A/N: Okay, here's chappie ten! Happy Fourth of July!

The Wind Blows Free

Chapter Ten: Can't Fight the Feelin', Part Two

CRACK-A BOOM!

Power all across Hazzard County disappeared, leaving everyone briefly in the dark. Rachel screamed unexpectedly and threw herself on Bo, who wrapped his arms around her.

Luke sighed and got up from his seat. "Guess I better see if Enos has any candles or lamps. Ali, ya wanna come help?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, getting off the couch.

They both left to wander around the house, and Rachel still clung to Bo like a scared kid. She had some tears running down her face while he brushed her long brown hair with his fingers, trying to calm her down.

"It was rainin' real bad when—when the accident happened," she sobbed quietly. "It was thunderin' and lightenin', an' the truck hit us----and then they were gone."

Bo seemed to know that she was talking about her parents. Poor girl had been there when it happened. He gave her a tight hug.

"It's all right, Rach. I know how ya feel. My parents died in an accident, too, 'cept I was really little when it happened. At least you remember 'em. I don't recall nothin' 'bout mine."

Rachel wiped her eyes and she raised herself up to look into Bo's. "Yours are gone, too?"

"Yeah. Mine, Luke's, and Daisy's. That's why we live with our Uncle Jesse. Luke remembers some stuff about his, Daisy don't remember much, and I don't remember anything." He put some of her hair behind her ears. "Besides, it don't do no good to think about the bad stuff. Uncle Jesse always tells us to reminisce on the good times y'all had."

"Well . . . there wasn't that much they ever did with us. But I suppose that what little time they spend with us, it was pretty fun. Like goin' to the lake." She was starting to feel better already.

"See, goin' to the lake," Bo smiled. "Think about that. Don't sit there and constantly think about them bein' gone all the time. If everybody in the world kept goin' back to the past, we'd never get anywhere forwards, huh?"

"I guess," she smiled. "Thanks, Bo."

They heard footsteps coming from the hallway and the shining light of an oil lamp filled the room. Luke and Ali emerged from the darkness and Luke set the lamp on the coffee table in front of the couch. The wind began to howl outside and rain beat against the window harder than it had been.

"Well," said Luke, plopping down in the recliner. "Guess we'll just have to entertain ourselves for a while." He pulled out a deck of cards from his back pocket. "Anybody up for Go Fish?"

When the lights went out, the Boar's Nest was filled with screaming customers. Daisy immediately started trying to calm everybody down, not wanting anyone to fall down or hurt themselves in the dark.

"Everyone, it's okay!" she assured them in a soothing voice. "Just stay where you are and don't wander around. I'll go find some lamps and candles. Enos, can I borrow your flashlight?"

"Sure, Daisy," he said, taking his flashlight that was hooked onto his gunbelt and handing it to her. "Be careful," he told her, as she flicked the light on and started heading towards the back where the stockroom was.

Everybody in the restaurant stayed where they were seated, but they continued to murmur to themselves about how much worse the storm was getting. It had been about five minutes since Daisy had disappeared when Enos heard a "THUMP!" and then Daisy going "Owww!".

"Daisy!" Enos called out worriedly, getting up and stumbling his way in the direction that Daisy had gone in. "Hang on, Daisy, I'm comin'!"

He found his way to the back and immediately spotted his flashlight shining from the ground and a dim image of Daisy lying on the floor grabbing her ankle. He sprang over to her.

"Daisy, what happened, you all right?"

She clenched her teeth in pain. "My ankle, I twisted it. I think it's sprained."

Enos stooped down and cradled her in his arms. "Here, let's get ya back up front."

"Wait, Enos, the candles. They're on the top shelf right above ya."

"I'll come back an' get 'em, but right now I need to get you back up front. Now calm down and let me handle things," Enos said in a firm, yet gentle, voice.

Rosco gave Flash a real tight squeeze when the power died in the courthouse. The storm was starting to sound worse and worse and time crawled on, which was never a good thing. He heard Eve sigh in discontent, since she was probably aggravated at the hindrance of not having light.

"Rosco, y'all wouldn't happen to have any candles around, huh?"

He was so scared, he almost didn't comprehendwhat she said. Trying to stop himself from shaking so much, he replied, "Yeah---closet in the back."

She rolled out from behind her desk. "Well, you gonna let me borrow your flashlight, or do I have to find them blind?"

"Huh? OH! Sorry," he stammered, quickly handing her his light.

She mashed the button on the side to turn it on and headed off to the back to retrieve some candles. Rosco wished she hadn't done that---left him alone . . . in the dark . . . with the rain, thunder, and lightening getting harder and harder . . .

BOOM! BOOM! CRACK-A BOOM!

Flash started whining from being squeezed so hard, so Rosco had to release his grip on her a little bit. Branches started beating against thewindows from the outside bushes, rain hit the window like bullets, and thunder echoed off the walls. Rosco wished Eve would hurry up with them candles, he didn't know how much longer he could stand sitting in this chair without seeing anything.

After what felt like an hour, Rosco finally forced himself to get up and set Flash by herself on the chair. She simply stretched herself out and tried to get some sleep.

Rosco fumbled his way around to where he knew the back closet was, tensing up everytime the lightening flashed or the thundered roared. It was pitch black where there weren't any windows, which was definitely not a good thing.

He bumped into somebody and nearly shot out of his skin.

"Jesus, Rosco,you scared the dickens outta me!" he heard Evegasp in front of him. Good, it was only her. At least it wasn't someintruder that could be lurking about around here.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just---well, I got kinda worried."

"I've only been gone for three minutes."

"Oh."

She smiled a little to herself. "There's only four of these tall candles here, so they'll have to do. And this lighter's barely got enough fluid in it to light a match with." She stood there for a minute in the dark holding everything in her arms. "Rosco."

"What?"

"Move. You're in the way."

Reality set in and Rosco managed to move himself out of her way so that she could walk. The lightening flashed again outside, faintly lighting the building. The thunder seemed to have quieted, thank God, but the rain was still going strong.

Rosco kept close behind Eve, not wanting to get stuck without having any source of light in his viewing distance.

BOOOOOOOM!

The enormously loud clap of thunder was enough to send Rosco into a state. Without thinking, he reached forward and grabbed Eve from behind and pulled her into a tight squeeze as if she were some sort of security blanket or something.

Eve almost screamed, but she refrained from doing so somehow. The shock of being grabbed like that sent her mind into a whirl. She could feel the sheriff shaking from being so scared and his heart was beating faster than it was supposed to.

He must be real scared, she thought, trying to swallow some spit to try and quench her suddenly dry mouth.

"You okay back there?" she asked him raspily.

He didn't answer right away, but once his breathing got back somewhat to normal, he released his grip and replied, "Yeah . . . I guess . . . sorry 'bout that."

Still rattled, she remarked, "It's okay."