A/N: So I know I'm right in the middle of another story. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning it! This story just came to me in a flash of insomnia and I was afraid if I didn't actually write it now, it'd go away. So, enjoy another product of a lack of sleep!

And by the way, the italics section is a flashback, though I'm sure you all are intelligent enough to figure that out on your own. But just in case, now you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes... sigh.

Brother, My Brother

The breakfast table at the Duke farm was rarely a calm, quiet place, and today was no exception. Daisy had made biscuits and sausage gravy to go along with scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon, and her family thought it seemed only fair that they eat as many helpings as they could. For a family of only four people, it was amazing how much food and space they could consume as they sat around the tiny kitchen.

It was more than good food, though. The Duke table was always a place of lively conversation, good natured bantering, and a feeling of down-home wholesomeness that made one feel like they were a part of something holy and special. With the sunlight streaming through the window panes, the three cousins arguing over something ridiculous as Uncle Jesse listened on in amusement, and the delicious aroma of sizzling bacon, the breakfast table was as close to heaven as anywhere on God's green earth.

Of course, like any little piece of heaven on earth, it was destined to not last forever.

"Luke, grab that phone will ya?"

"Yeah, I got it, Uncle Jesse," the dark haired cousin answered. Leaning his chair back on two legs, Luke reached for the phone and picked it up.

"Ya got the Duke farm. This is Luke."

"Luke?" the voice on the other end of the line called. "It's me… Jud."

Luke slammed his chair back down on all four legs. "Jud? Is that really you?" Around him, the rest of the family stopped eating and talking to listen in. Jud was Luke's younger brother, who they had only met once. Of course, they had only recently found out that the young man existed at all. He had showed up in Hazzard, wreaked some havoc, and left again, keeping in touch very little.

"Yeah," Jud answered with a chuckle. "Yeah, it's me."

"Well, how ya doin', brother?" Luke asked, his blue-eyed face breaking into a wide smile. "Haven't heard from ya in long enough. What's the occasion?"

"It's my birthday," Jud answered. "Thought maybe you an' the gang could come have dinner with me later…"

"What?" Luke demanded incredulously. "Why ain't you called earlier, Jud? Of course I'll come! Tell ya what… I'll be there soon's I can."

"Great!" Jud said happily. "I'll see ya later then. Take care!"

"Same to you. Bye now." Hanging up the phone, Luke saw the rest of his family listening in expectantly.

"Well, what's goin' on?" Jesse finally asked. "What's Jud up to?"

"It's his birthday," Luke answered after gulping down the last of the milk. "I'm headin' on out to see him."

"Wait for me, Luke!" Daisy said, jumping up from the table. "Let me just clear all this away and I'll go with ya!"

"Tell him happy birthday from me," Uncle Jesse said regretfully. "Someone's gotta stay and mind the farm. What's the matter, Bo?"

Everyone stopped as he asked the last question and turned to look at Bo, who quickly replaced the scowl on his face with a polite smile.

"What? Nothin's the matter." Try as he may, Bo was finding it exceptionally difficult to hold back the bitterness from his voice. He was rarely one to keep his emotions and feelings in check. "Except you're forgettin', Luke. That race in Hatchapee that we've been plannin' on goin' to for weeks is today. Did ya forget?"

Luke frowned. He had been afraid this would come up. Bo didn't handle jealousy very well. Usually he would tread carefully around Bo at a time like this, but today he was impatient, and he had thought Bo might be over this by now. "No, Bo. I ain't forgotten. But there'll always be another race, Bo. It's his birthday."

Jesse watched the youngest Duke carefully. He knew there was still a trace of envy over Jud. Bo wasn't fully used to the idea yet, that Luke would have other family than them. He wondered how Bo would take this and was surprised when Bo did something that he had rarely ever done before – stopped and thought before he spoke.

"Well, I guess you ought to be there, then. You tell 'im I said Happy Birthday." Bo finally said in a low monotone, standing up from the breakfast table. Luke and Daisy glanced at each other, as shocked as Jesse was at the restraint that they weren't used to see coming from Bo.

"But…ain't you comin'?" Luke asked, pushing aside the surprise and counting his blessings. At least Bo wasn't going to fight him over it... he had more than slightly expected a shouting match over blowing off the race. "He's your cousin, after all… he'd love to see you."

Bo shook his head, again biting back what he really wanted to say. "Nah. It'd be a shame to lose the entry fee. I don't mind bein' replaced for one day. You… go have fun." With that, he headed outside leaving behind a startled family.

"He's mad," Luke said with a sigh, trying not to be hurt as the screen door swung shut with a bang. "Should've known he'd get all upset."

"But he's tryin' real hard not to be angry with ya," Jesse reminded him quietly. "That means a lot, comin' from Bo."

"Maybe we should go talk to him," Daisy started, but Jesse cut her off.

"No, no. You two go on ahead and see Jud. Leave Bo be for a while. When he's ready to talk about it, he will."

Luke shrugged. Much as he hated it, there wasn't really much else they could do. Nodding at Daisy, the two cousins quickly cleared off the table and headed out. Jesse watched from the door as Luke helped Daisy into the old pickup, leaving the General Lee for Bo, and the two took off down the dusty Georgia road.

01 01 01

Once they were out of sight, Jesse walked slowly down from the porch steps. He knew where to find Bo. Heading around to the back of the house, he smiled as he caught sight of the youngest, aiming his bow carefully at the rough target set up on the bale of hay. He didn't say anything, just watched as Bo focused his entire being onto that one arrow, centering it and holding his position until he sensed the moment was right and he let it fly.

Bo felt the satisfaction as the arrow hit the target dead center with a light thwack, but he couldn't bring himself to smile much about it. He had sensed Uncle Jesse come around the house and sit down at the picnic table, watching him at his target practice. Ignoring him, Bo selected another arrow and set up the shot again.

Breathing in, Bo relaxed his mind and his body, holding the string taut and again focusing entirely on the arrow and the red circle in the middle of the target. Again he exhaled slightly, sending the arrow on its way whizzing through the air to strike, again, in the dead center.

This was why he liked the bow and arrows so much. Even if he and Luke hadn't been on probation and were allowed to have guns, he would have stuck with the bow. It required a kind of concentration that he didn't feel the few times he had handled guns. Shooting a bow was a full body experience, and he could lose himself and his feelings as he focused on the shot.

It was just an escape, though, and he knew he couldn't use it as a means of avoiding his thoughts forever. His uncle was proof of that, sitting just outside his vision but close enough to keep him grounded in the reality of the fact that he'd have to account for his behavior. Bo frowned. He had tried… he really had. He felt bad enough for the first time, when he had found out about Jud, and didn't want to repeat the events. He knew what he was feeling was completely irrational and worse, immature. Luke had every right to see his brother on his birthday. Bo had tried to avoid coming across like a whiny kid, but the look on Luke's face had told him that he had failed.

It was partly that face that was causing the problems though. It was the fact that somehow, Luke understood that Bo was jealous, and accepted it. The last thing Bo wanted was for Luke to sit there and pity him. He didn't want to be pitied. He didn't want to be forgiven or understood. Luke's quiet forgiveness was just another reminder that his older cousin was the mature, rational one while he was acting like a five year old.

"You might as well say it, Uncle Jesse," Bo finally said, distracted by the silence from behind him.

Recognizing the invitation to talk about Bo's problem, Jesse gestured at the space beside him and Bo trudged over to sit down next to his uncle. Pulling out his knife and a piece of wood, Jesse started whittling away at it.

"What exactly is it ya think I should say?" he asked his nephew.

"That I'm just jealous of Jud and I'm actin' like a child."

Jesse shook his head. That was the last thing Bo needed to hear. "Nah, I wouldn't say that, Bo. I ain't seen many kids who know when to bite their tongue the way you did. I'm right proud of ya for that. I know all that ain't what ya really wanted to say."

"We've been plannin' on goin' to that race for weeks now, Uncle Jesse. I thought he cared about it…"

"You know that Luke don't care more about Jud than he does you, Bo. It's his brother's birthday… if'n Luke didn't come to yours, you'd be pretty hurt. There'll always be another race, but birthdays only come once a year, an' Luke ain't never got to celebrate Jud's. They got a lot of makin' up for lost time to do."

"I know, Uncle Jesse," Bo said, hanging his head slightly. "I guess I'm still just scared that someday, Luke's gonna leave to be with his real family."

Uncle Jesse closed his eyes, praying silently for God to give him the right words to say to his youngest charge. "Bo, listen to me. I've watched you an' Luke grow up together. I know y'all had some rough times, but by an' large you've stuck together. What you two got is just as special…just as real… as what Luke and Jud got."

"Yeah, but Jud's his brother," Bo said softly. "An' I'm just a cousin. I know I ain't got no right to expect Luke to care more about me. He should love Jud better but –"

"Love Jud better?" Jesse interrupted. "Just a cousin? Now where'd you get a fool idea like that?" Cupping Bo's chin in his hand, Uncle Jesse gently pulled Bo's face up until they were eye to eye. "Bo, you an' Luke are brothers just as much as Jud is. But where Jud is his brother by blood, you're his brother by choice. It's the choices we make, Bo, that really count, and Luke chose to take you as a brother. That makes ya just as special as if you was the real thing."

Bo was silent for a minute. He thought about what Uncle Jesse was telling him. Jesse made sense, in his own special way. Bo smiled briefly, but the smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. Looking up at his uncle, he voiced the thought that was bothering him most.

"But do ya think Luke sees it that way too?"

Uncle Jesse didn't answer, just smiled. Reaching out gently, he took Bo's hand and turned it over, palm up. With one calloused finger, he traced the pale scar that ran down the center of the palm.

"Go 'way, Luke!" nine year old Bo said, trying to rub the tears out of his eyes before his cousin saw them. He didn't want strong, tough Luke to know that he had been crying. He had thought that maybe if he stayed up in the barn loft no one would come looking for him. Stupid idea, really. Luke always noticed when something was bothering him and always managed to force it out somehow.

"Bo, what's wrong now?" Luke said, ignoring the order and coming up into the loft anyways. He sat down in the hay next to his cousin and wrapped an arm around him.

"Nothin'," Bo muttered, hunching over and pulling his knees up to his chest. He avoided Luke's eye, knowing it would give away the lie. It didn't matter… Luke wasn't fooled.

"Come on, cuz. I ain't blind, I can see somethin's wrong. Why won't you talk to me?"

Bo didn't answer, just shook his head. As he did, Luke caught sight of the bruise that had formed painfully on Bo's cheek, compliments of the class bully after school that day.

"Bo, what's this?" Luke demanded, sharper than he meant to. Bo shook his head again, laying his head down on his drawn up knees. "Bo, look at me."

Tugging on Bo's arm, Luke finally managed to unwrap his cousin and place a hand on his face, turning it towards him. "Was that Kevin givin' you trouble again?"

Bo shrugged. "It don't matter, Luke," he muttered.

"Yes, it does," Luke insisted, shaking his head. Bo was still small for his age, and Luke knew he was probably getting picked on a lot more than the little boy ever let on. "Did you tell Uncle Jesse what happened?"

Again, Bo only answered with a shrug. "I ain't gonna tell anyone. Kevin said if I did he'd get his big brother to teach me a lesson."

"Kevin's brother?" Luke repeated with a harsh laugh. "David? That little polecat can't fight worth a lick. You tell Kevin if he messes with you again then you'll get YOUR big brother to teach HIM a lesson."

Bo thought about it. "But we ain't brothers, Luke," he finally said. "It ain't the same."

Luke didn't laugh, knowing how much Bo cared about this. "Well… we could be brothers. Maybe we ain't real brothers, but we could be blood brothers."

"How?" Bo asked, his face brightening at the idea of Luke being his big brother.

"Easy," Luke answered. "We just gotta make a cut on our hands and say some words." He took out his knife. Bo shrank away slightly, but Luke patted his shoulder. "It don't hurt, Bo. Just stings for a second, then it's all better."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Look, I'll go first," Luke said reassuringly. Grasping the sharp blade in one hand, he used the other to quickly pull the knife out of his closed fist, leaving behind a thin trail of blood down the center of his palm.

"See that? Nothin' to it. Here, you go next." Luke handed Bo the knife. The younger Duke took the blade, emboldened by his cousin's bravery. Flinching only slightly, he repeated Luke's motion and cut his hand all the way across his palm.

"Good. Now take my hand," Luke instructed, holding out his arm as if preparing for an arm wrestling match. Bo clasped the offered hand in his own and held it tightly. He watched in wide-eyed fascination as blood dripped slowly down from the combined cuts and sprinkled the floor of the barn loft.

"Brothers by life," Luke intoned seriously, making up the words as he went. "Brothers by blood." Bo shivered slightly in pleasure as his blood continued to mingle with Luke's and trickle down his arm. Luke watched him with a smile. After a minute of sitting in silence, he gently withdrew his hand.

"Is that it?" Bo asked breathlessly. "Does that mean we're brothers for real?"

"Sure does," Luke answered, grabbing a nearby rag. He tore it in two and wrapped one half around Bo's cut, doing the same for himself with the other one. "Now we'll always be brothers, and that's even better than cousins."

Feeling like a weight had been lifted from him, Bo smiled and grabbed his new brother in a bear hug, burying his face in Luke's shoulder like he had done when he was younger. "Thanks, Luke," he whispered.

"That's what brothers are for," Luke said with a smile, ruffling Bo's hair. "An' I'm pretty lucky, too."

"Why's that, Luke?"

"Cause," he answered. "Most guys don't get to choose their own little brother. An' I wouldn't have picked anyone else.

Jesse smiled as he saw the memory pass in his nephew's eyes. "Don' worry, Bo. Somethin' tells me that Luke would agree."

Bo took his hand traced the scar himself. He grinned slightly, remembering how close he had felt to Luke, how special the feeling made him believe himself to be. It had become incorporated into his identity… he was Luke Duke's younger brother, and proud of it. It wasn't his lot to try and take that feeling away from another, like Jud. Getting up suddenly, Bo headed straight out of the yard.

"Where ya goin'?" Jesse called after him, already knowing the answer.

"To see Jud," Bo called back. "It's his birthday."

Jesse chuckled fondly as he watched his youngest nephew catapult himself into the General Lee and take off down the road, following Luke as he had done for so many years. He continued whittling away at the chunk of wood. How very much like his charges, the whittling was. The wood started out so rough, so unclear, so able to turn into a thousand different things. But in time, after much refining, patience, and gentle shaping, then there emerged the finished product that any man would be proud to claim as his own.

01 01 01

By the time Bo reached Jud's house, it was past afternoon. Pulling into the yard, he could see several cars already parked, including Uncle Jesse's pickup truck. Outside in the yard, two picnic tables had been shoved together to accommodate the gathering of friends, family, and neighbors who had come to celebrate Jud's birthday with him. The tables were mostly full already, and Daisy and a few young girls that Bo didn't recognize were bringing dishes and bowls of good old southern cooking outside.

"Bo!" someone yelled. He looked around and saw Luke and Jud heading towards him with matching grins spreading across their faces. Bo smiled back, and this time it was real. He clasped hands with Jud as his cousins reached him, thumping his back.

"Not too late to join the party, am I?" he asked jokingly.

"Not at all," Jud answered, steering him towards the tables. "Hey y'all, we got another guest here! Everyone, this here's my cousin Bo Duke!"

Bo flashed his smile at the girls setting the table as loud and hasty introductions flew through the air. Formalities out of the way, Jud headed back into the house to help bring out the rest of the food.

"Glad to see ya, cuz," Luke said under the noisy crowd as he laid a hand on Bo's shoulder. "What about that race?"

Bo shrugged good-naturedly. "Reckon it's only fair to give Enos or Cooter a chance to actually win a race. This was more important." He looked down at his feet shame-faced. "Luke, guess I owe you an apology for this mornin'. I wasn't tryin' to be bitter or nothin'… an' I know you ain't tryin' to replace me. That was wrong of me to say."

Luke gave Bo a quick hug and a smile. "Bo, I can tell you one thing with complete certainty… ain't nobody in the whole world ever gonna be able to replace you." Holding his arm up suddenly, Luke offered his hand, palm out. Bo stared at it for a minute, examining the scar that was a perfect match to his own. As a slow smile lit his face, Bo took the proffered hand and clasped it.

"Never forget, you're my brother too," Luke whispered. "I wouldn't have picked any one else."

Bo nodded solemnly. Whatever life threw in his direction, he could beat it... whatever obstacles he would someday face, he could overcome. The scar that ran across his palm was his token of invincibility. He had all he'd ever need. He was Luke Duke's brother, and that was enough.