Dukes of Hazzard 1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Hey all! New Chirstmas Dukes story for you as challenged to me by my very own mother...who doesn't even really love dukes...wow... lol. Anyway hope you enjoy, lets get started. Anyone got any one shots they want to write quickly before christmas? I got a couple of full length challenges i'm working on but any one shots people want me to write are welcomed. :-)_**

**_Read and Review!_**

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Bo whistled joyously as he hung the Christmas decorations in the living room with Luke, not being able to stop glancing over at his older cousin every few seconds. This was Luke's first Christmas back home after 4 long, hard years of war in Vietnam, 4 Christmases where he had been dodging bullet's and bombs and watching the members of his platoon dying in pools of blood in some forgotten forest somewhere in the mass battlefield.

In all the years that they had been living with Uncle Jesse and going to church, Bo doubted, as did any other member of his family, that they had ever believed in God harder than over the past 4 years. To have Luke home after everything he had been forced to go through, everything he was still suffering in nightmares and funny turns, was a complete miracle. It was the best Christmas present that any of them could ever have hoped for.

Luke smiled and stepped back to look at their handy work, glancing to Bo as his younger cousin's long arm draped over his shoulder lazily but carefully, grinning widely with the same childish glint in his eye that Luke could always remember being there. With a nod, Luke patted Bo's back and started packing away the boxes, only to find himself suddenly on his knees as long fingers worked their way into his sides and he was shaking with laughter, twisting to try and get away as they tickled him mercilessly, Bo's laughter ringing through his ears.

And that was the site that Jesse and Daisy walked through the door to. Empty boxes scattered around the brightly decorated, glistening room with his two boys wrestling on the floor; both in peels of laughter as they tickled and grappled with each other. At first, Jesse was intent on stepping in, knowing Luke was still not back up to par completely on the health side to things…until he was stopped by Daisy's gentle hand on his arm, shaking her head. Luke was a grown man now, he knew as Bo did, when things were getting too out of hand and he needed to stop. For now, Luke needed this connection to his past with Bo to re-build their still slightly shaky relationship, to cheer him up and really get him into the Christmas spirit that he just didn't seem to be feeling.

As expected, it wasn't long before Luke broke away panting and chuckling still as he shook his head at Bo and signalled him to stop as he caught his breath, something Bo complied with instantly as he too sat up straight and did the same…still with the same cheeky grin as he patted Luke's back gently and stood up, helping him to his feet before heading out to do his chores.

It was with that sudden reality though, that Luke's cheerful demeanour fell slightly before he could catch it and he wished more than anything that he could follow Bo out there and do the evening chores as before. But Uncle Jesse still insisted on keeping him rested up, and even though he knew that it was the best thing for him to do as his feet still weren't healed, not by a long shot and neither were his ribs really although they were a lot better than they had been when he had first come home nearly 2 months before…it just frustrated him. All he wanted was his life back, and 'Nam was still taking that away from him.

But, the gloomy thoughts could not be kept for long as Daisy soon replaced Bo at his side and dragged him into the kitchen to help her with the dinner….well…actually just to talk to her while she made the dinner. 'Nam hadn't improved Luke's cooking skills one iota and while she would always appreciate his help, even he knew no one wanted burned food. And so, he would sit there and banter with her, tell jokes and hear some more of the tales of what Daisy and Bo had been up to while he was away,

And yet somehow, when in the previous years nothing had been better than to hear those stories…this year he couldn't contribute with his own because none of his past 4 Christmases had been worth mentioning. How could you dampen the spirit that the other people in the house had by telling them he had been sitting in a shell hole in the middle of a field with his dying friend that first Christmas…how could he tell them that he had been laying in a hospital bed with a bullet wound through his shoulder the second Christmas…how could he tell them in those 4 Christmases, he had seen more people die than he cared to count.

He soon found that he had missed completely what Daisy had been saying, and only tuned back in when he heard her calling his name. She was used to this, Luke suddenly tuning out of conversations…but what she wasn't prepared for was the haunted look in his eyes as he looked up to her startled. It had been there ever since he had come home, but now it was so much more pronounced that the dark circles that were only just starting to fade made him look so weary and showed his tortured young soul once more.

She swallowed as he looked away again and stood up, mumbling his apologies as he walked past her and out the door, crossing to the fence that overlooked the vast stretch of land that the Duke family owned, known to them as the Back Forties. He closed his eyes as he heard the rustling of the trees, hoping to find some inner peace and hear the soft words repeated from the bible by his Uncle Jesse or the local Hazzard preacher to soothe his troubled mind.

But as had happened back in 'Nam after the second year running of bombs, bullets and bloodshed, he found that he just couldn't bring himself to recall them…he found that his mind just wouldn't let him keep clinging to something that he no longer truly believed in. He had heard when he went out of men that lost all faith in the God they had strongly believed in when they went away and he had sworn that it would never happen to him. But even the strongest of men can crack under the pressure and the sights of war and cracked Luke had.

He could remember how it had happened too….he had been running back to base with a group of other Marine's through an ambush of Vietcong, praying desperately for all of them to get through it and make it back safe after the hell they had just been a part of only hours before. For a while it looked like his prayers were answered as one by one, each Marine ran out of the forest ambush and made it back to base. All…but the youngest of the platoon…a kid barely older than his 15 year old cousin Bo.

He watched helplessly as the young man's eyes widened in shock and pain as a sniper hit caught him in the back, watched as he fell to his knees, in Luke's head at least, in slow motion. He had immediately, despite the shouts and protests of the other members of his group, ran back out there to get to him, firing shots in the direction that the sniper shot had come from and feeling extremely satisfied when he heard a distant thud of a body falling from a height somewhere around that area. By the time he reached the young man however, he knew it was too late. The pool of dark red, almost purple blood around the weakening, trembling body made his breath hitch in his throat as he could so clearly see Bo dying there instead of this young man.

With no regard to his own safety, Luke had dropped down beside the body and cradled the young man's head as he slipped away, promising to fulfil his dying requests to let his family know what had happened, even if it was just by letter. He held the shaking young man's hand tight as he drew his last agonised breath, before the gurgle of his blood filled lungs filled the air and the youthful brown eyes lost all light as they rolled into the back of his head.

Luke had stayed out there for a short while, unaware of all the bullet's that were whizzing narrowly by his own ears, as he looked up at the dark grey sky, seeing planes piercing through the ominous dreary clouds. But his thoughts no longer remained on where he was, only on throwing as many insults as he could to the supposed God that had abandoned them.

It took a long while for him to actually realize where he was again, only being jerked out of his reverie as a hand touched his shoulder and he was met but the sight of his Corporal's face. He swallowed as he saw the small, reassuring smile and felt the hand pull him and the body he cradled in his arms, to his feet, helping him to stay covered in his dazed and helplessly lost state and safely back to base.

After that, Luke couldn't remember what had happened. The next thing he could remember was waking up in the Infirmary, no wounds, but being told he was recovering from a severe case of shock. He took the short time that he had off to write the heartfelt letter of condolence to the young man's family, finding his own tears finally sliding down his cheeks as he did.

He was one of the few of his original group to live to make it back to see another Christmas with his family…and back then, he would have given his own life if it meant he could have saved the young man and given him the Christmases he so deserved.

Luke never revealed his feelings to his Uncle or Cousins, not knowing and not really wanting to find out how they would react. He forced himself to go to church with them on a Sunday, where he still heard prayers for other soldier's safe return. He knew some of them were still locked away in the hidden POW camps and that he was very lucky to be in one of the ones that had been liberated at the very end of the war. But still he found himself wondering, as his mind drifted from the sermons, how a God that was supposed to be great enough to be worshiped by millions of people all over the world, could abandoned the human beings he had created to such an awful fate.

Luke jumped sharply and spun round as he felt a hand on his shoulder, instantly defensive in a reflex that he had yet to learn how to stop happening, but relaxed slightly as he found it only to be Bo, who had come to him to make sure he was okay. Suddenly, Luke found that it was very very hard to look at his youngest cousin, so innocent with a naivety that he wished he still had. Because Luke had been to war, it meant that the chances of Bo now being called up for another were very unlikely, and his heart and head agreed that even after everything, he was very glad he had been called up if it meant he could preserve that innocence in Bo he had lost and allow him the life he wished he still had in Hazzard for just that little bit longer. He knew one day, Bo would learn of what had happened in 'Nam from other people, possibly even Luke when he felt brave enough to tell him, but until then Luke was determined to protect Bo from those horrors as much as possible.

Bo never said a word as he regarded his oldest cousin, noticing the slight glimmer of tears that could not be shed in his eyes and the mental anguish that had returned in the facial expressions. Opening his arms, he pulled Luke into a comforting hug, knowing that it was probably the last thing Luke wanted, having never been one of showing any public display's of affection but still doing so all the same. Little did he know, that at that moment, Luke wouldn't have cared if the whole US Marine Corps was watching. He felt safe in his younger cousin's arms, reminded him that he was back with people who cared and would protect him if he so needed it.

Luke lost track of how long they stayed like that, what could have only been a few brief minutes seemed like an eternity that he didn't want to let go of. But eventually, they did break away and he sighed as he saw Bo's gentle smile. He nodded and smiled slightly back, patting Bo's back by way of non-verbal thanks before heading back to the farm house with him to join back in with the celebrations in a way that only Bo knew how to stir in him.

But before he could reach the front door, he turned as the sound of a car reached his ears and saw Rosco's patrol car pull to a stop. Forcing a smile onto his face, he stepped forward…only to be met by a grim expression and a soft tone.

"Luke…there's uh…there's something I need to tell you…"


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Here the second chapter for you, hope it is as well received as the first :-)_**

**_Read and Reveiw please!!!!_**

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For the next week, the Dukes didn't see much of Luke at all, not that they didn't try to but more he started avoiding them and going off on his own, shirking his chores in favour of running off somewhere early in the morning and only returning at night when everyone was asleep in bed.

Bo had stayed up late at night sometimes to try and catch Luke and talk to him, but whenever Luke did return, he walked straight into their room and into bed without a word to his worried younger cousin, blocking out his concerned voice and falling straight into bed. More disturbing to Bo was that in the moonlight that fell across Luke's face, he could see the tear tracks down the worn cheeks and permanent state of puffy redness surrounding those eyes.

Jesse told both cousins to leave Luke be, whatever Rosco had told Luke had obviously shaken him up bad and while he agreed that what Luke was doing was not the most brilliant of ways of dealing with whatever had happened, forcing Luke to come out with it would only result in arguments and push him further away, destroying all the work all of them had put in, in building back up their relationships.

However, Daisy and Bo both kept eyes out for Luke when they were travelling and several times, Jesse knew, Bo made up reasons to go out on a drive to see if he could find his wayward older cousin. By the time the week was up, Bo was about ready to call in Rosco and have him bring Luke home to them and Jesse was not far off agreeing with him. It was the evening before Christmas Eve and while there were traditional things that the Dukes could have been doing, as they usually would have done, it just didn't feel right doing them when Luke wasn't there. They had done them while he was away in the Marine's…but knowing he was home and choosing not to do those things just hurt each and everyone of them.

As the afternoon was drawing to a close and everyone was resigning themselves to spending the evening like any other, Luke walked softly through the door, causing everyone in the lounge to look up. Daisy and Jesse knew from the expression that all Luke wanted to do was to be left alone but Bo, who had been in the bathroom and came jogging down the hall at the sound of the door opening, was straight to Luke before anyone could say a word.

"Luke, where the heck you been?! We's been lookin' all over fer ya!"

Luke didn't answer, trying instead to push past his younger cousin to get to their bedroom once more, only to be stopped by his younger cousin's firm hand on his shoulder and a slightly testy voice demanding again from behind him.

"Luke! Answer me!"

The next thing Bo knew, he was lying on his back in the lounge, his jaw pounding and a ringing in his ears as he blinked to try and recover from the slight daze. There was nothing but stunned silence around him as he pushed himself up onto his elbows with Daisy and Jesse's help, swallowing gently as he realised that Luke had hit him.

Luke looked down at the sight, horrified at what he had done. Bo's nose was bleeding as was his bottom lip where Bo had bit it on the way down, and the look in his younger cousin's eyes was something he wished he hadn't seen. He dropped down to his knees in front of Bo, swallowing gently as he reached out and noticed heart-brokenly that Bo flinched away from him…just for a split second, but the longest split second Luke had ever been forced to live.

Jesse sighed as he watched the two boys silently, swallowing gently as Luke got back to his feet and backed down the hallway, clearly scared and horrified at what he had done, rushing to his room and slamming the door. For a moment, no one moved, until Daisy saw Bo move his sleeve up to wipe at the blood trickling down his nose and chin. She stopped him quickly but gently, shaking her head.

"Not on yer sleeve Bo…c'mon we'll clean ya up…"

They both helped Bo to his feet and into the kitchen, sitting him down at the kitchen table. Daisy rushed to get Jesse the medicinal shine from his bookcase and a few clean cloths while Jesse looked over Bo's injuries. The cut on Bo's lip wasn't bad, the nose bleed already starting to halt its flow, but boy was Bo going to have a shiner on his right cheek along his jaw line where Luke's fist had caught him. He stood up and retrieved some ice from the freezer, wrapping it softly in a tea towel, pressing it against Bo's jaw softly but still hearing the hushed hiss of pain from the young man.

Once Daisy had returned with the shine, they both set about to the task of cleaning Bo up who still appeared to be in a small amount of shock, not being able to comprehend what had happened between him asking Luke where he had been and how he had gotten to the floor…sure he knew Luke had hit him, but for what reason and just how hard he didn't know.

Eventually, they manoeuvred him to the couch and sat him between them, both cradling Bo in their own holds, making him feel safe and hoping to bring him back out of the shocked state. When that failed to work, Jesse used the last resort, helping Bo to drink a small amount of shine before soothing him to sleep, knowing that would be the best thing until the morning….Christmas Eve Morning.

As Bo was put to bed, having fallen deeply asleep on the couch, Luke watched from where his head was buried in his arms. He saw the gentle kiss Jesse planted on Bo's forehead and felt the gentle rub to his own back before the room fell silent and he sat up. Quietly, he padded across to Bo and swallowed hard as he saw what he had done.

He reached out, knowing Bo would stay asleep, and ran his finger gently over the swollen bottom lip, wiping away the small trail of blood that Jesse had missed from his chin before resting his hand on Bo's bruised jaw, shaking his own head and whispering.

"I'm sorry cousin…I'm so so sorry…"

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Jesse looked up from making the breakfast as Daisy bounded into the room the next morning, gleefully clapping her hands.

"Uncle Jesse it's snowing! It's snowing Uncle Jesse! It's only light and probably won't settle but, Uncle Jesse its snow!"

The old man couldn't help but chuckle at the excitement in her voice, remembering very rare occasions when Daisy was only small that it had snowed. Even though it had only been light, all three of the cousins had gotten so excited over it and usually spent the whole day outside playing in it, pretending to make snowmen and snowballs. He took his little girl into his arms and hugged her.

"An' a good mornin' to you too."

Daisy smiled again, chuckling a little as she pulled away and started to help him with the breakfast, Jesse laughing a little more as every so often Daisy would glance out the window just to make sure the white stuff was still falling.

Jesse however, soon lost interest and his mind turned to the topic it had been on all morning since he had risen at the usual 5am, his two boys. He had been relieved to find that Luke had stayed on the farm and slept, apparently, through the night and so had Bo. He just hoped that both were in a more sensible mood than last night and that they could sit and talk about what happened rationally.

Luke was the first to get up, not having the heart or will to wake his younger cousin up after the hurt he had caused, looking shamefully to Jesse as he eased himself to his space at the table, his ribs aching….not that he really felt it. His Uncle looked to him and smiled softly.

"Mornin' Luke…Happy Christmas Eve…"

He sighed as Luke only nodded in response, picking up his coffee cup and letting the silence fall at the table again. Jesse looked to Daisy and she nodded silently, taking over the morning breakfast preparations as Jesse hoisted Luke gently to his feet without a word and took him to the old man's bedroom, sitting beside him on the large bed and saying gently.

"Alright Luke…what happened…."

For a while, Luke said nothing, staring down at the coffee cup in his hands that he had brought with him. Jesse would not usually push him, he knew that, but from the concern in his voice he wanted to know what happened and he also knew that from the way he had been behaving, Jesse deserved an explanation, as did Bo….especially Bo. Looking up to his Uncle, Luke swallowed softly and spoke for the first time in a week, his voice full of emotion and pain.

"I…Rosco…came to see me…"

Jesse nodded softly, resting one weathered hand on Luke's knee and squeezing it supportively as Luke's hands started to shake. He took the coffee cup from him and put his other over Luke's clasped ones as Luke continued to speak.

"You remember Rob…from my platoon…the guy who saved my life so many times?"

Jesse nodded gently, not wanting to say anything.

"Well…he got home last week…"

Jesse frowned slightly, nodding and this time having to say something as Luke looked away again.

"Well…ain't that a good thing…"

Luke nodded too, looking back to him.

"Yeah…it was…"

"Was?"

Luke took a deep intake of breath as his voice turned hard and cold.

"Yeah…until some…"

He only just managed to hold in the curse on the end of his tongue, biting it sharply back before continuing.

"He'd taken his family shopping in Atlanta…they were buying Christmas presents and decorations together….until they were stopped in the street…someone recognised his military haircut…asked him if he was a soldier...served in 'Nam…"

Jesse swallowed, not liking where this was going as Luke trembled harder and tears formed in the hate-filled blue eyes.

"They…they shot him Uncle Jesse…right in front of his family…called him things like Baby-killer…murderer…he'd only just got back…his family had only just got him back…he'd survived 'Nam…an' they shot him for followin' dang orders!"

Jesse swallowed and pulled Luke into a tight hug, letting the young man sob in grief and frustration, rubbing his back and feeling tears spring into his own eyes for his oldest son's pain. He looked up as he heard small gasps and saw Bo and Daisy standing in the doorway, clearly having heard everything that had been said. He motioned them over with a nod and soon Luke felt two more pairs of comforting arms around him.

For a long while that was how the family stayed until Jesse coughed gently and everyone pulled away, looking to him for instruction.

"Alright….let's get breakfast done and then we'll go to church…then we'll talk more about this okay Luke…"

Luke nodded and Jesse gently patted his knee as they all stood and headed for the door…all except Luke. Looking back, Jesse said quietly.

"C'mon Luke…"

But Luke only shook his head.

"Luke…why not?"

Luke sighed and said determinedly, the look in his eyes sincere and holding a disturbing coldness as he whispered out.

"I ain't goin' to somewhere I don't belong."

Jesse frowned.

"What do you mean you don't belong?"

"I don't belong there."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because I don't believe in it anymore."

Jesse stood in shocked silence, before saying gently.

"Luke, you're upset…"

"No Uncle Jesse, I've never been more certain about anything in my life. I'm not going to worship some religious icon that isn't even real. As far as I'm concerned, God is just a bunch of made up words."


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Wow...you guys really like this! lol. What great reviews I've been getting...now i'm off school I should be able to write these chapters quicker, lets hope so eh? lol, here ya go and remember to keep reading and reveiwing._**

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Bo couldn't ever remember a Christmas where he had felt more down, not even when Luke first went off to the Marines….it was nothing compared to how this felt. Luke's statement about God, the thing they had believed in all their lives and how little it now meant to him had hit him harder than any punch could have done and although Jesse didn't show it, Bo could see in the older man's eyes that it had hurt him too.

Luke was a changed man, they all knew he would be after everything he had suffered…but the man that had returned to them was not the Luke they had grown up with. This man was someone different, someone alien who looked and acted like his cousin sometimes….but the brother figure he had once had was still MIA, and for some reason no one could seem to find him again.

Immediately after the tense saddened breakfast round the table, the three Dukes set off for church while they left their lost one behind. Bo had fought vehemently against Jesse, something he hadn't done in a long while, to let him stay at the farm with Luke so not only could they sort this out but so they could also sort out the reasoning behind Luke's lashing out the night before. However, it was not Jesse that had said no….it had been Luke.

It had been Luke to tell Bo that he didn't want him at the farm…Luke who had said that he was better off carrying on with his life in the way he had always done, while Luke took his in the new direction it was heading. Bo of course didn't agree with it and had then ended up having another argument with Luke which had again ended badly with Luke storming off to the barn and Bo having said a lot of hurtful words he really didn't mean.

And so, Bo now sat sulking and ashamed in the cab of the truck in between Daisy and Jesse, watching the scenery go by in the swirling snow as though it were the most interesting thing in the world, his bruised jaw throbbing painfully as if reminding him of the hurt he had caused his older cousin and visa versa, while Daisy looked on sadly. When they had received the news that Luke was coming home, finally after so many years, no one had been happier than Bo. He had literally been bouncing with a new found energy and could talk of nothing but the activities that he so looked forward to doing with Luke.

But now as she watched him, she saw that the light of youthful excitement and merriment that had always appeared in those baby blue eyes at this time of year, had disappeared and been replaced by a saddened glisten of tears that she didn't even think he knew were there and to be honest she wasn't at all surprised….she felt just like bursting into tears too. What was so good about having a Luke home that wasn't even their Luke anymore….and would Luke ever actually be able to return to them.

Swallowing as they made their way down the back roads in the old truck, Daisy slipped her arm around Bo's shoulder and pulled him close. She didn't need to say anything to him and she was grateful for that because she didn't know if she could without breaking down. No, all Bo needed to know was that he still had family and they would support each other through this rough time and maybe, just maybe, when the preacher talked about the deaths of soldiers and those who had made it home, Bo wouldn't break down.

Jesse too remained silent all the way to the church, noticing the actions between the two cousins out of the corner of his eye but not ever directly looking at them. Inwardly he sighed, wishing it could be his three children with him as it should be with Luke back home…but then again no amount of wishing or praying would be able to bring him that miracle. No, this was something that Lukas Duke had to find in himself, had to realise in his heart whether or not what he was feeling was true or just the result of the overwhelming emotions that he had finally allowed to break free. Jesse hoped it was the latter, but a small part of him secretly feared that it was this Luke that was here to stay…that he had lost his oldest boy forever. A war could kill people with bullet's and bombs, but for those that survived that first stage came the hardest fight of their lives…against the painful memories that would be forever implanted in their minds to allow them to once more return to some state of 'normality'. That was what really killed them.

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Luke watched his family depart from the hayloft window in the barn, tears rolling silently from dark ringed eyes down battle-worn cheeks, soaking softly into the golden strands of hay that lay beneath him. At that moment, there was nothing that Luke wanted more than to be back in the battlefield where at least the pain of getting hit by a bullet could be easily dealt with and then he would be put back into action again. Having to lay there on his own, suffering the anguish of the wounds his cousin's words had inflicted upon his heart was unbearable and there was no way to escape it.

He shuddered gently from not only the cold of the air as the snow blew a little into the barn, its speed and heaviness increasing, but also from the wounding words still repeating like a broken record in his head along with the images he had of his shameful actions the night before….how could he have hit Bo like that….sure he was upset but that was something he never should have done, never. He would make it up to Bo, he would. Despite what Bo had said, he knew that Bo too was upset and disturbed by how Luke was acting and if Luke could use that as reasoning behind the lashing out then Bo could too. Neither of them should have done what they did, but holding a grudge was definitely not something they should do.

While he didn't believe in God or anything like that anymore, Christmas was still his favourite holiday and while he still had that to look forward to, to finally spend a Christmas with his family and share the excitement this evening with Bo when they were in bed as they had always done then he could carry on. For Luke, Christmas was never about the gifts or the decorations or the food…no….for Luke it was and always would be about spending time with his family. Even now, when he had pushed them away so far with his new attitude, he prayed….no…he didn't pray anymore….he hoped that they would still share the excitement over Christmas with him….it was the only thing keeping him from running straight back to the recruitment offices…then again, he couldn't blame them if they didn't.

Eventually he got up and headed back inside, the coldness of the air outside just being too unbearable as it mixed with the coldness he felt in his heart, battling his way through the flurry of flakes and into the warm, cosy living room. He frowned slightly as he looked outside and saw just how heavy the snow had gotten….at least Daisy would be pleased as it seemed to be settling.

Looking around he sighed slightly as he saw just how half heartedly the house had been decorated. The gorgeous Christmas tree he, Bo and Daisy had picked out looked barer than usual….and it was then that he realised it was his favourite decorations that had been left out of the decorating. Whether it was because they didn't want to see him rip them down or whether they thought Luke just didn't want them up he didn't know….all he did know was that they were going to be right alongside the rest of them come hell or high water. 'Nam had taken a lot away from him, his beliefs, his life and to some extent his family….this was not something he was going to let it take away. Running upstairs to the loft, he smiled a little to himself as he imagined the shock and surprise on their faces…but also thought sadly of Rob's family…who would be planning his funeral instead of having the Christmas they deserved…

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Somehow, the Dukes managed to make it through the sermon even if their minds weren't focused totally on it…well everyone could tell Bo's wasn't as he sat there with a glassy look in his eyes, absorbed in his own thoughts. As the preacher said his last words though, Bo was the first one to his feet and was practically running down the aisle to the doors, Daisy in tow not far behind him. They wanted to get back to Luke as soon as they could….unfortunately….that wouldn't be for some time they all realised with gasps and swallows of yells of frustration as Bo opened the doors.

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Luke smiled as he finished the mugs of hot chocolate with a small squirt of fresh cream and a marshmallow on the top, dusted lightly with coco powder, knowing his family would be back soon. The fire was burning warmly in the fireplace and all the decorations were glittering in its glow as they had done in all the previous Christmases Luke could remember. To Luke of course, for the next few Christmases to come his heart would be as heavy as it felt now as he recalled all his fallen comrades who wouldn't get to share this….but as he looked over them he couldn't contain the small smile that spread across his face.

He jerked a little as he heard Bo's voice and looked expectantly to the door, until realising it was coming from a very very scratchy and bitty CB transmission from the CB in the corner of the kitchen. He frowned a little and picked it up, hoping the messages would get through.

"Luke here Bo…what's goin' on?"

"Luke…snow…heavy…not….home…"

Luke swallowed, feeling the coldness start to creep back into his heart as he gathered what Bo was saying, hoping desperately that he was wrong.

"Bo…the transmission's real bad…what're ya saying?"

"Cousin….snow…bad….get home…Christmas eve…."

"Yer…Yer not coming home?"

Despite the fact that he could now see the snow falling in white sheets, Luke's heart still turned to ice and dropped to the pit of his stomach and shattered into a thousand pieces, his voice cracking with it. It had happened again….everything was against him enjoying himself this Christmas…everything….

Not waiting for Bo's crackly reply, he dropped the CB and switched it off, clenching his jaw hard and shaking his head, throwing the mugs of hot chocolate he had made into the sink with a smash and a cry of heartbroken agony. Shaking his head he furiously put the fire out in the living room and threw on his coat as he stormed out the house, the tears in his eyes stinging as the cold wind bit at the warmth instantly. He stumbled his way somehow through the destructive blizzard to the barn, slamming the doors shut and crossing to one of its corners, lifting up the false piece of flooring and pulling out two jugs of Jesse's finest. He was going to have a good Christmas one way or another, and this was now the only thing he could think of.

Standing back up he undid the cap of one of the bottles and took a long swig from it, ending with a slight sob as he looked down to the floor. If Uncle Jesse caught him doing this he would get a real tanning, but he wouldn't be home until tomorrow now, maybe not even then. Stepping forward to sit on a bale of hay, he lifted the bottle to his lips again….stopping as he saw something move in the pile of loose hay across from him. Blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he got quickly to his feet as he heard a definite human moan of pain. He rushed over and pushed the hay away from the figure, swallowing at the sight that greeted him.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Oh heck, you guys are so good at reveiwing this! You really are and so as a christmas treat I've posted early for you! Merry Christmas everybody, I will post the next chapter as soon as I get back from Christmas at my Nan's that has no internet I believe...dang...ah well, enjoy!_**

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Daisy and Jesse watched sadly as Bo choked on a sob and threw the handle to the old CB down, storming angrily and upset over to a pew and laying down on it, burying his head in his arms with his shoulders shaking. Bo hated conflict…especially with Luke and especially when something happened that he couldn't say sorry right away. To Bo, the longer he left the apology meant the longer the other person perceived the truth behind what he had said to be, and nothing worried Bo more than thinking his cousin thought he hated him. Daisy moved to go and comfort him but Jesse stopped her, sensing their youngest needed the time alone for now. Slowly, they made their way around the church hall, Jesse mingling with everyone else and talking about the situation while Daisy huddled with her friends and sought some comfort from them.

After a while, Bo felt a hand on his shoulder and he was about to tell the person who he believed to be Uncle Jesse when he realised that the hand on his shoulder wasn't like anyone else's he had felt before. He sat up inquisitively and sniffed, wiping the tears from his cheeks when he was met with the kindly face of a young man, about the same age as Luke, who had a slinged arm and a scar down the side of his face. When he spoke, his voice sounded as weary as he looked, but it held tones of happiness and peace in it too.

"Hey there….are you alright?"

Bo swallowed gently; Jesse had taught him that he shouldn't speak to strangers and yet this person seemed to kind and caring that he couldn't help but instantly take a shine to him.

"Not…not really…"

"Sorry to hear that…wanna talk about it?" He paused a moment, seeing the uncertainty in Bo's eyes, smiling and holding out his good hand. "I'm Scott by the way, Scott Brigshaw."

Bo smiled back and shook the hand before he answered.

"Bo…Bo Duke…"

He paused as Scott froze, worrying as he saw a slight spark of recognition in Scott's eyes, wondering if he should know him from somewhere. Scott chuckled as he saw Bo's discomfort and shook his head.

"I'm sorry….I should have recognised you…although you's grown a lot from the last photo's I saw…I'm a friend of Luke's, he was my Sergeant. He showed me a lot of pictures of you, every one you sent was passed around between us….he loves ya a whole lot."

Bo swallowed gently and nodded, interested to meet another Marines that knew Luke, but also saddened again by his words. Luke did love him…he probably didn't so much anymore now that Bo had hurt him and abandoned him on Christmas, his first Christmas back with his family.

Scott swallowed softly as he saw the swallow and watched as the young boy's head drooped again, letting out a small sigh as he gently reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, squeezing it softly.

"Heck I know I'm just a stranger but…I'm here if ya wanna listen….I probably don't know Luke as well as you do an' all but….I get a feelin' the way yer bein' right now has somethin' ta do with him…right?"

Bo licked his lips a little, unsure why the heck he was even considering talking to this guy…there was just something about him that made him feel as safe and reassured as Luke used to…something in Scott that Bo had been craving ever since Luke had come back home and now he had found it he just didn't want to let it go. Slowly he looked back up and nodded his head, saying softly.

"Yeah…Yeah it does…an' you probably know Luke better than I do right now…."

Instantly, Scott recognised the signs of many cases he had been seeing. He had been travelling a lot recently to try and find his Marine buddies again. Having been one of the last ones to leave the squadron they were in, he had collected up a lot of the stuff that they hadn't had the time to grab and had slowly been returning them over the months since had had gotten back. He didn't have a family to go to, he was an Orphan and his only source of love and compassion came from those he had fought with…he owed them something for that. He was shocked to find however, that the image of each of them being united happily ever after with the families they so often talked about back in 'Nam was not as perfect as he once thought. Instead, the relationships were littered with tension, problems and heartache…some he knew would never recover. He had tried to help each one of them and he had somehow hoped that finding Luke would be different…but again…even the people you thought would be able to handle it the best surprised you.

"Right….I have an idea of what's going on Bo but…why not start from the beginning and tell me…"

Bo nodded softly and sat back in the pew a little, taking a deep inhale and exhale before starting the whole miserable tale.

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Luke staggered back a little way from what he had uncovered in the hay pile, swallowing hard and wondering if this was someone's idea of a sick joke for just a minute.

There laying scared and shacking in front of him was a young woman, only in her twenties with long auburn hair and deep brown eyes that looked to him now with a mix of fear but also a plea for help, as though she was unsure of which to let overtake her. But what captured his attention the most, what started to bring the slow, slight panic up in him was the swollen stomach that protruded from her.

Being forced to swallow the lump in his throat again, he tried to speak some sort of sentence, but found that he could find nothing to say. He slowly put the shine bottle down and put his hands to his hips, shaking his head a little.

"What are you doin' in our barn?"

The young lady looked back up at him, pushing herself up into a sitting position carefully with one hand rested delicately on her bump before saying shakily.

"I'm so sorry…I'm really sorry….I…I was out driving when the blizzard hit an' I crashed my car into a ditch…I just needed shelter….I need help…I'm…"

Luke watched in horror before running over as the woman's face contorted in pain and she gasped aloud, clutching her stomach as he finished the sentence for her.

"In labour…right…"

She nodded, taking his offered hand and squeezing down on it, although with as much restraint as she could, with the pain. Luke frowned a little, unsure of what exactly he could do except speak as soothingly as he could to her and rub her back while she crushed his hand.

Eventually the pain subsided and he helped her to lie back in the hay, stroking the hair gently away from her forehead. He knew there was no chance of getting her to a hospital, not with the weather in such a bad state and also she had to be a fair way into her labour, which would mean even if he could get her to a hospital in this whether there would be no point whatsoever, the baby would be born on the way.

He looked around desperately, wondering what on earth he was going to do. He was no midwife, sure he'd watched Uncle Jesse bring lambs and foals into the world, he'd helped with a few of them and yeah he had listened as he had delivered Mary Kae's baby too….but he had never ever had experience with actually delivering anything on its own.

He couldn't very well send her away though, where the heck would she go? With no houses she would be able to get to in time and no way to call in help…he was her last hope otherwise she would be doing this alone. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes a moment before saying gently.

"Alright…here's what I'm gonna do…" Carefully he explained the situation, making sure to emphasis his lack of experience. "…And so…me deliverin' it here seems like the only option we got…"

The young woman nodded, too focused on her pain and panic at the baby actually coming to really care who was helping her, so long as they did help and right now…to be honest…Luke looked like a perfect candidate to be somebody to do that.

Eventually, as he held the young woman's hand through the next contraction, Luke's brain finally kicked into gear, working out what it is they needed. He didn't like leaving her alone, but they needed stuff from the house and quickly if he was going to bring the little kid into the world and keep it and the mother on it. As he settled her back down, speaking soothingly all the way, he explained quickly what he was going to do; making sure she always felt safe and secure knowing that any panicking would only serve to risk the baby's life.

"Okay…I gotta run back to the house and get some stuff…uh…uh…"

"Grace…"

"Grace…right…I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

Grace watched as he got hurriedly back to his feet and ran out the barn door, making sure it was shut to keep the warmth in as much as possible as he ran blindly back through the blizzard to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: Hey, sorry its taken so long to update but fan fic's been having problems and things at home got in the way, but i'm back now with another chapter for this story. Hope you like it, reveiws always appriciated :-)_**

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Scott listened intently as Bo explained the situation, hearing over again the story he had been told repeatedly in every town he had gone to. The typical loss of faith in god, the nightmares, the seemingly tense and always on edge nature each person had adopted…Luke had never been a person that Scott thought this would happen to but happened it had and now Luke needed help, blizzard or no. But first off was to sort Bo out as he would be an integral part to Luke's recovery as well as the 18 year old's own.

"I have to say Bo….Luke's reaction is surprisin' but then again it ain't either. You ain't the only one this has happened to, this ain't Luke just bein' nasty. This has happened to so many other families and if it's any comfort this isn't the worst that it can get to."

Bo swallowed and finally looked to Scott, tears streaking down his cheeks and his eyes starting to widen.

"What d'ya mean…."

He watched as Scott sighed and rubbed the black ringed eyes and shifted his slinged armed a little bit before looking to him, all honesty in his eyes.

"Luke ain't the worst case I've seen….others cut themselves off completely and spent one week at home before signing up again to the corps…"

For a moment, nothing but silence passed between the two men, both realizing the harshness of the words but neither one thinking the same thing. All Scott could think of was that Luke would never do that, while Bo could think of nothing but why the heck someone would want to go back. Looking at Bo, Scott realized instantly what so many people thought, people who understood the horrors of war only, not what else it could bring and he gently started to explain.

"Bo….out there in war…there are so many awful things that happen and yeah it gets to you, I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't. But the thing is, once you're used to it….it doesn't bother you so much. It becomes something like a normal job and when you return…if you return…back to base its just like going home again. You miss your family something crazy an' all….but in a way the platoon becomes your family. You watch each others backs and look after one another…just like a big brother or a father…"

Bo swallowed and nodded; Luke had looked after him like that before he had gone away and he always dreamt that it would be the same when he came back…it was a shock to find it wasn't so. Scott waited a moment for Bo to take the small explanation in before carrying on.

"Some people….when they get home they find that suddenly every horror they've seen comes back to haunt them and unfortunately they can't handle that. Their family don't understand and they think there is nothing that they can do to help when really all they have to do is talk to the people they love about it and let some of the 'forbidden' subjects in 'Nam come to light. Luke was always great at the out there in that damn country…he looked after us all as a Sergeant but never wanted anything in return…"

"That's Luke through and through…"

Scott chuckled and nodded a little.

"Figured it might be…but ya know….there was one subject he would never hesitate to talk about…the one way us in the platoon managed to keep him and us spirited…."

He watched as the blonde haired young man turned a tear stained, but interested face to him, his head cocked to the side slightly as he asked for the answer with blue eyes that Scott found he just couldn't say no to…as Luke promised the men he had been with they wouldn't be able to resist should they see them. With a smile, he gave him the answer with a small poke to his shoulder.

"M…me?"

"Yeah…you Bo. There was nothing Luke loved more than telling us about the mischief you and him used to get into when you were younger, about you as a baby, what you said in your letters…everything…he loved to talk about your Uncle and your other cousin too, don't get me wrong….but whenever he talked about you his eyes seemed to light up and he wasn't Sergeant Luke Duke anymore…he was just Luke…an older cousin and nephew who missed his family. I was only there a month or so before he went missing and then I got shot and all….but that much I could gather just by listening in."

Bo listened in earnest, swallowing hard with a small watery smile as he heard that…he had always been a source of entertainment for Luke, had always been willing to give his oldest cousin a hug when he needed it without shame and without the fear of being pushed away because he knew when Luke needed it the most. But recently Luke was so unpredictable he was never really sure when the show of affection would be rejected and when it would be accepted.

"I wish it was like that now Scott….I really do…"

"Whose to say it can't be?"

Scott asked gently, watching as Bo looked to him exasperatedly.

"Didn't ya hear anything I said Scott?!"

"Yes of course I did….but just because Luke's acting like that what makes you think that what he needs most is just a hug that is given because you want one….not because you think he needs one."

Bo frowned a little, not saying anything as he looked away again and listened as Scott continued.

"He knows you love him Bo…he just needs reminding instead of thinking all the time that the only reason you give him affection is to stop him being so Marine-like and start being the Luke you knew. We all know that's who you want back….but getting through to Luke is going to take more than just a hug and begging to know what's going on…as you are probably reminded from the nice shiner he's left on yer chin."

He watched as Bo's hand unconsciously came up and rubbed the sore spot gently, nodding slowly. He let the silence hang between them again and looked around at the small community that was gathered in the hall, smiling gently as he saw the warmth between everyone. He could see why Luke talked so fondly of the place in which he lived…even if it was a slow, backwater county like he had admitted.

A small bang behind him made him jump and he looked round to see the door close, frowning a little but putting it down to the howling winds again before he looked back, taking a breath as he turned to Bo…letting it out in a whoosh as he found the young man missing from the spot beside him. Swallowing he quickly made the connection, standing up hurriedly.

"Uh oh…."

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Luke carefully adjusted the blankets and towels underneath Grace, making sure the oil lamps he had found were still burning around them and checking the piled up towels for the umpteenth time before he was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked over to the woman and smiled back, taking the hand in his and squeezing it softly, rubbing it with his thumb.

"It's okay…yer doing fine…" Grace assured softly with another slight chuckle, resting in the break between her contractions which were getting closer together. The current time between them was a little under a minute and a half now, meaning that it would be a little while before the real action started…a painful little while at any rate.

Luke smiled back and nodded, asking with a slight teasing tone as he raised his eyebrows.

"Ain't I supposed to be the one saying that to you?"

Grace laughed gently again, shaking her head.

"I think you need it more than me right now…."

Luke nodded in agreement as he smiled again, feeling the temperature of the bowl of water he had retrieved from the house that was resting on the top of the oil lamp and the jug of shine resting close but not too close beside it. Both needed to be warm when the baby arrived and heating up the freezing water to the right temperature would be a while as the cold shine would need to be added too. He swiftly tuned his attention back to Grace however as another contraction hit, helping her to sit forward as he slipped behind her in straddle, her between his legs and his arms underneath hers so their hands met and clasped together rested on his knees and effectively hugging her too as he softly spoke soothing and claming words through the pain.

After a minute or so of his hands being crushed, Luke smiled as he helped Grace lay back against him gently, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat which was calmer and steadier than he actually looked. To Grace, he still looked like a deer caught in the headlights, especially when she had asked him to do those particular actions when a contraction hit. But done it he had, all too willing to help in anyway he could. Eventually, she spoke up.

"Thank you….so much for all of this…I'm really sorry…"

"Hey….you don't got to be sorry for nothing. Yer little one and you are the most important things right now and I'll help in any way I can."

She sighed softly with a smile and nodded, waiting for the question that she knew he was wanting to ask without being rude. Eventually, she just answered it for him.

"I asked you to do this during the contractions because it's what my husband and I practised before he went away…I always found his heartbeat comforting…"

Luke swallowed and rubbed her arm gently, nodding softly. He really didn't mind why she needed to be like this, but that didn't matter as long as she was calm and happy. Still, he couldn't help but wonder and he was relieved she had brought the answer to his unanswered question so he could find something to distract her from what was going on.

"You…sound sad…what happened?"

He watched as she shifted and looked to the opposite side of the barn, her voice lowered and soft as she spoke.

"He….went….went to War….joined the Marines….last I heard he was MIA but presumed dead….he was only there a few months…I haven't been home since the funeral."

Luke nodded, sighing. There went another one…he obviously wouldn't have known them because he had been MIA himself for while, locked in a POW camp where there was nothing but solitary confinement and torture day in day out for 6 months…him being a Sergeant and all. He quickly shook those thoughts from his head and focused on what was happening as another contraction hit and he supported Grace through the pain again, feeling the birth getting closer and closer. The time between this and the pervious one was shorter than before and he knew she knew it too.

When the next breather came, they carried on talking.

"So…what was your husband's name?"

"Scott…Scott Brigshaw."


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Hey all, another chapter for you. I seem to have assembled an army of fans for this story lol, good to see you all and glad I am entertaining you. Huggles to all._**

**_Ani_**

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Scott instantly joined Jesse and Daisy in running to the door of the church, the latter having seen Bo sneaking out and alerted the elder as the door opened. Daisy quickly opened the door and shouted into the howling winds, not about to lose her other cousin because of his own stupidity.

But Jesse quickly pulled her in as Scott ran outside and swiftly hunted down the young 18 year old in the snow, used to appalling sight restricting whether. Snow was no different to torrential rain or fog really, it cut off one sense so you had to heighten the others and use them to your advantage against this particular enemy to seek out the other, something he had learned quickly in his short spell with the Marine's, but not enough to stop him being shot obviously.

He did however manage to seek out the young man and drag him, nearly kicking and screaming back to the safety of the old warm building by the collar of his thick coat and jumper underneath, handing him over to the wrath of his Uncle begrudgingly, knowing it was his fault Bo had gone out in the first place. The whole church fell silent as Jesse's voice boomed, echoed by the old rafters.

"What in tarnation d'ya think you're doing boy! I oughta give ya a switchin' right here in front o'all these people…."

No one was more shocked than Jesse when Bo's own voice boomed back with equal ferocity and determination, shaking with emotion and frustration.

"Fine you do that Uncle Jesse but that ain't gonna stop me getting back to Luke! You always said a Duke should never give up something that's important to them and Luke's happiness is important to me! You can bet he's feeling depressed and angry back at the farm, I know I would be if I was all alone facing Christmas Eve and possibly Christmas alone, wouldn't you! If getting Luke back and proving to him that we still love him no matter what he's done or what he's doing means I have ta brave a bit of frozen water and walking through a freezer then I'm dang well gonna because I'm a Duke and I'm Luke's brother and there ain't no way I'm gonna quit findin' a way to get home. You can either try an' stop me or make it easier and jus' let me get on with it but either way, I'm gonna no matter what. Luke escaped bullets and bombs an' snipers hidin' in trees to come back to us, what's a bit of snow compared to that?"

No one in the church spoke as Uncle and Nephew faced off in a battle of determination and grit. No one wanted Bo to be lost in the storm…but oddly enough everyone inside was rooting for the young man who spoke with his heart more than his head. Everyone knew that Bo probably hadn't a clue how to get back home in the weather he was saying he could brave….but the fact he was willing to try to make someone happy…that spoke volumes to many of the people who also had loved ones at their own houses who needed them.

As Jesse looked over his youngest charge, his heart and head mixed with a range of different emotions from anger at being spoken to like that, to sympathy for the boy who wanted nothing more than to finally have a Christmas with his cousin….and finally to Pride…the fact that his youngest had grown into such a fine young man. There was no doubting it now, Bo…his youngest son…was his own person with his own determination and grit…speaking the words of a true Duke. What he was proposing was crazy and he knew that…but he knew from the look in Bo's eyes and the way he held himself that he was not backing down from this and he would brave the blizzard with or without Jesse's help…anyone's help…at least with the two of them they stood a better chance. With a sigh, Jesse nodded and pulled Bo close as he rubbed his back and everyone around them started to clap and cheer.

"Thank you Uncle Jesse…"

"Now boy…I don't want ya getting' any ideas…the way you spoke to me then was unacceptable…"

"I know…an' ya can switch me as soon as we get back home…but I gotta get to Luke…"

"You mean, me an' you gotta get to Luke…."

Bo swallowed and gasped, pulling back and shaking his head.

"Uncle Jesse you can't!"

"Yer not going out there alone!"

"I'll go."

Jesse looked round to see Scott stepping forward, smiling gently as he placed a hand on Bo's shoulder.

"I'm responsible for putting the idea in a way into his head…he'll stand a better chance with me."

Looking between the two men, Jesse swallowed hard before nodding reluctantly as Daisy gripped his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, reminding him that he was needed here and would be of better use here too. There used to be a time Jesse could brave a blizzard…but it had passed long ago.

Suddenly, the two men found themselves surrounded by the rest of the church goers, each person thrusting a warm article of clothing to wrap themselves up in. Coats, Scarves, gloves even socks were given over, regardless of their protestations. The only thing that could have made them warmer by the time they were wrapped up in all the items as others wrapped themselves in some blankets that had been found in one of the small storage rooms of the church, was a hot water bottle strapped to their stomachs which even then would have been a rival for the layers that they were encompassed in.

Scott and Bo were sent off on their mission with loud cheers and whoops of good luck before the doors banged closed behind them and everyone settled in to play the waiting game, laced with prayers for either the boys' safe return or a safe journey to the farm.

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"That's it….yer doin' great Grace, ya really are….keep it up…"

Luke encouraged through another, more painful contraction. His own hands were throbbing with the pain of them being crushed by hands and dug into with fingernails, but he never said a word, keeping his voice steady and soothing as he coached the pained young woman.

He absolutely refused to check Grace's dilation, one because he didn't have a clue how to check it in the first place and two because that would make both him and her feel uncomfortable, something they really didn't need. So he was relying on her own reactions, knowing when she got the urge to push she would tell him and then he would do what needed to be done. At least delivering the baby didn't involve him having to probe around in a very private place, all he had to do was catch the youngun…hopefully.

Grace panted gently as she sank back against Luke again, releasing his hands and resting hers either side of the bump and closing her eyes with a small sob. So far she had refused to let herself cry, but now it was just too painful and she was too tired to care. She wanted to have the baby now and get it over with.

"Luke…please…get it out of me…please…please…"

"Shhh…Grace it'll be alright….you haven't got far to go now…you really haven't darlin' an' yer doing so well….it'll all be worth it when yer holdin' the little one in yer arms…."

Luke watched as Grace calmed again and nodded, used now to the outbursts and pleas, not able to comprehend how much pain and discomfort she had to be in and knowing it would only get worse before it could get better. Once more he changed his train of thought and worked on distraction.

"So…d'ya know what it is yet or are ya waitin'…"

Grace smiled softly and shook her head, opening her deep brown eyes to look up at him.

"No…me an' Scott wanted to wait….I promised I'd wait to find out at the birth when he went away….I ain't breakin' that because he's not here."

She watched as the young man smiled back and nodded, seeing that he knew all too well about those kind of promises and how hard they could be sometimes to keep.

"You made some o'those in your time too…"

Luke sighed and nodded, rubbing his eyes a little to push away the tears pooling there again. Whether it was because he was overtired or because the adrenaline of finding a pregnant, in labour no less, lady in the barn he didn't know, all he knew was his emotions just came in a rush and he couldn't afford to let them out.

"Yeah….I uh…promised my little cousin I'd come back to him…that I wouldn't die in the war an' that I'd always come back to him…"

Grace nodded, they had had a conversation about his time in the Marine's and about his family.

"Well…looks like ya did it…"

Luke snorted a little, nodding.

"Yeah…physically maybe…but I have yet to prove to myself I'm back let alone him and the rest of my family…I changed a lot because of the war an'…it takes some getting used to…"

For the first time since meeting, a silence fell between them and was only broken by a small startled noise from Luke when Grace rested her hand softly on his cheek and made him look to her.

"Luke….I don't know what you were like before…but if the way your acting now is any reflection at all of how you used to be….then I'd say you don't have to get used to being a different person…you just have to remember that you still have it in you to be the one you and everyone else wants back…you just gotta…as hard as it is I should imagine….stop 'Nam running your life now. Your not there anymore and you can say I don't know what the hell I'm talking about and all….but if you continue to let it rule you….yer never gonna keep yer promise to yer cousin."

She watched as Luke processed what she had been saying, seeing the tears before he had a chance to wipe them away and reached up, twisting a little to wrap her arms around him and hug him close, feeling him hug her back after a little while. Together, they rocked each other back and forth through their own separate pains, each one drawing comfort and support from the other, something they had missed for so long.


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Oh Boy...am I so sorry I fell behind with this one. I know you have all been waiting so long for me to update and I am so so so sorry...things just kinda fell apart with school work and fan fic writing and my writing's kinda had to take a back seat. Hopefully i'm back on track now though and it shouldn't be too long before my next update...hopefully..._**

**_Thanks for sticking with me guys huggles and please keep reviewing!!! Ani xxx_**

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A few hours had passed since the boys had left the church, and despite the many layers they were still feeling the chill of the blistering winds and the snow that clung to their eyelashes, the only thing exposed on either of them. What should have been an hour's walk was made even longer by the conditions and Bo knew, somehow, that they were only three-quarters of the way there.

To some people, that would have been a good thing, they only had a quarter of their journey to go now on what seemed to most to be an impossible one. Well, Bo had begun thinking that he could make it with Scott's help and they had gotten real far until Bo got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Now he didn't have a clue where he was in the county and didn't have the gut feeling that he was going in the right direction anymore.

Everywhere he looked there were just sheets of white falling in front of him and the snow was now coming over the top of his boots, making his feet numb inside his many layers of socks. There were no familiar markings or road bends for Bo to go by otherwise he wouldn't have gotten lost. He already knew most of the roads of Hazzard like the back of his hand after going bike riding many times with his friend Pete and exploring all the places where they thought no one else might have ever been.

Scott was good at navigating, and had gotten Bo to the places where he said they needed to go even though he didn't know Hazzard at all and was just looking for the lame descriptions of certain roads or tree patterns that Bo described. Bo just wished that he hadn't gotten so lost in the first place.

The marine looked down to the boy, ensuring that Bo was kept at his side at all times with an arm around his shoulder; the last thing he needed was to lose Bo. But as he did, he could just make out the fear that Bo had in his eyes and the despondent look that maybe his plan to get back to his cousin wasn't going to work out so great after all, and that hit Scott harder than anything. In just a few hours Bo had lost his fire to carry on, let himself believe he had failed and therefore had lost his confidence in where he had been going. Scott needed to get that confidence back and fast before they both became lost.

Looking around he spotted a small break in the woods and directed a surprised Bo into there, where they were more sheltered from the wind as the trees kept a large amount of the snow out where the branches joined at the top and created a canopy. Not a heavy one, but enough to keep them covered. Scott raised his voice so Bo could hear him.

"Bo, what's the matter. Why're ya lookin' so glum?"

"We're never gonna get there…never….I got us lost, I don't have a clue where I am…."

Scott sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes before gripping Bo's shoulders, shaking his head and making the boy look at him.

"Bo…listen. Just because you don't know where we are right now, does not mean we're lost…it just means we misplaced ourselves and need to find something that will tell us where we are."

Bo frowned a little and swallows, shaking his head.

"Don't that mean the same thing?"

Scott chuckled gently and shrugged.

"Depends on the way you look at it….to me, being lost means being in a place that you don't know at all without a map and without any help. Now we may not have a map, but you know this place like the back of your hand and you got my help….do you recon that's the same as being lost?"

Bo thought it over carefully, he had never really looked at it that way before…when he really thought about it, he supposed Scott was right. How could he be lost in his home county that as Scott thought, he knew like the back of his hand and had done for some time. Sure he was still learning the back roads an' everything, but her hadn't taken them down any back roads he didn't know as far as he could tell. Sighing a little, he looked back to the man in front of him and shook his head, smiling a little.

"Guess not…"

Scott grinned, seeing Bo's posture lighten, looking less like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and more like the determined young man he had set off on this mission with.

"Good….now…lets get back on the road and see if you can find anything that may tell us where we are."

With a grin to each other and a nod, the pair stepped from the safety of their shelter and back onto the road, adjusting once more to the blinding, biting winds and snow. Frowning, Bo looked around, squinting as he walked forwards…or what he hoped was forwards…to see what he could find.

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Luke swallowed as he hurriedly prepared the sheets and checked the water and shine, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands quickly with some pure shine before bringing everything over to Grace and kneeling carefully between her legs, closing his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breathe before smiling gently and looking to her.

"Alright….on the next contraction you need to push….you's done so well, just a few more minutes an' it'll all be over an' you'll have little one in yer arms…."

Grace lay back, panting gently in pain and tiredness, clutching the blanket underneath her as she nodded and tried to focus on what Luke was saying instead of the pain that was now constantly rippling through her. He had been so good through all of this, so clam but even she could not mistake the fear in his eyes, see the tenseness of his jaw line as he worried about what he was about to do. Despite the fact that he was a novice though, she had this weird sense that she should trust him. Something had told her that from the moment she had laid eyes on him, that she and her baby would be safe in his hands as she once would have thought with Scott.

She was rapidly jerked from her memories by another wave of pain and Luke's gentle encouragement to push, always talking to her as she sat forward, gritting her teeth and pushing down as hard as she could with a gentle cross between a moan and slight scream. Luke nodded and counted to 10 slowly, looking to her every so often as he continually spoke encouragement, squeezing her knee supportively with one hand until she fell back.

"Your doin' great Grace, you really are…"

Grace could do nothing but nod as she felt the change inside her, the baby's shifted position was uncomfortable and everything in her body screamed for her to push the intrusion out, even though she couldn't. She took her direction from Luke, trusting him more than she had ever really trusted anyone before, panting as she lay back in time with what he was telling her.

Luke swallowed gently as she cried out and started to push again, blinking a little and faltering in his encouragement as the baby started crowning. Sure he had seen this with animal's on the farm…but seeing this on a human….seeing a little baby crowning….it was like himself being the father, the emotion welling inside him quickly, only to be quashed as he realised rapidly he still had a job to do. He gently smiled up at her.

"It's crowning Grace….really just one more big push and you'll have baby…c'mon Grace you can do it…"

Grace however had had enough, shaking her head as she panted out, crying.

"I can't….I can't I'm too tired…so tired…Luke please…I can't…."

Luke bit his lip gently, knowing that he couldn't let her stay like this for long, leaning forward and gripping one of her hands.

"Grace….you have to…for me…for Scott…think of Scott….this is his baby…think how proud he would be…do it for him Grace…for your whole family…"

Grace swallowed, looking to him with watery eyes as she nodded, gathering what little strength she could muster as she rested in the small gap in between her contractions. Luke smiled softly and returned to his original position, pulling the towels nearer and taking them in his hands, spreading it out and holding it close as he watched her reactions until she had to push again.

Grace's scream was the loudest, most heartbreaking sound Luke had heard in such a long time and it very nearly made him drop the towel he was holding in fright. Luke Duke had never properly been so scared outside of the 'Nam battlefields…but now he would gladly take on the whole Vietcong Army if it meant Grace could have a proper doctor. So many things could be wrong and he wouldn't even know, she could die and there would be nothing he could do about it. Lists of things started to run through his head about what could be wrong….until there was weight pressing into his hands and nothing but silence….before it was broken with a baby's wail.

Stunned he looked down and stared at the tiny, wailing bundle in his hands for just a moment, before wrapping it quickly in the towel and holding it up carefully for Grace.

"Grace…you did it…its here….your baby's here…"

The exhausted young woman looked up and smiled, swallowing hard and nodding, crying gently.

"Th…Thank you….thank you…so much…so much…"

Luke nodded softly and gently held the baby in one arm as he took the sterilized scissors and gently cut the cord, tying it off as Uncle Jesse had shown him before, cleaning the baby in the mix of shine and water before wrapping it in a clean towel and handing it to her.

"There…your beautiful baby boy…"

Grace took the baby in her arms, head resting against the hay bale behind her as Luke went back to clean her up gently Luke had been right, all the pain and exhaustion just seemed to have faded as she held her son in her arms…the feeling of the small infant wailing in her arms after being removed from its safe heaven was like nothing she had ever felt before.

She smiled gratefully as she tried to shush her baby, seeing already that he had Scott's eyes, as Luke covered her gently with a spare blanket and brought the lamps closer to keep them all warm. Suddenly however, a great gust of wind caused them all to shudder and Luke looked up to the door, instantly protective of the pair sat beside him, frowning. He was about to tell the pair that had stumbled through just what he thought…until they pulled back their hoods and everybody talked at once in their amazement.

"Bo?!"

"Luke!"

"Grace?!"

"S..Scott?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: ...I can't apologise enough for this major delay...exactly 7 months to this day was the last time I updated this story...so so so so so so sorry! I hope you've all stuck with me through this, I've been so busy with exams and setting up websites and getting ready for University my writing all went haywire and my muse just ran away from me...but I'm back on track now and I promise that before this next week is up the final chapter of this story will be posted! I swear that! _**

**_Hope you like the chapter, please review!_**

**_Ani xx_**

* * *

All four adult occupants of the barn stood in shock staring at each other, the little baby in Grace's arms wailing as all newborns did until they settled down. This stunned silence didn't last long though as all of a sudden Bo ran forward as Luke stood up at the same time, crashing into his older cousin and hugging him tight.

"Bo! Bo what the heck are you doing here? I thought you said you couldn't get through the snowstorm…"

Bo nodded against the warmth of his older's cousins shoulder where he had buried his face, his arms wrapped tightly around Luke's middle.

"I know….but I couldn't…let you spend Christmas eve alone…ain't fair….I only said cars couldn't get through the storm…ain't nothin' stoppin' good ol' footpower…"

Luke frowned deeply, taking a moment before figuring out what Bo had done, pulling the boy away from him and holding him by his shoulders at arms length, a sudden inexplicable wave of both worry and anger washing over him.

"You mean you walked through that?!"

Bo winced a little as he saw the worry and anger rise in Luke's eyes, swallowing softly as he nodded and tried to keep the tears from slipping down his cheek.

"What in blue blazes were ya thinkin'?! You could have got lost, you could have got hurt and no one would have been able to find ya! You could…could Luke found he couldn't carry on as he saw the tears start to trickle from Bo's eyes and down his cheeks. He hated it when Bo cried, because he had that look that he had perfected over the years that could make anyone's heart melt and make you feel like the smallest person in the world. Shaking his head, he pulled Bo close again and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Bo…I'm sorry…"

"No Luke! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said those things…shouldn't have argued with ya when ya wanted to stay here alone…I should have respected your decision…"

Luke shook his head, swallowing as he heard Bo's guilt that he had guessed was one of the reasons Bo had come back to the farm in the first place. Guilt and Bo Duke were two things that just were not compatible, if Bo didn't find something or someone to ease the guilt it would consume him. He rubbed the younger boy's back gently and rocked him in his arms.

"It's alright Bo…I…I'm just as much to blame…I just….all this…after Jason…"

Bo shook his head too, burying into Luke's shoulder gently as he mumbled out.

"I know…that's why I shouldn't have pushed ya or said them things…I didn't mean 'em…I didn't Luke…"

Luke sighed and nodded again, keeping Bo where he was as he felt the younger boy dissolve into sobs. He could see the bruise on Bo's cheek and felt his heart thud painfully and guiltily against his chest, remembering that he would still need to explain that to his family and find some way to make it up to them for the way he had been behaving. He looked over as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and watched as Scott finally started to approach his wife and child.

Scott appeared to be in a daze as he headed forwards and Grace wasn't much better, her mouth hung slightly open as the little baby continued to wail and writhe a little in her arms. Scott dropped down beside her, tears forming in his eyes as he whispered.

"Grace…I….how…."

Grace shook her head, just as stunned as she was as she explained how she got here and then Scott took his turn, both of them ending up crying by the time Scott had finished his tale.

_**Now folks, **__**the writer's been real smart here….because in the earlier chapters they already told Bo and Luke how they came to be there which means you already know what they just told each other…ain't that slick?**_

"I came back…I looked for you everywhere Grace…I got home but you weren't there so I went to your parents and they said you'd gone visiting a friend…"

Grace nodded, rocking the still wailing baby.

"I was trying to get to Jenny…"

"In your condition?! That's miles away!"

"I'm sorry…I just…my parents were…just being unbearable…you know how they get and I needed someone else…the birth was getting closer…I was so frightened…I just needed someone…"

Scott nodded and hugged his wife and their baby close, rubbing her back with his good hand, his other still in the sling.

"I know…I'm sorry…I'm sorry for makin' you worry…"

Grace shook her head, resting against him and sniffing softly as she looked over the little baby in her arms, smiling a little through her tears.

"That's not what's important now…what's important is that the good lord's given you back to us…this little one's got his father…and…we're a family again…"

Luke swallowed gently hearing that, watching the pair with a heavy heart and a confused mind. He had set out that day with a stringent focus - God was nothing but an icon and a made up symbol for people to believe in. He wasn't real, there was no heavenly force shining down on them and protecting them all, providing the miracles that everyone seemed to pray for day in and day out. That morning, he couldn't see how that was real.

But now his mind was starting to spin in circles as he saw exactly what had been done that night. By some miracle, Grace had managed to find her way in a snow storm to his barn when he was at his lowest…he was absolutely prepared to drink himself silly before Grace had come in, so much so that it would have been easy to do something stupid and end up taking his own life our of grief. And then there was the miraculous birth of the healthy baby boy that was lying wailing between his parents…and another of the dad actually being able to be there…and then Bo being tucked safely in his arms on Christmas Eve like a little kid…even though he was 18…near 19 years old now.

He couldn't yet believe that this was all just some big miracle…after all he had been telling himself they just didn't happen…he looked to Grace and Scott and asked softly.

"Grace…just…how the heck did you find your way through a blizzard to a barn….you can barely see yer hand in front of yer face out there…"

To his surprise, Grace frowned and shook her head.

"Honestly I don't know…I got out my car and climbed up the short hill to what I thought was the road…I was freezing and…I didn't know which way to go…I was so frightened…just praying for some miracle…and then I saw kinda…a shadowy figure on the road…just standing there surrounded by whirling snow. I called out to it but it started to walk away…I followed it, trying to get its help but it led me here then disappeared…"

Luke was frowning just a little bit as he sat with Bo on the floor. The 18 year old was still hugged tightly into him and Luke suspected that he was falling asleep which he really couldn't blame Bo for…walking against a snow storm was hard work.

For a long while, all the occupants of the barn did was sit in silence and sleep for some of them – the baby, finally, Grace and Bo being the three lucky ones who did. Scott was too excited to sleep, not able to tear his eyes away from his newborn son. Eventually though he did, and looked over to Luke.

"I don't know how to thank you…"

Luke was broken out of his thoughts by the words and looked over to him.

"Huh? Sorry I was lost in thought…"

Scott chuckled and nodded.

"I know how that feels…"

Luke smiled a little, looking down at Bo again who was resting in his lap. He couldn't feel his legs anymore…Bo certainly wasn't the 14 year old he had left behind anymore. He had muscle, weight and strength – no longer looking like he could hide behind a tree. It hadn't yet ceased to amaze him just how much Bo had grown up over the years he had been away.

"So…why were you home alone on Christmas Eve…I would have thought you'd have been with your family…"

This caused Luke's eyes to shift from Bo to a point on the far wall, once again sinking into the mildly depressive state he had been in for a long while.

"I urm…they were going to church and…I decided not to go with em…because of things…"

"Didn't believe in all that religious stuff huh?"

Luke looked to Scott in surprise, nodding a little.

"Yeah…"

Scott smiled and nodded, looking down once more at his own little family beside him, biting his lip before looking back to Luke.

"You know…my father once told me…that Christmas was always about friends and family, being with the ones you love…but there's always three components to Christmas that, as long as you never forget them, Christmas will always be Christmas no matter whether your alone or in a whole room full of people…"

Luke nodded a little.

"What's that then?"

"Faith in the lord that blessed us with the holiday, the Hope that next year will be better than the last…and that always on Christmas somewhere in the world a Christmas Miracles…"

Luke smiled a little as Scott practically rattled off everything that he had been mulling over. Every year they had always celebrated Christmas, be it away in 'Nam or back home, as Jesus' birthday that he shared with everybody. There was always the hope that everyone was having as good as a Christmas as they were and that the farm would continue to prosper…and then every year a miracle happened…be it a farm animal giving birth…Bo surviving a fall out the hayloft of the barn when he was just 7 years old….or that Luke had survived 4 Christmas' in a battlefield…something happened that would really give them something to celebrate about.

"Faith, Hope and a Christmas Miracle…sounds like the title to a story don't it…"

Scott laughed a little and nodded.

"Sure does…"

For the rest of the night, the two men talked about everything from 'Nam to the future and what it would hold. Each moment that Luke spent in the barn with Scott and the little baby he had helped deliver into the world convinced him more and more that someone somewhere had planned for all this to happen as it all just seemed to link in. Sure, someone's life had been taken that, Luke still firmly believed, really didn't deserve it…but then again that sacrifice had led to another life being born and he was sure that if, wherever he was now, Rob would be happy about the exchange even if his family weren't. Somehow, he had a feeling that the ghostly figure that had led Grace to him in the snow wasn't a coincidence…


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Ok and here, as I promised, is the final chapter to the christmas fic - finished before this Christmas! lol. Does anyone want to set me a christmas challenge now so I can actually get it completed by Christmas? lol. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and review this story, I hope you like this final chapter and let me know how you found the whole story :-)**_

_**Thanks**_

* * *

It was Christmas Eve once again and this time it appeared to be holding out as perfect as Luke had wanted his first Christmas back home to be. He was surrounded by his family around the twinkling Christmas tree with a light sprinkling of snow on the ground outside. Last year, Daisy and Jesse had managed to get home in time for Christmas Morning, where they celebrated not only Christmas, but the birth of a very special little baby boy at Luke's hands.

As soon as Jesse had gotten there, he had tried the CB and somehow miraculously managed to contact the doctor to come over and take a look at the newborn. It didn't take long however for the doctor to declare that everything was normal and mother and baby were doing just fine – Grace had a little cold from where she had been walking through the snow to get to the barn in the first place but it hadn't been anything serious. She just needed to rest and so Jesse had agreed to let them stay at the farm until she and Scott could get going.

While it was nice to have them around, Luke had always wished it had just been the family that he had celebrated his first Christmas back with. Having Grace, Scott and the little baby around had made it hard for him to be anywhere near as close and personal to his family as he would have liked. It just felt too awkward to be able to do that around strangers…all the same, he was glad that the events of that night one year ago had happened; otherwise he didn't know where he would have been at this point in time. Obviously someone higher up did and decided for Luke, in no uncertain terms, that that was not the way his life was to pan out; it seemed there were bigger things in store for Luke Duke.

Now, a year later, he smiled as he looked down at the letter in his hands and the picture that had accompanied it. Scott and Grace were sat by their fireplace at home, holding their now one-year old baby boy in their laps who was smiling away at something unseen behind the camera. He had heard nothing from the family since they had left the farm, understanding of course that they had to have had their hands full with the baby, but it warmed him inside to know that they hadn't forgotten him and that they still expressed their deepest thanks to the whole of the family…to him for delivering the little tyke, to Bo for bringing Scott back to the family – which Bo still insisted was not his original intention but Luke knew secretly that Bo enjoyed the praise, it made him feel important and Luke would always stress exactly what his determination to get home had done for both Grace and himself. And then to Jesse and Daisy, for all the care and hospitality they had shown the strangers on Christmas.

They were doing fine now, Luke had read, with the little baby all settled in and causing havoc already with keeping the parents up all night and picking up things that he shouldn't have been picking up. When he read that allowed, Jesse had laughed and commented that just being around the boys for a few days was enough to make even the youngest of people pick up their sense for trouble and adventure.

But what really caught Luke's attention and choked him up something fierce, was the name that had been inscribed at the bottom of the letter. There was Grace and Scott's of course…but the baby's name – which the parents hadn't decided on before they left the farm – was truly incredible…and horribly unfair according to Bo.

Lukas Beauregard Brigshaw…

Bo had instantly exclaimed 'What!' in a very loud fashion, causing everyone in the room to look at him. At first Luke had thought that Bo was insulted that Luke's name had come first, as usually the boys were called by Bo and Luke Duke, rather than Luke and Bo which Luke was happy with. But what came next was totally unexpected, even though – Luke had reasoned with himself – it should have been more expected.

"How can they do that to that poor kid?! Lukas is alright but Beauregard! That poor kid is gonna get teased from here to kingdom come an' you know who he's gonna blame don't ya! Me! I'm gonna get all the flack for having a stupid name!"

Luke could do nothing but burst out laughing, as did Daisy and Jesse…and eventually Bo after he had finished his little tirade. He didn't mind his name too much, especially after Luke had pointed out what a cool nickname they could make out of it when he was a youngster and was fed up with his teachers calling him Beauregard all the time and all the kids laughing. People thought Luke's parents had a cruel sense of humour with his name but that was only because they hadn't heard Bo's and Bo flat out refused to tell anyone. Being called and known as Bo to people was just fine.

His eyes quickly diverted back to the picture with a small smile…somehow he doubted that the kid would hate his middle name that badly…after all the namesake for it brought back his daddy to him. He looked up again as Daisy came over and handed him an empty picture frame with a small smile, to which Luke smiled back and slipped the picture inside.

Before Luke knew it, it was time for their annual sing song and drinks around the Christmas tree before they went to bed. He quickly got up and said he'd get his and Bo's guitars and hurried to his shared room to get them, taking the photo frame with him. He quietly placed the frame on his bedside table and smiled a little, running the tip of his finger over the babies face. He truly was a little miracle…

"Luke hurry up! Did you get lost in there or somethin'?!"

Luke had to chuckle at his impatient younger cousin's voice…it was only Bo that couldn't be patient enough to wait for something. He was so glad that hadn't changed in his baby brother. Nearly everything else in his life had, his perspective on life and the world around him…the way he now behaved, his family growing older…he had missed a few of the best years of his cousins lives and he knew that he could never get those back…but he had a whole future to live with them and support them through and he was finally grateful that at least he had that. There were so many that he had known that didn't get that opportunity…

He jumped as the door opened and looked up from where he had unknowingly sat down on his bed, Bo's eager face peering round the edge of the door, that instantly became concerned as he saw Luke.

"You alright Luke?"

Luke smiled and nodded

"Yeah…sure am…just thinkin' bout things is all.."

Bo nodded and came fully into the room and sat down next to Luke, putting an arm around his shoulders as he looked to him with serious blue eyes.

"Luke…I know I'm younger an' all…but I want you to know I'm here…that…I'll listen to whatever you need to get off yer mind, you don't gotta worry about scarin' me or upsettin' me…I want ta help ya anyway I can…"

Luke didn't answer for a moment; just smiled as he looked down at his lap and heard Bo's words, felt the comfort his younger cousin was always so eager to offer him. There were some things that he would never be able to talk about to Bo, no matter how close they were or how mature Bo was now. There were just things he didn't want his cousin to hear about or even think about, and he certainly wasn't going to be the one to just deliver that information into his lap. But certainly he could let Bo be there for him…

He looked up to Bo and nodded with a smile, holding out the hand that bared the one scar on his body that he was immensely fond and proud of, one that ran along his palm. He noticed Bo's eyes light up a little as he smiled and took Luke's hand in his opposite one, the one that bared the brother scar of Luke's.

As their scars pressed together as they had done in a bloody ritual so many years ago now, they looked to each other with in a new light. Luke wasn't just to be the protector of the family now, Bo was going to be his as well and together they would look after not only each other but the family too.

With a smile they both got their guitars and headed back out to the lounge to join Jesse and Daisy, quickly falling into the old routine of starting up the Christmas carols. For the first time in near 5 years, Luke smiled as he sang and watched his family around the tree, whispering underneath the noise.

"Merry Christmas Rob…and thank you…"


End file.
