A/N: Well here it is, the final chapter to this story and me and Elenhin have had such fun writing it...we're thinking of doing another together...maybe if you're all good :-)

The genius of this chapter and many others is of course Elenhin, who has made this really come alive with her writing and her ideas, it was a real pleasure writing with you my friend.

On a quick note, I have another story raring to be posted...only problem is it is already 56 chapters long and isn't anywhere near finished yet...would you all be willing to read a story that long or shall I not bother? It has a lot of twists and turns in it and is co-written with another great author who is not actually on this site but on me know in your reveiws if you would be interested...and we'll see how it goes.

Well, as always read, reveiw and enjoy and until next time, keep it 'tween the ditches ya hear?

Elenhin and Anakin's Girl 4eva

xxxx

"Do I have ya attention now?"

Luke asked in a cold voice as he looked down at Bo. His younger cousin was sprawled on the floor pushing himself slowly up on his hands, wearing the exact expression of a lost puppy on his face, as if someone had been hauling him around in a sack for a week, and then just dropped him on the floor and he were trying to figure out where he was and what was going to happen to him.

Bo looked lost…and scared.

Luke glanced at Jesse and shook his head in a barely detectable motion as he saw the old man start to rise to his feet; he had to do this without intervention. He watched as Bo nodded, though he didn't look no less confused.

"Get up."

Luke told him sharply and watched as Bo obeyed without question or protest. He knew Bo well enough to know what he was thinking as he climbed to his feet. Bo thought that Luke hated him, and he was telling himself that Luke had every right to feel so. Inside his head he was shouting at himself that it was all his fault, he was making himself believe that he deserved it when Luke slapped him.

Luke forced himself to keep a stern expression, fixing his one good eye on Bo; the other would still not open more than halfway. Oh, he hurt, he was hurting bad but that would be nothing compared to if Bo left.

"Now ya's gonna listen to me Bo, an' ya's gonna be listening good."

He told him firmly, suppressing the quiver that he could feel his voice starting to take on. When Jack and Chris had turned on Bo, and not only tried to sabotage his car but gone after Luke as well, then that heart of his had crumbled. It had only increased the burden the younger man was carrying, and now the weight of the shards were slowly weighing down on Bo until it would reach a point where he could not bear it anymore. Bo had rescued him when he was tied up, now he had to try and rescue Bo from the guilt of his own conscience.

"That was fer giving up on me." He told him as he fixed him with the same glare.

Bo shied back some ways again and fresh tears rolled down his face.

"I'm sorry Luke, I'm so sorry; I never should've trusted them over you. I'm so sorry."

"Do I have to slap ya again, or are ya's gonna listen."

Luke asked coldly and Bo stood up a tad straighter, wiping his nose on his sleeve. He owed it to Luke to let him do this. There was nothing he could say that Bo didn't deserve to hear, so no matter what Luke called him, he'd listen to it. He couldn't think about anything that would hurt more than having Luke tell him he never wanted to see him again, but if that was what Luke wanted to say, then he'd listen and do as he asked without hesitation.

"I don't give a damn about that Bo."

Luke winced a little as he could feel Jesse's glare all too clearly as he said that.

"I couldn't care less, but if ya think ya can leave now, then ya's wrong."

"But it's my fault." Bo burst out, tears streaming even more freely now. "It was cause of me they did that to ya, I should've listened to ya. They hurt ya cause of me, it's my fault."

"Wrong Bo." Luke shook his head trying to ignore the pain in his head. "They beat me, you're hurting me now. You're hurting me bad if you're leaving." He held up his left hand as if he was studying the cast. "This is going to heal. But this," he pointed to his heart. "And this," he moved his hand to point at Bo's heart as well but didn't remove his hand. Instead he allowed it to rest against Bo's chest. "Ain't ever gonna heal if ya leave Bo."

Bo had looked lost before, but now he looked as if he had never been anything else. Hate was easier to deal with than guilt, or at least so Bo thought. He wanted Luke to hate him to protect himself, and Luke wasn't going to. It was just that right now Bo was doing his best to hate himself, and Luke wouldn't let him. Bo was running out of emotions, and it was making him so very confused.

Luke lowered his voice, this he was saying for Bo, not for anyone else.

"Bo, ya got the most beautiful heart I've ever seen, an' I ain't gonna see it crushed cause of some bastard that tricked ya into a trap. They used ya Bo, they used the fact that ya love us so much and I sure ain't gonna be holding that against ya." He took his hand away from Bo's heart to brush away the tears from his cheek. "Bo, if being beat was what I had to pay for getting ya back, then it was worth it, an' I'm sorry for that slap there, but I had to make ya listen ta me."

"Luke, no Luke." Bo struggled with the tears for a bit, but they fell none the less. "It was my fault; I was so dang proud I never saw it."

"Bo, Cooter an' me had ta look around fer days to find out there was anything wrong. There was no way ya could have, an' I know how much ya's been dreaming about what they offered. I'd have beaten the living daylights out of them fer hurting ya, but I hear ya's already did that." He gave Jesse a grateful smile as he took the red handkerchief that the older man handed him and dried the tears of his baby cousin's face. "Bo, I'm so proud of ya."

"How can ya say that Luke?" Bo burst out as he pulled away. "How can ya say that after I got ya hurt!"

"Oh, it's easy, it's real easy." Luke crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm proud of ya 'cause when Cooter told ya, ya didn't even hesitate. I'm proud of ya because I know ya always do whatever ya do from the best intent. I'm proud of ya because ya try so hard ta do the best to care fer all o' us..." He took a step after Bo and put his good hand to his shoulder, letting his fingers rest at the nape of Bo's neck. "I'm proud of ya because ya's my baby cousin an' I love ya more than anything."

Hearing the last few words Bo broke down, suddenly he was clinging to Luke for dear life, sobbing the shards of his heart out onto Luke's shoulder. The bandage got soaked with salty tears, and he was grateful that Jesse steered them over to the chairs because no matter how much he loved Bo, carrying his full weight on damaged ribs was more than he could handle. Sitting down he could put the pain aside and focus on his cousin. Bo's tears stung in a few scraps that wasn't bandaged, but their uncle had always told them it was stinging because it was healing when he was cleaning out all those bicycle scraped knees and elbows during their childhood.

Bo was crying but he was also healing and Luke thought that once more their uncle had proved how he was always right.

Eventually the raging river of tears was replaced with small gasps and soft hiccups as Bo was trying to calm himself down.

"I'm so sorry Luke." He mumbled, and the way he hiccupped in the middle of the word sorry made Luke smile softly.

"Bo, they used ya just as much as they used me, ya ain't got nothing ta be sorry about." Luke told him gently as he rubbed his back. "An' ya had better be listening to me, cause if I do so much as one more bit o' cursing trying ta convince ya, I 's gonna wind up in the woodshed fer sure."

In spite of himself Bo found himself giving a small smile, even thought it was interrupted by another hiccup. He hadn't seen Jesse's face as Luke cursed, but he had seen it enough times to know how it looked. Jesse could let them get away with it at times like these, but there were limits even then. With the slap and then a curse, Luke would be toeing that line.

Then the smile faded as he realized that he had been thinking that Jesse would be angry at Luke on his behalf because Luke had slapped him. He had thought that they would never ever want anything to do with him again that Jesse wouldn't even care. He glanced at their uncle and he could read it in his eyes. Hurt or not it was clear in his eyes that he would not let Luke hurt Bo.

Bo turned his eyes to Luke, he didn't really show the pain he felt, but Bo knew him well enough to know the signs. Luke was hurting and he was hurting bad right now. He opened his mouth, and closed it again. Not even hiccupping as he was so wrapped up in his thoughts. To have Luke stand like that and ignore the pain, he had to love Bo so much, and it was so very hard to hate yourself when everyone else seemed to love you with the ferocity that Luke did.

"I don't wanna leave, I just don't wanna hurt ya anymore Luke. I was so scared when Cooter told me, an' when I got there an' saw what they had done." Bo looked down unable to focus on Luke's face. Then the red handkerchief was there again and dried away a tear that Bo hadn't even noticed had escaped.

"I couldn't stand to see ya hurt either." Luke said softly. "I know ya's hurting now Bo, and that ya's angry at them, I'm angry at them for what they did, but I'm just glad that I got ta keep ya, cause there ain't enough gold in the world ta make up fer losing ya."

"I'm sorry Luke." Bo mumbled, and this time he didn't mean for Luke being kidnapped, but for thinking that the only thing left for him to do was leave. He couldn't really understand how Luke could trust in him the way he did. Even when it seemed to him he only ever caused them pain and grief, they still refused to let him go.

Forgetting about his ribs Bo hugged his cousin tight, needing the last reassurance that Luke was only more than willing to give him.

"Luke," Bo mumbled in a soft voice with one last hiccup as Luke smiled at him. That was his Bo back with him.

"Yeah." Luke ruffled his hair slightly, he just couldn't resist it.

"Reckon ya want this back." Bo dug into his pocket and came out with Luke's pocket knife. Luke took it from him, turning it over in his hands.

"Yeah." He looked at his younger cousin, Bo knew only to well how much that knife meant to Luke. "Thanks." He also knew just as well how grateful Luke was to get it back again. He smiled at Bo as he put it back in his belt pouch where it belonged.

"Ya need ta sharpen it, getting dull again." Bo smiled teasingly, not because it was, but because he always complained to Luke that it wasn't sharp enough. It was his way to make sure that all was well between them again.

"Still sharper than ya brain." Luke returned with a grin, knowing exactly what Bo was doing and all to willing to help him out with it. He wanted the same thing after all.

In the meantime Jesse had snuck outside to find out when they were going to be allowed to take his oldest lad home. He found out that it would be as soon as he signed the release papers since there was nothing wrong with him that he couldn't receive the care for at home. They instructed him in how to best care for the burns, something Jesse already knew but listened to anyway.

When he entered the waiting room once more, Bo was still safely tucked away in Luke's arms. He stood there smiling for a moment, swelling with pride as he watched them. He had been worried when he saw Luke slap Bo, really worried. Yet he was glad that he had decided to trust him to know what he was doing. Luke might use some very unusual methods, but he did know how to handle Bo the best when he was as worked up as he had been with Jesse. He still needed to have a word or two with him about cursing though.

Smiling at the two boys he told them that if they were both ready it was about time they got home. Both of them agreed just too eagerly, and it didn't take long to find Cooter and Daisy to let them know that they would be leaving, Daisy going with Cooter while Jesse took both boys in the pick up, where he could keep an eye on them.

Bo gave a small guilty grin as he rested his head against Luke's shoulder. He knew that it would be hurting Luke a bit to have the weight of his head there, but on the other hand it was Luke's hand that had put his head there, and he guessed they were both enjoying it. The only reason for the guilty smile was really the fact that the bandage on the shoulder was still moist, and Bo just knew far too well how it had come to get wet.

The way he had his head he could also hear the steady beating of Luke's heart past the rumbling of the pick up trucks engine. Luke had been telling him how much he loved him and thought he had a 'golden' heart, something Bo found a bit embarrassing. Especially since it didn't feel as if he was the one who had it, as far as he was concerned it was Luke.

Luke was always there for him, not only pulling him out of the mess he had gotten mixed up in, but also always there to tell him how much he mattered to them. Yet he never seemed to understand that he meant just as much to Bo as Bo seemed to mean to him. He wondered if there was some way to make that up to him before realizing there was no amount of thanks that could make up for a lifetime of what Luke had given him and would continue to do.

"We'll make NASCAR Bo," Luke suddenly whispered softly. "We'll make it one day, and there ain't gonna be one driver that can beat ya there, I know it."

"They ain't gonna be able ta beat 'us' Luke." Bo told him, stressing the word 'us'. He needed Luke so much. It wasn't one of them with the golden heart; it was the two of them together. Everyone always said they might as well be one and the same, well, maybe it was true.

He smiled again and wrapped a protective arm around Luke's shoulder. They'd fulfill their dream, and they'd do it together...

The End