if he finds out.

"Oh come on Luke," Cooter urged him. "Look, if yer uncle finds out, I ain't gonna let ya stand take all the blame, an' ya know that."

"Yeah, I do," Luke agreed. "Still don't know though, crossing Uncle Jesse ain't no' fun."

"Oh come on Luke, it'll be fun," Cooter insisted. "Look at it this way, if ya ain't in school, all the teachers are just gonna figure that yer Uncle decided to keep ya home another day."

"Alright then, I'll go with ya," Luke gave in. "When will y'all be going?"

"Right before school starts, when ya get off the bus, slip off around the old oak tree an' wait fer us there."

"Okay," Luke nodded smiling.

"It's gonna be fun Luke," Cooter assured him as they had to break up their lunch party.

Luke did as Cooter had told him, and slipped behind the oak tree where Cooter and Brody waited for him, both of them laughing happily. They didn't get to sneak off though, not when Mr. Bradley dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder, making him jump high into the air.

"Good morning sir," Cooter greeted him swallowing.

"I assume that you kids know your getting late for class?" he demanded.

"Uh, no sir," Brody shook his head. "Sorry, mustn't have heard the bell."

"So you weren't all planning to go fishing then?" he asked with a knowing grin. "I think I will have to make sure to escort all of you back to class. And, make sure your folks hear about this."

"Sir, I talked Luke into it," Cooter told him. "He didn't do nothing."

"He did enough," Mr. Bradley stated. "Go on now, back to your class room. He marched them all back to their class room, and by lunch Luke had a note for his uncle.

Cooter kept his word though, while Luke was still waiting for Jesse to decide what his punishment would be, Cooter came over on his bike, declaring that it was his fault since he had talked Luke into it.

While Jesse thought that was admirable, he couldn't let the boy get away with it, and since Cooter insisted on sharing the blame he put them both to cleaning out the chicken coop. That should keep them in check for a bit, and as soon as they were done, he put Luke do doing his homework, sending Cooter on home. He didn't doubt they'd try again, not as many times as he and his brothers snuck away from school.

Maybe on occasion he'd let them get away with it, but not when they got caught like that. Just on occasion, every once in a while you had to let the boys run wild, or they would just start to revolt against everything.

In credit of the man who sometimes let it slip….

TBC

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