Picking Up the Pieces

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter sighed softly and nodded, still holding her close.

"Well o'course i'll have ya here Darlin'...but you gotta think of what this'll do to Luke too....knowing Uncle Jesse he's probably told Luke we'd all support him in his decisions...having Bo run out on him will be tough but to leave him with only Uncle Jesse supporting him...that's gonna hurt him Dusty..."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty sighed. Cooter was right.

"Man I'm trapped in a fox hole with no bow and arrow. If Bo leaves it will hurt Luke, if I leave too, it will hurt not only Uncle Jesse but Luke as well. I don't know what to do?" Dusty said as leaned more into Cooter's embrace.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter sighed and kissed the top of her head softly.

"I know what you mean....but as long as Cassie's got a hold on Luke...there really isnt anything we can do except hope Luke realises what he's doing and comes to his senses."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty looked up at Cooter and smiled.

"Oh Coot what would I do without you. And on a happy note, we still on for tonight?" Dusty asked Cooter with a sly grin. Anything to take her mind off of Bo and Luke fighting.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter smiled, nodding.

"Of course...provided that nothing happens between now and then that we're needed for..."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty laughed.

"You're right honey. I just wish Bo would think of Uncle Jesse about leavin. I mean was goin to move in with you, but not at the cost of how Uncle Jesse will feel about it. Bo and Luke don't seem to care about the other people in the house." Dusty said as she looked up at Cooter.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"You gotta remember Dusty...Bo nearly died because of that girl and he still has to be in the hospital once a week to keep getting treatment...she ruined his life as well as Luke's and yet Luke doesn't seem to give a damn about it and Uncle Jesse's supporting Luke...he feels like he doesn't matter anymore...and as frightened as he is, although he won't admit it, personally I can see why he wants to go."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty sighed and nodded her head.

"I think I understand but it's not easy. I do love my cousins Cooter, I just don't know how to help them." Dusty said.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter shook his head.

"As much as I wish we could help them, we just can't. Luke's gotta get his head in gear and workin' straight to be able to see what he's doin' and what it could cost him....and until Cassie's gone, if she's ever gone, there ain't a snowball's chance in hell that Bo's gonna stick around...heck after what Luke's doin'.,..i'd be surprised if Bo ever considered coming back for good at all...once he gets on the NASCAR track and leads that life...it can be pretty addictive for some people...."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

"Ya I know. I could knok some sence into Luke, but then Luke couldn't knok any sence into Bo when Diane and her Carnivile of Thrills was here, and Bo had to do that stupid stunt." Dusty said with a sigh.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter shuddered a little, thinking how close to death their friend had come, sighing.

"Yeah....but at least then they could prove Diane wasn't guilty of trying to kill him, Carl was. We all know Cassie's guilty, even Luke, and yet he still...you know if Bo ever did this Luke would flip..."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

"A friend of mine in the Marines used to help me when Luke did this same trick. He took me out for beers one night and we got to talkin. He called it 'The Law of Attraction'. He said it was hard to shake." Dusty said with a sigh.

[BoJamesDuke]

"Yeah well, like every other law in this universe it can be broken, you just gotta find the loophole to unravel all the tightly woven strings..."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

"And the way to do that is find a good man," Dusty said with a smirk as she held Cooter close.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter chuckled and held her close, resting his chin on the top of her head again as he looked out over his farm with a sigh.

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty smiled as looked at Cooter's farm. They had some crazy times at this place.

[BoJamesDuke]

Meanwhile, Bo had arrived back at the farm and seeing Uncle Jesse not there at that moment, he had run into his room and started packing his stuff into a suitcase. He wasn't taking much, seeing as nearly everything he had was shared with Luke, pictures, trophies everything like that was part Luke's too and while he was mad at Luke he wasn't about to take stuff that was also rightfully his.

Sighing, he did however pick up his one favourite photo of him and Luke sitting on the hood of the newly created General Lee, he was just a teen then, just graduated from High School and Luke had just come back from the Marines. But they both had never looked happier...god how he wished he could have that with Luke again...but with that witch around there was no chance.

[Dusty Rose Duke]

"Cooter would talking to Bo again, will it change his mind?" Dusty said as she looked at Cooter.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter sighed gently again and shook his head.

"I don't think so...not this time...I think the only way he'll stay is if Luke gets rid of Cassie for good..."

[Dusty Rose Duke]

Dusty nodded her head. And then smirked.

"Cooter, what do you say if we go down to Hazzard Pond? Just you and me? Call it a way to cool off." Dusty asked with a grin

[runningwild]

Rosco cursed under his breath, "Ms. Morgan isn't taking any visitors right now. It's time for Enos and I to get something to eat. Jail's closed." He started towards Luke and the door, "Now get!"

Enos shook his head slightly, "But Sheriff.."

"But nothing Enos! I said Luke's not seeing Cassie and that's final." Rosco stormed out of the jail. "Get out or get locked up, Luke," he called over his shoulder.

Luke sighed, "Can I see her Enos?"

He sighed, "Just for a second Luke.. I shouldn't even be doing this." Shaking his head, he lead Luke downstairs. "Cassie you've got a visitor.."

Cassie perked up and looked. Her heart once again raced, as she saw Luke coming down the stairs. "Luke.." Moving to the bars, she stared at him.

Luke didn't smile, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she nodded slowly.

Enos stayed back, but kept his eye on them.

"Enos," Luke turned to look at him. "Let me bail her out. Let me do something."

Cassie's eyes widened, "No, you can't do that."

Luke ignored her and watched Enos, who replied, "You can't Luke."

He sighed out of frustration, "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Cassie whispered. "I'm a bad person and this is where I belong."

"Stop saying that!" Luke raised his voice. "I'm tired of hearing that you're such a bad person."

Enos stepped in, "Luke maybe you should go."

[BoJamesDuke]

By this time, Bo had finished packing and was loading it up into General Lee. He wasn't planning on taking General Lee to NASCAR, he didn't want it to get ruined. No, he was going to drop General at Cooters and have him bring it back to Luke, while he borrowed a loner and went on his journey. Heck he'd walk if he had to...anything to get away.

[Dusty Rose Duke]

"Cooter I want to see Bo before he leave's, and I'll be the one to tell Uncle Jesse, Daisy and Luke abourt where Bo went. Then I'm going to let Luke have boht barrels. I maybe even give him a left and a right to." Dusty said.

[BoJamesDuke]

Cooter sighed and shook his head.

"I think Bo's coming back here...he ain't got a car except for the General so he'll wanna borrow one to get to the NASCAR circuit...and about Luke, you give him right and left hooks all yer gonna achieve is driving him away more...more into Cassie's arms...by all means let him know how ya feel...but at the end of the day he's your family and while he's making a stupid decision doing this, you can't do what Bo's doing....it'll kill him or just push him more to Cassie...."

[runningwild]

Luke was feeling despair because he didn't know how what he should do. So, he stared through the bars at Cassie. "Remember that time.. when we were just kids and riled Bo up so much by tearing his new pair of pants."

Cassie nodded slowly and couldn't for the life of her figure out why Luke was bringing it up. "Yeah, we were about 5 or so.. just before I left. It was an accident, but quite funny at the time."

Enos chuckled to himself, "Bo Duke caught with his pants down. I remember that. How'd you managed to actually get 'em like that. Ya'll were just kids."

In Cassie's mind a light bulb went off, she smiled. "Well Enos.. he'd made me mad for some reason. And, as he was walking away from me I grabbed the only thing I could."

Luke cut in, "Oh come on Enos let her out so she can show you. It was the funniest thing back then. She was a pistol."

Being caught up in the laughter, Enos didn't question the motive. "Just for a second, I can't have Rosco finding out about this. But, don't try anything funny Luke, you promise?"

"Scouts honor," Luke smiled.

Removing the keys from his side, Enos opened the cell door and stepped out of the way for Cassie to walk out. "Now, hurry up we'll all have our laugh and I'll have to meet the Sheriff at the diner."

Cassie nodded, "Well Enos," she stepped out of the clearance of the door. "Bo started to walk away from me, and I wasn't one to be walked away from back then. See he'd thrown a rock and hit me, so I snatched him up by the front of his britches." As she spoke Cassie, simulated on Enos. When her hand grasped the front of his pants at the button, he blushed. "Then, before I knew it they were down around his ankles." She noticed that Luke cut his eyes at her and nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Like so," in one swift movement she had broken the button and tore down the zipper. As Enos scrambled to gain composure of his pants, Cassie and Luke bolted for the stairs.

Enos yelled, "Cassie come back here!" He couldn't keep his pants up, "Luke you promised!"

Luke called over his shoulder, "Sorry Enos I'll make it up to you." He lead Cassie out of the jail and to Uncle Jesse's truck. She slid in the passenger side and he jumped in the driver's seat. In a matter of seconds, they were speeding off.

Cassie sighed, "What a rush I never thought we'd do something like that again. I appreciate it, but you shouldn't have busted me out of jail."

"We've got to make some things right," Luke said sternly. "Just be grateful you're not rotting away in that jail cell." Picking up the CB he hit the button, "Crazy Cooter this is Lost Sheep 1, you got your ears on?"