DaisyMaeDuke

E.

"Wh-what if I...m-mess up...?" he whimpered softly.

Every so slowly, Luke raised his crystal blue eyes to her, fear evident in them.

Luke sat still on his chair staring at the floor as if the tiles would stand up and walk. His mind was racing. He couldn't sort out what to do. So his body started panicking, his hands trembling, his mind screaming at him to do something...anything.

Luke shook his head. "No...thanks..."

Luke's lips quivered. Lowering his head he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Luke looked at Bo again. "I miss you," he said again, not really knowing what to do, his eyes full of the conflict in his heart.

He turned looking again to Bo. No matter what Bo said, it wasn't fair that he be handling the farm, doing the work of everyone. Luke was the reason for this. It wasn't fair to him... and for that reason he needed to go back. He missed the brotherly banter during choretime. He longed for the nightly gossip of girls, fixing cars together,Saturday Morning fishing trips when there was no hangover to content with and comforting each other with coffee and each other's familiar presence when there was. He missed the farm itself; the sunrise over the hill that woke him every morning along with the rooster; sitting on the front porch whittling the day away. For those reasons he wanted to go back... He was scared to be on his own. For that reason, he couldn't go back.

Luke swallowed, clenching his hands in front of him turmoil clear on his face. He wanted to go home...but then again he didnt.

Luke swallowed looking between her and Bo. "What'll happen when I go home?" He missed Bo so much...especially at night when he was alone in his room. And now, the look in Bo's eyes melted his heart.

Luke swallowed hard. "Sara..."

Luke reached up putting his hand over Bo's looking him in the eye. It never ceased to amaze him how with less than ten words Bo could bring tears to his eyes, but he had done it again with that remark, so much so Luke had to swallow to keep them at bay.

Luke nodded unable to argue with Bo's reasoning. "Guess youre right cousin."

Eventually Luke let go, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, sitting again beside Sara. He wanted so badly to feel just great about everything and, week after week when he saw the disappointment in Bo's eyes, it was just too much. "M'sorry it's takin so long"

"I miss you Bo," admitted the dark-haired Duke softly.

Luke again didn't answer. Words had never been necessary with Bo and he knew now that Bo understood him without saying a word.

Luke just nodded, clinging to him still, as if to make sure that Bo really still was his best friend. "Don't worry, ok?" he asked Bo softly. He knew that as tender hearted as Bo was he probably had been spending some nights fretting. "I think I'll be home soon..." He didn't ask Sara if it was true. He really was scared to think about it. But he knew he couldnt stay here forever.

An overwhelming urge to give Bo a hug on the spot came over him. Crossing to his cousin, despite the fact that Sara was in the room, he wrapped his arms around him and gave a tight squeeze. "I'm so thankful for you...you know that right?" If all of this treatment had done nothing else, the freedom with which Luke offered affection was miraculous in and of itself. It was like a part of him that had been dead, was awakened again.

"I'm sorry Bo..." began Luke softly. "I know I sure ain't made things easier for any of ya." He truly felt bad about it, but at the same time he was trying hard not to let those feelings of guilt overtake him like before.

Luke nodded a little, feeling a little bad that he was leaving everything to Bo. He knew his cousin was reminding him of how different things were without him...how much he was needed. Yet he was scared to go back...scared he would mess everything up again. Despite his progress, he still had some fears to overcome.

Luke gave a small smile. Unless that part of their lives had changed greatly, Daisy ALWAYS hated bringing fellas home to meet the family. No one was ever good enough for her, in Bo's and Luke's minds, and they usually let said fella know that. As a rule Daisy hated their overprotectiveness, but on accasion she was thankful for it,especially when guys would drop her off and expect a kiss or two or ten in return. Then Bo and Luke would emerge: Bo in his linebacker stance, his 6 foot 4 inch form looking down at the fella from the porch, a deep frown on his normally fun-filled face. Luke would be there too, his thumbs hooked in his jeans. He was smaller than Bo in height, but everyone in Hazzard knew he was not one to cross... he was all muscle, and wasn't the boxing champion of the Marine Corps for nothing. He was glad those things at least didn't change. Even so,he was afraid of what had changed and that was yet another reason he wasn't quite ready to go home.

Swimming

Luke raised an eyebrow. "He a nice guy?"

Luke nodded a little. "Daisy ok?"

"You ain't overworkin are ya?" Luke asked. He hated the fact that he was leaving Bo to manage all of the farm, but at the same time, he just wasn't sure if he could manage without Sara, though he knew the day would eventually come when he would have to.