by: BoJamesDuke

Jesse knocked softly on the door of the room, but after getting no response, gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. He sighed as he saw the curtains were still shut and everything in the room looked exactly the same as it had a week ago….including the young still figure lying face down on the bed.

He crossed gently over to the bed, sitting down on the mattress beside the young man and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He gave it a small shake, softly calling.

“Bo….Bo come on now, I need ta talk ta ya. I know you’s awake ‘cause you ain’t snoring….”

Hesitantly, Bo drew his face away from the pillow and turned onto his back to look at Uncle Jesse. Jesse bit gently on his bottom lip as he saw the state his youngest was in. His eyes were red raw from nearly constant crying, his face so white it almost looked see through and dark rings underneath those eyes that reflected the lack of sleep that Jesse knew about.

He had tried to catch this early on; he had tried to snap Bo from his grief as soon as he heard the fatal words that night….but it had been an impossible task. The boy was so overcome that he had fainted in the spot he had stood in by the door and it had been all Jesse could do to stop Bo hitting the floor. He had carried him straight to his and Luke’s shared room and put him to bed, intending to have a long talk with him as soon as he woke…but his and Daisy’s own grief had consumed them and instead they had spent hours talking and flicking through the old memory books, albums of photographs.

Daisy had gone to see if Bo wanted to come join them, but she had found him to be sleeping. She had looked sadly over the room as Bo slept, silent tears of grief running down her cheeks for her fallen older cousin. Everything reminded her of him, the memories of events and plans that would never happen again, the memory of his cheerful face and kind words proving all too much as she crossed over to Bo’s bed and lay down next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and sobbing into his shoulder, not at all surprised to find him do the same a moment later.

Jesse slipped his hand into Bo’s and grasped it tightly, smiling gently at him.

“Yer finals are comin’ up next week….”

Bo shrugged and turned back onto his front, burying his face back into his arms. He hadn’t slept a great deal since the news had been delivered about Luke, he hadn’t wanted to. Everytime he closed his eyes, all he could see was him and feel the nagging reminder that he was never coming back.

Luke had only been declared MIA for a week, but to Bo, as soon as he received that news, Luke was as good as dead. There were many young men from across Hazzard that had been reported MIA, and although everyone always prayed for their safe return to the families who were waiting for them, thus far not one of them had made it back….alive.

After that his life just lost all meaning. Uncle Jesse had given him the weekend to recover from the shock of the news and had then determinedly told him to go to school on the Monday, stating that things needed to remain as normal as possible, that Bo needed to pass his exams to graduate from high school.

But now Jesse sat here after receiving the news….Bo’s grades had slipped. Unless he pulled out all the stops over the next few days….he wouldn’t graduate along with his classmates.

“Bo….I know this has been rough on ya….but you can’t let this put an end to yer life….ya know Luke wouldn’t want that…”

Bo shifted and Jesse had to fight back tears as he saw his young shoulder’s shaking, his body wracked with sobs. Bo sat up and wrapped his arms round Jesse’s waist, leaning his head on his Uncle’s strong shoulder and sobbing harder as the loving arm wrapped round his own shoulder’s squeezing them for comfort, pulling him in closer to the embrace.

“Uncle Jesse…..I can’t….I can’t go on without him….I need him Uncle Jesse….I can’t…..”

Tears slid down Jesse’s old, weary cheeks and into the soft curls of Bo’s blonde hair as he heard the heart breaking words coming from his youngest nephew. They should not be words coming from one so young, not from one who had once been the most lively and care free spirit but a couple of weeks ago.

“Bo now you know that ain’t so….I know how much this is hurtin’ you right now but….but you can’t give up Bo….you just can’t give up….”

Bo looked up at him, the tears in his sad, lost puppy dog eyes tearing and tugging at Jesse’s heartstrings.

“He promised me….he promised me he’d come back….why did he lie to me Uncle Jesse? Why did he break his promise?”

Jesse didn’t have an answer. All he could do was hold Bo as he crumbled into tears and collapsed into his arms again.

“Don’t….don’t give up hope Bo. They don’t know fer sure that Luke’s….passed on yet. All they know is that he’s missin’…..he’s a Duke Bo, he ain’t gonna give up that easily.”

Bo’s voice was barley a whisper when he answered.

“I wanted him ta be here when I graduated….I wrote him and asked him if he could come home. He said he was gonna….he said he was proud of me and wanted ta see me graduate…..”

Jesse took Bo by the shoulders and made him look into his eyes, both pairs shining with tears.

“He will be Bo….no matter where he is he will be there with you. So long as you have him right here…”

He laid his hand gently on Bo’s chest, over his heart.

“If you keep his memory alive right here, there ain’t nothin’ ta stop him bein’ with ya on that day….he believed in you Bo, I believe in you. You can graduate….make him proud son…”

Bo closed his eyes as the tears fell in torrents down his cheeks, sobs breaking from his throat as he nodded and fell forward into Jesse’s embrace, the two of them just sitting there, holding each other as they cried….grieving the loss they had encountered, but finally being able to move on.

*****2 months later*****

Daisy and Jesse sat proudly in the audience, looking up to the stage as seventeen year old after seventeen year old walked across it, receiving their diplomas. Jesse looked around and noticed just how many families were here, many of them already weeping, proud of the people that made that walk, even if they weren’t related.

Things had been tough for the people of Hazzard as report after report came in of their youngest recruits being missing or killed in action. As the war developed, less and less letters were sent back and soon everyone truly learnt what family meant, what appreciating what you had while you still had it truly meant.

His eyes quickly darted back to the front however; as he heard the name of his youngest charge being called and he saw the young man start his walk to the middle of the stage. His stride now had the trace of a spring in his step that used to be there, his posture a lot more aloof than it had been. Jesse and Daisy were both immensely proud of him.

Since the talk, Bo had been cracking the books, keeping a photo of Luke beside him when he sat at the kitchen table, glancing at it when he was frustrated or felt like it wasn’t worth the effort. He even looked back at all the letters Luke had sent with their comforting words and loving, gentle advice on all aspects of life. How to kiss a girl properly, how do you know when you’re in love….how do you deal with losing the one you love?

Luke had been there for him, even when he was away. His sound advice was still as useful as ever in the paper and ink memories, and were made even more so because Bo could remember them. He had read and re-read them so many times over the past four years that it had almost become common practise. If he needed his help with something, he would first write a letter to Luke and then talk about it with Uncle Jesse or Daisy or his friends….but he always made sure the letter was sent off first.

And now he was here, standing on the stage and shaking the principles hand, smiling a small smile as the paper touched his hand and he was released. He had survived it, he had survived High School and graduated just like he had promised Luke so many times he would. He reached the other side of the stage and joined his friends, shaking their hands and hugging some of the girls silently as the remainder of the students graduated.

They each took a seat on the stage as the principle stood up to the lectern, clearing his throat as all the students fell silent to give his final speech. Bo looked around the crowd that sat before him, smiling as he saw Jesse gazing up proudly at him, nodding his head in approval, and laughing slightly as he saw Daisy dabbing at her cheeks and underneath her eyes, trying to stop her make up running. Then he looked at the empty seat beside Daisy, the one that should have been filled by his grinning, laid-back older cou….brother and felt the warm tears pricking at his eyes.

He forced himself to look away from the chair and straight out over the crowd of people sitting in front of him. Scanning it he saw many families with loved ones missing, each one of those missing people making up the numbers that would most likely never return to Hazzard. He hated the war and the government with a vengeance then, and silently swore to the heaven’s above, to Luke, that he would spend the rest of his life fighting the system that had taken Luke away so early.

But as he scanned the crowd, something caught his eye. He rubbed the tears from his eyes to try and get the shadowy figure leant against the giant oak tree at the back of the crowd into focus. The first thing he saw was the relaxed way the person held itself, and he could imagine a smile easily on the face. But then, as he squinted more against the sun and put a hand above his eyes, he could make out the military uniform….then the duffel bag at his side…..and jet black hair cut short to a military crop.

He whispered, not being heard by anyone around him.

“Luke….”

He couldn’t be sure, but he could swear the guy at the back was looking directly at him. There was only one way to be sure…he gently lifted his hand and pressed it palm out against his chest, over where his heart was positioned, revealing a very very faint scar across his palm, where he and Luke had become blood brothers.

He waited with bated breath…..and let it all out sharply as the man repeated the gesture….but with his other hand, nodding gently at him. Bo’s breath caught in his throat and he looked over to his friend who elbowed him in the side and gave him a questioning look. All he could do was stammer out his name.

“L….Luke….Luke……LUKE!”

He jumped to his feet and pushed his way through the crowd of chairs and people, not caring that everyone was now looking at him, not caring that the principle was glaring disapprovingly. He tore off the stage and down the gangway, being intercepted by Uncle Jesse half way down, but never tearing his gaze away from the man at the back.

“Bo….Bo what’s the matter you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“I think I have Uncle Jesse.”

And that was all Jesse could get out of him as Bo tore away from his grip and pelted towards the back, heart thumping widely, his eyes swimming with tears as he got closer and closer, seeing again the wide grin of his best friend, his cousin, his older brother…..Lukas Kevin Duke.

Luke opened his arms wide as Bo hurtled towards him and was barley able to remain standing as the 6 foot 2 seventeen year old collided with him and enveloped him in a fierce hug, sobbing into his shoulder and holding onto him like Luke would suddenly disappear if he was to let go.

Luke immediately wrapped his arms around his younger cousin’s shaking shoulders, clinging to him, suddenly very much aware of just how much he had missed his baby cousin, holding back his own tears as best he could. He ran his hand up and down Bo’s back soothingly as the younger man sobbed his name into his shoulder, smiling as Daisy and Jesse ran up and soon joined in the hug, crushing Luke and Bo together even more. However, they neither cared nor really even noticed.

“God…I thought you weren’t coming back Luke….I thought you’d gone, I thought you’d left me…”

“Shhhhh, s’alright now Bo….s’alright Bo….Look at me cousin…”

Bo pulled away from Luke’s shoulder hesitantly still keeping his arms locked around his cousin’s waist. He choked as he finally got to look into his deep blue eyes again, even if they were outlined with dark black circles that seemed to age him further than the four years Bo had missed him for. The sparkle was still there, the loving gaze Luke had never wavered, never changed.

“Bo…I ain’t never broken a promise to ya before….I sure as hell wasn’t about to start now….”

Luke smiled and laughed gently, although there wasn’t a great deal of humour behind what he was saying next.

“It takes more than a few bombs and bullets to keep me away from ya Bo…”

Bo’s bottom lip trembled and Luke pulled him quickly back into the hug, not wanting to see the shine of years of pain in the young blue eyes, wanting only to wrap his arms round Bo and keep him safe for the rest of his life. What he had seen in war had changed him in ways that he didn’t think anyone would ever be able to understand. He didn’t want Bo to have to go through what he did just to learn the lessons he had though….he wanted to teach Bo himself, he wanted to stay right by his baby cousin’s side and never let him go again.

“God Bo….I’m back Cousin….I’m really here and I ain’t goin’ ever again….shhh Bo it’s alright…I’m…”

Luke choked as his tears flew like waterfalls down his cheeks. He wrapped both his arms tighter around Bo, realising exactly what these next words would mean, the end to everything he had been through the past 4 years, the return to the life he had left behind, the return of his family to him.

“Bo….I’m home.”