A Hazzard County Christmas-BoJamesDuke and DaisyMaeDuke

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Daisy leaned her head onto Bo's shoulder, quietly listening to the muffled sobs coming from the boys' room.

It wasn't until late, long after Daisy had gone to bed that Luke emerged, quiet, and red-eyed, but appearing much calmer than before. His pocket bulged a little it evident that he carried the watch with him.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo had been determined to wait up for him, and since Daisy had gone to bed had retrieved all the presents down from the attic that had been stored up there out the way by him and Daisy and had added them to the ones Luke had put under there earlier. The house smelled of Turkey as it gently cooked in the oven and the place was spotless as Bo had taken to cleaning after he had run out of presents to bring down. Outside, the snow had settled and turned everything white, though already there were footprints where Bo had been outside to check the animals and put them away in their warm shelters. He had even taken to decorating the outside of the house a little bit. Now though, he had fallen asleep on the couch with a car magazine in one hand and an empty cup of cocoa in the other.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke swallowed as he looked down upon his sleeping cousin, gently removing the car magazine from his hand and setting it on the table. He then returned to Bo, taking the old quilt Aunt Lavinia had made and covering him gently with it.

The presents were fll beneath the tree, but Luke noticed that, in the midst of everything, no one had thought about the stockings. They hung on the mantle limply, waiting fo Jesse to fill them, which of course he could not.

Biting his lip, Luke grabbed his keys, determined to carry out his uncle's wishes in that respect at least.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo continued to sleep unawares, tired out from the work he had done and just exhausted in general from the double chores he had taken up around the farm while Luke had been in his subdued and uninterested state. If anything, he just snuggled under the familiar old quilt more and settled on the couch in a better position as Luke left.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

If Mr. Rhuebottom had any objections to opening his store up in the middle of the night, he didn't say so, and he certainly didn't complain as Luke handed him the money to pay for the bag of oranges, chocolate and peppermint sticks he had bought.

As he walked out he coudn't help but smile as the church bells rang out signifying the arrival of Christmas. Quickly he got in the General, hurrying for home.

[BoJamesDuke]

The sound of the bells seemed to continue to ring in his head long after he had left the town square. It was almost comforting that while a lot was changing and would continue to change for the Dukes in the years to come, there would be some things that would never cease. For all intents and purposes, Uncle Jesse had indeed filled his lot in life in taking in the three cousins on their most tragic day and raising them to be the people they were, people that everyone loved and respected and would do anything for....including opening a store in the middle of the night and a little boy wishing for their happiness to return. Very few people touched other people's lives like the Dukes did, and while Uncle Jesse's loss had hit Luke hard, the legacy he left behind in him was something that would never be lost. As long as he had his Uncle's teachings, there would always be people on his side and the extended family that was the townfolk and would include people whom he would meet much later on in life would always grow.