We've All Got To Grow Up Sometime

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded a little with a smile, noticing instantly how Luke didn't decline Cassie's offer formally...but instead turned it round so all three of them were going along. He knew from the moment Cassie asked that Luke wouldn't let her take his daughter off alone...there were very few people that Luke trusted with Abi, it had taken a while after the little girl was born for Luke to trust even him or Sammy with her. With Cassie new on the scene, there wasn't even a chance Luke would have let it happen...Luke just had a hard time properly saying no.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke stayed quiet as he once more picked his daughter up setting her on his strong shoulders, looking up to her. "You ready Freddy?"

Abi's answer was to bend over and kiss the tip of his nose.

Luke nodded. "Let's go."

[runningwild]

Hearing Luke's comment, Cassie just kind of stayed still. Luke wasn't a new thing to her, she knew him like the back of her hand at one point, and some qualities in a person never quite change completely.

"Well ya'll have fun," she didn't try to include herself any further. Looking back at the stage, Rosco must've went back to the court house because he was no longer there. He probably cussed them all the whole walk back for not helping much. Deciding she would rather just stay, Cassie headed over to the steps of the stage to sit down.

Right now, she figured she had no business being around Bo and Luke. It just wasn't her place and hadn't been for a long time.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo looked back as Cassie called out, watching her go and sit on the steps, biting his lip before saying to Luke.

"Luke...can I explain t'Cassie what's been going on...you know...with...everything. Its not fair on her to feel left out of everything cause of all this...she should at least get to know why..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke swallowed hard but nodded. "If...if you think it's best...we'll...we'll go get some ice cream...c'mon cutie," says to his daughter crossing the street with her.

Abi proudly rode on her daddy's shoulders, her sore hands forgotten with the promise of ice cream.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded, patting Luke's back gently and watching him and Abi go before heading over to where Cassie was seated. Sitting next to her, he said gently.

"Cassie...there's something I need to tell you...bout Luke..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke placed the order at the ice cream counter, knowing exactly what Abi wanted withouut being told. Soon he bent down handing her her sundae, before getting one of his own and taking her by the hand, led her over to a shady spot sitting on the ground and drawing his beloved daughter into his lap as they ate their ice cream.

"How is it?"

Abi gave him a big smile. "Yummy!"

Luke smiled, just watching her. Some days he couldn't look at her long enough.

[runningwild]

Peering up at Bo, once he approached her was a defining moment for her. Not only did her face carry a smile, but her eyes showed a kind of hurt that couldn't be put into words. Still she seemed very soft spoken and cheery.

"About Luke?" Upon hearing that, she looked concerned, "Is everything okay, Bo? He did seem a bit different more so than just growing up."

Blonde to blonde, she waited to hear what Bo had to say. It almost surprised her how willing he was to take the time to talk to her about something that was apparently serious, or well seemed to be. A part of her was grateful for that because like just hadn't been the same for her. Nostalgia had overwhelmed her for the better part of a decade, and her new life was all that she had to hold on to. Well that, and Enos.

Meanwhile, Enos had checked both Cassie and himself into the Hazzard Hotel. Just to go ahead and get things settled he took both of their suitcases in and Cassie's many extra, unneeded bags. Leaving the car parked at the hotel, it was more convenient for him to walk back anyway.

Passing by the ice cream parlor, he spotted Luke and Abi inside through the door, but before he knew it, they were exiting with their treats. Enos decided to see if Cassie and Bo were still around.

"Looks like ya'll know how to do an afternoon right," Enos flashed a chipper smile. "Are we all done working already?" The tone his voice carried was very sarcastic because he knew they'd be too busy catching up to actually get any work done.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke and Abi, meanwhile continued to sit under the tree, eating their ice cream and talking.

"Daddy?" began the inquisitive 6-year-old.

"Yeah?"

""What makes the sky blue?"

"God." Of course he knew the answer, but trying to explain light spectrums to her would be like explaining the stock reports to a hen.

"Why did God wanna make it blue? Why not pink?"

Luke smiled. "Wanted it to match your eyes I suppose."

Abi dimpled up at him as she took another spoonful of ice cream. "Daddy?"

"Yeah baby-girl?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo sighed softly, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his hands together. He didn't quite know how to explain such a thing as this to Cassie, Luke was his brother and he knew how Luke felt....but putting those feelings into words was gonna be hard. Looking to her, he bit his his lip before shaking his head.

"No...no not really...see...Abi's mom...she's called Sara and...heck Luke loved her such a lot..."

[runningwild]

Cassie stared intently at Bo, "Sara?" Bo was being somewhat vague and beating around the bush to tell her what he needed to about Luke. But, something he said had caught her attention.

"He loved her? Loved? What happened, Bo?"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke looked over as Enos asked him that. "Uh...no...at least...I never started," he said feeling a little bad about that. "Abi needed some ice cream an' I come along for moral support..."

"An' t' pay for it..." chimed in his blue-eyed daughter.

"Yeah...that too."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"There was an accident...when Abi wasn't born yet but around the time that she was due...Sara was here waiting for Luke t'get here an' someone tried to...tried to snatch her purse. Course, Sara being Sara she fought back and tried to keep it...but the guy pushed her and threw her to the curb...course...the shock started labour and..."

Bo bit his lip, hating to have to be the one always to explain what had happened to Sara but Luke refused to talk about it.

"Luke got there...he rushed her to the hospital...called me...took me an hour to get there...by the time I did, Abi'd already been delivered and...Sara...she urm...she'd passed on...she had a massive bleed...she hemorrhaged...when I caught up with Luke, Abi was in the special care unit cause they almost lost her..."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke gave Enos a smile before looking back to his daughter who, by now, had succeeded in getting ice cream all over her face. "Abi you sure ain't gonna get no A's in neatness..." He took his handkerchief and dabbed at her mouth.

Abi just let him, enjoying the one-on-one attention her daddy gave her.

[runningwild]

Instantly, Cassie hand covered her mouth, as tears filled her eyes. What Bo had just told her had really touched her heart and had saddened her.

"I'm so sorry, Bo. Luke never deserved that. He never.."

Her voice broke, as tears slid down her face. The news had shocked her, and it had shocked her so much that she could not hide her feelings on the matter.

"Has any one tried to get through to him?" She tried to take a steady breath, "He seems like he still can't move past it."

Enos had smiled at Luke and Abi, "Well you two I won't ruin your father/daughter moment."

Giving Luke a nod, he began to walk away with a pleasant smile on his face. He even shoved his hands in his pockets and had a bounce in his step.

"I think I'll find Cassie," he spoke over his shoulder. Suddenly, he began to whistle a tune that wasn't immediately recognizable.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke waved good-bye to Enos before turning and kissing Abby on the forehead, drawing the child into his lap thoughtfully staring across the street. he knew that, right now, Bo was telling Cassie about Sara. He wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not. The last thing Luke Duke wanted was pity. He didn't want reassurances that he'd find another person to love. He just wanted Sara back and that wasn't going to happen.

He never talked about her (except on rare occasion to Bo) because when he did, it hurt enough to make him cry... and one thing Luke Duke couldn't stand was to see a grown man cry over what he could do nothing about.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo swallowed gently, nodding softly.

"Me an' Sammy help him through it when we can...I mean Luke has t'go at his own pace, it aint somethin that can be rushed. The reason I told you was because he ain't been around girls s'much since it happened...Sammy's the only one he really acts close to which is why sometimes it might seem like he's stepping the line just a bit...but Cass, don't take how he's treatin' ya personal like...he just don't wanna risk getting into uneasy territory and having to explain why or being rude and blowing ya off...don't mention it to him unless he mentions it and....god please dont pity him, he hates it. After the wake, people were comin up and saying sorry and how he'd find someone else and he flipped out...just...I know its hard...but act like you never found out okay...."

[runningwild]

She understood and nodded to signal so. Everything that Bo told her was racing through her mind, and yes, she did pity Luke. If she owed him anything, she owed him just a normal life. No grief, no pity from herself, and she was going to give it to him.

Cassie had let a few stray tears streak her face, but had managed to get herself under control. At least, under enough control to speak to Bo sensibly.

"I wouldn't dream of bringing it up. Lord knows I've already hurt Luke enough for a life time, and I would never want to put him through anything like that again." Cassie paused, "I just can't believe it. Luke deserves all the happiness in the world."

Looking up at Bo, glassy eyed she answered his request, "I won't act any different. I just wish I knew how to make him more comfortable around me is all. I know I've wronged him many times, but I would give anything to change his life."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Abi yawned cuddling into her daddy as they sat under the old oak tree by Hazzard Square.

Luke held her gently, stroking back a stray strand of hair that fell over her shoulder. It was pretty obvious that the 6-year-old had him wrapped around her little finger. He couldn't help himself. To Luke, little Abi was a wingless angel, and his biggest fear was that she too would be taken up to Heaven, along with everyone else he had ever loved.

"Gettin' tired baby?"

"Mmm," murmured Abi, her thumb going to her mouth as she clutched Luke's shirt with her free hand.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo sighed and looked down at the floor again with a nod...boy did he know that...Luke didn't deserve everything that had happened to him in his life....Sara being taken was the last straw and so help him he was bound and determined to do anything and everything to stop Abi being taken too - which was something he knew Luke feared.

"I know....I wish I did too...sometimes I feel..just...so guilty that I got Sammy an'...everythin's turning out great with her...I don't understand why this always seems to happen to him at all...I know Uncle Jesse said that everything happens for a reason but I just dont see the point behind what's happened to him. Luke ain't ever done nothin' t'deserve having everyone he loves ripped from his life."

Bo stopped himself before he carried on further, this was a discussion he had had with Sammy many times and the conclusion was always the same. It couldn't be helped...that it was the will of God...well as far as he was concerned, God was a figment of people's imaginations now. he had never really suffered, but seeing the suffering of a good man like Luke pained him when Sara's killer was still out there free cause they never had caught him...it made him think long and hard about what he was supposed to be believing in and now he just didnt.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke gently picked up his daughter, carrying her around on his shoulder, purposely staying away from Bo and Cassie til he thought the conversation was done, just walking about, cuddling and humming his baby to sleep.

[runningwild]

Cassie's eyes dropped, as she listened intently. This life just wasn't fair, and she wasn't about to let Luke continue living like he was. In her mind, she had to do something, anything to get Luke pointed in the right direction.

"Do you think I could get a chance to talk to him. Just him and I?" Cassie swallowed gently, "I just want to ease him into a conversation with a woman. I won't mention anything about Sara."

Saying his late wife's name, chilled her bones because she felt so guilty for using it, having not known her.

"Who knows. Maybe I'll say something funny and he'll crack a smile." She paused, "Do you think he'd let you take Abi, so it could just be him and I?"

In her heart, she figured that the answer was no, but she was trying. Anything that she could do to help even a little bit was what she was giong to do while she was in town.

"I just want to help him.."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo closed his eyes and shook his head softly, saying in as nice a tone as he could.

"I can't...as soon as I suggest taking Abi, he'll wanna know why and I can't lie t'him...he knows when i'm lyin'...when i'm plannin somethin'...an' I can't do that t'him Cassie. I can't put him in such an awkward position, he was even acting it around ya when we were all there....he's not looking to talk t'anyone Cass...he just wants people to go on around him like nothin's gone on so he can work through it on his own...if he wants t'talk t'you he will...but about women he'll only talk t'me an Sammy and even then that's rare...he don't want t'get into that kind of a relationship again, he don't even wanna consider it...so he'll stay away from the subject an unfortunatly at the moment away from women too...like I said me an' Sammy are workin' on it but...it takes time...i've never seen him so taken with anyone as he was with Sara...it was the real deal...and I dont think he'll ever find that again...he couldn't be happy with anyone else....not now..."

[runningwild]

"I ain't saying that I want to be his new leading lady. I just want to be his friend. Haven't we always been friends on one level or another?"

Cassie was sympathetic, but she still dealt with her spit-fire attitude at times. Usually, this occurred when she didn't see why someone would be so stubborn.

"Luke needs to snap out of it, and I don't know how much time you're willing to give him, but he ain't gettin' any younger." Cassie sighed.

"I'm sorry, Bo. I know you and your wife are doing the best you can for him. I guess I'm just angry at what's happened to him."

She bit her lower lip, "I don't know what to do."

At that moment, Enos had approached them. "Hey Ya'll!"

[BoJamesDuke]

"I know you don't Cassie, that ain't what i'm saying. I know Luke ain't gettin any younger, and he knows it too. He doesn't want to move on, he still loves Sara...she may be ead but his heart still belongs t'her and its not as easy as picking him up, dusting him off and saying get over it and move on. He's not being stubborn...he's heartbroken and right now the only person in his life he wants to focus on is Abi. I told you this so you'd understand...its not your job to help him do anything. Just be there, act like you usually do and that'll be the greatest help of all. If he gets used to you being around, then maybe he'll become more like his old self again....just dont push it...he's still your friend...but it's gonna take a while to get back to how he used t'act round you..."

He broke off as Enos came over, smiling up at him despite his heavy heart and nodding.

"Hey there Enos..."