Friends or Lovers?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.


Warnings: Angst, Slash, Disturbing Theme, OOC(Out of Character)


Rating: FRM

Friends or Lovers?
Chapter 10


Whistling as he drove home, the thought of his lover waiting for him brought a smile to his face. Cooter loved being a mechanic, he could easily get lost in a job with no awareness of the passage of time, not now though. For the first time that he could remember, his day's work had dragged on, feeling like it would never end. Pulling into the drive, he didn't really think anything of it when Bo didn't come outside to greet him. He knew the younger man was still weaker than he liked to admit and he hoped the blond was resting.


The silence was broken five minutes later by the slamming of the screen door as Cooter came barreling outside. Looking frantically around the yard, he tried to calm himself down so he could think. "The barn," he said, snapping his fingers and hurrying towards the large structure. A thorough search of the large building however turned up no sign of his lover, sending his worry into overdrive. "Bo!" he yelled his lover's name, silently promising that he would kick the blond's butt if he was walking through the woods by himself. "Bo..." he waited, but no answer was returned and there was no sign of his lover. A small clicking sound at his feet caught his attention and he looked down, his eyes widening at the sight of a syringe lying a few inches in front of his foot. Squatting down, he carefully examined the ground, not liking what he was seeing. Jumping to his feet, he ran over to his pick-up and grabbed the mic for the cb. "This is Cooter Davenport calling Sheriff Coltrane, you got your ears on?"


"This is Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, what do you want Cooter?" Rosco testily asked, irritated at having his nap interrupted.


"Rosco I need to report a ki...kidnapping," Cooter said, barely managing to get the last word out.


"A kidnapping? What kind of trick are you trying to pull Cooter?"


"It ain't no trick Rosco, I need ya to come out to my farm or should I just call the FBI?"


"No, I ain't gonna do it Cooter...I know this is some kin..."


"Rosco!" a gruff voice interrupted. "You get your tail out to Cooter's place now and if it is some kind of trick then you just arrest that boy for filing a false report," J.D. Hogg ordered. He didn't know what was going on at the Davenport farm, but the last thing he wanted was the FBI anywhere in his county.


"Oooo, jit, yes sir Boss, I'm gone," Rosco replied.


On his way home from the Boar's Nest, Luke heard the conversation over the cb and turned the General towards Cooter's. Racing towards his friend's farm, he prayed that his cousin was alright and that Cooter was wrong about a kidnapping. He saw Rosco pull into the driveway, turning the wheel, he was right behind him as they drove up to Cooter's house. "What happened?" he asked even before he had climbed all the way out of the General.


"I don't know," Cooter replied from his perch on the hood of his pick-up. "I came home, figured Bo was resting when he didn't come outside, so I went in."


"Bo? Wait a minute why would Bo be here resting?" Rosco asked, clearly confused.


"Because this is where he lives," Cooter snapped.


"Since when and why?"


"Rosco does that really matter?" Luke demanded.


"It might."


"He's been living here since a few days before his accident because me and him are together now."


"You and him are," swallowing hard, Rosco looked between the two younger men sure that this was some kind of joke. "Very funny, you think I got time for pranks like this Cooter Davenport?"


"Rosco it ain't no joke, we're in love and now somebody's took him," Cooter said, getting exasperated.


"You're serious, ain't ya?" Rosco shook his head, trying to make sense of this sudden change in his world. "Well what makes you think somebody kidnapped him?" getting back on track.


"I searched the whole house but he wasn't anywhere to be found. I came outside then and searched the barn, that's when I really started to get scared, but I just figured he'd went for a walk alone. I wasn't happy about it either, he ain't healed enough to be out there walking by himself."


"What happened to make you think he was kidnapped then?" Rosco asked.


"I found this," he replied, leading the way over to the syringe that still lay in the dirt. "You can see where it looks like somebody was dragged over to here," he said stepping a few paces to where they could clearly see tire tracks in the dirt. "I figure whoever did it must've put him in a vehicle, looks like a pick-up. I just don't understand why anybody would kidnap Bo, ain't like any of us has any money."


"I don't know either Cooter, but we will find him and get him back safely," Luke assured him, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.


"Did you touch that syringe Cooter?" Rosco asked.


"No."


"Good, I can check it for fingerprints, maybe we'll get lucky and whoever took him will have their prints on file somewhere. In the meantime, can either of you think of anybody who would want to harm Bo?"


"Harm him? You think this is about somebody wanting to hurt him?" Cooter fearfully asked, he hadn't considered that.


"It's possible, the Duke boys have interferred with a lot of people's schemes," Rosco said. "Then there's y'all's relationship, lot of folks might not like the idea of you two being together."


"But nobody knows about us being together except for his family," Cooter protested.


"I hope you're right Cooter, but could be somebody knows without you knowing they do." Taking a deep breath, Rosco braced himself, "I hate to say it, but you need to prepare yourself that Bo may not be alive when we find him."


"You think whoever took him is gonna kill him?" Cooter asked, his knees buckling as his face lost all color.


Grabbing the mechanic, Luke did his best to support his weight. "Stay calm Cooter, there ain't no reason to think that," Luke pointed out, giving Rosco a hard stare.


"I ain't trying to be mean or nothing, but we don't know what's in that syringe. Y'all just need to be prepared for the possibility that's all I'm saying. Now I'm gonna take that syringe and check it for prints, then I'll have doc run some tests and find out what's in it. If either of you think of anything you call and let me know."


"We will Rosco," Luke told him. Forcing his own fears down, he focused on taking care of Cooter as he tried to deal with the possibility Rosco had raised. Watching the sheriff, pull out of the driveway snapped Cooter out of his dazed state. Pulling away from Luke, he started searching the ground, looking for something, anything that would tell him where his lover was. "Cooter, ya okay?"


"There's got to be something here Luke...help me to find it," Cooter plead.


"You know I will Cooter," Luke softly responded as he began to search the ground with his friend.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________


His mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, funny he didn't remember getting drunk last night. Shaking his head, Bo tried to remember what had happened to leave him feeling like the morning after the night before.


"Hello Bo."


Bo's head whipped to the side as he heard a strange voice, it was in that moment he realized that he was strapped into a wooden chair. As he struggled against the straps that held him to the chair, he noticed the heavy construction of the chair, reminding him of pictures he'd seen of the electric chair. The thought brought a new chill to him, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"


"Calm down son..."


"I ain't your son!"


"Fair enough," the man calmly responded, showing no sign that Bo's outburst had upset him. "I'm Pastor Jensen and I'm here to help you Bo."


"You want to help me? Then let me go home," Bo said, still struggling against the restraints.


"I'm sorry I can't let you do that yet."


"Why not? What do you want with me?"


"I was asked to help lead you back to the proper path and until I do that I can't let you go home."


"My uncle brought me here didn't he?" Bo asked as the memories returned.


"Yes he did, he's worried about you."


"Well he can stop worrying, I'm fine."


"That's not true Bo, I know you believe that, but as long as you're engaging in the sin of homosexuality you are far from fine."


"Well I'd say that's my problem then isn't it? Now let me go, ya got no right to keep me here against my will."


"It's the problem of every good Christian when a young man is led astray by the temptations of the flesh. You might as well stop struggling Bo, you won't accomplish anything except to wear yourself out," Jensen kindly advised.


"Let me go!" Bo demanded again, struggling furiously against the restraints.


Pastor Jensen watched dispassionately as the young man before him exhausted himself with his struggles. He'd expected this type of reaction, they always struggled at first. He knew that Bo would continue to fight against the bonds until he finally accepted that he was helpless to free himself. Leaning against the wall, he patiently waited. "Are you finished now?"


Breathing heavily, Bo sagged in the chair, defeated for now.


"You can be freed from your restraints."


"How?" Bo asked, suspiciously.


"You only need accept that homosexuality is a sin and that you aren't gay."


"Fine, I'm not gay now let me go."


"Oh Bo," Pastor Jensen chuckled, "you don't think I'm that stupid do you?"


"Ya can't be too damned smart," Bo snapped. The stinging slap caught him by surprised, the force of it turning his head to the side.


"You will speak to me with respect and without cursing," the pastor calmly informed him. "Now we will begin with the process of curing you and bringing you back to the right path." Clapping his hands, the pastor stepped to the door as the recording began. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while Bo," leaving the room he firmly shut the door.


"Homosexuality is a sin...God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve...whosoever layeth with a man as with a woman is an abomination in the sight of God and shall suffer the fires of hell. You are not gay. You are a good Christian man. You will find a good woman to wed as the bible instructs. You shall father many children and you will raise them according to the laws of God."


Bo did his best to block out the droning voice as it continually repeated the same message. After a while he found himself beginning to drift to sleep, a sharp jolt of electricity brought him awake with a cry of pain.


"You must remain awake sinner to hear the message of our Lord," a new voice informed him.


Looking up, Bo wondered when this man had entered the room. As he watched him, he noticed the cattle prod the man held in his hand. "Who are you?"


"I am a servant of God, here to help you remain awake to hear his message."


"You're crazy, you're all crazy you can't do this to people."


Ignoring the words coming from the sinner in front of him the young man continued with the task he'd been assigned. Leaning against the wall he watched, waiting for the moment when Bo would begin to fall asleep. It was in that moment that he performed his task of bringing him back to wakefulness. He remained in the room with Bo for a full eight hour shift, at which time his replacement arrived.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________


It had been a long night for Cooter and the Duke family as they waited for some news about Bo. Luke and Cooter had spent the night searching Hazzard county for Bo with no luck. The need for sleep had forced them to take a break about midnight. Returning to Cooter's they had been surprised to see Jesse's pick-up parked in the yard beside Daisy's jeep. Now with the rising of the sun they were ready to resume the search when the phone rang.


"Bo, is that you?" Cooter desperately asked as he held the phone to his ear.


"No Cooter it's Rosco."


"Rosco, what did you find out?"


"Well I got a match on the prints on that syringe."


"You did? That's great, who is it?"


"Cooter the prints on that thing belong to Jesse Duke," Rosco reluctantly told him.


"Thanks Rosco," Cooter barely remembered to say before hanging up the phone and turning on Jesse. "You sorry old man, what did you do with him?" he demanded as he slammed Jesse against the wall.


"Cooter have you gone insane?" Luke asked as he tried to pull the mechanic off of his uncle.


"Rosco said the prints on that syringe were Jesse's," he told Luke. "Now what did you do to him?" he asked again.


"Uncle Jesse?" Luke and Daisy both asked, shocked to the core.


"Why would I do anything to him?"


"Because ya don't approve of us being together," Cooter snarled. "I just didn't think you wanted us apart so bad that you'd hurt him."


"I didn't hurt him any, that's what you're doing."


"If you didn't hurt him any then where is he?"


"Getting the help he needs, that's where."


"Where?"


"I ain't telling you, I'm gonna make sure he gets free of your evilness no matter what it takes."


"Evilness? I'm not the one who beat him and told him he was responsible for his folks dying."


"I was brainwashed and drugged, you know that Cooter," Jesse protested, wincing at the memory.


"So what's your excuse this time."


"I ain't hurt him any, I just took him where he can get help," Jesse insisted.


"Where?"


"I told ya I ain't gonna tell ya," the Duke stubborness showing itself in the set of his jaw.


"Fine, then you can sit in jail until ya do tell us."


"Jail? For what?"


"Kidnapping, last time I checked it's still a crime to take somebody from their home against their will."


"You can't prove that, he's my nephew ain't no judge gonna believe I kidnapped him."


"Maybe, maybe not, guess we'll find out. Luke would you call Rosco please?"


"I'll do better than that Cooter, I'll take him to jail myself," Luke said, grabbing Jesse's arm and pulling him towards the front door.


"You can't mean it Luke, ya wouldn't have me locked up, I'm your uncle."


"You look like my uncle, sound like him too, but ya sure ain't acting like him."


He could see there was no point arguing and without another word of protest, Jesse allowed himself to be taken to jail by his oldest nephew.


"How could he do that Daisy?" Cooter asked after they left.


"I don't know Cooter," Daisy sadly answered. "There is one good thing about this though."


"What?" he asked, clearly not believing there could be anything good about this latest turn of events.


"We know now that Bo is alive and since we know who took him we can start searching the house."


"You think there might be something there that'll tell us where Jesse took him?" he asked, feeling his first bit of hope.


"I wouldn't be surprised, at the very least it's worth looking isn't it?"


"Yeah it is, let's go."


______________________________________________________________________________________________________


Rosco looked up when the door opened, surprised to see Luke escorting his uncle into the building and not gently.


"Rosco you need to arrest my uncle for kidnapping," Luke calmly informed the sheriff.


"Arrest? He admitted it?"


"Yeah, he said that he took Bo somewhere that he could get help. He thinks that Bo being with Cooter is a sin and apparently he took it on himself to cure him," Luke all but spat the word cure.


"Where'd ya take him Jesse?" Rosco asked.


"I ain't gonna tell ya, you can lock me up until the good lord calls me home and I won't tell ya."


Shaking his head sadly, Rosco took Jesse downstairs and locked him in a cell. "Jesse where'd ya take the boy?"


Ignoring him, Jesse sat down on the cot and crossed his arms.


Sighing, Rosco left the older man alone, climbing the stairs back to the office. "I'll try to get him to tell me where he took Bo," he told Luke. "That's about all I can do right now," he regretfully told the younger man.


"I know Rosco, I appreciate it. Daisy called on the cb when I was on my way here, said that her and Cooter were heading to the farm to search for clues. I'm gonna go join them, if you convince him to talk you can call us there and if we find anything we'll call you."


"Alright Luke, good luck," Rosco sincerely said, though he wasn't sure his words had been heard.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Find anything?" Luke asked as he hurried into his childhood home.


"Nothing yet Luke," Daisy replied. "Cooter's searching Uncle Jesse's bedroom but I don't think he found anything yet. Is...is Uncle Jesse in jail?"


"Yeah," Luke softly answered, stepping to her side and wrapping his arms around her. "How are you holding up sweetheart?"


"Okay I guess," she bravely answered. "Oh Luke what are we going to do? How could Uncle Jesse do this to Bo, hasn't he been through enough?"


"I don't know Daisy," he softly replied. "I think he honestly believes he's doing the right thing, I just can't figure out why he thinks that."


"I think I know where he took him," Cooter said as he leaned against the doorframe of Jesse's bedroom.


"Where?" they both asked, moving to his side.


"I found this under his matress, he's got an article marked," he explained, handing Luke the Guidepost magazine.


"Christians saving gays? Oh lord, what has he done?" Luke whispered as he read the article.


"What is it Luke?" Daisy asked.


"It's a group that claims to be Christian, they say that they're helping homosexuals to realize that they are sinning. They help lead them back to the path God intended for them to travel."


"Well that doesn't sound so bad," Daisy said. "I mean they won't hurt him or anything, will they?"


"I don't know Daisy," Luke honestly told her. "I've read about groups like this and the tactics they use," he shuddered. "They don't really lead anybody anywhere or convince them through reasoning, they just brainwash them."


"We have to get him out of there Luke," Cooter firmly said. "He can't take anything like that, not after what he's already been through."


"I know Cooter and we will, but first we have to find out just where they are, this article doesn't give a location."


"Well how are we going to find them Luke?" Daisy asked.


"Simple Daisy girl, I've just discovered that my brother is gay." With a grim look, Luke stepped over to the phone and dialed the number in the article.


"Christians saving Gays," a pleasant voice answered.


"Yes ma'am, my name is Bill Kane and I'm calling because I need help with my brother Jud."


"Please hold."


"Bill Kane?" Cooter asked.


"Can't use my real name...yes hello my name is Bill Kane," Luke said as another voice came on the line.


"Mr. Kane I'm Pastor Jensen, how can we help you?"


"I just found out that my little brother Jud is gay, or rather he thinks he is and I heard y'all help folks like my brother."


"Yes sir we do," the pastor confirmed. "If you can get him to us we can surely help him."


"Well how do ya do that?"


"Much like the military, we break down his false identity so we can help him discover the real Jud."


"Well how long does that take?"


"It varies, but it is a difficult process which is why we allow no contact for the first month."


"I guess that makes sense," Luke sounded doubtful. "Well where would I bring him, this article I read didn't say."


"I can't tell you our exact location Mr. Kane, but I can give you an address to meet us with your brother."


"Oh...well why can't you just tell me where to bring him?"


"It's for security reasons Mr. Kane. If your brother's partner were to find out where he was he might try to get him to leave before he's cured," he explained.


"I didn't think of that, okay well tell me where to bring him then and when please." Writing down the address he was given, and being told he could bring Jud there any time day or night Luke thanked the man and hung up.


"Well?" Cooter asked.


"Now I call Jud and ask him to help us out."


"Why call Jud, I can just pretend to be him," Cooter protested.


"Cooter I know you could, but you don't look like me and Jud does. Besides can you promise not to let your anger get the better of you?"


"No," he reluctantly admitted. "Alright so then what?"


"Well he won't tell me where to take Jud, so I'll take him to the address he did give me. But first I'll go see Rosco and get a tracking device from him so we won't lose Jud when we follow them to where they're taking him. Once we know where Bo is then we can rescue him."


"What if it's too well guarded for us to get him out?"


"That's when we call the FBI, last time I checked kidnapping is a federal offense," Luke told him. Picking up the phone again, he called Jud, putting his plan into motion.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________


"Ahhhhhh," Bo cried out as a jolt of electricity violently woke him. "Please just let me sleep, please," he plead with the man who held the cattle prod.


"You must accept the truth before you can rest," he calmly informed him as the disembodied voice of the recording droned on.


TBC


Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, please review and let me know what you think.