A/N: Here's a big thank you going out to everyone who's stuck with this story and took the ten seconds it takes to write a review! And please, be sure to leave reviews for this last part too, will ya? I take good or bad reviews, but any comments at all are always helpful to a writer. I hope y'all enjoy reading the epilogue as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: I lay no claim to the Dukes. They ain't mine.
Epilogue
By the end of the summer, things were slowly turning back to normal. With Hughie gone and no longer able to bully shop owners and jail the citizens, the economy leveled itself out, and Jesse was able to save up enough money to pay the mortgage on time. The first thing they were sure to do, of course, was to hold a memorial for Flash… and Rosco wasn't the only one to cry through the entire burial.
Brooke disappeared again, but it was only to settle some accounts. She returned a few days later, announcing that she had left New York for good and was staying in Hazzard County. Rosco didn't hesitate to inform her that as long as he was sheriff, she would always have a job working as a deputy (an arrangement which stunned and horrified Boss Hogg when he returned to find her there again). Again, Brooke was pretty sure this had less to do with her abilities, and more to do with Rosco wanting to spite Boss Hogg… despite the fact that Brooke had explained to him how Hughie was never intended to be in charge.
Rosco himself had also returned to as close to normal as he ever had been (which wasn't very close). Even though he was only in charge of Hazzard for less than two months before Boss Hogg got back from his penance in Atlanta, the sheriff did a surprisingly good job. It didn't hurt that he was inclined to be friendly with the Dukes for a while; on his first day back to work, the Dukes, Brooke, and Cooter had showed up and presented him with a tiny beagle puppy which the overjoyed Rosco had affectionately named Flash Jr.
Luke's ankle healed quickly, but he and Bo had to suffer for nearly an entire week without the use of the General Lee. Cooter made fixing him up his first priority, of course, but it was the worst he had ever seen the poor General. It took a few rather expensive operations, but these were paid for by Brooke as a thanks to Bo for saving her life.
Enos and Cletus both got back from their vacation, which, added to Brooke, meant that there was a full law enforcement department again. Since Rosco was so busy with his 'Boss duties', he offered the temporary sheriff position to Brooke, who graciously passed it instead to Enos, in deference to his seniority. With Enos running the sheriff department, the citizens of Hazzard were graced with almost two entire months of freedom from phony traffic citations, which did a lot to improve their morale from the previous month of Hughie's management.
So it was that three days after Boss Hogg had returned, Rosco was back to being sheriff, the town had regained its southern charm, and Bo, Luke, and Cooter were charging down the road in the General Lee on the way to the Boar's Nest for a round of cold beer.
"Cooter, buddy," Luke said with a grin as he flipped through his nearly empty wallet. "Ain't it your turn to buy this time?"
"Luke, I hope you ain't sayin' you ain't got any money," Bo commented, leaping over a bump in the road. "Don't forget, ten bucks to whichever one of us Brooke likes best. And it's gonna be me."
"Give it up, Bo," Luke said smugly, yet again. "You know Brooke don't wanna go out with ya, or she wouldn' keep refusin' ya to take her dancin'."
"Well I notice she ain't seein' you yet, either!" Bo shot back. "She ain't goin' with no one right now."
"We oughtta take Daisy's advice," Luke pointed out thoughtfully. "She ain't said nothin' to either one of us, maybe we should just ask her who she likes best next time we see her."
"In that case," Cooter interrupted, watching out the back window. "Looks like y'all ain't gonna be waitin' long to find out."
"I don't believe it," Bo groaned, catching a glimpse of the flashing lights from the patrol car in the mirror. "She ain't really gonna start givin' us tickets now, is she?"
"Nah," Luke answered, also watching the deputy from the window. "She's got the gumballs rollin', but ain't no siren. She don't wanna pull us over, she wants to race ya, Bo."
"Alright then, cuz," Bo chuckled. "Let's show that city girl what the General can do! Yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaw!" As he slammed his foot on the gas, General Lee shot forward down the road.
Back in her own car, Brooke smiled gleefully and took off after him, suddenly understanding why the Duke boys loved to race so much as the adrenaline rush kicked in. Together, they sped towards the Boar's Nest, neck to neck.
"Bo, lettin' her win ain't gonna impress no one!" Luke teased him as their friend managed to nudge ahead slightly, the Boar's Nest in sight.
"I ain't lettin' no one win!" Bo protested. "She ain't bad for a Yankee. But she ain't as good as me," he added with a mischievous smile. Pushing the gas pedal all the way down to the floor, Bo spun slightly on the dirt road, swinging the back end of the General around so that he didn't have to brake to make the turn into the Boar's Nest parking lot. Still not being accustomed to dirt roads, Brooke couldn't spin out the way Bo had and was forced to slam on her brakes to make way for the General.
The two cars screeched up to the front door of the Boar's Nest and pulled to a halt. All four friends were laughing as they climbed out of their cars.
"Good racin', girl!" Cooter called as Brooke stalked up to them, a huge smile plastered on her face.
"You cheated," she complained, squinting up at Bo.
"I did not," Bo argued, hoisting himself up onto the General's hood. "You ain't half bad though. I bet I can teach ya to drive like anythin'."
"You wanna come have a drink, Brooke?" Luke cut in quickly, annoyed that Brooke was now beaming happily at his cousin. Brooke turned her smile towards him instead (much to Bo's displeasure), but shook her head.
"I can't, Luke, I'm on duty. Maybe later though, okay?"
There was a pause, and the two Dukes looked at each other knowingly. Bo nodded and turned to Brooke.
"So, Brooke," he said with a grin. "The summer's just about over and I sure could use ten bucks. Tell us... who was it that ya come back to Hazzard for anyhow? Me, or Luke?"
Brooke glanced from one to the other, trying to figure out whether or not they were joking. The boys leaned in closely, waiting in expectation. Brooke's jaw dropped and she stared at them incredulously as she realized they were serious.
"Tell me," she said while shaking her head. "Tell me you haven't been fighting about that the whole time I've been back."
The happy faces on both Dukes fell. "Whaddya mean?" Luke asked, slightly hurt. It wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. Brooke folded her arms and smirked.
"You two have bigger egos than anyone I've ever met! What on earth makes you so sure it was either one of you two?"
"You said it was!"
"No, I didn't!" Brooke argued, laughing. "I just said somebody. Geez, guys!"
"Well…Hazzard ain't that big …who else is there?" Bo asked in confusion. He turned to Luke, who shrugged, equally perplexed. Neither one of them noticed as Brooke turned slightly pink and she chewed on her bottom lip, her beautiful gray eyes flicking shyly over to rest on Cooter. The mechanic caught her gaze, and his own eyes widened in disbelieving surprise. They both smiled – Brooke, a small, subtle raising of the corner, and Cooter, a whole-hearted, ear-to-ear grin of pleasure.
"You boys have a nice day, alright?" Brooke said, still smiling as she got back into her car and drove away. Bo and Luke still looked mystified, especially when they turned to look at their friend.
"Now what're you laughin' at?" Luke asked crossly, pounding the top of General Lee. "I don't see nothin' funny about that at all. What're you so happy about?"
"Nothin', buddyroes," Cooter answered, not able to contain his laughter. "Come on, let's get a drink. Y'all are buyin'."
"Why are we buyin'?" Bo complained as they walked up to the entrance of the Boar's Nest. Cooter stopped, his hand on the doorknob, and turned to face them.
"Cause y'all owe me ten bucks," he said matter-of-factly. With a spring in his step, Cooter headed into the noisy bar, leaving both Dukes stunned, mouths agape and frozen in place under the brilliant end-of-summer sun shining on the dusty ground of Georgia.
Well I'll be. Reckon ol' Bo an' Luke weren't expectin' that! Course, around here, soon's you think you know what's comin', you don't know nothin'. But here in Hazzard County, that's just the way they like it. Y'all come back now, ya hear?
The End
A/N: You know what to do now! Tell me if you enjoyed (or didn't)! Thank you so so so much!