Well, here it is: the last chapter! Thanks to all of you who have read along and left feedback! As always, I appreciate it. And thanks again to GrayWolf84 for beta-ing this chapter for me, and for inspiring me to think of the title. Randa, the collar is for you. ;)

Updates on future stories will be in my profile, as usual. Later!

- Flynne :)

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– Chapter Twelve –

"Patches"

By the time the small caravan arrived at Osage Road Prison, the grim-looking premises had been overrun with police cars. They sat haphazardly around the perimeter and in the yard with their lights flashing, scattered about like toy cars.

Bo and Luke looked around in amazement at the swarm of officers that were sorting through the remaining prisoners, loading them into state vehicles to be transferred elsewhere. The doors to all the barracks were open, as were the row of solitary confinement sheds.

"Wonder what's goin' on here?" Luke said to himself. He and his cousins climbed out of the General, at a loss of what they would be expected to do.

"Bo! Luke!" Nate Miles had spotted the orange gleam of the General right away, and broke away from his position by the office to greet the new arrivals. "I sure am glad to see you safe," he said, shaking their hands firmly. "You too, Daisy."

"What's happenin', Miles?" Bo asked.

"Friends, you are looking at the last day in the history of the Osage Road Prison," Miles replied. "We're shutting it down."

Bo stared. "You're kidding!"

The detective shook his head. "You heard right! This debacle with Cole and you boys was the last straw. From what you've told us about your experience here three months ago, it gave us enough on Sheriff Cathcarte to take him in, too, and after what happened last night, we decided it was time to move in. We raided the place this morning. All these men…" he gestured toward the prisoners, "…will get their records checked and double-checked. They're getting transferred for now. It looks as if most of 'em do belong in prison, but I think a lot were missed back when you boys broke out, so we're going to make sure things are straight."

"I'm sure glad this place is gonna go," Daisy said, remembering how bad it had been when her cousins had been imprisoned there. "Are they gonna tear it down?"

Miles smiled. "Nope. Seems the people of Osage County have had enough of cruelty, and they want to turn this place into something good. They're talking about turning it into a farm camp for underprivileged kids."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Luke said with a grin. "You tell 'em that if they need any help fixin' the place up, me and Bo will be glad to pitch in."

"Will do. You know, I need to talk to my boss a bit more about this, but I think you three might have a reward coming for your help in apprehending Claibourne and the rest of Brock's gang."

"Aw, Miles, we didn't expect nothin'," Bo started to say.

"I know, but there's no arguing with Uncle Sam. You'll be getting a check as soon as everything is sorted out. I don't know the exact amount, but we've wanted these guys for a long time and I think the state of Georgia will be very appreciative."

"Well…thanks," Luke said. "You know…we got some bills to pay and there's some stuff needs fixin' out at the farm, but…" He exchanged a quick look with his cousins. Bo nodded enthusiastically and Daisy smiled proudly at him.

"We'll donate whatever we got left over to the camp!" she finished.

Miles smiled and shook his head. "You know, I liked you Dukes from the day I first met you, and now I know why. Come on. Let's head on in to the office so I can get your official statements, and then we're gonna get you home."

Bo gave him a bright, relieved smile. "Boy, I'm glad to hear that. 'Home' is 'bout the best word I've heard all week."

Well, there you have it. Thanks to the Dukes, a real sore spot in Osage County has started healin', and Claibourne and the rest of his crew were sent off to prison for a good long while. Detective Miles made sure Bo, Luke, and Daisy didn't have to stay long, and he got 'em back to Hazzard in time for breakfast with Uncle Jesse, who was relieved and thankful to see all his kids come home safe.

Miles also made sure that the charges against Bo were dropped and erased from his record…and even Boss was relieved, even though you'd have to hold a match to his wallet to get him to admit it. Y'all know he's itchin' to get the Duke boys out of his hair—what little he's got left—but he'd still feel bad if it was for somethin' like killin', no matter what he might say. Besides, he was too busy bein' glad that he was safe from Claibourne to stay down about it for long. So everything got fixed up in the end.

Well…almost everything. Looks to me like there are just a few more things that need patchin' up…

Broad beams of golden sunlight slanted over the open fields as the sun started his slow descent toward the western horizon. The warm rays filtered through the thick boughs of the trees before coming to rest on the Dukes' little white farmhouse. The house was quiet and empty inside, and the family was clustered on the front porch in companionable silence after dinner, soaking up the warmth of the dying day.

Jesse was sitting in his old white wooden chair with Luke on the porch beside him, leaning back against the side of the worn piece of furniture. Fender was sprawled on his back across Luke's lap with all four paws in the air. His big brown eyes were shut tightly, and the look on his face was one of sheer doggy bliss as Luke rubbed his tummy. Daisy sat on the porch steps, sewing a small Confederate flag patch over a frayed spot on the back of Fender's bright orange collar.

Bo lounged nearby, his back against a post with his long legs stretched out in front of him, watching Daisy work as he chewed on a long stem of grass. His blue eyes had grown increasingly more thoughtful as the silent minutes drifted by, and he finally took a deep breath and took the grass stem out of his mouth. "Hey, Daisy, can I ask you something?"

Daisy put in the last stitch and snipped her thread. "Sure, honey. What is it?"

"Well…after y'all caught up with us in that car chase this mornin', you said somethin' that's kind of been botherin' me. You said that if Luke or me had been hurt, you'd never be able to forgive yourself. What'd you mean by that?"

Daisy tensed, and she dropped her gaze. "It was my fault, what happened," she said quietly. "I—I wasn't paying attention when I left work that night. I shoulda known better than that…but I had my guard down, and that's why they grabbed me. If Claibourne had killed you…it would've been because of me."

"Daisy…no," Luke corrected gently. "It ain't like that. When they called us, they told us they knew what we were tryin' to do. They wouldn't have fallen for that trap. If anything, we should've known better than to leave you and Uncle Jesse unguarded."

Daisy shook her head. "But—"

"But what Luke is sayin'," Bo interrupted firmly, "is that we ain't gonna talk about fault, because there isn't any. Claibourne and Rod were in charge of all this. They're responsible, and they're payin' for what they done." He waited until he was sure he had her attention before continuing. "Daisy, Luke and me want you to understand something. Now, Uncle Jesse's looked out for all three us all our lives…and you done your share, too, keepin' an eye on the two of us. You're a good sister." That coaxed the beginnings of a smile onto Daisy's sad face, but Bo wasn't finished.

"But even though y'all look out for Luke and me, the way we see it is it's our job to take care of you two. It's like when Luke went into the Marines…he was old enough and strong enough to fight for his country, so he did it. We're doin' the same thing."

"Bo's right," Luke spoke up seriously. "Any sacrifice that's gotta be made, me and Bo are gonna do all we can to make sure we're the ones to make it, and we ain't never gonna have no regrets. You and Uncle Jesse are worth it."

The tears that had been brimming in Daisy's eyes finally spilled over. Bo scooted over next to her to put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him, sniffling quietly.

Jesse's faded blue eyes grew misty, and he reached out to rest a firm hand on Luke's shoulder. "I'm real proud of you boys," he said gruffly. Luke reached up to rest his hand on top of Jesse's for just a moment before his uncle let go, but the warmth from the old man's hand spread through him and stayed with him. Fender stretched and yawned, crawling out of Luke's lap to give his pale gold fur a shake. He trotted off the porch and started making a leisurely tour of the yard.

Daisy's tears subsided, and Bo bent his head to peer into her face. "So no more feelin' guilty?" he asked gently. Daisy gave him a little smile and shook her head. "Good!" Bo smiled playfully. "'Cause Luke an' me got jackets in there with holes in 'em that need fixin', and—"

Daisy laughed through her tears, balling up her fist to slug him in the stomach. "Bo Duke! Honestly, you—!" She broke off and threw her arms around his neck. Bo returned the hug, exchanging a relieved smile with Luke over the top of Daisy's head.

Well, friends, I think now it's safe to say that everything's fixed: Daisy patched Fender's collar, Bo an' Luke helped mend Daisy's heart, and it sounds like the bullet holes in the boys' jackets is as good as stitched up. That's a typical Hazzard ending if I ever seen one.

A high-pitched whine from the yard caught their attention, and Bo and Luke looked over to see Fender standing next to the General, staring hopefully back at the house. His ears perked up when he saw he'd successfully caught the boys' attention.

"You want somethin', Fender?" Luke called teasingly. He laughed when the dog spun around and sprang into the General, looking back at Bo and Luke with a briskly wagging tail.

"Luke, you think he wants to go for a ride?" Bo asked with a smirk. Fender heard Bo say one of his favorite words, and he let out an enthusiastic bark, recognizing the playful tone in the cousins' voices and knowing it was only a matter of time before his two buddies got off their backsides and joined him in the car.

"You heard him, Bo!" Luke stood up and stretched, digging his keys out of his pocket. "Catch!"

Bo caught the keys with his left hand, pressed Daisy's hand one last time with his right, and hopped up, jogging after his cousin to the General. Fender immediately made room for them and sat down in the middle of the front seat, looking expectantly out the windshield as the engine rumbled to life.

"Hey, hold on!" Daisy jumped up from the porch and ran across the yard, tossing Fender's newly-patched collar through the window.

Luke caught it and buckled it around the dog's neck with a grin. "Looks great, Daisy! Thanks!"

"Anytime, sugar!" She winked at him and stepped away.

Bo waved out the window. "We'll see y'all later!"

"Keep it 'tween the ditches!" Jesse called after them.

Then they were gone, peeling out of the dirt driveway in a cloud of dust and a blast of "Dixie" on the horn. The farm faded behind them as they sped on down the road heading west. Fender sat straight as a soldier in the middle of the seat, a wide grin on his face as the evening breeze rushed through the windows.

"Woo! Hold on, Luke!" Bo tightened his grip on the wheel as the General shot up a rise in the road, hovering in midair for a moment before coming down with a crunch and a shower of dust as the wheels spun against the loose gravel of the road.

Luke laughed with exhilaration. "Where we goin'?"

Bo grinned as the red-orange rays of the sun glinted off his yellow hair. "I ain't got a plan…we're just goin'!"

"Well then, lay that hammer down, Bo! Let's go catch that sunset!"

– END –