Forbidden Love

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


Warning: Angst, Slash, Established Couple, Violence, Sexual Assault


Rating: FRAO


Italics and/or * indicates thoughts


Forbidden Love
Chapter 12


Evelyn Coltrane was entertaining several friends from her book club, when her daughter Lulu burst through the door clearly upset. "Mama, oh I'm sorry I didn't realize you had guests. Would you all excuse us?" Lulu asked, taking her mother by the elbow she led her into the kitchen.


"Lulu honey, what is it? What has you so upset?"


"Oh Mama, I don't know how to tell you. I wouldn't have believed it myself if anybody except JD had told me."


"Oh of course, because we all know that JD Hogg would never lie," Evelyn couldn't resist the sarcastic remark.


"He wouldn't about this mama, not to me. He wouldn't dare to," Lulu stated with conviction.


"Alright Lulu, just what is it that JD told you?"


"Maybe you should sit down Mama, what I have to tell you is quite disturbing." For a minute Lulu thought her mother was going to argue with her, but then she simply sat down at the table and waited. Sitting down at the table herself, Lulu lightly put her hand on top of her mother's and gently broke the news. "Mama, JD saw something this morning. He was in his office and heard voices outside his window, so he went to see what was happening. There is no easy way to tell you this, what he saw was Rosco standing on the sidewalk with Bo Duke and they were...kissing."


"Well I'll bet that did upset JD, especially when he realized that any chance of talking your brother into helping him again was gone. Yes Lulu, I've known about Rosco and Bo for quite a while now," Evelyn said, when she saw the surprised look on her daughter's face.


"Doesn't it bother you?" Lulu asked, clearly confused.


"No, not really. Oh it would've at one time, but Lulu dear, you saw how depressed Rosco was after that woman fooled him."


"Yes, but what does that have to do with you approving of what JD saw?"


"It has everything to do with it Lulu. Your brother's relationship with Bo is what got him back to being himself. Now, did you rush over here because you were worried about me, or are you upset about it?"


"Well, I'm not sure how I feel about it Mama. I love Rosco of course, but I don't know if I can approve of him being involved with a man, not that Bo isn't a lovely young man, but he's a man."


"Yes he is dear, and he's good for your brother. For that matter, your brother is good for Bo, don't look at me like that Lulu. I've seen them together and if you'll take the time to look, I mean really look, you'll see the same thing I do: two people who love each other, who respect each other and who make each other happy. Now honey, if there's nothing else I have guests I need to get back to," Evelyn stated firmly, gently showing Lulu to the door.


Before she quite knew what was happening, Lulu Hogg found herself back outside, at a loss as to what she should do now. For several minutes she stood rooted to the spot. Finally Lulu decided that she should head home and take some time to think. If her mother could accept the idea of her brother and Bo as a couple, perhaps she could too.


"I am so sorry about that ladies, now where were we?" Evelyn asked, as she returned to her guests.


"Is everything alright dear?" Rose Walker asked, as curious as she was concerned.

"Oh yes Rose, my daughter was just concerned about how I would take the news about her brother."


"Oh my, Rosco hasn't been hurt has he?" Rose asked, her curiosity even more piqued.


"No, no, nothing like that. She was worried that I'd be upset about Rosco dating Bo Duke, I already knew of course," Evelyn dropped her bombshell, hiding her smile behind her teacup.

"He's what?"


"Doesn't it bother you?"


"Well why should it bother her? That Bo Duke is a good looking young man, Rosco could do a lot worse."


"I can't believe you would say that, or that Evelyn would approve of two men dating each other. Why it's a sin, that's what it is. I'm sorry Evelyn, but I just can't continue to associate with you if that's your attitude about such a terrible sin." Eugenia Smythe stated in a voice dripping with ice.


"Well I'm sorry that you feel that way Eugenia, I'm sure I'll miss your company," Evelyn replied, taking Eugenia by the elbow and guiding her to the door.


Shutting the door behind her, Evelyn walked back to the living room. There she found the two other ladies, sitting with their mouths hanging open. As soon as Evelyn appeared in the doorway, they snapped their jaws shut, unsure what to say.


"Rose, Helen, do either of you feel as Eugenia does?"


"Well I don't know quite what I feel, other than shocked of course. I suppose though, he's your son and if it doesn't bother you, why should I let it bother me." Rose told her old friend, not at all willing to sacrifice a lifelong friendship to prejudice.


"I've already said my piece, Rosco could do a lot worse than Bo Duke. Frankly, I don't believe it's any of our business who either of them date." Helen's response didn't surprise Evelyn, in the least. It wasn't common knowledge, but Helen's brother had been forced from the family home because he preferred the company of men. Evelyn Coltrane was the only person outside of Helen's family who knew the truth about Percy, and why he'd left Hazzard.


"Thank you both, I appreciate your support and I'm sure the boys will too. Now that we've settled that, let's get back to our discusssion." Evelyn suggested, skillfully leading the conversation away from Rosco and Bo's situation.


Bo had barely driven away from the sheriff's office when the phone at the Duke farm rang. "Duke farm, Jesse Duke speaking."


"Jesse Duke, I don't know what in tarnation that boy of your's is trying to pull, but I'm not going to let him get away with it."


"JD, what are you talking about?"


"I'm talking about that nephew of your's and the shameful way he's carrying on. Why I wouldn't have believed it myself, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"Seen what?" Jesse yelled, getting frustrated at the way JD was dancing around the subject.


"Seen Bo Duke kissing Rosco Coltrane, right outside the sheriff's office, that's what!" JD yelled back.


"Oh is that all?" Jesse asked, barely stifling a giggle when he thought about the look on JD's face.


"Is that all? Jesse Duke, don't tell me you knew about them and approve?" JD asked, using a handkerchief to clean his ears, knowing he must've heard wrong.


"Why yes JD, I know about Rosco and Bo. You don't think my boy would keep it a secret from me, do you? You should know better than that, you know us Dukes don't keep secrets from each other."


"And you approve?"


"Of course I approve, Rosco makes Bo happy and that's all I've ever wanted for any of my kids. So why wouldn't I approve?"


"Well...I...uh, I just can't believe what I'm hearing. I wonder though if you'll still feel that way when Rosco's out of a job and you're supporting him too."


"JD Hogg, you better not be doing anything to cause them two problems!" Jesse yelled, just barely refraining from mentioning the evidence Rosco had collected against JD.


"Jesse, I'm offended that you would think such a thing of me. Why Rosco is my dear brother-in-law and I would never do anything to harm him. However, I'm sure there will be plenty of people in this town who won't approve of two men dating. Especially when one of those men is the local sheriff, and it's those people that could force Rosco out of his job." JD replied, in a sugar sweet voice. JD hung up the phone, before Jesse had the chance to respond and began pacing his office. "Now what am I going to do? There is no way I'll be able to convince Rosco that the Dukes can't be trusted. Not if he thinks he's in love with one of them. Rosco and Bo Duke, no, no, it doesn't bare thinking about. Why the very idea makes my skin crawl. Oh my, what will I tell my dear, sweet, Lulu? Why this will just devastate her, and my dear mother-in-law, the shock may kill...her." If anybody had seen the smile on JD Hogg's face just then, they would have immediately locked up the family silver and checked their pockets for pudgy fingers.


JD stopped his pacing long enough to call Lulu and break the news to her. As soon as he hung up the phone, he began to think about how he could end Rosco's relationship with Bo. Pacing the small office, chewing on a fat cigar, JD found his thoughts continually returning to the scene he had witnessed from his window. Stopping in mid-stride, he was struck with a sudden memory. Among the people who had witnessed that scandalous kiss, had been a man named Steve Olsen. Bo wasn't the only one who had seen the look of anger on Steve's face, but Boss had seen something Bo hadn't. When Steve had passed Bo, he had turned back to watch the young man leaving, with a look of hunger and longing on his face. "That's it!" Going outside as fast as he could, Boss climbed into his car and headed towards Steve Olsen's house.


That evening, Rosco arrived at the Duke farm, knowing Bo expected to go out to dinner. He had barely gotten out of his car, when Bo stepped out the door of the farmhouse. Rosco smiled at the sight of his young lover coming towards him. The smile slipped though when he saw the worried look on Bo's face, as he looked around the yard as though expecting something unpleasant. "Rosco, I'm glad you're here. Let's go inside okay?" Bo hurriedly suggesting, taking his lover's hand and leading him towards the house.


"Bo, what's wrong sweetheart? Has something happened?" Rosco asked, pulling them to a stop and waiting for an answer.


"I'll tell you when we're inside, please cowboy let's just go inside," Bo asked as he tugged on Rosco's hand.


Seeing that Bo was obviously upset about something, Rosco relented and walked inside the farmhouse. The moment they were inside, Bo pulled Rosco into a crushing hug. "Thank God you're here, I've been so worried about you," Bo whispered into his ear.


"Why? What's happened?" Pulling back from the embrace, Rosco noticed a bruise on Bo's forehead. "Bo? What happened to your head? Did somebody hurt you?" He asked, putting the clues together and getting a very bad feeling.


"After I came home this morning, the phone started ringing off the hook. Some of the calls were from people who just wanted to know if what they'd heard was true. There were even a few who said they wanted to offer their support, then there were the others...."


"What others?"


"Threats, people saying that if we didn't stop seeing each other...they'd kill us. A couple even told me to leave town, that they didn't want my kind here."


"I've been getting the same kind of calls at the office, but we knew we'd probably get that kind of thing. Now why don't you quit avoiding the question? What happened to your head?"


"Can't get anything past you, can I? I was outside chopping some wood and..." Bo trailed off, shaking slightly at the memory.


"Bo?" Rosco asked, reaching out and caressing the younger man's cheek.


"Somebody took a shot at me, they missed but the bullet hit a piece of wood. That's what hit me in the head. Whoever it was took off, we heard them, sounded like a dirtbike. God, cowboy I've been so scared since then. I tried to call you, but you'd already left and.... Every time the phone rang after that, I was terrified it would be somebody calling to say you were...gone," Bo told him, the fear in his voice clearly heard. "If you'd been coming out here in your patrol car, I could've called you on the cb, but..."

"But, I was in my personal car, and the cb is busted," Rosco finished for him. "Where is everybody?" Rosco asked, finally noticing that they were alone in the living room.


"They're out in the kitchen, figured we could use a few minutes alone," Bo explained. "Rosco, would you mind if we just had dinner here tonight?"


"Of course I don't mind sweetheart, but what about Jesse, is he okay with it?"


"He's fine with it, actually it was his idea," Bo told him, before pulling away and leading him towards the kitchen.


While Rosco sat at the Duke farm, enjoying his first meal with his lover's family, JD Hogg was driving home. He had spent the day looking for Steve Olsen, finally finding him at his home on his second trip there. Pulling up to the house, JD had at first thought nobody was home. Then he saw his quarry in the barn, covering up an old dirtbike. Smiling broadly, Boss walked over to Steve, "Why hello Mr. Olsen. I saw you at the sheriff's office this morning young man. I saw the way you were looking at Bo Duke too, oh don't try to deny it. You want the boy for yourself, which is exactly why I'm here. You see Steve, may I call you Steve? You see Steve, it's in my best interest to get Bo Duke away from my sheriff. If you're willing, I think we may just be able to help each other," Boss explained, smiling smugly.


"You know Boss, I think you may just be right. Why don't we just step inside and talk about it?" Steve suggested, leading the way inside.


TBC


I know, another cliffhanger. Y'all know what the muse needs, please review.