Thanks for all the reviews. See Luke didn't get shafted like he could have. This is back when Hazzard was fairly honest and Boss was not so powerful.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Chapter 39

After Mark and Robin had watched Luke get into Jesse's pickup and drive off. Mark looked at his younger sister, "Just for the record. You're making a mistake with Turnip Brain."

"And you're not with Sharon?" Robin fired back.

Mark replied, "I didn't say that. So are you going to go see him?"

Robin felt really small right then. She didn't feel like the eighteen year old college bound woman, but rather the eight year old that had went to her Daddy after wrecking her new bike, "No... Daddy wouldn't approve, ... besides after that out burst in the courtroom. No, ... I'm not going to see him."

Mark couldn't help but to feel relieved, "Alright then, let's get home."

From the cell that Ralph was in downstairs of the courthouse he could see Robin and Mark talking but couldn't hear what was being said. He hadn't calmed down from his earlier fit in time to be at the window when Robin had hugged Luke. He was there to see 'his girl' leave the courthouse without so much as an attempt to see him, that would only add to his foul mood. How on Earth had Duke walked out of there 'Scott free' and him get fifteen days? Then, he began to remember the rest of the events upstairs. Only now was the Judge's final words sinking into his mind. Ninety days at Tri- Counties? He looked over at the desk across the room where the Sheriff was shuffling papers. "Sheriff. The Judge said ninety dayS at Tri Counties. What's the difference in there and here?"

Rosco giggled just a bit before answering, "Well, for starters, you'll be closer to home. Tri-Counties is the jail for Hazzard, Chickasaw, and Placid Counties. When someone is sentenced for longer than the County jails can hold them or if we arrest more people than the smaller jails can hold, we can send them over to Tri-Counties to serve their sentence or until they go to court. It's a lot bigger than here. More staff, too."

That really hadn't answered Ralph's questions but he'd always heard bigger was better. At least that was what he'd tried to tell himself. The way the Sheriff had beamed as he told Ralph of his faith, it had set bells of alarm off inside him though he had no idea why. Only now was Ralph beginning to notice that he was feeling pain in places he didn't even know that he had before now.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Jesse walked out on the porch after talking to his youngest brother. Luke was leaning against the banister, Bo was on the swing and Jeb was setting on the top step. "Boys I'm going out for a spell. I know it's Friday night, but, ... after last night..."

Luke spoke up, "None of us had, ... anything, ... to do, ... with that."

Jesse shot Luke a warning look. "We'll talk later. Now, what I was going to say, ... I know ya'll are likely going to head out of here in a bit. Just try to lay low, huh?"

Luke again was the first to speak up, "You ain't got, ... to worry about me, ... getting into much, ... of anything, ... other than, ... a bit of, ... pain relieving, ... refreshments."

Jesse eyed his oldest, "That's what worries me. You could do that here. But, I know you ain't gonna stay home, so I ain't gonna waste my breath."

Luke was relieved to hear that because at the moment he didn't have a lot of breath to argue with anyone.

Jeb looked at Jesse in concern, "You ain't workin' tonight are you?"

"No. Not tonight. Just going out for a spell." Jesse replied as he headed off to his truck.

That relieved all his nephews, two of which were little or no help, and the other had been appointed their driver. Had Jesse been going out to work the still, all of them would have felt guilty not going along. Bo looked at them, "So what are we waitin' for?"

Luke looked from Jeb to Bo and replied, "Not much, ... I guess."

01~~~~~~~~~~~~01

John Duke walked back into his living room and seen both girls sound asleep in his wife's arms. "Want me to put them down in the play pen for you?"

Pauline replied as she rocked, "They are fine. Where did Karen get off too?"

John said, "Well, she said a boy had asked her out and you were less than happy about it."

"I'll say. He was on the football team. Now John David you know how those boys are." Pauline said with exasperation.

John chose his words cautiously, "Pauline, Honey, I played ever sport there was, so did my brothers."

"See!" She said as if his words made perfect since as to why their daughter shouldn't date someone who played football.

John tried a different angle, "Jeb plays football." He said gently.

Pauline gave him a smile, "You wanted the girls nursey beside his room, why?"

John tried to hide the look he knew just crossed his face. She won. He lost. "Yeah, well, Karen said since she couldn't go out with the young man, that she was going to head over to her friends. She is likely still getting ready. Her car is still out front." John paused before he spoke the closest thing to a lie that he'd told his wife in a lot of years, "I'm gonna run up town to check on somethings then I think I'll make a loop around the place. Check some of the fences I ain't seen in a spell."

Pauline looked up at John. She knew how much land that her family's place, that John now ran, took in, "That will take forever."

John replied, "Shouldn't take more than a few hours. It needs to be done." In truth the fences did need checked and he'd get someone on it tomorrow. As for going up town, he planned to go right through it on his way to Hazzard.

Pauline sighed. She hated when John David acted so responsible. Yes, she had wanted him to simmer down for the first few years of their marriage, then when he did, he had become so responsible that sometimes it got in the way of their time together. Then she remembered the last time they had spent time together. She blushed crimson and said, "Just don't be too long. I'll delay dinner a bit so it won't be cold."

"In this heat I doubt it will be cold even if I am late. I'll try not to be long." He said honestly. He had not intention of staying out late he only wanted to go talk to Jesse for a bit face to face.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Jesse parked his truck in a thicket near the still site, reached behind the seat for his shot gun that was loaded only with rock salt and headed off toward the still.

John hadn't used this still in years and wasn't sure if Jesse had or not. He made sure that he wasn't followed as he took the trail that lead to the path near the still. John smiled as he parked his green truck off the road in some bushes. He now remembered why he had chosen a green truck. Out of habit he reached behind his own truck seat for his old shot gun as he found the path that he used to use often.

Jesse was leaning against a tree a few yards off from the covered and camouflaged still as he saw his youngest brother step out into the clearing. He set stone still as his brother approached the still with caution.

John had made a complete loop around the still looking for Jesse and checking out the condition of the covered still. He was about to think that he'd beaten Jesse there until he saw his oldest brother in plain sight setting against an oak tree but he was now waving his red cap in the air. Jesse's waving of his cap had been what caused John to see Jesse. He knew that he should have seen him as soon as he stepped into the clearing. John also knew he would hear about that fact before he left this mountain.

John walked over to Jesse who had a grin from ear to ear as he said just above a whisper, "You should have seen me here. Now just what would ya have done if I'd been Andy settin' here?" Jesse handed him a mason jar.

John took the jar, smiled and replied lowly, "Hoped I ain't forgot how to out run him back to my truck." Both brothers knew how voices traveled in the mountains.

After they exchanged a couple of drinks, Jesse asked, "Now, what in tar nation is so blamed important that we couldn't have talked about in on the teleaphone?"

"First, you know how many people would have known our conversation by now if we'd talked on the phone." John said, "Besides, Pauline would kill me if she knew I was here talking to you about this."

Jesse knew now why he had so much patience with his nephews, his brothers had given him a lot of practice. "This. What is this? That leaves a lot of topics there John."

John nodded. "Yes it does." He sighed loudly stalling a few more minutes before he began, "Jesse you know how surprised everyone was when they found out about the twins."

"Well, why wouldn't we have been surprised when Pauline got out of the car Thanksgiving already showing. Ya'll hadn't mentioned a word about it before that." Jesse said.

"I know. Again, that was her choice. I think she was kind of embarrassed. I know Jeb and Karen were mortified. But, you know, it kind of had the opposite effect on me, especially after we found out she was having twins." John explained.

Jesse waited patiently as he watched John take another sip from the jar.

John continued, "Well, we've been busy like you have been especially since Emily and Emma was born. You know how private Pauline can be. Well, after I spoke to you and knew Jeb was with you and the boys were not around to help ya, I had been paying a bit more attention to the CB than I usually do. Something didn't seem right and I knew you all would have left by then so I went to bed as usual. But I'd stashed some clothes on the back porch. Once Pauline was asleep, I got up like I was going down for a snack, I dressed on the back porch, grabbed Traveler and we came out."

Jesse seen where this was going or so he thought, "Pauline found out?"

"It seems them girls are on their Momma's side. One of them woke up early and when Pauline woke up I wasn't home. I had eased up the driveway and just before I got to the house the front porch light came on. I knew how much trouble I was in when it came on." John said, "It's been years since that had happened. It was back when she was hounding me to sale Traveler because we 'needed' the money. So I'd came over to help you make a big run up to Tennessee."

"That the time we loaded Tilley and Traveler up?" Jesse asked as he took a sip of shine.

John replied, "That would be it. As you knew I had more than enough cash to hush her fussing up that night."

"But the other night you didn't have any cash." Jesse said. "John if this is about money..."

John held his hand up to stop Jesse there, "No, it's not about money. Thanks, even without your offering. Well, the more I thought about the fit she was going to throw the madder I got. So when I went in the back door, there she was glaring at me. I told her not to start with me and the best thing she could do was to go to bed and forget all about it. I stomped right through the house boots and all." John stopped to let that sink in and get a drink of shine.

Jesse grimaced at the thoughts of John wearing his boots through the house. Jesse knew how she had been with the kids even in his house.

"Yeah, well I likely broke at least a half a dozen more of 'her' house rules by the time she got in bed. She was peeved, I knew it, and for a short while I didn't care. When she got in bed I reached for her out of habit, pulled her over to me and from there, ... well, ... we'll just say that neither one of us got as much sleep as we could have." John gave Jesse a smile.

Jesse returned the smile and said, "I still remember those nights. So why are we setting out here having this talk?"

John backed up to the beginning of his conversation, "Remember I told you I'd been busy?"

Jesse replied, "Yeah."

"Well, I kind of forgot that Pauline hasn't been back to see Doc since the twins were born." John began. "Oh, she tried to tell me that night, but then we get back to the part where I didn't care."

"Are you real sure Luke ain't yours?" Jesse said meaning it only as a joke.

"No. Why?" John replied totally confused by his older brother's comment.

"Because he's just like you. That's why I had to go get him out if jail this morning." Jesse huffed.

"You what? What happened this time?" John asked concerned.

"Not so fast. I don't think you were finished." Jesse reminded.

It was true, John hadn't been finished but would have surely taken a few minutes of distraction, "No, I wasn't done. Well, you see, ..." John wasn't exactly sure how to tell Jesse the rest. "She still hasn't went back to see Doc yet."

"Well, why not?" Jesse asked.

"She says that she hasn't had a cycle since the girls were born." John replied.

Jesse tried to do the math in his head. He knew they were born during planting season. He coudn't remember the date right off so he asked, "So they are how old?"

"Nine weeks tomorrow." John replied.

Jesse nodded. "Do you think she's pregnant again?"

John shrugged his shoulders, "That was the only time, but it wasn't by any means protected. I really wouldn't mind, but here's the major problem with it all. The longer she goes without her cycle the more moody she is becoming. It's a good thing Jeb is spending the summer with you. She is driving me and Karen crazy. I barely got to sleep in my own bed last night, ... on the edge, ... and on top of the covers."

Jesse grinned, then thought about it for a few minutes. Nine weeks was a long time for her to have went without a cycle after giving birth, but he's sure it wasn't unheard of. "John a woman's body can do some really peculiar things, especially after just giving birth. Not to mention she isn't as young as she was when she had Karen or Jeb, so things have bound to have changed some. Have you suggested she go see Doc?"

"Oh, I suggested it, ... and nearly didn't miss the glass she threw at me." John said seriously.

Jesse couldn't hide the grin as he pictured his sister-in-law actually throwing a glass at her husband.

John frowned, "It wasn't funny."

"No, it likely wasn't funny, but the picture of it in my mind was." Jesse said. Then, he asked, "So why won't she go see Doc?"

"Well, she claimed to have been 'mortified with embarrassment' when he told her she was pregnant before. It didn't help at all a few months later when he told her about the twins." John said with a bit of a grin as he took another sip of shine.

Jesse studied the situation and then said, "What about those new tests that you do at home?"

John looked at Jesse. He'd heard about them, but hadn't thought about it since this was going on with Pauline. He admitted, "I've heard of them, but hadn't thought of that. That may be a good idea, but Pauline wouldn't be caught dead buying one."

Jesse just gave him that older brother look.

"Alright, I could pick on up in on my way home. I just hope she don't throw another glass at me, but if this gets any worse she'll have me sleepin' at your house." John said.

"Well, brother the door is always open." Jesse said in truth.

01~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~01

Please review to let me know what you like / what you don't, and what you'd like to see. The next chapter is a blank page at this point. Thanks, Dix.