First and foremost, the usual disclaimers apply...I do not own, do not profit, etc...etc...

Second, and FYI, I dislike death fics and love the happy ending. It might just take a bit to get there!

Third, enjoy!

Mama~

/

Lies Between Cousins

The clank of metal echoed through the meadow as two angry fists beat down on the cherished orange racecar. This was all wrong, from the letter, to the supposed jump, to this damned memorial service. There was nothing about this that felt right. He could feel the sense of frustration, the fear of loss, the panic at being the one left behind well up inside, steal his breath. He reminded himself to breathe….in through his nose, out through his mouth an age old skill he seemed to have forgotten. The events of the last week had stolen his ability to think…to function as he had come to expect. Letting his breath out slowly through tightly clenched teeth, he tried to control his racing heart.

"It's time, Suga." The sudden voice, the tentative hand on his shoulder, the matter of fact statement all struck a chord in his tightly coiled muscles. He spun too fast, too angry. They had always treated Daisy with a gentle hand and for just a moment he saw the fear in her eyes…the uncertainty written on her face, before the hurt surfaced and he looked into those same sad eyes that mirrored his own. She sat mere steps from where he stood, whether she had lost her balance or had just lost the will to fight him anymore, he wasn't sure. He did know that she could just as well have been miles away – the space between them seemed just too far and too painful to bridge.

"Daisy-girl?" He stepped forward only to be forcibly turned. A prelude to the coming explosion because the tension, the anger, the frustration needed release – either explode or implode and he'd been walking the precipice for days. When fist hit jaw, it felt good…it felt solid and real and easy…too easy - the return punch never felt. His friend - self appointed shadow and guardian - had taken the punch accepted his anger without hesitation.

"I ain't gonna let ya hurt Daisy, Buddy Roe, it's a regret ya don't need." Cooter's words were garbled and sounded wet and liquid tinged and for a moment he saw the Cooter of their younger days instead of Representative Davenport. Yet here was the polished politician, sitting on his rump spitting blood from a split lip into the grass in a meadow next to Hazzard creek…the same creek that he'd been told had taken his cousins' life. Reaching down, he offered a hand to one of his oldest and dearest friends as he spoke, "I wouldn't, couldn't hurt Daisy, Cooter," his offering cut short by the barely contained anger he heard from over his shoulder.

"But ya are…whether ya intend to or not!" This was Daisy's protector. LA police detective, Enos Strate, the slightly inept former Hazzard Deputy who made it big in LA. He returned to Hazzard with a seeming loss of innocence and a strength that surprised his childhood friends. Dukes had always out smarted, out run and out planned Hazzard law, but there was little doubt Enos Strate could now give them a run for their money. The outcome of a good chase or a well conceived plan would no longer be assured if Enos was around.

Turning, he saw Enos had helped Daisy to her feet and tightly tucked her behind him. It was the first time he saw the scene for what it was. .. Cooter was protecting him from himself, Daisy's fear was for him, Enos' anger was directed at him for making this harder on his family and he…he was lost. His anger had taken days to build and in moments he felt it dissipate as quiet as a whisper on the morning breeze, but what it left behind wasn't refreshing or soothing - it was harsh and bright…too painful to acknowledge.

"Daisy?" His whisper hurt although he wasn't sure why and he blindly held out his arms waiting for what he did not deserve. Absolution would not come without repentance though because Daisy was a Duke and as prideful and stubborn as they come. He felt and heard the slap as it was dealt. The sting on his cheek reminding him of his sins before she folded herself into his arms giving the comfort she needed as badly as he. When she had cried a day's worth of tears she slowly pulled away and he felt a gentle hand on his cheek. Her hand fit easily into the handprint her slap had left behind. Her words were gentle yet delivered a demand that left no room for discussion. "Ya ain't the only one who lost 'im, Suga, stop actin' like you're the only one whos' grievin'." He smiled, a sad little smile, as he grabbed her hand. He had his wake up call. He may think all of this was wrong, but if they needed to grieve, he could not take that away from them. Placing a kiss on her palm, he nodded and handed her over to the Hazzard fold. They had pulled together…all returned to support their own and he needed to trust in that …needed to have faith that the bonds created in a small town would hold no matter how far they traveled…no matter how large their life got. "Daisy-girl. Ya go with Cooter, back to the memorial service..." she held him at arm's length her probing eyes seeing more then he wanted… "I'll follow ya, Daisy, I promise. I just need ta talk ta Enos for a minute. I'll be there."

She must have seen what she wanted in his eyes, because a hug and a peck on the cheek later she and Cooter were heading back to the farm in Daisy's Jeep, Dixie, while a companionable silence had settled between him and Enos. They stood side by side, leaning against the General, both staring at the spot in the creek where Jesse's truck had been found. Taking a deep breath, he forced the needed words past the lump in his throat. "This ain't right Enos, none of this adds up."