Now, Luke Duke had made a promise to Rosco and Dukes always keep their word. So, as soon as they could, Bo and Luke went walking with Rosco on the outskirts of town. Problem is how do you sell a strange tale like that?
Bo and Luke walked quietly on either side of Rosco as they ambled slowly around the town. Luke started to speak a few times, but each time shook his head, stopping.
"For wanting to talk, you fellas sure are quiet," Rosco said softly. "Is it that bad?"
"Not bad, exactly, just strange," Luke complained. "I just don't see how you could believe us."
"You think I don't trust you?" Rosco asked, hurt.
"No!" Luke said hurriedly. "It ain't that at all."
"See, when we say strange, we don't just mean unusual," Bo explained. "We mean Twilight Zone levels of crazy."
Rosco studied them a moment, then shook his head, grinning.
"I know you ain't crazy, fellas. You're either gonna tell me or not. All this build up can't be helping."
"My cousins and I were out driving in the General Lee," Luke began, keeping his voice flat and steady. "We drove into one of those clouds. When we came out of the cloud...we were twenty years in the past."
"One of those clouds...and it just dumped you into a different time and place?" Rosco asked, not quite believing them, but not disbelieving either. They were just too worried and sober, for Rosco to think they were joking.
"Well, not place. We're from Hazzard."
"What are your real names?" Rosco probed.
Bo and Luke exchanged glances, then mutually shrugged.
"Duke. I'm Luke. He's Bo. Cathy is our cousin Daisy."
"Moon runners," Rosco observed, then gave a laugh. "You said you ran shine a long time ago. I guess twenty years counts."
"Actually, we quit about four years ago," Luke clarified.
"Why? The Dukes have been making shine for hundreds of years, according to Jesse."
"Not anymore. Bo and I got caught by the feds and the prosecutor was pressing all sorts of charges. We were given probation, but only because Uncle Jesse cut a deal. We'd quit running shine and he'd quit making it...forever."
"Yup, the Duke family is officially out of the moonshine business," Bo agreed.
Rosco rolled his eyes, giving a huff of annoyance.
"Well, all's well that ends well, I guess."
"Aw, c'mon, Rosco," Bo urged, not bothering to hide his hurt. "Why you got such a problem with our probation? We've never hurt anyone, never would. It ain't like we're dangerous."
"Oh, I know that," Rosco assured them, his expression softening. "It's nothing personal against you, Johnny. Look at it from the law's point of view, though. You were given probation in exchange for not running shine-which you shouldn't have been doing anyways!"
"Never thought of it like that," Luke admitted, grimly.
"I bet," Rosco teased, jostling Luke with his shoulder.
"Hey, now!" Luke protested, chuckling and jostling back.
"The real question is...what are you going to do now? Do you plan on going back?"
"We gotta. There ain't no Earls in 1979 in Hazzard."
"And no Cathy or Daisy Coltrane, either," Rosco guessed, feeling a heavy sorrow settle on him.
Bo stepped a bit closer, placing his arm around Rosco's shoulders.
"Rosco, we don't know any more than you what's gonna happen," Luke said. "I do know Cathy loves you and plans on staying by you, in one time or another."
"How do you even plan on getting home?"
"Same way we got here?" Bo suggested. "We'll have to find a cloud big enough to drive the General through."
Rosco looked between his two friends, incredulous and a bit horrified.
"That's it? That's your plan?"
"It's all we got," Luke defended.
"Uh huh. And what happens if ya go through one and don't get back to '79?" Rosco asked sharply. "What happens if you end up '29 or '99? Hell, what if you end up in 1979 B.C.?"
"It's a risk, but I don't think that'll happen," Luke said, soothingly. "Look at all the clouds showing up. I think history is trying to right itself."
"There's gotta be some way to test things. Have you tried looking these clouds up in the library?"
"I did, but I didn't find anything. Not so much as a tall tale."
"We could throw something into one and see what happens," Bo suggested.
"How would we know when it landed, though?" Rosco asked.
"We might be able to pull whatever we sent back, if we attached a line to it," Luke mused. "But, then, we'd have to hope someone saw it and sent a message back to us."
"You could write a message on something tough-a piece of canvas, maybe," Rosco said.
"Cathy should be getting off work in just a bit. Let's go pick her up and we can get started!" Bo said enthusiastically.
Now ain't that gonna be an odd sight? Three men and a lady going around Hazzard, throwing a letter on fishing line into clouds. Good thing Hazzard folks are used to a bit of weird. Let's see if they get a nibble.
Rosco watched gravely as Bo and Luke again threw their letter on canvas into a cloud. This one was right next to the county courthouse, but no one was paying them much attention. The day was overcast and cold. The few people who did pause, curious, just shrugged after a moment and went about their business. So far, they'd tried three other clouds, all of which had faded away, once Luke placed the letter in them.
"Rosco?" Daisy said, pulling lightly on his arm.
Rosco tore his gaze from the cloud and walked closer to her, letting her lead him a couple of feet away. Daisy kept her hand on his arm, but couldn't quite meet Rosco's eyes. After a moment, Rosco placed his other hand on hers.
"C'mon, darlin'," he encouraged. "Talk to me."
"Are you angry at me?" Daisy asked softly.
Rosco frowned, giving the question serious consideration, before finally shaking his head.
"Not at you, no. I guess I'm angry at the situation, but...what else could you have done? You certainly couldn't have come to town and introduced yourself as Daisy Duke. I don't regret loving you. Mostly, I guess I'm worried and sad."
"Why?" Daisy asked, concerned.
"I'm worried, 'cause there's no guarantee you'll get home safe. I'm sad 'cause, if you do, I won't see you properly for another twenty years. I'll be approaching fifty, not thirty."
"Rosco Coltrane, do you think that matters to me?" Daisy demanded.
"No, but maybe it should. You gonna want to marry me when I'm bald and feeble?"
"Well, I would, except you ain't neither of those things!"
"That's comforting at least," Rosco said, with a chuckle.
"Rosco? Ask me," Daisy whispered.
Rosco tugged her gently closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Will ya marry me?"
"Yes. I love you, darlin'," Daisy answered, leaning into Rosco and kissing him deeply.
Bo and Luke both grinned, turning away.
"I wanna fish!" a young voice piped happily.
Rosco looked up to see a young girl in a blue dress with yellow flowers standing close to Luke...and to the cloud. He walked over to stand near the girl, looking around for her parents.
"Hi there!" Bo said cheerfully. "What's your name?"
"Daisy," she answered not noticing the wry look exchanged by the adults around her. "Can I?"
"We ain't aiming to catch fish, honey."
"You're not catching fishies?"
"Nope, no fishies," Luke agreed.
"There's no fishies in clouds?"
"Nah, ya need creeks and lakes and stuff for fish," Rosco explained.
"What's in the cloud?" Daisy asked, peering closer.
"Well, that's what we're trying to find out," Bo said, laughing.
"I'll find out!" Daisy cried brightly, rushing towards the cloud.
"No!" Rosco shouted, reaching out and scooping the tiny Daisy into his arms. "Uh. Y-you don't want to get your dress damp, honey. Stay out of the clouds, okay?"
"O-kayyyy?" Daisy said, confused.
"Daisy, honey, don't be scaring the sheriff," Molly Duke said, finally catching up to her energetic daughter. "Thanks for catching her for me."
"You're welcome."
"Hi, Mama!" Daisy said, giggling. "He's sherf?"
"Sher-iff, yes," Molly corrected. "You can tell by the shiny badge he's wearing."
"Yeah. He's got a badge," Daisy agreed, grabbing the badge and running her fingers around the edge. She reached up for his hat. "This is mine..."
Rosco watched as Daisy took his hat and placed it on her own head. He chuckled a bit at the sight.
"I'd say you need to do some growing, first," Rosco said. "Besides, that's part of my uniform, little lady."
"Give the hat back, Daisy," Molly scolded lightly.
Daisy placed the hat back on Rosco's head, pouting a bit.
"Thank you, darlin'," Rosco said, handing her over to Molly, adjusting the hat a bit.
Molly took Daisy, staring curiously at Luke. Luke just smiled boldly at her.
"I gotta ask. Why are you fishing in a cloud...and what are you using for bait?"
"A piece of canvas, ma'am," Bo answered honestly, with a cheerful grin.
"What are you hoping to catch?"
"Information. Ya gotta admit the clouds are a bit weird all on their own."
"You think the ones here are strange? You should see the one in the Partridges' barn. Most of these will fade soon, but that one just keeps getting bigger. It's big enough now to swallow a car."
The Dukes tried to hide their sudden excitement, disguising it as interest. Molly just grinned. Rosco tried to shrug casually, though he mostly looked uncomfortable.
"Nothing's gone missing out there, has it?"
"Not that I know of, Sheriff. Well, good luck to y'all. Say bye-bye, Daisy."
"Buh-bye!" Daisy shouted merrily, blowing kisses around at everyone, as Molly walked away.
"Bye, sweetheart," Luke said, amused.
Well, that sure was helpful of Aunt Molly. Now the boys know how to get home...assuming the clouds'll take them there.
"So, should we stay here or go out to the Partridge place?" Bo asked.
"I dunno," Luke admitted, giving a half-hearted tug on the fishing line. To his surprise, the line went taut.
"We got a bite!"
Everyone gathered round, staring. Luke gave light tugs on the string, but something tugged back. Finally, the line went slack and the canvas letter came flying out of the cloud. Shaking, Luke picked the letter back up. He grinned, seeing the message written on it:
Kids,
This is 1979. The sheriff and I are all right. Now, get your backsides home.
Love,
your uncle
Underneath was a second message:
We got your letters. Let me know, if you can, when and where you'll come back. Send a message. I might not remember what you tell me in time to help.
"That's my handwriting," Rosco said, disturbed. "'I might not remember in time.' What...does that mean I won't remember all of this?"
The Dukes shrugged helplessly, saddened at the thought.
"It might," Luke said. "That would explain..."
"No," Rosco interrupted. "Don't tell me. That's likely why I forget, so I won't know the future."
Luke started to speak, but then stopped, nodding.
"Yeah. Sorry, Rosco. At least, it does sound like the memories come back," he offered.
Rosco grinned, thinking of the times they had mentioned their "friend from home" that Rosco reminded them of.
"Hopefully I won't be pulling my dumb act on you anymore."
Bo wadded up the letter and threw it at Rosco's head. Rosco ducked, laughing, as Daisy caught it. Luke shook his head.
"Hopefully," he agreed wryly, before sobering. "I think we oughta get the General and head out to the Partridge farm. We don't want to miss a chance at home."
"We ain't got much to pack, but we should take what we can with us, so people will know we left and didn't just disappear," Daisy argued.
"We best wait a bit anyways. Say three hours? We don't want to go mucking with Partridge's barn in broad daylight. You gonna send a note back here or wait until we get to the Partidge place?" Rosco asked.
"Best do it here," Luke decided, scribbling a hasty note on the canvas and sending it back into the cloud, saying:
We know of a cloud big enough for the General. We'll be at the Partridge farm in three hours. Meet us there. Hope to see you all soon.
True to Luke's word, in three hours Luke and his cousins pulled up to the Partridge barn in the General Lee. Rosco and his patrol car were already there. Friends and neighbors, I think the Dukes are almost home.
Rosco watched as Bo parked the General Lee next to the opening of the barn, within inches of the cloud. The Dukes clambered out and gathered around their friend.
"Y'all ready to go?" Rosco asked.
"Yeah. We left letters for our bosses and tidied up as best we could," Luke said.
Rosco nodded, unsure what to say.
"Rosco, um. We sure appreciate everything. This whole thing woulda been a lot harder, without you helping us and being our friend," Bo told him, awkward, but sincere.
"I don't know why that cloud brought you here, but I'm glad it did," Rosco said simply.
"Fellas! Look at the General!" Daisy cried.
Looking over, the men saw the cloud shift and grow just enough to engulf the General Lee. Bo started to run toward the General in horror, but Luke caught him by the arm.
"Wait. Let's see what happens."
After a few minutes, a handkerchief floated out of the cloud. There was writing in ink on it, reading:
The General has come through. Where are you?
Luke gave Rosco an apologetic smile.
"Oops," he said, quickly scribbling an answer and tossing it into the cloud.
We're coming through on foot. We should be there in a few minutes.
"I guess we better get going," Luke told them.
"Yeah, I guess ya better," Rosco agreed wryly.
Rosco held out his hand to Luke, who used it to pull Rosco into a tight hug. Bo and Daisy took their own hugs. Rosco was flustered and a bit embarrassed, but he returned the hugs. Daisy lingered, placing her head on his shoulder. Rosco gently pulled her chin up and kissed her tenderly.
"I'll see ya later," he whispered.
"Yeah, you will," Daisy agreed firmly. "Y'know what else? I really am gonna snag that hat of yours."
She reached over and took Rosco's white cowboy hat, placing it on her own head. Rosco chuckled and adjusted the hat, setting it at a jaunty angle.
"Looks good on you. I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you, too. See you soon, darlin'."
"We gotta go," Luke said apologetically.
"I know," Daisy agreed, then leaned in and gave Rosco a lingering kiss.
"Daisy," Bo protested, pulling her away. "You can carry on with that, when we get home!"
"Oh, Bo!" Daisy swore, reaching up and swatting him hard on the shoulder.
"Come on!" Luke demanded, shaking his head, while Rosco just laughed quietly. "We'll go one at a time...just in case."
"Ladies first!" Daisy said, turning and walking boldly into the cloud.
Daisy was startled to find herself struggling up a steep incline. Taking a deep breath, she pushed forward. Soon, she found herself forced to crawl upwards on her hands and knees. She couldn't see much of the terrain, seeing mostly swirls of gray. Where or whenever she was, Daisy managed to find hand and footholds to push herself further up. Finally, the ground leveled off and she came to a stone barricade. Reaching up, Daisy just managed to grab the top of the stones.
Daisy managed to crawl halfway up the stones, before skidding down, scraping her hands. She gave a sharp cry of frustration, which echoed up. Squaring her shoulders, Daisy took a running leap at the top of the wall. To her surprise and relief, strong hands grabbed onto her arms and began pulling her up. After a moment, Daisy found herself sitting at the top of a water well. Rosco, the older, dear Rosco she had known for years, stood in front of her, still gently, but firmly, gripping her arms.
Daisy grinned brightly at him.
"Hi, darlin'!" she proclaimed, before surging forward to kiss him deeply.
Rosco didn't hesitate to return the kiss, pulling her into his arms.
"Hello, sweetheart. You all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't an easy trip, but I made it!" Daisy said, happily.
"Let's hope Bo and Luke aren't far behind."
They weren't. Soon enough, them good ole boys were climbing out of the well, grinning at the sight of Daisy and Rosco. Ain't nothing to make a person misty-eyed like a reunion between old friends. This one is bound to be a bit awkward.
Luke climbed last out of the well and paused, hearing Bo whistle. Daisy had been too distracted by Rosco to notice, but now all three cousins gaped at the tall wall of cloud and wind that whirled around them in a circle. Nothing was in the circle except for the well, Rosco's patrol car, an old pickup truck with a load of fresh hay, and the General Lee.
"What in tarnation is that?" Bo asked.
"It showed up about ten minutes after I did. That was about an hour ago," Rosco told them, shrugging tiredly. "The good news is that it's a bit lower than it was before. When I first got here you couldn't see nothing past it. Now, you can just make out the barn."
Luke started to comment, but then stopped, noticing the dark circles under Rosco's eyes.
"Rosco? Are you okay?"
"Just tired," Rosco answered, laughing ruefully. "I've had several months of memories come back, packed into three weeks of dreams."
Bo and Luke came and sat next to Rosco and Daisy on the edge of the square well.
"You really didn't remember us then."
"No. After you left, all those memories just faded. Oh, if you'd asked me about the Earls a year ago, I probably woulda had some recollection of them. I didn't remember the way I should've, though, and I certainly had no idea it was y'all."
"It does make sense, in a way. Time protects itself," Luke mused.
"Yeah," Rosco agreed.
The conversation died. Bo and Luke both thought hard. They were still confused by the differences between Rosco in the past and the man they had thoughtthey knew so well. Rosco looked at their hesitant, confused faces and smiled fondly.
"I guess I need to explain myself a bit. I owe you some answers," he admitted.
"We know you've been doing a lot of pretending. You could have really arrested us and not lost us in all those chases. We just don't understand why," Bo complained.
Rosco placed a gentle hand on the back of his young friend's neck, giving a comforting squeeze.
"It's changed over time. Remember, you got your parole about the same time as I lost my pension. My anger over my worries sorta bled over onto you fellas...and I'm sorry for that. Truthfully, I should've had this talk with you a long time ago, with or without your trip to the past."
"You didn't know us then," Luke said.
"No. I really didn't. You were just criminals getting away with running shine."
"You didn't used to mind that, either," Bo pointed out, feeling even more confused. "The running shine, I mean."
Rosco gave a sad laugh.
"I was young and naive...not to mention being from Hazzard. I thought back then running shine was pretty innocent, a victim-less crime. I winked at and pretty much ignored it. I refereed races between men I knew earned their living from moonshine and smuggling," Rosco explained, before giving them a pointed look. "Others paid the price for my indulgence."
"Others...oh, Lord," Luke groaned, rubbing his face. "Rosco, please tell me you ain't spent the past eighteen years feeling guilty about our parents' deaths."
"Why not?" Rosco asked softly.
"You weren't even there!" Daisy protested. "Uncle Jesse told us you were away in Atlanta that entire week at a convention."
"I was, sure. Point is, though, I nurtured an environment that let running shine flourish."
"It's only coincidence they were running shine at all," Luke said kindly. "They could just as easily have died going to the Boar's Nest or any other drive around Hazzard."
"Maybe, but I didn't see it that way at the time. I turned against running shine, started taking it seriously. By the time you boys were arrested, all I saw was a couple of young criminals, scoffing at the law."
"Something had to change, though, if you've been keeping us out of jail," Bo said.
Rosco grinned, amused.
"You changed. You grew up and started helping people. Unfortunately, by that time, I was in deep with Boss and you only knew me as an old enemy. Pride kept my mouth closed at first, though I never really sunk low enough to let you or anyone else get railroaded."
"I guess our falling for your dumb act hook, line, and sinker didn't help any either," Luke said with a sigh.
"That and I didn't expect you to believe me, if I tried to explain."
"Why support Boss at all though?" Bo demanded.
"Other than him being my brother-in-law and keeping me off of welfare? Bo, someone is going to be head of crime in Hazzard. There's no avoiding that. Now, would you rather have someone like Boss or someone like McQuade or Hickman?"
Bo and Luke thought of the trouble they'd had, when other crime bosses had come to Hazzard. They grimaced, nodding.
"Problem is, sweetheart, what happens, when Boss realizes what you're up to?" Daisy asked.
"He's bound to find out, sooner or later," Luke warned.
"Oh, he knows," Rosco assured them. "He don't admit it to himself, but he knows. Not much gets past Boss."
"Now I'm really confused," Bo admitted. "Why would he let ya?"
"Several reasons. Boss may hate himself for it, at times, but he does care about people, especially family. Most of his aggression towards you fellas is just bluster...and his greed getting the better of him."
"Yeah and he's got plenty of greed to be getting him, too," Luke chided.
"He does," Rosco said, agreeably, then chuckled. "Still, every other sheriff he's had was an even worse disaster. I might mess up his grander schemes, but I let him get away with just enough. He can't risk an entirely honest sheriff, someone like Little, replacing me."
"Yeah, we wouldn't like that none ourselves," Bo said, thinking of Little and his military style approach to law enforcement.
"What about now?" Luke asked soberly.
"Well, I can hardly go around chasing my in-laws," Rosco said cheerfully. "I'm afraid my little buddy is gonna have to face up to some truths."
"He ain't gonna like that. What if he fires you?" Bo asked.
"He won't. Boss has threatened me a few times with the idea of him divorcing Lulu, but he never would. My sis'll be tickled pink at the idea of Daisy and me getting married. She'll keep him in line long enough for him to get used to the idea."
"Yeah, now we just have to get out of here and tell everyone. What time is it? " Luke asked.
"It's almost eleven."
"Dang. It'll be two in the morning, before that thing's low enough for us to get over, at this rate."
"If you think I'm staying up until two in the morning, waiting for that to blow itself out, your lug nuts are loose!" Rosco declared.
"Well, what're ya gonna do, then?" Bo asked, laughing.
"There's a truck full of clean hay, right over there. I'm gonna get some sleep."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Luke agreed.
Rosco got up and walked to the truck's back. Climbing in, he settled in the middle. The Dukes followed behind him. With a saucy smile, Daisy curled up on Rosco's lap, resting against his chest. The boys settled on either side of them, huddling close for warmth. Rosco looked at his company and shook his head in bemusement, but didn't argue. He laid his head back and let himself drift to sleep.
Now ain't that a sight? Fortunately, Rosco did manage to get a good night's sleep. He didn't tell no one where he was going, so ole Enos was out early looking for him. Jesse was out and about, too, anxious for news of Daisy and the boys. Can you imagine their reaction to that scene in the truck?
Rosco woke to a clicking sound coming from a few feet away. He opened his eyes just enough to make out what it was, then closed them again.
"Enos, if you don't stop taking pictures of me, I'm gonna dump you and that camera in the nearest creek," Rosco growled.
"Oh, no, you won't," Daisy said, firmly, her face still pressed warmly against Rosco. "Enos, don't you let anything happen to that film. I want copies!"
Rosco gave a raspy chuckle, running a gentle hand over her hair.
"Sure thing, Daisy," Enos said happily. "Good morning, Sheriff. Hey, fellas."
"Hey, Enos. I want coffee," Bo added thickly, still mostly asleep.
"Daisy Duke, get off the sheriff and out of that truck," Jesse ordered gruffly. "If ya want coffee, get up and get home, so I can make breakfast for ya!"
"Yes, sir," Luke agreed cheerfully, groggily pulling himself out of the truck and to his feet.
Rosco got himself up, stretching. He yawned, amazed at how good he felt. Looking around, he smiled at the Dukes, sending up a silent prayer of thanks.
"Rosco," Jesse said. "You gonna join us and Enos?"
"Yes, thank you, Jesse. I think I will," Rosco agreed.
Daisy started to wrap her arm around his, then grinned mischievously. Reaching up, she took his black hat and replaced it with the white one from the past. Rosco smiled, shaking his head.
"You done swiping my hats now?" he asked, teasing.
"For now," Daisy conceded happily.
"Come on, you two," Jesse ordered.
"I'm gonna ride with Rosco," Daisy said.
"Aw, why?" Bo asked, laughing. "Don't you trust my driving, cousin?"
"Boy, you just get in that car and get back to the farm," Jesse ordered dryly.
Everyone laughed, heading for their vehicles.
Well, it ain't the easiest way to forge a friendship, but that's Hazzard for ya. Things sometimes take a strange turn, but everything usually works out in the end.
