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When Lonely Hearts Meet...


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Daisy did the same, walking happily and silently next to him. Just walking along with her eldest cousin in the peace and quiet in the soothing rain was enough to keep her happy. If Luke wanted to talk then she knew he would start it, if not, she was just as content to keep the silence and just wander through Hazzard.

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Luke had never told anyone about Nam, about the things he went through, no one that is except for Bo, and even then many of the things he shared were watered down, like Boar's Nest beer, because Luke didn't like to hurt anyone without a good reason, intentionally or not.

As such no one knew why the sound bothered him so much; no one could see him swallow hard in the night.

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Daisy didn't say a word, not wanting to make Luke uncomfortable or make him act wierd around her by asking what was so frightining now about something he used to - when he was a kid - find so facinating.

When they were younger, Luke didn't like school as many kids didn't. But it wasn't because of the work load, it was simply because he was bored. He didn't need to go over things for weeks to understand them, he could have his homework done in ten minutes and still have time to help Bo with his within the same hour. He got bored eaisly so channeled that boredom into more fun activities...like filling Hughie Hogg's locker with water balloon's, helping Enos with the kids that picked on him, playing pranks on the teachers with Bo and teasing Daisy about guys she liked.

But if there was one thing Luke wasn't, it was dumb. He used to revel in finding out new things, liked to study and work at things that captured his attention. Like his Uncle teaching him how to use the farm equipment, drive the tractor, learn to drive. He used to always ask his Uncle questions about the world around them, how things worked and why things occured. But as soon as he came back from Nam, all that stopped. It was like Luke had shut away that interest in understanding things instead of being afraid of them. In many ways, out in Nam, Luke had learned exactly what fear was and why there were reasons to be afraid of it...or so he thought. Daisy thought in reality Luke just associated bad things with the things he used to understand...and yet he would never talk about it like he used to do. Instead he kept things locked away inside his head..not sharing his fear with anyone and not letting anyone help him understand that it was no longer something to be afraid of.

Daisy missed that about her cousin, missed his hunger for wanting to explore and discover...upset that instead of going out and doing all the wonderful things in the world he could be doing, he was leashed to Hazzard County by a probation he should never have really gotten, fighting each day to keep out of prison because of his probation and the underhanded schemes that threatened to break it...using his keen mind to figure ways for his family to get out of trouble instead of making a proper life for himself.

In a lot of ways, Daisy still mourned for the life Luke could have had if the government and Nam had never taken it away. But never would she let on to Luke...and only once had she ever really spoken to Bo about it.

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By the time they reached the porch rain was pouring down in a full-fledged storm. With each boom of thunder, Luke's insides quaked, his heart racing all the more. "Well...we...escaped ...the worst...of it..." he said trying to catch his breath as his heart thumped madly. "Guess...I'm outta shape..." he made excuse.

Outta shape...what a sorry excuse that sounded like, even to Luke. He knew that physically he was in his prime. Between the conditioning he had received in Nam and the daily routine of farmwork, Luke was more muscular and in shape than he had ever been. He hoped that Daisy accepted the lame excuse for his panting...for his pounding heart...because although he loved Daisy like his sister, there were things that he doubted she and Bo would ever understand... and his time in Nam was one of them.

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Daisy looked up at him as he said it, nodding a little as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist softly.

"Yeah...gotta lay off them pancakes in the mornin huh?" she said jokingly, just playing along with what she knew Luke wanted her to believe although the muscles quivering and tense under her arms told a different story altogether. Besides, she didn't need Luke's pounding heart to know he was scared when he made such lame excuses like that up.

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"I guess," he said shakily. "S'yer fault...for cookin' so good." Her arms felt nice around his waist as he hugged her back in return. His heart was still thumping so loud he was sure that she could hear it, but he said nothing about it. Instead he opened the door, once he could do so without his trembling hands giving away his nervousness, and held the door open for her.

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Daisy nodded a little, murmuring a soft apology, squeezing him just a little more as he opened the door before heading inside quietly. Whether or not she could say it out loud to him, she hoped Luke knew she'd always be there to just listen or walk quietly through the rain with. That's what family did, that's what brother and sister did.

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It wasn't long after Luke came in that Daisy stepped out the bathroom dressed in her nightclothes and robe, her damp hair trailing down her back. She smiled a little as she saw Luke standing by the fire...although it wasn't really a happy smile...it was more a sad one. Seeing Luke standing there like that made him look like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, made him seem far older than he should look.

Sighing gently, she stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Luke...I know you don't like talking about what happened...but if you ever just...want to get it off your chest or...just need someone to listen while you talk about it...me, Bo and Uncle Jesse are always here...we're not afraid Luke...and we're not children anymore. We won't leave or distance ourselves...we just want you to be happy..." she said softly as she moved her hand to rub his back a little before pulling away and saying quietly as she headed to her room.

"The shower's free...I left enough hot water for you...please don't stand there trying to dry in front of the fire..."

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Luke bit his lip as he felt her hand, and listened to the soft words. "Thanks Daisy," he said quietly turning to go into the bathroom himself.

In his mind though, sharing some of the things that bothered him just wasn't an option. Heck,telling them about Zack and what he wanted to do had upset the happy family enough...he wasn't about to make it worse.

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Luke emerged from the show half hour later, his hair a mass of tight, wet curls, wearing only his boxers as he dried off with a fluffy towel, before going to his room and slipping under the warm blankets.

He stared at the ceiling and wondered what Bo was doing, and thought about the things Daisy had said. Did Bo really feel that he was being replaced by this little homeless boy? And what about the whole circumstance with Judd? Why is it that he was just now finding out? Didn't Bo understand that he was Luke's brother more than Judd could ever be?

He wondered if, right now, Zack was sleeping or if, like Luke, he was lying awake thinking about things. He smiled a little imagining what the little boy must look like when he slept, imagining him hugging George close as he did.

Just then a loud crack of thunder shook the house, causing Luke to cling to the sheets white knuckled. He never used to be afraid of storms...not until Nam... He wasn't in Nam now though...he had a roof above him...Jesse and Daisy nearby...he was home, he told himself. No need to be afraid.

He wasn't cold under the warm blankets, but his body still shivered.

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Daisy sighed softly as she watched the rain drops splatter on the window, watching the patterns the falling raindrops made on the cool glass, not able to fall asleep while it was going on and also because she too had too much to think about.

Zack meanwhile was sitting back at the window, curled up with George. He liked thunderstorms, watching the lightning light up the sky and hearing the thunder rumble like the voice of the giants in some of his stories. His dad had once held him through the night as they watched the thunderstorm together by his bedroom, his mom making hot cocoa to keep them warm. Watching it made him feel a little closer to them...whereever they were.

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