Kristy_DUke

Luke Duke I glare at the empty field where my cousin just ran off at as I hold my handkerchief to my blood nose that he created by his punch, a punch I deserved. I sigh at the sight at the heavy blood flow from my nose slowly slowing down from where it had began as I watch the empty field where my cousin had run off, now out of sight. Slowly I force myself to walk forward where his foot prints are printed in the soil where he had walked off in his temper as I think of what had happened. I force my dirty handkerchief into my pocket at my nose stop bleeding as I walk to the ravine where he had escaped to and glance both ways to not find him anywhere but to see trees and everything that has always been there. Carefully I walk down to the small creek to find his boot prints in the thick mud along side the creek and I glance ahead to where it leads to not find him anywhere but begin to follow it along. The hot sun beats down upon my bare skin as I walk ahead thinking of all that I said and done that started the argument to the moment I snapped at him. His statement about me not understanding since I got in the train plays over and over in my head as I try to figure out what he means by that, but deep down I know what he means. I was always there for him before I left for war, I placed him ahead of everything, my friends, girl friends, extra school activities, or anything really; I did what he wanted to do and protected him from anyone who meant any harm to him and picked him up and dusted him off when he fell. I was there for him in the past to play with him even when my friends were over or what not to just talking to him or listening to him and I recall the nights we talked to one another about anything and everything until Jesse told us to go to bed. I think of how I have been like since I have returned home and it strikes me like a knife between the differences of how I have been treating Bo and guilt soars within me about everything. Since I have returned from war I have been hanging around with my friends even when he asked me to go look at something, or when he had a race I went with my friends or girl friends instead of his races figuring I'd hear about it when I got home, and I can't even remember the last time we went to bed talking. Glaring into the creek I recall the time at The Boar's Nest when I watched Stephen and his friends beat Bo up badly without stepping in to stop them. I have been too concerned about myself, about my painful past that I could have prevented to pay any attention to him. Then to think of all the nights I have came home drunk, calling him to pick me up who he would obediently do even when he had his friends over or a girl friend without complaining, even though it must have hurt him to see me that way. Anger soars within me as I think of how I have been treating him and I come to realize that is why he hasn't been talking to me as he use to, because I have treated him poorly. Even after Jesse's death and funeral I didn't treat him much different than before other than to plea with him to talk to me, like he use to, when I knew Bo won't open up to someone he don't know. He don't know me no more, I have changed and I haven't even noticed it, but he has because he has been on the recieving end of my anger of my pained past that keeps haunting me no matter what I do. I knew Bo looks up to me and yet I treated him so poorly and I wonder if he will ever forgive me or if he will return home. After a long few minutes of tailing his foot prints in the mud I stop as I think of my behavior and attitude towards him, how much it has changed and for the worse. Slowly I begin to head home in realization there is nothing I can do for him now, not until he has had his time alone, not until he is willing to return home. Walking back upon the field tears streak my eyes with knowledge that Jesse would be able to handle Bo, to help comfort him through his time of need and yet I can't even get close to him. The closest I got to it was his apology a few moments ago and I lost my chance in my own anger at my own past and leashed out on him for bringing it up, for bringing up his own pain. "Please help me, Jesse," I finally call for help looking up into the bright cloudless sky. Quickly I grab my red plad shirt off the post as I lead the old mule back to her stable before I walk past a couple of pastures, one filled with a asortment of colored cows, the other filled with a asortment of colored horses. I watch the animals roam freely in their pastures eating hay or grass or chasing another animal before I walk past them to the dusty dirt road. Glancing both ways and not seeing a vehicle I walk across the street and to the front lawn of the old farm house that seems to be falling apart of which Jesse always kept up with, making it seem like home. I sigh wearily before I step upon the old wooden front deck and walk into the kitchen where Daisy is folding clothes and watching her dinner in the wood burning oven. She looks up at me with worry before asking, "You home early? Where's Bo? You OK?" "I have failed," is all I can say before I take my perch in front of the sink and glare out through the window. "You've failed? At what, Luke?" she questions from behind me as she folds Bo's long legged faded blue blue jeans. "At everything, at keeping this house up to date with everything, at the work that needs to be done," I sigh as an old dark green car passes the farm on the dirt road, "most of all I have failed Bo, I failed to comfort him and to be there for him." "You don't really believe that do you?" she questions and I glare back at her, "Well it is not true, so it isn't how Jesse kept it, but it is up and standing, the fields are doing great this year and we got no sick animals. No one expects you to be Jesse or to take his place Luke, you are doing a good job at taking care of this farm, just as Jesse did," she pauses for a long moment, "and as for Bo, he is going through a hard time and you are being too hard on yourself. He isn't about to let anyone get close to him right now, I know it is hard for you to acknowledge that seeing how he confided in you for everything, but he has emotional scars that will haunt him the rest of his life. He don't know how to handle it and as Applebee tol' you, all there is is to wait for him to be ready to open up to you or anyway, all he needs is time, Luke. You are there for him more than anyone else is, so I don't know why you are being so hard on yourself, you know all that." I look back at her before I glare back out the window at hope of seeing Bo walking up to the house, but instead find an empty yard and an empty road. "Yeah I do. He apologized to me today after he had another attack about everything, about slowing us down, to getting in the way, to him getting out so he will be out of our way, oh and for getting me and him into trouble. I tried to tell him otherwise, but ended up messing it all up again and got him angry at me," I start to tell her what had happened between us and finish off with what I came to realize while thinking of what his statement means and the more I think of it, the more truth there is in it. He's right, I don't understand. "So yes, I have failed him Daisy and there is no way around that. I have failed him when he needed him most and when he slightly opens up to me, I have to mess it up. That may have been my only chance and I lost it due to my temper that I never get -" "Except when your six years is brought up...we all know it is a hurtful subjest, Luke, he knows it and that is why he brought it up. I won't lie to you, you leaving like you did, hurt him a lot, in ways you will never understand," she pauses dramaticly, "but he won't tell you that because you are his cousin, his best friend and he knows it hurts you to think or mention it all. And yes I have noticed the difference in your behavior towards him since you have returned, so has Jesse...everyone but you saw it. I don't know what to tell you, because I surely ain't no psychologist or doctor, but perhaps if you open up to him, he'll open to you. I don't know, but it can't hurt, either of you even if he doesnt open up, it may do you some good to talk to someone about it." I shrug not knowing what to say or to say anything at all before I turn to her and say, "I don't know, Daisy, I really don't know any more. All I know is that I have failed and that I may have just lost my best friend for good." "No you didn't," Daisy says confidently to me, "one thing you surely don't understand about Bo is that he may have a temper, but when it comes to the ones he cares about the most, he always comes around; just give him time. He still looks up to you Luke, which may be hurting him more than anything, and he tries to understand where you are coming from, to why you have changed. He may not understand it, but he is willing to try, Luke. You know why? Because in his eyes, you are his best friend and always will be...he don't think of how you treat him lately, but how you treated him in the past with hope that you will revert back to who you were before you left. That is why he will never stay mad at you, Luke, because he understands that you went through something horrible or bad and that is why you have changed...but the difference between you and Bo is that you see how you were wronged at war, all that you went through and are able to do anything to drown your painful memories, while Bo sees the you, you once were, he sees the potental of who you could be if you were able to move on, Bo has hope. You are his best friend, he may not show it now, but you are and at the end he will forgive you as he has done in the past." I glare at her with wonder if what she is saying is true or her subtle way to help me feel better. "Well he shouldn't have to fight for an image of me of what he wants...I should be him. It isn't his fault that I left, I left because of me, not him, it was my choice knowing that I would see what I saw, just didn't know the extent of it," I say turning around to face her, "it was my choice and I ended up taking it out on him and all of you for that matter. I'm sorry. If I have to lock myself in some closet to make myself to change back, I'll do that, I will do anything to get his trust again, to be able to turn to him and be able to talk to him freely about anything that is troubling me." "As I said, tell him what you went through, it may help both of you as I said," she grins getting up and hugs me tightly in comfort before letting go.

Bo Duke I feel a trickle of sticky sweat accompany the rest roll down my face and down my bare chest and back as I work on one of the several fields that the Duke farm owns. I look up at Luke who works silently a few feet away with the old mule, concentrating on what he is doing as he as well is covered in sweat from the hot sun that pours down upon us. I sigh as I watch him working as I think of the past year and how worried he has been for me, acting even more protective than he was before I found Jesse dead on the living room floor. He has been there for me, offering his open ear, offering to do anything to help my pain with all his best intentions; LUke has always worried about me even over trivia stuff, but he has always been there but yet I can't open up to him. When I try to open up to him, to talk to him of what I saw and how I feel, my heart tightens painfully as flash backs flash through my head of walking into the hot kitchen to smell something foul and then walking in to find his dead body sprawled on the hard wooden floor of the living room. Now watching him, I have a strong urge to join him to tell him what I saw as I was forced to say to them FBI agents, but something holds me back. Looking down at the fresh soil my unwanted flash backs flash through my head clearly, over and over again, from driving home worried about my uncle not answer, to finding him dead covered in his own blood, to calling Luke at the sheriff's station telling him what had happened. Once again I look up at Luke as the flash back continue to worsen against my fight against them, and I fight to tell Luke how I feel but the words are stuck in my throat. Suddenly the sight of my uncle lying on the hard wooden floor with the large puddle of his own blood covering his chest and the floor shines clearly in my head, stuck there focusing on every little thing about the sight of my uncle on the floor to every detail of the room as I found it. I feel my chest tightening and air coming hard to obtain as I fight back the image that remains stuck in my head as if it had been super glued there and I hear myself start to wheeze. Panicly I glare up at Luke who seems too concentrated on his work to hear my wheezing or to notice me fighting for air. I try to yell out for him as I fight to get my inhaler only to start coughing chronicly in a attack that seem to be occuring a lot lately. "Bo," I hear Luke's concerned voice ring out though sounds distant even though he is now only a couple of feet away from me. Weakly I fight to stay on my legs as the air don't seem to come to me even though I fight desperately for it. Suddenly I collapse to my knees as I start to vomit through my fight for air and I feel Luke fighting to atrieve my inhaler from my right side jean pocket and after a long moment fights to get it out. Quickly he helps spray a few sprays into my mouth until I stop coughing though I still remain fighting for air, though not as bad as before. Relief hits me as air becomes more easy to get with each second and along with my strength and Luke slowly helps me to my feet as I notice the large puddle where I had thrown up at. "I'm sorry," is all I can say, even though I fight to say how I feel, what I saw, instead it sticks in my throat and an apology comes out instead. He glares at me questionably before he places a supporting arm around my shoulders and he walks with me. After a long moment of silence he asks, "Sorry? What for?" It goes silent once again as I fight for words to express to him why I am sorry and what for, something I have been thinking about lately, though never able to word it or say it in fear that it will come out wrong. Looking at my older cousin I venture out to say, "For everything," I go silent once again fighting for the words that don't seem to come just as air wouldn't come to me only moments before, "for that, for the past year or so." Feeling his concerned blue eyes on me I pause once again at the thought of what he is thinking or feeling, though I refuse to look over at him, "I haven't been worth much lately or done anything that didn't cause you to worry or fret over me. I've only been gettin' in the way and gettin' you in trouble with me, for all that I am sorry. I will understand if you want me to go somewhere else to get out of the way, I've been only slowing you down on the farm by getting in the way of things and getting you into trouble with me, as I said I haven't been worth a damn thing and haven't accomplished nothing in the past year other than to get in your way of things." It goes silent as he leads to a shaded area under some large trees where he sits on the wooden fence and I hesitantly join him to sit besides him. I glare down at the muddy ground as I feel his worried sky blue eyes on me as more silence comes in between us as the cool breeze cools me down from working under the hot summer sun. "I don't know where you got that idea from, Bo, or who you got it from, either way it surely isn't true! First of all, Daisy nor I would ever kick you out, no matter what, we's family and we stick together through thick and thin; we love you," he says as he places a caring hand on my shoulder and for a slight moment I recall how it was before that horrid day before the flash backs strike again and I pray not to have another attack, "You are worth everything to me Bo, you mean the world to me and it hurts to see you in so much pain and being unable to help you any, to decrease that pain, I would do anything to take the pain you feel for you. Since that day I have been filled with guilt for forcing you to go check on Jesse and I would do anything if I could change what I had done, what I had put you through. "You are worth so much and I am sorry you elsewise, because without you I am lost, I don't know what I would do without you. A part of me already fills like I lost you to that horrid day as I see you hiding within yourself. I don't want to loose you and I don't want you to go anywhere, I enjoy your friendship, you are more than a cousin to me, you're my best friend, you're my brother and I will do anything in my power to help you with this evil thing that you are dealing with alone," Luke goes on , "I wish it was me that went to check on him, it should have been me instead of forcing you to do so as I had. It may not be easier on me to see him on the floor like that, but I have witnessed death so much in war, I have seen death before whereas you haven't, Bo. That all makes it worse on you. Therefore you are worth so much to me, to Daisy, to everyone, you really are and I wish that I could show you how much you mean to me, but I don't know at the moment how to do it. "You are definately not in the way, we all enjoy having you in our lives as we had before and I wish I could make you see that. You haven't slowed us down in any way or have gotten me into any trouble that I wouldn't have gotten myself in anyway, you know how Boss and Rosco are as much as I do," he goes on and I hear the sincerity in his thick voice as much as the worry, "And I don't understand what you mean by you don't do nothing, you're doing something now, before the attack, weren't you?" "Yeah, but not much," I sigh continueing to glare at the ground, refusing to look up at him, to see the great worry and concern clouding in his bright blue eyes for me, "and I haven't been worth much around here lately and you have to admit that." "No I don't, because it is not true and you should know that, and if you refuse to believe me I will find a way so that you will know how I feel for you. It hurts me to hear you think all that you are or think you are sorry for as much as it hurts to see you suffer like you are. You don't know how much I missed you when I was at war, you were all I thought about, getting home to see you and how you have grown and changed. Your letters helped me fight to live, it gave me something to live for instead of giving up as so many soldiers I knew did. You have done a lot and you mean a lot to me, if not for your support while I was at war, I may not be here today," he says with more sincirity in his voice, "and you have been helping out here on the farm, maybe to you it don't seem like much, but to us it does. You are going through a hard time right now and I understand -" "No, you don't understand, you nor anyone else will ever understand!" I yell as anger fills my body toward him as I jump to my feet, "So don't try saying you understand how I feel, for you don't, nor does anyone else, how could you? You weren't there, you were too busy playing around with your girl friend to be there! Why-" "I didn't mean it like that BO, why don't you give me a chance to explain?" Luke pleas calmly to me, though in his eyes I see his desperation to get to me. "I don't care! You'll never understand, none of it!" I yell as I fight back the tears as the flashback continues to play in my head, "And while you're at, stop making excuses for me, for why I am the way I am! I don't need your pity nor any one elses! Pity gets you no where so stop it!" He glares at me as a large lump forms in my throat as I fight through my anger of what to do next, fighting back my urge to chicken out and run and hide from hime after yelling at him, but my anger keeps me standing in front of him, looking for confrontation from him. "Help me understand Bo, talk to me, what happened what you feel, you tell me, you help me understand," Luke continues to plea with me, "I can't understand how you feel if you don't talk to me, all I know that you are suffering and I want to help!" "There ain't nothing you can do to help and you know it as well as everyone else nor will you ever understand! You stopped understanding the day you left on that damn train!" tears streak my face and I quickly jerk to leave only for Luke to grab me by my right elbow forcing me to face him. The anger and confusion in his sky blue eyes sends a large shiver of fear through me though I refuse to show him anything. "What you mean by that, Bo?" he orders me, his patience has worn thin replaced by anger by me reaching his sensitive area. "Let go of me, Luke!" I yell back at him as I try to fight him, "You wanted me to talk to you and I did, now let me go! I mean it." "Whatcha gonna do if I don't, Beauregaurd? You can't run to Jesse no more to tell on me," he says out of anger, of anger that he has never had with me before and more fear runs through me, overcoming my anger at what he just told me. Through my fear I begin to tug at my arm, trying to make him let go though his grip only tightens and pain streaks through my right arm and he quickly traps me up against the wooden fence, "What you mean by that Bo? Tell me and I'll let you go...you know we don't talk about it, and yet...tell me Bo." I glare at him as I let my tears streak my face freely as I fight for air through an upcoming attack. "I didn't mean nothing by I Luke," I beg him through my fear, giving up my tough guy act, "really I didn't and I didn't mean no offense toward you. I am sorry, now let me go." Anger glows in his blue eyes and through his eyes I can almost see the flash backs that are flashing in his eyes at me mentioning him getting on the train to go to war. A tear reaches his left eye, of which he never let be seen, him cry, but now it shows as it starts down his left cheek as he continues to glare at me without any emotion towards me. Suddenly he snaps out of his flash back, of staring blankly at me with his angered expression that seemed to stick, and is replaced by great guilt and embarrassment as he slowly lets go. "Bo I-" I interrupt him as I punch him squarely in his nose before I begin to run. My fist burns as I continue to walk ahead, forcing myself not to look back at Luke who shouts out my name. Ahead I cross the dirt road and down a ravine of trees that leads down to a thin creek where I begin to follow with no clue of where I am going.

CHAPTER TWO Above me the ancient brown dusty ceiling fan swirls quickly above us to attempt to cool down the overly hot room as the fan whizzes almost rhthymatically. I stare tiredly down at my paper work that seems to go on forever and I sigh at my mama's lecture years ago back in high school about percrasinating, wishing that I would have listened to her as I look at my stack of paper work of reports. I place another report on the smaller stack of papers that is all that I got done as the doors open and I look up to see Enos stepping in, his face lit up in happiness of something. "What got you smilin' dipstick? You ain't spose to be smilin' at work, this is work and at work you work," I snap at him and he glares down at the old floor as he fights to hide the grin, "WHat's so good in that little world of yours?" "Nuttin' sir, it's just. . .it's just," he says embarrasingly, "it's just I got invited to dinner tonight at the farm with Daisy." "The Dukes?" I question and roll my eyes at him, "Enos! You know as well as I do that them Dukes are bad and are on the opposite side of us, which is the law, mind you! You are a law man and law men don't intergrate with criminals, especially criminals like them Dukes!" "Aww sheriff, they ain't that bad," he says shyly as he places his black hat back upon his neatly combed dark brown hair and I come to think of the Dukes and all they have been through the past few months, of how Bo is acting to finding his uncle dead on the floor, "You and Boss just misunderstand 'em is all." Once again I roll my eyes at him, not letting on my sorrow for the Dukes for loosing thier uncle who was a good man, as I notice the thick dust piled up on the fan. "Enos, I got something that will keep you occupied," I reply hastily, "Clean the fans of them dust, dust makes me sneeze." "Yes sir," he sighs as a tall slender man walks in wearing tight dark blue jeans, black leather cowboy boots, with a brown plad shirt with a white cowboy hat hiding his jet black hair that matches his almost black dark brown eyes that dance with evil and hatred. I sigh nervously at the sight of Drake Shelbon, Boss Hogg's new business partner that he has been working with over a year now doing all sorts of stuff Hogg wants him at a high price; though in my gut I have a feeling he is doing business of his own down here, but know I can't prove anything or what he may be doing. Shivers race up and down my back as he glares at me coldly with his hard cold black-brown eyes and take in his light tan complexion before he motions me to follow him. "What you wa-" I begin to complain as I show him my paper work as he glares at me even more coldly and before I can say anything I weakly stand up and begin to follow him into Hogg's office where we find Hogg on the phone. "But Lulu, I can't come home for supper," he is saying as he puffs upon his cigar, "I have a meeting I have to attend to and then I have to lock up the court house and then move over to the Boar's Nest to keep out the rifraf," he goes silent, "No it isn't anything to get the boys into trouble, I know they've been through alot, sugar plum. I know I know, I framed them up several times since then, but trust me it ain't nothing personal, I just have to get them out of my hair so I can run Hazzard my way and not thiers! You know as well as anyone does that Jesse was a long time friend and I dearly missed him, I wish there was something I coulda done to prevent it, I miss him too darling; but I can't keep giving them Duke Boys excuses to break the law!" Slowly he looks up at Drake who grins evilly at him, showing his gold left upper front tooth. "OK Lulu, I will be home early tomorrow night, I got to go now...so we can make some more dough. Ok honey," with that the over weight commissioner sets down the phone and smiles up at Drake who grins up at him as he welcomes himself down into a chair, "Well Drake, you are here early." "Don't like being late, being late gets you into trouble," he grins as he glares down at his expensive true gold watch, "ain't that early either. I got your dimwit sheriff in here so he can join us in out my latest idea against them Duke Boys that will get them set away for good!" Hogg glares at him to me with uncertainity in his brown eyes before expressing his true feelings, "I don't know Drake, them boys have been through a lot and we should lay low on them. BO is really taking it hard I hear, he was exeptionally close to Jesse and -" "Do you want to make money and get them out of your way for good or not? If not I can take all I got and go elsewhere!" Drake shouts and I notice Boss jump as I set a caring hand on his tense right shoulder and he glares up at me. "Al. . .right," he stutters as I sense his nervousness, "just nothing too harsh Drake, I may not love them Dukes, but I don't hate them either!" "Look I will take all I got and go now and you know what that will do to you 'cause when I leave, someone ends up getting hurt!" he yells and I jump in fear as he presses his knuckles against Hogg's desk and cracks his knuckles slowly. "I'm listening Drake," Hogg says fighting to hide his fear. "Alright then!" he grins looking up at me and I only nod in agreement, "How 'bout me and my boys rob that bank of yours and no one but them boys themselves won't know it ain't them!" "What you suggesting, Drake?" Hogg asks skeptically. "All we need is a few pairs of thier cloths, we got wigs and everything just in case our ski masks get torn off! Now Daryl and Lyle are the same size as Bo and Luke and we have them wear contacts so they have the same color of eyes," Drake smiles as he tells us his plan, "Now you will hide some of that jewelry in there or something big too to rob, they are getting it all! Lionel got a car just like thier car and painted it the same way and we recorded thier voice and we already said into a machine what we wanted to say, so we dubbed it to sound like Bo and Luke Duke! NO one won't know it's them, especially when they don't have an alibi!" "What you mean? Them Boys will have an alibi with someone, either Daisy or Cooter or someone," Hogg asks. "Not this time...you see we have to do this Saturday morning when they are suppose to go to thier parole meeting with none other than you and guess what? They won't show up! R.B. will run them off the road and kidnap them through the duration of the time and drug them up so they can't remember a thing or even perhaps enough that they will admit to doing it," Drake laughs evilly at his plan, "My Bo and Luke lookalikes will have guns and won't be afraid-" "No one, I mean no one, is going to get hurt! If so I am not apart of this and I will -" "Don't threaten me Hogg or I'll find something against you! Listen to me, no one is going to get hurt...just enough to get them boys in deep trouble, and oh yeah the jewelry we got picked out is wanted, hot jewelry from Atlanta, everyone up there is looking for it. When they find them on the Dukes, they will be wanted for that crime too where a man got slightly injured, nothing too serious, but they won't be getting out for a long time, Hogg," he grins again, "How 'bout it? Afterwards we let the boys go and call FBI Agent Randy Floors, the lead agent looking for them stolen jewlery where they will find it on them Duke Boys." "I don't like it," I speak my opinion, ignoring Hogg's stare and Drake's evil glare, "look we may have been against them in the past, but nothing like that. I don't like it one bit and I am not going to be a part of this! I may like chasing them and may have enjoyed being apart of Hoggs evil schemes against them in the past, but not now, not when they all are mourning over Jesse's death!" They all glare at me for speaking my mind as a bad feeling about Drake continues to enlargen within me. "Too bad, you're apart of it sheriff," Drake snaps, "you know too much, you not in it I'll have you put away and tortured until you wished otherwise!" "Don't threaten Rosco like that!" Hogg yells, "I don't like what you are doing or treating us here." "Too bad," he says pulling out a large gun at us, "You two better make up your minds, if not y'all will be six feet under and this town will be without a fat, greedy commissioner and a dimwitted sheriff!" Hogg looks up at me as we both say, "Alright, we'll do it." "That's what I was thinkin'," he grins sitting back down as he lights a cigerette.

Luke Duke Silence engulfs within the General while the powerful engine purs to life under the hood as I drive quietly to town, lost in my own thoughts. Quietly I glance over at Bo who sits in the passenger seat staring out of his windows at the tall hills and the tall trees that surround the dusty dirt road and I watch his thin chest heave in and out for air. Glaring back out of the dusty windshield I try to imagine what he must be going through, thinking about after seeing Jesse on the floor as he was; after all I never even got to see him after I had left the house that early after noon. Guilt quickly takes over me as I think of that day of the picnic where we all had left Jesse behind due to the flu or a cold, thinking he would be fine. Guilt, because I should have agreed or even volunteered to go check on Jesse when he he wouldn't answer the phone the four times Daisy had called to check in on him. I sigh thinking of the day, of how treasurable it was spending it with our dates until she couldn't get ahold of him and I had forced Bo into going to the farm to check on him, guilt tripping him about how my date was going to be moving to New York to be a model a few days after the picnic while his would be around awhile. I sigh recalling Cooter's sullen face when he approached Emma and me while we were caught in a long kiss. I hadn't even realized he was there until he kneed me angrily in the shoulder and when I looked up at him and saw his crazy eyes filled with fear and worry, something he had never showed before unless it was a sheer emergency. His raspy voice echos in my head of him telling me that Bo was on the phone, though wouldn't tell him what was wrong. I had rushed to the phone filled with fear, not only for my uncle but for my cousin who has never seen a dead person, being sheltered from it after he saw his parents die when he was five years old. After that he never seen a dead person or anything and picking up the phone I knew I should have went, I have seen death a lot while I was at war, it would have affected me alot to see what he saw, but it would have been better for me to be there. Bo's tearfilled voice rings in my head of him telling me that I would have to pick him up at the sheriff's station, saying Jesse's dead. Though he had refused to tell the extent of it or how he died, I knew it was something horrid by his voice as I heard old flashbacks in his voice as he said it. I glare ahead as we slowly head into the small town and I begin to wonder how I am going to get Bo in to see Applebee. Hesitantly I park our prized orange stock car in front of the two story town house that Applebee made into his practice and as I take the keys out I look over to Bo to find great anger in his baby blue eyes. "I'm not going!" he finally says, "I knew you had something planned!" He stares at me accusatory as I pull myself out as my heart aches at the looks he is giving me, wishing he would know I am doing this because I care for him. "Look I know you don't want to go, but I think you need it," I sigh as he sits grudgingly in the car, "Now you are going in, I will carry you in there if that is what I have to do, I will drag you in there! You make the choice Bo." He glares up at me with more grudge and accusations with his emotional scarred eyes before he goes to protest with anger. I stop his angry protest by moving closer to him, making an act of go to drag him out and he slowly begins to crawl out of his open window. "Fine, I'll go but you can't make me say anything," he says as he joins me on the sidewalk. "Well what good will it do if you don't say nothing?" I ask without thinking about it. "Exactly my point," he says as I put a caring arm around his shoulders as we walk in. Approaching the front desk where a pretty patite chesnut haired woman sits talking on the phone. Seeing us she puts up a finger for us to wait and I glance over at Bo who only takes in his surroundings and I can see the flash backs of all the times Jesse took him here roll across his baby blue eyes. "May I help you?" she asks bringing me back to her as she hangs up the old phone. "Yeah, I hope so. I am here so my cousin will see Doctor Applebee," I say hesitantly, "we don't have an appointment, but my cousin here is stubborn and there is no way I could get him here if we did have one. I just want him to check him over." "For what?" she says impatiently at us, rolling her hazy green eyes at me as I know Bo is doing as well. "For his asthma, he has asthma really bad and it is getting worse by the day," I sigh as I think of earlier this morning, "look, just tell Applebee that Bo is here to see him, he'll know what it is for." She glares coolly at me skeptically before she writes something down and looks Bo over. "He looks fine to me, so I don't see your problem," she says, "He's a grown man and knows when he needs help or not." "Thank-you," Bo finally speaks up, "finally someone who agrees with me." "Look lady, I am about to loose my patience with you and you won't enjoy that much either! I already tol' you my cousin is stubborn and if it weren't for me no he wouldn't be here now...but he'd also live stubbornly with his ashtma that gets worse by the day when it could possibly be treated to get better! I am sorry to waste your time on my cousin, but he needs help and I'll do anything to get it . . .as he deserves even though he won't agree with it!" I snap at her as the older doctor walks in to check her list. "Well hi boys," he smiles, his smile brightening up his face before he looks at Bo and he becomes saddened as he realize what this is about. "These here two decided to waltz right in here without an appointment...the one for the check up is grown and the other is forcing him-" "Shelly, it is OK, I know them boys, well I know all my patience which is why I will take them as I do all my other none appointment makers, I don't know why you seem to try to make the rules around here...I also know thier, his situation and if he needs to be seen I will see him no matter what," Applebee says, glaring at her before he turns to us, "Follow me boys." "Shouldn't he wait out here?" Shelly asks as we are halfway down the hall. "He is fine...you think he will talk to me if he ain't here?" Applebee snaps as he leads us to his first room, "OK Bo, you know how it's done, I want you to get on that there bed...sit on it or lay on it, your choice for right now." Bo looks back at me, his baby blue eyes soften from his accusations to his need for support and I nod for him to listen to him, just as Jesse had done. I watch as he slowly climbs onto the bed as he was instructed to do and watch as he watches Applebee fill out his chart and I see the worry in his eyes as well as the horrid flashbacks that he fights to fight back with little success. "Ok Bo, I want you to tell me how you are and have been feeling," Applebee says and as he sees Bo looking at me he adds, "I want you to say it, not Luke...afterall the one that knows best about how you are feeling, is you." Silence enters the room and I sigh at the thought of Bo fighting against Applebee to cooroperate with him out of his stubborness as he looks around the room with bewildered eyes. "How I feel? I feel like I wanna go home," he finally says full of stubborness, "Luke's the one that dragged me here, so you check him out and not me." "Beauregaurd!" I yell in shock that he would say something like that to the elderly doctor, especially after all the teachings that Jesse has given us, "You apologize to Doctor Applebee, he is trying to help you!" Bo looks at the doctor and then back at me with angered eyes and I watch as his chest tightens up, beginning to heave in and out for air. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Bo," Applebee says facing both of us, "you are going through a rough time, it's hard isn't it?" Bo looks confusingly at him then back at me where I lean against the wall, wondering how Jesse had dealt with his stubborness, though I know Bo wasn't like this for his visits with Jesse. Bo has always been very well mannered even through his stubborness and now it all is at the cause of Jesse's death. "I don't wanna talk," Bo finally says calming down a little bit. "Well he can't help you if you don't tell him what is wrong," I finally cut in and he glares at me with angered eyes, causing my heart to tighten at his pain that he refuses to talk about, "he can help you, you just have to talk to him." "It's too late for any help!" he yells at me, ignoring Applebee who is too polite to interrupt even a family arguement. I watch as he climbs off the bed and I quickly grab his arm to keep him in here. "Lemme go Luke! I wanna go. . .go. . .ho. . .me." I let go in deep sadness as he goes off into another attack coughing chronicly and Doctor Applebee rushes over where I help him to get Bo back on the bed who is fighting too hard for air to fight against us. Caringly I grab his inhaler out of his pocket and help him trigger off a few puffs until the attack eases down slightly and watch as Bo allows him to unbutton his shirt to place the stethoscope on his chest where Bo jerks back at the cold metal until sitting still, fighting for air. "How many attacks does he have daily or weekly?" Applebee asks after checking his heart rate, asking me instead of Bo who hugs onto his thin knees. "Well three or four times a day...though it all depends on what kinda day he's having too, some are worse than others," I answer as I look at Bo full of worry, "and whether or not he goes back to sleep after a nightmare, which he normally doesn't. Usaully three or four times a day, I was going to take him in a while ago, but he kept fighting against it." He nods understandably before he checks him out the rest of the way of his normal check ups before he takes him in for a long while. "Have you thought of taking him some place a therapist or something like that to talk about it?" Applebee asks, "I know he most likely will fight and won't talk, but it may be worth a try." "No, Daisy and I talked about it, but figured if he won't talk to us he won't talk to someone he don't know. . .you know how he is," I sigh, "but right now I am willing to try about anything, Cooter has offered to listen as well as others, but he just closes up, like that." He nods before looking at his charts and taking him for another long moment before he walks over to Bo and puts a caring hand on his shoulder and Bo looks up at him before looking back down at the white tile floor. "It may help to talk about it to someone, if not to Luke or Daisy or a friend...I'll be glad to talk to you abou it, or we got a new there-" "No, I ain't talking to no one about it, surely no therapist!" Bo cries out, "And talking about it won't change a thing!" "No it won't change what happened, but it may help," Applebee offers and Bo shrugs off his caring hand. Applebee sighs wearily before he joins me by the wall, "Well I know it is hard to do, but I think the only thing you can do is wait for him to come around. . .he hurts too much right now to talk about it, it is easier to close up and keep it too hisself like that right now for him than to talk about it. It may be days, weeks, months or even years for him to come around, but at the moment it looks like the more you push him the more he closes up. I know it's hard to watch him suffering without anything to do to help, but being there is all you can pretty much do right now." It goes silent for a long moment as I glare back at Bo who wipes at his eyes, refusing to look up at us and my heart aches in pain and worry for him. "And his asthma?" I question looking back at Applebee. "I've written a perscription for a higher dosage for his medication that he'll be taking every four hours, I hope it works Luke," he says sympatheticly, "if not, come back and I'll be glad to have a look with or without an appointment." "Thank-you doctor," I say shaking his hand before I turn to Bo, "Come on Bo, let's go pick it up and see if Cooter has our parts."

Daisy Duke Slowly I awake to the sound of my alarm mixed with some movement that seems distant, but somewhere in the kitchen. I sigh as I see the light pouring into my window, wondering what today will bring. Slowly I get out of my comfortable bed where I listen to the boys talking now in the living room, more of Luke than Bo. Silently I pray for my young cousin as I get dressed into a pair of short shorts and a tank top with my sandals, while lost in thought of Bo. Everyone in town has been affected by Jesse's death, more so us since we were so close to him, everyone has been dropping by to send their condulences and to offer some help, though that has been decreasing in the past couple of days. Ever since Bo saw him on the floor he hasn't been himself, refusing to talk or even to eat, he almost acts as if he is trying to hide within himself from everyone. Slowly I finish dressing and make my way to the bathroom that lies down the hall from my room, across from Jesse's closed door. In the bathroom I slowly get ready for the day by putting on my make-up while my mind becomes a whirl wind of thoughts of the past couple of weeks. My heart sinks in worry for Bo who seems so distant from everyone, unwilling to take any help we offer. Luke has talked about taking him to a counselor but we all know that he would only curl up even more, his already bent up anger would only worsen towards us now for forcing him to see help. It pains me at the thought of just letting him be until he feels ready to talk or to seek help, that may be months or years. HOw can I live watching him wither away as he is? Slowly I open the door and walk into the living room where Luke greets me, "Mornin' Daisy," he smiles weakly and through his bright blue eyes worry and concern dances free, expressing that an incident with Bo has already occured this morning, but don't show how serious it may be. "Mornin' boys," I say glancing over at Bo who sits in the old wooden rocking chair in front of the empty fire place, remaining quiet as normal, "You boys, going out this morning or the cows and animals gonna have to starve today?" Bo glares at me though remaining silent as Luke slowly gets up saying, "Yeah you're probably right. Let's go Bo, if we go now we can head into town to see if Cooter has our parts in yet for the General." Slowly Bo nods as he slowly gets up, staring into the bleakness of the fireplace as if he had lost something in it. I watch as Bo turns the corner into the kitchen while Luke remains in place awaiting to hear the door close before saying, "We may be home late today, I don't know what time. I do plan on seeing if Cooter has our parts, even though I know he don't. That was just a cover up to get Bo into town, I am taking him in to see Applebee; I don't care if Applebee is busy all day, he will see Bo before we return home. He had another attack today, there has to be something that he can do to help them calm down a bit." I nod numbly as I take in what he has just told me before saying, "That bad? What are we going to do Luke? We can't just sit and wait around for him to come around, that may be years. We didn't even see how bad he looked, just him and the cops. All this. . .I don't know, but there has to be something." "I know, but we have to stick with him through it no matter what. Pushing him will only make him more upset, you know how he is," Luke says flatly, "Well I better go before he comes lookin' for me." I watch as he slowly walks out of the living room and my mind is clouded by all that he has told me. After a long moment of allowing my emotions to take over I slowly I move into the kitchen to grab something to eat for breakfast before I begin to do my morning chores around the house, as I continue to feel numb.

Bo Duke I watch out the small window that rests to the side of my queen size bed as the dark calm sky slowly begins to lighten up. My mind runs wild within me of all I had said to Luke to awakening in Jesse's bed, I was certain that Luke would be upset. We all had agreed upon that we all should leave Jesse's room as it is for the time being, which also meant that no one would be able to sleep in it. I sigh as a wave of exhaustion heaps over me as I think of what may lie ahead of us, a life without Jesse in it. I fight back tears as I wonder silently how I will be able to do it without Jesse, he was always there for me, always, and now he is gone, to never to return. The early morning sky slowly grows lighter and lighter, showing a few clouds that linger highly in the sky. Watching the thick clouds that show a tint of blackness in them, I slowly allow myself to think of that day that was suppose to be made up of fun and excitement, which turned out to be a nightmare. I knew I should have stayed home with Jesse instead of going to the town's annual picnic, though Jesse had stayed home, claiming he didn't feel well enough to go. He was determined for us to go without him and we all did so, not thinking anything of it. Staring out the window I wonder who would ever want to kill Jesse and why? Everyone loved Jesse, I mean who wouldn't? How did it happen? A shrill of fear races sharply through me as I realize that this all didn't happen by itself, his death was brought upon by another. Anger fills me with my fear at who ever did this to Jesse, an anger so thick and an anger that I have never felt before. Tears enter my eyes as the image of someone in our house, bringing evil into the house, and slowly taking Jesse's life and walking out as if nothing had happened; with a large grin of achievement across his face. An evil that still lurks out on the streets and perhaps still in Hazzard, ready to strike again. More fear covers me at the thought of who ever did this to my uncle still out there, perhaps in Hazzard, awaiting for another chance to strike. More anger accompanies it at whoever it is that is so evil to take my uncle's life, taking my uncle's life against his will while he still lurks free on the streets, enjoying his life. I jump in fear as the door loudly squeaks open and I slightly turn my head to look to see Luke standing in the door way. Quickly I wipe my tear filled eyes roughly with the back of my hand as I return to glaring out of my window, watching the clouds float freely above. Suddenly my mind returns to how I had acted when Luke tried to show his concern for me, showing me just how much he cared for me and I threw the glass in return, instead of saying thanks. I remember the deep anger, an anger I have never felt before, so strong and powerful that had built up within me since I had awaken. As the thought of his death continued to haunt me, with new scary thoughts of something that evil was in our house and just may return for more, or to some other house in Hazzard. But how can I explain that to Luke? The anger that built up within me scared me as much as the thought of that evil man returning for more, an anger that tore my heart apart. "You feel better?" Luke finally asks and I fight to hear any anger in his voice, but don't find any. His voice is soft and caring as it always is and so understanding. How can he be so understanding? Why can't he just hate me for how I have been acting? Instead of treating me with love and understanding, making me feel so guilt, so horrible inside, making me want to run to him. Though I always fight it back, not wanting to face what he may think of me if I do that; he would really think of me as a baby, if my crying doesn't convince him already. "I guess," I lie to him, wanting to tell him how I feel, but instead it doesn't come out but gets stuck in my throat. The anger still feels me as I fight to get rid of the anger, by remember one of Jesse's great teachings, how criminals are just people like anyone else with a misunderstanding of life, and in most cases have been wronged badly themselves and feel the need to strike out. Why can't I feel that way? Am I that bad of a person to not see that? Fear remains to build with my anger toward the man that did this to my uncle, even though I fight to control it. "I'm sorry," I finally say, not wanting to face him. "I wish you would be truthful with me Bo, I really do; like we were to one another before this all had happened," Luke sighs sitting on the edge of my bed, a foot away, "This all has been hard for all of us, but harder for you for you are the one that saw it; had to see it. Everything happens for a reason, Bo, whether we realize it or not. Death takes us all eventaully, taking us different ways that effect their loved ones who will have to learn to live on with thier lives without that person." "It wasn't his time, Luke, whoever it was killed him!" I hear my voice tremble no matter how hard I fight with the tears, "And whoever killed him, is still out there and may do it again!" Silence slowly invades our room as the clouds continue to float by carelessly as the sky behind it lightens up slowly by the moment. "Look at me Bo," Luke finally says in his caring, but ordering voice and when I fail to do so he slowly places a caring hand on my right shoulder. Slowly I do as I am told to do, trying to fight the tears back as they push themselves forward. "Look Bo, we all miss him, just like you do, but he wouldn't want to see you this upset or angry about it. Stuff like this happens all the time, and no it wasn't his time, but we have to go on living our own lifes; as Jesse would want us to do. It is ok to cry Bo, don't be afraid what others think, for what we lost was something we will never get back. But we have to appreciate the time we had with him and all that he had done for us." Slowly I nod, not trusting myself to talk as I wish he wasn't as understanding as he is. Slowly I wipe my eyes out of habit even if he says it is ok to cry and I return to looking out the window, not wanting to cave into him. "It all is just something to think about is all, I'm not trying to lecture you," Luke finally says, "I just hate seeing you this upset and so troubled. I just wish I could help you in some way, but I don't know how to help you or how to make you comfortable to open up to me. I wish there was a way that I could protect you like I have always done in the past, but it is too late. What is done is done, if I could have changed it I would have been the one that went home to check on Jesse not you." I look at him for a moment, wanting to know what I should say to him or what not to say to him. "No you don't," I finally say, "No one does. I don't know what you want me to tell you, I already tol' everything to Rosco and those other funny looking cops...what else is there?" "How you feelin' or thinkin'," Luke answers slowly. "He's still out there," I say instead as I feel my lungs tighten up, "Someone needs to stop him." "The police is out there looking, that is their job," Luke says patting me on the back, "not ours, not this time. They are trained for this, they'll get him." "What if they don't? Or don't in time?" I question allowing my fears to take control of me. Suddenly he draws me into a hug and I allow him as where before I always backed away from him. Slowly I let my tears melt down my cheeks as I feel him begin to rock, like he use to do to comfort me when I was a child.

LUKE DUKE Slowly I awake as the irratating alarm starts to buzz at me, though my eyes remain close. I wait for Bo to turn it off as he always does out of routine, though lately he has already been up and dressed by the alarm goes offf, just waiting to turn it off and make sure that I am awake. After a moment of the beeping buzzing at me I slowly open my groggy eyes and after a short moment of my eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room I find Bo's sheets ruffled, but no Bo. Slowly I yank the alarm off and slowly get up, the cold hard floor sends goose bumps on my bare legs. Tiredly I make my way to the closed door of the room and throw on the lights of the room that rests a foot from the door way and return to my dresser to pick out my clothing for the day. Slowly I change from my baby blue boxers that I wear during the warm nights into tight light blue jeans, a red plad shirt, and my black leather cowboy boots before I make my way to the door. Opening the door I expect to see the kitchen light to be a glow from Bo being awake and just sitting in the kitchen over some coffee and perhaps the day's newspapers. Instead I am surrounded by thick darkness, sending panic through me as I wonder where Bo is. "Bo," I call out and yet get nothing but silence. Panicly I race to the larger of the two hall ways, expecting to see the bathroom door closed with an aray of light under the door, but find it empty and dark. "Bo," I call out, panic lies thick in my voice, not caring if I awoke Daisy at the moment. Standing near the opened bathroom door way, I stand silently, trying to think of where my cousin would be. Fear and concern run deep within me of where Bo is, though try to remain calm trying to convince myself that he is out doing chores. But this early? Suddenly I hear a loud moan that turns into a yell full of panic and fear rings out behind the closed door that rests on the opposite side of the hall from the bathroom. Slowly I look at the closed door, trying to convince myself that I just imagined the yell, but as soon as I step closer to the closed door another yell of fear rings out, though this time it is breathless and wheezy. Tiredly I take a deep breath as my hand reaches the icy cold silver door handle and open the light door that feels heavy as memories of that day Bo had called me, his voice thick of fear and panic, telling me to pick him up from the sheriff's station where he was being questioned. Fighting out the horrid memory of what Bo had went through that day, the day that changed everyone's lives. Slowly my eyes adjust to the thick darkness to find Bo curled up in a fetus position on Jesse's old bed where Jesse always slept at. Though he is asleep he gasps for air wheezily in a beginning of an attack as he seems to fight to awaken from another nightmare that plagues every sleeping moment of the nights, though the nightmare captures tightly ahold of him. Slowly I step over to him and feel his forehead to feel icy cold sweat roll down his face, soakening into the Jesse's old pillow case. Caringly I run my hand through his thick bright blond hair as I say his name, trying to awaken him, but the nightmare seems to hold on tightly to him, not wanting to let go of him. My heart tightens painfully for my young cousin who has been through so much the past couple of weeks, one thing after another. "C'mon Bo, wake up," I say panicly as I slightly shake him, praying for him to awaken and not to be tortured as he seems to be lately. Suddenly he begins coughing wheezily in one of his asthma attacks that he has been having often the past couple of weeks, causing his asthma to worsen. Coughing forcefully his eyes quickly open, his baby blue eyes shine with pain and fear as he fights for air through each forceful cough. "Where's your inhaler, Bo?" I question him as he continues to cough chronicly. "Room," all of what he can manage to say. Without thought I race out of our uncle's old room, turning the corner my upper right leg is thrown against the corner of the desk, sending pain up and down my leg. Ignoring the pain I rush into the the small hall way and into the room, hoping to find his inhaler as I can't remember seeing it on our nightstand where he usaully places it at night. Panic races in me as I fight with time as I notice it not on the nightstand and turn to my next guess as I pick up his old pair of jeans that sits on a chair at the end of his bed. I sigh in relief as I find his gray cased inhaler in his right hip pocket and race out of the room, being careful of the desk. Walking into Jesse's old room I find Bo still coughing forcefully and painful as he lies on Jesse's pillow. Quickly I help him spray it in his mouth a few times until it settles down to only quicky breathing for air, knowing it will settle down in a moment or two. "How you feel?" I slowly ask, not wanting to hear the answer. "It hurts," he answers painfully, the answer I expected, "I didn't mean to fall asleep, honest Luke. I just awoke a few hours ago from another nightmare and came here...I guess I fell asleep. I'm sorry." "For what? Look there is no sin in sleeping in his bed...we didn't make a rule against it," I say trying to calm him down, "Don't worry about it, ok? Ya wanna go get something to eat? I can try to fix something, it may not turn out, but hey it's the thought that counts right?" "I'm not hungry," Bo says, his normal answer. I sigh worrily, knowing he hasn't been eating in the past two weeks as that horrid day continues to haunt him. "You have to eat, Bo, I'm not taking no for an answer," I say firmly, "You can have beer and pizza for breakfast, I don't care. I just want you to eat something, even if I have to force you to." Slowly he follows me into the kitchen where I slowly turn on the lights, showing his ghostly pale complexion as he stares down at the table. His baby blue eyes remain opaque as they have been since I picked him up from the sheriff's department that chilly and windy day. Though now as I stare at him, his complexion almost seems opaque, the palest I have ever seen him as his thin chest heaves in and out for air. "That's it," I say softly, "I am calling Applebee today and scheduling him to look at you." "No Luke," he begs me, glaring up at me, "I'm fine, really." "No you're not, you can say that all day if you want, but you know you're not all right," I say softly, wishing there were something I could do to help him feel better, "Not only have you not been sleeping well when you do sleep, you haven't been eating, you look dead yourself, and your asthma has gotten worse." "Gee thanks Luke," Bo says sarcasticly. "Look Bo, I am worried about you, you have been through a lot," I say as I slowly pull out a glass, "you use to hardly ever use your inhaler, except for maybe once a week perhaps even once a month, especially the medication they have you on. And be honest with me, how much do you use it now?" Bo looks at me with his opaque eyes and I fight to see a reaction in him. "I don't know," he lies. "You know as well as I do," I answer pouring some orange juice into the glass, "three or four times a day, sometimes more. You need to see Applebee." "There ain't nothing he can do," Bo says full of anger as I set the glass in front of him and he abruptly knocks it over, causing orange juice to spill everywhere and the glass slowly rolls off the table, breaking upon the old flooring, "What he gonna do LUke? He gonna make Uncle Jesse come back to life and erase that day? Is he gonna do that? If not, then there ain't nothing he can do!" I watch as he runs out of the room with tears in his opaque eyes and I listen to our door slam shut before I grab a paper towel and begin to clean up his mess. I sigh thinking of all that was said, his anger and pain so powerful and strong, though refuses to talk about it. I look down at the glass as fear and worry runs through me, thinking of how he has never had such a strong outburst as this, he has yelled at me or Daisy, but he never got so angry that he threw things or to say what he just said. Nor did he ever show that much anger or pain. My heart tightens in pain for my cousin as I slowly pray that I will someway be able to help him through his time of pain, but yet I seem to be empty, unable to help him. He has always turned to me when he was hurt or angry, or in any pain, but now all of a sudden he doesn't want anything to do with me or Daisy, or anyone else. Tears blur my eyes as I fight for answers to help my cousin, answers that refuse to come to me, no matter how much I fight to get them.

-CHAPTER ONE- Icy cold sweat rolls down my thin smooth face as the darkness clings tightly onto me. I gasp for air as I sit up in my old queen sized bed as the nightmare plays lively in my head as I fight back the images of his still body lying on the living room floor. Though as usaul, the more I fight back the horrid picture the more it haunts me, as if in an odd way it is teasing me or playing some odd and twisted game with me. Silently I wipe my face with my thin lenghty hands as the sounds of house ring out at me, growing louder by the second it seems. Once again the picture of his thick body lying there while I walk in screams at me behind my eyes and I squeeze my eyes close, hoping they would just go away. Loosing the battle with the images in my head I slowly swin my lean lengthy legs over the side of the bed as I read the digital clock that luminates three in the morning. I sigh as I think of all I have to do today and yet know I won't be able to go back to sleep, leaving me to work with four hours of sleep. An hour more than usaul since the incident had occured only two weeks ago. I stand still in place as the dark room seems to spin around me as the images play tricks in my mind. Slowly I fall into what I have been taught growing up, counting on prayer, of which I have lacked since the horrid incident. I pray to myself for the sight of my uncle lying on the floor to vanish from my dreams and from my head, that I will be strong enough to move on with my life. Closing my weak prayer I glance over to my right at my cousin who sleeps silently in his single bed. His sheets are tossled around him as he rolls from his right side to his back in his sleep. I watch him sleep filled with my own love and affection toward him, the one that has been there for me through all of this, as he has been throughout all my life. Slowly I shift in place and slowly walk to the door and slowly open it, making sure it don't squeek to awaken my cousin. Slipping out of my caved in room, I quickly close the door behind me and walk into the living room where more darkness invades, taking over the old house. Through the darkness I move through the known living room across the old oak desk that sits against the wall, that seperates the two hallways. Passing the old desk I quickly turn left into the larger of the two halls. In the second hall I slowly stand in the middle of the hall where a closed door sits to my left and an open door sits to my right. Without thought I abrupty turn to my left and carefully open the door as if afraid that I'd awaken someone. Thick darkness lingers in the old bed room, an almost evil darkness that sends chills racing down my spine as more pictures lividly play in my mind, of that dreadful day. Slowly I move my right arm up as the horrid day's painful memory grabs ahold of me, making everything seem so heavy and forceful. Slowly I flip on the lights from the light switch to my right as numbness grabs ahold of me. In the lighted room I take a look around the large room that once belonged to my uncle, to the uncle that was more my dad than anything, who was so loving and caring. He was always there for me until I had went home early that day to find him spread on the living room floor covered in his own blood, a horrid expression on his face. He is no longer here for me and I feel so lost and worthless without him. Numbly I step ahead near his sliding light brown wooden door closet that holds his clothes, a dark brown chesnut dresser sits on the other side of the closet, entrapped in the corner. A small window lies a couple of inches from the corner of the room, where a small ray of light from the bright moon beams in through the thin laced curtains. A foot from the window lies a small desk with a large mirror in front of it, the wooding matching the dark chesnut dresser; the desk where he spent so many nights at writing in his journal or in a current story that he loved to write. Against the right wall lies his large thick queen sized bed that remains covered in his thick off white comforter that he loved so much. Besides his bed lies the matching dark chesnut wood night stand that holds more pictures like the dresser holds, within it's drawer his small Bible remains nested neatly in there along with a small notebook that he had scribbled ideas in. I stand only a couple of feet from his old bed, my feet feeling numb, almost as if my bare feet has somehow grown attached to the old polished light brown wooding floor. Slowly I force myself to walk to the bed where I sit down upon the left half of the bed, slowly running my callused hand over his loved comforter. Memories flood through my head of all the times I had come running to him from a bad dream where he would sit in his bed holding me, comforting me until my tears stopped and my breathing calmed back down to normal. He would then would gently tuck me into bed besides him, watching me until I fell back asleep. Quickly that day's events display themself behind my eyes like a horrid picture show that continues over and over. The room seems to darken through the light as tears reach my eyes at the realization that he really is gone, that he isn't coming back. I feel myself go weak suddenly and without thought I lie my head on his soft feather pillow, smelling his aroma from his pillow. Tears swell up in my eyes rolling down onto the pillow as I allow them to do so, not caring any more if Luke were to walk in and see me crying like a baby. Through the haze of my tears I look up at the pictures on his night stand, two of them. Both of them was of my uncle before I was born, with his wife and child, both of whom died before I was born. Jesse's eyes shine with pride and love for his wife and child, as well as his love for life. Jesse loved life, but most of all he loved his children, even the ones his wife didn't bear; Luke, Daisy, and I. He loved us as if we were his own, placing us in front of anything else that mattered to him. And now he is no longer here. Feeling my body begin to tremble in my tears I try to force myself under control, afterall I am now twenty-one years old. I can never remember seeing Luke cry, he didn't even have a tear in his eyes on the day of his funeral, even though I know he was very pained by loosing his uncle, his father. But I haven't even stopped crying since I had walked in and saw him lying on the floor in his own pool of blood, the most blood I have ever seen in my whole life! The memory of that nightmarish moment displays itself clearly in my head, taunting me with the fear that had arose when I walked into the living room that day. Darkness slowly fades in as tears still continue to flood down my cheeks, my body trembling horribly as the flashback continues to flash in my head. Darkness that I don't welcome, even though I need the sleep, but sleep means that the nightmare will come back and I'll awake once again covered in icy cold sweat and yelling, perhaps bringing everyone's attention. Though no matter how hard I fight against sleep, sleep over takes me and I no longer can feel the trembling of my body or the thudding of my heart or my fight for air.

Here is one of my character's biography: Kristian Marie Duke (Kristy)- Kristy is currently twenty-six years old and is five feet and four inches tall with green-blue eyes that are soft and gentle, along with loving and caring. She has thick, soft, and long strawberry blond hair that she pulls the sides up into a large barrette usaully, her thick hair is naturally curly at the ends of the hair, large curls. She has a soft tan complexion. She was born on July 18, 1975 to Jeremiah and Jayne Duke, who divorced when she was three years old and then moved to Knoxville, TNN from Hazzard County; so Jayne could marry a rich lawyer who she has two boys to; everyone being protective of Kristy since she is the only girl or sister. She returned to Hazzard every weekend to see her dad until he disappeared from Hazzard in attempt to run out on his second wife. She married Trevor Hodges, her long time boyfriend, after finding out she was pregnant. Once married Trevor began abusing her over trivial stuff, though she was too afraid to leave him...while fighting to protect Jamie Lynn...her first daughter. Three years later she found that she was pregnant and a couple months later after Trevor abusing her so bad that she was scared for her unborn baby's life, she bravely walked out on him, taking Jamie with him. She later delivered him the divorce papers, restraining him any visitation to thier children. Though after a year he returned wishing for vegence toward her, only to be stopped by Garrett Duke, where they both ran off to Hazzard County, to start a new life. Kristy is Bo's half sister whose life revolves around her children: Jamie Lynn Duke and Shayne (Shay) Micheal Duke, her one main reason for awakening every morning. She now is a secetary for Boss Hogg and enjoys her job, even though Hogg pushes her hard for everything that is asked for. Kristy owns a 2000 black 4x4 Silverado truck with tinted windows that William, her step-dad bought her for her birthday, that she has named Silver Bullet. Kristy is a very caring and loving person, who gives her best at everything she does. She has a can-do attitude and dislikes negative attitude. She is willing to help anyone in need of any help or just to be there to listen whenever anyone needs to talk to someone. She is determined to do the right thing and has a slight temper that she holds back on most occasions. She is willing to work hard to achieve a positive out come, she is strong willed. She knows what she wants and is willing to work for it. Kristy enjoys spending time with her family, trying to get reaquinted with Jesse and Daisy as well as trying to get to know her brother that she thought was dead, Bo. Her hobbies are: reading, helping others, spending time with family, cooking and cleaning, playing baseball, and writing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How's that for a biography? Hope y'all like it...if so I can write one for Garrett and Tobias.