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 40 ….Strange Times

"Hey buddyro," Cooter greeted as he pushed open the kitchen door to the Duke farm. The first time Jesse had told him there was no need to knock, Cooter stopped knocking before he entered.

"Hey Cooter," Luke grinned as he saw him.

"How ya doing there?" Cooter grinned.

"Pretty good," Luke grinned. "Mostly stopped hurting."

"That's good, cause guess what I've brought ya?" Cooter chuckled as he dropped some papers on the table. "Got asked to bring ya yer school assignment…"

Luke didn't answer, but pointed towards the door. He was still mad that Bertha Jo had thrown im out of the window. Mostly he was mad because she hadn't really gotten into any trouble. They had decided that since no adult saw it, and they had no idea how it had happened, and since Luke was bigger then her it was most likely an accident. To make it worse, they were assigning him homework, and he had to go back in just a few days now. He was getting the rest of the week off, but then they figured his ankle was healed enough to go back to school.

"Cheer up Luke," Cooter urged him. "Soon as yer healed up, we can have some fun…"

"Don't feel much like fun Cooter," Luke sighed.

"Why not, everyone feels sorry for ya Luke, ya could have a good time while everyone is trying to make ya feel better," Cooter beamed.

"Cooter, the only one did that was yer mom," Luke pointed out. She had brought a box for him to cheer him up so she said, saying he needed something nice to make it up to him. The box had contained some cookies, candies, and a few toys for him. It did make him feel better to know that she cared like that, and he Cooter and Bo had a good time sharing the cookies. Daisy wasn't home right then, Luke was pretty mad about it, but she had made friends with Bertha Jo.

At first she had been mad at her, but when she went to say that to her, the two of them had become friends instead, and Luke didn't understand how she could. If someone threw Bo out of a window, he wasn't going to be friends with them at all. Girls just were crazy, they had to be, completely nuts.

"Ya have a point there Luke, but come on, lets get yer homework outta the way an' then we can find Bo an' have some fun," Cooter suggested.

"He's with Uncle Jesse, he's gonna be back later," Luke sighed.

"This ain't any fun for ya at all….." Cooter frowned.

"Gee, ya think?" Luke asked a little testily.

"Well, it is kinda obvious ya know," Cooter pointed out. "Don't fret Luke, I'll help ya with yer homework. Maybe I ain't the smartest, but I've already done that so I should be able to figure it out right quick."

"Ya sure?" Luke asked, Cooter didn't do too good in school.

"Pretty sure," Cooter agreed. "How about I get ya some lemonade, we get a crack at the homework, an' then ya can go with me back to my place."

"Uncle Jesse won't let me," Luke grumbled. "He says I've got to be spare my ankle so it'll be good when I go back to school, an' that's the last place I wanna go to."

"Cause of Bertha Jo, right?" Cooter figured as he spread the books out on the kitchen table.

"Yeah, Cooter, do ya have any idea of how unfair it is?" Luke demanded. "She don't even get in trouble, but if I yell at a girl, I get in trouble. What kinda stupid thing is that?"

"Luke, welcome to the life of a man," Cooter grinned. "That's how it is Luke, unfair."

"Mind if I preferred being a kid?" Luke pouted.

"Luke," Cooter grinned as he got out two glasses and grabbed the lemonade from the fridge. "Why do ya think they say men never grows up?"

"Hey, that's pretty good," Luke grinned as grabbed one of the cookies Cooter put on the table.

"It works pretty good, my pa told me that," Cooter grinned as he got a stump of a pencil from his pocket, starting to work on Luke's books. "Okay, yer gonna have to write some of it, but I still remember this stuff, so I can tell ya what to write."

"Think that I'll get to go with ya?" Luke asked hopefully. "Yer mother is more sympathetic like about it. Uncle Jesse says I'll have to forgive an' forget cause I've got to be a good example to Bo."

"Bo's mad at her, huh?" Cooter chuckled. "Uh, ya need to write 42 there on problem number 8."

"Bo's furious," Luke chuckled as he wrote it down. "He wanted to call her up an' yell at her, but Uncle Jesse wouldn't let him."

"She'd deserve it, but wasn't Daisy gonna have a talk with her?" Cooter looked at the next problem. "That's three twenty there."

"Yeah, but Daisy made friend with her instead, an' Uncle Jesse says I ought to be glad for her."

"Well, maybe she won't do it again," Cooter offered hopefully as he closed the math book and brought out his history assignment.

Luke sighed sipping his lemonade. "Well, if she does it to Bo, I don't care what, I'll hit her."

"Luke, if she does that to Bo, or anything like it, I'll hit her," Cooter promised knowing how protective Luke was over Bo. As much as the two cousins thought at times, and they did, Bo meant more than anything else in the world to Luke. Cooter felt mighty protective about him as well.

They had just finished the homework and Cooter was washing out their lemonade glasses when Jesse and Bo came back. Bo waited until Cooter had put down the glasses before leaping at him.

"Hey there Bo, don't go knocking him down," Jesse cautioned though he knew Bo wouldn't pay any heed to him. Luke had been doing the exact same thing when he was younger. "Don't drop him Cooter," he added as Cooter held Bo by the ankles.

"I won't, just gonna shake him a little bit," Cooter grinned, raising him into the air and lowering him again a few times. "Uncle Jesse sir, Luke's all done with his homework, so I's wondering if he could come over to my place."

"I don't know Cooter, he needs to rest up real good so he can get back to school," Jesse pointed out as Bo wrapped his arms around Cooter's knees, still upside down. "He's just stopped complaining his foot hurt, an' I don't want it to start back up again before school ya know. He's missed enough schooldays as it is."

"Well, we figured that, but ya know, my mother offered to come pick us up if ya said it'd be okay, an' we wouldn't do nothing."

"Can I come to?" Bo piped up, tilting his head to try to look up at Cooter.

"I haven't said yes yet, Bo," Jesse pointed out. What gave a child the ability to keep hanging upside down like that?

"But ya will won't ya?" Bo beamed. "Cause yer the nicestest Uncle."

"So ya reckon that's a reason huh, sprout?" Jesse teased him, poking him in the back with a finger.

"Good reason, please Uncle Jesse, Daisy gets to go play with Bertha Jo, an' she's mean. Why can't we go play wi' Cooter, he's nice?" Bo reasoned.

"I know Cooter's nice," Jesse agreed. "But I still ain't said yes yet."

"Can't ya say yes now, I need to find my new race car so I can bring it," Bo grinned, his curls dancing as he bobbed his head up and down.

"You've already made up my mind for me, haven't ya boy?" Jesse asked teasingly. All that time upside down, and he didn't look to be bothered. "Well, all right then, maybe with the two of ya out of the house I can get it tidied up some."

"Thanks Uncle Jesse," Luke beamed.

"Let me down, I gotta get my car," Bo declared. Cooter lowered him so he stood on his head on the floor, then let his body fold over like a pocket knife until he got his feet on the floor and stood up, running to fetch his car.

Jesse looked after him, amazed they could do that. "I hope yer realizing yer getting Bo as well as Luke?" he told Cooter.

"Yeah, ain't not problem, kinda figured on that," Cooter beamed. "May I borrow the phone an' ask mother to come pick us up?"

"Go right ahead, I'm gonna get Bo his jacket," Jesse deiced. "An' Luke, ya had better mind yerself an' take it easy."

"I will Uncle Jesse," Luke promised him, looking a little dejected.

Jesse didn't say anything further, he just fetched Bo his jacket and Luke his boots. Helping Luke with the boots while Cooter helped Bo get the jacket on.

"Now boys, I want ya to mind what I said, no running around," Jesse repeated. "I'll be over later to pick ya up, okay?"

"Okay," Luke nodded.

"Have fun now boys," Jesse smiled as they got outside to wait. Luke seemed to have been hoping for more. It wasn't easy for the boy, there had been a nightmare or two since it happened. Luke for sure didn't want to go back to school, he couldn't see why he had to while he was still sort of hurting. It was hard to explain those things to him, because of the way Luke was. He could understand some things almost before you started explaining it, but he wouldn't understand why he had to go back to school before his arm was healed. Especially since he didn't want to go back at all. It was sure not easy to raise the boys at times.

Daisy was a bit easier since she got friends of her own in school. She didn't care much if Luke was there or not anymore, at first, she didn't want to go if Luke didn't.

"I'll take care of them," Cooter promised as the door closed.

Jesse didn't doubt it, and he sure could use a few moments peace. As much as he loved them, the boys had ways of wearing him out. First, he was gonna sit down for a few moments, and then he could straighten up the house some. Bo had left his cars out, and Luke had left a stack of comic books and car magazines on the table in the living room. Nothing bad, but the whole place was a bit dusty and could use a bit of cleaning. Still, the first thing he did was sitting down in his favorite chair with his newspaper.

In credit of the man who let me go out…

TBC

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