Chapter Text
Disclaimer: The Dukes of Hazzard is the property of Warner Brothers. The original characters and plot are owned by me. No copyright infringement is intended.
Welcome to Hazzard County. See that pretty orange car tearing down the road? That's the General Lee and the handsome young men inside are Bo and Luke Duke. The pretty gal in the back seat is their cousin, Daisy. The patrol car hurrying after them is being driven by the sheriff, an older, but still handsome, gentleman named Rosco P. Coltrane. Rosco chases the Duke boys a lot, for lots of reasons, most of them not his own. What none of them admit to each other, or even much to themselves, is how much they enjoy these little chases. This is Hazzard County's idea of fun.
Bo gave a whooping rebel yell, his familiar yee-haw ringing in his cousin's ear. Luke shook his head, grinning.
"Uncle Jesse's gonna yee-haw our back sides, if we're late for dinner," Luke reminded him. "You better lose Rosco fast."
"Ten four on that," Bo said, grinning widely.
Bo increased his speed, heading for a more densely wooded area, where he could hide the General, until Rosco gave up. As Bo drove, Luke frowned, turning on the defroster. The day had been a mix of sunshine and clouds, but now the clouds were swiftly taking over.
"Looks like we got some rain ahead, boys," Daisy remarked idly.
"Sure does, cuz," Bo said, complacent in thinking they would most likely be home before the bad weather struck.
Unfortunately for Bo and his cousins, he's dead wrong about that. There's bad weather just up ahead for them Dukes. In other words, it's business as usual.
"All right, you Dukes!" Rosco said over the cb radio. "This weather is getting bad! You all just show sense for once and pull over!"
"No way, Rosco!" Luke responded, laughing shortly. "You want us, you gotta catch us fair and square!"
"I did that, before they put you on confounded probation. Now, it's getting ready to rain cats and dogs and that's just dangerous!"
"Aw, don't worry none, Rosco," Luke soothed, sardonically. "We'll have lost you and be safe at home, before the rain hits!"
Bo and Daisy couldn't help laughing, especially hearing Rosco squawk almost incoherently over the radio.
"Luke Duke, that was mean!" Daisy scolded playfully.
Luke just chuckled, shaking his head.
"We'll say sorry later," Bo suggested. "He ain't half wrong. This weather is getting worse...well, will you look at that?"
Luke and Daisy both peered out of the windshield. Sitting in the middle of the road was a dense, gray cloud. It was almost opaque, but there seemed to be lights flashing inside, though not bright enough to be lightning...not normal lightning, at least. Bo pulled to a stop just outside the cloud.
"Well, what do we do now?" Bo demanded.
"Only got two choices. We drive through or sit here and let Rosco catch us."
"Heck with that!" Bo swore. "How big can a cloud be? It'll probably disperse before we get through anyways!"
"Yeah, go for it!" Luke agreed.
Daisy sat back, scrunching down a bit in her seat. She trusted the General and her cousin even more, but the cloud was worrying. Bo hit the accelerator, just as Rosco came into view in the rear view mirror, his back end fishtailing as he struggled to stay on the road. Rosco pulled his patrol car to a halt, looking worried and confused.
Bo was right. By the time Rosco stopped, that ole cloud had completely disappeared. Bad news is...the Dukes had disappeared right along with it.
Rosco frowned. The General was fast, but he'd seen it go into the cloud and the road ahead was straight for the next few miles. He should have been able to see the General Lee. Rosco scanned the sides of the road for any sign of smoke or impact. Seeing no evidence that the Dukes had gone off on either side, he grabbed the cb.
"Dukes? You got yer ears on?" Rosco asked, then waited for a reply. "Luke? Luke, where are you?"
Rosco waited again, but the radio stayed silent. He began to truly worry. It wasn't like the boys to maintain radio silence, even in the middle of a chase. They rarely missed an opportunity to exchange insults, well banter really, with the local law.
"Boys? I ain't asking you to tell me where you are. Just come on and let me know you're all right. You can do that much, can'cha?" Rosco said, solemnly.
If asked, Rosco would say the Duke boys were a pair of ornery, untrustworthy criminals, who needed to be in jail. Truthfully, he knew they were decent boys, brought up well to be polite and considerate. There was no way they'd stay silent and worry anyone needlessly.
Rosco put down the cb and started driving, heading for the Duke farm. He'd had to tell Jesse Duke his nephews were gone once before. Then, he had been sure the boys had died, drowned in a pond. This time, he wasn't sure what had happened. Somehow, that made this particular duty even harder.
Don't be worrying about them Dukes. They're in one piece. For once, though, they're about to be as confused as Rosco.
Bo stopped the General again, looking around in confusion. They'd been on a country road, sure, but a fairly well-used one. Now the path they were on seemed to be not much more than a deer trail. The weather had cleared up completely too. The sun shone down bright and strong.
"What in tarnation is going on?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it."
"I only went straight!" Bo insisted.
"I know you did. Look, this has to still be Willow Creek, so the old mines are nearby. We can hide the General there and head for the Boars Nest. Maybe we can get some information from there."
"That's a good six miles away. Why are we walking?"
"Because if we run into anymore of those clouds, I want to be able to go around. I don't want to go through another one, until we find out what the first one has done to us."
The Dukes climbed out and set off down the road. About halfway to the Boars Nest, the Dukes came across a man trying to dig and tug his car out of a ditch. Bo whistled appreciatively at the old style Plymouth Fury. Except for some slight scratches from landing in the ditch, the car was in mint condition, painted a cheerful red with a white stripe.
"Howdy!" Bo called out, while still a way back. "Can we give you a hand?"
"That'd be neighborly of you," the old man agreed cheerfully.
Getting cars out of ditches is nothing new to any Duke. Even Daisy in her pretty blue dress gave a hand. Then, the boys changed the man's flat tire. See, they was raised to be helpful.
"I thank you folks kindly for your help. I'm Marty Stovall."
"I'm Tom Earl," Luke told him. "These are my cousins, John and Cathy."
"Pleasure to meet you all," Marty said. "Now listen. If'n I had got hold of Davenport, he'd've charged me twenty dollars for that job--and I AIN'T giving you a penny less. Not one penny. I can see yer travelling on foot. I ain't going far, but if you'll ride with me a few miles up this road, I'll be pleased to buy y'all a drink at a little place called the Boars Nest."
"Thank you, sir. We'll be honored," Daisy told him.
"Done then! Hop inside."
The Dukes obeyed, the boys climbing in back and letting Daisy take shotgun. Marty handed a few bills back to Luke, smiling kindly. Luke took the money with a polite thank you.
"Want some music?" Marty asked, turning on the radio.
The radio host announced Elvis Presley's latest hit, Jailhouse Rock, before the classic hit began playing. Daisy turned in her seat to check her cousin's reactions. Bo and Luke were staring hard at each other, each waiting for the other to confirm or deny what they had just heard. Finally they shrugged, accepting what they didn't understand.
"Y'all don't like Elvis?" Marty asked, confused.
"Oh, no, we like him just fine," Bo assured him.
"Ain't heard this one before?" Marty said. "It's only been out a week."
"That's right!" Luke confirmed. "Good song, though!"
"Sure is!" Marty said happily. "Ain't no one does a good song like Elvis."
In no time, Marty and the Dukes were pulling into the parking lot of the Boars Nest. The signing was a bit different, more old fashioned, but the building itself was much the same. A jukebox was pouring out more country hits of the time and voices were raised, some arguing, some laughing.
Marty led the Dukes, or Earls as they'll be known as, into the bar. He sat the Dukes down at a table near the front. A waitress came and took their order for a pitcher of beer.
"Now, I'll just enjoy the one beer with you, then I gotta be going. I still got a chore or two to get done. Tom, you got that twenty I gave you. You'll be all right from here?"
"We'll be fine," Luke assured him.
"Good. I'd hate to leave you young folks with no where to go," Marty said.
Lifting his glass to take a swig of beer, Marty managed to slosh some onto his shirt.
"Oops. Hang on, sugar, and I'll get a damp cloth from the bar," Daisy told him.
The barman heard and had a cloth waiting for Daisy, by the time she got to the bar, brushing past the few locals not seated. Daisy noticed one of the barflies was wearing a deputy badge and gave him a small smile. Seems the Dukes were always running into Hazzard County law. She took the cloth from the bartender and turned to go back. Standing in her way was a blond man of medium height. His face was flushed and he stared hard at her. Without saying anything, he grabbed the cloth and tossed it at Marty, almost hitting him in the face.
"Excuse me," Daisy told him, surprised and unhappy.
"He'll be fine. Why don't you come dance, pretty lady?" the man said, while some of the other patrons let out wolf whistles and laughter.
"I don't even know you," Daisy said, trying to inch past him.
"Name's Otis. Now you know me. C'mon. I wanna dance with you."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to dance. I'm trying to have a drink with my cousins and my friend."
"That ain't very friendly of you to me," Otis insisted, sliding a hand down her arm.
Daisy pulled away, grimacing, and turned to the deputy at the bar.
"Deputy? This man's had one too many. Could you give me a hand please?"
"Why don't you just dance with him?" the deputy asked, chuckling.
Several of the locals stood up, clapping and laughing. Bo and Luke stood, trying to push through the crowd, but some of the men shifted, blocking them. Several others boo'd, urging Otis to leave Daisy alone. They tried to clear a path for the boys, but with no luck.
"I said no," Daisy said firmly, once more trying to get past Otis.
Otis grimaced and grabbed her arm.
"Why'd you come here, if we ain't good enough for you, huh?" he snarled.
"I never said you weren't good enough," Daisy snapped.
Daisy considered kicking the man, but the deputy changed her mind. The last thing she and the boys needed was trouble with the law...not in this place and time and not with the General hidden away. Instead, she placed a hand on Otis' chest and shoved, while yanking her arm away. Unfortunately, Otis shoved at the same time and Daisy landed on the floor in a heap.
"I'm gonna have that dance, girl," Otis snarled.
The deputy laughed out loud, taking a deep drink of his beer. Daisy watched as the people in the bar drew up into sides. She could see a fight brewing fast, especially with the way Bo and Luke were glaring. She tried to back up, but some men were suddenly behind her. The locals shouted back and forth, some urging Daisy to just dance all ready, others telling the aggressors to leave her alone. Daisy waited for the barroom to erupt, wondering who would throw the first punch.
The sound of a single gunshot brought silence to the barroom. Everyone looked towards the door, eyes wide and hearts pounding. Daisy looked up from her spot on the floor and her jaw dropped slightly. Standing in the door, gun hand held out and pointing outside, was a tall man with dark brown hair and cold blue eyes. He was handsome and tanned, with a tall frame and long limbs, wearing a plain blue, button-up shirt and a white cowboy hat. A sheriff's star was pinned on his shirt, over his heart.
If you're wondering why the Dukes don't look happier, it's because they know this fella. He may be some twenty to thirty years younger than usual, but they all know Rosco P. Coltrane, when they see him. Bet you didn't recognize him, did ya?
The young Coltrane didn't show much interest in the Duke boys. Instead, the sheriff let his long stride carry him through the parting crowd to the back of the bar, where he stood glaring at his deputy. Neither man said a word. The sheriff didn't need to, his anger and disappointment coming off of him in waves. Finally, Deputy Hardgrove dropped his eyes, backing up an inch or two. Rosco grimaced and turned to the men standing closest to Daisy.
"Y'all back off," he ordered, sternly.
Bo and Luke watched anxiously, surprised when the farmers and moon runners obeyed. They were even more surprised to see Rosco approach Daisy and reach out his hand to her.
"C'mon," Rosco coaxed gently. "It's all right now, miss."
Daisy took a breath, before taking Rosco's hand. He gave her a reassuring smile, pulling her firmly to her feet, then guiding her to sit on a bar stool.
"I'm sorry for their bad manners," Rosco said to Daisy, solemnly.
"I ain't sorry," Otis retorted.
"You, hush!" Rosco snapped. "Otis Beauford, you're drunk and meaner than a rattle snake. Get home, if'n you don't want to be arrested for disturbing the peace."
Now, Beauford was drunk and mean, but he wasn't stupid. He knew Rosco wasn't bluffing. Beauford hated the law and back then? Rosco was Beauford's least favorite kind of police--the honest kind.
"Seems to me we had plenty of peace, before these strangers showed up," another local commented.
"Get to know 'em, instead of harassing them, and they won't be strangers no more," Rosco said. "If you're drunk enough to say things that stupid, Carl, then you oughtta run along home too."
"I gotta right to drink here, same as anyone," Carl argued, stubbornly.
"I gotta right to hold you in jail for forty-eight hours, before pressing charges. You don't get uppity about your rights and I won't get uppity about mine."
Luke almost laughed at that. Rosco, in Luke's experience, wasn't usually that witty. He certainly never made such quick comebacks, when arguing with Bo and Luke. He choked his laughter back, really hoping to avoid Rosco's attention. Rosco watched Carl storm out, then turned his attention back to the deputy.
"As for you, Deputy Hardgrove," Rosco continued. "Don't ever let me catch or even hear of you letting someone harass a lady, much less participating in it! You do and I'll do worse than just have your badge. You hear me?"
"Yes, sir," Hardgrove answered, sulkily.
"Good. Now GIT!"
"I ain't drunk!" Hardgrove complained.
"Yeah, but right now I can't stomach the sight of you."
Hardgrove tried for a moment to hold Rosco's contemptuous gaze, but he couldn't quite do it. After a moment, Hardgrove grabbed his hat off the bar and marched out of the building, same as the other two. Once he was gone, Rosco relaxed, leaning against the bar and taking off his own hat to set it down near where Hardgrove's had been.
"I'm Sheriff Rosco Coltrane. I am sorry about all that. We ain't usually so unfriendly around here."
"That's okay, sugar," Daisy assured him, smiling. "I appreciate your help."
"My pleasure and my duty, miss."
"I'm Cathy Earl and it's a real pleasure to meet you," Daisy said, flirting just a bit. "You ever get to go off duty, Sheriff?"
"I catch a break now and then," Rosco said, chuckling lightly, the sound far different from his familiar staccato noise. He removed his sheriff's badge and stuck it in his pocket. "I think now's a good time, if the rest of these fellas behave."
The boys rolled their eyes and walked over. When they reached Daisy, Luke cleared his throat. Daisy jumped a bit, giving her cousins a sheepish smile.
"Sheriff Coltrane, these are my cousins, Tom and John Earl."
"Nice to meet you," Rosco said, holding out his hand once more.
Luke took Rosco's hand, giving it a firm shake. The gesture felt odd, but not bad. After all, the man had just defended Daisy. Bo followed suit, giving a quick grin.
"Good to meet you, Sheriff," Bo said cheerfully.
"Yeah, thanks for helping Cathy. We appreciate it."
"You're welcome."
Marty Stovall came over, looking sheepish.
"These nice folks are with me, Rosco. They, uh, helped get me out of a ditch."
"One of these days, Marty, some ditch is gonna have your name written on it," Rosco said, pointedly.
"Naw, Sheriff," one of the locals, Sammy, quipped. "He's much more likely to put himself into the side of a mountain!"
"Just as dead, either way," Rosco said dryly. "Y'all might be careful, out on the road. Crazy driving is sort of a way of life, in these parts."
"Like you got any room to talk," Marty laughed, teasing.
"Well, I couldn't do my job, if I wasn't able to keep up with you, could I?"
"Oh, yer joooooob," Sammy drawled. "Don't you folks believe him none. He's just as fond of fast cars and a good race as the rest of us. See, Sheriff Coltrane here is a local boy and them things is just in his blood."
The Dukes waited for Rosco to lose his patience, but the man just grinned, shrugging.
"What of it, Sammy? You saying just because I'm law that I ain't allowed to enjoy my work?"
"A person oughta enjoy what they do," Daisy agreed.
"Only thing you being law means is that yer touched in the head," Sammy said dryly. "And, we've all known that since you was in grade school."
"Ain't nothing wrong with being law," Luke disagreed, thinking of his friend back home, Deputy Enos.
"That's right. Gotta have law, just like ya gotta have criminals. That's just nature, balancing things out," Marty said, wisely.
"Do you fellas race or just tear around ignoring the speed limit?" Luke asked.
Rosco snorted.
"They wouldn't know a speed limit, if it bit them."
"Yeah, we race," Sammy said, ignoring Rosco. "You interested?"
"Well, we would be, if we had a car," Bo said, regretfully.
"Ain't that a shame," Rosco said, dryly.
Marty seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged.
"Aw, what the heck! You can use my car. Them chores ain't goin' nowhere."
"You sure?" Luke asked, a bit surprised at the generous offer.
"Sure I'm sure!" Marty insisted. "Gotta let yerself have a bit of fun, now and then. Which of you's the better driver?"
"That's me!" Bo said, grinning. "Who would I race?"
Rosco surprised the Dukes by laughing, a far different sound than the gyuck-gyucking they were used to. Rosco pushed his hat back, shaking his head.
"All of 'em that ain't too drunk to get behind their wheels," Rosco told them. "You think they'd pass this up?"
"That's right. I bet two dollars them new boys make it to third place or better," Sammy said.
"You're nuts!" a voice cried out. "They won't make it past fifth."
Marty Stovall took out a paper and began writing down the bets. Luke judiciously bet only three of their twenty dollars, though he knew they stood a good chance of winning, even without the General Lee. Everyone handed their money over to Rosco, who took it with an eye roll. The Dukes considered that fairly good grace on his part.
"Where we gonna race at?" Daisy asked.
"Oh, dang!" Marty cried. "Anyone got a map? Keep turning right makes a pretty good circle, leading back here, but we gotta show the Earls."
Everyone looked around, but no one volunteered a map.
"Aw, heck, Marty," Sammy scoffed. "Why you need a map? Ain't you gonna be driving with them? You can tell them when to turn, just don't wait too long. Navigate 'em!"
Marty hesitated, staring over at Rosco, who shrugged.
"Don't look at me," Rosco instructed. "Ask the Earls if that's all right."
"Shouldn't be too hard, since they'll be following the rest of us," another man chimed in.
"Not if we're winning," Bo argued, but shrugged. "Heck, though, why not? I'll trust Marty to navigate."
"Good, good. You're refereeing, ain't ya, Rosco?"
Rosco nodded, turning to Daisy with a wry smile.
"Guess it's a good thing I didn't order a beer. Round here, refereeing means riding along."
"Well, you wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun," Daisy said, grinning.
"No, I don't reckon I would."
"Daisy, would you mind riding with Rosco?" Marty asked. "It might not hurt to have two sets of eyes on everyone. Poor Rosco can't look everywhere at once and keep his own eyes on the road."
"That sounds like an attempt to protect the 'little lady,'" Daisy said, smirking. "However, since I won't be any safer with the sheriff, as he'll be keeping up with y'all, I'll do that. Assuming he doesn't care."
"Uh, no, I don't mind," Rosco agreed, a bit awkwardly.
Smiling, Daisy threaded her arm through his.
"All right, fellas, get your engines going and let's get this show on the road!"
Rosco escorted Daisy outside. He led her to his patrol car and opened the passenger door for her. Daisy climbed in. The car wasn't that much different from the one he drove in his future. The dash and cb radio were less advanced, but everything was in the same place. Daisy looked at all the old fashioned cars. Some had fins and some didn't. Most of them were fairly long sedans.
Daisy put her seat belt on and settled back in her seat, as Rosco climbed in behind the wheel. He looked over at her for a moment and Daisy noticed that Rosco was faintly blushing. She gave him a friendly smile and the sheriff ducked his head a bit, turning the movement into a search for his own seat belt. He buckled in and started his car.
Once all the cars were started, Rosco gave three short honks of his car's horn. A moment later he gave two, then finally pressed down heavily, giving one long burst. Ceasing, Rosco threw his car into gear and followed the leading cars out of the parking lot. Daisy gave an excited laugh, watching the other cars peel out of the lot, jockeying for position and burning rubber. Rosco grinned at her.
"You ever done something like this before?" he asked.
"Something like this," Daisy agreed.
"Keep an eye on that green car," Rosco advised, pointing to a green Bel Air, with tall fins and a rounded roof. "That's Sammy. He's a good guy, but he don't always have a lot of sense."
"Sure thing."
"Hey, Rosco," Sammy said over the cb. "Keep up, Sheriff! Ya can't decide who wins, if you fall into last place!"
"Don't you worry about me," Rosco answered. "Just keep up yerself. Forget the Earls. You won't even beat Tizdale, the rate yer going."
Despite his words, Rosco laid on more speed, keeping to the outside of the road, until he was in among the front runners. He noticed the Earls and Marty were close to the front, with only two or three other cars keeping up with them. A silver VW Beetle swerved rapidly sideways, cutting Rosco off and forcing him more towards the middle of the road.
"WHOOO! Watch out there, Sheriff. That almost had your name on it!" Bo added to the radio chatter.
"You're tellin' me?" Rosco responded, showing the first hints of irritation. "Lewis, quit trying to dent up my car! I ain't racing, if you'll recall!"
"Sorry, Rosco, but Danny was blocking me."
"Well, find a way around him that doesn't include side-swiping me!"
"Yeah, you don't get points for taking out the referee!" Bo agreed, before swinging around one of the few cars in front of him.
Daisy laughed, taking the cb from Rosco.
"That's surprising, coming from you, cousin! Come on, you fellas at the back! You bet money that you could take 'em. Show us what you got!"
"That ain't exactly objective," Rosco observed.
"Well, they are my kin," Daisy admitted. "Besides, I was just offering encouragement."
"Oh, believe me, they're encouraged," Rosco said, dryly.
"Why, thank you, Sheriff," Daisy said saucily, swallowing a laugh, when the lawman blushed again.
"You seem to have lit a fire under some of them boys," Bo said, laughing. "They still ain't gonna catch us, though!"
"John Earl, put that radio down and keep your hands on your wheel," Rosco ordered.
Listening, Luke and Marty laughed.
"Hush up and drive, boy," Marty paraphrased, cackling.
"Yes, sir," Bo said, with good humor.
"Okay, first turn is up on the right boys, just past that willow hanging off into the road."
"I'm on it!" Bo promised, working his way further to the right.
"He's good," Rosco admitted, watching Bo succeed in claiming a spot closest to the inner section of the turn.
"Your local boys are good too. That Sammy is doing pretty well for himself."
"Yeah, long as he concentrates. Still early though."
A sudden bang caught their attention and Daisy watched as Lewis swerved his car off the road, coming to a halt. Rosco snatched up his cb.
"Lewis! You all right?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Y'all can keep going. I just got a flat, dang it."
"Well, you wait in your car, until everyone gets past you. No point in taking chances."
"Roger that, Rosco. See you at the Boar's Nest."
"Ten-four. Holler if ya need anything."
Well, now, ain't that sweet? Rosco might just be full of a few surprises for them Dukes.
Now things were getting more intense. A few cars were hanging back, having admitted defeat to themselves. Sammy and the Dukes were almost neck to neck, with only one or two other cars coming close to them. Marty got them around the next turn.
"Rosco really is keeping up pretty good," Luke praised, a bit surprised. The Rosco he knew would have wrecked by now.
"It's like Sammy said. This kinda thing is in that boy's blood. He may be law, but his family tree has its fair share of moonshiners and bootleggers in it."
"Fair point," Bo agreed.
The race was going fairly well, but the Duke's luck never did hold for long. Up ahead, Bo spotted seven cows, milling about in the center of the road. Luke grabbed up the cb.
"Everyone, put on your brakes. We got cows in the road!"
Fortunately, no one was dumb enough to argue. All ten cars came to a screeching halt, though there were a few who used the situation to pull just a bit closer to the front. Rosco ended up parked right behind Marty and the boys. He climbed out, took a good look at the cows, and burst out laughing, startling the Dukes. They weren't used to seeing him in such a good mood.
"Welcome to Hazzard County. Y'know, I talk to other sheriffs and they never mention having stuff like this happen to them."
"Maybe they just don't want to admit it," Luke offered.
"Yeah. I wouldn't blame them neither. Good thing there's only one farmer with cows along this stretch. Come on. We need to herd them back to the left."
Everyone worked together and it only took half an hour to get the cows moving off in the right direction, despite the dumb beasts wanting to go every which way. They all heaved a sigh of relief and some laughter, when the last one was off the road. Rosco waited for the racers to get back into their cars, then gave three more blasts on his horn to start the race again. Everyone was off and running.
After the next right turn, the road got worse. The other areas had been fairly dry, but this section ran next to a creek and the rain from last week hadn't drained off yet. The racers found themselves slipping on mud. All cb chatter died, as the drivers focused on keeping from sliding about too much. Rosco kept pace with Danny, who was in third place. Bo had been pushed back to second, with Sammy and another driver tied for first. Everyone had their windshield wipers on to clear away spitting mud.
Bo concentrated, his grip firm on the wheel. He was on the left towards the outside and determined to work his way back onto the right. He gave a cheerful yell, when a patch of mud sent Sammy's competition sliding back and to the left. Bo put on a bit more speed, not quite catching up to Sammy, but moving to the far right. As they got around a curve in the road, Bo's stroke of luck looked like a bad one. The rain and flooding from the creek had built up a huge pile of dirt and rock, right in Bo's path. Both checked his sides, but there was no way he could safely swerve far enough to the left to avoid the pile. Smiling determinedly, Bo aimed the car at the pile head-on.
"Tarnation!" Marty yelled. "John, stop!"
"Sorry, Marty, too late now!" Bo told him.
"Oh, shoot fire!" Rosco swore, alarmed.
"He'll make it," Daisy said, as much to herself as to Rosco.
All the racer's watched as Marty's car went flying into a perfect jump, sailing past Sammy to take the lead.
Now, there's a familiar sight, even if it isn't the General Lee. Don't it seem odd that Rosco's siren ain't goin'?
Marty and the boys landed perfectly a few feet in front of Sammy and tore off down the road, turning at the last right. Unheard by each other, the other drivers laughed and cheered, even Rosco, while the few passengers clapped and hollered.
"That fella could almost be professional!" Rosco praised, grinning.
"Gonna tell him that?" Daisy challenged playfully, but Rosco just shrugged, relaxed.
"Sure. No reason why not."
Daisy smiled, trying to hide her surprise and confusion. She tried to examine Rosco out of the corners of her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to get caught staring. Rosco wasn't paying her any mind, his eyes fixed on the road and the cars ahead. Daisy gave a whoop of triumph, as they watched Bo pull into the parking lot of the Boars Nest.
Rosco pulled up alongside Marty's car. He quickly hopped out and opened the passenger door for Daisy.
"There ya are, Miss Earl."
"Thank you kindly, Sheriff," Daisy said, grinning at him as she went quickly around his car to give Bo and Luke hugs.
Rosco went inside and ordered himself a beer. He watched cheerfully as the locals and the newcomers poured back into the bar. Everyone gathered around him and Rosco counted out the money to the winners, giving another forty dollars to Luke. Some of them boys had bet big.
"There you go, fellas. Welcome to Hazzard County. I was telling your cousin you boys should consider going professional."
"Well, shucks, thanks, Sheriff," Bo said, blushing a bit from the praise. "You other fellas certainly gave us a good race!"
The barroom filled with cheers, clapping, and calls for more beer. Daisy rejoined her cousins and Marty, who agreed to drop his new friends off at the Hazzard Hotel.
Well, the Dukes ain't doing so badly, for having got dropped into the past, practically on their backsides. Of course, tomorrow is another day and Hazzard County always seems to have surprises in store. Maybe we oughta go check and see how Rosco is doing back in the present, uh, future? Heck, you know what I mean.