Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jesse Duke woke before the cockerel crowed and wandered the old house. Every corner of the old farmhouse, every creaky floorboard held memories for him. The worn spot on the easy chair was where Lavinia would sew, her nimble fingers creating pretty dresses for Daisy and turning up Luke's old jeans to fit Bo. The hearth rug was where Luke had taken his first steps, falling into his fathers arms with huge grin on his face. The table still bore the dent from Bo's head.

Jesse remembered all these as he walked the darkened rooms. The house was so quiet, so bereft of life.

With a heavy heart, Jesse went to the sink and opened the cupboard underneath. He took out a bottle of clear liquid and held it up.

"That, there, is a quart of Jesse's finest. But it ain't just 'shine. Ya'll are lookin' at over two hundred years of Duke history. Jesse's family have been making that moonshine for next to seven generations. It means everythin' to the Dukes."

Jesse unscrewed the shine and tipped the bottle upside-down over the sink. The drink glugged and sloshed down the drain.

"But ya know, some things are worth more. Like family."

Jesse put down the empty bottle and sat down at the kitchen table. He sighed.

It was over.

"Now it was June when it happened. Bo ain't long had his 18th birthday and Jesse'd been lettin' him drive Luke's car on 'shine runs. This was in the days afore the General and Luke's car…Well, let's just say, it weren't the General…"

Bo Duke looked over his shoulder for the twentieth time, his heart racing far faster than Luke's midnight blue Ford ever could. He'd been at the wheel during chases before, but that was always with Roscoe and on home territory. This was Chickasaw county. And they had a crate of shine hidden in a special compartment in the back.

He cast a worried glance at his cousin. "Luke?"

"I'm thinkin'"

The police car was rapidly gaining on them, sirens screaming loudly. Bo bit down on his lip and pressed down harder with his foot. The pedal was already to the floor and the old car could give no more.

Bo wrenched the steering wheel and the car slewed around a dirt corner. "Luke?"

His older cousin snapped his fingers. "Cross Creak Road."

"I ain't sure about that, Luke."

"Just do it!" He ordered. "Take a right."

"Luke, there ain't no road!"

"Traveller can handle it."

Bo twisted the wheel again and sent the car off road, bumping and tossing over the rough dirt and zig-zagging wildly through the trees. The steering suddenly felt like lead under Bo's hands and he struggled to keep the car straight and going where he wanted it to go.

Luke shot a worried look at his cousin, realising the boy was having trouble holding the car steady. He'd only been driving off the farm for a few months, but he'd got so good, so quickly, it was easy to forget his relative inexperience. "Bo!"

The car bumped hard over the dirt, wheels skidding on the loose soil.

Luke twisted in his seat, looking back at the police cars, which had been slowed considerably by Bo's erratic and unexpected right turn. "You can make it, Bo!"

Cross Creak Road wasn't that far and once there, Luke could toss out the 'shine into the muddy waters and they'd only been facing a speeding fine if they were caught.

The Ford hit a large rock and the steering wheel was wrenched from Bo's hands. He gasped in surprise.

Luke spun back, looking forward just in time to see a tree in their path. "Bo!"

But his warning was drowned out by the crunch of metal against wood and they were both thrown forward.

Then everything went black.

Chapter Text

"Now back in them days, Jesse would spend as much time up in the hills surroundin' Hazzard as he would ploughin' the fields with Maudine the mule. An' like he had almost ev'ry day since his own pa showed him how to make Duke 'shine, he was up at the still site runnin' off a mash just as Traveller was a-fixing to run into that tree."

Jesse pushed another batch of dry wood under the still, watching as the fire burned stronger. He looked up at the dark sky and was satisfied that the deadwood wasn't making much smoke. Agent Andy Roach was a good, honest man and he was also a cunning revenuer. He was the latest in a long line of revenuers that had been after the Dukes since long before Bo and Luke were born. He had caught many of Jesse's less cautious neighbours after following their smoke trails straight to their stills.

When the still was running smoothly, Jesse got up and went to his pick-up. Daisy had packed him a small basket of fried chicken in case he got hungry, or held up.

The CB crackled to life just as Jesse was reaching for his snacks.

"Bo Peep to Sheppard?"

Jesse frowned at the CB. Even through the static and distortion, he could hear real anxiety in Daisy's voice.

"Bo Peep to Sheppard?" She repeated, "Uncle Jesse, you got ya ears on?"

Jesse reached in and took the CB in his hand. "This is Sheppard."

"Oh, Uncle Jesse, you gotta get back here right away!"

"Are you all right?"

"Agent Roach is here."

A clench of fear twisted Jesse's gut. His big toe had been hurting since he'd sent the boys off on the 'shine run that evening. He'd tried to ignore it. "Bo an' Luke?"

But it wasn't Daisy who answered him.

"Jesse?" Another voice, just as familiar to him as Daisy's was. Roach.

Jesse closed his eyes as he pressed the CB to speak. "Andy?"

"The boys have been arrested, Jesse." He told him. "You'd best come on back to the house. I got more ta tell ya."

"While Jesse broke any number of speedin' laws gettin' back to the house, Bo 'n' Luke were bein' doctored at Tri-County General. An' don't ya'll go frettin' about them boys; they got themselves more lives than a cat."

Luke remembered very little about the trip to hospital. There was noise all around him, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on the individual voices making up the din. He felt vaguely sick and there was a nagging sensation of worry in his chest, although he didn't know what of. He might have struggled to remember but he didn't really want to do anything more than sleep and he drifted in and out, until finally there was a fading into white and peace and just as he fell into sleep, he remembered Bo.

Agent Andy Roach was sitting out on the porch as Jesse drew up in his pick-up. Andy was a slim man in his fifties, with a greying moustache and thinning hair. He was kind and always ready to help his neighbours, even those he suspected were moonshiners. Jesse respected him a great deal and even counted the man among his many friends.

Andy was sipping some of Daisy's lemonade as he waited. He had a serious expression on his face. Daisy sat on steps near him, looking as worried as Jesse felt.

Jesse got out his truck and made his way over to Roach.

He went straight to the point. "You arrested ma boys?"

Andy stood up. "I caught them with 'shine, Jesse." There was no satisfaction in Andy's voice even though the man had been chasing the Dukes for years.

Jesse nodded. "I understand."

"I'm not sure you do, Jesse." Andy told him. "This is serious, now. We're talkin' prison for them boys."

Jesse looked down. "Ya said there was more."

Andy nodded. "You best sit down."

That phrase worried him. "I think you'd best be tellin' me standin' if it's important."

Andy looked around at Daisy, then back at Jesse. "The boys are in the hospital."

Daisy gasped.

"What!" Jesse thundered. "You been a-wastin' my time with this-"

"They're fine." Andy assured him, waving Jesse down. "I woulda told ya to go straight to them if they weren't. Bo's a little bruised and Luke was knocked unconscious, but they're all right."

Jesse sighed, relieved. "Now I know we's been friends fer years, an' I believe ya, but…I'll be wantin' ta see that for myself."

"I'll drive you over." Andy said. "But Jesse, those boys are under arrest now. They won't be comin' home."

Bo sat on the bed in the emergency room and tried to stay calm. He wasn't hurt, at least not beyond the ache between his eyes where he'd hit the steering wheel with his head. The patch between his brows and most of his forehead felt sore and he guessed he'd be sporting black eyes for the next few days. A doctor had come by and told him that, although Luke's concussion was severe, it wasn't life-threatening and he was going to be just fine in a day or two.

He hoped they let him see Luke before they took him away.

To jail. Not Juvi hall, he was 18 now.

He was going to go to jail.

Bo had been frightened before in his life, but he didn't really understand true terror until now. There wasn't going to be any lucky reprieve, no verbal warning. This was a serious offence.

He and Luke were in real, real trouble.

Footsteps tapped on the stark linoleum floor of the hospital and stopped behind Bo. He turned to see a tall, heavy set deputy.

"Beauregard Duke?" He said.

Bo swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir."

"The doctor's just released you. You have to come with me, son."