Forbidden Love

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


Warning: Slash, Established couple, Angst


Rating: FRM


Forbidden Love
Chapter 11


For the next two days, everywhere he went, Rosco saw people pointing his way and whispering. When he approached two or more people, their conversation would stop. Even though he had expected this type of reaction to the news that he was no longer working for Boss Hogg, it still made him nervous. By the time Saturday afternnoon arrived, Rosco was a wreck, wanting to take the next step, and terrified to do so. When he spotted the General Lee speeding past him, Rosco pulled out behind it and hit the siren.


"Uh Bo? I thought Rosco wasn't operating Boss' speed traps anymore?" Luke asked, speeding down the road with the sheriff in hot pursuit.


"He's not Luke, pull over will ya?"


Bringing the powerful stock car to a stop on the side of the road, Luke turned off the engine and waited for Bo to talk to Rosco.


Barely waiting for the General to come to a complete stop, Bo climbed from the passenger seat and walked back to the sheriff's car. "What's the matter cowboy, couldn't wait until tonight?" He teased as he came up to the driver's side of the patrol car. Seeing his lover staring ahead and looking slightly ill, Bo lost all desire to tease the older man. "Rosco? What's wrong?"


"Get in the car Bo," Rosco told him, not even looking at him as he spoke.


Really worried now, Bo went around the car and climbed into the passenger seat. "Rosco?"


"Bo, I love you, ya know that right?"


"Yeah and I love you," Bo replied, getting more confused by the second.


"I just want you to know that...this ain't got nothing to do with how I feel about you," Rosco told him, still not looking at him.


"Rosco would you just tell me what you're talking about? You're scaring me here," Bo told him as he reached and took the other man's hand in his.

"I can't do it Bo."


"Ca...can't do what cowboy?"


"I can't have dinner with you tonight. I know we're just going as friends, far as anybody else knows. But you ain't been in town much the last couple of days, ya ain't heard people whispering and pointing. I'm worried sweetheart, what if Luke's plan don't work? If they figure out that we're more than friends...I don't want you to get hurt Bo."


"Aw Rosco, I ain't gonna get hurt, nobody is...'cept maybe Boss when he figures out you mean business. It's a good plan, you know it is, course Luke's plans usually are. All we got to do is let people see us hanging out together as friends, let them get used to that. They'll be convinced then that ya really ain't working for Boss anymore and when we let it out that we're more than friends it'll be easier to accept."


"I'm sorry Bo, I know you want to quit hiding, I just don't think it's a good idea yet."


"Alright Rosco if that's the way you feel," Bo agreed, trying to hide the disappointment he felt. "Do you think we could still see each other tonight, maybe at our place?"

Luke watched Bo and Rosco in the mirror. He didn't want to interrupt, but from the looks on their faces, he suspected there was a problem. Climbing out of the General, Luke walked back to the patrol car and leaned down, "Rosco, Bo, there a problem?"


"He doesn't want to go out tonight, he's worried that it's too soon for us to be seen together," Bo answered.


"Now Bo I told ya I'm just worried about ya getting hurt if we let people know too soon," Rosco tried to explain again.


"I know Rosco, I know," Bo replied in a soft voice.


"Rosco ya ain't gonna be making out in the middle of the diner, you're just having dinner with a friend. Ain't nobody gonna figure out that you and Bo are a couple. All they're gonna see is y'all running into each other and having a meal together, most of 'em will think it means you really ain't working for Boss anymore. Which is what we want them to think for now," Luke explained the plan again.


"I know all of that Luke, but don't you boys understand? If people see me and Bo together and realize that we ain't just friends, they may not take it well and somebody could get hurt."


"Rosco I ain't gonna get hurt, and neither are you. You don't think I'd go along with Luke's idea if I thought somebody might get hurt, do ya?" Bo asked.


"Rosco look, I got an idea that maybe will make you feel better," Luke interrupted before the sheriff could answer. "What if instead of the diner, you go to the Boar's Nest? Now before you say no, hear me out. Bo and me both will be there and when you come in, we'll invite you to our table. That way we get the same effect, people see you and Bo together, but only as friends. Plus if I'm there too, ain't anybody likely to think that there's more going on," Luke pointed out. Though he knew that right now there was no need for it, he was actually relieved to hear Rosco worrying about Bo. Luke had been doing his best to be supportive of his cousin's choice, but after so many years of distrusting Rosco it was hard to change the habit. "What do ya say Rosco?"


"Both of ya, beer at the Boar's Nest? I guess that could work..."


"Alright," Bo let out, interrupting the older man.


Grinning at his lover, Rosco gave the hand that still held his a quick squeeze. "You just remember, we're only friends...in public anyway."


"Um...Luke, could you give us a minute?" Bo asked.


"Sure cousin, just remember this is a public road," Luke couldn't help grinning at the blush that covered both men's faces at that remark.


"Rosco, thank you. I wish I could kiss you right now, but for now the thought'll have to do. I love you cowboy, see ya tonight," Bo whispered, squeezing Rosco's hand and opening the door.


"I love you too sweetheart and you're welcome. I know it's not the same, but I'm thinking about kissing you too," Rosco replied, reluctantly releasing his lover's hand. Watching Bo walk back to the General, Rosco sat there for several minutes after the boys had left before pulling out and heading back to town.

Walking into the Boar's Nest later that night, Rosco felt like a bug when he stepped through the door and several people stared at him. Not that he blamed them any, it was surprising enough to know that he had quit working for Boss, now here he was walking into the Boar's Nest in jeans and a plain white shirt. Taking a deep breath, he headed for the bar, stopping at the sound of his name being called.


"Hey Rosco, come on over and join us," Luke called from the table where he sat with his cousin Bo and their friend Cooter Davenport.


Rosco hesitated for a second, he hadn't been expecting to see Cooter there too. Then he realized that it couldn't be more perfect for the plan, and he headed towards the table where they sat. "Luke, Cooter, Bo, y'all sure it's okay?"


"Sure Rosco, pull up a chair," Luke offered, reaching out with one foot and snagging a chair from a nearby table. When Luke put the chair in place, he made sure that it was sitting next to Bo, close enough the two men could touch without raising suspicions.


Nervously sitting down in the chair, Rosco was grateful to Luke for making sure he was sitting next to Bo. Though if the truth were known, it wasn't really helping his nerves any to have the younger man so close.


"So Rosco, haven't seen you or Enos at the garage in a couple of days, everything okay?"


"Everything's fine Cooter, just ain't been having so many accidents now that I ain't chasing after innocent people," Rosco answered, surprising Cooter with his honesty.


"Yeah, uh, guess not," Cooter stuttered out, not at all sure how to respond.


"It's alright Cooter, you can ask," Rosco told him, the younger man's curiosity plain to see.


"I'm sorry Rosco, it's just that, well guess I ain't got it all figured out yet. I mean one day you're working for Boss Hogg, same as always and then BOOM, you're quiting. Ya got to admit it's surprising and well I ain't the only one wondering why?" Before Rosco could say anything, Cooter leaned forward and in a conspiratorial whisper asked, "Y'all ain't running some kind of shuck and jive are ya?"


Choking on the beer he was currently drinking, Rosco coughed violently while Bo answered the second question.


"Nah Cooter, we ain't doing nothing," Bo told the mechanic.


"Bo's telling ya the truth Cooter. It ain't really a secret why I quit, and it was because of the Dukes, well because of Bo." Seeing the confusion on Cooter's face, Rosco hurried to explain. "Ya know about Bo getting shot, right? Well the reason he got shot is because of me helping Boss with one of his schemes. When I saw him lying there, unconscious and bleeding, I knew I couldn't keep helping with Boss' plots. I thought about it the whole time I was waiting for news about Bo, so by the time the doctor said he'd be okay, I'd made up my mind."


"Let me get this straight, you quit because you felt guilty for shooting Bo? Not that it isn't a good reason," Cooter said when he noticed the odd looks on their faces.


"Yes and No. I did feel guilty, but it was also that I realized how easy it would've been for Bo to have died. I hadn't really realized until that moment just how dangerous Boss' games could be and that's why I quit. No matter what happens, even if I don't get re-elected in two years, I ain't helping Boss again, ain't gonna take the chance of something else happening."


"Well alright Rosco! Good for you," Cooter called out, slapping the sheriff on the back and grinning from ear to ear. "Just wish I could've been there when you told Boss ya was quiting, bet that was a sight." Cooter laughed at the thought, nearly falling out of his chair in the process.


For the next three hours, the four men sat in the Boar's Nest, laughing, talking, and just having a good time. By the time Rosco left, the others in the bar had stopped staring and were no longer paying attention to the spectacle of the sheriff having a beer with the Duke boys. Pulling out of the parking lot, Rosco drove half a mile down the road, before turning onto an old dirt road and parking his car.

Twenty minutes after Rosco left the bar, Bo and Luke said goodnight to Cooter and headed for home. Pulling onto the same road Rosco had taken, Bo pulled the General to a stop behind Rosco's brown sedan. Climbing out of the car, Bo walked up to Rosco's car and got inside, the older man started the engine and shifted into drive. As they drove off, Bo waved to Luke with one hand, while reaching for Rosco's hand with the other.


Luke watched Rosco drive off, smiling to himself as he thought of the fun they'd had. Two weeks ago, if somebody had told Luke Duke that he would be drinking and swapping lies with Rosco Coltrane, Luke would've laughed at them. Shaking his head, he couldn't get over the irony of it all. Not only was he drinking with the man, but he was watching his younger male cousin drive off with him, knowing that they would be making love before the night was over. Luke couldn't really imagine what it would be like to make love to another man, and didn't really want to know. He still had no idea why Bo was attracted to Rosco of all people, but if that was who he wanted to be with, Luke would support him in any way he could.


Waking up from a deep sleep, Bo lay in his lover's arms, enjoying that he no longer had to rush home. After leaving Luke, Rosco had driven them up to the old Jensen place, where they had slowly made love to each other. Bo smiled in contentment, as he lay against Rosco's side, his head on his lover's chest, listening to the steady beat of the other man's heart. Feeling Rosco shifting against him, Bo raised his head and saw blue eyes smiling back at him. "Hey cowboy, love you," Bo softly spoke, bringing the older man's head down for a deep kiss.


"Love you too sweetheart," Rosco replied, speaking just as softly and wrapping his arms tightly around his lover. "Went pretty well tonight didn't it?"


"It went great Rosco, sorry about Cooter, we should've known he'd be there," Bo apologized, knowing the mechanic's presence had thrown Rosco off.


"It's alright Bo, actually I think it may have worked in our favor. I mean with Cooter and Luke there with us, ain't nobody gonna be thinking about the possibility of me and you being anything but friends. It did go well though, I just hope this works and that in a couple of months we can stop hiding our love."


"Me too cowboy, me too. I think it will though, if people see us as friends before they see us as lovers it'll make it easier to accept. It'll still shock them, but if they're use to seeing us together and they see that both our families are behind us, most of them will be fine with the idea."

It had been over two months since Rosco had told Boss he quit, and by now everybody in Hazzard was convinced it was true. Of course seeing the Dukes giving Rosco their full support helped a lot too. Boss hadn't been too happy about losing his crooked sheriff and he was still tying to find some way to bring Rosco back to his side. Boss had been sure that after a little while of struggling and still not getting any respect from the townspeople, Rosco would come crawling back to him, hat in hand. Might have happened too, if not for them dang Dukes, Boss couldn't help thinking as he sat eating his breakfast of raw liver. *There's just got to be someway to convince Rosco to come work for me again. Let's see, he feels guilty about what happened to Bo Duke, maybe if I make him think that the Dukes are taking advantage of that, he'll change his tune. Yeah, that just might work, if he thought they were playing on his guilt he'd get so mad I just know he'd come work for me again. Of course, I'm afraid I'll have to give him a substantial pay cut, what with business having dropped off so bad without him.* Boss chortled at the thought of getting Rosco back on the payroll and at a savings too. Hearing voices on the sidewalk outside his window, JD got up and went to the window. Looking out through the blinds, he was completely shocked by the sight that greeted him. He was so surprised at first that he didn't even realize that he was watching any chance of bringing Rosco back to the fold disappear. Standing on the sidewalk, was Rosco, and he was kissing Bo Duke!

Bo and Rosco had spent the night at the Jensen farm, making love and talking. Bo had taken his uncle's pick-up and picked Rosco up late the night before. They both knew of course that they could stay the night in town, but the Jensen place had become special to them. It was a place where they could just be themselves without fear or embarassment. A place where they could make love all night, never having to worry about being heard by the neighbors or Rosco's mother. Evelyn Coltrane had been nothing but supportive of the two men since discovering their relationship, even going so far as to offer Bo a place to stay when his uncle had reacted badly to the love affair. Neither man had a problem with being together in Rosco's bedroom at home, but here they could be completely uninhibited and the feeling of freedom only increased their enjoyment.

Pulling up in front of the sheriff's office the next morning, Bo met Rosco on the sidewalk as the older man stepped from the truck. "Rosco? It's time, don't ya think?"


Looking up at the young man who had captured his heart, it took Rosco a minute to realize what Bo meant. "Oh...time, yeah guess it is," Rosco replied nervously.


Bo licked his own lips, suddenly feeling nervous, for a second he thought maybe it was a bad idea, it just felt too staged. Then he realized that no matter when or how they went about this, it was going to feel staged. So, taking Rosco's hand, Bo drew the older man towards him and brushed his lips in a gentle kiss. At the touch of his lover's lips on his own, Bo forgot everything else and wrapped his arms around Rosco, deepening the kiss. Breaking the kiss only when the need for air forced him too, Bo smiled at his lover, "Have a good day cowboy, love you."


"Love you too sweetheart, see ya later," Rosco replied, giving Bo one last gentle kiss before turning away and walking into the jail.

As Bo watched his lover walking away, he was also noticing the looks on the faces of the people who had witnessed their goodbye. Most of them were simply surprised. He hoped they wouldn't cause trouble later after the shock wore off. He knew though, that there was nothing they could do about it now, they'd just have to wait and see what happened, if anything did. A couple of people even looked like they approved of what they'd just seen, Bo sure wasn't worried about them. That left the two people he noticed looking on with anger, Boss Hogg was no surprise and they had both figured he'd try to cause trouble. Steve Olsen on the other hand, Bo would never have expected to see him looking so angry, and it worried him some. Steve had moved away from Hazzard several years earlier and had only recently moved back from Atlanta. Bo had never really spoken to Steve much, he vaguely remembered him from his time with Gary. Steve had moved away about eight months after the accident and since his return Bo had talked to him several times, he had seemed pretty open-minded. Bo had thought maybe that was from spending all those years in a big city, and now here he stood shooting looks of anger at Rosco's back, stopping only when he noticed Bo watching him. Walking past Bo, Steve didn't say anything, but the look he gave him sent shivers of fear up and down Bo's spine. Climbing back into Uncle Jesse's pick-up, Bo headed home. As he drove, he prayed, as he thought about the look on Steve's face, that they hadn't just made a big mistake.


TBC


Yep, I did it again, a nasty cliffhanger. Y'all know the routine, the muse needs fed, please review