Title: Love & War
Series/Part: Book Three of the Road of Life Series
Takes place: Five years after Book One (Oh, Baby)
Summary: Bo and Luke are now family men, but their reckless streaks have to come out sooner or later. And that's liable to cause conflict.
Rating: PG
A/N: Yeah, I know. This has taken me FOREVER to write! I'm sorry! Anyway,this takes place about four and a half years after the last book you read. So if you get a little lost, don't worry. I'll answer some questions at the end of this chapter, and if you have any other questions, just ask!

Every Time

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered hear today to bear witness to this joyous event," the pastor said, smiling faintly as he spoke the familiar words. He glanced briefly at the faces of the couple before him, and then continued on with the service. "We have come to see these two joined in holy matrimony…"

With the broad brim of her white hat shielding her eyes from the blaring Georgia sun, Betty-Lou Johnson-Duke looked up at the happy couple herself. As she tightened her coat against a sudden, chill December wind, she smiled at the couple. She was so very glad to see them finally tying the knot. She would've thought it would never happen with the way Daisy Duke had been about her current groom for as long as Lou had known her.

At the altar, as the preacher continued onward with his wedding words, Enos started to sniffle, as if he were holding back tears.

"Oh, no," Lou murmured quietly under her breath. "The groom's crying."

Noticing that her soon-to-be husband was holding back tears, Daisy too began to tear up. She only held back her tears for a few seconds, letting them well up in her eyes, before they started spilling down her cheeks.

Lou smacked a hand to her forehead quietly. "Oh, no," she repeated softly.

Daisy's tears set half the people gathered at the wedding to crying themselves. Uncle Jesse, sitting on Lou's right side with a sleeping baby in his arms, started to sniffle like Enos had, then let tears well up in his eyes. To the side of Daisy, standing as the maid of honor, Lou's sister Jo instantly started crying without reserve. To the side of Enos, standing as best men, Bo and Luke both sort of wiped at their eyes.

Bo tried to sort of hide the motion too, but Lou, being quite familiar with him after being married to him for these past five years, could definitely tell he was trying not to cry. And she smacked a palm to her face again.

I married a crier, she thought to herself.

Then she noticed a sniffling sound coming from her left side. Frowning, she turned to look. And, in the five chairs to that side, Lou saw five sniffling kids. Her son Johnny and her niece Yvonne, who were both five years old, in the farthest chairs were barely sniffling. In the chair beside Yvonne was her younger sister, nearly three years old, Jo and Luke's second daughter Lena. She was sniffling the most. Then between Lena and Lou were Lou's identical twin daughters Rosemarie and Rosalie. Being only two, they appeared to be simply following example.

"Not y'all too!" Lou whispered, more to herself than to the kids.

She turned away from them, fighting down the sudden urge to cry herself. She didn't cry at weddings, she reminded herself. But no matter how she fought it, tears started to well up in her gray eyes, distorting her vision. One of her hands caressed her swollen belly. Pregnancy hormones were doing this to her; making her cry. They had made her rather emotional in both of her previous pregnancies, why wouldn't they do so now?

There came a tug on her left sleeve, and Lou turned to look down at her daughter Rosemarie.

"Mommy, why we crying?" she asked softly, that childish innocence plain on her face.

Lou fought down the tears again, trying to get them under control. "Because, baby…" she trailed off as she realized that she didn't really know the answer to her daughter's question. Then an idea occurred to her, and she continued, "We're crying because we're—" Her voice started to break with the tears, but she pressed onward anyway. "—so happy for Aunt Daisy and Uncle Enos. They're tears of joy."

"Oh." The little girl glanced down as if considering the thought. Then she looked back up to her mother, with a blankly questioning expression that reminded Lou so much of the girl's father on her face. "If we happy, why we cry? Why we no laugh?"

Despite the tears that were now more freely flowing, Lou smiled. "Oh, I don't know, baby. I really don't know."

"Okay, Mommy," Rosemarie said.

Still smiling and crying at the same time, Lou turned back to look at Enos and Daisy again. She gave a happy sigh and briefly thought back to her own wedding. It was hard to believe that she and Bo had celebrated—yes, they had actually celebrated—their fifth anniversary four months ago in late August. Though, really, their celebrations had been rather small compared to the joint birthday party for Johnny and Yvonne that happened around the same time.

Absently, she let her arms fall so that they loosely hugged her again pregnant belly as she listened to Enos say his vows to Daisy while placing the ring on her finger. Lou's mind flashed back to the fact that there had been no rings at her wedding. There hadn't been time. Faintly, her stomach tightened.

Enos finished his vows, and the preacher went to Daisy's.

Again, Lou's mind flashed back to her own wedding, and her stomach tightened. She frowned, wondering why her stomach seemed to be tightening so much. Then her eyes went wide as she realized that she knew this feeling. And that it wasn't her stomach.

"Uh-oh," she murmured. "This ain't good."

Uncle Jesse glanced sideways at her. "What ain't good?" he asked quietly.

Glancing up at Enos, Daisy and the preacher who were nearing the end of Daisy's voice, Lou winced. "Uh, Uncle Jesse, I think the baby's on its way," she whispered in return. "Holy crap. What is it with me and weddings? Every single time... Oh, what a time for this…" Another contraction came, and Lou decided that this couldn't wait.

"You may now—" the preacher was saying when Lou stood up and interrupted.

Immediately, the preacher broke off what he was saying and looked up from his Bible at Lou. The eyes of the people gathered quickly followed suit. And among those sets of eyes looking at her where her husband's. He was raising an eyebrow at her in an expression that he frequently used towards his outspoken wife.

She cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but… Doc Applebee?" she asked, looking around the crowd for the little old man. He stood up, and she smiled and waved briefly. "You'd better get down to the hospital with me, Doc. Baby's on its way!"

Rough explanation on the kids:

Bo & Lou's kids: Johnny (5 years old), Rosemarie (2), Rosalie (2)

Luke & Jo's kids: Yvonne (5), Lena (3), Summer (1)

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