Author's Notes: Alright, I tried, I really did, but I'm too impatient - the end ain't quite done yet, but I've been through the beginning with a fine-toothed comb, an' I'm posting it. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: We All Fall Down

Afternoon, friends! Welcome to Hazzard, where there's usually trouble afoot and the Dukes are always a part of it! I'll warn ya, though - if you're faint of heart, you're not gonna want to see this story, especially this first scene. I already know what happens, and even I'm gonna close my eyes - you might want to too.

Now

"Shhh, Bo, don't move, baby, it's alright, don't move, I'm here, honey, it's alright…"

Daisy sounded upset. Why was Daisy upset? Bo wanted to tell her, he was fine, don't worry, don't cry. But he couldn't move, couldn't look up, couldn't speak. Then he felt it. God, oh God. Everything hurt so bad…

"Shh, you're gonna be okay, baby…"

A flash of pain flared up at each spot her gentle hands touched, his shoulder, his ribs, and he moaned. Then she touched his leg, and the last of his strength washed out in a wave of black fire.

See there? I toldja. You can open you eyes, now - at least for a little bit.

"Luke?" Uncle Jesse's voice woke him. "Are you alright?"

No, definitely not. He sat on the floor of the bathroom in his pajama pants, where he'd fallen asleep against the cool wall after spending a good hour retching the contents of his stomach into the toilet. Luke didn't know if it was something he'd eaten or just a flu bug, but he was one sick puppy, shivering miserably. Jesse crouched down next to him and felt his forehead.

"Let's get you back in bed."

Jesse helped him stand and stumble down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Bo, who slept on undisturbed. It wasn't dawn yet, still the early dark hours of the morning, as his uncle pushed back the blankets and eased him down. Luke was exhausted, and sleep claimed him again before Jesse even covered him up. The Duke patriarch found another blanket and added it on for good measure, before quietly slipping out to go back to bed himself. Let him rest - Jesse would check on him again in the morning.

Now friends, it looks like one way or another, this just ain't the Dukes' day. Then again…

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Bo whistled as he drove along, gunning the engine and flying around a curve, throwing dust into the air. He laughed to himself - nothing beat takin' the General out for a spin on a bright Hazzard morning. 'Cept having Luke, or maybe a pretty girl, along with him, Bo thought with a glance at the empty passenger seat. Luke had been sleeping when he left, down with the flu Uncle Jesse said. But, today was the first of the month, and with Daisy at work and Jesse at home keeping an eye on Luke, only Bo was left to make the mortgage payment at the bank in town. Uncle Jesse was insistent on Bo getting to the bank early with the payment, to be sure there was no trouble, but that didn't mean he couldn't make a jump or two in the General on the way there…

Smiling happily, Bo drove on into the main street of town. The General was running beautifully this morning, if he did say so himself, and that jump had been pure poetry in motion. Even better, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Rosco or Enos by the time he pulled up in front of the bank, which meant A) the mortgage payment would be on time without a problem, and B) poor ol' Luke wouldn't miss the fun of outrunning either of them. With a bounce in his step, Bo went right on into the bank, money safely in his pocket.

Surprisingly enough, nothing between the door and the teller's window prevented Bo from making the mortgage payment. He thanked the teller for the receipt, one less payment to worry about, and tucked the paper into his shirt pocket. Whistling again, Bo reached for his car keys and walked towards the front door. Then the door opened, and two men walked in.

"Well, I'll be! Joel and David Flanagan!" Bo greeted them cheerfully. They were brothers, one each Bo and Luke's age, born and raised in Hazzard. They'd left to find their fortunes some six years ago, taking with them the only real racing competition the Dukes ever had. Both had dark brown hair, mussy like Luke's, green eyes, and sturdy features. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts, brown and tan leather jackets, with bandanas tied loosely around their necks. Both smiled back at Bo, and he reached out to shake their hands in turn. "It's been ages, what brings you back to Hazzard?"

"Oh, this and that," Joel said lightly, the younger of the two. "Hey, is that the General I saw parked out front? How's that old horse running?"

Bo grinned. "Better than ever!" The last time the Flanagans had seen the General, it was through a cloud of dust as Bo left them behind and took a $500 tri-county prize. "We ought to get together, if you're gonna be in town for a few days! You still have the Black Diamond?" he asked, referring to the brothers' old racecar.

David shook his head. "Naw, we lost the Diamond in Texas a few months back, to this double-dealin' old skunk worse than Boss Hogg even."

Bo whistled. That was pretty bad.

Joel brightened, though. "Hey Bo, I'd love to see the General again. Ain't nobody anywheres that could work a car like Cooter and you Dukes, 'cept maybe me an' David here. Do you mind?"

"Well sure! I'll wait for ya out front, if ya like." Bo missed the significant glance Joel gave his brother.

"Oh, no, that's alright! I'll come out with you now, and David can finish up in here. Right, brother?"

"Right. I'll be out in just a few minutes."

"Well, alright!" Bo grinned, always happy to show off his prized orange car, especially to former rivals. Joel followed him out the door, and the day could hardly get better.

Chatting with Joel the whole way, they made for the General parked down the street. Bo popped the hood, then hopped in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition, revving the engine a few times while Joel admired the timing and the craftsmanship from out front.

"Whoa, this is great, Bo! Better than the Diamond ever was!" Joel exclaimed, walking around to the driver's side.

"Want to take him for a spin?"

"Do you mind? You don't have anywhere else to be? Where's Luke, anyhow?" the younger Flanagan quickly scanned the nearby roads and square.

"Ah, he's got the flu, back at the farm. It's just me today, an' Uncle Jesse doesn't expect me home until later."

"Great!" Joel shut the hood, making sure it latched, and walked to the passenger side, climbing in through the window with practiced ease. Inside, he got into the back seat. "Hey, pull up over in front of the bank, so we can pick David up."

Bo, with his trusting nature, readily complied, easing the General out from the curb and driving up to the front of the bank. In just a moment, though, he realized his mistake. David Flanagan came bursting out of the bank doors, gun in one hand and a full canvas sack in the other, the red bandana covering his features.

"What…" Bo began, twisting around in his seat to look from one brother to the other. Joel leveled another handgun at him, and his friendly smile took on a nasty edge. His choices taken from him, Bo turned back around, angrily slamming his hands on the steering wheel as David climbed into the orange Charger.

"Drive," Joel ordered.

Bo drove.

Now, if y'all didn't see that coming from a mile away, then I've got some oceanfront property in Colorado to sell ya.

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The chase was as fierce as any Bo had ever driven, maybe more so this time because Rosco and Enos both thought he was truly guilty. He could hear them talking to each other on the CB and calling for Sheriff Little to be waiting at the county line. Enos sounded upset, shocked that a Duke would sink to armed robbery, and he gave no quarter as he hung close to the General's tail. The icing on the cake was that Rosco, walking out of the jailhouse at the time, thought it was Luke climbing into the General with the loot.

What have you gotten yourself into now, Bo Duke? Bo thought to himself. David Flanagan held the muzzle of the gun to his ribs as he flew along the dirt roads, the metal jabbing painfully on sharp turns. The brothers were all too familiar with Bo's skill at the wheel and the dirt roads of Hazzard, so any trick he might have tried, they'd be sure to catch. Not only that, but they might come after Daisy, Uncle Jesse, or Luke if Bo couldn't stop them on the first try. Clearly his old racing rivals had changed, and Bo wasn't willing to push to find out how much, or how far they might go.

Up ahead, the trees cleared out on either side of the road, and grassy fields spread out towards the distant hills. A side road split off to the left, and Joel Flanagan smiled as he recognized it.

"Take Deerhorn Road," he ordered, and his brother ended Bo's brief hesitation with a jab of the gun muzzle.

"Watch it!" Bo protested angrily. "I'm going, already!" He was angry with himself, as well. Deerhorn Road led to a broad creek with a little-used bridge that had been washed out with the spring flood, and the county hadn't gotten around to repairing it yet. Bo might have tried to claim it was impossible to safely jump the 60-foot creek, had he not bragged to Joel earlier about smoothly crossing it that very morning. Rosco and Enos would never be able to make it, and it was miles to the nearest sturdy bridge.

Skidding through a puddle of mud, Bo sighted on the creek just ahead. A pile of rubble and dirt displaced by the flood made the perfect jump ramp. Bo floored the gas and made straight for it, Rosco and Enos close behind. The General hit the rubble-ramp square on, leaping high into the air and soaring in a graceful arc across the trickling creek.

No sooner had they landed than Bo was jabbed painfully in the ribs again, and he floored the gas and squirmed to pull away from the blunt metal. As the General fled the creek, Bo looked back in the mirror to see whether Rosco and Enos were crazy enough to try the jump. The sheriff and his deputy fared about as well as usual as Rosco tried to follow, landing halfway across the creek in the middle of the flowing water. Enos pulled up at the last moment, skidding to a halt at the edge of the flood-washed bank. The weight of the cruiser crumbled the unstable edge, and Enos was sent sliding nose-first into the water.

The scene retreated in the distance as Bo turned a bend. Since Rosco and Enos both looked alright, Bo forgot his situation for a moment and laughed. It was always worthwhile to see Rosco sputtering indignantly in the drink. Unfortunately, the thieving brothers saw the sheriff and deputy lose the chase as well, and they smiled to each other.

"I knew you could do it, Bo!" Joel sneered from the back seat, slapping his shoulder with mock-camaraderie.

Bo scowled. "Good, then let me go!"

"Oh, I don't think so," David said. "At least, not until you drop us off at our car on Blackburn Road. Then you'll be free to run along and take the rap for us."

I tell ya, friends, for growin' up a couple of Hazzard good ol' boys, these two sure turned colors when they left town. I'm thinkin' Luke was the luckier one this morning, down for the count at home with the flu.

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